The Wayward Band
/My three Fell Ponies that were missing the previous morning were at the barn when I got there. Thank goodness for small favors! After I knew they weren’t at the barn with the rest of the herd the day before, I had walked many more steps than usual to get them back home. When I found them missing, I talked to my neighbor, and he said the ranch hand had told him I had ponies out of their pasture. Unfortunately, I then got some incorrect information about where they were, one reason I walked more steps than usual while finding them. The picture has a red arrow pointing to the ponies, and a green arrow pointing approximately to where the fence is. Their pasture is back of the green arrow.
The wayward band on high
It was almost exactly a year to the day from when I had to retrieve one member of this band from the same place. Elk had once again removed a portion of fence, and apparently the grass was greener on the other side. She took two friends with her this time. Pony #1’s mother was recently sold by her breeder because she had a similar habit. I’m hoping fence repair will keep this from becoming that severe an annoyance.
The wayward band on the wrong side of the fence.
When I finally got to them on my second try, I haltered the band leader, found the spot in the fence that was breeched, and led her to it. With a little coaxing, she stepped over the remaining wire that was about 10” off the ground. I led her several yards away, removed the halter, and went back for the next pony.
Pony #2 took matters into her own hands … or hoofs! She ran up the fence to the breeched portion and beautifully jumped the remaining wire to join Pony #1. Before long they were out of sight, which of course worried Pony #3. I haltered her and tried to coax her over the wire where the other two had gone, but she refused to lift her feet high enough to clear the wire. I then tried holding the wire down to the ground with my foot, and she still refused. She touched the wire an inch off the ground and backed away. Darn! I found it quite awkward to hold the wire down and try to direct her over it, so I mentally went in search of a different solution.
Next I took the halter off and walked over the downed fence section in the direction that the other two ponies had gone, thinking that might encourage another jumping display. It ended up being a poor choice. Pony #3 seemed to be upset at being ‘abandoned’ and ran the other direction along the fence out of sight. The fence went down a very steep and rocky hillside, so I slowly picked my way to Pony #3 when I could finally see her. Fortunately she waited for me to arrive, and I apologized for my poor choice. I haltered her and led her down to a gate at the pasture corner and led her through. When I released her, she took off toward the barn at a run. When I got back to the barn a little while later, all three of my wayward band were there as if nothing unusual had happened.
One of several benefits of retrieving the wayward band was finding this first wildflower of the spring!
While the search process was a bit laborious, it was still an enjoyable outing. I got to see some beautiful country and got to spend time with the wayward band out on the hill. I also got to see my first wildflower blossom of the spring, a pasqueflower! Well worth the effort!
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2022
There are more stories like this one in my book The Partnered Pony, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.
