So glad I rode both horses yesterday.  Today is super windy and cold-tomorrow doesn't look any better....Fortunately for me, I will be keeping myself occupied by singing at our Peoria Church Benefit Dinner.  I love to sing praises to my God and enjoy waitressing/talking to the people at my table.  I must admit I was bad this year-I didn't go to any of the recordings for the choir cds/  I had a good excuse-I was riding in the nice weather.  Besides!  Our director is always saying that the ladies need to be quiet so he can hear the men!  Not to mention it takes FOREVER for us to get a song "Perfect".  Geepers!  I just sing my heart out for Jesus-He doesn't care how I sound-just how my heart sounds!  Not that I don't want to be in "perfect pitch"-but let's not get too overboard with it!  So, skip the recordings and HIT the Benefit Dinner, I say! : )  


While riding yesterday, Monica and I scared up a wild turkey-wait, I mean a wild turkey scared ME!!!  The turkey jumped out not more that 6 feet in front of Kitty and I!  Kitty just jumped a bit-Me?  I screamed as if it were a man jumping out in front of us with a machine gun!  


I have to go to a chiropractor appointment soon today otherwise, I would be taking my horses riding at the indoor arena at work.  I have a very busy weekend so not sure if there will be time to ride-maybe if I get up early enough tomorrow I can go to the arena before the benefit dinner.  If I'm late-I was probably riding-at least that would be a good excuse.  : )  

Mysterious Goings On

Miss Kitty, my buckskin mare, is not even 14 yet and already I'm wondering if she is getting arthritis or something...??  She looks fine in the pasture and everything, but get her out saddle her up and she walks stiff the first couple minutes.  This has been going on for a couple weeks and I thought we were over this as Monica and I rode at Jubilee this Monday and Kitty seemed to walk out normally like she has always done.  Then yesterday, she was back to being stiff-boo!  (And this horse is IN SHAPE!!!) I also think back to other things that Kitty has been having trouble with that she normally doesn't.  For ex.  This past winter I began noticing how she was unwilling to pick up her canter (very unusual for a horse who loves running!)-I thought this was a behavior issue-and maybe it is-but research says it could just be her way of saying-"Hey, this hurts!" So...this is a mystery to me....Is this a training issue? or Is this a pain/arthritis/joint issue?  Unfortunately, I think I will be calling my vet if I don't see any improvements this week.  Yes, her cantering has gotten better, but still not as fluent and easy for her as before unless another horse is in the lead-she loves to be first-she'd die before coming in last!  Poor Kitty-I'm feeling hurt for you too.  


Missy did really well out on the trails yesterday and actually that makes two times in a row she hasn't bucked in the canter!  My summer sweetie is coming back?  Missy's respiratory issues seem to be under control with the supplement she is on-she still breaths heavy after running, but at least she has been able to ride.  That stuff is super amazing and I hope I can find something to help Kitty that she will eat-she is super picky-ugh!  She can tell if you put 4 different grain kernels in a bucket-even if you mix it in with the food she loves she won't touch it!  picky, picky!  

I have been super tired this week so not sure why other than I'm getting over a cold/cough/sore throat thing.  Or maybe I'm just tired because while Monica and I were trail riding over at Jubilee we saw a guy riding a UNICYCLE on the rolly, steep, rooty trails--WHAT?!!  I was very tempted to ask him what happened to his bike!?  But I guess I was too tired....: ) 

Where did my sleep go?

Let me define sleep: something you don't get when you are in college. Hello!? I'm NOT in college anymore! So...WHY am I tired?-I'm sick! I have this weird sore throat, tickle, cough thing going on and every time I try to lay down at night I about choke so I have to sit up again. Anyone know how I can get rid of this? My eyes are quite heavy and my headache tells me I haven't been getting much over 4 hours per night.....I gotta say-I NEED sleep to function. I'm surprised I'm functioning now as heavy a my eyes are right now.....stupid throat!

Over at Alamar Acres, we are settling down wild foals-picking up feet and touching them all over. We now have all of this years foals on the ground-2 colts and 2 fillies. My favorite as of now is a filly named Daisy. She is sooo sweet! I wish she would stay cute longer, but they grow super fast!

Home news is pretty exciting....We are going to build a small round pen area for Monica and I to work our horses in. This will be very beneficial to me for trick training and reining spins-depending on how I like the footing-I may even talk Dad into letting me get a small strip to rein slide Kitty on. I've become a BIG FAN of the horse sport-REINING!! I plan to give all my horses some reining training-it does wonders and makes your horse more responsive and flexible and many more pluses that I can't think of right now because remember I'm not getting sleep....: ( I have officially roped off of Missy and Kitty now. I am now standing (not sitting-that's way easy!) on them swinging a rope while they stand patiently under neath me. As far as our Roman riding possibilities-they will have to wait until I can figure out what equipment to use and for the wind to die down around here so I don't blow off! However, today I think I would most likely sleep off.....zzzzzz

One of them there weeks

I must admit it's been one of those weeks. You know. The kind of week we overbook ourselves thinking we'll get everything done on our list only to find out that at the end of the week we maybe got 1 or 2 of those things done. Not that I had a bad week...I actually got a lot accomplished, just not my "to do" list. And now it's rainy and WINDY outside-so no work outside happening around here. I guess this means it's inside work, movies, computer time, and maybe baking cookies? I just love cookie dough! : ) Although, 6:00 at night isn't necessarily a good time to bake cookies....hmmm...I just think this is funny-I NEVER have time to be "bored" like this!? Hoping for nicer weather tomorrow.....I miss my outside stuff!

