Fences and Livestock

Fences and fencing. The most important and probably one of the most expensive aspects of having livestock on a farm. The fence needs to be put in, then it needs to be maintained and then it needs to be repaired....and repaired again....and then repaired again. Usually my rooster wakes me up about 4 am, but this morning I was awoken to the sounds of hoofbeats running past my bedroom window. Yep you guessed it, the horse was out again. BC is determined not to stay in the fence, doesn't matter which pasture you put him in. He is tearing down fences right and left. Last week he tore a hole in the big pasture fence and spent a few days in the yard with the driveway gate shut while we had a chance to find the hole that he made and get it fixed. On one night in the yard he opened the feed room door (yes he has been undoing gate latches since he was little) and the goat barn door. Feed room a mess the next morning and some sick goats for a few days. Fortunately most of the feed was stored in barrels which no one got into. But what little was out of the barrels was eaten. So that night we put him in the front goat pasture where he promptly kicked down a portion of the garden fence. It has been two days since we put him back in his pasture with Whisper, who by the way has not taken one step outside her fence despite the opening that BC created. Well, as I said I woke up to hoofbeats. Yep his is out again, and as I am getting up and trying to get my husband who has to work late tonight back into bed we hear him trying to tear down the gate to the garden. Hooves hitting chain link. Fortunately the chain held that holds the gate closed held up under the assault. So now, I just got back inside from going around the yard to catch the horse and secure him, for a few minutes anyway. He is in the pasture with his dad, Thunder. Thunder by the way is a stallion and not once in the 14 years we've had him has he torn down a fence, not even when there has been a mare in heat in the next field. Yet, BC is a gelding and tearing down fences seems to be his hobby. We will see if he stays in with Dad right now while we find the hole that he made and get it fixed. We already know that the outside fencing needs to be replaced around most of the farm. The goats have new fencing but the horse fencing is well aged. However, I really don't need him reminding me every couple of days or making the fencing situation worse. Friday is not the day to do this, it is my busiest day of the week and now he just made it worse. Really folks, that is not a horse! Somebody stole my horse and gave me a cow disguised as a horse!If I wanted to be out in the dark chasing down loose critters I would have a herd of cows. Needless to say this critter is driving me batty. He is worse than the goats! Well, I better get a move on. I need to get the baking that has to go to town done right now so that at daylight I can go find a hole in the fence and try to fix it. Note to self.....pick up more barbed wire while in town! Blessings from the farm, Kat