Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams . . .

Yep, I fail as a blogger, been like a month since I blogged on here. Had Open House the end of last month and prepping for Kristi the end of this month. Plan on giving the website a bit of an overhaul and “spring/summer cleaning” of sorts. Went to Loni’s last week and spent the day with her and her horses and it was a great learning experience. Got to step outside of my comfort zone and really learn some good lessons in being effective and light, as well as what that feels like.

Lucy

I don’t even think this is the same horse from a couple months ago, lol. This little lady has been doing FANTASTIC! Been riding and playing behind the round pen as well as the arena. We can walk, trot, canter in round pen while riding and are playing with walk/trot in the arena. Discovering her play drive I think has helped me discover my own . . .and boy, does she ever have a big play drive! We’ve been having a blast online together and I’m starting to figure out how to get that “fun” to transfer to freestyle. She can jump anything and everything (single barrels, cones, mounting blocks . . .you name it Lucy can probably clear it with room to spare). I rode her bareback today and we walk, trot, cantered in the round pen before opening the gate (which she acted like she’d done a million times) and meandering around back before she got all four feet on the tire. She wants to be with me and is already ready for some play time when I go out to the field. She’ll follow me out to her herd at liberty and the other night she wanted me to walk her to her hay. I <3 this girl, she’s a wonderful, smart, talented little partner.

Mocachee

Ah, this boy. I think he gets more awesome every day, lol. He’s really challenging me to be lighter, softer, more provocative, treat him like a “big boy”, give him more slack in the line . . .and remember that his needs need to become my needs at this point. Be it grass, a nap in his stall, standing with him and rubbing him or scratching him in his itchy spots. Little things that mean a lot to him. And it’s gotten me a horse that comes a lot more willingly to me out of the field and is so much softer when we’re playing together. Finesse is starting to make some sense to us. He’s trying his heart out for me, that’s for sure. I feel like I refine my phase one every day, but he’d good for me in that respect. And play . . .remembering to play with my Left Brain Introvert. He’s just been lovely the past few weeks. He was epic for Open House and totally had my back. He’s been jumping single and double barrels online and freestyle. Everything’s just gotten nicer, softer, lighter. I had a really lovely bareback and bridle less ride today in the round pen and in the space behind it. He was light, responsive . . .and just . . .with me. I got lighter and more fluid as well. There’s just a really nice feeling when you’re trotting along on your horse bareback and bridle less, he’s got his head down pushing peanuts, going where you’re focused and you just feel . . .together. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful horse.

Rhapsody

Ah, my current puzzle. We’re better, but he still knows how to throw me. He’s a greater teacher in timing, lightness and effectiveness . . .I just haven’t quite completely grasped the lesson yet. He loves the arena and especially loves the clover leaf pattern. Our ride Wednesday wasn’t horrible and it was an improvement. I just don’t feel like I’ve gotten through to him quite yet. I’ll just keep trying and licking and chewing.

And I feel a little better than I did before . . .

Loni came out again and helped me with the ponies today. I always feel so much savvier after she comes, lol. My ‘phrase of the day” was definitely, “That’s too hard, Hannah!”.

Lucy

Played with/saddled the girl prior to Loni getting there. Played in her bridle and did a little bit in the round pen before venturing behind the round pen. Today was the first day we’ve gone back there, just her and I, and we didn’t have any spooky/right brain moments. Played on the tire and then went back and played with the jumps. Lots of squeeze game/sideways game with the jumps. Came back and let her get a drink in her bridle, then got a walk/trot/canter in the round pen. Played with the figure eight at the walk/trot then saddled her. Went through walk/trot/canter/over a jump and felt like she wanted me to get on.

Warmed up with some follow the rail, transitions and figure eights at the walk and trot. Then did a little canter before Loni asked if I’d jumped her. We talked about that for a minute, the Loni set up the barrels for a “squeeze”. Did that at the walk and trot, then when Lucy made an attempt at actually jumping the squeeze, Loni put the barrels together. Miss Lucy & I jumped them at the trot in both directions and she was awesome. I’ve never jumped a horse that actually felt like she loved jumping that like. She was drawn to the jump like a magnet and I just went along for the ride, tried to stay with her and tried to stay out of her way. All I had to do was point her at it and she had my back, lol. She felt so light and awesome!

