Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Driving Miss Emma

I've been on the lookout for a harness for Emma for ages now with no luck.  However, there are a group of Amish who have moved into an area not far from here and one of them has opened a harness shop.  When I was on vacation a few weeks ago, we all took a drive over there and I ended up ordering a harness for Emma; $260 for a brand new, hand made, Beta harness.  Seemed like a good deal.

Emma is dubiously willing.

"Oh Ma, now what?  You've been out wandering around without supervision again haven't you?"

"Here Em, let me help with that...I could have that off in no time..."

"Ma, are you sure about this?"

"It all looks good Em, except for those blinders...I did tell him to make the browband longer to make room for your big brain, but I don't think he remembered to make the blinders wider.  I'll have to see what can be done about that, maybe we won't even need them.  You do look awfully cute regardless."

"Hrmph.  If I wear all this stuff, do I get to go eat on the lawn?"

"Ummm, no. Sorry.  Don't worry though, the pipsqueak's days of lawn grazing are numbered as well.  You won't have to suffer alone."

"Gosh Em, you've already got the downtrodden, overworked look down pat and we haven't even managed to walk in a straight line yet, let alone do any work."

"What do you expect Ma?  Everyone else is out eating yummy grass and here here I am, listening to you natter on about all the wood you want me to move and chain harrowing and LAWN MOWING!  Seriously, they get to stand around eating and I have to listen to all this nonsense about how to make me work at GETTING RID OF the grass.  Really Ma, have you totally lost your mind?"

"Maybe so Em, but we'll have fun looking for it.  Giddyup!"

10 comments:

  1. Oh how fantastic, I can't wait to see how this goes! I am looking forward to putting in more time with Princess this week and more work on young ones.

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  2. Oh boy, can't wait to see how this develops.

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  3. Yay for a harness! Looks cute on her. And that is a good price :)

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  4. I didn't know there where so many pieces to a donkey's harness. Looks impressive.

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  5. I wish Emma could here us all praising her beautifulness!!

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  6. Aw she looks great, although a little bit un-enthused! Your donkeys are in the best shape of any I have ever seen

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  7. Oh my gosh -- I was working on the same project earlier this spring! But, I was given a used harness which I found out had parts missing. Seems it will cost more to replace parts than buy a new one. I've gotten stalled in the project at this point.
    Do you have a cart yet? But the BIG question is, do you know how to drive? I don't and think I need some help figuring out one end from the other.

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  8. I broke my pony mare into harness without blinkers and she was fine, even with kids holding onto the back of the cart and dragging their feet along. Ever since I read the bit in Black Beauty where the blinkered horses go over the side of the bridge and the horses discuss how they'd have been able to avid if they could see normally, I had thought about it so when I got a chance I did it. I couldn't show her in harness without them though. They told me a harness horse without blinkers was like a cart without wheels. Ha!

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  9. Kris... have you driven before?? I have driven a horse team several times... I just wondered. I always wanted a driving pony or mini... we actually had cart and harness... and never got a horse trained to it.

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