Ponyversary!

Hey everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous. You know what yesterday was? Three whole years of being Cyd's pony! She came and saw me at my old house, and then came back with a pony trailer, put me in, and brought me home. I was only two years old then. I've done so much growing in my tallness and roundness and my brain since then. All I really knew was how to wear my halter, and that I liked getting baths. Look how much I've changed: (top is three years ago today, bottom was July this year)

Happy ponyversary Cyd, we'll celebrate when you get back from people holiday!

Starbucks Pony

One shot, three pumps of vanilla, in my belly!

Hello everybodies. How are you? I'm pretty chaiful today. Get it? Cos for drinking Aunty Z's dirty chai that she brought to my house. Thanks Aunty Z, I needed a boost on this blustery day! Also thanks from me and Cyd for pony sitting me and my neighbour ponies and the puppies while they go on people holiday without me. And keep out of the chicken house for safeties. I'll try not to cut my leg off. 

Beach!

Hey everybodies, how are you? I am so fabulous, wanna know why? I went to the beach! I have been to the beach a couple of times, ponied by my friend Fuega, and one time Cyd just walked me there like a big dog. We are so lucky the beach is less than a mile from my house. Aunt-T came too, and rode Indy pony, who I have done pony riding with a few times before. We had some trouble (a lot of trouble) walking down the road and I got tied in a stall to calm my brain cells while Indy finished getting ready. Finally it was time to go, I was calmer, and the peoples got on us. Aunty V clipped a rope to my halter and handed the other end to Aunt-T cos for having to ride across Highway 1, so if I did my stopping it could be quite dangerous. Turns out I didn't need help but all the peoples were happier with me clipped up in case. Cyd said I felt a bit like a bomb waiting to go off so I stayed on the pony rope. I got a bit scared when there were some deer that I couldn't see making noises, but not of the tents and people doing camping and barbecuing. We had a sticky moment when Indy decided to be mad at me and struck out with his front foot at me. I was sad and jumped out the way. When we got near the ocean to the haul road we stopped for me to do some big breaths, it was a bit perplexing for me. There were four small people on bicycles yelling, and their grown up taking pictures, and people watching the sunset, and people walking their dogs. I quickly got brave enough to go past. Cyd and Aunt-T decided we shouldn't go on the beach since our ride wasn't going quite to plan in mine and Indy's behaving. But we were doing good now so they decided to at least go down to the sand so I get an idea of doing beach riding. I went down super brave, and I was suddenly a beach riding grown up pony!

Aunt-T was going to take a photo of me and Cyd, but when we got close Indy got so so mad at me, and came at me like a wild stallion. He never acted like that before, and just a short while ago we were hanging out doing trekking together. Can you believe he hates me so much? Not usual Indy behaving. Cyd decided, and Aunt-T agreed, to take me off the pony rope. We were better taking our chances with me getting super freaked out on my own than probably getting me or Cyd hurt by grumpy Indy. I did pretty good on my own going home. I didn't even get scared we came by four dogs and one barked at me (it was just little though). And we were following the childrens on bicycles and they confused me but didn't make me get scared. After that I did awesome going home! We need to do a better pony ride with my bestie another time, but at least I finally did it!

Say "Aaahh"

Hey everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous, but still a little bit sleepy. My vet came to see me and my friend Boscoe today to check on our teethies. Cyd came and got me and put me outside Rioja's house cos for wanting us to be buddies. We kissed a bit, which made her happy.

Pretending like we love each other so Cyd doesn't tell us off for squealing

Just right before the vet arrived, something (who knows what!) happened to make me lose my cookies and jump and dance and be super excited. 

WHOAH What's Happening?

My friend went first cos Aunty C had to take a guided pony ride. I was mostly patient while I waited for my turn, even though it means I was stood there for nearly two whole hours. Then it was my turn. I was a bit of a brat for my regular check up cos for just wanting kisses and was not grown up. We need to practice having more people poke and prod me and take my pulse and stuff so I get used to it, cos I guess that's something enduring ponies need to do to make sure they are staying safe. Then it was time for some sleepy medicines so I didn't have problems with the thing called power-float.

Getting sleeeepeee, see my droopy lip?

Once I was napping they wedged my mouth open and rinsed it out, and put my face on a giant stand.

First I get rinsed

The vet had a good look around in my mouth to see what we needed to do, then let Cyd poke around in there too so she could see. I had some pointys that needed to be smoothed that made some ulcers starting on my cheeks. 

Then my toothies get filed

Another rinse afterwards, and the vet said I had a good mouth and a good bite.  She and Cyd talked about my fly bites cos for me having some reactions, and whether or not I was at risk for pigeon fever  cos Cyd knows some various ponies who've got sick (vet thinks no cos it's damp where I live). She did recommend I maybe get a sheet to cover me to keep the flies off though so I don't get owies like when the bites weep and I get scabby :( 

How my world looked for a while

Just..so..sleepy...

