Funny weather

It rained again yesterday. Sparky tells me that it's not unusual for it to rain during the summer in places like Minnesota where he used to live, but around here it's very odd. It just doesn't happen or if it does, it's just a light rain. More of a heavy fog. But yesterday, it was cloudy and kind of dark and I could tell by the smell of the air that it was going to rain.

I mentioned it to Coco and she agreed. She thought it was funny too but wasn't very concerned about it. Coco doesn't get upset about much - really she only gets upset when my mom takes me out and away from her. She doesn't get as upset about that as she used to. Now that she has a real mom who does things with her, she understands how important it is to have Manners. So she still whinnies a bit but she doesn't go crazy like she used to. She used to pace in and out of her stall, and she wouldn't eat, and she called and called.

I have to admit, I get upset when Coco leaves. That's different, though. Her mom always takes her when my mom isn't there, so I'm left with no one to talk to or visit with except stupid old Mickey and that makes me mad. It's only Manners to wait until I have something to do too. You know, people talk about Manners all the time but they don't seem to have any themselves.

Anyway, yesterday my mom came out with Sparky's mom kind of early which was nice because for one thing, it wasn't raining yet. My mom greeted me like she always does and got me out of my stall so she could clean. I didn't have a real hay snack - she just took some of the oat hay from Spark's stall because he won't eat it at all and she gave it to me. I don't really like that stupid oat hay but I eat it because it's all I have and I have to eat something. It's not very filling though, and it tastes yucky. I know it's not my mom's fault though so I don't complain much to her. I just eat it.

Spark's mom took him to the Round Pen first thing and I could see him running and playing in there. He looked like he was having a good time. I was glad of that. Sometimes it's nice for us to go out together but sometimes we need to just get some real exercise and you can't do that in the Round Pen with two horses. There's not enough room. My mom says that one of these days when she feels better, they'll take us to a bigger arena where we can run really fast together. I'd like that and I know Spark would too. My mom has been sick lately though so she doesn't have enough energy to do too much. She keeps getting these things she calls Sinus Infections and she says it's because her sinus got broken when we had our accident. I don't know what a sinus is but it sounds like it hurts a lot. It makes me feel bad because I know what she means is that I broke it. I didn't mean to though.

Spark looked really happy when he came back from running. It's amazing what a good run can do for a horse. After that, it was my turn and my mom grabbed my lead and we started walking. I quickly ducked my head down as we passed out from under the roof of our barn because there's just a little strip of grass there. I'm so hungry for real food! Normally now I don't try to graze unless my mom tells me I can but with this awful hay, I just can't help it. Sparky says he's been doing the same. He feels bad about it but he just can't help it - he sees a scrap of real hay or a wisp of grass and he just has to go for it.

My mom was understanding about it and she let me eat what I could find there before she pulled my head up and brought me out to the road. Once there, I got a little belligerent because I wanted more. She got stern with me then and I walked pretty well to the Round Pen but when we got close to it, I started pulling toward the dry, brown grass that grows near it. My mom got very strict then and let me know that while she understands, she's not going to let me drag her around. She made me go into the Round Pen and I did but I was a little mad at that point.

By the time she got my halter off and closed the gate though, I was over it. I know she's right and besides, the grass there isn't even worth eating. It was just hopefulness on my part. She let me just trot around and play a little bit, and look for a place to roll but the ground was too hard and I couldn't find a good spot. So she came in and set up my Cones and we did some free lunging.

I was pretty frisky. The cool air makes me feel like running and we've been riding lots lately which means I've only been walking and trotting mostly. So I wanted to run. My mom knew it and let me and I sailed around and around that Round Pen as fast as I could go! It was so much fun! One time, she asked me to change direction and I tried to scoot by her. She didn't let me - she got right in front of me and shook that bag stick at me and I had to turn or run right into her. There was a time when I would have gotten mad and reared and struck at her but I don't even think about that anymore. No matter how mad or scared or fussy I get, I don't ever, ever pick up my front feet off the ground. I've learned my lesson about that. It's Bad Manners and can hurt someone and I'm only allowed to do it when I'm playing with other horses and only when turned out, not under saddle or on a lead rope. It's one of the biggest rules there is.

I had a good run and then my mom and I visited and stuff like we do after a workout. That's one of my most favorite times. She wraps her bag stick up and I know we're done so I can come up to her and whuffle at her and she pets me and tells me how Good I am. Sometimes she gives me a treat. We usually walk around the Round Pen and maybe do some tricks. And she picks up my Cones or we play some Fetch.

This time, I still wanted to roll so even though it was raining by now, she waited patiently while I walked all around to see if there was a good spot. I kept stopping and pawing the ground to see if it was soft enough but even though the surface was loose, it was just too hard underneath. I'm pretty picky about where I roll. I like it when it's nice and soft and I can sink right into it. Sparky's not nearly so picky. He just trots out to the middle of whatever arena he's in and flops down. He's just tougher than I am. Plus he's built differently so he can roll all the way over no matter where he is. I just can't do that. I've only gotten all the way over a couple of times and only in really, really soft places like the two Rolling Arenas.

My mom finally called me over to her and put my halter on. I was a little anxious when we left because I wanted to roll so badly but then she led me to the Flat Arena and I knew she understood. She was just bringing me somewhere I could find a proper spot. I love my mom.

By now it was raining pretty hard but the dirt underneath the very top layer was still dry and I soon found a good deep place. I flopped down and dug my neck into it and rolled and rolled! Oh, it felt good! I can't explain how nice it is for a horse to roll. I just don't know what people might like that would compare to it. We horses can't scratch lots of places on our bodies. We can't reach them. Lots of times we groom each other and that helps a lot but there are still spots that get neglected and a good roll in some nice dirt relieves lots of those itches. Plus it gives us a good stretch. And it's fun.

I popped up from that roll feeling great and we finally got out of the rain. Just in time too, because I was no sooner in my stall than it really started coming down! When it rains really hard, it makes a big racket on the roof of the barn. Some horses don't like that sort of thing but I do. I kind of like noise. The other day, I managed to get hold of the bucket my mom mixes my beet pulp in and I had a good time banging it around until she took it away from me. I like kicking my walls too and rattling my stall chain. Noise is fun.

