Pigeon proof

Carol is in Colorado this weekend for a short - and short notice - visit.

My house is a disaster, so she's staying with another friend. We met up this morning and headed straight to the barn. I was hoping for some nice pictures of me riding Olive in the snow. Alas, it's still much too icy. The only place that's safe to ride is the indoor arena.

Two pigeons followed us inside. That would have been fine if they had stayed in the rafters.

They did not.

Instead, they flew back and forth, back and forth and back and forth. 

Olive's reaction to this was predictable and plentiful.

A couple weeks ago, I probably would have dismounted and lunged her. Today, however, I felt comfortable enough to ride through it. 

We did some circles and serpentines, and eventually, she stopped flinching every time a pigeon flew right over her head.

When the pigeons decided they wanted to walk around on the arena floor, Olive and I did a little pigeon herding.

"They went thataway!"

All pigeons, all the time.

Good girl, Olive. You are now (mostly) pigeon proof.

These are not the beautiful snow ride pictures I was hoping for, but I am pleased with them nonetheless. Thank you, Carol, for memorializing the Day of the Pigeons.