# Journey Begins Again - On the Road to Making a Bridle Horse



## kewpalace

Long initial post, but thought I'd document my new journey. 

I never posted about this, but last year I lost my heart horse, Star, in a stable accident. It was horrific and quick and I was in shock for several weeks and then mourned for months after. I am still quite affected by it, but have gotten to the point of moving on. Right after it happened, I spent a lot of time with Pi, who was also greatly affected at losing her pasture mate, just going out on long relaxing trail rides. It was good therapy for both of us.

Immediately after it happened, like the DAY after it happened, people started offering horses to me. I politely declined as I was NOT in the mood for a strange horse coming that I would have to take care of, I WANTED to mourn for my Star and Pi had the company of the horses across the street. I knew I would eventually get another horse, but would look for another horse that could compete in cow horse when I was ready. 

In the last few months, my cow horse buddies have all been looking for new horses and some have been selling horses, so the bug started growing in me. When I got Pi, I was not actively looking for another horse, but thought if one fell in my lap I'd get it. Well, Pi fell in my lap and I got her, LOL. I started recently casually looking at prospects, thinking a 2 to 4 year old would do, although some of my friends have recently got horses and are going to Snaffle Bit this year. If I got a 3 year old, it would be too late for me to go to Snaffle Bit and couldn't do Snaffle Bit on a 4 yo. So was thinking, maybe a 2 year old would work and I could go to Snaffle Bit next year. 

Of course the other factor is $$. One of my friends has bred NICE horses, but she is getting out of the breeding business and is selling off her last foals now. Well, since she put a lot of time, effort, & $$ in selecting money earning mares and top stallions, her foals are way out of my price range. The one I REALLY wanted, a Spots Hot filly, was priced (and sold) for $10k. Yea, there is no way I could every justify spending that much on a filly. So I've been looking casually at some fillies, but had not gone to see any. There are some in my price range which are nicely bred and put together though.

The friend who I bought Pi from & who has Pi's older full Sister and younger full brother, recently learned she was pregnant. She has bred some of her horses, including Pi's Sister, and had a yearling (a little older than a yearling) filly that she put up on FB to sell. The pix was horrible, but I thought that of Pi too. But I liked the bloodlines .... Dam (Pi's Sister) is by Shiners Buenonic out of a Nu Cash Mare (Dots Nu Cash). Sire is by Smart Little Lena out of a Peptoboonsmal mare (Bet Yer Boons). She is a Palomino - not one of my favorite colors, but then I was not looking for a sorrel either and ended up with Pi.

I asked how much she was looking for the filly and she said because it was me she would make me a good deal. We were Best Show Buddies when she was showing and have keep in touch since then and I bought Pi from her. She sent me some other pix, which weren't that great, so I arranged to go and see her last weekend. I took my breeder friend with me to give me a unabashed critical eye.

The filly was pretty up and flighty, pretty gangly and they had not cleaned her up at all. She still looked horrible, LOL. We tried getting some confo pix, but she was not making it easy. She knows nothing, too. When I took over the lead rope I asked her to do a few things - like not run me over and move off to the side or move back a step or two - since she knew nothing, she was a big confused, but I was really happy that she actually paid attention and TRIED when she realized I was asking to do something. 

She toes out in the front and seems a little light in the bones. She has some other issues conformationally that make her questionable. We got some pix and some video of her moving at liberty out in the big pen (they had no round pen) and I told my friend I'd let her know. Sent it all to my trainer and he was not real impressed with her; there are some really put together prospects out there (but of course they are pricey) and she was not one of them, LOL. But I thought she actually showed some promise and potential and that many of her problems could be corrected or lessened with some attention; and if she didn't work out, then I'd be able to sell her for close or more of what I put into her as she was more than affordable. So after all the discussing and thinking, I ended up taking her. I pick her up on 7/29.

So, here is, Scarlett (Sheza Smart Nu Ride) ...

Not sure how old she is here, but she was obviously small:









This was taken, I think, a few weeks ago:









This was taken last Sunday (7/16/17):









Her papers:









The plan is to get some good food in her, condition her, start desensitizing her to the saddle and some other things. Long term goal is to make her into a bridle horse with all the steps. The first interim goal would be to make it to Snaffle Bit (Non Pro Limited - Boxing) in 2019. If she is not going to cut it by end of NEXT year (2018), then I would sell her. I'm not getting any younger, so she may be my best chance to start one up and get ready for the big show. I do want to ride in the Snaffle Bit at least once ... it's a "bucket list" thing. Obviously I will have plenty of trainer help along the way and it most certainly will be a journey! I am excited to start and will update along the way. 

Thanks for those who got through the novel, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

I forgot how much work a 2nd horse is, LOL! Started Sunday prepping the corral for Scarlett. That means dragging the 11 12' corral panels into the pen I want to keep her in and deciding where they would go. Not an easy feat for me, LOL, but it got done! Now just need to put them up and clamp them together and to the existing telephone poles in the ground that the prior fence was attached to; I'll do that tonight. Getting new corner plastic feeders for her and Pi and adding a few minor additions to "update" the corral. Plus we got some new hay; good thing I bought Scarlett before we got our hay, otherwise I would have gotten enough for both horses for the year. Not a horrible thing, but something that I don't have to worry about now. Need some time to ride Pi, but maybe tomorrow ...


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is home! Got up to Madera about 10:30-ish on Saturday and unfortunately they did not have a chance to clean her up at all. My friend has a carcass pick-up service and had a few calls before I got there plus one of their horses coliced and had to be taken to the vet. My friend got Scarlett separated and in a stall and then we went to lunch. Got back to her place and her boyfriend led her out to load up. I was parked on the road. She really doesn't know much, barely how to lead, but he's a big guy and she followed him easily enough. She loaded right up but was NOT happy about being in the trailer alone. We left her loose with the halter and lead on. She travelled really well home, except when I stopped for a bathroom break or gas, then she started pawing at the trailer.

Close to home I called my trainer and asked if he was available to come and help me unload her as my property is not fully fenced and I was afraid of her getting away from me. So he met me at my house (we got home about 5 pm) with 3 of his kids and got the lead rope through the door, we opened it and ... she stepped nice and calmly out, LOL. But being the trainer he started her lessons right off the bat ("Let the Learning begin!"), keeping her off of him and bending her. She caught on pretty quick and has not really tried to crowd you like she did before. He got her leading up and bending nicely in both directions and then put his kids on her, LOL. She was fine with them ... They just sat on her a few minutes. Then off they came.


















Pi was SOOO excited to have another horse there she was RUNNING, and BUCKING and REARING, LOL. But she stopped by the time I got the camera out. :-( My trainer said to leave her halter on for now and just go down and catch her up a few times a day (she's not good to catch), so I did that few more times that night. And had more to do on her stall, so was out there well past dark.

Sunday I did even MORE work on the corral and caught her up a few times before company came. She actually came up to me on her own at least once. Friends came over to see Scarlett and I caught her up then too. She's friendly to people, but has not had that much exposure to alot of them. Still a little skittish and will try to pull back/escape, but when she hits pressure, she gives and she'll stand quietly. After company left it was more catching up and bending (I spend about 5-10 minutes at a time doing that) and more work out in the corral (the entire corral was fenced with smooth wire; I put up pipe corral on the inside and took that off [which was a laborious process]). I dribbled the hose on her since it was stinking hot; she was not very appreciative of it, LOL, but ended up standing quietly even when I put it over her back. I left her go and she promptly rolled:


















Monday (7/31) I had off as I am having my house painted & the painter had to get into the dog area, so had to be there to contain the dogs in the house. That gave me time to finish Scarlett's corral and run all the wire to the dump. Working on her corral gave her the chance to just hang out with me, even if it was while I was banging way at things, LOL. The farrier came last night to trim her feet. He agrees her right front is turned out some but he did not seem to think it would affect her future performance. He did not know if it would correct with better hoof care, but we'll give it a shot and then work with what we get. She was pretty good for him, but would pull her feet away from him if he holding it too long for her tastes. He was very patient with her though, so it was a good experience. 

All in all, I am very happy with her so far and with how quickly she has settled in. She has called for her herd a few times, but it hasn't been excessive. She called out once and Pi answered and then the horse across the street chimed in and Pi looked at him like, "I wasn't asking for YOUR opinion." LOL ... Now that I am done with the corral work, I am looking forward to doing some other, different stuff with her.


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## carshon

Love! the pic of her rolling!


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## AnitaAnne

Congratulations! She sounds like a good-minded horse, and quite nicely put together. The expression on your trainer's face was priceless; he likes this little mare!


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> Love! the pic of her rolling!


Thanks @carshon! I loved that she felt comfortable enough to roll and really get into it, LOL. 



AnitaAnne said:


> Congratulations! She sounds like a good-minded horse, and quite nicely put together. The expression on your trainer's face was priceless; he likes this little mare!


 Thanks @AnitaAnne. She seems to have a good mind and I'm really happy about that. Yea, my trainer did not like her much from her pix & video (had picked out 3-4 things he didn't like), but liked her A LOT better in person (all but one of those issues were gone, LOL). He was still concerned about her turned out right front, and still is, but is on the "wait and see" band wagon now since he likes her.


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## Zexious

What a gorgeous girl!
Congratulations on your purchase!!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Zexious.  Never thought I'd own a palomino (not one of my favorite colors), but never thought I'd get a sorrel either, and ended up with Pi. She is a cute little thing and should develop into the cowhorse she's bred to be. But until she does, I'll definitely have fun playing with her and getting her prepared for her future job.


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## kewpalace

Last night was good for Scarlett! We worked a little more on leading and bending. I also put the hose on her with a strong mist which she tolerated and then seemed to really enjoy (it was hot and humid out!). I even "misted" her head and she was curious enough to lip the misting water. I am pleased with her progress and hope to be taking off the halter in her pen soon. Weather was threatening to thunder storm, but in the end bypassed us. :-( Some pix from last night (hard to get one of her on lead since she is in my face when the camera is up, LOL), the weather light made her particularly golden:


















You can see her in the lower right corner ...


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## horselovinguy

She is a beauty and going to be a remarkable horse...
Let time and nature with some small human tweaking work on "fixing", strengthening any issues...
Lena horses_ are_ tough...

Now that name, "Scarlett" is perfect...
Such a hidden gem...
Enjoy her and hugs for the hole you still have from losing your other...
We never forget, but time has a way of allowing us to love again fiercely...
_It is your time._
:runninghorse2:.....


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## kewpalace

horselovinguy said:


> She is a beauty and going to be a remarkable horse...Let time and nature with some small human tweaking work on "fixing", strengthening any issues...


 Thank you @horselovinguy. She is a pretty little filly and I have high hopes for her. That is exactly the plan - give her the tools (good nutrition & care, including hoof care, & exercise; and some mind challenges) she needs and let her grow. More than likely I think her issues will resolve through maturity if she has the proper "tools" to do that with. 



horselovinguy said:


> Lena horses are tough...


 That is good to know! :grin:



horselovinguy said:


> Now that name, "Scarlett" is perfect... Such a hidden gem...


I like it too! I didn't like the name my friend gave Pi (Ferrah ), but I do like Scarlett ... and it suits her. 



horselovinguy said:


> Enjoy her and hugs for the hole you still have from losing your other...
> We never forget, but time has a way of allowing us to love again fiercely... _It is your time._


Thank you for this; Star will always be extremely special to me and I cannot ever forget everything she did for me and gave me. She definitely still lives in my heart. But, part of life is moving forward ... never forget, but keep moving forward. And so I shall ... with Pi and Scarlett.


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## SilverMaple

What a cutie! I like her and I love how she's bred. I'm looking forward to following your journey with your new filly 

I'm sorry for the loss of your other horse. The hurt never really goes away, but it does get easier, and a new horse when the time is right can help that heal. I'm happy you got a fun new filly as a project.


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## kewpalace

SilverMaple said:


> What a cutie! I like her and I love how she's bred. I'm looking forward to following your journey with your new filly
> 
> I'm sorry for the loss of your other horse. The hurt never really goes away, but it does get easier, and a new horse when the time is right can help that heal. I'm happy you got a fun new filly as a project.


Thank you @SilverMaple. I am sure Scarlett will help ease the pain of the loss of my beloved Star. In many ways she is like Star in personality. Can't wait until we get her under saddle and see if it carries through there!

Last night we experimented with the fly spray, LOL. She had so many flies on her I took a chance to start her on it. She was actually pretty good, although she was pretty afronted by the short bursts of wet, LOL. I did put some on my hand to rub on her face and by the end I was able to spray her shoulder without her being bothered by it. I'm really pleased with her mind though; very curious and willing to please, but thinking. She'll do well with that on the cow!


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## kewpalace

I have not had much time to play with Scarlett as I was prepping Pi for her 1st show since May. But spent a little time yesterday with her. Started off just tossing the leadrope over her neck and back. She thought I was going to kill her, LOL, but I it didn't take long for her to realize that the rope was not hurting her and that if she stopped, I stopped. Spent a lot of time rubbing it on her as well. She's getting to like that.

Then I was cleaning out the trailer dressing room and had my one "pre-show" shirt in there since I change into my show shirt in my dressing room and thought, "Hey, another Scarlett opportunity!" So took it out there and practiced just flapping it around. Again, she thought I was going kill her (even though I was pretty far away to start, LOL), but thought it was great when I balled it all up and rubbed her all over with it. Went to flapping it again after that and she was better and quickly caught on when she stopped and looked at me, I'd stop. 

Still cleaning up after the show and decided to hang Pi's nylon camo sheet just outside of Scarlett's fence. You would have hit was a dead cougar or something, LOL. She was pretty active, but by the time I got back over there with the camera, she was only giving it hard looks, LOL. Then I hung it on her fence, which she was actually better with it and came up to sniff it when I called her over.





































I did have one incident with her in the morning, but it just shows she's more a flight than fight type pony. I have her feed bucket in the shelter. I will routinely go in with her and stand and rub on her while she's eating. So the other morning I was doing that and stopped for a minute. She must have forgotten I was there because when I reached out to touch her again, she startled hard, and jumped into the closed end of the shelter with her butt up against me, got all turned out and hurried out of the shelter. She never indicated she was going to kick at all, which I was very happy with.  I called her back over and rubbed on her again and brought her back in to the shelter and rubbed on her again while she ate. Settled down quickly. She's getting a lot more curious and relaxed and more attentive to me, but still a little nervous. I can't blame her for that, she's probably still trying to figure out what happened, LOL. But she starting to look to me when things get a little much for her. Good sign. 

From all this I can tell she is going to be QUICK on a cow. Gotta get my velcro ready for my saddle. :grin:


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## SilverMaple

Horses used to living in a herd tend to 'react' rather than think if startled at feeding time because if they don't move when the boss mare wants their feed, they get pummeled. It's good she didn't offer to kick. She'll settle down.


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## kewpalace

SilverMaple said:


> Horses used to living in a herd tend to 'react' rather than think if startled at feeding time because if they don't move when the boss mare wants their feed, they get pummeled. It's good she didn't offer to kick. She'll settle down.


Star was never like that, but then she was exceptional (don't we all think that about our heart horses? ). So I never thought of that, but it makes sense for Scarlett. 

She's becoming very sweet now and shows she is settling down. We played with the nylon sheet next to her last night and rubbed on her neck & shoulder; she was a little concerned but handled it well. Picked up all four feet; she was a little hard to get them up (not bad, just not instant), but did not pull them away once I had them up. And we worked on the tossing of the lead rope across her neck and back. On the right side she was great; took a little more work on the left side. We also worked on walking a circle & bending both ways. And finally she began to find out the joys of a rubber curry, LOL. Those few minutes were enough to make her think that life is certainly good at the moment!

I don't spend a LOT of time working her, but make it count. All of the above was maybe 20-25 minutes? Just enough to touch on things, get some recognition of what I'm asking and then that's about it. She's pretty much a sponge and wants to please, so it is a lot of fun working with her.


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## kewpalace

Last night was a fun playtime! Got the saddle pad on her with no fuss at all! Took it in to the pen, let her smell it, had it folded it half and rubbed her on the shoulder and back with it and then put it on her back. Did both sides. It didn't bother her in the least, but then we just stood there. She walked a few steps, but I wanted to save that for another day. Last night I wanted it to be just a stress free experience









We'll see about walking with it tonight. 

And Scarlett got introduced to the mane brush ... she was not to sure about it, but in the end liked how it scratched her neck, so she was all for it, LOL. Got her mane and forelock combed out.








Next task is her tail!

And just because I think this shows her condition a week and 1/2 after she's been at my place ... think she has filled out a little!









She looks TALL in this pix, but she really isn't that tall .. LOL.


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## kewpalace

Took Scarlett out of her pen for the first time yesterday. She was a little hesitant but readily followed me. We worked on staying on the same side of the hand that is holding the lead rope. I don't think she'll have much of a problem with that, but need to practice (of course). 

Played with loading in the trailer. She will readily load with you, but is not good at sending, but hey, she's NEVER been sent before, so I'm not concerned. She will not stay in the trailer alone (I did not close the door, it was always open during our session), but would stay if you were in there with her. Again, not a concern, just seeing where she's at. I do practice sending her around me, not lunging, but at a walk. She's picking it up. Just need more of that. When I would unload her I let her turn around to walk out. When we have a little more control under our belts, we'll work on backing out.

Then I faked tied her, LOL ... I have telephone poles as anchor poles in her pen. They were put there by the previous owners of the property. There is one about 6' (?) tall at the shelter opening, that has a rough top, so I put the lead rope on top of that. It will "catch" the rope, but if she panics and pulls it will not hold it. The first time she started to walk off, it fell off. :icon_rolleyes: Operator error. The next time, after an adjustment, it stopped her. She could have pulled it off, but when she hit the end, she stopped and stood. Good deal for me! LOL ... I don't think she's going to be hard to teach to tie at all.

Cleaned her up a bit with the hose, brushed both mane & tail, and tried fly spray again ... she was great both times. She was a little concerned with the hose on her back legs, but then realized, it was not hurting her and she was good. She was not bothered at all by the fly spray.  I even sprayed her later, again (the flies are horrible) and she was not bothered by it. 

And last, but not least, I took Pi over when Scarlett was in her pen so they could sniff each other. The first time was short and sweet. The second time a little longer then Pi gently nipped at her nose, LOL, like "youngster". They should be fine together. Will do that a few more times and then see about turning them out together.

Sorry no pix this time. :-(


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## kewpalace

Faux tied Scarlett again last night. 











She actually bumped up against the end of the lead and at one point got "stuck" (where she thought she couldn't move her head), but didn't panic at all, just moved around so she was unstuck. While "tied" I cleaned all her hooves, brushed her mane and tail and curried her. She was great. Worked a little on moving the HQ and just bending her neck both ways. Fly sprayed her again and she was fine with it. Doesn't really like her head done (no one does!) but only just raised it a bit. I'm really pleased with her mind - she wants to please and really tries to do what she thinks you're asking for.


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## EstrellaandJericho

Daw I love Scarlett. Subbing!!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @EstrellaandJericho!


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## AnitaAnne

I'm not really a palomino person either...but Miss Scarlet could change my mind; she is such a beauty 

A good mind in a horse is the most important asset IMO, the rest you can work with. She has it


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## kewpalace

Thanks, @AnitaAnne. She's worming her Palomino way into my heart, LOL ... 



AnitaAnne said:


> A good mind in a horse is the most important asset IMO, the rest you can work with. She has it


Couldn't agree more that color doesn't affect whether their mind is good or not. Mind, conformation and breeding are the first things I look for. I quit looking at color since when ever I say I don't like a color, that is what I end up with, LOL ... Scarlett's mind was certainly the selling point for me,when I went down to see her the 1st time. And it has only improved since I've had her.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is officially mine - got her papers in the mail on Saturday!

Had a busy non-horse weekend, but got some trailer loading practice in with Scarlett and generally played around with her - leading, picking up/cleaning feet, fly spray, bathing, saddle pad fun, finding out there are treats in the trailer dressing room and more faux tying, upped a notch so it would have a little hold, which she did great with. She consistently drops her head/nose down for haltering; so happy with that! Here's some pix from Saturday night:


























Pi was feeling her oats on Saturday morning ... she has a trait from her Dad that part of her play includes rearing ... She never does it under saddle, which would be quickly nipped in the bud if she did, she only does it when she is playing and out on her own ... Here's some pix (these are all the same rear; when she goes up, she stays up quite a while!:


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## kewpalace

Been a little while since I've updated. Not too much new, still working on the same things when I can get to them but work has been crazy busy, so have not had a lot of Scarlett Time. Did get the caution tape up around the arena and turned her out on her own a few times. Here is a bit of the 1st turn out alone ... she did this the whole time, LOL, and loped around like a gazelle!






I came close to calling the friend I bought her from and say,"What kind of scam are you running here? I thought I bought an AQHA!!" :rofl:

It took me a short time to catch her, but my work payed off as she responded to my cues (once she saw them) and stopped and dropped her head for the halter. 

A few days later I turned Pi and Scarlett out together ... 





Right after that, they wandered around the turnout attached at the hip, LOL.

Then the other day I turned them out while I did a bunch of chores, but taped them first (this is quite a bit longer and the light is funky cuz it was getting dark):





So I think things are going to be just fine between them!!


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## kewpalace

No new training news, but we had a freak accident that caused Scarlett injury to her mouth. I did not see what happened exactly as I had my back turned putting hay in her feeder. But she was ****ed at me cuz she was hungry and wanted to be fed RIGHT NOW and I guess I was not fast enough. She went up to the gate (which is a tube gate) and I think was mouthing the chain. She must have caught her teeth, it scared her and she pulled back, but was temporarily caught. She basically ripped her gums on either side of her front teeth. Vet said she probably fractured the top of her mouth, but he wired her together (called them braces, LOL). They sedated her for the procedure but said they cannot numb the gums, but she did really well. 

So she is on wet cubes/pellets (vet asst. called it "gruel" LOL) for a month, bute 2x a day and I get to clean out her braces 2x a day. A full recovery is expected. She's been really good at letting me clean her mouth, although she does not like it much. 

I could post some pix, but didn't want to freak anyone out.  But here is a pix of her the next day; I gave her a mini spa treatment. 










In Pi news, we entered the horse show (Ranch horse class) at the Fair, which was the last class after the sorting and team penning classes. They used the team penning cows for our class. Yea, after the cows had learned to disrespect your horse. We got two HORRIBLE cows (I did both the open and green class) - one would NOT move (and we were right on top of it), the other had learned to dive under the horse's neck regardless of how little room there was. They admitted afterward that they should not have used the team penning cows.  But Pi was fantastic and did her best ... I was surprised to have stayed on her for some of her turns on the cow. LOL ....


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## kewpalace

I guess I do have a bit of training news ... I put a blanket on Scarlett for the first time since temps went down dramatically one night. She did not bat an eyelash of being all strapped up, LOL. But when I went to put on Pi's I could see Scarlett trotting on her fronts and doing little bouncy bucks with her back end; it was pretty funny. Then she reared up like Pi and I thought, "Aw, there's her Grandpa!" Since that first time, she's had the blanket on/off for the past 3 nights. She's had a little issue with going over her head, but as long as I get it to where she can see through the head opening, she's good. Taking it off over her head is a non-issue. I've never really had a problem blanketing, but you never know.


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## kewpalace

Life has way of getting in the way, so since Scarlett injured herself, I haven't worked with her much. 

But on Sunday finally put her out with Pi in the turn out; was waiting for the 2 week past injury mark, which seems to be be the time for other changes per the vet (such as getting off the gruel and back on hay). However, Last weekend (the 2 week mark) I was in Norco riding in my trainer's demo at the Norco Horse Affair, so had no time to turn her out with Pi. Anyway, she spend all weekend turned out with Pi (who is NOT impressed by her, LOL) and did well. Took Pi out last afternoon (I had company all weekend and went out after they left). Scarlett came over to the fenceline when we got back - she's filling out a bit:










She gets her braces off on Monday. Then will start working with her a little more. But she is consistent in getting caught/haltered and I have been working with her feet which she is great with. A little bending and moving shoulders/HQ. Just need to get out of the corral to do it, too.


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## kewpalace

Thought I'd post a pix of Scarlett from last night; not the best pix but you can see she's filling out and not looking so yearlingy, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

Had a great lesson with Pi on cows last night at my local trainer's, the one who will start Scarlett. We've been doing a lot of slow work with Pi and cows and it showed last night with her working slow, relaxed and - when I started using my feet- correct. 

After my lesson, we talked about starting Scarlett & the plan to develop her. He wants to wait until she is fully two (next March) before actually stepping on her, but before that, get as good as I can with the ground work, getting to reliably tie (not the faux tie I've been doing, LOL, although it really is like hard tying), and start hauling her with us when Pi & I go to shows. I trust his judgment and program, so am on board with all of it. I'm excited to start this journey since I have never had a horse "in training" except when he started Star 13-14 years ago (he only had her for two months). He will have Scarlett from 6-8 months or more depending on the circumstances, which is way different from all the other horses I've had. 

She was cracking me up last night when I got Pi, as she was playing NFR bareback bronc - bucking in the air all 4 feet off the ground, rearing and doing a buck-whirl-buck, LOL ... seems like she's feeling good (wish I would have gotten that on camera!).  Love watching them play ...


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## Knave

Congratulations on the new filly! I?m excited to see you progress with her. She looks like she has a good mind and I like her breeding!

My cowhorse also toes out in his fronts. It is minor, almost unnoticeable to look at, but it has created issues. He brushes in the front end if he gets long at all. It created a dramatic injury and some time off last fall. I was eventually able to manage it by changing his angles a bit, but I have to keep him booted and I keep him barefoot and don?t let him get long. I hope you don?t run into anything like that!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. I am really excited too! 



Knave said:


> My cowhorse also toes out in his fronts. It is minor, almost unnoticeable to look at, but it has created issues. He brushes in the front end if he gets long at all. It created a dramatic injury and some time off last fall. I was eventually able to manage it by changing his angles a bit, but I have to keep him booted and I keep him barefoot and don?t let him get long. I hope you don?t run into anything like that!


Thank you for your experience too ... so far she is seeming to be straightening out, hopefully it will continue. But I'm not opposed to her being a tad bit toed out. Even as much as she was when she came, my farrier was not concerned about it and we keep to a consistent farrier schedule, so I think she will be OK. Yea, I certainly would like to avoid any injury that you went through. How old is your boy now?


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## Knave

He?s four now. He?s also sound and just fine, so it is possible I worry by continuing booting him when I ride and doing his feet all the time. Lol. It could have been the shoe job that made it happen too... who knows.

He was also a snaffle prospect in my head (as well as a ranch horse), but I bought him in October of his 2nd year and he knew nothing at all. I realized pretty quickly that if I wanted him to compete with the snaffle horses I?d have to push him too fast. So I decided to just take it slow. I think he?s turned out really well, so it was worth it in the long run. Maybe the next one... lol


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> He?s four now. * * *He was also a snaffle prospect in my head (as well as a ranch horse), but I bought him in October of his 2nd year and he knew nothing at all. I realized pretty quickly that if I wanted him to compete with the snaffle horses I?d have to push him too fast. So I decided to just take it slow. I think he?s turned out really well, so it was worth it in the long run. Maybe the next one... lol


I agree with going with the horse. My trainer and I are on the same page in most things, including that. In discussing Scarlett's training plan with my trainer, he just shrugged when talking about making it to Snaffle Bit and said if she wasn't ready, I'd have a great Derby horse. While SB is the bucket list item, I could very well live with making her a Derby horse if SB doesn't pan out. And, as you said, "maybe the next one!" :wave:

Will be looking forward to your posts when you find your "next one", @Knave. :thumbsup:


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## Knave

I think that is a good plan!

Oh, I hope I don?t get a next horse very soon. I really like Bones. He is still progressing constantly and he?s very well rounded. I hope to take him open one of these days. I bridled him up, but I only took him in a cutting in a bridle, so I am still qualified to show working cow in the snaffle bit if I understand correctly. I do not think I will show him in a snaffle though. I?m not sure. I am plum happy with him though. I did a cutting run on him brideless and I can do a reining pattern too. He is a super fun guy and I enjoy riding him for work as well.

My little girl has her sell horse up though, but I am not planning on her next project being a cutter just yet. 

I really look forward to your progress!


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## kewpalace

About time for an update!

Ended the show year with Pi on the semi-injured list. The last show was a two day show, but we also entered in the Spectacular, so that meant we showed three days. Ended up 8th the Spectacular (2 spots out of the $$, darn it all, LOL). IN the 1st horse show, won one club class and ended up 2nd in the other and ended up in the $$ spot at 3rd in the NRCHA class. The 2nd HS, we tanked ... yea, was not a good day. Pi was sore in her hocks and I was tired, too, so we did not do well.

In the year, we ended up 27th in our region in the NRCHA 1k (7 spots out of making the World show), and 5th in one club class and 8th in the other. Given our limited showing this year (we missed two shows), I'm pretty pleased with our final standings. And, coupled with the Santa Ynez Cow Horse shows, we won a little over $500 this year! Yea Pi!

Since Pi was still sore a couple of weeks after the show had the vet look at her when he took Scarlett's braces off. She got a shot of Legend and two weeks of "no forced exercise". The two weeks are up today, but who knows when I'll get on her again (Xmas and short days have a way of curtailing riding). Which means lots of condition once I get on her (which will have to be fairly soon as we have entered the Santa Ynez show in January).

Since Pi was on no-riding restriction, I took Scarlett up to my Trainer's to hang out. I still had not hard tied her for any length of time or trailered her anywhere since I brought her home and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I started working her early in the trailer since I have not really worked her on loading for a while. She hopped right in. We did that a few times and then I started teaching her to back out of the trailer. She was a little shocked at the drop off at first, but doing slow and easy she was consistently backing out. She is still not real sure about it, but she will back out.

I did not tie her in the trailer going up and she was a little worked up when we got there (it's about a 10 minute drive). Backed her out of the trailer and then we walked around looking at things until my trainer came out. We went down to his barn and chatted a bit and we watched while he saddled his horses up. His first lesson came and hard tied Scarlett to one of his hitching post. I was close enough to be out of sight but to be able to go and help her is she freaked. Nope, she never freaked. Was a little impatient, which is to be expected, and pawed a bit, but by the end (probably a couple of hours), she was pretty calm and standing:










She is not on level ground in this pix, so it looks like she's more butt high than she really is. We also sticked her - she came out at about 13.3. 

My trainer really likes how she has filled out and said she's balanced and strong in the right places.  He's excited to start working with her after the 1st of the year.

Tied her for the ride going home - the first time she's been tied in the trailer. She did pretty good, but was a bit sweaty and worried when we got home. She just needs more of that. Backed her out of the trailer and walked her around a bit and then put her in the turn out with Pi. 

On the whole I'm really happy with how she handled the experience. I think it as a positive experience for her, too. We'll go up again next week.


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## kewpalace

A new year filled with expectant potential! I'm excited to see what this year brings for Scarlett and I. 

Since we had a long weekend, I took the opportunity to see how Scarlett would pony & how Pi would be as the pony horse. They were both fantastic. From the 1st time, which was very short, Scarlett acted as if she had been doing it all her life. Worked her a little in the yard and then we went out a little ways from the house. She was great. Then, a few days later, my neighbor had a friend come over who hadn't been on a horse in years. I asked to tag along with Scarlett and Pi and we went about 1-1/2 miles RT. She was great (as was Pi). 

Then yesterday, for the New Year, put both horses in the trailer (1st time Scarlett has been in the trailer with Pi) and took them to a friend's up the canyon. Tied them to the trailer for a bit and then we went out for a short ride. Again, couldn't fault anything she did. She's calm and brave with everything new. Am so looking forward to seeing how she does under saddle!


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## COWCHICK77

How have I been missing this thread? LOL
What a cutie miss Scarlett is! Looking forward to reading about her progress.


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## ChasingDreams

Following along! Scarlett is a pretty girl, and I like reading about her training experiences  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JoBlueQuarter

Agree with you, @COWCHICK77. How did I miss this thread for so long? I'll definitely be following along now!

Scarlett and Pi are gorgeous horses!!


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## kewpalace

Thanks Ladies! I am having such fun with Scarlett; it is almost like she is already broke! I have to really be careful and remember to treat her as young and green or I'll get us both in trouble, LOL. 
@COWCHICK77 - been wondering where you were! Glad to see you in my thread!! :cheers:


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## kewpalace

Not much happening on the Scarlett front, but that is about to change. We have round pen lessons scheduled with the intent of getting her thinking about using herself for performance and starting saddling. Actually starting for riding will probably wait until spring and her actual 2 yo Birthday in March. Have ponied her out a bit and she was great. Walks over anything; plows through sand banks, LOL. Not spooky or scared of things. I'm loving this little tank of a filly.

Pi and I went to the Santa Ynez Cowhorse show/spectacular last weekend. I have not had much time to ride her and the idea was to do a nice easy show. I was thrilled with our rein work (not stellar scores but a solid 68 & 68.5). Judge came up to me after and said we just need to get our stops down and we'll be good to go in reining.  I know the big problem with the stops is me looking down; cuz when I don't look down we nail them. We entered in the NP Spectactular, the Rookie horse show class & the Step Up Boxing class. Because of our mediocre cow work (rider malfunction - I just whimped out), we got last in the Spectacular and the Rookie class. But we won Step Up Boxing! I will post any pix that I get ... That was a FUN class and I'm looking forward to doing it next show in March. 

It was a LONG weekend; we drove out there on Friday (show was Saturday & Sunday). Because of the mudslides in Montecito, the 101 freeway is closed for a good stretch so everyone uses either 166 or 46 (which is more north). I take 166 to Santa Ynez and it is a two lane highway (one lane each direction) a large portion of which is no passing. So with trucks, trailers and increased cars, it took me 4 hours to get home. Only an hour more than usual, but when you are tired after a long weekend, it is a LONG time. But we made it and have the start of the show season on its way. Next up is the CCHA 1st show on 1/27. Unfortunately they don't have Step Up Boxing ....


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## kewpalace

Scarlett had her 1st lesson with Matt on Saturday! It went excellently well and I'm so proud of how she handled everything. I have pix and video - video is still uploading and I'll post them when I can.

We got there a little before lesson time and I took her down to the barn area and tied her up. She was not very patient, LOL ... but got one of her standing for a hot second:









Matt came down and said to take her to the round pen, so I let her loose in the round pen: 








I got video of her playing around while waiting ... to come later..


Matt came down and moved her around the pen for a few minutes. Got some video of that. 


















Then he decided to put the bareback pad on her with a cinch to see how she handled that. He put her halter on and then put boots on her, just in case. She's never had boots on:

















Then moved her around with the rope & then the flag:

















Boots didn't bother her at all. 

Put the bareback pad on (have video of that). Didn't bother her in the least. Must have been all the blanketing I've been doing, LOL. He then took the halter off and started moving her around the pen and she buck about 2-3 strides and then settled into loping around nice. Did that both ways for a bit and then haltered her up again:









She was taking everything in stride. Then he decided to see how she would take it if he put some weight against her. He was jumped next to her first and she did not react. Then he jump up on her for a second and she was like "WAIT a minute Wilbur, what the heck are you doing?!" Not freaked out, just really, WHAT THE HECK, LOL ... got video of that but here's some pix:

























Then he started just pushing against her until she got used to that & started bracing against it and then he started pressing on her back until she got used to that and then we called it a day. She got a good scratch for the end:









I stayed for his next two lessons and left her tied. She was impatient at first, but settled down pretty quickly. Matt had all yellow horses for lessons that day .. got a pix:


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## kewpalace

Videos! 

Scarlett waiting for her Uncle Mattie ...





Moving around the Round Pen:





"Ok I'll come into to you..."


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## kewpalace

1st Time with the bareback pad & cinch on. I had put a saddle pad on her before, a few times, not much. He didn't do any prep work, he wanted to see what he had before he did anything ...






Then he moved her out:


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## kewpalace

All these are getting her comfortable with weight; after the last video is when we ended the lesson:


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## Zexious

Scarlet is such a lovely looking lady, and she's already making some really great progress!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Zexious! I am very excited about her. She took everything so well and was nice and relaxed after the lesson. Great signs for sure! She's pretty amazing.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett had her 2nd lesson with Matt on Saturday (2/17/18) and man he packed a lot in! He would not do it all if he felt she was not ready for it and she was relaxed and calm at the end. She handled everything so well, I was really happy with her. 

I brought both horses since I had scheduled lessons with each of them. 1st time I brought them up together. The Round Pen is down below from where trailer parking is; they cannot see each other but could certainly hear each other. Of course, even though Pi is grumpy with Scarlett 90% of the time, she called out constantly which made Scarlett distracted during her entire lesson. But Matt was not bothered in least with it and just went about business, LOL. 

After moving Scarlett around the pen a bit, Matt decided he would see what she did with the saddle. The 1st time she's had a saddle on!!! :clap: Again, she's very distracted with calling to Pi, but Matt put the saddle (with both front & rear cinches) on her and took it off and then put it on her and cinched her up.


















Then he moved her out on he leadrope:





He turned her loose and she did about the same ... no buck at all!

Then he turned her on the fence and I was excited! Man, she turns on a dime and I'd better be holding on!









More in next post ...


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## kewpalace

After doing that he decided to put the snaffle on her to pack around for a few minutes.























And he sent her off ... 









She was a little busy with the bit, but that's OK - it's the first time she's ever had something in her mouth like that!!

Then he worked on getting her used to him being in the stirrup, she was really good on the right side; not so much the left:














Then he SAT ON HER!!! Twice! eek_color::happydance::





After that he let her sit a few minutes and then dropped the bit:














She was relaxed and calm at the end of the lesson ... just as it should be.  She's so awesome, I'm super excited about her!

Matt will not ride her until she is up there for a few months as he said if there is something that does bother her, he wants to make sure she is there that he can address it consistently (daily). He really likes her and is excited to get her there by beginning of April for consistent training. He is just up the road from me, so I can go up when ever he rides her. He also sticked her - she's now 14.1 - almost as tall as Pi!!


She was tied up at the hitching rail while I had my lesson on Pi, after which Matt took Pi for a spin:


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## Zexious

Sounds like you both had great lessons!

She seems so smart, and your trainer seems to really know what he's doing. It's so important to end on a positive note with young minds, and he very much seems to be going out of his way to do just that. Awesome!

Really love the look of Pi, too. He looks like an honest, catty little mount!

Keep us updated ! <3


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## JoBlueQuarter

Scarlett and Pi are looking SO good!! Nice work to you and Matt!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Zexious, we both did have great lessons!



Zexious said:


> your trainer seems to really know what he's doing. It's so important to end on a positive note with young minds, and he very much seems to be going out of his way to do just that. Awesome!


I have been riding with Matt for 15 years (yikes!). He started my 1/2 Arab Mare, Star, and has been there through thick and thin with us. When He first started Star, I went to every single clinic he had and always bugged him (and he let me) to come up to watch when he started horses. I have NEVER seen him lose his temper with a horse. He will get strong with one who tries to muscle him, but he never gets angry with them. He is very soft with the horses, and he won't push them when they are not ready - he goes the horse's speed; just a very good trainer, (one of the best that I've seen IMO), even though he is not a "big" name in any circles. He stopped taking in horses to start about the time I got Pi and would only take Pi (who had already been started) for a month when I got her. That was 7 years ago (my how time flies!).

When I started thinking about getting a youngster to bring up as a futurity horse I wanted him to start it (even though I knew he wasn't starting horses, LOL) and started feeling him out about it. By the time I went to go look at Scarlett, he was on board with it mostly as a favor to me and was clear he was not on a "futurity" schedule, but now he's getting into starting a baby again. He didn't want me to get Scarlett at first (thought there were better prospects out there), but I did, LOL. He LOVES her now and is excited to take her in for training. Thinks she has the talent and breeding to do well. While I would like a futurity horse, and that is what she was bought for, if Matt thinks she will not be ready for it, we will make her a Derby horse instead. It's a win/win for all of us. 



Zexious said:


> Really love the look of Pi, too. He looks like an honest, catty little mount!


Thanks! Pi is _really_ catty and LOVES the cows! While Matt only has a flag now, she will work it, too, just more intense on a real cow. But she is a known "cow eater" at the shows, LOL. 

No worries, regular updates coming!! 



JoBlueQuarter said:


> Scarlett and Pi are looking SO good!! Nice work to you and Matt!


 @JoBlueQuarter, thank you!! Loving how my ponies are looking (although Pi needs to shed a few pounds. And when Matt takes Scarlett full time, he'll have her all shined up (he's pretty meticulous and will spend lots of time getting her coat to shine, too!).


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## kewpalace

It is 27 degrees right now. Scarlett has a Matt lesson in a few hours. It us supposed to be a balmy 35 then. Better wrap up WARM! 😬


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## kewpalace

It ended up being about 40 degrees for our lesson. Started off at home with a little excitement ... walked out of the house and my neighbors were in my yard saying Scarlett got out of the turn out. They were trying to corral her, but she was having none of it. 

I get down there and walked right up to her, LOL. If they would have thrown the rope over her neck she would have stopped. Anyway, it was all good and I loaded her up for the lesson.

It was a great lesson! SOOOOO excited for this little filly! She is smart and retains everything from the prior lessons. 

He booted her up, threw the saddle on/off a few times (she just stood there), and then cinched her up. Got the flag out and moved her a bit, bending her - she's nice and round and soft. 

Then he got a rope out and swung it around her. She didn't like that too much, but settled down quickly. He took the halter off and moved her off and then got half-way up on her. Got the rope out again and started swinging it and threw it so it laid the loop on her rear. That startled her a bit and she quickened her pace but then settled down. He did that a few times. It took her those few times to relax with it. 

Put the halter back on and then bridled her - it took a little longer than last lesson but she seemed quieter with the bit. Still played with it some, but not quite as much. He moved her out with the bridle on and she went nice and easy. Gathered her in and then bent her to the left and started bumping the stirrup against her side until she moved her HQ. Did that a few times. Then he got on her. And started bumping her with his left leg until she moved - the first time she's moved with weight on her! She took a few steps to the right and stopped. No panic; not scared; no buck (yea!!). He asked her again and the same result. Then he got off of her. And that was the lesson! She was nice and calm and relaxed at the end ... so fun to watch her learning! 

Here are some pix ... I also have video but have to upload to youtube yet ... maybe by lunch I can post.

Before lesson poop scooping, LOL:









Bending her under saddle:









Bridling:









Rope:









Rope 2; this is also where he laid the rope when she was moving around the pen:

















Rope 3 - taking of the rope he would rub it on her bum all the way down until it was off:









End of the Lesson:


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## kewpalace

Forgot two pix:

Before the lesson started, Matt curried Scarlett cuz she is REALLY shedding. You can tell she hates it:









Scarlett is one horse that LOVES to be loved on; it's a good reward for her and Matt does it a lot:


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## kewpalace

Here are the beginning of the videos - I'll break them up in different posts so there are not too many in one post. Also, Matt's son was watching the lesson - you'll hear him in some videos; as well as some of Matt's comments. Hope you Enjoy them!

Flagging:





Throwing the saddle on:





Only buck in the lesson!


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## kewpalace

Getting used to the rope:





Reward:





Mount prep:


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## kewpalace

Bridling:





Getting a response to a soft feel:





He did that a lot on both sides and then we played around with making a "clinician video", LOL. We did three; here's the last one:


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## kewpalace

Getting her to move by bumping with the stirrup:





1st time Scarlett's moved with any weight on her back:


2nd time :





That all he did with that in this lesson.


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## kewpalace

And then he moved her around getting her used to the rope ... 

















And the end of the lesson ... a final mount.


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## kewpalace

OK, I'm video challenged ... here's the correct videos of Scarlett moving with weight on her back for the first time.

1st - Matt moved her around from the ground with the stirrup on both sides:





then he got on and bumped his left leg on her:





Then he moved her a 2nd time:





And that's all he did in this lesson with moving her while mounted.


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## ChasingDreams

I love watching and reading about her lessons! Great job 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kewpalace

Aw, thanks so much @ChasingDreams! I am glad someone else is appreciates my multitude of videos of my girl's lessons.  I am so excited about her, I think because I know more than I did when I had Star started, so I can really follow what Matt's doing with her and how she's reacting to it. Makes it so much fun!


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## Kalraii

I super dupe appreciate seeing this in action. I have to ask... maybe a silly question. But... is it normal that when you dismount western you keep your foot in the stirrup? Please keep sharing I think this fantastic and educational to see it for real!


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## JoBlueQuarter

@Kalraii - I don't know if it's 'normal' but that's how I do it 


I love watching the videos, @kewpalace! They're very helpful to me with my girl Heidi; I'm nearly at the point with her where you are with Scarlett!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Kalraii & @JoBlueQuarter! So glad you are finding it helpful and enjoying the videos! 



Kalraii said:


> is it normal that when you dismount western you keep your foot in the stirrup?


Yes, it's normal. It is not how I do it, though, since I am short and cannot easily bend my knee that much when I dismount. So I take both feet out of the stirrups and drop down; if I don't have something to step off on (like a mounting block). I have bad knees.

PS - there are no silly questions. Ask what ever you want & I'll attempt to answer them the best I can!



JoBlueQuarter said:


> They're very helpful to me with my girl Heidi; I'm nearly at the point with her where you are with Scarlett!


Awesome!! Glad they are serving another purpose!! Have you posted any videos of Heidi? Would love to see your progress, too!

Well, it may be a while for new videos. That was my last scheduled lesson with Matt for now; March is busy with shows with Pi and personal matters, but he will likely take her at the end of next month, so I'll get to get some good videos of her actually being ridden. Can't wait!


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## JoBlueQuarter

kewpalace said:


> Awesome!! Glad they are serving another purpose!! Have you posted any videos of Heidi? Would love to see your progress, too!


 No videos, but quite a few pics. I don't post on YouTube and I don't know how else I'd post a video here.


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## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> I don't post on YouTube and I don't know how else I'd post a video here.


You can make the setting so it is private or only viewable with a link. The Scarlett videos are not public, so you have to have the link to see them (they are "unlisted"). I think you can still post on here with a private video ... let me try ... I made this video private:






Looks like it works ...


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## JoBlueQuarter

It gives me the message: This video is unavailable.


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## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> It gives me the message: This video is unavailable.


 Well maybe it didn't work for the general public ... it shows up on my computer in the above post and plays for me. Funny ...

Well, there is still unlisted ... but understand if you don't want to post any even under unlisted. It's all good.


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## JoBlueQuarter

kewpalace said:


> Well maybe it didn't work for the general public ... it shows up on my computer in the above post and plays for me. Funny ...
> 
> Well, there is still unlisted ... but understand if you don't want to post any even under unlisted. It's all good.


Yeah, thanks anyway


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is a busy baby, LOL. She digs holes everywhere! She'll stand in the metal feeder. She notices any change, no matter how small, to her environment. There is an old steel/ceramic bathtub in the turn out that is used for a water trough. It obviously has holes where the faucet hardware would be and I let the water run a bit when I fill it, which helps clean it out.

Yep, she noticed that and was investigating, and didn't even let Pi distract her much, LOL:


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## JoBlueQuarter

Aww, Scarlett is adorable! The two of them remind me so much of Blue and Heidi!


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## kewpalace

LOL, thanks @JoBlueQuarter! They are fun to watch. Scarlett doesn't let Pi push her around with giving her some attitude back, LOL. Bet yours are similar ...


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## JoBlueQuarter

kewpalace said:


> LOL, thanks @JoBlueQuarter! They are fun to watch. Scarlett doesn't let Pi push her around with giving her some attitude back, LOL. Bet yours are similar ...


Definitely! Blue is the ultimate Boss Mare, but Heidi manages to get away with brattiness most of the time!


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## kewpalace

Nothing too new to report. Waiting on Matt to give me a date that he will take Scarlett ... it should be SOON! 

Meanwhile, Scarlett is practicing her Cowhorse moves 









And we've had some cool cloud (lenticular) formations ... we get these quite a bit and if the sunset is just right, they can be really spectacular! That's my house in the 2nd pix ... 

















Pi and I go to the 2nd Versatility Ranch Horse Show on Sunday. It is a double point show. We have been practicing transitions - we don't need transitions for cow horse except going from a large fast circle to a small slow circle (or visa versa) at the lope - so it's been a little difficult for her. But I think she's getting it. We've also been practicing loping around a pin wheel. Here's our trail pattern - looks pretty easy ...









Our Ranch Riding & Reining Patterns (Both Nos. 4) can be found in the AQHA Rule Book pp. 135 & 224.

Should be a fun day!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Nice!

Those pics are amazing! The country where ever you live is beautiful!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @JoBlueQuarter! I live in the Tehachapi Mountains in California. We do get some interesting clouds coming through here!


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## kewpalace

Thought you all might like to see a pix of my silly girl ... standing in the feeder:








:biggrin:

Came off of Pi last night. We went down for a stop, she stopped awesomely, I was sitting DOWN so got bounced around in the saddle and ended up on her side. Could have hauled myself back up in the saddle, but she got scared and started moving and thought it would be better to bail. I was really close to the ground so it wasn't too bad. But the initial bouncing around, I bruised the inside of my right arm really good. By the time I got home I had a HUGE lump on my arm. Luckily one of my cowhorse buddies is an ER Nurse, so I messaged her and she told me what to do. Much better today, but pretty sore. Gonna have a really colorful arm in a few days!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Aww, sorry to hear about your arm. In a way it's not so bad, though, since it happened when Pi stopped really nicely! 

The pic of Scarlett is so funny; she must be Heidi's soul sister or something. Heidi would have been standing in there as well. :lol: That reminds me a bit of when Heidi did this: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/scary-experience-787409/.


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## kewpalace

Thanks @JoBlueQuarter. I can't remember the last time I came off a horse. My arm is better today.



JoBlueQuarter said:


> reminds me a bit of when Heidi did this: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/scary-experience-787409/.


 Yep, they could be clones! Sounds just like Scarlett! LOL ... 

And here is this morning's lenticular cloud:


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## kewpalace

Not much new on the Scarlett Front - stilling waiting for Matt to give me date .. getting closer and closer ....

But had some fun teasing him with a pix from when my Farrier was out ... posted this and said the farrier was taking Matt's job, LOL. Matt said,"Get off my ride!!" LOL .. they know each other so it was all good. 



















Meanwhile, Pi and I did the next Versatility Ranch Horse show (4/8)and did not do very well. Matt said we looked more relaxed, but she certainly did not feel more relaxed and we did not score well. She seemed good, but my competition was flawless, so they prevailed at this show. The next one is 5/6. We have a clinic 3 hours away the day before, so maybe she'll be a little tired out, LOL. Matt is also judging that one. Gotta be on my toes!

We also had a cowhorse show (4/14) and actually did good! Although our placings did not reflect that (we tied for 5th and earned a small check!!), we scored a solid 69.5/69 on reining/cow work on a TOUGH cow. Pi turned so fast at one point on the cow I lost my left stirrup and almost my boot! Regained both and continued with our run. LOL ... I'll post a pix later which was just before that incident. We were trying a few new things on reining, and I was really happy with Pi. Looking forward to our next show (end of this month).

Weather has been very strange (as with most places in the country), so the horses have been cooped up in their pens. I let them out in the turn out after a few days being cooped up .. they were happy to be out:


















This one makes me drool .... she's going to be a GREAT stopper!









or jumper, LOL ... 









And Pi, doin' her thing ...

















Finally, LOVE this wild hair girl ...


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## kewpalace

So, I bought Scarlett a Baby (we call dog toys Babies, LOL). This one had crinkly stuff inside and a squeaker. She is a busy girl and I thought she'd have some fun with it. She did:






Pi was NOT impressed, LOL ....


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## Knave

Great idea! I am going to have to get Bones a dog toy!!!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Pi and Scarlett are awesome horses, @kewpalace - I'm your biggest fan!  They are so gorgeous!!

I can say without question that this is my favourite journal - I get so excited to see an update here! You guys are doing great!


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## kewpalace

@Knave - it is really pretty fun if your horse is into it. Scarlett, being so busy & curious, was perfect for one, LOL. 

I got the idea from a couple of videos that went around FB (I'll see if I can find them). One gave her horse a rubber chicken - it was hilarious!! :rofl: The other gave her horse a HUGE stuffed animal - it was pretty funny, too! I wanted to do the HUGE stuffed animal but just missed the cheapy ones Walmart had for Valentine's Day. Then found this one and thought I'd give it a try. Yea, lots of good entertainment. The last few days, I see it moved around the turn out, so she's still playing with it. 

I have a ball, but the turn out is slopped so the ball would not stay in. That's why I got this. 
@JoBlueQuarter, thanks so much!!  We all, of course, love our ponies, but it's always nice to hear someone else loves them, too!! Thanks again and I'm glad you are enjoying my journal! :hug:


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## kewpalace

Here's the rubber chicken one:





Here's the stuffed animal one:


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## JoBlueQuarter

Those vids are hilarious! I love when in the second one the horse showed the toy to his buddy, like "Hey! Look what I got!" :lol: Blue would freak out and run to the other side of the pasture at a squeaky toy but I think Heidi would love it!


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## Knave

I tried the stuffed animal! Don’t tell my littlest... Eeyore actually didn’t let Bones play with it, but after I took him out he enjoyed it.


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## Knave

Ok, I decided the dog toy idea was better. It was all fun and games until I was picking up the stuffing!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Ok, I decided the dog toy idea was better. It was all fun and games until I was picking up the stuffing!


ROFL ... yea, I have that problem with the dogs and not-so-tough-(or cheapie)-Babies, LOL ... Baby guts everywhere!! 

Very cute, Loved your pix @Knave!! Love seeing the horses have some not so conventional fun ... good for their minds!


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## Knave

I agree! I also will have to invest in a good baby for them. Everyone I have anymore loves to play I guess. 🙂 My friend from over where you live uses traffic cones, and if I see one I am going to buy it.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> My friend from over where you live uses traffic cones, and if I see one I am going to buy it.


I have traffic cones, too, and have left them out in their pens. They play with them. But I wanted something a little different for a change, especially since Scarlett is a busy girl and needs new stimulation, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Last weekend was the final two shows of the Santa Ynez Valley Equestrian Association's Cowhorse series. We went to the 1st one in January and weather related problems pushed the last two shows to last weekend. In the 1st show, Pi and I won Step Up Boxing and came in 5th in the Rookie class (I whimped out on the cow so scored low). 

Pi, the Dogs and I headed to Bakersfield on Friday for a lesson with my Cowhorse Trainer and had a really good lesson. Stopped at Subway for lunch on the go and headed to Nipomo where Pi and I were staying with my Friend Karyn. Got there about 4-ish and her husband was there, so after unloading all my stuffs & pony, hung out talking with him. When Karyn got home she fixed steaks on the Barbie and we had a nice evening before the show.

Karyn's horse was at her Trainer, Travis Mankins' place, so she left about an hour before I did to go get them and help everyone there get packed and ready. I got up and went out to the truck to start it before I got Pi. It cranked right up and then died. It would NOT start. :evil::frown_color: Called AAA thinking it was battery; they were quick to come out but the batteries were fine. He thought fuel pump or fuel filter, but I just got a new fuel filter a few weeks before. Was on a fence as to what to do. Finally called some friends who had to pass by Nipomo (one was showing, the other bringing a horse for exposure). They quickly made a plan to come with an extra truck and just haul us in my trailer. :thumbsup: I unhooked and they called back saying a different person, who I knew of but didn't really know, was right a Nipomo so was coming to get us. 

So I got all my stuff together and she was there with her HUGE 3H LQ.  Karyn's street & place is NOT huge trailer friendly but the guy across the street moved his car and she pulled in there and backed into Karyn's driveway. That would have taken me FOREVER, if I could have even done it. I was in awe of her, LOL. :bowwdown: Got everything loaded up and on our way - only about an hour after I had originally wanted to leave.

con't. in next post


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## kewpalace

Got to the show and watched a few runs before getting Pi ready for Step Up Boxing. There were three in the class. Two high dollar horses (not sure of the one, but the other one - who was my competition from the 1st show, I was told was a $70k former Snaffle Bitter :shock and my little bargain basic clearance Pi.  We had a really nice reining run and did really well with our cow - ended up 2nd behind the girl was not in the running for the Buckle. That pretty much wrapped up the buckle for me, but my competition and I were entered in Sunday's show too. Even if she had won Sunday, I still had more points, so would end up 1st for the series. :eek_color::mrgreen::cheers:

In Rookie, we did pretty good again and ended up 2nd, just behind Karyn and her mare. It was REALLY windy by the time the Rookie class went and was just exhausting. 

Santa Ynez not only gives series prizes but day prizes and checks! Don't know what I got in checks (they will mail them out), but got some nice day prizes (see next post).

After the show, I transferred my stuff and dogs and Pi to Karyn's truck/trailer and we took everything to Travis'. Left Pi there for the night and headed back to her place to deal with my truck. We were supposed to go back to Travis' for a BBQ (he lives about 20 minutes from the show grounds, but about an hour from Karyn's). Once back at her place, we decided not to go back. We were beat.

Karyn's husband used to race cars and is, in many other ways, very useful, LOL. He took it upon himself to look into the truck's problems and see if there was something he could fix (he was not a diesel mechanic). By the end of the evening, he had the truck running. When the guys replaced the fuel filter a few weeks ago, they must have let air in the fuel line. Karyn's husband was able to remedy that. :loveshower: He still didn't want me to drive it to the show the next day (he wanted to do a few more things to make sure it was OK to drive 3.5 hrs back to Tehachapi), so we hooked Karyn's truck up to my trailer and went to get Pi and then on to the show.

con't next post ... :charge:


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## kewpalace

The show on Sunday was WAY small. I found out my competition in Step Up Boxing bailed and it was only me. I could have scratched, and still won the buckle, but decided to go in for an easy experience. Yea, not so easy, LOL, Pi completely blew me off and we did poorly in Reining and on the cow.

Luckily before the Rookie class they did an extended drag and let everyone in the arena for practice, so I went in to school Pi and let her know, yea, you do have to listen to me. It paid off as we went from a 62 in reining in SUB to a 68 in the Rookie class. Cow work was much better too (got a 68.5 in Rookie) but can't compare the two classes in cow work since you have to the take the cow down the fence in SUB and box at the other end. We ended up taking 1st for the day in the Rookie class because Karyn went off Pattern in the reining. :frown_color:

So, Pi and I won Step Up Boxing and came in Reserve (2nd) in Rookie. Karyn beat us by ONE point in Rookie! ;-):clap::hug:

So here are the pix: 

Step Up Boxing 1st Place Buckle:









Rookie Reserve Buckle:









Prize pix:








The Anjon Bag with hat, brush, and all the BioGel products is what I picked for my 1st place in the 1st show for SUB; Fly Sheet I picked for Scarlet (Pi has one for shows) for my 2nd place SUB in the 2nd show; Fly Sheet 2 was for the 1st place in SUB on Sunday (yea, even if you are the only one you get a prize for 1st!) for Pi for home and the hay bag for the 1st place in Rookie on Sunday.








The Metal Running Horse hanger I picked for my 2nd place in Rookie on Saturday. And the Platinum they gave you with a 1st place Buckle.

Here is a group pix - L to R - Travis Mankins (with his son), Meghan Mankins & her mare, Cashing in on Hearts (1st in Novice Non Pro Ltd), Karyn & her mare Rae of Hope (and Sawyer her Aussie; 1st in Rookie), Dawn Champion & her gelding License to Pack Heat (1st in Green as Grass & Travis took Reserve on her gelding in Open Bridle) and Pi (Nu Shiney Shocks) and I (1st in Step Up Boxing and 2nd in Rookie). 









We went back w/Pi to Karyn's (after a stop for a little shopping at Back at the Ranch in Santa Ynez). Karyn's Husband was confident the truck was good to go, but I decided to wait until the next morning to make the trek back to Tehachapi. Which I did and we got home with NO problems! 

Ended the weekend by pressure washing the horse compartment of my trailer, cleaning corrals and water buckets. Life on the ranchette is never done! :thumbsup:


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## Kalraii

SUBBING! I must have missed this before!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And wow you sound like you are having a lot of fun. Why can't we rein and herd cows in North London?!?!?!?!? The videos are great, ladies are beautiful and THAT VIEW. My gosh. 

I am going to steal your idea and get a squeaky toy for mine. It never even crossed my mind! <3 Keep updating and GL!


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## JoBlueQuarter

I got Heidi a squeaky dog toy. She *loves* it!


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## Knave

Awesome!! Congratulations!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave!

@Kalraii, I am having a blast and my horse LOVES the cows. While we were watching a run and the cow came by where we were, Pi pinned her ears and followed it with her head, LOL. She's not a big horse, but man, her cow-titude makes them think she is HUGE, LOL...

I'm surprised you don't at least have reining ... cows are expensive and not easy to keep for playing with, but reining you just need a place to ride. Can't get to the site at work, but this link popped up on searching: British Reining

Kalraii & @JoBlueQuarter - you guys have to take video and post them of your horses and their Babies. :thumbsup:


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## JoBlueQuarter

@kewpalace - I actually just started using Flickr so I might be able to upload some vids with that. I'll have to break them into smaller pieces though.


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## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> @kewpalace - I actually just started using Flickr so I might be able to upload some vids with that. I'll have to break them into smaller pieces though.


Yippee!!! Smaller vids are fine ... actually, they are probably the best!! Looking forward to it ...


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## JoBlueQuarter

kewpalace said:


> Yippee!!! Smaller vids are fine ... actually, they are probably the best!! Looking forward to it ...


Whups... No pressure, right? ;-) :lol:


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## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Whups... No pressure, right? ;-) :lol:


 Ha, ha, ha!!!


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## kewpalace

Here's some pix from the show ... no stopping ones cuz for some reason I could NOT set my bum in the saddle during them. :icon_rolleyes::-? And these just confirm I need to lose weight :redface::music019: ... it's a #*[email protected]% getting old ... 

Saturday, after reining, waiting for our cow ... love Pi's head in this one! 









Sunday in Step Up Boxing









Sunday in Rookie:


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## kewpalace

Pi and I went to the Bakersfield Versatility (and Ranch) Horse show yesterday. Unfortunately no pix. We did good! My trainer, Matt, was judging reining, cow & Ranch riding. I do not know who the trail judge was. We got first in reining (70!), 5th on the cow (68), 2nd in Trail (74!) and 3rd in Ranch riding (70.5 - it's hard to slow a cow horse down to a trot in the arena ... all she's ever done is lope in an arena, LOL ... ). We ended up 2nd overall in the Versatility Novice for the day. I was real happy with Pi; it's not easy for her to do all these events, but she is realizing that she CAN do them.

The lady leading our division is a friend who I met at the Les Vogt clinic in 2016. She is really nice and her horse is really nice. She does main Ranch Horse classes, so her horse is nice and quiet and moves like a ranch horse. They are a hard team to beat! My other competition, my friend Karyn who is also riding her cow horse in the competition, was in Maui for the weekend, so missed this show. But she will be at the last double point show and is good competition that is hard to beat. Regardless, it is a fun show and I'm happy to have friends competing with me. Makes it so much more fun!

Scarlett is going to Matt's this week!! WooHoo!! Just need to pick a day! So excited!!


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## kewpalace

The Versatility Ranch Horse show just posted their high point standings for Sunday. This is over all divisions in each section, so aYouth, 1st/2nd year green, Novice and Open in Ranch Horse and separately in Versatility. Pi and I did Versatility Novice.

In Versatility (the only section we are entered in) Pi and I got 2nd in High Point for the day!! WooHoo! :winetime: My friend who whopped me in Novice division got 1st High Point! :thumbsup: I got more points overall than my cowhorse trainer did! :biggrin: LOL ... He came in third in High Points just 2 points behind me.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is finally at Matt's! :loveshower: 


















She was not real happy about it at first, but I'm so excited to see her learn and develop! He will pen her in the day and turn her out at night. He also has his best assistant working with him:









He might only be 8 yo, but he is handier with a horse than many people I know. 

Pi was not upset she is missing, LOL. She kind of likes being the only horse. Here are some pix from our last cowhorse show. We were showing at twilight so the pix are not real sharp, but I think they are cool looking; the last pix was out exiting the arena.


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## kewpalace

Took some hay up to Matt's for Scarlett. Our agreement was that I provide all her food/supplements and he gives me a discount on training. Scarlett was saddled and tied to the tie rail. Matt said he had worked her already and that she really bucked with the saddle. I just laughed & said it was probably because she was stalled - being a youngster, she has ENERGY and needs to move! He agreed; he wasn't bothered by her bucking. 


















He had a lesson with a friend so while he did that, I unloaded and stacked hay. His 8 yo son (the one in the above pix) "helped" me, LOL. He was so cute and stayed the whole time I was unloading the hay.


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## kewpalace

After Matt got done with his lesson, he booted & bridled Scarlett to work her a little bit more before the end of the day.

Booting up:









Bridling with the Snaffle:









Ready to Roll: 










Warm up - moving out:






Practice Mounting:






Asking for a soft feel:







Then really moving out; this really got me excited - she stops naturally on her hocks and rolls over nice and quiet ... :grin: a few bucks but on the whole very nice. She's going to be GREAT on a cow!







Done for the day:









And after ride scratches ... 





I am so excited about her. She took everything really well & was nice & relaxed before, during and after. So looking forward to when he starts riding her!


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## ChasingDreams

Gosh, I like her so much! She is doing so great, and is simply gorgeous. Your trainer is nice and quiet too, I really love watching these videos. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kewpalace

Aw, thanks @ChasingDreams! She's really special and I'm so excited about her prospects!! Glad you like Matt too! He's a pretty special trainer too and has been a great mentor for 15 years (gosh, that makes me feel OLD!).

Glad you are enjoying the videos! Love showing them both off. :thumbsup:


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## kewpalace

I am so excited for Pi! Just got a Check last night from Santa Ynez ... it put us well over $1k in earnings! :cheers: So next year, we'll have to ride in the 5k for NRCHA. Oy! 

AND we only need $76 more NRCHA dollars (the Santa Ynez were not NRCHA shows, but count towards the lifetime earnings for class placement purposes) for Pi to earn her NRCHA Certificate of Ability (you have to have a total of $500 in NRCHA earnings)!

It might not seem like a big deal to most, but for me, who didn't own a horse until my late 30's, didn't start taking lessons or showing until my early 40's, have not ridden a made horse (my poor horses have had to suffer with me as their "trainer" and doing clinics and lessons - they have never been in training with anyone more than a few weeks at best) and never ever thought I'd ever earn MONEY on a horse. it is a HUGE deal!

Which is why I try to encourage people - with hard work and time, you too can improve to achieve your horse dreams!  Even if it is not showing, there is still plenty of ways to enjoy your horse - you just need to get out there to do it. :thumbsup:


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## carshon

I love this post ^ because it is so true! You can do anything with some time and drive. Congrats to you and Pi!


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## ChasingDreams

Congrats to you and Pi! And, it’s always nice when your hobby gives a little kick-back. My husband would leap with joy if my horse started making money instead of just spending it all the time [emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## kewpalace

Thanks @carshon & @ChasingDreams!

carshon, so true ... I'm a prime example ... keep at your dreams and you CAN achieve them!!

ChasingDreams, yes, always nice when a little $$ comes back after all you've spent to get there, LOL. But even if it didn't, the horse therapy more than makes up for it.


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## SilverMaple

What a nice filly. I'm in love. She got a great start from Matt, and has a ton of potential, plus she's just easy on the eyes. I'm looking forward to watching her journey


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## kewpalace

Thank you @SilverMaple - she is a looker for sure! She looks like her Momma, who is Pi's full sister. I am really hoping the potential is realized ... and I can ride it, LOL!

I am so excited to see what Matt does with her. He's not a "cow horse" trainer, which is a good thing (LOL), and will be soft/gentle in his teaching and let her develop at her own pace, which at this time appears to be QUICK - she's smart and retains things fast! He will slow her down if she tries to go too fast in learning and told me if she is not ready for snaffle bit next year, we'll shoot for the derby the following year. I'm good with that!

Just found out too that her sire nominated Scarlett's crop year for the Stallion Stakes, so we can do that in her 4 yo and 5 yo year. We'll see what I have the funds for, but this is a dream of a lifetime journey, so as long as Matt gives us a green light, we'll do all that I can afford!


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## kewpalace

I got absolutely NO riding in this weekend! But that's not to say that was not doing horsey things!

A friend came for the weekend to ride with Matt and go try out a horse about an hour from me. She stayed with me. Went up on Friday to watch her ride with Matt and visit with Scarlett. Matt's been tying Scarlett out, saddled, all week and working with her. Says she's ready to ride, so probably tomorrow. He said, "I've been crawling all over her all week and she's ready for the next step!" He said she's a busy minded girl ... yea, I told you that, LOL! Friday night he had her tied out next to one of his horses, Rowdy:










She looks so grown up! 

Being busy minded and impatient, she paws. A lot. Rowdy tried telling her to learn a little patience:










But she decided to play with the bucket, instead:


















Saturday, after my friend's lesson, we went to the ranch where my friend tried out a reining stud. If she got him she would geld him. Dead broke; extremely quiet, just a big sweetheart. She wants a cow horse and versatility horse. This horse has not been on cows much, but he showed some ability when the trainer rode him on a buffalo and his reining is SPOT ON. Just get a little legged up on cows and I think he'd be a great match for my friend. He'd also be a goo versatility horse.

Over the weekend my friend's horse and Scarlett became buddies. Sunday, my friend got a pix of the two buddies:









I had to go to my Mom's on Sunday, so she sent the pix to me on her phone. 

Can't wait for the riding day for Scarlett! Video of that will definitely be posted.


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## kewpalace

Here's a pix of my friend on the stud she tried out :


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## kewpalace

Time flies when you are having fun! Matt put the first ride on Scarlett on 5/23/18. Things have been so busy lately, I haven't had a chance to post any videos and then You Tube has been a bear in trying to upload them. Anyway, he said she was ready so I went up to watch and tape. 

He had his son in the pen on a horse to help him. Matthew is 8. The pony he is on is his grandfather's who sent him to Matthew to get used to being roped off of. In otherwords, Matthew's first client! LOL ... no doubt Grandpa sent the pony to give Matthew something on which to "train", but the pony is in her 20's. Matthew is pretty good with horses and roping (he's better than I am!), but he was a little out of his element when they first started this session (during the ground work), until he understood by what his Dad by staying in the center behind him. 

He started out with some ground work:


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## kewpalace

Once he got her listening and accepting things, he mounted, moved her HQ and had Matthew walk off on his pony and then followed him with Scarlett. Having another horse to follow makes it easier and gives the green horse motivation to move her feet. During the 1st two rides he only used the lead rope to the halter to direct her during those rides. He walked-trotted-loped in both directions and then quit. After following Matthew a few rounds, he had Matthew park in the middle and rode Scarlett out on her own.

These are going to the left ....


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## kewpalace

And going to the Right ... 











And that was it! 

She was calm and relaxed at the end and it was a good 1st ride. I was really happy with her demeanor. She is a thinker but tries her heart out. Just a good pony!


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## kewpalace

I also was there for the 3rd ride on 5/25/18. This video is long, but shows the ground work through the end. Matt dismounted and then remounted and started introducing use of the snaffle to her under saddle (that's in the next post's video). She was a little busy with her head in this one, but that doesn't concern Matt at this point.


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## kewpalace

And here's the video where he starts introducing her to use of the snaffle. Matt has been getting her used to the feel from the ground, but this is the first time he's picked it up to get her used to the feel from her back.







On her 4th ride he rode her out of the round pen, worked the gate (as well as you can on a green horse, LOL), and rode a bit in the bigger arena and then did a few minutes with the snaffle and called it a day. I was not there for that (I knew he would do it pretty quickly and that I probably wouldn't be there). But he is going to do it again tonight, so I'll get up there as soon as I can.

In other, depressing news, Pi and I had a two day cow horse show this last weekend. Although we never made it out of the yard. My truck died just before we were supposed to leave. I was thankful it was while I was still at home and not on the road with Pi, but still, it was a major bummer. Truck will go in on Friday. Hopefully it's not an expensive fix (but when are fixes NOT expensive, LOL). We have the Ranch Horse show on Sunday, but if I don't have my truck back, we'll hitch a ride with Matt.


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## kewpalace

Here is the video from last night's (5/29/18) ride. I figured out how to edit in iMovie on my iPhone so put all the clips together and deleted alot of redundant footage (redundant to some; I could watch it all day, LOL). 

Hope you enjoy it!






Matt did a LOT with her last night. Little ground work; w/t/l in the round pen both ways, started introducing rollbacks, worked two gates on her, had her go up a hill, walked over poles with her, did more snaffle work with her and started introducing the backup. It was an action packed night, LOL! And she was calm and related at the end.


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## JoBlueQuarter

Scarlett is looking so amazing! Such a grown-up lil' horse.  Looks like Matt is doing a great job with her! How old is she again?


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## kewpalace

Thank you @JoBlueQuarter! I think she is getting bulked up, even though Matt's only been riding her about a week now. I think Matt is doing a great job, too! He's very concerned about going slow with her; she's wicked smart and he tries not to let that get in his way of slowing her down. I'm real happy with his training, but I knew what it would be like when I took her to him ... I've been riding and watching him ride & train for 15 years now. (Oy!)

Scarlett is 2. Another reason why slow is good.


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## JoBlueQuarter

Only two, ok. I was under the impression that loping with a rider at two wasn't very healthy but then, Scarlett is well developed for her age and I'm sure Matt'll be careful with her.


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## kewpalace

@JoBlueQuarter, loping is not "unhealthy" in a young horse if you don't do it excessively or on bad ground; and it can actually be beneficial in building bone/muscle if done with discretion. A lot of trainers (of which Matt is one and I agree with) is to get them moving at all gaits when you first start them, but that does not mean they would lope them into the ground. He does not lope for very long and is cognizant of the effect on her. Of course, doing it excessively and on bad ground with bad body position would definitely be unhealthy.

Scarlett is being groomed to be a futurity horse (boxing only, not a fence horse) next year, but I will go with Matt's decision on whether she will be ready. She is pretty developed but she is two and Matt understands she is a baby. His goal in her training is to get a horse that will last - mentally AND physically, so he definitely is being careful with her. :thumbsup: She is actually way behind where many futurity prospects her age are in their training right now. But that's fine with me. If she makes it to the futurity it'd be great. If not, we'll shoot for the derby in her 4 yo year. No biggie.


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## JoBlueQuarter

Yeah, I meant that excessive loping could be unhealthy for joints and such, not loping in general. Shoulda clarified.


Excited for the day she makes it to the Futurity!


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## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Yeah, I meant excessive loping, not loping in general. Shoulda clarified.


Yea, we don't do excessive loping on youngsters! :biggrin: Couple of laps around the round pen and that's about it. The entire riding session at the most right now is about a 1/2 hour. That's with everything - ground work and walk/trot/lope. With lots of rest/quite time in there.



JoBlueQuarter said:


> Excited for the day she makes it to the Futurity!


We shall see! Way to early to predict at this point, but it's fun to dream about it .... :tongue::cheers:


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## kewpalace

Big weekend! And HOT. Saturday I went up to Matt's to watch him ride Scarlett early so that we could trailer out with other horses (including Pi) to practice for Sunday's Show. He's working her in the big arena now, but she is still trying to figure out the communication with the snaffle. He walked/trot/loped her in both directions. At one point he asked her stop ... now at this point in training - this is only her 10th ride - we are NOT looking for a big stop nor does he ask her for one. But stopping on a lope, this is what she gave him ... I only caught the end of it, so I looped it and slowed it down, LOL ... 






Matt didn't think she stopped that hard until he saw the video. He was pretty surprised. After he trotted her around and over poles ...






That was it for the day. These are two favorite photos from this session:




















Pi has been great all week in practicing for the Sunday Ranch Horse Show, but, of course, you get what you get when you get in the show pen.  She was all over the place in reining and I underspun, so we zero'd in reining. She did great cow work though - 70 under one judge, 73 under the other. Thought our trail was decent but we had two bobbles so they didn't mark us very well. I thought our Ranch Riding was good, but again, was marked low. So we didn't do great. But we had a fun time and loved seeing all my show buddies. Here's some pix from trail:

Bridge, which we did good on:









and back through which we did good on:









Next big thing ... Pi and I are going to ride with Richard Winters on 6/13-22. So excited about it!!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Wow! Scarlett is such a clever pony!


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## kewpalace

@JoBlueQuarter - yea, a little too clever for her own good! That is not the type of stop we want her to do yet. BUT, it is interesting to see that it is THERE when we go to tap into it. 

She is a little bit of a challenge - she's very smart and very sensitive so trying to find the balance of the asking, guiding & correction pressures has been a little bit of a problem. Matt & Scarlett are both still trying to figure out snaffle communication. But she really tries to figure out what you are asking. And once she thinks she knows what you are asking, she tries HARD to give it. Which is where that stop came from.


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## kewpalace

Have not been able to make it up to Matt's, but he called last night with a report. He said Scarlett bucked with him! :eek_color: He said it wasn't bad. It was about 1/2 way through the ride about 7-8 jumps; he got after her (which for him means he makes her work a little harder on he was asking) and then she was fine. She has bucked with the saddle before (some good NFR type bucks from his description), but has never done so with him in the saddle. He said it was just baby stuff, she's still trying to figure out the communication thing. He's not that concerned about it.

But he also said he asked her to stop after a lope and was conscious of not touching the reins much (given her last stop above) and she planted her butt in the ground again. He's a bit amazed but also a little concerned with her stopping that hard so early. 

But on the good side .... I LOVE a horse that wants to stop! Not hard stop (although that will be nice later), but one that WANTS to stop when you quit riding. Comes in handy in emergencies. :thumbsup:


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## kewpalace

Pi and I have returned from Parkfield, CA, (the Earthquake Capitol of the World) where we attended Richard Winters' All Women's Horsemanship Retreat (6/13-16) and his Ride the Rancho event (6/16-6/22) which was held in the V6 Ranch. V6 is Jack Varian's ranch. 

They had a couple of places to stay, if you did not have a LQ. In town there is the Parkfield Lodge, the Water Tower and the Post Office. I stayed in the Post Office alone for the Retreat and then was joined by two ladies for the RTR. It was a very cool place - two rooms (I got the back room with the BIG bed; the front room had two twin bed), the back room had the bathroom and the front room had a microwave, TV, fridge and table/chairs. From the link above:



> In 1907, this building was drug in by a team of 14 horses. It was used as the Parkfield Post Office for a number of year. It's most recent transformation was its conversions to one of the lodge rooms. Still displaying the mail boxes on its walls, the house has two rooms with a lovely covered front porch adorned with rocking chairs looking out onto "Main Street Parkfield". The front room hast two twin beds, an insert fireplace, and a small kitchenette. The back room has a king size bed and bathroom area.


You can also stay out at the horse camp, where the horses stayed and people with LQs stayed. They have a Bunkhouse which has 6 rooms with two twin beds each. Showers and toilets are separate.

All Breakfasts and dinners were at the Parkfield Cafe (all the meals were AWESOME) and they would bring lunch to us out where ever we were (except once, when we stopped at the Cafe on horseback coming back from a ride).

More details and pix later, but wanted to bring this up to where I could find it again. LOL ... 

If anyone is ever in the area, visit Parkfield - it is really a neat place!!


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## kewpalace

I will post pix in groups of (1) General Parkfield pix, (2) All Women's Horsemanship retreat & (3) Ride the Rancho. The Pix of Pi and I were taken by Cheryl Winters, Colleen Barrett and some by friends with my phone.

Here are general Post Office pix:




























Front room w/twin beds & mail boxes:









Mail Boxes:









The back room with my bed:









Cheryl left us goodies on the bed to find after we checked in:


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## kewpalace

Here are general Parkfield Pix:



















































In between the Water Tower Rooms & the Post Office:

















Ship Treehouse behind the Post Office:


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## kewpalace

Parkfield Cafe

















My Dad was there! :rofl:









Branding irons hanging from the ceiling of the Parkfield Cafe:









Water Tower rooms:









On top of the mail box bank:









On top of a mailbox:









On the way from town to the Blue Oak Horse Camp where the horses were kept:


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## kewpalace

The All Women's Horsemanship Retreat ran from 6/13-16/18. We were allowed to check in anytime after 2 pm. I planned on getting there by three, but took a wrong turn and couldn't easily turn around, so made it there by 4. :icon_rolleyes: The road we turned on off SR 46 is Parkfield-Coalinga Road, a very SMALL "two" lane road that is not very well kept in parts. We didn't meet much traffic and it was a nice 15.5 mile drive from the 46 to Parkfield, then another 3 miles to the Blue Oak Horse Camp. 

I got Pi settled into a stall and unhooked the trailer and drove back to town in time to meet at the Cafe for dinner. I saw Cheryl when I first got to Parkfield and she gave me a hug and said they were glad I came. I see she and Richard at cowhorse horse a lot and the NRCHA Derby was going on in Paso Robles at the same time. Their daughter Sarah & her Husband Chris were showing in the Derby and horse show classes. A lot of my friends were also showing in horse show classes and in the spectacular. At dinner I asked her why Richard wasn't showing and she said they set these dates before the NRCHA had set the Derby dates. That's why I came, too - I had signed up for events before knowing what the NRCHA dates were and when they came out, to be truthful, I was not that upset to NOT go to the shows, LOL. 

When Richard came in, he also gave me a big hug and said he was really glad I came and he was excited when Cheryl said I was coming. :thumbsup: I gave him Matt's regards and he said he would have paid Matt $10/day to come as his assistant. I said, "he would have come for that." I told Matt and he said,"When do I show up?" LOL ... So the 1st evening was just getting acquainted with everyone and learning names.

Many of the women were "regulars" at the Retreat. Everyone was nice and this was a no pressure situation. The 1st riding day (6/14) we did a trail ride out to another arena. There were two groups. One went with a V6 rancher over the hills - a longer trail ride which was for those who were confident with their horses. The second group worked with Richard in the arena until everyone felt confident and we took a flat, faster route to the upper arena (it was about an hour to hour-half ride). I was confident with Pi, but wanted to watch Richard work with the horses so stayed back. I actually ran into some "trouble" with Pi on the trial ride out (she was majorly jigging and getting all worked up) and fell way behind the group. Richard comes riding back and helped me out with her, which worked for the most part for the rest of our time there (although he did do other things later).

Once we got to the upper arena, we tied the horses up and had lunch - make your own sandwiches and homemade cookies. Yummy! After lunch we did some fun exercises which involved putting your reins down and putting your hands out to the side and then at some point closing your eyes. I had done a little of this when Star and I rode with him at Equine Affaire. I was more confident now, LOL. Then he had me do flying lead changes on a straight line, which is not so difficult for us since I practice those a lot and in the show pen I'll go a few strides after changing before going in the next circle. I don't know that anyone else's horse could do lead changes, but that's fine. Richard was showing what you can do with your horse if you so desired.

We rode back over the hills and it was a beautiful ride, probably an hour and a half to camp. Took care of our horses and headed back to town for dinner. We talked more about things and Richard told us we would go round up cows and bring them back to play in the arena the next day. WooHoo!!!


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## kewpalace

We were responsible for our own horse - feeding & cleaning - so if we were staying in town, we’d have to get up before breakfast and go out to feed/clean. It was not a chore - I love taking care of my pony & the drive to/from the camp was lovely. Pi was settling in nicely. She had an end stall, so had one horse at the back of her stall and one on the one side. 

The 2nd ride day (6/15) we started out in the arena to warm up and address any issues. Then headed out to one of the fenced pastures across the road from the camp. We get to a one point where there is a long “dirt” road up a gradual incline. Richard wanted us to individually lope up the road in a straight line. Not a big challenge for Pi and I (we have be straight for our shows). I think I was 3rd or 4th out. We set out on a nice slow lope. When I was about 3/4 of the way up the hill, I heard a horse coming up behind us. Richard had gotten on one of the ladies’ Fox Trotter who didn’t want to canter, so he was cantering up by us. I thought, “I can’t let him pass us!” so asked Pi for more speed and she responded - woohoo!! Richard was not trying to pass us, really as he turned around to canter back when we sped up, LOL. When I get to the other Ladies, I asked Pi to slow and she was a little slow in responding - speed felt good to her!

When everyone was up there, we rode to a flat area where we made a circle. Richard had one person inside the circle and one outside the circle loping in opposite directions. It was a fun exercise. One girl on another gaited horse could not get her horse to lope. So Richard pointed out a rock up the road and said,”lope up there and lope back in a straight line” saying some gaited horses lope better on straight line. She loped up to the rock, hung out a bit there (for what ever reason) and was loping back, but when she came to the circle she couldn’t stop her horse who curved to the right and tried to stop on his front end, which bounced her around and off to the left. It knocked the wind out of her, but she eventually got back on to ride back to camp.

After that exercise, we were sent off to round up the cows and pushed them down to the arena and we broke for lunch. After lunch, Richard when in to work a cow out of the herd, explaining everything he was doing. Then he told me to go in and cut a cow. Weee, we got to work a cow out of the herd!! So we went in, cut our cow and Pi worked like a champ. I, on the other hand, was bouncing around like a monkey on a border collie. One of the things I need to work on (obviously) is to SIT BACK AND DOWN when working a cow. But we never lost our cow and got some good turns before Richard told us to quit the cow. I was happy. Pi was happy. And the other women were all amazed, LOL. There was one lady there with a young (4 yo?) trained cutter, but she was a beginner rider (although she had a very good natural seat) and she was not confident to work a cow. None of the other horses were trained to work cows and the ladies had only dabbled a bit on working cows. Pi and I were the only ones who got to work a cow out of the herd - that was a really special treat for us. 

Richard then divided us in to teams of three and we went in to cut a cow from the herd, bring it out of the arena and put it out in the pasture immediately next to the arena. Except that the cows would typically NOT see the open gate and head straight ahead on a trail with a fence on one side and a hill with a line of trees on the other - no way to get AROUND the cows to turn them. My team was like 3rd out and I stayed out of the herd round pen so the other two members could get the cow from the herd. We ran it out of the arena and true to form, the cow ran straight down that path. Pi and I went after it, trying to get around it and finally found a place to do that and brought it back.

We had another go a little later with a cow with a MUCH BIGGER bubble and it ran a much longer way before I could get around it and bring it back. But that was fun. We finally got all the cows where they were supposed to be and broke for the day. Had a great dinner and some ladies when with Richard on an evening ride. I passed that up as Pi had put in a full day and deserved a rest.

The Retreat ended after breakfast the next day, so I decided to drive to Paso Robles to watch my friends show. I got there just in time and was able to watch everyone. They all asked why I wasn’t showing, and I said I was out in Parkfield riding with Richard. I got back to the Camp in time to put a quick ride on Pi before we had to meet for dinner for the Ride the Rancho event. I’ll detail that event tomorrow; gotta get some actual work done, LOL.

Next post is pix from the Retreat.


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## kewpalace

Pi in her stall:


















Richard working with Buddy sour horses - making them work to catch the other's tail and then resting away from them.









Watching Richard work:









Water break:









Sometimes I rode Pi in her Snaffle; sometimes (especially when working cows) in her bridle bit.

Richard asking the horse to move its HQ:









On a trail ride:









We had one Arab ... reminded of Star ... 









Coming back after getting the cows:









My team goes in to get a cow:









The horse on the left is a mustang, the owner called Rosie. The owner was telling me that she adopted Rosie from a mustang challenge - not that unusual, but then said she had to change her name because she couldn't stand the name. I asked what it was. She said, "Tina Turner." I said,"Wait! What year did you adopt her?" she said, "2008." I said,"Matt was in that Challenge! I know that horse! I was there too!" Such a small world! I took a pix of the horse and sent it to Matt who said he remembered the horse. The trainer had a really nice start on the horse, but there was one trainer who didn't tell anyone that she was riding her mustang in the freestyle covered in empty beer cans - like a knight's horse with armor. When she showed up on that horse, it set MANY horses, including Luna, the one Matt was riding, off. Just blew their brains. Matt recovered enough to come in third (the canned horse was like 7th or 8th). Poor Tina Turner (who was pegged for 1st before the canned horse appeared), never recovered and ended up last. I felt sorry for the trainer, who was really ****ed at that other trainer. He had done such a great job with the horse. Still, it made her affordable for the current owner to adopt her for a very cheap price. Anyway, the horse and owner have been together all this time and seem like a good match. I was happy for them.

Pi & I moving out to move that cow along:









That's it for us at the Retreat - there are other pix of other riders if anyone is interested I can post links to the Retreat's Shutterfly pages.


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## kewpalace

Many of the ladies from the Retreat stayed for the Ride the Rancho and, of course, we had many new people come. I got two new roommates in the Post Office, which I got along with fine (my high school boarding school experience comes in handy in these situations, LOL). After dinner we moved to the Lodge for introductions, including name, what horse you brought or if you were riding a V6 horse and what your goals were. When they got to me I gave my name and said I wanted to do something different with my horse outside of the show pen. After I was done, Richard (who has known me for a while) said,”Rene has chosen one of the most difficult disciplines to show in (reined cowhorse) and we are really proud of the improvements she has made.” Wow. Didn’t expect that! It was really nice of him to say that.  

This group (which included two men, one was James an Englishman who was moving to Parkfield with his American artist wife!) seemed a little more experienced in horsemanship than the Retreat Group. We also had 4 gaited horses in the group - a GORGEOUS black Peruvian Paso, a beautiful humungous Palomino Tennessee Walker, a very steady Liver Chestnut (one of my favorite colors) Missouri Fox Trotter and a small chestnut/white pinto ... I thought they said he was TW, too, but he was tiny. The lady who owned him said he was used for field trials and all he knew was to go straight and fast. There was on lady who brought her cutter; she was just learning cutting and had ridden with Richard for years. The lady from the Retreat group with the cutter was also there. Not sure the two actually talked .....

My roomies were Gail, who was about my age I bet and who brought her nice compact little Palomino QH mare, Sandy - she does sorting and has had this horse in training (can’t remember that she ever specifically said what for). Gail had two horses at home. The other roomie was Anesa who brought her paint gelding, Cloud. Anesa was 62? and said Cloud was her 1st horse, bought when Anesa was 59 and she trained him using DVDs. For doing that, they actually did pretty good, but I don’t think she realizes how beneficial a trainer or lessons with a trainer can be - that extra set of eyes from someone more experienced than you is invaluable to correct habits you don’t even realize you have. She trail rides and does games with Cloud. She cracked me up, since she is direct and told Richard in the intro’s she didn’t even know who he was when she signed up or when she got there. LOL, Richard thought that was a hoot! I think the week was definitely an eye opener for her and gave her lots of food for fodder. Anyway, I got along with her OK. She’s on her journey like the rest of us.


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## kewpalace

So the 1st riding day, 6/17, was similar to the retreat. One group when on a hilly trail ride up to the upper arena and another stayed and worked with their horse with Richard in the arena until everyone was comfortable. I stayed with the 2nd group to watch Richard work with horses. On the trail ride up to the upper arena, Pi was really really good. It was a good ride. We had lunch up there and then did games similar to what we did in the Retreat, except Richard also had us ride with a partner holding hands, walking, trotting and loping. If you separated, you were out. I paired with Donna and her mustang Rosie. We made it through the trot and then died, LOL. James who was riding a V6 ranch horse (QH) was paired with the Palo TW and they actually won! That was a fun exercise. We then rode back to the camp; some people when on the hill ride back and others the flat. I opted for the flat. Pi was good on the way back. 

On Monday, 6/18, we warmed up in the arena and then headed out to do natural trail. The Ranch has a LOT of good stuff to practice on - felled trees, creek banks, lots of hills ..... one of the Ladies wanted to do a steep down hill, so Richard found a creekbed bank that was pretty vertical. Steep down hill is not my comfort zone and “hid” behind Richard watching everyone else go. Decided I should at least try. Pi, as per the course, was game and went down without hesitation. She went down nice and slow, too and did not jump the last part like some horses did. We went over trees and up/down creek bed banks. In the afternoon, we did the going up the road straight, but in pairs. One of the ladies asked me to go with her ... I had quite a few people wanting to ride with us because Pi was “calm” ... LOL, kind of surprised me cuz I knew she wasn’t that calm! Anyway, the lady wanted to trot up which was fine by me and off we went. It went really well. Then we go to the flat area and did loping out there around our circle.


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## kewpalace

On Tuesday, 6/19, we did cows in the morning - we went out and gathered them and put them on the flat area, where we had previously worked, & formed a circle around them. Richard asked the girl with the cutter who competes to go cut a cow out. She did a great job and her horse was nice and calm while working. Richard provided commentary on what she was doing and why. After she was done, he told me to go cut a cow out. Wow, the difference between our horses, LOL ... Pi actually did a nice job cutting the cow out and being quiet, but when we get the cow out, she’s all business and wants to MOVE it since that is what we have to do when we are boxing - move the cow if it is not moving on its own. That is not what you do when you are doing herd work. Richard said,”That is a horse that wants to give 110% all the time. She just needs to relax and realize it is not all work all the time.” LOL. He told me to just sit and wait - which was GREAT for Pi, exactly what she needs. We worked a few minutes and then he told us to quit. People were impressed with my little cow pony, LOL. The Cutter and us were the only ones who got to do that.

After that Richard had everyone (two at a time from opposite sides of circle) walk through the herd. Pi thought we were going to cut a cow out again, LOL. That was also a good exercise for us. After that we took a trail ride back to camp for lunch. After lunch, one of the ladies asked Richard to show her what she needed to do to teach her horse to lie down so she could mount it. This is the Fox Trotter lady who was an excellent horsewoman. She had already taught her horse to bow, but it had been a few months since she had asked him to do that. But he was a really nice, calm, gentle horse and it did not take Richard long to lay him down. I got video which I’ll post in a separate post. After that demo, we broke for the day since it was stinking hot. We got together for dinner and talking later.


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## kewpalace

On Wednesday, 6/20, we rode to the Reservoir. This is a highlight of this event for those who had been here before as the Reservoir goes from knee deep water to depths where the horse has to swim. Some people rode different saddles, some took their gear off and just rode in halters and bareback pads (if that). I am not a deep water person and was not planning on even going in. 

It was probably about 5 miles from Camp to the Reservoir. The ride out there was over a few auto bridges, through town and then another 45 minutes to get to the Reservoir. We don’t have bridges that we have to cross on horseback where I live and the only time I’ve done that with Pi, she freaked a little bit. So it made me a little anxious. The first bridge we crossed was an old rail road steel framed bridge (you can see the pix of it above). No only does it make noise from the horses hooves, but it vibrates the steel which also makes noise. I actually did ride across it, but Pi was freaking a little bit and kept trying to stop. I kept my legs off her except to urge her forward and gave her a slack rein, but she still stopped towards the end and did like a little Levade (she did that a lot when she was younger tied to the trailer at shows, but usually did not do it under saddle). I got her moving forward and we were off the bridge. It took her a while to calm down but she was good by the time we made town.

Everyone got pix in town, took a bathroom break and then on we went. When we hit the next bridge, which was just a regular car bridge with low white side rails, I got off and walked Pi across. Richard saw me and just said,”Hurry back on!” Which was not a problem. We get to where near the Reservoir and the mustard plants were taller than knee high to the horses. Pi was a bit bothered by that, but did OK in the end. We get there and I get off - my knees were killing me, so I must have been bracing them. We all go over to the shallower part and people are going in at all points - already swimming with their horses and going back/forth across deep parts. I was not going to in. Richard worked with the mustang who DID.NOT.WANT.TO.GO.IN - got a video of that - it took him a little over 6 minutes to get her in. Coming back she walked right in, LOL. He said to me that if I wanted him to ride Pi in he would, so I let him have her. I wasn’t really concerned that she would not go in, she’s pretty game, but I was the nervous one. He gets on, goes down and asked her to go in and she goes right in. Got video of that, too! When he came back across, he said I should do it, so I went in the shallower part, even though I did not really want to. Pi was fine and I survived. 

Richard said if anyone felt safe enough to stand on their horse and jump in the water, he’d give them a prize. There were about 6 people who did that! It was great to watch ... the pix of the whole event was one of James jumping backwards off his V6 horse ... I’ll post that pix later.

On the way back Richard called me up to him before we hit the 1st bridge and told me to ride behind him. I said, “You knew I was going to get off.” He said,”Yep, but you can ride behind me and it will be fine.” And it was. We stopped in town for lunch, tying all the ponies up to the pipe fencing. It was great. Then we headed back to camp. Before we hit the next bridge I asked the cutter lady if I could ride behind her horse going across the bridge. She said,”Of course!” We made it across with no problem. As we neared camp, she said,”Let’s take a detour through the creek bed!” so she and I veered off into the creekbed and had a really nice rest of the ride home. 

We got back to camp about 3:30 or so. Since it was hot, Richard quit for the day. We met up for dinner after which we discussed the day and Richard handed out prizes for those who jumped off their horses. After dinner we had a talent show - many people did different things - singing, reciting a poem, telling a story ... it was fun. One of our guys, RT, is a farrier by day and a musician (drummer) by night. He demonstrated a cajon, which was fantastic. Richard then joined him on the guitar for a little jam session - I got that on video. It was a great bonding time.


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## kewpalace

The final ride Day, Thursday, 6/21 - we did COWS again, woohoo!! And did Pi get a work out. We rode out in the morning to roundup cows in the pastures across from the camp. There were some cows near the gate, some in another area to the left and still more in the area to the right. Richard sent some people off to look to the right and said,”If anyone wants to go fast, follow me.” Sounded like a good opportunity for Pi to let off some steam so we and another lady followed Richard at a lope up the hill to the left. Get near the end of the pasture there and we saw some cows off to our right near the fence under a tree. So I go off at a fast trot to the left up to the back fence over a fallen tree, dropped to a walk and pushed the cows down. One cow, who looked like she was about to pop, was very reluctant to move so we had to move under a tree which was really low. Pi is not tall and I am not tall, but some of those oaks out there are so low we even have a hard time getting under them. But we did it. I kept having to get to one side to move that one cow, since she really did not want to go. I said to Richard,”That cow is about to pop; she doesn’t want to move.” He just smiled and said,”is that why.” He knows SO much more about cows than I do, so I said,”well, it’s a guess; I don’t know that much about cows.” He said,”You know more than anyone else here.” Nice compliment!

We get down to the other little group and put the cows together and Richard sends a group off to another area to look for the remaining cows. I elected to stay with the herd, a good chance for Pi to settle and relax. Yea, right. She was antsy, so I had to do things to work her a bit and then see if she would settle. Took about 20 minutes of that before she would just stand there. 

We finally got all the cows and moved them across the street. The intent was to put them in the pens. Everything was great until we got to the little alley way where we had to funnel the cows in. This group was not real cow saavy, so they ended up pushing cows away from the alley and one escaped at a full run towards the creek bed. I went wide to the right at a lope after it, but guess was not wide enough as I heard Richard say,”Wider!” so took about a 50 degree turn to the right. We had to go in/out of the creek bed which meant uneven footing and jumping down/up banks which were 3' or so tall. We get behind the cow and start moving it back to the herd. Got it close to where it could join the herd, when someone blocked its way and it squirted out AGAIN at a full run back to the creekbed. Pi and I went after it again at a lope and repeated the former effort. We did that a couple more times since the group had gotten the herd in the pens but had blocked the alley for the stray cow to join them ... it was WAY fun, but was getting a little frustrating. James joined me one time, but otherwise it was just Pi and I. Richard finally brought another cow out to entice the stray cow and moved people BACK from the alley to allow them to join the herd.

After getting the cows in, we played the team game of getting one cow out from the herd and taking it down the arena and out the gate. Pi and I opted to let my teammates cut the cow out since Pi had done all that work outside and needed a breather. When the herd was down to one cow, Richard had us form a line in the middle of the area and was going to work the cow on the Lady’s horse who did not compete in cutting. Except, no one knew how to keep the cow down there and it picked the side that Pi and I were not at and ran straight through the horses. I know Pi would not have let the cow through, LOL. The group then moved the cows across the street back to their morning pasture area. Then we broke for lunch.

After lunch, Richard demo’d how to hobble a horse. I got that on video. Then we broke until after dinner when we did an evening ride. It was great - out in the boonies, on top of a ridge where you could see no civilization for miles. But we had to do down a steep grade for about a 1/4 mile - not my favorite thing to do. But it was good with Richard coaching me a bit as we went down. The ride was really nice, even the steep part. After the ride we met in camp for desert and a drawing. After I went to thank Richard for his help and said we had a fun time on the cow in the creekbed. He gave me hug and said,”I would be proud to have to work cows with me anytime.” Aw, such a great compliment!

Friday, 6/22 was leaving day after breakfast. Some people had left the night before; some early before breakfast, but most were at breakfast. It was nice to say goodbyes. 

I got home about noon and Pi instantly rolled when she was turned out. But spent the rest of the day walking the turn out and standing in an area she normally does not stand. I think she was missing her RTR buddies. She was back to normal on Saturday.

It was a very fun two events. Both groups, the Retreat and RTR, were good groups with everyone helping each other and no one playing a know-it-all. More than once people who were regular attendees said these groups were the best they ever had. Cheryl Winters said the groups made her comfortable enough to join us on rides. I was happy to have gone and met some very nice new friends. I know Pi had a good time, too.

I will post pix and video soon ... having a little issue with uploading photos to Shutterfly ....


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## kewpalace

1st ride Day - RTR

In the Arena


























Trail ride up:
















- This little gaited horse had a LOT of energy!

After Lunch exercises - Pi and I with Donna & Rosie


















On the ride back to camp - what a goofy face!


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## kewpalace

Natural Trail day:

hiding behind Richard, LOL:









Going down the creek bank - :eek_color:


























Up the Creek Bank










Over a Tree










Refreshments on the trail


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## kewpalace

From the 1st ride day:

trotting w/out reins & with my eyes closed:


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## kewpalace

1st cow working day:


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## kewpalace

Reservoir Day!









Cheryl & Richard Winters


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## kewpalace

2nd cow working Day & Evening Ride











































































And this is from the trot up day ...


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## kewpalace

Videos!

Richard rides Rosie the Mustang in the Reservoir









Richard & Pi


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## kewpalace

Richard's Demos












Richard & RT Jam:







If anyone wants, I can post the links to Cheryl's Shutterfly albums for both events. They are "public" so no worries there.


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## kewpalace

On the Scarlett front, I went up to Matt's before I left for Parkfield and watched him ride. No bucking, she got right down to work. She was having trouble getting her left lead but Matt said he'd work with her in the round pen to find it again and didn't push it for this ride. I did catch on of her stops ... can't believe she does that so naturally even when Matt doesn't ask for it:






And got them working the gate:






While I was gone, Matt sent me this pix, saying it was a stop to a roll back ...









I did go up after I got back to take her a new fly mask since the old one was too small (but was pretty funny looking):









Then last night I went up to take some fly spray, but Matt had ridden Scarlett in the morning, but he gave me a report of her. Said she spooked at his dog but what she did was drop down like a cutter and crawled back and forth, LOL. I am definitely going to need Velcro with her! He said her left lead is back. And that her stop was not that correct going to the left so he was working on it. Then when asked her stop she planted her bum. :smile: He said she is learning in leaps and bounds and I will not think it is the same horse as when I last saw her. I am hoping to make it up on Friday to watch him ride her.


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## kewpalace

Busy past few days. Took off early on Friday to take Pi up to Matt's to work the flag and to watch him ride Scarlett. Pi and Scarlett have not seen each other for about 6 weeks and when they realized each other were there, they were calling LOUDLY to each other for very extended periods of time. 

I tied Pi up by the lower arena and Matt got on to ride Scarlett. 


Pix:










































































Here's that video - you can see Pi to the far left in the video, LOL ... Scarlett was a little distracted ...







She's doing great; I'm really happy with how Matt is training her.

After that session we took her with Pi to the Upper Arena where the flag is. I rode Pi up, but Scarlett was bold and forward in the lead. Matt was pretty amazed as how bold she was. Matt loped Scarlett a bit there and then worked the flag on her. Her 1st time out of the arena and 1st time on the flag. She had no clue what she was supposed to do, but I still loved it. She was very distracted ...






He stopped her a few times. Pi's stop is on the left, Scarlett's on the right:









And this is all without Matt really asking Scarlett to stop. He's going to put back boots on her now ... 

Pi's:








Scarlett's


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## kewpalace

After he rode Scarlett, he rode my neighbor's horse and then took her up and worked her on the flag. Some pix and video:


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## kewpalace

Saturday I woke up in time to wash Pi and me, load her in the trailer and get on my way by 11 am to head up to the show. It was warm at the show grounds but I got a good spot close to where the arena entrance was and I had my cooling vest which makes a world of difference. We warmed up and then I let Pi have a break; warmed up again and went in (our run was at about 6:30 pm) and did ... mediocre, LOL. But just found out today that it was good enough to tie for 3rd and get a check! I'm shocked, especially since the Judge was kind of hard - I thought we would score worse, but even though it was just "OK" it was enough. 

Yesterday, I took Pi out for an evening ride. We both had a nice time.  Great way to end the weekend.


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## carshon

Congrats on the check! and those pics are fantastic!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon! I'm so excited that we got one! 

Did you see the pix/video on p. 16 of Scarlett? She's really coming along!! :thumbsup::clap:


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## egrogan

Just catching up on your journal, but thanks for sharing all the great stuff from the clinic. Sometimes you watch those kinds of things on TV (for example, I happened to watch a 4-part Julie Goodnight clinic recently) and half wonder if the participants are "real" people or just paid actors. This gives me a little more faith that those things aren't staged. It looked like a blast. I especially loved the water crossing with Rosie. I have been sitting on a horse flying backwards from the water a time or two...and not even a fraction as effective in getting her across!


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## kewpalace

Thanks for looking @erogan! It was definitely a blast and was nice to be (for the most part) cut-off from the real world for a while and get quality time with your horse. Yea, all these people were "real" people. Many of the women were very accomplished in different ways (PhD's in science, law enforcement (or former) officers, teachers, tack store owners, farrier) all brought together for the love of horses. It was neat to get acquainted with a whole new set of nice people. 

Richard's assistant rode Rosie 1st and could not get her in the water. Rosie did do the flying backward's treat with her BIG TIME. So Richard got on her. Was not as bad with him, but he still took a little over 6 minutes to get her in. But it was all nice and gentle and "there is only one way to go" option. She finally took it, LOL. Pi was way too easy after Rosie! Ha!!


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## kewpalace

Hope everyone had a great 4th! I had a nice extended trail ride on Pi up the Canyon on a trail I used to take quite often - riding up to Matt on Star for lessons. It's a nice ride, but now at a certain point, people have fenced off property so now it is tough to ride all the way up. But I wanted to see my RockMan who sits on top of a hill watching the world go by and the stone houses that were built to house mine workers in the area.

Here are some pix from various points in our ride:

Loooking NW in Cache Creek









Star and I used to ride in this creekbed - but it's practually impassible now due to the bolders

















Looking SW









Looking NW









Reminants of the stone houses

















































Looking NE









Looking SE:


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## kewpalace

Looking NE









Looking SW - I turned around from the pix immediately above to take this of the trail









Looking SE - My house is off in the distance to the right but is blocked by the bottom of the hill on the right









RockMan

There are little "caves" in this rock. You can see my RockMan to the upper right









a Better pix of the RockMan









Cougar Rock - this out cropping of rocks right by the trail always reminded me of those Disney films where the cougar would jump off the rock on a man on horseback, LOL. It still makes me nervous ... 









After we got home, I went with my neighbors to watch the Bad Bulls & Fireworkds at the Rodeo Grounds


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## kewpalace

Busy weekend! Went Friday after work to help set up for Ranch Horse Challenge Awards Dinner. It was held at a friend's house. Their place is amazing and a great place to have an event. She said the people who owned the house before she/her husband used to have weddings there, so did all the work. But they have some events there 


































































We got the tables set up and sat back to enjoy the evening a bit. Found out my friend's son is going to Wine School in Montpellier. She wants to go to visit but her husband doesn't want to go. I told her I would go with her if she wanted. I love France! So she got all excited and kept asking me if I was serious, LOL. Heck yea, France is a kick!


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## kewpalace

Saturday Morning I went to watch Matt ride Scarlett and then I was taking her home for a few days while he and his family went camping. I am really amazed at her, she's doing so great! Here's pix.


























































Video coming ... uploading is taking forever. :|

I stayed to watch Matt's morning lesson and then loaded Scarlett up for the short ride home. She loaded right up, but when we got to my house, she turned around after I unhooked her, so decided to let her come out front first and then I'd load her back up and back out. Well, she acted as if she never in her life come out front first from the trailer, LOL. It took her about 5 minutes to finally attempt and she makes a BIG jump out of the trailer. :icon_rolleyes: Loaded her back up and asked her back and out she goes pretty as you please, LOL. Pi was hollering, but Scarlett was pretty quiet. I put her in her pen.

Had some errands to run, so ran into town and then came home, showered and got dressed for the awards dinner. Matt and his son Matthew came to pick me up. It was about an hour drive down to Bakersfield and we had a nice chat on the way down.


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## kewpalace

The awards dinner was great - it was catered by the Sheriff's Mounted Posse who does that sort of thing for events for which they use the money they get for special needs kids. And the food they made was really good - tri tip, Chicken, salad, & rolls. Sounds basic but it was really yummy. 

I didn't know where Pi and I ended the season, but they had a list of the final standings and we got 2nd in Novice Versatility Ranch Horse! They gave us a LOT of prizes:


























































Matt was surprised he got 2nd in Open Ranch Horse. He didn't think he placed, LOL. 

















Sunday, I turned Scarlett out with Pi for the first time since she went up to Matt's in May. They had fun together. 







































Then I moved 25 bales of hay to the hay shed. Need to clear space for Hay delivery in the next few weeks for next year's hay delivery. Yea, that wiped me out .... and that was the day! Looking forward to getting some rest at work. :mrgreen::mrgreen:


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## kewpalace

Here's the 7/7/18 Matt Ride Video. I had to laugh as we were talking while he was saddling up and I said the one thing I could NOT get her to do when ponying her was get her to go in a puddle. He said,"Aw, she goes in all the time here." They you will see when he tries to get her to go across a little puddle .... :rofl:


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## Rod

Nice horse, She is coming along!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Rod. I'm very excited about her!! :happydance:


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## COWCHICK77

Shes really coming along! I'd be excited too!!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77! It's really fun! :cheers:


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## kewpalace

Took Scarlett back up to Matt's last night. She loaded in the trailer like a champ and back right out when we got there. She was a little concerned when she first unloaded but then recognized where she was & relaxed. Pi was a little sad to see her go and was running in the turn out calling when I came back. It seems like Scarlett grew up a bit while at Matt's and Pi liked her much better, LOL. I think this time Pi will actually miss Scarlett being at home. 

I might go up tonight to watch Matt ride, but if not then definitely sometime next week.


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## kewpalace

This weekend I had to go to my Mom's, but ran up to Matt's early on Saturday to catch his ride on Scarlett. I'm really pleased with how she is going now ... very relaxed and forward. He took her on the trail course - her 2nd time. She did everything, but with no precision of course. I was laughing but really smiling inside since she tried everything he asked her to! Here's the video:







After I got home yesterday, after it got a few degrees cooler, took Pi out for a ride. We had a nice time. 


















At home, one of her pasture mates came out to say hi, LOL:


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## kewpalace

I posted this in the Showing forum, but wanted to include it in my Journal as well. 

"Some of you know that last year the NRCHA w/the BLM auctioned off spayed mustang fillies for a chance to compete for $25,000 at a special class at this year's Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity. It will likely be webcasted. The fillies will be auctioned off after the competition. Protect the Harvest has been following/filming the fillies and the people who bought them and released the 1st Episode a little while ago. They put it on YouTube!

I'm excited since I know some of the trainers taking part in the competition that are in this Episode. I ride with Roger Bias and have known he and his wife Cynthia for years. I know Rebecca (who is currently riding out of the Bias' Barn & has done the majority of the work on Blondie) through the Bias' and through showing as she shows at the shows I go to. The Roger you see in this video is all Roger, LOL. I see the videos and pix they post on FB of their progress with Blondie - she's doing really well, but is a HUGE horse (she has to be 15.3 or 16 H). Just a real sweet filly.

I know Wyatt Fisher a bit - know his parents more, as long as I've known the Bias' almost. Wyatt was a wee lad when I first met them and he was a good rider then. He's now graduated from High School and is off starting his own training business. They are fun, nice people. 

I know Justin Wright, who is an open rider who shows at the shows I go to. He also has his NRCHA Judge's card and judged us once at Santa Ynez. He came up to me after the show and told me I was doing good, I just needed to get my stops down. I really appreciated the feedback - you don't get judges doing that at shows!

Here's the video:





Looking forward to Episode 2 - Lance Johnston in that one and Lance got his start in Cowhorse on mustangs. Really anxious to see what he has done with his horse (although I see some on FB since they post videos of their progress).


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## Knave

Wow! I didn’t know that. That will be really interesting.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Wow! I didn’t know that. That will be really interesting.


It will be really interesting! These cowhorse trainers are getting some pretty good things out of their fillies. :thumbsup:


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## kewpalace

No new Scarlett news. Have been too busy to go up; maybe next week. Matt says she's doing good, but gave her a few days off since we had hay coming in and he had to fix his little hay shed. 

Pi and I went to a Ranch Horse Clinic at Mankins Performance Horses in Buellton. Travis Mankins is a trainer who shows cowhorse and his wife Meghan did also, but has had to give it up (hopefully temporarily) from a back injury she incurred in a barrel racing accident. She has had quite a few surgeries and is going for a final assessment of whether they can fix her or not. If not, her riding days are over. :-(

Anyway, this clinic was organized by one of the people who help put on the Ranch Horse Shows that Pi and I competed in this summer (and who I ride cowhorse with), so it was just for the participants of that show. I've ridden a little bit with Travis and like him a lot. Both he and Meghan and very nice people. 

My neighbor, who showed for the 1st time with her mare, came with us. We went over on Saturday since it is a 4 hr. drive and we didn't want to get up at 3 to leave at 4 am on Sunday. We got to the Mankins' about 4:30-ish and put the horses up, checked into our hotel, went to the store and went back to the Mankins' for a pot luck BBQ (they supplied the short ribs, YUM!). We did get a quick ride before dinner though. 

In the morning we did trail obstacles; Pi and I did great, but she knows how to do them. I really wanted to get her out to a different place to do them, but it didn't seem to bother her being someplace else. They fed us deli (make your own) sandwiches for lunch.

In the afternoon we did cows - we all got to box one cow and then those who wanted to got to cut, which we did. My neighbor (who came with me with her mare) got some pix and video (Meghan also took some pix). 

Both our mares were excited when the cows came out:









Meghan got this pix:









My neighbor got these:

















Then on the Cow:
Meghan got this one









My neighbor got these 









Travis had us stop a few times in the herd since Pi gets really excited being in the herd, LOL




























The video shows mainly our boxing; Travis had me ride with NO CONTACT during our run and Pi did much better. She still has her helicopter tail habit, though. :icon_rolleyes: Cutting starts about 2:28 - this was our first cow, which was OK, but we did lose it. The next two we did not lose it and we got some awesome moves; Pi was very relaxed on the last cow, I wish I had video of that!! That is Travis riding with me.





After we were done, we washed the horses and I went to pay Meghan and chat a minute and we hit the road at 6. Got home about 10:30 pm. I was beat. Pi was happy to be home, too!

Next weekend is the cowhorse show!


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## kewpalace

It was one year ago yesterday that I brought Scarlett home. She was a scrawny little thing with little handling and she got her 1st Matt Lesson stepping off the trailer. She even got her 1st "ride". Some pix from that day:


























A year later she is in full training and doing great. On Saturday Matt tried her on the water box. In a post above I told him she avoids water on the ground at all costs. Matt is usually really good about getting horses through the water box. He said it took him a 1/2 hour to get Scarlett through, LOL, but was successful in the end:


















I am waiting for the video; I was at a show, so the girl who came for a lesson took video of it.

Friday, got a short ride in - it was HOT and the air is totally crappy from all the wildfires (not any near us, but the smoke as made it way to us), so didn't do too much. Found a nice plant in the creekbed though:


















The show on Saturday did not go well, but I was in good company. Could have been the heat was part of the problem, but Pi knows when she walks through that gate, she can give me the finger. She was great up to that point. Looks like I'll have to cough up the extra $$ to do Open Boxing as a schooling class before the 1K. 

Last night went on a nice short little trail ride. This is what Pi thought of it:



















And the sky:

















And this morning:


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## carshon

your comment about Pi giving you the finger makes me laugh. I don't show but I think my horse (Tillie) has done the same to me on the trail.


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> your comment about Pi giving you the finger makes me laugh. I don't show but I think my horse (Tillie) has done the same to me on the trail.


LOL, no doubt, LOL! Pi has done it outside the show pen as well. She just gets corrected there, so it's less apt to show up. :tongue:


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## kewpalace

Scarlett went up to Matt's on 5/12/18. He put the 1st ride on her 5/23/18 (see post starting with #122 on p. 13). She's had a few days off, but we figured yesterday was about her 60th ride. Here's what we got:






And some pix (these are in the video, but I really love them so put them here, too, LOL):


























Well, not much happening in the next week or so - no shows until 9/1 and have family obligations two weekends, but have some horse stuff (lessons & friends coming up to ride) to keep us busy. 

I am so tickled pink with her progress and status. Not too shabby for a 60 day horse!!

Matt is doing a presentation at the [/url=ahttps://www.norcohorseaffair.com/]Norco Horse Affair/ 10/4-7/18 and is talking about tak...a/74005308899/medium/1533066022/enhance[/img]


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## kewpalace

Not a lot going on. Just been riding Pi in the yard over poles and getting her think "back, back, back" on stops. It's a work in progress but she's starting to do it more consistently. I practiced ground tying her (I have done it a few times) and she did great (from Wednesday):










The smoke from the fires (over 100 miles away) have been impacting the Central & Antelope Valleys & Tehachapi:

Looking NW from Palmdale ... you can usually slearly see the Tehachapi Mountain from here.









Going into Bakersfield from Westbound 58:









Looking SW near General Beale offramp - you can usually see the southern Mountains (Santa Monica?) from here:


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## kewpalace

Went up to see Matt and Scarlett on Saturday. This was the 2nd time he took her up top and worked the flag on her. She's doing great for a 70 day horse, I'm so pleased with her!






Pi and I worked the flag a little bit mainly working on getting her to relax. I enjoyed the morning!

That was all the horse events. Smoke is getting better since they are getting further containment on all the wild fires. It has affected my breathing this last weekend; I can imagine those who are closer are having a hard time of it.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is back home for a few days while Matt is off on a trip. But he put a quick ride on her yesterday before I took her home. Total time for the ride was about 20-25 minutes. Here's highlights:






Some pix:









































She is getting some major hind end muscle! I'm loving it! 










Got her home and was instantly at home.

































and with Pi


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## carshon

I love your posts. She is quite the looker - so glad she settled right in at home


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## kewpalace

Aw, thanks @carshon! I am glad you are enjoying Scarlett's journey. 

I have never had a horse in long term full training; I usually have them there for a couple of months and then end up doing the rest on my own (with TONS of help/instruction from those more experienced). I enjoy that process, but I am just loving watching her grow - physically and mentally - under Matt's training. It's also less stressful for me (and her, LOL). Matt and I do alot of talking about what he's doing and why (we discuss alot since I'm also riding with cow horse trainers); I take some of what he's doing with Scarlett and apply it to my riding on Pi. Or, at least, I try to, LOL. I'm very fortunate & blessed to have access to a good trainer I trust.

And to have a horse like her and Pi; I'm really blessed. Scarlett just takes it all in stride (as does Pi). They aren't bothered much about going different places. We'll test Scarlett out next month when we take her to a show we are going to a few hours away. Then Matt will use her in his Demo at the Norco Horse Affair. I think Pi and I are riding in that as well. So excited for Scarlett!


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## kewpalace

Pretty quiet for the last week but some friends came up on Sunday for a trail ride. We went to see the old stone houses in the one canyon near me and I showed them them all the "flood" damage from the past year.


























You can see just before Pi is a creek cut out (we are right at the edge of the creek bank). The flooded creek dug about 3-4' into the creekbed making it much deeper. And the waters overflowed the creekbed, so there was a lot of water flowing through there.

John has a horse podcast called "Whoa Podcast". He interviews a lot of different horsemen/women and it's pretty interesting if anyone is interested in it.

After they left Scarlett got a bath before being taken back to school up to Matt's. 









Haven't heard if he got on her last night, but usually after a few days off, she gets pretty spunky, LOL. 

Next weekend is a CCHA cowhorse show - woohoo!!


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## kewpalace

PS - the black horse that John is riding is an Oak Creek Wild Horse.

:wave:


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## kewpalace

Busy Weekend. Took Friday off to ride Pi and clean everything in my trailer tack room. Got the draws for Saturday's show and my first class (Open Boxing) was likely to start about 4:30-ish. They predicted it would start at 3. :icon_rolleyes:
Got a good ride in on Pi. Been working alot of getting her back on her HQ, but have not had time to go out to work cows before the show. So she was likely to be fresh. 

Matt sent a pix of Scarlett on Friday:









My friend who I bought Pi and Scarlett from got a new mare to her about 3 weeks ago. It's been AGES since she's shown; about 6 years? And that was on Pi's older sister who permanently lamed herself in a pasture incident, so cannot be shown any longer. Her new mare she got from the people she always buys from and who bred Pi ... it's a small world, LOL. Her mare is about 6 yo and is a Metallic Cat daughter. Nice roan. I was happy to have my friend back showing.

We got to the show grounds about 1:30-ish. Three of the spayed Mustang futurity fillies were entered - two in Open Boxing and one in Jr. Horse. I missed the Jr. Horse. One of my friends posted a pix of the HUGE mustang filly next to her futurity horse (CD Lights filly) - mind you, both of these are 3 yo's:









My friend who I bought Pi/Scarlett from brought her happy little baby so I had a little baby time! He's a handsome little devil. 









Pi and I were 22/28 in Open Boxing. I was going to use this class to school her since she was completely blowing me off in the show pen. Our draw gave us lots of time to warm up and to watch the others especially the Mustang Fillies. The Mustangs are really impressive. They did their reinwork and then boxing and then when the buzzer went, they took their cow down the fence and circled it up, LOL. Everyone loved it. Lance Johnston with his filly are going to be real contenders. The HUGE filly above probably won't score real well (she is HUGE) but dang that Stang can STOP! She has a heart of gold and tries HARD; she will make someone a great horse. 

My friend was in Open Boxing too, so was in the warm up pen with us. We got a nice pix:









Pi and I finally get our turn and per the course, she blew me off and I stopped her hard in our circles in the reining pattern. It surprised her, :shock:, LOL. And we got a zero on reining from that point on. I could hear my trainer's wife yelling,"GOOD!" LOL. Did that a few more times and then on stops, I immediately started backing her up. In her spins I let her sit a minute until she got quiet an then started. 

Called for our cow and she was still pushy; so I stopped her a LOT and backed her up and caught up with the cow. We lost the cow and started after it and she started powering up and I instantly stopped her. She went hard into the ground - would have LOVED a pix of that stop! And then we went nicely after the cow, but the buzzer sounded so that was it for us. I thought we zero'd on the cow, but the judge actually gave us a 60, LOL!


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## kewpalace

We had about an hour for our 1K class so I just stayed in there, cooled her out a bit and waited. I was anxious to see what I'd get in the show pen, but with the corrections and the fresh off Pi, we turned in a solid run - 69 in reining and 70 on a less than ideal cow. I was really happy with my run. We came in 2nd in the 1K for a nice check (there were 4 in the 1k; it paid only through 2nd place). Missed tying by 1/2 a point and winning by one point. But lost out to another friend, so I was good with that. Someone got some video, but haven't figured out how to get it to be able to post it. If I do, I will. :smile:

My friend was last in the Intermediate NPL (which Pi and I were in and our 1k run counted for that class). She smoked us with a 70/71 and ended up 2nd in that class. Pi and I ended up 5th. Which was fine since the class it counted the most was the 1k and we got $$ for that. We got home at 1:30 am on Sunday.

Sunday took a quick walk ride on Pi and did really nothing all day. Monday went to Mom's but when I came home, took a ride on Pi then watched the hummingbirds duke it out at the feeder (and they come to see what the heck I'm doing sitting there, LOL) with a nice glass of wine. It was a good weekend.


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## kewpalace

Finally got the video to upload ... it's not great quality, but I'm glad they were able to get it.

Patter was: Lope in on Right lead, large fast/small slow circle, change leads, large fast/small slow circle, change leads, run down stop, 3 1/2 spins to the left, run down stop, 3 1/2 spins to the right, run down stop, back up. 

They didn't get my 1st large circle so video starts off with the small slow.









Don't know if You'll be able to hear Roger yell at me from the cow pen, LOL. My cow was not great and was getting bunched up in the one corner, but you work with what you get.


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## COWCHICK77

Scarlett is looking good! I watched her videos in progression and can see her improving. I love how laid back she is. 
I cant wait to see her on a cow and see how itll bring her fire out!


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## kewpalace

Aw, thank you so much @COWCHICK77! It's great to hear that, especially from you. 

She is pretty laid back, but Matt says she's got some spunk to her. And she really watches his dog outside the arena when he works her, so he thinks she's going to be really quick and watchy with cows. Really excited to see that as well! Gonna need some strong velcro, I think, LOL ....


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## COWCHICK77

kewpalace said:


> Aw, thank you so much @COWCHICK77! It's great to hear that, especially from you.
> 
> She is pretty laid back, but Matt says she's got some spunk to her. And she really watches his dog outside the arena when he works her, so he thinks she's going to be really quick and watchy with cows. Really excited to see that as well! Gonna need some strong velcro, I think, LOL ....



That's awesome!

I hear ya on the velcro too! 
I sent my Mister Dual Pep/Smart Chic Olena filly to a cow horse trainer last month.
I asked him yesterday how she was doing:

"Shes doing good! Shes a little ouchy and a bit of a bronc. Shes quick as f***."

Me: "So what you're saying is I'm going to fall off a lot!"

Trainer: "You'll be fine"


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## kewpalace

LOL, Sounds fantastic!! How old is she?? When I find the Super Stick velcro I'll send some your way, LOL ... You have any pix of her??

Matt was saying about a month ago, he popped Scarlett with the end of the rein as she was completely ignorning his leg in a spin. He said she whipped around so fast he almost came off, LOL!! He said, "I've been on horses that spin fast, including Pi, but they were not as fast as Scarlett was." :shock::shock:

He's making noises about showing her next year at snaffle bit. I'm all for it if he wants to, but am ready to show her in the Limited division if need be. 

What are your plans for your filly??


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## COWCHICK77

kewpalace said:


> LOL, Sounds fantastic!! How old is she?? When I find the Super Stick velcro I'll send some your way, LOL ... You have any pix of her??
> 
> Matt was saying about a month ago, he popped Scarlett with the end of the rein as she was completely ignorning his leg in a spin. He said she whipped around so fast he almost came off, LOL!! He said, "I've been on horses that spin fast, including Pi, but they were not as fast as Scarlett was." :shock::shock:
> 
> He's making noises about showing her next year at snaffle bit. I'm all for it if he wants to, but am ready to show her in the Limited division if need be.
> 
> What are your plans for your filly??



That's awesome! How cool to have a Snaffle Bit hopeful!!! And yes, send the Velcro! LOL!!! 

I'd love to see you or Matt show her.


The filly, Pig Pen, is supposed to be a Snaffle Bit prospect. We will see. She turned two in May and I was reluctant to send her off due to her size but she has really bulked up this summer so she went to ID in August. She is very short, barely 13HH but stout. After he gets her going along we will evaluate what she will be best suited for. If he thinks he can show her next year in the Open, Ill make it happen. If she will make me a Non-Pro horse we will do that. Not going to force her to be something she is not.
I will see if I can upload some pictures from my phone...


PS. You coming to Reno next week???


----------



## COWCHICK77

Shes a typical Mister Dual Pep, short shoulder and neck and plenty of attitude!


----------



## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> That's awesome! How cool to have a Snaffle Bit hopeful!!! And yes, send the Velcro! LOL!!! I'd love to see you or Matt show her.


Would love to meet you there!!




COWCHICK77 said:


> The filly, Pig Pen, is supposed to be a Snaffle Bit prospect. We will see. She turned two in May and I was reluctant to send her off due to her size but she has really bulked up this summer so she went to ID in August. She is very short, barely 13HH but stout. After he gets her going along we will evaluate what she will be best suited for. If he thinks he can show her next year in the Open, Ill make it happen. If she will make me a Non-Pro horse we will do that. Not going to force her to be something she is not.


That's how I feel about Scarlett. Lucky for me, Matt's on board with that, too. He said we should know by January if she is really a contender or not. If not, we'll point towards the Derby. In any event, saving up in case we do make it. Hopefully, we'll see you & Pig Pen there next year!



COWCHICK77 said:


> You coming to Reno next week???


Unfortunately not. I committed to feed for a neighbor while they are on vacation, which is from tonight through the 17th.  So will be watching friends from the webcast. Have quite a few trainer friends & NonPro friends showing in the Futurity, in the Mustang class and in the horse show. Should be a FUN show! Are you going??



COWCHICK77 said:


> Shes a typical Mister Dual Pep, short shoulder and neck and plenty of attitude!


I LOVE her!  What a TANK! :eek_color: Looking foward to action pix in the future. :thumbsup::thumbsup::wink:


----------



## COWCHICK77

Yes! It'd be fun to meet next year with our fillies!!!

We(knave and I) will be there this year to watch


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> We (knave and I) will be there this year to watch


Awesome!!! Have a great time! If you go by to see Blondie (the spayed Mustang filly) and see her Trainer Rebecca, tell her Laura Rene' sent you over. 

Expect a few on-the-scene report while you are there ... Should be a BLAST!!

People I know who are riding (if you care to follow them) are 

In the Open: Roger Bias (my cowhorse Trainer - you'll hear his wife cheering for him, LOL), Rebecca Sternadel (who is also riding Blondie in the Mustang Futurity), Lance Johnston (who is also riding in the Mustang Futurity), John Ward, Wyatt Fisher, Paul Bonnello, & Travis Mankins, 

In NP: JJ Fisher (Wyatt's Dad), Jessica Wright & Cynthia Bias (my trainer's wife)

In NPL: Laura Osborne Campbell, Clare Hanssen & Shelly Mitchell. Nicole Petty is also riding, she and her husband bred Pi. 

A lot of my friends are showing in the Horse Show, but those draws aren't up yet, so don't know who all is showing in what ...


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## COWCHICK77

Very cool!!! I'll keep an eye out!


----------



## kewpalace

Roger is up 1st in the herd work at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity this morning. Have the webcast on ... the herd work should start at 8 am PST.

Had a full day up at Matt's on Saturday. Went up to watch two of his lessons and them had mine on Pi - we are working on things for the Ranch Horse show on 9/22. The hardest thing for a cowhorse ... is to SLOW down. We've got two weeks to practice and since there are not going to be any cows there, it should be a little better, LOL. After my lesson I helped Matt move some panels from a neighbors house to his house. I got home about 5: 30 pm, so was there about 8 hours. :eek_color: 

Anyway, here's a video of the horse part of the day (minus me since I was taking pix):






Sunday, it was all weed whacking until I ran out of cord; so had to go into town for more, but by the time I got back it was dog walking time.  I tell you, I'm getting too old to be doing this stuff, LOL ... at least for hours at a time. Might have to rethink my strategy ...


----------



## kewpalace

Busy weekend with more weed whacking taking up all of Sunday.

Friday was the NonPro Ltd Futurity at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity. One of my friends ended up 3rd on her home bred and trained filly ... she had a smoking hot cow work and that really catapulted her up there. The Friend who won last year crashed and burned ... ended up 9th out of 11. She had some real problems in reining and then she lost her cow. That's too bad, but she seemed OK with it.

In the evening was the Spayed Filly Mustang Futurity finals (my recap is here). I watched it online, texting Matt back/forth about the goings on. It was fun to watch Blondie almost steal it from Lance & Holly, but on the whole, disappointing for most of the horses due to the lack of horsemanship.

Saturday, I had a lesson with Matt and went up early to watch his other two lessons. I ended up riding a bit with the other ladies since we were going to do trail together. Before we did that, I worked on stops a bit and one of the ladies got a video of our last stop ... it was NICE :mrgreen:






We played around on the trail course after which the other ladies left and Matt saddled Scarlett up. She worked her a bit on the usual stuff and then said he wanted to see what she'd do on cows! He had gotten a cow and her not-yet-weaned calf and wanted to track them. So we went down to get them and put them in the arena. I got some video (from the back of Pi!).  

Here's the whole video: 




Here's just cows: 




I was really excited as to how she handled the cows! She listened to Matt but was bright and eager and really wanted to work them. Matt was pretty excited too! After watching the Reno SB Futurity, I think she has a good shot ... of course, it's WAY to early to assess that, but hey, I'm an owner with a talented baby ... I'm entitled to dream a bit early, LOL.

Next weekend is the Ranch Horse Show ... looks like everyone but Matt and I was whimped out, so we'll hopefully take Scarlett with us and go show!


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## kewpalace

Fun weekend! I didn't get to put much time on time this week, but since the Saturday show was Ranch Horse - no reining pattern and no cows - I figured we'd do OK. I did take off early on Friday to get a ride in and practice a few things, mainly downward transitions and trot around some very tight cones.

We decided to take my little 2H trailer since it was only Matt and I going (all the rest dropped out for various reasons). He picked the trailer up on Friday and then came to pick us up Saturday Morning at 5:15 am. The venue was about 2-1/2 hours from us.

The show was at SilverLakes Ranch a sports complex with equestrian facilities in Norco. The horse facilities are near the soccer fields and they were buzzing when we got there with tons of games going on. Pi was looking for cows, especially when there were cheers from the soccer fields, LOL.

Pi and I entered the Amateur & Open Divisions (figured since there were no cows & no reining pattern, she could do both) that consisted of Ranch Trail, Ranch Riding (pattern) and Ranch Rail. The pattern for Ranch Riding was No. 2: 

Ranch Riding PatternNo. 2

Here's the Trail Course (turn in the box was 1-1/4) - pretty basic:










Pi and I ended up 4th in Amateur Ranch Riding and 4th in Open Trail. Not sure where we placed in the other classes but will post that when I get those results. We beat Matt in Open Ranch Trail!  Matt got 1st in Novice Horse Trail, 4th in Novice Horse Ranch Riding, 4th Open Ranch Rail and 5th in Novice Horse Ranch Rail.

Here's some pix from one of our trail run:


































































We got home about 8 pm. On the way we could see smoke from a fire and as the sun set, it was beautiful & sad at the same time. Found out it was the Charlie Fire in Castaic. As of last night it was 3,380 acres and 10% contained. I took from pix from the truck:


























Yesterday I was pretty drained, so didn't do too much. Did get Pi out in the Hackamore to see how'd she'd do. We are going to be riding in the Hackamore for Matt's Norco Horse Expo demo in a few weeks. Yea, she was pretty wild:


















Next weekend if family fun and then the horse expo!! WooHoo!


----------



## Knave

That looks fun!


----------



## kewpalace

@Knave, it was really fun! I love the trail stuff and Pi seems to, too! You should try it sometime!

Forgot to mention, after Ranch Rail I was a little disappointed at not placing since I thought Pi did the best she ever has in a rail class. Being a forward cowpony she doesn't always transition down when asked and sometimes when she does it's not pretty, but she did great there. Of course, the WP horses were all the ones that seems to place. Anyway, we went to the show office since they didn't post any score for Matt for one class and the Judge who judged the riding and the rail classes was in there. I walked in and she got a huge smile on her face and said,"I just LOVE your horse!! And you rode beautifully!" OK, fair enough to take the disappointment away, LOL. That is something we all want to hear, right? So even though we didn't place in her classes, we got some recognition. All was right in my world, LOL ....


----------



## kewpalace

Was playing around with the GoArt app ... love these two photos turned "art"!

Khaleesi









Pi


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## SilverMaple

Those are great!


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## kewpalace

@SilverMaple, they are fun! Love Prisma and just found GoArt (which is probably not new, just new to me). Not all photos do well in the transformation, but these two did.  I've got one of Matt & Scarlett that I'll post in a bit ... have to upload it and my iPhone is a little busy at the moment trying to update.


----------



## kewpalace

Here are a few more ... this are all from Prisma app ... 

I'll quit after this ... just too many, LOL ...

Pi









Pi and I in Santa Ynez









Matt & Scarlett









Small Greek Horse a friend brought back to me from Greece









Pi as a 2 yo









Star and I going after a cow









Here's the original photo of Star and I


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## kewpalace

WooHoo! Pi and I made the fall edition of the SYCHA Hitching Post Newsletter!


----------



## COWCHICK77

Very cool!!!
Scarlett is coming along! I enjoyed the video of her on cattle.
And congrats on the Step up Boxing! Cool pic of you and Pi!!!


----------



## COWCHICK77

I should also add, I'm envious of your ability to do a trail course. It has always been my weak link in a ranch horse competition. It seems like no matter what horse I'm riding of my own they booger at something because it's not familiar.

I even tried showing off one time on Stilts doing the log drag. Going counter clockwise showing the rope could come under or over his rump and his hocks but about got bucked down. I've drug a million calves and had calves run under him and behind him but in town with a log around a barrel? Not happening. Lol!


----------



## Knave

Oh wow, I had to laugh with you over that one @COWCHICK77. Once husband was proving to me how anyone can drag a log when I was all proud of myself. I have a picture of Charlie trying to buck him off over it too. Lol


----------



## COWCHICK77

LOL!!!! Its always when you're showing off!
And not sure why a log is different than a calf but they seem to know!


----------



## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Scarlett is coming along! I enjoyed the video of her on cattle.


Thanks @COWCHICK77! I was so jazzed. I don't think Matt's ridden her again on cows but said the last time she worked the flag she was actually starting to pay attention t it. So exciting!



COWCHICK77 said:


> congrats on the Step up Boxing! Cool pic of you and Pi!!!


Thanks!! We won the buckle in June and reserve in the Rookie (although the pix says we were 3rd), but they just posted the results with pix in their Fall news letter. I was excited about it ... 1st time we've won and got our pix in a newsletter!! LOL ... 



COWCHICK77 said:


> I should also add, I'm envious of your ability to do a trail course. It has always been my weak link in a ranch horse competition. It seems like no matter what horse I'm riding of my own they booger at something because it's not familiar.
> 
> 
> COWCHICK77 said:
> 
> 
> 
> LOL, I started off in trail with Star; I do that on my horses 1st since it's the least scary for me, LOL. Funny, none of my horses have been bothered by trail obstacles; although Scarlett may be a little different.
> 
> 
> 
> COWCHICK77 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I even tried showing off one time on Stilts doing the log drag. Going counter clockwise showing the rope could come under or over his rump and his hocks but about got bucked down. I've drug a million calves and had calves run under him and behind him but in town with a log around a barrel? Not happening. Lol!
> 
> 
> 
> LOL, yea, he obviously knew the difference ... Cows are serious business; logs? well, guess they are horse eaters, LOL ...
> 
> 
> 
> Knave said:
> 
> 
> 
> Once husband was proving to me how anyone can drag a log when I was all proud of myself. I have a picture of Charlie trying to buck him off over it too. Lol
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> THAT is WAY funny, LOL .... it's never as easy as it looks!
> 
> 
> 
> COWCHICK77 said:
> 
> 
> 
> LOL!!!! Its always when you're showing off!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> True that! Has made me a humble person who no longer shows off with my horse, LOL ...
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


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## kewpalace

My neighbor sold her yearling Tomcat Chex filly. :-( They picked her up last night and off they went. Pi, who never so much as touched noses with the filly (but they were "friends" from across the road) called out to her for about 10 minutes and pitched a little fit. The mare she was turned out with & lived with called twice and that was it. 

Friday, Pi and I will travel to Norco to ride in Matt's demos at the Norco Horse Affaire. We ride Friday once and twice on Saturday. On Friday we are in the hackamore and then in the bridle on Saturday. Matt's doing a progression from snaffle to bridle. Scarlett will be our snaffle bitter.  Should be fun but have to get ahead at work to go! So Fun ... not....


----------



## kewpalace

I am exhausted from my weekend - so much going on, so much last minute fixes, but the best part is that Scarlett passed her 1st public outing with flying colors - so proud of my girl and Matt's training!

Thursday I dropped my trailer off in Tehachapi to check on the brakes so had to take the truck to work. Which was fine. The trailer place called me at about 1 saying it needed parts that wouldn't be in until Wednesday. :--o Now what was I going to do? I left Matt a voice mail about needing a ride for Pi. Looked at my text and he had texted me "That could be a problem." So I texted another friend in Bakersfield to see if I could borrow her trailer. And texted Matt back that I had done so. He texted "??? What's wrong with your trailer?" LOL his prior text was to a previous one I had sent NOT the trailer one, LOL! My friend agreed to lend me her trailer and I left work early, ran by her house and picked it up. Ran by the trailer place to get my gear and then got home in time to pack the trailer & truck with necessaries, including Pi's & Scarlett's food. Seems I was to take Scarlett with Pi.

Friday, drove up to Matt's to get Scarlett and then followed him down to Norco. It was about a 3 hour drive. Got parked and saddled up for Matt's first Demo. Pi was in the hackamore, Scarlett (with Matt on board) in the snaffle, one other girl in the snaffle and another guy in the bridle. Scarlett did really well, although in warm up Matt said she spooked at one thing hard ... I missed it and didn't see her do anything else. Here's highlights from the 1st day:






She did so awesome! Here's some pix:


















































When we got back to the trailer I took this of Matt & Scarlett:









We got them settled in their stalls and Scarlett was really up, but settled done by the time we left in a few hours. Had enough time to look at the vendors and watch Robin Bond's Ranch Riding presentation (she is excellent if you ever get a chance to go watch her) and go to dinner. After dinner was an EXCA race, although they only had 8 riders and the course was not really "Extreme". But it was fun to watch. Matt and his family were staying at the grounds with their LQ. I had an off site hotel and got there about 9-ish. Was glad to have a shower and nice soft bed!


----------



## kewpalace

We were up at noon for Matt's trail demo; I got to the grounds about 10 after getting gas, tea & ice. Scarlett was tired from the day before and had more bobbles than Friday, but held it together and did awesome in the demo for the most part, being a green tired baby. Matt only used her for part of the demo and then got off and rode Pi a little bit. Here's the video:





And some pix:

























Matt's last demo was at 3:15, but it came FAST! I didn't manage to get some buckets from Thrifty Horse since the prices were GREAT and you couldn't use some extra buckets. I had bought a HUGE muck buck on Friday since Scarlett had destroyed her hay bag.  Scarlett was not in the last demo and we left her in a stall. Yea, she showed her Auntie Pi that she has the Airs Above the Ground movements too! She reared straight up, bucked in place, & would jump up/down in place while we were gone - a lady who was there the entire time told us & then I saw some of it as we came back. She's pretty talented in that respect!

Washed Pi off and tied her and Scarlett to the trailer and went to watch a little of mounted shooting, check out the BLM mustangs/burrows for adoption and one final swing through the vendors. We left there about 6:30. I got separated and ahead of Matt, and made it to his house & put Scarlett up before he even hit the mouth of the canyon. I was just finishing up with Pi when I saw them driving up the canyon. 

Sunday was my friend's 70th Birthday, so I told my Mom (who also knows her), I'd pick her up to go to the Surprise party my friend's daughter had planned for her. That was before I borrowed the trailer; I had to take the trailer back Sunday morning, so got up early, cleaned it out (both tack room & horse compartment) and drove the hour to Bako and the hour back. Jumped in the car drove 2-1/2 hrs to get Mom. Then an hour & half to the restaurant. Had a great time at the party, drove hour and half to drop Mom off and the 2 hours home (amazing how light traffic shaves time off the commute!). I got home about 10:30 pm. I was DEAD. Thank Goodness yesterday was a court holiday, so I could sleep in and take it easy.

Next up ... Another Ranch Horse Show in Silverlakes in Norco on 10/27.


----------



## kewpalace

Got a weekend at home, it was great! Got a few things cleaned, got a few rides on Pi and got to go up to see Scarlett on Saturday. Matt only put a quick ride on her since he was going out with his wife AND Scarlett did an AWESOME stop so he quit her after that. Before the stop, he practiced lead changes on her ... she's doing really good with them, although still trying to figure it out. Then he asked to stop - not hard, but she planted her butt and almost lost her balance ... it surprised both her AND Matt, LOL. Here's the Video:






Here is a still from the the video of her stop ... I couldn't figure out how to save it as a photo, but this is the money shot, LOL:






And some pix:


































Pi Pix in the next post.


----------



## kewpalace

And here's some pix from Pi's & my weekend rides


























She hasn't had cement in so long she had to taste it. :icon_rolleyes:


----------



## kewpalace

Not too much horse time this weekend, but got a ride in on Pi on Friday and Sunday. Sunday started working on a few things for this coming weekend's ranch show. 

But had a good talk with Matt about plans for Snaffle Bit for Scarlett next year. With the NRCHA's Snaffle Bit Futurity winding up in Ft. Worth on Saturday night, I wanted to see if he wanted to go to Reno or to Ft. Worth with Scarlett. He opted for Reno, which is a good thing for me - close and cheaper, LOL. It's pretty exciting to think I'll have a horse in the Reno Snaffle Bit! IF she is ready. But Matt thinks she's on track and very happy with her progress (as am I).

Since I got little horse time over the weekend, I played around with Prisma & GoArt. Here's some of it:


----------



## carshon

I love the shadow pic with adventure in it. And Pi tasting cement - just made me laugh


----------



## COWCHICK77

I'm so excited about your SBF hopeful!!!


----------



## kewpalace

carshon said:


> I love the shadow pic with adventure in it.


Thank you, @carshon. I love that one, too. I was coming back from getting Pi's dinner ready after a ride, saw it and thought, "I HAVE to get that one! What a cool pix it would be!" Turned out great. 



carshon said:


> And Pi tasting cement - just made me laugh


I couldn't believe it when she did that. Silly girl!



COWCHICK77 said:


> I'm so excited about your SBF hopeful!!!


Thank you @COWCHICK77! I am beyond excited! She is just doing SSSSOOOO good. Matt's trying to temper my excitement, but I can tell he's really excited, too. We are going to start hauling her to alot of places starting this weekend and he wants to get her on cattle a few times a month. Matt's already talked to Richard Winters (who he also knows) and will haul her out to Ojai to see Richard and get a neutral 3rd party assessment. We trust Richard's opinion. I CAN'T wait, LOL!!

I don't know if you watched any of the SBF, but Chris Dawson, Richard's Son-in-law, had two horses in the finals and ended up 4th & 9th. Not bad!! I think it is the first time he beat his wife, LOL. Sarah did not have any horses in the finals - a 1st for a long time. 

A friend of mine is having her horse shown in the Idaho Futurity. I'm excited for her and looking forward to seeing that one - if they webcast it.


----------



## kewpalace

No Scarlett news this week. Hopefully next weekend I'll have a new video. I haven't had time to go up, but Matt gives me updates 2-3x a week. She's doing good. :wink:

This last weekend Matt/Rowdy & Pi/I went to the 2nd show of the Silverlakes Ranch Riding Buckle Series ... one more show to go, that is next month. One of Matt's other clients, a young lady named Lauren, was going to show with us, but her horse came up lame, so she came along to help out. With Lauren's horse out, Scarlett got bumped again in favor of us taking my 2H trailer instead of Matt's 4 horse. Another client of Matt's, Thomas and Rose, brought Thomas' mare, Dandy, to the Show - Thomas showed her in Novice Rider (this was Thomas' 1st real show) and Matt showed her in Open. Pi and I entered in the Amateur & Open divisions.

Pi was really good and getting better about slowing down, but still not to the Judge's tastes I guess, LOL. We didn't place at all in Amateur, but tied Matt for 6th in the Open Trail and came in just behind him at 5th in Ranch Rail.









Here's the video highlights from our Amateur trail run:





On the way home, we have this one mountain to go over; when you start the down grade, it is deceptive in that you get going a LOT faster than you realize before you realize how fast you are really going. There are accidents there all the time. We came around the corner on the down hill and immediately saw there was an accident there. Matt was driving slow, but the accident was right around the corner & people slammed on their brakes before realizing we could go through. Luckily we had my little trailer & Matt was able to fast stop without too much trouble & tossing the horses around. It was some guy in a 2500 Dodge Ram with a 35' 5th wheel trailer going too fast down the hill and lost control. Here's the pix: 










We got through with no problems after we stopped, but were a little bothered no one had thought to warn people coming around that corner.

We were fortunate to get home early since the show was smaller. 

Here are some other pix from the day before the show:

Pi looking all noble:









And then ruining the image, LOL:

















And then all clean and wrapped up for the night before the show:


----------



## kewpalace

Sort of kind of a busy weekend. Friday through Saturday were busy - Sunday not so much.

Friday I went up to watch Matt ride Scarlett. Lead changes are getting better and she just looks so nice and relaxed. She got a little cow time, but still doesn't really know what to do with them. Plus the cows Matt has are pretty dead. Hopefully soon he'll start taking her out to work cows. Matt's son "helped" out on his mustang, Mocha. Here's the video:






And some pix:



































































I am real excited about her; she's doing so good!


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## kewpalace

Saturday hooked up the trailer and went down to the local tack store's moving sale. Bought quite a bit of stuff - Vetrocyn, saddle butter, rawhide cream, a red halter for Scarlett, hay bags for the trailer and a pad each for Pi and Scarlett - 

Professionals Choice Comfortfit Tan Wool Pad









Dropped the trailer off to have routine maintenance done and got back up the hill in time to put up the bridle holder in my new-to-me tack room. Had to put the cross board up and then the bridle holders - and I didn't have a drill bit.  But got it up and will put more screws in later. Looks nice!









Want to get some solar lights up on the outside and one inside. That will really help. Still working out placement of stuffs.

Sunday drove to my Mom's and back, but got home in time to put a ride in on Pi and was rewarded with a great sunset.


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## kewpalace

The 2018 cow horse season is over. Last weekend was the last 2 day show of our local NRCHA affiliate. We had a full show on Friday, then they did just the fence work on Saturday ending in a saddle shoot off (highest combined two day cow scores from the club classes gained entry) and Sunday was boxing ending in a buckle shoot off. 

I picked up my trailer Wednesday at the end of the day and realized part way home that I had no brakes, after paying a boatload of $$ to get NEW brakes. I was so tired I thought maybe I would go back down the hill on Thursday.

I took Thursday off to ride Pi, but it was SOOO windy, we did get a nice ride in, but it was too cold to wash her, so thought I would get to the venue early and wash her since my go was not until about 4:30 pm. Also managed to readjust my brake controller so that I did have brakes! WooHoo! Except now I need a new brake controller because the manual boost knob no longer works. But was happy I had brakes. Took the trailer up to Matt's to drop off stuff I bought at the tack store sale and to test the brakes. Saw Scarlett no longer looking like a filly:


















Had fun playing with GoArt with the one pix:



















We were up and out of the house by 11 am on Friday; dogs were happy to be going, but didn't realize they'd spend most of the time in the trailer, poor dogs, LOL. Got to the venue about 1-ish and saw Richard Winters, so we exchanged greetings and I was off to wash Pi. After that, let her sit with a hay bag to dry and went to watch a few goes.

We had entered Open Boxing and the 1k, so had a bit of a wait for OB. Got on Pi at least an hour before out go and she was nice, relaxed and responsive. Then when we get in the show pen, she was STRONG, pushy and resistant. Oy!! I corrected her a few times in reining by stopping her in the pattern, so we zero'd in the reining. And I thought the cow work was a mess, but we actually got a 66, which was much better than I expected. We had a few hours for our 1K run. In the 1k we were slightly better, got a score in both reining and cow which were slightly better than Open Boxing. 

I thought I'd get to the hotel at a decent hour, but got there about 10:45 pm after stopping at McDonalds for dinner to go. I was not real happy with our performance, but given that we hadnt' really practiced, it was about as much as I could expect. Our cow scores basically torpedo'd any chance of us getting us in the buckle shoot out.


----------



## kewpalace

Saturday we had no classes, so went to the show grounds to watch and then ride Pi. Took the dogs in with me to watch and Khaleesi was REALLY interested in the cows, LOL .... she wanted to help Teddy Robinson work his cow:










I also bought some saddle blankets for Scarlett's Futurity - Matt actually likes them, too, LOL. I told him the red one was for her Finals runs.  They were on sale, so I had to buy TWO!


















I put the dogs away and got on Pi for a couple of hours, much of it just hanging out and watching. Got to see Richard's run in the Jr. Open Hackamore horse. Got some pix and then played with Prisma since they were blurry:











































Then had a friend take our pix (so cheesy, LOL):









The sunset was beautiful so got a few pix of them as well:


















We didn't get to see the saddle shoot off since the club sponsored a free dinner and I was eating and talking with my friend when it was going on. I actually made it back to the hotel before 7 pm! Ended up getting a good nights sleep, which I missed the night before.


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## JoBlueQuarter

Love all the pics! And I cannot believe how grownup Scarlett looks! She's so stocky and well-muscled; such a big change from the longlegged filly you got


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## kewpalace

Our last day, Sunday, was up and out of the hotel by 7 am and got the trailer hooked up and pulled into the day parking area near the arena. I was 15th up in OB and 10 in the 1k, so hoping to get out of there & home before dark. 

The pattern for Sunday was NRCHA Pattern 3 Lope Toward which is a LONG pattern. I was happy since I was hoping it would tire Pi out a bit. NOT. You would never have know if she was tired, since she was STRONG and FAST. Still we did better in Open Boxing, getting a 67 in reining and a 69 on our cow. After that we had a 3 hour wait until our 1k run.

So hung out a bit, ate tacos, watched the kids and got a big kick out of watching Jake's son do his thing on a great horse....






This horse is 19 yo and has won/placed in the finals in some major cowhorse shows. He knows his job and is extremely patient with Chet. So fun to watch. 

Finally got back on Pi for our warmup in the 1K. Got a solid 69.5 in reining and a 70 on the cow - not enough to put us in the $$ but I was really happy we ended on that note, given our Friday "performance". :icon_rolleyes: Washed Pi off and headed home about 2:30; got home by 4:30. Everyone was happy to be home!!

I was in bed by 8:30 and slept a whole 12 hours. We had Monday off and didn't do too much. A little laundry. A little house cleaning (my bathroom), dog walked and took Pi for a meandering ride.


















They posted the final standings for our club today. We did not qualify for a year end award in Open Boxing since we only showed in that class 3x (you had to show at least 5 to get a year end award). We ended up 6 in the Club Intermediate Non Pro Limited class for the year, which I was really happy for. Don't know where we will end up in the NRCHA standings, but it will be out of World contention. Those two shows we missed in June really hurt us in standings, but that's OK.

Next up is the final Ranch Horse show in Norco on Saturday. Matt is taking Scarlett to school in the Novice Horse Trail and Novice Horse Ranch Riding. I'm so excited for her. Even if she doesn't do well, I'm excited for her to just go, LOL. Hope to be taking LOTS of photos/video!


----------



## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Love all the pics! And I cannot believe how grownup Scarlett looks! She's so stocky and well-muscled; such a big change from the longlegged filly you got


Thanks @JoBlueQuarter! I know! Scarlett is a tank, LOL. She's about 2x the size that Pi was at that age! And I'm loving all the muscling she has ... can't wait to see her in action on Saturday!


----------



## kewpalace

Another busy weekend ... Friday took off from work to prep Pi and I and pack up for the last Silverlakes Ranch Riding show. Pi decided she wanted to try a change in disciplines as she was practicing for the NFR: 


































Got on Pi about 11 am for a 2 hour ride out in the wilds of Sand Canyon and it was really a nice ride, where we worked on transitions mainly:










































After bathing her and cleaning my tack, took the dogs for a walk and played ball with them:


















and got a lovely sunset to end the day ...

















Matt's other client, who came last show to help out, was finally able to bring her horse to this show, so we were taking Scarlett and Matt's BIG 4 horse trailer, so I brought my stuffs up to his house to pack up since we were leaving EARLY.

Since we were taking Scarlett we decided to enter her in two classes for schooling purposes, Novice Ranch Riding and Novice Ranch Trail. Matt planned on riding to show, but if she needed schooling he would do that. It was mainly for exposure for her. She needs LOTS of it.


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## JoBlueQuarter

I love all the pictures!!! Pi looks amazing and your area looks great for riding! Good luck at the show!


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## kewpalace

I got little sleep Friday night, so 3:30 am came way EARLY! But with Matt driving, it was not hard to get up and go. It was a nice ride down with Matt's other client, Lauren, and her Mom, Sharon.

It was a long day and Scarlett was trooper all day. She was a little bothered at first since the arenas at Silverlakes are next to soccer fields which are PACKED on the weekends. Lots of noise, cheering and activity going on. Matt and I took turns ponying her (he had other horses to warm up and ride) and then we'd had her off to Sharon to hold when we had a class. She was a little goofy with all the activity while being ponied, but when Matt got on her to warm her up she was all business:


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## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> I love all the pictures!!! Pi looks amazing and your area looks great for riding! Good luck at the show!


Thank you @JoBlueQuarter! Pi loves to play and was particularly frisky on Friday morning.  I am fortunate that my area has pretty good riding right out my back door. Lots has been fenced off, but right behind me is BLM land, so no fencing will occur there. All the above pix is of that area.

I have video of Scarlett's runs, but YouTube is being contrary about loading the Ranch Riding video. Will post them as soon as I get them uploaded. :grin:


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## COWCHICK77

That's awesome, she's really maturing!


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> That's awesome, she's really maturing!


She really is, thanks @COWCHICK77! Wait until you see your RR video! :eek_color: Coming up shortly, finally got it to upload. :icon_rolleyes:


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## kewpalace

First class up was Ranch Riding. The Pattern was perfect for her:










Scarlett did awesome - 70.5, NO penalties & plussed her turnarounds and placed 8th out of 17 horses! Her first show and her first class ever! Amazing!  Here's the video:







There was a few hours between her Ranch Riding Class and her Trail class. By the time trail rolled around, Scarlett was tired. Here is the pattern:










She started out great but when they passed the barrel, Matt said she lost her focus and then she started getting upset, so he reached down to pat her neck to reassure her, which should have DQ’d him, but I guess the Judge didn’t see it, cuz she did get a score albeit a very LOW score, LOL. Here’s the video (which on rewatch, I thought was not as bad as I originally thought!):






Here are her score sheets - she was No. 22:



















Even with her trail performance, I’m so proud of her try and Matt’s training to date. I think she did great and I think it was a really good positive start to her show career. 


Pi and I did OK. We placed in two out of 6 classes, both of those in the Open Division (4th in Ranch riding and 6th in Ranch Rail). I was proud of her performance as well as it’s been hard for her to do these classes (not trail, but the other two), since it’s hard for her to transition down and to realize that we don’t have to just LOPE in the arena, LOL. I think next year will be a better year for us if we do the Ranch classes again. She got some good sunbathing in on Sunday:










So that is it for shows for the year. So glad for a break. Next planned show is 1/26 - cowhorse season starts up again!


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## COWCHICK77

She did awesome!!!


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## kewpalace

Thanks, @COWCHICK77! Soooooo excited! 

Now to get her on cows and see how that is .... if she's good on cows, Reno here we come! :happydance:

On the way home from the show, coming out of Mojave there are direction signs - one points to Bakersfield and the other Reno/Barstow. I squealed and said,"RENO! RENO!" LOL ...


----------



## Knave

I really like her. I love that he is doing this kind of thing with her too.


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Knave! 

I was skeptical of entering her, but the pattern was simple and their Novice Horse Division (except the Ranch Riding) was walk/trot. But I finally consented and we made clear that it would be a schooling run only - Matt was not out to compete - but we wanted to see what we had, so we entered her to "compete". If she actually needed schooling during the run, he would have done that.

Since I don't have a LOT of $$ (I'm scrimping/saving to do what we do) and only a few horses, I need my horses to be "all arounders", something I can do different things on. While I'm not fond of Arena shows, Ranch classes and versatility classes are fun for me (and the horses I think). I love getting out and doing different things with the horses; keeps their minds fresh and they don't sour on their jobs.


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## Knave

I 100% agree with that. It is rare though to see someone getting ready for snaffle bit and taking that into consideration. I am super impressed that you are doing that and not just pounding her. She looks really nice.


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## kewpalace

Thank you, @Knave. 

Yes, we are definitely not following standard snaffle bit training, but we are looking not only for a horse that might have enough to go to the Snaffle Bit, but for a good all around using horse that will physically and mentally last for years to come. And even if we go to Snaffle Bit and she does not do well, I will not be upset in the least; we are in it for the long term; like the title of my journal says - we are on the road to making a Bridle Horse, not just a snaffle bitter.

I only got a youngster after Matt agreed to take one into training because I know he is WAY pickier than I am on training and managing a horse for the long term. He definitely puts the horse first. He told me up front that he would be blunt after the first of year whether she would go to snaffle bit or not. I agreed to abide by his decision since, as I said, he is WAY pickier, LOL, and is looking out for the horse. I too want that, but of course can get a little carried away with dreaming. I think we are both good at keeping each other in check, but I trust his judgment and his program and last weekend just confirmed that my trust is warranted.

This is such an exciting journey - not just thinking about maybe going to the Snaffle Bit but to see my skinny little filly transform into a happy healthy working filly.


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## kewpalace

Went up to see Scarlett on Sunday. Loaded and hauled up 19 bales of hay for her.  Matt unloaded them all.  Then he rode Scarlett. He's been going pretty easy on her since the show on the 17th, so did a little loping in the lower arena and then played on the trail course. Here's the video:






Will post some pix & a video of my weekend views later ... YouTube again being temperamental about uploading that SHORT video.


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## COWCHICK77

I giggled when I seen a pic of her and Matt show up on my FB newsfeed(about 1:30 in the video) because a friend "liked" it. I thought, I know that filly!!! She's famous!!!


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## rambo99

kewpalace said:


> Went up to see Scarlett on Sunday. Loaded and hauled up 19 bales of hay for her.  Matt unloaded them all.  Then he rode Scarlett. He's been going pretty easy on her since the show on the 17th, so did a little loping in the lower arena and then played on the trail course. Here's the video:
> 
> Fun with Matt & Scarlett 11/25/18
> 
> Will post some pix & a video of my weekend views later ... YouTube again being temperamental about uploading that SHORT video.


What a beautiful filly love, love, love her looks.


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> I giggled when I seen a pic of her and Matt show up on my FB newsfeed(about 1:30 in the video) because a friend "liked" it. I thought, I know that filly!!! She's famous!!!


Wow! It's a small world!! Well, we need all the support we can get to get to SB.  I'll have to tell Matt - he'll love it! @COWCHICK77, Your friend must Like his FB Business Page. :thumbsup: Excellent!



rambo99 said:


> What a beautiful filly love, love, love her looks.


Aw, thanks @rambo99! She looks alot like her Mom. :smile:


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## kewpalace

FINALLY, YouTube uploaded this little video. Oy, they are a PITA sometimes. Hope everyone enjoys it. 






Then here are some of Pixma/GoArt photos, since I was playing around - which ones are your favorites?


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## COWCHICK77

Lol! Yes, she does like his page. I didnt realize he had one!
I like the top pic of Scarlett and Matt, it's my favorite


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Yes, she does like his page. I didnt realize he had one!


Yea!! He resisted getting one for the business for a while, but you can't beat its reach. I'm glad he did; it's great to post the Scarlett videos on there. 



COWCHICK77 said:


> I like the top pic of Scarlett and Matt, it's my favorite


:thumbsup: A lot of people like that photo; it translates well into the photo apps.  

Not much horsey stuff this weekend. Pi tied up - she has a tendency to do that when she doesn't get a good warm up before tearing all over the place. She's been in her pen for a few days due to weather, so when I put her in the warm up, she went tearing around as soon as the halter was off and that was all she wrote. Finally got her walking a bit and then gave her some bute. Gave her more that evening as she was still sore, but Sunday she was back to normal. It's been over a year since she last tied up. I just have to be more diligent with her in warming her up a bit when I turn her out.

During the week I asked Matt (when he called for my weekly Scarlett update) if he was still planning on going to take Scarlett to see Richard and get a neutral assessment of her and Matt's progress. He said hopefully before Christmas, but definitely after. I joked with him at the Christmas Parade last night that when he and Scarlett win Snaffle Bit he'll have to do a float in the Christmas Parade, LOL. He said something about hoping he just doesn't make a fool of himself. I think he's putting too much pressure on himself, so I laughed and said,"hey, all I'm expecting is that we go out and have fun." He's a very good horseman, but this will be the first time he's riding up against some of the Cowhorse greats (depending on who actually goes to Reno ... they might take a pass and just go to Texas), so is getting a little nervous. 

Anyway, it is fun just to go through the process and hopefully we'll even just GET to Reno - meaning, I hope Richard and Matt think she has what it takes to complete there. :cheers:


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## kewpalace

Scarlett had Matt send me this photo from their ride last night,

"*Hey, Mom! I'm ready to go Branding*!" 










And then here are a few of Pi from Saturday:


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## kewpalace

Last night's video:






That's not snow in the video (tire drag portion); it's fog! :-o

Also for your entertainment, a video from Matt's brother - he's a hoot:





He also trains horses (and has a YouTube Channel).


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## kewpalace

Well, I came down with the creeping crud that's going around. No riding for me this last weekend, but did go up to see Matt ride Scarlett yesterday. He got a calf to play with and I was loving how Scarlett is getting her Mare Cow Working Face going, LOL. Here's the Video:






And some photos - this was her cool down:










































































We talked a little about Snaffle Bit. He wants to take Scarlett to a few trainers to give him some hints/tip/help ... can't wait!! And we'll start hauling her around to different shows for experience and Matt will ride her around the show grounds.

That's it for the weekend.


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## COWCHICK77

Oh how exciting!!! I hope you guys go!
Her turn around has improved a lot! Very cool!


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Oh how exciting!!! I hope you guys go!
> Her turn around has improved a lot! Very cool!


Thank you @COWCHICK77! I am so excited! Yes, I think her turn arounds have gotten quite a bit better. So much FUN!


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## kewpalace

Not much to report since I've been sick for a month so haven't ridden nor gone up to see Scarlett. Finally went into urgent care on 12/29 and they said I had Strep. The next 4 days after that was NOT FUN. Just finished the antibiotics and feel slightly better but still crappy, so will try to get into see my Dr. and if not, back to urgent care. It was always a highlight of my day to go down to see Pi, even though for a few days I could barely make it down and back. She makes me smile:










I have had a few text conversations & recent phone calls with Matt. He's been off from his "day job" and riding Scarlett every day, except when he's had family obligations. He said his wife said he was doing a LOT of work for a little ride time and he said,"Yeah, but I'm having fun!" He started working her on the flag and said she's getting really consistent with drawing back and through with it. He's having a great time with her and I know she's learning a lot. Looking forward to when I have the energy to go back up and watch them! He did send me this pic before one of his rides:










We are gearing up trying to plan the shows for Scarlett to attend for exposure (not to enter), for schooling and the places Matt wants to take her to get some cow practice in (other trainers). It's a bit mind boggling, but we're taking it one step at a time. I bought Matt/Scarlett an "arena bag"










With "Team Scarlett 2019" embroidered on it. :razz: Just cuz every trainer needs an arena bag for the show pen! LOL ...

Finally, I just want to get a HUGE shout out to Matt ... I have known him for 17 years and he's always been upfront, ethical and honest (even when it hurts, LOL). I recently found out that the trainer a few friends had their horses in training with was drugging (sedating) the horses for farrier work, for practice AND for showing. :shock:  All without the owners knowledge or consent. They would have never consented to that and instantly pulled their horses when they learned about it. The trainer's excuse? "Most of the trainers do it." :icon_rolleyes::evil: As my step mother used to say,"If everyone one jumped off a cliff would you do it too?" Dopey trainer.

I am totally shocked and feel so sorry for my friends. I know Matt would never do that (we've talked about the practice - quite a bit - before; he has never done it). I talked with him last night and told him how much I appreciated his training program and transparency and know he would never do that and how I am grateful for how he looks after my horse (he spoils her more than I would, LOL). He got after me (lightly) years ago when I asked about giving Star something to take the edge off when I ride. He told me, "Learn how to ride your horse." LOL ... I took that advice to heart and have never given my horse anything to affect their performance in the show pen.

I am still upset about learning about this trainer. I thought they were a better trainer than that. So disheartening. But, I am happy that my horse will never have to go through anything like that and what we get in the show pen will be the result of careful, thoughtful training. Looking forwarded to her kicking some booty!


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## kewpalace

Had a relapse in being sick and went back to urgent care yesterday after 4 people told me I should since I looked/sounded horrible, I guess. Strep was gone but have that viral crud that's going around. Went home early and vegged ... 

And Matt sent me some pix of his riding Scarlett yesterday to cheer me up ... taken by his 9 YO son (who is pretty amazing) ... Scarlett's 1st time in the Hackamore:



















































And when I went out to feed Pi, she was feeling her oats (or just impatient to be fed, LOL):


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## carshon

Matt's son is a great photographer. So sorry to hear that you are still not 100% hope you feel well enough to see Scarlet soon!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon. Feeling better today (although my boss wants me to go home as I still sound terrible - have lost my voice, LOL). Will finish up one last thing and head up the hill early.

I did a little leveling (not much) on a few photos and cropped a few, but on the whole, they are all Matt's son's work. I was impressed with him a few years ago when I let him have my little P&S camera to take pix with - so he was about 7? And he took some amazing pix! Just a talented little guy ...


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## COWCHICK77

Get well!!!

I think it is pretty neat how Matt so many different fun things with her.
I can't express enough how excited I am for your upcoming year with Scarlett!

PS. Pi looks quite majestic!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77 - I am trying to get better. Need to get back on my pony!

Matt’s versatile training is one reason I wanted to go with him. I knew he would put a lot on a horse without stress either physically or mentally. I just love watching Scarlett bloom under his guidance. . 

I’m excited that you are excited! Love hearing someone sharing my excitement about Scarlett’s future this year! Thank you! 

And thanks for the nice comment about my sassy redhead. :razz:


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## kewpalace

Such a world wind weekend! I was feeling better, but still crappy and still can't talk, but Matt asked me if I wanted to trailer out to Bear Valley to ride in their covered arena. He had lessons planned for Saturday Morning and wanted to take Scarlett. Rhetorical question? LOL ... Pi and I went to pick Scarlett up and off we went. Matt drove separately as he had a horse to evaluation in Cummings Valley after he was done in Bear Valley.

I didn't get any video or pix of Matt/Scarlett's ride on Saturday as I was busy with Fresh Pi, LOL. Pi actually did pretty well after being off for a month, just a little fresh. Worked on getting her soft and forward. Some After Ride pix:










































I was done before Matt was going to get done with his lessons, so he unsaddled Scarlett and I took her back to Matt's. Showered changed and jumped in the car to go to the CCHA banquet. Pi and I placed 6th for last year in the Intermediate Non Pro Ltd. so we were getting an award. 

Despite feeling badly driving up to Tulare (a 2 hr drive), I had a blast at the Banquet seeing everyone. Sat at the table with the Bias' and others from their barn. Saw Richard & Cheryl Winters and went over to say Hi. Richard won the Open Jr. Horse. Here he is with Claire Hansen (3rd place) and Teddy Robinson (2nd place);


















Here is my 6th place award - a Prof Choice boot bag:


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## kewpalace

They had a raffle at the Banquet - I didn't win anything. :-(

They also had a silent auction which included a stallion silent auction. I had been toying with the idea of breeding Pi next year and started looking at stallions - wanted something that would add some bone and a little diversity to her pedigree. I was looking at Call Me Mitch, CD Highlights & Brother Jackson, with the preference being Brother Jackson (smaller fee & he's in CA).

The Stallions CCHA had were:


Call Me Mitch
CD Highlights
Brother Jackson
Gotta Go Get It
ISR Wyn A Blue
Little Cielo
Sinful Cat
TLC Willy B King

I was really excited they had my 3 picks! But at the Banquet a friend told me another friend had $1600 to put towards the Call Me Mitch Breeding. I couldn't go that high so didn't bid on him. Decided to put all my eggs on Brother Jackson. I was the first and only bid for most of the night (minimum bid was $500 with $50 increments). Then a trainer, almost at the last minute, put down $550. I put in $600. And WON! :eek_color::shock::dance-smiley05:
:happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance:​

I couldn't believe it!! They had a nice little bag full of goodies, too!

























Here's Pi's pedigree:










I don't even remember the drive home, LOL. So hopefully, next year I'll be able to breed Pi to him.

I did also win a pair of Prof. Choice Elite front boots for Scarlett. A steal at $40.

So I was pretty happy with my night at the Banquet. :wink:


----------



## kewpalace

Sunday I was still excited about the breeding. I had kept Matt updated throughout the auction and then called him to talk (well, as well as I COULD talk) about winning and the fun adventure it would be. I took Pi up to his house in the afternoon on Sunday and we went on a trail ride with Matt & his son and then I loped Pi a little (we have a show on Saturday). 

Matt then got on Scarlett and I got a video and pix of his ride:





Also got some awesome sunset pix & some with Pi:

























That's it for the weekend. Feeling better, but still not 100%. Just trying to keep a low profile, LOL ...


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## Knave

Wow! Congratulations on the stud fee!!! I am so excited for you. Also congrats on the prize. Scarlett is starting to look grown up.


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## JoBlueQuarter

Scarlett looks so good! Absolutely beautiful! And congrats on the breeding thing; that must be really exciting, can't wait for the future foaling thread


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## COWCHICK77

Very cool!!! I love Brother Jackson! Your picks were my picks too..lol..Call Me Mitch would be a dream...

Cool thing is you have a granddaughter of Shining Spark, as you know too the Shining Spark mares cross well on so many sires, lots of options.

Scarlett looking good!!


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## knightrider

Brother Jackson is gorgeous! If you wanted bone, he's surely got it. Really looking forward to the foaling thread. I love roans. What are the chances the baby will be roan?


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave, @JoBlueQuarter, @COWCHICK77 & @knightrider - I am so excited about the breeding, but if they let me wait until next year to breed, the foaling thread won't start until next year, LOL. People I know who have done research on stallions say BJ throws cool headed babies which are wide as a tank, LOL Can't wait! 

BJ's technically listed as sorrel, as is Pi. I have no clue what he'll throw; haven't looked at many of his babies (his first crop was 2016). I should get Pi genetically tested for color to see exactly what she has; her sire's side are palomino and her full sister looks like Scarlett (orScarlett looks like her Mom). 

COWCHICK77, I have always loved Call Me Mitch; unfortunately, this time, I was not able to pony up the bucks to get his breeding. Which is fine; love BJ! 

Thanks Ladies for the Scarlett compliments. I am beyond pleased with her progress and growth (mentally & physically). Matt and I frequently discuss what our plans will be; he has to talk me down on Reno only because he does not want to commit until he really assesses her ability to be ready for it. But even if we don't go, she'll go to the Derby (which is closer anyway!) and the Stallion Stakes (her sire is nominated for her year). Regardless of if she goes to SB or not, I'm excited to see her compete at SOME stage, LOL.


----------



## COWCHICK77

For sure, no matter when you guys decide is the right time to show Scarlett, I'm sure she'll be great and Matt seems to have you and her in his best interest!

Someone tried to tell me awhile back Peptoboonsmal babies were small. Not really. Plus having the HBC grand sire throws some more bone and size on them. I was always told the HBC skipped a generation on the size.


----------



## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Matt seems to have you and her in his best interest!


I am fortunate that Matt's not only a good ethical trainer, but he is a good friend and does look after my horse and me! That is another reason why I wanted him to train Scarlett. He would not pound on her, he would not force her and if she wasn't ready for SB in any way, he would say she was not ready and would not want me to spend the $$ (which is a pretty penny) if she wasn't going to be competitive. He definitely keeps me in check when I start getting Reno Starry Eyes, LOL ... I think if he thought she was not ready and I wanted to send her anyway, he would not ride her in it ... which means she would not go. 




COWCHICK77 said:


> Someone tried to tell me awhile back Peptoboonsmal babies were small. Not really. Plus having the HBC grand sire throws some more bone and size on them. I was always told the HBC skipped a generation on the size.


I never heard that about Pepto babies. That's Scarlett's paternal great grand sire: 










Last time we sticked her she was almost 14.1. We figure she may get to 15H, but wouldn't be surprised if it was 14.3. Still, small is not bad for cowhorses. I have heard Pepto babies can be a little hot/reactive, which makes them killers on the cow. 

Don't know about HBC. A friend's gelding I think is HBC ... will have to go back and look. He is TINY, not even 14H. At 3 (well, 4 this year). OK, checked - HBC is the great grand sire.

I was never one to look at pedigrees, but when I got Pi, it opened a whole new world to me. Just fun to look at the pedigrees, the horses on it, see how they've done (or not) and see how their foals have done. Some of my friends are REALLY into it; comes in handy sometimes, LOL ...


----------



## Knave

The Peptos I know are bigger horses. JP is probably 15.2, and Runnie about the same. 

JP has a terrible temperament. I joke that he’s $30,000 talent and .30/# personality. Lol. I wouldn’t want to buy one, but he is fun on a cow for sure. Here is a video I did of him a couple years ago when we considered selling.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> The Peptos I know are bigger horses. JP is probably 15.2, and Runnie about the same.
> 
> JP has a terrible temperament. I joke that he’s $30,000 talent and .30/# personality. Lol. I wouldn’t want to buy one, but he is fun on a cow for sure. Here is a video I did of him a couple years ago when we considered selling.


I did a quick search to see how tall BJ was, but couldn't find it (need to get some work done, LOL). Will post it when I do find it.
@Knave, funny about the $30K talent and $.30 personality!  He looks like a blast on cows and he sure can plant his butt! With that, the limited personality wouldn't bother me much, LOL. He's a nice looking pony.


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## Knave

Lol, it’s more that he’ll decide to plant a person. He can buck as well as he can work a cow, and he is not friendly at all.


----------



## Knave

I was going to edit to add that my father feels the same as you about him. Lol. He is really fun on a cow, and that seems to grant his personality forgiveness.


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## SilverMaple

Wow, congratulations on winning the breeding! That should be a great cross. I'm looking forward to your future foaling thread


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Lol, it’s more that he’ll decide to plant a person. He can buck as well as he can work a cow, and he is not friendly at all. I was going to edit to add that my father feels the same as you about him. Lol. He is really fun on a cow, and that seems to grant his personality forgiveness.


:rofl:I think your Dad and I would get along just fine. :hug:

I found one post on FB about Brother Jackson being 14.1 or 14.2. Would not bother me much if that is his size. 

Also, here are some babies ... 

from the trainer who bid against me, she has already has two 2018 babies apparently:











SilverMaple said:


> Wow, congratulations on winning the breeding! That should be a great cross. I'm looking forward to your future foaling thread


Thanks @SilverMaple! I'm super excited. :clap: :winetime: It's my first breeding venture - but, I have tons of friends who have MAJOR experience, so am confident Pi and I will get through the process just fine with their help. :thumbsup:


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## kewpalace

FYI, here the video they played at the Awards Banquet, for those who may want to see it. MaryAnn used alot of the photos I took over the years.


----------



## kewpalace

This one is REALLY long, but has some titles to them. It's fun to watch still.






My horses are I got a shout out at 26:45.


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## The Stomp

This has been really fascinating to read! Good luck with the breeding!


----------



## HeroAndGunner

I went through and read most of your journal yesterday! Such a fun journal to read


----------



## kewpalace

Aw, thanks you so much @HeroAndGunner! I'm glad it keeps you entertained!


----------



## kewpalace

Pi & I are off to the cowhorse show today. Have not gotten a ride in all week due to trying to get stuff at work done as I am off Monday & Tuesday to take Mom to Cataract surgery. We don’t show until tomorrow but Porterville is warmer & I need to wash & warmup my pony. Now to get out of bed to get this party started. 🤔😁


----------



## kewpalace

Thanks @The Stomp!!


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## kewpalace

All settled in the hotel. Got to the fairgrounds about 2, paid up & went to go find Pi’s stall. Realized this venue does not provide a bag of shavings with the stall so back to the office hoping they had extra. They did so got a bag & an “Official” CCHA insulated cup! WOOHOO, 🤣🤣. 

Got Pi’s stall all fixed up & ran into Richard (Winters) who was packing up to leave as all his classes were done - he won the Open 2 rein!

Then got on Pi. Rode in the (small) warm up for about an hour. Then they opened the arena after the show was done for the day. Rode for another hour practicing stops & getting soft. 

Gave her a bath, unhooked the trailer, grabbed some dinner at Panda Express & am now settled for the night. Will be up early tomorrow & it’ll be show time!


----------



## kewpalace

Long day yesterday, but got things done. Our 1st class was open boxing. I overspun in out 2nd set of spins so zeroed out on reining. We got s pretty good cow & ended with a 69. Not bad for not being on a cow donce the last show last November.

Had a couple hour wait for our 2nd/last class. Completed the reining pattern & called for our cow. It came out, turned to out left & then TOOK OFF. Judge blew the whistle for a new cow. While we waited for the cow help to get that cow the judge said,”you could keep that one if you want.” I said, “No! But my horse wants it!” Got a new cow & had a good run! 68.5 reining & 71 on the cow! 😃😃


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## kewpalace

Matt worked on Stops on Scarlett last night. 


















Rory did not want to get out of bed today:

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










And it was a pretty morning 


















1/2 way down the hill, though it started raining. Supposed to rain on/off through Monday. No riding this weekend I suppose ...


----------



## kewpalace

No riding this last weekend (although I think Matt got a ride in) since the weather was bad:










But Managed to get the dogs out during a break (they were driving me NUTS! :dance-smiley05 to play some ball to deplete the excess energy:


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## kewpalace

A year ago today, Scarlett had her 1st lesson with Matt ... she did not go up to him for full time training until May, but we scheduled a few lessons before that to see how she'd do. Amazing what good training/riding does!

Some video from 2/4/18:














and from 12/16/18 - after almost 7 months of riding:





Looking forward to the future with this girl!


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## kewpalace

Opps, sorry ... posted the 1st video twice and now can't edit the post.


----------



## kewpalace

I lost one of my cats, Boe (aka, the Face of Boe - Doctor Who fans will recognize the reference) yesterday. He was old - although how old is unknown as I got him from a no kill shelter in 2012 who had found him on the street. They said he was one, but it was clear it was much older than that. When I took him to vet in 2013 they estimated he was maybe 9. Although really, I think he was older.

Boe was Bengal cat and was such a different type of cat than I had ever had before. He was VERY vocal, but his vocalizations were not like anything I'd ever heard come out from a cat. He also was VERY loud. I could hear him yowling from the house when I went to feed the horses, LOL. My neighbors said they could hear him, too. He did not like to be picked up or held (until near the end) and would bite you if you tried. He actually bit the vet when I adopted him, LOL. We got a free vet check right there and the vet tried holding him in one place to examine him and Boe bit him. 

He used to chase my heeler, which cracked me up to no end as the heeler would tuck tail and RUN from him. 

He did not like to be kept inside, but he was as I live in a coyote infested area. He did get out of the house in June of 2017 when I was in London. He was out there for 6 months before a neighbor spotted him and I went to retrieve him. I was surprised he lasted so long out there with the coyotes, but he was a tough old cat. After I got him home though he seemed to appreciate the comforts of an inside residence and really started bonding with me. He'd following me around the house where ever I went and would be close. He still was not a cuddler, but just doing what he did meant a lot. 

I will miss his color character and am blessed to have had him in my life.


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## carshon

Sorry for your loss - it is so hard to lose a pet - when they truly are part of the family.


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## Knave

Wow was he beautiful! I am sorry that you lost him.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon & @Knave. The house is very quiet without him, even though there are still two other cats and two dogs in there. Plus it seems like I have tons of time while home as I spent a lot of time the last few weeks helping him and keeping track of him. He is missed.


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## kewpalace

Teaser for when I get a video up ... from yesterday: Scarlett working the flag:


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## JoBlueQuarter

Scarlett is b e a u t i f u l! Looks like she's got some nice moves


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## kewpalace

Aw, thanks so much @JoBlueQuarter! She is working through things, but I'm so loving seeing her progress. And being sick, I haven't been up as much as I would like.

Video likely will be up in the next few days. Have to do some work to pay the bills, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

Here's the video from Tuesday ...


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## kewpalace

Between the weather and other obligations, there has not been much riding, but did manage to get up to Matt's on Saturday for a ride on Pi and watch him ride Scarlett. Here's the video:






Matt sent me this last night:









And some random shots from the last few week ...

Pi:









https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/services/mediarender/THISLIFE/000072551610/media/74461835273/small/1551154601/enhance

Other:

























kitty prints:









Artistic:

























And finally, talked to Ramona Wold who agreed to let me wait until 2020 to breed Pi to Brother Jackson. So our goal this year is to try to qualify for the World Show this year!

And Reno Snaffle Bit has posted their entry form. :eek_color: Starting to get real, LOL ....


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## kewpalace

Pi and I entered the SCRCHA shows on the 16th & 17th. Figured between these shows and the CCHA shows, we may have a chance to qualify for the World show next year. Keeping my fingers crossed ... But CCHA cancelled their show in Clovis this weekend cuz of the weather (too wet and no covered arena). The SCRCHA show is in Temecula ... LOVE Temecula. SCRCHA shows are all two day shows, so that will help a lot. Next year I'll breed Pi, so we got to try to make the shows this year. :thumbsup:

The only down side to the SCRCHA show is that it is the same day as the Bakersfield Ranch Horse Show ... Matt is taking Scarlett to School so I'll miss that! :frown: But you can only do what you can do. 

This is going to be a BUSY year!


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## kewpalace

Boy, I can't get my act together this morning, LOL - lost my entire post when I was almost done with it by inadvertently exiting the internet before posting it and then couldn't seem to get back on. Oy!

Anyway, Matt wanted to take Scarlett down to Bill Cameron's ranch in Rosamond to work cows on Saturday. Bill is an EXCA super star; his Dad (who is gone now) used to train horses for the entertainment industry. His place looks like a movie set - very "rustic" but cool with lots of trail obstacles spread out over the property. He has a huge round pen next to a large "arena" (no fencing) where he keeps his cows. He had about 6 cows, one we were told not work as she was pregnant. (You'll see her giving kisses to Scarlett in the video, LOL). The other cows were not great (although was one good), but it was fine for our purposes. It was the first time Scarlett has been in a pen with more than one cow. 

Some Warm-up Pix:


























Here's the video:





Cow pix:










































Pi and I had fun working the cows, too, but there are no pix of us. 

Matt's trying to figure out a way to get cows on his place. They are just so expensive to keep!! Trying to find good cheap cow hay. 

Finally got out on Pi on Sunday for a trail ride. It was a gorgeous day! And the creek is still flowing, so nice scenery!


----------



## kewpalace

Whirlwind weekend! Took off work at lunch and went to ride Pi. Got a nice 2 hr. ride in on her but at the end went to my neighbor's arena and pulled a groin muscle. Wee ... Got Pi washed (it was cold, but whatcha gonna do?) blanketed and fed, shirts ironed and the truck packed and went to bed early.

Saturday we left the house promptly at the appointed 7:30 am departure time and had smooth going until just past Corona (about a hour outside of the destination in Temecula). Then traffic was HORRIBLE - 15 miles in an Hour. :icon_rolleyes: yea, it was Super Bloom traffic - I got some pix from the truck (those are poppies in the pix):


























Finally get to Casner Ranch and finally found a place to park, which was WAY out back and by the barns. That place is HUGE. Got checked in and got Pi's stall decked out and saddled Pi up - WAY too early. But got on her and stayed on her until after our run. Not a good thing for either of us. Saw Richard Winters, who said he hadn't been at this show for about 7 years. It was nice to see him and he said if I need help with anything to let him know. He's a nice guy. 

Watched Richard's 2 rein run on his horse (he had another horse he was showing Open Hackamore for a client). He won his class - 73 in reining, 73 on the cow! Wow! :thumbsup: He said he was going to watch my run and the lady I roomed with at Richard's Ride the Rancho last year lives near there and she came with her husband to watch and have dinner with me. Oy, it was horrible, LOL - I over spun so got a zero in the reining and thought I had a good run on the cow, but only got a 66.5. My groin pull was hurting a LOT, but that was not an excuse. After the run Richard came over and critiqued my run - which was VERY helpful. I was disappointed in myself though - we can do much better. 

Got back to the hotel ($150 for a Motel 6??!! Welcome to Temecula. :shock:) after a wonderful dinner with good company (and a marguerita for my groin pull, LOL) took a shower and talked to Matt.


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## kewpalace

Matt took Scarlet to the Ranch Horse show and said EVERYONE loved her, LOL. Roger, my cowhorse trainer, told Matt Scarlett looked good and he should take her to Snaffle Bit. Matt's getting closer to giving the OK to submit the entry, LOL. I told him last weekend I had already filled it out. :grin::razz: Scarlett was only entered in the Ranch Horse (1st/2nd year green division) classes so no cow, but they had extra cows so for a small (very reasonable $35) you could school on a cow since they ordered too many cows, so I paid for that for her. Matt said when they let the cow out in the pen, she dropped down and scooted sideways, LOL. But it was a good practice for her. He said after the full day (Ranch Riding, Ranch Reining, Ranch Trail and Ranch Pleasure) she was pretty tired. But that was good for her. She was 7th out of 27 horses. I was proud of that - Matt's worked hard with her and for only her 2nd show, couldn't ask for better. Matt also got high point on my neighbor's mare (she was showing 1st/2nd year green in Versatility). A few pix:

























And her trail video - she kinda destroyed the course, LOL ...





Sunday morning, got to the show grounds about 9:30 after running by Walmart for some Aleve. Pi was NOT happy in her stall - pacing and sweating, but she had eaten all her hay (I had given her extra) and had drank, so I wasn't too worried. But decided to rinse her down, give her some electrolytes and leave her tied to the trailer. She relaxed pretty good:










Watched Richard in his run - he won his class again - 70/73. Some reining pix and video of his cow working - showing what a 73 looks like!






































Decided to get on her WAY later, closer to when our class started. Luckily we were 7th in the draw, still we didn't get to show until about 2:45. I wrapped my thigh with vet wrap (it's awesome) took a couple of Aleve and was good to show! Very slight groin pain. We got through our reining pattern with a 66 :icon_rolleyes::???: but got a better cow score even though it still was not great - 68.5. Left about 3:30 and got home about 7:10. LONG drive but went a different way so no Super Bloom Traffic nightmare. I heard they closed the off ramps so people couldn't clog up the freeway trying to get to the flowers. 

Got home and found out we actually won some $$ - I was shocked because my scores were not that great! But add another $37.50 for a 4th place tie in the NRCHA 1k and SCRCHA gave me $9 for a 4th place tie in their club Select class. Every little bit help! All in all it was a nice weekend - but was glad to get home.


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## carshon

Awww. I am sorry about your groin pull. And nuts to the traffic. They are flowers for goodness sake! The video was awesome. And I am star struck that you know Richard Winters by name! We have seen him at quite a few horse expos and my hubby was always a fan of his show when it was on RFD TV


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> Awww. I am sorry about your groin pull.


 Yea, it was bad on Saturday, but wrapping it Sunday REALLY helped it and it's not so bad today. 



carshon said:


> And nuts to the traffic. They are flowers for goodness sake!


 Yea, I agree. Many of those people though NEVER get out of the concrete jungle to hang out in nature at all, they only go out on special occasions and end up destroying it all by not playing by the rules. I harped on someone who went off the trail at the poppy reserve one year about staying on the trail. Dopey people. 




carshon said:


> The video was awesome. And I am star struck that you know Richard Winters by name! We have seen him at quite a few horse expos and my hubby was always a fan of his show when it was on RFD TV


 @carshon, you should go up and talk to him! He's very nice and accessible and is just a regular guy.  And his wife is really sweet! I've been to two of his events - 2006 (?) on Star and then 2018 on Pi. And we've run into him alot at expos (when Matt was presenting), I've ridden with him a couple times at Equine Affaire (with Star) and will always go to his cowboy church (he does a great one) when he does it at events. Just a real nice guy. For the longest time he didn't remember my name, LOL, but his wife always did.

We had a funny exchange in the warm up area. I made a comment about him going to Road to the Horse next weekend. He said, yes he was commentating and I said,"yes, I saw the article on you in Western Horseman (March 2019 issue), so had to buy the magazine." He said,"Girl, you NEED to get a subscription to Western Horseman and keep it by your bed to read before you go to sleep - it's MUST reading for all horsemen!"  I told him I used to subscribe, then went to online and never read it. He just shook his head and said,"You have to read it." LOL ... funny guy.


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## kewpalace

Forgot a few things ...

Got two new show shirts! This young lady was selling shirts (High Rank Apparel that have cooling panels in them. Always looking for a way to stay cool in the heat and she was running a deal ($100/shirt at the show; usually $150/shirt) so I bought these:


















Stopped at Mormon Rocks for a pit stop and got some nice pix. This is an interesting area just off I-15.


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## kewpalace

WooHoo!!! 🎉 I just found out from the Ranch Horse show organizer that they missed one of Scarlett’s scores so she was actually 6th overall in the Ranch Horse division!! So excited!!


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## kewpalace

I tell ya, I'm getting old. :frown_color: I completely screwed up my April, so now I can't go to the April Ranch Horse Show to video Scarlett & Matt.  The RH show had changed their date from 4/6 to 4/13 & I didn't change my calendar. So I scheduled non-horsey time for those weekends, which are plans I cannot change. I just realized last night that the RH is on 4/13 - a date I cannot change the plans for. Darn it all. 

Then May, I'm doing to be dead. CCHA show on 5/4; SCRCHA shows on 4/18 & 19 and CCHA shows on 5/25 & 26 - thank goodness the last show in May is on Memorial Day weekend ... I'll have a chance to recoup on Monday 5/27. :thumbsup: But what a fun month. I have the whole month of April to rest up, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Happy Belated (3/19) 3 yo Birthday to my goofy little spicy firecracker filly, Scarlett! Had no idea how much fun she would give me and the best is yet to come!


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## kewpalace

Today is Equine Dental day for our Ponies! Our Equine Dentist will be at Matt's today and doing all the horses. 

I took Pi up to Matt's last night to spend the night, put a nice ride on her (although still have a slight groin pull - ugh!) and then watched him ride Scarlett. Wish I could have been there to see the Dentist work on Scarlett - it's her 1st Dental visit. 

Here's some Pix and video from last night:








































Matt is taking Scarlett with him to the Backcountry Horseman 2019 Rendevous:









If you're in the neighborhood, check it out!


----------



## kewpalace

Boy, things are getting wonky ... the BCH flyer didn't show up and this morning the website was still displaying as if it were yesterday. Weird! Anyway, let's see if this will show up











And then had to share the new filter from GoArt ... LOVE it!


----------



## kewpalace

Thanks to Cesar Chavez, we had a three day weekend. Got new internet - yea! So now I can actually watch the NRCHA live stream for all the premier events - the Stallion Stakes are going on now. WooHoo!

Stopped Friday after work to visit a Friend on the way home. The horse she lasted showed in Cowhorse (Jewels Stormy Star) is now retired and in foal to the cutting stallion, Bamacat[/cat]. She's ready to pop, LOL and we sat out catching up and watching her ...




Saturday I cleaned my den where the modem for the new internet would go, played ball with the dogs and rode Pi. She was pretty fiesty!

Sunday, cleaned more of the house (needs alot since I was sick for a few months), moved hay, watched Pi sun bathe, put little baskets/holders and the affirmation sign my friend (same one above) gave me for Xmas on the tackroom door and tried out the collapsible show cart my sister gave me for Xmas & put a quick ride on Pi and played ball with the dogs. 





Monday the internet guy came and we decided that the den wasn't the best place for the modem; decided to put it in the den, which meant I had to clean out the area it was going to go so he could get in there. He was there a couple of hours, but I was ecstatic to have reliable FAST internet!! WooHoo!! Ran to the dump and into town to try to get a few things - none of which I could find; the joys of small town living, LOL. Stopped at Starbucks for ice tea & a snack while watching my friends do their runs at the Stallion Stakes (couldn't get home in time to watch it on my fantastic new internet). Got home and took Pi out for a nice LONG ride ... got a few pix:





And we have a mini-Super Bloom in the hills above my house!


And played ball with the dogs. Khaleesi after:


I have one Cherry tree that is still alive - it puts out some beautiful blooms:


And, the birds got a community bath going:





Finally, got one pix of Matt & Scarlett over the weekend. Matt took her and his horse Dee to the Backcountry Horsemen Rendevous for his clinics/demos - the 1st was on Friday and was Body Control and the 2nd on Saturday was roping. Matt texted that Scarlett was great on both days and made Dee, his bridle horse, look like a greenie, LOL. His wife got a pix from the Saturday roping demo:



Lots of things accomplished this weekend!


----------



## kewpalace

It was very cool and windy last night ... Pi was bouncy when I got home:


































































And the wind didn't deter the dogs from playing ball:


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## kewpalace

Who ever said women talk too much have never met the MEN I know, LOL! They all talk a LOT! Matt called last night with an update on Scarlett and talked for a 1/2 hour. Which is fine since most of it was about Scarlett and our plans for her in the up coming month, but dang - I rarely spend 10 minutes on the phone, LOL.

So our plan is now for Matt to get some cows since he needs to get her on cows and it works better for him to have some at his house. More $$, which is fine, it's just getting used to the idea of more $$. :tongue:He still plans on hauling her out as much as possible (but he said he was really pleased with how she did in Norco for the BCHR), but needs cows at his place so can work her consistently on them. 

He had said in the past he has a checklist of where he wants her to be before deciding on Snaffle Bit and last night said she was checking all the boxes. :winetime: But tempered that with, "If she doesn't make it to Snaffle Bit, there is always the Stallion Stakes next year." :think:

So the hunt is on for reasonably priced cow hay ... the inkunicorn: that many people are looking for, LOL.


----------



## kewpalace

It was a very busy Saturday. I had no real plans and Matt had lessons all day so I went up to watch his lessons. I was there from 9:30 - 4:30! :eek_color: He rode my neighbor's mare, Remi (who my cowhorse buddy Lisa bred) - she's a TomCat Chex mare who is a really a tank. My neighbor doesn't really ride her, but wants to show her w/little or no training to do so. Matt is trying hard to do right by the mare, but she is not brought up to him to ride (my neighbor is a little afraid of the mare's power) consistently.

Next up were two older ladies, one of whom is battling cancer. One has a 4 yo Slider (Topsail Rienmaker) gelding and the other a Hancock bred mare who’s another tank. Matt rode the Slider gelding for his lesson since he had a “bad” start and has many bad habits and the owner is a little afraid of him when he hasn’t been worked. Then he started out riding the Hankcock mare for a few minutes and the owner got on her. She got High Point at in W/T versatility ranch horse at the last local show and is practicing for this coming weekend. 

Before the next lesson 

Next up was a nice young lady who wants to train, but is going to school to get her degree (I want to say nursing but might be mixing her up with someone else) to have some income, LOL. She has a nice 4 yo palomino gelding, who she was told when she got him at two that he was cowhorse bred - yea, not so much. He’s like halter/western pleasure. He’s a nice guy under saddle, but doesn’t have the umph she wants in a personal riding horse, so we spent the time videoing them for a sale video. He’s going to make someone one a great horse, especially if you want to do Ranch Horse, trail or Western Dressage. 

Here’s the compilation video of 4/6/19 and the sale video I put together. 










Matt started riding Scarlett before his last lesson; I made a video of just Scarlett, too!






Sunday got up & out early to get errands run and got home to do a few more and then got on Pi for about an hour and then got the cow hay delivered to Matt. It was a LONG day!

Here's a pix of Matt & Scarlett in Norco last weekend. Someone tagged him and he told me to take a look. She looks great!


----------



## kewpalace

No riding this last weekend - Mom and I went to a Mystery Dinner. 

Matt went on vacation with his family on Friday for the weekend. Thursday we vaccinated the horses & he asked he me to go check on the horses (he had some feed them, but wanted to make sure they were OK and he didn't think the girl feeding would recognize subtle signs they weren't doing well). So I went up before taking off to Mom's. All the horses looked fine and Scarlett came to say hi:










Lenticular clouds from Thursday:


















































Over the last few weeks, I got pix of the "super bloom" near my house, LOL:


















My cherry tree:









And then some I took on the way home from Mom's









You can see the Fiddleneck in amongst the flowers:

















The Fiddleneck (which is toxic to horses) is rampant and knee high in Palmdale:


----------



## kewpalace

So excited!! We are getting COWS for Scarlett!! WooHoo!! Yea, it's going to be an expensive endeavor, but she will have daily access to cows and Matt seems more committed to going to Reno now (he even renewed his NRCHA membership!). 

So today, we will go get some more cow hay; leaving work at lunch so I can meet Matt at the feed store - which is an hour the other direction from my house - we'll load up both trucks & my trailer. 

Saturday we are taking Pi and Scarlett to Bakersfield to work cows at Roger's place. Really excited to trailer her out! We'll get the cows either early tomorrow morning (before Matt's lessons) or after we finish at Roger's. 

And just because, here's some pix:

Scarlett's slide from last week:










And a little photo app fun with that photo:


















Pi, playing earlier in the week (it was cold - it's bleeding hot now!)

























Feathers in the sky









And earlier in the week ... Lenticular clouds!


















https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/services/mediarender/THISLIFE/000072551610/media/74524518346/medium/1555688718/enhance/img]
[img]https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/ng/services/mediarender/THISLIFE/000072551610/media/74524518566/medium/1555688730/enhance

And the Superbloom continues at my house ... albeit piecemeal, LOL:

























Happy Easter/Passover/Spring ... going to be a lovely weekend!


----------



## kewpalace

Got a LOT done this weekend; but didn't get the cows. Hopefully this week. Left work at lunch on Friday, went home, got my truck/trailer and went to the feed store in Lancaster. Got there before Matt, so went and looked at the stuff inside. They had a big variety, but they are pricey (cheaper to get stuff online) so I didn't buy anything. Matt finally got there and we went back with our trucks and started loading the cow hay on his before the guys came out to load my truck trailer. We got 20 bales on his truck, 20 in my trailer and 18 in my truck. 


























Got to Matt's and Scarlett didn't know what was happening, LOL ... and I stood with her while the guys unloaded the hay:

































Then Matt and the guys castrated his bull in preparation for the cows coming:

























Found out my trailer pig-tail dragged on the road with the hay load which resulted in it complete separating and me having no lights or brakes. :eek_color::icon_rolleyes: I left Matt's before dark. When I got home Pi was tearing around the turn out, thinking there was another horse in the trailer, LOL. 

Saturday morning did a few things around the house and found I had a visitor in my den:










She made plenty of noise, but didn't want to go out when I opened the back door so I tried helping her a bit with a broom and she flew around the den before finally going out.

Loaded up Pi and went to watch the end of Matt's lessons. He rode Scarlett in the last lesson and I had turned Pi out in Scarlett's turnout (which is at the end of the arena); it got a little western for Matt for a bit, LOL, with Pi RACING all around the pen and Scarlett wanting to join her. But her brains kicked in and she started listening to Matt. 

After his lessons, Matt fixed the pigtail - almost - had brakes and brake/turn signals lights but no running lights. But we were not expecting to be home after dark. And off to Roger's we went, with Matt's son, Mitchell in tow. 

Scarlett did really really well! Unfortunately I did not get any pix as I was working Pi. Matt said she put down a couple of really good stops and was really pleased with her. I got some good stops on Pi and then Roger said,"OK that's enough. Let's go work cows." :grin: We worked in the herd about an hour maybe, taking turns. Scarlett did OK - she still doesn't know what to do with the cows, but she is not afraid of them, even in the herd (this was only her 2nd time with a herd). Pi was all powered up as usual, but by the end quit over working and we did really well. It was a fun time.

Easter there was NO horse time at all, LOL. Drove to my Mom's (2.5 hrs.), took her out to lunch and then drove home. That was the day.

No horse time next weekend either; but will ride during the week & take the trailer up to Matt's so he can figure out what wire was not set right. :razz:


----------



## kewpalace

WE ARE GETTING COWS!!!! :dance-smiley05::loveshower: 

Matt just called; he's at the ranch getting ready to load them up! SO EXCITED!! It'll be a SMALL herd (6-8 cows) since it's expensive to keep them all fed for the entire time we'll have them (they are on a feed lease, so all we need to do is to feed them well!). And Matt's hopeful they'll let him change out the cows in a few months.

I'll go up there later, since Matt still has to attempt to fix my trailer pig tail. Give me a chance to get their pix.


----------



## kewpalace

Yea! A little 6 cow herd! What fun!! Here's a short video of last night's work, although Matt was not really working on working the cows, but getting the cows & Scarlett settled with the cows.






Matt seems pretty committed to go to snaffle bit, although a little nervous about it, LOL. I won't push too hard, but he'll have a few weeks with the cows before I need to start bugging him so I can send the entry in.

My trailer was a quick fix ... it wasn't the pigtail ... it was a blown fuse. Thank goodness!


----------



## kewpalace

Took Pi up to Matt's to work cows last night. Goal with Pi is to SLOW HER DOWN and work more effectively. After we warmed up our horses, we brought the cows down into the arena. Matt worked cows with Scarlett 1st, she still is not sure what she is supposed to do, LOL. Pi was then up and per usual was all gun-ho to get in and MOVE the cows! We went slow and easy with lots of breaks of sitting and waiting. Worked almost all the cows, the last which was really nice and slow. So I quit her. Matt then took Scarlett in again. On her 2nd or 3rd cow, she made some awesome moves - a preview of what's coming. Matt was smiling after that and said,"that was all her; she moved with the cow all on her own." :eek_color: 

Put the cows up and chatted a bit before we headed home (only 5 minutes down the canyon - so nice!). Will go up on Friday again. Then Pi and I will go to Clovis on Saturday for a show.

Before we went up, I had to fix a hanging wire at the back of the trailer, which was parked next to the turnout. So I had to crawl under the trailer to do it. Pi DID.NOT.LIKE.THAT.AT.ALL. She tore around the turnout and was blowing out hard and all bug eyed at me, LOL. Wish I could have gotten video of that!!

Pi turned 10 on Monday. You'd never know it - she looks fit, like a youngster!!


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## kewpalace

Busy, busy weekend! Took Friday off from work - thank goodness the work load allowed for that. Got stuff ready for Saturday and rode Pi for about an hour (a pretty good ride!) in the late morning. Gave her a Spa Treatment and continued packing for Saturday. Went up to Matt's to work Cows. His son rode with us. My girl looked good waiting to start:










Scarlett was all over the place, but this is only the 3rd time she's been in the herd, but by the end of the session she was getting it. Unfortunately I didn't get any pix of Scarlett, , since I was on Pi and helping move cows during the herd work. 

I worked Pi on the cows too. Holy Moly, she powered up and really wanted to work them HARD! We got her backed off a bit and she was just awesome. Put our cows away and brought out Matt's steer for his son to work ... He had a great time and Matt was yelling "Circle 'em up! Circle em up!" Got some good pix of the future Snaffle Bit rider:


























Saturday, left the house at 8:30 and got to Clovis at about 11:30. NICE grounds (it was at Beal’s Quarter Horses). It was a small show; I estimated my first run (Open Boxing) would be about 2-ish and I think we went at 2:30-ish - we were 11th of 17 riders. . We did pretty good, but in the first run down, everyone told me Pi tripped and almost went down. I just knew I was bounced around and lost both stirrups before she stopped. But put my feet back in & on we went. When we called for our cow, I could feel Pi power up and remembered to keep my hand down when she worked the cow. We got a 68.5 in reining & 71 (WOW) on the cow. 

I was first up in the Non Pro Limited block, so maybe a ½ hour plus a drag from our 1st run. Pi anticipated our 2nd lead change, so we got dinged for that and we didn’t get our 1st spin started right, but our 2nd spin we got ½ point plus! WooHoo. Stops were still -1/2 as usual. Gotta fix that. We got a better cow and she was awesome on it - so much fun! They announced we got a 69.5 (reining) & 71.5 (cow)!! I think we got at least 2nd in the NRCHA 1K. Still waiting for them to post the results as I left before they were all tallied. We were done before 4, but I still stayed to watch friends so got out of there by 6:30 and home by 8:30. Was so proud of my little Pi!!

Sunday was up and out early to go watch friends at the Ranch Horse Show in Bakersfield (Matt was judging). Some of my Cowhorse friends & Roger were riding in it. They chided me a bit for not coming down to enter ... no way could have packed up my horse and been down there in time to start showing, LOL. One of Matt’s student’s was riding in it - 10 days after her 1st Chemo treatment. She placed 2nd in her division! Here's Cynthia (Roger's wife) on her 3 yo SB prospect - a Bet He's A Cat gelding and Roger on a friend's 4 yo. 


































One of my friends rode her mule in the RH show - SOOOOO cute!










It was great to see a lot of people I haven’t seen for a while. Did some errands and got home early afternoon to take dogs for a walk then take Pi out for a walk. At one point saw Matt driving home and called him to see if that was him. Yep, he just got home. We chatted a bit about the Ranch Horse show, my show and Scarlett. He hasn’t said to enter her yet, but everything he said said “we’re going to Snaffle Bit”. 

Here’s some pix from our Sunday stroll:









































Next weekend is Mom’s Day, so will be down there. Then the weekend after is the Temucula 2 day show and the weekend after that the CCHA 3 day show (spectacular, derby & horse show). Pi and I will only do the horse show.

Matt’s Dad is coming up this week (tonight?) to watch Scarlett work cows. He is an accomplished horseman in his own right and used to train horses for the LA County Mounted unit. But he and Matt have different training styles/ideas, so while he has some good ideas/thoughts, Matt’s not real inclined to take his training advice. He’s a nice guy though.


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## kewpalace

Forgot to add in our 2nd cow run, we got three +, one each for position/control, courage and time worked! WooHoo!!


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## kewpalace

Lookie what I got to do last night! :happydance:


































I left work early to get Pi and go help Matt with cows. Matt's Dad was there and said he was pretty impressed with Scarlett but had some suggestions (as usual, LOL). Then we went up and got cows and brought them back to the arena. Matt worked first and then I got in with Pi. She was all over the place & REALLY amped up on the cow. :icon_rolleyes: Nothing Matt was saying to me was helping so I told him he needs to get on her. So he said, "OK but you have you sit on your filly." :shock: But he said she wasn't going to do much and I'd be fine, so I said, "OK". He shortened his stirrups to the highest hole (still not short enough for me).

She doesn't yet know how to swing around to pick someone up from whatever, but I got her positioned by the mounting block and hopped on her. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing, LOL. But she was and calm, just trying to figure out what the heck I wanted - we were both trying to find our communication path. But we did OK and I was really happy to finally have gotten on her, if only for a few minutes. Broke the ice for me so that I can cool her down in future without any fear she will act like a youngster. 

That was the perfect ending to a perfect day!


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## Knave

Oh, I’m so happy for you!!! What an exciting day. I have been there, riding whatever colt I have Dad will be scolding me for something and want to show me how to correct it. Then when I have to get on his horse I am a jumble of nerves. Lol. I can only imagine the excitement tied into the nerves when it is your own prospect! Congratulations!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave! It was exciting!! She is just very sweet (after her youngster mind is worked a bit, LOL) and was trying hard to understand what I was trying to tell her. Obviously, Matt and I feel very different to her, but she wasn't bothered by it, just wasn't sure what I wanted. 



Knave said:


> I have been there, riding whatever colt I have Dad will be scolding me for something and want to show me how to correct it. Then when I have to get on his horse I am a jumble of nerves. Lol. I can only imagine the excitement tied into the nerves when it is your own prospect!


I was so afraid of mucking something up, since we also do things (slightly) differently; I didn't want to do anything that he was to spend any real time fixing. But he didn't seem worried about it so I relaxed and had fun with her for a few minutes. Next time I'll have to have my own saddle on her so I can try a trot and lope!! 

Date for the entry is getting closer, but Matt's talking like he's going. I gave him a deadline of 5/22. So FUN!!!

Here's the photo from my post that I didn't format right:


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## kewpalace

Just a little Pi video from last night .... :grin::grin:


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## kewpalace

They finally posted the results for last Saturday's show. Pi and I got 9th in Open Boxing (after all the trainer, LOL) and 3rd in the 1K - so we got a check! WooHoo!! 

Have a break this weekend to take Mom to see Endgame and then back at it for two weekends of double shows. Oy, I'm going to be tired!!


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## kewpalace

Went up to Matt's last night to watch him and Scarlett. She's looking good and it seems an unspoken acceptance that she is going to Snaffle Bit. I'll hold off until Wednesday (5/22) to send the entry off. :smile:

Here's some video from last night:





In between Matt's warm-up of reining and the cow work, Matt let his 9 yo son on Scarlett to give her a breather before cow work. This is the best I've ever seen him ride and was so thrilled Scarlett was a good girl!





Matt's son told me if I ever want to sell Scarlett let him know and he will buy her. :biggrin: He said he has a little over $100. I told him to times that by 10 and we'll start talking, LOL. He's a good kid. 

Pi and I have a show this weekend (maybe - forecast is for lots of rain on Thursday; show grounds does not have a covered arena, so we'll see how much they get), so we'll go up to Matt's on Friday for a little cow tune-up. :thumbsup:

While Matt was tacking up, his wife came down to the barn and talked a bit and then invited me to dinner. It's been quite a while since I've eaten with them. Matt's son made me sit by him (no doubt to make more Scarlett sale talk, LOL). They are a NICE, nice, family and I'm blessed to have them as friends.


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## kewpalace

It has been a year since Scarlett went up to Matt's; almost a year (on the 24th it will be) since she was started under saddle. I was so pleased with her last night and believe she is in the right program with the right trainer. She is confident, relaxed and happy with tons of try; Matt's nuturing that, which will be a killer on the cow once she understands her job better. 

The first photo is maybe a month after she 1st went to Matt's. The 2nd, from last night.


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## kewpalace

It's been a BUSY week. Went up to Matt's on Friday for a cow lesson with Pi before hauling to Temecula for the SCRCHA double show on Saturday. 

We got a good lesson in, but Pi is really on the muscle with the cows. Hard to get her to relax and just work nice. Didn't get any pix of Matt/Scarlett since we were working late and the light was not good to film/photograph. But when they worked a cow (we only worked a single cow this time, no herd), I was IMPRESSED with how much she has improved in the just few days when I was there last.

After, we were standing around talking and I was looking at Scarlett and thought - "WOW, she is MUSCLY!!" :eek_color: So I took some pix


























Matt's talk lately has been implying that we are going to Reno. So Friday I said,"I have an important question to ask." He said,"When you should send in the entry?" I said,"No, I AM sending in the entry on Wednesday." :rofl::razz: He didn't say no, LOL! My question was on how many bags of shavings to order. 

So it's Official: *WE ARE GOING TO RENO*!!!

:dance-smiley05::shock::happydance::clap::cheers:​
I guess I am hauling Scarlett up on the Thursday before, since Matt won't get up there until Friday and he want's her to have a day of rest before he starts riding her. Competition starts 9/8 with the herdwork. SOOO excited ... and nervous!


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## kewpalace

Saturday, Pi and I hauled to Temecula. Our run was 2nd to last and went about 7:15 pm. We did OK - good enough for a very SMALL check, but it's still a check! We tied for 6th in the NRCHA 1k, a three way tie for 3rd in the SCRCHA Select and got 6th in the AQHA Amateur Boxing.

Got to the hotel about 8:45 (after taking care of Pi) and asked the front desk lady where a good Mexican restaurant was (was DYING for a margarita!). She said right across the street! Excellent. Got over there at 9; yea, they closed at 8. :frown_color: There were no other restaurants other than fast food around so ended up at Wendy's for a spicy chicken sandwich.

Sunday was forecasted for rain and when I got it up was RAINING. SCRCHA website said they would draw our class at 11 rain depending. I got to the show grounds around 11 and it was still raining. I guess one of the open riders had bitten the dust in the two rein. Go to the office and they said, yea, radar says no rain during your class so we are going forward. A LOT of people canceled, so there were not many people showing. Our class started at Noon! :eek_color: I was 6th out. We didn't do as good; Pi did NOT want to stop in the arena. But our scores were good enough for a (very) little money for 3rd in the NRCHA 1k, 1st in the SCRCHA Select and 4th in the AQHA Amateur Boxing. 

We were on the road by 1:30. Amazing! On/off rain all the way home and it was lightly raining when we got home at 5:45 (made a few pit stops & stopped in Mojave for weekly groceries). Still, strange to get home so early!

A few pix from my ride home ... 

A guy who didn't want to wait for the off-ramp to exit the freeway in the AV:









A nice end to the weekend sight:









And my final mileage RT from my house:











Went to feed Pi this morning and she was laying down; looked at me like,"Oh, hey." She was hungry but not sure she wanted to get up to eat, LOL. She did. She'll get a few days off due to weather and then we'll try to get up to Matt's before this weekend. CCHA double show this coming weekend! And Matt's going to haul Scarlett up to ride around. :thumbsup:


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## kewpalace

Pi has recovered from last weekend and shows she can plant her foot in a spin :smile::






In other news, the Saturday Show is HUGE. 189 runs. 107 before open boxing, my 1st class. I'm 23rd. I figure that run will be about 11 pm. Then I have THREE HOURS until my 1k run - so 2 am-ish? NOT.HAPPY.  

The Sunday show is purportedly much smaller which is nice, but means no sleeping in. 

Guess the Board is already getting complaints; seems the boxers always get the brunt of the boot.


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## kewpalace

What a whirlwind weekend! So much fun all the way around.

Friday, got off work at lunch and started packing up the trailer. Pi saw me and knew something was going on. Went in the house for a while and then came out to load Pi up to go up to Matt's ... I had a flat on my trailer.  So I texted him I was going into town to get a new tire. Filled up the flat tire and off I went. Tire guy said,"all your tires are old; they should all be replaced." OK, then! 4 new trailer tires.

Got to Matt's about 5:45 (as opposed to 3:30), which was fine cuz he was still working on other things. Went to arena to warm Pi up and practice. Got some great stops on her at the end, but before that we got one where she came out of the ground TWICE rolleyes - if she would have stuck it all the way, it would have been a monster stop:










Matt was taking a while, so Pi and I went up to bring the cows down. That was fun and Matt was impressed with us - we went nice and slow and got the job done.

He got Scarlett and started warming her up. Here's a little video of them from Friday (sorry for it being bumpy; I was on Pi, LOL):






Pi and I had a good workout; she nearly unseated me at one point on the cow - she turned so quick & I wasn't watching my cow, LOL. Yea, not a good combo!

Got home about 9 and got a few more things done before hitting the hay.


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## kewpalace

Saturday, got up and out the door about 8:45 after finishing loading the trailer. Pi saw me loading the trailer and knew we were going somewhere. Went to go catch her and she was doing this - a typical reaction of her's when we are about to go to a show, LOL. I sometimes chase her in play, but was just standing there taping her:






After she gets her jollies out, I just walk up and catch her and off we go.  Star used to do the same thing.

Wait for Matt to come down the canyon and then we start off for Tulare. Get to the AgriCenter and get the horses unloaded and I go to check in. They make Matt get a membership to ride around since he needs to be covered by their insurance. We do a little smoozing and go to saddle up the horses. Scarlett was pretty heads up, but was not too bad. They rode out in the outside warmup area and then went to the inside warmup pen which is next to the show pen. She was REALLY light on her front end there, but Matt go her moving forward and she did much better then. He rode her for a while and then switched to another horse he brought (and then Pi and I ponied Scarlett around the grounds) and then he rode her a 2nd time. She was really much better and relaxed the 2nd time but I didn't get any video from then.

Outside Pen:

















Inside Pen:


























After that I went to find Pi's stall and get her set up. Unsaddled her and washed her and put her in her stall. Caught up with Matt a little while later and he's all excited as he talked to a few of the other open riders, including Jake Gorrell who told Matt to come up and ride with him. :thumbsup:

At the end of the day, you could tell Scarlett was really hyped up, LOL:









Matt left about 3:30; I went & checked into the hotel and relaxed a bit before meeting a friend for dinner and then went back to the hotel for a while. Got back to the grounds about 7:30-ish. Saddled up and warmed Pi up, but our 1st run was not until about 9:30-10 pm in Open Boxing. We did OK. Not great, but consistent to our other scores. After cooling Pi out a bit, I took her to the trailer and let her relax & have a bite to eat. Got back on her about midnight I think. :ZZZ: Our 1k run was not until about 2:30-3:00 am. :eek_color: But I tell you, the energy in the warmup/show pen area was buzzing and people were happy and having fun. Our scores for 1K were consistent with Open Boxing, but was good enough for a check! WooHoo!

Stayed and watched a friend and then put Pi up in her stall and went to the hotel. I finally crawled into bed at 4 am.


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## kewpalace

Was afraid to post what Sunday was like since the other posts were lost in cyberspace for a day. But they have finally popped up, so will finish my weekend adventures. 

My hotel room was close to the maid's closets & the breakfast room, so that meant no real sleeping in. I think I crawled out of bed at 9 and had breakfast. It was raining. Checked out of the hotel, got a tea at Starbucks, got to the show grounds, hooked up and parked nearer to the show pen. Went and gave Pi her morning 20/20. I could tell she had a good snooze, LOL:









Went to see this guy:
















Pi's next year's baby daddy ... Brother Jackson. He was really sweet, which I was happy to see. I know some studs are not very nice to people. But he same over and sniffed me and was very sweet. Unfortunately I was not able to see him compete this weekend. Kept missing him.

Watched some of the competition and then went to saddle up Pi. It rained good before I went to saddle up and then stopped; and started up just before I got on her. Thank goodness the warmup & show pen are covered. Our 1st run was about 2:30-ish and we did consistent with the other days. The 2nd run was about 6:30, and we did better in reining, but not quite as good on the cow, but Roger said the cow was dud (it was; didn't really want to move at all) so I got the best score I could on it. Unfortunately, that equaled no check for us on Sunday, which is fine. I had a great time and was pleased we were at least consistent (something I've struggled with).

Up to this show, we were standing at 4th in the NRCHA SW region standings. Probably went down after this show, but as long as we make the top 25 by season's end, I'm fine with it. Still a long way to go. And I was excited with our showing for the weekend. Had a LOT of fun!

Left before the end of the show to try to make it up the hill early. It started raining on me about a 1/2 hour north of Bakersfield and rained through Bakersfield and on up the hill. About 1/2 way up, my truck started having problems. :frown_color: Like it was getting NO power. I managed to get off the road at a safe place (which is not an easy task as there are few places to do so going up the hill). Called Matt to see if could come get Pi and I'd do what ever. He lives just up the canyon from me. Makes it convenient.

Thank God for good friends as he came straight away. Took him about a 1/2 hr. or so to get there, but said he thinks it is something to do with the fuel system. We switched trucks for the trailer in the rain and he followed me home while he pulled Pi. My truck did better not having to pull the trailer and we got home by 11 pm with no problems. That will be another expense, but hopefully not to expensive. I may have to cancel showing at the Derby. :|

Monday slept in until 10 am got up to feed Pi and took the dogs with me. Sam went running out in the turn out and grabbed something - it was a hawk! :eek_color: I yelled at him, but he didn't hear me until the third time and let it go and came back. I sent them to their "stay" place and went to check it out. His wing was injured, but I couldn't really see it since he wouldn't let me around that side. He was not happy I was there:










Cleaned Pi's corral and the hawk actually made it to the top of on of the posts, but then tried to fly off and was on the ground again. I went in to have breakfast and decided he was there out there when I was done, I'd call someone (Fish & Game?). But I couldn't find him after that. Hope he was OK. 

So, this coming Saturday is a Ranch Horse Versatility show for Matt & Scarlett. I'll tag along to video & help out. Should be fun!


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## kewpalace

And so it starts! Saturday we took Scarlett to the Ranch Horse Versatility show for schooling, sort of like a Mock Show ... see what we got when we turn on the burners, LOL. She was pretty up when unloaded, but after working her in the warm up pen, she settled down to work. They were 3rd out. Matt only rode her in reining and on the cow. For competition (which we were not doing) she did TERRIBLE, LOL ... for schooling at her 1st show situation, she did AWESOME! The ground was really deep and sticky; the horses did not want to stop in it. 
Here's the video:






I was home by 10:30 am! :eek_color: Enough time to get about an hour or so of weedwhacking in before the cap on the weedwhacker broke. At 2 I had to be up at Matt's for his Daughter's graduation party (one from high school, the other from college), so took a break and decided to go get the part after the party.

It rained a bit on me when I went up to Matt's - BIG HONKING drops about 2-3" in diameter. Not a down pour just enough to wet the road and the car. And saw Godzilla on the way up to Matt's, LOL:









Had a nice time and when I left, the thunder was doing that low steady rumble that was letting us know that we were in for it ...thought I could make it to home depo and back before it really hit, but as my Dad used to say "that's what you get for thinking." :icon_rolleyes:

I was in/out of home depot, but while in there I hear a strange beeping noise and thought it was something in the store. Nope it was my phone:









I have NEVER heard that before! I thought, heck, I'd better get home! When I got out, I could see in the distance it was pouring in Sand Canyon:









It started raining on me when I hit our off-ramp, then about 3/4 up to my turn it started POURING! Hail & HUGE rain drops, Thunder & lightening ... wish I would have gotten that on video but it was freaking me out and I thought the creek bed might be flooded & I had left Pi in the turnout (thinking I could get home in time to put her up) so was really trying to hurry home. 

The creek was not flooded, thank goodness, so I could cross it, but the road once I turned off Sand Canyon was a muddy river. And I was in my little Civic! Finally got home and was about to get out to go put Pi up when I got a text from my neighbor that he had put Pi up cuz she was freaking out getting pelted by the hail. I  my neighbors. I look out and Pi's out standing in the rain 










Here's a few pix from the property:










Backyard

















Pi's Pen









Hail









Went down to feed her and she was fine. "Oh. Hey." :wink: Got back up to the house and settled in to watch some telly and the power went off. It was still of by 9 so I went to bed, LOL. Came on about 11, so got up and turned everything off & went back to bed. 

So that was the excitement. Was supposed to get another one last night, but it by-passed Sand Canyon. Another is supposed to roll through tonight, but we'll see. They sure get the heart pumping.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett & Matt are officially entered in the 6/29 CCHA show - her 1st Cowhorse show! :happydance::loveshower: So excited for them both! They will show in Ltd Jr. Horse, so will be early in the day; Pi and I will be late afternoon for Open Boxing and Later in the evening for the 1k. Should be a FUN day!

He got a nice slide out of her last night:









In other, not so happy news, my truck needs new injectors. :frown_color: $$$$$$$$$. NOT great news, but still cheaper than a new truck.

And the Good Lord gave me a beautiful sunset, to ease my sticker shock:


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## kewpalace

Finally took a break from weed whacking (they are particularly thick and juicy this year, so it is taking a LONG time to get through them) and took Pi up to Matt's Saturday morning to work cows and check out Scarlett's progress. I haven't been on Pi since the last show (so two weeks?) and thought she'd be really fresh. She was a little, but she was listening to me VERY well! Pleasantly surprised. Pi did excellent on the cows; I was so pleased with her and if I can stay out of her way (gee, never heard that before - :icon_rolleyes then we do very well indeed!

Didn't get much video with Scarlett on the Cows since I was on Pi; just a few minutes at the start. The cows are a bit flat with Scarlett since she hasn't quite developed her cow face, like Pi has, LOL. They worked just fine with Pi. :razz:

After, I stayed and watched Matt's one lesson, but then one of the other ladies and I unloaded the cow hay I brought up so missed the rest of it. But then Matt wanted to try the one lady's saddle on Scarlett and he comes out to the arena riding her in just her halter. She did fantastic! I am just so excited with her!! Here's the ride's video:






This weekend ended the NRCHA Derby - I would have gone to show in the 1K but the truck repair cost smashed that dream. There were some GREAT rides and GREAT horses and a few heart breaks - Lance Johnston fell during one of his fence runs - he and the horse were fine, but that took them out of the running and they were doing really well. He had made his first turn on the fence and the cow fell down; he had turned his horse to go after it and the horse was so close to the cow that when it fell it could not get it's front feet up over the cow in time so fell over the cow.

But the absolute highlight of the Derby was the Open Bridle Spectacular fence runs - those guys and gals go ALL OUT and you see some AMAZING horses doing their thing. Sarah Dawson & Shine Smarter was in the lead with a 659 composite, then Zane Davis & Ruby's Radar (fabulous horse!) ended up with a 659.5 composite.

But then Doug Williamson came out and BLEW EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER! I texted Matt just as Doug was driving his cow down the fence after boxing "And Dougie is showing us all how its done." Little did I know he was making a history record shattering run ... I think before his run I calculated he needed to get a 225.5 to tie Sarah. Here is Doug's run:

Doug Williamson, 6/14/19 Open Bridle Spectacular










And the final composite & payouts:










Just such an amazing thing to watch; I have never seen someone get a 77 on anything! But his run was textbook perfect - that is how it is supposed to look. So awesome!


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## kewpalace

Forgot to add, yesterday, I took a break from weed whacking to sit on the ground by my tackroom and have a drink of water. I looked up and saw a snake bee-lining it towards me and I jumped up a little alarmed. But when I stood, I realized the snake was gopher snake (we are in rattlesnake country and they are prevalent), so I stood there watching it. It came right by me, went under the tack room, back out, back in my direction then went off towards the hay barn. It was about 3 to 3-1/2 feet long. Nice snake, just checking out what I was doing, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Pi, Tuesday night:


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## JoBlueQuarter

I love how playful Pi is. Beautiful.


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## kewpalace

Aw, thanks @JoBlueQuarter! I love watching her play; shows me she’s a happy Girl which makes me happy.


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## kewpalace

No riding this weekend as it was a Mom weekend. Except I got home in time on Sunday to do a little weed whacking and then get ready to go to the Ranch Horse Challenge award party. Pi and I didn't compete in the series at all (since cow horse shows conflicted with those shows) and Matt & Scarlett did not compete in enough shows to get any placing, but we went to support Matt's other student and our other friends. 

Matt's one student is a older lady who has a nice Hancock bred mare. She had her horse with two other different trainers before landing with Matt this year. Those trainers did not do right by her horse; although the horse would do what was asked, it was not pretty and you can tell she was anxious and not happy. She did the RH shows last year before actually starting to ride with Matt, and did not do great.

So she started riding with Matt at the end of last year and entered this year's series in Walk Trot. Shortly after completing the 1st show (where she/her mare, Rita, won high point in Walk Trot against an open rider [yea, this show has one Walk Trot division and open riders can ride against NP/Amateur riders]), she found out she had cancer & had to Start chemo. The series consisted of 4 shows. 

She decided she was NOT going to miss any of the shows and did everything she could to prep for chemo and lessen it's effects on her energy. She did not always have time to ride her mare before the shows, but she was at every single show and ended up either 1st or 2nd in high point standings at EVERY show. A few months before the last show, Matt took her mare to his place tune her up and keep her ridden. At the last show, she kicked some buns & ended up high point for that show. 

So Matt & his wife, Jennifer, and I went down to support this amazing lady. I paid for Matt & his wife (after all, Matt rode Scarlett in two shows & his wife has always been very supportive). 

Matt's student has one more chemo treatment, but at the awards dinner she received a well deserved 1st place in Walk-Trot AND she won overall high point for ALL the shows and got a beautiful silver curb bit with a San Joaquin mouth as an award. She was so overwhelmed she started crying.  I was so happy for her - she believed in her horse and she worked hard, especially through Chemo! 










(This lady and her horse appear in the video in this post ... they are just standing there, but this was the 1st time she was on her horse in two weeks and had just finished working her a bit.)

Just shows where perseverance and hard work can get you. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Another plus for the evening was that Matt got to talk to Roger a lot about getting prepped and conditioned for the Snaffle Bit. It bolstered his confidence quite a bit and he's really excited to show at Snaffle Bit.

But first things first, we have Scarlett's 1st cowhorse show this coming weekend. I'm going up a few times this week to help Matt with cows. So looking forward to it all!!


----------



## Knave

That is a wonderful story!


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## kewpalace

Well, I got a hitch in my giddy up. Pi & I went up to Matt’s on Monday to work cows. A friend who used to show cowhorse was there to talk to Matt about taking lessons for Versatility. It was great to see her. She stayed around to watch us ride.

Scarlett is looking great on the cows, I am so excited! Pi & I worked cows 1st , then Matt & Scarlett & then we got another go. 

On our 2nd cow, Pi made a hard move to the left, which I was able to sit; then she made an even harder move one to the right & I came off of her, landing hard on my right side/back. 

It knocked the wind out of me majorly & I laid there groaning trying to breathe. Matt comes over and talks me into breathing and eventually helped me up. I was not in great shape but asked him to get on Pi & end the lesson on a good note with her. He did. 

While he was cleaning the horses & untacking them, I called my ER nurse cowhorse buddy to see if she was working at our ER that night; she wasn’t but told me to go get checked our & called ahead to tell them I was coming. 

I actually drove my truck home & Matt followed after he took care of his animals. He took care of Pi & then off we went to the ER. After 5 hours the diagnosis was 4 broken ribs. 😳. Doc said at least 6 weeks to heal. I’ll miss 5 shows. 

So change of plans this weekend. Matt will ride Scarlett in Jr Horse & Pi in Open boxing on Saturday. After a few rough days, I am actually feeling like I could go & watch. 

Matt picked Pi up to ride tonight & he’ll do the same tomorrow & will drive us all to the show. 

Will see my doctor on Monday. Have a friend taking me, but I almost feel well enough to drive. We’ll see what he says.


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## carshon

I am so sorry to hear that you fell. What terrible timing for you and Pi! I hope you feel better soon. God Bless Matt for going above and beyond to help you,.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon. I am grateful that it wasn’t worse & for great friends like Matt & his wife. His one son, the one Who has ridden Scarlett, told me if I needed help with ANYTHING, including weed whacking (LOL), just call his parents & he’d be down. He’s 10. . Such a good Christian family. Love them all to pieces. 

They told the other son I broke 4 ribs & he said, “How many does she have left?” LOL. He’s 8?


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## Knave

I am sorry!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. We all know injuries are bound to happen, it’s just a matter if when. Matt said if it’s any consolation, we were making some awesome moves when it happened, LOL.

Also, FYI, right now Pi & I are standing 5th in our region in the 1K & 14th Nationally. Missing 5 shows will hurt us, but I’m hoping not too bad & that we have enough shows left to keep in World Show qualifying contention. Keep your fingers crossed for us!


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## Knave

I will! 

I was thinking as I read when you said what happened that I’d never seen a person “cut off” their horse. I bet she had some good moves!


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## COWCHICK77

Just spent the last hour catching up on your journal!!

So sorry about your fall! Hoping for a speedy recovery. Ribs aren't fun just breathing hurts :/

And I am so excited that you guys have Scarlett on track for the SBF!! Super proud of you and Pi making a run to qualify for the world show!!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I was thinking as I read when you said what happened that I’d never seen a person “cut off” their horse. I bet she had some good moves!


She is quickness’s & powerful & fast - you really have to be sitting correctly to ride it. That’s one thing I’ve had trouble with & we were practicing. Most times I am able to stop her in time to stay on. Not this time. :razz:



COWCHICK77 said:


> Just spent the last hour catching up on your journal!!


Wow! Hope you enjoyed it; some fun stuff going on!



COWCHICK77 said:


> So sorry about your fall! Hoping for a speedy recovery. Ribs aren't fun just breathing hurts :/


 Thanks. I am lucky as the breaks are in the back & not so bad that they affect me breathing. Coughing, sneezing & sometimes the muscles seize up, but on the whole I am doing really well. So we’ll I feel good about going to watch the show tomorrow. I am able to feed Pi & the dogs/cats & me & Did a load of laundry & tidied up the kitchen yesterday. I move SLOWLY but am grateful I can still do things.



COWCHICK77 said:


> And I am so excited that you guys have Scarlett on track for the SBF!! Super proud of you and Pi making a run to qualify for the world show!!


Thanks so much!  I miss really excited for Reno. It will be a blast! And I’m still hoping to qualify for the 1k. It is still possible, even missing 5 shows. But first to heal!


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## JoBlueQuarter

Oh no! So sorry about your fall. Glad you're on the road to recovery; sucks you gotta miss five shows though :/ Hope your ribs heal well and quickly so you can get back up on a horse asap!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @JoBlueQuarter. Yea, a bit disappointing missing the shows, but it’s OK. Nothing I can do about it so might as well enjoy the time & put it to some use. Looking forward to videoing the show tomorrow!


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## waresbear

Take care of yourself and heal up.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @waresbear.


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## The Stomp

Oof, sorry to hear that you fell off Pi, and I'm glad it will heal fine for you. Not fun. I fell off my mare once and permanently injured my the left side of my pelvis.


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## SilverMaple

Ugh, I'm sorry about your fall! Broken ribs are miserable, but they heal up pretty fast, so you should be feeling a lot better in a couple of weeks. I'm glad that's all that was injured!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @The Stomp & @SilverMaple.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett’s 1st Show in the books! We got there and Matt had only about an hour before his run. Bad calculations on my part. Scarlett seemed pretty relaxed but got increasingly aware (LOL) as they got closer to the warm upt area. I left them on their own & went to sit. When their turn came Scarlett didn’t want to go in the pen. LOL .. too a little Urging but she went in. The run didn’t go as planned (does it ever? :smile - she was extremely distracted & looking at EVERYTHING. And completely ignoring Matt. But they got through it. She was better on the cow, but still not as great as she was at home. But that’s showing & for her 1st official cowhorse Show she did good. Best part was her demeanor after the run was nice & relaxed. Then the cherry on top ... as bad as the run was, her score was good enough to win her class! :eek_color: Since it was club class we got $20 in cowbucks which we can use towards her next entry. :

There was about a four hour break until Pi’s run so we sat with friends & watched the other runs. That run went a little better score wise but Pi is such a different ride than Scarlett and Matt didn’t have a lot of ride time on Pi to get used to her. So scores were low, but he got two scores which is always a plus! We left before the end of the class so don’t know where they ended up. N

I did good all day, just made sure I ate & took my meds. But was beat when I got home. Been sleeping all day. 

Oh, almost forgot - When I went to get copies of Scarlett’s scoresheets, the Treasurer of the club gave me a get well present from the club. That was so sweet!


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## kewpalace

Got some pix from the show photographer (I am allowed to share). From Scarlett's run:


















From Pi's Run:


















Next show is the end of the month - 7/27. Matt & Scarlett will also do herd work practice on 7/26. I'm excited for them; Matt's been working HARD. I will not show that show; will not be quite 6 weeks after breaking my ribs, so too soon to tempt fate. 

As no doubt everyone has heard we had a couple of GOOD earthquakes last week. I live about 48 miles (as the crow flies) from Ridgecrest and they shook up pretty good. I can feel the quakes that are 4.0+, so the 6.4 7/4/19 quake was a good one for me. I lost a glass basket vase & my nutcracker (which I brought from Germany) lost his hands - I still have not found them. :-( 

I felt the 5.0 foreshock of the 7/6/19 quake and was on the phone with my Mum telling her about that one when the 7.1 quake hit. It REALLY rocked us and went on for quite a while. About 5 seconds into it, my Mom said she could feel it too. Then it gained in intensity and we were both getting a little scared. But it finally stopped and we could breathe again. Surprisingly, nothing fell even though the intensity was way more. I've felt a number of the aftershocks, but they quieted down since 7/6. 

I have friend who lives about 10-15 miles from Ridgecrest and he posted last night that the aftershocks were gaining in intensity, but checking USGS, it did not confirm his warning. They are mostly in the 2.0-3.0 range. A few (very few) in the 4.2 range, but that's about it. Hoping we are done for the moment. It's stressful!

Went up to watch lessons on Saturday; it was long day but I had a good time taking pix and making a video. Matt rode Scarlett in his last lesson, but did not do much with her; it was one of his easy days for her. Here are some pix of Scarlett and the video I made:


































This pix cracks me up - her tail hides her face, LOL:









Video:


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## kewpalace

No real news, but Matt bought a saddle for Scarlett, LOL. He did not like the way any of his saddles (and he has a few ...) fit her. One of his students had a Bob's Saddle and he tried it on Scarlett and liked it better. But he didn't buy hers. He found another one - a 2013 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Non Pro trophy Saddle that the seller wanted $1200 for. :eek_color: It looked is fantastic shape. So he drove to Temecula to get it. He likes it on Scarlett and seems she's working really well in it. It is likely I will buy it after Reno ...


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## kewpalace

Went up to get Matt's signature on an entry form and watched his ride. Scarlett had a few days off and was FRESH, FRESH, FRESH! :razz: She was all over the place and majorly distracted (he had some other riders up last night), but I managed to get a few respectable shots, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

And I played around a bit with GoArt ...


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## kewpalace

This Buck Brannaman video states the idea that Matt has in training Scarlett; that is why I wanted Matt to train her since he trains with the focus to keep the try in her and make it fun for her - give her confidence to go out and do her job. She may not have the technique to win Snaffle Bit (still up in the air - we'll see what happens when we get there!), but I bet she'll have more confidence out there than the majority of the horses out there.  In the end, regardless of how she does, she's being trained with patience and love and will be a fantastic horse in the end.


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## kewpalace

Friday was Fresh Cow Friday!! :loveshower: Matt got all new cows for Scarlett that should last us until Snaffle Bit. I went up Saturday to watch him work a couple. He went to gather them up and Scarlett looked like an old ranch horse, LOL. He only worked a couple a short time, but she's looking good:






We'll go up Friday to Tulare for Herd Practice with Scarlett and then the show is Saturday (Scarlett & Pi - Scarlett is in both Jr. Horse and Open Boxing), so we'll stay the night - got us rooms at the Best Western. :thumbsup: Matt said on Saturday that he will take his LQ for a daytime cooling center, since it's supposed to be blazing hot ... :eek_color:


















It's a good thing we have a covered arena.


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## kewpalace

Forgot to add, last weekend was the annual Surf N Turf clinic - it has team roping, a cowhorse clinic and a surfing clinic all the benefit Surfers Healing, an autism charity. This year's cowhorse clinicians were Russell Dilday (he's always there), Jake Gorrell (I think he is too, LOL) and Cory Cushing (I think this was his first year). I have been dying go to, but have yet to make it there. 










Here's the Cow Horse guys getting their Board Short's on, LOL ...








Corey Cushing, [I don't know the lady], Russell Dilday & Jake Gorrell. They look VERY different without their cowhorse clothes on! :razz:


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## kewpalace

Yesterday Matt was going to Bear Valley and take Scarlett to ride. He wants to trailer her as much as possible and ride her in different places. Bear Valley is about 30 minutes from us. He took his other Client's horse and called me at work to see if I wanted him to take Pi (he's riding her in Open Boxing this weekend). I said yes, so he swung by on his way to BV to pick her up. He called about 8:30 saying he was just leaving BV and gave me a run down on all the horses. He was really pleased with Scarlett - said she got right down to work was not very distracted. Improvement! He got to my house a little after 9 and dropped Pi off. He'll likely do it again on Thursday and then Friday we are off to Tulare. He's riding Scarlett in the herd practice and will use Pi as a herd holder horse on Friday. Saturday is the show.

I bought a new camera - the Panasonic Lumix ZS100. It should be delivered today. I'm excited. It's small and mighty - hoping it'll get better video/pix in the covered arena.


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## kewpalace

It's Hay Day! Got my hay delivered for the year ...










I'm useless with my ribs, but Matt usually goes down and handles it since they drop the hay at his house 1st. But he has them put them in stacks that are manageable for me (so I'm not climbing up on 15' stacks, LOL). He also tarps them for me ... can't beat having a great friend!

I was upset though that I couldn't have re-weed-whacked the 2nd growth of the weeds. I had ALL those weeds whacked to the core and then with my ribs couldn't whack the area around where the hay would go for the hay guys. Oh, well, it's in and I'm happy. Need to get a lawn tractor though ... :think:


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## carshon

So neat to see how others do this. Where I live this would be full of critters and be moldy in a few moths. Tarped hay doesn't do well here unless it is cow hay or unless you are one of my cows who is spoiled rotten


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## SilverMaple

Yeah, I'm jealous your hay keeps like that, too. Our options here are to keep it indoors or in round bales if outdoors.


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> Where I live this would be full of critters and be moldy in a few moths. Tarped hay doesn't do well here unless it is cow hay or unless you are one of my cows who is spoiled rotten


I get critters; and if I don't tarp it right (which I am tarped challenged at times), I lose a few bales to cow hay. Matt tarps good; he didn't like this job but it will suffice until he can get back down to retarp.



SilverMaple said:


> Yeah, I'm jealous your hay keeps like that, too. Our options here are to keep it indoors or in round bales if outdoors.


I wish I had a barn to keep it in. I have a little hay shelter. Full, it would hold about 30 bales, but that is not enough for this load. I have a garage-in-a-box I have yet to put up; I can put it up over the current stacks; may do that instead of retarping:


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## kewpalace

What a weekend! Our weekend actually started on Thursday as I took Friday off. Took Pi up to Matt's for him to ride before we got to Tulare; I think I got home at 10 pm ... ugh, so tired. But his wife fed me, so it was all good. 

We left my house about 10:30-ish Friday morning and got to Tulare about 1-ish. It was already blazing hot. I went to see about paying, but Laura wasn't there; so guess you didn't have to pay until show day! Matt got the horses saddled up and we went into the arena area. I rode Pi! Just at a walk but I was so thrilled to be able to get back on my horse. 

Scarlett was really good; she didn't seem bothered at all by the goings on & it was only her 2nd time there. We had about an hour until her herd run so Matt just worked on warming her up. I walked around on Pi. Trotted a little bit, which felt alright but I didn't want to tempt fate. Then the dopey cows kept escaping from the herd pen (the turn back riders not doing their job, LOL) and I was freaking out that Pi was going to try to work them ... nope she was really good! 

Scarlett's herd run was pretty good, but Matt has decided that before she gets in the pen to actually show in a herd (or even in her fence run) she needs a "Coffee Cow" - one that will wake her up before her run. I noticed that on Thursday. When he started working her she was a little late in turning with the cow, but after a few cows she was spot on. So we'll get her a Coffee Cow (or two) in Reno before her run. Matt had pretty good guys as turn backs - Jake Gorrell, Chet Gorrel (who's probably 8? and was giving Matt cow recommendations, LOL) & Lance Johnston, but Jake & Lance let Matt's best cow escape the pen. :razz:

After the run we cooled them off, set up the stalls, I went and washed Scarlett and Matt went and rode Pi. Then washed her off, went to the hotel (where I had made the reservation for the WRONG date :icon_rolleyes but they were able to accommodate us. Got back about 9 and died. 

Here's video of Scarlett and pix of Pi from Friday:























I'll post Saturday's videos a little later ... have to get some work done!


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## kewpalace

On Saturday we get to the Agri-Center about 9-ish; horses were fine and seemed relaxed. Matt was first up on Scarlett in Ltd. Jr. Horse and we figured he'd go about Noon. I think his run was actually about 11:45. He didn't get on Scarlett until about 10-is or so, since he didn't think he'd have to do much warm-up with her. Pi, of course, was calling and calling and calling to her, but with the fans in the arena area, you couldn't hear her and Scarlett was fine. She'd call a few times, but was not frantic nor appeared concerned; she was working good.


























And some big names were there:

Matt & Jake Gorrel:









(Right to Left) Rebecca Sternadal & Travis Mankins (Travis is our main Ltd. Jr. Horse competition - NICE guy and good horseman)









(right to left) Lance Johnston & Lyn Anderson:









Doug Williamson & Glen Aspinal were also there. 

Matt and Scarlett had a much better run than last show, but the cows were difficult and so they got a low cow score. Still 67 in reining - NOT bad for a 2nd show! and 65 on the cow. Only 4 points from Travis' two horses (also futurity horses). So we got 3rd out of three in the Jr. Horse class; but I was not unhappy. So much improvement from last show!! Here's the video:






Matt had asked Jake to watch his run, so he did. I asked Matt what he said and he was all excited. Jake told him that all the pieces were there and that Scarlett was hooked onto that cow really hard and suggested that Matt needed to let her go and do her job. GREAT feedback, but I laughed since that is what Matt (and everyone else) tells ME, too, LOL! He was chatting with Travis after Matt's run, too, and Travis told him it looked good and he didn't know many 3 yo's that could have made the 2nd turn on the cow that Scarlett did. :tongue::mrgreen: He got good feedback from Roger, too, but can't remember what he said. 

After the class we had a 5 hour break until open boxing - