Get It On

We're a day ahead of schedule! Robbi Pruitt was right...

Lean On Me

Tess was a good girl today. We reviewed the basics of lunging, saddle pads and saddle, then we graduated to long reins through the stirrups and drove her from the ground with a new bit in her mouth! Judy MacGregor is acting as Chief Advisor through all of this (very fitting, since she got me started in the endurance shenanigans). By the end of the day, I was leaning over Tess' saddle in what Rusty calls the Fireman's Pose.

Enjoy!



Check out the video!

Tess Gets Saddled on Thanksgiving

Tess did really well! My goal is to get on Tess by Sunday, and today was encouraging. She joined up in the roundpen - then accepted the saddle pad quickly and thought nothing of the leadrope around her girth.

We graduated to the saddle at about the 45 minute mark - no bucking, no worries.

Click on the photo below to see the album, then click slideshow.

Day 1 Saddled

Winter Is Here

Tess - the newest addition to the herd - enjoying the warmth of the Arizona morning sun.
You can always tell when the warm weather has left for good, because guests arrive and the riding starts in earnest. We had a steak dinner for 12 last weekend, which was the official launching of the season. We got to ride with Gene and Sue Nance and Clydea on Sunday.

Judy arrived on Thursday from Montreal; Steph and John arrived on Saturday evening with Rhett and Jose and our new mare, Tess. We awoke this morning to a cloud dust - Jack was terrorising the new arrivals.

We headed up to Camp Creek today, Sunday. Judy rode Redford and they are a good match. Bill rode Jack, Rusty on Rocky and I rode Far the Scar.

It was a good day.

The mare is beautuful and exotic. I think I like her :).

Check it out:

Tessa, Rocky and Jack

We also had a ride yesterday out to Barb's Loop:

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