“Some pursue happiness - others create it.”

I will try and keep up with my blog, I've been busy with the website, school work and busy with horses, so not really had time to dedicate to this!

Happy April, Spring is finally here and last night it was my first chance to sit in my garden, reading my book under the Magnolia tree. It was bliss.

Unfortunately, this weekend I didn't get much down time with Shadow. He's in the middle of losing his winter coat, as was Cassie, Luca and Lacey and so they were all absolutely shredding it like there was no tomorrow, it felt like winter again because of the sheer mass of white hair on the floor! I do like getting it off, it's a weird habit which keeps me remotely sane whilst questioning my own sanity from the perspective of someone who is looking in!

It also bought back some traumatic memories for Shadow. Last August we had a yard fire, and fortunately none of the animals were hurt, but our stables caught light in the middle of the night. Shadow was really unsettled by this and it was spent a few days being quite uneasy. Someone in the houses behind the woods obviously had a bonfire, and Shadow could see all the smoke and as I got him out the field, he reared and tanked off with me, he was snorting and breathing heavily, but he calmed down and settled into his new field nicely at the prospect of the lush Spring grass emerging, so was rather obliging!

I've not really clickered him much, I suppose we've been on a break from all intense thinking. He's been a star recently, he's been going out for hacks and particularly the one where I took him out for a good hour, it may not seem a lot, but for his maturing brain and body, it is still quite a task, with lots to think about and absorb, I don't want to overdo it. Also, I enjoy just unwinding in the field and really just laying back and relaxing. Although over Easter I plan to re-teach some old behaviours, which I feel will rust over if I don't consistently work on them. So I've got to bear that in mind before totally enjoying our break.

I'm hoping the weather improves so I can bath them! Shadow has a lot of dirt in his coat still from winter, and no matter how much I brush it, it needs washing out. I miss my clean pony! He was so clean last Summer.

Hoping to take Shadow out again over Easter, up to Shorne and perhaps he'll have his first canter, although I plan to do it in the school on the lunge first. There is no rush, patience is a virtue.


I think that I've learnt that no matter how hard you look for happiness, the less likely you are to find it, because you're looking too far away, because the real source of happiness is right there in front of you.

My pony means the world to me, he really does. He may not be aesthetically beautiful and ideal as some people expect or he may not be from a top bloodline. I may not be your next aspiring competition rider, nor do I ever aspire to be that, but what he gives me is so much more. Simplicity, Friendship and Understanding. Why would anyone ever disrespect something so compliant, so respectful and trusting. Why do people wonder why usually a human friendship with an animal is a lot stronger than that between two humans? There is no hang ups, no bitchiness and no dispute. It's subtle communication between two souls, and through simplicity, we have happiness.