Me and Chip

I'm just awful these days about keeping up with my blog! I just get so busy and then I get sidetracked and the next thing I know, a bunch of time has gone by. I really have to be better about it.

A lot's been going on and I'll try to catch you up on it. My mom and I have been working a lot together and it's been pretty fun. Most days I've behaved really well though I have been a bit bouncy now and then. Sometimes, especially when the weather is cool, it's hard not to bounce. But my mom has been pretty happy with me.

We work a lot in the Flat Arena. I've gotten so I like the sort of stuff we do there. It's fun. I have to pay attention and do all the things my mom asks me when she asks. It's like a game and I love games. Sometimes we trot but we don't just trot around the edge of the arena. Lots of times, we trot in figure 8's or in circles. Sometimes we trot around square corners or do serpentines. I never know what she's going to ask for next so it's kind of exciting.

Cantering is exciting too of course. I never know when she's going to ask me to do that too and it's always fun when she does. I'm really good about going right into a canter from a trot and sometimes I do it from a walk although usually she's asking me for a trot when I do that.

Lots of times there are other horses and riders working in the arena. That can be distracting but I try to be good. I've gotten a lot better about staying focused on my mom instead of watching what everyone else is doing. Yesterday we rode with Warren and his mom, and Indy and her mom. That was fun. It was a really windy day but we were all being Good Horses and not bouncing and our moms were happy with us. My mom asked me to trot while the other two were still warming up and I broke into a nice smooth trot that I could tell made her very happy. Then they started trotting too and all three of us were trotting around the arena, crossing in front of each other in figure 8's and doing circles and stuff but not running into each other. It was fun.

After a while, Indy and her mom stopped and just stood in the middle of the arena while Warren and I continued working. My mom asked me for a couple of things and I did them really well and then she stopped me near Indy and she and Indy's mom started talking while us horses just stood there resting. Warren was still working and after a while his mom asked him to canter some but Indy and I just continued to stand nicely. Our moms were happy with that too because we weren't trying to go run with Warren.

I like both those horses but Warren can be kind of dumb sometimes because he doesn't pay any attention when I'm trying to visit with him. I hate that! I get so mad at him because I'll want to get excited about the hay truck, or about my mom coming, or that sort of thing, and he's just standing there being dumb. Lots of times I rush at the bars between our stalls with my ears back because it makes me so mad! But other times he's nice.

Nicest of all though is Chip and I finally got to turn out together a bunch of times! I was so happy. Me and Chip have been friends for a long time but we've never had a chance to just be with each other loose. Last week though, his mom was away and my mom took care of him. One day she turned him out in the Round Pen and then she came and got me! I was excited and so was Chip. We stood and sniffed noses for a long time, then we sniffed each other all over and squealed a little bit. Then both of us suddenly bounced and bucked and ran across the Round Pen! It was so fun! We didn't keep running though - we just wanted to be close to each other so we just walked around together, sniffing noses a lot and nudging each other.

My mom let us stay out a long time and we were both really happy about it. After that, she turned us out together almost every day. One day we ran and played and kicked up our heels a lot but most days we just enjoyed each others' company. One time my mom left her lunge whip in the middle of the Round Pen and we had so much fun with that! Me and Chip both love to play with things and pick them up with our mouths so we both stood there grabbing that whip and trying to pick it up. Then one of us would grab the whippy part while the other had the sticky part and that was fun too. Chip knows how to play with things like that. Lots of other horses just don't. Like Sparky. He's lots of fun to turn out with and I love him lots but he just wants to bite my butt and try to bunch me and that's not nearly as much fun as playing with a whip.

My mom took lots of pictures of us together so I'm going to post one of my favorites. I sure hope I can go out with Chip some more. We both like it a lot.

Weather's changing

It's suddenly cooled off pretty dramatically. Luckily I have a nice, fuzzy winter coat so I don't mind. My mom says that all the horses got heavy coats early this year and it does seem like we're especially fluffy. Even Sparky, who doesn't normally get that heavy a coat, is shaggy as a Shetland. My mom thinks we might have an especially cold winter because of that. She thinks us horses know. That wouldn't surprise me. Horses are pretty smart.

I like the cooler weather though. It makes me frisky and being frisky is fun. Yesterday my mom and Sparky's mom took the two of us to the Pony Arena for a turnout and it was wonderful! We bounced and played and ran! I was especially excited. As soon as I got in there and my mom let me loose, I went tearing across the arena bucking and bouncing and trying to get Spark to play. He wanted to roll first of course - he always wants to roll first - and I waited impatiently while he did it but as soon as he came up, I charged around again, pawing at him and begging him to run with me. He did then, and we had some good fun.

It was such a good turnout! At one point, after we'd settled down a bit, we heard a funny noise from behind the fence. On one side of that arena, the fence is solid and it's covered with viney things growing all over it. It's kind of scary because you can't see what's behind it and sometimes weird noises come from that direction. Yesterday the noises sounded kind of like birds but not any kind of bird I'm familiar with. My mom said later they were Chickens but I don't know what a Chicken is and neither does Spark. We were curious though and we started carefully toward that fence but just as we were getting kind of close, the Chickens made noises again and it spooked us both good! We ran, with our tails up and our nostrils wide open, snorting. Oh, it was fun! Sometimes it's fun to spook, especially when you're pretty sure you're safe because your mom's right there.

Then some people went by running and that spooked us again so we were all excited and bouncy when a man came leading a pretty mare. He obviously wanted to turn her out so our moms came in to get us. Spark settled down quickly - he seems to be able to do that but it's harder for me for some reason. I was still awfully frisky and dancy when my mom got me to the gate. She knew I was going to be a handful and had a good hold of my halter. She was telling me firmly, "Walk, Belly, just walk" but I burst out of that gate like it was the starting gate at the Belmont Stakes. I was twirling and bouncing and I even kind of struck just a little bit.

My mom was firm with me and kept bringing me around in circles and when I finally settled down enough to really listen to her, she snapped at me, "Now, HO!" and made me back up several steps. That kind of brought me to my senses and made me pay closer attention to her. I was still prancing as we moved on but I stopped twirling and being Bad.

All this time, Spark was being a Good Boy which was lucky because his mom was carrying her new Dog. It's a cute little Dog named Menace and I got to sniff it. I like it - well, I guess it's a "him" and not an "it." He's nice. He trots around while we eat and stuff and he's not really afraid of us now though he was a bit at first. He's only small - he doesn't even come up to my knees - so Sparky's mom and my mom can just carry him around if they want. I like having a Dog around. He's another friend for us.

Anyway, I was pretty good on the walk back to our barn but still pretty lively so my mom put me in the Round Pen while Spark and his mom went on to the barn. She didn't chase me or anything, just let me run around and get my energy out and that made me feel a lot better. By the time she came to get me, I'd settled right down and she petted me and scratched me for a while before bringing me to my stall where my dinner hay was waiting.

Part of the reason I was so bouncy is because I was In Heat. I've been In Heat before but this time it seemed a little different. Mares come In Heat sometimes and that means they smell really good to boy horses and they could have a foal if they were turned out with the right boy. When I was more of a baby, I just got kind of fussy and felt funny when I was In Heat but that was all. Now that I'm a Big Girl, I kind of wanted to get sniffed a lot and it made me feel all antsy and sassy. It was really hard to focus on anything but my mom seemed to understand and while she didn't put up with any foolishness, she didn't get mad at me either.

Even so, I still remembered to be good the day before when she rode me. I was In Heat then too and my mom noticed because she washed my butt. Then she saddled me up and took me out in the Flat Arena but not before I got to watch the Guys do some very interesting stuff in Warren's stall.

I was standing outside my stall, tied up like I often am, when two of the Guys who feed us and do work around the barns came along with a wheeled bucket and a shovel like my mom uses to pick up my poops. They stood there like they were waiting for something and then I saw one of the big machine truck things coming down the hill. It was the one that has a big scoop thing on the front of it and the scoop was filled with some kind of dirt. The Guys seemed to be concerned that I'd be scared but my mom who was grooming me at the time, told them I wouldn't be because I'm not afraid of anything. She sounded proud of me about that which was nice.

Well, the Scoop Machine thing came right up to the barn and turned so it could drive right under the roof of the aisle with the scoop pointing toward Warren's stall door. It was right in front of me, so close I could almost touch it with my nose but I wasn't afraid of it at all, even though it was very noisy. I'm not afraid of trucks and stuff because I've seen a lot of them and none of them has ever hurt a horse that I've known of. People are always sitting inside them so I think they can make them go where they want and of course they wouldn't make them run into a horse!

The Guys seemed to think it was cute that I was so interested - they were smiling at me and talking nicely to me which I liked. I kept poking my nose out trying to get a sniff of that dirt so finally my mom picked up a handful and let me smell it. It smelled a lot like the dirt in my paddock and sure enough, I saw later that Warren's paddock had a nice layer of it all smoothed out across it. So they were fixing his paddock with new dirt.

The Guys began shoveling the dirt into their wheeled bucket and pushing it through Warren's stall. Then they'd come back for more and when they used all the dirt, the Scoop Machine would leave and then come back with more. I could have stayed there all day watching but eventually my mom finished grooming me and saddled me up and we went out into the Flat Arena.

It was a really windy day that day. The trees and bushes that surround the Flat Arena were bending and swaying in the wind and it made weird noises rattling around in their leaves. I spooked one time - I heard a strange noise right next to the arena and it startled me - but my mom just talked to me and asked me to go on and so I did. Then she asked me to make a square corner and I forgot to pay attention to the wind because square corners can be tricky. You have to turn your body kind of quickly rather than the slow curve you do in a normal corner. It's not easy and I used to get stuck a lot but I'm getting better and better at it. After a few times, my mom began pushing with her inside leg when we hit the corner and I realized she was asking me to move my hindquarters over as I made the turn. That was pretty neat because when I did, it made the turn easier to do. I kind of began the turn, then she asked me to move my butt and I did and all of a sudden I was pointing straight down the next part of the arena.

