Are my animals all idiots or are they just way smarter than I am?

*bangs head against the wall*


I think they are smarter than I am.

Usually when people say their animals are stupid it turns out that the animals are actually a lot smarter than their people.

THAT is most likely an explanation for the day i have had with my critters. the week actually.

The goats are trying to drive me crazy, the dogs are trying to infuriate me/worry me to death and the horses are... well, they just decided that instead of working well for me today they are going to flip me a great big bird. I'm the human here. It shouldn't be this hard to outsmart them. lol.


The dogs just keep trying to get into the trash. They haven't messed with the trash in like a year and then night before last they debagged all the trash in the house and gorged themselves on old mac and cheese and Ramen noodles and who even knows what else. Nigel barfed all over Misty's cage, and they both had the runs so they had to go out about 50 times over the next two days. 2:30am I am in the front yard hosing barfed up noodles off the dog bedding.

It took one of the goats a whopping 45 minutes or so to figure out they could slip their head under the temp fence I put up for them, lift it up with their shoulders and scoot under it. I fully expected them to figure this out (they are goats, it's what they DO) but i figured i would at least get a few hours of browsing out there for them first. Guess it will have to wait until i get my extra cattle panels or some electric mesh (or maybe try to train them to respect electric wire).

The horses just ignored everything they know and tried to out-stubbourn me. "Yeah, I know what you want, I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE DOING IT." You could almost see them mentally giving me the finger. But in the end I managed to outlast their obstinacy. It was exhausting, though. Mentally I mean.

I think tomorrow I am going to completely skip trying to DO anything with any of the animals. just socialize/have a beauty day with them. It's supposed to be almost 80. I can hose the horses down, and spit polish them up, give each of the goats a good brushing, and then just hang out with them. After today i think we all need a break. Or at least i do, lol.

Titanic.....

98 years ago today, the Titanic received the first ice warnings.

No point, just a little factoid.

Run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the Gingerbread Man!!

I've been putting Sparrow and Brego on the small grassy lot for a few hours a day (poor Mary is just too fat, she has to stay on the dirt lot. *sad face*)but I have been working the, forst. So since sparrow needs the most groceries right now he works lightly then goes on grass first. Then Brego gets worked (harder) and goes out on grass. Then Mary gets worked (hardest, the little fatty) and then gets.... stuck back in the dirt lot. This makes her very VERY unhappy.

Well today Brego saw me coming with the halter and off he went. So instead of trying to wear him down and catch him I just chased him off with my lead rope and made him RUN. And run. And run.

He stopped, asked to come closer, but when i approached he lifted his head into the air and stepped away. Whoop! Tossed my rope at him again and when he tried to stop kept pushing him.

And pushing him.

And pushing him.

Then I told him to stop. WHOA. He stopped, dropped his head and when I held out his halter he dropped his nose into it. lol. I think I made my point. *grin*

I was tempted to cut his training session short today, because he was already winded. But I had plans and a short workout seemed sort of like rewarding naughty behaviour. So I "saddled" him up with the natural ride bareback saddle I got for Christmas and had him work in it with the stirrups down and flopping all over. He tried to stop in the corner a couple of times and I had to make him move but he did OK. Then I put the lines on him and started right into ground driving without long lining at all first. He did mediocre but better than he has in the past. I think the brain click is sticking. He still doesn't quite get it if the reins are higher up but if they are lower down he understands even if he doesn't like it. And right now, mediocre is perfectly acceptable.

I really wanted to ride him today. But my helmet is just not safe. It is over 10 years old and has a crack in it. I'll have money after the 15th to get a new one. I did bounce around next to him imitating the mount up movement. put weight in the stirrups and pulled him around. He didn't try any foolishness like bolting at all, not during driving, not during stirrup pushing and pulling, not at all. I was so proud of him. He really is getting it.

I'm looking at getting one of these helmets:

Tipperary Sportage 8500 Riding Helmet



It looks like it actually goes AROUND the head instead of perching way up on top like my old one.

Even without the helmet I still got my foot in the stirrup and got up on one side, not straddling. He didn't even care. So I took off his tack, gave him his customary after work out head scratch and put hi out on grass. It took a lot of self control to keep from climbing up but I am not an immortal teenager anymore, lol.