Getting Readies!

Hello everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous. Right now I am really fit, but doing a lot of resting. Wanna know why? Cos for next weekend, it's time for me to do my enduring again. Yep, I'm going 50 miles with Cyd all in one day. We've been practicing so many of my skills, like being vetted, and doing trotting out (which is definitely not my favourite), and riding my own ride no matter what is going on around me.

A meet up on a day we rode together but separate

Cyd has also been super busy getting all my gear together. She has to replace straps on my go-faster booties, they are a bit worn and they are our back up booties. I am wearing my glue on yellow slippers for the Ride, but in case one falls off we need my strap kind ready to protect my hoofy. Uncle J installed my new pony-containment. It's called hi-tie, and attaches to my pony trailer.

Cyd needs to make a good rope to attach me with, but the hard part is done. I also have a new saddle! It's called Stonewall, and seems to fit me really well so far, and we're improving it for Cyd. It will get its own post soon. 

We've been doing lots of different kinds of pony adventures with our friends, and some solo pony riding. Speedy conditioning rides, brain training rides, solo rides, a pony hike. I got seen by Dr A the pony chiropractor. She gave Cyd a ton of homework for me to do to make my butt stronger, and helped my headache. 

Today on my pony ride I met Zephyrpony, who is different from me in how she makes her legs go. She is called gaited kind, and some ponies don't like how they move. It didn't bother me though, and I was really quite polite to her. I did do some bouncing today, but nothing bad. Mostly it was decided that I was being cute and showing off how good I can move in my new saddle (though I still got told off for not being a grown up). Waylonpony didn't get to ride with us, they were trying a new saddle and he didn't like it so they went home, but then his person decided to change it and just follow along behind. Yay Waylonpony. Hueypony has got really fit and strong with all his training, he is going to do great in his first 50. There was a bad moment in the pony trailer when the rear-tack partition wasn't attached and it wasn't noticed until us ponies were latched in and the trailer was being turned around. I did stomping cos for it bumping into me so Cyd and Aunt-T jumped out the truck and carefully opened the door and held the partition out the way. I am totally okay, I was just a bit nervous. Eating some grass made me feel better and I hopped right back in the pony trailer. Now Cyd has another thing to add to her pre-drive check list - lesson learned!

I just have some easy rides this week, a hoofy trim, my slippers glued on, and a bath. Plus some new strings for my saddle to tie all my crap on with. We're ready!

Flying Solo

Hello everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous, and Cyd is really pleased with me today. We did start with bit of a bump though. Did we tell you about my pretty yellow slippers? They are just like my orange go-faster booties, except just a shell, and they stick to my hoofies with glue!

They stayed on really good for my mock LD with Hueypony, who was also testing his sparkly green slippers. We rested for some days, and Cyd went to her people job to get my haymonies, and then went to a people race called ultramarathon and ran 50 miles without me. She was a bit too tired and wobbly to do pony riding, so we never got another test ride in. But I do lots of shenanigans in my field, and it took two attempts and various tools to pry them off my feet this morning. I got startled by a chicken in my field while Cyd was trying to pry the slipper off, and I did Big Over Reacting and leaped for the sky. Troubles is, Cyd's head was in the way, and I bashed her face with my knee. She sat in my field for a minute and checked there were no stars in her eyes or birdies flying around her head or bloods leaking in her mouth, then we did some of my groundwork stuff on reminding me that my space bubble is for me and Cyd's space bubble is for her, and she might come into my bubble, but I must not go into her bubble unless invited. I stood very still the rest of the time!

Once I was done with getting my slippers removed, it was time to get in my pony trailer. Cyd had backed it close to my gate, where it made a little box kind of area. I thought for a few minutes about not getting in, but then I realised there wasn't anywhere else for me to go, so I hopped in and got lots of praising. I rode in the trailer all by myself, and we didn't go to get my Waylonfriend like usual. I got out at Caspar Orchard, and did looking but no other ponies were there. Where are my friends? I settled into snacking, but kept looking up in case my friends were arriving. Somehow it was time for Cyd to get on, and we were solo adventuring down the trail!

I was doing a bit of looking but being very good, I go out by myself a lot so this bit is no biggie for me, just a different place. Once my muscles were warmed up we started trottings practice, and had fun zigzagging down the twisty turny trail. We came to the Waylonpony Crash Site from last time we were here, and I remembered that he said the wooden board was scary so I did snorting at it so as to be safe! We only went half way on this super skinny trail, then turned back to the logging road. Once we got there I decided it was time to make our ride more adventuresome and use up lots of energies. I did bouncing and asking to go fastfastfast. So much so that Cyd moved my reins to make my hackamore stronger (though we were just on the halter ring, so not a huge deal). She told me if she shut her eyes she might have thought she was riding Miss Fuega cos for how I was acting. I was ready to go go go the whole rest of the ride, but was being polite about it now. We did lots of trotting practice, and some canter. We know better than to canter around a blind turn but we did. Of course this is the one time there's someone on a mountain bike coming the other way. She yelled at us for going fast, even though she was going fast too. We didn't crash though, and she moved out of the way and nearly climbed a tree and was really scared and we think that's why she was being so rude. Cyd asked her if she would give me a cookie cos for me being a bit nervous, but the lady said "NO!" cos for her being scared of ponies, and even though she was a long way out of my way not even on the trail she was squeaking on about "Am I going to get hurt aaah eeee". We thanked her for yielding trail and went on our merry way since there was no point getting in a fight with her. Mostly everyone around here is really good at sharing, and hopefully she realises ponies go there a lot and if she doesn't want to see us she should go to the no-pony-access places. Also the mountain lions are scarier than us ponies, jus' sayin'....

