It has been a quiet Summer, filled with love, joy and all things nature. I have been spending less & less time on the computer and more & more time living in the moment.
Our horseback rides are still far & few between, but when we do ride it is wonderful!
We rode 3X in July. I blogged about our first ride and second ride earlier in the month. Weather and life got in the way and we didn't trail ride again until the end of July. The bugs were bad, and we haven't ventured out on our ranch since.
horse prints in the Enchanted Forest make me smile
We are experiencing the buggiest season since we moved here. No clue why. Perhaps because we have had a lot of off/on rain. All needed moisture and therefore welcome. I really don't mind rain in general, but I do mind relentless flying pests.
I never thought I would chose riding in an indoor arena, over riding outside in the summer.
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We have watched our grandkids more often this Summer. In the past, they have helped bring horses in and feed them etc. They were SUPER excited to ride our horses for the first time!! Sorry, I decided not to share photos of the kids online. Our grands are 7, 5 and 2. Brad trusts Cierra the most, so they all rode her. First with grandpa Brad sharing a saddle, and then alone in hand. They all loved it, especially the five year old who was grinning from ear to ear.
It was the first time Cierra had kids on her back. She did great! Harmony is the only horse with any kid experience, and probably not this young. I was worried watching the littles perched up so high. They are all very tiny humans for their age. I wasn't sure if the two year old would suddenly start bawling. She didn't and they all want to ride again. I said "maybe later" to riding the last time they were here overnight and asked. We planned on letting them ride Nemo the following day (the horse they requested) but the kids had birthday party plans and got picked up shortly after breakfast.
I have buddy stirrups on order. Having balance support, will make this grandma worry a little less. Hopefully they arrive sooner than later. We will be caring for our grands again soon. It may not be me in the saddle, but it is still enjoyable horse time for all.
Caring for our herd and sharing them, has been very special.
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(distorted phone photo)
Recognize this girl? It's Padame! She needs exposure away from home, so she came here :)
I haven't seen her in person in well over a year. It hasn't worked out for me to attend her training shows this season. There is one show left. If I go, I may write a future post about her training show/s.
Prior to that, Nemo was very interested in reconnecting with our trainer. He totally remembered her. It was so sweet to watch them nuzzling. Nemo turned into a big mushpot. One of the things I love about our trainer is how much she genuinely cares about animals. She loves them and treats them like they are her own. It was really nice to see her again.
Below are the registration photos that were chosen. Excuse the busy background. I was told it didn't matter. I truly dislike taking conformation photos, but hey ~ she got accepted. I learned Palomino people have ALOT of rules about color & conformation.
You may notice Padame is still a smaller horse. She continues looking/growing a year behind her actual age. However she has a great mind, and that is what really matters.
To be continued. "summer firsts ~ 2 of 3" will have more photos & a couple short video clips of Padame's arena time.
6 comments:
Ah the lovely Padame! Nice to see her again!
A lot of horses don't get their full height until they are 5 or 6 years old.
Hope she is doing well in her schooling shows.
Glad you got a few rides in this summer. I have too, but the bugs and the heat had a hand in keeping me out of the saddle most of the summer.
My grand-kids haven't actually been to the farm this summer. They're all so busy with other activities. Swimming, tennis, boating, golf etc. Ages 12,13,14 and 17. The 17 yr. old just got her license and a car and a job. She's the only one who ever rode, Dusty,my palomino was her choice. Anyway, school started today for the boys so I probably won't see them for a while. And then there's football and volleyball and soccer for them too. They don't seem to have an interest in the horses except to feed and pet them. I never put their pictures on the internet either, just too many weirdos around these days.
Padame is gorgeous! Love her photos and will be looking forward to more news about her. I'm sure she'll love being out with the herd and interacting with them. Keep us updated.
Shirley, nice to see you back online. Padame is having good experiences at the shows. Things that need more/different work have revealed themselves. I will most likely do a show post once the season is done. However if I don't attend, it will be one short post lol!
Arline, Watching our grandkids will be short lived. Much like yours, before we know it they will be too busy to spend informal time here. Hopefully your grandkids live close enough that you can attend some of their school functions. I can't keep up with my grandkids extra activities, already. I try to attend one date of each. Key word try. Staying busy helps keeps kids out of trouble. It is a hard time to be raising children.
Brad would absolutely love to have an interested grandkid to show and share horses with. I doubt any of these three will be up for it. Maybe? Will see what the future holds. Thank you for the nice compliment on Brad's blondie.
How wonder to have a horse that your Grands can ride, even if you just lead the horse around, it is a big deal to kids! You have been busy making some great memories! Wow Padame is a beauty!
Awww! I love it when the grands get their first ride on a nice calm horse. I recall my first ride on my Uncle's horses!
My niece had her first ride on one of my horses and now her children ride at a barn and show!
It is such a great influence on the kids to do this.
I have a certain love for Palominos. They are soooo gorgeous.
You've had a busy busy summer!
Thank goodness the bugs are not too bad around here.
I love it when the grands, nieces, and nephews come over to ride. Half of our herd are elder equines who do really well with the kids. In my experience, when horses understand their role with kids, they love it. It’s easy work with lots of rewards after : kisses, hugs, and treats. 😀
Padame is really stunning. Your trainer must be pretty special for your horses to remember her so fondly after a long separation. That says everything about her connection.
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