I had an Arab weanling colt who could crawl under anything 18" high (I measured it). He was not a small colt and it took me a while to realize exactly what was happening. Even when I finally saw him do it I still could not figure out how he squeezed under the boards.

My brilliant app- the bay in my picture- would get very impatient when food ran out (he never starved, just liked large quanities of food)

He starting my charging through fences...so we put up electric. Then he climbed over the gate. Literally. So we put it higher. Then he stuck his head through the gate rungs and lifted it off the hinges, laid the gate neatly against the side of the fence and stepped out to graze.

After that, we just let him out to eat.

I had a stb that we bought from someone, than three years later when he was no longer viable as a race horse had to be sold, the orriginal owner wanted him back for almost what I paid, finacially (I hated selling this horse) I had to sell him back.  Sam (Village Lover), came back three times!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I had him (he was a a stud) we had 7 mares, 2 geldings and Sam.  Sam only ever had one chain across his door in any of the tracks we lived at (many places as we travelled to race from track to track), he NEVER tried to get out, never bothered another horse in face had his stall walls always lowered so he and our gelding Monty Midget could be together at chest hight.  When we sold him he escapped the first time under his stall metal gate, came back and we found him in the morning at our barn outside his old stall.  The second time he broke down his door (they had closed him in with the door, he could get his head out, he broke two chains to get out).  He was once again back at our shedrow, with his head over the chain that was up on his empty stall.  The third time, he broke the door off the rollers to get out, and this was in the afternoon, we were going out as he was coming in.  They then locked him in behind a door with bars and double chained it.  He couldn't get out, but he dug holes until he finally broke down on them and they shipped him to a farm away from us. 

So I have had my escape artist.  My horses have always had just one chain across their doors, studs, mares and geldings.  The only horse we have ever had trouble with was Monty Midget, he wouldn't try to leave his stall, but he did get loose one day out of the shedrow, and lead us all over Tillsonberg Fair Ground.  You have to know that this is an open park setting, with streets, people's houses, baseball dimonds etc.  It is not where you wan't your horse loose, it's in almost the downtown core.  Midget lead us all over the place just staying ahead of us for about an hour, he was pony sized, and had the mindset of the worse kind of pony tease!!!!  Then my husband said, I think we just have to head back, he'll follow us... I'm like you have to be joking!!! I am not letting this horse out of my sight!  He's like trust me, if we turn around and quit 'chasing him' he will follow us back, since the 'fun' will be over.  He was right, as soon as we started back, Midget followed at a distance, the same one we had been following him at!!! Then we went in one door of the barn, and out the other end, he couldn't help himself, his curiostiy got the best of him, he had to poke his head in, then his whole body, trying to see where we had gone.  Joe had snuck around the other side, and when he was all the way in he closed the barn door on him!!!!!!!!!  Hate to say my husband was right, but he was!  Anway, cheers to all of us who have had our escape artists.

 

Deb