Floss is home from university for the holidays (Easter, I think – I have lost track).  She came home with a huge pile of work that she is diligently ploughing through.  She occasionally deserves a break.  So what is better to clear the head than a bebbie moment?

They all take it in turns to offer sympathy to her plight of trying to study.

The bebbies have come out of their shells completely now.  Storm, who was the shyest of them all originally, is always the first up.  He loves having his bum scratched and will reverse up, almost sitting on your knee, to get his point across!  It is very funny.

Did you know he has two black spots on his back?

The other two are beginning to look a bit more substantial now.

It will take a bit longer, I think, for Storm (but he is my favourite).  He has much more catching up to do.

The field the bebbies are currently residing in is huge and goes far back over the hill.  When they do turn up, however, I can see that they are very happy as they are incapable of going anywhere without playing.  They play all the time – a constant source of amusement for each other.  I could watch them all day – Bebbie-Watching.  I wonder if there is a tourist market for this?

They sneak up on each other, pretending to be all innocent and chatty and then strike, like their teeth “just happen to be in the area”.

No one has any bite marks, though, just silly grins on their faces.  No more slow, miserable and weak ponies.  They are becoming stronger and bouncier by the day.  They are still having two daily regular meals of hard food and I hope that the size of the field will build muscles now.

I have just discovered Storm deliberately rolls in his empty food bucket.  I have no idea why but he seemed to enjoy it.

So don’t be lulled into a false sense of security while they look all innocent and butter wouldn’t melt – 3 bebbies are really 3 Tiggers – They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pounce….Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!

Today was a day I never thought I would see.  My younger daughter, Flossie, and I went out for a ride together.

Flossie has never been a particularly keen or able rider in her youth.  As a child, she had no balance or co-ordination due to neuro developmental delay (retained Moro, Plantar and Palmar reflexes – three of the infant reflexes).  I have never forced either of my daughters to ride.  If they wanted to learn, then fine and while Daisy was determined to ride from an early age, it has taken a while for Flossie to want to do this.  Her choice completely.

She has had a few lessons sporadically through her life and was a very accomplished carriage driver from a very early age.  But horse riding was difficult for her.

I have always wanted to take her out for a ride and today we agreed that this was The Day.  She tacked up Iacs on her own.

And off we set with me riding Haakon.

BeAnne came too.

Iacs was the perfect gentleman.  He never put a hoof wrong.  BeAnne pottered alongside and we had a lovely ride.  There was even the odd trot when Iacs tried to catch up Haakon, who seemed to have a bee in his bonnet about waiting nicely or walking alongside his friend.

Iacs’ behaviour was exemplary.  He looked after his precious charge very carefully.

I trust Iacs to look after Flossie no matter what.

BeAnne knows the drill on treks.  If cars appear, she immediately goes to the side of the road and waits.

So that was an afternoon I will never forget.  Taking my daughter for her first trek with me.

I gave Flossie a riding lesson on Iacs, aka Mr Bimble.  He was happy enough walking and trotting around the indoor school like a goldfish – every circuit was new.  We concentrated on learning to stop where we were told to stop rather than drift off into the middle in search of a biscuit.  Eventually successful and instead of taking photos of this momentous occasion, I forgot and bossed the pair of them around.

By the time I had remembered, it was too late.  Iacs was tied up and Haakon was ready to be ridden by me.

Flossie gave me the carrot she had brought specifically.  She asked why just one carrot and I demonstrated.

I have taught Haakon to stand still at all costs when I get on.  I show him the carrot.  I break it in half.

He gets the first half when he is standing by my getting-on bucket.

I get on and if he has stood like a rock while I clip my exploding air-jacket into the saddle, have my happy thought and taken my time, not his, he gets the other half.

Then I gave him a hug to show he would stand still until I told him I was ready for the off.  If he moves, I eat the carrot!

We had a nice short ride.

And a bit of a tölt for afters.

If we ride tomorrow, I will take photos of Flossie next.

For those of you asking about Jack(et-Potato), he is back to his normal belligerent self.  Here he is going out on his walk.  He loves that coat.

And here is BeAnne grumbling because I told her to go with Jack.  She wants to follow me home instead.  That is her bad-mood I-am-not-listening-to-you face.

The bebbies were fed up of living in the garden.  It was too small for them.  Eating is all well and good but if you have the energy, playing is much more fun.

Watching them queueing by the gate asking to go out was too much for me, so I opened the big gate from their paddock into the 20 acre hill field.

They didn’t wait to be asked twice and vanished galloping, bucking and farting into the distance.

I thought I would probably never see them again but found that if I shout “Bebbies”, three little sets of ears prick up and they come galloping over to me (and my three buckets of grub).

I have spent today hugging, scratching proffered bottoms and kissing noseys.  My idea of bliss and perfection.  I don’t want them to get used to being wild and not having any human input.  They are still the Bebbies, after all.

Today, they spent most of it asleep in various different places in their field.

It was lovely, sunny and warm.  We are all being lulled into a false sense of spring.