I got to run today.

It's been so hot lately! I haven't been blogging because nothing has really been going on. It's been too hot to ride so we've just been taking walks and Mom's been hosing me off and that's about it. Other than that, I hang out in my stall or paddock, visit with my neighbors and eat. There hasn't even been anything interesting to watch because everyone else is too hot to do anything too.

Mom did take me and Spark out for a turnout a couple of days ago and that was pretty fun. It was blazing hot but I was feeling a little frisky after doing nothing for a couple of days so she brought me to the wash rack and hosed me off like she does but then she left me tied there and went away. I wondered what she was doing but a couple of minutes later she came back with Spark. She hosed him off too and then grabbed my lead and we started walking.

Well, not really. I started dancing and rearing and Spark started pulling backwards. Mom was aggravated by that so she brought us back to my stall where she put my chain lead on and started again. I was still pretty dancy but I know better than to act up too much with that stupid chain on my nose so I just walked fast or kind of jigged. Sparky though was being silly about it all because it was hay time and he likes to be out in the pasture when the hay comes because he needs to make sure everyone behaves and goes to the right pile and stuff. It's not easy being a herd leader.

So I was hurrying and Spark kept stopping and poor Mom was getting pulled between us and it was hotter than blazes and she lost her temper. She hardly ever does that, you know. She hollered at me to quit pulling and slapped Spark on the butt with his lead rope and told him to get going and finally she got us both moving in a way that didn't drag her in two different directions.

We got to the Pony Arena and she was sweaty and panting. Then me and Spark got silly at the gate. It's kind of a narrow gate so we have to go in one at a time and there were some funny noises in the bushes on the far side of the arena so we were both balking about it. She tried to get me in and I got halfway through and then backed up again so she tried leading Spark through and he wasn't too sure about it. Finally, he went in and she turned to lead me forward and something spooked me and I jumped backwards.

Well, the lead flew right out of Mom's hands and all of a sudden, I was loose! She said, "Bella, HO!" but it was too late - I'd already taken off running across the dirt with no idea where I was going, just excited as can be because I was loose. Sparky got all excited too because he was in the arena and I was out of it and he began running around in there while I ran around outside. It was very exciting!

I galloped across the big open area then when I got to where the stalls are for sick horses, I whirled around and ran back to the arena to tease Spark. Mom was calling me but I didn't want to listen. I ran up to the fence and then dashed away again but that's when I noticed there was a patch of grass nearby so I stopped to eat it and that's when Mom caught me. She told me I was silly and put me in the arena and Spark and I had a good time playing. I got really hot that day but it was fun.

Then yesterday Mom and Sparky's mom came out and they saddled us up to ride but it was still beastly hot. We rode a little bit in the Flat Arena and I was still feeling frisky so I was kind of bad. I took off cantering when Mom asked for a trot, and I bucked some. Then we did a poop loop but it was so hot our moms cut it short and put us away.

Today wasn't quite as hot. It was still hotter than I like it but Mom sponged me off before we rode which does help me stay cool. There wasn't anyone else around so there weren't any distractions and she took me in the Flat Arena and warmed me up then asked me to trot. Well, I did my little fussy thing but instead of tensing up, she just sat deep and relaxed and kept asking so I finally did trot and she stayed relaxed and kept the reins a little loose, just giving me a half-halt now and then to remind me not to rush.

We trotted around once and then as we came around the turn, she asked me to canter! Usually, I just try to sneak in a canter and I never wait for her to ask but this time she surprised me with it. I popped right into a nice canter and she pushed me down the long side and headed into the turn. There, I kind of got a little bouncy and wanted to buck but she felt it and pulled my head up like she does so I started to slow down but she kicked me on and let me know that she wanted to keep cantering, she just didn't want me to buck. So we cantered all the way around and partway down the long side again but then I dropped back to a trot. It's hard to keep up a canter for too long. I'm not used to it.

She patted me and called me a Good Girl, then after a little walking, she asked me to trot again. I did and I was ready when she asked for another canter. This time, I cantered kind of fast and as soon as we hit the turn, I yanked my head down and threw a good buck. She lurched up toward my neck but didn't fall off and she caught her balance, got my head back and asked me to canter again because I'd dropped to a trot. I was excited by then though so I just kept trotting so fast that I couldn't get my legs straightened out enough to canter.

She slowed me down and brought me to a walk, then she changed direction with me and when we were on the rail, she asked for a trot. Well, I got ahead of myself then and just jumped into a really fast canter - it was actually more of a bolt than anything, I have to admit. I just get so darn excited about running. I can't help it. She pulled me back to a trot and made me keep trotting which was stupid but I did know why. Then she took me for a poop loop. She says we're going to ride in the Round Pen again and see if we can remember how to go forward without going crazy. I kind of like going crazy.

Oh, well. I wish Kia was still here. She was always giving me good tips on being a Riding Horse. It's really not as easy as it seems.

Riding bareback

It's funny how different days make me feel different. Last time I blogged, I wrote about how bad I was in the Little Fence Arena when I bucked and reared and misbehaved with my mom on my back. Today she rode me bareback and I was a Very Good Girl.

A lot of it has to do with the weather. It's gotten hot again all of a sudden and I'm usually lazier when it's hot. The day I was so bad it was cool and windy and that got me frisky. But sometimes I don't even know why I feel the way I do. There are hot days when I'm frisky and cool days when I'm lazy. It just depends.

I felt good today but wasn't in the mood to be bad. Mom was hot. She came out with Sparky's mom and both of us had a hay snack and then our moms began grooming us. I knew when Mom brought out my bridle that she was going to ride bareback because she never puts my bridle on first. She didn't even put her riding duds on. She rode in a pair of shorts and her barn cleaning shoes which are just soft things. When she put my bridle on, she left my halter hanging around my neck with the lead rope attached. She looped the lead around my neck too and tied it so it didn't drag. That was strange and I didn't understand why she did it but I didn't mind.

Sparky and I both felt nice because the Shoe Man was out the other day to play with our feet. So I have new shoes on and Spark got a nice trim and our feet feel good. Our moms got on us and we headed down the road. I'm getting more used to having my mom on me without a saddle. At first, I stopped a lot because I was unsure about it all but now I just go along like normal. It feels kind of funny but now I know that it's not a bad thing and that Mom isn't going to fall off. Sometimes she feels a little off balance but she just holds onto my mane and that keeps her steady.

We just walked along. It was nice. Riding bareback is kind of like not really riding at all. Our moms don't make us do anything special - we just go for poop loops or lazy walks. They talk to each other and let Spark and I sniff poop sometimes or stop and look at things. It's like we're all going for a walk together instead of working.

We rode past the Little Rolling Arena and then went behind all the funny buildings where they have the shiny barrels. Mom says they make wine there. I don't know what wine is but I guess they need barrels for it. When I first moved her, I was a little unsure about all the stuff back there but now I'm used to it and so is Spark. The regular Rolling Arena is right above that part and you can see and hear everything when they're making wine so you kind of get used to it. We're not newcomers anymore after all. We're Experienced.

Our moms rode us to the building where the trail rides start from and that's where we learned what our halters were for. Our moms got off and put them on over our bridles, then used the lead ropes to tie us to the hitching rail in front of the building. That was smart because it's no good to tie a horse by the reins. It pulls on your mouth and can hurt it plus they can break easily if you get scared and pull.

Spark and I are both good about being tied in strange places. That's kind of funny too when I think about it because I tend to make a fuss when I'm tied in front of my stall. I fidget and move around and paw the ground. But when I'm tied outside the Office (that's what it's called), I just cock a hind leg and stand there. I guess I'm kind of silly but that's just the way I am.

Mom had told me that she was going to get a fudgesicle and that I could have some but when she came out she had Skittles instead. I guess they were out of fudgesicles. That's okay. I like Skittles too but they're hard to eat with a bit in your mouth. I was eating some when a man and a small girl came over to see me. They told Mom how pretty I am and asked if they could pet me. Mom said yes and I tried to be friendly and polite but I was kind of focused on my Skittles. The girl was nice about it and laughed though - she seemed to think I'm cute.

Then our moms took our halters off and put them back around our necks and brought us over to the mounting block near the office door. We'd never been to that mounting block but we both remembered to behave and stand still while our moms got on. It's a lot harder for them to get on bareback because they don't have the stirrups to help them so we need to be extra good about standing still and keeping close to the mounting block. I think both our moms were happy with us for that.

