AWWWWWWW

 Seriously... does it get any cuter than this?? How blessed am I?! 

Trailer Training

So, I know she's still a baby! And I know there's no rush, but... I also know that I want to take her on adventures! And in theory, while she's still small and much less mighty! Especially if I'll have to handle Dan too. :) BUT.. baby steps. First thing.. make sure she's comfortable with the trailer again. And she's not yet. Partly because the ramp seems to end up on a hill so it's not super stable. So we've been practicing. And in the future, I'll try to pull forward and make the ramp more stable. 

We played the other day with Dan and I had him tied to the trailer because I remembered. She went in once and then shook a little before she backed off. I think that scares her too. But she did it. And got cookies. And then Dan... was freaking ADORABLE and stole the show. He kept snaking his head in for cookies too... pushing his nose sideways and pricking his ears. Basically looking adorable instead of like a dragon. But I was running out of cookies!! I felt bad too because he would occasionally chew on her or stick his head in the way and interrupt her getting on. But I wanted to tell him how amazing he was for being sweet. But anyways... we did eventually get on and off. 

So then today we practiced without Dan. It was still hard. Ha ha! She is stubborn! But not quite as dramatic as Dan has been. BUT... we did get on and off. So... we'll continue again. 

Fire Cracker!!!!

 Funny is full of it today. FULL..... OF..... IT!!!  She makes me laugh!

It started this morning with her rearing and running around before breakfast. Then late morning I took Dan to the arena to ride and she chased us up there. She even took a chomp out of his hiney. Hee hee... Then Jean was in the arena too so she and Fleck used that as an excuse and were running amuck for a bit. Then she got rained on. And baby girl hates to be wet. It makes her itchy! So she was scrubbing herself against the stall walls... then she backed up to her hay net and was literally bucking with her butt against the hay net.... I guess trying to scratch her toosh! hee hee. Then she was rearing up a little in the stall and making faces at Fleck and Dan. Like I said.. a Firecracker today! hee hee. I love her!

I left her in for a few hours after dinner so she could dry off. I'll dust her with the coat defense powder and hope that she doesn't get worse again. I was finally making progress on her skin funk and now we've got 3 days of rain. Sigh... I should have just ordered her a rain sheet, but she's going to outgrow it in weeks! 

Hee hee. I love this goober!

Field trip delayed

 So... I've been itching to take Funny to Ashland for a trail ride with Dan. But.. that means she has to load and unload with Dan and haul. So we're a little ways off with that yet. I went back and looked and Dan was already hauling and had done two trail rides and hauled by himself by January! So, Funny and I are a little behind. But that's okay! I don't have nearly as much time as I did 10 years ago and she is a different horse with a different time line. But I thought today we would try taking a spin around the neighborhood (in the trailer!! Not sure I trust Dan to pony her in the neighborhood as that is where he tends to be naughty!). Especially since he had peed prior to loading up to come home. So I left him on the trailer, left the truck running, and grabbed Funny. Fleck had a hissy fit and was screaming and running. Sorry buddy!! I felt bad but was also annoyed. Funny was a little nervous given that the truck was running and Fleck was calling, but... she settled. But she would NOT load up with Dan in there. I'm not sure if it's because the divider wasn't open.. or if it was the other side from what we practiced last time, or... just today. But she would put her front feet on. She would paw the heck out of the ramp. She would reach her nose in for cookies, but... she wouldn't get on. So eventually I took Dan off and opened the divider and then she came on. We turned around and got off and then got back on and turned around and backed off again. Then I got her in and closed the butt bar and put Dan on. And during that time she ALMOST turned around twice. Eeks. No baby girl no! I managed to get her turned straight again. She stood long enough for me to get Dan in and give them both pets. Then I managed to get her to back out... then took Dan off.  And then we called it quits. We'll practice some more and hopefully it won't take too much longer to get her comfortable and we can then take a spin around the neighborhood and go from there. :) 

Then I turned them out and she went sassing after Dan. He's matured so much recently. He just walked along ignoring her chewing on him and climbing on him. Hee hee. Although to be fair, he might have been tired. She loves him! 

Spitfire!!!

 Oh my!!! I might be in for it. :) Hee hee.... 

