A week in pictures

Lots of great thing going on in this amazing California weather! I figured I would just narrate the last week in pictures:

Summer has been amazing. Her steering and movement was a little 'sticky' the first few days of riding (which should be expected) but she seems to have gotten the hang of it after 2 rides. We practiced trotting figure eight's to get her listening and moving off of my leg. Once I was sure she could steer, we went out of the round pen and took a walk to the outdoor arena. We walked over a bridge, around poles, and then worked a little more at the trot. Then, an older mustang at the barn showed up to go on a trail ride down the street. We decided to tag along! It was incredible to see how confident this horse is under saddle. We passed traffic, bikers, joggers, dogs, and she was great! I am so proud of my little Summer. I can't wait until she finds her forever home. In the meantime, I get to enjoy working with her :)

Dixie is leading all around the property and exploring the trailer. This was her first time seeing such a small trailer. Her first ride was in a big stock trailer with 2 other horses, quite a difference from the last time she was in a trailer!

Trixie is getting used to taking nice walks and enjoying the mustard weeds! She may look into finding work as a weed puller in the future, lol!

Dixie worked really hard and was so sweaty that I thought it would be the perfect day to try giving her a bath.  I slowly introduced the water by letting it fall near her feet and then letting her sniff it. She shoved her nose into it and took a nice drink. She seemed to love the cool water in her body, and of course our little 'pig pen'was rolling in the dirt minutes after she got rinsed! 

Remy has been with me since July 25, 2011. He has been far and above the toughest horse to train. But you know that just means that he has taught me the most about training horses. I thought he should try and make a few other friends (besides me of course) and introduce him to the little pony on the farm. It seemed like they were two long lost friends, playing halter tag for almost the whole time they were together. It was nice to see him interact with another horse and I am looking forward to introducing him to some other friends soon. 

Here he is working under saddle. His movement is incredible and I just can't wait to see what this horse will end up doing. He will most certainly excel at anything he is trained for. 

Cinna-man! He loves to show off for the girls. Maybe he has some Arabian in him, that tail shoots straight up when he is showing off. It has been really great to see how he has grown and matured. 

Dixie preparing for the fly season! 

Trixie found a more fashionable way to ward off flies :)

Dixie and Trixie after 15 days of training:

The girls have made a lot of progress in such a short period of time! They are quickly becoming popular with my friends too! Trixie was following Kim around like a lab, it was pretty cool to see that these mares trust not only me, but anyone they meet that shows them kindness.

After lunging Dixie with all of her tack on, I started to practice mounting up. She never even batted an eyelash when I  put weight in the stirrup, a good sign! 

We decided to go for a walk and see all of the fun things on the property. Tarps, tractors, wood piles, you name it! Dixie took it all in, I was very proud! When it came time to go back in her pen, she was not very convinced that was such a great idea. It took a lot of time to get her to willingly walk back in. Poor Trixie was not happy she got left behind! I told her that in a few days she would be ready to take a walk too!

Karin has been making friends with Trixie. 

The saddle pad was a bit of a challenge, it took some time to convince her that it was not a scary animal trying to kill her. I think a few more days of practice and she will be fine with it. 

"What the heck is that and why is it on my back?!?"

I promised Trixie she could go on a walk too as soon as she was ready. Once Anthony came out and worked with her, I could tell it was time. She was following him around in the pen and so they took a walk outside. It was nice and uneventful, except for the few whinnies from the distressed Dixie who was not happy about being left behind. I figured that would happen so I was busy introducing side reins and lunging her while Anthony and Trixie were on a walk. 

You can see Trixie in the background, they both look great!

And finally, we decided it was time to take a little walk with a rider. It was so exciting to be in the saddle for the first time! Anthony was there to lead me around (and he got a ride too!) 

These last 15 days have been great, I can't to see the next 75!

Dixie and Trixie

The girls have made a lot of progress in such a short period of time! They are quickly becoming popular with my friends too! Trixie was following Kim around like a lab, it was pretty cool to see that these mares trust not only me, but anyone they meet that shows them kindness.

After lunging Dixie with all of her tack on, I started to practice mounting up. She never even batted an eyelash when I  put weight in the stirrup, a good sign! 

We decided to go for a walk and see all of the fun things on the property. Tarps, tractors, wood piles, you name it! Dixie took it all in, I was very proud! When it came time to go back in her pen, she was not very convinced that was such a great idea. It took a lot of time to get her to willingly walk back in. Poor Trixie was not happy she got left behind! I told her that in a few days she would be ready to take a walk too!

Karin has been making friends with Trixie. 

The saddle pad was a bit of a challenge, it took some time to convince her that it was not a scary animal trying to kill her. I think a few more days of practice and she will be fine with it. 

"What the heck is that and why is it on my back?!?"

I promised Trixie she could go on a walk too as soon as she was ready. Once Anthony came out and worked with her, I could tell it was time. She was following him around in the pen and so they took a walk outside. It was nice and uneventful, except for the few whinnies from the distressed Dixie who was not happy about being left behind. I figured that would happen so I was busy introducing side reins and lunging her while Anthony and Trixie were on a walk. 

You can see Trixie in the background, they both look great!

And finally, we decided it was time to take a little walk with a rider. It was so exciting to be in the saddle for the first time! Anthony was there to lead me around (and he got a ride too!) 

These last 15 days have been great, I can't to see the next 75!

Quick Update!

Well, the girls have settled in nicely! Both of them enjoy their view of 350 acres of green grass and 2 cute geldings hanging out waiting for them to say hello. One of those geldings is Cinnamon (adopted at the Napa event in September 2011). He has been fun to be around, what a character! While I was introducing the girls to some things, Cinnamon came up and stole my saddle pad! He ran around with it like a dog with a stuffed toy. I was able to catch a lot of it on video, you can see it here: Cinnamon vs. Saddle Pad

Ok, so back to the girls. Both are doing really well. I decided to name them Dixie's Double Take and Trixie's Trouble Maker. I have been able to touch both of them, although not when a camera has been around for poor Trixie! Here are some pictures from the last few days, I hope you enjoy them!

Ooooh, I'm supposed to wear these on my legs? That makes more sense:)

 

                                         
                                                            Watching the boys graze.

Saddled up and ready to go!

Let's learn a trick! Watch the carrot...

Lower...

Lower...

Tada!!! 

What is the best birthday present?

2 new mustangs of course! Ted, Kirstin, and I headed to the corrals on Friday and on the road home with them Saturday morning. After arriving around 2pm, it took a little more time to separate everyone into the right pen. Kirstin's mare did not want to leave my 2, and I don't blame her! By the end of the day everyone was tired but happy. Here are the pictures from the corrals to the new pens. I will be posting lots of pictures and updates as often as I can. I am really happy with both of these mares, from their conformation to their size and attitude, it is going to be another great adventure!