Well, Tivar passed a big test today, being attacked by swarms of
hornets. We were first in line, and being first you usually dont get
attacked so bad. But all of a sudden the person behind me started
yelling, and at first I thought her yelling spooked him or made him
mad or something because he siddenly started going really fast in a
weird sorta skittery gait and made a sudden right through the trees,
slammed on brakes, ran backwards about five feet, took off left, took
off right, slammed on brakes, ran backwards, it was happening so fast
I didnt even have time to react and then they were all just screaming
and horses were crashing through the trees and one took off bucking
and two people hit the dirt and Tivar was just like Peter Falk in that
movie the Inlaws where he goes "serpentine! serpentine!" I just
gradually grew aware that hornets were everywhere and he was stomping
and switching his tail and jumping around like a jumping bean. But I
didnt hit the ground and you know why??
I never tried to stop him.
I was so puzzled by his behavior it never ocurred to me he was
"misbehaving" and I honestly thought he had had a sudden jab in his
butt or something and needed to get me off him but he wouldnt slow
down long enough for me to get off so i just hung on. He was stung
about twenty times! and he never bucked, never bolted, just did that
crazy crazy serpentine skittering around, carrying us further and
further from the hornets all the time.
He is a great trail horse. Jaspar is good with hornets too, only he
just takes off cantering fast, never loses his head. I had that
sensation about Tivar today, that he never lost his head. Everyone on
the ride was seasoned on the trail and had been attacked by hornets in
the past so why on earth they all persisted in trying to get a horse
to whoa and stand in a cloud of swarming hornets I will never know.
Just reflex i think! Also I think it was the better horsemen that
were in trouble because they had a reflex to get their horses under
control, while me, the one who rides and stays on by the grace of God,
just went oh dear, tivar is weirding out, hang on, hang on. I realize
now his weird serpines were to brush himself against trees to get the
stinging ones off his back end. His rump has lots and lots of welts!
I knocked off at least a dozen still crumpled up and stinging.
He was a very good boy today, taking care of us! Also we were shot at
I think, we all think, not shot at, but happened to be in the line of
fire for a hunter. It was black powder season but we all agree it
sounded like a shotgun...
One lady's black horse had a yellow face and I have to call tomorrow
and see how she is, she was going to take the mare straight to the vet
for a shot.
I am thinking of giving Teev benadryl? Someone said to give him seven
pills. should I do that?? He seems ok. I had to get back on him by
leading him up to a tree that had broken off and walk up it leading
him, then made him stand in the piles of broken limbs, mostly in his
face, while I hung onto the saddle and pulled myself up on the broken
tree stump which was real small around and if he had taken a step it
would have been very sharp to land on! But he stood there with his
face crammed with bushes, ears flat, grumpy as heck, his butt covered
in welts, tail swishing, and as soon as I got on he was real arrogant
and purposeful walking like "hey, I am the MAN" hah. My friends arab
kicked at teev several times on the ride and he ignored her, but when
we were almost to the trailer he trotted past her and flattened his
ears and everyone laughed :) Her rider was one of the ones who hit
the dirt. she did a sorta dolphin launch when he tried to whoa her in
the cloud of hornets.
This was todays great adventure :)
Janice
--
yipie tie yie yo
