Do you ever get the feeling like you are being watched?
I feel like that a lot actually. It’s like no matter what way I turn there is someone looking over my shoulder.
Oh I should of known! My gal Cricket is always tailing me!
That’s ok though, she’s a pretty sweet tail to have! 
Over the weekend I visited my ponies on the farm. It was muddy and wet and oh so much fun!
I even had a little fun digging for critters!
What kind of fun did you have this weekend?
Last weekend on the farm we had some lingering snow, the kind of snow that was perfect for snowballs! Trooper and I wasted no time in having a little game out of who could catch the most.
After a few failed attempts on my part to catch said snowballs (it would probably help if I opened my eyes when trying to catch them), it was evident that Trooper was going to come out on top with this one.
What can I say, my best friend is a natural!
You know as much as we all want to complain about the winter with all the snow and the cold, there is just something magical about running through the snow, catching snowballs, and bundling up until you can hardly move!
Even our farm neighbor, Bella the Bernese Mountain Dog decided to stop by for some wintertime fun!
Unfortunately despite all my winter gear, I still lack the natural winter protection that my friend Bella is so blessed with. So I was off to the car to warm up for a bit!
Sorry Bella, our winter fun will have to wait until I thaw out some!
Over the weekend the temperatures rose to a comfortable 65 degrees on the farm, which meant I found myself soaking up all the sun I could before it inevitably turns cold once again.
I ran and ran and celebrated being free!
I kept on running until Trooper came to get me to help with the farm chores. What a buzz kill!
Digging holes for fencing requires all hands paws on deck, and as the digging expert I’m always involved with it comes to holes on the farm.
Trooper on the other hand just likes to nap in the sun. To each his own. Happy warm fall day to all!
Over the weekend I took my very first trip to the Fair Hill International Event, one of the most prestigious international three day events in the world, this is the ultimate test of a horse and rider. Through tests in dressage, endurance, and stadium jumping the horse and rider teams work together to show that they can compete in the most demanding and highest levels of equestrian sports.
But before I could attend the event, I had to go on my very first school bus ride!
Trooper tagged along with me on this adventure, and we were both pretty excited about taking the bus to the event grounds from the parking lot.
I can only imagine how exciting it must be to take the bus everyday to school! Those lucky kids! I even sang the wheels on the bus during the ride just to make it even more fun.
Once in the park I quickly made my way to the arena, because the real reason I came to the Fair Hill International was to cheer on my friends from the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team!
Made up entirely of Chincoteague Ponies (and the only one in the world), the drill team performs at events to choreographed music. It was great to see my friends again, as I had not seen them since I went to Chincoteague a few years ago so that my pony friends could frolic on the beach.
After I said goodbye to my friends I was ready to check out the other events at the Fair Hill International. (Above is me pictured with Misty’s Icicle, the only cremello colored pony in the Misty family line of ponies)
Of course my number one mission was to RIDE A PONY! But since most of them were busy competing I settled for this cardboard cutout of one instead.
And here’s what I would look like if I was a world class eventer like the riders that were competing at Fair Hill! Dashing right?
Next up I hit up the Dog Agility area, where they very nicely let me try a practice course – which was the first time I tried a course outside of my weekly classes at the Dog Training Center. I was a little distracted by all the smells on the course (and the fact that some of the obstacles seemed a bit different than what I was used to), but I did complete all the obstacles!
You may have heard my pal Trooper crying in the background of the video – he was utterly convinced that the course was going to eat me up if he wasn’t out there to protect me – or better yet, herd me around the scary obstacles. Oh Trooper, such a silly boy.
Next I headed over to watch some of the show jumping on the hill with the other dogs. You might not be able to tell from this photo, but almost every person came to the event with a dog. Great Danes, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhounds, Jack Russells, Labradors, and I even spotted a few Dachshunds among them.
Watching the show jumping was quite spectacular as the horses soared through the air, but I have to admit, the Fair Hill International really wore me out!
I’m already counting down the days until next years event though!
Make sure you check out some more photos and video of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team at the Painting Pony Blog.
Instagram is by far one of my mom’s (and mine) favorite apps. It’s a way for me to share a tiny little glimpse into everyday life, whether that be running around on the farm, napping at work, or going on a fabulous adventure. So for those of you that don’t already follow me on Instagram, here’s a little peek into my everyday life:
With fall rolling in I took my first annual trip of the season to Highland Orchards.
I love sniffing the goats at the orchard, but truth be told, I’m quite happy that there is a fence between us at all times. Safety first!
But the real treat this time was that mom’s first cousin once removed (whatever that means) tagged along with us.
Kids are good for one thing in a dog’s world…..and that’s dropping food!
You can bet I warned Mr. Goat that any food dropped was mine, and mine alone. Don’t worry though, I was very friendly and wagged my tail when I told him. I’m pretty sure he got the message.
What kind of adventures will you be going on this fall?
Over the weekend I found myself on an obstacle course at the family farm. Designed to test the horseback riders’ ability to navigate a scary and complex course, I was excited to see how what kind of reaction my obstacles would produce.
When it became clear that not much seemed to worry these horse and rider pairs, I tried to up the anti by enlisting the help of a few groundhogs I know. Unfortunately they weren’t home at the time.
With the competition fierce I employed one last tactic…..creating an obstacle of my own!
Those ponies never saw it coming!
I have a best friend, and his name is Trooper.
He’s silly and fun, and always knows how to have a good time. Plus he’s so much fun to wrestle with!
He’s great at keeping secrets, even if I’m not so great at keeping them.
We’re different, but the same, and I couldn’t be happier to have a best friend to grow old with.
P.S. Thanks to Mattie & Margot for sending along some matching best friend collars for me and my pal Trooper! Because best friends should always look stylish together!
Did you know that I’m a member of a dog pack? My pack consists of a whole menagerie of dogs!
There’s Bella the Great Pyrenees and my pal Trooper the Australian Shepherd/Labrador Mix.
And Raisin the Great Pyrenees mix (on the right).
And then theirs Jack, the Yorkshire Terrier.
Jack, being the smallest dog in our dog pack is the ring leader (of course the small dogs always rule the roost)!
But when you get to know Jack, he’s really just a big softie! Aren’t they all!
What kind of dogs do you have in your dog pack?