Hi Lesley,
It is great to hear that Patina is doing well. Fingers crossed, no relapses!!
Mr. Eko is indeed a character.. I have several other pictures of him lounging, as that was not a one time event. He became quite cosy in his chair. Sadly for him, we do not use the Bale Buddy any more. Since the arrival of our mare Ikeda, and due to her breathing and allergy issues, we can not use that gadget to feed the hay. It is a great gadget if all are healthy!
Mr. Eko can be quite entertaining, and loves to strut his stuff. His previous owner was a pro photographer, so he is familair with the camera and is compeled to pose. You can see more pics of him on my profile page.

Ahhh Shadow, and the bitless bridle.. My daughter and I love it. She does far more riding that I. Shadow is a "sensitive spirit"..lol.. He goes very well for us in his bitless, but he picks and chooses who gets to ride him. He recently threw a friend of mine..( a very experienced rider).. she found she could not control him at all in the bitless... Although, I'm not sure if he would have been any more controlable with a bit. I think there were other things at play that day, that disdurbed Shadows sensiblilities...
After that episode, my daughter and I took him out again with the bitless, with no issues at all. So for me right now it is too early to pro or con the bitless... I am leaning to the pro side...but I am a natuaralist by heart.. my horses are living as natural a life style as I can provide. Out 24/7, run- in shelter, no shoes, varied terraine, free access hay, water..etc

I hope if you do give the Bitless a whirl you post some pics! I love perusing the pictures!

Take care!
Diana