A Humbug

WHAT?!?  It's Almost Christmas?



I'm just not in the mood yet.



The snow has just now arrived and the season has caught me unprepared... must run! 
Lots to do!



May the peace and joy of the holiday season be with you...



More Old Photos 2006

Not much going on around here as we wait out the dreary weather.  We hope everyone of our Blogger friends is high and dry.

 

 

I came home to NY when I had just turned two years old.  After a couple of "get to know you" rides, while I still remembered my lessons, my shoes were pulled, and for the next year or so I did a lot of not much.

 

The summer I was three, my aunt Holly began to work with me.  One day she called Brita and said "You have to come and try this grey horse.  He's so smart.  You would really like him"

 

I began my lessons again.  I started with some light chains on my hind ankles learning how to rack like a five gaited horse.  The chains tickle and made me quicken my step behind which is usually just enough to break up the 1-2-1-2 beat of a trot.

 

But it didn't really work.  I could do it a little, but I never really got the hang of it.

But I've been known to slip into the rack now and then when I'm all hot and bothered and have run out of better ideas to try.....

Old Photos

I was just looking through old photos and thought you might enjoy some of me as a two year old.

 

Doing my best to attract a new owner at Tattersalls Saddlebred Sales April 2005.  I had just turned two in January and had learned my lessons well.  I preformed steadily in front of the crowd and was flashy enough that the journalist covering the event took my picture.

My new family took me out behind the sale barn to have a good look at me in the sunshine.  Sadly that historic sale barn beside the Red Mile no longer exists. 



Just off the trailer and happy to be home after my long ride from Kentucky

One month later posing in the New York springtime.  Just look at that long black mane.  So many adventures to come....

The Autumn Leaves

 

Autumn in New York is indescribably beautiful.  It cannot be captured on film and relayed to you in square inches.

 

 

And this is the most perfect autumn we've ever seen. 

The air is dry and warm, but the breeze fresh.

The colors are brilliant and at their peak this week. 

The sky is crystal blue and the grass is brilliant green.

The atmosphere is so clear that the colors are intensified. 

 One tree, more radiant than the others will stand out against a sea of greens and then shift and become commonplace again.

The afternoon sunlight highlights one thing and then the next.  It is hard to know where to look lest you miss some brief and irretrievable beauty.

 

The cornfields are cut leaving territory, long occupied, open again.  The wind rustles the dried leaves left behind and makes me skittery and playful.  I could leap away at any moment, not from fear or ill will but for the joy of it.

 

 Our rides are too glorious not to share. Wish you were here.

Me, I'm all about grabbing some forbidden red clover while no one is watching.

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold....

 

 

Air Conditioning

 

She clipped my chest and sides so I won't sweat.  I admit it feels better not to sweat, but I'm afraid to look in the mirror.  Is it bad?   It is isn't it?

Oooo my ear itches.

Oh Deer

Ummm... hello?

Why are you not moving?

Hey buddy, are you OK?

Obviously something is amiss.

Nudge...

 

Geez... it's fake isn't it?  Ppfffttt.

The Pony Problem

P is for Pony

I have a Pony Problem.  Lately this place has been just lousy with ponies.  They're everywhere.  In the barn.  In my paddock.  In my way.

 

First there was Bubbles.

 Her job is to babysit the yearling.  Some days she likes me.  Other days, she bites.  She drew blood on my soft grey nose.  She is moody and unpredictable.  Therefore I regard her with caution.

 

 

 

The came Patriot.  "Pat" for short.  He is a dignified sort of fellow.  I don't mind having him around.  He's quiet and well behaved.  He does not bite noses.

 

 

Patriot is a Hackney.  Mom bought him to loan to the Amish children.  But he didn't want to be an Amish pony, so he came here to live and everyone likes him.

 

The other day some little pink people came to visit.  I'm afraid of little pink people.  So they visited everyone but me!  They petted the chickens, and the petted Face-Off.  They did not pet ME!

Apparently Little Pink People are a pony specialty. Next thing I knew, the whole crowd was fading off into the distance with a pony!

All I could do was watch from my window.  I called out.  I banged on the wall.  They just kept walking with that pony!  Finally, they came back.  Brita said that I would get a chance to show off.  Finally!  All the little pink people, and their chaperones, were cleared out of the way, and I entered the arena.  I did my best to put on a show.  I cantered in circles and spun around.  I snorted a LOT.  I did my best to show what a wild and powerful horse I can be.  The comment I heard was that my performance was "intense".  You bet!  I am very impressive when I have an audience.

 

Brita got out my platform and showed them how I can get up on it and stand.  I was wishing it were higher and fancier like a real circus horse would have.

After my performance I took a bow and everyone clapped and cheered.  Let's see one of those little ponies do that.

Pesky Critters

 

 

Summer is winding down and I am savoring every bit of grass.  The high pollen count from the golden rod and other flowers gives me itchy watery eyes, but it's worth it.

 

Each morning and evening I spend munching clover.

 

It is especially succulent in the cool of the morning.  The dew gives me what Mom calls "grass face".

The other day I went out to my paddock and guess what I saw?  A big ole fat woodchuck eating MY clover!  I'll bet you know what I did!  I put my head down in the most threatening manner and ran that fat little bugger right back to his hole outside the fence.  Hmmpppffhh.  I don't share my clover.

SpprrRRRrrrOioioioing

Today, while climbing a bank out of the hayfield, I sprung my shoe.  It had just been put on nice and tight, but I did a number on it.  Pulled the inside nails out, twisted it clockwise, and stepped back on the toe clip.  There were nails sticking out every whichaway.

Luckily we were not far from home and Brita helped me gimp back to the barn.  There she studied the situation, and wished the camera were in the barn and not the car because the sight was so blog-worthy.  She was more worried about getting it off in a hurry though so no picture.

Lucky for me she has a nice little farrier kit in her trunk and she was able to remove it without further damaging my hoof.  The clip appears to have gone right up the white line and once it was out, my foot felt fine.  She put some sticky stinky stuff in the groove though.  I hope nothing more comes of it since that is the same foot that gave me trouble last summer.

When You're Hot ~ You're Hot

What do you do when it's this hot out?  As little as possible!  And I got my annual visit from the vet this week. 

"Why hello William, how have you been feeling?"  ~Jab~

What is it with Vets?  As always, it raised a welt which you can see on my neck.  The jab site sticks up and the reins have polished all the fly spray grunge off it leaving a shiney white spot.  Since it's so hot, and I may be feeling poorly from my run in with the vet, we've been taking it easy.  But you can't just sit around moping.  So we take nice little wanders in the cool woods.

When we came home we found Uncle Dad sitting under a shady oak so I stopped to visit.

It's so nice under here, I could take a nap.

He shared his morning coffee with me.  That woke me up!

And asked me to help out with some low hanging branches in the yard.

Oh, lookee here what I found in the tree! It's someone's house.  Nobodys home.

It's so muggy and buggy and itchy, I think it's time we went to the barn for a nice cool sponge bath and a drink of water.

Wait!  What's this I see?

A drinking fountain in the garden.  How convenient.