Zoom Zoom Wait Zooooom

Hello everybodies, how are you? I am so fabulous! Today I did a short pony ride, just my four mile loop cos for us not having too much time. When we were doing walking up the road, Cyd told me I had to not do any of my stopping behaviors today cos for us not having time to unstick me, and also cos for it not being fun. I was brushed and got my things on so fast I didn't even realise until it was time to go.

Still got my snacks in my mouth

I needed some encouragement to get on the trail but not as much as usual. I always need some go-go-go voices, and Cyd usually walks at least half the squirrelly trail  cos for me always doing stopping in certain spots. Today, she just hopped on me (from the wrong side, we didn't do that in a while and I got confused). I started doing my stopping, and Cyd didn't get mad at me, but also didn't get off me. I complained quite a bit, but couldn't dislodge her (Cyd says I didn't really try too hard, but I think I was being like a wild stallion). So I gave up. For like a minute. Then I had another tantrum. Still no getting off or falling off. So I had another one. I even got some tap-taps with the dressage whip cos for being bad. After my third try I gave up, and we were on our way. We didn't even waste that long of time on my badness. I did a lot of trottings practice today, scooting right along on a loopy rein. I got a bit full of myself, but then we went up a steep hill and I got a bit tired so just did walking politely and some small trottings. There was a bit not too steep near where we turn then it goes down down again, so Cyd made me trot to the top, which I didn't want to. I did it anyway cos for me being a good pony. Next we turn to go down down the trail, and I kept asking to do trottings but apparently I'm not supposed to do downhill trottings cos for it not being super good for my muscles and joints, especially since I'm still doing growing (Cyd thinks I'm going to grow forever!). 

We were just doing walking along even though there was short flat bit, and Cyd was doing no stirrup lazy riding and just had one finger looped in my reins, mainly so they don't fall down my neck. You know what I did? No warning, leaped for the sky, way high! Then I did bouncing. Then I just walked on like before while Cyd scrambled about getting her butt in my saddle and stirrups and reins and made me stop to ask what exactly I was thinking in my silly pony brain. Was I spooked? I didn't seem scared. Did something bite me? Was there an animal around? Did I step on something funny? Nope, I was just making sure you're still awake silly Cyd, I'm still young remember, don't be so lazy when doing pony riding! Lucky she didn't fall down, cos that would be so embarrassing for her hehe. I started getting super excited, and we were going to do trottings, but I was a bit rude about it, and rushy and not making my feet do the proper thing so we had to do walking. Finally I was calm enough, and we got to my favourite bit of trail. It's a bit uphill, but not steep at all, and it's soft, and Cyd lets me do canter if I want to. Today we practiced me doing canter when she says instead of maybe it'll just happen, and we had so much fun! We did trotting, then canter, then trotting for a few steps so I don't get too excited, then canter. One time I was already doing canter, and Cyd did gentle boomp boomp, so we went a bit faster. Not gallop yet, but I was quite speedy! I was having so much fun I didn't even do stopping at where the pony lives. It whinnies at me so I try to hang out, which upsets the dog that lives there, which makes the people mad at the dog (but lucky they like me so they don't get mad at me and Cyd for upsetting the dog). Anyways, today I just walked right on by, though I did need some boompboomps to remind me to keep going. We did walking past all the houses to be respectful, but then we were off again. I had to do walking for the last two bits of trail, so I don't learn to just zoom home at home time, but I'm pretty good at that so no problems. When I got home, I was all sweaty even though it was just 4.3 miles of pony riding, and only one and a quarter hours. I'm shedding like mad, but still have some winter fluffs, and it was so toasty today, and we did extra canter and lots of trotting. So I got a sponge bath, and a sloppy bucket of snacks, both of which made me happy. I like doing speedy pony rides!

Shiny from my mini-bath

Mostly I'm Good!

