Thanks... I think that he's a cutie too! :) Dragon actually reminded me of him when I saw your photos. The Canadians really are delightful horses to be around... so versatile, and such sweet temperaments.

A few of us Canadian owners are getting Canadian Flag themed coolers made - quite fitting for the National Horse of Canada, eh?! ;)
http://barnmice.com/photo/canadian-cooler?context=user

I do know what you mean. My boyfriend made a good point when I was fretting about that very thing: "No-one is going to be looking at you, they'll be looking at your horse!" ;) The Canadian Horse shows are great, they are small (not as many people as the big shows) and relaxed... and after the first day you know everyone and somehow it is less scary. They are very helpful and will guide you through what you need to do (we are still learning too... my boyfriend is totally new to horses and even he went into the ring... now he wants a horse of his own!).
The great thing is, even experienced handlers have moments when a horse says "nah, I don't feel like doing that". Everyone has been there. As our breeder put it: "As long as everyone makes it in and out of the ring safely and has fun, that's what matters. It's all good experience for the horses and the people." Face it, the main reason that we Canadian Horse owners want to go to show is to admire all the pretty horses and show off our own! *lol* Well, that and the awesome barbeques. :)

Hi again, and thanks! I agree completely... our boys do have the sweetest faces! :) I love how a lot of Canadians keep that cute, mischievous, 'little boy' face even into adulthood.
I do recommend trying a Canadian Horse show sometime. If you told me a few months ago that I would get into a ring for a halter class, I never would have believed it (being in front of people terrifies me)... but I am so glad that I did try it. We had a great time, met really nice people, and are looking forward to next year. People do need to get out there with their horses to keep these shows going, and to spread the word about our awesome horses!
The show was in Orangeville (quite far from you... but folks from near Ottawa do come!). Do you know about the UCD?
http://www.ucdcanadianhorse.ca/about.shtml

Hi! We took our wee lad to our first Canadian Horse show together. We had a great time! I recommend attending a breed show - it's a fun, low-key way to expose your horse to all sorts of new sights and sounds and meet with other Canadian Horse people (and look at very nice horses). :)
I hope all is going well with everyone at your farm!

Hi again! Thank you so much for the link. I will look into whether any of the local vets carry their products. Thanks also for the kind offer... if I have trouble finding the treats I will let you know. :)

I am thrilled to know that there are good treat options for our friends who need to avoid excess sugars.

Where do you get your sugar-free beet treats? I'd love to get some of those for when visiting my friend's horse. They would probably also be great for my boy... as you likely know, Canadians are *very* easy keepers, so if I could avoid sugary treats for him, it would be a bonus.

Hi again. I feel the same way (about wishing the summer away). I generally love summer, but the flies have been so bad this year that fall will be a relief (and it is pretty)!

It's great that Chocolate has such a caring human to look after her... I'm glad that she's doing better. One of our friends went through a scary period of laminitis with her horse. Soaked hay, careful feediing, and exercise (especially the exercise) brought him back too. Other people might have given up on him, but thankfully he had a determined and loving human partner who worked with his needs to get him through it. He's doing great now. :)

I have been enjoying looking through the photography on your site - your photos are beautiful! Thanks for the wonderful images! :)

Bells and hoops - what great ideas. I hadn't thought of those! More 'toys' for my boy to encounter. I think that it will be a bit before he is as brave as Chocolate though. Chocolate is so cute... it's funny how the wee ponies are often braver than much bigger horses! Congrats to Nairobi on 'conquering' bells. :)

I hope that you are enjoying your journey with horses. I also have "what have I gotten myself into" moments... but horses are great at doing something amazing at just the right moment, and you realise that it is totally worth it, 'challenging' days and all.

I am quite looking forward to fall... in the hope that the insects will finally go away. I've been expecting to look outside and see the flies flying off with our livestock! ;) The horses get so upset about the flies (they are much thicker in the woods) that we actually haven't been hacking lately.