It’s time for an update. The weather last week was super hot (100+) and smoky, but we showed up for our weekly ride with Katie at a new location with more trees for shade.
Katie said that at this point she’s not exactly sure she is necessary anymore, (except for accountability and inspiration to get out and ride even when the weather is awful, and that’s no small thing!) She said we have accomplished our goal of teaching the young ones to be trail horses and to ride well together, and she asked if we should end our lessons. 🥹
We settled on a twice a month lesson, rather than every week, because we are not ready to let her go. We enjoy our Katie Time. And yes, it is making us more accountable and consistent. This week, however, we will be riding by ourselves.
An update on my starling, Gulliver.
He (or she) is six weeks old and such a fun addition to our lives. I had my work cut out feeding him by hand the last five weeks, but on cue, he is independent at six weeks—just as they are in the wild.
I made him a special “starling chop,” which he eats everyday, along with live bugs. The chop is frozen into muffin tins which can be removed from the freezer each day.
He is also practicing a variety of very humanish sounds, …and molting. Because of the molting, he spends a lot of his day in his attached bath.
He has two cages, one upstairs in our living room, and one downstairs in our sunroom where he free flies. The one upstairs is on wheels so that we can roll him out on the deck with us each evening. His bedtime is 8:30 pm and he doesn’t like to eat until about 7:30 or 8:00 am.
Other than that, spending every moment we can with our family—birthdays, U-pick peaches, baseball games, concerts, dinners, and boating.
Summer is flying by and, despite the heat and smoke (which disappeared today!!) it has been wonderful!
You are having a wonderful Summer!! Your Gulliver update is too cute. Such a healthy birdie diet. Katie lessons did seem to fly by from this point of view, especially with Epona. Keep enjoying Happy Trails!
ReplyDeleteEpona didn’t need much training. She seems born for trail riding. It helps that she enjoys following Tumbleweed, too. Gulliver (or Gullivair) is constantly doing funny things. Very entertaining! Hope you’re enjoying your summer!
DeleteI was wondering how Gulli was doing! Such a cute little creature! You are a good bird mom.
ReplyDeleteLove that both horses are well on their way to being solid trail mounts. There is no better feeling that a ride out on the trail with a dependable mount!
Gulli has defied all expectations! Definitely thriving. This bird mom is thrilled not to have to hand feed anymore. I am back to riding Tweed more and had to apologize to him that he was usurped by a bird. 😂
DeleteTweed is doing great. I hadn’t ridden him solo in quite a long time and he was lots of fun. We galloped the trails, too. He was game!
Awww fun! I sure miss trail riding.
DeleteAw he’s adorable. I think continuing lessons on a longer schedule makes sense. It’s so easy for things to creep in. Summer here has been fairly temperate which I’m enjoying
ReplyDeleteYes, and you never know what will creep in as you go along and maybe you need a little help, encouragement, or inspiration from your trainer. I’m glad you’re having a nice summer. We had a great late winter / spring, and I took advantage of it, so I don’t feel too deprived this summer. As long as you’re off the trail by 12:30 it’s not too bad.
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