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