It rained all night. It was pretty strange for this time of year but I kind of liked it. It makes everything smell so good. Coco says it makes things grow too. Maybe it will make the grass grow. I sure would like some nice fresh grass. Or even some grass hay. Anything other than this stupid oat stuff!

My stupid computer isn't letting me put a picture in right now so I'll have to try again later. I had a really cute one all ready too!

Such an exciting day!

I had a really exciting day today but first let me tell you about yesterday which wasn't exciting at all and in fact was pretty dumb.

I was hanging around in my stall, looking forward to seeing my mom when I heard Sparky's mom arrive. Well, that usually means that my mom is on the way but I waited and waited patiently and no mom. Sparky's mom fussed with him for what seemed like forever and then finally she came and got me.

Well, of course I was mad. She's not my mom and my mom wasn't even there and here she was getting me out. I hadn't had a hay snack and we're still getting that oat hay that I don't really like, so I kind of pulled a little bit and went over to Sparky's stall to see if he had anything good to eat. He didn't, and Sparky's mom was squawking at me and telling me I was Bad just because I was starving to death and looking for food. And then I wanted to visit with Chip and she wouldn't even let me! She's so mean! She never lets me do anything and I try so hard to be Good but she just treats me like dirt!

I really wanted my mom but then Sparky's mom took me to the Round Pen and turned me out with Spark so that was kind of nice. I love Spark but I don't know how he puts up with his mom. She's dumb and she doesn't know anything about horses. She's nice to me when my mom is around but she gets all mean and unreasonable when we're alone.

She brought us both back to our stalls together and I tried to be really good on the lead like I always do. She didn't clean my stall, and she didn't groom me, and she didn't give me a proper dinner... it was a pretty awful day. She just put me in my stall and went off to ride stupid old Sparky.

They rode in the Flat Arena and I watched because I didn't have anything else to do since my mom wasn't there. Sparky was really Good, I have to say, and it looked like fun. He was kind of frisky and was trotting happily and one time he asked his mom if he could canter and she let him and he popped into a nice canter. He told me later that they had a nice ride. I didn't tell him how dumb I thought his mom was. That's not really very nice. He loves her after all.

Today was lots better. My mom came out nice and early with Sparky's mom (who was all nice to me like nothing Bad ever happened yesterday). I was so happy to see her. I whinnied loudly when they drove up and I nickered nicely when she got to my stall. There was stupid oat hay all over the place in there because it tastes dumb and I don't really like it much but she'd brought me a little hay snack with some grass hay and that was so nice! I was nearly starving after all, what with having to eat oat hay and having barely any dinner the day before.

My mom cleaned my stall up and then she groomed me really well and made me all shiny. She cleaned my butt with some nice warm water too. I had kind of a loose poop yesterday afternoon and it sort of dribbled down my backside so my butt and my legs were kind of gross. My mom notices that sort of thing though and she keeps a special bucket and sponge just for my butt. At first I didn't like it at all when she cleaned me like that. It seemed pretty invasive, if you know what I mean, and I'd swish my tail and lift my leg like I was going to kick. But she wouldn't put up with that and now I don't really mind so much. I know she's just trying to take good care of me and keep me from getting infections in my lady parts.

After all the grooming and cleaning, she put my fly spray on and then tacked me up so I knew we were going to ride. We've been riding more and more lately and I like it. She put my Dressage saddle on - we're using that one all the time now. We both love it. Sparky's mom was tacking him up too so I was happy. I love to ride with my brother.

First we rode in the Flat Arena. It was okay. We walked in circles for a while and then Mickey came in with his mom and he did some lunging. It was kind of fun to watch him. I like watching other horses at work. After we got all warmed up, my mom asked me for a trot and I broke into a nice one without even thinking about it. She was really happy about that because it's been a long time since I trotted without fussing about it. Then Sparky's mom asked about riding around the Loop and my mom said okay.

I got excited about it as soon as we got on the road. It's been so long since I rode Poop Loops and it seemed like a real adventure. We rode up the hill near the pasture and I got really fussy and was asking my mom if I could run. I was dancing and prancing and going sideways and instead of getting mad at me and pulling on my reins, she loosened them and pushed me forward so I broke into a big gallop and raced up that hill! My mom was trying to pull me gently down into a trot but I just wanted to go so it was more like a bounce up the hill. It was really fun.

I was still excited when we got to the top and dropped to a walk. I couldn't help it. I was sort of prancing along sideways and my mom was just telling me with her seat to relax and calm down. I was actually getting ready to do it even though there was a big tractor thingy pushing the manure around in the manure pile - it was on the other side of it so you couldn't really see it properly, you could just hear it and that made it extra exciting - but then I saw a bunch of guys on the hills way above walking around and doing stuff and it just spooked the hooves off of me!

I don't know why it made me so scared but it did. They looked so odd up there and all I could really see was their white shirts moving around on the side of the hill. It made me feel funny and shaky and unsure and I suddenly went from being silly and prancy to being really scared. I spooked badly and began backing up, looking for a way to get out of that scary place. I could hardly feel my mom on my back. She was doing her best to calm me, pushing me with her legs to stop me from backing up and talking to me and trying to reassure me. But I was panicked by then, and just wanted to get away and going forward seemed really scary. I backed up until I could sense that I was about to run into things - there were barns and fences and stuff back there - then I bucked a little. I couldn't help it.

My mom didn't get mad. She knew I was scared. She just kept talking soothingly and finally the words, "Whoa, Belly" got through to me and I stopped for a moment. I felt her lean forward then, the way she does when she gets off me and I stood nicely while she did that.

Things were better then because my mom was on the ground with me and she was petting me and letting me know that she wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. Sparky was cheerfully walking along all this time, not the least perturbed, and that settled me down some too. His mom continued to ride along the Loop and my mom led me along with them. I was pretty fussy and silly at first but once I realized that my mom was with me and no one was going to hurt me, I was okay. I still don't really know why I got so scared and I feel a little silly about it but Spark says that horses get scared like that in order to protect themselves in the wild and that it's nothing to be ashamed of. I love Spark. He makes me feel a lot better sometimes.