When we started riding back toward our barn, I felt my mom suddenly find her balance. It was kind of funny. She's ridden me bareback quite a few times now but has never felt fully comfortable on me. Finally today she did, just kind of all of a sudden. It was nice for me because I didn't feel like she was going to fall off anymore and that made it easier for me to just step out and go along. She was happy about it too - she immediately told Sparky's mom that she'd found her seat. I guess it had been a long time since she rode bareback or something. Anyway, it was good.

So we had a nice lazy ride back to the barn and that was all we did. It was a short ride but a nice one and it was hot enough that we didn't really feel like doing any more than that. I had a new bed of shavings so I was happy to get back to that and Mom gave me lots of carrot and some more Skittles, which were easier to eat because she gave them to me after she took off my bridle. Then she fed me my bucket dinner and petted my ears and kissed my nose and said good night.

I liked today.

Change in the weather

It's getting cooler these days. I like that. The flies don't bother me so much and the air smells so fresh and interesting. I have more energy, too. Lazy summer days are nice but I love this time of year. It hasn't started raining yet and it's not cold, but it's not hot either. It makes me feel frisky.

I was frisky yesterday. The day before, I didn't get out at all so when Mom got to the barn I was ready to go. She knew it too and cleaned my stall very fast. Then she put my chain lead on and took me to the Pony Arena for a turnout. It was actually pretty smart of her to put my chain lead on because I was so frisky and excited I could barely contain myself. The wind was blowing hard and it was cool and fresh, I could smell all kinds of stuff in the air but I couldn't hear things very well because of the wind. That's a little scary for a horse. We need to be able to hear things to keep us out of danger. I wasn't really scared but it did make me a lot more excited.

Well, I danced all the way to the arena. Raz's dad had given me some carrot while Mom was cleaning and he asked if I liked to run around when I was turned out. Mom told him I did and said she thought I'd probably be running a lot because of the wind so he decided to come watch. I like Raz's dad. He always says hello to me and gives me pieces of carrot lots of times. That's nice. All the people in our barn are nice to each other's horses and feed them treats and pet them and stuff. I think that's how it should be when you're neighbors.

Mom and I walked to the arena but Raz's dad drove down in his car. By the time we got there, I was so ready to run that I could barely stand still while Mom got my lead off. As soon as she did, I took off across the arena, bucking and playing and galloping! I raced back and forth between the gate at the front and the one where we'd come in. I do that sometimes. I get so excited that I forget that I could run in circles and I keep going back and forth and sliding to a stop every time I come to the gate. Mom doesn't really like it because she's afraid I'll get hurt and in the winter she puts extra boots on my back legs so when I slide in the mud, I don't scuff them.

She let me race around a bit then she came in with her whip and reminded me to go in circles. That was fun! I ran and ran, and I bucked a lot too. I felt so good! And the wind was exciting and the cool air made me so frisky! Raz's dad seemed to like watching me go so fast but he didn't like how I stop at the gate either. One time I got a little too close and rapped the fence hard with my knee. It didn't hurt though - I just kept going.

After a while, I stopped running and went over to Mom to visit. I was still pretty riled up, my head was up really high and my nostrils were all wide open. I was even snorting. Raz's dad came in the arena then and pet me and gave me a piece of carrot. Then he asked me to back up so I did. I know how to do that and I thought maybe he'd give me more carrot and I was right. Then he asked me to come back forward and I did that too. I know how to do lots of stuff now that I'm five.

He left finally and I ran around a bit more and then Mom took me home. I got pretty excited again when we left and I started dancing in the place where the cars all park. I heard something funny or maybe it was leaves skittering across the road in the wind but it startled me and I bounced and that made me slip on the hard stuff the road is made out of there and that excited me even more so I bounced more and then Mom yanked on my chain just a little and told me to stop being so foolish so I settled down. It was a lot of fun though and my alfalfa was waiting for me when we got to my stall.

Today was windy too. Mom cleaned me out and then started getting me ready to ride. I was happy about that but I was impatient and wanted to get going. It seemed like it took her forever but that was because she put my pretty beads on me today. I have a beautiful string of beads I wear around my neck sometimes when we ride. They have little jingly bells on them and make pretty noises when I move. They're red like my saddle pad and my boots so I match and they make me feel special and pretty. I love my beads.

When I was all ready we got going. We started riding along the road and soon we met my old neighbor Lily and her mom. We rode with them for a little bit but then my mom made me turn off so we could go to the Little Fence Arena. I wasn't sure about that. I haven't been in that arena for a while and with the wind and everything, I felt a little apprehensive. I had to stop and sniff Mom's boot a couple of times before I'd go in but finally I did and we started riding around. Right after we got in there, my old neighbor Polano and his mom came in. His mom is kind of small - I think she must be young.

Anyway, I was just a bundle of nerves. I was frisky and excited and bouncy about the wind and the arena and everything. I just wanted to run and play but Mom was asking me to walk nicely. It was hard! I felt like I was walking on my toes and I kept sort of dancing sideways and trying to bounce. Mom just sat deep and breathed and told me it was okay and that I needed to walk. I'd settle down for a few strides but then the wind would pick up, or I'd hear a strange sound, or I'd see a branch shaking and I'd get all nerved up again.

I finally managed to start actually walking and Mom was happy with that. Then she asked me for a trot and I nearly burst at the seams as I leaped into it. She checked me, and made me stay at a normal trot instead of the fast, bouncing one I'd started with but I was pulling hard and really trying to go. I just couldn't help it. Mom just kept riding the way she had been, quiet and deep, giving me little checks every so often - she calls them half-halts - to keep me paying attention. I'd just get going and she'd change my direction or ask me to trot between some little fences or move me into a circle so I had to kind of stay on my toes and couldn't get rolling along as fast as I wanted to. She's sneaky that way.

Finally it all got to be too much for me. We were trotting down the long side and I just suddenly exploded! I jammed my front feet into the dirt, bounced into a half-rear and then jumped all four feet off the ground in a giant buck! Oh, it felt good! When I hit the ground, I had a little more rein than I'd had before so I was able to get my head down more and went into an even bigger buck. I even got a good twist in it, just to let out a bunch of that energy I'd been keeping contained.

Mom had lost a stirrup on the first buck but she was perfectly steady in the saddle so I knew she wasn't going anywhere. I wasn't trying to get her off anyway - I just wanted to let off some steam. I landed from the second buck and went into a rear. When I hit ground, I was able to go back up into another one and that one was even higher. That was so fun and so exciting and felt so good that I went up again, up and up and up, pawing and reaching for the sky! I felt like a wild horse with the wind in my mane and not a care in the world.

Mom was leaning forward when I reared the first and second time but when I went up the third time, she leaned way forward and pushed on my neck and as soon as I came down from that one, she pulled my head around so I couldn't go up again, made the Bad Girl sound very loudly and smacked me on the neck with her stick. And then she asked me to trot again!

Oh, I was mad! Here I'd been, all wild and full of frustration and she was just acting like I'd done nothing more exciting than drifting off the rail or something! I laid my ears back and swished my tail but she just smacked me again and told me to trot so I trotted. But it was a pretty ugly trot.

Well, the long and the short of it is that she just kept riding me and making me do what she wanted to do and in the end, I was trotting around that arena pretty well. And it actually did feel good - a nice trot is good exercise and gets your muscles going. I just wanted to run and buck is all. But you can't do that with your mom on your back. I do know that but sometimes I get riled up and I forget.

By the time we were done, I was hot and sweaty and foamy but I felt great! I was still pretty wound up and excited so Mom got off me and led me home with my girth loosened to cool me off. She wasn't mad at me either. As usual, she seemed to understand what I was feeling. I love my mom. I'd feel really bad if I made her fall off when I do things like that but if she didn't fall off today, I don't think she's going to.

Taking care of my mom

My mom and I have had a couple of lazy days lately. That's okay. Sometimes it's nice to just do nothing together. I don't always need to be running fast or learning things. I learn things most days anyway, even if we really don't do much.

Yesterday, she came out kind of early but she had to leave to go to that Job of hers. I'm not sure I really like this business of her having another Job besides taking care of me. It seems to take up an awful lot of her time. Even so, she still makes sure I'm taken care of every day. She cleaned out my stall yesterday and also cleaned out my water bucket. I always like that. It gets kind of messy because sometimes I forget to wait until I'm done eating before I take a drink so I get loose hay and bucket food in it. I don't really mean to - I just don't think.

