No Fraidy Cats Here!

If I tried to carry a ladder, even a tiny one, into Speedy's stall and paddock, he would FLIP OUT. Izzy? I could barely squeeze the ladder past him.

I am sure you're wondering why I would even need a ladder in Izzy's stall; he's not THAT tall. Well, a few days ago, Izzy dug a hole. Not just a groove from pawing, but a hole that would have required a shovel and two hours worth of work had I dug it.

It's so deep that you can't even see the bottom.

The first day, I filled it in and then took him for a long walk. The next day, the whole was re-dug, sitting there inviting a broken leg. Rather than fill it in, I decided to give Izzy something else to work on. He has two Jolly Balls, and I know he plays with them as they are on the outside of his paddock on most days. From photos that his previous owner shared, I know that he liked to play even when he lived in a huge pasture.

Izzy at nearly two. Photo courtesy of Noemi.

I brought the ladder in so that I could hang one of the Jolly Balls from the roof so that he couldn't kick it out of the paddock.

He wanted to get closer to it, but he wasn't quite sure ...

Once I had the ladder set up, he immediately came over to study it, but he was cautious. Had I left it there longer, I am certain he would have tried to pick it up and move it. I haven't shared this story yet, but a week or so ago I found a manure fork discarded in his stall. It's not one that we use regularly, so I was really puzzled as to who might have left it there. And really, no one at this barn would be so careless. 

After looking around, I realized that none of us ever use that fork. I wasn't even sure where it had come from. Then I noticed that some of our sharper tools were not hanging on their hooks on the back of the tack room wall. The answer became clear: Izzy had reached over the partition and taken it off of its hook. The fence is taller than I am and the tools are hanging several feet from the edge of his stall.

Somehow, he not only grabbed the manure fork, but he also managed to get it over the fence and into his stall without hitting the roof of the barn or hurting himself. Even if I stood on the ladder, I wouldn't have been able to reach that fork and wrangle it over the wall!

Needless to say, all of the tools have been moved or lowered as well as all of the items within reach on the brown cabinet. You can see the fence and cabinet in the photo below but not the row of tools. Sydney was in this stall for three years and never even thought about reaching over.

Who me?!?!?

As I was on the ladder, Izzy stood in the far corner watching me, but he wasn't afraid like most horses would be. There was no snorting as I slipped the rope over the rafter and swung the ball around testing it's length. I went up and down the ladder several times making adjustments while he watched in fascination.

He was dying to come over and check it out.

I wasn't even out of the gate before he was rubbing his head all over that ball. I don't know that he'll be entertained enough to stop digging, but maybe it will give him something else to do while he heals.

He's just so darned cute!