h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, sort of.

I'm spending comparatively little time on the internet because the horse is gobbling up all my spare minutes, but at least we're making good progress.

Since I also spend a lot of time doing re-enactment and HEMA type sports, I've decided I want to combine the two. I'm training Jack up as my charger. To this end, I've been practicing riding one-handed at all paces and slowly getting him used to scary things moving around his head.

Today, I tested it - with an audience of people who were looking forward to me falling off, I grabbed a lance (well, ok, an aluminium washing line prop with a tennis ball duct taped to the end), mounted my horse, and practiced knocking footballs off traffic cones.

My noble steed took it all in his stride - he wasn't worried at all. The only problem we had that he decided the tennis ball was an apple and kept trying to eat it.

So the audience was disappointed and I'm happy. Another horse saw the football and bolted off when I was just setting up (it is bright yellow and therefore scary) but Jack didn't mind it rolling around his feet.

This being the same horse that on Friday decided it was afraid of rainbows

Maybe he was scared of leprechauns? Or gold (which is yellow and shiny!)?

This can only end... in an amusing (for us) story of things 'not going exactly to plan', at an organised reinactigment event involving jousting

Oh great, more people hoping to see me fall off

I wasn't actually thinking of falling off in particular! I was... more thinking.... horse decides it wants to go do soemthing... which wasn't exactly part of the plan... I dunno.... just something which wouldn't fit in with a jousting event hmmm... can't quite think what though....

These horses get scared too much. Can you get Valium for horses?

They just need talking to... first... to calm them down... make them relaxed... Just talk to them relaly* quiet... in fact... just kinda whisper... or! give themn a pile of towels to fold before hand... then they'll be blissed out with towel folding zenness

No! That's cruel...if you give them towels to fold, it will just make them feel very sad and dejected about having no fingers...

They could... err. use their hooves? ahhh... Poor horses... no wonder they always looks so sad... No opposable thumbs, and no wrist on which to wear a digital watch

RE: Post 3
>in an amusing (for us) story of things 'not going exactly to plan', at an organised reinactigment event involving jousting ...

I think the unexpected result should be Jack and Mal winning the grand championship round at the joust.

If we make a rather large watch band the could wear his digital watch around his fetlock. he might still have a bit of a problem making out the actual time, but don't we all

F S

Ooo... given enough leather I could make a watch strap/band to fit OO..... will there be suits of armour? Maybe I should join a reinactment group... they must be always on the lookout for jesters....

Do you think he'll put up with being dressed up -- what's the word, caparisoned?

if the is afraid of rainbows at least you know it isn't a unicorn with it's horn sawn off

*suddenly gets an image of 2legs, in leather corset, jousting riding a ...*

oooo! or a wearing a black and white/badger patturned err thing I wanna go jousting!

I refuse to joust against 2legs!

Sewing a caparison is the next step, but first I have to come up with a coat of arms. Perhaps an otter, I like otters. And heraldic otters look more like wolves with webbed feet and bat ears.

I don't blame you! I'd be rather alarmed myself if 2legs started waving his lance at me!

(But I like the idea of the otters. That sounds cool!)

Do you think that's a fair caparison to make in this context?

I'm a good girl me



The otters sound really cool hmmm.... if your having otters.... yeh... I'll have to resort to type, and go for a coat of arms with Badgers rampent

...but, but, I made you a chinchilla rampant, just for you!

(I think a golden otter on a red field - gold and red will suit my pony best )