Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds

Stella is getting an extended break from riding and, unfortunately, practically any exercise at all right now. I planned a trip for February 11-17 to visit and help my parents in Texas, and it turned out that the help they ended up needing was not just cleaning out some junk. I wrote more about that on my farm blog (which I will continue to update); the upshot is that I don't know how long I'll be here. My husband finally turned out Stella (and eventually Lance) in the arena last Sunday for the first time, and said she was rather hard to handle given all her pent-up energy. Ya think?!? My hot tamale is used to near-daily turn-out and/or riding; I'm surprised she hasn't self-combusted by now! It will be interesting to see how she handles when I finally get home. Sometimes extended breaks do wonders for a horse's mind; when it comes to Stella, I wonder if it may do the opposite.

I am missing my home, my routine, my animals. I have gotten to love on a neighbor's dog once, and have seen horses once while walking around my parents' small rural neighborhood outside of Amarillo. Having animals around me has been essential to my mental health for my entire life, but right now my parents' needs trump my own.

Que sera, sera

Whatever will be (at the show tomorrow), will be!

Preparation for Stella's and my first show together was disrupted last week when my uncle died and I made whirlwind arrangements to fly to Juneau, Alaska to join family for his graveside service (lots of photos from the trip here). I was able to ride Tuesday morning before I left and Friday when I returned, so took the zen approach that a couple days off would be good for the girl's mind and body.

Actually, I rode twice on Friday (keep in mind that all my rides are short and Stella never breaks a sweat)! The test-ride WintecLite from SmartPak arrived a day early so was here and waiting when I got home. Eager to see if it was a winner, I saddled up with it Friday morning and went for a ride. It didn't feel particularly comfortable, and the seat was too big; I had to keep hitching myself forward. When I got off, I measured it and my own two Wintecs – it was at least a half-inch longer, even though it was labeled as a 17.5"; very strange. So I decided to ride again that afternoon in Lance's saddle. I wanted to test my first impression that she objected to it, and see if I felt secure enough in it for a potentially 'dynamic' ride.

The verdict? Stella exhibited none of the little behaviors I had interpreted as objections, and when she startled at something scary in the woods I didn't feel the least bit insecure. I decided, barring any experiences to the contrary before the show, that I'd use it instead of the ancient navy saddle, and return the test-ride. I have shortened my stirrup leathers one hole, which feels just a titch short, but better that than too long, as I tend to pull up my left leg and either lose my left stirrup or get my foot too far forward in it.

To keep the focus on the saddles and Stella's reactions to them, I rode with the hackamore Friday. On Sunday, I switched to the DUO bit, since we have to show in a bit. Too bad, that; she is MUCH happier in the hackamore. So I spent Sunday's, Monday's, and today's rides trying to finesse things to reduce the amount of fussiness and distraction the bit is causing, focusing on using my body, breath, voice (will have to be careful with that in the show ring) and legs to do most of the communicating. We may not get very high marks for "acceptance of the bit" and "elastic contact", but I feel like I'm riding more effectively than I ever have.

Wet Stella; I managed to get in a ride during the one dry spell Sunday!

Stella was actually quite spooky during today's ride. The wind was blowing the trees around, and something (someone? Lance?) banged loudly in the barn. But the biggest reactions were one quick, short scoot and one giant squat; she has not once freaked out under saddle as she occasionally did during ground work. Lisa has commented that Stella likes having me on her back; maybe she does. 😊

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with her mane tomorrow. Part of it depends on when we arrive and how much time I have to prepare; I'd rather use the time we have to ease her concerns and help her relax rather than 'fix her hair.' I'm not a fan of many long-mane treatments except a really tidy running braid along the crest, but those seem to pull when a horse stretches its neck, irritating the horse and loosening the braid. I've had an idea for rolling her mane under and back along her crest and securing it somehow, so did a 'quick and dirty' experiment with that today. It started out looking okay, but had mostly disintegrated by the end of our ride.

offside just for fun

I think it could work, but the morning of our first show is probably not the time to perfect it. So I've reviewed some online tutorials and will do a running braid at the showgrounds if I have time before our first class.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to give the girl her first shampoo and finish loading the trailer.

