Freedom: Lessons from a horse

Red (aka Houdini) is one of four horses pastured on my big field for the last few months. I like having them there. They keep the grass trimmed and are a pleasant sight for the eyes. But he has been escaping, with increasing frequency. I am in loco parentis, and have now recovered him some 6 times. Today he got out twice, content to stick around and munch. Once he was stuck straddling the fence, with the ineffective electric fence line dangling nearby.

So he will have to 'go'. He is a notorious breacher, with a houdini-like history. If he would be happy grazing 170 acres freely that would be fine, but he ends up on Sunny Slope scaring the traffic. I admire his spirit - he's the smartest, friendliest horse of the bunch, and he's rideable. But we're 'responsible' for him. And he enjoys his freedom 'too much'. This is a truly sad situation. The solution here would probably be to set up a serious electric fence (not just solar charged). DeeAnn will find him another home.