Toffee Time

My free box of English Toffee Anytime came in and I shared it with my in-laws. Needless to say - it was a big hit ! If you've got a craving for some good stuff....this is it!

Daughter & Mother Times Two

My daughter, Jenny, and I went for a nice ride today. She rides Maybe who is the daughter of my horse Stylin. We rode at Black Creek Ravines and almost had the place all to ourselves. We talked to a man walking his dog and then a nice guy who had been kayaking down the creek took this picture of us when he and his sons stopped for lunch. We don't get a chance to ride together very often so this was a real treat. We topped the ride off by sharing a sub sandwich and a cold beer. Plus.....she bought me a new camera for Christmas !!

Tis the Season!

I must be getting old......... I put up a table top Christmas tree this year. It probably wasn't 3 years ago that I was making fun of my Mom for having such a little tree. But you know what?....it's a lot easier to set up and I've enjoyed the cute little pre-lit tree just as much.

Bobby and I went to my company party Friday a week ago and had such a fun time! It was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Jacksonville. From the valet parking, to the delicious food and drink, it was a first class affair. We had private tours of the museum and got to dance the evening away with a DJ. You can see more pics of the party and museum here.

Bobby's daughter Carolle got to come visit us from California. She's gone through a few changes since she's been out in there in LaLa Land. The first obvious one is that she's gone from a natural blonde to a saucy red head. The second is that she is living an alternate lifestyle from the way she was raised. She is a beautiful girl , full of life and fun and she relishes being the center of attention. We thoroughly enjoyed having her around for a week, but she probably found life on our little "farm" pretty dull. She's in Gainesville now visiting with the rest of the family before flying back to California.

I got to ride in a new State Forest with my friends on Saturday. (the forest isn't new - just new to me) It was an hour drive from my house and the trails were disappointing. Way too much rock on the trails and they were too short. We had fun anyway going off the beaten path and blazing through vines and bushes to explore the area. There's another trailhead with more trails, but it's too tight to manuever my 3 horse trailer. We'll have to go back another time with a smaller trailer.

I'm looking forward to Christmas, but it's gonna be a little weird this year. My sister Shelly won't be bringing all of her kids down with her because they are grown and have their own things to do... so Robbin's son JT is our only youngster enjoying Santa Clause this year. We're going to wait till Saturday to have our Christmas dinner so that Shelly can enjoy it with us. I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas and has an opportunity to stop and count their blessings.

Try some Yummy English Toffee for Christmas !

This site was suggested to me by my friend Aundrea at Swamp Surburbia - click on the link for some yummy english toffee...... ENGLISH TOFFEE ANYTIME - and enter their contest.

Lazy Vacation Days

My vacation started last weekend as my husband and I met our friends to camp and ride along the Suwannee River. We camped at 7BarL Ranch in Live Oak, Florida which is only an hour and 20 minutes away from our house. We had a wonderful, relaxing weekend and I got a lot of riding in. Bobby likes to hang out at the camp, keeping the fire going and maybe getting in a little nap. You can read about the camping weekend and riding at my other blog First Coast Trail Blazers.

I had to go in to work on Monday for 5 hours to finish up some audit work....boy, I was not a happy camper, but it felt good when I left. I have enjoyed my days off so far; I've been sleeping in till at least 7 each morning. Mom's doing great and I took her out on Tuesday to do a little shopping. I can't even remember what I did Wednesday except clean the stalls and drag the horse pen, then visit with my sister. Today I took little Sammy my cat to the vet to have his hoo-haws removed. I sure miss him tonight but I'll get to pick him up in the morning. After dropping Sammy off, I stopped by Panera Bread and had a cup of tea and a bagel while I waited for Steinmart to open. I'm not much of a shopper, but I had to get a pair of pants and a shell to wear under a borrowed jacket for the work "Holiday" Party Friday night. After a quick purchase, I swung by my favorite book store and then went to the post office on my way home. I cleaned out our room size closet (otherwise known as the family junk repository) today while it was raining and then when the rain quit, I went to a feed store to pick up 5 bags of Seminole feed that I won last month. I blended a bag with my current feed and will be happy to use it this month. I matched it up with what I currently feeding and it sure comes in handy since Jenny's horse Maybe is back home with us. Then I updated my APHA Ride American log on line, updated the horses' medical records and did my Christmas cards and here I am. What a productive day and I enjoyed it by myself!

