Strange things on hacks.....

littleshetland

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The other week, whilst hacking about in the middle of nowhere with a friend, I spotted ahead of me in the grass, what looked like a weasel or stoat - I was enjoying my 'David Attenborough' moment when I noticed that in fact it was to big to either stoat or weasel, and was hopping determinedly towards me - a baby ferret!!- He looked very please to have seen some humans, and was trying to climb up the horse leg to get to me......I hopped off horse, and with only my weedy riding gloves on (ferrets can really bite) went to pick him up - he leapt into my arms. There was no one else around, he was painfully thin and overjoyed to see some humans - so I walked back to the road (horse in one hand, ferret in the other) and managed to stop a car and ask the driver for a bag. I shoved the ferret in the bag, re mounted and rode home , about 4 miles, clutching my ferret triumphantly!
'Look' I said to OH on my return home 'I found something for you shove down your trousers.....'
Anyway - ferret is now living the life of Riley and is a much loved family pet.

So, this got me wondering about the strange things that can happen whilst out and about the Great British countryside.......got any good stories?
 

Sukistokes2

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I found two very lost Dutch medical students. They had jumped off the ferry on to their bikes and headed off into the Kent countryside. I think they expected to be able to get money out anywhere and were surprised when they couldn't. They did not even had enough to pay for a pitch at the local tent park. I lead them home and they set up on the front lawn. The next day Mum popped them into town to get money. They stayed for a week in the end, mum popped them to town for shopping, then one morning to the station to visit London and me and my sister got them drunk at the local. They had a great holiday and even wrote to us later to thank us.
I have found my fair share of steamed up cars!!!!
 

Illusion100

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Awwww, I love ferrets, I have 5 of the hooligans! Well done for the rescue, most people give them a wide berth due to their rep.

When I was about 13, i heard meowing when out hacking. I stopped and had a look but couldn't see anything. Next day, meowing again at same place and after some determined rummaging found a tiny black kitten. Stuck it in my coat for warmth and hacked back. It was quite ill though and didn't survive the trip to vets. Poor little mite but at least it died warm, with a full belly and had friends there at the end.
 

Toffee44

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Goats here at home are a problem. Did a quick 20 minute plod around woods. Half way round bumped into the goats that are meant to live in the fields having a right old forage. Herd of 15 goats followed me home..... Passed one v confused dog walker.

I hack in the middle of nowhere don't get much interesting things.
 

Archangel

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I found some kittens and they came home in my riding hat. My friend had two of them and they lived in to their 20s.
I found an injured owl being attacked by magpies - that was trickier as I was on a ride and lead so owl had to be tucked in my coat. That went off to the wildlife hospital and survived.
A loose Sec A. Duly returned to owner.

Loved the ferret rescue story. I love ferrets.
 

cremedemonthe

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Out walking dogs a few years ago and came across a body hanging from a tree.

I've seen one and just missed 2 so far. Last one was being cut down and laid out when a couple of Springer Spaniels appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to run round the police and people there and then jump all over the body with the lady owner screaming at them to come here, bet she wished the ground would open up and swallow her, at one point she tripped over the body bag nearly ending up on top of it.
 

TheLankyRider

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I was out hacking very early in the summer and rode past a man in full Victorian dress, top hat and all, just like he had walked off a film set for a period drama. It was about 6am and literally middle of nowhere. I cheerily said good morning but he didn't even look my way. Ghost?
 

Grumpy Herbert

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I encountered a rhea, which was a bit of a surprise in rural Oxfordshire!

I also encountered a partridge which played dead right in front of my horse on a very narrow path. Daft horse was promptly scared of tiny bird. I made a noise and it got up and ran off a few yards, then played dead again - wings out to the side, flat out on its belly, head to one side. This went on for a bit with my horse getting more and more bouncy, until I had enough and got off. I picked up the stupid partridge (still playing dead) and chucked it into the woods where it scuttled off. Unfortunately I was nowhere near anything that would allow me to attempt to get back on my 17hh horse, so had a long grumpy walk home!!!
 

NZJenny

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Seals. I beach ride a lot, and if we have a storm we occaisonally have seals on the beach. Which look like logs - until they move and then life can get quite interesting.

Oh, and a KuneKune pig. Was trotting past the entrance to the local camp ground (which also has a petting zoo) and Diva, went "what's that?", "What's what?" - "THAT". It was a kunekune pig (obviously an escapee) trotting purposefully down the road, going somewhere.
 

sidewaysonacob

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Let's see...bride and groom having their wedding pics taken, cavalcade of quads, stolen cars, burnt out cars, film crew, 200 walkers, hang gliders, paragliders, stunt kite flying competition, racehorse string, escaped sheep, fell running competition, model aeroplanes, lost dogs, photographers, spitfire doing a display level with me at the trig point, low flying hellis, concorde...

If horses aren't bombproof when they arrive at the livery yard, they are within a few months!
 

old hand

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Mine was sad, found a man who gassed himself in his car, before the days of mobile phones. So when I couldn't do anything to help him went back to the yard to call the police. Felt bad leaving him there but there was nothing else I could do.
 

Crugeran Celt

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Many years ago whilst hacking through a very small village with my MIL we came across a man walking a baby elephant on a chain. My pony was horrified and kept snorting and prancing until we were out sight of it. Never found out why there was a baby elephant in West Wales! Also once found a stray bitch with four puppies so jumped off the horse and put the puppies inside my coat and the mother followed. They were sent to a re- homing centre where they all found good homes. MIL and I already had two dogs each so couldn't keep any of them.
 

Paint Me Proud

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sadly we get a lot of fly tipping in the lanes by our yard so we regulaly have to pass fridges, freezers, sofas, stacks of tyres. I once had an incident involving a burn out washing machine, according to my gelding it was the scariest thing ever in the whole wide world.

We also sometimes play 'collect an outfit' on our hacks, you have to see how many items of clothing you can spot dumped along the lanes, we did almost get a full outfit once (shoes, socks, scarf, jacket)

Not strange to find but gave everyone a good laugh. My horse kasper once freaked out at an asian woman in a burka walking through the park, I was so embarrased I didnt know what to do!
 

Echo24

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Not out hacking but my field borders some woods and I turned my youngster out who was intently staring at something by the hedges. I watched him and a stoat popped out! He actually trotted after the stoat along the field before it disappeared back through the fencing!

OH is a keen cyclist and has cycled past naked people in cars on country lanes!
 

Cowpony

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We've found a wild mattress. The wild ones are very vicious and eat horses, so I didn't have the opportunity to get off and see if I could tuck it into my jacket. Would have made a good body protector if I'd managed it though.
 

Cowpony

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Oh and one day riding in the school I saw a squirrel running along the fence between two fields, with a very hopeful fox running along the ground beneath. The squirrel just made it to the trees before the fox got it.
 
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