Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Sometimes I Amaze Even Myself

Two days ago I was preparing to feed everyone dinner. I made a quick trip to the compost pile to empty my muck bucket and I noticed the horses in the neighboring field were in the woods hanging out. No big deal, they love to go in there and explore and nap, they do it all the time. So I am standing there watching them with a smile on my face until I notice one horse is down on the ground. And he's not moving. I knew right away it was Trillion because he is the only dark horse in that group. Trillion is a bay and everyone else is a gray or chestnut. He should have had his blanket on and actually been a dark green horse with some bay parts sticking out, but Trillion has been known to remove a blanket before according to his mom.

I start calling his name hoping he was just napping but he doesn't move. I scream his name and no movement, nothing. I noticed Sebastian and Asterik were hanging around him and I started really freaking out. "Oh no, he's died and they are staying with the body." I am crashing my way through the woods at this point with all sorts of horrible things going through my mind. "Dear God what happened? What am I going to tell his family? I'm going to miss him so much. How can this be happening?" and etc.

Just as I am preparing to climb the fence I notice something out of the corner of my eye. Of all things, a dark green horse with bay parts sticking out - Trillion!!!!!!! I was overcome with joy and was crying tears of happiness. Since I was much closer now to what I originally thought was deceased Trillion I looked more closely and realized it was a big log. I took a decade off of my life over a downed log in the woods. The sun was setting when I originally noticed "Trillion" but gosh, my eyes aren't that old and surely aren't that tired. It has taken me a couple of days to see the humor in this.

You can see why from a lot further away than this I might mistake this for a dead horse . . . or maybe not
Sebastian and Asterik grazing around "Trillion"

12 comments:

Java's Mom said...

funny, but not, but yet I'm still laughing at the log photo! I would have wigged out too, that's an understatement. I'm glad they are all OK!

Jason said...

Melissa confuses easily when it comes to "horse laying down" vs. "dead horse'. We have these sorts of conversations a couple of times a day on average.

But this is the first time I've seen her confuse a resting horse and a LOG !! LOL !!

Maybe a trip to Belleview is in order over the Christmas holidays. I hear they have some nice medications that make this sort of thing all better ! ;)

The Barn Bitch said...

Oh my!! LOLOL! Boy, I can totally relate...I would have thought the same exact thing! That log needs to be moved!

sarinawilson23 said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ezra_pandora said...

Oh my god. I so would have thought the same thing and flipped out. I used to think there was something wrong when the horses were laying down in the stall, until I walked in and saw 5 of them doing it at once. I was like no way can they ALL be sick!! lol

Horses and the hear attacks they give us.

Melissa-ParadigmFarms said...

I removed a spam post above.

Yeah, I think I need to relax and not always go straight to the worst possible scenario that could possibly be happening. I doubt that will happen but anything is possible!!

I'm telling you though, I was a lot farther away when I first saw "Trillion" than when I took the pictures and I swear it looked like a horse even thought I KNOW he should have been wearing his blanket. But his mom told me he removes blankets sometimes so of course that was all I was thinking about!!

Anonymous said...

Don't feel bad Melissa. I did the same exact thing with my 36 year old Tennessee Walker. He's retired at our vet's pasture and there's quite a few logs in with him and apparently logs look like dead horses in morning fog! I found him quietly grazing in his favorite spot by the creek, alive and perfectly all right. I guess I'm just a worrisome mom like all the rest. lol :)
Victoria

verylargecolt said...

I have done exactly that sort of thing. I think logs, piles of brush, etc. should all be removed for our mental health - we all think they are dead/down horses in low light!

(Never mind that in 33 years with horses, I have so far walked out and found a dead one exactly once...despite the odds, I still worry!)

Anonymous said...

Hi, Verylargecolt! How's my favorite buckskin stallion? Merry Christmas!

Amy Bennett said...

It sounds exactly like something that I would do! I worry too much! Hey...after walking up on Lacy that one morning....I would have thought the same thing!

Holly Ratcliff said...

Melissa,I completely understand, and even after I read your post about it being a log and not Trillion, I was still startled by the photographs (especially the one with the horses standing around). It looks EXACTLY like what we most fear, from a distance! I have an elderly gray mare here who was recently in UT vet hospital with ulcers (that now, thankfully, appear to be healing up and she's so much better). I have lots of grayish-white limestone boulders dotting the hills around my barn and woods in the pasture, so you can imagine what I think on a foggy morning, or driving up to my place from the road, or looking out the kitchen window in the dusk and seeing all these big white blobs lying motionless in the pasture...
Panic time!!! I make myself crazy. :-)

Arie said...

That log looks like a down horse. I don't blame you for freaking out. Love your blog!