Feral Pony and some new gear

It's that time of year! We've had two consecutive weeks of rain and wind with very little let up. Riding has just not been happening. We keep planning to go to the indoor but my partner in crime, S, gets lots of emergency call ins when there are power outages and flooded roads and the like, which is all the time right now.

Anyway, such is the intensity of the rain and wind most days even getting the horses from barn to trailer would have meant everything and everyone being soaked, plus the high winds have me worried about falling trees and branches. 

Today's forecast. I kind of thought we already had hurricane force winds and record rain, but how exciting, there's more!

Sophie has of course been going a bit stir crazy and being extra drama with a side of Mare, which annoys Bridget and the neighbor horses to no end. So, she currently looks completely feral, with lovely bite marks dotting her body and a nice big scrape across her face and up one hind canon bone. I'm 100% sure all the injuries were not self inflicted. I'm also 100% sure she deserved them.

Your second eyebrow is hardly noticeable from a distance, Sophie

It's past time to clip her, but I'm torn because I suspect I might unearth some further battle scars and make her look even more terrible.  She also scars super easily (is that a light colored horse thing in general?) so it's getting to be a bit brutal looking at all the marks she's got covering her body from past bad decisions, despite the fact she's living a pretty pampered life. She looks more like something that's had a rough life out on the range rather than anyone's future show pony living in a safe turnout. In an ideal world, I guess she's have no shared fencelines with anyone, but I'd feel bad about that too...the ability to socialize with her friends is worth a few bite marks.

Innocent face she adopts when I'm looking. "Just over here checking out the view, nothing to see here" As soon as I walk away the squealing and general mare-y nonsense with her neighbour seems to start.

So, we longe every second day or so (and she is surprisingly professional) and I get her out for quick walks or spa days on the alternate days. It's more a case of trying to keep her from being super bored than burning off energy...which still feels slightly odd. Where is that absolutely wild youngster of winters past? Lets hope we never find her.

Ghost of winters past. I looked for all of 5 sec for a pic of Sophie goofing around to illustrate...while there are plenty to choose from, this is typical. Why not randomly photobomb what would have been a peaceful pic of Bridget with a weird face, flagged tail and a random stick attached to her head? :D

In somewhat blog related news, I've spent the extra time I've had researching cameras and splurged and bought a new one. The learning curve is going to be really steep. I've been spending lots of hours reading up and watching videos but I'm at a stage where I don't even know what I don't know!  Lots of really fun and positive things have come from this blog, and I'd rank the discovery of photography as a hobby I really enjoy right up there as one of the most unexpected. I keep getting asked to come to horsey events and take pictures but I've been finding my old camera a bit limited with our winter gloom and the fact that horses are often moving subjects. I'm excited to be able to try for some more professional looking shots. My old camera was amazing to start with and I can't thank those of you who recommended it enough - it's found a new home with a horsey friend so it will probably dedicate the remainder of it's life to more horse pictures :D

Old pic, but a favorite. Excited to get out this weekend and see what the new camera can do

Fingers crossed the weather cooperates again soon AND her hormones ramp back down for winter. I’d also like to hope they continue to level out as she matures. She’s certainly making me second guess my love for mares at the moment (and steadily depleting all my first aid supplies!). 

lol, I'm no meteorologist, but this doesn't look like cooperative weather? My husband patiently explained to me this was the remnants of a storm from Hawaii so basically we have Hawaiian weather right now and are saving vacation costs. I'm not convinced that's how it works.