Fix The D@mned Gate!!

Oct 30, 2007

Sometime between Wednesday and Saturday the gate to Quzqo's pasture came
half off its hinges, and it's swinging by the lower hinge...barely.
We're talking a full-sized stock fence panel, maybe 8 feet wide, VERY
heavy, and only with one hinge. If you're careful you can pick it up and
walk it backwards and set it back on the ground (or go through and bring
it back to the closed position and chain it to the post). Bob was off to
Minnesota all weekend (some big horse sale), so it's understandable why
it wasn't repaired. Nobody was around to help me lift it up back on its
pins or I would have given it a go.

Well, tonight I stopped at the barn after work to make sure the horse
wasn't limping (he wasn't), and the gate to the big pasture was shut,
locking those horses into the back field. The broken gate to Quzqo's
pasture was shut, and a boarder's Paso Fino was wandering around in the
holding area for both pastures. Don't know why he was locked in there,
maybe he's on a diet, I don't know.

UNfortunately the geldings in Coos' pasture know when it's getting near
dinnertime, and they ALL were hanging by the broken gate, Coos was
standing a little ways off to the side, but when he saw me coming he
maneuvered himself into the midst of all the big QHs and Paints and TBs
(well, one TB) to get closer. I managed to drag the gate open and got
in, and dragged it shut and proceeded to flail away at the stupid brown
horses trying to crowd in. I had a rope halter with me, which is
SUPER-SCARY & cleared a path for Quzqo to come forward through. I got
the horses shooed off, Coos came up, I dragged the gate open, hoping
he'd walk on through...of course he wouldn't, GRRRGH (NOW he decides to
be well-mannered), so I was about to drag the gate shut and go put the
halter on when this big dumbass retarded QH comes BARGING right past
Quzqo and nearly SMASHES into me, shoves backwards against
the post (all I could think of was: A) Breaking my leg again and B)
Electric fence wires by my face) and barges through the gate and into
the holding area! OH, did I say bad words and very loudly!!! I went back
into the pasture and flailed the halter around, cursing loudly, scaring
the shit out of the remaining horses who buggered off...Coos jumped away
but came right back up, like, "you're not talking to ME, right?? It's
those other horses you're telling to eff off??" I got the halter on
him, my hands were shaking and I was near to tears with fright because
that big brown bastard did seriously shake me up! He's a huge
chestnut with no manners, is all over you whenever you go into the
pasture...I did not appreciate that back when I was on crutches out there!

Got Coos out, got the gate shut & chained back up, the big QH was busy
sniffing the Paso's butt, and neither one acted like they were about to
kill each other, so I figured "screw it" & left them. As I said, it was
almost dinner time so somebody'd be out to bring them in. Got my horse
in & spent some quality time brushing him and just trying to calm myself
down. I don't mind being smashed by my own horse, but when it's some
OTHER horse...that's different.

Guess I'll just have to remember to carry a whip out there with me in
the future, get some respect into those idiots one way or another. Most
of the geldings are afraid of Quzqo AND me, there's three dominant
horses that don't take either of us seriously (two of them I've seen
chewing on Quzqo's face and neck...of course he stands there and takes
it, grrrgh).

I left a big, terse note on the blackboard for somebody to "please" fix
the gate. Considering I just paid my board, I'm in a particularly crabby
mood...I'm not paying $300/mo to have to wrestle gates and be trampled
by ill-mannered horses thank you very much!