Yesterday, I returned from the city to find our very large horse, Sage in a predicament. He had scrunched down the mesh fence at the back of his stall and stepped over it with his front legs. The mesh had popped back up and was at his elbows. He had both front hooves over the bottom line of thick wire that holds Penny's chain link fence down. Yikes!
But there he stood (for who
knows how long!), waiting calmly... he knew help would arrive. If you do not know horses well, this is quite amazing. Being prey animals, their first reaction when feeling trapped is to panic because to be trapped is to be dinner. Now, to reassure you, my working student had been at the stable all morning and had worked Sage. At most, he had been an hour and a half just standing... but still!
To extricate him meant cutting loose part of the mesh fence, then working (by hand, my bare hands) his front hooves, one at time, out of the chain link first. He is about 1600 pounds. This gentle giant calmly did just as I asked and not a bit more or less. Then, I stood on the mesh to crush it down more and worked his legs up and over it one at a time, sending him slowly backwards.
My brother was inside my house with our Mom (she is still here under our constant care) and could not leave her, even if I could have contacted him... and Sage was in too precarious a position to be left. One misstep or rush of fear and he would pull all the fence down on himself and if I was near him, I could become seriously injured.
So, "Don't Panic" rang in my head (very Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for sure). Neither Sage nor I had any bit of panic and after I got him to the turnout, I spent the rest of my day rebuilding fence and adding lots more electric fence to his pen. I told him a dozen times how incredibly smart and wonderful he was.
Thinking about things today, "don't panic" is a great mantra for life. When we forget to unplug the coffee pot, step on the brakes and they sink to the floorboard, think someone might be upset with us or find a piece of metal in our sandwich - the thing to do is BREATHE; call a neighbor to unplug; pump the pedal & pull the parking brake; ask the person; spit it out and take some psyllium! If we keep our wits about us, very large horses don't crush us.
I truly believe that Sage knew I would be home to save him. And, granted, sometimes horses (and people) do have to save themselves - but staying calm will always allow the best outcome... even if we have to move very quickly, very calmly.
Katharine and the
Dharmahorse tribe
