....And we're walking....

Scout was good 2 whole days in a row. And you know what they say...if they do it twice it's a habit (actually nobody says that). Wow, what hard work to retrain a horse to not be afraid of it's rider. Still not sure what the deal was with the run forward and then throw it in reverse. So, were either out of the woods with the attitude problem or I'll get thrown hard and sustain severe bodily damage. At least he's stopped kicking. And yes, he's grown and calmed down. I'm working with Lilly on the whole walking in a straight line thing. It's very interesting to me that out of every horse I've had they all wander around the road instead of just move forward. Maybe I ride crooked. Who knows...who cares. At least they're rideable. All but Spice anyway.

I've recently noticed that my entire blog has been taken over by training horses. If you have a horse you need trained, please don't call me. If you have ever entertained the thought that horse ownership would be fun, email me with your address and which tree in your yard I can tie one to. I'll be right over... hooking up the horse trailer as we speak.

Famous Last Words: "Well, we've made it this far."

Without A Hitch

Scout surrendered. He was perfect yesterday. He was so good in fact that I took him out of the ring and rode him around the yard. No attempted buck, backing up, or just downright nastiness.
p.s.: John, call me. I found out something that will crack you up.

The ladies reatreat was fantastic. There is nothing better in the world than being 5,000 miles from civilization to re-boot your spiritual life. I ended up staying all weekend. I really enjoyed it and already am looking forward to next year. Next year, however, someone else can put out the bonfire with the stinky pond water in the middle of the night with massive bull frogs trying to pull them under the water.

Rachael's Quote of the Day: "I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."

I Heart My Horse

My blacksmith showed up. I know, you don't believe me. But, it actually happened. Cole has a shiny new pair of shoes...and a much smaller foot. He's so happy and so is his momma. To clarify comments made on a previous post (after John called me in a panic that his horse was mentally disturbed) Scout and I finally came to and understanding yesterday. Instead of getting off of him when he started acting up I decided the best way to handle the problem was to stay on him and ride him through it. He acted worse than usual for a longer period of time. I could see is little mind working, "If back up really fast she'll get off." Not so fast. My dad was there with a handy dressage whip. When he backed up he got tagged. After awhile he began to learn and quit acting up. I guess that makes me the best horse trainer ever (until next time I get on). I can get him to follow me around the ring and back up with just hand movements. He'll be fine.


Famous Last Words: "Why is the rest of the Star Trek landing party wearing a different color?"

It's Rodeo Time

I fell off Scout. Yes, you heard it right. It wasn't so much a dump as "I lost my balance and hit the ground." He was acting nasty and I swung my leg over to get off. He knew he was in trouble and took off running. That's when it happened. The first time in years a horse has gotten the better of me. We had a discussion about why hurting people is bad and I got back on. We rode for awhile in the ring with no problems at all. I got off, pulled the saddle and bridle off, and walked away. As I was leaving he got the last word...he thought. He reached his neck out and snapped my arm. Suddenly, the saddle flung itself from my hands and into him. I'm not sure how it happened. But he won't bite me again.

I hurt and I need a nap.

Work Days Ahead

Scout kicked at me yesterday. He is now buried behind the pond. If he kicks at me again I'll dig him up and kill him again. This weekend I'll introduce him to Major...the pasture sensi. If that doesn't teach him maners he'll meet the pasture thug Noel.

On a lighter note, the upcomming horse show will be a great time to relieve some stress. A nice calm weekend to unwind and enjoy some quiet time with Cole. Who am I kidding? I can't even get my farrier out to re-shoe him; the stress began last week. But, it is the first show of the year (a 2 day-er). It's supposed to be this way.


Rachael's Quote of the Day: "The number of people watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your action."

Why I love Easter

10 Things I've Learned

about training 2 year olds:

10. Always wear a helmet, even if you look like a bobble-head.

9. If you are assigned the "make sure the horse doesn't lie down on me" position while your friend works on a horses shoe, the horse will lie down on your friend the second you look away.

8. One swift Karate kick to the base of a horse's foot will dislodge any shoe...even one nail gunned on (yes Joy, I got the other one off).

7. If you successfully pull any 2 shoes off of a horse you are immediately awarded the title "King of the World." Your also are intitled to scream it out at passing cars.

6. If your horse does a roll-back, throws his head up and groans...GET OFF!

5. Getting off too quickly can cause a string of catastrophic events.

4. Make sure your health insurance is paid up.

3. Baby horses have no brains. Don't expect them too.

2. When a person tells you he has "trained" your horse, it's just a figure of speech.

1. Training 2 year olds is a God given passion. If you don't have it...break the wrist and walk away!

Glamorous

Joy came over this weekend to help me around the farm. Lilly had her glamor shots by Martha on Saturday. That was just before we rode her (she was perfect) and Scout (he tried to dump me). Scout and I came to and understanding and finished the ride on a great note. He actually is smoother than Lilly. We also turned him out a few hours and let him get the "boy" out of him. Then, dun dun duuuunnnnnnn, we tried once again to pull Lilly's shoes off. After struggling with her for about an hour and having her lie down on Joy we surrendered and went to Taco Bell. We ended the day with a night trail (which was awesome) thanks to Cole and Noel. Tonight as I was feeding the 10 million horses I noticed that Lilly had pulled one of the shoes off all by herself. Stinkin' horse. Maybe that should be her show name.

Church today was very good. I'm enjoying more and more helping out with the kids upstairs in the morning. I can't wait until 5 day club cranks back up. Hopefully this year it won't be 100 degrees every day.

Famous Last Words: "Did you hear thunder ? Oh well hurry up and putt."