I’ll start with Rosie and what we’ve been doing. Rosie hasn’t been ridden since the end of September. Through no fault of her own. I haven’t been able to ride because I’ve either got sciatica going on from my lower back down through my calf or another herniated disc. There was no way I could swing my leg over to mount her or ride. It seems to be getting better now which I’m grateful for, I’m tired of the pain and limping around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. We’ve managed to longe a bit and I’ve incorporated cavalletti into her repertoire. I have her doing trot circles over them, she’s smart and gets it. Maybe a little too much because she figured out that jumping two poles was easier than trotting over them, so I’ve added a third pole and fixed that situation. That said I’m hoping to be back in the saddle soon.
Rosie and Hanz have become grazing buddies and she seems to have gotten over her nastiness towards him. She still looks to Blue as the leader but prefers to stay with Hanz most of the time. Blue just ignores everyone as usual and doesn’t care. Hanz is doing well and is a pleasure for my daughter to ride. He’s a very sweet and talented boy.
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| Hanz getting an after ride treat and Rosie checking him out |
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| "Rosie, that's rude!" |
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| "Tee, heh, heh, I sniffed his butt!" |
Ginger had two more seizures the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and has been to the vet. Her blood test showed her Phenobarbital levels were perfect and she’s not on a high enough dose to affect her liver. So for now we’re just going to stick with the program and not change anything unless she has more seizures. Fingers crossed she’ll be okay with this medication and won’t need anything else.
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| Ginger relaxing in the leaves |
The strangest thing has been happening around the house. There is a red cardinal who insists on tapping on my windows. He/she does this all day long and follows me from room to room. I have a bird stalker! It flies up vertically like a helicopter then taps with its beak on the windows. I’ve gone out and fed it but it still persists. If he/she keeps it up I’m going to get it a little leather helmet for Christmas!
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| Just staring in the window at me |
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| Sitting on the landscapers truck |
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| Getting ready for another tactical assault on the window |
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| Taking a break from window tapping |
And the last piece of news. The other day on her way to work my daughter noticed a whole section of fence was down that borders the waterway in the back of our property. So she went back and investigated. Seems a hunter knocked down the fence and post (probably dragging a deer out that he shot) and left it like that. She found a shotgun shell. This isn’t the first time a hunter has come on the property unauthorized, because we don’t allow hunting here and there are signs posted all over warning them off. Last time someone left the gate open the herd got loose onto a neighbors property. If they had gotten out this time they would have surely been hit by a car or truck as we are on a busy two lane highway on that side. They just disregard the notices and do whatever they want. They’re from the “good ole boys redneck club” and don’t need to listen to no stinkin' signs. After all they grew up around here and we are newcomers! So she called the sheriff and has a report on it and she’s going to call them every time they do this. I really hope we can catch one in the act. I don’t like strange men roaming around the property with guns at all hours. How obnoxious!
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Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.
How absolutely rude and inconsiderate for your animal's safety, not to mention disregard for your personal property! I'd call the sheriff every time too, because it's probably only a matter of time that something tragic happens.
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures of all the horses in their "house"! Hanz is handsome indeed - don't blame Rosie for flirting! :)
Sorry to hear you've been suffering from sciatica. That is SO painful!
Hope you're all better real soon, and Merry Christmas! We're off for our cruise tomorrow morning. Can't wait for no responsibilities and sunshine!
Have a great time on your cruise! You'll come back tan and relaxed.
DeleteRosie is beautiful and Hanz has a nice butt! I suspect she’s got a thing for him. You can see it in her eyes. She sounds like she’s pretty athletic if she can jump those poles with such ease. When you do get back in the saddle, she’s going to be fun to ride!!
ReplyDeleteThat is very weird about the cardinal. Not to woo woo too much, but some people believe birds are very sensitive animals and can be used by other spirits to communicate to us. Normally, that would go in one ear and out the other, but when our dog, Maggie, passed a few months ago, my brother was here when it happened. Afterward, he was sitting on our deck waiting for us to get home, and a large falcon landed on the railing in front of him and just stared at him eye to eye. He immediately told us about it and asked if we’d ever seen it. We hadn’t. So, he went home and we were settled back in, same week, and there’s that falcon, trying to fly into various windows around our house. He was hitting so hard, we worried he would break a wing and/or the window. If it were just one window, I’d suspect he saw something, but it was multiple windows on different sides of the house. It kept happening, day after day, and after a couple of weeks, he disappeared.
I’d be pissed about the hunters. I hope you catch them!
That's weird about the falcon. Glad my bird isn't that big or I'd be worried about the windows too. I can't think of anything or any spirits trying to contact me. It's just weird that he makes the circuit around the house and even found me in the upstairs bedroom.
DeleteAnd, yes, Hanz does have a nice butt. So nice in fact that Grady took a chunk out of it on the way in tonight. Rosie seems athletic so we'll see how we do when I start riding again. I don't jump anymore since I had my knee replacement and am getting older. I do miss it but I've gotten over it. There's lots more to do than jump. And Rosie is a flirt, tonight she was all about coming in with Blue. Guess she plays the field.