Oh, my friend Kate is going with me tomorrow. You know you have a good friend when she's willing to show up at your house at 4:30 a.m. to be your horse show support!

Breaking up is hard to do

I didn't visit Bentley on Sunday. Between his bad-boy act of last week and the boatload of responsibilities on my plate, I just wasn't feeling it so I reminded myself that working him isn't an obligation and stayed home.

Rick said I could start hand-walking Lance 15 minutes daily (he got his second shockwave treatment on March 24), so we began that on Monday. Lance, too, was a bit of a brat. Completely understandable, as cooped up and bored as he's been, but still not acceptable. He threw his head around and could NOT keep his lips to himself; he really wanted to bite but was afraid to try (good thing!). As I walked Lance I realized that I wasn't being as firm about boundaries with Bentley. Time to change that.

Okay . . . if I MUST behave . . . .

Tuesday I went to see Bentley. The landscape crew was there mowing and weed-whacking, and Bentley was on high alert, prancing and snorting and ignoring me. So I filled my pocket with cookies and went out into the pasture to share them with Bentley's herd mates, two very old Thoroughbred geldings. After a bit, Bentley wanted in on the cookie party and let me halter him. But as we headed to the barn, he tried a little explosion on the end of the lead. Boundary time! I yelled "NO!" and went after him in 'mad mother mode,' backing him across the pasture. Then we headed for the barn again, stopping and backing several times along the way as a reminder not to forget his manners. He regarded me with some surprise and a little trepidation, and we had no further issues. He wasn't interested in the after-work cookies I put in his feeder, though, instead turning and galloping back to the pasture. That was new.

Wednesday I went to see Bentley again. All three boys came into their stalls and got cookies, but Bentley didn't stick around. No problem; I headed out with a pocketful of cookies and the halter as I had the day before. The old guys followed me around mugging for treats, but Bentley kept his distance. I called; he ignored. I walked towards him; he took off. He certainly was a beautiful brat:

I quickly considered my options. I had no doubt I could catch him with time and persistence, but it would require shutting the old guys in their stalls and keeping Bentley moving until he realized that avoiding me was a lot more work than whatever we might do together. But I didn't have unlimited time, and the footing wasn't totally dry – I didn't want to be responsible for him sustaining an injury while tearing around the pasture.

So I cut bait, knowing when I did so that I was walking away for good. Bentley isn't a casual riding partner to enjoy while Lance recuperates; he needs remedial training and I'm not going to continue to provide it – driving an hour round trip for the privilege – for free. I thought about offering my services for a fee if the owner was willing to move him to my barn, but decided against that, too. Bentley cribs, an equine stereotypy that damages structures and can be learned by other horses; I don't need that on our place. Neither do I need any additional sources of stress in my life right now; my dad went on hospice yesterday and he seems to be declining rapidly.

The good news is that I can exercise my riding muscles on my own horse again starting next week. Rick said that after Lance's third shock-wave treatment, we can do our walking under saddle instead of in-hand. It's not much, but it will be enough for now.

Long overdue

Sorry for the radio silence. A lot has happened since my last post – and not much has happened. What hasn't happened will probably take longer to tell than what has, so I'll save that for the next post.

On March 24 I hauled Lance down to the NW Horse Fair & Expo in Albany to participate in Jec Ballou's session on "Cross-Training Exercises for the Dressage Horse." I do a lot of cross-training, so this sounded right up my alley. But that session wasn't until 3:00, and Lance had to be there from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm. Thankfully, a friend came to help me pass the day, and we attended Jec's classroom lecture at noon. It was very good; I wish I'd taken better notes. I did take photos of some of her slides, though. Some take-away messages were:

1) Several different veterinary university studies have confirmed that it takes a minimum of working four days a week to keep a horse in condition. Considering how long it takes to get a horse fit, it behooves us riders to keep them fit! I feel pretty good about my long-standing policy to not let Lance stand around more than two days in a row, but am being more intentional about riding four days a week now.

