We all make mistakes right (is there an ashamed icon)??

[shawneeAcres]

Man, I am kicking myself in the backside this AM (so please don't come down on me TOO hard!)! Thursdays are my tight day anyways, and yesterday I had the vet come to do shots and coggins, had to go pickup and unload feed, do the entire barn (stalls cleaned etc) and then on Thursdays I teach two lessons which I ahve to get in before dark. So I am normally pushed for time, but with having to get feed (which I usually do on Wednesdays but he was out of what I get) and the vet coming the day got really tight. So it is late, the horses want IN the barn NOW. And my gelding, who is a silly four year old and is RUNNING up and down the fence wanting in got rather hot. So when I brought him in I tied him up (since feed and hay already in the stall) to let him cool for a while. Went about the rest of the barn chores, and I REMEBER thinking I need to go untie him. Normally I walk thru the barn one time before turing out lights and look in each stall just to make sure everything is good, but I was pressed for time, still had to feed the dog and cats at the house etc. So I jsut shut the lights off and left. This AM I come in and my poor boy is standing there looking at me like "What did I DO to deserve this punishment" Still tied to the wall! :no::cry: I felt like a heel (and of course now all day I will be watching him to make sure he doesn't clic since he had no water all night!) The good part is I KNOW he ties well :winkgrin::yes:

[Wigwag]

aww I'm sure he's fine. :) And on the upside, as you said, now you know he ties really well. Consider it a lesson learned and a reminder to triple check everything.

We all do stupid things sometimes.

[LetsChat]

Well thankfully he didn't panic, he will survive (obviously) and you can just tell him it was practice for the times when the braider comes in the wee hours and then ties him up so he doesn't rub. ;) Fortunately no harm done, I am SURE he gobbled his breakfest this morning though.... ;)

[shakeytails]

What a bad mommy!

Don't beat yourself up over it, I'm sure he'll be just fine. I've done stupid stuff on par with that before and sooner or later everyone does.

[shawneeAcres]

This guy is really laid back, and used to being tied, as I tie my up after riding and washing them, as well as at shows. That is the good part, at least they don't panic at all, they jsut patiently wait for me to come back (Except I never did!) I feel SO terrible!

[BornToRide]

So, what did this lesson teach you?

Glad he was OK! :)

[ybiaw]

What a good boy for being so patient. Lots of hugs and kisses and treats for him for the next MONTH, I say! :lol:

[shawneeAcres]

So, what did this lesson teach you?

Glad he was OK! :)


Taught me the VALUE of teaching a hrose to properly tie!!! :yes: And of course, I need to not skip my "walk thru" of the barn. I am usually SO ANAL and check EVERYTHING, won't leave a gate unlatched, make sure that things are in their place etc, that for me to miss this was very strange. But I think my mind was on overload, as I also had a hrose come up lame yesterday AM, one of the horses the vet checked has a tumor (hopefully just a fatty tumor) on her side and needs a biopsy, etc. :eek: So my mind was probably just worn out from everything going on.!

[LetsChat]

This guy is really laid back, and used to being tied, as I tie my up after riding and washing them, as well as at shows. That is the good part, at least they don't panic at all, they jsut patiently wait for me to come back (Except I never did!) I feel SO terrible!

Oh come on, you EVENTUALLY did come back ;) Just 12 hours later. Seriously, I know you feel bad he is no worse for the wear.... ;) At least you didn't let him in and eat while HOT, that would have been a much worse mommy!

[KnKShowmom]

My daughter kids me about my "one last check" walk down the aisle before we leave at night, but I get the last word in when I find a door not latched or a blanket sideways -

One more look never hurt anyone, but not looking has its consequences! Glad your boy is ok and the good news is most horses are very forgiving with a few treats!

[shawneeAcres]

Of course, he was PROBABLY thinking (OK, so I KNOW horses don't think this but....) that I was punishing him for earlier this week when I came down and he had SOMEHOW gotten his blanket off, turned inside out, the chest straps, leg straps, surgingles ALL still hooked, not a single tear and no sign of him having been caught in it!! How in the WORLD do they do things like this??!! Wears the same blanket everynight, but somehow "Shimmied" out of it. THis guy IS quite the character, I must say!