MOM

JT and Mom

Boy....what a long day ! My sister and I took Mom to the hospital today to have a pacemaker put in. She was asked to come in at 6:30am........long story short..........she didn't go back to get the actual procedure done until 4:15 in the afternoon! She was really a trooper and kept her cool during the whole day despite being in a hospital gown with her butt hanging out, no food or water and no real reason why it was taking so long. (She normally would have been VERY vocal about her displeasure, but she didn't want to make waves until after the doctor finished the procedure.) Once they took her back, the procedure went well and we had a nice talk with the doctor who semi-explained why he took someone ahead of her even though she was scheduled first. She should feel an immediate difference in her shortness or breath and tiredness since the device will keep her heart rate above 60 bpm.

Robbin & KD (we weren't smiling this big at the hospital today)

Self Portraits and Weekend Review

I got the camera to work for a few minutes...... put fresh lithium batteries in, but it died very quickly. Guess it may be time to get a new one. I had a terrible headache that wouldn't go away, so I figured riding the horses would make me feel better even if my headache stayed. I got a couple of shots of me and Stylin, but the camera died before I could get one of Dixie.

I took Wednesday off to use up some vacation and spent most of the day finishing the book I was reading.... "The Shack" . It was very moving, whether you are a believer or not. I had a great Thanksgiving with my family at my sister's house. You can read her write up and view family pics at her blog, Tungett Family Blog. On Saturday before I took the pictures above, Robbin and I participated in a "free sale" at our church. Church members donated toys, household items and clothes for the community a la garage sale but everything was free. We got to the church at 6:00am to sort and set out the clothing items. It turned out really well; several homeless people were helped, families struggling to make ends meet, along with regular folks just looking for a deal.

Jenny brought Maybe home this evening, but I was out at the time. She said there were no big battles between the girls and everyone settled in fine, so she threw them some hay and left. I'll check everyone in the morning when it quits raining. (We really needed some rain so I'm not complaining.)

Sundry & Such

Since my camera is on the blink, I've had to rely on family and friends to help me get some pictures this weekend. First, the update on my peepers..... we were able to integrate the two rescued chickies back into their little flock the very next day. That made a total of 10 little cuties. Their momma has done an excellent job keeping them warm at night and has been venturing out with them for short spells during the day. Today, with my sister's camera, I was able to get a couple of pics of them following mom around, learning to scratch for hidden treasures. Mom is a Golden Laced Wyandotte and dad is a Rhode Island Red and we wound up with 6 yellow chicks and 4 dark colored ones.






Now for an update picture of our little cat who has been renamed Sammy, short for Sammy the Bull Gravano, since he's such a "wise guy". He is a nut ! He has turned out house upside down, literally, but in a good way. Like most kittens, he plays hard and sleeps harder....the dogs love him and so do we.


On Saturday, my buddy Cathy picked up Dixie and me and we joined the Happy Trails Horse Club members for a ride at the Black Creek Ravines Preserve. It was an almost perfect day for a ride - cool, sunny and no insects of any kind! THE END. :)

Cold Chicken

I've had one of my two hens missing for over two weeks. We're having an unusual early cold snap for North Florida, so last night I was going out to blanket my ponies and heard this unmistakable loud peeping coming from near my pump house. I went back in the house to get a flashlight and see what it was.... it sure sounded like a little chickie. When I found the little guy, he was cuddled up against the outside of the shed, peeping his little heart out, and two siblings were laying motionless next to him. I gathered them up, put them in a cardboard cat carrier and went searching for momma hen. (this particular hen has never let me get close to her) I found her in the pump house (really just a shed), in the corner, behind some plastic bins. She was apparently keeping some other babies warm underneath her...I could see some broken egg shells around her. I took the strong chick and pushed it underneath her as well while she pecked away at my hand. Since it was supposed to be below freezing during the night, I rigged up a light in there to hopefully keep it a little warmer for her and her babies, put some scratch and water near her and let her be. Not that a chicken can be grateful, but she did start eating right away. Next, I took the two nearly lifeless chicks in the house with me and warmed them up in my hands next to my body. The little buggers came back strong, peeping and squirming.....I thought they were goners. Anyway, long story short - I fixed up the cat box with a heating pad and towel....they settled in and slept the night away in our bedroom. When I peeked in this morning - they were both alive and well! My husband is off today and will get some starter feed....and we'll probably try to get them back with their Mom today as it warms up. Since I'm no chicken expert, I was glad to have a friend that I could call for advice and moral support last night. Thanks Liz!