2) Trail-riding, schooling, and conditioning exercises all need to be part of the mix; a well-schooled horse isn't necessarily a well-conditioned horse.

These points were confirmed in the riding session. Lance and I were one of three horse and rider teams that Jec used to demonstrate some conditioning exercises. The good news for an energy-conserver like Lance is that a lot of valuable work can be done at the walk.

Just a few days later (with no time to ride again), we flew to Omaha, NE to attend the FEI World Cup (and see family and friends). What an experience! I cannot accurately convey what it's like to see that many world-class horses and riders up close and personal; when the Grand Prix competition started, I actually teared up. Not that all the rides were beautiful to watch; I wanted to rescue some horses from harsh hands, and was once again struck by how gracious horses are to allow us on their backs. I took photos of every single test (SIXTEEN in a row!!!), but you can see far better images taken by professionals elsewhere, so I will spare you the long slideshow. I did share a few excited images on Instagram – you know, as proof I was there. ;-)

Other high points were getting to meet a blogger whose posts have inspired and challenged me, and reconnecting with an old friend I haven't seen in 26 years. There were also celebrity sightings (I kinneared a couple) in the extensive vendor area:

No shopping for me except for a few small thank-you gifts; "all I want for Christmas" is a healthy, happy horse!

And with that, I will segue into the next post . . . .

New duds

Just in time for fall!

Lance's replacement SmartPak Ultimate High-Neck Turnout Sheet arrived while Rick and I were in Canada last week. They've been out of stock since he tore up his first one; SmartPak sent me a different model to tide us over but he damaged that one, too. (Good thing I invested in the Ultimate, which has a "10-year Indestructible Guarantee"!) This one is a size smaller than the original, and it fits perfectly.

Since we don't turn our horses out in the rain and (slippery) mud, why does Lance wear a turnout? It keeps him cleaner, reducing grooming time, it protects his mane and tail head from rubbing, and I think he grows less winter hair, which makes it easier to cool him out.

After getting ready for our trip, being gone on our trip, and coming home to rain and work after our trip, Lance had quite a few days off and I was anxious to get back in the saddle. Yesterday I went down to take advantage of a break in the rain showers, but the dry spell only lasted long enough for our walk warm-up and a little trot work. Lance made it very clear that he didn't like the rain in his face, so we trotted back into the barn. While Lance ate some lunch, I tidied up his mane, shortening the thin section between his withers and the rubbed area, and shortening and thinning the bigger section between the rubbed area and his bridle path. By then, the rain had passed and we went back to school awhile longer. We finished with the above photo shoot, Lance looking spiffy with his new 'do and turn-out sheet.

We had a better weather window today and had a good schooling session. While I'm trying to remember and practice what we worked on in our last lesson, I find myself wishing I'd written better notes and wanting another lesson to confirm things in my mind and muscles. I was thinking of entering an ODS League show at the end of this month, but have changed my mind. First, I'd rather spend my time and money building on the progress we're making with Julie's help than show at a level at which we've already demonstrated competence. Second, I've just learned my MIL is having eye surgery a few days before the show, then coming here to recuperate for at least a day and night. That throws a wild card on the table; better to not plan anything else in close proximity.

But the week before that looks feasible; off to email Julie about scheduling!

A surprise and a show

After all the times I've had to back out of planned (and often already entered) shows in the last seven years due to lamenesses, I was a little gun-shy about entering Lance in an ODS League show last month. I have wondered if God was telling me to back off from competitive riding, and I didn't want to ignore all those warnings. So I prayed about it, waited awhile to send my entry, then moved gingerly forward, vigilantly watching for any signs of discomfort.