[BornToRide]

Taught me the VALUE of teaching a hrose to properly tie!!! :yes: And of course, I need to not skip my "walk thru" of the barn. I am usually SO ANAL and check EVERYTHING, won't leave a gate unlatched, make sure that things are in their place etc, that for me to miss this was very strange. But I think my mind was on overload, as I also had a hrose come up lame yesterday AM, one of the horses the vet checked has a tumor (hopefully just a fatty tumor) on her side and needs a biopsy, etc. :eek: So my mind was probably just worn out from everything going on.!No, primarily you need to slow down, take a bit more time to smell the roses too. Things like this generally happen when we have too much on our plate and multi-task too much :)

[shawneeAcres]

No, primarily you need to slow down, take a bit more time to smell the roses too. Things like this generally happen when we have too much on our plate and multi-task too much :)


AS I stated, yes I had an "overload" day. Sometimes when running a horse business we don't have time to "smell the roses" but we DO need to make sure we check and recheck things. But I still think, the fact that this horse is used to being tied is what kept him from possibly getting badly hurt overnight. I will beat myself over the head for a whilte over this I am sure.

[BornToRide]

Don't beat yourself up, that only makes you feel worse that you need to - you cannot change what happened in the past , only what's ahead of you ;)

[hipy]

We left our Percheron stallion in the trailer overnight after he'd been pulling carraiges all night........pulled the other 4 out and forgot him...............imagine waking up and seeing him still standing there......it happens!

[ybiaw]

AS I stated, yes I had an "overload" day. Sometimes when running a horse business we don't have time to "smell the roses" but we DO need to make sure we check and recheck things. But I still think, the fact that this horse is used to being tied is what kept him from possibly getting badly hurt overnight. I will beat myself over the head for a whilte over this I am sure.

Everyone's allowed to have a "D'oh!" moment. Heck, I left my horse's stall door COMPLETELY OPEN one night (not just unlatched. OPEN). :lol: If you DO beat yourself over the head for this for a while, make sure it's not with something too hard. Use a pool noodle or something. We all do stupid things once in a while! :)

[EqTrainer]

One day my working student and I had 8 horses to get ridden before dark and it was winter.. and we started when she got home from school :eek:

At some point someone put black polo wraps on a bay horse. They were still on him the next morning :eek::eek::(

I am not sure which one of us felt worse or more stupid. The horse was fine. We are still scarred :lol:

It happens.

[ddashaq]

I did something similar once. I got my horse out of her stall after a very busy day of teaching and tied her up. I then went into the office for something and got distracted by a conversation and left about half an hour later when the conversation was over. I was half way home when my BM called and asked if the mare was tied for any particular reason. Fortunately, they did night checks so she had only been standing there for about an hour, but I still felt like an idiot.

I am certain that it is a mistake you will NEVER make again!:)

[JSwan]

I locked my beagle in the dressing room of my trailer a few years ago. I called and called her, she never came home. Started to freak out, contacted the ACO, the shelter, my neighbors (she digs under the fence and mooches off neighbors when they grill), nothing.

Getting hysterical, start driving the country roads looking in ditches - knowing I'd find her lifeless body. Nothing. Call and call. Nothing.

I stay up all night, hearing the coyotes and wondering if they'd killed her. Every once in awhile I got out and listen for her - and call her name.

Next morning, up go the signs. All over the place.

Nothing.

That afternoon I stood by my horse trailer - right next to the window - just staring off into the distance and wondering where my dog was and if I'd ever see her again. Crying. Calling her name over and over.

Then I turned around and opened the door to the dressing room to finish the project I'd started over 24 hours before.

Out jumps my beagle.

I had been standing there calling and calling her - right next to the damn window where she'd been staring right back out at me.

She never made a sound!!

It's horse related because she was stuck inside a horse trailer. :winkgrin:

[tpup]

Sounds like he was fine! We all make mistakes.

My hubby and I left our aging cocker spaniel out in our fenced yard one evening while we went out for dinner, shopping, etc. We simply forgot to bring her in. She is an indoor dog and it was mid-February and FREEZING out. We came home to find her shivering on our deck, poor gal. She was quite a sassy dog and we still laugh about it.

We have 2 dogs now and I am known to run back inside one last time to quickly check that they are BOTH inside. I am now a bit OCD about it! One likes to linger along the fence line and "patrol" for squirrels ;)

Don't be too hard on yourself. What a good horse, BTW!

[RiverBendPol]

OMG, you poor thing! He really didn't mind.:winkgrin:
I put my 3 year old child, Emstah, in the time out chair once and completely forgot about her! The rule was no whining, no asking 'when can I get down', etc. so, the good girl was silent. She was there for 45 minutes!!!. Talk about being a bad mother. She still loves me though and your pone will too.

