Thursday, April 25, 2013

Just Horsin' Around ;)

Robby, Emilie and I have spent quite a bit of time with Beast'sbelle's Barbie horses since my last post.  We've groomed them, rubbed them down with Lysol wipes, fed them, and spent enough time around them that they perk up when they see us coming.  

And get this...I learned how to ride!!  I'd never ridden a horse before this week, but with help from Beast'sbelle and Robby, I learned!  It came rather naturally, which surprised me.  I'm not usually the type that picks something up right off the bat.  Dallas is such a friendly horse, though, that I felt perfectly at ease.  I couldn't wait to try riding him outdoors!

Yesterday's weather was just beautiful, so after discussing it with Robby, I talked to Beast'sbelle about letting us out to give the horses some exercise.  Their plastic limbs were feeling the need to stretch and walk about, and Robby and I were dying to get a bit of fresh air.  Beast'sbelle allowed us to go as long as we promised to be super careful.


So as quick as we could (before Beast'sbelle could change her mind), Emilie, Robby, and I got the horses ready and headed out.  We decided to ride on the front lawn this first time.  The shade from our wedding tree would ease the heat of the afternoon sun.  I rode Dallas, the palomino stallion, Robby rode Midnight, the black mare, and Emilie rode Dixie, the adorable little filly.  

Those of you who are familiar with Barbie pets may be surprised to find that the horse genders are switched.  Apparently not all of them were labeled correctly or something, because in this case Dallas is the father and Midnight the mother.  Weird, huh?  I guess you just can't trust a label on doll packaging sometimes.  Mama said that her next door neighbor used to have horses just like these, and she and Mama always played that Dallas was the stallion and Midnight the mare (although they had different names:  Dallas was "Den" and Midnight was "Peppy").  But enough of all that! ;)


The day was perfect for a ride.  I'd never been happier to be out of doors. The horses neighed and tossed their heads with pleasure, ambling through the tall grass at a leisurely pace.


I was a bit concerned about Robby at first.  Midnight didn't come with a saddle, and even with a saddle, good riding requires a lot of knee work.  I wasn't sure how Robby would be able to handle it.  I shouldn't have worried, though.  Robby's legs were long enough that he could balance on Midnight's back easily, even without a saddle.  I also noticed that he held on with his knees pretty loosely.  The smile on his face was enough to make me want to sing...but of course I didn't.  I'm sure it was wonderful for him to take part in a family outing without feeling like he was slowing us down. 


Emilie, as always, was taking everything in with her wide eyes.  I knew she'd have dozens of questions for us about everything she'd seen.


Robby kept looking down at her with this adorable fatherly expression, watching her every move.  She certainly has him wrapped around her little finger.  At least, she would if her little finger was separate from the rest of her fingers. ;)

Robby never gets intimidated by her inquisitive mind, which is good, because after about ten minutes of answering Emilie's questions, I start to feel like my head might just explode. :}


I let myself ride on ahead, confident that Emilie would be safe under Robby's watchful eye.  It was so good to be out in the sunshine, feeling the breeze on my face.  I'd felt so trapped in Beast'sbelle's room for so long.  We had to start making it a priority to get outside as much as possible, no matter what the obstacles were.  It wasn't good for us to stay cooped up for too long.


After a while, we thought the horses could use a break.  And good thing too.  I noticed Robby wince a bit as he climbed down from his horse.  I hoped his knee wouldn't suffer too much tonight after a day of riding.

I worked on getting Dallas' saddle off while Robby held the reigns to both horses.  Emilie held Dixie's reigns. Not that she needed too.  Little Dixie was so fond of Emilie that I don't think she would have wandered far.

As if to prove my point, the moment we let the horses loose, Dixie walked up to Emilie and started nuzzling her face. 

Robby and I took the opportunity to sit in the shade of our wedding tree and visit quietly. 

The horses wandered and grazed, happy to be free in such a huge green pasture. 

Emilie followed them, playing happily while Robby and I watched.

After a while, Emilie and Dixie decided to take a rest.

Feeling a bit drowsy myself, I leaned my head back and gazed up above me.

I loved the way the sunlight made the leaves of the tree seem to glow with radiant light.  Right then, everything in my world felt just about perfect. :)

18 comments:

N said...

