Big News & Photos too

Isn't my boy so handsome? I got some big news on Friday... I get to start riding him next week! Our first lesson together is next Thursday evening! I can't wait. Sadly, I won't get to see him again until then because I have to work monday-wednesday evenings at the restaurant. This is pretty depressing, but I've been making decent money and its great to give my credit card a rest for once! Now if something happens to any of my kids, I have a bit of security in knowing that I won't be carrying a balance on the card! So-- all that to say, its a good thing.

It was storming this afternoon at the barn, so I used the opportunity to re-introduce the clippers. I bought the pocket one and some normal ones. I figured I would just use the pocket clippers and some peppermint treats to start working on getting him used to the process. It went better than on previous occasions, but I still couldn't actually clip anything.

Tools of the trade

They are off.

Yesterday I spent 10 hours standing in the covered outdoor arena at the state fair grounds. I was ring-steward for th 4-H district show. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I consider it a job well worth the hours. I think I was helpful to the show and I got placed with 2 really nice judges. I did the non-trotting division in the morning and was able to learn a lot more about walking horses than I had ever known. The judge explained a lot to me. In the afternoon, I was placed in the western division. The judge was really nice and laid back. She would ask me about my pairs and tell me why she placed hers. Both judges took time to explain to the 4-Hers, any mistakes they made or why they had been DQed from a particular class. One of the most touching events was the "adaptive riding" division for handicapped 4-Hers. Those ponies/horses are ALL saints. You could see the deliberate look in their faces as they carefully navigated the arena. The levels of handicapped went from 1 (just walk with 3 side walkers) to 3 (walk-trot independently). The kids were so gracious for their ribbons and the ponies were heart-warming. It was a faith-restoring experience. I had a great (but extremely tiring) day. One day, I think I really would like to judge!