The Great Escape x2

Posted at August 29, 2009 // Farm Life

Nitro

Meet Nitro. My 16.3 hand 23 year old (retired) second level dressage horse. I’ve owned him since I was 13 years old (12 years) and he’s still just as much of a pain as the day I brought him home. I love Nitro, and I owe much of my skills in being patient with horses to him. Nitro, who earned his name due to his EXPLOSIVE behavior, really tested my patience – a lot. You would think at 23 he’d be settling down in his later years. Definitely not. I took home what I thought was a sane 14 year old horse who had done some stuff in his life. What I got was a drugged horse that was a home-bred mess and had sat in a field for 10 years of his life – I paid way too much for him. Everything he knows/learned I taught him. We advanced struggled through the dressage levels together. Sometimes I smiled, sometimes I cried and threatened to sell him. Majority of the times I threatened to sell him. But he somehow wormed his way into my heart despite all of his flaws. He’ll live with me until the day he dies.

That being said yesterday was one of the days I threatened to sell him. Oh dear sweet Nitro, you make everyday an adventure!

Nitro

I arrived at the barn around 5:30pm – slightly confused. Normally all of the horses are in their (correct) stalls, while the Trick ponies (Minnow, Boomer and Blitz) have access to their stalls with their dutch doors open to a small paddock. Two other horses have dutch doors that can open to the paddock if we choose, Nitro and my sister’s horse Jet. So when I arrived at the barn I was slightly perplexed as to why Blitz was locked in Nitro’s stall (happily munching his hay) and Nitro was wondering around in the paddock with the other ponies. My first thought was that someone made a mistake – we have a few self-care boarders. But upon further inspection I realized that the stall Blitz was in was actually just pushed shut and not latched. The conclusion – one of the ponies (oh those evil ponies) unlatched Nitro’s door and set him free. Blitz then went in his stall to eat and someone (or him) closed the door behind him. My guess is that it was Blitz. Blitz is the only one with real motive to do it. For one he idolizes Nitro, who is the herd leader and keeper of the farm, and two Blitz is very much guided by his rumbling tummy. I’m sure Nitro’s leftover hay looked like such a treat.

A guilty looking Blitz

So you may think the story stops here, you would be wrong. Nitro, being the high strung horse that he is, was really worked up about being out with the ponies all day. Whinnying to his pal Diego who was stalled down the isle, worried about where his “herd” was. Only a daily basis Nitro is only in contact with one horse, a boarder named Diego – with a fitting show name of Outlaw. So noticing how worked up Nitro was getting I opted to turn him out in the pasture first instead of leading both Diego and Nitro at the same time like I usually do. So I turned Nitro out and went back to get Diego. Meanwhile Nitro was getting even more worked up out in the pasture. When I got back to the pasture with Diego Nitro had backed off some from the fence. I safely got Diego inside and was turning him around to shut the gate before I set him free. Just as I was slipping Diego’s halter off and starting to walk out the gate Nitro comes charging us. He proceeds to try to double barrel kick Diego – who rears in defense, knocking me to the ground. And just my luck the fence swings open and I have two huge horses barreling out of the pasture.

Nitro whinny's for his friend

My first thought is oh crap please let them head back to the barn. With Nitro (who’s not the brightest crayon in the box) I should of known that wouldn’t happen. No, instead he takes off down the driveway with Diego in tow. Luckily the farm is tucked away off the road, surrounded by farmland. Except for one big house up on the hill. And of course they head for the big house – with their newly manicured lawn – and it had been raining for several days. As I watch them run through the neighbors lawn and over the hill and disappear out of sight I have a mini heart attack. I run to the barn grab halters and a bucket of grain. I sprint after them hoping to keep them in sight – which didn’t happen. As I approach the McMansion the neighbors appear saying they saw horses run past their house. I continue around to the back to see a view of rolling hills – and no horses – another mini heart attack. I shake my bucket of grain and thank the lord the horses appear in the distance. They begin running straight for me – then I realize they aren’t stopping. I shake the bucket feverishly as the barrel past me…almost knocking me over again. Diego, dear sweet, fat, Diego suddenly makes a sharp U-turn and b-lines it for my bucket of grain. Among pants for breath he scarfs the grain and I quickly halter him. Few – atleast the boarder’s horse is caught. I look up to see Nitro gallop off into the fields. For a moment I think maybe he’ll never return – then I remember I do love him and it would be a shame if he never came back. So I opt to take Diego back to the barn first and return to look for Nitro. The neighbor says he loved seeing all the excitement – I laugh but think to myself are you crazy?

Tools used to catch a horse

Nitro and Diego

I lock my hand onto Diego’s halter and clamp on with a death grip as I walk the prancing horse back to the barn. He spooks at the house, the barking dogs, the dump truck in the driveway, I hold on for dear life. We get back to the barn driveway and Minnow is bronco bucking around his pasture. I yell whoa to him trying settle him because he’s making Diego hard to hold. As I near the barn, there is dear sweet Nitro, staring at me with crazed eyes. Easy boy. He takes off straight towards me – mini heart attack #3 – I clamp onto Diego again. Amongst the rearing and flying fur I close my eyes and HOLD ON. I’ll be damned if I was going to let Diego go again. I somehow manage to keep in contact with Diego’s halter and lead him back into his pasture. Nitro follows. I get them inside, lock the gate, and collapse onto the picnic table. God I hate dislike Nitro.

Nitro and Diego

As I turn out the rest of the herd (Boomer and Blitz along with my sister’s pony Jet and a near-30 boarder’s horse) I think about how I would take my stubborn little ponies over Nitro anyday. The ponies walk quietly to their pasture – two at a time and I hug them for being well behaved. I think maybe its the Thoroughbred blood in Nitro that makes him so wild, then I think maybe its the Welsh/Connemara pony blood. Then I think note to self – never breed a Throughbred with a pony…bad things happen.

I muck the stalls, sweep up and throw down hay. As I turn off the lights I think about a good friend that lost her 24 year old Thoroughbred today. Flyer was Nitro’s pas de deux partner in crime back in the day. I think despite Nitro’s flaws I’m glad he’s still here to fight another day. R.I.P. High Flyer.

-KD
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