Suddenly the horse's ears prick up and she comes to attention. The farrier hears it too: the distant sound of a lawn mower. It's getting closer. The mare looks around to locate and identify the threat. There is another sound, it too is getting closer: the buzz of a weed wacker. The farrier speaks softly and reassuringly to the horse. The noise increases as both the mower and the weed wacker get closer to the barn. The mare makes a light snoring sound, looks behind her, raises her tail and deposits a pile of manure on the floor. The farrier grabs a shovel, scoops up the manure and drops it into a muck bucket. He picks up the shoe and his shoeing box. He approaches the horse which is standing rigidly at high alert. The mower makes a pass by the barn door spraying grass and debris against the wall and into the barn. The mare dances sideways bumping into the farrier. Here comes the weed wacker whizzing like a giant horse fly, its string slapping the barn's foundation. The horse jumps forward, reaching the limits of the crossties. She recoils backward, her rear leg making contact with the shoeing box which the farrier has set down. Her reaction to the apparent surprise attack by the shoeing box is to send it tumbling across the floor, nails and tools scattering.

Their mission completed the mower and weed wacker retreat. The mare stands trembling, reversed in the crossties. The farrier sighs, begins picking up the mess, and wonders why the grass around the barn had to be cut just now.