Our trail to happiness !

Our trail to happiness !

Saturday, August 24, 2013

my Son comes to ride.. a very special ride !!!

My oldest son Alexander rode a lot when he was younger.. even as young as 4 he was riding along with me!  (before I knew about helmets!)

heres a couple pics of my oldest riding when he was little.. awwww
Alex riding Me-sha Rose my Mor-ab in 1998 (he was 4)
Myself on Me-sha & Alex on his gelding Storm fall '98

Alex riding Me-sha at Horse World , '99 after I learned about helmets.. this was his first saddle :)

Alex riding Coby and myself riding Kat an APHA mare we had  in 2009 (this was her 4th ride, we just rode around the driveway and pasture)



a picture of a short ride (if you can call it that) Alex and I did ( just around my driveway ) with Kizz and Coby, last year 2012 



Now we get out for a REAL ride! how exciting!! it's been since 2002? at least.. at Horse World that we'd done an actual trail ride! (He rode the beautiful lesson horse Chocolate, still alive and lives near us!)


NOW here's our ride!!

We tacked up and head out!! :)

 
myself & Kizz and Alex & Coby


We Rode out the access road and across the fields and through the trails , We trotted a bit and Alex took a bit to get back into the groove! We went across the road and down to the RR and along it a ways. We didn't meet up with my friends (they were running late) and by then Coby was tired and ready to head home. 


Alex & I on the Rail Way





 We cantered a bit up on the ant hill road on the way back and had a great time. The horses were a little more excited on the way home haha I think riding 2 days in a row was tiring for Kizz and most definitely tiring for Coby. but we had a great ride!!



we did 7 miles!! 

back at home letting the horses have a bite, and having a drink :)





Thursday, August 22, 2013

Amanda comes for a ride! something a little new! Aug 21st

So my friend Amanda -who also blogs - A fat girl & a fat horse blog.. decides to Trailer over her beautiful horse Bronwyn to go riding with me! So exciting! Hoping Kizz doesn't act too crazy and embarrass me!  Never rode with a mare yet either!!

afatgirlafathorse.blogspot

Things don't work out for her to bring her mare, so she comes and rides Coby! I'm a little worried Kizz will be antsy riding so slow (hasn't rode with Coby for a while! and we've been doing a pretty steady pace lately!) but it goes really well!



A picture my daughter Ava lee took of us tacking up :)



Kizz basically sleeps while we tack up! This is completely new!! he's very very settled! We get out on the trail and he's happy happy! quiet and walks along great (No jiggy!) we ride and chat, we even trot a little bit. They are great ! we get up to the spot with a great view and chat some more, then we do a little road and then back home. We ride for about 1.5 hrs and do 4 miles :)



Amanda & Coby, I think this is the 2nd time she's rode him (Coby- Cowboys Carbon Copy, came from her parents farm! and is almost identical to their long time breeding stallion who has since passed over rainbow bridge -Scenics Cowboy)



 Kizz is A1 the whole ride, except in the field on the way home he stops to pee.. and Coby is walking slowly away and he gets a little upset.. after he stands up from his pee he races off to Coby completely ignoring me !! I pull him back  and we do some trotting circles.. he eventually listens and we do a fairly nice circle each way and then we walk off home again.


What a nice Ride!! Can't wait until tonight, for my ride with my son!! SO excited!!! hope we have a blast!!



Monday, August 19, 2013

our longest ride yet! 20 miles! Aug 18

We are supposed to ride out on a good long ride Sunday morning.. I have to run to the states so we get up early and head out.. I get back just as Kaaren is ready to ride out to meet me! So I get dressed while my hubby Chris gets my saddle and gear ready and grabs Kizz for me.

We are heading into Nackawic this ride.. to the river! So it is away from Kaaren's house, so I decide I'll take the road to her house to save a long ride of us riding and meeting on the RR our usual meeting spot lately.
Kizz really seems to feel safe on the road too, so I figure it's the best place to go !

