Show Time for Cisco!

Here are some photos that Tasha passed on to me of Cisco at a horse show in August, a few weeks before we brought him home to live with Jena. He's being ridden here by on of Tasha's friends in a halter bareback walk-trot class. He's such a flashy little guy and is so mild mannered that riding bareback and without a bridle is really what he likes the best. They ended up getting 2nd place. Way to go Cisco!

Meet our New Pony Friend, CISCO!!

This morning my dad and I woke up extra early to head over to Maple Valley to pick up Cisco. I met him last week at Serenity Farm an Equine Rescue and Rehabilitation facility. He's a sweet little 13.3 hand Appaloosa gelding. He's super friendly and loves being rubbed, scratched, hugged and petted all over. He follows you around the pasture like a big puppy dog and is very mild mannered. When I first met him he was in a pasture with 5 other horses and was in the middle of eating his breakfast. When we walked into his field he stopped eating and walked right over to us for a snuggle. I don't think I've ever met a horse that has given up his food for human attention before. It made my decision making very easy after knowing what a sweet guy he is and how calm he is around other horses and people.

We met up with Tasha this morning at Serenity Farm at 7:15am signed our lease agreement and then were on the road again at 7:40am. We easily caught the 8:45am ferry back to Bainbridge and by 10am Cisco was settled in his new pasture. The first thing he did was find the sandiest spots and rolled all over marking his territory. He loved it!

Here he posing for the camera after I brushed him off. Such a handsome fellow!

We picked up Jena from Barnabee at 2pm and brought her back to meet her new pony friend. For the first few hours we kept them separated since Jena is just coming out of a heat cycle and was being extra sensitive and frisky towards him. But after a few hours alone we let them out together and they are getting along great. We are excited for this new addition to our horsey family and look forward to lots of pony riding in the future.

Jena at Barnbee

After Ben's death on Sunday we decided to bring our little pony Jena over to live at Barnabee farm for the week so she could be around other horsey friends and not be so lonely. She's had a great time all week and has proven to be the favorite mare among all the other horses there. The minute she walked off the trailer she had all the other horses in a frenzy. Even the older retired horses were kicking up their heels, arching their necks and prancing around their paddocks to show off to the new lady in town. She's been staying in the main barn next two geldings Pete and Dominic. Right when she saw Pete, she immediately went into heat and fell head over heels in love with him.

After our camping trip on Tuesday we stopped by to visit Jena and took her for a little ride in the covered arena. She was pretty nervous at first since the walls are too tall for her to see over and she didn't want to be separated from the other horses. Plus there were some silly crows tap dancing on the metal roof, which caused her to be extra sensitive. But after walking her around a few times she seemed to settle down a bit and then I let the boys take a little ride on her. She did pretty well for her first time in the big dressage arena given all the new sights, sounds and smells.

This afternoon we went over to ride her again and she did much better. She was really calm in the arena and both Jonah and Hyrum had a great time riding her around. I even lounged Hyrum and he did really well with posting at the trot and sitting up straight in the saddle. Jonah is also much more steady in the saddle than he used to be and has even started wanting to hold onto the reins while riding. They are both getting to be quite the little cowboys and the whole time they kept saying, "Faster Mommy! Faster! Ride 'em Cowboy!" It was fun!

After riding in the arena we took Jena out back around the 1/4 mile track and on the trails through the woods. She's such a little trooper! Ben was always too afraid to go on the trails and would require a ton of coaxing. The only time I think I even got him to go on the trails there was the few months right after I bought him (when he seemed to do everything perfectly for me) or if I dismounted and walked along side him. But not little Jena! She's such a little trailblazer and just went head on to the trail like she'd been there 1,000 times. She's such a perfect pony for the kids and I love her so much!

Tomorrow we will be bringing her back to my parent's house after her new pony friend Cisco arrives. I'm sure she'll miss all of her boyfriends she's made at Barnabee but I hope she adapts well with Cisco so we can all feel good about this new transition in our lives.

What Ben Taught Me

As I reflect on the past two years that Ben and I spent together, I realize that he has taught me way more than just how to be a better rider, but how to be a better person overall. Here is a list of things I wrote down the night after Ben passed away. I couldn't sleep very well that night so in tears I started writing down all of the things I've learned from him. It's amazing to me how strong the horse - human connection is and how much we can really learn from their quiet souls if we allow ourselves to mold with them.

-Trust

-Companionship

-Patience

-Love

-Loyalty

-Responsibility

-That I can't just do it all

-To be giving and light with my hands

-To not get in a fight but find other solutions to the problem

-To budget and be responsible with my money. Plan ahead!

-Body awareness

-To adjust my own position and balance first and then get the horse to follow under me

-Training takes time

-Creating harmony

-To have a set plan or expectations each time I ride and not just correct mistakes

-That every horse has hidden potential and once the horse trusts you they will be able to show it to you

-To overcome your fears and not let them interfere with your riding

-That horses are sensitive souls and can read your emotions

-That Ben would never harm anyone or anything

-How protective horses can be of their owners, remembering the one time I fell off of him in the woods and he could have easily galloped all the way home but instead stopped in his tracks and stood by me until I was able to stand up and mount him again and ride him home despite my pain.

-How dependent horses are on people and on each other for companionship and love. All he really wanted before I bought him was a friend and someone to create a relationship of trust with.

-How I will never own just one horse because they are too lonely by themselves. Every time I road him to Barnabee Jena would stand at the bottom of the field bidding him goodbye and would faithfully be there again waiting for his return. They would nicker to each other from the road and sniff noses once they were close enough again at the fence. Whenever Jena would hear us walking up she'd come running down to the bottom gate to greet us.

-How a horse can be dull to road noise but supper sensitive to something out of the ordinary like a plastic bag on the side of the road, or something that had been slightly moved or misplaced.

-How aware horses are to their surrounding and they don't like sudden change. Routine is best!

-That balancing riding and taking care of young children is super hard without the help of family and friends

-That every mom needs an out: an activity that they truly enjoy in which they can find themselves and focus on their own needs and no one else's for a few hours. Me time!

Thank you Ben for teaching me these important lessons and I hope that I'll be able to validate your life each day by demonstrating how I've grown in each of these areas for having spent the past two years of our lives together.