True to form, Sam stayed put and began to eat from the hay net. Lady was trying to feign disinterest but her ears twitched back as she heard him munching away. She hung out for ten minutes but finally came over and pulled a mouthful of hay from her side of the net
“What is it about Sam?” laughed Joanna when she came back with the water bucket, “he just charms the socks off everybody!”

It was after Sam had been put back in his box and Joanna and Fiona had left that Lady came face to face with her first chicken. The afternoon sun was slanting through the windows and a companionable quiet had fallen over the stable as the three horses dozed, each with a hind leg cocked and lower lip dropped.

Lady became aware of something coming into the stable. There was a low, throaty clucking sound and a scratching on the floor in the aisle outside their boxes. She snapped to attention and looked over to Tiffany and Sam for guidance. Other than turning an ear in the direction of the sound neither of them stirred. Lady looked over her door, eyes wide and nostrils flared she raised her head right up to bring the strange looking creature into sharp focus.

‘Book, book, book, booo-ok' - she had never seen or heard anything like it before - some kind of large bird making this strange sound and pausing to scratch at the ground three times before darting its head down and pecking at the floor.

And all the while it was making its way inexorably towards her box. Fascinated, she watched it's progress and as it came close to her she stretched   her head down to sniff at it. Just as she did so it flew up onto her door with a rattle of feathers that had her squealing as she ran to the back of the box, quivering from head to foot. Totally unperturbed by her behaviour, the chicken flew up onto the   metal frame of the partition between the boxes and began to preen. By the time some half a dozen more hens had made their way into the boxes, scratching and pecking busily at the straw and fluttering up to perch on doors and water troughs, she had got over her fright.  

Later that evening, quietness settled over the yard once again. The horses and ponies, their days work done, were either dozing or rhythmically chewing their hay. One or two were even laid flat out in the straw, truly asleep, whilst their companions watched over them. One such sleeper was Sam. Tiffany and Lady were standing close together on either side of the wall between their boxes indulging in some mutual grooming. The upper metal railing section of the partition extended for only half the length of the box, the remainder   being a brick half wall which allowed the occupants to have physical contact with one another.

The sound of crying was barely audible at first. The two mares stood straight and alert as they tried to locate the direction of the sound. As the sobbing grew in intensity it became obvious that it was now coming from inside their stable. Awoken by the noise. but still half asleep, Sam got to his feet and came to see what Tiffany and Lady were looking at.