Two days before my show, my dad showed up. Rick cooked up the idea since my dad has never seen me compete these past 25 years of 'horsing around,' and they pulled off a complete surprise. Since I am a Boy Scout at heart ("Be Prepared") and that Friday had been one of THOSE days with my teenaged son, I can't say I was thrilled at first. But with Rick quickly jumping in to vacuum the spare room and make up the guest bed, and my dad's excitement over seeing me compete, I came around pretty quickly.

Bright and early Sunday morning, we headed out – me, Lance, and my dad. He wanted to see it all and help if possible, and gamely brushed out Lance's tail (he's not a horseman). Once I'd picked up my packet from the show office and we had Lance groomed and tacked up, I stepped into the trailer's tack room to get myself ready – and realized that I'd left my show bag at home. I can't remember ever forgetting an essential piece of equipment in 25 years of showing horses, and there I was without tall boots, helmet, or gloves. Rick and Brian had just arrived to watch me show and I sent them tearing home to get my bag, but as soon as they left I realized they couldn't possibly get back in time for my first test. I ran towards the show office, asking everyone I knew along the way if they had stuff I could borrow. While one acquaintance headed to her car to retrieve the field boots and schooling helmet she thought she had brought along, a stranger walked up to me. She had overheard my frantic queries, asked her daughter if she would mind lending her gear, then offered it to me. What an incredible, wonderful, overwhelming offer! Off we hustled to her trailer to get the gear, then off I hustled to get Lance bridled and into the warm-up arena.

Our short warm-up went well, but our first test did not. After a great entrance and halt (8), I had no horse! Perhaps facing that first trot lengthening across a bigger arena than he has seen since the State Fair last summer sent Lance into extreme energy-conservation mode; I don't know. What I do know is that I used all the tools in my toolbox, left the ring breathing harder than my horse, and still couldn't manage to keep Lance from c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g across the diagonal in his free walk and falling out of the canter several times. The judge gave us a score of 59.4% and several tactfully worded comments about Lance's lack of energy and impulsion. Since there were only two of us riding First Level Test 3, we got that pretty red ribbon. ;-)

I gave Lance a long break to relax and eat hay, then got ready for our second test, this time wearing my own boots, helmet and gloves. Our warm up was short and to the point – MOVE! As a result, First Level Test 2 was better. Lance still fell out of the canter once and was no powerhouse, but all our collective marks went up, we got a score of 62.5% . . . and won our class of five. That was icing on a very special cake for my dad; I'm so glad we pulled out a win while he was there.

Rick took a lot of photos; all but the one of us standing in the warm-up arena were under- or over-exposed. Below are a few I was able to salvage.

And yes, my dancing partner stayed sound . . . just for my dad. ;-)

First test; borrowed gear.

Let's try this again, with our own gear!

A nice moment.

Thanks for the better effort, buddy.

You could drive a truck between those front legs!

Carrot stretch; Lance may not be energetic, but he's flexible.

Teaser

To see how my weekend started, read the end of this post. To see how my weekend ended, see the start of this post. To hear how things went in between, stay tuned. (I don't have much time to be on the computer when company is here!)

Mental health mustang

I'm back after a quick and stressful trip to see my dad. At first I thought the trip might have marked the end of our season of consistent rides, but after missing one day due to family commitments here at home, Lance and I were back to dancing together yesterday and today. While we're dancing, that's all my mind and body are focused on – not my duties, my concerns, the future, our finances. Just fine-tuning our connection to achieve those moments of perfect harmony.

Winston Churchill said, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

Amen.

Lesson foiled again

Last week I decided to postpone my lesson with Suzan because of Lance's chiropractic adjustment. This week is not going to work out because Thursday afternoon is the only time an interested person can come look at one of my ram lambs. Selling sheep and fleece provide the income to keep our property taxes in "farm deferral," so that's a priority.

