Coy, Renny and Me

Here is a goofy picture of Team Rengade.  I don't deserve the happiness that's been gifted to me this summer.  Beth said that I could have Coy come and train my little pony.  Stacey has been so helpful and nice with her perspective.  Friends have offered good wishes and come to see the training.  Lexie came to visit and cheer us on.  Kelsey offered to help with his sale video.  Emily gives sage medical advice. Todd helped give Renny a nice safe working pony trim.  And my little boy has been an angel.  He has taken on the life of a working pony with grace, ease and intelligence.  He has had compliments heaped on him.  He's been called the world's best green pony.  He's been called handy, good-minded, intelligent, light, responsive, balanced.  It's been a ridiculously happy time in my life this summer.

Renny and Me as a Team!

I haven't written in a very long time and so much has happened this summer.  I wouldn't even know where to begin.  So, let me just say that I am writing this post on the first week of class, the day after my 5-year anniversary from my accident with Hailee, in the week of the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, after a month of Coy training Renny.  And this photo says it all -- today I rode my little handsome wonderful pony who I love so very much.  He is light, responsive, lovely, delightful.  He's all that and a bag of chips!

My Secret Hope

I secretly hope that one day, Violet gets to be a dam.  She'd be tremendous and loving at the job.

My King of the Family

Okay, so I'm writing this entry on July 7th and we are in the middle of a heat wave -- it's stifling hot and very creepy.  And what makes me happy is that even though it's like being in an oven, my little king of the family still prefers to sleep with me.  He is at the foot of the bed and several times in the early morning, he will do the customary walk across my chest and stop for cuddle and purr.  I am blessed to have this fine cat as the head of my family!

Pleased with Grandma

Here's my Renny, nose shoved happily in the grass, giving Grandma a comfortable satisfied glance.  He is in charge of his little corner of the universe.  He's the definition of happy camper!

Taking Care of My Foundation Mare

So, I'm not proud of this fact, but I have to report that my beautiful foundation mare has been neglected as compared to my other two horses.  Her farrier told me she had thrush and I haven't been treating her.  So, Hailee's thrush became serious enough that her frog was compromised and a bubble of sensitive tissue came up. So, she is now being treated every day with an antibiotic wash, providoine rub, thrushbuster and vet skin spray.  For five days, I would wrap her feet in animalintex, vet wrap, and duct tape, but now I simply treat her feet.  She looks so happy when I do anything with her that I feel pretty bad that she's feeling left out.  I need to give her more attention. So, today it's about 98 degrees, so after work, I'm going out to see her and give her a nice cool bath!

Renny and Parker

Here's a June photo of my beautiful red Renny and his friend, Parcour.  I am writing this in early July while I am waiting to see if he managed a spot in the American Classic Hunter Pony Auction in Lexington.  It's not looking good for him!  I may have to coordinate another way to sell him.  But anyway, he's the busiest little guy lately.  He had to pose for pictures and take video for his sale blog portfolio.  He's had to practice long-lining some more and wearing his saddle and longing.  And this Friday, his friend Coy is coming to help him learn to load onto a trailer quietly. And then his friend at St. George, Kelsey, is going to work with me to sack him and back him!  He's going to have a busy two months.  Plus Stacey helped make him beautiful by pulling his mane and making it thinner and shorter -- which broke my heart, but still made me proud at his handsomeness.  Anyway, he's growing up, albeit reluctantly.  And I have to say this -- when I go up to his stall and see him, he's just gorgeaus.  He has a great looking body, handsome face, and he just radiates intelligence.  He is a beautiful creature.

Violet Saves the Day!

This weekend, while we were jumping, Violet and I had our first near mishap! I was feeling all nervous about her enthusiasm, energy and speed, so I was really holding her and bearing down on her as she approached the jumps.  And there's this one jump she just wants to take at top speed.  So, I accidently held her while we were going over and she tripped.  Her head went down as she tried to recover and I fell forward hard.  I couldn't quite grip her neck and I was slipping to the left and all confused. When Baker gave a shout to sit up! And so then Violet and I both popped up like we had strings attached to ourselves.  And she bounded across the arena all girlish and confused.  And I didn't fall off!!!  It was amazing.  I know I will fall off, but I was happy to learn two things from this near fall.  First, I really need to get comfortable with Violet's style and strengthen my seat for her enthuasiastic big jumps.  Second, my seat isn't as bad as I pretend!  My upper body fell forward, but my seat was pretty strongly attached to my girl.  I was able to recover from a trip and bounding leaps!  Yay me, yay Violet and yay Team Tenderness!