Ended it there and Loni said to start jumping her when I ride and just start trusting her and staying out of her way. She said she can’t wait to see her on a course and I’m feeling the same way. I think jumping is definitely in her future. There’s still a lot to play with her with, but Loni said I’m on the right track with her. She’s learning so fast, she’s going to be an amazing little pony!!

Rhapsody

Really super informative session with him that’s going to help me with a lot horses. Played with his sensitivity and my own sensitivity. And did a lot of fixing up on my phases. Especially my phase one and my phase four. Phase one was too much/not long enough and my four tends to be too “hard”. Too much emotion behind it. I felt like at the end of the day I was starting to understand phase four a little bit better. It’s not hard, it’s not emotional . . .period . . .it just . . .is. Got him “snappy” online and then transferred that to riding. This is also where I learned all my awesome porcupine game in Zone 1 stuff.

Feel like I have somewhere to “go” with him now and lots of techniques to play with him with. He felt a ton lighter by the time we were done, especially riding. It was a great lesson in using my energy. Can’t wait to see him progressing!

Mocacheeman

Asked Loni to watch our online and it turns out all three ponies have the same Zone 1/sensitivity issue. Played the cool new porcupine games with Mocachee, really focusing on his back up and his “send” online. Had him sending out from a halt to a canter at a phase one. And I wasn’t getting the “blah, blah, blah” face. I was getting the “You’re fascinating and awesome!” face. And our extreme friendly game stayed in tact. Then we played with his driving game some (once again, lots of backing up, lol). Loni played with him on the falling leaf and apparently his jumping up in the air as he changes direction is not a bad thing. She showed me how to “wake him up” and totally get him playing. I think she was having a blast with him, I know I sure did when it was my turn to give it a shot. His falling leaf/change of direction was epic and he got to where I could just look behind me and focus my energy on him and he would come forward at a canter or a trot. Also got him trotting sideways!! The thing I loved it that I felt like he was playing and having a blast. I was also not aware he can move and be that athletic. It was like a totally different Mocachee, he looked like a little Spanish bull fighting pony jumping up and leaping around, lol.

Hopped on him bareback and my bareback fluidity is going to have to get a lot better for my new snappy, athletic pony, lol.He was so with me and exuberant, it was awesome. And Loni helped with his back up riding too, that was feeling a lot better after we played with that.

Felt like a super duper productive day and can’t wait to play with the goobers some more! I am so excited to get to try all my new stuff tomorrow, lol.

Slower, softer . . .until it’s only a whisper

Rhapsody was fun again. Lots of transitions online to set up for riding. Got my basic walk/trot/canter/over a jump and saddled him up (with him trying to help, he and Lucy seem to think the girth goes on first). Got on and ran through lateral flexion/direct rein/indirect rein. He’s still not as light as I’m used to, but he’s lighter than he was. Played with transition on the rail . . .a TON lighter since Thursday. Brought him “up” at the trot, then brought him back down before cantering and he was going off my energy. ‘Twas epic . Then some cantering, more transitions and a little bit of barrel jumping. Got to play with my focus some more on that and that was fun. I was doing a better job of staying out of his way and I felt more fluid and with him. Going to contemplate more fun things for us to do on Friday and also planning on a trip out to the big grassy field

Rhapsody!

"Surfer Dude"

Huuuuuge jump, lol

Wanted to try something different with Mocahee today. He’s been . . .compliant the past few weeks . . .but that’s really it. Just compliant, not really exuberant or “in” to what we’re doing. I also haven’t felt very fluid and I’ve felt like I’ve had to “drive” him, even with just my energy.

