Stowaways

I put the horses in the amphetheatre paddock, close the gate and smile. Good stuff. Work is done for yet another week. I look around to see if anything else needs to be put away. And, why is that horse out? Oh no! Why are all the horses out? "Pete forgot to close the other gate!!!", I whisper with fury under my breath, and run to close the gate to the house.

Trying very hard to look calm and indifferent I walk towards the horses. They see me, and gallop towards the front gate. There is a large triangle of grass there, that I am hoping will stop them. Mo sniffs the grass, then calmly walks down the bank, onto the driveway, and straight out the front gate. Gally follows. "Oh sh ... there is X thousand dollars walking out the front gate!!!"

I trot up after them. They (all five of them) go a 100 metres up the road looking for nice grass. When Crownie sees me coming, she decides the joke isn't funny any more, and she heads home. The rest do a runner up the neighbour's driveway. Crownie, seeing she's got no pulling power, joins the crowd. The next door neighbour runs out shouting. I plead with him to let me catch the leader. I don't have half a string on me. I grab Mo, one hand on the mane, one on the nose and lead him back home. (Mo is not actually the leader, Gally is, but I know I can lead Mo without a string. Not sure about Gally.)

I close the entrance gate, and hang on it for a few solid minutes. I still have to catch the horses and put them in the amphetheatre paddock.