[monstrpony]

I can totally relate. Things like this happen; at least it was a relatively harmless "wake-up" call that you need to slow down, try not to have overloaded days. I know, easier said than done! Thank heavens for good horses ;)

I had mine turned out on Sunday afternoon for a brief while in my one pasture (little used) that still has some grass in it. I timed it for them to come in at feed time because I knew otherwise I'd have to hike up the hill to bring them in as they wouldn't want to leave the grass. Anyhow, one of mine got quite wound up when he realized I was feeding and went bouncing all over the place, and got a little warm. When I did get him in, I didn't dare not feed him as he'd fret even more (feed deprivation is a BIG issue for him), so I let him eat even though he was a bit warm. So I worried about THAT all evening; fortunately, he was fine.

[MistyBlue]

Was he cool?

:winkgrin: :lol: :D

I would've felt absolutely awful too. I'm sure he'll be fine, it's most likely *you* that will harbor feelings of guilt for a good long time. Horses get over things faster than we do.

[2DogsFarm]

Aww...that's not so bad.
Look on the Bright Side - at least he tied well (like you knew he would), didn't freak out, and certainly doesn't blame you or feel "punished"

I left in a hurry one day to meet a friend and spend the day shopping.
Got home to find the barn's service door open and my TWH standing loose inside in the middle of a hay tornado (unstacked, torn apart bales) and empty 50gal feed bins - which thankfully had been nearly empty.
Spent a long night in the barn waiting for him to founder, trying to mentally calculate how much grain he could have eaten. This was in February, so when he went out to stand in the snow I was certain this was it.
The BIG F! :eek:
He was fine.
But now I check & recheck that door to the point of OCD.
Will I ever leave it unlocked again?
Probably :rolleyes:

[Auventera Two]

:eek: :lol: This whole thread made me laugh till I had tears. Boy, horses are so patient sometimes, aren't they??????? :eek:

Like JSwan - I accidentally misplaced my beagle last winter. :o When I opened the garage to put my car in, he went in. I shut the door, and went in the house. No Zeke. No Zeke ANYWHERE. Oh lord where could that Beagle be????????

It was in the dead of winter - it was snowing and blowing to beat the band. I was crying. I called and called. Nothing. I looked in the barn, the arena, followed his little tracks ALLL over the farm. Nothing. All I could see was his poor freezing cold body laying injured somewhere. Then I was Just terrified that he'd be hit by a car and was laying dead in a ditch somewhere. I got my husband and we set off walking down the road, looking in the ditches. We walked 1/2 a mile both ways. Nothing. We went to the neighbor's. No one had seen him.

I kept following his tracks in the snow until they were covered over. The best picture I could get is that he went and peed on X tree, went on Y tree, went and peed on Z tree, then the tracks lead down the driveway.

So I could only summize that someone saw a cute beagle on the edge of the road and picked him up and took him home.

But then I was terrified that maybe somebody actually hit and killed him, and couldn't bear to leave the body and threw him in the back of their truck. So back out to the road sifting through the snow for any sign of blood or hair. Nothing.

I called and called and searched for hours. Finally went in the house and just cried. Could not sleep.

Finally my husband was like - THE GARAGE! Maybe he's in the garage!

And there he was! :sadsmile: :o :eek: That darned little terd never made a PEEP. This dog will howl his little heart out at a boxelder bug, but here are his parents calling him for hours and he never says a word.

[MLP]

I locked my beagle in the dressing room of my trailer a few years ago. I called and called her, she never came home. Started to freak out, contacted the ACO, the shelter, my neighbors (she digs under the fence and mooches off neighbors when they grill), nothing.

Getting hysterical, start driving the country roads looking in ditches - knowing I'd find her lifeless body. Nothing. Call and call. Nothing.

I stay up all night, hearing the coyotes and wondering if they'd killed her. Every once in awhile I got out and listen for her - and call her name.

Next morning, up go the signs. All over the place.

Nothing.

That afternoon I stood by my horse trailer - right next to the window - just staring off into the distance and wondering where my dog was and if I'd ever see her again. Crying. Calling her name over and over.

Then I turned around and opened the door to the dressing room to finish the project I'd started over 24 hours before.

Out jumps my beagle.

I had been standing there calling and calling her - right next to the damn window where she'd been staring right back out at me.

She never made a sound!!

