Jackson1:

True... I hear that if you have more then one, it doesn't really matter if it is two or fourteen.... Is this true Amber??

True.  IMHO as long as you can care for them why not have more than one.  And yes you can love all of them.  No you cant ride more than one at a time but you can pony one or two at a time if you want, lol.

Amber, I'm having a very icky day, any Lily news/updates for me?

I didn't work her today just let her enjoy petting and being loved.  Everybody needs a day off.  She is such a sweetheart.  She has almost got to the point of wanting to be hugged.  I did kiss her nose and she didn't get scared at all.  I will give her a scratch and kiss and tell her you sent them

I am going to buy a bag of treats just for her tomorrow.  She seems to like peppermint so I will try that flavor first.

Aw, thanks, I appreciate that. I think I need a day off right now, LOL. One thing I really hate about living in the city is not being able to drive out to the barn on a whim. I miss having a bad day and going out to see Julie just because. I'm just glad that we have a car down here (a hybrid, thankfully!) so that it's not too hard to go back and forth.

I forgot to add that last friday when Sharon was carrying the saddles throught the pen to the truck Lily kept wanting to see what they were.  So Sharon let her sniff the english saddle and then she ran it down her back and then ran the saddle pad down her back and Lily didn't even jump.  Just looked at it like she was quite interested.

amberp11703:

I forgot to add that last friday when Sharon was carrying the saddles throught the pen to the truck Lily kept wanting to see what they were.  So Sharon let her sniff the english saddle and then she ran it down her back and then ran the saddle pad down her back and Lily didn't even jump.  Just looked at it like she was quite interested.

amberp11703:

I forgot to add that last friday when Sharon was carrying the saddles throught the pen to the truck Lily kept wanting to see what they were.  So Sharon let her sniff the english saddle and then she ran it down her back and then ran the saddle pad down her back and Lily didn't even jump.  Just looked at it like she was quite interested.

  That is just so cool.  What a smart girl.

Hey Anni,

I totally know how you feel!  I had a horrible weekend and I wish I could go out to the barn to see Riz.  It's going to be a long week waiting to make it out there. 

Lily seems perfect.  I can't wait until you can bring her home!

Nicole - 

Oh for sure.  I am going to be looking for trail buddies and show buddies once I can get a trailer. 

And yeah, I've been riding once a week, but I've been trying out all these horses for sale so I haven't actually seen Rizzie in at least a month.  Maybe more.  I'm going to go see her on Sunday, though, since I don't have any other horses to see at the moment.  Counting down the days!   I could use a horse's shoulder to lean on right about now!

That sounds good. There are trails right on the property where I plan to keep Lily, and there are lots more around here. I'd love to do an FVSA mini-event in a few years, too.

FVSA looks like fun.   I went to an AQHA hunter show there and kept looking at the mini course with envy lol.  I just wanted to go school some jumps SO BAD! 

The trails out here are awesome.  I love the forest preserve trails.  The best thing in DeKalb is a trail around the cornfields.  I'm sure I'll probably die on Rizzie when I first take her out there because she'll be on sensory overload, but it'll be worth it.  I miss those trails!

 

Julie's owner's dad is a member of FVSA, so I'll have to ask him if/when schooling is allowed. I know he's hacked over there before (it's down the road from Tower Hill.)

Lily update: 

Tonight we did some round pen work.  Mostly just learning that a cluck means move and to turn into me instead of away.  At first it was just her running around me, flagging her tail and having fun.  After a few rounds she realized I was still there and she started trying really hard to figure out what I wanted.  I cheated a little with getting her to turn into me.  I got a feed bucket with a little grain in it and when I whoad her I shook the bucket.  She was really interested in me then, lol.  She picked it all up really quick.

Also I was able to pick up both of her front feet without any trouble.  She watched me like she wanted to know what I wanted to see on the bottom of her foot.  I wasn't even planning on picking up her feet tonight but I was getting her used to me running my hands all over her.  When I ran my hand down her leg she just picked up her foot and looked at me.  So I tried the other leg and she did the same thing.  I praised her and rubbed her face and let her know what a good girl she was.  And then after the lesson I picked them up again and it was just as easy.

She also learned to back up really well.  At first she wanted to throw her head up and rear up a little whenever I gave her pressure back but I started making her move off her hindquarters everytime she did that and she realized that that wasn't going to get her what she wanted.  She backed up really nicely after just a few minutes with very little pressure on the lead.

When I let her loose she went and had a good roll in the sand. 

She has got to the point where I can halter her and unhalter her whenever I want.  And she loves to have her ears rubbed and scratched.  She actually leans into it when you rub her ears.

Kat update:

Tonight I got Kats diner and went and sat on the little bridge/platform thing that I have been feeding her on.  I set the food in front of me and she ate from the bucket that I was holding.  She kept touching my fingers and running away but after she was done and had made sure there was nothing left in the bucket she sniffed all around me and even sniffed my knee.  She came up to me over and over again until I got up and left her pen.  She watched me leave and then went to discuss the evening with Lily over the fence.

I'm so excited that she wants to figure things out and learns from what she sees. If she keeps that up, she will be an amazing little cross-country horse someday. I didn't expect her to be quite that receptive to training right away, I'm glad she's so interested in learning and people. I love that she is so affectionate.