Riverwalking

Summer remains my fave season even though we have had some uncomfortably hot temperatures (think: inferno) and not nearly enough rain. But in the last few days, it's been plain ole perfect.

Here's the terrible patch my brumby has on her shoulder. No it's not life threatening, and it doesn't even look that bad. But that's right where the tack goes. Poor brumby! Bill had the vet out to float QTee's teeth last week and while there he took a look at this weird patch.  He thought it could be ringworm (not actually a worm, thank goodness) and took a sample.

Guess what an out-of-commission brumby means? That means Bella is on belay! Bella has been wearing socks because the bugs nibble at her ankles so bad. But she is always up for a ride.

 With Christine still out of commission because of a sore back, and Jackie K now suffering from Lyme disease (her souvenir from Nantucket), on Saturday I convinced my husband and dog to come along.

We were having a great time. Bella was marching along, soldierlike, and the dog was obediently following along. No funny stuff. Just a beautiful day on the trail.

It's been so dry that this probably won't be a good year for mushrooms. But you couldn't miss this bright orange chicken-of-the-woods.

At the Blueberry Pasture we stopped into see Bill who was either cutting or gathering some hay. Bella must have heard the horses in the BP because she started to get a little fussy here. I had to keep her feet moving. So we moved on to the Winter Pasture across the street and then back into the woods. Here is a short clip of us in the Blueberry Pasture.

Of course, it's just not as fun without some Lilly brumby time. So one night while Bill was throwing hay to the horses I paused to watch Lilly eat. I think it is so funny when they eat. All that hay getting munched on by giant creatures. They are actually very noisy eaters, if you ask me.

Here I had been laying in the hay like Jesus in his manger. Bella is probably wondering what I was doing in her food dish. It was super comfy in there.

I also tried to play a little peek-a-boo with my brumby. She could not have cared less what I was doing. She was much more interested in the grass she was gobbling up like a starved orphan. Sometimes my brumby is a great actor. She likes to act as if no one feeds her! What a joke that is!

On Sunday I checked out Lilly's weird patches. They were looking better. But the skin seemed so pink and tender. I didn't want to tack her up until she is fully healed. So I loaded the patches up with natural sunscreen (the thick white kind) and once again gathered up Bella. Little did she know what she was in for.

The fact is, whenever Bill comes along on the trail ride, things might get a little dicey. Bill thrives on adventure. He doesn't like to take things nice and easy. So when I said I'd like to do the River Trail, Bill was probably already planning to actually get in the river itself.

Here we are bushwacking to get to the river. Bella went along no problem. I think she would have went along even without Ruby there with her, but it is always nice to have another horse around.

Last year Hurricane Irene made an impact on this little river. We couldn't get in where we have before. As a result, the place where we were getting in was a little more challenging. It was not exactly beachy, and the path to the water was viney and steep. Short but steep. Of course Bill got Ruby to get right in. But Bella and I struggled. She didn't want to do it. And I wasn't sure I wanted to either.

But we made it!!! What a good Haflinger! For details of how this played out and some tidbits of our ride that day, just click right here! And finally, to see one of the world's cutest videos of  Ruby (and Bill)  playing in the water, then you must CLICK RIGHT HERE. If you do nothing else today, you must watch these 12 seconds of hilarity.

Happy Trails!