A little change for the Queen of Carts

Sunday was the perfect day to get out the old sleigh that has been in the family since the mid-eighties here in Vermont. This little home made rig has seen a lot of action .. and has suffered some over the years. It sorely needs some restoration :) BUT - the great thing is - as long as the horse can pull it - it goes :) Not much for maintenance, no moving parts - no wonder those old pioneers found a good sleigh/sled so handy.  Years ago, the little sleigh had the requisite red painted santa sleigh type sides... now I guess it's more of a skoot than a sleigh.

When my number 5 son was cranky and would not nap -- I'd hitch up the sleigh and he'd fall asleep on the floor of the sled while we trotted around and around the ring in the large circle of packed snow I made with the tractor.  So far Dominic is the only other offspring that appreciates the horses - and he loves going out for a cart ride/sleigh ride. Today we have some gentle snow showers ~ not terribly frigid, a decent day for sleigh fun.

Dominic and I flew down the road and back -- the back roads were perfect on the flat parts.. the runners just glided right along and Nimue pulled us with speed effortlessly.  FUN :)  As Zoe mentioned in her post-- Dominic has the same thoughts as we do -- further and faster !!  Luckily our horses generally co-operate with our desires.

Zoe taking her turn ~   As for sleigh memories - here's one that sticks in my mind. When Zoe was younger, about Dominic's age -- she foolishly stepped out of the sled in the front - and the horse moved forward a few steps -- poor Zoe got run over by the sled :) She's a tough farm girl though - obviously her memories of sleigh riding are still positive ones  !!

This video is just like being in the driver's seat -- I started with the camera in my hand, but it's not like riding and video'ing -- I needed both hands with the lines - so I experimented to see what would happen if I just let the camera dangle around my neck. Here's what I got. Notice how nicely she steps that sleigh over for the turn. What a good girl :)

Coming back up after our foray down the road... few slippery spots -- Nimue digs right in to pull -- what a great girl !!

AND -- here's the little monkey at the helm... first time holding the lines himself and driving ! Pretty exciting for him.

We had to bring our fun to a close sooner than we planned, because a family came to look at ponies --  they arrived a bit early .. so they were treated to a sleigh ride before we put Miss Nimue away for the day.  She's a great mare -- and I have to mention.. don't forget she is for sale !

Enjoy ~