Lock picking horse a hit online

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MIDLAND, Mich., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Michigan owners of an escape artist horse said a video of the animal's feats has been viewed more than 700,000 times on YouTube.

Sandy and Don Bonem, owners of Misty Meadow Farms in Midland, said 9-year-old Friesian horse Mariska has been nicknamed "Houdini Horse" for her ability to pick any lock they put on the door to her stall, the Saginaw News reported Friday.

"She would always play with things with her mouth as a baby, and she just kind of progressed from that," Sandy Bonem said. "She doesn't like to be locked in, so she would play with each new lock until she figured it out."

The couple said they made a video compilation of Mariska's lock picking and posted it to YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 700,000 times.

The couple said Mariska will escape her stall to go looking for grain, leading them to keep it chained up where she can't reach it. They said they have to take extra precautions to keep the horse safe.

"When we leave the barn, she will go around and check to see if any of our safeguards are missing, and if she finds one, she gets out," she said.