We have gotten to drive several days a week, just going down the road. Being straight travel, it seems to help the gelding be straight too. Not going with his head crooked anymore. Husband is pleased with their forward, much less spooky/silly at roadside things. Usually the SAME roadside things seen every trip! Ha ha Though they do notice changes, 2 garbage cans instead of one, road patches. Newly dead animals, and ears up at stuff we can’t see, deer in the corn? They stride together more often, which I can see watching as they travel in the arena. Fly nets in use starting today, those big flies are out. Not Bombers, but big and distracting. We also have done some trips around the hayfields. It is kind of rough travel, but they are much more accepting of sudden lurches and pole pulls during travel. I stay standing, hold on with gloves and both hands! Way too rough to sit. They are not so excited about open spaces now either. “We go where he aims us” thinking. Funny I never notice bumps riding the tractor! Hay growth is slow, not much length for a second cutting yet. Rain is erratic, but at least we are getting it. Pastures are very short, so they get some supplemental hay while stalled.
The young filly is at the trainers, about due to come home. She has been very good, never nickered when we left with her traveling buddy. However she is now very attached to her paddock buddies, has a hard time passing the door facing them without stopping in the indoor arena during lessons. She is doing well on the voice commands free lunging there. Trainer says almost nothing bothers her except leaving the buddies. Screaming donkey, pony and mini are fun to watch. We put a proper harness saddle on last week, with breeching, crupper. I held filly while trainer put stuff on, did adjustments. She got cookies during possible tense moments like the crupper. That went well and we turned her loose in the arenna to move and feel new touches. Going well until she suddenly noticed the crupper. THEN it got a little more exciting! She galloped around, kicked a few times, then did a BIG trot for the rest of the lesson. She went both ways without kicking, followed directions and we stopped. I again held filly to unharness her, cookies while sliding crupper down off her tail. Trainer called the next day, said she harnessed filly alone the next day. Filly bent head around to watch, no reaction to crupper fastening. Lesson went smoothly, no kicking at all. Stood well to unharness. Filly is a funny horse, not real reactive to anything, even so young.
Husband has been working on lots of things, new floors on the hay wagons. Boards were a lot more rotten below, than they looked. Changed daughters new truck over to carry forge, anvil and other equipment for shoeing. She came to work with him, put things together in there. Truck is a different model than old truck, so no easy transfer from one to the other. Totally reengineered it. Put in a nifty sliding “thing” for both the forge and anvil which requires no lifting to place anvil for working on. She is now using that truck and really likes how the setup works for her. I think the old stock trailer is his next “target” with painting the repaired running boards. And of course he has to repair my “accessories” as they break during mowing or trimming fields. Got everything mowed after rain last week. Finishing the last row to head in and a wheel fell off the finish mower! At least it waited till I was done.
A lot of days it is just too hot to do much outside. The humidity is terrible. But talking to my Aunt in Texas, things could always be worse! She was 108F AND humid. Not so bad here, compared to that! And far away from the paths of hurricanes by the coast. She has come north to visit in July the last 10 years, says she had forgotten the terrible heat of summer in Texas. Canceled her visit for now, unwilling to travel with the sickness so bad. Maybe later this year. Starting to sort horse tack again, just have to move it on. Can’t use all of it, takes up a lot of room and care. Rock bottom pricing may help, and everything is in good shape to sell if we can start Tack Sales again. Watering my gardens, they are a bit droopy.
