Sunshine on my Ponies Makes me Happy

Water has receded...mud should be dry in a week or so...ponies had a nice day in the sunshine mowing the back yard.

Flood Update

I unhitched my truck to drive to work this morning.  My little car made me nervous driving the flooded streets yesterday.  The rain finally stopped and I can see some sunshine this morning!  The roads are draining, but a lot of them are still closed and some are washed out.  People in a couple of areas in town are isolated and trapped by the water.

I let the girls out of the mud and into the back yard for today...I left them happily eating hay and grass.  Hopefully, we'll dry up quickly with the wind and sun that is predicted.

No One's Singing But the Frogs

Tropical Storm Debby has turned our horses' "dry lot" into a lake.  We haven't had so much water since the hurricane season of 2005.  The girls only have a small portion around their Hay Hut and the area with trees that is semi dry in their paddock.  The rain is supposed to start drying up tomorrow so maybe the water will dry up before the tadpoles hatch.  My thoughts and prayers go to the folks who have been made temporarily homeless by the floods.

You can see Maybe on the left trying to skirt the edge of the water next to the fence to come see what I have for her.

What Makes A Special Horse

I have regular blogs that I like to visit and see so much posted about what they want their horses to do, what they are afraid of doing, excuses made for bad behavior and also posts of horses that are happy in their job and make their owners very happy. I've had Stylin since 2002 when I purchased her as a 6 year old unbroken broodmare. I had a friend start her for me and since then she and I have put in a LOT of miles together. I've made mistakes, but she was forgiving and we learned in spite of my errors.

I used to compare my mare to others...but now I enjoy and appreciate her for what she is and what our partnership has become. She doesn't have a specialty, but when I started listing the reasons she's such a good horse, I found that she is pretty darn special.

Over the past 10 years together she has learned to:

• cross a creek
• swim in a lake
• climb a hill at the pace I ask
• stand still for a hug
• lie down on command
• stand tied patiently to a trailer, tree, hitching post, etc.
• hi tie quietly for camping ( to my trailer or between trees)
• lead or follow on the trail
• step over logs, fallen trees without leaping
• walk, trot, canter when asked on the lead requested
• allow me to clip, braid and foofoo on her
• load up and trailer for 20 minutes or 7 hours
• be part of a drill team
• pony her youngster on the trail
• allow me to crack a whip from her back
• go down the trail by herself, with a couple of riders or 400 riders
• be ridden with just a halter and lead rope, bosal or bit
• be stalled in a strange barn
• ride alongside a busy road
• not spook at motorcycles, trucks, deer, flushed birds
• ride in a covered arena with loudspeakers and music
• push cows
• travel happily whether barefoot, shod or in whatever boots I've put on her

There are so many more things that make her special to me. We kept riding through our issues, I faced my fears and she learned to trust me.

It didn't happen overnight but boy is it special now.

Busy Spring

I haven't been able to ride a whole lot but we've been having fun. We rode and camped at McCulley Farms again in March. I rode my Appy mare Dixie in a charity poker ride in April.

Stylin and I participated in another charity ride for Dreams Come True in April.

Then most recently, Stylin and I joined Cathy and Michelle to be the honor guard in a wedding. We escorted a Cinderella style carriage thru a neighborhood and thru the Carter estate for our friend Marilyn's son's wedding. What fun and our horses were perfect!

Nothing planned but some regular trail rides before it starts getting too hot !

Cracker Trail Video

I just found this video on YouTube from last year's Cracker Trail Ride that shows me and my friends at the start of the video. I'm on my Paint mare Stylin, then Michelle on Linc and Jenny on Maybe right behind me, then Marilyn on her little mule Bonnie come by in a few seconds. Nice way to relive a great time last year. I hope to do it again in 2013.

Smile

Digging through some old videos and this one always makes me smile.... I love cantering my pony, especially with my buds.......