Once we got back to the pony trailer I snacked on some more hay while my saddle got put away. I did thinking about getting in my pony trailer, and Cyd had to be a bit firm with me, but I got in quite fast without fighting, and got my cookies. All in all a successful day! Wheeeeee!

Don't Worry, I'm Still Here

Hello Everybodies! How are you? Did you miss me? I'm totally fabulous still, though some good things and some bad things have been happening since we last got my typing done. Can you believe it's been 3 months? Cyd is just the worst! We're going to catch you up real super fast.

I went on lots of pony rides with my friends. It rained a lot, and eventually even the good-for-rainy-day trails got a bit too wet and slippery. But we still had fun.

Then I stopped getting in my pony trailer by myself. If there were two people, it wasn't so bad. If there was a pony in my pony trailer, I hopped right in. I also kept crashing coming out, cos for going really fast and then my trailer biting me. Big problems ensue.

I do manage to make it to the arena. By the time I'm in my pony trailer, Cyd is too tired to ride, and our friends are ready to go home. So I just run around and play and look amazing.

 

 I do a few rides dressed like this. People tell Cyd she's crazy, but we have fun. This is also how I was dressed when I saw my first mountain lion. I did snorting and not freaking out, and it ran away so we were safe. Go me!

 

It rains some more...

I have another time of not getting in my pony trailer for a few hours. Our friends go riding without us. Cyd is pretty frustrated, and has run out of pony loading tricks. I spend a lot of time doing this:

Aunt-E makes a new style of cooler, and makes one for me in my colours. The neck velcros on and off depending on my warmth needs. I look pretty snazzy.

I go exploring to new pony riding places, and find spectacular views. We did 20 miles this day. I'm conditioning for Cache Creek 50 mile endurance ride. I had one really bad tantrum where I totally threw myself on the ground cos for not wanting to do what Cyd said. Somehow she clung on like  monkey, and I got up and was a bit nervous from being on the floor, and Cyd told me again to do stuff and I did, and I've been a pretty great riding pony ever since...

We decide we've had enough of my trailering nonsense, and Aunt-E comes to help make me get in better. But then the plans change and with about an hour's notice I am being loaded into my trailer to go to Aunt-E's house in Eureka. Pony boot camp for me. Except with an hour left in our trip, the tyre on my pony trailer fell apart. Lucky there was a huge space on the side of the freeway for us to pull over and be safe while we got rescued.

Oops

My first lesson begins right away. I do lots of exercises, and by the end of our trip I put myself in the pony trailer. I'm still mostly doing pretty good.

Supposed to step, but this was acceptable

I get in by myself now

While I was there, we did two short pony rides, and one really long one at Cuneo Creek where I did my enduring last year. On the first pony ride, we finally persuaded Aunt-E to ride me. Nobody but Cyd has ever been on my back in my whole life, but I totally behaved although I was a bit confused.

The next day, Aunt-E's Sharifbabypony came on the ride, and Cyd did some work with him on going downhill better, while Aunt-E led me down the hill. At the bottom she wouldn't let Cyd have me back, and she rode me the whole rest of the ride. I must be a good pony.

Our last ride was an enduring practice ride, and I did great even though I couldn't keep up with the other ponies when we did walking. It took a long time cos for having to go under and around and through places that were tricky. I did awesome, was a good grown-up, and even carried Aria the dog for a minute.





Yesterday we did another long ride to test out mine and Huey's new slippers. They are just like my go-faster booties, except they glue to my hoofies to be extra strong and secure ready for doing enduring. It can be tricky to do it, and Cyd got glue in her hair, and forgot to wear gloves so glued her ring to her finger, and got some glue on my fur. My new slippers worked great though!

We did a mock LD, and I was pretty awesome. It was really hot though, which wasn't fun for any of us. At one point Cyd thought I was over heating, then she realised I was mostly just being lazy. Once we had a discussion about that I was back to my usual great stuff, doing trottings and canter. I ate and drank really good, and at the trailer for our mock vet check, I had a bucket of water and a bucket of mash and a ton of hay, and I barely stopped for breath, just went from one to the other the whole time like a good enduring pony.

Phew, I think that's all the things. Now maybe Cyd will keep up with my stories!