HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!  Tomorrow-whoops I mean today-we are leaving to go get Sonny and Arby!  I am sooooo excited!!!!  I will update you when I get back.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Your Horse is your gift

Your Horse is your gift

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter
of a few short years, a horse can teach a young girl
courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on 
for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is
mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the
fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or 
being publicly humiliated at a horse show is
an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be 
grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle or a
computer, a horse needs regular care and most of it
requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the 
couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break 
the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose 
responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and 
drink heartily; we know we've made the right choice.
Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a
science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more
than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of 
clean water. Others will test you - you'll struggle to 
keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have
their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone
missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll
swear they're intentionally finding new ways to
injure themselves. 

If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know
that they have unique personalities. You'd expect
this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever 
horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a
sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by
finding new ways to escape from the barn when you
least expect it.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic,
obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and 
others will elude you altogether. There are as many "types" of
horses as there are people - which makes the whole
partnership thing all the more interesting.
If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume
it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend.
You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday, but
to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a
living being is far more complex than turning a key in
the ignition and putting the car or tractor in "drive."
In addition to listening to your instructor, your
horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a 
good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program 
and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear 
he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps 
he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language. 
Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to 
challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) 
or he may carefully carry you over fences - if it suits him. It all 
depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all
about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to 
work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment,
and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You'll 
discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal,
how little you know, and how much you have to learn.
And, while some people think the horse "does all the
work", you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. 
Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that
sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.
You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you
really want to? The results may come more quickly, but will
your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? 
The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When 
it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment 
brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding 
between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with 
absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our
lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our
over saturated schedules; balancing our need for 
things equine with those of our households and
employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to 
ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen 
pleasures.

If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life
with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our
tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their 
ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered 
place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, 
someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some
of us need these reminders.

When you step back, it's not just about horses - it's about love, life, 
and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a 
foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there 
is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a
life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life 
cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that 
caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is
more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways
our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy,
awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their 
brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To
see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry
lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise 
worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors
and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.
Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of
journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses
rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in
return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can
hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden
loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder 
the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true 
companion.

In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us
to our horses--or our horses to us. Does it matter?
We're grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place.

Author Unknown

Post pics Later today

Hi!  Right now we are going to the property and they just painted it so when we get back I will post pics:)!

Blog Backround

How do ya'll like my new backround?  Comment and tell me what ya think;)!

Once Upon A Time....

I got Sonny out to ride and it was the day before a show so Mrs.Jamie was giving me and Sonny a lesson. And Mrs.Jamie decided Sonny was ready to start jumpin' the roll top so we jumped it except when he landed he landed kinda funny and tripped. He was fine so we went on w/ our lesson but the next day when I took him out he could barely walk! So, of course, it set off the waterworks cause I thought he had broken a leg, because THAT was how lame he was. So we called vet and they said he probably just sprained it. They said that w/out even comin' out! They also said to check and see if you can feel his pulse right above his hoof. Well we couldn't feel it so the vet said it proved what he said. The reason he said that is because the blood was flowing toward the sprain faster than the hoof because the hoof didn't have anything wrong w/ it. So that ruled out an absess. The only things left were a) a break or b) a sprain the vet detirmined since Sonny is known to be a baby and awfully dramatic he thought it most probable a sprain. But of course that meant no show so I ended up having to ride Cupcake and in my spare time I would take Sonny out and handgraze him so that he would move around and we could asess his walking:). Within 4 days he was good as new:)!

Like It?

Barn Tour(the barn I board at)

Sorry!!!!

Sorry!  Sorry I have not posted in like FOREVER!!!  But there hasn't been much to post about.  Well I just got back from the property about an hour ago and before that Lexi, Hailey, and Maddie did there ballet dance(from the Nutcracker)at there friend Summer's church, then we went to the mall and looked at appliances, clothing, and TV's for the house.  And it looks like we will not be getting the horses until after the new year:( and we will be spending Christmas in our Grandparents house.  At the property I got to drive the quad and had a LOT of fun!!!!  Can ppl who have had/has horses on there property comment and give me a couple tips cause I am a bit nervous(seeing that I am only 12 and will be taking care of EVERYTHING concerning the horses!!!!)?  Well gtg!

HI!!!

Yo!  Man I am gettin' REALLY tired of Christmas shopping(already)!!!!  Guess What!  Sonny and Arby are coming down the weekend before Christmas!!!  YAY!  They are coming down no matter what, even if we are still living w/ my grandparents.  YAY!!!!!!!!!  Slick Myster and Abster,  what do ya'll want for Christmas cause I have NO clue what you want Abster I pretty much know what you want Slick Myster so just comment and tell me.......

Pics of Sonny as a Foal

Here they are~

Hope ya like em'!!!