Tag: horses

Posted in Travel

Sleeping with the horses (again)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We are back in the horse barn loft for our most recent trip to Rowlett, TX. We’ve been coming here for three years and were so glad to see our friends again. Proton the Arabian and King the paint were glad to see us, too. Somehow they knew we would show up with carrots and apples.

The other day, though, we didn’t see Proton for a whole day. King roamed the small pasture area, but no sign of his friend. Strange. Finally, from the deck above the stable, I heard a neigh. I looked over the edge and saw his head poking out over the closed door of his stall. It had been a windy day, so I figured the door had blown shut, trapping him inside. When I slipped through the fence and opened it, he happily trotted out into the yard.

I texted the owner and let them know how I found the horses. She replied that they sometimes closed the door since the other horse, King, would eat his food. Oops. Well, it had been a whole day, and there was a whole load of hay in the field. So I think I did the right thing.

Looking out from the deck tonight, I watched one of the neighboring Shetland ponies slip under the fence and make his way into the stall I opened. Oops. I think he might be the one helping himself to the food.

Anyway, everyone seemed happy, especially since we brought another batch of apples and carrots, enough to share with everyone.

Posted in Life

Sleeping with the horses

Posted on by William Douthwaite

While visiting our Rowlett, TX family, we stayed in the loft of a horse barn that we discovered on Airbnb.

So some travelers might think, “You stayed in a horse barn?” Kind of. The loft had been remodeled into a very nice 600 square foot efficiency, more comfortable and equipped than some of the whole houses we had rented before. When I told three-year-old granddaughter Josie, “We’re sleeping in a horse barn,” she said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. The horses will chew you up!”

We were in no danger of bring chewed up by the two horses who lived in the barn beneath us, Proton and King. They were all about the fruits and veggies we brought. As soon as we pulled up into the small parking area, they ambled over. We thought they were just being friendly. They wanted to see what kind of snacks we brought for them. Every time we left for the day or came home at night, they came over for carrots and apples. If we had none, they quickly went back to whatever they were doing, which was mostly foraging around the yard for food.

The neighboring corral was home to some Shetland ponies. As soon as they saw us feeding the big horses, they came over to the fence, knicker it a soft, “Don’t forget about us.” We didn’t, and they were more friendly when all the produce had been eaten.

Late at night, if I woke up and rolled over, I listened to the night sounds. The heater fan and the refrigerator robbed the night of its silence. Plus, I heard some other sounds. Water dripping? No. Wind outside? Sometimes. Then I realized the other sounds were the horses in their stalls right beneath us. They were snoring or eating or moving around or whatever horses do at night.

We’ve stayed in eight short term rentals in Rowlett and Garland. Some were newly remodeled and very nicely decorated. Others were spartan. One had four bedrooms with a TV in each. This one was a single room. When we come, we really don’t spend a lot of time in the rental other than to sleep.

The horses really make the loft stand out. I know they are fair weather friends, more interested in treats than in me. But they always welcome us home after a day of negotiating Dallas metro traffic to go anywhere or do anything.