I  know we are going for a good long ride so I make sure my HRM and my MapMyRide Ap are ready to go ! I boot Kizz and Tack him up and head down the drive! Chris puts Coby in the shelter and he only whinnies once before we leave. I get Kizz out on the road and we trot off . He has never went this way before , only on the way home and not alone. but he is very settled and trots along great! I am a bit nervous as there is a horse up on the left as well as a snapping fence near the road , and directly across from it a couple big dogs that like to come out and bark at us.. But we get through all of that with no dogs or horse noticing us :P

We aren't long until we see Kaaren! We meet halfway down the big Maple Ridge hill. We go into the trails and get to her house. We then leave her house and head onto the RR. We trot and canter some and Kizz seems really happy. The trail is dry and good footing and wide (like the RR always is) We leave the RR and hit The millroad and ride down that a ways.. luckily it's sunday and we meet no transports. We take a left off the mill road and head down another dirt road.. it's pretty good trail  , we do take a wrong turn and get on a messy wet trail but we turn and find the right trail after that :)  We come to some big trenches that Kizz jumps and a couple way too big ones for him to jump that we go down in through pretty good ! it's pretty warm out by now ! but beautiful trails and Kizz seems to be happy and going along steady. We go through a few beaver ponds that he doesn't mind at all.  I even drop my crop and have to dismount, so I fix my saddle that slipped back some (reminder for next time USE my breast collar!!) and he stands in a ditch perfectly for me to mount up again. He does walk off a bit after I get half on, but I'm still happy he WENT in the ditch for me lol

 We come out onto a smaller wooded trail and not long we are down to the highway into Nackawic where we cross and go down into an inlet of the river and the horses get their feet wet . I grab a couple pics, never thought I'd have my horse way into NACKAWIC!! :)

Odin & Kizz .. pretty view! 


Kizz at the river in Nackawic




We ride up the highway and swing a right to head back towards home on the road My hubby and daughter drive by and show us they got icecream. I'm so hot an icecream sounds great! Some motorcycles go by, but Kizz handles it ok! 

 A ways in we hit the old snowmobile trail and go out by the golf course. The trail is nice! We come upon a lady and 3 dogs , Kizz handles the barking dogs fine! We ride back towards home and eventually hit the RR again. We canter some more, Kizz does great!  We stop at one point for a drink and I get Kaaren to take a pic of me for my blog :)
Kizz and I on the trail home! having a BLAST! Kizz is very happy!

We skip on by her house staying on the RR, instead of me going home the RR and being way down from my house and having to back track, I decide to go back up the road the way I came. So We cross the road and go onto the little trail that takes you to the dirt road that circles in behind my place, (but we take a right to go out towards the pave) at that point she and Odin stay behind and head back home. I trot on along that dirt road out to the pave alone fine! once we hit the pave and head the long way up the Maple Ridge hill. Somewhere near the top Kizz realizes we are almost home :)

We get home after 4hrs 45 minutes or so! and 20 miles!!! What a great ride! My husband helps me untack and we dump buckets of water on him. (he's never had this done before!) and he doesn't mind at all! must feel so good! I give him his sloppy supper , and he eats it right up!

what a GREAT ride! Rides like this really make me think that Kizz can handle this!! Me too!!

our Map my ride screen shot! 20 miles yahooo!!

and check out how many calories I burned!! yaahooo! Getting in shape was never so fun!! 



Ride out alone , trying this again! Aug 15th

Our next ride out alone. I get ready at 5:30pm , While I tack up I have a big glass of Boones strawberry wine. :-D

I get kizz all tacked up and set my stirrups down  1 notch each . Then take coby and tie him in the Shelter along with a hay net :-) I really hope this encourages him to be quiet when I leave!

I grab my crop this time (in case we have the same refusing problems as last time) mount up and start down the driveway. (Coby doesn't say a peep )

All along down the driveway kizz keeps kicking one leg out. He's a little upset. But I push him along and ignore it. We get on the access road beside us and trot up along it. We trot all the way to the top and go over into our first field. He starts to stop a bit so I start doing lateral work all along the field. We get to the little rock wall path and go right through. Then through the next field with no troubles. The trail is as wet as I've ever seen and it takes a little convincing to get him to go through. The short trail up to the ant hill road he trots along happily. We trot along a lot of the ant hill trail except where its wet. Then when we get to Maple Ridge road he perks up and is happy to go along it. We go further along the road than we normally do and take a road down to the railway (which means I skip the field with the cattle along it)

We trot all along the road to the railway fine. A man is running his power saw in the woods by the road but Kizz doesn't mind! He's used to Chris running one!

