Betsey and the girls were away for a few days last week at the St. Clements Saratoga Horse Show in Saratoga, NY for their first show of the season.
Which means I had barn duty by default. (By default of me not going with them)
I don't mind being the sole care provider to the 6 horses left at home since things are much quieter with the girls away.
However, there is nothing quiet about our indoor arena this spring since it has been converted to a bird nursery. The trusses have several nests filled with peeping, chirping wannabe fledglings; nothing new about birds in residence in indoor arenas.
One afternoon, I was longeing a 17 hand horse with intense bird phobia. His attention was greatly distracted by the looming threat overhead of six ounce birds attacking his 1200 lbs. body. Constantly looking up, white eyed and tense, he was paying no attention to me as he kept his watchful eye on the winged invaders.
As it was a cool day, I'd shut the arena doors and by doing so, had innocently stopped all inbound and outbound flights from the nests.
Apparently, the arena birds aren't deterred by a closed door policy. I watched amazed as birds flew from the nests to the base of the arena door and walked under the door and out to fly another food finding mission. The return with food for young was in the reverse order.
As one robin walked in from under the door, I was given the icy cold stare of a temporarily grounded and indignant bird as I laughed at its predicament.
I suppose the robin thought my predicament of calming a bird terrorized horse at the end of my longe line was equally funny.