Violet, Me and Team Tenderness!

Here is a video from early Spring, of Violet being a game young girl for Jill Jewett's clinic with Katie Pohlman.  Lots has happened since then.  Violet and I started jumping and we have gone over crossrails and verticals.  She's a wonderful square honest girl.  I've been loving it!  But actually, she's become so good at it that I am going to have to become a stronger rider and develop my core. 
Violet gets eager and excited and wants to rush the jumps a bit. She's not being naughty; she just really loves jumping.  Her entire energy is that she's willing to go up to and over that jump!  But because she's so fast, I'm a bit nervous, so I have to work on having a very solid seat and an appreciation for her good energy.

Anyway, I am writing this right after July 4th and I've had a great week with the herd.  I saw Ashley ride Violet in a lesson and Violet worked 6 days in a row.  Over the holiday weekend, Violet and I worked on jumping and dressage patterns.  And I can honestly say that she and I had a breakthrough.  She's finally really getting what it means to give her face softly without locking her jaw and to work hard to be responsive to my leg without leaning on it.  She is happy to get off my leg when she wants to lay on it and throw down.  In fact, last night at lessons, Stacey said she had nothing to say, we were working so well at our spiraling circles!

The Walkway

Here are my girls, with Lacey and Shaolin, walking along to get to the front pasture.  They really live in a beautiful place.  I am so glad to know that they are happy, safe, and comfortable.

My Baby Columbine

So, I love columbine and each year a little patch of it pops up here and there.  But this year, I'm having some troubles.  This one giant columbine I had just got uprooted and then another one got trampled by Zelia because it was in a high traffic zone.  And the many many packets of columbine seeds I've planted over the past two years, don't seem to be yielding anything.  So, each year it's a struggle to nurture this species.  But here's a new little recruit that popped up this year beneath my Maple treet.  Which reminds me, I once told my friend that I was having a hard time identifying the tree in my backyard.  And he asked me, is the leaf shaped like a Maple Leaf like on the Canadian flag.  I said yes.  He said, "Well, then it's a Maple Tree."  Excellent.

About to Touch Grams

I'll never be able to express what an honest pure joy it always is to enter the pasture and step out onto the beautiful grass and have this handsome boy leave his grazing to come and greet me with his ears forward and his kissing freckle ready for a smooch! 

Hailee's Pricked Ears

Hailee is such a beautiful creature.  I wish that I were able to breed her again and enjoy another foal with her.  She receives compliments all the time.  Beth thinks she has a beautiful face and Ashley loves her personality.  I am so proud of my quiet soulful foundation mare!

My Space Warrior Thoroughbred

I was worried about Violet's eyes, so I found her fly mask.  She likes it immediately.  She seemed to have perfect clarity about what the mask was for.  I think the bright sun must have been bothering her eyes.  Anyway, this girl is learning a new talent with eager calm.  She and I have been taking jumping lessons regularly now.  I am no pro, but I will say this -- I can jump an entire course of cross-rails (low ones) at a canter, and I can do a lesson where I do a circle of jumps at a canter several times.  I am working on getting the roach out of my back and the curve out of my shoulders and the hovering problem of wanting to hold her harder than I should.  I need to get stronger.  But Violet is a natural talent!  She is eager about the work and straight and true and enthusiastic.  She has no interest in balking or stopping at the jump.  She moves true and swift and calmly to and over them.  And if I look in the right direction, she is happy to land on the right lead.  She's a sweetheart!  What's funny is that sometimes, she just randomly likes to jump way bigger than she needs to!  She's probably imagining herself at Rolex!  What a good beautiful girl!  I love her.  And because of Cheri, Baker and Stacey, I can say that I know what it feels like to ride a thoroughbred over jumps, my own beloved sweet red thoroughbred!