Back in the Saddle!

Yes, I have been gone for a long time. Where have I been, you might ask? Middle school! My twin boys have been in middle school and the school day is bizarre (9:15am - 4:15pm) and the homework load ridiculous. So with work, the kids, the pets and Skye, something had to give. Unfortunately what gave was writing this blog, which I enjoyed so much.

But they only have 6 more weeks of the horror that has been this school, and I have decided to get back to blogging, and in a bigger way. I am going to move the blog from Blogger, where this is appearing, over to a self-hosted Wordpress Site called RidingSkye.com. Blogger is really easy but with so many people with a Google account and me with several Google accounts myself, I am sick of logging in and out all the time. I have actually sat down to blog a couple of times, but couldn't remember which account went with which thing, and then it was too late to blog.

In any case, it has been about a year and a half since I wrote on here, but a lot has happened.

First, and most importantly, Skye is still the most beautiful horse there is.

Still makes you feel bad for other horses,
doesn't it?

Second, I have moved Skye twice in the past year. Although I loved my time at Blue Wave, I opened my own practice which required some money conservation on my part. I tried a place that was deliciously close to my house and where I could work off part of my board, but it was more work than I could realistically handle and even then a little too expensive with my uneven income stream. I was lucky enough to find a perfect place that makes Skye happy, where she gets great care that fits in my budget. And a couple of my Blue Wave buddies are out there too.

Third, I fell off that mare. I knew it was going to happen and it did. I will devote an embarrassing post to that.

Fourth, and very best of all, I got to see a foal born at Blue Wave. It was wholly unexpected but all went beautifully and the baby was so precious.






There are a lot of things I missed blogging about, so as I get back into I will go back in time and write about the stuff I didn't put down. So it will be just like traveling in time.

Yes, you will also get to hear about this guy!

Catching Up!

Okay, so it has been so long since I've written that it is almost like I am starting over. But not really, as I do have over a year's worth of posts on here. So to catch up, I'm going to recap my Fall then do another post on my wonderful trip to Corolla, North Carolina where I saw the wild horses there due to the trip I won in a raffle by the wonderful Corolla Wild Horse Fund.

I actually got to ride Skye a bit in the Fall, getting a  couple of good lessons in and a trail ride or two around the barn. The longest trail I got though was in October, when the Greenway (Anne Springs Close Greenway) had a fund-raising trail ride for past and current Adopt-A-Horse riders to raise some money for some new tack for the program horses. I can't seem to keep away from my horse friends out there, both equine and human, so I was so glad I could go.

It was mid-October and it was a picture perfect autumn afternoon, with that bright golden sun and changing leaves making every slightly orange. And best of all, I got to ride my buddy Whiskey. I had requested him early on, but there was some uncertainty about who I was riding (word was, John the equestrian services manager wanted to ride him, and he certainly trumps me) up until I got there. I actually can't think of any horse out there I wouldn't want to ride as I've never had trouble with any of them, but I really wanted Whiskey since I haven't taken him on a trail before even if in my heart I always pine a little for Goliath. (I love my Billy Bob as well, but he's such a bumpy son of a gun that my old bones want a smoother gait.)  Anyway, when I got there I was told I could ride Whiskey. Happiness.

Whiskey. Please hold your applause.
We need to keep him humble.

Except he wasn't so happy. He seriously balked coming out of the pasture, and if I hadn't known better, it would have hurt my feelings. Horses (and other animals as well) generally like me so much that I have to shoo them away from me, so it is always such a shock to me when a horse is less than delighted to come with me. And I have a problem with not being able to be mean enough to scare them into moving. I know it is mostly a respect thing, but horses have my number - they know damn well I will not hurt them. I will get very stern and will even whack 'em on the rump, but they look at me like I'm a toddler swearing: it's just not real. Finally, I really got stern with him and moved him around and he came with me.

I was a little worried that it was not a great start, but that turned out to be borrowing trouble, as he was fantastic on the trail. The shocking news is that I fell in love with him all over again. I had heard that he can be spooky, but he didn't give me a bit of trouble. The ride was really fun, because we were all advanced riders so we could pick up a little speed in appropriate places, and speed is fun. I confess to wishing for a smooth gaited horse in several places though as I was posting a quick trot while a friend beside me was barely moving. But in several of my alternate dream lives I have not one but several gaited horses, so I didn't even have to add it to my wish list. Of course, owning Goliath has been at the top of my wish list since I first met him anyway. I love that horse.

