Z5 Driving, Cantering, Riding around w/out so much as a stick or string, and being Idiots ;) OH, It's also Wolf Spider Season *WIDE eyes*

Sonny and I had TONS of fun yesterday!  We played with Flying Lead Changes, Z5 Driving, riding around w/out so much as a stick or string, being Idiots (Our personal favorite ;-}), running around, lying down in the pond (he then decided to roll *rolls eyes* scared me about to death as he went totally under *eyes go SUPER wide*), spanish walking, bowing, getting him to lick his lips LOTS, and getting him to 'What she gonna do next'.  Which I accomplished ;).  I know, I'm goooood ;).  lol!  I'm on a bit of a LBE streak right now :P.  Can you tell?

I also think I might put my 'normal' blog and this one together...  It would be a TON easier!  I'm still mulling it over...  Btw how do you like the new look?  I LOVE it :).  It's a bit 'cleaner' than the other one ;).

Back to Sonny...  His Flying Lead Changes were SUPERB (nothin' new there ;) ), Our Z5 driving was a bit hairy (I haven't done it in FOREVER and it was also only his second or third time) and scary,  it was a TON of fun riding him around COMPLETELY naked he was SUCH a good boy about it too :).  Being Idiots was soooooooo much fun 'cause we were running around screaming and the guys working on the barn (all of which, except for 1, I've known since birth) were looking at me like I had three heads and then would laugh (that ain't cool Mr. Bill, Mr. James, Papa, Dad, and Mr. Adam!).  *Sighs* Men!  But I don't think me and Sonny have had that much fun EVER!  We'll have to do it more often ;).  You want to know something funny though...  I was originally just going to catch him, saddle him up, and then work on our finesse...  That is the opposite of what happened!  We were complete and utter goons!

I did get him to lie down in the pond (he refuses to do it on land.  Only in the water... Weird horse) and then he rolled and about scared me to death.  He, and I, are alive as you can ummm see?  hear?  I don't know!  Dad then had me show everyone Sonny's repertoire of tricks...  Before that though I worked on getting Sonny to lick his lips (hard for a LBI) and wonder what in the world that human of his was gonna do next!  I accomplished that quite well with all of my tricks I have stored up my sleeves ;).  At the end he was bolting one way, and then the other :D!  FUN!  He was also licking his lips every 5 seconds!  lol!

(Click on pictures to view bigger.  Do it!  The pics are pretty cool!  Really!) Now on to the next part of my title...  The dreaded Wolf Spiders are back!  AGH!  I think I'm going to die (literally).  I have this thing against spiders (particularly wolf's) especially when they jump on you, come in your house, chase you down the hallway (everything I have and will state HAS HAPPENED to ME!!!!) torture you, and are big ugly brutes!  SEE!  They are FREAKY and HUGE.  HUGE I TELL You!  I hate 'em.  I think you would too if one had jumped on you!  I mean, like, who WOULDN'T!  Well, I know someone who wouldn't but he's a bit of a freak...  OK a LOT of a freak.  Here are some facts about them...

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Greek word "λύκος" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with good eyesight. They live mostly solitary lives and hunt alone. Some are opportunistic wanderer hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or chasing it over short distances. Others lie in wait for passing prey, often from or near the mouth of a burrow.

There are many genera of Wolf spider, ranging in body size from less than 1 to 30 millimetres (0.04 to 1.18 in). ^[1] They have eight eyes arranged in three rows. The bottom row consists of four small eyes, the middle row has two very large eyes (which distinguishes them from the Pisauridae), and the top row has two medium-sized eyes. They depend on their eyesight, which is quite good, to hunt. Their sense of touch is also acute.

EWWWW!

Wolf spiders are unique in carrying their eggs along with them in a round silken globe, or egg sac, which they attach to the spinnerets at the end of their abdomen. The abdomen must be held in a raised position to keep the egg case from dragging on the ground, but they are still capable of hunting while so encumbered. Also unique to wolf spiders is their method of infant care. Immediately after the little spiders hatch and emerge from their protective silken case, they clamber up their mother's legs and all crowd onto her abdomen.

Their eyes reflect light well, and one method of finding them is to hunt at night using a flashlight strapped to one's forehead so that the light from the flashlight is reflected from their eyes directly back toward its source. This is also especially helpful because the wolf spiders are nocturnal and will be out hunting for food, making it easier to find them.

Because they depend on camouflage for protection, they do not have the flashy appearance of some other kinds of spiders. In general their coloration is appropriate to their favorite habitat.

Hogna is the genus with the largest of the wolf spiders. Among the Hogna species in the U.S., the nearly solid dark brown H. carolinensisis the largest, with a body that can be more than one inch long. It is sometimes confused with H. helluo (pictured below), which is somewhat smaller and entirely different in coloration.

Some members of the Lycosidae, such as H. carolinensis (Carolina wolf spider) make deep tubular burrows in and around which they lurk much of the time. Others, such as H. helluo, seek shelter under convenient rocks and other such shelters as nature may provide. They may wander from place to place, and are therefore more likely to be the ones attracted into human habitation when the weather starts to turn colder in autumn.

There are many smaller wolf spiders. They patrol pastures and fields and are an important natural control on harmful insects.

Wolf spiders are capable of defensive bites, and some South American species may give bites that are medically significant. However, in general their presence works very much in favor of humans wherever they are found.

Wolf spiders can be found in a wide range of habitats both coastal and inland. These include shrublands, woodland, wet coastal forest, alpine meadows, and suburban gardens. Spiderlings disperse aerially and consequently wolf spiders have wide distributions. Although some species have very specific microhabitat needs (such as stream-side gravel beds or montane herb-fields) most are wanderers without permanent homes. Some build burrows which can be opened or have a trapdoor. Arid zone species construct turrets or plug their holes with leaves and pebbles during the rainy season to protect themselves from flood waters.

EWWWWW!  Did I mention I HATED wolf spiders?  They are kind of cool, though!  Hope you learned something about my least favorite favorite spider ;)
~Shalom, Savvy Out, and God Bless~