Hot chocolate weather

Winter is at the door in central Illinois....I know it's late in December...but I was enjoying the warmer temperatures....and it's not that I don't like snow or hot chocolate...I just prefer beautiful sunny warm weather for riding horses...is that so bad?  I looked up the weather tonight and saw that we are in for some cccold weather...winter weather!  Blek!  Well, we knew it would happen sometime......

I have so many things to get done tomorrow before it freezes-hope I can get to them all before it starts raining....yes more raining!  (I prefer snow this time of year..I think....)  I mean "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas," can be much more appreciated if the ground is white.  There may not be any snow for Christmas....that's ok....there are plenty of cookies to go around with friends, family and neighbor's!

Merry Christmas to each one of you and I hope you all realize the importance of the season.  Without Christ being born....then dying and shedding his blood for us...we would never be able to see Heaven and that's something I want to more than see--I want to live there!

Trail riding in December!!!

I know...trail riding in December isn't a big deal when you ride in the off season....BUT  riding when it is 50 degrees out and it's DECEMBER!!!  Now, that's AWESOME!!  No gloves, no muffs, just a light jacket?!  Now that's something!  Oh and another something...Monica came with me!!!  Yay!  Not that we haven't ridden here together countless times...it's just the first time we've ridden together here since she ran off and got married on me!  haha!  We had fun!  Here are some pics we just had to take!

Riding through a meadow to get to a "secret trail"

lots of downed trees along the way

You can sure see alot out in the woods these day without all that brush!

 Monica and Colty coming up a hill

Above is a very fun, steep hill--yes we go down it only to go up another steep hill again!  Haha!  This is one of our favorite rides!

Kitty and Me

and below is Colty and Monica coming through and old fence line of trees

Warm weather in December!!!

I am certainly enjoying this 60 degree weather in....DECEMBER!!  Haha!  It's been great horse training/riding weather so I've been able to work consistently on a new trick and today I decided to start on another new trick which both horses seemed to catch on pretty quickly.  Oh, how they love learning tricks!  I recently purchased a trick training video that teaches you how to lay down your horse so we'll have to give it a try...maybe in the spring-I have to order some more supplies before I can train them these harder tricks....the right equipment and safety for you and your horse is the most important thing you can do in training a horse!  If this weather keeps up, maybe I can get somebody to take some pics of their new tricks..we'll see...maybe I'll just wait till they learn them better..then they can really look impressive!  Hehe! =)  Well..sorry not a very exciting post...especially since there are no pictures...

A bit of Horse Heaven

This lovely weather that we have been having is great trick training weather!  Missy and Kitty have been doing a great job learning and trying to learn new tricks.  I've been so distracted by Kitty's injury, I really haven't had time or even felt like trick training....until this week...I thought to myself that it ain't fair that Kitty is injured and I'm just gonna pretend she's not!  We're doing tricks this week!  And boy, have I had a FUN time!  It's a bit of horse Heaven!!!  Kitty is absolutely amazing!  I wish I could get someone to take a video of all her tricks-she really does enjoy making me laugh!  She's quite the entertainer!  I'm very pleased to announce that Kitty has laid down for me 2 days in a row!!  And taking less than 2 minutes each time to do it!  This is not a trick I regularly practice because I prefer nice weather to try it in since I'm encouraging her to roll or go down.  Kitty is a tricky horse to teach things too.  She's very smart, but not very giving.  She wants to resist pressure instead of give too it.  So...I'm trying a harder/longer way of teaching a horse to lay down.  This method uses no force-no pressure-no nothing-just a cue!  You just encourage your horse to lay down on its own.  I first started this method in the summer. After a long sweaty ride, I would take Kitty into our new!!! sand!!! round pen!!!!!!!!!! (yes, I love it!) and look at the ground point at it and say down.  Of course she had no clue what I wanted at first, but when she laid down, I'd give her lots of praise and treats!  She understands this trick better now as she will always stare at the ground and paw-she just doesn't always lay down for me!  But we're on a 2 day streak!!  Also, I haven't tried to keep her down yet.  She usually lays downs-waits for me to give her a treat and pops back up, but I don't mind if this method is slow.  It's the only method that works for her.  The others she resists to extremes and this method she just goes down naturally.  If it's a long wait-that's ok with me and if she gets bored with it I guess you won't be able to say I didn't try!  :)  Here's proof that it did at one time work!

