A new barn is looking better and better every day.

The BO called me up this afternoon and told me that Norman had broken the chain that separated the dry paddock from the pasture, and all the horses had gotten into the pastures. She said she'd been chasing them and trying to shoo them back into the dry lot since nine in the morning, and she called me at one in the afternoon.

My horses had been on sweet grass for five hours. I've only hand grazed them twice this year, and I'm hoping to God that they won't get sick. I got out there at about 1:45 and led them all back to the dry lot one by one and got heavier latches for the chain (which was previously hooked with small latches that aren't meant to withstand heavy pressure). I'm worried about C and M's horses because they haven't been hand grazed at all. Furthermore, the BO didn't have brains enough to close the chain and lead them all back separately through the other gate. She just tried to herd them all back, and not surprisingly, the horses kept running back to the grass. You'd think that after 20 minutes of chasing horses around in circles, she would have concluded that it wasn't going to work. But no, she kept at it for several hours. I guess you could give her a few brownie points for determination.

I suppose I'm not going to hear the end of it when I go back. The BO will be picking on Norman for being "destructive". You know what? It was your own damn fault. Right now, Norman's herd is only getting one bale of hay a day. That's not enough forage to keep 6 horses happy. They're hungry. Of course the grass is going to be a huge temptation, and Norman happened to be the one that ran through the chain. The chain that was latched with flimsy little clips and was just asking to be snapped. How does she even know it was Norman? She never told me she saw him do it. I know a couple other pigheaded furballs that would do something like that. Good thing the pastures are drying out. It's too wet right now, and they already tore part of it up.

I'm seriously considering moving my horses. The management there has just gone downhill ever since C and M showed up and my trainer left. I'm on the fence with the idea because the farm is 10 minutes away, and it has an indoor and outdoor arena. Plus really nice trails. I guess it all depends on how long I can tolerate C and M.