Yesterday when I groomed Bo before our ride, I noticed little bumps under his fur. Then I saw the tiny flies that settled on his legs every time I moved on to brush somewhere else.
Worse? Drops of blood where the flies had been. Behind his "elbows" just in front of where the cinch goes, there was a slightly crusty patch where the flies had been chewing on him.
Poor ol Bo! He's been known for being grumpy in the cross ties, but he'd been getting better lately. Yesterday he stomped his big hooves constantly. Well dumb me. At least I noticed!
No wonder he had the sad eyes. I used up the last of the fly spray in both bottles, squeezing the trigger for dear life to coax the last drops out.
So today, before I head out to the Little Valley, I'll be driving up to Sprawlville. They've got a Country Depot store at the feed mill where I can buy some nice fly spray for Susan's horses. I've used the Supershield Green on my horses last summer. It has citronella, and doesn't smell as toxic as the old "Wipe" that I used to use on my ponies. That stuff clung to my hands all day. This is expensive but I think it's worth it. Fly spray really doesn't last long anyways, but if it keeps the horse from getting distracted while we're working, then it's worth it.
I'm practicing for my Level 4 test. The turns on the forehand are still tricky, as well as the two-tracking. The pattern just needs to be ridden over and over, with different horses so that I really learn it.
Other than that, I'm feeling physically quite alright. Mentally, I'm feeling obsessive, stressed, panicked, and frazzled. I'm having a hard time stopping the unwanted thoughts in my head, even though I know it's just crazy stupid mental stuff and I don't really feel that way and it's maybe even just the drugs talking. I don't know if this is the right medication for me. Jethro comes home at 2 am and he can hear my teeth grinding and squeaking from down the hall.
Hey, this is just irritating and annoying, just like those horrible little biting flies, right? I'll get some mental bug spray and chase those irritating things that buzz around in my head. I'll clear up Bo's legs and belly and my brain. We'll have an okay day after all.
11 comments:
Heidi - I use something like this:
http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=2e87c614-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5
(I couldn't find the exact bottle) Following the directions for dilution. Then, I add some Skin So Soft from Avon.
It smells good and stays on longer. And I am not too terribly freaked out about the chemicals because the Pyrethrins they use are Chrysanthemum extracts.
It is pretty cheap too.
(Have a great day at the barn. I miss JJ)
damn bugs...real and imaginary...
hope you both feel better quick!
Hm when I used to show dogs incessantly we used skin so soft too...I remember that wipe crap. it's nasty stuff.
HM about the mental stress. Go play with the ponies, and practice practice practice. That will make it all better!
I'm back, and I'm free of bug bites, and my hips hurt.
Other than that, gettin by okay!
Does that stuff work on people? I mean, some of the women I use to date could have use some. Like, when they uncrossed their legs it sounded like someone had turned on a buzz saw.
So...yeah...I was gonna say something, but after that last one...I got nothing.
I know you haven't seen me in forever, but I thought I'd drop by and say hello.
My neighbors used citronella to train their dogs not to bark (uh, the neighbors on ONE side of me..... wish they'd talk to the other neighbors.... sigh). They had a collar that spritzed it at the dogs if they barked. It was a good method, and it probably helped keep bugs away from the dogs, too!
Cindy, I think I used Repel X already and it really worked. If I remember correctly, that is. Skin So Soft is the classic bug repellent! (For people and critters) but I never considered mixing it in with the bug spray. Good idea!
Dilling, it's okay right now. I squished a few bugs, both kinds.
JKB, Bo and Tia were my doctors today. I darn near got Bo to fall asleep when I was grooming him.
Then I squirted him and he perked up. You can imagine where I had to squirt the poor guy.
Coffeypot, nobody stuns a conversation like you do!!!!! (Those are some nasty mental images after that comment...)
Olly- Yup.
Hello APW! That is an interesting anti-barking idea. I don't know if it'd work for my dog though, because his neck is so thick he can wiggle out of his collar! I have a few citronella plants outside my back door. They're awesome. So easy to sprout cuttings and grow new plants! I'm hoping they'll keep the bugs away this summer.
The fly spray in the picture has citronella in it. I like that smell. My daughter hates it but she can just stand back when we spray the horses.
My horses wear fly masks all summer. Dad doesn't want to catch them and spray them down every day, but they'll come up to him and almost stick their heads right into the masks. Relief!
OMG, tell me that coffeypot didn't just say that!
brick wall, brick wall, brick wall
Yeah, he said it!
hope you got rid of the bugs, hope you had a good day too x
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