I went trail riding a couple days ago with my friend, Lola.

We haven’t seen each other for a while.

It’s been because of the hot, hot summer weather…………well, that and me loosing all of my horses last spring…………………………………….(sigh)

But it’s time for a happy day now.

Lola came over and we went trail riding…………..it’s the first time I’ve ridden since before the horrific April tragedy………………………………….(sigh).

Lola rode Chantilly.

I rode the Pop-ster……………….who tried me with a couple of “boot & scoots”………….but nothing that unseated me………….(I’m not too sure about how my younger daughter would have faired though.)

Lola emphatically informed me that Poppy is way too fat…………………….(well, she’s right———Poppy is)……………………how did that happen so fast!?!

After our trail ride we outfitted Poppy with a grazing muzzle (that I just happened to have)…………………which she promptly rubbed off.

But then I taped it to her halter with electrical tape…………………..that should do the trick…………..wouldn’t you think?

………well, no actually……..

Each time we would put the combination halter and grazing muzzle on Poppy’s face———she would get it off inside ten minutes———EVERY TIME!!!

She’s an absolute pro!

She must’ve had a lot of past experience with eating-inhibitors…………

You could see by the glint in her eye that she recognized the grazing muzzle when we first brought it out…

Poppy’s been around the block a few times.

She definitely has her bag of tricks……………………..varied and profuse.

But Poppy is a chubby pony and desperately needs to diet………….for her own good!

Sooooooooooooo, I had one of my insomniatic-revelations a couple nights ago…………………let’s put Poppy in the paddock behind the barn…

There’s no auxiliary food there………………..only what we give her…

………….Poppy’s just getting coastal hay right now………….she’s not a happy pony…………..she’s a very unhappy FAT pony.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with coastal hay here in the South…………….it’s glorified straw…

Poor Poppy…

But she’s just too fat for her own good.

She’s a charter member of the “Clean Plate Club”

Geez, she’s EVERYBODY’s clean plate polisher…

I think she’ll survive just fine on air…….

Poor Poppy…