Mom cleaned out all my shavings and she didn't put any more in which sort of worried me. I like to have shavings after all. But there weren't any left outside my stall and she didn't seem too worried about it. She just took me to the Round Pen and lunged me a little bit.

I didn't really feel like lungeing but I obediently went around at a walk and a trot and a canter and then Mom turned me the other way and I just stopped and looked at her. She laughed and took off the lunge line and that was lots better. We walked around together, and I sniffed around on the ground just in case there was something interesting. And I played with her shoes. I haven't played that game for a while and we had some fun with me trying to grab her shoe and her catching my nose between her legs. It made me feel like a baby again.

We had a nice time and when we were done, she brought me back to my stall and gave me my bucket dinner and then left. Without me getting any shavings! Well, I was kind of upset, I have to admit. My mom doesn't do stuff like that and I didn't know what to think. I was pacing around in my stall kind of agitated when all of a sudden, there was my dad at my door! He had carrots for me of course, but he also had shavings!

Well, I should have known someone would take care of me. My mom and dad love me lots and know how much I like to have shavings to play in. So that was all right.

Today, when she came out she did ride me but it wasn't much of a ride. She was in pain today. I can always tell. My mom has this thing she calls arthritis and it makes her hurt all over. I can tell when it's bothering her because of the way she moves and how she sits in the saddle. Most of the time, it's not a problem. She says that I'm her miracle cure because I make the pain go away. But when it does bother her, I try to move really carefully and slowly so I don't make it worse. I remember when I first came to live with her, I was carrying her one time and I stumbled. I could feel her gasp and tense up with pain when it happened and I felt so bad! So now I pay more attention and I flat out won't trot or bounce when she hurts.

We rode for a little bit in the Flat Arena and we did some more turning and circling at a walk. We did that thing where she puts the rein on my neck and asks me to turn and I did another circle around thingy like that. Then we went for a nice walk down the road past the Little Rolling Arena and behind the barns and back around through the place where all the cars park. We didn't go up or down any hills which was good because that might have hurt my mom. Then we went back to my barn and she put me away. She petted me and brushed me lots before she did. Even when I can't make her pain go away, I think I make her feel better. I hope so anyway.

Learning new things

Today Mom came out and gave me my hay snack as usual and started cleaning my stall. That's me eating my hay snack in the picture. I love my hay snack. I really look forward to it. I get my grass hay in the morning and I get my alfalfa later in the day but that hay snack puts something in my tummy right when I need it. Plus I get to be outside my stall to eat it and that's fun because people going by pet me and say hello to me, and I get to watch the other horses that are being ridden go by. It's just a nice routine.

Mom cleaned out my stall and started getting stuff ready for us to ride. By then I'd finished my hay snack and was just whuffling around on the ground for any stray bits I'd missed. Mom went to the wash rack to get some water in a bucket and while she was gone, I discovered that I could reach the flappy colored cloth things that have been hanging on Mickey's stall. I'd noticed them before but I could never reach them to sniff. Today though, his mom was in his stall cleaning and the door was slid open over close to me.

I poked my nose out and sniffed those cloth things all over but I couldn't figure out what they were. They were all hanging in a row and they were pretty colors, mostly red and blue. Lots of blue. They had a sort of crinkled round part on top and long dangly parts below. You can just see them dangling behind me in the picture.

Well, I couldn't help but wonder what they might taste like so I reached out and picked one up with my mouth. I had to kind of tug on it to get it off and it made sort of a ripping sound when it did. It didn't really taste like anything though so I dropped it and grabbed another. That one was no better and I was just grabbing the third one when my mom came around the corner and saw me with it dangling out of my mouth. She yelled, "BELLA!" and I dropped it really quick and tried to pretend I hadn't been anywhere near them but the dratted things were all over the ground and I guess it was pretty obvious that I'd done it.

She came over and picked them up and told Mickey's mom that I'd tried to eat his ribbons. I felt ashamed of myself. Sometimes I do things and don't even know why I did them. I just don't think things through. They just looked so interesting and colorful that I couldn't help it. Mickey's mom wasn't mad at me. She laughed and petted me and told me it was okay and I felt better. I like Mickey's mom - she always says hi to me and pets me. My mom seemed relieved that she wasn't mad but she still tied me up short so I couldn't get in any more trouble.

Then she saddled me up and we went out to ride in the Flat Arena. It was kind of hot and I was feeling a little lazy so I gave her kind of a hard time about trotting again. She just kept pushing at me though and finally I did and it wasn't so bad. We did some trot circles and Mom really worked with me to remind me how to do them and what it means when she gives me leg cues. Horses have to learn to understand the signals their riders give them and it can be confusing. People use their legs and the way they sit as well as the reins and things like sticks to tell us what to do. Lots of times, my mom has to use my reins a lot because I'm not sure what she's telling me with her legs so today she was really working them so I'd get it.

When you go in a circle, for instance, your mom pushes you forward with her legs but she's also making you bend so the circle is nice and smooth and not all jerky like a square. She does that by using the reins - my mom keeps a strong outside rein so I stay on the circle and don't just flop into it, while touching my mouth with the inside rein to tell me to curve that way - and by using her legs. When her inside leg is pressing against my girth, it means I bend away from it and when her outside leg is kind of firm behind my girth it means that I can't just pop my butt out of the circle. So as you can tell, there's a lot going on and a horse has to be paying attention to all of it.

I used to know a lot of this stuff but when my feet were bothering me, I didn't work for a long time and I kind of forgot. I'm really starting to remember now and it's kind of fun because she'll ask me to do something and I'll be a little confused but then she tries to make the cues very clear and then I think, "Oh, yeah, I remember this!" That feels good. It also really helps that my back doesn't hurt. The Carrot Doctor made me feel a lot better and it's so much easier to bend now. Since I'm not thinking about pain and wondering when it's going to hurt, I can pay attention to my mom better.

After doing circles for a while, Mom brought me down to a walk and we worked on turns. She rode me a short way down the long side of the arena, then she'd ask me to turn and go straight across to a point on the other side. When we got there, she'd ask me to turn in the other direction and we did that all up and down the arena. It was fun. Just before we'd reach the spot where I needed to turn, she'd settle into the saddle a bit and just touch my mouth with the reins. That way, I knew she was going to ask me for something and I was ready for her signal to turn. I thought that was pretty smart because it's a lot harder to react if all of a sudden your person is asking you to do something and you're not ready.

I got pretty good at it and by the time we finished, Mom hardly had to use the reins at all. I was recognizing her leg cues and the way she was sitting and knew what she wanted me to do. I liked it because it's a lot nicer on your mouth when it's not getting pulled so much. Mom is gentle with my bit but even so, if she has to use it a lot to turn me I'm going to feel it.

When we finished up, she let me walk around a bit on a really loose rein like she always does. That's always nice. It gives me a chance to relax and cool off and we just walk around like that. I keep my head really low because it feels good to stretch my neck and my back and also because I just naturally like to have my head down. But today we did something different and it was kind of fun.

We were just walking slowly along and Mom lightly laid the reins against one side of my neck and used her legs and seat to tell me to turn. Well, we'd just been doing that so I knew what she wanted. I obediently started to turn and she continued to cue me and to keep that rein on my neck so I kept turning. Because I was turning so much, I wasn't really moving forward so much as going in kind of a circle with my back legs pretty much in one place and my front legs doing all the turning. It was kind of like when we do pivots when Mom is on the ground only instead of going around with my back legs, I was going around with the front ones.

I started slowing down when we had gone about halfway around in a circle so Mom just touched my mouth and reminded me that she was still asking for a turn so I kept going and when she finally let off the pressure, we'd gone all the way around and I was facing the exact same direction I'd started in! Mom seemed to really like that and she petted me a lot and told me I was a Good Girl. Then she laid the rein on the other side of my neck and gave me the leg cues to go the other way so I did. She was really happy with me for that. I don't know why. It was easy. But I do like being called a Good Girl.

That was the end of our ride. She got off and gave me nice face kisses and pets and then I got to go to my stall and have my alfalfa and my bucket dinner. My alfalfa was already waiting for me. I used to get pretty upset when Mom rode me at dinner time but I'm five now and I know I'll get it eventually and no one will eat it in the meantime. That's the sort of thing you learn when you're five.

