Hide & Seek - Alyssa Brugman [49]
She addressed the camera through the fence. 'So you can see that Mrs Edel leaves the metal gate open while she vacuums the poos – she assumes that the electric fencing is on, which is what she does every week. Now if Erin can zoom in on Diablo, we can observe his behaviour.'
Erin crouched down at a discreet distance, pointing the camera at the horse. Diablo took a step forward, sniffing the electric fence suspiciously. After a few feints, he touched the electric tape with his lip. He reared up and spun around, as though struck, stopping a few metres away. Then he sidled up to the fence a second time, lipping it again. He looked at Shelby. Shelby turned her back and whistled a tune, as though not paying attention.
'See the cheeky horse planning his escape,' Erin whispered.
With one more glance towards Shelby, Diablo slipped his head under the electrical tape, and then pushed forward. The tape slid up his neck. At his wither the tape caught on his rug. Diablo snorted and then surged forward. The tape tightened and then slipped over his back. Now loose, the stallion trotted up and down the fence between his enclosure and the mare's paddock – nostrils flared, high-stepping, and obviously pleased with himself.
Shelby came back through the gate, closing it behind her. Erin approached with the camera. 'So we see variables one and two working together have a dramatic effect on Diablo's freedom – i.e. that he is! Now enter variable number three. Kim of stable 17, Block B, has heard from her friend Monica in stable 16 about the mare that can escape from this paddock.' Shelby pointed to the mare's paddock behind her. 'The mare is the same height and the same colour as Diablo, with the same socks, and with rugs on it is very difficult to tell them apart. As Kim stumbles on this scene she assumes that this is the very same horse. For this experiment imagine that I am Kim.'
Shelby approached Diablo and took hold of the buckle of his hood. She spoke in a high voice. 'I am Kim and I am looking at Diablo's enclosure. I see the electric fence is still across the way, and Mrs Edel is inside, therefore I am assuming that this horse is the escape artist Monica told me about.' Shelby led Diablo through the gate to the mares' paddock. She looked into the camera again.
'We have to work quickly now, because Diablo should not be in with the mares and if Mrs Edel finds us here we will probably get into trouble. So, for the next part of the experiment we will simply be making a prediction.'
Erin zoomed in on Shelby's face.
'Variable four. The gate at the far end has a latch that Diablo can open, but I have tied it with baling twine, because if Diablo were to really escape . . .' Shelby could hear the sound of cantering hooves behind her. She would have to talk quickly now. She frowned. 'Hey Erin, point the camera here.'
Erin had the camera directed over Shelby's shoulder. Erin's mouth was getting wider and wider, as were her eyes. 'Look! Look! Look!' she yelled.
Shelby turned around just in time to see Diablo, with his legs neatly tucked under him, sailing straight over the gate to the back paddock. Once on the other side, the stallion bucked twice, and then stretched out low, with his ears pinned back to his skull. His hooves made a deep rumbling sound as they hit the earth. The horses in the day paddocks went berserk – thundering up and down their fence lines, whinnying, wheeling and rearing.
Diablo galloped, majestically, powerfully, and with purpose, up to the crest of the hill. Then with one more defiant buck, he disappeared out of view.
'He's so amazing,' Erin said.
'We are in so much trouble,' Shelby told her.
32 A Surprise
Erin was panicking. 'What do we do? Should we chase him? Do