THE FIRST DAY WITH FLICKA WAS INCREDILBLE. SHE STOOD LIKE A PERFECT ANGEL WHILE SHARON AND I TUGGED AT HER WIND KNOTS IN HER MANE AND BRUSHED THROUGH HER TAIL, THANK GOODNESS FOR COWBOY MAGIC. I INTRODUCED HER TO THE LONG LINES AND THE SADDLE PAD AND U COULD SEE THE LIGHT BULB GO OFF AS SHE STARTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS ASKING HER. TOMORROW SHE WILL FIND OUT WHAT A BIT IS AND HOPEFULLY ATTEMPT TO TAKE HER IN THE OUTDOOR ARENA.

WE HAVE NAMED HER FLICKA!!!

SHE'S HERE!!!!!! SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL. IT TOOK US ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO LOAD HER NOT TO BAD, AND SHE UNLOADED LIKE A DREAM AND SEEMS TO BE SETTLING IN VERY WELL. UNTIL TOMORROW.

I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A WHILE, I AM SO SORRY. JUST HAVE BEEN BUSY WITH THE KIDS AND GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS. I HOPE EVERYBODY IS HAVING A GREAT THANKSGIVING, AND THANKING THE LORD ABOVE FOR ALL THAT THEY HAVE. WELL I DO HAVE A LITTLE NEWS, OK A LOT OF NEWS. LOL. FIRST WE HAVE BOON AT THE FARM WHO IS AN 18 YR QUARTER HORSE WHO BELONGS TO DANIELLE, THEY HAVE SADDLE FIT ISSUES WE ARE DEALING WITH. THANKS TO TIMBERLINE SADDLES WE CAN FIX THAT, HE IS GOING LIKE A DREAM NOW, BUT IS IN NEED OF A CHIRO, HOPING TO FIX HIS MOVEMENT IN HIS REAREND. HATS OFF TO DANIELLE WHO SEES A HORSE THAT WANTS TO BE GOOD AND FOR NOT GIVING UP ON HIM. LAST BUT NOT LEAST SOME OF U NOW I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A PROJECT SINCE THEY R NOT BRINGING THE MUSTANGS BACK TO MADISON, AND I FOUND ONE. SHE IS A 15h BLACK WITH STAR MUSTANG. SHE IS SO AWESOME I CAN NOT WAIT TO BRING HER HOME ON SATURDAY. SHE IS NOT TRAINED AND HAS NOT BEEN IN A TRAILER SINCE SHE WAS A YEAR IN A HALF AND NOW SHE IS 8. SHE SHOULD BE FUN. SHE IS REALLY GENTLE BUT WAS NOT ASKED TO EVER DO ANYTHING TO MUCH AND AT FIRST SHE MIGHT TELL ME TO PISS OFF, THAN I HOPE SHE WILL COME AROUND TO MY WAY OF THINKING. SO I WILL DEFINITELY KEEP UPDATES AND PICS, HOPEFULLY EVEN VIDEOS OF OUR PROGRESS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

DEB AND REBEL SHARON AND AMIRA AT POPPLE RIDGE.

THE WEEKEND WAS NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL, WE SURVIVED TRICK OR TREATING AND WE ALSO WENT ON A NIGHT TRAILRIDE TONIGHT, WHICH WAS A BLAST. AFTER THE 4-H MEETING A FEW KIDS COME BACK TO THE FARM AND SADDLED UP. NIKKOLE AND LIL MAC----HER NEW HORSE YEAH!!!!! JADA AND BARNEY, SHARON AND AMIRA AND I RODE JAKE PONYING MADISON ON RUSTY . ALL THE KIDS AND HORSES DID GREAT. JAKE DID GOOD SINCE HE NEVER PONIED A HORSE BEFORE, SO I GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR TOLERATING THAT, PLUS I THINK HE MISSED AMANDA HIS NEW OWNER. YEAH AMANDA!!!! AS FOR MADISON AND RUSTY IT WENT GOOD, AT FIRST I WAS WORRIED, BUT BY THE END SHE WAS SINGING SONGS. IF IT WAS UP TO HER SHE WOULD RIDE HER PONY JOEY, BUT I REALLY WORRY ABOUT HER GETTING KICKED SINCE SHE IS SO CLOSE TO THE GROUND, SO RUSTY IT IS FOR NOW. WE ALSO HEARD FROM COCO'S NEW OWNERS AND EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT IN MINNESOTA, SO ALL IN ALL IT HAS BEEN A THUMBS UP WEEKEND.