We worked on that for a while and it was fun. I was really concentrating on it. I love learning these new things. They're getting more and more interesting and harder to do and it's a challenge to get them right. Now that I understand my mom's signals better, I can figure out what it is she's asking for so I'm catching on quicker and I don't get frustrated anymore. If I don't get it the first time, my mom will let me walk on or do something I know how to do and then we'll go back to it and try again. Usually I get it within a couple of tries.

After I got the idea of moving my hindquarters over, she rode me more into the middle of the arena and stopped me. Then she tapped me with one foot just behind the girth and said, "over." At first, I just focused on her foot and tried to move forward but she stopped me and did it again so I knew forward wasn't what she was looking for. Next, I tried going backwards but she put her legs on to keep me from going that way so I knew I was wrong again. Then she poked with that foot again and repeated the word "over" and it occurred to me that that's what she says to me when she's in my stall and she wants me to step sideways out of her way. So I took a step sideways with my back feet to see if that's what she wanted and she immediately took her leg off me and let me stand and petted and praised me so I knew I was right. The next time she poked me, I stepped right over and she let off the pressure and praised me again.

We did that a few times and every time I got it right, she was really happy with me. Then we tried it the other direction and I got that right too. So that was fun. She called it a turn on the forehand and said I did a really good job.

Then we walked around a little bit more and she directed me down the center line. When we were about halfway along, she moved her seat so it was pointing kind of to the right and opened up her right rein. She put a little pressure on my side with her left leg and I began moving forward and right at the same time because I know she likes me to go in the direction of her seat. She really liked that and I moved along for a good three or four strides before I got a little off balance. Then we did it the other way and she seemed happy with that too. She calls that one a leg yield.

We finished up our workout with some work on halt. I have a pretty good halt anyway - I know that I'm supposed to halt when my mom kind of "drops" her seat and says "ho" but sometimes it takes me a few steps to do. My mom wanted to get me to halt more quickly so we really worked on it, walking several strides and then stopping. A couple of times, she gave a light tug on the rein and said "ho" sharply and that made me stop quicker. I soon realized that's what she wanted so then I paid more attention to her cues and by the end of it all, I was stopping as soon as I felt her seat drop. She was really happy with me, especially since I'd paid so much attention to her even with the wind all exciting the way it was. When I was more of a baby, i would have bouncing my head off but now I'm six so I know I have a Job to do. And I like my Job.

When my mom unsaddled me and put me away, she told me that I'm starting to look like Kia out there. That was so nice to hear! I still remember Kia and how pretty she looked when she worked with her mom. That's all I really want, to be like her.

Canter work

I have been having so much fun over the past couple of days and I simply have to tell you about it!

It started yesterday. My mom came out like she always does and she saddled me up and brought me out to the Flat Arena. We warmed up like we always do, by walking around the arena first one direction and then the other. My mom always starts out walking me on a pretty loose rein but by the end of my warm-up, she's gathered them up more. They're not tight at all but she has more contact - that's what she calls it when I can feel every move her hands are making and she can feel my mouth. Contact is something you have to get used to when you're a horse. When I first came to live with my mom, I didn't know anything about it and instead of just traveling lightly alone, I'd hang on the bit. That means I was sort of pulling against it. My mom says it's a common thing in former racehorses because when we run, our riders have a firm hold of us. In fact for racehorses, a tighter rein means to go faster.

My mom taught me not to hang on the bit by just letting the reins go loose. My head would drop nearly to the ground but I couldn't find any tightness to pull against. It made me feel kind of funny but I eventually got used to it and began picking my head up. Then my mom gently gathered up the reins and started feeling for a little contact. It was confusing to me at first. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stop or go. One thing that helped was when she lunged me in side reins. She kept them very loose, and since they're stretchy, they didn't make me feel like my head was trapped, but they taught me that I could still move forward even when their was some contact on my mouth.

What's harder to learn though is how to Come On The Bit. I'm still just learning how to do that and it's hard work. It means that instead of just moseying along with your front legs out in front and your back legs sort of following, you really step under yourself with your back legs and use them to push your front part forward. In the process, you sort of push right into the bit and your mom can just touch your reins and you can feel what she wants. It takes a lot of muscle and coordination to learn how to move like that but I'm beginning to get the idea. Sometimes, I find myself pushing forward and reaching for that bit, especially when I'm trotting.

Well, yesterday after our warm-up, I figured we'd do more trot work and figure 8's and stuff because we've been doing a lot of work on that. But instead, my mom asked me to trot and when we reached the long side of the arena, she gave me the cue to canter! I was so happy. I love to canter. It's fun because it's sort of like galloping only more controlled and slower. I broke right into a nice canter and happily went down that whole side. When we reached the turn part, I got ready to slow down to a trot but my mom kept pushing me and I cantered most of the way around it until I just couldn't keep it up. It's hard to canter around a corner when you're carrying a rider. It takes a lot of balance and muscle and I'm not used to it. My mom was very happy with me though and I felt pretty good too.

I thought that was probably all we'd do but I was wrong. She kept asking for a canter and every time she encouraged me to keep going around the turn and to go as long as I could. It was so fun! I got a little excited at one point but she just tweaked my outside rein to steady me and as soon as I was going at a normal pace, she asked me again for that canter. After a while, we changed direction and worked on cantering the other way. That was even harder - I always do better when I'm going to the left for some reason but I kept trying and eventually I managed to canter reasonably well that way.

Finally I was beginning to get tired and my mom knew it. We hadn't been working for that long - not as long as we usually do on trotting - but since I'm not used to it, I was pretty worn out. We went for a nice Poop Loop then and that cooled me down and relaxed me nicely. I was pretty proud of myself and I knew my mom was pleased. Today we did some more canter work and it was even more fun because Sparky and his mom were in the arena with us. Spark and I trotted together and that was lots of fun. Then I cantered and Spark got to see how good I did it. He was proud of me too and sniffed my nose and rubbed his head on me to let me know. It was nice.

One time I even managed to canter all down one long side and all the way around the turn and partway up the other side. That was really fun. And when we finished, I got to go on a Poop Loop with Sparky and that was nice. So it's been an exciting and fun couple of days.

Bouncing weather

What a difference a week makes! The weather has taken a real turn and it's now chilly and damp. Yesterday it rained a lot but today it was just breezy and cool and my mom and I went for a ride.

I was kind of excited when she arrived because Coco's old mom was there fussing with Sparky. I suppose Coco's old mom is nice, and Sparky seems to like her, but she makes me mad because she's always taking him away and then I'm left all alone with nothing to do. At least Sparky's mom pays some attention to me, and usually gives me some carrot or cookies or something. Sometimes she cleans my stall or turns me out. She doesn't just ignore me completely like Coco's old mom. I mean, she says hello to me but that's about it.

But yesterday my mom arrived while she was saddling up Sparky so I knew that I'd be doing something too so I was happy. She got me out and groomed me and tacked me up and we went out into the Flat Arena to work. We were still warming up when another person came into the arena on her horse. It was a nice chestnut mare I've seen around but never had a chance to talk to or learn her name. Her mom is one of those people who watches other people riding and yells at them - my mom calls her an Instructor and says that what she's doing is giving Lessons. Well, as I told you, Sparky has been going to Lessons with Coco's old mom and he says it's fun but that it's hard work. I would think it would be. I don't know if I'd like being yelled at like that.

Anyway, they walked around for a while and then started trotting. I kind of wanted to trot too just because they were but my mom let me know with her seat that we weren't trotting yet so I kept walking. And when I say I was walking, I mean I was walking and not stopping a lot. I kind of picked up a habit of doing that during our warm-up, mostly because it's so relaxed, and my mom rides with a long, loose rein during that time. I like to walk along and stop occasionally just to look around or relax. But a couple of rides ago, my mom started getting strict about that. I have to admit I'd gotten so I was doing it a lot and I suppose she got sick of if.

So on that day, the first time I stopped, she squeezed with her legs and said, "Walk on," the way she does. When I didn't do it, she kicked me briskly with her heels and repeated herself. But when that didn't work, she just flicked her whip and smacked me hard in the butt! That startled me and I stepped right out and walked. Immediately, she was relaxed and calm and called me a Good Girl so I knew that's what she'd wanted. After a couple of repeats of that, I quit stopping and now I hardly ever do. And if I forget, all it generally takes is a threat of that whip for me to remember again.

Since I couldn't trot, I watched the other horse working. She obviously knew a lot more than me; her mom had her doing some of those fancy things that Kia used to do. Like one time she started out trotting along the rail toward us but then began going sort of sideways and forwards across the arena. It was kind of like what I did that one day when my mom was so happy with me and it looked really pretty. She also went down the center line and stopped nicely in the middle, and she did some nice circles that were actually round (my circles usually end up being sort of lumpy).

It was fun watching her do all that and I felt sort of impatient to learn that sort of thing. But then my mom asked me to trot and I forgot all about it in my happiness and excitement that I finally got to go faster.

I don't know what it is about cool weather, but it's so much fun to go fast and be bouncy when the air is nice and crisp and the wind is blowing! Even though I'd had a fun session of free lunging with lots of cantering and trotting, I was still pretty frisky and having another horse in the arena made me even more frisky. I don't know why that is either. Maybe because at the track we used to get to go fast and race each other and every time I start trotting or cantering around other horses, I want to pass them or show them how well I can run. I even do that with Sparky. I think that's why my mom works me by myself a lot. She wants me to focus on learning stuff instead of playing with my friends. But she also tries to ride me with other horses now and then and I've heard her tell people who have apologized for getting me excited that it's good for me to get used to it.