So the next outing to look forward to is riding at Perrydale Trails on Sunday afternoon. My first outing there was solo; this time there will be a group of friends and family – including Kate and Dinah. Should be great fun!

I'm a lucky beggar

My wishes were horses,
and I got seals besides!

I posted the above photos and more of our family beach ride over at my Boulderneigh blog. I think Rick took some photos of Lance and me with his smart phone but I haven't seen them yet. I'll post them here if they exist!

Lance was a good boy, although still not a surfer dude in spite of his sandy-haired good looks and buff bod. ;-)  I did get him to follow the others horses through some still back water trapped by a rise in the sand – and I think he resented me for it! Seriously; for quite awhile afterwards he acted really PO'd at me. You'd think he, not his parents, came off the high desert range given his aversion to salt water....

We mostly walked, since my husband's and son's mounts have done little to nothing all winter and we went quite a distance. There was a little trotting and cantering, which my son thought was great fun. Rick had me trot in front of him so he could watch Lance's movement for soundness, and said Lance was absolutely even and steady. It felt flat, but then again it almost always has. It remains to be seen whether or not Lance ever develops some "loft."

Joining the injured list

Well, if I can't ride Lance, I guess this is about as good a time as any to be on "stall rest" myself.

Long story short. Right knee has been bothering me in varying degree for months; lately it's gotten more painful. Yesterday morning it hurt a LOT but was somewhat better this morning – until I tripped over one of my son's toys. I couldn't get back in the house without help. :-(

DH and his trusty assistant looked inside my knee with ultrasound and saw lots of swelling, an ugly lateral collateral ligament, and a suspicious meniscus. After consulting with Rick's BIL, an orthopedic surgeon, I am on R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation) and crutches for a week, after which we will evaluate to determine whether or not to see a local doctor (unfortunately, my BIL isn't). Hopefully I'll know by the closing date of March 26 whether or not I'll be able to show next month.

Weekend excitement, part I

Well, well, well; my "solid citizen" revealed another side this weekend! All's well that ends well, but both rides served as good reminders that one must always be awake, aware and ready to deal with whatever comes.

On Saturday afternoon I stayed home when my husband took our son to youth group. I hadn't been able to ride Lance on Friday, so I strapped on his Renegade front boots and headed down the lane. I don't do arena work on Saturday (since the Sabbath is supposed to be a rest day for man and beast), but it was a beautiful day for a walkabout on the hill.

Mt. Hood on the horizon with its peak in the clouds

I headed down through the vineyards pictured. Lance was alert and had his llama-neck on, stopping occasionally to get a good look/listen before proceeding. About halfway through the vineyard, he stopped longer than usual and stared intently at a vineyard laborer's vehicle parked downhill from us. I decided to turn him in a small circle to get his focus back on me, but as soon as I got his head turned he spun the rest of the way and bolted back up the hill! The footing wasn't great and there was no room to execute a one-rein stop, but fortunately he didn't go far before I was able to slow him down and get him turned around again. Still not wanting to proceed he thought about bucking, but just hopped a bit. About that time the laborers returned to their vehicle which seemed to help Lance realize that it was safe to approach. The rest of the ride was less eventful, although it took quite awhile before Lance actually relaxed. All that tension, plus climbing the hill to get home, had him practically dragging his nose by the time we got to our lane again!

Pretty sweaty for just walking

Cross-training

Yesterday my dressage mustang got to be a cow pony! It was my husband's idea after I suggested we go for a family ride; he likes to play with cows on horseback even though he no longer has his cutting horse. I'm all for giving horses new experiences and schooling in new settings (all my horses have been exposed to working cattle thanks to my husband's interest), so off we hauled to a friend's little indoor arena.

