Oh! Thank goodness it's Friday!

Sorry for not posting more. My life has been hectic!

First, I think the job interview went well, but I didn't get news from it yet.

Then after the interview, I went horseback riding with my sister and a friend (with her horses). She's my friend that has 8 horses (9th on the way). She just got back from Afghanistan and so I haven't seen her in 6 months!! We took the younger horses (two four y-o and a 6 y-o). Apparently that the trainer had worked with them, but we had some trouble with them, especially mine... Why oh why do I always have to have to most problems!?!??! My horse bucked and kept pushing on the bit and shaking her head, she was spooked, so my conclusion his... he hasn't worked very hard with her. My friend's horse triped and went down, she was fine and was able to roll away on time. The horse panicked but stopped to wait for her to get back on. What a good girl!

My horse was afraid of everything and she is more of the explosive type, so when my friend's horse fell (triped in a snow bank), I was sure that I was the next to hit the snow. I was able to control her and she only panicked in a circle, crow-hopping a little. For the 6 y-o, she got the most work done and she is going like a dream... apparently, my sister wont let us ride her! Which is a bit insulting since I was the first one to back that horse. But she's the mare to my sister's colt (The Colt! lol) so she is a bit attached to her.

Then Thursday was the worst day ever at work, I ran all day and ended up coming home a little late... then we went to the tack store, because I want to try a new bit on Dandy and they were on sale for a third of the usual price! So I jumped to the occasion and grabed one. It is still a shanked bit, but I realized, that after riding other horses, that Dandy responded wonderfully to a shanked bit and was actually VERY soft in them. I barely use any pressure at all, so it is not inhumane, it is not a gag bit, just a simple snaffle with shanks. I also noticed that she was very soft on her sides and the slightest squeeze can get Dandy going... I am obviously used to this way of riding and it wasn't working on the other horses. Of course, Dandy doesn't yet side passes or leg yields, but I plan on teaching her those as the next step. Also, I want to work toroughly on her transitions, now that she is 4, she can handle them.

She is not herd bound and I can stop her anywhere on the trail and she will stop, even if her buddies are running ahead. I like that about her because if there is something I need to fix or pick up or whatever, I can just stop her and know that she will wait patiently and that she wont take off running when I get back on. I've tested her many times when I had other riders take off in a full out gallop and she would remain in a relaxed walk... I could get her up in a trot without her taking off into a gallop, and I could still get her to canter, but when asked to gallop, she doesn't hold back! I've only ran a full out gallop twice on her, in a straight line over about 500 feet of grass and dirt. She listens pretty good, but she will not go her fastest when alone, so she is no good for barrels! I don't ever plan to compete on her, just have fun and keep her interested!

I can't wait to try out her new bit! The link is a stainless steel ball that allows a lot of movement without pinching, I think she will like it. Her Copper mouth bit made her drool so much that is was unsightly... and messy... since her big nose is 90% of the time in my face!

Just to share the info, here is a picture of Pearl in January... I know it was getting a little dark when I took the pic, but just to show you how much progress she made. Don't mind that she is dirty, those stains wont come out without a bath and that is definetly not before Spring. She is nice and round and fat... too fat... they need to get working harder to shape up!

ABOVE: To compare, this was Pearl 3 weeks after we got her, she had put on about 75-100 lbs and keep in mind that she was IN FOAL when this pic was taken! I am meaning to take more pics like the first ones that were taken to show how beautiful she is now!
BELOW: This pic was taken in August of 2009, 3 months after Pearl got home and 2 months after the foal was born (and passed). She does look happier... and cleaner and GORGEOUS! Unfortunatly, that scar on her nose bridge will always be there... a constant reminder of her racing days. That's Peg in the back, Peg has put on some weight also, I will try to get better pictures of her too! They lack a good amount of muscle mass and should be worked more. The problem is that they are very hard to collect, they have been racing strung out for years so their butts don't get much work, we need more collected canter work!
So more new pics coming... I promise, if it's not freezing tommorow and Sunday, I will try to at least trim one horse, but we have ice-fishing plans on Saturday and Valentine's day on Sunday, but I will do what I can in between all of that! I can't stop looking at the last picture of Pearl, I think I will put it on my Desktop at work... it will remind me of warmer and happier days!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!