At any rate, I bounced right into a trot and I'm afraid I was rather strong at first. I was rushing and trying to break into a canter, and getting impatient and bouncing a lot. My mom just keeps reminding me with little twitches of my outside rein that I'm supposed to be listening to her but it's hard! Still, I'm getting so that I do listen pretty well - it's kind of a Habit now because we ride so regularly. So pretty soon, I settled into a fairly steady trot. It was still fast, and I was still kind of strong, but my mom always lightens up on my rein as soon as I smooth out even a little bit and I like that so much I pretty much always drop my head a little bit and reach for my bit. It's kind of a Process - I smooth out, she releases, I round and reach, then I forget and get bouncy again. So she twitches that rein, I smooth out, she releases...

It's a lot of work for both of us. I know it is for me anyway and it's got to be for her. I see a lot of horses and riders working and lots of them don't have to go through all that. The horses know what the Rules are and just follow them without a fuss and the riders don't have to spend every minute paying attention to each little signal their horse is giving them. I've even seen riders talking into those little small box things they all seem to carry without paying any real attention to their horse. My mom can't really do that most of the time. She's too busy talking to me, either out loud or with her seat and legs and hands.

This particular time, it was a lot of work and communicating but at one point, the other person told my mom that I was really coming along and that we'd made a lot of progress. I guess she's seen us working before. That was nice to hear and I know my mom was happy about it. She always feels good when people notice how all our work has paid off. And the other person seemed to understand about the bouncy part - she said lots of the horses were frisky.

So it was a good ride all in all. I was bouncy but not Bad. I don't rear anymore and I don't really try to run out from under my mom or bolt or refuse to do what she asks me to do. I almost never buck anymore although sometimes when she asks me to canter, I get excited and forget. I just get a little strong and bouncy when the weather's cool and windy and lots of horses do that.

Learning new things

I'm learning something new just about every time my mom and I ride. It's really exciting and fun for me. As you know, I love to play new games. Learning all the rules and then getting it right on the first try every time is so satisfying. And it doesn't hurt when I'm rewarded for it, whether it's with a treat or just praise and petting (well, to be honest I do like the treats best).

Yesterday my mom came out pretty late. I'd already finished my dinner hay and was just snoozing in my paddock when I heard her car. As always, that made me happy and I let out a big whinny of greeting. She got me out of my stall and tied me in the aisle the way she does and brought the wheeled bucket thing so she could clean.It was nice and quiet at the barn. Not many people come out once it starts getting dark and it was about twilight when she began on my stall. I love that time of day. The sky is all soft and dusky and the stars are just starting to come out. The air is cooling down and it smells so good. Lots of times the coyotes that live up in the hills and out in the pasture start to sing. That's a nice sound. First one will yip a few times and then they'll all join in and pretty soon it's a whole chorus of happy voices howling. Sometimes they have babies and the babies sound cute - they kind of bark rather than howl and it's high-pitched so you can tell they're just small. I like that. Coyotes are just friends to us horses. They eat little animals like bunnies and squirrels - which is sad for the bunnies and squirrels but the coyotes have to eat too. One time when my mom and I were riding in the Flat Arena a coyote was in there with us just sniffing around and not really paying a lot of attention to what we were doing. I like to share my home with other animals.

Anyway, when my mom finished cleaning she took me for a walk. We didn't go far but it was really pleasant. By then, it was almost completely dark but the sky was clear and the light of the stars and moon were enough to see very well. My mom took me toward the Little Rolling Arena but before we got there, we turned down a little side track that leads to one of the barns. It's not like the other barns like the one where I live. It's set apart from the others and only has two stalls. Also it has a room on the side of it which our barn doesn't. I always kind of wondered about that barn but last night I found out it's where the Vaulting Horses live sometimes. Not always; most of the time they live in a big field like a pasture but once in a while they go in those stalls. That's kind of funny because all us other horses have either a pasture or a stall, not both. I guess Vaulting Horses are special.

I suppose I should explain just what a Vaulting Horse is. Remember how I've mentioned the big horses that go around and around in circles in the Little Rolling Arena while kids jump on and off them and do tricks on their backs? Those are the Vaulting Horses. They have to be big I suppose, so they can carry all those kids - sometimes there are three or four kids on their backs at one time! I don't think I'd like that. It's hard enough just carrying my mom around. I can't imagine having lots of people on me, even kids.Last night, the Vaulting Horses were all in their field and they were mostly standing in their little shelter thing where their dinner hay goes. My mom brought me down near that barn and over to the door to the room. I was kind of jumpy and nervous at first because I didn't know why I was there. I was kind of afraid my mom might put me in one of those stalls and I didn't like that idea at all. There weren't any neighbors for me to talk to, and no duds closet, or food, or ball toy. There wasn't even a paddock. But my mom didn't even look at the stalls; she just brought me over to that door and told me I could put my head down. And when I did, I realized the ground was covered with grass hay!

Well, that was a treat! There had to be at least half a flake of good hay scattered around outside that door. I guess the people who get it out of the room (because that's what's in there, I found out later) are pretty careless and don't have horses that clean up after them like me and Spark do. I was glad to clean it up though and my mom let me. We stayed there for a long time and my mom just stood there quietly with me, with her hand on my back. It was very nice. By the time we went back home, I was nice and full and ready for a good night's sleep.

Today we worked. My mom came out at the usual time and began grooming me right away. The hay truck came while she was doing it and she let me have a little bit of my dinner for a snack but she put most of it aside for me to eat later. That used to make me really anxious and upset but now it doesn't bother me hardly at all. I know she'll give it to me and I know she won't let anyone else take it or eat it. I didn't even try to get it when she took my halter off so she could put my bridle on. I just stood there and opened my mouth up politely for my bit. I'm a Good Girl now that I'm six.

My mom led me out to the Flat Arena like she always does and took me over to the Mounting Block. There was a lady sitting in a chair nearby yelling at some kid on a horse in the arena and a car parked right next to the Mounting Block. There was just a narrow space for me to stand but my mom led me right over to it anyway and got on. The other lady asked if she needed to move her car but my mom said she didn't and then asked me to back up. Well, I know how to back up really well so I did. I took a whole bunch of steps back until I was clear of the car and then turned and went around it when my mom asked. The lady was impressed - I could tell. She told my mom that I'd backed up really nicely. My mom was happy about that and proud of me. That was nice.

I thought we'd work in the Flat Arena like we usually do but instead my mom took me out on the road so I figured we were doing a Poop Loop. That was okay. I like Poop Loops and we hadn't done one in a while. I stepped right out and headed down the road, occasionally trying to reach a stray bit of grass or brush that was sticking out of the hillside. My mom didn't let me get any but it never hurts to try.

When we got to the Rolling Arena, I could see that there were a lot of horses in it. The Rolling Arena always kind of fascinates me. It's sort of scary - it's big, and it has a roof, and there's usually lots of stuff going on there. The birds like to fly around and land on the roof and that makes noise, and there's a building just below it that they call the Winery and sometimes the guys are working there making lots of strange clanging noises. That's weird, especially because there are bushes and things growing along the side so you can't see clearly - you just get glimpses of stuff so one minute you just see a bush and the next, there's a horse walking along down there, or a big truck, or some guys pushing a barrel. You never know what you'll see and that makes it pretty exciting.

I always look into the Rolling Arena when we go by, half wanting to go in and see what it's like. Well, today we did go in. It took me by surprise. I was all ready to walk by the gate even though I was looking in, when my mom nudged me with her seat and directed me inside! I was immediately a little tense. There were a bunch of little trees in big boxes all along the short end where I'd entered and they hadn't been there the last time I was in the arena so that made me feel funny right off the bat. There were a bunch of horses ridden by little kids at the far end, and Mickey's mom was standing in the middle of the circle they were making telling them what to do. I knew what that meant - they were having a Lesson. Lots of horses have Lessons at our barn. Even Sparky goes to Lessons now, with Coco's old mom. He says it's fun but hard.

At our end, there were two other horses working. One was a big gray gelding I've seen around quite a bit. He's handsome and nice, and his mom often rides him in the Flat Arena so we kind of know each other. The other was a gray mare I'm not familiar with. The gelding was doing some trot work and he was really focused on it. His mom had him doing circles and figure 8's at the trot and he was very collected and looked great. The mare was cantering.It was pretty exciting to be in the middle of all that. I almost forgot my Manners for a minute and let out the beginning of a bounce but my mom caught it before it became anything more than that. She quietly made the Bad Girl noise and I remembered I had to behave. After that, I just walked nicely but I was looking at everything. We only went around a few times and then my mom petted me and told me I was very Good and we left. She let me sniff those trees really thoroughly first though.

Then we continued our Poop Loop. By the time we got back to our barn, the Flat Arena was empty again so my mom took me out there. I was a little mad at first because I thought we should be done but then she asked me to start trotting and I forgot to be mad. I'm getting so I really like trotting. For one thing, I love my saddle. It's so comfortable that it makes it a lot nicer to move. For another, I'm getting better at it and it's always more fun to do things you're good at. Once I get warmed up, I start feeling nice and relaxed and i just put my head down and reach for my bit and go. I can tell my mom likes it - she tells me so for one thing but I can also feel it in her seat and hands. When my head is fussy and I'm pulling and stuff, she has to really work to keep me at the right pace but once I settle down, her hands get nice and quiet and giving and I can barely feel her on my back because we're just moving together. It's nice.