Good News or Bad News? (Kitty update)

Took Kitty to the vet today for an x-ray and the good news is no broken bones or fracture could be seen.  In fact, everything looked good even her flexor tendon!  Praise God!  So why is she so swollen?  Could be she bruised some tendons pretty bad in her "bump" accident.....you could see some swollen areas on the x-ray, but my vet, Buzz (he's a really nice guy!) didn't see a problem. He'll consult with his buddy Dr. Keller too so we'll see what he thinks.... So where does the bad news come in? He thinks it may take awhile for her leg to heal completely or it may not ever heal all the way-as in stay swollen...so we're not really sure what we can do but wait...WAIT???  I'm so tired and weary of waiting!  Isn't 4 weeks enough?  I guess God thinks I need a lesson in patience--He's right-I'm not patient, but will strive to be during this process.  Hopefully, Kitty will heal up and be 100% again.  If not, I will force myself to not feel sorry for myself--I've had her for over 10 years and I can't say enough good about her.  She has taught me many lessons.....I wouldn't trade her or our experiences together for ANYTHING!   I'm NOT giving up on her healing either!  I have ridden her lightly now for about a week and a half and she is holding up great!  In fact, after a ride the swelling in her leg goes down!  So....I'm trying to remain hopeful and positive that Kitty will be herself again! The vet told me that he had a horse that took 6 months to a year for the swelling to go down...so there is lots of hope in this if you look for it!  Keep those prayers going up!  

Waiting is hard....

If you have read my blog or kept up on face book posts, then you already know about my horse's leg injury.    Kitty is a VERY awesome horse.  I have had her for over 10 years and she is very special to me.  I'm not even sure what happened....all I know is that my horse has a swollen leg/ankle that just won't go down!  Now at about 4 weeks later, I'm finally going to take Kitty into the vet for x-rays.  I would have done it sooner, but we (including my vet) thought the injury wasn't as serious as I'm thinking it is right now!  I'm very nervous as all I can do for her is wait....wait....wait....wait till Wednesday morning.  I know God has helped Kitty and I through a lot of dangerous situations, but for some reason, I feel licked this time.  I guess it's because I'm wondering WHY?  Why would God do this to Kitty?  We had such a great year learning tricks, showing, trail riding, and even going to His Ranch to show the kids our tricks?  Why after that, would God decide that my horse had to get hurt...didn't He see the results?....kids and adults smiling and laughing and appreciating Kitty.....I thought this was what God wanted me to do with my horses...share their talents with others.....I can't even be mad at God either because there is no where else to turn--I feel trapped and confused.  I've cried myself to sleep praying to God for answers.....I just don't see the whole picture He is trying to paint-maybe I just don't want to see it.  Well, whatever is it-I guess I will be finding out just how bad my horse is hurt on Wednesday.  I don't want and do want Wednesday to come.  I sure would appreciate your prayers.........

Picture of her swollen leg...:'(

 Fun times together-just before injury

God Answers Prayers!