Goliath. Feel the love. I know I do. 

Here she is objecting to stall rest.

Skye was lame for a while in November due to an abscess that took forever to heal, mainly because it was deep in her hoof and couldn't really be reached by the farrier's knife. I soaked her foot in epsom salts and learned how to make a duct tape and diaper booty, both of which were oddly satisfying. I know that I could easily ride as much or even more, and for less money, if I leased a horse or simply did Adopt A Horse for twice a week, but it is times  when she is lame or needs other care that I learn more. And that we bond more. When I would soak her foot, I'd bring in and tie her outside her stall with a hay bag to munch on while we stood for as long as I could get her to do it. At first she didn't want any part of it, but I trained her to put her foot in the tub for a treat pretty quickly. Then I would just stand there with her while she ate, allowing me some time from my busy life to just breathe and think (and smell her neck). Occasionally she would turn her head to me to say hello. So while it was boring, and a bit of a pain, we liked it.




Finally, she got sound again, and the boys' horrible homework load and schedule kept me from getting out to the barn. Then, just as I was planning to ride a lot over Christmas break, she was limping AGAIN! I was so discouraged. So I gave her a few days off and went back out and she was fine. The next day I went out to get her, and said hello to my farrier who was out there to trim a couple of the barn horses. No sooner had he left than I saw that Skye's left hind shoe was practically falling off. I called him, and God bless him, he turned around and came right back out for me and put that shoe back on.

Once he was gone, I took her to the round pen to see her move and damn if she didn't have an exaggerated limp, almost like an abscess. AAAGH! So the next day I called the vet, as it seemed like she had been on and off constantly and I figured she really needed an examination of some kind. As it happened, the farrier was doing her horses that day and they both agreed to come out and take a look. So late in the afternoon, both of them meet me out at the barn. Stephanie, the vet, who is wonderful, took Skye and her lunge line and got her moving, while Brian, the farrier, and I watched. Naturally Skye has never been more sound in her life. She trotted around like a yearling, and no sooner had I said, "she's been stiff . . ." than she bucked and twisted and cantered around, clearly with joy for making a liar of me.  Brian looked at me, deadpan serious, and said "Jayne, that ain't stiff." Then he told me that it was worth driving all the way out there since he got to see the prettiest horse in the world. Then Stephanie said the same thing. At least they got some pleasure in making fun of me. They were really nice about it, and the good news is that Skye is sound now.

Soundness in motion. Flying Skye.
Who's prettier than that? Nobody, that's who.

She has been a butt-head under saddle though. She has been resistant to the bit, then obstinate in general, but she gets better as I ride. Last Sunday she was a real mess, but they were feeding her pasture mates and she let me know she was rather unhappy about that. Still, I had fun on her and feel like we are making progress, albeit slowly.

Our relationship is great though. We're to the point where we really know each other. I don't take her moods personally, and she knows my boundaries.  Recently she even ran up to me in the pasture, and I even had a witness! We were out in the dark and called her, and she and the other mares came running up. I'd say they were just running up hoping to be fed again, but she came right up to me like it was all planned. So I'm calling it her plan.

Curled up like a kitty-horse. I sat down with her and loved on her,
and it was bliss. She was fine; she had just been napping.

Isn't it amazing how something so big can be so adorable?

Good Night, Sweet Prince

Monday was a very sad day for all of us out at Blue Wave Stable.We lost the wonderful Friesian named Black, who I just wrote about a couple of weeks ago, to colic. It happened so fast, it's hard to believe, and it's taken me a couple of days to be able to even think about for more than a few minutes without melting into an ugly cry.

I know I talk, on here and in real life, about how Skye is the prettiest horse there is, but even I recognize that there are some horses who stop everyone in their tracks. Black was one of those. He was the big black horse that people think of when they hear those words, large as most Friesians are, probably at least 17 hands, and so black he seemed more solidly in the world than other horses. He was so beautifully put together that a sculptor making the ideal horse couldn't have done it better. I see horses all the time, yet whenever I dealt with Black, I'd be amazed at him. He was that beautiful.

Here he is. He's the one getting the pets, as he was clearly the boss of
these two. I called them the Incredibles.