The vet lady also looked at my feeties and said they looked good and liked my trim. They also talked about me needing a new saddle, she felt the same soreness on my back that Cyd did. But other than that she says I'm great, and cute, and silly. 

K, I'm awake LET'S GO!

More Saddle Trying

Hi everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous (again and always)! Today I did saddle trying, another kind of treeless like what I want. We tried it out a little while ago, but it has things called dressage billets and Cyd didn't have a short girth to match. So she picked out a soft fuzzy comfty girth for me to borrow to try the saddle. After just two miles, she gave up and got off and walked me home on foot. I HATED the fuzzy girth, it made my belly itch and I kept trying to chew it off me. Cyd got off and walked me back home, and considered our test a failure since we didn't really ride, just discussed whether I should go forward, and do so normally, or chew at my belly straps and bend in circles and stomp my feeties. Today, we borrowed the short kind of the girth I already use, and tried it out again. With a girth I like, we had a great test ride. Today we did eleven miles with my bestie and Aunt-T, and did quite a lot of trotting, and some canter practice, with me being both the leader pony and the follower pony. Aunt-T also practiced riding past me cos for me making stroppy faces when people overtake me. One time I tried to nip at her but got promptly bopped on the nose and told I was a Bad Bad Bugsy. But mostly I did really good, and I wanted to do trotting everywhere. My top speed today was 17.9 miles per hour - wheeeeee! And my ditch of doom? I have to think a bit before jumping over it, and Cyd always gets off. There's a steep steep little trail down to the ditch, which she has ridden me up one time before, but every other time up or down has been leading me. Today she rode me down the steep hill, and I was super careful to not fall down with us. At the bottom, my bestie was looking at the ditch and with a boomp boomp from Aunt-T he flew across the ditch. Cyd still didn't get off me. She gave me a boomp boomp too, and Aunt-T cheered for me from the other side, and I looked and phroomphed a bit and wibbled and with another boomp and some cheering from Cyd and Aunt-T I made a giant leap, and we were on the other side too. I got big pets and scratches from both of them, and me and my bestie both felt pretty proud of ourselves (he never jumped it with his person either). We had to take the short trail home cos for it getting dark soon, and Cyd not bringing a jacket and summeryness turned into foggyness. I got ridden all the way down the road (though I got a bit stuck at one bit) and even practiced doing stuff leg yielding when we could see no traffic coming. I'm really doing good at my pony riding these last few rides. Now we just need the fancy saddle to get sold so we can buy a kind I like for me. It won't fix all my troubles, but it certainly seems to be helping me. Anyways, here's our pictures from today:

Going up

Aunt-T hides so you can't see her

Need some shade?

Can't see the ocean through the lurking fog

Had to do some wiggling through here

Quick, we've stopped. Power-Naps Are Go!

I can't possibly pose now, I'm wasting away

Look at my shine!

Politely sharing the trail

Dork

Cold and foggy riding the last bit home

I Did Trekking!

Hey everybodies! How are you? I am AhhhMaaazing! Yesterday was a big day for me. I went on trek with all my friends. Trek (Redwood Coast Riding Vacation) is when peoples from all over the place, even other countries, come to do pony riding on my friends and see our fabulous trails. This time there were eight guests, plus my Aunty V, plus the Lady in Red. This is a lot of ponies for me to be in a group with. Cyd came and got me very early in the morning and once I was brushed and got my saddle we went to my friends' house for me to wait in a stall with some second-breakfast. Once all my friends were ready, and the peoples made their lunches, it was time to go on the pony trailer. Aunty V was busy doing many things, but I have to go in the pony trailer first so we couldn't hang around and wait for help. I totally proved my grown-up-ness by getting on All By Myself!! We drove to Orca where the cows live to start our ride. There was a crane in my field going up and down working on the electricity pylons that are there. OhMyGoodness! We were parked with our butts to the crane (still in the pony trailer), but I wanted to see what was going on so I used my bendy-ness to turn about and look the other way. Sorry to my bestie for getting my butt in his face. I stood calmly when I was tied up, but got a bit excited and did some dancing around while every body was getting on, so Cyd decided to walk me for the first little bit to check where my brain cells were. I totally would have been fine but there were a lot of ponies around and we didn't want to cause Troubles. Once she got on me I was kinda walking by myself, cos by looky-looing at everything I couldn't keep up with the main group, but I was still going faster than the slower ponies. I wasn't doing anything bad, though Cyd says I was bit like a banana pony to ride with all my bending to look at stuff.