madison and rusty

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIEST FAMILY FROM MAPLE GROVE, MINN. ON THE PURCHASE OF COCO THIS AFTERNOON. GOODLUCK AND KEEP IN TOUCH!

david and slick

amy and chief

DEB AND REBEL NINE MILE

ROBIN AND YOGI SHARON AND COCO

SHARON AND COCO

THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO PUT UP WHEN WE RIDE AT POPPLE RIDGE AND NINE MILE. LOL

DEB AND REBEL POPPLE RIDGE

KEN AND MJ POPPLE RIDGE

SHARON AND AMIRA POPPLE RIDGE

ANOTHER CHILLY WEEKEND, BUT WE WEATHERED IT WELL. GOT ABOUT 10 HOURS OF RIDING UP AT THE NINE MILE RESORT WHERE THEY WERE HOSTING A BALLOON HUNT, WHICH WAS PRETTY COOL. MYRON AND CRICKET COME UP RIDING FROM NEW LONDON, SO IT WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE THEM. KEN EVEN RODE WITH THEM ON SUNDAY, US GIRLS WERE NOT QUITE MOTIVATED THAT EARLY. LOL. ALL THE HORSES DID GREAT WE ARE ALL HOPING FOR A COUPLE NICE WEEKENDS TO RIDE, YET. I AM JUST NOT READY TO PUT THE TRAILER AWAY FOR THE SEASON.

sharon and amira, deb and rebel at popple ridge

OUR FIRST SNOW YUCK! IT IS JUST TO EARLY FOR THIS WEATHER, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. BELLA WENT HOME TODAY AFTER HER CHIRO. HOTSTUFF HAD HIS SECOND ONE AND IS DOING VERY WELL CANTERING UNDER SADDLE AND ALL. HE WILL BE GOING TO HIS PERMENANT HOME THIS WEEKEND- KEVIN WILL BE A HAPPY GUY. I ALSO HAD THE FIRST AND SECOND GRADERS COME OVER FOR A VISIT WHICH THEY GOT TO GO FOR A LITTLE RIDE ON BARNEYAND YOGI AND PLAY SOME GAMES IN THE INDOOR ARENA. THANK GOODNESS FOR THE INDOOR. ALL WAS GOOD. I WILL TRY TOPOST SOME MORE PICS SOON.

THIS WEEKEND WE HEADED UP TO POPPLE RIDGE WHICH IS BY TOWNSEND FOR CAMPING. SICK AND ALL I NEEDED TO RIDE MY HORSE AND BE SURROUNDED BY NATURE, IT ALWAYS MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. AND IT DID. CLOSE TO 20 PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO RIDE WHICH SHOWS ALOT OF DEDICATION BECAUSE IT WAS COOOLD, BUT THE RIDE WENT VERY WELL ON SATURDAY WITH ALL OF US, IN FACT, REBEL AND I GOT TO SCOUT A TRAIL BECAUSE WE WERE MISPLACED. NOTHING REALLY UNUSUAL. LOL. OF COURSE I VOLUNTEERED TO CHECK OUT THE GRAVEL ROAD AHEAD AND AS I STARTED OUT PUSHING REBEL FORWARD AT A TROT HE STARTED TO WHINNEY AND GET A LITTLE SQUIRMISH BUT CONTINUED TO GO. AT THAT POINT I WAS SAYING OH SHIT WE NEVER DID THIS BEFORE. WILL WE BE ABLE TO? PRAYING TO MYSELF THAT REBEL WAS NOT GOING TO TURN INTO GUMBY AND LEAVE ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD PICKING GRAVEL OUT OF MY TEETH WHILE HE RUNS BACK TO THE 17 HORSES HE LEFT BEHIND, INCLUDING HIS GIRLFRIEND!!! WELL WE KEPT ON GOING THAN WE BROKE INTO A LOPE AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT, IT WAS LIKE I WAS FLYING WELL ALMOST. THAN I REALIZED WE HAD TO TURN AROUND I BECAME I LITTLE HESITANT NOT KNOWING IF I COULD HOLD HIM BACK IF HE STARTED TO HAUL THE MAIL. I WAS VERY CONFIDENT THAT I HAVE PREPARED HIM FOR THIS BUT U REALLY DO NOT KNOW UNTIL IT HAPPENS. SO WE DID IT RUNNING LIKE THE WIND NEVER SKIPPING A BEAT UNTIL WE GOT BACK TO THE HERD. IT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME!!! THE FEELING TRULY IS INDESCRIBABLE. HAPPY TRAILS TO EVERYONE NEXT WEEKEND NINE MILE AGAIN.

