I sure am a prolific horse: Post #100!

You know, The Great Gatsby is quite a short book. If you thought I would match my style to Fitzgerald's, you thought wrong. In fact, Spode entered my writing into one of those "which famous author do you write like?" things, and guess which author I got....

James Joyce.

Have you seen Ulysses? Spode's read it. Even Spode thought it was too long, and that's saying something.

Hmm, this conversation on literature reminds me that I meant to post about my literature fancies, old sports. But we'd better save that for another day. Today we're focusing on me, not books. Yeah, sometimes my name means we're thinking about those two topics at the same time, but not today (put yourself in my hooves for a moment. Do you know what a struggle it is to be named after a book by a kid who's obsessed with literature? I have to compete with a book! My life is a constant battle of jealousy. It's maddening, old sports, maddening!)

I know Spode loves me more than a mere book, though. Let's face it, there's a lot more of me to love than even a large print book of Ulysses, so that's a decided advantage on my side. But quite frankly, my biggest advantage is the fact that I'm straight up gorgeous. As my biggest admirer Daisy says,
"Ah! You look so cool. You always look so cool" (A.K.A. "I love you").

Well actually, Daisy is NOT my greatest admirer. She is actually not a very nice person at all, and arguably it's Nick who really loves me--he's the one that actually SAYS "there's something gorgeous" about me. But I only have eyes for Daisy, and lucky me, Spode is my true Daisy--that one that Gatsby has an image of in his head. Well, in my life, I get to experience the ideal as the real. It's a pretty sweet deal (oh god, first books and now I'm rhyming like a two-bit poet. Make it stop! So much for not getting all literary on you today...)

Now where were we? Oh yes, Spode and I and how handsome I am. Well, we had a lovely reunion after her time away learning about teaching.

Hi! Welcome back! Do I have to get up or can you come over here?

Spode got to come home early this week, so I got one extra day with her. How did we spend it? Playing dress up, AGAIN (this is the problem with being such a good looking horse. The struggle is real)! Spode received some belated Christmas presents, including a sparkly vegan browband. It's a win-win piece of tack: veganized for Spode so she doesn't fret and feel guilty, green for me so I'm all matchy-matchy. It's a little feminine, but my roman nose balances it out, I think. And considering my namesake wore a pink suit, I figure it's okay if I engage in a little bedazzling.

It adds to my already dashing good looks, don't you think?

I completely wowed Spode with my good behaviour these past few days. She hasn't even really needed to enact her new year's resolution of tough love. Er, well, mostly. She's a bit annoyed with my eating habits. Every time I come in the barn I'm looking at the bales of hay and sneak a bite whenever possible. I'm not even hungry. I just like to point out to Spode how ineffectual her tugging and slaps are. Humans are so easy to play.

Aside from that little game of mine, however, I've been good as gold. I only act silly when I'm given explicit permission to be silly.

I should have been named Tigger!

Just trying to show Spode that I'd like to be a jumper instead of a dressage horse...

I am desperate for Spring though. Then I can engage in real silliness. I need the open space and the footing to get in my real bucks:

Just try and sit this one!  Sadly, I can't get this air time in an arena. Roll on, summer. 

After being goofy for all of five minutes, I slowed to a walk and then stopped and waited for Spode to give me some real instructions. Snapped on the lunge line and put me through my paces, and then called it a day with copious amounts of treats. Yeah, having Spode home is the best.

Yesterday I tried on another Christmas present, a new saddle pad. More green highlights. More dress up. Sigh. Spode clearly didn't have enough model horses as a kid to break her of her dress up habits. She even brought out the white polos for me.... for the last time, because (surprise, surprise) they are too short. They were cut to size for Zoodles, and I have a lot more cannon bone than he did. Spode is not too upset though, because I have green ones anyway. Of course I do. 

Did you really just put this on so you could look at me? You have a problem.

Oh god. Not selfies again! Just hurry up and get on me so I can actually do something other than be cute!

Yes, I did manage to convince Spode to get on eventually. We had a brief but pleasant walk in a surprisingly noisy arena. Probably the highlight of Spode's week. Er, and mine. I've been more than a little bored on this holiday.

Today was Spode's work day, so she waved at me in the morning and then ignored me for the rest of the day. The nerve of that girl. Thankfully she made it up to me at the end of the day. We had visitors: Ally and Rebecca! Spode says I've met them before but I could;t really remember. It's been a little while since I've seen them. Ally in particular was fascinating to me. She wanted to free lunge me, but that was so confusing! This smaller human is telling me what to do now? Why should I listen? What's in it for me? Can I eat her? Please can I just put the pompom on her hat in my mouth once? Please? 

Yes, it was a rather interesting evening. Eventually I was told to listen up and Ally got me moving. It was entertaining for everyone. I am still curious about smaller humans, so maybe I'll have more visits in the summer to wrap my head around her (literally! I can do that!). I was much more intrigued in her now than I was the very first time I met her a year and a half ago:

We've both grown some since those days, too!

Seriously, my name could be Curious George. Perhaps a little too curious for my own good sometimes, but I'm pretty sure I made everyone laugh tonight. And you know what laughter leads to? Treats, that's what. The small human brought an apple for me! Jackpot!

So, that's three days down and only one to go. Maybe we'll get in one more ride if the weather is nice tomorrow. Then, unfortunately, it's another 2 weeks of standing in the field just waiting for something to do. These weekends are much too short, even when they're extra long.  But I'm keeping my spirits up. 73 days and counting until Spode is home for summer.  That's right! 73 days until I go back to getting treats every day. Ah, bliss.

Until later, old sports.

Jay.