Wednesday

Well today was interesting. Sierra forgot whoa. Never thought she had heard the word before. I put her in the round pen this morning and then she tried running me over and would not do anything. I finally got one thing out of her and then back to her stall because I was getting frustrated. This evening, we tried again and she still didn't remember so we practiced whoa for 45 minutes. Walked circles, over poles and lots of whoa's. She finally looked at me and said OH I Remember now.

Downloaded the entry forms I need to fill out for the Mustang Expo in Reno in August. I think we will have to be there on Wednesday to have the kinks worked out by the time we show on Friday. I am nervous now. Need to start making a list of things we need to take with us like a stall fork and hose etc.

I turned our other horses out on their green pasture this evening and after 2 hrs. or so went to get them in. They are in the big pasture and after 45 minutes told them they could stay until Bob got home and could take the 4 wheeler. They were not coming in hook or crook. I would get them all headed for the gate and Abby would take off thru the middle and scatter them. I was so mad. Bob said leave them out. He will put them in in the AM. He is too tired.

Gave a riding lesson this evening. Samantha is probably the best young rider I have ever taught. Really appreciate her. She is 11. Pepper was not too good. He wanted to go eat. I think next week I will get Ditto in. She is my old paint mare and will be more cooperative.

Anyway that's my day.

Tuesday

Summer is here and its hard to work with the horses in the middle of the day so Sierra got played with this morning and then this evening. She is side passing and that excited me. She will trot when I encourage her along side me but she has got to learn to go slower. Old short legs don't cut it. I have been worrying about how to get her muscled up nicely and had to remind myself that she is not getting enough time to stretch her muscles so its going to be l5 minutes of trotting each way in the round pen. We are doing most of the other work in the arena.

She is eating her grain like mad now. A week ago I was asking how to get her to try it. I gave her extra oats tonight after she trotted for half an hour. Boy when I said whoa and come, she did. Huffing and puffing.

Tomorrow morning Skeeter, my little poodle dynamo goes to get groomed. He is a fuzzy mess right now. I wish they didn't have to have him so early. I am used to sleeping in.

till tomorrow -

Monday

I did not work with Sierra for lengthy amount of times. 2x about half an hour each but did not feel very well today. We worked on the same things we have been working on this entire time , just perfecting it. We did trot together but I am not a world class runner and that is what I needed to be to keep up with her. Need to work a lot more on that. Remember I have 70 year old legs and they are short besides. This wasn't the best day to do that but did anyway. She backed the L today and did not step on the poles. That was a first. I clipped her a bridle path with scissors. Need to get the clippers out but did not feel up to it today. She likes being in her stall. I brushed her all over and sprayed her with Show Sheen. She does not mind the spray bottles at all.

Hope to have more to say tomorrow when my stomach is done with its contortions.

Sunday, a day of rest

We got up and went to church this morning. After we got home I changed my clothes and went to get Sierra out of her stall. It makes me so happy that she is happy to see me. I moved her to another stall. The one she was in flooded. No not from the rain we got last night but the automatic waterer stuck open and ran and ran. Poor baby was up to her ankles in water and mud. Bob just turned it off until he has time to fix it.

We did not work too long today. She did everything that I asked. She even trotted on the lunge line but not with me. She just walked faster and faster. Will keep working on it though. It was a breakthrough to trot on the lunge line. She goes over the poles and backs thru the L (sort of) and around the barrels. She can back a figure 8 so I am sure she will get the trotting stuff. Don't know to have her lope yet or not. The trotting will have to be secure like the walking before I start any other gait. She keeps working on backing the L. She is having a hard time figuring to turn. No problem with the barrels but the poles are a different issue I guess.

Today we gave our little black mare, Abby, to our young friend Katie that has done most of the training of her. I handed over the title with the change of title all filled out and gave her a "bill of sale" that I had given Abby to her. She was so excited. She is a nice young lady. She will be a senior this fall. She showed Abby at our Mustang show 3 weeks ago and did pretty well.

On our way home from church we were looking for a yard sale and saw a big doe standing behind the fence at the border of Fairchild AFB. A second look revealed a very tiny new baby fawn nursing. She stood there and let us take pictures. I was so excited. I almost always take my camera with me whenever I go in the car for just such moments. Never found the yard sale.

Till tomorrow -----

A long day

I worked at a horse show in Milton Freewater, Oregon all day and then drove home. It was a nice laid back show. The weather was good. Kind of hot and muggy at times but have been there at their shows when it was over 100 so today was good. It rained about 100 drops once and it felt really good.

I did not really do anything with Sierra today. I just went down and talked to her in her stall for a while. Petted her all over and picked up her feet. I hugged her around the neck and she just hugged me back. It made me cry. It is not going to be easy to let her go after this is over.

Tomorrow I will get back to working with her and adding something. I think it will be trotting with me. So far all we are doing is walking. I tried a little one day last week but not really working at it. She picks up things sooooo fast.

A beautiful day in my neighborhood

Another great day working Sierra. She lunges well at a walk. We are working on a trot. She does a whoa really good. She walks over the poles and around the barrels. We are still working on backing the L well. She yields her hind quarters and steps over quite nicely for 3/4 steps. We got 2 steps each way turning on the haunches. All things to hone. I did spray her with fly spray and she just stood there. Pepper still goes ballistic when he even sees the spray bottle and to see her stand there is a really good thing. I am going to dig around in our blankets on Sunday and see if we have a light weight sheet to practice wearing. I don't know if we do. Am trying to remember what I put on Rosie when I was showing her. I know the winter blanket but its MUCH too warm for that. We have a bunch of blankets/sheets.

Last night I was in the yard holding Sierra while she munched on grass talking to our neighbor Shannon and we heard a noise. I looked up and the horse we have here in training, Paddy, was opening and closing the mailbox that is part of our trail set up in the arena. He is shut into the arena. He was so funny. He opened and closed it several times. He is the horse that bucked Bob off the first week of June.

I am leaving in the morning again to work a horse show in Milton Freewater, Oregon. Its only a one day show though and I will be home Saturday evening.

Another good day

I am so grateful for the nice weather we are having. I gave Sierra another rinse off bath and she did not mind it today. In fact she kept drinking from the hose. She does the trail things just fine too. I was so proud of her backing a figure eight around the big blue barrels. We worked some more on lunging too. She did that well also. We need to work on trotting now on the lunge line and trotting along with me on the lead rope. We made a 5 panel pen on good grass and put her out there for 3/4 hrs. this afternoon. She thought she was in heaven.

Bob is looking at another horse. He should have brought her home from Pasco. She is a 3 year old dun filly. I am wondering what he will decide to do. He thinks she is a 3 strikes horse and Tracey thinks she is not. If she isn't I know he will wait. Tracey asked me if she was a 3 strikes so I am assuming she thinks not. Anyway I e mailed Ramona and asked for sure.