You and Robby look so majestic on the horses, and the picture of Dixie nuzzling Emilie is too cute!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Wow, I think that's the first time I've ever been referred to as "majestic". You just made my day! ;)

Emilie and Dixie are darling together, aren't they? :)

Belle

Desert Lily said...

Love this post! Our dolls are going to have to get outside with our horses, too!

I hope you can keep enjoying the spring days together.

Anonymous said...

Check out my blog! I gave ya an award!

- Aimeebob

Vanessa said...

So nice to see you and the family riding the beautiful horses. Great pictures.

Unknown said...

Emilie and Dixie look so adorable together! Love the picture of them nuzzling! ;)

AdeleCupcake said...

Wow! You are really talented! I mean, not many dolls could learn to ride a horse in less than a day! :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for all of the lovely comments, everyone. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the post so much.

Aimeebob, thanks! I'll be sure to check your blog. :)

Belle

Anonymous said...

Dear Belle,
I recently stumbled across your blog through a chain of events too tedious to explain. At first I was merely curious, intrigued by the novelty of it. I don't know of many dolls who keep blogs. Anyway, I've now spent the past week or so sitting at my computer off and on playing catch up, going back and reading your story from the begining. I think I'm officially addicted. If I had a blog account of my own I would definitely be a follower by now.
Sincerely, T'Ley

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Aww, thank you T'Ley. I still find it amazing that so many of you humans take such an interest in my little plastic life. It's always fun to hear from my readers, though. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment. Sorry to suck you in, though. The same thing has happened to me with other blogs I've read. ;)

Belle

scottishdreamergirl said...

Hullo there! I'm borrowing mah human's account to comment here; it's nice tae see another Disney doll about the place bloggin' about their life. Me and mah human have been reading back fae the first entry, and we're hooked tae yer story! Hoping tae here more from ye soon!
~ Merida (lifeintheroom.blogspot.co.uk)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Merida! It's lovely to "meet" you. ;) I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I'll be sure to stop by and check yours out too. :)

How exciting to meet someone all the way from Scotland! I love your accent, by the way. :) I'm always trying to convince Robby to try a Scottish or British accent, but he never goes for it. ;)

Have a lovely week!

Belle

scottishdreamergirl said...

Ah, that's lovely o' ye tae say so, Belle. Dinnae think my blog's all that interestin' the now - I'm searchin' fer mah bow, it's gone missing an' I dinnae feel right wi'oot it. Meetin' some interesting people though.

Z - that's mah human - says mah accent's probably thicker than movie!Merida's, but she blames that on her own accent. She's Scottish tae, ye see, an' well, I'm her princess. Never been someone's Princess before, it's a bit weird tae be a favourite, but I think I'm enjoying it.

Z says d'ya mean RP English fer yer British accent, 'cause there's a lot o' them, an' some aen't that pretty.

Hope ye have a great week, an' all! Wishing ye good weather!

~Merida~
(lifeintheroom.blogspot.co.uk)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Oh dear, here I am displaying my American ignorance. :} I know there are different British accents, but I'm not up on them enough to identify them. To be honest, most of my exposure to them has been through Beast'sbelle's movies (she's my human). ;) Anything from Jane Austen to Dickens adaptations...and a bit of Doctor Who. :} I find them all fascinating, even if not all of them are what one might consider "pretty". ;) I suppose I should read up on the languages of the British Isles. :)

I hope you find your bow soon!

Belle

scottishdreamergirl said...

Aye, that'd be RP English then. I didnae know ye were a fan o' the Doctors! I met the brothers, awfully nice people sae they are. Eleven's a bit odd, keeps calling that thing he wears cool, but he's nice enough an' he an' his brother Ten promise me an adventure!

I'm sure I'll find mah bow soon enough. I've got a good feelin' about it.

~Merida~

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for the clarification. I really need to brush up on my languages of the British Isles. ;)

I don't really know all that much about Doctor Who, but Beast'sbelle just recently got into it. She would love your Ten and Eleven! It's really hard to find them over here in the US. Ten is her very favorite Doctor, but she likes Eleven too. I must confess I haven't watched much. I'm not a fan of scary aliens. ;)

I hope you do find your bow before too awful long. :)

Belle

Shimmer said...

Hehehe you look like a princess on that hose!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks! I don't FEEL very princessesy, but it's kind of you to say so. I'm assuming you meant "horse"? I got a really funny mental picture of myself straddling Beast'sbelle's huge garden hose. ;)

Belle