MISSING THE SUN ON MY BACK
OK, I've had enough winter. Saw that great picture on Star Creek Ranch blog of Penny on the trail in the sun - and I immediately wanted to be in a tank top, feeling the sun on my back, riding my grumpy little quarterhorse, Jango. Rode him in the arena yesterday, and really got some nice trot work from him. Very steady on the bit, very nice circles and serpentines - at posting and sitting trot. Just about ready to sneak up on him with the canter. Because his background is in reining and drill team, when I ask for the canter, he sticks his neck straight out, pins his ears and shoots off. My goal is to get him to canter out of a nice collected trot and quit freaking. We'll get it eventually. I plan on doing some dressage schooling shows this spring. I'm not even going to start jumping him until he can do a decent dressage test - he doesn't need to be running with his neck straight out at a jump - that's a wreck waiting to happen. My good friend and neighbor is really on a horse hunt again. I hope she finds one that suits her. She has had many horses in the 10 years I have known her. She was getting only rescue horses for a while - high vet bills and short life spans. Then she had bought horses without trying them out and then lots of different reasons to change mounts. This is something she has to figure out for herself - so when she is ready to ride - I'm ready, too - and we will let our mutual friend, Penny of Star Creek Ranch, know she is ready and we will be back with the sun on our backs! I'm going to be heading for Meadowgate Equestrian in Stanwood today - my friend has a TB that is laid up for a while and needs to be lunged twice a week - and my friend has been sick with the flu (she is 78 years old and can still ride a very decent dressage test). She boards him at Meadowgate and it is sort of on the way to where my horse is. I enjoy going up there - I used to board there - and have been friends with the owner for over 20 years. Nice to visit with the gals. And my friend's horse, Stanley Steamer, is a hoot. A lazy TB who likes to occasionally buck like a bronco on the lunge line. Silly boy!!