I am really bumbed about her filly having club foot. Its a sever case and surgery isn't an option for me. She is really turning into a nice looking little thing. Thick chest and butt, has her momma's long legs and watching her out in pasture makes it worse. She really gets up under herself and is really light and snappy on her front end. Oh and boy is she COWY! Go figure. Anytime cattle get close to the fence line she is driving them off. A calf got in her pasture the other day and she was naturally cutting it and driving it around the pasture! Odd for running/pleasure bred horse but then again I'm not real sure what was on the sire's side. Even though she is a grade filly, I have a feeling she would really make a nice all around horse for rodeo's and ranch work someday.
Im getting pretty pumped for this weekend. Heading to Grizzle Ridge Arena in Jerusalem, Ohio for a barrel race this weekend. Ely has really come into his own with slow work. He now can do a really nice working trot on loose reins, lope a nice soft circle, works of my leg calmly (before you would think someone had rang the starting bell by his head) and his gate issues have improved tremendously!! He can still get a little hot in certain situations but is really starting to listen to my body and voice. Now I just have to concentrate on me when we work patterns this week! He knows his job out there but Im still getting "my" barrel pattern down. Last week I noticed he was throwing me off balance (aka smacking my butt off the back of the cantle) coming out of the 1 barrel and not making a big enough pocket for the 2nd... after I thought about it and tried it again I realized it was as simple as me not keeping my freaking heels down around the barrels, here I just needed to anchor my leg and stop throwing him off balance. And to think I give so many barrel racers crap for riding like stuffed monkeys tied to a circus dog. Poor Ely, we put up with a lot of stupidity from each other! lol Hopefully we can put it all together on the barrel pattern this weekend and bring home a paycheck. Cross your fingers for me!
