Eight Whole Years!

Today Milo is eight years old. Happy Birthday to Milo! That means that we are nearing the FIVE year mark of partnership/ownership. I cant believe how big and grown up I have watched my scrawny little had-been three year old become. What an incredible journey we have shared together. Heres a small recap of some of our milestones:

First ride together...June 16, 2007

July 1, 2007, the day after he was brought home. Stood at 15.1 hands high! 

Second show ever, first show riding. Took Reserve Champion in W/J Stockseat Equitation. 

First trail class, this show was County Fair in August 2007, only two months after having him. Thats right - Milo went English too!

Milo's first clip and our first winter together. 

Christmas Eve, 2007. He was getting stockier! But he would only shoot up and get lanky again. Haha. 

I had my senior photos taken with him.

In 2008 we joined the Thunderbird Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team, but Milo wasnt able to go into the rodeo due to an abscess. That summer however we attended a few more shows, and the County Fair for my last year. We placed Reserve Champions in the Senior Showmanship, and qualified to go to State. 

Surprisingly, at the State Fair we did out best in the English classes. But it was at State that I realized that rail classes were really not what Milo wanted to do. 

In 2009 I tried out for the Miss Kitsap County Fair and Stampede Rodeo Queen title. We for First Runner Up, but I was OK with that; we still rode on the drill team...

Drill Team Practice.

Rode in our second Parade.

And were able to ride in the rodeo together for our first time. 

In the winter of 2010 we started getting cattle fever and attended our first cattle clinic, getting interested in the reining and sorting. I had found what Milo really loved.

We still rode in the rodeo that, year, but it would be our last. I was much more interested in learning more about reining, and primarily, reined cow horse. 

We started attending more sorting events and were having a blast. But something felt amiss, and that fall (2010) I started working more closely with Sarah in training instead of just saddle fitting.

We attended our first reining shows in a six show series winter of 2010/11 and ended up winning the buckle in Beginning Reining! More reining shows would follow that coming summer...

Leading us to were we are now. I've still got the reining bug, but really want to get more involved in the reined cow horse. Instead of just having show aspirations, I have began having horsemanship aspirations. All the fun stuff like ribbons and shows come with improving horsemanship and our partnership as a whole. I look forward to a whole lot more years with Milo, and further education. 

Happy Birthday, Justa Cool Milo. 

Love, Mom