Well, there’s something you don’t see every day.
Yes. A horse on a leash. Henry and I were on a walk this morning, and as we trudged up a big hill, I looked into the distance, saw another walker, and thought, “I think that lady is walking a mini horse.” And – would you believe it? – she actually was walking a horse. On a leash. A pink leash.
Her name is Brandy and she lives in a playhouse in the backyard. She watches TV in the living room, though. I am curious about the logistics of picking up Brandy’s poop while on walks – are trash bags required?!
Our walk was actually part of my workout – I only had twenty minutes to spare before Kristien left for work, so I dash out the door and ran two miles solo. Then, I looped back, grabbed Henry and James, and walked another mile or so.
You know – I’m thinking that I will invest in a baby jogging stroller. You aren’t supposed to run with babies until they are older (because of their head control), and I didn’t think I’d really want to regularly jog with Henry, but it may be nice. I should keep my eyes peeled when I go to consignment shops and whatnot – maybe I can score one for cheap!
Lunch:
A stir-fry of:
Steamed kale
Pistachio nuts
Stir-fried carrots
Caramelized onions
Brown rice
Italian dressing <— the secret ingredient!
Yum.
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{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
I once saw someone walking a goat on a leash. True story.
Yeah, the poop logistics on that would be weird. I’m loving that it watches tv in the living room! Too cute! The thought of running with a stroller kind of exhaust me, but I’m still new to running and I’ve finally just found my stride. I bet a seasoned runner could really benefit from it though. I bet it would make your races feel a lot easier!
I was just thinking how fun it would be to walk around with a little horse, then you mentioned the poo situation and I changed my mind!
That is the most adorable horse ever! And that leash! Sweet. The most unusual pet I have seen (and heard) in the city here was a rooster. He wakes me up every once in a while.
awwww. That horse is adorable!
Well that’s silly!
A pink leash is totally necessary. hah. Love it.
What a gorgeous horse!! That sure makes a typical morning walk/ workout interesting
I know it probably seems weird to see a horse being walked around a neighborhood, but it’s not really that strange for a horse to be on a lead line. I mean, how else can you get a horse from point A to point B when you aren’t riding it?
Seeing mini horses always makes me think of when I started riding back when I was around nine. I was still too big to ride them, but there was a lesson pony at my barn that was a sneaky little thing and knew when a little kid was riding her, so she’d misbehave and try to throw them. My trainer would have me ride her so that someone who knew what they were doing could correct her, and I will never forget how my legs almost touched the ground. Such a strange sight.
I wish Brandy lived in my neighborhood! And I wish the owner would let Hailey ride her around. Haha! Maybe when Henry is older
LOVE. my jogging stroller. Best thing ever. And as soon as I put the baby in it, she is happy until we stop moving.
That stir fry looks SO good right now! And I think it’s hilarious that the horse was being walked, especially while wearing a pink leash. haha.
There’s an elderly couple down the road from us that have a mini-horse (or pony?). He lives in their fenced in yard and every day when I drive home from work, the man that lives there is sitting out on his swing feeding the horse and petting it. So funny to pass a fenced in horse on the way home! And, this isn’t in the country, it’s right across the street from several nice, new neighborhoods!
We’re about to move into our first house and I’m so excited about having neighbors! I hope they’re interesting like yours
Haha I saw a guy walking a cat on a leash the other day in Lincoln Park, Chicago, and I’ve been known to carry my goldfish through the neighborhood back and forth from my brother’s condo so they can look after him while I’m out of town…
Lily is a year-and-a-half and looking back, the Bob was the best purchase I made, by far. I ran with her, using the car seat adapter, starting around 2 months and moved Lily into the actual stroller starting at 6 months. My husband and I each run with her a few times a week. I swear the key is to start early, so bite the bullet and make the investment
Let me know if you need me to justify any other purchases! Hah!
Now pregnant with our second and contemplating buying the double Bob – gulp.
It such a personal choice.
I had a BOB and hated it!
Hated.
I sold it and bought the Baby jogger City Elige.
I love it!
That is absolutely hilarious! hahaha. Running with a baby sounds so hard, but awesome and efficient. Can you imagine being the baby? That would be awesome.
I have a friend who has two mini horses–but they live in the country, so it’s not a huge weird thing, haha. They have a pen and a little shed and another section of their property that’s a pasture. (Sometimes they don’t want to be led to/from the pasture, stubborn goofs!) They don’t come in the house or watch TV, though. Brandy’s lucky! Pretty cool. We thought it would be fun to ride them, but they can only take so much weight (like a little kid). You can cart-train them, but I think there’s a weight limit for that, too. They’re fun, though. Lots of work, but fun.
I think I saw somewhere that a man had a seeing-eye miniature horse. Pretty cool!
We used to take the cat on walks at daycare–put her on a leash and walk down the block. But she got out and ran away all the time, so we’d walk her to make sure we at least knew where she was!
And when I went home with my roommate last year, we saw a family walking down the street with a cat in a stroller. We all had to look at it again to be sure!
Yes, you NEED a jogging stroller! Bob is the best and will hold its value if you want to resell someday.
The pink leash is a nice touch. When I’m out running errands with my mom, and we see a mommy with a baby jogging stroller, she always says, “that will be you one day!” Most likely yes. I definitely want to hear about your experience if you decide to go through with it, Caitlin.