This was only the second time Lance has seen cattle, and the first time for him to be in close quarters with one. Approaching them was okay; having one advance on him was another story entirely! He never lost his head completely, though, and in the end he learned that he could make the steer move, a great first lesson for a young horse. Then we cooled our horses out on a lovely little trail ride through the woods on our friend's property.

This makes the second family horseback outing in as many months; if Rick agrees to go to the beach again on New Year's Day, that will make it three for three. I say; why not make it a monthly habit!?!

Still kickin' – and stylin'!

I haven't been on the computer much the last couple weeks so I could enjoy my visiting family, but I have been riding. Right now we're experiencing that most precious and fleeting of seasons – Indian Summer – so I'm "making hay while the sun shines"!

Tuesday I took a lesson from Julie, and she thought Lance has made a LOT of progress since she last saw us. We worked in shoulder fore quite a bit to get Lance straighter, and, as always, on keeping Lance's energy up. Julie kindly calls Lance an "energy-conserver." ;-) We have another lesson scheduled in two weeks; hopefully we'll show another goodly amount of progress then!

Yesterday evening, Lance had great energy. He was feeling pretty foxy to start with; perhaps he was pleased with the stunt he pulled off earlier. (Maybe he didn't like stinky sheep as next-stall neighbors!) He also seemed to enjoy a little "herding work" – my son mouthed off and was refusing to go do something I had told him to, so I took out after him on horseback. That got both my son and Lance in gear! ha

Recently I really scored on eBay. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a pair of Ariat paddock boots to replace the pair I'm wearing out, and in doing so, ran across these –

– a new-in-box pair of Ariat Westchester zip dress boots. When I won the auction for $139 (including shipping), I practically flipped; the retail price on these is over $400! I have wanted a pair of zippered Ariat dress boots for two decades (seriously), but settled for a pair of used Cavallos that have served me well. These Ariats should last me the rest of my competitive life – and do so in boot-jack-free comfort and style!

Three modes of transportation

Our family Sunday morning:

The beautiful valley at the foot of "our" hill:

Looks like we could have taken that fourth mode of transportation – our pick-up (with camper and horse trailer) – and gone horse camping after all this weekend. Oh well; better safe than soggy!

Solid citizen once again

Lance has show #2 under his girth now. For the second time in two weeks, we were blessed with a dry day; a wonderful gift for someone like me who shows out of her trailer!

Once again we were able to arrive early enough to school in the competition arena, so Lance could get a good look at the surroundings and realize it was a safe place. When it came time to enter at A, he was more calm and relaxed than many show veterans; what a boy!

Speaking of boys, my husband and son came to watch this time, so I handed my digital camera off to them to record our rides (Rick recorded the first one and Brian the second).





As you can see, I didn't get Lance's mane braided. I was running short on time and it wasn't worth stressing over.

Our scores and placings didn't indicate the improvement I'd hoped for over our first show; we got a 69.375% for second place in Intro A, and a 65.313% for third place in Intro B. But I felt better after watching the videos; I think Lance is moving with more energy, and I am maintaining better contact. (I welcome your input!)

Regardless; onward and forward. I will continue to work on developing Lance's strength, condition, and suppleness while keeping him enthusiastically responsive to my "go" aids and promptly responding to my "whoa" aids. This should improve his canter slowly but surely, so Lance can debut at Training Level at our next show, whenever that may be.

Lance will be getting something of a Spring Break, though. My dad is scheduled for cancer surgery on the 19th, so I'm going to fly to Houston, TX to be with my folks for a week.

Once upon a time...

. . . don't all fairy tales start that way? Yes, once upon a time, I attended the Oregon State Fair with my toddler and husband. Rick was the horse show vet for the day, so we spent a fair amount of our time at that venue.