Once we get to the railway the big ditch he doesn't like to get onto the railway is a lot more wet than normal. It takes some prodding but he goes over fairly well. We canter along the railway for a bit until we come to some wet spots that he jumps sideways to avoid so we slow down. I'm happy that by lowering my stirrups one hole my knees aren't aching as bad as normal and also I haven't lost my stirrups when we cantered like I worried over. (Although that only happened in the indoor arena and I do look down a lot when I'm in an indoor so that may have been throwing me off balance some!)

We see Kaaren and Odin on the other side of the washout on the RR. It takes a few touches with the crop but he jumps it. Kaaren & I walk up the RR and chat. We turn in the old caverhill  road and walk up there. We trot when the bugs get bad but along there we see two moose. The horses get antsy and won't go ahead for a bit. But after we chat a while then head out they're fine. Kizz takes up the rear and keeps checking all around to be sure there are no sign of the moose. Haha

We canter almost the whole way up the hill. It's long and steep but Kizz does pretty good even though he has a hard time pacing himself yet. He just wants to gallop up it. We hold back and stay with Odin. At one point he spooks and jumps into poor Odin a bit but it isn't too bad. We continue on. At the top we walk a ways and then turn and walk back down the long hill. It's getting dark when we hit the RR again. So we decide to split up and head home but  Kaaren heads back with me a ways so kizz will have no trouble leaving odin. 

  We trot on head steady and I tell her we are good. So she turns and heads home. Kizz and I trot the long way down the RR to the washout. He gives me a bit of a hard time to cross but we do it. It's getting really dark by time we get to the ditch off the RR to head home. But he goes through really well.  I stop and give Chris my husband a quick call to tell him where I am and that I'll be taking the Maple Ridge road at the top of the fields home!

We canter along once we hit the nice good road! We gallop quite a bit of it even! I'm so nervous about being in the woods in the dark that I'm not nervous to gallop even though its been probably 15 years!!

one benefit to it being so dark ?? theres nothing for kizz to spook at!! Lol we slow down and canter slowly and trot some up the rockier road through the fields by the Blaneys. He whinnies loudly ! He's happy to be out of the woods I think! I am too! Riding in the dark is no fun!

When we get to the pave we trot on home! When we get home Coby whinnies when he sees us and Kizz whinnies back, he knows he's home and he's happy to see his buddy!!

yes,. we've got this!!

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

another bump in the trail , Aug 13/13

Last night my trail didn't go so good. First, I should have known things weren't going to go well.. My cell phone died and would not take a charge.. I feel very uncomfortable going out on trails without it.. But I decided I'd still go, didn't want to miss a chance at riding it's been a while!

Got outside and it started raining, still figured I'd go..a little rain wouldn't hurt us.. Should have listened to my gut and not went!

We got going up the access road and Kizz started to whinny at Coby ( of course Coby was whinnying again!)

At the first field Kizz wasn't too bad until Coby whinnied once and he replied, then he started his jig.. we kept going on ahead straight.. I started to sing, hoping to drown out any further calling.

Kizz stopped and when I gave him some pressure asking him to move forward he skid sideways then crow hopped a bit.. I yelled and he stopped, I pushed him forward and onward we went.. He bucked a few more times . My yelling usually ended it, it was pretty half hearted but he was NOT happy with going on, he wanted to turn around and be with Coby. The second field was much of the same, less bucking though, just jiggy trotting..

when we got to the trail we take he refused, but a few circles and kicking and he went on.. he refused again at the muddy spot, but we got through it. He refused again when we got to the trail to the right that takes us to the 'Ant hill road'... he would NOT go on, after much prodding! At this point it was starting to rain pretty heavy.  I just asked him to continue on , on the trail we were on.. the footing was good and figured we could trot a ways. At this point I'm figuring as soon as he's good and goes where I want, I'm going to turn him around and go home. It's raining fairly steady now. I'm soaked.

We ride out that trail a ways and then turn, then we take the trail he initially refused that goes up to the ant hill road, so we went along that to the top. Then we turned and came back down it and along home. The ride home was nerve wracking as he kept trying to run along home. He listened and didn't take off on me, he was just rushing. So not too bad.  As we are coming up the driveway it begins to pour. Chris comes out and tells me Kaaren called looking for me on the trail, so she knows I'm not going to make it.  I ride around a bit doing some circles and lateral work .. figure we are saddled up and soaking wet already so might as well!