So, I took him out with a halter and a 12 foot line. I played a very tiny bit online, just got some “yes” answers then made his 12 foot line into reins and hopped on bareback. Ran through my pre-flight check and then just asked my horse what he’d like to do. We had a blast! He totally, completely surprised me. He started out freestyle with a question box and lots of transitions. Some figure eights, circles and lots of little “mini-patterns” with transitions thrown in. From there we moved into some stretching and he decided he wanted to “come up” and do some soft feel. More circles, a weave and figure eights at the walk, trot and canter. He wasn’t completely “collected” the whole time, but he wasn’t bracy and he wasn’t throwing his head around. And there was lots of blowing out. From there he was trying to throw out flying changes so we did a canter figure eight and the canter/walk serpentine and I tried some of the stuff I saw Pat doing last weekend, trying to get my body right so it’d be easier for him. That was fun and he was starting to engage his back end more. Went back to a little freestyle then cooled down at the walk. Lots of circles, figure eights and mini serpentines with no reins necessary!

Spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with him. I had him tied at the hitching post earlier in the afternoon and I’d walked down to get my stuff from the round pen and when I was walking back he saw he and started nickering like crazy

Talked to Fran about it and she gave me good advice with him. As long as he’s Left Brain and acting like a partner, really try to do what I did today. I know he likes doing stuff and I know he wants to try for me. I just need to take him out and ask him what he wants to do. Let him kind of come up with a plan, like he did today and just . . .go with it. I think what’s been happening is he’s having all these ideas and when he offers them to me, I don’t want to give any of the leadership or let him have any of the ideas. Because I already have my “plan” for the day. Then take his ideas and flow from one idea to the next. Passing the leadership back and forth, I guess is what you’d call it.

I felt really fluid(well, minus a few small mishaps on a couple of transitions, but he saved me from falling off, per usual), he felt super light and it just felt really nice.

<3

Free fallin’ . . .

Mocachee has been quite epic, but let me re-cap with the weekend.

Lexington Celebration this weekend was AWESOME! I am totally volunteering again if they come back, soooo much fun! Got so much knowledge wise out of the weekend and it was great to see people I knew and meet new ones! Had a good talk with Meggie Allen (she is awesome, seriously) about the externship and got some good horsemanship advice from Dancin’ Pete (a crazier RBE than me, lol). I also got chased around Sunday night by Pete . . .it’s my new exercise to help with my constant need to move/fidget . . .and it works, lol. I loved working the Savvy Club booth with Suzie leading us. She was super nice, super friendly and just made you feel like you fit right in. She never got frustrated when we had technical difficulties . . .and trust me, there were quite a few. We also had Luke from the Corporate Office back there helping us out and asking me for gum, lol.  The whole Parelli Team is just amazing, so positive and progressive and you feel right at home. I never knew how much went into putting on a Parelli Event . . .and I am even more impressed by them now having worked behind the scenes. Pretty much amazingness, despite getting lost multiple times, being up ridiculously early in the morning, insane weather and a delayed dinner Sunday night. Suzie did do a good job distracting us with stories of the Swiss Flu & Swiss Knives . . .and “Chop-Chop!!”

Played with Rhapsody today just for the heck of it and we had a blast. Had to play the catching game as he decided he wanted to trot off. I informed him that I love running and I was perfectly happy to run behind him. That worked like a charm and he decided perhaps the crazy little person running around could be cool. Walk, trotted, cantered and went over a jump online. Once I informed him that I love cantering and jumping and he could do it all day long, this boy loves cantering, lol. Did the same at liberty, his bring back was great.

Brushed him really quick, saddled him up and hopped on. Played a the walk and the trot a bit, tried tagging his nose with my savvy string like I’d seen Loni do, but my arm just wasn’t quite long enough and my aim wasn’t very good. Finally settled for tagging him on the ear if he didn’t go when I “thought” it. His “go” button was working great, so I decided to give a canter a shot. Couple of ear tags later we cantered in both directions and he decided he wanted to try jumping the barrels. This boy can JUMP! He actually jumped me out of the saddle the first time his jump was so huge. Was much better prepared and pushing a lot harder after that and we had a great time cantering and jumping the barrels. I’d screw up my balance or focus (or both, lol) every so often, but he’d just refuse and give me a few moments to get myself together again. That was fine with me, lol. Got a really nice jump where I actually felt really with him, followed by transitions down to a walk and back up. It felt super nice so I quit on that.

