The crime scene was perplexing. The charger for the electric fence lay on the ground on Friday morning, a good five feet from the post where it normally resides. It had been firmly mounted on the post when I fed at 6 p.m. on Thursday night. To vandalize the charger, the perpetrator would have had to knock the protective bucket off and then rip the charger off the post where it was mounted.

Several alternatives came to mind: a racoon, a bear (there’s been one in the area), a bypasser who thinks that electric fencing is “mean”? The horses weren’t talking.

There were no footprints through the paddock and plenty of fresh snow which would make it difficult to sneak in. The barn owner hadn’t seen anyone. Neither had the neighbors.

Our final conclusion?

Freedom.

Sure, he looks innocent and harmless. But as a cribber, he’s the one who damages the fence line and he is also the one who tends to poke his nose into things he’s not supposed to. Of course it could be Zelda or Curly, but right now our money is on him.