Silly me thought I'd enter Harley in a "best trail buddy" contest. Yes, he's still my good buddy, even when he's a dithering, quivering wreck. So I write up this little blurb about what a good boy he is and the following day he's up to his old stunts.
No, I'm not going forward--it's too scary. I'm going home, but in reverse. Who cares if I'm in the road--they'll stop! Right, Harley. Obviously you aren't up to speed on the average American driver who's always in a rush while using a phone at the same time. So in the interest of self- and equine-preservation, I jumped off and walked him up the road.
Well today was no different, except the goats were very vocal and walking around in the underbrush by their shed. And one of the trash barrels was on its side, AND squirrels were running up the trees!
Once again, I dismounted and walked, but first I had to get a picture of my wide-eyed guy. It's a little blurry because he wouldn't stand still for long.
OK, I saw 'em. Now let's get outta here!
Our ride in the woods was fine except for the voracious deer flies which hounded us. A beech branch made a lovely fly swatter for most of the ride. Back on the road, a breeze kept the bugs at bay. But we still had to get past the dreaded
goats again. Once we pranced past them--on the far side of the road--I dismounted and made him go back for a closer look. I have to laugh at the expression in his eyes in both photos.
Can you see the whites of his eyes? The goats had calmed down a bit, and the trash cans were gone, but still--you never know when they might bound out of their pasture and attack a poor horse wandering past. He was not happy that I made him circle back and see them yet again.
You can also see the "horse caution" sign behind Harley--well only about 5% of the people passing us on this road even begin to slow down and give us a wide berth. 0.5% come to a halt if Mr. Prancypants is dancing down the road. I've learned to not expect drivers to know what to do, or care, and just jump off if things are too dicey.
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| Safe and sound at home. |
Mr. Halawa Moon got a stern talking to about his silliness and a vow from me to go past the dang goats every day until he can do it on his own without me getting off and leading him. And for laughs, I may decide to throw in turkeys by going in the other direction! Watch your tail feathers, Harley!