After that, we had a nice walk around the farm. My mom let me visit with Cozzie for a few minutes which really helped calm me down, and then I visited with Indian too which also helped. They were both sympathetic and said they'd spooked before and it wasn't a bad thing - sometimes horses can't help it. So I felt better. My mom wasn't mad at all and seemed to understand so it was okay.

She hand walked me the whole way around and when we got back to the Flat Arena, she got on again and just rode me one time around it, just to remind me that it was okay to be ridden and that we're a team. I was good there. I'm used to the Flat Arena but I just get excited when we go to places I'm not used to anymore. Then she got off and petted me and took me to my stall and unsaddled me. Coco was just coming back from her ride - her mom had arrived while I was getting groomed and we all got ready to work together. We're all Riding Horses now, after all.

I got a new bed and my mom gave me my beet pulp kind of early. That was nice. I ate it all up with no fuss because I was hungry. I hope we get some good grass hay soon because I'm sick of this oat stuff and so is Spark. He eats even less of it than I do but he at least gets alfalfa in the afternoon.

Observations By Spark

This is my sister Bella’s blog but I asked her if I could do another guest blog because I’ve been reflecting a lot lately and felt like I had a lot to say. Mostly I have been thinking about life; my life and the lives of horses in general. I have a great life, I have the best mom ever, plus my grammy and all my friends, a nice stall, hay, and lots of good stuff. I like the place where I live now but I used to live in a different place. That was Minnesota. There I had the same mom but no grammy, different friends, a different stall, different hay, all of that. That was a great life too but me and my mom came here to be near grammy and Bella.

Sometimes when I’m standing guard in my paddock in the mornings while the rest of the barn naps, I think about that place. I miss the friends I had there: Leiny, Sergeant, Ace, Onyx, especially Treasure. When you’re a horse you don’t get to choose where you live, you just go where your mom says. One day some guys put me in a trailer and that was it, I never went back to that place. It turned out okay because my mom was here and I have Favre and Dooley and Poco and the other guys to be friends with but it was all really scary.

That’s why I don’t like trailers, because usually you get on the trailer and you don’t come back to that home again. Bella says that’s not true. She said when she was just little she went on trailers lots of times to places called the Track and the Training Barn and that she always went back to her same house. I know that a lot of horses go on trailers for shows and things and then come back but I just can’t bring myself to shake the fear.

Another thing that really scares me is water. I drink water and that’s okay as long as it’s not splashy but sometimes my mom wants to put water on me like with a hose or a bucket or cloth or something! I don’t like that at all! I’m not even really sure why, but I just get so frightened when water is around. I try really hard to be good for my mom though, I love her and I trust that she wouldn’t hurt me. She can tell that I’m scared and she goes really slow.

That is one reason I love my mom so much, she knows that there are things that make me nervous or even scare me and she is really sensitive about it. For example I sometimes get really scared when I am tied up and I panic, because of that my mom doesn’t tie me up unless she really has to, usually she just holds my lead rope or just lets me stand loose or with the rope through the stall bars but not tied. Horses in a herd look out for each other so everyone is safe and it makes me feel safe having my mom in my herd.

Horses need to trust and bond, whether it is with other horses or people or dogs or whatever, we just plain need it. A horse all alone is dead. Even if it isn’t dead, it might as well be. I tried to trust a lady before I met my mom. She was different though, she wasn’t a good herd-boss and I knew that she was nervous so I took charge so we would be safe. But it didn’t help. When she rode me she held my head in so tight that it hurt my mouth a lot! I couldn’t even move my neck in a natural way. I fought against it as hard as I could and eventually she just stopped riding me. I was so lonely then and mad and scared too because I was alone and I had no herd. But then my mom came and she was different. At first I didn’t want to trust her because I thought she would hurt me too but she was there every day, talking to me, cleaning my paddock, giving me treats, and over time we became a herd.

Even though I have a really great mom I also really enjoy having my horse friends! It is so nice to be able to run around and play and you can’t do that with your mom. Bella would say that it isn’t Manners. She uses the word Manners a lot and she has learned to be nice to grammy and stuff but she doesn’t know anything about horse manners!

She introduced me to her friend Chip the other day and he reached right out toward my face and nipped at me! I squealed, pinned my ears, and raised a foreleg to put the little upstart in his place, but he and Bella didn’t even notice! I asked her about it later and she seemed to think it was perfectly fine. “He was just nibbling” She told me and kind of shrugged the whole thing off. The polite thing for horses to do is sniff noses, then you should ignore each other by grazing or something for a minute, then you can sniff again and see what happens. Bella and her friends are kind of strange.

Me and my mom have been riding a lot more lately, she says we’re getting ready for a show! We’ve been having a lot of fun and going to a show sounds exciting. She comes to see me every day now and it makes me so happy! I know that my mom is really busy so I understood before when she sometimes didn’t come, but it is so nice to see her everyday. I kind of miss having my special times with just my grammy though, going for rides around the farm and stuff, I really love my grammy, but we still see each other all the time since I live near Bella now. Well time to go outside and enjoy the last of the sun and the cool evening breeze, thanks for reading!

~Spark

I'm a Riding Horse now

My mom and Sparky's mom came out today and my mom had a bucket with a bunch of stuff in it. I was pretty curious but I was also a little busy because she'd brought me out and tied me in front of my stall and I was whuffling around trying to find a decent hay snack. We got some really weird hay this morning. My mom said it was Oat Hay. It was strange. It had kind of thick stems and big flowers on it. The flowers were okay, I guess, but I'm used to my grass hay now. I didn't much like it and left kind of a lot of it in my stall. Sparky didn't eat any of his.

But I couldn't find anything but more Oat Hay outside my stall so I ate some. When that's all there is, that's what you eat. I wasn't that excited about it though so when my mom came with that bucket, I stopped to help her look at the things in it.

There were some sponges. That wasn't really very interesting. Sponges are boring, and they don't taste good. I just kind of gave them a quick sniff and poked my nose toward the bucket to see what else there was. Then she pulled out a funny ring made out of rope. It was about as big around as a bucket, and the rope was thick and braided. On one side, there was a sort of tube of hard rubbery stuff around it, kind of like a handle. My mom told me it was a toy for me and that we were going to use it to play a new game but we never did play with it today. Maybe another time.

