One Saturday, Three Brumbies

I need to begin this blog post by saying how excited I am that SOMEONE gave me and my blog a BLOG AWARD!! I want to devote an entire blog post to responding, and I want to do it right. I'll do a regular post today and then tomorrow honor my award! I can't wait to share it with everyone!

Today was a beautiful day and so I met Christine again for a ride. I still put my puffy pants on and Toe Warmers in my boots. I am a person who does not like to be cold. Even though it is not bitter and terrible outside, I am not taking chances. It is always easier to take clothes off than to have them materialize out of nowhere to put them on while on the trail. Not surprisingly, I did not overheat once!


As you know, I have been branching out and exploring new bits. Today Bill was organizing his barn. It is FULL of bits! Some have not been used in years! But it was really fun to inspect them. There is a whole world of bits out there. The one I have been using lately has been great. I have had no complaints at all. And neither has my brumby. Because if it doesn't work for Lilly than it does not work for me. I love that dog bone bit in the upper left of the picture.

There are even these bits hanging on the wall of the barn. I don't think I'll try one of those on my brumby! They look enormous!

There are also tons of bridles and headstalls in the barn. Here is a pile of all kinds of things. This is what we do when the weather is warm enough to linger in the barn. We mill around. We pore over things. We take inventories. We feel happy.

Here's a bitless headstall. I have never used this. I know CC has one in purple. Maybe one day I will try it. I have never not used a bit on Lilly except I used to, on rare occasion, ride her in the ring with reins hooked to her halter. Sometimes Bill rides Cody this way. But Cody and Bill are two that think as one.

This is a new bit that Bill just bought. Today I tried it. Just for kicks I hooked up two sets of reins to it. At all times, I try to keep my reins loose and loopy. This is the opposite from what I learned in my lessons at Biscuit Hill which was all english. (I can still hear my teacher telling me to shorten my reins.) In any case, I strive to be extreeeeemely light with my hands. I only use them if I have to. This allows me to fumble with my camera most of the time!

Do you see that Christine is on QTee?? Since we were on the road today and not the trail with all the snow, and since QTee was seeming fit as a fiddle, Christine rode her today. I had really missed having QTee with us on the trail. She went along the whole ride, safe and sound. At one point she even got a little saucy! When she got that way, Lilly tried to do the same! But only for a second. I think QTee was feeling joyous about being back with Christine.

When we came back from our ride, Lilly gave a gargantuan shake before I even had the saddle off of her. Out of the pommel bags my gloves, some carrots and my camera went flying! My camera landed in a wet pile of mud. OH NO! I thought: this is it. This camera has worked far too long considering its ownership. But I was wrong! The $79 Kodak Easy Share has taken another lickin and has kept on tickin. Thank you, Eastman Kodak, for making a hardworking, nonrebellious little camera.

Look! Some tangible signs that spring is on its way!!