Wednesday, October 5, 2011

sweet lullaby


Lots of pictures in this post because we have sunshine! This is a photo of Sovey...I think. I rode both he and Foggy bareback yesterday and I have trouble telling them apart in photos. How about my crazy reins when I am trying to take a photo?  He could totally pull a fast one.  I wanted to capture the gorgeous wild flowers - white little dainties (can't remember what they are called - they smell like butter) and yellow Goldenrod. It was 68 degrees and sunny - perfect rides.


I remember taking this one...it is Sovey...he was being a little perky with a neck like an ostrich here.


This one is Pie and it is from Monday morning - still overcast then, but no rain. You can tell Pie's photos because his pictures always look the same - he poses for them. He thinks the click of the camera is me breaking a carrot and he is reaching his head around to nibble the treat. Silly horse!


This is Sovey pointing to the yellow pipeline marker in the woods. If it were Pie, he would be touching the pole with his nose. I taught him to touch scary things - "touch for treat" - and now he touches everything.


The sky grew overcast for my ride with Foggy. This is a shot of our meadow where we had the tree planting party in May. This used to be a hay field and now our seedlings and self-seeded trees are surrounded by bundles of wild flowers. I saw some purple asters in there. It is lovely to ride through. I know it will one day be woods, which is what we want, but it is pretty now too.


I am teaching Foggy to nibble grass when I say it is ok on a ride. Sometimes, I stop and talk to neighbors forever so I like the horses to know that it is fine to graze when I give the signal. Here he is practicing. Both Pie and Sovey are good about grazing and then stopping when it is time to move along. I was just thinking the other day that two years ago at this time, I was having a ton of trouble getting the horses to walk on after grazing if I was on the ground leading them. Now, they both listen perfectly when I ask them to stop. It is funny how a problem with horses seems gigantic while it is going on and then it works itself out and you completely forget it ever was a problem. 




I adore the three photos of Foggy above. He is happily munching apples that have fallen off our tree. The  second picture makes me crack up laughing!  I think his little feet are so hysterical. They don't seem to belong to him - it is a weird angle, I guess, but it so cute. Foggy is a dainty little thing - when you clean his feet they are so tiny. In that photo the coronary band is white and little and those tiny feet are just stuck in there at the side!  Oh, I love him like crazy.


No riding horses today. Maizie had off school so Brian and I took her to a local Rails-to-Trails to ride our bikes. Maizie has been very lame. I haven't posted about her injury yet because I get so upset when I think about it. Biking helps stretch it out and she can get out her own pent up frustration about limping and not being able to run. 


The trail we chose was gorgeous in the autumn light and is also a horse friendly trail.  I will bring the boys  if  when I get a horse van. Here is the horse sign and mounting stairs.


At the halfway point, we parked our bikes and walked on another picturesque trail to town for much needed iced coffees.


We met a very "quaint" man on a bike. The only way I can describe this man is like he fell out of the sky from the 1970's. (Think Green Acres - Mr. Kimble - in innocence, not goofiness.) Here is a photo of Maizie and Brian talking to him. He was carrying a transistor radio without headphones (we could hear a local AM station playing Gilbert O'Sullivan's Alone Again, Naturally - not kidding) and he had a Hershey bar sticking out of his breast pocket. When I asked, he said, "I'm going to get into that a little later." Very cute. Note:  We also look like we are from the 1970's - don't laugh at our bikes in this photo. We rode 18 miles today on our K-mart Specials. We bike fairly far here and in Florida and yet we own bikes as antiquated as our new friend's bike so he may be telling his wife a similar story this evening.


Brian took this one of me with the farmlands in the background. Someday I'll be out here on a horse!

10 comments:

  1. OMG such a cute photo of EVERYONE :)
    I love the baby woods that will someday grow.
    I love Foggy's tiny feet
    I love your boy's perked "carrot?" ears. Are their coats coming in yet? Laz is already getting SO fuzzy (good).
    That old man with the Hershey's bar is hilarious..that is literally like my Father. A sweet tooth and loves to have and savor having the candy as much as eating it. :)

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  2. Hi Juliette - I've got an award for you! Drop by my blog to pick it up...

    The tiny feet are adorable ;)

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  3. Kristen - The boys are getting fuzzy!

    Calm, Forward, Straight - Thanks for the award - I'll be over soon!

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  4. I love that Rail-Trail! Awesome for bikes and horses--especially the mounting block. I could use one of those on occasion out in the woods. Sound like a great day, regardless of equipment! I ride a 25+ old Fuji that's carried me many miles and I love it! The sun is out at last, time to get on the bike AND the horse.

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  5. Hey Juliette, stop by my blog, you've won an award!

    I love the photos!

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  6. What a fabulous week end you are having, horse and humans! Wouldn't it br great if every day of every week could be like this weekend? With no school and funny old men with transistor radios and curious, well-behaved horses? And glorious farmland and old hayfields?

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  7. how funny to have to TRAIN to nibble grass- mine are always the opposite (and now they go for low hanging tree branches or vineyard leaves since they aren't allowed to eat grass on the ground.)

    what a positively gorgeous field! Goldenrod always reminds me of Midsummer Night's Dream for some reason... "I know a bank where the wild thyme grows...."

    thanks for sharing your rides!

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  8. Looks like a beautiful fall there. Sorry to hear Maizie has an injury. I hope she heals well.

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  9. Loved it that you, horse mom, can't tell her horse face differences sometimes!! Cute. We two, we have good steeds, they do the right things as we focus(the camera) on something else. So glad that you've got such a good photo history going with your fields...the forest growing up will be neat to watch.

    Ya know Wa never would eat ad we rode..never tried. I had to ask her with the bitless bridle. She still does not ask..but I tell her to nibble, when we get to clover. Now, she tends to only eat in places I've allowed her to in the past.

    This is a two partner-comment...don't want to miss anything

    Kac

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  10. Yes, yes...its a " when" kinda thing for the horse van! Makes me see the ones in England.

    Foggy, oh he is a Cutie, right down to his hooves forsure. You all are incredible riding those bikes. And that older fellow, he was cool. Neat place that!

    Hope Your girl injuries have healed.
    Love
    Kac

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