Then she pulled out a new bit. She held it up for me to sniff and I did. It smelled good. I don't know if you know anything about bits but they're all different. Some of them are made out of stuff that doesn't really taste very good, and some of them don't taste like much of anything. Some of them taste kind of nice though, and that's the kind I like. I have lots of bits. The first bit my mom used on me was just a regular old snaffle. It had a little bit of a curve to the mouthpiece and it was jointed in the middle. It was an okay bit and I liked it well enough, but it didn't taste like anything and sometimes I was a little fussy with it.

Then my mom got me a snaffle with a little piece in the center of the joint. She called it a French Link. I liked that better. It didn't pinch the roof of my mouth like the other one sometimes did, and the link was fun to play with. It still didn't taste like anything much but I liked it fine.

Later my mom got me a different bit. That one tasted really good. It had just one link again, but it had these neat little rolling things made out of a tasty metal - my mom called it Copper. That confused me because I know a horse named Copper and it seemed really strange to make a bit out of him. Besides, I could still see him in his pasture when I went that way, and he isn't made of metal anyhow. Finally Sparky explained to me that Copper is a type of metal and lots of bits have it. His does and he likes it too. So I felt less confused and was able to enjoy the taste of the bit then.

I liked that bit a lot but it wasn't curved like my other bits were and that felt kind of funny. It laid against my tongue too much or something so while I liked the taste, and played with the Copper roller things a lot, I also didn't like the way it felt sometimes. When my mom started riding me again just recently, she put my French Link bit back on. And that's what we've been using until today when she put my new bit on my bridle.

It's really pretty and you can see it in the picture I used. It's black and my mom calls it Sweet Iron. It tastes really, really good and it has little bits of Copper in it too that make it taste even better. The sides don't pinch my mouth at all which can sometimes happen with a bit, and it's curved so it's really comfortable. I just love that bit! When my mom first put it on me, I mouthed it and mouthed it a lot getting used to it, and by the time she got on my back, I had my head down low and I was just enjoying it. My mouth got all wet and slobbery which felt nice, and the bit was really soft in my mouth.

We had fun riding today. Sparky didn't come with us because his mom was cleaning his stall and later she was giving him a bath which he didn't like at all. Spark's kind of funny that way. He hates the water. Not to drink. I don't mean that. Horses have to drink water after all. But he hates having water hosed on him, or even sponged on if it's splashy. He gets all scared and nervous and stuff and tries to get away from it. I don't know why. I like to get hosed off when it's hot and baths are kind of fun. And even if I don't really feel like it, I don't mind getting washed. It's just water. It doesn't hurt. But Sparky won't listen to me when I tell him that. He says I don't understand. Well, he's right. I don't.

But anyway, that's why he wasn't riding with us but that was okay because two other horses were. We rode in the Flat Arena and Sparky's mom took a break from cleaning to bring that box thing along and point it at me. My mom had groomed me all up, and put my wraps on, and a pretty red saddle pad, and my new dressage saddle, and my pretty rope reins. Also, one of the things she brought today was a new head bucket thing for her so she was looking all pretty too. So I felt good and it was kind of fun to be out with other horses.

I didn't forget to be Good though. I'm six now, and a Big Girl, and when you're Big, you have to be good and listen to your mom. So I didn't buck or bolt or get silly - I just tried to do what she wanted me to do. First we just walked around which was okay but a little bit boring. I was having a good time looking at the other horses though. One of them was a big bay who was doing all kinds of fancy stuff like Kia used to do. He'd trot along all squashed up with his head pulled in and his back legs right under him, then he'd go across the arena the long way and stretch his legs right out like he was flying. It was pretty to watch. Then he'd go almost sideways for a while - I can do that but my mom usually tells me not to.

I wanted to go fast too so I kind of told my mom and she told me I could if I wanted. So I broke into a trot and she let me go kind of fast. It was fun! I was sort of surprised at that because I've had the idea that trotting is dumb. Maybe it's because I'm six now, or maybe it's because I have a new saddle, but whatever it is, I decided that trotting wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was. I didn't do it too long because I got kind of excited and didn't know what to do so I stopped. But my mom petted me and told me I was a Good Girl so we got going again and after a while I trotted some more.

It was really fun. One time I sort of bounced in a silly way instead of breaking into my trot nicely but Mom let me know I needed to just go forward and I did. Then another time I broke into a canter instead but she gently pulled me back into a trot so that was okay. I think she was proud of me though. Even with other horses in there trotting and cantering, I paid attention to her and behaved myself.

After we were done, she put me in my stall and cleaned my paddock while I ate my dinner hay. I was happy to get real grass hay this time and enjoyed it a lot. And my mom opened up my duds closet to put things away so I got to sniff all my stuff which I love to do. Best of all, she'd bought me a new stall snack and had hung it in my stall so I have something to munch on this evening. I love my life! I'm a really happy horse.

Lots going on

Things have been different since Spark moved in nearby. For one thing, his mom comes out every day now which is really nice but kind of dumb. It's nice because I know Spark likes to see his mom and I like to see her too but it's dumb because lots of times she comes without my mom and then Spark has his mom and I don't have any mom at all. She always says hi to me and usually gives me a treat and that's nice but then she goes and sits with dumb Sparky and I have to be alone.

I don't like that part and I get mad and plunge around my stall sometimes and finally when I'm all over being mad and I'm just sad that I don't have a mom there, I go and rest my head on my ball toy and just stand there. Somehow that makes me feel better.

But always, just when I'm feeling like my mom will never come, I hear her car! And that's the best part of the day because then she calls my name and I whinny happily and hurry to my stall door to see her. And she opens it up and greets me and gives me lots of pets and tells me how Good I am and then things are all better.

Things have been busy too. We've been working a lot and not just on one thing. We've been working on lots of things and it's been fun and exciting. One thing we've been working on is doing stuff in the Flat Arena with me in my halter and lead. My mom leads me around and she doesn't let me roll, or sniff poop, or anything fun which is pretty dumb and boring. Then she makes me stand nicely and she fusses with my feet trying to get me to stand square (that's what she calls it but I don't know what that means. I'm NOT square, after all). Then I have to just stand there, like a bump on a log. It's really dumb.

