Thursday, April 27, 2006

Ashley has decided to start preparing for her C2 rating in Pony Club. For those of you that arent familiar with PC this is a building block toward an A level. The ratings are based on knowledge, responsibility and the riders ability to understand first what is going on with their ride and second how to improve it. Pony Club is not about competition, it is about knowledge and responsibility. Ultimately the club strives to turn riders into trainers. I am proud of Ash for tackling this new challenge.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Combined training rally was at Rocking Horse on Sat and Sun. Ash and Phanny were on a scramble team with girls from around the state. The nice thing about scrambling is making new friends. Also the pair had their best cross country run. Beautiful! My job this rally was to coach 5 riders ages 7-9. That was really fun.
They were very cute and so brave. I told them near the end that the rider with the most elegant salute to the judge would get a piece of bubble gum. If only I had a movie camera of those salutes! Let's just say they all got gum.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

The new kid on the block is checking out his digs. His name in Denmark was Ligoretto. (If anyone knows what that means you can let me know.) His English Mom (Lisa) calls him "Gettin Jiggy With It" which is a reference to Irish dancing. We call him Jiggy and are very excited to have him living at Lucky Trail Stable. ps: Phanny likes him too!

Thursday, April 06, 2006


Misty Morning Star: That is what Ashley and I named this little fellow that early morning when he found the strength to stand. It is a pretty good story how we came to know him. His Mama (Misty) was purchased as a 2 year old over the phone. When she arrived she was ill. Ashley and I helped with her care. One morning she was lying down, her owner out of town and she seemed in pain. Next thing we see is this little fellow on the ground. Wow, even the vet didnt see this coming. Apparently Misty wasnt prepared either because she ignored him. The vet told us that if he stood in the first hours he maybe could survive. 6 days later Ashley and I were still camped out at the barn feeding him warm cow milk on the hour. I woke Ash and we walked over to the stall to see him standing on his own for the first time. It was a moment to remember.

His name was changed to Shadow because of his habit of following people around looking for the baby bottle full of milk. Even now as a big 4 year old he will follow and nuzzle you. Only now he is looking for carrots.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006