Maybe's Coming Home

My digital camera died on me on my last ride out of town. I LOVE to take pictures on my rides and I felt naked on Saturday. I don't get to ride very often with my daughter these days. She was able to come on a charity ride close to my house and I sure would've liked to get a couple of pics of her and her mare Maybe. This ride was for Dreams Come True - an organization that fulfills dreams for children who have been diagnosed with a life threatening disease. The threat of rain was 60% for the day, but the clouds parted for the ride and everyone had a great time. I bought a throwaway camera and will use it to get some more pics soon. In the meantime, here's a pic of my girl Stylin and one of my other girl Dixie.

Jenny has been leasing her horse Maybe out for the last 2-1/2 years and the lease ends on November 30th. That means that Maybe will be coming home. I set up a stall for her this afternoon and am looking forward to having her around for a while. This is Maybe - a solid bred Paint - registered name is Zippos Diamond Girl. She is my mare's first born and is a short stout pony like her.

Family Time

No camping, no group rides...... I had a nice quiet weekend with family. I got robbed of my normal Friday off because we had to count inventory at work, but I'll still get a long weekend because I had already asked for Monday as a vacation day.

On Saturday I took Mom to a second cousin's baby shower - I never look forward to these things but usually have a good time catching up with extended family. Saturday evening my husband, Bobby, and I went to see FIREPROOF and then to our favorite sushi restaurant. We both boohoo'd throughout the movie .... it has a good story and a strong Christian message. It should be required watching for any engaged couple . It has a lot of laughs as well. Off my soapbox now.

Sunday was church time with family and instead of a regular preaching service, we heard from several WW2 veterans telling their stories of battles and Christian faith. These services are always so touching....we got to sing tributes to America and recognize our veterans and current military personnel. Of course, I can't go a whole weekend without riding my ponies, so I rode both Dixie and Stylin for about 1/2 hour each in the back yard.

Miracle Ride in Eustis

I spent this past weekend camping and riding near Eustis, Florida. Since I already wrote it up on my other blog, I'll just direct you there, if you don't mind. We had loads of fun and got some decent pics as well. Narrative and pics of ride.

Riding the Greenway Trails

Cathy and I camped at the Florida Horse Park this past weekend and were able to get in three different trails we've been wanting to.

Friday was dreary and rainy, so we delayed heading to Ocala until 1pm. No sense in hurrying up to set up camp in the rain. By the time we arrived around 3 pm, the rain had stopped with just an occasional mist. We got the horses comfortable, set up camp and met the other folks who had come up from South Florida Trail Riders and were camping in the same area.

Saturday morning was overcast but perfect for riding so we headed West through the FHP trails towards the I-95 Landbridge trail. After crossing over I-95, we enjoyed the section called Christmas which took us to the 49th Ave underpass. Since that was a 2 hour journey, we headed back towards the park for a total 4 hour ride. After having a nice lunch back at camp, we set up our chairs to watch some polo. There was also a horse show going on in the park for pony jumpers. (Ponies that jump - not people that jump over ponies:-)

Sunday dawned crisp and clear and the plan was to break camp and trailer the horses to the Shangrila trailhead which is only a 15 minute drive from the park. We found the Shangrila trailhead being well used, with about 6 trailers there ahead of us. We decided to head back East and ride the Shangrila trail back to the 49th Ave trailhead where we left off the day before. We really enjoyed the Shangila trail the best. It had a lot of winding single track trails with some gentle hills. (There are more challenging trails and hills available on some loop trails that go off from the main yellow trail that we followed). The ride with a quick rest stop at 49th was right at three hours.

We plan to get back sometime this fall/winter season and hit some more of the sections available. We'd like to go east from the FHP and ride to the Santos trailhead as well as continuing west from Shangrila and going to Ross Prairie.

Here are more photos of our rides. PICS

Time to de-stress

Do you ever feel like there's just not enough time to get everything done? I'm trying to simply my life by prioritizing , doing what's important and cutting out the crap. My work has really been stressing me out lately, seems like I don't have a spare moment anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to have a job that allows me to have most Fridays off, pays well and affords me 4 weeks vacation a year..... but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just go to work for Target as an hourly employee - no decision making, no deadlines, no stress.........