WOW. Horse on a leash. That is amazing.
A few years ago we spent Thanksgiving in Greer, AZ with my husband’s family. One day we were standing outside the general store when we saw a guy walking a few mini-horses coming towards us. I said “If I get to pet those horses I’m going to be really happy.” Then the guy walks up to me, says “Can you hold this a second?” hands me the rope to one of the horses and goes inside the store. It was one of the best moments of my life. Visual proof:
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/12950_190195962410_4511547_n.jpg
That is AWESOME!
I have some serious admiration for women who I see jogging with a stroller. That looks intense! I think it’s a great idea!
LOVE my BOB. It is my fav baby item. So far we’ve only taken it on walks, but it handles SOO incredibly well. I was super lucky and able to save up my credit card points to purchase ours.
That is great! Several years ago at my friend’s house, a guy was walking an alpaca around the neighborhood on a leash. We saw him and said, “HEY! Is that a llama?! That’s so cool!” He replied, “Actually, it’s an alpaca, the cousin to the llama!”
Cool, and educational, moment!
LOL…it’s actually a halter & lead rope…we use them everyday…it’s what you use to take a horse from his stall/paddock to get groomed, ready to ride or whatever else…if a horse is really trained and obedient they will walk along side you like a dog
How cute!!!! I love mini horses!
I think it’s great mini horses are used for pet therapy. I’d love to run to see one.
I see jogging strollers at Goodwill all the time (of course, they may kind of a unique item in Sarasota — shower chairs and portable potties probably sell better). I’m sure you’ll find a good deal.
That horse is SO adorable!! <3
I echo the people that said buy a bob, they are the best! so easy to navigate and steer. Some of the others you need two hands to steer properly, the bob is so effortless and easy to jog with.
I had a bright purple and turquoise lead rope for my horse. He had bright colored everything. You’d be amazed the different colors and patterns you can get for them.
As for the poop logistics, you probably wouldn’t have to pick it up at all. I mean, when you’re riding a horse on the road you don’t pick up after them, so I don’t see why it would be different on a walk. It seems gross, but I just can’t imagine someone going back afterwards with a pitch fork or shovel to clean it up and then walking back home with it. Although, I would LOVE to see someone actually do that.
Maybe a good place to look for a stroller?
http://www.ttbkidz.com/SchedulesAndLocation.html
awesome!
Hahahaha that is so random/hilarious!
I’ve used a BOB stroller for both kids. It’s by far the best of the three jogging strollers we’ve tried (got a single Jeep from a friend and bought a used double). Many jogging strollers can be fitted with an infant seat attachment, allowing you to use a jogging stroller even for babies younger than 6 months. Having a good stroller for exercise is so worth it. Good luck finding the right stroller for you!
Keep an eye on Craigs List for a jog stroller too. I got one, it’s pretty basic but does everything I needed it to, for $30! It is certainly worth having if you are active with a little one : ) I really enjoy your blog. Now that you have Henry it brings back lots of memories from when my girls were little (they are 6 and 9 years old now).
Ahhhh I love horses!!!!
A miniature horse? Yea, that definitely counts as unusual. I’d hate to pick up after that thing!
Wow – I am SO jealous of the sights in your neeeeighborhood! Talk about motivation to get out for a walk!
Not only do I love running with my 2.5 year old son, but he loves it too! I will admit pushing the stroller is tiring, but you get an awesome upper body workout. For long runs, my husband and I will pass of the stroller every mile, that way one person is not stuck pushing it the whole run. We have also found when you go for a run without the stroller it seems so much easier.
I once saw a gerbil on a leash. In Brooklyn – where I lived – and then it became a regular thing. And it was so odd…I tell people about it all the time
Fun story for Henry one day!
hahaha – I have a papillon/sheepdog rescue mix, and just generally, he does look kind of like a cartoon fox, but when I first got him and his hair was all thin and brittle he did look a little, uh, feral. On 3 separate occasions, I passed little kids whose eyes would get HUGE and they’d say, “MOMMY! THAT LADY HAS A FOX ON A LEASH!” It was kind of awesome
I have the Baby Jogger City Mini jogging stroller. I bought the car seat attachment and started running with it when my daughter was about 4 months old. I just always ran on really smooth, paved running paths. She’s 10 months now and it still does the trick. I really wanted the BOB, but my husband convinced me to get the City Mini because it was so much lighter, easier to collapse, and cheaper. I kind of wish I would have invested in the BOB, though.
Definitely hit up cosignment stores or even Craig’s list for jog strollers. People buy them new and don’t use them often so you can probably get a great deal. We bought a used double stroller (my kids were 1 and 4) and a jog stroller second-hand and saved so much money.
Hi:
The mini is mine. We walk 2 or 3 miles a day through the neighborhoods. As to the poop question, Brandy has never pooped during a walk. Seems to prefer her own yard. Not saying she might never ……. but I’d just go back with my clean-up stuff. You’d be surprised that the manure is really much more pleasant than dog or cat waste. I use a tiny manure fork and place it in a plastic garbage can that seals tightly. She doesn’t pee or poop in her cute playhouse either. Smart girl. She will be working with first graders in The Horse Tales Literacy Project (horsetalesliteracy.org) She is the only mini in the program, but I figured she would be much more user friendly to 6 year olds.Is it not weird that I found your blog doing a search on people food for minis???
haha i love it!!! i loved your mini horse.