Just outside the warm-up arena, I noticed a handsome horse . . . a strikingly handsome stallion. He was standing there saddled but riderless, calm and quiet, while many of the horses being warmed up acted less than well trained. I wandered over to get a closer look, and struck up a conversation with the horse's owner. He introduced me to Dino, his adopted Kiger mustang who was rounded up by the BLM as a four-year-old (a fact that made his gentlemanly demeanor even more impressive). After watching Dino move, I was so enamored that I wished out loud for a good mare he could service in order to see what he could produce for a dressage mount – he was that nice!

Riddle Me Dino

But I didn't have a mare; I had Russell, and I was very happy with him. He was progressing nicely in dressage and taking excellent care of my little boy:

Brian scaling "Mt. Russell" just days after that fateful State Fair

The horse my dad called "one in 20,000"

Fast forward seven years to this summer. I was leasing Larry and wishing for a horse to call my own. Having given Russell away to the perfect semi-retirement home, I had no budget to speak of. I had looked at a couple horses owned by clients of Rick's who owed him money, but we either couldn't work out a trade or the horses weren't what I was interested in. Then two different friends almost simultaneously suggested I look into adopting a horse from the BLM. So look into it I did, and in the process, learned: 1) "mustangs" can be a mixture of TB remount, ranch horse and draft blood, which could result in a very nice dressage-type horse; 2) a friend of a friend could get me into the closest holding facility to get a good look at prospects; 3) I could afford the adoption fee of $125 and even get it gentled for free through the Trainer Incentive Program; and 4) Kevin Sink, that stunning Kiger stallion's owner, is an approved T.I.P. trainer. (THAT was a blast from the past; I hadn't thought much about them nor could I have recalled the names of horse or owner without this development.) I started getting excited about a road trip to potentially choose my new partner.

But that plan was derailed – or at least moved onto a sidetrack – by two things. First, the BLM's holding facility in Burns, OR was closed to visitors due to a big influx of newly rounded up horses thanks to huge range fires in their herd management areas. And second, just as I was wrapping up Larry's month of training for his new owner, my friend Sylvia called, urging me to take Horton in for training. Seeing as we needed the additional income, I put thoughts of getting my own horse on the back burner and agreed.

In August, while my son was visiting my folks in Texas, Rick invited me to ride with him to a vet appointment over at the coast. He figured we could take advantage of the rare opportunity to have a date after he finished his call. So off we went. In the course of visiting with the client, she mentioned breeding for buckskins or duns because she and her daughter show on that circuit. With a newly refreshed memory, I piped up, "I know which stallion I'd use in that case!" When she asked which one, I said, "Kevin Sink's Kiger stallion." The client laughed out loud and pointed to the horse in the corner stall – a tall, good-looking colt who had already caught my eye – and said, "That's his daddy!" She had bred her short palomino mustang mare to Dino in hopes of getting a short Western-type filly, but instead got Lancelot, a tall, English-type gelding. The only part of her wishes that was fulfilled was the red dun packaging! I rued aloud that I didn't have space or budget to take him off her hands, and Rick and I bid her and her lovely colt good-bye.

On September 7 my phone rang. It was Rick's client, asking if I would be interested in Lance. She had put him in training at a barn here in the valley for the month of September in order to see what he was best suited for in order to market him. After the first ride or two the trainer said "dressage," and suggested the owner call me. I reiterated that I had no space or money; she offered to keep Lance for the cost of hay until I had space available, and trade out his purchase price on her vet bill. Then she suggested I go try him out, and the rest is history . . . most of it still waiting to be written – and ridden.

"Well, look who's coming through the door
I think we've met somewhere beforeHello love, hello love
Where in the world have you been so long?I've missed you so since you've been goneHello love, hello love
Make yourself feel right at homeI'll hope you plan on staying longCome in love, come in love
I must say I was sure surprisedYou're the last thing I expected byHello love, hello love
I've heard it said time and againYou'll often go back where you've beenI really didn't believe it was trueBut I left the door unlocked for you
I'll try to please you in every wayAssure you of a pleasant stayThis time love, this time love...."