"When you ride a horse, balance comes, not from freezing your legs to the saddle, but from learning to float with the movement of the horse as you ride. Each step is a dance, the rider's dance as well as
the dance of the horse." Rinpoche
 

No Market

A friend sent me this link, and there is a huge ring of truth to it.  I sadly kept thinking of many Akhal Teke breeders while reading it...


 http://www.writingofriding.com/in-the-media/backyard-horse-breeders-create-need-for-horse-slaughter/

Ratbags!

BOTH of my horses can be a real pair of ratbags when I'm not looking!  Ha ha!  They laugh and make faces at the horse show judges when they think I'm not paying attention.  This probably explains some of our placings....

Photos

I finally got the photos back from the Springtime Open Show in Pasco!  (I love Adam's pictures, but sometimes you have to wait awhile to get them....)

Alongside finished bridle horses in the open western classes.

I love the light breed judges.  They tend to ask for a hand gallop in both the english and western classes, and it so SO MUCH FUN! 

Harder Memorial Horse Show

Saturday the 21st was the Bill Harder Memorial show in Milton-Freewater OR.  It was a nice temperature this year, (not too hot under the blazing sun of the outdoor arena) - thankfully only in the low 90's.  Fun show with great people and nice prizes. 


I coaxed Tommy out of his cushy little lounge spot in the pasture and put him to work once again.  He has been enjoying a few months off since I've been concentrating on the other two horses, but he didn't mind getting back into the swing of things pretty quickly. 



Our lope is improving and getting better with time!  Almost totally effortless now.

We won a few ribbons and a nice handmade kiln fired bowl by the local Clay In Motion factory.

Klikitat Trek

Some pictures from our ride at Klikitat this year. Taken by Monica Bretherton, Triangle Ranch Communications. (Thank you Monica!)

Octopelle ("Ox") and I coming into camp near the finish line on Saturday, May 31st.  He did great on his 50 miler!

And a shot of Nettie and I on Sunday, June 1st heading down the trail in the morning on the 25 miler.