SUMMARIES & SOMMERSAULTS
WOW!! I haven't shared with you guys in SSSSOOOO long! Blame Mommy, she has been "too busy" to proof read my posts, sure Momma whatever...
ANYWAY...since I last updated you guys on what was going on in my life, there have been some more big moments!
First things first I'M GROWING AGAIN!
Whisper is back in the house with Granny (Mystery), Nanny (Lola) and me (Baby) and a new mare Stella arrived yesterday.
Mommy took Lola to a barrel race last month and is going to one next month.
I am getting ridden (By Mommy DUH) every other day or so and I get out and go for walks or turn outs on the days she doesn't get on me. Under saddle I have been doing AH-MAZING as you may have expected!
It's been about two months since my first ride so I'm like a total professional now. I can walk, trot and am learning how to canter, Mommy keeps trying to teach me about these thingies she calls "leads" but I haven't quite grasped that concept yet.
I can come to a dead stop with just the word "whoa" or Mommy taking her pinkies of the reins, I can also open and close gates flawlessly...well...OK ALMOST flawlessly.
I've been for rides in the roping arena both while they are and are not roping the steers, I've helped corral a bull, I can walk and trot the pole bending pattern (both 1 and 2), i can tolerate both the sitting and posting trots, walk and trot over cavalettis, have started learning how to do a sliding stop from the canter, I have been ridden up and down the hills around the ranch and in the small arena by the barn etc.
I am now responsive enough to wear my big girl bridle, with a bit and EVERYTHING! Mommy likes to use three piece snaffles of some type on all us horses whenever possible.
They are designed to be gentler then the average two piece snaffle which tends to stab us in the roof of the mouth when you pull on the reins. She prefers to only have us in mouth pieces made out of sweet iron or Copper, we just seem to enjoy the taste better and it promotes us to salivate which she says keeps our mouths from drying out and getting scratched up.
I can also be dismounted or mounted anywhere on the property with very little fuss...I'm getting better about squirming.
As you can see, I'm like a total riding expert now...oh and I ground tie LIKE A BAWSE!
SO now that you know how incredibly awesome all that is going its time to get to some news that's not so awesome.
There have been really bad winds here in southern CA, they come every year around this time. I remember them from last year, They don't bother me too much, but all the other ponies at the ranch are like zombies...I don't know what that means but I over heard Mommy say it, so it must be a big deal.
But on the bright side, the winds have kept away the smoke from the big fires that have been burning up all around us. We are safe thank goodness, but I feel bad about all the horses that lost their homes, Mommy was telling me about that stuff.
On a personal note, In the last few weeks I have managed the give myself a puncture wound on my left shoulder and scrape up my right, lower eye lid...so that's sucked.
Yesterday Momma and I had a tumble while we were riding in the upper arena.
It was busy in there! There were two lessons going on and two other horses just out for exercise. Mommy asked me to canter, so I did and as we were rounding the corner by the gate, I felt Momma try to steer me away from a deep patch of sand, but I think my little legs got confused because instead of turning I just crossed my front legs, obviously that threw me off balance and I started to roll forward, Mommy dropped my reins immediately, to give me my head so i could steady myself, at this point she sort of knew we were going to do a somersault...and that's what we did.
I tried SO HARD not to let Mom hit the sand, she felt me try to maneuver my body away from her. She didn't "hit" the ground but she did sort of get laid on it. Somehow I ended up going all the way over, so when I stood up I was facing the opposite direction, Momma had her left foot stuck in the stirrup and was trying to gently pull it free so I didn't spook. But I felt her movement and leaned towards her so she could pull it loose.
She later told our friends it was as if I understood what was happening and was trying to keep her safe. Um...Of course I did! But Mommy's still not sure if I knew what was going on or not.
It is all still a bit of a blur for Mom, she doesn't know how I was able to do a full somersault without landing on her, she doesn't know how I knew to push all my weight to the left (away from her), she doesn't know how I was able to slow my body down long enough to place her gently on the sand and she doesn't know she got a big bruise on her thigh (probably got stabbed by saddle horn).
But what Momma does know is that the first thing we both seemed to do was check to see if the other was ok. She checked my legs and face and I placed my head on her shoulder and sniffed her back.
After making sure I was ok, and hand walking me for a few minutes, she got back on me. She didn't want the fall to be the last ride I remembered.
Surprisingly, neither of us were mentally shaken up at all. I'm a baby, baby's trip sometimes while they are figuring out how to use their feet while carrying someone on their back. No one was hurt so why make a big deal about it?
