fence crasher

[cms@fluent.com]

Hi Linda-Cathrine: I had a similar experience this year with my mare, who I
got from a racing/breeding program last Spring at the age of 6. She was
shipped halfway across the country to me, and the first few days, she
behaved herself (recovering). After about two days, I moved her from my
board-fenced riding ring to an 3 acre wire fenced pasture and exactly the
same thing happened. She got up a head of steam and before I knew it, she
was on the other side of my property (in the 'back-40' pasture) and I was
scratching my head and marveling at the five cedar posts cut off at ground
level where she went through. She was completely uninjured, and like yours,
afraid to cross back over. I figured she'd learned her lesson, and she did.
Although she's been known to sidle under the top wire of the gate if the
bottom wire is undone, she hasn't sincerely crashed through a fence since
then. I saw the whole thing happen, and it seemed that she just got
running, and being in unfamiliar terrain, didn't know where the boundaries
were and surprised herself! 

She had been turned out in a large pasture for the entire Winter before I
bought her, so that was no excuse in my case. I would urge you to be
patient. This will likely pass when he figures out the lay of the land. You
may also want to take him for a walk along each fence line, stopping from
time to time to let him get his whiskers near the fence, or if you're brave
enough, letting him get zapped (I'm a chicken about electric fences). If
you have any stable mates for him, I would urge you to turn them out
together or in adjacent pastures as soon as possible, as they will help him
figure out the boundaries as well AND increase his security.

My experience with my mare was that she was especially keyed up the first
month I had her, both in the pasture and under saddle - everything was new.
By the time a month had passed, and we knew each other, she turned out to
be as calm and sensible a horse as a girl could ever hope for. 

I hope your experience is just as positive!

Chelle and Dy (reformed fence crasher but still an escape artist)
Tunbridge, VT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chelle Sherman
Marketing Communications Project Manager
Fluent Incorporated
voice: (603) 643-2600 X625
fax: (603) 643-3967
e-mail: cms@fluent.com
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