Jubilee Ride n Cowgirl work

This week has been a very busy week. I've been getting alot done at work and here at home. I've finished spraying the front of the horse pasture on Friday and hope to be down there next week hand spraying other hills and places that i can get too. It's an old pasture and really needs a bulldozer to remove all the overgrown trees and smooth the huge ravine's, but it is not our land so can't spend the money on it. I will say this-it looks tons better than what it use too! With help from Dad, Monica and I have bled, blistered, and sweat just trying to make it a little better or at least usable, right? Maybe some land by us will be for sale at a reasonable price-i.e. CHEAP! I'm still very thankful for the land that God has provided us through our very nice neighbor's-just not thrilled at all the work! : )

Today, I went riding at Jubilee State Park by myself. Well, not exactly by myself! I took Missy and Jesus along with me too! : ) Usually, Monica enjoys coming along with me for company which I thoroughly enjoy, but she was at work and then going to a personal shower for her good friend getting married. So, I hitched up the trailer and off we went! They was actually quite a few horse trailers there and some were even camping the entire weekend! I pulled in and had Missy saddled already so all I had to do was get the bit in and go! Missy was more than ready to go riding after I finished up talking to the people next to us. They were a nice couple from Wyoming, IL. Since the trails were so dry, I decided to take Missy on the tough, hilly, rolling , curving, etc trails. I thought I wouldn't see anyone on this one trail since it is so steep, but I ran into a small group of riders so we chatted a bit! Missy wasn't even fazed that the other horses were going back to camp as she had to move on-she just walked away like a trooper! She wanted to RIDE! : ) I had numerous compliments on how pretty my horse was which, of course, made my day. We also saw some people campers, hikers, one bike rider, lots of deer, and some mushroom hunters. It was a busy day out there! Monica and I usually go one Mondays and so we don't usually see lots of action like there is on a weekend. All of these thing never even bothered Missy-sure she jumped a few times when deer came scrabbling out or something like that, but very excusable. Why, I even spooked at a young girl walking quietly on the horse trail near the people campground-good thing Missy and I weren't running, we would have plowed her over-that's how quiet she was-I think she was texting so it was funny to see her jump a little when I said "HI!" : )

After our brisk 2 and a half hour ride, we arrived back at camp where I ran into an older lady with her 27 year old horse! I hope my horses are still riding at that age too! The lady said she has had that horse for 20 years. That reminds me, I've had Kitty for 10 years and have never had a single doubt that God didn't know what He was doing! He sure gave me nice horses!

Once we were home and unloaded, I got Kitty out to pay some love and attention too. She needed her feet trimmed so I did that and then rode her awhile. I went through her tricks and then let her eat some grass while I filled there water trough. Then it was chore time, supper time and now it's time for BED. Sunrise service tomorrow so I better get some sleep!

Trick Training myself and the girls

If you would have told me I would be doing this on these active mares I would have never believed you! Still need some working on with standing quiet with each other, but who knows maybe roman riding isn't out of the question! : )

Horse Dental Disaster...Almost!

It's that time of year where we have our horses teeth floated (sharp edges filed/baby teeth pulled, etc). Yesterday was that dreaded day for our horses. We use Chenoweth Equine Dentistry and they have done a GREAT job the last two times, but the time before they had a very grouchy, mean, hard core of a guy-very unperson able and rough with the horses-any horse-gentle or not! If you are rough with MY horses that's a good way to get on my bad side. I guess lots of people had the same thought as me-the Knobloch's won't touch these guys because of that one guy! I THOUGHT that this guy had retired or quit cause he hasn't been back since! However, who showed up with the dental team? Yep, HE DID! Excuse my language but the first thing that popped into my mind was, "oh, crap! not this guy!" I was a little neverous...ok alot worried-you would be too if you knew how he acted.....So the setup-there are six big guys and one girl all carrying big boxes and equipment past me and my horses. There are 3 really nice guys that are gentle with the horses and the others I really don't know about-ya just keep an eye on them-: ) Colty and Kitty were brought in first-the nice guys took Colty and did him while me and Kitty (my nervous horse who hates men anyway) get guess who? yep, the MEAN GUY!! Oh, boy! I think Kitty must have recognized him because when he came over her to take her away from me to the stall she about reared up and backed up and stood her ground all just because she didn't want to go with HIM, not HIM! I was like..."Sir, she would be better if I led her into the stall and stood by her." I prayed he'd let me. In the past he just yanks them or twitches them in-he's really rough! Guess what? He LET ME LEAD HER AND STAY BY HER! In fact I not only led her in I helped the vet give her the knock out shot and helped the dental team put on her head gear which was no problem because Kitty and I have a very strong bond. We both trust each other, and I felt important to her as she stayed as close to me as possible during the whole deal. Hey, it took my Dad a whole year of treats to get Kitty to be ok with him....Anyway, PRAISE THE LORD, the MEAN GUY wasn't super mean at all this time! I bet he got too many complaints....

They were all very impressed with what I do with my horses and nothing, but good to say about there mouths-so all in all it was a good experience! My favorite dentist did Missy so I was happy-he saved her teeth he pulled for me too! He's fun! One of his helpers wanted to take Missy home, but I wouldn't let him. : ) We even got a discount on our horses! I'm still in awe of how God worked it out as I was panicking when they first arrived-rightly so though....ask me the story sometime-you'd freak out too as long as your like me anyway....: )

The horses also got there spring shots and coggins done so we can go show, horse camp, and stuff. Thankful for healthy horses with good teeth!