It's horse related because she was stuck inside a horse trailer. :winkgrin:

I did something like that recently, not quite to the same extreme but I went in through the garage and didn't notice the dog, I thought possibly he was still outside, I called and called, walked up and down the street, stopped by and asked the neighbors, about an hour later I thought, did I ever check the garage, sure enough there he was wagging his tail like - hello, I've been waiting for you ;)

I didn't see the post right above.... I guess it's more common then I thought, next time - check the garage first ;)

[Equilibrium]

It happens!

At our new place we have feed pots that swivel around, which are really great. Anyhoo, fed up at 5pm. Came back at 9pm for evening checks and to turn all the feed pots out for the morning. We must have been talking and didn't realize the turned out one, was never turned in for the horse to eat! Out the next morning and ther realized said horse never got to eat last night at all. This horse has a little different night feed.

That poor horse must have thought, " hey what did I do"? And why the heck did they bother to make my feed and leave it in the pot all night outside my stable!

So I know how you feel!

Oh yeah, and even worse because we do check (usually!) the pots to make sure they have eaten!
Terri

[JSwan]

It must be - I remember when it happened I posted it here and someone wrote a reply saying something about ALWAYS checking the tack room when a dog is missing.

I don't know about other breeds but there is no such thing as a quiet beagle.

Unless it's locked up by accident.

If I locked her up on purpose she'd howl. But no - if I'm 2 feet away hollering PPPPEEEEEAAAANNNNNUUUUTTTT nope - not a sound. The window was even open for crying out loud - nothing but a screen to separate us. :rolleyes:

Silly beagle.

[Equilibrium]

It must be - I remember when it happened I posted it here and someone wrote a reply saying something about ALWAYS checking the tack room when a dog is missing.

I don't know about other breeds but there is no such thing as a quiet beagle.

Unless it's locked up by accident.

If I locked her up on purpose she'd howl. But no - if I'm 2 feet away hollering PPPPEEEEEAAAANNNNNUUUUTTTT nope - not a sound. The window was even open for crying out loud - nothing but a screen to separate us. :rolleyes:

Silly beagle.

Honest to goodness, my dogs yap all the time. That is unless of course they have been locked in somewhere, then never a peep!

Terri

[Tif_Ann]

ohhh how awful you must feel! Last night I had a somewhat similar situation, I had tied my boys to eat (they are pasture horses) and was walking with the barn manager as she brought in the stall horses. My boys had been tied for probably a half hour. Apparently my mustang got bored and was still hungry because he unhooked himself from his lead and let himself into a stall and was eating away. The barn manager and my first thought when we saw a horse in that stall was "did we forget to shut a stall door?" and then it sunk in that it was MY horse ... silly boy.

That's his latest trick - unhooking his lead from his halter using his feed bucket. IF that doesn't work he's also learned how to untie his lead so he can wander. I can't leave him alone at all!

[Jeannette, formerly ponygyrl]

We left our Percheron stallion in the trailer overnight after he'd been pulling carraiges all night........pulled the other 4 out and forgot him...............imagine waking up and seeing him still standing there......it happens!

Hipy, that is awesome! Dangers to having too big a horse trailer. ;)

Shawnee - umm, better one too many tied than one too few doors latched, maybe? Thanks for sharing.

[MissintheSouth]

We have all done something like that, don't beat yourself up!

I always take my horse and leave him in the cross ties to dry while I clean and put away tack, etc before I leave the barn at night. One time the main cross ties in the barn (across from tack cleaning area) was taken so I put him in the back ties behind the barn. Clean my tack, put everything away except the horse, get in my car and go home.

Of course I get home and realize that I have left him standing in the cross ties, at 8pm at night! :eek: I called my BM (who lived on site) and she went out and brought him in, but I felt so guilty I went back and gave him a hug to say I'm sorry and a carrot to thank him for not hurting himself or going nuts.

[2 tbs]

Well, since he's good at tying he was safe. Don't beat yourself up too much over it. I know I'd feel horrible too but he's fine and since nothing dramatic happened I'm sure he's already forgotten.

Me on the other hand...I once turned the horses out before work in the AM and got a thought a couple hours later while at work: "OMG did I close the gate after the last one went out???"

Thankfully I work close to the farm so I took off in a big ol hurry, got there, and sure enough--horses everywhere! Now, we have a unique set up in that the horses live out 24/7 but come in to eat twice a day. The set up is rather cozy so we just open the gate to let them in, close up the stalls while they eat, then open the stalls and let them back out.