He's really good so we work at it a bit, then I untack and take off his boots and head in..

I'm very down and upset over our ride.. I know it's just another hump to get over but it's depressing when we have done so good and now I'm nervous again about taking him out alone. I NEED to be able to ride out alone if I'm going to be exercising him to try and get to 50 milers!! Coby can't come on them all.. he's going to have to learn to ride out alone!

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Kizz testing my braveness! Aug 7th 2013

Wed.  Aug 7th  we head out to meet Kaaren down on the rail way.. this is our 3rd ride out alone. I have boots on Kizz for the first time (other than him wearing them in the pasture) to see how he does. They are about a half a size too big as they are Cobys, but we'll see if they stay on! Doing these long rides he will need some sort of protection !

Coby whinnies as we leave and Kizz starts to whinny as we walk up the access road by our house. He seems ok until we take the field where he starts Whinnying more excitedly and dancing around a bit on me. I push him forward (all the while wishing I'd had my confidence shots before coming lol)

he dances around and does his "jig" that he's doing lately , we basically do the entire field sideways trotting in place.. we get to the treeline where we have to go through the skinny trail over the rock wall. I 'm fairly certain I'm going to have to get off and walk him over it. But we get to it and he walks right through! very happy! He jigs his way cross the 2nd field with not any troubles (waiting for bucking or turning around to happen) I'm singing loudly off key trying to drown out my geldings whinnying -- which btw, he NEVER EVER cared when we left before, only the rides I've been going alone where I REALLY need him to not agitate Kizz!!

we get into our wooded trail and Kizz is still excited and high stepping but moves along better, he goes through the muddy spots well. Now that I can ungrip the reins from my death grip - I grab my cell from my pouch on the saddle and slip it into my bra, where it will be when I fall lol even though we made it through the fields , at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make it to Kaaren on my horse! We pick up a trot and he even goes over the tree that he's nervous of stepping over with not a flinch! very good boy. We trot fast down the wide road (the one I call the ant hill road- it's where Kizz spooked at the ant hills before ) and we do fine! we make it to the main road fairly quick. We cross the road and head down it to the road that leads us down through the corn fields. We do a Jig with some yelling down through the fields as soon as he sees the cattle in the field next to it.. We stick to the side of the field along a trail and even trot some more. He seems less concerned about everything when we trot. It's a fast all over the place trot but at least we're moving along good and less whinnying.


We get to the bottom of the fields alive with no misshaps! and onto the nice wide dirt road where the camping lots are. We trot all down through there, but he does keep turning towards any side trails like he wants to take one of them!, but we go along straight.

We get to the end of that road and into a little path that takes us to the rail way....it's a wee bit wet! but he seems like mud is nothing now after our JP through a ton of mud lol he trudges right through.  We easily cross the ditch that he refused a few times a couple weeks ago, and head up the trail . Kaaren should be along soon! We trot most of it and soon enough we hear Kaaren and Magic coming and stop.  So nice to see them! :)  I now put my cell back in the pouch on my saddle ;)


Kaaren thinks he is less settled on this trip as it's the first time we have went this way (to the right of my house) to meet her! Good! Hope that's right! (the other two times we went left down towards her house and met her)

we Do a loop down the rail way and across the road and up into Millville and across back into behind my place. Some is very muddy but we keep our boots! yay!!

it's a great ride, we even gallop up a few knolls and go by some horses that whinny at us. :)



 


our 3rd ride heading out alone! We ride a 13 mile loop !

 Another accomplishment , even though I'm nervous now as to how he's going to be next solo ride! :P

our first "competitive ride" a JP!!! Aug 3 & 4

I'm so nervous the day we leave for Wickham that I can't eat breakfast or dinner..

Kaaren brings the horse trailer and drops it off so I can pack my gear in while she's at work. We plan to load Kizz up and head to her place to finish packing and then leave as soon as she's off at dinner time.

Dinner comes and we load up in the rain. I really hope it doesn't rain all weekend! We get to her house and finish loading everything up and load up Odin. It's a lot of stuff to take for 2 people and 2 horses for a whole weekend!  We arrive after a 2 hour drive, to a beautiful spot! it's a huge field that has a lake at he bottom, there are already probably 15 horse trailers with little pens around them filled with horses..