Erin rescued him from a life that had been spent for seven long years in a stall. I don't know the details, but I believe his owner had loved him and cared for him at one time, but had a back injury and let him languish while she keep thinking she would recover. She finally called Erin, who went and got him, and you could tell Black never forgot it. If you were standing with him and he heard her voice, he'd turn toward it, looking for her. In recent months, Erin had restricted who could ride him and started riding him more herself, for her own pleasure for a change. You could tell he loved getting more time with her, as he dropped some of his normally regal reserve even when she wasn't around.

He'd always been a little aloof with me, which is unusual since most animals, dogs and horses especially, have my number in a matter of seconds. But the evening he knocked down the rails in the round pen he showed me his mischievous side, and I was utterly charmed by him from then on, and he definitely knew it. I'm glad I have helped out feeding as much as I have lately, as I would go out of my way to try to get him or put him back just to be in his presence. Those few encounters are so precious to me now.

Up close and personal. You can see the mischief here.

He was a blast to ride as well, smart and well-trained, but you had to keep alert because if he sensed you would not control him, he would have his way with you. He was so naturally good natured this generally meant turning in to the middle of the ring instead of staying on the rail, but you knew you weren't on a pushover, so when he did what you asked, you knew you had accomplished something.

Apparently he was found rolling and obviously in pain on Friday and despite repeated visits to the vet, mineral oil treatments, fluids and the best care they could give him, he developed an impaction that would not budge. He was not a good candidate for surgery as he was 20 years old, and so when he was in pain, they put him down on Monday to spare him.

A horse would be hard-pressed to have had  a happier life than he has in the last few years, leading a laid back existence as the king of his own little herd, and respected and adored by a horde of people, but it still seems so unfair.

About a month ago, Erin led a trail ride on him, and as she was coming by, she rode by the barn on him. She was smiling, and he was stepping out beautifully. It was such a lovely picture of a woman and her horse enjoying each other. I am keeping that picture in my mind, even as I cry thinking about the loss.

It was privilege to know him, I just wish my acquaintance could have lasted so much longer.

A prince among horses.

Horse Heaven

Unlike me, who falls utterly in love with every horse I encounter, my trainer Sara is a tougher customer.  She prefers to think of herself as more of a connoisseur, but still, her standards are very high.  (She will even say, out loud, that Skye is not perfect. So you see, she is tough.) So I was interested to hear what she considered her favorite horses. I expected her to say a Warmblood of some kind, as we will often admire Nigel together as Carey goes cantering past on him. Instead she said she likes Spanish horses, such as PRE's, Andalusians and Lusitanos. As it happens, I have also been reading various books on balancing your horse and improving your relationship through liberty work and several of the authors mention how much they love the Spanish type horses.

This is Rayo. He has the
classic Lusitano head. He has
tipped me over into loving
grey horses. He's stunning.

So I did a little searching to see where I might get to see some, and lo and behold there is a renowned breeder of Lusitanos in Siler City, North  Carolina. Even better, Siler City is between Charlotte and Raleigh, so I could stop in on my way home from taking the dastardly test in Raleigh last week.  So I e-mailed Victoria Morris of Don E Mor Farms, and she  said she would be happy to let me visit. I got there a little late because of a traffic tie up in Raleigh, but it was totally worth the drive.


To learn more about Lusitanos and see Don E Mor's  jaw-droppingly gorgeous website, go to:

www.donemor.com

While the farm and the horses are so impressive, Victoria could not have been more down to earth and welcoming. My Quarter Horse Appendix-owning self felt perfectly at home.


The farm itself was so beautiful, with post and rail fencing, rolling hill pastures and tall trees everywhere, and that's before you even get to the horses. If I were to run away from home, this is probably where you could find me.

It was cloudy, so the color isn't as vibrant, but it's just lovely.

Lusitanos are famous not only for being beautiful, but for their docile and friendly personalities, and I have to say, that was definitely evident in these horses. Victoria mentioned that temperament was one of her most important, if not the most important, consideration in her breeding program, and you could really tell. We visited pasture after pasture and each small herd would meet us at the fence, ready for affection. Kind eyes and sweet expressions on every one.

Look at those sweet eyes.
Not that I can be won over by that kind of thing.

I got to see a couple of her stallions, and I fell hard for her buckskin stallion Lavrador. Absolutely gorgeous color, beautiful conformation, and the same kind eye and affectionate personality. Granted, I'm such a horse lover that I'm easy to impress, but even the toughest customer would see he is something special. And his offspring carry his qualities forward, as the babies at Don E Mor are just  beautiful and sweet.

