There and Back Again: Frodo's Journey to Zephyr Hill Farm

We were on our way to the dump this afternoon when our neighbor at the end of the road stopped us.

"Did you lose a brown and white pony?" she asked.  "Because it was just here, but my dogs scared it off while I was getting a bucket of sweet feed."

Our first thought was no, Julie couldn't have gotten out, but the neighbor was sure it was her.  She gave us the bucket of feed and a lead rope, and we went off looking down both directions of the main road as far as the nearest horses.  No Julie.  So we headed home to see how she had gotten out and to be sure none of the other animals had followed her.

Halfway down the road we spotted the escapee in another neighbor's yard--and it wasn't Julie, thank heavens!  I offered the feed and secured the pony, which was actually a miniature horse.  We chatted with the elderly lady who lives there and then I walked the stray down the road and up our driveway to the nearest empty pasture.

It turns out it was a little stud horse.

I took a couple of photos to help with identification.

 We made sure he could reach the water which is at Dexter height.

Misty was trying to figure out why this other dog smells like a horse.

We left the little guy standing on the hill gazing out at my girls, dreaming of Amazons.

It only took a couple of phone calls to find out that our visitor's name is Frodo and to locate his owner, a young girl who plans to teach him tricks.  Apparently Frodo has already learned some Houdini-style tricks, as this is the fourth time he's escaped.  I imagine we'll see him again, now that he knows there are ladies here.  I suggested to his young owner that unless she needs to breed him, she might want to geld him--and maybe change his name.  Both might tame his wanderlust!

Bye-bye, Frodo!  See you next time!