When Sunshine is Happy, Mama is Happy!

Look at this boy ... he is so happy ... he get's to come in and out as he pleases.  He get's to meander around the most beautiful trails.  He gets to explore hay fields.  He gets to eat the tallest grass and clover with his best buddy Merlin.  And he gets to do it all in one of the most serene settings ever ... with hawks flying overhead, with the smell of fresh cut hay filling the air, with a few cocktails on the deck ... yeah, he get's all that!!!

The Best Day Ever, EVER ... With Photos ...

I've realized that 99.9% of my Facebook status' are either "Had the best ride on Sunny ever!" or photo's taking between his ears!

Sunny and I are having an absolute blast together, and I admit I'm a little (lot) obsessed ... so I think I may need to tone it down a bit ...

But seriously, today ... we had the BEST RIDE EVER ... and you know what, tomorrow will be even better!

RANT!

I have to admit that I get so sad/mad when I see ads for "older horses for sale" (or free lease) when the current owner states, "Looking for FOREVER home only".

Why didn't you give your horse a forever home?

Sunny & Lacey, Forever!

This is the life!

When I first realized that my life was going to be incomplete without a horse ... I wasn't actually sure what role that horse was supposed to play in my life.

Did I want to learn how to be a great (or even marginally good rider)?  Did I want to test the limits with endurance riding?  Did I want to wear the sparkly western pleasure outfits and collect the blue ribbons (YES!!!)?  Or did I want to spend hours brushing my horse on cross ties?

Deep down in my heart, I think I knew all along ... I wanted to ride in the woods ...

Just ride in the woods, every day ...

Listen to birds, see deer, spook at turkeys, have long talks with my friends ... HAVE LONG TALKS WITH MY HORSE!!!

Well, we're doing it ... Sunny and I are living my dream ... and he has never seemed happier in all the months I've known him ... I think this was his dream too!

Today, as I picked out his ginormously huge run in ... he actually played with me ... he stood between me with a pitch fork and the manure bucket and refused to move until I scratched his neck ... and when my arm was too tired to scratch any more, he turned around and presented me with the other side of his neck ... so yes, I scratched some more ...

And when the stall was clean and I picked up my saddle to tack him up, he walked right up to me and I swear he smiled ... and off we went into the woods ... Our Happy Place!