Play day

I had such a good time today! It was wonderful and I can't think of the last time I had that much fun.

My mom got to the barn and cleaned my stall. She got Sparky out too and gave him a little hay snack. I didn't think anything of it because she often does that but when she got done with my stall she grabbed his lead and then grabbed mine and started leading us together.

I was pretty excited and frisky. We hadn't ridden yesterday so I was frisky anyway and it's always exciting when Mom leads us together. So I was kind of bouncy and ready to go while Sparky was sort of pokey and kept lagging behind. It made it hard for Mom, I suppose though I really didn't think about that. Anyway, she led us toward the Round Pen so I figured we were going to have a turnout together. I tried to hurry up the hill but Spark stopped and I got impatient and somehow our leads got all tangled up and his lead ended up pressed against my chest. Well, I pulled on it and that alarmed him and he pulled back and that's when Mom got mad and yelled at both of us. So we behaved ourselves and went in the Round Pen nicely.

She took off our halters and leads but instead of coming in with a whip and chasing us around, she just left. That was different but we didn't mind because we could still see her as she went back and forth from my stall. She was carrying my riding duds from my stall to the place where Sparky's mom generally puts his duds on so I figured we were going riding. But meanwhile we were out together and I was feeling frisky.

First I flopped down and had a good roll and when I got up, I bounced up and began bucking and running around! Sparky looked at me like I was crazy so I just charged at him and tried to get him to play. He wasn't sure at first but after I did it a couple of times, he got in the spirit and then we had a great time together!

We started running around that Round Pen, playing and kicking up our heels, biting at each other and trying to head each other off. Spark was pretending to be a stallion and herd me around and I was pretending to be a wild mare and get away from him and it was just the most fun ever. We'd race around a bunch of times, then stop and look at each other, then one of us would make a move and off we'd go again! The dust was flying and the walls of the Round Pen were shaking because we kept kicking it in our excitement.

Every once in a while I'd stop and look over the fence to see if Mom was watching and she'd call out to me and tell me I was a Good Girl or that Spark was a Good Boy so we knew we were okay and we'd go back to playing. We ran and bucked and played until we were tired and covered with sweat and all the farm horses in the field nearby were watching us and getting excited just seeing us play like that.

Finally we settled down and by that time, Sparky's mom was there. She and my mom came and got us and they petted us and praised us and told us how good we were and how nice it is that we're such good friends. We are, too. It's nice to have horses you can relax and enjoy yourself with. At one point, Mom remembered that I was supposed to go out with Indian today and we both felt bad about forgetting but Mom will probably talk to his mom and set up another day for it. It's a little harder now that we don't live so close to each other.

Our moms got us ready to ride - Spark's mom rode him bareback but my mom put my saddle on - and we did a poop loop. Then we rode for just a short time in the Flat Arena. I was still kind of frisky and would have liked to have done some trotting but Spark was ready to go back to the pasture and my alfalfa was waiting so we finished up.

It was a really fun time. I'm so glad I have lots of friends to play with!

Fun with my new bit

Mom and I rode today and it was lots of fun. It didn't start out that way. I was cranky when she got here because I wanted my hay snack. Plus my stall was pretty messy and I didn't really have any clean shavings. I just wanted to do something because we hadn't done much of anything yesterday so everything made me mad. Us Thoroughbreds like to keep busy. We don't much like having too much time off.

Mom opened my door and said hello to me, then she said "face" which I know means I'm supposed to pick up my head so she can put on my halter. I was impatient but I know enough to wait until she says it's time to come out. One time when I was still sort of a baby I pushed so hard on my stall chain that I broke the string it's attached to. Mom didn't like that a bit. It's not Manners to be so pushy and boisterous so now I wait. Sometimes it's hard though.

Finally she got my halter on and brought me out and she reached into the wheelbarrow and instead of a bag with hay in it, she brought out my bucket dinner! I was surprised. Normally I don't get my bucket dinner until after we ride. I wasn't going to complain though. She hooked it on the window and instead of me eating at my window inside my stall, I got to eat at my window outside of it. It was kind of fun. I've eaten like that once or twice before but it always seems sort of special.

Mom cleaned up my stall which didn't take long at all because there was nothing left but dirty shavings. My paddock isn't too bad to clean because I generally try to poop in one general area. I admit my stall gets bad though. I can't seem to keep it clean. The guys had brought a new bag of shavings this morning though so Mom was able to put down a new bed. I was happy to see that.

By the time she was done, I had finished my bucket dinner and she brushed me real well and put on my riding duds. She's been putting my bell boots on lately as well as my leg boots. That's okay. I don't mind them. As long as I don't have to wear my back leg boots, I'm all right. Those back ones feel really funny to me though. Mom makes me wear them when she turns me out in the winter because I do fast stops by the fence and when it's muddy, I tend to slide. She thinks it keeps me from hurting my back ankles and legs and she's probably right. But they sure feel weird.

Finally, it was time to put my bridle on. We were standing right by my stall door and for some reason when she took my halter off, I decided to go into it. I don't know why. Normally, I stand still like a Good Girl while she puts it on but I was just in a mood, I guess. I started walking into my stall and when she pulled on the rein around my neck, I got even sillier and rushed out into my paddock. Mom wasn't particularly happy with that but she just put my bridle on in my paddock and that's when I remembered that I have a new bit!

I really do like it. It tastes nice and the rollers are so fun to play with. I just kind of gently mouth them and they go around and around. It makes me feel good and kind of calms me down. As soon as it went into my mouth, I started playing with it and I was happy to go out to the mounting block and get going.

We rode in the Flat Arena today which was nice. There was no one else in it for one thing. I do kind of prefer to work alone because I get so distracted when other horses are around. I try to pay attention to Mom but I really want to see what they're doing and try to catch a good sniff of them. It's really hard to concentrate like that. But today I was able to really focus and that was good.

Mom walked me around a bunch to warm up first. She always does that. It's nice because when you live in a stall, you need that time to get your blood moving. It also helps the saddle settle in on your back and gives you a chance to get your mind all ready for work. I don't think I'd like it if we just got right to it as soon as I came out of my stall. Mom lets me start out on a nice long rein so I can stretch my neck out and down and work any kinks out. Then after a while, she starts gently gathering them up and I know it's time to begin really working. And by then I'm ready to.

Today after we were warmed up, she asked me for a trot and we went around a couple of times at a pretty fast pace. I was feeling good and wanted to go so my head was up and I was kind of pulling a bit. Mom just kept reminding me that we were trotting and after a couple of times around, she started making the loops of a figure 8.

I like figure 8's. They make it a lot more interesting because you no sooner get used to going in one direction and you change and go in the other. I was still pretty spunky through the first couple but pretty soon I settled down and started paying more attention. The arena had been freshly raked pretty recently - they do that with a truck and a special trailer - and only one other horse had been in there. That horse had done some circles over and over and you could clearly see his tracks in the soft dirt. He'd done one big circle close to the middle of the arena and another one right next to it on the far end. So when we began doing figure 8's, Mom had me follow those tracks.

That was fun. I could tell what she wanted me to do and every time I went around my circles got better. I was following the tracks very closely and as I kept going, I could feel myself relaxing into the movement. My body was sort of bending around as I went one way and then when we changed to go the other way, it just bent easily in the other direction. My new bit was also really nice. Mom's hands felt very soft and I could tell immediately what she was asking me. Because it was so comfortable in my mouth, I kept kind of reaching for it and without even realizing it, I found myself sort of bending lengthways too. I can't really explain it very well but it felt like my back kind of rounded up a bit and my trot got smoother with my hind legs really reaching under my belly. That bit sat lightly in my mouth and Mom's hands felt like they were right at the corners of it instead of way back at the end of the reins. It was a pretty neat feeling and I think it might be that "contact" thing that Kia tried to explain to me once. I liked it. I felt very balanced and graceful.

It was a little tiring though. We did some good solid work for about 20 minutes or so at a trot and then Mom asked me to walk and let me stretch my neck a bit. Then she took me out for a poop loop to relax. I was feeling very happy because I knew I'd been good. I stepped right out and we had a good ride around the farm without me drifting or being sassy at all. Mom was really happy with me, I could tell.