Took him back to the barn and did a more thorough grooming (exactly what I have to do with Lucy, lol) then turned him out. He rolled when I let him off line. So much energy and athleticism. And crazy epic jumping ability. I have never jumped a horse with that huge of a jump. He didn’t touch a thing. The extrovert in me had a lot of fun, lol.

Mocacheeman has been very, very awesome. Played online/liberty on Wednesday. Jumped the barrels with two 12 foot lines and that was epic (figured I’d try with two 12′s before two 22′s). Did our little walk/trot circles some more too. Then onto liberty. Really made myself “think” everything and that worked wonders. I send my horse off super string without even realizing it. Draw was epic. I got him to come back with one canter stride and the rest of the way a gorgeous little extended trot with his ears forward!! He also walked the figure eight pattern ad jumped the barrels and liberty.

Today we played online a bit, more “thinking” less stick from me makes for a very happy Mocachee. Little more liberty, with jumping barrels and such. Also, our little driving trot circles work at liberty if I can keep my focus and be cautious of my energy. I have to be so incredibly aware with him, it’s ridiculous. Got on and played with our spin, trying to make it tighter and smaller . . .which requires me doing that in my body (which was interesting) and a being really aware of my focus. We “separated, isolated and recombined” and it we got some tight little spins. Then onto transitions, especially playing with my shoulders and out walk/canter transitions. Though by the end of the session with that I was feeling a little, “Yeah, great, got that. Softer, please.” from him. Jumped the barrels and had an interesting little “aha!” on that. My horse jumps more . . .elegant and slower that a crazy extrovert like myself. He clears it, but there’s a bit of a  . . .calculatedness to it, for lack of a better word. That’s why I’m always ahead of him and through us off, I have to slow way down and jump a lot more “refined” with my introvert.

Took a break and sat around, then moved into some finesse. Stretching went great, he was all loose, supple and I added the right amount of drag. Played with soft feel and some lateral stuff at the walk and then soft feel at the trot. Tried really getting “engaged” in my body and seeing if he would come up and get “engaged” as well. Once again more thinking, less doing makes for a happy Mocachee. He’s trying to figure it out. Time to throw in more patterns at the walk too. He’s getting more comfortable with the trot though, a lot less bracy and starting to offer a little suspension. We’re getting there, my new stage of unconscious incompetence. He was really with me freestyle after that too. Opened gates, checked out the tire and hung out back for a little bit. It must have been a good day because he wanted to hang with me instead of go out tonight. I <3 my pony, lol.

Hey, everybody when you walk the walk, you gotta back it all up . . .

I just got mentally, emotionally and physically stretched from about 10:00am this morning til 2:00pm and IT WAS AWESOME!! Loni spared nothing in teaching me and I can honestly say I really appreciated and enjoyed that.

Going to class was quite the let down.

I really love Loni’s style, she let’s me try and figure it out, gives me a few key pointers and will step in if I need her help. I felt like she really allowed the horses to be my teachers this morning.

So, all was well in Lucy land until we asked for a canter on the circle. Then the bucks and take offs started. I did alright for a little bit, and Loni let me struggle til I was about to crash and burn . . .then she stepped in. (<- Have to say, as a learner I rather appreciated that). She played with her some and I was able to observe what she was doing and how it differed from what I’d been doing. I need to learn how to move and play online. I’m much too rigid and in Lucy’s case she really resents it. Music has been suggested to me twice now by Loni, so I need to figure out how to rig that CD player up by at least the round pen for right now. The extrovert needs to come out in me for Lucy, no introverted stuff for her. She is also quite the athletic little jumper.

Played around with mounting and was informed I need to go faster or I lose her. Riding was most interesting. We did passenger at the walk for like 10 minutes max and then it was all trotting and cantering from there. But, not follow the rail. A huge figure eight to keep her mentally with me, but at the same time she got to move her feet. She had so much impulsion, it was such a different horse than I’m used to. My fluidity was not that great, but it’ll get better as I get better. Loni showed me the partial disengagement on the figure eight (of which I am not good at, at all) and we played with my lack of focus. Lucy saved my skin a few times, she easily could have bucked (and she thought about) but she didn’t. She’d certainly not as forgiving of my mistakes as Mocachee is . . .and that’s not such a bad thing. I have SO much to learn from her.