I know some days feel like they drag on and on and other days seem like they fly by quicker than the speed of light!  This is kinda how God answers our prayers.  He always answers our prayers, but may not do it right away....or even worse....sometimes God answers our prayers in a way that makes no sense to us!  I've had "un-answered prayers or prayers that I still pray without seeing any answer in sight!  I've also had the kind of prayers that are answered in a split second-literally within minutes or just a few hours!  Of course, I LOVE having those kind of prayers, but if God always gave us what we needed when we needed it, we would get to the point of what I call "spoiled Christians."   Prayer is not just for asking to get stuff from God, but prayer is more our way of talking with God like you would to a dear friend.  If you want to get to know someone, the first step is communication!  Prayer is our communication to God!  Yes, it's ok to ask for what you want, for protection, college or homework assignments, the perfect job, your future spouse, yes, even petty things like getting over the common cold!   I've also learned that God still answers our prayers even when we haven't been up to par praying about a certain issue/request.  For example:  I had been praying about getting a tall black horse for quite some time. In fact, before I bought my second horse, Missy, I wanted/was praying for a BLACK horse!  Missy, as you know, is not black, but I LOVE her anyway.  Point is, I've had Missy for about 3 and 1/2 years!  I've had Kitty for almost 11!  Meaning I'd prayed for a black horse a long time and just didn't ever find one that God wanted me to have!  That's a long time to pray for something.....Please don't think that I'm unhappy with my beautiful horses, Kitty and Missy-that is far from what I'm trying to get across-I'd never sell those two-they were chosen by God for me and anyone who has eyes or reads this blog knows that!  :) I'm just saying that is wasn't God's will for me to have a black horse in my life.....yet!  I say yet! because I'm excited!  I was very content with the idea of not having a black horse....I'd rather have a boring sorrel that God picked out for me than to have a stunning black horse that my worldly lust took upon itself to indulge in.  I was watch you call "good with whatever!"  In other words, I was ok with God telling me to wait or telling me that I'd never be getting a black horse.  In fact, I let it totally out of my mind!  However, I have a week off of work coming to me this November and for some reason God put a place that has stunning black foals for sale in IL in my mind this week. I couldn't figure out why He was doing this since I was like um God, I don't think this is the time for buying or even looking at another horse in my life-my sister is getting married, one of my own horse's is injured, and I'm a full-time working girl, AND it's becoming winter out!  Not my timing AT ALL!!  But maybe it's GOD'S timing!?  Maybe I'll just see if I can go over there and look at their horses-just to see if I like them...It was just a thought.  I say this because I met a lady in the feed store today-haha funny thing was I wasn't even gonna go to the feed store, but I guess God wanted me to go because I went!  We somehow got to the topic of horses-not hard in a feed store ;)-and she said she had a cute foal who had placed VERY well at a warmblood keuring (which is a show that scores horses on their movements and confirmation and chooses the best).  When she mentioned warmblood stallion I immediately thought of Indian Artbeat!  (a Huge Black stallion whose offspring I'd been interested in for awhile)  I asked her what stud she used and she said.......yes Indian Artbeat!  Wow...weird!  Diane (the lady from the feed store) then asked if I wanted to come out and see her Indian Artbeat foal and her other horses.  Of course, I couldn't resist such a kind offer so I went home, ate lunch and headed over there-camera in hand!  When I got there, Diane was riding one of her reining horses so she had to show me some moves-which didn't bother me!  : )  I love reiners!  Then she gave me a tour of their beautiful farm!  She showed me her Indian Artbeat foal, yearling, and 2 year old and I was very impressed with their confirmation and temperament!   I told her I was interested in fillies-she only had geldings and they weren't black anyway-they were bay.  She even TOLD me that I should go visit the Indian Artbeat farm!  (How's that for God's timing?)  Here God had Made me go to the feed store, talk to Diane, and visit her farm so that He could use her to first, show me Indian Artbeat foals, and second, to point me in the direction of the Indian Artbeat farm!  Idk, you could say it's coincidence, but I think it was God working here.  We'll see.....maybe it's time and maybe it never will be, but I think God did enough to me today to get my wheels spinning with seeing about a visit to the Black Stallion's farm!   Guess we'll see what develops-maybe nothing at all, but I just love how God works in my life regardless!  Even if I never get a black horse!

The first little guy is only 4 months old and he's huge! 

The dark bay below is a yearling and he is a hair over 16 hands already!

They think he may be as tall as his sire which is TALL  17. 2!

They were both so friendly it was hard to get a picture! 

Kitty's Injured-Please pray for fast 100% recovery!

At PRC, the last horse show of the year is started with a costume class.  This year, I was going to dress up as a Knight on my fancy stepping horse, Kitty and que her to rear!  I even got to borrow my High School crusader outfit and I had even practiced with Kitty to ensure she would be ok with all the thrills....however, it was just not meant to be as Kitty got hurt the day before our show.  Poor Kitty had blood and oozey stuff still coming off her leg cut and she was swollen on that leg and then her other leg was swollen from her hock down to her ankle about twice the size her normal size!  Oh, NO!!  Of course, I'm feeling discouraged and sad-not because I'm gonna miss out on an award or the costume class, but because my horse is HURT!!!  Ever since Monica had her experience with her beloved Danika, I'm always really concerned when I see swollen legs on my horses!  Needless to say, I'm not getting very much sleep and my appetite isn't all the way back up to par, but since Kitty is walking on it-I feel that that is a good sign.  I will be calling my vet again if the swelling doesn't come down in the next couple days.