Obviously we will try not to make a habit of this face plant thing, THANK GOD we have so much trust in each other!
I will be trying to post at least one a week in the future.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Lots Of Kisses
ANYWAY...since I last updated you guys on what was going on in my life, there have been some more big moments!
First things first I'M GROWING AGAIN!
 |
| LOOK HOW GROWN UP I LOOK! |
Whisper is back in the house with Granny (Mystery), Nanny (Lola) and me (Baby) and a new mare Stella arrived yesterday.
 |
| My Soon-to-be new roommate Stella the TB |
 |
| Granny M sharing some worldly wisdom with Me and Whisper over breakfast |
Mommy took Lola to a barrel race last month and is going to one next month.
I am getting ridden (By Mommy DUH) every other day or so and I get out and go for walks or turn outs on the days she doesn't get on me. Under saddle I have been doing AH-MAZING as you may have expected!
 |
| SUNSET TURNOUT |
I can come to a dead stop with just the word "whoa" or Mommy taking her pinkies of the reins, I can also open and close gates flawlessly...well...OK ALMOST flawlessly.
I've been for rides in the roping arena both while they are and are not roping the steers, I've helped corral a bull, I can walk and trot the pole bending pattern (both 1 and 2), i can tolerate both the sitting and posting trots, walk and trot over cavalettis, have started learning how to do a sliding stop from the canter, I have been ridden up and down the hills around the ranch and in the small arena by the barn etc.
 |
| First time experiencing Mommy posting at the trot (in 30 mph winds) |
I am now responsive enough to wear my big girl bridle, with a bit and EVERYTHING! Mommy likes to use three piece snaffles of some type on all us horses whenever possible.
They are designed to be gentler then the average two piece snaffle which tends to stab us in the roof of the mouth when you pull on the reins. She prefers to only have us in mouth pieces made out of sweet iron or Copper, we just seem to enjoy the taste better and it promotes us to salivate which she says keeps our mouths from drying out and getting scratched up.
I can also be dismounted or mounted anywhere on the property with very little fuss...I'm getting better about squirming.
As you can see, I'm like a total riding expert now...oh and I ground tie LIKE A BAWSE!
SO now that you know how incredibly awesome all that is going its time to get to some news that's not so awesome.
There have been really bad winds here in southern CA, they come every year around this time. I remember them from last year, They don't bother me too much, but all the other ponies at the ranch are like zombies...I don't know what that means but I over heard Mommy say it, so it must be a big deal.
But on the bright side, the winds have kept away the smoke from the big fires that have been burning up all around us. We are safe thank goodness, but I feel bad about all the horses that lost their homes, Mommy was telling me about that stuff.
On a personal note, In the last few weeks I have managed the give myself a puncture wound on my left shoulder and scrape up my right, lower eye lid...so that's sucked.
Yesterday Momma and I had a tumble while we were riding in the upper arena.
It was busy in there! There were two lessons going on and two other horses just out for exercise. Mommy asked me to canter, so I did and as we were rounding the corner by the gate, I felt Momma try to steer me away from a deep patch of sand, but I think my little legs got confused because instead of turning I just crossed my front legs, obviously that threw me off balance and I started to roll forward, Mommy dropped my reins immediately, to give me my head so i could steady myself, at this point she sort of knew we were going to do a somersault...and that's what we did.
I tried SO HARD not to let Mom hit the sand, she felt me try to maneuver my body away from her. She didn't "hit" the ground but she did sort of get laid on it. Somehow I ended up going all the way over, so when I stood up I was facing the opposite direction, Momma had her left foot stuck in the stirrup and was trying to gently pull it free so I didn't spook. But I felt her movement and leaned towards her so she could pull it loose.
She later told our friends it was as if I understood what was happening and was trying to keep her safe. Um...Of course I did! But Mommy's still not sure if I knew what was going on or not.
 |
| Me after our fall yesterday, obviously I'm not very phased by it |
But what Momma does know is that the first thing we both seemed to do was check to see if the other was ok. She checked my legs and face and I placed my head on her shoulder and sniffed her back.
After making sure I was ok, and hand walking me for a few minutes, she got back on me. She didn't want the fall to be the last ride I remembered.
Surprisingly, neither of us were mentally shaken up at all. I'm a baby, baby's trip sometimes while they are figuring out how to use their feet while carrying someone on their back. No one was hurt so why make a big deal about it?
Obviously we will try not to make a habit of this face plant thing, THANK GOD we have so much trust in each other!
I will be trying to post at least one a week in the future.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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