We went past Misty's barn, and my old barn, and as we were coming down the hill towards the Rolling Arena, I saw Indian! He was in a different stall, the stall Beau used to be in as a matter of fact. Beau left at the same time that Kia did which isn't surprising as they're part of the same family. I hadn't really thought about Beau for a while. I realized that when I saw Indian. He was handsome and nice but he was never around and I've decided that Chip is a lot nicer. He nickers and whinnies to me all the time, and he's always ready to sniff noses and be sweet while Beau was kind of shy. Chip's more my type.

Anyway, we stopped to visit and Indian's mom said he was all better from his snake bite which I was glad to hear. She wanted to know if I could go out for a turnout with him soon so my mom suggested we do it on Wednesday. That will be fun. I'm glad Indian has a nice new stall. This one has a lot bigger paddock than his old one and the inside part is nicer too. Hopefully there are no snakes in this one.

My alfalfa had arrived while we were riding and I had a hard time holding still while Mom got my duds off. But finally it was done and she took me in and got my halter off. She made me stand still while she was doing it and I did, even though I wanted so badly to just dive into that hay! I'm learning.

But it was a good day. I felt like a real riding horse there for a while and that was pretty neat. My mom was happy with me and I always like that. And I have a new bed to sleep in tonight.

Day at the farm

Today was a lazy day. I spent it hanging around in my stall just watching stuff that was going on. It was nice so I'm going to tell you all about it.

The nights have been getting cooler lately which I like. The flies aren't so bad when it's cool and it's so refreshing to stand outside in my paddock with the stars shining in the sky and the air smelling so fresh and pretty. Sometimes I sleep for a while out there, just standing up as horses do. It's pretty comfortable really and a lot of horses sleep like that pretty much all the time. But sooner or later I go into my stall and lie down. I like to sleep lying down in my shavings. It's so cozy.

In the morning, the guys bring my breakfast. I have grass hay in the morning. I don't like grass hay as much as alfalfa but it's okay. I like to eat my hay off my floor so even if they put it in my feeder, I pull it out so I can put my head down and eat like horses are meant to eat. That means I can't see outside very well while I'm eating but I pop my head up if someone goes by. Usually there's not much going on at breakfast time anyway. Some people come early but most of them don't start coming until after we've finished.

I ate up all my breakfast this morning and then went over to the bars to see how my new neighbor was doing. Coco lives in Kia's stall now - I guess it isn't Kia's stall anymore, is it? It's Coco's stall. I just can't help but think of it as Kia's. Anyway, she's nice. She kind of sassy like me and we both get excited when we have our food or when the hay truck is coming. Then we lay our ears back and charge at each other through the bars. It's fun and we don't mean anything by it - we're just eager for our food. We're good friends really. We visit over our paddock fence sometimes although she doesn't go out in her paddock as much as me. And when my mom leads me by her stall, she lets me stop to sniff noses.

Coco was still eating and that made me a little mad! Mickey was still eating too and I could hear Spencer over there crunching away too. I do eat kind of fast but I think everyone else gets more than me. It's not fair. I'm a big girl now and need my nourishment. I was a little cranky about it all so I went out in my paddock for a while.

Pretty soon though I started to hear horses going by on the road so I came back in to see who might be out. First I saw a couple of the little ponies going by. There are a bunch of them, little shaggy ponies that are so small they could walk right underneath me. They all have bushy manes and tails and little round hoofs and they wear small saddles and bridles - it's really pretty cute. Sparky was afraid of them when he first got here. He'd never seen such a small pony before and he said they made him feel funny when they walked by. Like they were pretend horses or something. He's used to them now but he still keeps well away from them.

The ponies are always being led by a person and they give rides to small people who don't know how to ride on their own yet. The small people seem to really like it though it seems awfully boring to me to get led around like that. But I suppose if you're new to riding horses it would be fun. And the ponies are cute so that probably makes it special. Usually a big person or two are following along and they've almost always got one of those little boxes pointing at the small person and the pony. Those ponies give rides all day but they're very good-natured about it. I talked to one of them one day when my mom tied me up outside the place where the horses get ready for the Camp Kids and the Trail Ride people. He said it's an easy job and they get lots of pets and scratches and they take turns so they can go out and relax in their paddock in between rides. Sometimes it's busier than other times but mostly it's not a bad thing to have to do. He said the farm people take good care of them.

After the ponies were gone, a group of kids came by riding their horses. There are lots of kids riding here and they're mostly good riders too. A lot of them belong to a group they call Pony Club and I guess they do a lot of fun stuff and learn about horses and riding. Their horses have to work hard because those kids will sometimes ride all day. They never seem to get tired. I'm glad I'm not a Pony Club horse. I don't mind riding but I like the way my mom and I do it.

A lot of times I see kids riding bareback. I see grown-up people ride bareback too but mostly it's kids. My mom rides me bareback once in a while but it feels really funny to me. I never know if I'm supposed to be going or not. I guess I'm just too used to wearing a saddle.

By this time, I was getting sleepy. I generally take a nap around mid-morning so I curled up in my shavings and went to sleep for a while.

When I woke up, there were some people riding in the Flat Arena so I went outside to poop and ended up watching them. There was a person standing in the middle of the arena and she kept shouting at the people and telling them what to do. I see that a lot too. I'm not sure what it's all about. Spencer and his mom often have a lady come yell at them and they go around and around and that lady just keeps on yelling. Sometimes I understand what those people are saying - they might tell the person to make the horse trot or canter or stop. Other times, I don't have any idea what it's all about. I'll hear them say things like, "Tighten up on your outside rein and give him some more leg. There! Do you feel the difference?" I guess they're telling the other person how to ride their horse but it seems strange because I've seen a lot of those people riding and they're doing just fine. People do some odd things, don't they?

Around about that time, Mom came and I whinnied a greeting and she got me out for my hay snack. We didn't really do much of anything today. She took me for a little walk on my lead and let me roll in the Flat Arena but by then the hay truck was coming so she took me back to my stall and let me have my alfalfa. That was fine. It was kind of hot by that time and I wasn't feeling particularly frisky so I was happy to just eat. I would like to try out that new bit again though. I'm wearing it in today's picture. Mom says I look cute in it.

Catching up again

It's not easy being a blogger, especially when you're a horse. The trouble is, I have to depend on people to get my posts out and sometimes it's hard to coordinate our schedules. Normally, my mom helps me with my blog as you can see in today's photo. It's almost impossible to do it without her; if I put the laptop on the ground, I can't see the monitor properly and it's a lot harder to get my keystrokes right. And I don't have anyplace in my stall where I can set it down. Even if I did, my nose isn't as delicate as fingers are so I need someone holding on to it so I don't push it all over the place when I type. It's not easy. And don't even get me started about my iPhone!

But this week my mom went back to Work. Apparently, my mom has another job besides taking care of me! She had hurt her foot at the beginning of the summer and I guess she hadn't been able to do that job all this time. Now that her foot's all better, she went back at the beginning of the week and she was pretty tired by the time she got here in the afternoon. She rode me a couple of times, and turned me out a couple of times, and yesterday she didn't come out at all. Sparky's mom came out instead and cleaned my stall and fed me my bucket dinner. But no one has had the time to hold my laptop for me so I've gotten behind. I do apologize. I think once she's back in the swing of things, we'll be okay.

We had a nice day today. She came out and started cleaning my stall and she got Sparky out and we had a hay snack. Then after a while, Sparky's mom came. That was nice. They took us to the Pony Arena and turned us out together. We ran around a little bit but neither of us felt like getting too rowdy so we just walked around and played a little bite face. There were some people sitting outside the arena and Spark went over to see if they wanted to pet him.

They did so Sparky's mom told them it was okay. One of them was a big man but the other one was a small person. I like small people and so does Spark. They're nice. They're always gentle and they're always happy to see us. I always put my head down real low so they can reach my face and I'm a Good Girl and don't bite or knock them over. I think they're young, like foals.

Then the small one picked some grass and fed it to us! That was really nice. I got a lot and I tried to eat Sparky's too but my mom wouldn't let me. The big person had one of those boxes that he was pointing at us so we poked our faces at it and at the small person and they both seemed happy about it all. Spark and I both like making new friends.

After a while it was time to go get ready for a ride so we went with our moms. My mom tied me outside my stall like she always does and brushed me and then started putting all my duds on. Well, I know the drill. First the saddle pad, then the saddle, then the girth (I don't much like the girth but it has to go on). After that comes my bridle. Well, today when my mom put my bridle on, I no sooner got the bit in my mouth than I realized it was a new one!