Anyway, I ended up taking Missy to the horse show and I can say I mostly had a good time, but knowing that you have a hurt horse at home made me feel like part if my heart was breaking.  However, some really kind people at PRC asked about my buckskin, Kitty, and this gave me encouragement!  It's nice to know someone else cares too!  Hopefully, I'll have my Kitty girl back soon!  I miss her!

Yes, I'm a PROUD horse owner!

And yes, I don't think I have the best horses in the world, I KNOW I have the BEST horses in the world!  Show season is over now for me and I am happy to report it was a very successful year!  I went to 12 shows total this year.  I think I took Kitty to 8 or 9 of the 12 and Missy to 4 or 5 of the 12.  I go to a show in Pekin called Pekin Riding Club (PRC) because it is an affordable fun show so it has alot of cool, fun classes to ride.  I consider this a fun thing to do with my horses and also gives me an idea of what I need to work on in my horse's training.  Kitty is my easy button show horse as she is pretty good at every class.  I train her for many different events because number 1-she loves learning. 2  she's athletic. 3  She's a Sandy horse-my horses are trained a little bit of everything!  Kitty did really well and placed in the top 10 in both arenas (speed and pleasure) this year at PRC!  I thought this was an impossible feat for one horse to do so well in both arenas, but I guess it's possible!!!!!  WOOHOO!!!  Great Job Kitty!

Missy had a great year showing too and even though it was only half as long as Kitty's she still placed 12th overall in the pleasure arena-WOW! couldn't believe that!!!!! and 24th in the speed arena!!!!  I couldn't be happier!!!  My Dad thinks she's gonna be a good backup horse!  Fact is, I don't like having any horse set as my back up horse--I just chose to show Kitty more probably because she is better at speed, but like my Dad said, she's coming right along!

Trick horse show season is now over for me as well.  I thought I could maybe do a show in Sept. or October, but time flies when your family is planning a wedding....yep, my sister's-NOT mine! : )  That's ok.  My horses did so good at His Ranch this year and performing for my family that I think we can call this years  trick horse performances a success!

However, trail riding season is still in existence for awhile longer!!!  : )

And of course night riding isn't out of the question when is gets dark so early....Missy and I below at our house-a cool pic from last year!  : )

Camping Fun!!

Horse camping has got to be one of the best things you can do with a horse!  Dad, Mom, Ted and I went to Jubilee State Park with Chica and Kitty Sat. and Sun of Columbus day weekend.  It was a cccold weekend, but we had our battery run heater in our camper to help warm us up so we could all get a restful night.  What fun we had!  Not only do we get to have delicious food, but we get to ride, ride, ride!  We met alot of nice campers last weekend so that made it even more fun!  Everyone seems to comment on how cute little Chica is too!  Kitty got a nice compliment too.  The horses behaved really well for it being hunting season and it being cold and breezy.  Lows were low 30s so yes, we are talking cold weather here! Oh! Forgot to mention that Ted and I also rode Monday!  I was too cold to tent camp so we went home to get sleep and I brought Missy out to ride!

Love this running picture!  Ted is doing better with taking pictures!  At first I was just happy if he didn't cut my head off, but now he is trying his best to get the whole horse and the whole Sandy!  : )

Below is a spot that is rarely ridden-most people don't realize they can still do this trail, but look how pretty it is!  Trail is located and starts at camp on day camp side.  Try it! I dare ya! : )

Thank goodness for horses!

"No human being can ever hope to see you as clearly as your horse does.  People may judge you on your appearance and all your material trappings-clothes, car, house.  Your horse doesn't know about these things, and even if he did, they wouldn't sway him.  Your horse holds you accountable only for what lies in your heart."

Above is a quote I found in the America's Horse (AQHA) magazine.  It really hits home to me.  My horses don't care what I look like, smell like, if I'm rich or poor, handicapped or famous!  They just love me cause I'm ME!  Sometimes, we humans, forget about unconditional love.  We measure people by their material possessions, their talents, their friends, etc.  But let's think about it...would you rather have a friend who's famous or one who loves you?  I love how I can see little God moments through my horses!  I can have one of those days where I'm feeling like I have no one that really cares about me or loves me.  I feel alone.  (Yes, I know God is there!  He is always there!  But sometimes you just need something worldly such as a best friend-a horse in my case, I guess!  For others maybe a dog?  A cat?  ....or another person just to re-enforce that someone loves ya?) However, a quiet stroll over to my horse will lift my spirits within seconds....Why?  Maybe it's because she pricks her ear forward and walks towards me.....or maybe it's because she listens to every word I say like she really wants to help......or maybe it's that gentle nudge that speaks louder than any comforting words.  Whatever it is, you feel loved right away and it makes you feel very special. I thank God that He gave me a love for horses because He knew I needed them!

You Just Never Know!

It's sorta funny/interesting to find out that your horse had a secret admirer.   What do I mean?  Well....Ted and I went riding at Jubilee last Monday and parked by a couple who were camping for the night.  I noticed their buckskin and then when I saw their golden retrievers I just HAD to start talking to them.  I found out that they had driven past our horses pasture many times admiring my buckskin, Kitty.  They always wanted to stop and ask if she was for sale, but never did--which was ok by me!---I told them that Kitty is my first horse and I would NEVER sell her.  :)  Still, it's nice to know that other people think your horse is as awesome as you KNOW they are!  : )  Anyway, they had just bought this buckskin and they were happy with him or her (can't remember!).  So, the next time a car drives past your horse pasture--they may be admiring one of them!  Better just put up a sign that says "no buyers please" just to be on the safe side!

Pics below are of Monday's ride at Jubilee

Trick pics!!!

Not sure how to flip these photos the right way...help anyone?  Anywho, I decided I needed some pics of Kitty smiling!  She is such a cutie when she does this anyway, but then just for laughs I decided to add these goofy glasses!  At first (pic below), I think Kitty is a little ashamed of her new look!

 However, she soon recovers.....

.....Only to stick out her tongue at me!  : )

Then we captured a smile!  Trust me it's hard to que a horse to smile and take a pic at the same time!  

Then it was time for doing stunts!

Fun with Rebecca!

My cousin Rebecca and I had a very vice time camping at Jubilee College State Park June 29 and 30th.  I know...old news right?  Well, ya know, blogs take some time and today is finally rainy so I can do blog stuff!  

Ted running with Chica on the Trail

Ted is really learning to balance on Chica.  We seem to enjoy running on the trails alot more than we use too!  In fact, he asked for this!  : )

Ted's a Cowboy! I love it!

Below are a few pics of Ted and I on our trail riding trips to Jubilee!  I can't tell you how nice it is to have someone be able to ride with me!  Chica is getting loads of exercise and is the perfect size for Ted right now!  Hope Ted grows fairly slow!  Haha, yeah right!  

Above:  Ted's first attempt at taking a pic of me and Kitty 

Rushed Entertainment for the Family

Above is "the hug" 

Below is me sliding off Kitty's back...well finished sliding...: )

Below-Kitty's first attempt in a performance to lay down and she did it!  

I say rushed because I only had around 20 minutes to show off Missy and Kitty's tricks before heading to work.  They both did great!  Thanks, Mom, for the pictures!  We'll have to get better ones of Kitty's new lay down trick.  : )  Kitty was actually the better performer for this show so it's an even score between my two girls as to which will perform the best.  It really is amazing what my girls will try for me!  I'm tickled!

More His Ranch Pictures

A big thanks to my new buddy, T'kya Hoerr, for taking these pictures of me and my girls first official "on tour road trip!"  The first picture is Missy and me (duh).  I'm telling them that my horse shouldn't ever move while on the pedestal until I let them.  I made some corny jokes like telling them that if you wanted to stay dry in a rainstorm just lean against there front feet (for your backrest) and stay under their next to keep dry!  It works every time!  : )

Next is Missy taking a bow

Kitty on the pedestal with all 4 feet!  They loved this one!  This was only about the fourth time for her!  Way to go Kitty!  You made me look good!  

Look how quiet my Missy is!  

Kitty bowing with rider!

Kitty "acting ashamed"

Kitty was very curious to everything and decided to do something she knew--the pedestal!  She was so cute!  We all went out to eat and when we came back she was performing without me!  She stood there all on her own for at least 15 to 20 minutes!  She is DEDICATED, folks!  : )  Missy must have messed up my tarp....oh, well!  Glad she had fun!  

Another rearing picture of Kitty...why not?

Kitty on the pedestal

I had loads of fun and appreciate the opportunity to "show off" my horsey talents with the kids and those at His Ranch.  btw, just so ya know...my horses can do many more tricks than the ones show here....so if you all know of anyone/camps who would appreciate something like this-let me know!  Thanks!