air

Some horses just reeeally want to be with you....

....they are in your pocket....

literally....and love to play....

....in the air!!

Sunday Stills ~ the color blue

The color blue, an easy challenge until you realize no SKY pics and no archives, various shades of blue were o.k.

My favorite wine, Relax, comes in a blue bottle.

Relax, chill & unwind.

Blue Glass pendant

Blue glass pendant, hanging outside

I had fun with this challenge, absolutely love shooting glass and light!! The pendant was a gift from a coworker, it's hand blown. It changed colors with every location, made it tough picking which photos to share. View other blue Sunday Stills photos.

is that for us

We picked up some nice hay from a new supplier today, and met a great horse owner who raises/races endurance horses. It is so interesting to hear how others enjoy similar passions.

It was windy & cold, so we didn't stay too long after getting the hay loaded. We made the long trip back home, pulled into the farm and got the "is that for us" look...

Harmony

yes it is, and here's a mid-day loose hay snack...

The Muddy Girls(L-R) Resident Pony Barbie, Cierra, and Harmony

...they really love the new hay, it's good stuff!

flying lead changes

Last time we rode Koda & Nemo we could see, or in Brad's case feel, a significant change in Nemo. He was clearly using more of his rear muscles, and looked great. Brad had the smoothest ride he's ever had on Nemo.

Koda was already there the previous ride , and rode about the same. We had a bit more success on our spin work. I am still learning (and will be for a while) to feel it and put it together,. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself. I really need repetition for new things to sink into my thick skull, or at least more then 10 minutes of practice every not so often. Okay it's been twice, perhaps I should give it a few more times.

I got to thinking, how does Trainer Patty teach them to use their hind end anyways? She told me they do a lot of work with the wall, turning into it and actively backing up to strengthen those muscles. I would love to watch her train sometime, not a demo, but following the daily progression of a young horse - ideally one of ours. If only I didn't have to work...

Onto other news, our boys have started learning flying lead changes. I haven't done them in sooo long, I almost forget what it feels like to fly...almost. I love the feel of changing leads, and can't wait. I remember the progression. It's a longer learning process, and Koda is - well, proving to be Koda. I've watched him do lead changes at liberty, but if you've followed his training at all you know he doesn't just hand it over. Patty said "that darn Koda will change his front, and then draggg his back" it made us laugh. Not funny, but it's so Koda to provide a challenge. She said Nemo on the other hand seems to really enjoy them. No surprise there, he has always been more willing.

Patty also started to move our boys into a shank snaffle (with curb strap) by alternating them. I will be the first to admit, I don't know much about bits/hackmores.  Yes, I know there is gobs of controversy out there. My hubby gets frustrated, and tired of answering my repeated questions. He's a lot of great things, but teacher isn't one of them. A local book store is closing, and I've been eying up The Ultimate Book of Horse Bits by Emily Esterson. I bought it, it's always a good time to understand things better.

this explains a lot

Brad 2 yrs old on Queenie

My husband isn't going to be very happy that I shared this, but it's too cute not to, and explains a lot. The photo came from a tiny album his dear "Farm Grandma", as she was lovingly referred to, kept of him. Doesn't surprise me, they were very close. Later on as a young adult, he kept his horses at her farm. Guess he was a natural, even at a young age.

Sunday Stills ~ canine companions

Challenge this week is for all those lovable pooches we have. They can be new (preferably) or archive pics of pooches past, or in some cases doggies met on merry travels.

I thought long and hard, about posting all the canine's that hold a special place in my heart. I decided one picture of Tania and Timber, or Maverick and Cheyenne, just wouldn't do them justice. This post would be forever long, if I got into each special memorial story. They will weave into this blog eventually. For the challenge I decided to focus on our two living canine companions, Mack and Sam. We adopted the brothers from Angels Wish (half Lab, half Australian Shepard) when they were puppies:

Sam is brown, an alpha male. The smartest, and hungriest, dog we've ever owned.

Mack is black, a huge chicken. He's a grinning fool, and the fastest dog we've ever owned.

They run like the wind.

They have a love-hate relationship.

Mostly love.

Visit other Sunday Stills 

natures facial

With all the rain we've had there is no shortage of one of nature's facial ingredients, mud. Cierra had it all over her face, even eyelashes!

Muddy Cierra

Both girls got a brushing, and wanted more...

Brush me

Sunday Stills ~ the letter p

This weeks challenge is anything that starts with the letter “P”, including people, places and things.

Pin

My sister gave me this horse pin. She got it while traveling down south. It came with an insert of Ancient Symbols, and the cross-cultural meanings. My pin symbolizes Horses: power, freedom, traveler, spiritualistic, healing powers, and prosperity.

Pony

Barbie, the resident pony that gets turned out with our horses...

Pond

One of my favorite places. If you look close, you can see Diamond the white koi. This one came from my archives.

Pow Wow

Last weekend I went to a Pow Wow with my local photo group. I learned a lot and met some interesting people. Photos were tough to get, it was sooo busy inside. This was one of my favorite.

Enjoy other Sunday Stills

Sunday Stills ~ your favorite place

The challenge this week is "your favorite place".  Anyplace you have been or in your local area, wherever you feel at peace or just like to relax.

My favorite place, is on my horse's back.

Riding Koda @ Governor Dodge State Park

Visit other favorite places on Sunday Stills