Skinny

So I'd been noticing that Charlie seemed to be losing weight again, and I was a little concerned. He's already on 3 quarts of food twice a day and gets a few flakes of hay at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Well, here's my explanation:

He sure can multitask: avoid the flies, work in some calisthenics, and even grab a bite to eat on the go. What a character! :P

Catching up

Sorry for the huge lapse between the last post and this one. There's actually been quite a bit going on but I've been getting home from work so tired I just can't bring myself to turn on the computer and type an update. Anyway, here's the basics:

1. Last week I fell off Charlie for the first time. No harm done, got right back on, was actually very proud of him because (a) he started putting his foot down but lifted it right up and didn't step on me when he bucked/reared/I-was-forced-to-practice-emergency-dismounting, and (b) he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as I was off and didn't run away....new experience for me! 
2. This past weekend Dan and I spent at home visiting my parents in PA. We had a house full of dogs (Emma, my parents' two Goldens and our friend Connie's new labx puppy, who they were babysitting) but it was so relaxing and nice to spend time away with no "plans". Definitely needed the time away :)
3. While at home I got to visit my favorite place: Equine Exchange. It's a huge consignment store and I could easily spend hours in there (much to the dismay of Dan and anyone else non-horsey who is dumb enough to volunteer to come along). This trip I was determined to find extra-long reins (check! $30), bath supplies (check!) and a fleece girth (double check! Thick fleece with velcro that can hook right into my Professionals Choice girth...$10. Score!)
4. I finally got my act together and transferred my PA car registration. Now I am $120 poorer and my little Mazda is outfitted in shiny new RI plates...bittersweet :/

Today, Charlie was super amped and put on a nice show for the poor mom whose daughter was there for a pony lesson after only having started riding a few months ago. He was quite sweaty afterward but that's ok, I had planned to give him a bath anyway.  It was a gorgeous day, in the high 60s and sunny, perfect for the first bath of the season. Oh, I had also bought him an ear net because of the flies but, alas, his forehead is a bit too wide and ears too big: it popped off one ear within a few minutes. We'll have to sew in some velcro or try something else I guess. Here are a few pictures until I get a chance to post videos:

Sharing an ice cream at Lapp Valley Farm, New Holland, PA

Taking the dogs for a walk

So fresh, so clean....mmm! grass!

Poor pony, his ears and forehead are too big for the ear net :(

 

Shoo fly, don't bother me!

I found out today Charlie hates flies. Not just is annoyed by them or thinks they're irritating...no, he despises them and they make him fly off the deep end. Today was gorgeous outside, the first true 70-degrees-I-think-spring-might-actually-be-here kind of day. Of course that also meant the flies all emerged as well and poor Charlie apparently has the sweetest blood of the bunch. After turning the horses out this morning the barn owner saw how badly they were flocking to him and how much Charlie immediately started flipping out. She attempted to spray him with some fly spray but she was lucky to even get a few small spritzes on; he wanted nothing of it and bolted whenever she got near him. He even still had a blanket on at that point so the flies couldn't get near his body....

By the time I got to the barn around 2:00 Charlie was tossing his head non-stop, wouldn't stand still, and just looked irritated out of his mind. I could see all the horses were a little antsy from the bugs and that there did seem to be more around him than some of the others, but honestly? The flies really were not that bad. He was definitely bugged out and miserable, though, and after the barn owner's daughter told me what had happened that morning I deserted my plan to lunge in the outdoor ring. That would not have been a positive experience. (Instead we worked indoors and he was SUPER) :)

Since I hadn't yet bought any fly gear (I got Charlie in the winter so there was no need at the time), I turned him back out after we were done and hustled over to the nearest supply store to buy a mask and some spray. I was only gone about 30 minutes, but when I returned Charlie was in his stall bug-eyed and wigging out. The barn owner's daughter said as soon as I left he started freaking out so badly that he worked himself into a sweat and was cantering in place, getting everyone else worked up and freaking out so badly she was afraid he might colic. Thankfully she was able to bring him in until I returned. He definitely had crazy eyes and was reluctant at first to let me anywhere near his ears, but once he calmed down enough to realize I wasn't a bug he did let me put on the mask (note to self: when in doubt, next time go for the XL....Charlie's head is so much bigger than it seems!). I then walked him out into the aisle to spray him down with the fly spray, fully expecting a meltdown, but although he eyed the bottle he stood really nicely while I gave him a thick coat all over. He must have just passed the point-of-no-return this morning when he wouldn't let the BO near him; he was fine for me.

So out he went, prepped as much as I could get him. The flies were still bugging his nose a little but he was a different horse: visibly more relaxed, head down, and actually standing still. Crisis averted! I can't help but wonder, though, what will we do in the summer once the bugs really get bad?

Ahhh now I'm happy....

....and naked! :)