Posts Tagged ‘water
Swimming the Ponies at the Lake
Over the weekend we decided to take the ponies to the lake for a swim.
We brought along Blitz, Minnow, and Ammo the Dachshund as well as the ponies’ barn mate Lilah (for her very first swim).
Minnow’s no stranger to the lake, and considering that he was born on an island I think it’s pretty safe to say he loves the water. It felt good to take him on an adventure again as he hasn’t been anywhere since I think maybe pony penning last summer! (that’s far too long!)
Blitz is a bit more cautious about the water, and while he thoroughly enjoyed wading out pretty deep we still have yet to see him actually swim! (some day….)
But that didn’t stop him from having fun in the lake!
Minnow on the other hand graciously gave EVERYONE a swim, even Ammo hopped aboard for his very first swim session on the back of a pony.
I can’t wait to take the ponies back to the lake again soon. It’s the absolute best way to keep cool on a hot summer day!
P.S. Thanks to our friends at My Life, Naturally for providing some of the photos for this post!
Cape Henlopen – Riding on the Beach
On Monday we decided to pack up the ponies and Ammo the Dachshund and head to Cape Henlopen in Delaware to ride on the beach. We had never been there before, but heard they allowed beach riding until late April.
Blitz and Boomerang have been to the beach before when we took our ride on Assateague Island in Virginia last fall.
In fact Boomerang was so excited about returning he couldn’t even make it all the way to the beach before taking a roll in the sand.
This time Minnow stayed at home (sorry Minnow) and we brought along my sister’s mare, Jet, and this was her first time on the beach. Jet was a bit nervous about the waves at first but eventually relaxed some, we even worked up to some fun galloping/racing along the beach.
After taking the ponies on our ride we picked up Ammo at the trailer and took them on a run/walk in the ocean.
As you can see it was extremely windy that day and had it been warmer I would have ventured further into the ocean with Boomerang.
Understandably Boomer was a bit nervous at first about going too far into the ocean – waves coming at you can be a scary thing when you aren’t sure what they are. But with a bit of clicker training I eventually had him encompassed in some waves.
Blitz was really fun to watch on the beach – he looked just like a wild stallion, so pretty!
Dramatic Boomer rolled about 6 times on the beach (aside from being cued to lay down & sit) – and he could of cared less who or what was next to him as long as he could feel the wet sand on his body.
The ponies weren’t the only ones to have a good time on the beach though. Ammo thoroughly enjoyed himself even if he did get a little wind/sand blown. It’s a drag being so short sometimes.
To check out more of our photos from our beach adventure visit our Facebook Page.
Painting, Laughter, and Dachshunds
On Monday we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day and broke out the paints.
Minnow was really excited (if you can’t tell by the look on his face).
Even Ammo enjoys our “painting days”, especially since he always gets to be designated cheerio clean-up dog.
Minnow painted two amazing paintings, one of which I fell in love with and decided to add to my personal collection.
- “Fluttering By” by Chincoteague Minnow
- “From the Mountain to the Sea” by Chincoteague Minnow (personal collection)
Of course I couldn’t leave out Minnow’s brothers, Blitz and Boomer, when it came time to paint.
Blitz had a blast throwing around the paint this time, and got in touch with the messier side of his artistic creativity.
I think his newest painting really reflected his “messy artist” mood that day.
- “Chincoteague Waves” by Chesapeake Lightning (Blitz)
And after patently waiting his turn at the easel Boomerang was ready for some fun.
Boomer is definitely the goofball of the bunch – always making paintings filled with laughter.
His smile is always contagious.
- “Dancing Feathers” by Chesapeake Boomerang (Boomer)
After 4 plus hours each of the ponies had had their turn at the easel.
As per usual, by the end of the day everyone was covered in paint, including me.
Check out all of the ponies’ available paintings in their SHOP.
Swimming Chincoteague Ponies
On Sunday after the boy’s first Gymkhana Event we stopped at Marsh Creek State Park. The objective, take the ponies swimming (and have a father’s day picnic)!
My sister’s mare, Jet (the black horse), has been swimming several times – as has Minnow. So this time it was Blitz & Boomer’s turn to test out the water.
Both were a little skeptical at first, but on a nice hot day, it didn’t take them long to get in the water.
But after a few minutes and a little gentle coaxing, Boomer was swimming!
Even my parent’s dog, Trooper, joined in on the swimming fun.
The ponies were even introduced to their first kayaks. No one freaked out – even when it drifted awfully close to them. You have to love the mindset of a Chincoteague Pony.
Blitz never did actually swim, but he’s a bit more cautious than Boomer is. And my mom wanted to make it a pleasant experience for him so she opted not ask too much of him.
Little Ammo the Dachshund had to watch from the sidelines. But he is just too little to swim with the big boys. Sorry fella.