We unload the fencing and set us up! Kizz and Odin go in their pens and we set up the rest of the gear. We head up to the main house for a bit of supper, but alas we were too late and it's all gone! boy will I eat next time no matter how nervous I am!! hungry later is much worse :S

Kizz looks around and checks everything out, but doesn't seem to nervous. We take them for a little walk to eat some grass and check everything out . He's pretty excited but behaves. We put them back in the pen later and go meet some of the ACTRA members. I meet a few really nice people who make me feel very welcome! I miss my kiddos and hubby already though! :P

It's raining and supposed to continue for the night, so we sheet the horses, and we go to bed and I try and get some sleep!









Saturday comes and Kaaren gets ready to go on her 30 mile CTR. It's all very exciting but I really can't just sit and take it all in, as Kizz is yelling and making a huge commotion over Odin leaving him. He runs around and acts crazy in his pen. I tie him to Kaaren's trailer to give him a chance to calm down while they all ride out. Kizz being the brat he is, scratches Kaaren's trailer with his teeth!! Luckily the ride manager Jennifer told me I could fence Kizz in her fenced in pasture while the other horses are gone. I keep an eye on him all day while they're gone, while he runs and screams most of it... (about 1 hour of running and screaming and 1 hour of trotting and occasional yelling)
 I put on a brave face and have a drink!!



When Kaaren & Odin get back we bareback down to the lake for a swim.. I get dunked as Kizz gets in too deep for his liking and bucks 5-6 bucks on his way towards the shore.. I of course stay on until he gets to sandy area and lets out a really good buck.. But I grab him and take him back in the water , a lady grabs a pic of us in the lake after words :)









Sunday - our ride day!!-


Pre vetting he is whinnying and won't stand good for the vet to check him. He does fine at the trot out though.


We go down and I tack up and immediately he is so much calmer than he's been. He immediatly settles once he knows we are going out riding! Easy to tell he LOVES this! 




We walk up to the judges to be checked and mount. He stands quietly.  He even lets me lift and pull his legs forward (something he dislikes)

A nice lady Carrilee takes some great shots of Kizz and I for me and shares them with me! :) I LOVE having pics to look back and remember ! (I also love seeing how happy Kizz looks in the pics!)


We mount up with the mounting block. He is perfect.  We walk off down the road with Odin & Kaaren. He is acting just like at home! Most of the trail he is just like normal. Only times he acts differently is when a horse comes up behind us. He keeps swinging his head around looking both sides. He never really settles with a horse behind us (other than Odin) we trot on ahead on some of the trail! At almost halfway (7ish miles ) he trots up a big hill happily.

We get to halfway and he's calm and happy. I loosen his saddle, We drink and have electrolytes  and give him a break. The bet checks his HR and its good. 45. We mount back up. He isn't as inclined to stand for me to mount but it only takes 2 tries. Not bad :

Kizz & I behind Kaaren & Odin, leaving half way 




The way back it's the same as the way in. He's very good! He goes right through the muddy spots even first !  I notice on a few rocky spots he is feeling sore when we step on rocks. So we slow down. As soon as we get to good footing he trots on ahead. He is great! We catch up to some other horses and he's a bit dancy but ok.

Vet check after goes well! He trots out nicely.

We get 4th place for trail horse and 5th for novice rider.( I believe!) it all went so fast! I had a blast!! Can't wait to do some 50's!!! CTRs are next on my plate. The JPs are a bit slow for us I think!
















Kaaren giving Kizz some electrolytes Saturday evening after his 30 miles of running in the fence while the CTR went out! 
Was pretty exciting doing the JP , my very first EVER! but now I know 14 mile JPs are not our cup of tea.. way too slow for Kizz and not enough of a challenge for us!  hoping we can get out to a CTR before the year is over! and also hope we are ready for one!! I'm feeling so good and confident about mine and Kizz's riding relationship!! this is CRazy exciting!!


here's a link to a video a lady did up of the JP, the last two pictures show Kizz and his Barn Braids tack well too!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZP3bX0p07Y&feature=c4-overview&list=UUM5x8kDWOXVuzWF4g4qpjeA




have an awful look on my face, but Kizz looks pretty happy! :)
we are #12 :)



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

first trip out alone!! July 25th 2013

Needed some liquid braveness but we did it!!!   We did our first trip out alone!




