Selena Ride 42; Wizard Ride 111: Attack of the Killer Lady Bugs
Thursday, 10/22/09
Just when you think bug season is over, your home state is attacked by swarms of Asian beetles. We’ve got the usual gnats that fly around in the warmest part of the fall days and this year, there are bunches of beetles bouncing around the barn as well.
I tacked up Wizard, dosed him with Ulcergard as an experiment, and went on a trail ride with Mary the Morgan and her owner. Wizard was antsy on the way out to the trail but walked quite nicely once we reached the trailhead. On the tight, winding trails, he quietly picked his way through the paths but when we got to the open, sandy, hilly trails, he bounced around anxiously. I carefully worked and worked on him and had him settled to my satisfaction.
When we reached the street where we cross and pass the pigs, I dismounted and let Mary take the lead. Mary was skittish but after two tries, she walked past. Wizard was perfect and never even turned a hair as we walked past them. A bit down the trail, I remounted and rode the rest of the way to the barn. Overall, Wizard was better than expected and it gave me hope. Was it the ulcer treatment? Was it the weather? Was it the time off? Only Wizard knows for sure.
Selena is quite a lady but not a lover of ladybugs. Or gnats. I took her for a short loop on the trails with Mary and she was obedient but definitely not pleased by the bugs. Her head was up and her expression was alert, as we were on new trails. I did not mind the alertness but her wiggling and twitching was a little more difficult to handle. From what I could tell, the ladybugs were bouncing off her rear end and the gnats were fluttering around her nose. But she continued her streak of being a smart and sensible trail horse. She just does not like the wildlife ;^)
I rinsed Selena off and gave Wizard a bath. I took a tip from the racetrack groom school and soaped and rinsed Wizard’s face with a bucket and sponge instead of a hose. It SOAKED me but he did not seem to mind as much as he does with the hose. More efficient, cleaner horse- win-win!
Rock and Racehorses: The Blog 
Oh! The asian beetles have been bad here too! They swarmed two sides of my house a couple weeks ago. I couldn’t go outside without them in my hair, on my face, down my shirt, in my bra… Ugh! Just days before that we had box elders doing the same thing! They’ve stuck around a little longer though.
I thought I was the only one with boxelder and lady bug problems! They were so bad on our front door a few days last week I had to swat them off before I’d get in the car. Exactly like oregonsunshine: hair, clothing, face … not so much the bra 😉 Hahaha! I was sitting at my desk at work and all of a sudden, a boxelder bug flew off of my shoulder and onto the ceiling. Guess I missed one 😛
Missed ya at Laurel, Sarah! It was a hoot and a half….in the pouring rain. Not nearly as bad as Jockey Gold Cup Day, but it didn’t relent.