We used to do this without any confinement...that was until we had enough of turning the horses loose over the neighborhood :cool: They all came in/went out without issue but there was always that one who just HAD to go the wrong way and then proceeded to lead a wild goose chase. We put up ropes to block off the end of the aisle so the horses can't get to the front door even if it's open and ropes along the path from the field to the barn.

Thankfully even though I let the horses loose they weren't really everywhere. They were in the barn, they were in the pathway between the barn and field. And of course that ONE just had to duck under or jump over the rope so he was roaming the driveway. Good grief. Thankfully it had been a couple hours so grain was enticing enough for all of them and back into the field they went. Now I triple check the gates--especially in the AM when the sun isn't up yet and I'm in a half asleep state :D

Oh, and of course there have been the times where the water has been left on...has happened in all seasons but it's the worst in the middle of the winter :dead: Talk about a mess! Frozen ground, dry well, burned up water pump = no water for the horses for a few days which then = bringing water from home. Ugh!!!!

[shawneeAcres]

Glad to know I am not the only one who has brain farts! He is snug in his stall UNTIED for the night! I did have to tie up another 4 yr old to work on his foot since he came up sore yesterday BUT I did untie him! :winkgrin: But MAN is it ever COLD here!!!

[Blinkers On]

Just out of college I was working for this guy. He had sent me to tack up a filly that he had had the saddle on once. She and I were in the round pen and the last thing he had said to me was make sure you get the front girth done up. Of course the filly splits in half bucking and running before I got the buckle in the hole. The back girth was in the buckle though. So I watched this filly run horrified around a round pen with pieces of his new saddle flying through the air.
I was so dis draught. Even after he brought me home and assured me it was going to be fine I continued to cry. Through chores, dinner, washing dishes. I remember how kind he was. He laughed at me and gave me a hug and said, "There is nothing you can do wrong that I haven't already done at least once." It always stuck with me. And whenever someone new or green does something
wrong" I remind myself how kind he was! And how right!

[Foxtrot's]

Now aren't you glad you had the guts to post this? Now you don't have to feel bad
because you are in good company.

Our Jack Russell got stuck between some bales of hay - we knew she was in there because we heard the yipping. (She quietened down as soon as we entered the barn - she knew we were a commin'.) However, it was a job to dismantle the hay pile and dig her out. And then re-stack it.

[ddashaq]

AT and JSwan, you both have me laughing so hard I can't breathe!:lol: Glad you both found your dogs, though.

[the_other_mother]

Stuff happens! If theres one thing I've learned, its that with horses, you cant do anything fast, you need to take your time. And I always do a night time barn check the very last thing before I go to bed at night. :yes:

[EqTrainer]

Glad to know I am not the only one who has brain farts! He is snug in his stall UNTIED for the night! I did have to tie up another 4 yr old to work on his foot since he came up sore yesterday BUT I did untie him! :winkgrin: But MAN is it ever COLD here!!!

Must be the weather - I had one w/a sore foot tonight too, he came down from the upper field into the barn like a champ, what a good boy.. let me work on it w/out tying or anything. And yes, it was AWFULLY COLD to be messing around with water in bare hands!!!! :eek: How do people up north do it? It's like a bad dream when I remember it, all those years ago...

oh, and I did remember to take him back up when I was done, thank you for the reminder!

[Seven-up]

D'oh!

I've done that before. Left my 3 year old TB greenie tied to the shed (which was our grooming area) all night. Trainer called me in the morning to ask me what I forgot to do the night before. Sad thing was, it was dark when I left, and I *thought* I saw a flash of grey in the headlights but just wasn't paying attention.

And yes, thank god for horses who tie well. That and 3 year old TB's with no brains who, when forgotten, just go to sleep.;)

[LetsChat]

Must be the weather - I had one w/a sore foot tonight too, he came down from the upper field into the barn like a champ, what a good boy.. let me work on it w/out tying or anything. And yes, it was AWFULLY COLD to be messing around with water in bare hands!!!! :eek: How do people up north do it? It's like a bad dream when I remember it, all those years ago...

oh, and I did remember to take him back up when I was done, thank you for the reminder!

Probably the frozen ground causing all the sore feet, around here it was rainy and got really muddy and then froze fast so there are nice frozen divets in the field, a wrong step on them and they can get a bruise or abscess.... :(

[Dooner]

Just out of college I was working for this guy. He had sent me to tack up a filly that he had had the saddle on once. She and I were in the round pen and the last thing he had said to me was make sure you get the front girth done up. Of course the filly splits in half bucking and running before I got the buckle in the hole. The back girth was in the buckle though. So I watched this filly run horrified around a round pen with pieces of his new saddle flying through the air.
I was so dis draught. Even after he brought me home and assured me it was going to be fine I continued to cry. Through chores, dinner, washing dishes. I remember how kind he was. He laughed at me and gave me a hug and said, "There is nothing you can do wrong that I haven't already done at least once." It always stuck with me. And whenever someone new or green does something
wrong" I remind myself how kind he was! And how right!

Really sweet story Blinkers.

[Blinkers On]

Aw shucks, thanks. Wish it hadn't happened, but glad it did in hindsight as his kindness was never forgotten

[pj]

A friend once got in a big hurry to get to her lesson. She said her routine was interupted by a telephone call. She hung up the phone and ran to the truck, jumped in and took off for her lesson. Pulled up to the trainer's barn. Got out and opened the trailer door....no horse!! Had to hurry back home and get the horse. She was Very late for that lesson. <g> she also said she was going to hurt me if I ever told this.
Another friend once was in a hurry to get home from a trail ride. She loaded all her stuff (she thought) got into her truck and hollered goodbye to everyone. Thankfully before she pulled off someone on the other side of the trailer screamed for her to stop. She'd left her horse tied to the trailer and forgotten to load him. That one coulda been ugly.
Now she makes a point of doing a walk around no matter how in a hurry she is.

[chukkerchild]

Well, I had my own horror story last night :(

But for one that ended better, at polo once one of the players was loading up his horses and he forgot to load up the one tied to the end-- he started to drive the truck and trailer off the field and everyone was screaming and waving at him as the horse trotted behind him still tied to the trailer-- he thought they were waving and was gaily waving back before he caught sight of the horse in his mirror! :lol: The horse was totally fine.

And once, going to polo, my trainer and i loaded all the tack, got all the mallets, headed for the field-- and FORGOT the horses all tied up and groomed on the fence! :D

[Coobie]

When my horse was a baby he loved stall toys. I had and empty milk jug hanging with baling twine near his grain bucket. Every mealtime when he ate he'd grab it and fling it so it draped over his neck. He kept pulling it down and it got annoying to rehang b/c I had to get out the ladder. Finally I got sick of doing so I rehung it so it wouldn't come down again. I used a NYLON lead rope and LOOPED it through the jug handle. So now it was essentially a nylon O nailed to the ceiling. Dinner time, BO feeds, shuts lights out and goes in house for the night. I get the call the next morning. When he flung it he got his head in the loop, he walked forward to eat but the lead rope just tightened like a noose. Now instead of freaking out like a lot of horses would with that kind of pressure, instead of backing up to get away from the pressure like a lot of horse would.... He stood there all night waiting for someone to come rescue him. BO said it was so tight she had to use a knife to cut it and was convince she was going to cut him but figured a few sutures wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen here. Other than being a little swollen where the lead rope was and hungry b/c he couldn't reach his dinner he was perfectly fine, completely unphased by the whole thing. Now I only use baling twine to tie anything even if it's something that doesn't even come in contact with the horses!

[pinkdiamondracing]

Oh, and of course there have been the times where the water has been left on...has happened in all seasons but it's the worst in the middle of the winter :dead: Talk about a mess! Frozen ground, dry well, burned up water pump = no water for the horses for a few days which then = bringing water from home. Ugh!!!!

When I was young, one of my after school chores was to fill all the water tanks up every day.
So I'm about 15-16, really not impressed about having to do "chores",and have better things to do(not homework though):winkgrin:
Go out, turn on the water, go back in house, sit down, and start reading a book. ( I am one of those readers that can read for hours and not realize it). Fast forward to when Mom and Dad get home several hours later, wanting to know why there is 6 inches of water in one of the pastures.
Turns out I not only flooded the pasture, but ran the well dry and burned the pump up, costing my folks a large sum of money which we did not have.
Needless to say I recieved a punishment I still remember 22 years later.:yes::yes::eek:
It's funny now, but it sure wasn't funny then.:no::no:

[MsM]

Hey, when you think about it, many horses have, and some still do, lived in straight stalls, tied to the wall. Granted, they often have an arrangement that allows them a bit more freedom to lay down, but they are still tied. And in some systems there was no water in the stalls - the horses were taken out at set times for watering, none of those times in the middle of the night!
I don't feel so bad about my habit of wandering around the stable muttering to myself before leaving because I need to recheck that everything is done! :winkgrin:

[BelladonnaLily]

Well, many moons ago my best friend and I were preparing to go out for the evening. Her roommate had the cutest little kitten she'd only had for a few weeks. We decided to see where she was before we left and we couldn't find her! We looked everywhere. Went out in the apartment buildings hallway and couldn't find her. We were truly panicked...thinking she'd gotten out in the city. Finally, I went to the fridge to grab a drink and low and behold, I find a very cold but fine kitty shivering in the fridge! :eek: We never figured out how she got in there and how long she'd been in there, but if I hadn't gotten thirsty, we'd have come home to a kittysicle! :eek:

[HorsesinHaiti]

Well, many moons ago my best friend and I were preparing to go out for the evening. Her roommate had the cutest little kitten she'd only had for a few weeks. We decided to see where she was before we left and we couldn't find her! We looked everywhere. Went out in the apartment buildings hallway and couldn't find her. We were truly panicked...thinking she'd gotten out in the city. Finally, I went to the fridge to grab a drink and low and behold, I find a very cold but fine kitty shivering in the fridge! :eek: We never figured out how she got in there and how long she'd been in there, but if I hadn't gotten thirsty, we'd have come home to a kittysicle! :eek:

My cat knows where the meat is and has tried to climb in once or twice!

[twofatponies]

My DH is newish to horses, and now "owns" my semi-retired mare, who loves him dearly. But one day when we'd recently moved to a new barn he took my horse out to the paddock as well as his own. He figured putting a lead rope on the halter was a waste of time, despite my frequent suggestions. So he walks my mare down the aisle to the big sliding door that opens into the adjacent paddock.

As is was sometimes her habit, when he slid the door back she threw her head up hard, pulling the halter from his hand, and then she turned and jogged back through the barn. He starts running after her, not thinking about the three other horses in the paddock who are now convinced dinner is being served early and all come running into the barn through the open door! Fortunately I was just outside and caught my mare, and the other three that had run in all ran into their stalls to check for food!

No excuse for not using a lead rope! Like the boy scouts say, be prepared!

[stryder]

I am starting to suffer from CRS (can't remember ... uh ... anything) although I usually blame it on my concussion last year.

I leave lights on until I check. My mother imbedded in me the virtue of turning off lights. But if I need to check something, I leave the lights on. It's how I pack to leave hotel rooms, leave the office, leave the barn. Light on in the tackroom? I'm not done. My very last thing is turning off the lights. This may not work for everyone, but it's helped me.

[twofatponies]

I am starting to suffer from CRS (can't remember ... uh ... anything) although I usually blame it on my concussion last year.

I leave lights on until I check. My mother imbedded in me the virtue of turning off lights. But if I need to check something, I leave the lights on. It's how I pack to leave hotel rooms, leave the office, leave the barn. Light on in the tackroom? I'm not done. My very last thing is turning off the lights. This may not work for everyone, but it's helped me.

That's a good one. My habit is to walk the perimeter and point to things (from my habit when harnessing up of walking around and touching every buckle to make sure it's attached properly). I tend to talk outloud (window, door, door, cat, window...) so I probably seem crazy. :D

[Lady Counselor]

OP, I did the exact same thing about (holy crap!) 28 years ago. I was working at the track and one of the grooms in our outfit had to go to another track with a horse for a couple of days. I picked up his three remaining horses to care for along with the 4 I was already rubbing. I had my four horses in the south side of one barn, two of his horses in the north side of the barn next to me, facing me, and his remaining horse was on the south side of that same barn. I don't remember exactly why I had tied the horse who was on the south side to the wall in his stall, but I did. Fed everyone else, and totally forgot to go untie him. Found the poor guy tied to the wall the next morning, looking over his shoulder at me like WTF?
I felt absolutely horrible. He was fine

[FindersKeepers]

Aww don't feel too bad! He's alive and well. He probably stood there all night, talking to his neighbors, saying "Man, this SUCKS!"

We've all done stupid things, and luckily, most of them just make good stories.

I just recently trusted my 21 year old mare too much, and she ran away. Thankfully she ended up back in her stall...but

And I have a little dog. When he was about 3 months old (and 3 pounds) I came home from class, and he was in my closet. My roomate said he'd been laying in there for 3 hours. I called to him, but he didn't budge. He can be a little rude, so I said "Fine! Stay there then, I don't care" Well another 2 hours go by and he's in the same spot. So I decide to cave and go to him. Well the little stinker had found some duck tape to play with...and had gotten it wrapped around 3 legs, and over his back. He couldn't move, and I had to cut his hair to get it off of him... talk about abuse!

