Banana Pony Adventure

Sophie got out for a group trail ride this past weekend (I led her while the others rode their horses, obviously!) And she was fantastic. I was a bit uptight about heading out with that group, to be honest, because one of the ladies is kind of into a different style of training and has opinions. So, even though I shouldn't get sucked into worrying about it, I really hoped Sophie would be a good girl so other person wouldn't feel the need to "help". It sounds silly when I type that out, but hey, sometimes my brain is weird.

And...I got no actual pictures once we left, even though I walked for 90 minutes with my phone right there in my jacket pocket.

Anyway, Sophie was great and any worries I had were completely unfounded. She tackled the trail portion and the roads very confidently. She did well with our small group, and while she prefers to lead, she was ok following and being in the middle too. I was impressed with her!

She started out a bit excited, but within 10 minutes or so realized going out with other horses is exactly the same as going on a hack with Bridget, or walking with my husband and I. Fun, but not THAT exciting :)

Sunlight making her look summertime golden, despite her coat progressing ever closer to the ever lovely winter mayonnaise color.

She happily stomped through all the puddles, went past assorted vehicles, dogs, livestock, and bicycles. Such a good girl.

The only thing she looked at was a truck towing a huge fishing boat (with two quads on the deck) that drove up behind us to pass. She asked to turn and look quietly at that as it passed, and I don't blame her!

For kind of a hot, energetic pony, she's proving exceptionally sensible.

I never tire of taking pictures of Bridget rolling, sitting, or sleeping. She never tires of making me laugh with silly poses.

We were discussing pony personalities on our outing, and someone commented that Sophie seems like she wants to please and has a ton of "try". And, no offense, but Bridget seems a lot tougher in that regard. I'd agree with that evaluation. I very much appreciate both mares, but working with a cheerful young sponge brain pony is pretty fun.