Hello everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous, though I definitely had my ups and my downs this week. Some of it was kinda Cyd's fault cos for her setting us up for maybe a bad ride one day, but some of it was me being a baby and thinking I get to make the decisions. All is forgiven, and we are still friends, but there might have been some name calling on the bad day, and even a threat of me getting a new zip code. Lucky I know that Cyd would never follow through on that!

The bad pony ride was a windy day. Usually Cyd goes, 'Hmm, it's very windy today, better not do pony riding with Bugsy'. But that day she's all 'Hey it's windy, come on Bugsy, let's go practice keeping your brain in your skull on windy pony rides'. We had a bit (a lot) of a falling out about it. I first off was super excited on my way to the pony riding place, we were going to South Trail. Bouncing bouncing, leap in the sky, BOING!! Just for funzies. But then I did stopping and staring-in-the-distance. And again and again and again. Cyd had to get off and make me do quick marching back and forth, then she got on me and made me do quick marching back and forth, until we were both thoroughly bored of quick marching. So on we went. Then I did it again. ARGH! We got me fixed, and on we went. Then I did it AGAIN!! Ohmygoodness Cyd was getting mad at me. Our ride goal was re-evaluated to just making it TO the South Trail, then we could turn around. I got stuck one more time on the way, but finally we made it. Phew! At least our going home ride was mostly uneventful except for me getting scared by the whizzing-by parks department golf cart that I could hear but not see. It's okay for me to be getting scared by something scary, like new scary noises I can't see, not like butterflies or other not-really-truly-scary things. I'm allowed to get a bit scared, as long as I act appropriately, and don't run away or make Cyd fall down. Once I got home safe, and had some time to think about appropriate behavings and Cyd did her field work, and I did rolling and snacking, we did cuddles. We're totally still friends still, and I got to be forgived and promised to be better behaving next time we did pony riding!

And you know what, everybodies? I was totally so good on our next pony ride! So good, that I made us do extra pony riding, I chose to go more and we had time so Cyd let me. First, we went exploring. That was a bust, except for me being a superstar at going over a rickety old bridge (twice). I did a bit of badnesses, but not too bad. We turned around, and went back our usual way, and we decided to do my very short loop (four miles) since we had already done some pony riding already. I whizzed around there, trot-trotting all over the place, and even doing some canter practice. We got back to the trail junction where left goes home, or right goes back on the loop. We started heading left but I wanted to go the other way. "Come on silly Bugsy, that takes us around again, this way is home, you know that". Steering to the left and boomp boomp with her feet. I kinda walked that way, but kept looking at the trail. So we stopped and Cyd gave me long loopy reins, and asked if I really wanted to go again. I went that way, and then started doing trotting again. So round we went again, cos for me deciding to be a really good pony! We had so much fun. 

That was last week's pony rides. We didn't do pony riding at the weekend, cos after going to her people job on Saturday, Cyd had to drive to somewhere else ready to do something called ultramarathon (like pony enduring without the pony riding part). That took all of her Sunday, so no pony riding, Then there were so many things to do on Monday that there was no pony riding. Then on Tuesday so much working to do again. Wednesday more working, then in the afternoon it was all damp and chilly and maybe going to rain, and Cyd was tired for some reason, so guess what we got to do instead of pony riding? Pony massage. I love to get my massages, and my neck was super tight (you know, cos of all the stresses I have hehe, but really it was tight). Cyd took terrible before and after shots, we'll get better ones next time so you can see how much my little body changes just from getting relaxed and massaged and stretched out. It meant I was feeling really good for my pony ride this morning. There was no people job until this afternoon, so Cyd said we could do a quick pony ride. Weeheee off we go. We were mostly doing walking (apparently I can't pick my own speed on all my pony rides), but we did some trotting, and I asked if I can do canter practice. We just did short little canters, but I did them so good. You would be so proud of me, I'm really turning into a grown up trail pony! I'm super comfy to ride, mostly really responsive, I don't run away when I get scared of stuff, and I don't even get scared that often. So even though sometimes I'm a bit (or even a lot) bad, I'm mostly so very good!