[PalominoMorgan]

I had my own little panic Saturday morning. Normally on Friday and Saturday nights I throw an extra flake of hay in case the kiddo lets me sleep in in the AM. I wander out to the barn around 8:30 feeling guilty about their late breakfast and open the door to see my palomino morgan mare standing in the aisle eating from her hay tornado. I quickly panic because this is same mare that foundered this spring and check to see if she got to the grain hidden in the corner. She didn't. Phew. Ate a bunch of chopped hay and tore apart a bale of hay. Her barnmate didn't look amused that Casey was pigging out. She had apparently been in and out from the aisle to paddock, but never when I was looking out the window. She was really thirsty since she plowed down a lot of chopped hay, but had closed her stall door and didn't have access to her water bucket. Goofball still went out and ate more hay on the paddock.

I also left the big dog out last week. Thankfully it was 55 that night. Hubby comes in the bedroom and says "did Timber do something bad last night?" Um, no. Why? He went to put the dogs out in the morning and she didn't come so he figured she was still sleeping. Let the corgis out and there's Timber waiting by the BBQ grill, tail wagging. :( Bad mommy award for me.

(I am blaming my memory fog on my medical issues lately though. I am very careful to count heads and check stall doors, but we all miss stuff at times.)

[amdfarm]

It sounds like we've all done stuff like this and as we get older, more than likely won't get any better. :) I'm glad he's fine. I've purposely tied some and left them for hours, thank goodness for patient horses that don't seem to hold any grudges.

Trying to think and I'm not recalling any that I've left accidently tied, but I know my friend has more than once. He'll be multitasking and tie someone in one barn and go off to do something else and forget to untie them. Many hay tornados for my friend (his wife) to clean up come morning chores. He's also left mares tied after they've been bred and even left some tied in their stalls. I think in the span of just a couple months he left two or three tied and if I remember right two were the same horse that left the hay tornados. This is a young horse that's not very good at tying, but he's got once of those slip ring thingys that he's tied to. He'll get it eventually.

The messiest duh moment I had was when doing chores for my friends while on vacation this spring. STUPID CATTLE!!! :mad: I thought I had latched the gate to the pole barn after feeding the cow/calf pair, 1 prego cow, 4 heifers and bull and putting the bucket back, but apparently I didn't. I arrived in the morning to find NO CATTLE on the feeding floor at all. I looked around thinking they'd escaped, but the big gate was shut and still latched and I didn't see them wandering around the farm. I then looked acrossed the feeding floor and see all of these eyes staring back at me from inside the pole barn. PEACHY!!! There were the STUPID CATTLE (okay, smart, I was the dumb one :winkgrin:) inside the pole barn and some were LAYING in the *previously* stacked hay that they'd completely demolished... we're talking about 20 bales of nice green alfalfa, which they're not fed since they had a round bale of alfalfa. They basically had a flippin party in the barn and they'd also locked themselves out and pooped everywhere!! I was not happy. Grabbed the sorting stick (my best friend when dealing w/ those critters) and started whapping the heifers to get their butts up off the hay and out. Everyone ran out except for Arrow, the coolest bull ever!! He came as a long yearling and is now coming 4. He's a complete hoot. When he's in trouble he knows it. I get after him and he listens or I sick the dog on him, which he knows. He also sulks and pouts if he knows he's in trouble. It's pitiful really, but very cute. He was standing in the corner of the pole barn almost afraid to move cause he knew he was in trouble. I gave him a pathway to get out, showed him the stick, pointed to the gate and told him "OUT NOW" and he trotted right out. Normally I don't even have to say the words and he's going away by just pointing where he's supposed to be cause he's knows better. He's a very good boy for the most part. --- It took me an hour to clean all of the poop out of the barn and salvage what I could of the hay. My friends thought it was HILARIOUS, naturally!! STUPID COWS!! I say that every spring when they're up on the feeding floor. They are such a PITA!!

stryder, I love that idea, but my luck I'd forget to turn the lights off, too. I CRS on a daily basis.

Poor dogs and kitty. I have a cat that likes to sleep/play in places w/ doors that shut behind her. She's been in closets and pantries more times than I can count, but she's VERY vocal and will let you know she's been misplaced.

I've never known a quiet beagle. Funny.