Esther came over today and we went trail riding.

It never ceases to be therapy for me…………….as long as I don’t fall on my head…

And, today, I didn’t.

Tra!  La!

 

Celebrate the small stuff……….

Esther and Chantilly had a good outing.

It was a relaxing, easy ride.

And here’s another mini-celebration………….Addy got her tootsies wet today, in a minuscule muddy puddle (that in her mind was probably filled with hoof-dissolving acid)…………..and she didn’t melt…………….!

 

For being such a big beastie, it’s surprising that little things can bother & unravel her………………like horse-eating-puddles…

She better get used to it though…

 

Because by the time I get her fit enough for Fox Hunting, she is going to be fording irrigation ditches and steams, not to mention short-cuts through swamps and marshes and bogs……………….Oh!  My!

So suck it up, Addy.

Let the fun begin!……………

We are still getting used to each other…………….and rabid mailboxes…………….and carnivorous road signs……………….along with universe-swallowing culverts……..

 

Addy starts blowing and tap dancing past these obstacles……………….so far she listens to me, and she hasn’t gotten stupid yet……………………but I am contemplating upping her bit.

 

Now I have her on a broken Liverpool driving bit with the reins attached to the middle bar.  But I’m thinking a straight bar or maybe something with a small port might not be a bad idea for better brakes……………………..she’s strong.

*****Explanation of Horse Bit Parts*****

Another better rider (I’m sure) would do just fine with a snaffle.

But, I’m not that rider………………..I believe in substantial ports when deemed necessary.

They are good insurance, if you ever need them.

Phineas (my childhood donkey) had a port on his bit that was about as tall as I was………

I think donkeys are born with iron mouths.

I remember reaching forward and grabbing his muzzle (we were both that small) in order to turn his head, because he wasn’t responding to the bit at all.

Have you ever seen mule bits?  (I’ll see if I can find some photos.)

*****Mule Bit Description—That’s a Chainsaw Chain!!!*****

They are dramatic……………….(I don’t think I’d get on an animal who needed that kind of correction bit…………)

But today was a good day.

Esther & Chantilly and me & Addy.

No one got dropped on their head.

And no one got swallowed up by a sinister culvert…………..