My old bit was a snaffle bit with what they call eggbutt rings. They're kind of round. The part that went in my mouth had a piece that went from one of the rings toward the middle, then it connected to a smaller piece in the middle that was nice to play with, and then another piece to the other ring. Mom called it a french link. It was a nice bit and I liked it well enough but this new one is even better. It has toys in it!

Mom called it a full cheek snaffle. It has a long bar on each side that keeps the bit from sliding through my mouth when we turn. There's a ring at the center of each bar for the reins to attach to but the best part is the part that goes in my mouth. On each side of the joint in the middle of it, there are these rolling metal things. Some of them taste like my old bit but some of them taste different. Sparky said they're copper. He has copper in his bit and he loves the taste of it. I do too. It's nice in my mouth and the rolling things are fun to play with while I walk along.

I just love that bit. It felt good and it tasted good. We rode in the Flat Arena for a while and did some walking and trotting and all the way, I was testing that bit out. It was nice and soft in my mouth and my mom was gentle with it. I could tell what she wanted when she touched her reins and I was pretty good about doing it. Then we went for a poop loop and I was able to just play with those rolling things while we went around. It was pretty nice.

All in all, it was a nice, relaxed day.

Rough ride

I was kind of a Bad Girl tonight.

I didn't mean to be. I was just feeling frisky. Mom didn't ride me yesterday which was fine. I had a nice day off and she took me for a walk and I had a good roll in the Little Rolling Arena and it was fun. Then today she came out late, probably because it was hot again and by the time she got here, it had cooled off some and I was frisky.

I didn't even realize I was frisky at first. She saddled me up and we went out into the Flat Arena and started walking around warming up. There was another horse in there trotting around but I didn't care. I was just lazing along, looking at things and trying to sneak a bite off the bushes whenever I got close enough to them.

Then she asked me to trot. I immediately did my thing where I walk sideways instead and she smacked me so I bounced into a trot and then I decided I really did feel like going. Only I felt like going fast so I started rushing along with my head up and trying to go sideways at the same time.

Mom didn't much like that so she put her legs on me and moved me into a circle so I stopped trotting and swished my tail and put my ears back because I wanted to keep going straight and fast. So she smacked me again. And that's when I got mad and it turned into a fight.

I trotted again because she made me but I kept pulling and bending the wrong way and not turning when she asked me to and when she'd make me, I'd stop trotting and so she'd push me and I'd get sassy. She just kept pushing and finally I got really mad and really sassy and reared so she smacked me and told me No and I reared again. This time I REALLY reared! I went straight up, with my ears back and my feet right out in front of me. I thought that might make her stop telling me what to do but it didn't - she just leaned forward, smacked me again and told me, "No, we're not playing that game - we're going to trot!" And she made me trot.

I just wanted to run. She had me trot some circles and when I finally did it she started having me do figure 8's which are bigger so on the part where I trot across the diagonal, I kept trying to canter. She just pulled me back into a trot and made me go on which just made me madder than ever! So I tried cantering again only this time I bucked. All that did was earn me another smack and then she pushed me right back into a trot!

The other horse had left by this time so we had the arena to ourselves. Mom just kept making me go around and around at a trot and I kept fighting her and trying to go faster. She just kept me in the figure 8's and finally I stopped fighting quite so much and just trotted pretty fast. I still wasn't happy but I stopped trying to run. She just kept riding those figure 8's and after a while, I started getting a little tired so I began bending around the turns and dropped my head a little bit because it was easier.

About that time, she changed the pattern and started having me do serpentines up and down the arena. I had to think a little bit more to do those which made it kind of fun so I sort of forgot about being mad and concentrated on not tripping over my feet. Then we finished up by doing some full circuits of the arena at a trot. By that time, I was sweating pretty well and ready to listen to her more. I was just full of myself when we started, that's all. It's hard to behave when you're feeling really frisky. I know that rearing and bucking and being sassy is bad but sometimes I just can't seem to help it. Mom never seems to get mad though - she just keeps riding and making me do what she wants to do and it kind of wears me down. And she always pets me and tells me I'm being good when I finally am.

She finally pulled me down to a walk and we did a few circuits on a loose rein to cool off and relax. I felt pretty good by then. It was a nice workout and had really helped get my energy out. Mom unsaddled me and hosed me off and then on our way back to my stall, we stopped to see Chip;

I really like Chip. I think I've mentioned him before. He's a handsome bay gelding who lives in the end stall. He's nice and friendly and his mom is nice too. She gives us all treats when she comes. Today she gave me some yummy stuff called watermelon.

Chip and I have sniffed noses before but today my mom let me visit with him for a long time. That's us in the picture. We got to sniff each other really well. He's a nice horse and a gentleman. He sniffed my nose a lot and then reached out and sniffed my neck and nibbled it really gently. I sniffed his neck too and then he reached his head up and put it right over my neck. That's kind of how horses hug. I liked that. We rubbed our heads on each other's necks and nuzzled each other's faces. Our moms liked that we got along so well and talked about turning us out together soon. I'd like that. I bet Chip would be fun to run and play with and then we could really get to know each other. I love to have friends that I can get turned out with.

Finally we had to go. I didn't want to leave but I had to go to my own stall. Besides I hadn't had my bucket dinner yet and that's pretty important. So it ended up being a nice night. I had a good ride once I got my antsiness out and I got to visit with Chip which was so nice. I hope we get to go out together soon. That will be fun.

Trail riding horse

Well, it was hot again today but not quite as bad as yesterday. There was more of a breeze for one thing. That helps a lot. It keeps the flies down a little and it makes it easier to breathe. Even so, my mom came out early and I was glad she did.

I got in trouble right off the bat because I was being sassy to my new neighbor when she got there so when she opened my door, I stuck my head out with my ears back and my teeth bared. I didn't really mean to sass my mom; I was just still in the moment. She gave me her mad look and made the Bad Girl noise and I knew I'd messed up. So I poked my nose at her nicely to let her know I was sorry.

My stall was pretty messy, I'm afraid. When Kia left and I got anxious about having an empty stall next to me, I started pooping inside and stomping it all up. Now that there's a horse in the stall, I'm pooping outside again but I like to pee near the wall inside so she knows it's MY stall. It's important for horses to mark their boundaries. Mom cleaned up all the wet shavings but it didn't leave me very much and the guys hadn't left any outside for me. I wasn't looking forward to spending the night on such a light bed. I like to lie down in my stall. Some horses don't lie down that much but I do. It's comfy.

Then she groomed me and got me ready for a ride. She'd gotten a bucket of water earlier and now she took a sponge and wiped my chest and neck and my butt with water. That was nice and it helps keep me cool when we ride. Then she got my saddle pad out of my door and put it on my back and I just jumped right out of my skin!

There must have been a horsefly or bee on me when she put it on my back and as soon as the pad hit it, it bit me. Made me jump awfully and I yanked back against my halter which startled me too. Mom quickly said, "Whoa, Bella, easy!" and slipped the pad back off. I stopped pulling as soon as she spoke but I was still jumpy and when she reached out to touch me, I kind of jumped again. It was just so unexpected getting bit like that and I wasn't really sure what had happened.

She talked quietly to me again and slowly petted my neck then worked down along my shoulder to my back and flank. I was okay then. I knew she wasn't going to hurt me and she felt me all over and made sure I was okay. The stupid bug hadn't bit me anywhere the saddle was going and it didn't hurt anymore anyway - it had just startled the heck out of me.

She picked up the saddle pad and checked it carefully then slowly put it on my back again and it was fine. I felt a little silly making such a fuss but she wasn't mad or anything. She understands me pretty well. She finished saddling me with no more problems and then we headed out to ride.

I wasn't feeling particularly like doing anything. Even though it was early and not as hot as it would be, it was still hot enough for me to feel lazy. We rode around the Flat Arena a couple of times then she steered me out on the road and I figured we'd do poop loops. I didn't even really feel like that. I was walking pretty slowly and just poking along. Mom kept after me with her legs to move along better and I stepped it up a little bit but my heart wasn't really in it. We went into the Little Rolling Arena but even there I didn't get very lively.

We did a few circuits of that and then she rode me up to the regular Rolling Arena and we rode in there for a little bit. It was nicer in there. It has a roof so it was shady and there was a nice breeze blowing through it. I perked up a little bit and walked faster but I wasn't in any mood to do much more. Mom didn't try to make me though she did insist I walk along and not dawdle. Then she said, "Heck with this, Bella - let's go out on the trail. Maybe that will wake you up."

