Bitless horse blog goes bitless in Ireland

Finally! The post you have all been waiting for... Go to the bathroom and get some popcorn it is going to be a long post having had a few days of adventures.

Monday afternoon I embarked to the Detroit airport (which is always an adventure in itself) to board the plane to Newark NJ and then to Dublin Ireland. I'll spare you the details on how long but awesome the service on the plane was.

You know the right way to start a trip is to sit down in the car to drive to the airport and rip the seat of your pants wide open! All you hear is mom yelling something from the window then OH MY WHATS WRONG WITH YOUR PANTS!? so the whole neighborhood can hear it as I bent over giggling in the driveway to show her. Good thing I could change and wasn't on the plane already.

I sat in the Dublin airport for five hours. Of course being me I think I can go just about anyplace and find someone to talk to. I met some interesting Irish people and we talked wile waiting for others to arrive.

Most people here know something about horses or has a family member that has horses. It's an interesting place full of very friendly people. By the time Marel showed up (11 am their time, I had been there since 7 am) she explained to me that Zoe and Gerry's flight was delayed in Toronto and would be late. She asked me if I would like to go for a hike. Of course I would. Here is just a glimpse, I will have another post about this 3 and a half hour hike later AKA-check back on Sunday stills but here is a sneak peak. Just to put it into perspective we hiked up the right side to where the hill levels off there in the middle, then all the way up the hill on the left, all along the top and back down.

Of course I did this after adding 5 hours to the time after my flight. I just had to. We also visited a very cool, very Irish graveyard with a neat tower and chapel. Also for another post.

When we got back to the farm it was getting pretty dark. We had tea and went to visit some of the 32 horses on the property before heading off to bed for the night. Heres horse breakfast the next morning

I made a friend. My scratchy fingers were quite welcome on Big Stormy's neck here. I liked him, he was a sweetie as were the rest of the horses here. Ooh look at that lip stretched all out there. That feels good!

I fed some dandelions to Troni. I hope this is her approving face, she was not quite sure what I was handing her. I seem to have this effect on a lot of horses (ahhem, Indigo you beggar, I miss you a lot!)

Once done breakfast I went for a walk by myself down the road towards the cross country course. I want to jump so, so, bad!

The further I wandered the more intersting places I came upon.

Why hello there cute pony! This is Wooda.

I also found myself some cute asses. Hehe. They were really curious and came right over to where I was at the fence to say hello.

Didn't your mother teach you it is rude to scratch your ass in front of others?

If you scratch my ass I'll scratch yours.

Too cute. Too cute.

When I was coming back the ponies had passed out on their sides.

They were tired, so was I.

I went back to the house, took a shower and passed out cold only to be awoke by Zoe yelling up the stairs to my room seeing if I was there and exclaiming my boots were not there. WHAT!? My blundstones. I launched out of bed and came barreling down the stairs only to realize my boots were there; she thought I was wearing shoes and had gone out on a hike and got lost. Phew!

We ate lunch and then went to the stables to tack up.

This is Jack.

I rode Jack today on our first 3 hour trail ride through some interesting county. A lot was too difficult to take pictures and ride at the same time; like a 2 and a half foot tall, one foot wide ditch that I had to take my feet out of the stirrups because my feet were dragging on the top of the ditch. I was afraid I was going to stand up on the top of the ditch and Jack keep walking.

Sorry for the horrible image quality from here on. I was very tempted to chuck the Kodak camera into the bushes.

Gerry left and Merel right. Jacks ears center and the ever energetic jack russel terrier who I can't seem to remember his name at the moment.

All bitless of course!!

Zoe behind me.

We came up close and personal with a lot of cows in pastures we had to cut through. Why hello there!

Say hello Jack.

I like this one with it's cute dark ears. I have a thing for cute cow ears, and horse ears. Especially pony ears. Itty bitty little pony ears.

Buh bye cute cow.

A concerned mama cow in another field down the road.

This is for my man. He reads my blog and is probably tired of reading so much horsey stuff so here is something with wheels and a engine; a Irish new holland tractor. Another big tractor too, and another.

Lots of gorgeous land. Rolling hills. Stone walls everywhere in every paddock. Now that is a good idea of what we should do with the rock breeding farm that goes on in the paddock back home.

Uh oh! Cow in the road ahead.

It and several others went mooing and running away.

Gerry, myself and Zoe.
Merel was taking the picture, you can see her horses butt in the image there.

Merel, Zoe, Gerry and I.

Of course one of me making a goofy face as usual without meaning to.

Alpacas

The horses were not too sure. They had never seen them before as they were new at the farm we passed.

Back home to untack and wash the horses legs just in time for a delicious dinner. Until tomorrow.