Ears Forward

The past few weeks have felt a little like I'm living in my own version of Bizarro World. Everything is going completely the reverse of what any sane person would normally expect! Even Ms Bridget is susceptible and been difficult to deal with. I know those NH guys like to say your horse is your mirror - apparently I'm living in a funhouse of late :)

We had another yucky storm passing through resulting in a really dark and wet day, but I really wanted to get out for a "fun" ride with Bridget and hopefully give us both a bit of a mental reboot after our horrible weekend rides.

Visibility not optimum, but pony had no problem with vehicle headlights and water splashing at us.

It was interesting to note that Bridget was sort of ambivalent about heading out in the yuck, but once I asked her to go past the turn off to the ring, she was super happy and excited! No fussing, just ears forward, marching along on a mission. Can I hope a mental reset for her is that easy?

Trail conditions were terrible near the end where it meets a gravel road and in typical Bizarro World style, my normally careful pony slipped and fell into a big hole and I think we both momentarily thought we might die. We ended up getting out of it fine, but I have nightmares about delicate pony legs getting caught up in tree roots and muck, so we'll be crossing this particular trail off our list until the ground dries up (probably next summer!) We also had the random bad luck of being very close to a tree falling, officially answering the "If a tree falls in a forest does anyone hear?" question. Yes, they do, and it sounds like a gunshot followed by a mini earthquake! In typical Bridget fashion she spooked only a tiny bit then wanted to trot forward and investigate. No pictures because we were both feeling the adrenaline and not stopping in there in case the wind blew another one down! The wind wasn't actually that bad, but the ground is so flooded in there right now it's probably tough on the trees.

We made it safely to the old gravel logging road just in time for the rain to really start coming down. Bridget was still so happy to be out, but I was done and looped back up to finish our ride with a 20 minute trot along the main road to the barn. I had originally planned to ride back along a quieter, longer route, but I was cold and Bridget was game for some roadside trotting and not phased at all by the busy traffic splashing us and getting us even more drenched.

Drenched pony got to dry out in (Lainey's hand me down) fleece sheet. I love this sheet because it's like a softshell coat for horses. Dirt and hay don't stick to the outside at all but the inside is all cozy and fleecy. I'm a little surprised Bridget wears a 76" blanket - I thought for sure it would be huge on her but if anything it's a little small through the shoulders. She was back to her normal self and quite content to hang out in the barn quietly and have a little snack while she dried. 

Even with our misadventures, I'm going to call today a success. Happy pony = happy owner!