I have had a terrible day!
My kids are still on holiday and started the day fighting and shouting! I asked who was going to help me muck out and had no volunteers, I wouldn't mind but the two ponies are for the kids! :'( Ok I accept that I cannot expect kids to do the work all the time and they were tired. So took it in my stride! Did the work, got stables ready for bedtime etc. Went back to collect my daughter from playgroup and told boys I wanted to bath Tilly, cos we are supposed to be taking her for her first show the weekend after next, and being grey I thought I would start the dirt removal early!
Youngest son (Tilly is his pony!) decided he was going to disappear with his mate, so took older son and young daughter to yard to bath Tilly. Caught Tilly and went to take her out of field and other pony Dawn decided to follow so close behind I could not stop her and out she came too! Then off she went, out the main gate onto the road!
This is my little 3 year old pony off! I say to Luke, take Tilly and look after Emily (4 year old daughter!) I run off after Dawn and find her grazing on side of road. Run and get bowl of food to try and coax her back into yard, but she just starts running off down the road!
I follow her (fortunatley we have very wide verges around the yard and the grass is very long and lush there!) and then she stops. A couple of cars and a lorry stop and luckily the people got out and helped me to get her into the bottom paddock, which has been shut off for the fothcoming lambs, so is full of nice lush good grass! I cannot thank these people enough for helping me to divert a disaster!
Leave Dawn in the field as she is safe and go back to make sure kids and pony are ok. Try to catch Dawn, but she is not having any of it, grass is far too tasty! So decide to bath Tilly, all going well, till I hose her off! She moved from a bit of tarmac onto concrete and slipped over onto her side and on getting up got her foot stuck in the bucket I had been using to wash her!
Thankfully, she seems ok. Had to put her back in the field and she went bonkers cos Dawn was down the bottom paddock calling and she was in the top paddock alone.
Went back down to try and catch Dawn again, but she had got herself in such a pickle she wouldn't come near me. She wanted to come in but didn't dare. In running back and forth, I then went back over on my ankle that I sprained over new year and added to things! :'(
Hobbled back to the car and phoned OH and told him what happened and he said give me 15 and I'll see what I can do. It was touch and go, but him being a lot faster, quicker and daring he did manage to catch Dawn, I think her just corner her and kind of grabbed her and managed to get the headcollar on!
I am so pleased they are all safe, but it does make one think how things could so easily go very badly wrong. :'(
I feel so stressed tonight, just hope my ponies will be ok!
