Holiday Ready

 And by that title I mean ready for a break from work, not that I’m in any way ready for seasonal celebrations ;)

December kind of beat me up a little, but on the plus side I put in so much overtime at work that I’ve only got to show up one more half day between now and the new year. Which is good, because Sophie’s had two weeks off at this point and is feeling pretty fantastic. This is normally the time of year the ponies get a couple of weeks (or even up to a month) off so it's not unexpected. The days are short and usually  I am working like crazy to get things done for year's end, or I'm away on a vacation myself.

I've longed them both the last 2/3 days, in hopes of reminding them to be civilized.

There is a pathway going up the side of the area we longe in - I was admittedly distracted trying to take pictures while longeing and Sophie hopped up and cantered up the long 'ramp', She jumped off the bank where the arrow is. Then I think thought it was fun and has continued to try to escape over there to attempt some xc ever since.

You know who's been completely awful though? This monster:

We love you B, but you are not to be trusted. 

OK, that pic was a little mean, here's a nicer one.

I'm actually a little nervous to hop on her - she's absolutely full of it and has years of experience being a crafty, devious pony. Plus when she's in a mood it's like sitting on a giant bouncy ball. There is no neck in front of you and really nowhere to sit at the best of times. Luckily she's normally happy to roll along and be a good girl, but I'm kind of dreading the initial ride back - B has a couple of patented moves I can't sit and she knows how to use them. Good thing she's cute and fun.

Working hard on her beach ball body

I'm excited to get back to a light winter schedule with Sophie and I think she'll be happy to get back to work too. She's gaining weight slowly but surely (yay!) but unfortunately the alfalfa cubes make her a very spicy tamale. 

"Who, me?"

I'm slowly learning a spicy Sophie does not equal a spicy Bridget, though - she's a lot more honest and so far the increased energy means she just puts 'extra' into whatever you ask. That may be an inherent character thing, or just that I've made less mistakes so far and she just hasn't learned how to Pony yet ;) I struggled with her energy levels last winter, but fingers crossed I feel like this year she's educated enough that I can direct that energy better and she's a lot more confident about it.

And yes, she's sporting another terrible looking clip job. My lines are actually straight this time and tracks are minimal, but the rest of her coat is so long it makes the boundaries look ragged. In another boarding situation I'd probably just opt for a full clip and be done with it.

Anyway, Happy Solstice! Here's to increased daylight and ramping up for 2022 with ever increasing time to ride!

Backyard Stonehenge. The sunset aligns with our trail this time of year. This is from 4pm last night...if the weather stays clear I'll try to get a proper sunset shot down the trail.