So Saturday, a couple of friends and I joined a BIG benefit ride and had a wonderful stress free day riding our ponies, meeting new people and riding new trails. You can see more pictures and a narrative of that ride at my other blog First Coast Trail Blazers. You won't believe some of the trailers that I saw and the horses.... beautiful ones, fugly ones, fat ones, skinny ones, old ones, babies that shouldn't have been ridden....... you get the picture. With 160 riders you get to see everything.

Marilyn & Spirit

Traci on Tucker & Cathy on Busta

Sunday started off great - went to church and then lunch with my husband and mom. Dropped Mom off at Wal-Mart while Bobby and I headed home to meet our trimmer. We were trimming every 4 weeks, but this time we held off until 6 weeks and he was very pleased with how both girls did. He barely had to nip anything, mostly rasped and cleaned up their bars. That's good news, our diligent work has paid off and I think the venice turpentine has helped toughen up Stylin's soles. Bobby power washed the horse trailers and I slung poop and did some chores around the yard. At 4:00 my phone buzzed and when I looked at it, it said "W&O Party". OMG! I had forgotten all about a company get together that I couldn't miss and it was a good hours drive away! Thank goodness I put it in my phone calendar and set the reminder with enough time for me to get ready and drive out there. The dinner was actually good and I got to catch up with our national managers that I only get to see a couple times a year. So that's been my weekend..... how was yours?

Friday Beach Fun

Cathy played hooky from work and we loaded up the ponies and went to Mickler's Landing in Palm Valley/Ponte Vedra Beach.

We took our time... no agenda, no pressures, even packing some brewskis for after the ride. The day started out grey and overcast, but the sun came out and it got pretty hot while we were riding. We didn't manage to get the horses in the water, but we did get them comfortable riding right near the edge. Stylin and I did lots of turns towards the water to keep her thinking.

Because of the front, the surf was rougher than usual (the surfers were diggin' it) and it was crashing kind of hard. Our horses performed some lovely side passes a la Merlin the Bullfighting horse. :-) The coquina sand was soft and Stylin and Busta hard to work a little harder than usual. At least we didn't have any crazy kites attacking us this time.

I think after a few more times we'll have them cruisig thru the surf with no problem like the rental horses we saw while we were there.

Here's the rest of the pictures I took........ PHOTO ALBUM

New Addition to the Family

Zambito Oaks has a new family member..... Scamper the kitten. (name subject to change :) I've been thinking about a new kitten since one of the barn cats came up missing about 5 months ago, but I really wanted an inside cat. Last week, a friend at work came to me with a sad story about a little kitten that had been found in someone's pool skimmer. I came home, asked my husband what he thought and then decided to go ahead and get the kitten. Well.... he turned out to be an adorable Siamese cross and when I took him to the vet this weekend, he was pronounced a healthy 13 week kitten. The vet gave him a shot, some drops in his nose and eyes and said as soon as he gets his permanent teeth we can get his rabies shot and get him neutered. The dogs have adjusted to him and I'm sure will succumb to his playful nature soon.

I participated in a Poker Ride at Princess Place Preserve on Saturday and we couldn't have ordered up a nicer day. The group that was hosting the ride did an awesome job of keeping everything organized. There were 70 riders and no accidents! You can see more pics of the ride HERE. The pic above is Cathy on my horse Dixie and Michelle on Cathy's horse Busta. Michelle has been tuning up Busta for Cathy and yes, adults can have fun too !!

Weekend Warriors

Stylin and I got out on the trails Friday and Saturday this weekend! On Friday we joined Marilyn on her mule Clyde at Bayard Conservation for a trail blazin', mud boggin', mosquito and yellow fly slappin' good time. She was ponying her Arab mare, Spirit to get her legged up at the same time. We really did have a fun 4 hour ride. I did discover that riding with a halter only can be VERY challenging when there are horses cantering way ahead of you and your pony wants to join them. :-) I said trot, she said canter, I said trot, she said canter..... of course it was much smoother when we were cantering at the front. Then when we were sloshing down one watery trail, Style thought it was a good idea to drop and cool off....I caught her while she was still sitting and got her to get back up before she rolled. We were too busy to take pictures....:-)