So, we now how a bunch of online and freestyle stuff to play with.

She is going to be such a BLAST to play with once we get the communication going. I wanted an athletic small horse . . .I’ve got one, lol. I couldn’t get over how scopey of a jumper she was today. And confidently too.

Rhapsody was also quite interesting. He emphazied moving my feet and letting the rope feed out when it needed to. Started off way to boring with him, but had him cantering and jumping barrels with me at the end.

Mocachee kind of helped me mesh it all together. He now jumps the barrels like a pro! I moved my feet some to get my canters and then we jumped the jump like 5 times. I think he really appreciated my “play drive” and a smile on my face. He was so much lighter today online because of it.

I’m still licking and chewing over all of it. I’m pretty sore (which is my own fault, lol). But I feel so much savvier now!!And it was FUN! I really need to learn how to have fun with these horses. I think my extroversian needs to come out a bit for Mocachee as well (not in a nagging way). Loni made an interesting comment today, she said Mocachee might be begging me to be more extroverted and playful as well. And, indeed I think he was. Less focus on our goals, more focus on having a good time!! I’m pretty sore (which is my own fault, lol). But I feel so much savvier now!!

I’m just trying to find a decent melody…

This little fool lucked out into being played with today. Charlie wanted nothing to do with me, and while I was playing catching game with Charlie, Rhap followed me around like a puppy, so I gave up and took him.

This horse….this horse DRIVES ME NUTS. He knows how to push every, single, little, itty button I have. He’s fun, and I can stay pretty unemotional until about 40 minutes in, then I finally fell apart and had to leave him because I was too frustrated. After collecting myself a bit, we finished up saddling and such. He was pretty good, nothing terribly atrocious. He doesn’t want to canter – it’s annoying how dull he can be when he wants, and I kept trying to find a new provacative way to phase four him – I’ve been trying to get him right under his flank, but that just makes him buck and trot faster. The canter is elusive. I did get it for a couple strides in each direction, but it took A LOT of persuasion. Something to work on I suppose. We managed to get over a barrel in one direction, and then I should have stopped, but didn’t. Oh well, I’ll fix that next time. When I got on him and we just stood there for two minutes, he just yawned like crazy. We did lateral flexion and a little bit of pushing passenger – he managed to go from a stand still to a walk with just a thigh squeze by the end of the session. I’m still not 100% better from my illness, and was exhausted after running around.

A Long and Rainy Day can Somtimes be the Best, or the worst it all Depends

Alright, i came to the barn Saturday morning ready for a good day. even though it might be clod and wet and rainy, i wanted to make the best out of it. we feed up and I got out Rapers. I brushed him and saddled up Hannah helped me put on the back feet boots because he would not stand still. When we went down to the round pen i had raps put his foot on the mounting block had a blowup about and hannah took over.after that when he settled down i asked him to do it calmly. Hannah said it was ok to get on soooo i got on had a nice 5 minute ride when he spooked at something i did lateral flexion and got off. change in to his regular halter and learned how to do the half circle disengagement. when Hannah was teaching me how to do it he did a huge spoke and kept spooking. even on the way back to the barn. i learned a lot saturday morning.

now at lunch time i talked to Beth for a while and we got to retreat to the house for lunch. When Hannah was ready after showing me the twilight trialor for the new moon. we went back out and i got Charlie while she walked all the way out to the back field to get Monkey. I brushed Charlie and saddled him up and we went to do the trailer simulation. he did okay but he was a little conserned about the new house being built so we went and grazed for awhile when Hannah was in the house. Charlie blow out about five times so i must have done something right. lol… anyway we went straight to the arena and we did some stick to me. Then i unaided his girth and redid it and hoped on Hannah showed us the rain positions and we did the transitions on the rail and he really wanted to canter today thats really different from our ride wo weeks ago.   anyway after that i dismounted and untack. then we feed up and we keaped Charlie, monkey, and spike up because Miss Maryann couldn’t come until then and we did some demanding time with our horses. oh and some time Saturday i took lot of pics of Hannah and monkey i don’t remember when though. lol… we let our boys out and we went up to the house to cook diner, which was really good. Hannah showed Miss. Maryann the twilight trailer. and then we read Beth’s blog and we asked her about Christen. and then……. Hannah’s parents came to give Hannah some warmer cloths. after then left we TALKED TO BETH on Hannah’s web cam, which was awesome!!!!!!! then we took a=our showers and went to bed. got up early and Miss. Maryann cooked bfreckfest which was great. i got the eggs from the chicken coop/house thing. we eat, and went to church after i sweped the floors. oh and Samy is kinda scary at eating times she will bark at me untill i scratch his but… wired.. anyway…………. thanks for reading:) have a great day

