Horses are known for not being fond of pigs. My ponies had never seen pigs until they moved back home a few months ago, after being away at grazing 5 years .....,but walk past ours at the side of the track we have to ride up, And at the end of our lane, there has always been 2 big pigs and a litter - big and black, and lay in the mud, right by a gate we have to get off and open - so quite often the pigs suddenly stand up out of the mud and come to the fence - so to give our ponies their due, they are good about pigs in general.
BUT ....yesterday afternoon, I rode along the lane, turned up the bridleway, and my Dales mare started to act a bit strange, stopping and starting, and sniffing into the air. Then she stopped and would not go back or forward, and the horse in the paddock alongside us, started to run round. Nothing there as far as I could see, pushed her on, tapped her with the schooling whip ....nope, not going!! Suddenly, I saw something black and large hurrying along on the track the other side of the horse paddock, a giant black pig, and it was heading towards the track I was on. It had obviously come down the track I was riding on, from its field, and then turned up the other track towards the farmhouse (where the pig owner lives). My pony must have smelt where the pig had been and thats why she stopped!!
So there I was, my pony by this time had seen the pig, the other horse was galloping round, and the pig was coming down the other track making delighted oinking noises now it had freedom. I looked round for help - at least in gettng the pig off the track so I could get past with my frozen to the spot pony - but no one. Only house nearby is owned by a lady who, I could imagine, would be terrified of the pig, and even my pony, so no use asking her to even hold the pony while I sorted the pig (or tried to!).
Pig by now was at the fork of the two tracks, so could either head towards me (the way it had come) or go forward and onto the lane (which I needed to use to go home!) Anyway, I saw it toddle off and choose to go into the lane, I urged a very reluctant pony to head the same way, praying pig did not do a u turn. On the lane, I turned left, but looked right and no sign of the pig. Lets say we went home at a very fast trot, me looking behind to check we did not have a pig on our heels, and trying to keep an eye on the grass verge ahead in case it had turned in front of us, and was lurking somewhere,.
The two big pigs are always getting out on the track and the lane. They seem to be good at breaking out. Not sure what breed they are - big (very big) black, with very long snouts?
That was not among one of my nicer rides out, and hope we do not meet it again
Topic: My pony met an escaped pig (Read 6999 times)
