How cute is she?? I took this picture last night before riding..I can't stop looking at it & smiling!! What a perfect withdrawl from a stressful week.

ETA: I chopped off her mane (again), thoughts please??

Warning: Pity Party

Today is pity party day, friends! Do not continue reading if you do not wish to hear extensive whining, poor me attitude, and general complaning.

#1 - In two days, the horse of a lifetime will have been dead for two years...I miss him, I love him, I think of him everyday.

#2 - I leave for vacation on Sunday morning, so I have to get all my homework done for two weeks before then. I also have to get all barn work possible done before that time.

#3 - I have to pack and clean the house prior to vacation.

#4 - Car needs cleaned inside & out and oil must be changed. Must make time with my dad to go over my car to be sure it's ready for the journey.

That's all I can think of right now...but I'm sure there will be a part 2 prior to leaving for vacation! Thanks for listening.

They don't have those here...

Do any of you read a Horse Crazy American In Germany?

http://horsecrazyamerican.blogspot.com/2011/07/not-science-fiction.html

Robo-Park...weird. It's like little building blocks of cars. I'm completely amazed by this so I had to share!!!


ON another note, it's supposed to get up to 100 degrees today with a 60% humidity...Sugar is parked in front of her fan and pretty much refuses to move elsewhere, come he!! or high water. I certainly am not going to force her out. Tomorrow is supposed to be slightly hotter...HEAT WAVE!!!

What a boring weekend Sugar-wise. My sister came to town and I literally stopped in, put on/took off fly masks, dumped feed, and sprayed fly spray. Away I went!
Sugar's pretty stand-offish, I think she's mad, or bored...we'll see!

She's looking long in her front feet toes, I e-mailed Patty about it and asked her to take a look when she comes out a week from now...but that's a whole WEEK!!

CRUNCH

Sugar: "Mommm, get over here, I'm bored!"
Me: Sugar, I'm coming, just a little busy at the moment.
Sugar: "Hello, NOW! Bored smart mare here!!!"
Me: I just have to tie my other boot!
SUgar: MOMMM! Hmm, I'll just chew on this weird spray bottle a while...
Me: Sugar, put that down, you are four years old, almost a grown up!
Sugar: CRUNCH!! So...I don't think the fly spray's going to work anymore Mom."
Me: Really, What gave you that idea? The 5,000 plastic pieces that are all over the floor now? Open your mouth, you probably have some in there.
Sugar: Finally, you're here! Get this nasty stuff out of my mouth...on the double, woman!

Oh, Sugar. :)

The other day, the subject came up of subtlety (sp?). I have taken two lessons on a wonderful school horse recently, and the instructor tells me I am a good enough rider that I should work on subtlety now. I wonder if riding Sugar has made me unsubtle. Hmm.

Sugar did not want to stand while tied last night. She's been getting so much better at it that I was very bothered by the way she acted. I only tie her now by looping the lead over a board in the barn. She decided to simply, walk away. I put her back and said stand. She fidgeted and then walked away again. I backed her booty up and asked her to stand again. Turn around to pick up my brush and off she goes...oh the pleasures of a four year old :) Well, I can't have that!! I only wanted to brush her last night as it's SO hot (95 degrees and incredible humidity). But this called for some groundwork. So off we go, walking at the pace I chose. Now stopping where I choose. Sugar decides to not stop and keep walking in a circle around me. I asked her to instead move laterally because I asked for a STOP. She nipped at me, but not seriously, so I went boss mare on her and asked a little harsher. She moved until I asked for a whoa. We repeated this process until she stood still for the first request of "whoa". I like to call her an opportunist.

So being the overdramatic person that I am, yesterday was perceived stressful by yours truly, so I texted my boyfriend...in caps, for drama's sake, I MUST RIDE AFTER WORK. Being the routinely calm and laid back person that he is, he answered "alright babe haha".
I get off work, get out of this bankrupt city I have been forced (not really forced) to work in, thankfully free of any annoying/rude/road rage type drivers today, onto the interstate, through all the construction, off onto the busy highway for several miles, a left turn through a yellow light (out of the way folks, STRESSED woman coming through), and onto Main St. of the little town the barn is outside of.
Meet the boyfriend at the barn, Get changed, feed boarded horses, and stomp up to the house barn, where Sugar and Rally live. Turn the corner, and Sugar sees me, her head comes up, ears forward. I can practically hear her say "You're here, FINALLY! Where have you been?? It's dinner time! Rally, RALLY, they're here!!!" Oh mare, you're a lifesaver!!
We saddle up, sans issues :) She gets a little testy with bridling every so often, but not today. She stands now without being tied, after a few sessions of "no, Sugar don't eat that" "NO Sugar, stop that" "SUGAR, KNOCK IT OFF!!!!" We mount up outside of the barn...no mounting block :) and ride up and around the farm to the arena. The arena is freshly dragged (by the boyfriend) and I kind of "dare" him to make a perfect circle. Of course he and SuperGelding complete the picture perfect circle. What's next? He asks, and Sugar and I complete a circle-oval, which is much preferred than it's cousin, the circle-square. I dismount after, because Sugar needs standing still practice/balance. I'll put the jump poles down and we can get them to walk over those! Of course, these two are old hands at that, but we each do that twice. I get down again, and put two barrels on their sides about eight feet apart, so they can practice walking in between stuff. Sugar realized what I was doing, and helped(hindered) me roll the barrels across the arena.
Then, I put two jump poles down, about four feet apart, so we can practice walking through, and starting to back up through them. Boyfriend got a phone call and answered it, so Sugar and I worked on trotting, all over and around, and through. stuff. She only tried to go up the bank once, which is amazing for us. I'm catching her earlier and working on bending her body into the circle, which she understands now.
What a day of riding. We are riding tonight as well :) and will do more obstacles. Any ideas?

I'm ready...

to pack my bag, saddle my horse, and ride across the country. Anyone with me?


The good news, we're already packed and ready :)

What a long week. Really looking forward to the weekend!