The scariest Halloween costume

My barn buddy, Linda's workplace is having a scary Halloween costume contest. She asked me if I could help her with photos.

"My costume isn't scary in the traditional sense," she explained, "but it's definitely scary to horses."

Having seen the costume at our Halloween-themed barn party, and I agreed. "Let's do this," I said.

The first horse we attempted to (gently) scare was Linda's good boy, Gambler. He was cautious, but not so much that he didn't come over and ask for treats.

We had the same reaction from the other Linda's good mare, Fantasia.

As we made our way around the property, we crossed paths with many horses. 

Amora

All of them,

Olympia

both the old...

Fortunataa

and young, expressed varying degrees of concern.

Tazz

Eventually, we made our way to the gelding field. 

Everyone was eating when we got there, but they took one look at Linda and headed in the other direction.

You could see the wheels turning in their heads.

Patches, Rhaegar, Blue

One by one, various members of the group inched toward Linda for a better look.

Blue

One by one, they decided nope, they didn't want a part of that.

Blue

For a few moments, it looked like Rhaegar would be the brave one.

Nope!

River expanded on the nope.

He said, "Oh, heck nope!"

Things settled down for a bit, as the boys decided what to do next.

Then Kaffi decided it was time to run.

Pretty soon everyone was running.

Weee!

We didn't have to go in the mare field to get a similar reaction from the mares. 

Even tough girl, Cheval, wanted no part of this.

Pretty much the only horse who didn't care was Summer. She walked right past Linda and laid down to roll.

As for my horse, she watched the ongoings from the furthest corner of the property. She was calm, but I could see that she was not interested in spending time with Linda. Fair enough.

I have no idea how Linda's costume will fare in the contest, but the horses' verdict is clear: This is a winner.

Good luck, Linda, and thanks for letting me be a part of that. It was really fun (and scary)!

Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns

Having adult children is just about the best thing in the entire world. I love these guys so much, and I am so proud of them.

Still I do sometimes miss having kids who are actually kids.

This is especially true around the holidays. 

Holidays are made for kids, especially Halloween.

Earlier this month, Angelo invited me to go to the Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns at Hudson Gardens with their family, including ten year old niece, Lara. I could not say yes fast enough.

We arrived at sunset, and the fake fog looked eerily convincing.

The first thing we saw upon entry was this pony.

We bought some spoopy drinks...

and started walking.

Jack O'Lanterns were everywhere.

Some looked like they were carved by normal people.

Others were truly the work of artists.

Because I am the way I am, I started looking for horses.

In addition to the welcoming pony, we saw Broncos Thunder,

Blucifer...

and a sea horse. 

It was a pleasant night to go for a walk.

The jack o'lanterns...

and lights were spectacular...

and, of course, the company was unrivaled.

I somehow missed taking a picture of the entire group, but here's one of Lara and I plus Olive from earlier in that day.

Thank you, Angelo, Tori, Rissa and Lara. It was really fun celebrating Halloween with you.

Kids - and friends - truly do make holidays fun.

The candy plan, part nine

There are some performance showers who make every piece of their entries themselves. Horse, tack, dolls, props... It's all them. I admire this, but also, I kind of like collaborating. When I look at my entries, I see not just my own work, but the contributions and talent of so many of my friends.

We've now reached the point of show prep where I'm reaching out to friends for last minute help and loaners. No surprise, Tiffany, was the first person I hit up.

Also, no surprise: She totally came through for me. You'll be seeing her contributions in Olive's Diamonds Are Forever set-up.

Of course, this works both ways. 

While other people are helping me, I am helping other people.

Some assists are easier than others. 

Will this be enough hair for you, Karin?

Sometimes people who aren't even hobbyists get looped into the fun.

I needed a picture of Olive being ponied off a golf cart, so yesterday I asked Lee to help me with that.

Olive's done this before, but usually I'm the one leading her. It took her a minute to figure out what we wanted.

It's not a perfect match for model Olive's forward canter, but good enough.

Lee didn't ask what this was about, but I felt compelled to tell him anyway. Echoing Karinny, I mumbled something about an art project. Then I laughed because, in the reality, the entry I'm building is all about comedy, no art involved.

There are just three days left to prepare for this show. I am tired, but determined. With a little lot of help from my friends, this is happening. I can not wait.