When your Smart ASB thinks he can learn to use TOOLS...

When your Smart ASB thinks he can learn to use TOOLS... things can go to You-Know-Where in a You-Know-What real quick.

Honestly, the stuff they can think of to get into that you never imagined!!

*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*


I was in a little bit of a rush to feed Quattro this morning because I was late for work. He's on night turnout, so he is stalled during the day. He gets breakfast and then a "dessert" of soaked alfalfa cubes. I kind of halfway thought the alfalfa cubes were insufficiently soaked, but didn't do anything about it; heck, they splashed when they hit the feed bucket - close enough - so I dumped 'em and left for a full day's work.

Well, apparently Quattro agreed with me that the alfalfa cubes were insufficiently soaked. When I got home this evening and was cleaning his stall, I checked the auto-waterer as usual, and nearly dropped dead from sheer horror.

Q apparently took a couple of dry-ish alfalfa cubes in his mouth, carried them over to the auto-waterer, and dropped them into it to soak them some more.

Anyone who has ever fed soaked alfalfa cubes knows exactly what happened. For those who've never fed them, suffice to know they expand to at least four times their dry size...

They expanded all right. So much so that they soaked up all the water in the auto waterer and jammed the paddle so he couldn't push it down to get any more. Poor little Tony the Pony must not have had ANY water from about 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.!!

*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*

The good news is, he's fine. Eating, drinking, pooping, peeing, no colic. But I don't want to run the risk of THAT kind of luck holding. Everybody hates hauling water and cleaning buckets; I hate it too, but he is going to have to have a water bucket in his stall. And a less slack Human who CHECKS the dadgum 'falfy cubes!!

The adventure continues... hopefully WITH aqua vitae this time.