All in the name of research... we set off with Bonny and Tony in tow and headed for Devonian Regional Park where, we had read, there was a bridle trail. Said trail was supposed to lead down to a beach...

Indeed, this turned out to the be the case. Dani and I had a great ride on a glorious afternoon, details of which will likely show up in a future StableMates novel. 

A great time was had by all (though Bonny was pretty sure that the big, round boulders in the water were actually lurking cougars ready to eat her)! Note it is nearly impossible to take photos while mounted without catching the tips of Tony's ears!

You really have to love Vancouver Island - here we are on a sunny, warm day in June, a Sunday no less, and just look at the throngs of people on this sandy beach!!!! Not that we minded - we were quite happy to let the horses stretch their legs and race up and down the beach a bit. No worries here about stomping on little kids' sandcastles!

You'd be laughing, too, if you lived in paradise! 

Ok - I can't resist... this is a Proud Mama Moment... Here's my lovely mare Bonny during a riding lesson today. She's being ridden by my lovely daughter, Dani... both being coached by the amazing Karen! 

 

 

Such massive animals, but so gentle and curious!

Working on several horse-themed books and making the most of the good weather to enjoy my own horses, I find I am never bored! This is a good thing, I suppose, as the long grind of writing a book (and training an horse) could drive a person crazy.

To build my stock of equine photos (to be used in various upcoming articles and books), I've been spending lots of time at barns, horse shows, and race tracks - always with a camera close to hand. And speaking of hands, the one in this photo belongs to our friend Julia who came to visit us a couple of weeks ago.