Kaaren is riding up to meet me in a field at the end of the trails from my house (to the road )

I get kizz out and groom him , saddle him up and hop on. (in between  4 B52 shots haha)

I start down the driveway and he's totally calm and fine. We get to the end and he stops. I ask him to walk out onto the side of the Road and He stops! I can tell he's wondering why we are going further alone. We never have! I ask him again and off we go! We get next door to the access road with no fuss and start up it.

My paint gelding who NEVER cares when we leave starts whinnying! Kizz whinnies back and starts taking small quick steps looking back. He never refuses to go ahead or spins around to go home so i figure we will be ok. We just take it one step at a time. 

Once we get quite a ways out and can still hear Coby yelling - I start to sing. I have a song stuck in my head that I don't know the words too. But that's what I start to belt out and hum haha. "Moter'in " suits my mood .. Keep going ahead. 

So I sing loudly and keeping pushing forward. Once we get through the fields and to the trails he picks up speed and I can tell he isn't as focused on going back home as he is doing some trails! So we trot off! He goes along great! I feel so much more confident!

We do fine all along the trails until we get to the ditch. The one he on kaarens very first ride refused and was led over a few times. We walk to it then he stops. We try and try everything to get over it! I even at one point have him backed into it. His back feet are IN the ditch. He won't back any further so I try to spin him around and through it. But as he turns he steps back and out of it!

I get frustrated. Do I dismount and walk him over. I'm a little nervous I could either get jumped on (he normally jumps ditches and wants to be where YOU are standing where he assumes its safe!)

Also will I be able to re-mount?!  I have the endurance saddle that doesn't stay in put well and it's not easy to get kizz in a ditch or next to a stump for me to mount.

Not only am I worried about things Kizz might do, I also am nervous of the deep dark woods - coyotes , bear, moose ... Not what I want to catch me standing around lol

I call Kaaren. (As kizz is standing here at the ditch with one leg cocked relaxed) she isn't far away ,which makes me much more comfortable.

She tells me to dismount and quietly walk kizz around and try to cross. I get off and as soon as I step down I can feel kizz has given up and will cross it. I step over and he hops over (and not on me)  I tighten my saddle and somehow manage to hop back on with no help (sheer frustration gives me the ooomph to get up)

We trot off and at the next Y in the trail we meet up with Kaaren and Magic her older endurance horse. She has her dog along , off we go.

We follow her and Riley- her dog stays close by where she's supposed to close to the last horses hip. Kizz keeps watching her and wondering why a dog is following us. Haha he keeps looking at her for about the next half an hour. We travel along some new trails and find a new spot with a beautiful view! We stop for some pictures and head on our way

We arrive back to the back fields behind my place and Kaaren & magic head home. Kizz and I head back to my house. I'm not sure if he thinks magic is behind us coming or if he doesn't care that magic went another way. (Hopefully the latter)

We get close enough for coby to see us and resume his whinnying and I know we're fine! We continue home with him walking nicely!!

I'm completely amazed at how we we did!!! I can't wait to try again. Although I'll be nervous at least I have an idea kizz and I can handle it!!



What a big accomplishment for us!

Next up is a ride around the "loop" Kaaren wants to have an endurance ride on. Can't wait!




Sunday July 28 we do our second trip out alone!

We head out...  He refuses to enter trail from field. I turn him few times then he goes. He goes along nicely along the trail we come to a big wet spot and he refuses no matter what he will not go. I finally grab a branch and use it as a crop. He goes through eventually. We get lost and take a few new wet trails where he needs a few encouraging taps but gets better. We bounce over the ditch he hates when I tap him again. We canter along a lot of spots where it's dry. We come to the field where we are supposed to meet. I call, she says to come down the road to meet.

about 3/4 of our ride on Map My Ride





I go down the road. I see them! Our friend Robyn on Magic and Kaaren on Odin. We ride and meet on the road then enter the logging road. We do a 20 mile loop!! It's a great ride!!!  We trot lots, canter and even gallop a bit on the railway. We get in the stream a bit but its running fast. So not long.

We head up the hill towards home and at the hydro station they wait behind while I trot on home. It's a great ride! (I'm so sore though!)

next Sunday is our Judged Pleasure ride away.. I'm soo nervous!! 



and just because she's so cute.. here's my daughter Ava lee riding our Paint gelding Coby on Aug 1/13 , she's 4.5 and he's 14