Report 9174: Man has nighttime sighting in his yard

IT  WAS AROUND 9:30 PM ON 8/8/04. I HEARD MY MINIATURE HORSES MAKING A RUCKUS IN THE YARD. EARLIER THAT DAY I HAD CLOSED THE FRONT GATE SO THEY COULD GRAZE IN THE YARD. IT WAS RAINING FAIRLY HARD AT THE TIME AND MY OUTSIDE FLOODLIGHT BY THE SHED/BARN AREA WAS NOT WORKING. I HAVE A  300 WATT FLOOD LIGHT ON THE BACK PORCH AND I PEERED THROUGH THE DOOR 12 INCH WINDOW AS I TURNED THE LIGHT ON. I OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE WHAT IN FLORIDA IS KNOWN AS A " SKUNK APE ". IT WAS DIRECTLY STRAIGHT ACCROSS FROM THE PORCH ABOUT 40 TO 50 FEET OUT IN A SMALL AREA OF PINE TREES. IT STOOD ABOUT 7 TO 8 FOOT HIGH. AS I TURNED ON THE LIGHT IT LOOKED DIECTLY AT ME THEN TURNED TO THE RIGHT AND WALKED BACK INTO THE DARKNESS BEHIND AN OUTBUILDING THAT BLOCKED THE LIGHT. I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I SAW AND TILL NOW I KEEP THINKING I'M GOING NUTS AND IT PROBABLY WAS A HORSE BUT MY HORSES ARE34 INCHES AND UNDER AND IT WAS ON MY SIDE OF A FENCE THAT RAN BEHIND THE SHAPE I SAW THE RAIN MADE IT SORT OF SHINE ON ITS ARM THAT SEEMED TO HANG I'D SAY TO THE KNEE AREA. TOTAL TIME I SAW IT WAS AROUND 2 TO 3 SECONDS BUT AS IT WALKED AWAY INTO THE DARK IT SEEMED TO KEEP LOOKING BACK AT ME.