What's been going on

Hey All -

Sky and I are keeping busy... we've been working hard to prepare for the first LRSS Show coming up next Sunday (only a couple of days and it will be 'this coming Sunday'... AHH). We've been trail riding around and we took a trip yesterday to ride with friends...

On the first front, the show prep is going well. We are still working on getting each lead consistantly and on showmanship - at this point I think we have some wiggle room to improve but not much... meaning that there will come a point very soon where we will be who we are for showtime. I keep trying to remember that the first show is only a baseline to guage improvement on and not an end-all-be-all... Lisa says that it's for fun... That is true as I'm sure I'll have a good time but the fun lies in the competition and competition is about winning or losing... truly. Baseline...baseline...baseline...

John came out to have a look at Sky the other day, which was nice. He seems to think that what we are working on is going well which is good. He saw us lope and thinks that we will be good enough to pass for an Adult Class participant... He lauged at me when I told him that I was nervous about doing w/t/c because I had been so nervous about doing w/t last year.

Yesterday Sky and I went with Betsy to Amanda Mix's house to ride. It was our first 'road trip' of the year and it was super fun. Sky did her traditional 'running load' onto the trailer, mainly due to her ongoing addiction to hay that is not hers. She pushes Harvey over to get to his hay rather than take her own... I think it must taste better to share - that and Harvey is 'her man' that she can push around.

We made it up the huge hill in Amanda's driveway and then headed out on the trails. We did a great ride and stopped by a beautiful pond where we could 'swim' with the horses. We didn't get in too deep for fear that they actually would swim given the 90 degree heat and the cool pond. Sky did very well tromping through the water although she was more interested in the grass growing under the waves near the shore than anything.

After some photos and more wading, we boondocked our way around the pond on a trail that was kind of narrow and over-grown. That led to a much better trail and we had lots of hills to condition on! Sky had a great time, as far as I could tell, even leading for a while on a trail that nobody knew where it would come out! We all made it home, safe and sound, and while the horses chilled out in Amanda's stalls, we had lunch. The ride home was uneventful and I'm looking forward to my first Blackwater ride of the year on Sunday.

Today was a day off for Sky - no riding, I mean. I realized from my Ride America log that I have ridden the past 7 days in a row, so I thought today would be a good day for a break. The vet was here this morning to float teeth etc. Sky went first as I was the first one to the barn... We had estimated a cost for everything based on having sedation so when Donna tried first to do her teeth wide awake, I freaked out a little. I didn't realize that it wasn't as uncomfortable for Sky as I imagined. I guess I thought of how I would feel if someone stuck a big file in my mouth to grind my teeth down and put that on Sky. I soon realized, and was explained to, that it wasn't bad for them. Sky even seemed to enjoy it, curious about the feeling and the instraments... Donna loved how good she was and I was proud of her!

The vet also said that her fungus-y mark is a sarcoid and that the best thing to do is leave it alone. She said that she could remove it but it would just come back. So, Sky has an ugly mark that nothing can be done about - just like her mom. I guess it runs in the family - or it's just who we are...

She also had her feet trimmed today - ten weeks (oops) after it was done last. I tried my best to explain to Bethany what John was talking about with regards to the shape of her foot and I think they look better. Bethany said that there is a possibility that her backs are wearing too quickly for barefoot and we'll keep an eye on it, but she might have to have shoes if she isn't growing wall....

So, today seems like it's been a lazy day - I have other things to do and I feel guilty for sitting around, but my guess is that won't last long.

C