Today the ponies had to stay in their stalls because they were coming to spray my fields for weeds. So, I fed early (extra early thanks to Dan pawing at the gate at 6:30 am!) and locked them in.  And Funny gave me the CUTEST WHINNY EVER this morning. It was precious..... so precious. Anyways, they were good but Funny was confused. She wasn't eating her hay at first and nickered at me again, like... "second breakfast, yes?!". :) Nope, sorry baby girl! So then I went to the dentist and then came home. I decided while I was waiting on them I might as well put Funny's skin funk cream on her. It came in yesterday but... after adjusting 13 horses I didn't have it in me to put it on her. So I pulled her out and put her in the cross ties and powdered her up and then put the paste on her. Ha ha. She looked like Pippi Longstockings horse with fake Appaloosa spots. Hee hee. I also picked her feet out. She was super. So then I left her in the cross ties so I could clean her stall since she's nosy and tries to leave. She was a little wiggly but not bad. But then... she decided she was going to sit back. And she did what she did the last time she sat back... sits back until she can't stand it, then leaps up and forward into the air in a half rear half leap thing. She did this a few times. And it seemed like she was having fun and/or testing things. It wasn't like she was scared. She was just standing there and then decided to see if she could break free. I watched her a bit and helped her out a little bit, but... she also needs to learn patience and how to stand tied. Well then she tried turning around and almost took the wheelbarrow out. Silly girl! But she settled and sat quietly for a minute so I took her off. I decided to try loading again because why not!? 

 

Well.... the why not was that Fleck got all frantic and was screaming for her and then the four wheeler spraying was close to the trailer. So she was a little nervous. She hesitated to walk on at first. I had the divider open and wide, so whether it's because it was different or just all the other things going on... I don't know. She walked on but almost ran on. And she was shaking. Poor baby girl! I fed her treats and told her she was brave and petted her and then we turned around and walked off. And again, she almost ran off, but not quite as quick going off as getting on. So then we did that a few times and she seemed to be breathing again. So I got a carrot and then we closed the divided and did it that way. She ran on again at first... and then almost panicked and tried to turn around but I talked to her and she settled and backed off. Yay! So we did that two more times til it wasn't as stressful. :) Then she got to go back with Flecky. :) 

So yep... someone is a little bit sassy and spunky today. :) I'm definitely going to have to do more trailer practice before we haul to Ashland. I almost took her and Dan for a spin around the neighborhood but I decided that perhaps today was not the day as nervous as she was. We'll wait for a less stressful day. And then we'll do a few neighborhood trips before we do an Ashland trip. And hope that Fleck doesn't have a panic attack. Poor guy. :( 

 

Hee hee... I guess her and Dan wanted to be roomies instead of just neighbors. :) 

And last nights sunset shots, because it was amazing!!!

Funny is more and more like her brother!!!

 I love this little girl! She is reminding me more and more of Dan each day. Yet, she also has that sweet kind chill demeanor of Fleck too. :) She still comes up to you for snuggles/pets/kisses/hanging out. She is still super chill about most things. But, she is a little bit sassy! She has started grabbing things with her mouth.... like her blanket before I put it on her. Tonight she was chewing on Fleck's chest straps while I was putting her blanket on. And yesterday, she grabbed my bag hanging on the round pen and shook it about, spilling my phone, pivo, and gloves out! But, she's not quite as committed as Dan nor as extravagant as Dan. Whereas Dan grabs it and runs and is dramatic... she is much more docile about it. It makes me giggle though. 

Look at her cute little foot print in Dan's bigger footprint! AWWWWWw

Today we did a walk about with Dan. I rode him first for a little bit and then walked back down to the barn. She walked right up to us and I had the halter in my hand, so I just leaned down and haltered her from atop Dan. She was super! So then we went up the hill to the arena and around the back corner of the property and back up the little hill and back to the barn. She had one or two little tantrums where she was pulling back and threatening to rear, but I didn't lose her and she carried on. :) 

But poor baby girl has some sort of funk. She is so itchy! And she's getting bald patches on her face.. her armpits are raw and she's rubbed scrapes on her shoulder points. I've been putting equiderma on her and ordered coat defense. Hopefully it'll help. She looks rough. :) But she's still beautiful! And she grew again! She is now 14 hands at 9 months old! 

We probably need to start practicing hauling... and clipping... and.. then aim for a trail ride at Ashland :) Eeeks!