You can send your bird stalker over here. My husband loves cardinals. He's constantly interrupting himself to point them out when they come around. Sorry about your pain and Ginger's seizures. There's some show on TV about officers who bust hunters. They take things like trespassing very seriously up in Maine, I guess. I wish that were the case here. I called the cops on my neighbor's grandsons because they were shooting rabbits and birds and throwing their carcasses into my back yard, and the police never even came out.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they take trespassing too seriously around here either. I've never called the cops before but I'm tired of this nonsense. Now at least I have a report filed in case we catch them.
DeleteI actually like the little cardinal, he's very pretty. But I just wish I knew what he wanted.
I always love seeing photos of your beautiful barn and horses. I’m laughing at Rosie checking out Hanz - what a hunk he is! I’m sending good thoughts to Ginger and hope the meds hold for her. I love your bird stalker! A long time ago I had a little bird who followed me from window to window and one night managed to fly in our front door and wouldn’t leave. I’m not sure what that bird wanted, but he stayed around for about a month and finally moved on. And with regards to the hunters, I totally agree with you - illegal activity should be reported and dealt with by local law enforcement. I can’t believe anyone thinks that is okay behavior.
ReplyDeleteIf I ever figure out what they little guy wants I'll give it to him. I don't think he'd fare too well in the house with the dogs though.
DeleteThanks for the good thoughts for Ginger, I'm keeping fingers crossed we've got it under control. And, yes, I can understand Rosie, Hanz is a hunk.
As for the hunters I hope we catch them some day before one of the horses gets hurt or runs into traffic. They're so blatantly obnoxious!
I wonder if the cardinal is reacting to his reflection? Not sure how territorial they are.
ReplyDeleteAs for the hunters I would lose my mind. We have no hunting signs and they seem to be respecting those. I have them because it’s impossible to tell property lines in the woods. Can you get some cameras (like hunters use to see if deer are around )?
I thought he might be interested in his reflection too. We'll see what happens with him.
DeleteI have pretty much lost my mind with these hunters. Maybe they can't read! We have defined property lines because the whole place is fenced in so they know the difference there is no blur on where they are not allowed to hunt. The cameras were delivered yesterday.
Yeah it’s a bit much. I get the hunting. Not the idea that they can destroy whatever they want. I wonder if there’s a way to put noisemakers (like an air horn) that will scare off the deer and make it useless for hunting?
DeleteAn air horn sounds like a good idea! It would probably scare the hell out of the horses though. I'm just going to put the cameras up for now and wait for hunting season to be over. I think it ends around Christmastime.
DeleteI hear you about backaches & getting older adjustments. I've got my fair share as well. Doubt Rosie minds not being ridden, especially since you are keeping her busy in other fun ways, but I do hope you get back on sooner then later. It's been 7 months since I rode for me, and yes I am counting. Truly hope your sciatica subsides sooner then later & that sweet Ginger stabilizes. Seizures sure make a person feel helpless, altho I've been told it's not hard on those having them. Love the barn pics with your cast of beautiful characters!!! How do you keep it so clean?! As for the cardinal, we had a yellow finch doing similar at our old house & several neighboring houses last year. It would go from window to window tapping. I think that bird just had a loose feather, and was cuckoo. More then likely protecting a nearby nest. So yah, you might need a helmet ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's been said that getting older isn't for sissy's and I believe it! I just keep on trucking through whatever comes my way. Hope your shoulder is feeling better than it did.
ReplyDeleteMy sister told me that the bird is a male because only the males are red. So I don't know about protecting a nest. But if he keeps banging away that little bird brain is going to be damaged, so yeah, I should fit him for a helmet.
Thanks for the kind thoughts about Ginger. I'm hoping we have it under control. We'll see.
And I'm sure Rosie doesn't mind not being ridden. I've got a hunch she'd like it even more if she didn't have to work at all and just eat all day.
Funny, I thought the helmet comment was for you lol. Probably because I've been attacked by male Red-wing Blackbirds (hence my dislike for them) defending nests. It's actually common in avian species, for male/female to defend their nests. Never heard of a Cardinal (male or female) getting territorial tho.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to comment on your hunter situation earlier. That is terrible they are knowingly endangering your horses (assuming they know of your horses)!! I remember when your horses got out last time. The local hunters I know are respectful in so many ways about their sport. Obviously your local hunters don't give a rip, so sorry!! Maybe they aren't locals? I was going to suggest trail cameras, but thought you had already tried them & they got stolen. Must have been someone else. The trick is to move cameras around frequently, and it's all about placement. You'll end up with 1,000 of "leaves blowing in the wind" photos otherwise. Hunters are camera savvy, once they see a camera you might end up missing your card/camera. Sure hope not! They also make notification versions, where you get an alert on your phone. We thought about one for our driveway, but didn't want to get notified every time the wind blew a branch or deer walked by. We've got a couple regular trail cam's up in our woods, it's fun to see the critters lurking. So far we haven't seen any two legged ones. Is your fence hot? That might deter some. Best of luck finding the irresponsible people who are messing with your fence!!
