So Much To Do, So Little Time

I am going to have to quit my job. It is getting in the way of too many other things I want to do, including blogging. And brumby time. And my new adventures in gardening. So much to do, so little time.

Last weekend I was hanging out with my brumby over at Bill's. Bill wanted to take Glitter down to the round pen and give her another lesson in not-bucking. So he put a rope around her rear end and put some pressure on it. Once she starts bucking, you hold the pressure until the bucking stops. As soon as it stops, you instantly release the pressure. So she learns that by standing still and calm the discomfort goes away. As John Lyons says, horses are into pressure animals.  And who was it that said: Horse, you can freak out if you want to, but you must to do it with all four feet on the ground. (I think John Lyons said that too). Now, I myself would never be able to do this lesson. Your timing must be impeccable. You can't get intimidated by the ruckus. You just have to know exactly what you are doing.

If you'd like to see the video I made during this lesson, please do so here by clicking here.

During the video, you will hear one of donkeys suddenly start bellering. It almost seems like it is Glitter, but it is not. It's just a nosy little donkey, putting in his two cents.

In between horse activity, Brandon and I went to see Kestrel in her annual spring dance performance. She does ballet, modern, tap and bellydancing. 

There's Kestrel, second from the left, in one of her modern pieces. It was called Water, Ice, Vapor, or something like that. I prefer watching ballet personally, but I think Kestrel likes the freedom of modern dance.

I also took two short videos of her during her tap performance which I will include here, but I have to warn you that the videography is awful. I was doing it secretly. They never want you to do any of your own recording in there. Still, I LOVE tap dancing and Brandon and I were very proud of her so I went for it, video police be damned! She the one on the far right.

Kestrel Tapping 1
Kestrel Tapping 2

OK, back to the world of brumbies.

Here we are setting out yesterday up the Short Trail. I thought the weekend was going to be a wash out, but as it turns out each day had both clouds and sun. How nice that the sun greeted us on the first leg of our journey.

From the Short Trail we took the first right and headed up to Quartz Corner...which I also call Porcupine Pocket because I have seen porcupines milling about there a few times!

After Quartz Corner you go down a rocky, mucky part of the trail which is quickly followed by a steep-ish trail that I call Cliffwalk (because on one side there is a drop off). And then within 5 minutes you are passing Mile Marker #1 that Bill made, and are ambling along the Parallel Trail, so named because it runs parallel to the River Trail below it.

 One must always make time for a little nibbling, no matter what the trail you are one!

After ambling along on the Parallel Trail, it got wet and soppy. Not a bad place to squeeze in a little canter when its drier. Then you approach a little brown house (darling), make a hairpin turn to the left and in just a short canter, you will hook up with the Ridge Trail.

Here we are crossing a little stream because the bridge might not be horse-worthy: Click here.

When you intersect the Ridge Trail, you can turn right and head toward the Winter Pasture or a pair of other trails that will take you to the Harris house. But if you turn left, you are heading back to the ridge that the Ridge Trail is named for. But before you get to it, there is a pleasant journey ahead of you with many tiny obstacles. Like this little pond!

Let's see what we have in the dashboard: carrots, crop, saw and hand held nippers.

After you zoom up to the top of the ridge, you will find your way back to the Short Trail. The Short Trail leads you back to the road and in two shakes of a brumby's tail, you are heading back down Pine Hill Road to the barn. So you've come full circle.


All very perfect in every way, just like Mary Poppins.

After riding my brumby, I came home and finished up planting my pallet garden, which is intended to be a vertical garden...

...and then I planted my new raised bed gardens in the backyard.

I've never had a vegetable garden before so it is very exciting.

There's spider creeping around the patio. He could use a diet!

This morning, I was back at Bill's for another trail ride. The clouds did not look so promising, but we headed out anyway.

Look! We are back on the Parallel Trail!  The weather held out. No real sun but no rain either.

After the ride, we dropped Freddie and Lilly off at the BP. I love watching Lilly go down this little path to get to the open space. Watching her, I can tell she's so happy.

And I'm happy too because my favorite season has arrived.


And finally, a relocation story.

There were some pollywogs down in the ring that weren't going to make it because they were in little puddles baking in the sun.

So I took them home and released them in our pond!

I hope they make it!