The welcoming committee!
Every herd was this friendly. I just love their personalities.

 I don't often wish for things I don't have (other than more free time) but I was wishing I had a horse farm and plenty of money to spend when I was there, as there wasn't just one but several horses I would have loved to bring home with me.

I'd be happy to take these two off her hands.
Because I'm generous that way.

Of course, who won my heart the most? Shocking news: a bay mare! After perusing the website before I went there, I thought I would come away dying for a buckskin gelding, as I have such a weakness for buckskins and I have this image of a Lusitano buckskin gelding in my mind . . . . But instead, I met this girl . . . .

This is Isabel. She loved me too; I just
know it. Look at that face.

Which of course reminded me that I am so lucky to have the horse that still makes me feel like I am rich, as I still haven't seen the horse that I like the look of better than that red mare of mine. Not that my head can't be turned by a buckskin baby or two.

His color is like burnished gold.

So the good news is, I know exactly where to go when I come into money and it's burning holes in my pocket!  Whenever I have visited a breeding farm and seen the breed, I've been impressed and able to see why the people fell in love with the breed they raise (such as Icelandic horses or Rocky Mountain Horses) but with these, I definitely became a believer. I just loved them.

Not as much as this girl though. There's no point in being silly.

She had me at "let me eat this grass."

Go Go Girl

Ahhhh, now that I have my stupid specialty exam behind me (I took it Friday. All day Friday. Ugh), I can now get back to avoiding cleaning my house by writing my blog instead of worrying about my exam. Not that my minor worrying about the exam made me study for the exam, but it did distract me.

But I am back, and I am back in the saddle on my girl. Something Buck Brannaman said at his clinic struck a chord with me.  He said groundwork is important, and we should not neglect it, if we need it, but we shouldn't hide behind it either. We can only get so far on the ground before we have to get on. So I made a vow now that she is sound again that I need to ride her more and get back to the progress we had made before I went to camp.

So I have been riding her, and having a hell of a good time. I rode her on a Sunday afternoon, and though she was really ready to go, and wanted to trot and not walk, we reached an agreement early on in the ride that I was going to let her trot, but if she wanted to work, we would work. So we did figure eights, we did big circles, we did small circles, we did serpentines and went over ground poles. We did a clover leaf around barrels and we stopped and backed up and started trotting again. After all that, I asked for, and got a nice walk around the arena. And when I got off, she followed me just like a puppy out of the arena and into the barn.

The following Tuesday however, was a whole 'nother story. There was a nip in the air and a slight wind, and all the horses seemed riled up. I did a little lunging but not much because the arena had two lessons with beginners going on, and these two new sweeties were in the round pen:

Meet Copper and Winston, new additions to the
barn membership program. Yes, as a matter of fact they are
awesome.

Even though that girlfriend was a little touchy, I didn't want to hide behind my groundwork, and frankly it was just a beautiful night to ride, so I got on. Well, that red mare was READY TO GO. She wanted to trot almost immediately, but I kept her from trotting for at least a little while, then I just let her go. And she was going fast, and unlike recently, she hollowed her back again and had her head up and had none of the nice rhythm we'd had. Okay, though, I posted slower and put her in circles and figure eights, but finally went down the straightaway on the rail, and she just burst into a fast canter, and leaned in around the curve. She was on the correct lead and actually on her weak side, so I had to admire her spirit (and let's face it, fast is fun!), but I couldn't have her cantering around like a mad thing, thinking she could ignore me. So I brought her back down to a trot and worked in smaller and smaller circles moving her feet around, then finally getting a nice relaxed walk before calling it a night. I was a little discouraged, but all the horses were in a weird mood. I remembered the first days of fall at the barn where I grew up riding and how all the horses would run around in the pasture, so I decided not to let it bother me. And though she was feisty, then, as always, I never felt like she was trying to get rid of me. She just wanted her own way. Which is something I can understand even if I can't let her get away with it.

Here she is after being a wild thing.
Don't be fooled by that sweet expression.
She is not actually an angel in a horse suit.
Or so Sara tells me.