We did some big circuits of the arena and some figure 8's and then as my mom rode me up the long side, she gave me a new signal. I'm not sure I can describe it but she moved her seat so that I could tell she wanted me to go up and across at the same time. It wasn't like when she wants me to change direction - then I just head straight for the other side but on a diagonal line across. This time she wanted something else and as she nudged me with her leg, I just started moving in the direction she was heading me in with my body kind of bent but my legs crossing over each other as I trotted kind of forward and sideways at the same time. I wasn't sure if that's what she wanted but as soon as I started doing it, I could tell that it was. Her seat was light and she just kept an open leading rein on the side I was moving toward while her other leg gently continued nudging. I just kept going across that arena and the further I got, the happier I could feel her getting.

I knew I was doing something special and I got kind of pleased about it too. It was fun! I felt kind of like Kia as I did it - I used to watch her doing fancy stuff all the time and now I was doing it! It was hard work though. I got most of the way across the arena but toward the end, I could feel myself losing my balance a little bit and getting sloppy. Still, my mom was really proud of me; once we straightened out, she asked me to walk and turned me right down the center of the arena - she calls it Going Down the Center Line. After going practically sideways, going straight was easy so I marched right down as straight as an arrow and then stopped quietly when she asked me to. She slid off my back then and petted me and made a fuss over me. She was really happy with me and that made me feel good.

After she unsaddled me, she led me back out to the arena to roll and I had a really good one! Then she hosed me off with the special hose that feels like rain. I like that hose, especially when she lets it play over my face. I got all nice and wet and cooled off, then I got to eat more hay while she cleaned. So it was a good day and I learned another trick. Now I'm ready to stand out in my paddock and enjoy the night air. It's been a long and busy day.

New box thing!

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted! The problem has been that my mom didn't have one of those box things that she uses to point at me and make pictures and I hated to post a blog entry without a recent photo. Maybe that's vain but I do think that half the reason people are interested in my blog is because they like to see me. And it just seems incomplete without it.

But the other day she got a new one and she took some pictures of me so I can get back to work and update you on what's been going on in my life!

For one thing, I've been doing a lot of work and it seems to be paying off. Lots of times, people stop us to tell my mom how good I'm looking and how pretty I am. They often say that I'm "really filling out." That doesn't mean I'm fat - it means that I'm growing up and getting nice muscles so it's a good thing. Sometimes they compliment us on how nicely I'm working out in the Flat Arena. Those compliments make us both feel good. It really seems like my mom and I are becoming riding partners. We understand each other pretty well now and like to work together.

One thing I've learned is how to recognize just what it is that my mom wants me to do. You might think that's easy but it's not at all. After all, I'm a horse and she's a person so it's not like we normally speak the same language. She has to find signals to give me that I can understand and I have to learn to recognize them. Back when I was more of a baby, I wasn't very good at it. I got impatient too fast. If I didn't understand something right off, I just got mad. But now I'm a lot more receptive. My mom thinks that's partly because of all the work we did in the Round Pen and I agree with her. I learned a lot about what she wanted in there and she learned a lot about communicating with me. The Cone Game is a good example - it was really easy for me to figure out that she wanted me to stop at those Cones because of the way she taught me to do it. She was patient and clear and let me know exactly what she wanted before she just went ahead and asked me.

Once we started riding again, she took her time with each new signal and I tried very hard to figure out what she wanted instead of getting mad. It was kind of like a game and it turned out to be fun. So now I know that when she sort of pushes me with her seat and squeezes my sides with both her legs, she wants me to trot. When she just kind of brushes her heel against my outside flank, it means she wants me to keep moving smoothly through a turn. When she changes her bounce at the trot (she calls it a diagonal), it means we're changing direction. And when she lifts her inside rein just a little and gives me a single kick with her outside heel, it means she wants me to canter.

It makes it a lot more fun when you know what the signals mean and it's a lot less stressful. Horses get anxious when their person is telling them something but they don't know what it means. Anyone would. So now that I know all those basic commands, my mom is able to work on helping me keep a nice rhythm in my trot and canter without rushing. We do lots of circles and turns and serpentines because they help keep you focused and you have to concentrate on where your feet are and stay balanced. It's hard work but it is fun. Usually we only walk when we're warming up or cooling down, and sometimes in the middle of our workout so I can stretch my neck and back and relax a bit. Mostly we trot and we almost always canter some now.

We've had a couple of exciting things happen and one pretty Bad thing. One day we went riding with Sparky and his mom and we headed up the hill by the pasture. I love that hill! My mom usually asks me to trot up it but I always want to canter and I usually manage to. On this particular day, we'd done a lot of really intense trotting in the Flat Arena so I wanted to sort of let loose. As soon as my mom asked me to trot, I kicked up my heels in a HUGE buck and began racing up that hill! It was pretty Bad of me and I knew it but I just couldn't seem to help it. Luckily my mom never falls off me - I don't know how she does it because I can buck pretty hard if I put my mind to it. But she didn't even lose a stirrup and she quickly pulled me back down to a trot and scolded me.

I was still feeling pretty spunky though and when we got to the top of the hill, I saw some of the farm workers up on the roof of one of the horse shelters. They were doing some kind of building work and were using noisy machines and stuff and it was pretty exciting to see them up there like that. I wasn't really afraid but it made me dance and bounce a bit. Sparky was spooked by it though, and he tried to get behind me so he could pass them as far away as possible. I wasn't paying any attention to where he was in my excited and silly state so when I felt him brush against my hindquarters, it startled me and before I could think, I gave a big bounce and sort of a bucking kick!

Well, I felt my hooves hit hard and as soon as they did, I heard a scream of pain from Sparky's mom! I'd gotten her right in the leg and she was yelling her head off which actually did spook me some. Sparky had immediately stopped spooking and stood dead still - he always takes care of his mom no matter how scared he is - and my mom quickly slid off my back to see if she was okay. She took the time to smack me and yell at me before she turned her attention away though and I can't say as I blame her. I'm a big girl now and I do know better than to kick out without thinking.

Poor Sparky's mom had blood pouring down her leg and she was obviously in a lot of pain. She hadn't fallen off though and now she carefully dismounted and began leading Spark home. My mom called to the guys on the roof to help and one of them took Sparky's mom in the little open-topped car they use around the farm while the other led Spark down the hill. Spark was so good. Normally he'd be nervous and balky with a stranger leading him but he knew his mom was hurt and he was doing his best to just be a Good Boy and not cause any trouble. I need to be more like him but sometimes I just don't think before I act.

I was still pretty wound up going down the hill but I tried to be good because I knew things were bad and I was in trouble. About halfway down the hill, Fila and Merlot's mom came and grabbed Spark and she brought him to his stall and unsaddled him. Fila and Merlot live in the pasture. They're nice bay Thoroughbred boys and me and Spark like them both. Their mom is nice too and she was concerned about Sparky's mom.

Sparky's mom was sitting in a chair outside the stalls when we got there. Her leg was very bloody and she and my mom were using the word "broken" like they thought it might be and that worried me quite a lot. One time when I was at the racetrack, a horse from another barn got a broken leg. We all heard about it. He was in a race and something bad happened and his leg broke and he had to be "Put Down." That's when a horse doctor gives the horse one of those poking needle things and the horse just dies. I was worried. I didn't want Sparky's mom to be Put Down. I wanted to ask Sparky if that's what would happen but I didn't want to make him more upset than he already was.

My mom just threw me in my stall and quickly took off my duds. Then she put a bandage on Sparky's mom's leg and got her car and she and Sparky's mom left. I felt a little better because of the bandage - if she was going to be Put Down, she probably wouldn't have had a bandage put on. And sure enough, a lot later, past dinnertime, they came back. Sparky's mom couldn't walk very well but me and Spark were both glad to see her. My mom said she got 8 stitches in her leg but it wasn't broken so that was good. I don't know what my mom would have done to me if she'd had to have Sparky's mom Put Down. She really likes Sparky's mom.

Another time, I got to go out for a turnout with Favre in the Pony Arena. I wasn't crazy about the idea at first because one time I went out with him and Sparky and he was really dumb and wanted to sniff my butt a lot and that made me mad. But this time it turned out to be fun. Favre's a Thoroughbred after all, and he likes to run and so do I so we had a good time running and racing and playing. We were kicking up our heels and bouncing together and it was really exciting. The only bad thing was that I somehow lost both my back shoes. I didn't even notice when it happened but once we'd stopped racing around, I realized they were gone. My mom found them - one of them was in the arena and the other one was way out in the grass outside the arena! My Shoe Man came out and put them back on a few days later but I missed being in a Show because I didn't have shoes.

We've been going to the Pony Arena for turnouts quite a lot. That's where the Bad Accident happened when I hit my mom in the face with my hoof and she lied down in the road. For a long time, she and I both got kind of nervous and anxious when we went there but it's been better and better every time and now it's pretty much okay. Me and Spark got to turn out there the other day and we had a lot of fun and I was a really Good Girl leading there and back. I'm glad because it's one of my favorite arenas to turn out in. It's round like the Round Pen but lots bigger so you can go in circles without getting stuck in corners but it's big enough to run really fast.

I've also had a couple of new neighbors but none of them have stayed for long. For a while, Solo was in the stall next to me - the one between me and Mickey. Solo is a big, black gelding who usually lives on the hill in one of the fields. In fact, it was his shelter building the guys were working on the day I kicked Sparky's mom. Anyway, while they were rebuilding his field, he lived in that stall and I liked that a lot. He was a really sweet horse and we became good friends quickly. He still whinnies to me and Spark, and to our moms even though he's back on the hill now. My mom always lets me sniff noses with him when we walk up there.

