roll in the dirt!

See, I told you! Cali couldn't even WAIT to get to the arena to roll in the dirt. As I was leading her down to the arena, she suddenly dropped and rolled in the dirt! SILLY GIRL! Ahhhhh.....it felt GOOD to be dirty again!

Mom and Cali's BATH!

It was FINALLY warm enough for Cali to have a bath! She stood very quietly during the whole ordeal! I got in and scrubbed her tail and mane. Of course...GUESS WHAT she did just as soon as I was walking her down to the arena? YUP! She rolled in the dirt! She couldn't even WAIT to get to the arena! SILLY GIRL!

Scout and the jolly ball

Scout sure had fun with the red jolly ball this weekend!

Beauty and the saddle day!

Well, I FINALLY got Beauty saddled today! By myself! Well, no...actually with some help from Cathy, the very nice lady who boards "our herd"! First, I took Beauty up to the round pen and lunged her. Phew! Then, Art took Sunni down to the arena for some relief from the "brats" (i.e. Cali and Scout). Well, Sunni decided that the arena was a pretty nice place and he didn't want to leave! He REFUSED to be haltered. Sunni has always come to me and let me halter him with no problemo! Not today. Uh-huh. No way. It took us over an HOUR to halter him! Finally, Art said he got so tired he just said, "okay". Go figure. Horses are strange sometimes! So, I took Beauty OUT of the round pen, down to the tie posts, tied her, and watched. Hmmmm....she just stood there (THANK YOU VALERIE!). No spook. No pulling back. So, I brushed her, and Cathy helped me put the saddle on her. GOOD GIRL! Then, I took her down to the now-empty arena (now that Sunni decided it was okay to go back with "the brats") and lunged her down there. Good thing! She bucked and kicked and went off cantering. YIKES! Uh, it will be a few more weekends before I finally get on Beauty again! It was a fun day and I am WORN OUT! Especially since I've had this stupid BRONCHITIS now for over 3 weeks. My endurance and energy are way low. I could barely keep up with Beauty! Anyway, it was a nice day in the mountains and I'm glad I was able to work with Beauty.

grooming day!

Wow! What an afternoon! Our son, his girlfriend, and one of her friends followed us up to "the herd" to get introduced and to be put to work grooming the herd, since they are ALL shedding out! Scout was the first horse to want to be haltered, so I haltered her and Dad held her. Next, I haltered Cali. Claudia offered to brush Cali and fell in LOVE with her! "She 's my FAVORITE horse!" she exclaimed after about 2 minutes! Sunni ran off and didn't want to be haltered! Go figure. He's ALWAYS so eager to come to me. So, I brushed Scout, Claudia brushed Cali, Hal was able to walk up to Sunni and brush him, and those 3 got groomed this afternoon! See pictures! It was a great afternoon to relax and enjoy the horses and to socialize them!

Shedding!

ALL the horses are shedding! Cali's beautiful palomino coat is underneath a TON of winter white woolies! Scout's beautiful buckskin coat is underneath her white winter coat! I brushed them BOTH this afternoon until my arm hurt! And, there is still MORE to come out! I'm thinking about having a "brushing party" next weekend and inviting Hal's friends to come up and help! With 5 horses, I need some help! Beauty doesn't have as much hair as she was down in the desert for the winter, not up in the mountains with snow and freezing mornings!

Oh, and when I bent over to put water in the shredded beet pulp bucket yesterday, SOMETHING WIGGLED by the hose! A SNAKE! AAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Fortunately, upon seeing it, I realize it was NOT poisonous, but rather a nice, healthy gopher snake! Of course, I screamed for Art and he came over and picked him (her?) up with a large stick, but he (she?) was able to escape Art's gaze and went inside the tack room, by the water faucet! At least he (she?) will help keep the rodent population under control!

Beauty and Sunni reunited!

Well, Beauty has now been back up in the mountains for a whole week. She nickered when I drove up today (HA! She remembers "Mom" has apples!) I let her out in the arena and she grazed quietly for a while, so I brought her "bud" Sunni over there, too! OH, MY! See the photos! They ran around and got "reacquainted", to say the least, then both went back to grazing.

Beauty is one of the horses I rescued from a WA feedlot back in September, 2006, along with Gigondas. I cannot IMAGINE her alone, afraid, on that feedlot! She is SUCH a beauty, in heart and spirit. Her groundmanners are EXCELLENT! Thank you, Valerie (again!) She is a perfect lady!

Sunni was a PMU foal that I adopted from United Pegasus Foundation. He, too, is a wonderful horse! He is green broke right now and I hope Valerie can help me finish his training this summer so that my husband can ride him.