Try Again

Hello everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous, but a little bit full of myself. But first we have some not so fabulous news. My super comfy cloud saddle doesn't fit me so good. We can play with pads, since we know the one I've been wearing isn't very good. We only changed my pad set up recently, and thought we had fixed whatever was making me owie. Now my winter fur is growing in, some white hairs came through too. My hairs are supposed to be brown, so white hairs mean there's troubles. Troubles is, are they growing from my new setup, or my old one? We think my old one cos for them growing pretty fast after changing and only when my winter fur grew. But last week Cyd and I went for a zoomy conditioning ride, nine miles of mostly doing trottings and some canter practice (right side kind as well as my preferred left side kind), and one zoomy gallop cos for me learning to be fast. On the way home I was a bit picky about doing downhills, but mostly I was moving good the whole pony ride, lifted through my back, using my butt, and striding out well. Once we took off my saddle though... uhoh. My hairs were all scuffed up, there was a big dry spot, and while I wasn't ouchy then, I wasn't delighted to have Cyd poke me the next day.

Inappropriate scuffings

Hmmm. Back to the drawing board we go. Aunt-E and Cyd both wanted to try a new kind of saddle, so they went halfsies on one that will be here soon, so they can both do pony riding in it. If one of them wants to keep it, then they can pay the other one halfsies again. Good deal. Though it's red, gross. Uncle J can fix that if Cyd is the one to keep it though. We'll take red if it fits me good!

Big dry spot

In the meantime, we still want to do pony riding. Aunt-E is sending down a saddle called Free'N'Easy for me to borrow. Cyd doesn't like this kind very much, they make her sore, but you can adjust them to fit different ponies, and it's just for temporaries. In the meantime meantime, we still want to do pony riding, so Aunty D lent us her old pony's endurance saddle. Look at me all dressed up kinda like a western pony:

Cyd's hips do not love the wider twist, so it would not be good long term, and it's not perfect on me for if I was going 50 miles, but it doesn't hurt me either so we can do some practicing on our training rides. Thanks Aunty D and Aunt-E, we are grateful to do borrowing!

On Sunday we did pony riding with Aunty-D and Ticopony, and new friends A and Mesapony, and C and Rickypony. We went in Tico's pony trailer to A's house to get our saddles on, and started our ride there. Cyd has done some people running there, but not done pony riding there except for one time years ago when my Fuega friend was still a foolish baby pony learning how to do trails properly. I played in the puddles, but needed some encouragement to get started. I didn't even one time lift my leg at Sighdog even when she was behind me or did scooting past on the single track or jumped out the bushes, but I still made faces at her. I also didn't like when I was the lead pony but she was still overall leader. Cyd told me to suck it up. We started with Ticopony being the leader, cos for me thinking the rocks might eat me, but then I went in the lead. We went on some really narrow twisty turny trail, that our new friends had to check with Cyd to see if I was grown up enough. Cyd told them if I wasn't smart enough then it was time for me to learn how to be. I did super awesome, bending off Cyd's leg so we don't bump her knees into the trees, not being all spookylookey, and wanting to do trotting even though it was a walking pony ride due to some rider delicacy post-Halloween. I only politely asked though, and didn't get grumpy when Cyd said no. That doesn't mean I didn't have some tantrums. I had no interest in being friends with Rickypony, who loves everyone, or Mesapony. Any time anyone got in my (giant) personal space bubble I had a little strop, and Cyd told me off and everybody laughed at me for being a brat. I also wanted to be leaderpony all the time (Cyd is both happy and sad by this...)

Singletrack Leaderpony

I wasn't doing bad behavings if I wasn't the leader pony, but I did grumpy ear waggling, and if there was space like on the logging road, I totally walked fast and snuck past everyone when they weren't paying attentions. At one point Ticopony was being a little bit naughty, so I thought I could be a little bit naughty, so instead of walking down the trail I did bouncing. More laughing at Bugsy. Then when we were nearly home, Sighdog ran off to go play with a new friend who was also out walking, so we all stopped while Aunty D trotted away to fetch her and I decided that was my cue to GO! I sproinged into the sky and bounced some more when Cyd made me not chase after them, so we had to do circles around the other ponies while we waited until I could walk on a loose rein again. The rest of our ride I was really good, right up until I got my saddle off and Tico and I were going to practice doing trotting out cos for us both learning to do enduring. Big fail for Bugsy! I got all excited, and spun in circles so fast Cyd didn't have time to stop me, and I got the ponies in the paddocks excited, and my brain fell out my head. I was doing super slow suspended trotting in teeny tiny circles around Cyd, and not being smart. We wanted to do our groundwork exercises but for it being really wet and slippy. Now we know that just cos I'm doing good at trotting out at home, I'm still bad in new places. More practicing to happen!

Our pony ride yesterday got cancelled (just me and Cyd) cos for only having the forest to ride in, and the wind was blowing really hard that the trees might be falling, especially with them being all wet from the day before raining. Cyd thought it might be a bad idea, and Uncle J totally agreed that he didn't want us out there. We'll go tomorrow though, and we're going to practice stopping mid pony ride to do trotting out too, for something different. I'm really getting a bit too big for my boots, all this fancy showing off to impress my friends. Luckily everyone just laughs and goes "Silly baby horse, [insert their pony's name] used to be like that too" so we are still welcome to ride with them, and lucky I really don't do anything too bad, just bounces. I'm think I'm bad though! Thanks for putting up with my antics everyone, we appreciate it!