After he left, Glamour was in that stall for a while. Glamour is one of the pasture horses and he and his brother Teddy are good friends of Sparky's. Their mom is really nice and often gives us cookies or carrots and sometimes our moms help take care of her boys so we all know each other. I love Glamour and he was nice to have next door too. He's a chestnut Thoroughbred and he keeps getting hurt out in the pasture so he has a big bandage on his leg and his mom has him in a stall until he's all better. We spent a lot of time visiting over the fence and he chewed most of my forelock off but I don't mind. I like to chew things too.

One of the pictures my mom took with her new camera is the one I'm posting. It's me eating my Beet Pulp. I love my Beet Pulp and one of the things I love about it is how fun it is to eat. My mom and I have a whole routine that we go through every day and it's so fun! First of all, she mixes it up in a big bucket and when she carries it to my stall, I nicker a lot and kind of bounce on my toes waiting for her to bring it in. She puts my big rubber feed tub in my stall and then comes in with my dinner and makes me stand nicely while she pours it in.

As soon as it's in my dish, I grab the edge with my teeth and pick it up. I fling it away from me and Beet Pulp goes flying across my stall! Sometimes it even splats on my wall but most of it goes on my floor. Then I happily root through it, picking out all the little bites of carrot (because my mom always puts lots of carrot in it) and then eating the rest of it off the floor. You can see how messy it is in the picture. I love being messy. It's fun.

You can also see my keys in that picture. My mom has keys that she keeps on a ring that attaches to a loop on her pants. I love to play with her keys. They make a fun jingling noise and they feel funny in my mouth. She lets me play with them but she also brought me my own set of keys to play with! They're made out of some hard stuff like my stall snack holder and they flop around and bang against each other just like my mom's keys do. Now when she's not around, I can still play with keys. My mom is pretty nice that way.

So that's what I've been up to for the last month. Now that we have a box thing again, I'll make sure my mom takes lots of pictures so I can keep up with this blog!

Big girl work

Well, we did do more cantering and it was awfully fun! Let me tell you all about it.

My mom and Sparky's mom came out together which was really nice for Spark because he was so happy to see his mom. I know just how he feels. It's awful when you don't see your own mom for a couple of days. They came out kind of early and I was just waking up from my nap when they arrived so I was sort of sleepy and lazy at first. My mom got me out and Sparky's mom got him out and then my mom took a Bag and went looking for a hay snack for us.

That was nice. In just a short time, she'd found enough so we both got a small pile of hay to munch on. Then she began grooming me while Spark's mom worked on him. At one point, she was testing his back like the Carrot Doctor does to see if it was sore and poor Spark was flinching through his shoulders so she told my mom to look and they both were concerned about poor Spark. I was concerned too. I don't like seeing my brother in pain. It's no fun at all. Spark is so Good too - he never complains and he tries really hard to be a Good Boy and do what his mom asks him to do. Me, I let my mom know immediately if my saddle hurts or if something doesn't feel right. I swish my tail or bite or buck or try to kick or whatever I have to do to let her know and she figures it out quick. But Spark doesn't like to make a fuss so sometimes our moms don't see it quite so quickly.

His mom just brushed him really good and said she was going to take him for a walk so that was good. Spark was happy about that because he likes to go for walks with his mom. He's been wanting to get out and do something but he didn't want to be ridden because of his hurtiness. Meanwhile my mom was putting my duds on for us to go riding.

We went out into the Flat Arena and warmed up. While we were out there just walking, Glamour and Teddy's mom came with her little dog. He's so cute - he's just small like a bunny but frisky and perky. I want to smell him but my mom didn't let me get close enough today. Maybe next time.

Anyway, we were just riding around when we heard Sparky's mom and Glamour's mom calling back and forth and saying that the horses weren't in the pasture! My mom rode me out on the road and we headed up the hill to see if we could figure things out. I felt very important because my mom was using me to actually do something important. Spark was with us too because his mom brought him along in case the other horses were loose. She thought maybe they'd come to Spark because he used to be their herd boss.

In the end, it was all right because they were just way out in the pasture. There was a spot in the fence that was down but they hadn't found it so everything was fine. My mom brought me back to the arena and I thought all the excitement was over but then she started really riding and we got to work on things. She had me trotting in circles and changing direction, and she had me trot all along the long side and then across the middle. She kept changing direction in different ways so I had to really pay attention so as not to get my legs all tangled up. It was fun.

Then she asked me to canter! I love that and I popped right into my canter and she was happy with me. We were going a different direction than we were yesterday and it's a little harder that way than the other but I did it and it was fun. Then she trotted me again and changed direction and we cantered the other way too! We even did it more than once that way and I didn't buck at all and cantered just right. She was really happy with me.

By this time, Spark and his mom had started on their walk and were at the top of the hill by the manure pile. My mom took me out on the road and we started up by the pasture to catch up with them. We'd just started up the hill when she urged me into a trot. I took about one step at a trot and then broke right into a canter and she let me run up the hill. It was a really nice canter if I do say so myself, kind of slow and relaxed and I could tell my mom liked it. I was still a little excited when we got to Spark and his mom and I was dancing a little bit but I soon calmed down and just walked and we had a nice walk all around the farm.

We saw some friends - Cozzie and Misty and Indian - but we didn't get a chance to sniff noses with them. Spark did go see a mare he used to live near and that was nice. Then we went into the Rolling Arena and that was kind of exciting. I haven't been in there in a long time. It's big and there weren't any other horses in there so it seemed even bigger. We walked around the whole thing though and it wasn't so bad. My mom said that's where the Show was and Spark said he'd been in there with lots of other horses and it was kind of scary but okay. I think I'd like to be in a Show.

Pretty soon we left there - Spark had a nice roll on the way out - and went back to the barn. It was a good walk and a nice ride. Spark's mom hosed him off and my mom let me roll in the Flat Arena and then hosed me too. We got our dinner and it was still early enough for Spark to have his nap before hay time. He was pretty tired by then and needed it. He never takes naps at the same time as the other horses because he says someone has to stand guard. I guess that's in case of Mountain Lions. Luckily none of them came while he napped because I wouldn't have known what to do and I don't think anyone else would either.

Trying to work here

Have you ever tried to do something and everyone around you is bugging you and keeping you from doing it? That was kind of how my day was today.

It happened like this. My mom came out today and got me and Sparky out of our stalls so we could eat hay scraps in the aisle while she cleaned. That's nothing new. She almost always does that and we both like it. So we munched while she got one of those rolling bucket things and began cleaning our stalls. Then when she was about halfway done, she untied Sparky and brought him to the Round Pen.

Well, I didn't want to be left out so I whinnied loudly as she put him in there and she came back and asked, "Belly, do you want to go out with your brother?" I nosed at her to tell her yes and she must have understood me because she untied me and walked me over there too. I was happy and eager to go but I remembered to be good on the lead. I've been very good lately and my mom has been really pleased. I don't want to mess that up now so I walked quietly but fast and she was happy with that. She doesn't mind me walking fast as long as I'm not pulling or getting ahead of her. The Rule is that I have to walk next to her, with my head just in front of her shoulder. When she stops, she expects me to stop too and if I take one or two steps ahead of her, she makes me back up until I'm in the right place. I know where she wants me now though, so if I do make a mistake, I don't wait for her to ask me to back up - I do it myself. She really likes that.

Anyway, it was just a short walk to the Round Pen so we didn't do any stopping or backing or any of that stuff. It's just Habit now for me to walk nicely so my mom doesn't make me work hard at it like she used to but she still expects me to behave. She tells me that I have better manners than Sparky does sometimes because Spark will often try to put his head down to eat a stray piece of hay or sometimes he stops and makes her have to urge him on again. I don't do any of that anymore. I Learned.

I was happy to go out with Spark and we greeted each other by sniffing and squealing which is what we like to do. He likes to pretend he's a Herd Boss and I'm his Herd and he's telling me what to do. I don't mind because it usually means we play and run a little bit while he pretends to Bunch me. Spark plays differently than some of my other friends like Indian. Indian just likes to run fast like me so we just race around and around. Spark likes to play that he's a Wild Horse and he says Wild Horses don't just gallop around because they have to conserve their strength so they can run away from Mountain Lions. Spark says Mountain Lions are always after horses in the Wild. I'm not really sure what a Mountain Lion is but they sound scary so I'm happy I live in a stall and don't have to worry about them. Anyway, if any of them came around our barn, Spark would chase them away or Bunch them or something.

We had a fun time playing while my mom cleaned and then she came out with her Bag Stick and asked us to run a little bit. We were both pretty frisky and I ran while Spark trotted because he'd rather trot most of the time. That's okay. It's still fun. It got really dusty in there though so we didn't run too long. It's amazing how much dust two horses can kick up in that Round Pen.

My mom led us back to the barn together. She's been doing that a lot lately and we've been really good about it. It's hard to walk nicely with another horse. Horses don't tend to walk at the same pace so you have to remember to pay close attention so you don't get way ahead or behind. Me and Spark used to be pretty bad at it because I walk a lot faster than he does. He'd get behind and instead of speeding up, he'd stop because the lead would be pulling on him. Then I'd get impatient because I wanted to go and I'd have to wait until my mom got him back up to her. It was pretty hard for my mom. But now we're both lots better and we try to walk at the same speed. We do pretty good most of the time and we've gotten better about either slowing down or speeding up when we need to. Mom's been really happy with us.

When we got back to our stalls, she put Fly Spray on Spark and put him in his stall but she kept me out so I knew we were going to do more stuff. Sure enough, she groomed me nicely and put my duds on. I was happy. It was a nice day for a ride. Not too hot but still nice and warm out, and there weren't a lot of horses out in the arena or on the road. We got all ready and went out to the mounting block but as soon as my mom was on my back, Spark let out a big, desperate sounding whinny.