Saturday, we joined a group of friends at Sal Taylor Creek Preserve for a leisurely 2-1/2 hour ride. The bugs were almost non existant - hmmmm. Of course the trails were high and dry - makes a big difference. Michelle is helping work Cathy's horse Busta through a couple of issues - like diving for snacks along the trail, darting off the trail when cantering, going down in the water.....so we took a lot of pics of Busta being worked....(or should I say of Michelle being worked:) I put it to music ( I always sing this song to Busta) BUSTA CLIP . Cathy rode my other horse Dixie and had fun watching her horse being ridden. Here's some more pics that were taken during the ride..... PHOTOS BTW- as you may notice in the pics - we rode with a bit on Saturday even though it wasn't really necessary - no races going on... :)

Good, Bad, Worse

Good news is that Stylin's pretty much back to normal. Bad news is I tried to video myself, and the worse news is that I did in in bad pants and without a sports bra. I set my camera up on the side of my truck, but then neglected to stay where you could see me and I really need to learn how to edit and shorten the video. Live and learn, right?

Recon Mission

I had some good quality Mom time this weekend. Spent Friday taking my mom to the hair-do place...(where they actual roll, set , tease and spray), had some good ole sausage gravy and biscuits at the Country Cabin then made a trip to Wal-Mart. I hate the parking and the lines at Wally, but it's hard to justify spending so much more at our Publix store.

On Saturday Bobby's mom, sister and brother in law all came up for a visit and lunch. We had a great time; I brought my mom over to hang out as well.

Stylin has been gimpy since I rode her on Labor Day and I've been doing all the things you do when you can't find anything obvious.... checking her digital pulses and temp, (she foundered once almost 2 years ago) soaking, painting her soles with venice turpentine, giving her bute and keeping in contact with our vet. Well it's been two weeks and hasn't resolved, so Dr. Tammy is coming out tomorrow at lunch time for an exam. If it was an abcess, you'd think it would have worked it's way out by now.

Sunday, my sister went on a recon mission with me to Ocala to check out the camping situation at the Florida Horse Park and the various trailheads nearby on the Cross Florida Greenway. She brought Diet Coke and popcorn and kept me company on my quest. I've ridden the Landbridge Trail and beyond, but there are so many more trails out there including one called Shangri La. Two other friends and I have made reservations now to head down to the FHP for 3 days in October....I am so-o-o-o looking foward to the fall camping season! Here's where we'll park our trailers at FHP.

2008 Miracle Trail Ride - Nov 1st

Stylin and I are participating in the 2008 Miracle Trail Ride benefiting Children's Miracle Network on November 1st. I am required to collect pledges to participate in the Trail Ride and I would appreciate your help. Your support benefits Shands Children's Hospital at the University of Florida and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
If you are interested in my campaign please click below to see my personal page. Making a contribution online is secure and easy.

My Personal Donation Page

Saturday Morning Ride

My pals and I had a really enjoyable ride this morning. Stylin was a little gimpy last night so I took Dixie today. Cathy decided to borrow a friend's Tennessee Walker because her guy has been off for 3 months and needs a tune up before she takes him out in the woods. After a little rough start, she and Layla clicked and she really enjoyed her first TWH glide ride. We rode out in Jennings State Forest and combined some trails we know well with a few newer ones. ( at least newer to me:) Some other ladies joined us when we were on our way back to the trailers....their horses were not used to riding in a group and I was afraid the ladies might get hurt by their jumpy horses. They mentioned they are going on the big Withlacoochie Ride in October.....goodluck to them - we mentioned they may want to work with their horses some more before they throw themselves in with 300 other horses. Here's some more photos and a video of Cathy and Layla. PHOTOS

Oops, Owwww, and Bow Wow !

With a nice 4 day weekend ahead for me, ( I don't have to work on Fridays) I spent Friday hanging out with my Mom some. On Saturday I decided to get some yellow sand and build up Stylin's stall. I didn't want the next storm to flood her stall again. So, I go to the local rock and sand place and have them dump a yard of good sand in the back of my Ford F250. I drive home and into the horse pen, which is still a little wet and slick from Tropical Storm Fay, and back up to Stylin's stall so I can shovel the sand directly from the truck into the stall. Of course, we're a little heavy with the wet sand in the truck and we sink a little into the mud. Oh well....I go ahead and unload what I can, pull up with a little difficulty and try to reposition the truck and then get REALLY stuck. Dang it! I have to leave it right there for two days until the mud finishes drying up. Oops !