As it turns out, I was right not to overreact. (Sadly, overreacting is rarely the right thing to do, even though it is so nice and easy to do.) When I rode Skye again over that next weekend, she wanted to go, but not so badly that she didn't want to listen. Then on Tuesday I rode again, and I had one of the best rides I've ever had on her. She relaxed her head and neck much more, contained her trot to a nice easy rhythm and was very responsive to my leg and did not avoid nor lean into my light contact. Bravo, I thought, then quit while I was ahead.

Scarface. Who else could have scars front and center
like that and still be so beautiful?

And, as it happened that night, Craig was riding the beautiful Symphony that night. Symphony is a gorgeous and very well-trained American Warmblood who Erin bought to save for a girl to buy back one day. She is a great horse, and only advanced folks can ride her. I remarked that I'd like to ride her trot some time, since it is legendary for being so smooth. Craig said "do it now!"  So I said yes! And I hopped up on that pretty girl and walked a little and trotted a little. And her trot is amazingly smooth, and much easier to sit than to post to. This cannot be sad about my girl's trot. Yet, I did have to keep Symphony going. It didn't take much, but still, it made me miss the willingness to go forward that Skye has.  Symphony was great, but I still like my girl better. Shocking news.

Chow Time

The past couple of weeks have been a little crazy for me time-wise. The boys have had projects due and new extracurricular schedules to adjust to, so I have been needed at home and out to the barn a lot less.  I think the same thing has happened to other people, as when I did get out the barn, a couple of times all I had time to do was love on my girl a little then pitch in to help feed. It's always funny to me that feeding horses would technically classify as work, but that it never feels like that at all. I sure get a lot more gratitude from the horses than I ever get from Dave and the boys!

I helped to feed the mares first, and naturally my girl, as alpha, was the first to come in. Hmm. She was a little on the rude side, rushing me a little as I led to her to her bucket. I had to back her up a couple of times and then she waited for me. She did give me the stink eye the first time though. The feeders usually tell me she is a good girl, but I think she has been getting away with a little rushing, most likely because the feeders have a lot of horses to feed and can't be schooling all of them in manners. Still, it taught me that girl is getting sassy!

Sassiness refueling. What a nice
butt she has. Must be nice.

Then I got to help with one of the gelding herds, which included Bon Jovi and my dear friend Ike. Though he's the largest horse by far in that pasture (or any pasture for that matter), he is near the bottom of the herd, so he comes in second to last. As I was getting ready to get him, he was trotting around waiting and it was so good to see him strutting around. He is so huge and beautiful that it was just such a pleasure watching him. I had to wait for the only halter at the barn that fits him to be free, then I took him in to eat and he was very gentlemanly about being taken to his stall. Getting him out was something different, as that boy likes to hang in his stall. I tried to lead him out but he was having none of it. I tried moving his head side to side to make him take a step. Nothing. I flipped the lead line onto his butt, harder and harder. Nothing. When a mountain of a horse doesn't want to move, he doesn't want to move. Fine. I put the lead line over his shoulder, stepped to the side and tied my boot. Out he came, walking right toward his pasture, so I just followed him there, got the lead line then let him go. Then just for fun, I hung out in there with him. 'Cause he's awesome, that's why.

Ike. He's awesome. Face it.
Not everybody can pull off looking this intimidating with
their tongue out either.

Another night I went out and got my girl for some groomin' and grazin'. Black, the big Friesian (is that redundant? I guess all Friesians are big, but your sense of normal horse size gets warped after dealing with Ike) and Cowboy, a big Paint that looks like he has some Warmblood in him, were together in the round pen because Cowboy had an injury to a hoof.  Black is fantastically beautiful and a dream to ride, but I've never got the sense he likes me that much. He has an aloof personality anyway (he is a rescue who had been kept in a stall for 7 years, so he has his reasons), but most horses have my number and warm up to me pretty quickly. No so with Black. So though I like him, he and I have been somewhat strangers to each other.

Black admiring Skye from afar, and plotting his
big move to impress her.

So this night I brought Skye over to graze in that area where the grass and clover were nice. Of course, Black needed to get a good look at Skye, as all the boys like Skye. They touched noses, then Skye was done with him and went back to eating. I guess he got a little jealous of the grass, so he leaned over the rail of the round pen to reach some grass on the other side (where it truly was greener, as the round pen is pretty much of a dry lot). The top rail was no match for the weight of his neck, so POP went the side of the rail. He turned to look at me as I was heading over to it, like he was very pleased with himself. Then he leaned over the next one and did the same thing! Such a naughty boy. When I got there, he looked me right in the eye, then leaned over the now low barrier and started munching on the grass he could now reach, as if to show me things were a lot better now.

