Sheep eat horses, don't they?

The other night - before it turned cold and fall-like and gorgeous - the three of us were out for a ride.  It was one of those hot, semi-muggy, still nights where the dust just hangs in the air.  Everything was very peaceful, and we were all enjoying just moseying along watching the sun sink.

We were riding our usual 8-mile loop around the country roads, covering familiar ground.  About 5 miles along on one of the corners there's a house set just back off the road on a little tree-covered hill encircled by pasture.  They've had in the past the occasional small herd of cattle and a random horse or two turned out, but this year the grass has been knee-deep and undisturbed but for the occasional pheasant when we've passed.

On this particular occasion, however, there was a whole flock of knee-high fluffy white things roaming around out there, the setting sun giving their fleeces a gold-toned rosy glow. 

Snort!

Buddy had spotted something - but what!?  Hooves skidded to a gravel-rattling stop.  Suddenly T and J were both mounted on very tall, very alert horses.  Sunny and Thunder applied brakes, as well, looking around for whatever was bothering the other two.  

At the sound of gravel scattering, sheep heads popped up.  Baa-aaa - inquisitive sheep noises ensued and the flock advanced bouncily to about 50' away, round white bodies hopping and rustling through the long grass.  Buddy and Rufus were not enthused.  They danced.  T and J insisted they remain to face the onslaught.  Sunny and Thunder divided their attention between watching to make sure the other two horses weren't going to sidle into them and surveying the pasture for the "scary" thing.

The sheep paused.  

Baaa-aaaa I couldn't resist - I baaed back at them.  And apparently communicated the equivalent of, "Come and get it!"  A tidal wave of sheep headed our way as fast as they could come.... 

T and J had their hands full with snorting, spinning horses convinced they were going to get eaten.  Sunny and Thunder were looking around still trying to figure out what had the other two horses so concerned (they live with sheep, so after the initial surprise of seeing something move in a routinely empty pasture, weren't worried about anything that went baaaa).  And me?  I was trying not to fall off I was laughing so hard.  Sigh...

The sheep were brave enough to get within about 25' of the fence before I moved Sunny toward them and they fled leaping and still baaing in the other direction around the tree grove and out of sight. 

I do love my "spooky" boys - LOL!