so I'll just groove along quite naturally

Yesterday Pie and I had a ride on the farm that brought back many memories of my pony, Penny Lane (Tardy). Click here for a story about her. I found this old photo (above) of us walking out of the ring after getting pinned at a show at Ryegate. This picture was probably taken in the summer of 1981. I must be in 8th grade. Pie and I investigated an old haunt that Tardy and I loved. There is another horse farm connected to our property by a sliver of woods. Tardy and I would ride over to that farm back in the day to see our friends - my friends, Amy and Natalie - and Tardy's friend, their horse, Baby. The entry into the woods is a steep hill. I was always bareback on Tardy and this hill is so steep that I would slide off the back of her if I wasn't grabbing mane. When you reach the top of the hill you can see that the Pennsylvania Turnpike is about 200 yards away. With the cars and loud trucks whizzing by, it really isn't something I thought Pie was ready for yet. As usual, he had different ideas! He is so adorable when he wants to do something that is new and I am not sure if we should. I say, "Oh, Pie, not yet, honey, we will come back to this." He then stops and turns his head around and puts it on my foot and nuzzles my shin. He isn't biting or being aggressive. He just softly holds it there, as if to say "please". It is hard to resist. I really think he is reassuring me that it is ok and he will be good. If I squeeze and ask him to walk on, he listens, so I don't think he is trying to be naughty. Anyway, I agreed, and up the hill we went! At the top there is a log across the path that Baja jumped the last time we rode here. Pie stepped over it while watching the trucks with their flying tarps and loud noises. He is something else - so quiet and sensible. We circled around in the woods and popped back out on our property. Pie wanted to do the whole circuit again. I started laughing at him and loving him up, patting his neck and hugging him. He is such a good boy!