Well, I whinnied back to reassure him and to let him know I was right there but he kept on whinnying and then Solo, the horse in the stall on the other side of me, whinnied too. It made me kind of anxious. I didn't know why they were so upset but they were and it made me upset. I didn't want to go anywhere with them whinnying like that. What if they were warning me about Mountain Lions or something?

My mom just ignored it all and asked me to go out on the road. She started riding me toward the Little Rolling Arena and just kept pushing me on when I stopped and looked back. I could hear them both, especially Spark, and every time he whinnied, I let out a little scared-sounding whinny of my own. My mom loves my whinny. She says that when I call to other horses, I sound just like a baby. I don't know why that is. When i whinny to her, it's a nice big whinny but I get all anxious when I'm calling to other horses and it makes my whinny sound shrill and high-pitched. I guess it does sound kind of like a baby but I can't help it.

She mostly ignored my whinnying anyway and just kept urging me on every time I stopped. She was nice about it, petting my neck and reassuring me but she was insistent. Finally when I got down near the pasture where the Camp Horses live, I got upset and I started backing up and trying to turn around. That's when she gave me a good crack on my butt with her whip and told me in no uncertain terms that we weren't going back to the barn.

I went on but I was pretty upset. It all made me kind of jumpy. I felt very alone, even though there were horses all around me in stalls and fields and stuff. It's not the same as being with horses you really know, and when your brother is calling and calling to you, you just want to go see what's the matter with him. I really wanted to go back to the barn.

But I went on and I tried to be good. My mom rode me as far as the point in the road that's kind of between the Little Rolling Arena and the Rolling Arena and then she asked me to stop and she got off. I thought she was going to bring me back home but she just petted me and then began walking me the same direction we'd been going. I felt a little better with her next to me instead of on my back, but I still felt jumpy and uneasy. She just talked to me quietly and made me keep going and I trusted her and did.

I didn't start feeling better until we got to Cozzie's stall. He came right into his stall and poked his head out his window and my mom saw me staring at him and asked, "Would you like to go see Cozzie, Belly?" I wanted to in the worst way and as soon as I realized she was leading me over to him, I hurried right along and thrust my nose in his window. He was so nice. He knew I was upset and he nuzzled me lots and rubbed my face, and he licked me and made me feel lots better. I love Cozzie. He's such a nice horse and he always seems to understand me. My mom let me visit him for quite a long time and we just rubbed our faces against each other and were happy together.

I was a lot more relaxed by the time she pulled me away and asked me to keep walking. Spark was still whinnying - I could hear him even way up on the hill where we were - and I still called back to him now and then, but I wasn't so tense and upset. I knew we were going back to the barn and I'd be seeing him soon, and I knew that I was with my mom and she understood how I felt and wouldn't let anything Bad happen to me.

All this time, even though I was upset and nervous, I was walking nicely on a loose rein. I didn't forget my Manners even in my distraction so that was good. I know my mom was happy with that because I could feel it in the way she moved and spoke to me.

When we got back to the barn, she led me under the overhang and let me sniff noses with Solo. Then she let me sniff noses with Spark but she told me, "I still have to ride you, Belly." I'd been hoping she'd put me in my stall but I didn't mind when she led me back to the mounting block. I am a Riding Horse now and it is my Job to carry her around. So she got back on and rode me out into the Flat Arena.

I was a little stubborn at first - Spark started in whinnying again - but she just firmly pushed me on and I settled down and just went. Pretty soon, she asked me for a trot and I went into it pretty well. She trotted me around for a while and then changed direction and asked for a trot again. This time I was a little more resistant but she got very firm with me and I soon popped into a good one. She praised me and rode a good circle, then she pulled me back to a walk and asked for the trot again at about the same place she had the first time. Well, I'd learned my lesson by then and went into it pretty smoothly so she was happy. We did several circles at a trot and then as we came around the corner and straightened out, she gave me a tap with her outside heel and clicked at me!

I knew what that meant. It meant she wanted me to canter! I happily popped right into a nice canter and I could tell by her seat that she liked it. She had me canter all down the long side of the arena and then pushed me right into the turn. I cantered through the turn and into the straightaway the other way but then I dropped back to a trot. It's kind of hard to keep a canter up yet - I'm not used to it with a rider. She was really happy with me though because I'd picked it right up the first time so she let me slow down to a walk and praised me and petted me lots. I knew I'd done well so we were both happy. She decided that was a good place to leave off so she hopped off me and brought me back to my stall then.

It turned out to be a good day. I'm still not sure why Spark was so upset but I think it might be because his mom hasn't been out for a couple of days and he misses her. I don't blame him for that. I miss my mom something awful when she misses a day. But maybe he'll see her tomorrow and maybe my mom and I will do some more cantering.

Visit from the Saddle Fitter

Does saddle fit really make that much of a difference? People ask that a lot. Horses never do. They know.

Try this (if you're one of my people friends). Get down on your hands and knees with a fully loaded backpack on your back. See, when you carry a backpack, it hangs from your shoulders, but when we carry a saddle and a human, it's sitting right on our back.

Now, have a friend manipulate that pack. Have them move it from side to side, and press down on it. Have them put more stuff on one side or lumpy stuff next to your back. Then have them pinch the sides real tight around your shoulders.

Not very comfortable, is it? Think about how it would feel if there was someone sitting on top of it too.

A saddle isn't really that heavy for a horse to carry. We're big and strong and saddles don't weigh much to us. But if it's stiff, or unbalanced, or if it's pinchy or lumpy, it can drive us crazy.

A saddle needs to cover our backs smoothly and it has to be well balanced, both back to front and side to side. It needs to be nicely cushioned and smooth, and it needs to keep weight off our spines and our withers. It has to be wide enough so we can move our shoulders freely but contoured to us enough so it isn't moving and bouncing. Anyone can put a saddle on a horse's back and get an idea of whether it fits or not but only someone trained to fit saddles properly can see all the important points and make sure they're just right.

My mom had my Saddle Fitter out just the other day. As you know, we got a dressage saddle a few months ago and both of us like it a lot. It's really comfortable for my mom and it has been for me too. But recently it began to feel pinchy in my shoulders so my mom stopped using it and called the Saddle Fitter.

I like my Saddle Fitter. When he got to the barn, he was eating an apple and he gave me half of it. It was really yummy. Then he petted me and put my saddle on my back. He carefully felt all around under it and on both sides. Then he told my mom that it needed to be restuffed and that he could do that and make it fit me just right. Of course she said please do.

He did it right there and it was fun to watch. He took my saddle apart and took all the stuffing out. Then he carefully put new stuffing in, working it in with special tools to make sure it was even and full. When he was all done, he sewed the parts back together and put it on my back.

Oh, it felt so good! I arched my neck because it was so nice. He felt all around again and showed my mom how it was up off my shoulders now and how much room I had in my withers and back. The best part though was when she got on me. As soon as she lowered herself into the seat, I felt so good. A well-fitting saddle should just feel like a light shell covering your back and that's what mine feels like now. It's soft and cushiony and my mom's weight is evenly distributed across my whole back. I just reached right out and down and let my back rise up and fill that saddle, and I carried my mom across the arena like she was nothing.

Now when we ride, I don't even think about the saddle on my back. I don't have to because it fits so well, it's like there's nothing there. When my mom gets off, my back is as comfortable and relaxed as it was when she got on.

If you think saddle fit doesn't make a difference, bring out a saddle fitter just one time and I bet you'll change your mind. And your horse will love you for it.

Too distracted to post

Well, I've been bad about posting. I've just been too upset and out of sorts.

At first, it was just because we were so busy. My mom was riding me a lot. Like every day practically. I didn't mind. It was kind of fun and we were doing a lot of fun stuff together. She's been using my old saddle that fits me so that's okay and we've been working really hard. We ride a lot in the Flat Arena and she's been making me do a lot of trotting. It's been hard but I've been trying to behave and it's been pretty good for the most part. She doesn't let me get the better of her and I know better than to try. I haven't bucked or tried to get her off me since that day when my saddle hurt.

Then it got really hot. We still rode but not quite as much. Plus Sparky was getting ready to go in a Show so my mom was helping him and his mom practice stuff for it. I was hoping I'd get to go to the Show too so I could at least watch Sparky but it turned out I couldn't because my mom went on Stall Rest again.

I just hate it when she can't come to see me! It's just awful. She was here one day and then the next day she didn't come. I wasn't very happy when Sparky's mom showed up without her but I tried really hard to be good and I figured maybe it would just be one day without her and I could survive that. But then another day came and she still didn't come! And that day was the day of the Show so Sparky's mom was all fussing with him and not paying any attention to me and stuff. She didn't clean me or feed me or do anything with me for a long time and even when she did, she did it all wrong. So I was pretty upset and then the next day she came without my mom as well!

By this time, I was nearly frantic. I hate it when my mom's not here. No one else knows how to do all my stuff right, and no one else pays attention to me the way I like it. Sparky's mom does her best - I know that - but it's just not the same and I can't help getting mad. I kept rushing out to my paddock every time I heard anything that might be my mom, and I called her and called her but she just didn't come. I had my food, and Sparky's mom did clean my stall and turn me out but none of it was like my mom does it and I just needed my mom. I missed her so much.

Sparky tried to make me feel better. He told me she was probably not feeling good and would be along when she felt better but that just made me more anxious. What if she never got better? What if it took a really long time? What if she forgot about me? He didn't think any of that would happen but what does he know? Sometimes at racetracks, horses get sold and they don't even know it. Someone just shows up with a trailer and takes them away. I don't think my mom would do that to me but I worry whenever I don't see her. I just can't help it.