HOTSTUFF GOT SHOES ON TONIGHT WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I ACTUALLY CAN WORK HIM AND WHAT AN A AMAZING ANIMAL HE IS. I LOVE TO WATCH HORSES TRANSFORM AND HE IS DOING IT IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS. NOT ONE BUCK OUT OF HIM TONIGHT SO I DECIDED TO TRY IT, SO I GOT ON HIS BACK AND MOVED HIM AROUND AND THAN DID SOME LONG TROTS WITH HIM AND BIT THE BIG ONE. I ASKED HIM TO CANTER AND HE DID FIRST ONE STRIDE THAN 2 THAN ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ARENA. IT WAS AMAZING! HE IS AMAZING, IT LITERALLY BROUGHT TEARS INTO MY EYES. THE CHIROS ARE REALLY WORKING THANK U SO MUCH DR PATTY, AGAIN!!!!

I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A WHILE. KEN IS GONE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND IT IS ME AND THE GIRLS. WE ARE SURVIVING, JUST TRYING TO KEEP BUSY. WORK IS GOIN OK AND TRAINING HORSES ARE GETTING LESS. YEE HAW!!! I ACTUALLY RODE REBEL THIS WEEK TRYING TO GET HIM PREPARED FOR THE UNDERDOWN ,SINCE THE LAST RIDE HE WAS A LITTLE SOFT ON ME. TOTALLY MY FAULT. HOTSTUFF IS FINALLY GOING FORWARD HE SHOWED ME A LOT OF PENT UP BUCKING TODAY, WHICH WAS A GOOD THING SINCE I KNEW IT WAS IN THEIR SOMEWHERE. WELL HE GOT OVER IT ONCE HE FIGURED OUT THEY HE STILL HAD TO WORK. WE WILL SEE WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS. ALSO CONGRATS TO ROBIN WHO PURCHASED YOGI HE IS TRULY IN GREAT HANDS.

IT WAS A HOT ONE TODAY AND ALL THE HORSES DID WELL TONIGHT AFTER HAVING THE WEEKEND OFF. PIPER WAS A LITTLE HOT TO TROT AT FIRST BUT SOON REALIZED IT WAS NOT GOING TO GET HIM ANYWHERE AND SETTLED IN. I ACTUALLY EVEN LUNGED REBEL TONIGHT TO TRY TO GET SOME TUBBY OFF OF HIM, GOOD LUCK TO ME. I GUESS THAT HAPPENS WHEN I RIDE EVERYONE ELSES HORSES---THEY PAY THE BILLS. LOL! AS FOR MR HOT STUFF OUR ADVENTURE IS JUST BEGINNING. WE ARE STILL LEARNING EACH OTHER AND TODAY WAS HIS FIRST DAY BACK TO WORK AFTER HIS CHIRO. HE WAS AMAZING! I ACTUALLY WAS MOVING ON HIM AND HE DID NOT SEEM SO DEPRESSED. I WORKED HIM ABOUT 30 MINUTES WITH MY SADDLE ON, WHICH HAS ALL THE FIXINS AND HE DID NOT SEEM TO BE BOTHERED BY IT. WE EVEN DID A LITTLE TROTTING. WE ALSO WORKED ON SUPPLENESS AND FOCUS ALL WENT WELL. UNTIL NEXT TIME.

WE THOUGHT THIS PICTURE WAS COMICAL IT LOOKS LIKE ROBIN IS RIDING ON THE BACK OF REBEL-----NOT!!!!

THE THREE AMIGOS AGAIN. WE ARE HOPING TO GET HATS LIKE DAVID!

ROBIN ON JAKE

AMY AND CHIEF DAVID AND SLICK

SHARON AND AMIRA

RIDIN THE TRAILS

MJ CROSSING A MUD PATCH