This blog has been ignored a little too much, and that coupled with the slightly silly posts at the beginning have prompted a fresh start.  You can find my (slightly more serious) blog here:  http://theabstractelephant.blogspot.co.uk/

Long time, no see.

It's been a while since I updated my blog, but I haven't forgotten about it!  There's just been nothing to talk about.

I'd like to take the time to mention Counter Canter Photography, my animal photography website.  You can find it on deviantArt as well.

Counter Canter Photography (website)

Counter Canter Photography (deviantArt)

And merry Christmas all!!

Not 'Just A Horse'

I remembered reading this at my friend's house, and after a quick Google search, decided to share it on here.  It sums everything up beautifully.

From time to time, people tell me, 'lighten up, it's just a horse,' or, 'that's a lot of money for just a horse'. They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for 'just a horse.'

Some of my proudest moments have come about with 'just a horse.' Many hours have passed and my only company was 'just a horse,' but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by 'just a horse,' and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of 'just a horse' gave me comfort and reason to overcome the dark.

Those who think it's 'just a horse,' probably also use phrases like 'just a friend,' 'just a sunrise,' or 'just a promise.' 'Just a horse' brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. 'Just a horse' brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person.

Because of 'just a horse' I rise early, take long walks, and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not 'just a horse' but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

'Just a horse' brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday others have the opportunity to understand that it's not 'just a horse' but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being 'just a woman.'

So the next time you hear the phrase 'just a horse,' smile. You are one of the blessed few who understands.

-Unknown author-

Found here.

New Layout!

Who likes the new red layout?  I certainly do!  It's nice and cosy looking, don't you think?

In other news, I'm now a member of deviantArt!  I joined back in September, but didn't get round to sharing with you guys. 

TheAria on deviantArt

It's Sweep!

This is Sweep, my sister's gorgeous little spotty monster.  He's been lame recently, not too bad, just a bit sore, and I thought I'd share some pictures of him.

 "SIT!!"

 He looks so prehistoric!

 With Vento and Jolly.

 Looking happy for once.

 And to finish, Vento, Merlin and Jolly messing around.  Jolly did an ENORMOUS buck in Merlin's face, but he was unperturbed by her moment of madness and didn't look hugely bothered.  Look, all four hooves off the ground!!

Showing 101 - a recommendation

Showing 101 quickly became a blog in my following list when it was linked to on MHL.  'The Hobby Police' was brought to our attention and was a well written post which highlighted overbearing critics in the model horse hobby, who, instead of providing much-needed encouragement for newer hobbyists starting out in customising/tackmaking/etc, criticise them harshly under the guise of being 'constructive'. 
I decided to investigate a little further, looking at Showing 101's more recent posts.  Finding them mostly helpful, I added it to my following list, and I recommend you do the same.
Admittedly, not all the posts are completely helpful to me, but that's to be expected, since I don't show in the USA, and instead of collecting Breyers, Stones, resins or similar, I collect Julips.  But many of the posts contain useful information which is applicable to all collectors interested in live showing, such as this one. 
On the sidebar, there is a note saying that some posts are written by guest writers.  Well, credit must go to every single one of the authors, as every single one of the posts are well constructed and conveyed!
Showing101's tagline is 'Everything I wish I'd known before I started showing model horses', and may I say that although you may not have known them then, thank you for sharing them now!

showing101.blogspot.com
Well worth a visit.

I rode with the Cumbrian Heavy Horses!!

After reading dizzylizzy's beach ride thread, a quick Google search told me that the Cumbrian Heavy Horses were only about an hour away from where we were staying. Excited by this point, I press-ganged my Mum into booking a ride for us.

I was disappointed to find that we couldn't do the beach ride (all the ride leader has to do is say 'are you...' and before they can say 'ready', the horses are off at a full gallop!) but we decided instead to do a farm ride.

CHH's farm rides last for about two hours and include lots of canters around their private land. Unfortunately, we couldn't take the camera (or my Dad's car keys, which he was a bit annoyed about) on the ride with us, so I didn't get any in-progress photos And by the time we had unearthed it from under the piles of coats in the boot of the car, our horses had been turned out.

HOWEVER! We did get a calendar with a few photos of them in, and if they scan well, I'll upload them soon. And I did get some photos of the others, which are big fluffy lumps of goodness, and I'll post them too.

I rode Gypsy, a 17.1hh Shire/Clydesdale cross, with lovely eyes and a very calm nature. My sister rode Hamish, a 17.3hh Clydesdale who had big sad Eeyore eyes and lovely sabino patches. My Mum had Sparky, surprisingly lazy for his name, and my Dad had a very classy-looking mount called Miracle, Miri for short. We were taken out around the farm by a very horsey, no nonsense lady who rode the smallest horse there, the 'Bonsai horse', Little Roo, who was actually a twin, and if you Google 'Clydesdale twins', he's the smaller of the two. He was 15.2hh, so quite small compared to some of the gorgeous beasties there!! XD

We had a lovely hack around the very scenic valley, with some nice fast comfy canters, both as a group and in pairs. Then, we were asked whether we'd like to have a really fast canter across the fields or go a short way up the Fells. We had a tough choice, but eventually chose the Fells. We marched up the Fells through a few fields of sheep, and then turned and five horses, four achy bottoms, three bombing-offs, two hours and one Fell later, we returned to the yard.

We had packed lunches with us (from the hotel), so we didn't need to stop off at the cafe (marked 'Coffee, cake and Clydesdales!' on the sign, and we then drove off to the beach to eat our lunch. We were a little worried when we heard a loud explosion, especially as there was a nuclear power plant about two miles away, and then found out that it wasn't a nuclear disaster after all. Much relief on our parts, there.

I would DEFINITELY recommend Cumbrian Heavy Horses. They're well worth a visit, if not a ride, if you're in the area. I had a fantastic time, so thank you, dizzylizzy for recommending it to us!

Sorry for the text and no pictures (yet!), and thank you for reading!