Livin' Life

Well, oh my gosh... I have been shaking and jiving and running amok!  My fellow co-workers are unsure if I am still employed here full time.  I've been out rocking and rolling more than I have been sitting at this desk.  It's good. No, it's great!  Here is the quick run down:

The Babies!!  One of the few photos from Madras 2014...

 When I wrote last we were on our way to Madras, OR for the annual Small Farmers Journal Auction.  The auction was fair to middling, but the experience was just not the same.  This year they did not have any informational seminars, demonstrations, round tables, not even any horses (no, not one- our camping neighbor had to keep his horse in the trailer while on the fairgrounds, as stock was strictly prohibited this year).  It was a little depressing to travel that far to look at rusty junk, but the B-man and I have a good time anywhere we go, so it was still fun.  I did however, write a letter of complaint.  Well, not complaint so much as a plea to bring back all the cool stuff.
A big highlight of the trip was getting to meet a HorseBook friend of mine that lives down by Bend. (HorseBook is the Steve Rother version of FaceBook- you can check it out here: Excel with Horses club)
The internet is such an amazing thing... I have digitally interacted with Jen for more than a year.  It was so fun to meet her in 3D and have dinner together (extra bonus- it was the man's birthday and he got to wear an enormous sombrero and eat flan!!)  Unfortunately, I am a big loser, so no photos...

From there I had a couple of uninteresting weeks of work (JK- my dear boss reads this, so I want to let her know that I love my job :) ) and then... drum roll please...

The Cabin

HORSE CAMP!!

YAY!  I am completely addicted to Rother Horsemanship Horse Camps.  This was my third time and I just can't say enough good about it.  The setting is so beautiful, the weather was outrageous- we had a few thunder showers, but they never lasted more than 20 minutes or so and then RAINBOWS! The food is awesome and the company is always great.  And all of that is just a backdrop to five days of intensive, top notch teaching and learning about horses and communication and timing and commitment... There is dust and sweat.  There are tears of frustration and joy.  There is laughter and camaraderie and rooting for each other and big hoots of hurrays when someone finally gets that thing they have been working at so hard.

 It is truly the highlight of my horse year.

 

 

The Rig

The Boy

The boy (Cheyenne is his name :) ) was very good this year.  No pitching a fit and flopping down and bruising his ribs like last year.  Here he is practicing being tied.  Well, actually he is practicing being patient.

See, I am a good boy!

 I practiced tying.  A knot to be specific.  A Bowline Knot to be even more specific:

Francesca loaned me this book to practice!

I used the Steve Rother method of 5-10-15.  5 minutes of absolute crap, 10 minutes of hit and miss and the 15 minutes of doing it correctly.  It works (for horses too!) and here is the proof:

Yes, successfully tied to the high line!

We (Cheyenne and I) are getting much better together- My horsemanship skills, and therefore confidence and leadership, are rapidly improving lately.  Steve, Francesca and my hometown friend Lynn are to thank for that.  I can't express enough gratitude for patient, knowledgeable instructors!

Here we are in a beautiful spot (one of many at Horse Creek Ranch)

What a nice boy...

And here are some of my new friends on a trail ride there:

Well I am off for another adventure filled weekend... This time with my delightful husband!
We will spend our 11th wedding anniversary riding some new trails!  My heart overflows...

I wish you a joy filled solstice!  We made it another 1/2 a year already!!!