They know about the horses here. The worst part of the fence down was the horses opted to stay out that night like they do sometimes. I'm just glad they didn't notice the fence down or there could have been an accident. They don't realize that not only could the horses get loose and killed but some innocent soul could also get killed in their car if they hit them. Jerks!
DeleteThe idea is to hide the cameras in the trees so they might not be able to see them. If we have to we will keep moving them around. The hunters around here have cameras of their own in back of our property on the other side of the our fence. One caught a bear ripping down a camera that he/she took offense to. We do have other cameras by the garage where are farm vehicles are because someone was coming in at night stealing our diesel fuel. Our tank is actually in the garage. The tank now has a combination lock on it. Since the cameras went up no one has stolen anymore diesel. We put the word out via a neighbor here who knows everyone and apparently word got out to the actual thief. We're not telling anyone about the trail cameras though. Everyone around here is a hunter so friends could alert friends.
The fence isn't hot and it probably wouldn't deter them anyway. They'd more than likely find the box with the juice and turn it off. They think they have a right to do whatever they want around here apparently and the law doesn't apply to them because they've lived here longer than we have. I don't think I would like the notification thing either, it could be a pain to monitor. The garage camera and motion detector light goes on and off all night when anything passes it so it could be annoying. Thanks for the tips.
I suspect the cardinal has a plan: he taps on your windows, and you feed him! Voila! He's got you trained!
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in Pennsylvania, our property backed onto state game lands, and our driveway was one of the few ways in. We had some guys, EARLY one morning, spot a buck at the bottom of our little meadow, and start shooting right across the side of our house! I had two babies under four--they never faced a she-bear as mad as I was when I chewed them out (in my pajamas, no less)!
Hoping you've found a balance for Ginger. It's so scary when you can't do anything for them but make sure they're in a safe spot during a seizure.
I can just imagine you out there in your pj's giving them hell! Good for you. Some hunters are responsible and then again some are just idiots. My husband's uncle lived upstate N.Y. on hundreds of acres. He kept cows and during hunting season he had to write in white wash 'COW' on the sides of his cows. The hunters would shoot anything that moved! That's why I'm so afraid for my horses. And yes I guess the cardinal has me trained now.
DeleteWe did have a seal brown 5 month old filly shot in the stifle area as she grazed in a distant pasture that was just north of some wooded bluffs. Her mother was a dark brown/black and white pinto. We didn't check on them daily so the wound wasn't discovered for a few days. It was in October so thankfully there were few flys but she had been hit with a shotgun shell. The pellets and resulting infection had destroyed the hide covering the joint and the wound at it's largest was about a foot in diameter and the location didn't allow it to be bandaged. Fortunately, there were no ligiments or tendons damaged.
DeleteShe developed proud flesh over the wound as well. It was almost a year before it was completely healed. Her colouring, similar to a moose calf, may have been what gog her shot in the first place, but it did a great job of covering up the resulting scaring and twisted hair pattern that she ended up with. We had a Mountie - I'm Canadian, EH! - who bought his hay from us who wanted to buy her as he had never been selected for service on the Musical Ride and at 16.5HH she could have easily passed for one, but after all he had had to do to save her, my brother wouldn't be parted from his 'Black Velvet'
Re: the hunters... I was told recently here that if my cameras catch anyone trespassing and I can identify them (even just trace the ATVs to where they live, or to a truck/trailer) I can take the images to the magistrate myself and file charges. We had a hunting violation on our lane a few months ago and the game warden gave me his personal cell number and told me if we ever see/hear/suspect anyone hunting on private property here to call him directly and he will come and deal with it. I’m not sure what your state laws are but hopefully with the cameras you can catch them. The idea that people persist in hunting on land which doesn’t belong to them and on which they could actually harm other animals makes me so mad. For awhile the 100-acre wood behind us was leased out to a couple of hunters but we were very fortunate in that they were so respectful of our property line and careful about how they hunted there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info billie. I'll check out the laws here but I really need to catch them first. I hope hunting season ends soon. Respectful hunters would be a nice change but I still don't want them on the property with the horses.
DeleteI'm sorry you're in pain, that's no fun at all!! I had a trapped nerve sometime ago which had me walking in a very undignified fashion, but the pain was horrible. Mind you, I'm such a wuss with pain. But, seriously, I hope you're better and pain-free soon!
ReplyDeleteAw, Rosie and Hanz :) glad she's happy with him around now. Love the pic, so cheeky! She's such a clever girl.
Poor Ginger, hope the seizures stop, that can't be much fun, for her or you. Lovely pic of her.
You've been adopted by a red cardinal! How awesome is that? They're seen as messengers of good fortune and/or messengers of loved ones who've passed. I'm not surprised he's hanging around, your place is fab!
I'm gobsmacked by those hunters!! Not only are they being idiotically irresponsible, they're trespassing!! WTH??! I hope you catch them in the act, obnoxious ignoramuses!
Thanks Joy. I'm feeling a lot better than I did which I'll put in the plus column. Funny you say that about my bird, my sister said the same thing. She believes it's our mom wishing me a Merry Christmas. I don't know if I believe that but I'll put it in the "maybe it could be" box.
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