Waiting for ponies behind me to drink

We got to the first crossing where I have had problems before cos for it being scary, and I totally went over in a not big deal kinda way. Then it was time to divide up into groups for fast pony riding (big trots and cantering) and not so fast pony riding (normal trots and some small canters). I went in the not so fast group. The first time I did trotting I was a bit bouncy and not quite finding my feet. The second time I did much better, and we did some canter but I got bouncy again. The third time I did great at trotting, and then I did a super awesome canter, just rolling right along like a grown up. There was a drinking spot that I hate to go across, it has taken me more than ten minutes before even with Aunty V's help, and the speedy group were still drinking. They got done and let us in and I totally put my face right in for a drink, then politely hopped over, not leaping for the sky. I didn't care when the speedy group left us, then it was our turn to do canter. I had to take some breaks on the hill but I made it not far behind the other ponies. At the top the speedy group was waiting for us to ride the ridge together and do photos. They had done some already and the Lady in Red tried to get some of our slower group but Rioja totally photo-bombed us and did bouncing which made me do bouncing so we just went walking on to the next spot.

Heading to an amazing view spot!

We had to wait a long time to get fabulous photos of everybody (including me - will get those later), and I waited patiently eating some snacks. I got a bit stuck when it was time to leave, and Aunty V had to come back to fetch me. It was really warm today, Cyd's watch said 79F, which we are not used to, and I'm already getting fluffy for winter. We just did walking to the next photo spot, where Cyd hopped off me to hide in a bush, then decided since it was downhill (makes my saddle wiggle - we're trying to fix it) that she would just lead me down. I didn't walk very politely so we got left behind so I was a bit more impolite, but we made it just fine. It was only a little way back to the pony trailer, so no need for Cyd to get back on. I thought twice about getting on the trailer, but it didn't take me very long, and off we went home.

Sweaty me

Except we didn't go home! I got out when we stopped, and we were at Manchester field. I was a bit confused. Everybody was getting on their ponies again, and Cyd hopped on me with my reins on my rope halter instead of getting my bit. She said "Hey Bugsy, we're just riding to the stream for a drink, you'll be good without your bit, right?" I wandered to the stream, and got right in with no questions, but then needed some boomping to keep going. I was so thirsty I wanted to drink right away, but with eight ponies behind me I needed to get all the way in the river so we could all drink. We hung out there for a while, took more photos, did some snorkeling, and drank a ton. Then I politely waited while every single pony walked past me to leave and we went at the back. We ate our hay snacks at the pony trailer while the people ate their snacks. I was a little bit put out when Cyd came back and got on me for a third time. I was working hard today! She didn't put my bit in again since I was being so well behaved. We had to do more stream drinking first with it being so warm, and I happily walked off by myself cos for it being too crowded for me to fit in. The other ponies except for two left and I went for my drink. This bit was really deep, I might have had to swim, so Cyd wouldn't let me get all the way in (though she thought about it hehe). Even when the two remaining ponies left I finished up my drinking before going back to the trail - apparently this is a very good skill for me to have. There was a longer faster group doing a loop, and a slower shorter group going out and back on the same trail called Abalobodiah. I went in the short group. I did awesome at trotting and practiced doing some big trot, keeping up when some ponies did canter. I kept putting my nose way up in the sky though, cos I realised quickly that, in a rope halter, Cyd has no leverage to bring my nose back to where it should be. (Aunty E is going to make me a chin strap to make me not do that, one of her ponies does that too). This made it hard to steer me, and I couldn't see where I was going, so we actually crashed into a bush, which made me pay attentions a bit better. I kept doing trotting though. Then we got to the big hill. Aunty V asked Cyd if she thought I could do it, and we said I'd try my hardest. I have had problems with this trail. It makes me really tired, and it's quite steep. The strong fit ponies love to fly up it, but I have to take breaks. My first few tries, I just did stopping. I needed a lot of boomping and cheering and help from my bestie just to make me walk up it. Yesterday? I did trotting. Then cantering. Then took a break and did walking, but right back to trotting, Then cantering. I never got totally left behind. Another short trot break, then canter more. We were nearly at the top and I stopped but then saw the top so trotted the last little bit. Aunty V was asking everyone if they had fun and where were Cyd and Bugsy? She was so surprised to see that we were there and didn't need waiting for! I was breathing quite hard (my friends too) so we all took a little break then headed down the hill.

Cyd led me down the steeper section and got on at our usual spot. We did some more trotting and some canter on the flat bit. Before we got to the end, the speedy loop group caught up to us. I didn't freak out at ponies coming behind me, but did have a bit of a bounce when I realised I was suddenly in the very middle of a big group. We asked Aunty V to wait for me to catch up and then we all walked back across the field to our pony trailers. It was really home time this time. This was a long day for me - it was dark by the time my friends were put away and I could go home. I had lots of tests today and I passed them all really well, even when I had baby moments I didn't lose my brain and listened to Cyd. I'm really growing up! And look at my lifetime stats from all my pony rides:

My tracking started from my very first trail ride on January 1, 2014. I have gone more than 300 miles and over 50000 feet of up. Everybody says I'm doing really really good. We just need to get me a better fitting saddle and a pony trailer and next year I can start being an endurance pony! Weeeheeee!