Sometimes Sparky and his mom are with us and he does the same things. Sometimes they set up a Cone in the arena and then our moms will have us trot toward the Cone and stop at it. I like that part. It's exciting to trot in hand (that's what it's called, you know) and I usually start off trying to gallop and doing a lot of head tossing and even a little striking out, just because I'm excited. But my mom tells me I'm not allowed to do that and so I settle down and start trotting nicely. Stopping at the Cone is easy - I know how to stop at Cones, after all.

Then my mom will ask me to pivot or back up or something. I don't mind that stuff. That stuff is fun but the standing part is so dumb! We're doing all this because my mom is going to bring me in a Show. I don't really know what that is either. I asked Sparky, because his mom is bringing him too, and he said it's when you have to be really Good and do what your mom tells you to, only it's with other ponies and lots of people are watching. Well, that's just the sort of thing Sparky would say. He's always on about how you have to be Good and do what your mom says. So I'm not sure if that's what a Show is or not.

It sounds kind of dumb if that's it but Kia used to go to Shows all the time and Mickey does too. In fact, Mickey sometimes gets these interesting cloth things that his mom hangs on his door and he says they're things he's won at the Show. I try to eat them when I get a chance because they're so soft and silky, they seem like they'd taste good.

I know I have to be Good for my mom whether we're in a Show or not because it's just Manners but I hope it's not so much standing still as it seems.

Other things we've been doing are more fun. Like the other day, my mom took me in the Round Pen and we played the Cone Game only we played it at a fast trot! That was so much fun! I was a little surprised at first when my mom told me to stop while I was trotting but once I realized what she wanted, I was excited to play. It was lots of fun to get going at a really quick trot and then have to stop really quick. Then I'd go again and before I knew it, I'd be at the next Cone and it would be time to stop again. My mom was really proud of me. She says I'm the smartest horse she ever met.

After we finished doing that, we walked around to pick up my Cones and my mom started teaching me a new game called Fetch. She showed me a Cone, then she tossed it a little ways and said "Fetch!" When she said it, she hurried toward it and I followed and she put her hand down near it and I poked my nose on it and she told me how Good I am and gave me a cookie. So I knew that's what she wanted. She kept throwing it and saying that word and every time she did, we'd go to the Cone and I'd reach for it. I even lipped at it one time and she got very excited and happy about that, petting me and praising me. It was lots of fun. I love learning new games and I can't wait to play that one some more.

That was yesterday and one thing happened that really made my mom proud. I had a loose shoe and when we first got in the Round Pen, I started running around really fast because I was pretty frisky. My mom had hosed me off because it was hot and the water felt good on me and made me ready to run. But as soon as I began running, that darn shoe started clinking and flapping around. It was really annoying but I was so frisky, I didn't care. My mom didn't like it though and she quickly put her stick down and asked me to whoa.

I didn't want to but she did ask, so I trotted up to her in the middle of the Round Pen and she petted me and told me I was really Good. Then she went to my back foot and picked it up to look at the shoe. The darn thing was hanging half off - I'd sort of torn it off one side and my hoof was pretty messed up from it. It was way too loose to stay on but it was still pretty tight on the other side. Mom pulled on it and wiggled it, trying to loosen the nails. It took some time but she managed to get that side loose enough so she could get it off.

The whole time she was messing with it, I stood perfectly still. She was so happy with me and I was pretty proud of myself too. It's not easy for me to stand still anyway, and I was pretty rowdy, and I was loose in the Round Pen so for me - really for any horse - to stand so nicely while someone was yanking their shoe off is pretty impressive. I got lots of cookies later for that.

Today wasn't quite as hot, and my mom and Sparky's mom came to the barn together, and they came kind of early so it was really nice. They took us out and groomed us in the aisle and then began saddling us up. I love having Sparky two stalls down. It's so fun. We can see each other all the time, and our moms can fuss with us at the same time, and we get to be in the aisle together.

My mom put my new Dressage saddle on me but since Sparky's mom was riding him, she couldn't use his girth on me. She's been using it because this saddle has shorter billets than my other one and my girth is just a little too small. But she got it on me today, even though I got a little mad because she had to really pull. It wasn't too tight - I just always puff up a little when I get saddled. All horses do that. We can't help it.

But it was okay and I do like my new saddle. It doesn't cover my shoulders at all and I like that. My other saddle is okay, and it does fit me, but I don't like the way it feels to have a saddle touching my shoulders. It makes them feel like I can't move them very well. This one makes me feel like I can really step out and go forward.

Our moms rode us up to the Gremlin Arena. I was pretty good until we got to the Rolling Arena, then I started jigging a bit going up the hill. I couldn't help it. I was excited to be out and riding. I kind of expected my mom to tighten up the reins and make me walk but instead she kept them loose and pushed me forward with her legs. That made me straighten out and I sort of did a slow trot up the hill. She didn't mind that - it was only when I bounced or went sideways that she corrected me and only but pushing me forward. So by the time we got to the Gremlin Arena, I was ready to trot.

As you know, I generally don't like trotting under saddle. It's always seemed pretty dumb. And in fact, I did try to canter instead when my mom let me know I could go forward faster than a walk. But she didn't let me, instead sitting down and slowing me and then trying again. The first time, I trotted sort of diagonally across the arena and it wasn't very pretty but to my surprise, I wanted to do it. It used to be that when she asked me, I'd just move sideways and resist. But now I want to.

I think a lot of it is the saddle. Back when I had a saddle that didn't fit, it pinched my shoulders and even though my other saddle doesn't do that, I get anxious when I feel it touching me there. But my Dressage saddle doesn't do it at all so I don't even think about it. Also, I think me and my mom kind of know each other better now. It used to be that when I started trotting, she sometimes jerked my mouth. Not on purpose and not all the time but I think she sometimes felt like I was a little out of control.

Now she feels like she understands me better and I trust her more. I think she likes the saddle a lot too, because she feels more balanced on my back. So we're working better together and that's a good thing. All in all, we had a nice time today and we trotted lots of times. Sparky was good too and had a fun ride with his mom. And it was fun to be riding with him too.

Our moms hand walked us back down to our barn. I was hot and sweaty and our moms sponged us off with cool water and this stuff called Vetrolin that smells really good and makes my muscles feel nice. They left us with a hay snack and I had a nice nap after that.

Later though, my mom came back. It was just about time for the hay truck and I heard it coming but I also heard my Shoe Man's truck. That was good, I thought, because I needed a shoe on that back foot. I was happy to go over to the Shoe place but I was surprised to see a different Shoe Man! I think it must have been someone in the family though because he kind of smelled like my Shoe Man. He was lots younger though so I think he might have been his colt.

Well, I didn't like that much. I'm used to my Shoe Man and he's used to me. This guy was nice I guess, but he did things different and I don't like different. Also he didn't work as fast so he held my feet forever and I got sick of standing on three legs. I have to admit I was kind of bad. I didn't kick or bite or anything, but I did try to pull my feet away when I got sick of standing there and I got very fussy towards the end. My mom finally had to really smack me. But I got through it and I have nice new shoes now so that's good. And my mom put me away and gave me my beet pulp and my hay was waiting and it's cooler out so all that is good.

I can't wait to see what we'll do tomorrow!

Exciting News!!!

Lately Spencer hasn't been in his stall. That's not really unusual. Sometimes horses go places like to Shows and things. I don't really know what a Show is but I know Mickey goes to them and Kia used to. They sometimes go for days and then they come back and everything is the same as it always was. I used to get upset when Kia left and then she left for good one time so that was pretty upsetting but then Coco moved in and it was all right again. I still miss Kia sometimes but Coco is nice so that's okay.

Anyway, the other day Sparky's mom came to the barn with my mom which wasn't unusual, but she went into Spencer's stall and was fooling around in there and that was unusual. My mom and I hung out together and she cleaned my stall and then she put my new dressage saddle on me and she rode me in the Flat Arena. I felt pretty grown up out there with my mom in my new duds. We stopped by the glass thing out there that my mom calls a mirror and I could see what we looked like. I used to think it was another horse that I was seeing but one time I stepped right up to it and poked at the horse with my nose and it was just a hard, flat thing that didn't smell like horse at all. Eventually I figured out that somehow it was showing what me and my mom looked like. I don't know how but I could tell it was my mom and so it must be me. So now I know what I look like which was kind of strange at first because you don't really think about what you look like except when someone says you're pretty. But I really am pretty and in my dressage saddle with my mom on my back, I look like a big girl.

Sparky's mom took a break from whatever the heck she was doing in Spencer's stall and she sat in a chair in the Flat Arena and watched me and my mom work. It was kind of fun. We just did some work walking and practicing going where my mom tells me to and stuff like that. It was nice and I liked it. My mom said I was a Good Girl and when she brought me back to my stall, she petted me lots and gave me some good cookies.

Then she and Sparky's mom got into my mom's car and they left. I wasn't too worried. She hadn't fed me my beet pulp yet but I figured they were just going to go clean Spark and they'd be back. They were but it was only my mom in the car and she parked near Spencer's stall and started pulling all kinds of stuff out of the car. She had brush boxes and saddles and bridles and all kinds of horse stuff. And then here came Sparky's mom walking down the hill leading Spark!

I was glad to see him and nickered politely. His mom tied him up outside Spencer's stall and gave him a little hay snack and my mom gave me one too. Then they fussed around with all that stuff and by and by put Spark in the stall! Spark didn't mind. There was some hay in there and he just does whatever his mom tells him to without getting upset. I would have been upset. I don't like going in strange stalls with different horses next to me. When I moved into this stall, I was pretty wound up and I kept whinnying for my friends. But Spark settled right in nicely and when the hay truck came, the guys gave him some hay just like they do the rest of us. And he stayed there all night!

The next day, my mom came out and the first thing she did was take me out of my stall and lead me over to say hi to Spark. That was nice. My mom understands that horses need to talk things over. I poked my head in the stall and we sniffed noses and I asked Spark if he was living there now. He said he guessed he must be because his mom had put him there and she'd put all his things behind the door in his stall.

That's your duds closet, I told him. He doesn't know about duds closets because he's never had one. All his duds went in a tack box before but a tack box is different from a duds closet. He seemed happy to know what it was and we nuzzled each other a lot and were happy because we're brother and sister and we love each other and now we can see each other all the time and visit even though he's not right next to me. Coco is in between us but that's okay because I can see him and even smell him from my stall, through the windows when I'm inside and across the paddocks when I'm outside. In fact, the picture I used today is of Sparky in his paddock and it was taken from my paddock so you can see how close we are. I like the way he looks in it - he's looking over the fence because his mom had just arrived.

Coco was mad the whole time we were visiting. She kept charging at the bars of the stall and baring her teeth at Spark and telling me I wasn't allowed to talk to him. I tried to tell her that it's okay because he's my brother but she's awfully bossy sometimes and thinks I'm her foal. And Raz is kind of upset about Spark being there because he sometimes thinks he's a stallion (Raz not Spark) and he gets upset and squeals a lot. I think they'll be friends after a while though because Spark is so nice to everyone. Raz is friends with Chip so I think he'll make friends with Spark - he just needs to get to know him. And Coco will get used to him. He loves mares and he's very respectful of them.

When we had finished visiting, my mom brought me back to my stall and began cleaning. Spark's mom came pretty soon and she had a Dog with her. It was a pretty cute dog and I got to sniff noses with it which was fun. I've always wanted to meet a Dog but I've never been able to get close enough to one.

One funny thing I forgot to mention about the first day Spark moved in - his mom went out to the pasture and got Dooley and brought him over to Spark's stall to have some dinner. Our moms often take care of Dooley - he's really like a member of our family and we all love him. After everyone had finished eating, Sparky's mom grabbed Dooley's lead and opened the stall door to take Sparky out so they could have a turnout together. But Dooley just walked right into the stall and Spark didn't want to leave while Dooley was in there so she finally just let them both loose in the stall and closed the door! It was so funny! There was hay in there and everything but Spark didn't mind Dooley being in his stall because Dooley is his best friend in the world. They just walked around and Spark showed him the paddock, and the water bucket, and his duds closet. I don't think I'd like to have anyone else in my stall with me. There wouldn't be room for one thing, but both Spark and Dooley are small and compact so they fit better than us Thoroughbreds. Me and Chip would probably take up a lot of room in a stall together.

So now my brother is my neighbor for the first time ever and I really like it a lot! He was kind of my neighbor when he was in the pasture but not really because I couldn't see him all the time. Now all I have to do is look up and there he is. I like that.

Work

It's been kind of a while since I posted. That's mostly because I've been so busy Working. Us riding horses do have Jobs, you know, and this is the time of year when we get busy. It's not easy being a Riding Horse. I've been carting my mom around a lot lately, and remembering how to behave under saddle which is a lot of work. So you'll have to excuse me if I've been a little lax in my blogging.

We've mostly been riding in the Round Pen which is okay but kind of boring. You can't do much in a Round Pen after all, except go around and around. I don't mind really, and I do tend to learn a lot in there but sometimes it gets sort of stupid. My mom doesn't usually ride me every day - she tends to change it up with some free lunging or sometimes she puts my saddle and bridle on and lunges me on a line. When she does that, she sometimes rides me after and sometimes she doesn't. So I'm never sure just what we're going to do. Even though I like to have a routine, I don't mind that. It's still a routine because I'm getting out and doing something.

One day my mom rode me around the farm. That was pretty fun. We haven't done that in a long time. First she groomed me really well. Then she brought out my new Dressage saddle. I had to sniff it all over because I'm not used to it yet. I thought she was going to put it on me but she just set it on my back and checked the way it fit. Then she took it off and got my other saddle. Well, I had to sniff that one very carefully too just to make sure it was really mine. I'm pretty curious and kind of picky about my duds. I like to examine them and my mom lets me. I think that's nice of her.

Anyway, she saddled me up and put my wraps on and then she walked me to the mounting block near the Flat Arena. I knew then that we were going to do something different because when she rides me in the Round Pen, she gets on me in there. I was a Good Girl while she got on. It's easy to stand still near that mounting block because there's a big bush that grows right there and I like to nibble on it while she mounts. She doesn't really mind although she sometimes pulls any extra big pieces of bush out of my mouth once she's on.

She asked me to walk on and I did and she rode me right out onto the road and off we went. It was nice. The sun was shining and it was a pretty day. There were horses in the pasture on one side of me and more horses in the little small pastures on the other side. I was interested in everything because it had been so long since I'd gone that way. My mom has hand walked me around the farm but it always seems like it's different when she's on my back. I don't know why.

I wanted to stop a lot and look around but my mom made sure I paid attention to her and kept moving. That's pretty hard. When you're a Riding Horse, you have to remember that it's your Job and you're not allowed to just poke along or stop all the time. People don't like to ride like that for some reason. They'd rather hurry along in a straight line which isn't really natural for a horse. Horses like to take their time and they like to browse which means they're poking along with their heads down, smelling things and maybe eating as they go. It's just not natural to move the way people like to move.

But when I'm being ridden, my mom is the one in charge so I tried pretty hard to be Good. I did really well up until we got to the Little Rolling Arena, then I got a bit excited. That part of the road is always exciting. I'm not sure why. There's something about the way those kids jump on and off the big horses that just makes me bouncy. So I started to get a little fussy and began to dance and trot along sideways and stuff.

My mom talked to me quietly and worked with her seat to calm me down but I didn't want to calm down and kept fussing. I even gave a couple of little half-bucks as we went past the Rolling Arena. It was Bad and I knew it, but I wanted to bounce or run so badly, I couldn't help it. My mom knew it, and while she wouldn't let me get out of hand, she did let me begin trotting slowly up the hill once I was straightened out.

It helped a lot. Sometimes a trot is just what a horse needs. It's funny because as you know I'm not a big fan of trotting much of the time but somehow when it's my idea, it seems just fine. I guess I'm sort of silly that way but at any rate, by the time I got to the top of the hill, I was ready to walk and felt much better. At that point, Mom got off me and praised me a lot for being so good. Then she hand walked me back to my part of the farm and got on my again. We finished up by riding around closer to where I live and that was nice. I was less bouncy and able to pay attention better, and we had a good time practicing stuff. It was a nice change.

We've done other stuff too. One day I got to go out in the Round Pen with Sparky. That was really fun. It's been a while since we were able to play together and we had a good time playing some bite-face and running around together. We did some sniffing and squealing - that's always fun - and Spark pretended to be a herd boss and bunched me for a little bit. I don't really like being bunched but Spark enjoys doing it so we make a game out of it. That makes it a lot nicer. I love Sparky after all.

We've also been doing some lunging on the line, and sometimes with my saddle on. It's a lot of hard work being a riding horse and now that the weather is getting better, we get to work more. That's okay. I like to work and get out and see my friends and stuff. It's fun.

More yucky rain

It sure has been raining a lot. It doesn't seem like it usually rains at this time of year. I kind of remember it as being nice and hot and stuff, though with flies. I am glad the flies aren't really out yet. That's the one good thing. But I'm kind of sick of rain. I like to stand around in my paddock and doze in the sun and there hasn't really been much sun for dozing. And it's not that fun to stand and doze in the rain.

My mom and I have been riding more, though. It's been pretty fun, I guess. She rides me in the Round Pen. It's funny - my mom used to ride me quite a lot but I've sort of forgotten how to do things. It's been a long time since we rode together after all, and I wasn't ever that good at it. Now though I have a better idea of what she means when she asks me to do stuff because we've done a lot of it with me loose and her just on the ground with me. Like backing up. I love to back up. I don't know why, I just do. It's easy, for one thing, and my mom always tells me I'm a Good Girl and often gives me a cookie when I do it.

When she got on me that first day, one of the things she asked me to do was back up. I knew just what she wanted because she said the words the same way she says them when she's on the ground. She says, "Back up," and you can't really mistake that for anything else. She also held my reins so that I was kind of whoa'd - not pulling back on them but not letting them loose like she does when she wants me to go forward. At the same time, she leaned a little bit forward and squeezed with her legs. All those signals told me she wanted me to go, but not to go forward. And I knew she wanted me to go backward because she said so.

I backed right up without any hesitation at all. She was so happy with me! I guess a lot of horses aren't real happy about backing up. I don't know why. Sparky says it's because he doesn't know if there's anything dangerous behind him but I know my mom would never ask me to back up toward something dangerous! That would just be silly. I don't think Spark doesn't trust his mom - in fact, I know he does. He just tends to think like a Pasture Horse - always on the lookout. He kind of thinks of his mom as someone he has to take care of, like he used to take care of the other Pasture Horses. But I don't think that way. I look at my mom as someone who takes care of me.

One thing I still don't like to do though is trot. I don't mind trotting when I'm lunging but as soon as my mom is on my back, I just don't like it. I'm not even sure why. She asked me to trot the second time we rode in the Round Pen. I knew what she wanted. We'd been walking and I'd gotten more and more comfortable with it, swinging along at a nice walk around and around. She was moving to the rhythm of my walk which felt nice and we were just enjoying it together. Then I felt her put a little more energy into her seat. I don't know how else to describe it. I could tell by the way she sat that she wanted me to go faster and I could feel myself responding to it with a more animated walk. Then she put some leg pressure on and I knew she wanted a trot.

Immediately, I got all tensed up. I started drifting into the center of the Round Pen and I slowed right down and began swishing my tail. She patiently steered me with her seat back to the rail and continued to apply pressure but I was so unhappy about it. I didn't want to trot. Finally I did but it was bouncy and off balance because I was so tensed up. She tried to post quietly to it and keep her hands still but my head was bobbing all over the place and I finally stumbled and lurched and went back to a walk. It was sort of a disaster.

It's not that it hurts. It doesn't. I think maybe I'm remembering how it did hurt one time. Back when my mom first brought me home, she was using a saddle on me that fit at first but soon didn't. She didn't realize it though and kept riding me and I got more and more uncomfortable. I started trying to tell her by resisting and being bad but she didn't get it at first. When she finally did, she got me a new saddle and had a Saddle Fitter man come out and make sure it fit me right and it does. And she had the Carrot Doctor come make my back feel better too. I still remembered how the other saddle had hurt though and I didn't like to trot. Then I hurt my leg and I had to be on Stall Rest and then I hurt my mom and she had to be on Stall Rest, or whatever people call it, and then I wasn't ridden for a long time and now I don't want to trot. I guess it's kind of silly.

We didn't ride today though. She did, but I didn't. I was in my stall when I heard Sparky's footsteps outside so I looked out my window and there was my mom riding by on Spark! She does sometimes ride him, you know. I whinnied at them and they both said hello to me. I didn't mind. I know my mom loves Spark too and he likes to go riding.

Sure enough, a while later she came to play with me. I was happy to get out because I hadn't yesterday. Sometimes my mom can't come out to see me. It's because of her Job. I figured out how the days work so I wasn't too concerned. You see, on certain days, the guys leave shavings outside my stall. They leave a bag of shavings on one day and on that day, my mom usually doesn't come out. Then the next day, there's no shavings and she comes. The day after that, they leave more shavings and she usually comes out kind of early. She calls that a Day Off. The next day, no shavings and she comes around hay time. The day after that is another Day Off when she comes early and I don't get shavings. Then the next day, they bring another bag of shavings and I get fed early in the afternoon, sometimes before my mom even gets there. That's because different guys do the feeding on that day. Mom calls them the Weekend Guys.

On the day the Weekend Guys feed, there are usually lots of people at the barn. It's like that the next day too. On that day, I don't get shavings and she comes out at the usual dinner time. Then the next day is back to the beginning, with me getting shavings and my mom not coming to see me.

I like that I can keep track of things like that. I do like a routine and I get anxious when I don't have one. Yesterday actually wasn't the usual day she doesn't come - it would have been the day before when I got shavings. But on that day, she did come out so I wasn't surprised when she didn't the following day. There's almost always one day she misses. I don't mind too much. My stall doesn't get that dirty now that I know how to poop outside and I don't have to go out every day. I do miss getting my beet pulp that day though. But I survive.

Anyway, today I was happy to see her and ready to get out. Because we've been riding more, I haven't had a chance to run lately so I was happy when she just led me to the Round Pen and slipped off my halter. As soon as she came in with the whip, I was ready to go and I took off running! I ran and ran, sometimes digging in my heels and going really fast! It was exciting and fun and by the time I was done, I was snorting and bouncing. I sort of danced up to my mom and put my face in her chest to say thanks. She always seems to know when I need to go fast.

Then we played for a while. She dragged the whip around in the dirt while she walked ahead of me and I tried to pick it up with my teeth. One time, I managed to but when I shook my head, the bag on the end hit me right in the face and it scared me half to death! I dropped that thing and shied halfway across the Round Pen and I'm afraid I stepped on my mom's foot when I did it. I didn't mean to - I was just startled. Luckily, I didn't step on it hard and she laughed about it.

We also played some games where she asked me to move a certain way and I had to figure out how. First she asked me to back up and that was easy. Then she asked me to move my front end away from her. I've done that before so I figured it out quick enough. Then we did the same with my back end. All of that is easy. I'd learned it before when she taught me by holding up her hand against the part she wanted me to move. Now she does it with her body - she moves toward the part she wants me to move and I have to move away from her. It's a little harder but I'm getting it.

Then she did a really hard one. She walked alone with me at her shoulder the way I always walk with her. Then instead of walking straight, she began walking forward but also sideways toward me. I wasn't sure what to do at first. It didn't seem like she wanted me to turn. Finally, I started stepping forward and sideways myself and she was so happy with me! I guess I did the right thing because she gave me a cookie and everything.

She was also happy with the way I'm stopping with her now. I'm supposed to stop right at her shoulder, in the same place I stay when we're walking. When we first started doing that, I'd sometimes take a couple of extra steps before I stopped and she'd ask me gently to back up until I was in the right place. Now, I almost always stop right with her but if I accidentally take an extra step or two, i back up without her telling me until I'm where I should be. She really likes that, I can tell. I like it too. I like being smart and getting the rules right. It's fun.

After my turnout, we went back to my stall and she gave me a nice hay snack while she cleaned. I was just finishing the hay snack when the hay truck came so then I had a whole big pile of hay! Then when my mom was done, I had a clean stall and a new bed and my paddock was all clean too. It was a good day all around.