Saturday, April 16, 2011

Gather round all your clowns


Today is raining again but yesterday was sunny and gorgeous. Sovey and I headed out in his silly bitless without criss-cross straps.  I don't know if you can see it in this photo.  The one leather strap goes down and attaches to the noseband.  The other is short and attaches to nothing.  We love it!!!!  Sovey has been perfect for two rides like this.



On Thursday, Pie was acting funny in the pasture, watching something to our south.  On our ride, I saw that our farm market neighbor had erected their yearly circus tent.  I didn't take Pie over to see, but Sovey wanted to investigate yesterday.  You can see the orange tent in the distance.  The Pennsylvania Turnpike is in between our farm and their farm.  Sovey was very well behaved even though trucks were whizzing by us. 


After the tent we encountered two loud, barking dogs. I circled them in red and they look little and far away, but they are large and loud. The neighbors put an underground fence to keep the dogs on their property, but they put the flags out on our land to add more grass to their "yard".  Thanks a lot. I love all dogs and they crack me up when they are determined to bark like crazy - it is like they enjoy hearing how loud they can get.  Horses don't always find it funny and I do think it takes some nerve to put their boundary flags out on our land.   Sovey was scared at first, but then he walked right up to all their noisiness and looked down at them in a very condescending manner, like, "You two aren't so big. I could squish you with my big hoof if I wanted to.  I won't, but really, could you please pipe down a little. You are hurting my big ears with all that noise."


I love this photo of Sovey's fuzzy ears, but it looks like an optical illusion because I don't cut a bridle path into either of the boys manes/foretops.  It looks like Sovey might have his ears back and the foretop is coming over the browband, but in reality, Sovey has his ears pointed to the barn and is looking and listening to Pie screaming.  Pie hasn't figured out that Foggy is there with him. Foggy is so good and quietly grazes while we ride.  


Here is the gorgeous spring view I had while I grazed Sovereign after our ride.  This photo is of Foggy-boy and our lovely Forsythia and Maizie's tire swing in the foreground.  Sigh.


And another picture of our wagon shed and our license plate collection.  I posted photos of this in May of 2009 and my mother had a fit.  She thinks it looks so trashy.  Aesthetics! I ADORE this view in a historical/country/dusty farmer sort of way.  We have license plates from 1916!  Imagine my delight when I discovered that my all time favorite Black Crowes song, Wiser Time, has a video that starts with a wall of license plates and the song is about that very essence of what I feel when I see our lovely wagon shed. And, bonus, the lyrics to that song are so true - on a good day (I know it ain't every day) we can part the sea.  Sovey and I had a good day!

13 comments:

  1. I did something similar with Dawn's Dr. Cooks - I tightened the cross under straps as tight as they would go which meant the rings were resting on the other rings (the straps weren't tight, just shortened up), and then attached the reins directly not to the cross under rings but to the fixed rings on the noseband, with the chin strap keeping everything in place. She really liked this arrangement - it's just like riding in a halter.

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  2. That is a great song :)
    Nice photos and yes, barking dogs can be annoying...Laz is QUITE used to it.
    I do think there is some major nerve in moving the flags! eek

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  3. Kate - I took the idea from you and Kacy! Love it!

    Kristen - I was thinking of you when I did this post about the dogs. Your recent videos of Laz shows him tolerating a barking friend (not Mason!).

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  4. Good for you. Our horses don't mind barking horses, but if a dog runs in their direction they get a little antsy. I usually ask my horse to go toward the dog to say, "We aren't afraid of you."
    That usually works pretty well.

    Dan

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  5. Doggone the Black Crowes... I loved them until I saw them live in the 90's. That lead singer, that one actresses' baby-daddy, was so messed up he couldn't even finish a song. Not one ANNNNND we didn't get our money back. Totally not your fault... I just had to vent! :)

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  6. Dan - Good idea - go toward the dogs. It worked yesterday for us. I hope you posted the photos of your newly painted rooms. I am going over to check now.

    Oh, Rachel!!!!! That is horrid! Oh, that makes me mad. I never saw them, but just yesterday I was running with my mp3 player listening to Chris Robinson (lead singer) singing and Rich Robinson (his guitarist brother) playing SO amazingly and I was wondering if gifted talent like that always screws up the ability to get it together in real life. I don't think those brothers even talk anymore because they hate each other so much. Just like the Gallagher Brothers (Oasis). Now, you tell me this. Ugh! Thanks for venting and letting me know. Too bad they didn't listen to their own lyrics (Wiser Time!).

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  7. Fame does seem to ruin many a life. I still have a few of their songs on my iPod for running too. "Hard to Handle" is good for my pace. :)

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  8. My husband will love that license plate wall! He's been collecting since drum corps. Don't think he had an old one like that through!
    Cool shots!

    Sometimes, not often, I must reinstitute (sp?) The cross rings lately...Wa has tested my strength, and took off. I just bend down and change it. But, I like the nose band version best, like Sovey.
    Huh...taking land ownership, by flag. Kinda nervey..or is it just extra boundary for the underground dogfence?
    Yea, when I know dogs are not able to rush us...we talk to them and face them down. Sometimes kind words, makes them hush, especially with repeat visits-to some of our barkers.

    Nice ride...loved the forsythia hedge and very inviting tire swing! Maisie girl would have to beat me to it!

    Glad the word veri-shut off made ya happy...read in someone comments they shut theirs off to make it easier...it just took some figuring out -behind the scenes. Wala!

    Hows your mom? Miss her ~

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  9. Oh, sweet Kacy!!! Mom is so good and always a happy word about you and your kind comments. Got to get her back up on her Sovey boy. I hope everyone figures out how to shut off the word verification - so much time wasted and comments lost on that, now unnecessary, device.

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  10. Oooh, I love the photo with the tire swing. My heaven, right there! And tell your mom I'm with you - license plate wall rocks! I want to come check it out up close. Where did you get them all?

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  11. I miss Forsythia! We are too far north for it, but just 40 mins. south of us can have it. You have reminded me to get my silk ones out for the table. :-)

    I would move the flags to their proper location when I had a chance.

    Good job with the barking dogs. That kind of nerve from a horse has to go against their instincts.

    I love the photo by the license plates. I get a funny feeling near them, too. They all have a story!

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  12. GREAT..so happy to hear your mum is up on Sovey boy again...I've missed her riding with you...and OH!!! I just had a revelation..one day, THREE family members- will be riding together!!!

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  13. Juliette, Glad you had a good ride on Sovey, and he was good despite so much activity going on! It will be interesting to hear if his recent dental work makes him more comfortable in the bridle. Keep us posted. I agree with the commenter who said that one day, those flags should just find their way back to home territory, not yours!

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