Real pigs were the problem. Unnoticed by the horse show enthusiasts, a group of farmers had set up a temporary pigpen on the far side of the paddock during the lunch break, in preparation for a pig-catching contest. Even if we are prepared to overlook the dubious ethics of turning a pack of screaming children loose on a passel of petrified, plump, pink piglets, this was a pretty dumb idea. If this is news to you, don't be embarrassed. It seems the swine farmers didn't know either.
Nobody understands why horses fear and loathe harmless barnyard piggies.
Some pundits purport that the evil smell of the critters, objectionable enough to all of us, is from a horse's viewpoint reminiscent of bears. Whatever the explanation, the presence of porkers in the proximity of the paddock produced pure pandemonium amongst the poor ponies, who proceeded to prance, pace and paw the ground petulantly. Weeks of painstaking preparations for a perfect performance were forgotten. Now their pre-eminent preoccupation was to put as much space as possible between themselves and those putrid piggies. The stench of swine swirling in the breeze panicked one distraught mare past the point of equine endurance.