Spooky ride or the Terodactyl is going to eat me!

This thought crossed Gilly's mind today I am sure!!!

Gilly and I went for a short ride today. He was beside himself right from the start, Blue Heron has a nest somewhere on the hill above the barn and it was screaming! I'm here to tell you that it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end! He was snorting, blowing and dancing around like crazy. Took me awhile to get him saddled up, since I knew what was making the noise, after hearing it many times now, it wasn't bothering me today....and we were riding! Here is a link to a recording of their voice: http://www.naturesongs.com/gbhe2.wav
Just as I was ready to get in the saddle it started to rain, just a light rain so I gave up the idea of riding in the hayfield, too slippery for trotting. We rode up the road first away from the barn and Gilly seemed to settle down some but still the ears said otherwise. He was listening for the giant Terodactyl (in trying to find how to spell this prehistoric bird it seems that now there is a "P" in the beginning of it? When did that happen?) that he just knew was going to swoop down and carry us both off for supper!
After about 5 minutes up the road we turned and came back toward home, rode past the barn, now he is getting really nervous again. Pokey is running past us, on the other side of the fence which makes Gilly even jumpier. Thank you Pokey! But I made him go on down the road toward Kim's house. He wanted to turn and run several times but I kept his head straight. I would squeeze first one rein then the other just to keep his mind on something beside wanting to run. I didn't tighten up on the reins either, which I used to do which just made things worse. But I think that by squeezing and releasing my hands on the reins kept him focused on me and not the sounds he was hearing. It was starting to rain harder so I turned and rode back to the barn, again he wanted to run but we just walked along at a good brisk walk. I stayed calm, cause I knew what it was, and that helped him.

I hurried and got the saddle off, raining harder now, went to put Gil in the barn but he won't go, still afraid. So I turned him loose in the field by another gate and he and Pokey are still standing there, 3 hours later. Silly boys!!! But since it's still raining they are getting a bath! LOL
We will work on more scary stuff tomorrow!
Jane

New Helmet

Gilly and I have been working on going straight and forward. He is NOT a very forward moving horse and so we work.  I wanted to learn to sit his trot but a girl that I have working with us said I should concentrate on getting him to go forward and me strengthening my legs. So I post and post and post and it's working, it's also giving me a more secure seat. Yea!

Got a new helmet too a Tipperary Sportage and I LOVE it!!! It doesn't pinch my forehead like the other one and I really love the fact that it has so many air vents in it.....it's COOL, really cool! and light weight, feels like you aren't wearing a helmet at all. I'll use the other one that doesn't breath as much for winter riding.

Last week I saw and killed my first huge horse fly. Dang I wish somehow those darned things would just go away. They will be coming out in force in a week or so. I got some fly spray the other day it had Citronella scent it said. I forgot that Gilly is allergic to. I sprayed him lightly the next day he had hives all over him, HUGE ones! Poor boy, so I start looking at the feed store for a different fly spray that is good, well all of them have citronella in them now. I did find one, an off brand and I can't remember the name now. Today I used it but sprayed it on a mitt and wiped him with it, will have to see if makes him break out. He also has large flaky, dandruff looking patches too. I have been using Vetericyn on him and it is helping. I couldn't ride yesterday because of a sore place at his girth area from the hives.
Have any of you had this kind of problem? I wanted to use Pyranha but that is what had the citronella in it, couldn't find any around here that didn't have it in. I have also tried the home made fly repellent and it doesn't work with Gilly the flies still love him.
Hope everyone is having a good summer so far!
Jane

Gilly having an identy crises

Gilly is one mixed up guy isn't he? LOL Click on the picture to enlarge. I also got a new hat.

 

I have some things to do on this one and I will post on it a bit later when it's finished.

Lacy posing with me and my new hat! Gilly thinks it's pretty neat too, and wants to grab it off my head. Maybe he wants to wear it too.

I have been riding some in the mornings, when it's not raining. Have to go early so the bugs won't carry us away! Gilly is doing so much better and mostly it has to do with my attitude. Imagine that? It's really true what they say about the horse mirroring us and if we don't like what we see then we had better change "us" not them. Boy, sometimes that's a very bitter pill to swallow, it's so much easier to blame the horse. Well, not so. I have been reading a wonderful book by Jane Savoie called "That Winning Feeling"......all I can say is WOW!!!!  I have only read a few chapters and it's helped me a great deal.

more later........
have a great weekend everyone!
Jane

Gee, it's been awhile!!!!

I am getting sooooo behind in my posting (sigh) have plenty to post about but just can't seem to get it done. 
This morning while at the barn, listening to the boys stomping around, flies or nats something bothering their legs. I decided to try something, a screen door if you will.
Since we have plenty of baling twine I thought I would use it to see if it would help with the problem. (see Gilly's hind foot?)

 Gilly peeking out of the barn, he didn't want to go through the twine hanging. I had to put the halter and lead on him to get him to go through but then he still really didn't want to. Not so with little Pokey!

 Let me have a go at it he said! Right through it he went and walked right up to me. Gilly is still hanging back in the barn.

 Pokey said that was fun!!! (notice he doesn't have ears on his fly mask? Gill pulled them off last year and I haven't made him new ones. I really need to because the flies really get his ears somedays.

 Pokey says, come on Gilly it's fun! Those string things kind of tickle when you go through! Gilly finally did walk through them and has been in and out ever since. I was afraid they would chew them up, especially Pokey but so far, neither of them has.

Hope they really do work keeping out the flies, hard to tell today. We had a huge thunder/wind/rain storm this afternoon and got almost 1 1/2 inches of rain! Crazy weather. We also cut our hay on May 30th and baled it on June 4th, it was calling for rain but luck was on our side and we didn't get any! The hay is wonderful, smells so good, 137 bales for the winter.

On May 31st a friend of ours came out and helped Mike put in a new door to our patio. The wood one was not doing so well, the inside of the glass was starting to steam up on both sides and it was not holding a finish well anymore.....time for it to go!!! Our new door is not a slider but a French type door with one door opening in and on the opposite side, the dogs are confused as am I! LOL I keep wanting to go to the other side to open the door, hopefully I will get it figured out!

 Door is vinyl clad inside and out, I am sooooo happy, no more painting! See Petey looking out, I see another pet eye glowing but don't know who it is.

 My trailer has a new resting place. We tore down a small fenced in holding lot by the work shed and Mike filled it in, since it sloped to steeply to the creek. Now my trailer is out of the way of him working on his equipment; baler, backhoe and bulldozer. This should also be easier to maneuver my trailer in and out of here! I am happy about that!

We also have a nesting barn swallow in the barn. Gilly's ear is pointing right at her. I was hoping that the strings on the barn door wouldn't bother her and it has caused a little concern but she and her mate are getting used to it. They can fly in above it, you can see in the first picture. I need to bring down a mirror sometime and see how many eggs there are in the nest. I love having the barn swallows in the barn; Gilly will have to watch his butt though.......last year she threw out poo from the nest right on his butt!!!

That's about all for now, I will have to try and do better at posting and about taking pictures, I have been lacking in that department too. Oh, one more picture. I took this from our upstairs window when it was pouring down rain today and then did some playing with a photo editing program.

Gilly is standing outside in the pouring rain, it must have felt good, Pokey decided to stay in the barn. Then as I was walking out of the room after taking this picture a bit of fur caught my eye in another room......

Smart Kitty, it was a good day for a nap!!!

Jane~