But today, I heard Sparky's mom's car drive up and as soon as it stopped, I heard my mom's voice calling my name! I whinnied as loud as I could and raced out to my paddock to see and there she was getting out of the car! I was so happy! I nickered and nickered as she came up to my stall and I could tell she was happy to see me too. She gave me a big hug as soon as she opened the door and petted me and told me how pretty I am and all the things I like. I was so happy to see her I almost didn't care about the hay scraps on the ground.

She gave me a nice grooming - just a short one because Sparky's mom told her to take it easy - and took me out to the Round Pen to play. We played fetch with my rope toy and played the Cone game for a little bit and then she just walked around with me and petted me and gave me cookies. It was pretty nice.

When I got back to my stall, the guys were just moving a new horse in next door to me. That was the stall I used to live in when Coco was in my stall. I was interested. There hasn't been a horse in there since I moved out of it and I kind of miss having a horse on both sides of me. I like having friends and neighbors. This is a boy horse, a big black guy, who used to live up on the hill across from my stall. He's very handsome and seems nice. His name is Solo and I think we're going to be nice friends. We sniffed noses a lot and he was very polite.

I'm a lot more relaxed tonight than I've been in a long time. I get so anxious when my mom's not there. I hope she comes to see me again tomorrow. I don't even care if she exercises me. I just like to see her.

Kind of a dumb day

My mom fell off me today. That's never really happened before. Well, it did one time but that's because I fell down. Today it was because I was being Bad. I guess you could say I bucked her off.

But it wasn't my fault! It was a dumb day all around.

My mom started grooming me and putting my duds on when she got to the barn so I knew we were going to ride. When she started putting my saddle on, I put my ears back and got kind of bitey. That's because I noticed recently that my saddle feels different on my back. It's a little pinchy. I noticed it a couple of rides ago and I know my mom noticed it last time we rode because she always checks the fit when she puts it on. Last time, she spent more time than usual running her hand underneath it and checking it and I heard her tell Sparky's mom that it felt like it might be getting a little tight. Well, it was but it still wasn't too bad.

But today it was just awful! I don't know how I can grow so much in two days but somehow I do it. My mom noticed it right off too. She was concerned when she put it on and then as soon as she mounted, she felt underneath the part over my withers and told Sparky's mom, "This is really tight!" She rode me around a little bit and it was tight and then she asked me to trot and I immediately bucked. I don't like having a saddle that doesn't fit and I'll do my best to let my mom know that it hurts. Sparky was sort of shocked. He told me that he tries to tell his mom more gently than that and won't act up or buck unless she keep riding him over and over with a hurty saddle. Well, I couldn't stand to ride more than once like that!

As soon as I bucked like that, my mom knew that it was bothering me. She made me walk nicely just so I knew that I'm not allowed to misbehave no matter what but then she got off and brought me back to the barn. I was glad. I figured we'd be all done and my dinner hay would come and there'd be no more of this stupid hurting saddle business. Spark had left by this time - his mom took him for a Poop Loop so I didn't even have anyone to be with.

But instead of putting me away, my mom just popped my halter on over my bridle and put my other saddle on me! Well, I was mad! I'd already been ridden and it had been dumb and I'd had enough of it. Plus I was afraid this saddle would hurt too and I was afraid. I've had problems with saddle fit in the past you know, and back then my mom didn't know me well enough to know what I was telling her so I had to put up with it for kind of a long time. So I'm kind of leery about saddles in general.

By the time she got it on me, I was pretty fussy. I even picked up a hind leg and threatened her with it when she asked me to move over so she could tighten the girth! I haven't done that in a long time. She wasn't having any of that though. She immediately yelled at me and slapped me on my butt and made me get over pronto! I did but I was still mad.

She led me out to the Mounting Block and got on and we started riding. The saddle did feel better but I was still in such a bad mood that I hardly noticed. I kept stopping and being fussy and she ended up giving me a crack with her stick thing and that made me even madder. So when she asked me to trot, I kind of pitched a fit.

I stopped, and laid my ears back, and I bounced in place, and I tried to buck, and then I reared. She got really mad then. When I buck, she just makes the Bad Girl noise and keeps on asking but rearing is Really, Really Bad. As soon as I did that (and it was just a little rear), she yelled out, "HEY! NONE OF THAT!" and cracked me a good one. Then she turned me around in small circles and pushed me forward again right into a trot.

Well, I was mad too so my trot was pretty bouncy and unbalanced. I was trotting really fast, with my head up and my back all hollow and I was more jigging than trotting. My mom could barely post to it but there was no way she could sit to it and it was pretty awful but I didn't care. Even so, she made me keep it up around that stupid arena and every time I tried to stop, she'd push me forward and make me keep going.

The whole way, I was trying to get my head down and buck, or bounce sideways, or bolt, but she kept putting her legs on and I couldn't. Finally, I was coming around a circle and I managed to yank hard on the reins and throw a huge buck! I threw up my legs and twisted my body, and as soon as I hit the ground, I did it again! This time, I not only twisted but I twirled too and that was when my mom lost her seat and started going off to the side. She almost stayed on but I jumped sideways again and she just let go and fell to the ground. For a minute, she kept hold of my reins but she'd fallen quite a way away from me and the pressure on my head scared me so I pulled back and she let go. I kicked out with my kicking foot once or twice and then I stood still and just looked at her.

She got up quick and she was mad, though I could tell she was surprised and pleased that I hadn't run off. She picked up my reins and snapped, "What the hell was that?" as she led me toward the Mounting Block. To be honest, I was a little ashamed. I hadn't expected her to fall off. She never falls off, no matter how silly I get. I was just mad and fussy and didn't feel like being Good. But when I saw her on the ground, it made me feel kind of strange. I guess I think of my mom as sort of indestructible.

She lined me up at the block and swung right back on and marched me out to the arena again. Spark and his mom had returned just as she'd gotten up off the ground and Sparky's mom sat on him in the middle of the arena as my mom pushed me right back into a trot. I fussed for just a minute and she immediately whacked me hard with her stick so I broke right into a nice trot. I figured it was maybe time to behave.

She rode me in a circle a few times and then a figure 8 and I was really good. I trotted nicely this time and I could feel she was much happier with the way I was moving. I tried to slow down once as we swung around a corner and she just put her legs on and kicked me hard with her outside foot and I kept on trotting. I knew she meant business. After a few circuits, she asked me to walk and I was glad, figuring she was happy now and we were done but she just walked me for about half a circuit and then asked me to go right back into a stupid trot! I fussed again and started going sideways like I do when I don't want to do something and she just whacked me hard again so I did it. I trotted nice again but she rode me around until I was sweating pretty good. I know she was tired and had the wind knocked out of her but she sure can be pushy!

Finally, she told me to walk again and she let me go up to Spark and stop. She reached down then and pet my neck and told me that I'd been Good so I knew she wasn't mad at me anymore. Then we went on a Poop Loop with Spark and his mom. That was fun, but she did get a little mad at me again because I got sort of foolish going up the hill by Indian's stall. I was still kind of excited about the whole day, plus the hay truck had gone by. Then Spark got kind of ahead of me because of my fussing and I tried to buck and my mom whacked me again and made me go in little circles. So it was kind of dumb.

But then we caught up with Spark and I settled down and we rode down the hill by the manure pile. Spark had already pooped on his first loop so he didn't bother taking his detour. Our moms got off us near Beau's paddock and walked us the rest of the way which I was glad of because I was pretty hot and tired. I'd had a hard workout.

Our hay was waiting when we got to our barn and my mom hosed me off and let me eat while she cleaned and she laughed and talked to me and stuff so I know she wasn't going to stay mad. I wasn't mad anymore either. I know she didn't mean to ride me with a hurty saddle and as soon as she knew for sure it was bothering me, she took it off. I really had nothing to be so fussy about so I feel kind of bad about my behavior.

My mom says the saddle fitter is going to come look at my dressage saddle in a couple of weeks and until then we'll use the old one that fits. I hope he can make it all better because I really do like that saddle and I know my mom does too. The old one is all right but it's not as comfortable as the dressage saddle is when it's fitting right. My mom says that she's going to sell me and buy a horse that her saddle fits instead of having to keep buying saddles that fit her horse, but I know she's just kidding. She'd never sell me because she loves me too much. But I need to stop bucking her off because maybe she will get sick of me if I don't.

I don't have any pictures from today so I'll post one of my nose.

Working hard

I haven't been blogging much lately and that's bad of me. It's mainly because my mom's little box thing isn't working right so I don't have any new pictures to post. I suppose that's pretty silly of me but I just feel funny putting up old pictures.

But I've been having a lot of fun lately and being a really Good Girl so I wanted to blog about it. My mom says I'm really growing up and I guess I am. I feel kind of grown up.

Well, most of the time. A few days ago, I didn't. I don't really know what was going on then. My mom said I was in heat and Sparky said it was my Mare Time and I don't know what any of that means but I was just out of sorts. It was strange. My mom came and got me out of my stall and I suddenly felt really anxious and I nickered to Spark just so I could hear him answer. My mom and Sparky's mom thought that was cute and sweet but they didn't realize how nervous and odd I felt.

My mom saddled me up and took me out to the Flat Arena and we began riding. I was trying to be Good but I just didn't want to do anything but go back to my stall and see my brother. I kept stopping and my mom would push me with her legs and tell me to walk on and eventually I'd go but I wasn't very happy. Finally, when I was way at the other end of the arena, it got to be too much for me and I stopped and whinnied as loud as I could! It wasn't very loud because when I'm scared and lonely, I have kind of a baby type whinny. It's real high pitched and desperate sounding, and my mom thinks it's really cute. So she laughed and petted me to make me feel better, and Sparky answered me which made me feel better too.

