Gates Are For Opening!
Calista messing with the gate, again!
I seem to go through phases with my ponies where gates are a topic of conversation, as in I close them and a pony opens them, repeatedly, for several days, until I figure out how to solve the problem. Most of the time I figure out which pony is the culprit, sometimes indirectly, sometimes by direct observation.
I seem to have conquered the current spate of gate conversations, but only after having my four youngsters out on the ranch road once and in a paddock where they weren’t supposed to be twice more. I even watched one of the weanlings go up a pile of dirt and jump the remaining three feet of fence to gain freedom (her mother was the attraction, weaning the problem to be solved!) Calista was the gate opener, breaking two different hasps until I got one she couldn’t foil (at least so far!)
Madie has also been demonstrating her gate opening prowess. She’s in a paddock with a heavy wooden gate. It swings nicely on its hinges and falls shut but must then be latched. One day while I was haltering Madie’s paddock mate away from the gate, which I had not latched, I heard the gate fall shut. I turned around and watched Madie push the gate open with her nose and let it fall shut then push it open again and let it fall shut. She was clearly demonstrating for my benefit that she understood how the gate worked. It was so hilarious that I shot video of Madie’s routine!
Madie demonstrating her gate-opening prowess
The intelligence and sense of humor of my ponies I find endlessly entertaining. It’s probably not something everyone enjoys, but they make my days more interesting, and for that I’m thankful!
© Jenifer Morrissey, 2019
More entertaining stories about ponies can be found in my book The Partnered Pony, available internationally by clicking here or on the book cover.