After that, Bobby and I got dolled up a little and headed out to a wedding for one of my riding buddy's daughter. It was a beautiful service and the bride and groom served Holy Communion as their first act as man and wife....how cool ! Bobby commented that he had never seen our friend Marilyn in anything other and denim and leather before. :) Then we slipped out during the reception and went over to my former in-laws house for a Labor Day get together. My former sisters-in-law still treat me like family and I love them for it. They treat Bobby like one of the family as well.

Sunday morning brings church service and then a trip to Newberry to visit Bobby's mom and sister. I always love the drive down, especially when we take the back roads.

I got up early Monday morning to start cooking a meal to take to another good friend whose father passed away. Very sad, but it felt good to be able to help in a little way. Bobby and I worked together to put together a down home, southern meal. Ham, black eye peas, rice, sliced tomatoes, some diced onions, deviled eggs and Jiffy cornbread. (I'm not good at making old-fashioned cornbread.) Then, late afternoon, I joined my daughter Jenny to ride at Ms. Jane's arena to work our ponies some. After we worked them for a while, we all traded horses. I rode Jen's horse for a little while and then decided to trade off with another girl named Lori. Of course I was too lazy to adjust her stirrups and rode her horse without any. BIG mistake ! We walked, trotted and then decided to canter...... to the left was uncomfortable, but OK....then when I cantered her to the right, she cut a little quicker than I expected, I got off balance, she broke to a big trot, I insisted on a continuation of our right lead canter and she said NO...humped and bucked and off I went. :) Did a very ungraceful tuck and semi roll; my butt hit pretty hard and I even peed a little. Owwww! Got up, brushed myself off, and decided to get back on my own horse with my own saddle. A little toddy and 2 Aleves and I felt much better.

OH yeah, we also dog sat for my sister, so with her 2 , we had 4 dogs in the house Sunday and Monday. They were very well behaved and I even got to practice my best Cesar Milan imitation. (In my favorite man boxers that my sister says she's going to burn one day) :-) FYI - all 4 dogs are rescues or adopted from local shelters.

Keep the Hurricane Gustav victims in your prayers this week.

After the Storm

Tropical Storm Fay has finally left us and moved on. She dumped LOTS of rain in our area and took our power for a day and 1/2. No damage, just a few small limbs down on our propety. The back yard and horse pen are flooded. The girls just have about 1/3 of their pen high and semi dry. If the rain quits for good, we should see the water dry up in about 3 or 4 days.

I let the girls out of their messy pen into the back yard to graze for a while. The yard has standing water, but is better than the mucky pen. They seemed pleased to be out.

On a very sad note, my friend Charlotte lost her horse Tinker today. Tinker was a good horse and always took good care of Charlotte. I was with her the day she bought him at the auction...she told me to stop her at a certain amount and then when I reminded her, she ignored me and continued to bid. She never regretted spending the extra money on him. Rest in peace Tinker's Jewel.

Young, Dumb but Havin' Fun

Connie, me on the bottom, Cheryl on top

I was digging through some old photos and found some really old ones from 1973 and 74 of me and my first horse, Cognac. (Connie). That was an awful fancy name I chose for the $150 grade mare of my dreams. My parents purchased her as a Christmas present when I was 16 from my uncle who was a horse trader at the time. What a kind soul she was........ I knew NOTHING about actually keeping horses except what I had read in horse adventure stories such as Fury, The Black Stallion series and C.W. Anderson stories. I had loved horses since I could remember, but I was ignorant on the proper care and feeding of them. I don't remember ever worming her, having her feet done, or any vet calls for shots, etc. I'm sure some of it was done, but it's a miracle she did as well as she did. I'm embarassed now, but my current mares get all the extra care Connie never did. My cousins and I raced besides busy streets, crossed over expressways, swam in borrow pits, rode shoeless, bareback, double, double backwards....all the things I dreaded when my daughter got her first horse. Thank goodness I know better now and thank goodness for horses that put up with crazy kids!

This is my best friend Cheryl and Connie- check out that bit !

This next one is me on a fuzzy, winter coated, rather slim Connie - I feel happy and sad looking back at these photos.