Independence Day
in the U.S.A.
This morning Marley and I hit the trail for a holiday ride. My husband and another couple walked the trail while I rode Marley along with them. Marley was relaxed and calm and willing to match his pace to that of the 2 legged walkers. We encountered horses, joggers, dogs, and mountain bikers; Marley took it all in stride. However, we did have some arguments at a couple of really large mud puddles, but we got through them.
Get a load of this huge mushroom next to my husband's foot.
(Click to enlarge.)
in the U.S.A.
This morning Marley and I hit the trail for a holiday ride. My husband and another couple walked the trail while I rode Marley along with them. Marley was relaxed and calm and willing to match his pace to that of the 2 legged walkers. We encountered horses, joggers, dogs, and mountain bikers; Marley took it all in stride. However, we did have some arguments at a couple of really large mud puddles, but we got through them.
It was a good ride considering it was only our 2nd trail ride together, and not in the company of other horses.
We've had a lot of rain lately.
Get a load of this huge mushroom next to my husband's foot.
(Click to enlarge.)
After our ride, I gave Marley a proper bath. This was the first real bath he has had since I purchased him 12 months ago. His previous owners told me he hates to get wet and isn't a good bather. Maybe they bathed him in cold water. I ran warm water out of our garage and he was a good boy for his bath.
All clean and he's ready to go out to pasture. I thought if I put his grazing muzzle on and send him toward the open pasture gate, he'd be too focused on the grass to think about rolling.
What a silly thought.
What a silly thought.
Approaching the pasture, he seizes his moment and down he goes.
Coated evenly in dirt, he arises.
Now rid of that clean pony feeling, he enters the pasture.
those white horses do it everytime!
ReplyDeleteI found you through a link at Grey Horse Matters today. I, too, rode a lot as a girl and now in my 50's, I have 3. I enjoyed reading your blog... thank you for sharing your adventures :-)
Happy 4th of July, Once Upon!
ReplyDeleteHow nice to have a ride together with friends, and that Marley behaved nice through all that you encountered.
Maybe your rain has moved over here? Today it is raining for the first time for ever so long here, close to a month I believe, so it was really needed.
I laughed when I saw your pictures after the bath. As you say, a horse is a horse!
The pictures got me thinking of a matter we discussed a while ago re. the shine (or absence of it) in a Fjording's coat. Now that you have got much rain lately, have you got more shine in Marley's coat?
On the westcoast of Norway, where the Fjords come from, it rains much. Often the horses get more grease in the coat then, to make the coat water repellent. Might be a factor that can affect the shine? What do you think?
Glad to hear the Marley was a good boy on the trail ride and you all had a nice time.
ReplyDeleteRolling after a bath? Guess they all do it, I gave Dusty a bath yesterday too and hand grazed her for a while so she could dry a little. Then she was turned out and promptly rolled to make sure all her body was completely covered.
Good for you and Marley having such a great ride! Marley is so adorable - even after the muddy roll!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog maiden53. It's interesting how many of us have returned to horsemanship after a long break.
ReplyDeleteHOC, I'll have to pay more attention to his coat after all this rain. He looks good but I still don't notice a lot of shine. Probably because he keeps himself covered in a layer of dirt most of the time. After every rainstorm, even if he isn't wet, he rolls in the wet dirt.
GreyHorse, they sure don't like feeling squeaky clean do they. The bath helped though. Marley looked surprisingly clean later in the evening when he came in from the pasture. The dirt didn't stick.
juliette, thank you. Marley is a keeper whether clean or dirty.
Gotta' love the after bath roll! LOL
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, Marley is so adorable!! And that mushroom is HUGE!! I have never seen one that big before! It sounds like you had a great trail ride. I can't wait to go on some trial rides.....it's been forever.
ReplyDelete