Then we had to move Black and Cowboy to another small paddock, and Black was just as sweet as he could be, standing there with me after I released him, giving me a good sniff all over, probably enjoying the scent of Skye on my clothes.

So now I'm in love with Black.  Shocking, I know.

Yes, this is the same pic from the other day.
10 points for Gryffindor if you noticed.

I'm starting fresh with Skye for the 100th time, as between her lameness and my schedule, she hasn't been ridden for weeks, and she has been resistant in the round pen both at liberty and on the line. She is still pretty good, but has not wanted to change directions or calm down and walk, so we'll go back there.

But she's still pretty.

Seriously. Who's prettier than that? Nobody, that's who.
I'm clearly completely objective.

Spectating at the Buck Brannaman Clinic

So yesterday I got up at 5:45am (a Hellish time for a night owl like me) to drive from my in-laws' house to the Clemson equestrian arena to watch a Buck Brannaman clinic. Don't worry; I had previously warned Skye that I would be coming back a new horsewoman, so her free ride on her good looks would be over!

Buck Brannaman is one of the best known natural horsemanship trainers in the US. He is well known not only because he is really good, but also because he was the subject of the award-winning documentary film Buck which tells the story of his upbringing and how he came to rise above it. He was taught by some famous horsemen out west, including Ray Hunt, considered one of the fathers of natural horsemanship, though I don't know if either Ray Hunt or Buck use that term in connection with their way of working with horses.

Pretty horses! Impressive arena as well. I would love
to ride my girl there. That's Buck in the middle.

When I use the term, I'm thinking of the horse training methodologies that attempt to work within the horse's mindset, by using observation of horse behavior to guide training and then manipulating the horse's behavior by putting pressure in some way to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. I know there is some backlash against the idea of  natural horsemanship in that it relies on negative reinforcement (removal of a bad thing as a reward) instead of the positive reinforcement (rewarding the good behavior with food or other desirable thing), which is used in clicker training and much wild animal training. However, no matter how you want to train your horse, the fact is that prior to the rise of natural horsemanship methods such as those of Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and now Buck Brannaman, Pat Parelli, Clinton Anderson and countless others, old school/traditional methods of "breaking" horse were the order of the day for thousands of horses. The new way of thinking has now saved thousands of horses from heart-breakingly cruel methods of literally breaking of the spirit of the horse.

Buck himself is also an extraordinary person, and I would urge anyone, interested in horses or not, to watch the film. My whole family watched it (even given their odd lack of interest in horses) and even considered coming with me yesterday because they admired him so much. You can watch the film and/or read his book The Faraway Horses to learn more, but in a nutshell in his young childhood he was raised by a loving mother but also by a violently abusive father. When his mother passed away at young age, he and his brother were left at the mercy of this man. When the abuse was discovered, they were moved to a wonderful loving foster family who raised them. He went on to become a world famous horse trainer, who is now known for his firm but kind and understanding treatment of horses, and inspires others to treat their horses with the same kind of respect. That's taking lemons and making champagne, if you ask me.

Needless to say, though, yesterday was all horses, no dramatic story, so Dave and the boys would have been bored out of their minds. However, the little crew of people from my barn and I were delighted! Watching Buck riding and handling the horses he was on made me want to be able to do it so badly I could just taste it. He and the horse were just perfectly in sync, and Buck could just move that horse around with almost undetectable movement, on the ground or on his back, wherever he wanted him, for one step or twenty. I also noted that while the horse was standing quietly, just being a good boy, Buck would rub his forehead or his neck. I've seen so many videos where no affection is shown to the horse, that it just made my day to see that. And the lesson for me was that it seemed to mean more to the horse coming from the person the horse respected so much. Of course I'm over-thinking it, but that's my specialty!

I learned a ton of things about horse thinking in general, and visualizations to keep in my head while working with Skye, and I ended up taking a ton of notes in my handy dandy notebook (which is also delightfully filled with drawings of bugs, eyeballs and Nintendo characters by the boys). But the best part was seeing the horses. We had front row seats and so seeing them come by was like a parade. Just eye candy for horse lovers. Both the morning class and the afternoon class (two separate classes, two groups of horses) had its own Friesian that looked like something out of a fairy tale. So gorgeous. My phone was just about out of power, so I could only take a few pictures, so here is picture of another Friesian who has won my heart for your viewing pleasure. More about him in my next post.