I was only half paying attention to her and didn't catch on to what she was saying until she rode me out of the arena on the side by where the Farm Horses live and pointed me through the gate and up the hill. Suddenly the day got a lot more interesting to me. I like going out on the trail. I haven't been for a long time but it's always fun. There's so much to see out there and Mom sometimes lets me run and I love that! I perked right up and we started walking up the first long hill.

It's a big hill. Mom always helps me by leaning forward on hills and giving me plenty of rein so I can put my neck down and really use my shoulders. That helps but I prefer to trot or better yet canter up them. I get to the top faster plus it's fun. So about halfway up, I broke into a little trot and she just leaned forward and let me so I quickly turned it into a canter.

We had a great canter up that hill! I love cantering uphill because you can just push off with your hindquarters and launch yourself up it. Mom likes it too, I can tell. The only wrinkle in the thing was that she hadn't tightened my girth the last notch and I could feel it slipping a little but it wasn't too bad. Once we stopped, she checked it and pulled it up and it had only gone back a little way. It wasn't uncomfortable or anything.

I was a little out of breath when I got to the top so she let me stop and blow for a couple of minutes. Then I realized we were out of my familiar surroundings and got a little nervous. I love it out on the trail but it makes me a little anxious too. I'm not used to being out there and it gets me excited but also a little spooky. There was a big pile of dirt and rocks near us that I thought looked like it might be hiding something and when we started walking again, I got pretty close to it and then shied sideways pretty hard when I thought I saw something move in it.

Mom straightened me out and reassured me but I was still pretty light and heads-up as we moved onto a part of the trail that led through a wooded section. It was kind of narrow and spooky and I tried to trot there but she wouldn't let me. Sometimes I just want to go fast so I can get through the scary parts and sometimes I want to go fast because it's fun. Sometimes I want to for both reasons.

The narrow part ended suddenly and we were out in the open on top of a hill that overlooks the whole farm. I could see the barns and pastures below and in the other direction I could see long rows of bushes where the guys work sometimes. Mom calls them vineyards. They have short bushes all lined up in row after row. They don't look that good to eat but I'd try them because you never know. The trail runs next to the vineyards which are behind a fence and it goes into the hills and all over the place. Mom headed me in that direction.

Even though I like being out there, I was hesitant to go. It's scary when there are no other horses with you. A lone horse is always in danger; Sparky told me that. He knows an awful lot about herd life so I trust him. I've come out with him before and it's a lot better because you have company. My mom is good company and she does understand me pretty well but she's not a horse even so. But she let me stand still and sniff the air and look around before she finally asked me to go on. it seemed okay so I did.

We rode along near the vineyard and came up to a gate. I remembered the gate. Beyond it, the trail forks in several directions and we've gone in all of them at different times. The picture shows what it looks like there but it doesn't show the trail we took because it's in the other direction. It goes around in a little circle and comes out again further down the hill above the farm.

While I was standing by the gate looking around, a man came down one of the trails on a strange contraption that Mom calls a bicycle. It's a narrow little thing with two wheels and the person sits between the wheels and makes his legs go around and around while the thing rolls. It's very strange and I don't know why anyone would roll along on one of those things when they could get themselves a good horse. I have seen some of them go really fast but I think I could go faster than any of them.

This one wasn't going fast at all but we let him go by and then followed. I was okay at first, walking along at a good clip and Mom kept talking to me, telling me how good I was being. Pretty soon though, I got a little jumpy. I couldn't see around the corners and I kept wondering if another bicycle or a horse would suddenly come zooming around one of them. I started pulling a little bit and tried to trot again but Mom just sat down deep and told me we were walking and that settled me down briefly. Not for long though - I got anxious again and kept pulling. I just couldn't help it.

Then we came around a corner and could see a long stretch of trail ahead. That was better. I still wanted to trot but more because it seemed like fun. Mom still didn't let me but she did loosen up her reins so I could walk faster and I was good about not taking off. At the end of that stretch, there was a sharp turn and the trail went down a steep hill. About halfway down, I knew where I was because I could see it came out at the top of the hill near where my old barn is. That made me feel a lot more confident and I clopped down the rest of the hill feeling pretty good. There was a gate at the bottom that was kind of narrow but Mom held it open and I went right through without knocking her knees on the sides and she told me I was a Good Girl.

Now we just had one hill to go down to get back on the farm and it was one I'd been up and down enough to recognize it. I stepped right out down it in a rolling fast walk and I could feel Mom on my back rolling with me. It's so nice to be able to walk downhill without it hurting! Before the Carrot Doctor fixed me, I had to wiggle an awful lot to get down a hill. Now I could run if Mom would let me but she won't.

We rode the rest of the way home with Mom telling me how good I'd been and I felt pretty good. It was a nice little ride and I'd worked up a good sweat. I was proud of myself for behaving out there and not being scared or too bouncy. Mom was very happy with me, I could tell. She unsaddled me and washed me down with some stuff called Vetrolin. It smells funny but good and it feels really nice after a long ride. Then she put me in my stall while she wiped off my tack. I peed and had a drink then went outside to rest.

After a little while, I heard her car and there she was driving right up next to my stall. Turns out she'd gone and gotten two bags of shavings down by the Little Rolling Arena. She gave me my bucket dinner and cleaned out the pee in my stall then dumped out the shavings so I had a nice bed after all. I should have known she wouldn't leave me with no shavings.

It was a really nice day.

Night riding

It was hot today. I don't like it when it's really hot. For one thing, it seems like there are a lot more flies then. And the hot weather makes me feel lazy and sleepy. I'd rather be frisky.

I did get a new neighbor today though. A mare moved into Kia's stall. She seems nice enough. Her name is Coco and she's a Chestnut Paint with a big white blaze and blue eyes. She's kind of shy and I don't think it helps that Spencer has been pretty stupid about her. He keeps squealing and kicking at the fence when she goes out in her paddock. It's not very nice. I tried to talk to her a little bit but she's still getting used to things. It's nice to have someone in that stall again though.

My mom didn't come out until late. She does that sometimes when it's hot. It's nicer that way because we can ride when it's cooled off some. I like riding at night sometimes. The air smells nice and there aren't as many horses and people around. Sometimes the coyotes are singing and that's a nice sound. I was hoping we'd hear them tonight but we didn't.

Mom gave my stall a quick cleaning and then saddled me up. It was already starting to get dark by then. I didn't mind. It was cooler and that's what mattered to me and Mom. Mickey's mom was there too and she was saddling Mickey at the same time. She had a Dog with her. This Dog was a lot smaller than Ishi but about the same color. I really wanted to sniff him but he wouldn't come close enough. Then Mickey's mom took him away with her and Mickey.

I saw him again though when we went to the mounting block. Mickey's mom had parked her truck near it and the Dog was in the back. I couldn't decide if I wanted to try to eat the bush or sniff the dog while Mom got on but before I could make up my mind, she was in the saddle and was asking me to back up so we could go. So I never got to sniff him.

We went onto the road and up the hill by the pasture so I figured we were going to do poop loops. But when we went down the hill on the other side, instead of taking the road toward our barn, she steered me into the Little Rolling Arena.

We almost never ride in there. Usually the big horses that the kids jump on and off of are working in that arena so we can't. Most of the time when I do go in, it's when I'm on a lead and Mom lets me roll. I've only been ridden in there a few times and I'm always a little jumpy. I don't know why. There's a lot of stuff around it for one thing. It's just kind of a weird arena.

It's shaped like two circles stacked on top of each other - you can walk from one circle right into the other one. One end of it faces the hay barn and it's open on that end. Then it curves around on the side where the road goes by and that side has a low wall that acts sort of like a fence. It ends where the opening is between the two circles and then after that space there's a low metal fence that curves back around to the opening by the hay barn. Beyond that green fence is a slope down to the place where they keep big stacks of shavings bags. There's also some stalls down there for sick horses and beyond that is the Pony Arena. The other circle is similar but there are a couple of horse paddocks on one side of it. And in the middle of each circle is a small metal circle.

We rode in there the other day when it was windy and I was very jumpy. The wind kept blowing the plastic that covers the shavings bags and that made me nervous. I'm not usually upset about blowing plastic but in that arena it bothered me. I just don't like it unless I'm on a lead and rolling. So tonight I wasn't too happy when Mom rode me in there.

