BY ALLISON LEE
After enjoying a rare evening out with friends, I was woken the next morning at 6.30 am by a call from a neighbouring farmer. He told me that my ponies, Chieftain and Jo-Jo, had escaped and were making their way past the community hall towards the next village!
I can honestly say I have never got dressed so quickly in my life. I stumbled out of the door and rushed towards the lane, only to find the ponies being gently herded back towards our house by our obliging neighbour in his pickup.
Although our neighbour—one of the local farmers—had managed to bring Chieftain and Jo-Jo back to the head of our lane, I still had to get them through the gate and safely into their paddock. This would have been difficult enough had they not been on a rather rigorous diet for the past three months. This was to help them lose some weight and control the ongoing issues they had been having with suspected laminitis. Now that they were free to roam grass verges and fields full of crops, it was anyone’s guess how the next few minutes would pan out.
Luckily, I had had the foresight to grab a bucket of feed along with their head collars and lead ropes. I prayed that they would be tempted by the feed bucket, despite the huge array of other tasty grazing available to them.
I could see that both ponies were a little frightened. It is one thing being the boss on your own territory, but even Chieftain seemed wary in the big wide world; he looked quite relieved when he saw me quietly approaching. I gently shook the bucket and called his name. I knew if I could get Chieftain to come with me, Jo-Jo would follow suit.
With my heart in my mouth, not daring to breathe, I slowly walked back down the lane towards our gate, gently shaking the bucket of feed. Chieftain followed me. Jo-Jo followed Chieftain.
Once back on our own premises, my husband quickly shut the gate. Although the ponies still had access to the orchard, vegetable plot, garden, and wildlife pond, they were at least out of danger and off the road.
I continued to gently shake the bucket of feed and call to them. I expected them to scarper in opposite directions once they were back on home ground; however, surprisingly, they continued to follow me right back to the stables, where I quickly shut the gate and sighed in relief.
I later found out that the gamekeeper had spotted them at around 10.30 pm the night before, exploring the neighbouring farm. However, he had been unable to get hold of the farmer, so Chieftain and Jo-Jo had been left to enjoy their night of freedom unchallenged.
The following few days were fraught with worry. I was terrified that all the hard work of putting the ponies on a strict diet and getting them both fit and healthy would be undone after their night on the town. As the days passed, I kept a close eye on them, not daring to think about what they may have eaten whilst enjoying their freedom. Luckily, neither of them seems to have suffered, and I have seen no deterioration in their health.
A close inspection of their paddock showed that they had managed to knock down a small section of fencing and squeeze through a very small gap in the hedge. I think they were telling me that the diet had worked—had this happened a few months earlier, they wouldn’t have been able to fit through. Let’s just say the farmer’s market was held a little early this year, and my two food critics were the first—and only—tasters.
Allison Lee is a smallholder from North Yorkshire who has written for the Yorkshire Post and other publications. Her website can be accessed here.