This is my Friesian friend Black. As impressive
as any I've seen.

There were several very cute Appaloosas, which I was formerly crazy enough to think I didn't like that much. Wrong again! These were so cute and seemed very willing. (And my sweet Reebok was an Appaloosa; I still miss him every day.) Also, I've never seen so many roans in my life. Even a couple of bay roans. So very cool. A big buckskin paint that I wanted to buy on the spot, a very cool leopard spotted Appaloosa (once again, a horse I thought I wouldn't care for. Why do I bother?), a deep golden stocky palomino Quarter Horse who looked like he trotted out of a little girl's dream. There also a number of various colors of gray, from charcoal to ones so light they looked like alabaster, including a couple that had to be Thoroughbreds, which was neat to see in among the Quarter Horses and Paints. The horse Buck rode in the first class was so adorable. I guess he was a bay roan, but in the light, he almost looked purple. Here he is, that cutey:

Yes, the photo is crappy (I was talking!) but you can
see his color and how cute he is anyway.

Buck referred to him as green, but I'm guessing I've never been on a horse as well trained as that one appeared to be.

Of course, I learned once again that I got the horse I needed.  I was just loving looking at the variety of horses, and imagining my future lottery winnings buying me one of each I saw, but the ones that drew my eye the most, the ones I thought looked best, were always beautiful bays with pretty heads and well-proportioned bodies. Even the flash of Friesians and palominos can't turn me away! Even better, the second class, Horsemanship II, was full of Quarter Horses of all different colors that looked like they were brothers and sisters of my girl! Pretty heads, kind, intelligent eyes, nice movement. These people knew what kind of horse is right.

When I took Skye to training soon after I got her, the older man trainer had taken one look at her and told me she had Doc Bar blood (a famous Quarter Horse stud apparently famous in the area) and looking at all these horses that looked like her, I would have to say there was something to it.  There were a couple of bays, a stunning black, a roan, and - be still my heart - a buckskin. (I flippin' love a buckskin, maybe as much as a bay.) Damn, those horses looked good. As someone from the barn pointed out to me, some of them looked almost as good as Skye. (I suspect they may have been teasing me, because believe it or not, some of them actually think their own horses look better than Skye. Crazy, I know.)

It was an interesting group taking the class as well. The majority of them appeared to be middle-aged, with a fair number of even older folks. There was one pretty old guy who was just a great horseman, and an older woman with long gray hair who was so good she must have been to one of these clinics before and practiced all year. Also, the guy (probably late 50's, early 60's) who had a gorgeous stocky palomino had a mustache so showy and long you could have hung Christmas ornaments from it.  I loved it. If you're gonna do something like that, go on and go all out, I say.

Sadly, I did not have the power left in my camera, nor the nerve, to
get a pic of the impressive mustache. I'm sorry. It was worth seeing.

A couple of the riders were younger women (30's maybe), and the group seemed almost evenly split between men and women, which seems unusual now that women dominate the horse world for the most part. It comforts me to know there are still a bunch of men out there loving horses. There was one guy that I dubbed JR Ewing because he reminded me of the TV character with his upright and almost cocky demeanor and perfectly pressed shirt and jeans and impressive chaps and cowboy hat. He was very good though, and his horse was impressive.

Another neat thing was that everyone had groomed their horses impeccably. The white on all the horses practically glowed, and the manes and tails were all clean and silky looking. The horses really were impressive, and I was thinking as I drove back to my in-laws that it made sense that people who cared enough about their riding and their horses to shell out the $700 or $800 to take the 3 day clinic would have awesome horses and cool tack, and that they would show off their horses when given the chance. So overall, it was just a very fun experience.  I will definitely be viewing as a spectator the next time he comes through.

To learn more about Buck Brannaman, his website is:

http://www.brannaman.com

To learn more about Buck, the documentary film about him, the website is:

http://www.buckthefilm.com

If you would like to buy me an early birthday present, you can get me this:

http://www.7clinics.com


Or you could just watch them yourself, I guess. I really think buying them for me would give you a warmer feeling though. 'Just sayin'.

I'm off to see that mare of mine. I'm sure she will be acting for me just like Buck's horses act for him soon. Or not. But we'll keep trying.