I tried to be good though as she made me walk around the circle closest to the hay barn. She let me stop and sniff the fence and this wooden box thing that was on the other side of it. She made me move on when I started to chew on it though. When we got around the opening again, I tried to casually walk out but she kept me going around the circle and I had to do it. I kept looking around and getting distracted even though she kept reminding me to just go forward.

Then she asked me to trot. I wasn't ready for that at all. I wasn't nearly comfortable even walking. I tried to pretend I didn't know what she was asking for but she insisted so I broke into a shuffling trot. She just sat down and pushed me so I had to pick it up and really trot but I wasn't happy. Then I thought that if I got trotting really fast, I might be able to sneak out the opening without her being able to stop me so I tried that but it didn't work. She just tweaked my outside rein and kept me from going too fast and steered me right past it.

We trotted a couple of times around and then went to a walk and I figured we were done. But she just switched direction and asked me to trot the other way! Well, I got mad! I wasn't happy in there and I wanted to leave. I put my ears back and jigged sideways but she just put her legs on me and smacked me with her stick. So I stopped dead but that didn't work because she smacked me again and I had to start moving. But I still wouldn't trot. She kept pushing me though and I kept jigging and dancing and edging toward that opening and she kept insisting with her legs and occasionally giving me a tap with that darn stick. It was a regular fight. I thought if I balked long enough, she'd give up and we'd go home. I should know better by now. My mom doesn't lose her temper but she never gives up.

At one point, she gave me a crack and I reared! Did she get scared? No, she just made the Bad Girl noise and smacked me again even harder! So I reared again and got smacked again. Then I came down and kicked up with one hind leg and she just pushed with her legs and I kicked again and she pushed and tapped and finally I broke into a little, jiggy trot.

It was an awful trot, I will admit but she just sat it like it was the nicest thing she'd ever ridden, kept her legs on me and gave me some rein and just pushed me around that arena. I stopped trotting as I neared the opening and she just pushed and pushed and gave a little tap and I started again. Round and round we went with me jigging and balking but trotting now, until finally I got a little sick of it and started trotting a little more normally.

She kept pushing me along but gave me a "Good Girl" at that point and instead of going to a walk by the opening, I just slowed down my trot but she pushed me along and I kept going. We went around and around that thing until I finally was trotting pretty normally and wasn't bothering to slow down at all. I finally got sick of arguing about it because I finally realized I was never going to win.

It was pretty dark by then and we were both sweating gallons. It had cooled off some but we had been trotting and dancing and jigging and rearing for a good 20 minutes. Mom made me go around a few more times and I just did it without a fuss so then she dropped me to a walk and petted me and praised me while she rode me around it walking. It really wasn't so bad and I couldn't quite remember why it was I felt I needed to make such a fuss about it. Sometimes I just get it in my head that I don't want to do something and I get all wound up.

Mom stopped me in the middle of the arena and let me stand for a bit, then we rode out and headed for home. It was dark on the road which made it kind of neat walking along. I wanted to look around but she kept after me to pay attention and just walk so I did. I was ready for a hosing off and my bucket dinner when we got back. Working like that will really take it out of you. I hope it's not so hot tomorrow but I have a feeling it's going to be.

My day off

My mom didn't ride me today. She does that sometimes and she calls it my day off. I don't really know what that means but I like days off because we usually do something fun or nice. And it's nice not to ride sometimes because it's a lot of work. People don't realize how much work it is to carry them around.

Not that I mind. I don't. In fact, yesterday we had a really nice time riding. Mom cleaned my stall and she was just saddling me up when Favre's mom asked her if we were going to do a poop loop. Mom said we were so Favre and his mom came with us. She wasn't riding him - she just led him but it was still nice to have company. I was a little nervous at first because the last time I had anything to do with Favre, he just wanted to sniff my butt and it was obnoxious but he was fine today. He just walked along with his mom and pretty much ignored me which was fine.

We walked down by the Little Rolling Arena and then up the hill by where I used to live and at the top of the hill we saw Indian and his mom. Indian was standing with his foot in a big bucket and he didn't look happy at all. His leg was all swollen and my mom asked what happened. Turns out he got bitten by either a spider or a snake and it made him really sick. He has to have his leg soaked and he's on all kinds of medicines and he had a bad fever. I felt so bad for him! Indian is one of my very best friends. I've known him even longer than I've known Sparky. My mom told his mom that she hopes he'll be all right and I do too. Poor Indian.

There was nothing we could do though so we kept going. Favre went back in his stall when we got to the barn but Mom and I went out in the Flat Arena and did some work. I was a little lazy at first because I hoped she'd let me go back to my stall but she didn't so I finally perked up because she made me. We did some good trotting work with lots of changes from walk to trot and back again. That's good exercise. It was starting to get pretty hot though so after about a half hour, we called it quits. We were both pretty sweaty. Still, it felt good. Mom was happy with me and I always like those rides.

But today she came and told me we weren't going to ride. She cleaned my stall and gave me a quick grooming and then she grabbed my lead and said, "Come on, Bella, let's go for a walk." I love it when my mom takes me for a walk. We don't hurry or anything and we can look around and see what's going on, and stop and sniff things and just kind of take it easy. Today was kind of special because she took me out in my plain nylon halter instead of my rope halter.

For a while, I was pretty pushy when Mom led me. I'd pull really hard and I'd try to graze or go where I wanted to and sometimes, I'd push into her or step on her. She didn't like it at all. The problem was no one had ever taught me Manners. So Mom taught me. She started walking me with a special lead that has a chain on it. The chain goes over your nose. My mom was never mean with the chain, she didn't yank on it or hurt me with it but she did use it to remind me that I had to listen to her. The first time I tried to pull with it, she just gave it a sharp little tug and made the Bad Girl noise. I figured out pretty quick what that meant!

Once I'd learned how to listen and to stop when asked and that sort of thing, she started using my rope halter. It has knots in it that kind of poke into my face if I pull. It's not as noticeable as the chain but it's still a good reminder and since my Manners were a lot better, I only needed a little reminding. I've gotten so that I'm very good with my rope halter and now when Mom is just leading me around the barn area, she just uses the nylon one. If she takes me further, she usually uses the rope.

But today, she didn't and I was really, really good. I didn't pull at all and I minded my Manners and didn't get in her space or make her work hard or anything. She led me on a loose lead and we just moseyed along, having a nice time. We stopped a couple of times so I could sniff poop and we looked at some stuff around the Little Rolling Arena. We walked up the hill by my old barn and saw a person with her horse sitting outside and stopped to talk. I remembered the horse - her name is Grace and she lives near Misty. I used to poke my head in her stall and say hello sometimes and she'd put her ears back and make faces at me.

Grace's mom asked how I was doing and my mom told her I was doing really well which made me feel good. Then Grace's mom said I looked good and my mom thanked her. There have been a few people lately who've said that. Another person who has a big handsome Friesian said I looked like I was getting some nice muscle and a couple of others have said similar things. I know it makes my mom happy to hear those things. She always thinks I'm pretty but it's nice when other people think so too. She took some pictures of me today. That's one of them at the top of this post. I was eating my bucket dinner. Do you think I look good? You can see my dapples in it.

Anyway, we continued walking. We went by Indian's stall but he wasn't outside. I could just see him standing in his stall. I hope he's doing okay. We went down the hill past my friend Cozzie's stall and when we got down to the part of the hill where the trailers are kept, I stopped. I just wanted to look around a little bit so my mom stopped too and we just stood there for a while.

It was really nice. I wasn't looking at anything in particular, I just like that spot. You can see a long way from there, all the way down to the Flat Arena and my barn and across the pasture. You can see mountains in the distance and houses and roads. It's pretty. And there was a nice breeze blowing so I could smell lots of things. I just really enjoyed standing there looking and Mom enjoyed it too. She just stood quietly petting me.

Finally, I kind of realized that we'd been standing there quite a while so I bumped her arm with my nose and we walked on. We went down the hill by the pasture and then Mom took me out into the Flat Arena so I could roll. That was nice. She could just tell that I wanted to I guess. I found a really good spot and had a nice, long roll. It felt wonderful. Then we walked along in the arena for a while just whuffling around, then Mom brought me to where Sparky eats and got me a couple of cookies. That was nice. And then she brought me home. I had a new bed and she brought me my bucket dinner and it was a really nice day.