Juliana

Trying to figure out this life . . .

No homework in the evenings seems to be giving me plenty of time to think about things. Got Spike to eat his breakfast on the trailer and messed with his back end. Still not a big fan of me messing with his back legs, but we worked on it. He backed out once I sent him back in to get a little more grain and that time he was more confidant and messed with the hay bag. Did the squeeze simulation, which he did rather well with, actually and called it a day with him.

Went and got Rhap out and did the trailer simulation with him as well, no problems. Groomed him and saddled him, then went to play. Apparently he has a issue with feet/being over things, so that’s the new thing with him. Sidewaysed over the mounting block, got on the tire and then tried some trotting with me. Squeezed over the jump and then backed over a jump, which apparently was cause for some rearing. Walked and trotted a weave then headed back to round pen.

Had an amusing/interesting riding session with him and Elise. He’s just so, so dulled out from the way he was trained, fast phases were not working for us at all. Slow, deliberate phases on the other hand worked really, really well. Did some follow the rail with hindquarter disengagements, walking, stopping the backing up. Did a figure eight and then worked on getting some impulsion, the hardest thing with Rhapsody. Got a few bucks, but there were in “slow-motion” and not really even bucks. I just pushed and let him buck, then asked him to do the thing again. Finally started getting walks at phase one or two and a few phase two trots. He also trotted around with a whip in his mouth and was coming up with ingenious ways to get it off the ground, silly pony. He was thinking and interested by the end of the ride, I think he’s really going to end up enjoying himself with Parelli. Good for me too, helped my focus, intention, working with a young horse, ect. All things I need to get better at.

Got Mocachee out this afternoon and shouldn’t have ridden him, I knew better, he was annoyed with me and wanted his grain. Feed up and then got him back out, put the bareback pad on him and went out front to graze. Trotted from patch of grass to patch of grass, which I think he found fun. Walked him into the barn and he let me get my stick, then we went and opened the paddock gate so he could go get a drink. He wanted to canter after that, so we did the canter figure eight. Walked down to the round pen and opened that gate, then opened the gate behind the round pen. Jumped the jumps, at a canter no less, a few times since he was in the mood. Then we went and got on the tire and I got him to sideways around it with his front feet on the tire. We’d been working on that online for a bit but somehow got away from it, something to get back into. Went back through the gate and tried to close it, but he would not sideways over to it. I was starting to get frustrated and he finally spun around and lined me up perfectly with the gate. Apologized and gave him a cookie, I forgot last time we did it “my way” I almost fell off. He takes such good care of me.

Rode him back to the barn and then decided for the heck of it I’d try riding him back to the field if he’d let me get the gate. Did perfectly opening and closing that gate out to the field and get gave me a really nice, collected canter out there. Had him stop once we were through the gate and the herd came flying. I was really glad I’d tied my string around his neck, lol. Almost got off, but then he started to go after Rhap so we had an exciting “cutting/herding” session with Rhap and Charlie. I somehow managed to not fall off, thanks to the sticky pad. There was even one point where Rhap took off galloping and Mocachee went galloping right after him and I managed to push and stay on.  I think it was good for Mocachee and I to just go out and have FUN. I think “cow sorting” might be a good way for us to do that and keep me from getting to particular all the time when we’re riding. Moved from Rhap to Charlie when Rhap got a little too excited and started bucking. Mocachee and Charlie told me when they were done and I walked Mocachee back to the trough to get a drink. Took off the bareback pad, popped him a treat and took his halter/reins off.