I still didn't want to go riding though, and I kept stopping and even tried to turn around and rush home. My mom wouldn't let me do that though. She turned me around and made me go on and even though I wasn't very happy about it, I did it reluctantly. I didn't even buck, or fuss too much and my mom was proud of me for that.

She made me keep working even though I kept whinnying and even though Sparky's mom took him out and put him in the Round Pen and he was running and playing and that made me even more anxious. I thought it was kind of mean of her, and I was a little bit mad, but she did ask me nicely so I did what she wanted me to. I was awfully happy when she said I could stop though and I rushed back to my stall as fast as she'd let me.

Spark was back by then and I had to shove my nose right into his stall and nuzzle him just so I could feel better. He wasn't really sure what my problem was and neither was I but it felt good to be near him again and even when I was back in my own stall, with my things, and my Ball Toy and stuff, I had to keep poking my nose toward him against the bars of the stall. I was kind of In A State. I settled down when I got my food, though.

The next day, my mom didn't come to see me. I thought she might be mad at me because I was so needy before and that made me even more nervous and needy. Sparky's mom came out, and she took Sparky away (he told me later they went for a nice walk around the farm) and I was so upset! I stomped and whinnied and pressed my head against my Ball Toy but they just left me there all alone! It was awful!

When they got back, Sparky's mom felt sorry for me. She even said so. Sometimes Sparky's mom just thinks I'm kind of foolish but she was really concerned about me this time because I was so worked up. She came in my stall and visited me, and petted me, and told me it was all right and that did make me feel a lot better. She even got me a hay snack and cleaned my stall. But I still missed my mom a lot.

My mom did come out the next day though, and she and I took a walk. It was so nice! We walked all around the farm. She let me stop and eat some hay off the ground one time, and we saw lots of horses and stuff. I was really good for her and she walked me on a nice long loose lead almost all the way. Then when we came down the hill by the pasture, I forgot to be good and rushed at some hay on the ground and she got mad and made me back up a lot and yelled at me. I guess I kind of deserved it.

We went around again after that and this time, we went a different way. We went past the Rolling Arena to where the String Horses go out on the Trail and we walked along a little trail through the woods that led to Misty's barn. That was exciting but I was really good about it. Then we went past Cozzie's and down the hill past the manure pile and the pasture and I remembered how to be good so my mom was happy with me.

Today, I felt all better and we rode. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work. My mom got me all ready and then we went out to start working while Sparky's mom was still working on him. There were some Poles out in the Flat Arena and as soon as my mom got on, we started warming up and I wanted to go over the Poles. Well, of course my mom let me because she likes to go over Poles too. It was fun! We walked right over those Poles like they weren't even there! I only tripped over them a couple of times. Then we went to the other end of the arena and my mom worked me on going around corners nicely. We'd started doing these things called Serpentines when Spark and his mom arrived. I got a little Distracted then but my mom pushed me on and told me to pay attention so I did.

Serpentines are kind of fun. What you do is, you go one direction across the arena and when you reach the other side, you make a turn and go the other direction across. You keep doing that over and over again until you get to the end of the arena and then you do them down the other side. It's hard because you have to bend your body just right and then when you do them at a trot, you have to be careful not to get your legs all tangled up.

Spark meanwhile was trotting with his mom and going over Poles and stuff but it was hard to see what he was doing because we were working so hard. We began trotting and it was very exciting and at first I was bouncy and wanted to canter and stuff but my mom made me be good and just trot. That was hard but I did it and I finally kind of settled down and my mom said I was really good about it and trotted nicely.

It was a lot of hard work and I was sweating pretty good by the time we were done. I felt good though because my mom said I'd been good and she let me get close to Spark. He said he and his mom had worked hard too and then our moms rode us out of the arena and toward the road.

Spark got all excited then because he knew we were going to ride a Poop Loop and he suddenly trotted off across the car place and onto the road. Well, that got me excited to and I sort of kind of bucked and tried to bolt and my mom got mad at me and made me go in little circles until I calmed down. I did kind of calm down and then she let me go with Spark and we ended up having a nice ride around the Poop Loop.

Spark does something that I have to tell you about because it's funny and cute. Whenever we do a Loop, when we get to the part by the big manure pile, he gets excited and heads straight for it. He makes his mom ride him along the back side of it or even down the middle part between the two big piles. The first time he did it, it alarmed me because I thought he was gone and stuff but then he appeared on the other side. I didn't know what he was doing but then he told me later that he goes that way because he needs to poop and he figures it makes sense to poop in the manure pile instead of on the road. Well, I'd never think of that but Spark would. He's very tidy.

He did that today too but I knew what he was up to so I wasn't as excited about it. Sure enough, when I got to the other end, here he came walking along perkily as he does. I love my brother. He's lots of fun to do stuff with.

We got a nice dinner tonight and lots of treats. Both our moms were really happy with us and Sparky's mom told him that she's going to ride him in a Show! He's pretty happy about that and I'm excited for him even though I don't really know what it means. But I want to watch and see how it's done. I bet he'll be the best pony in that Show!

Busy days and lazy days

I had a really fun, busy day yesterday with my mom. She came out to see me with Sparky's mom. She got me out of my stall and found some grass hay for a nice snack for me and Spark and then she saddled me up. I'm getting used to working again so I don't get anxious or excited or fussy when she puts my duds on. It's just part of what we do.

She got my wraps all on my legs and got her duds on and then she led me to the Mounting Block and rode me out into the Flat Arena. There was no one else out there which was kind of nice. It's fun sometimes to work with other horses but I do get kind of distracted by them. When it's just the two of us I can really pay attention to what my mom wants and I don't have to be so careful about where I'm going and stuff.

We started out slow like we always do. My mom calls it Warming Up. That means she has me walk around for a while. She says it gets my muscles all loose and relaxed so when we start working hard, I don't hurt myself. She's always careful about me hurting myself because I do seem to hurt myself kind of a lot. She says I'm an Accident Waiting To Happen. I don't know about that but I have had more than my share of scuffs and Stall Rest and I don't want to have any more.

After our Warm Up, she asked me to trot and I bounced right into a trot and then a canter. She didn't mind. She let me canter across the arena, then gently pulled me back down into a trot and had me continue like that. That was okay. I just get kind of excited when we first start working and I need to get some energy out. She seems to understand that so she lets me do some good, fast trotting and a little bit of cantering and that makes me feel really good.

Once I was a little more settled down, she started asking me to do figure 8's at a trot. Figure 8's are fun. That's when you trot around the turn in the arena and then you trot all the way across the middle from one end to the other. When you get to the other end, you go the other way and you do the same thing there. You can do figure 8's for a long time and it's fun because you have to think about the direction you're going and it keeps changing. I like them because it gets boring when you go the same way for too long.

Every now and then, my mom would ask me to go straight instead of turning through the middle for the figure 8 and she'd let me have a canter then. She actually asked me to canter a couple of times instead of me just doing it, and I was so happy about that! I love to canter and now that I'm six, I've learned how to do it better. I don't rush so fast anymore. It seems easier to do so I can just go along at a nice, comfortable pace and I can even canter around the turn without it being hard like it used to. That's because I wasn't very well balanced when I was littler but now I am.

I did get a little over-excited one time when she asked me to canter. I broke into it and then ducked my head down and gave a couple of bucks. It was just because I was happy but it's really not Manners and I felt my mom lose one of her stirrups when I did it. She never falls off me though - she just pulled my head up and stuck her foot back in the stirrup and when I tried to slow down to a walk, she pushed me with her legs and let me know I was supposed to keep cantering, just without the bucking part. I was good then and relieved that I was still allowed to canter. Sometimes I forget my Manners still, even though I'm six.

It was a good ride though. I was a little hot and sweaty when we finished so after she got my duds off, she hosed me off really good and that felt nice. My dinner hay was waiting for me so I ate that while my mom cleaned my stall and filled up my paddock water bucket for me. Then she moved my hay mountain into my stall and put me back in there with it and gave me my beet pulp. But she sat outside my door in her chair for a while so I was able to poke my head out for pets while I ate. I like that.

That was the busy day. Today was the lazy day. The guys had already fed me my hay when my mom got here today so I was busily eating when she came to my stall. She let me keep eating and just opened my door so there was nothing but my stall chain across it. Then she sat in her chair and read a book while I ate. That was nice. I used to be pretty bad if she was sitting like that. I'd get really pushy and even try to bite her and stuff. But now I'm Good and I just softly put my nose near her so she can pet it. It's lots nicer.

After a long time, she got Sparky out and took him to the Round Pen. I whinnied after them because I was kind of jealous and felt left out but I didn't have to worry about it. She let him have a nice roll and a turnout and she cleaned his stall but when she brought him back, she got me out and we went for a walk.

It was so nice. It wasn't a work walk, where I have to walk right along and not put my nose down or anything. It was just a lazy walk and she let me sniff poop and stop and look around a lot. When we got down to the pasture where the Camp horses live, she let me stop for a long time to eat some of the hay that had fallen onto the road there. Then we went on and walked past the Little Rolling Arena, and the Rolling Arena, and then up the hill by Indian's stall. We stopped to say hello to him and he was glad to see me as always. We sniffed noses and nuzzled a lot, then we walked on, up the hill and down the other side, stopping on the way to visit Cozzie.

I was so good on that walk. My mom even told me how nice it was for her to go for a walk with me when I'm all sweet and walk nicely and she doesn't have to work to make me behave and stuff. I liked it too. It was so relaxed and comfy to just be walking along with my mom. I don't even remember why I thought it was fun to be Bad. It's lots nicer to be Good and have nice times.

We just went for that one loop around and then my mom put me back in my stall with my hay. She'd cleaned earlier while I was eating so she got me my beet pulp and got Spark his grain and then she sat and read her book some more. It was a really perfect couple of days, if you ask me.