Lunenburg Bigfoot Revealed!!!!

Today, we reveal the true identity of the Bigfoot sighting previously mentioned from Lunenburg, ON. My nephew, Griffin, was with me and was able to help get some full size pictures of the beast!!

Do not be frightened because as I have been saying, he is actually quite friendly! I think the frequent sightings have been due in part to the fact that is not yet breeding season for these big hairy creatures. So, the males are left looking for something to do!!

Our Bigfoot sure loves his hugs and scratches. I think now we have revealed all, we will less prone to hearing branches snap or feel like we are being followed. Linus doesn't have to worry about a surprise encounter.

Now, Susan (the Maine tourism director) has got me itching to ground drive Linus again. It has been a while for us. He outgrew his cart and I have yet to replace it so we have spent our time doing other things. When I opened my tack box today to get out his harness, this is what I was greeted with!! I suspected there was one hanging around. I scooped him up and threw him away; which, at the time I thought was the kinder alternative. I started checking things. I was concerned he may have thought my bareback pad was a good place to make a home but it was ok. So, I started getting out the harness and putting some rarely used items into a different box to clean up this one a bit and make it less mice friendly. Well, I did not know that mice like leather!!! The little frigger chewed through my driving reins!! Not all the way but enough to make it unsafe to use! Now I was regretting being so "kind" to this rude intruder!! But, I did spot him back near the trailer (where this tack box is kept) a while later and got the bottom end of my boot!!! No, I did not say "take that you little bugger!!!"........

Linus is a kid magnet - or kids are a magnet for him! I think it works both ways. He could not resist giving Griffin a snuffle before we did some work. The warmer temperature (just a few degrees below 0!) had Linus feeling a bit sun lazy. Griffin didn't mind at all! Griffin has watched Linus grow from the day he came home.

Griffin wanted to know what I use the training stick for. So I showed him a few things that I do with it. He learned how to get Linus to move his quarters, back up, swing the rope around his body and legs and as seen below, that swinging the rope in big circles around his head was no big deal for Linus. I'm swinging it around and it's making that whirring noise and the big buggerlugs is trying to unzip my coveralls!!!

 And he succeeded!!! When I finished laughing, I had to scold him! I only bought them this past week!! They make me look like a khaki brownish Michelin man but they are warm!

Ok, listen here boy, it's time to get some work done!

With our hopes of ground driving dashed, I decided to try a new (another!) hackamore on Linus. It's a leather braided noseband. I've been trying to get my hands on one for some time now but haven't been able to find one. Or if I did find one the shipping was more than the hackamore! 

This one arrived last week and so we tried it out today. I didn't have time to do too much. There are two expectant "mama Bigfoot's" in the barn in early stages of labour. 

I used the bale feeder as a mounting block and hopped on to give it a whirl. I usually slap the bareback pad on for this but didn't bother to today. Linus seemed pretty comfortable with the new hackamore so I am looking forward to saddling him up and having a longer ride sometime soon I hope!! We have so much ice that I have no idea when we will get a chance to ride other than on the driveway! When you have a horse that is bored most of the time unless he is on a trail, this is tricky to deal with!

Griffin helped me work on separation with Linus a bit too. I've been working at it for a while now. I would like to be able to take him out alone and not worry about Allie being left behind. He hates to leave her and she hates to be left! I'm usually ok if we stick close by in the fields that border the horse pasture but I'd like to get him up the road to some nearby trails. Riding alone doesn't bother me. Linus and I worked alone for 2 years before we had Allie so I know he can do it!!