I think I need to get back to that with him, that whole having fun thing. I think we’ve been so focused on getting things accomplished, it somehow got lost along the way. I also really to start asking for way less. He’s trying his heart out and I’m saying, “Try harder!” That’s when he goes right brain, when I miss the try and ask for more and he’s already giving me everything he has. I need to listen to him better, he’s smart as anything and he seems to already “know” half this stuff.

If it doesn’t rain all day tomorrow, I’m getting him out. If it does rain, I’ll get him out Friday. Also need to make myself a “flag” so we can start playing around with that. And more extreme friendly. Barn probably 6 days a week before I leave, at least 5 days.

Also, stumbled across this quote

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

-Mark Twain, American Author

My first Saturday without Beth My P.B.J

It was a pretty morning, I worked with Raps.  We did the circling game. then I mounted and started ridding tordows the barrels, which were on the rail because they got in the way. Anyway he did a tiny spook, we did an aproch and retreat. we had a good ride on the rail did a little bit of trotting; but when we tried the finger eight he didn’t do so good.

It was lonely at lunch time because Mrs. Elise wasn’t there, but it would have been lonely anyway without Beth. It like everyone has been disappearing slowly since I started last year. I CAN’T wait till I am able to see Beth next. We would hangout together at the barn, and we both loved the popcicles. Can’t wait to see my P.B.J.

Before lunch I got  linus out after giving everyone a treat. Charlie tried to follow me out. lol  I let Linus graze while I brushed him, and don’t worry Beth I put the Micle Groom on him so he would be all soft and fuzzy for you when you come back after that I went to the round pen and did a little bit of the circling game, I don’t really know if i did good or not, but he seemed to enjoy himself after giving him some treats, I went out of the round pen to that little place with the jumps and where you can do the weave. when we got over the jumps  to the stumps(ha ha that rimes) the nabores horse spooked and made Linus spook. did some approach and retet. then when we were back over there agin Linus spooked agin. we retted all the way back to the barn and eat hey with Monkey for a while then did two approach and retes to the round pen went in there and i went out the back round pen gate. let him eat right there for a while then we went back in and I shut the gate and I put the barales back in place and left. Then Hannah was on their way up so I left Linus there and went to get my lunch. after lunch someone drove up and Hannah went in the driveway to greet one of her students that she teaches once a month. I put Linus back and Finely got Charlie out.

Charlie Brown was great Saturday, we did the circling game in the area. It was the first time Charlie really played with me!!!!!!!!! It was extermly fun. I mounted up and did the weave. then Miss. Maryann came in with Spike. Hannah taught them the circling game. I just let Charlie graze and watched. then we did the fallow the rail pattern. then we did the weave with Sike following me and Charlie. then we went on over the jump, then we tried to do the finger eight but ti didn’t work very well. at the end I did a little cantering but Charlie didn’t want to canter very much at all. But it was a good ride .:)  then we feed up, and that was the end the end of my first day without Beth….thanks for reading:)

Juliana

playing with Rhapsody

Wednesday I went to the barn to play with Rhapsody. When I arrived we feed up and the horses got to the middle of the field and they discovered that there were still corn stalks left, Randy put them there the night before. so while we were waiting we organized the random stuff box and put the boots that Miss. Kathy bought in a box that we found. so we really got that part of the tack room organized:) after they finally came in I got Rhaps out. I brushed him off, but he really wasn’t dirty he was just shedding his summer coat. After that I didn’t put the saddle on, but just let him graze. I worked on the circling game, porcupine, driving games. then let him graze some more then Miss. Elise come and I did the figure eight, he did pretty well. After that we saddled up and I ate lunch. I french braided Rap’s mane like a pro thank to Beth’s lesson on Monday. my mom was coming at 12:30 and it was 12:28 so i unsaddled Rhapsody and un braided his braids and took him to the back field then I waited for my mom to come and she said that morning that she would pick me up at 12:30 but she didn’t come till 1:25 I could have ridden but oh well, it was a good approach and retreat for Rhapsody.

my awsome french braid!!!!!!