Updates

Well, the ponies have been good. I added another two to my work schedule, a friend at work wants me to tune up her 4 year old before she goes to the trainer in September, and her other horse needs basics put on for her niece to comfortable ride her. Unfortunately, that horse came up lame with a swollen fetlock so in the meantime I have been riding the 4 year old, Moxie, when I can. I am still riding Cayenne as well, but my work and school schedule has been hard to work with the last two weeks.

Both horses are doing well; I have had two nice rides on Cayenne since the incident. We put her back into the round pen and are continuing to work on the basics. Currently, when she pics up speed, we one rein stop or "roll back" on the fence the other direction. She is starting to understand that she needs to stay at one speed until/unless I ask her to change. She really is a nice horse and her leg cues are coming along nicely.

Moxie is learning all the leg cues right now. She had been just introduced to the snaffle bit when I started riding her and is doing well. Knows how to move every part of her body and am now taking that into forward motion. She too is a really nice mare - just the opposite of Cayenne. Where Cayenne wants to go-go-go, Moxie wants to slow-slow-slow. Its been fun.

Milo is doing well too. I have been taking him on a lot of trail rides still where we can still work on a variety of things. I am taking him to the Washington State Quarter Horse Association's (WSQHA) All Breed Rookie show in June, which I am really excited about. The judge is NRHA carded and has been judging sanctioned and world events for twenty years. He just moved up to Washington and is starting his own small program. Sarah is interested in taking some babies to him in June and I really want to go with her. We both feel that showing under him and then going for a lesson will be invaluable. He can see where we have issues in the show pen and can help polish some of the reining maneuvers that Sarah can't perfect. I'm really excited about it.

In other news, I went to the doctor for a much needed and very over due physical and checkup. Among other things, she wants me to start going to physical therapy for my back. The skeletal structure, she believes, looks fine, but the muscles are inflammed, uneven, and need time to heal. She wrote me a note and is keeping me on light duty at work for a while. Im not sure how I feel about it, but I guess thats the stubborn part of me. She too is a rider and knew better than to tell me not to ride. I also got a tetanus shot in my appointment and my arm is STILL sore from it - three days later. Ugh.

Anyways, I hope to have more fun updates soon. Exams are keeping me busy, as is a busy work schedule.