February 8, 2008

Tonight, I am sitting in my hotel room in Hawthorne. This is the first decent weather we've had in 3 months, and I have to be at my second job instead of home, riding my horses. But my weekends here not only allow me to have my horses and our toys, it also is my reading and relaxing weekend. So I decided to start this blog as my journal. It will also give me a chance to look back and see if I am making progress with the continued training of my horses. Speaking of which, let me introduce them.

Raven was the first horse I bought when I moved here to NV. She is a solid black TWH. She was 18 months old and untrained. Somehow, I was convinced that since I used to ride (15 years ago), I could somehow train a baby. If I only knew then what I know now!! Raven is 8 now, and riding her has taken a backseat to conditioning Whisper and Andi for Endurance.

Whisper is Raven's half sister (same daddy). Her mother was an Arab tho, so she is 1/2 TWH and 1/2 Arab. She is grey, so while she was born black, she is getting lighter and lighter every year. She is 7, and has been under saddle for 2 years. I got smart(er) and had a professional train her. Since she is 1/2 Arab, I decided to give her (and me) a try at Endurance Riding. I love trail riding and Endurance seemed like just a really long trail ride. We did our first LD (limited distance) last April. A 30 mile ride in our own Stillwater Mountains. It was a blast and now I'm hooked! Due to some training issues with Whisper, that was the only ride I was able to do last year; but, I have several on my list for this year! I ride Whsiper in pink to promote breast cancer awareness even when riding. It is my way to combine both my passions.

Andi is my palomino, Icelandic gelding. He will be 5 on April 15, 2008. I bought him when he was 11 months old and he didn't have a rider on his back till this past summer. I wanted to be the one to start him, and I did! On his third ride, I came off and decided Andi needed a real trainer, so I sent him to a trainer I admire and trust for 30 days of saddle training during the month of October. I hope to start him in some LD Endurance rides this coming summer.

And then there is Foxi, a half Icelandic, half Shetland; and her son, Vinney. Vinney's daddy is Andi, but Andi is gelded now, so Vinney will be his only baby.

And last, but not least, is Daisy the Donkey. Daisy was gotten to be a companion for Raven, because I was only going to have one horse! But horses are like potato chips - you can't have just one!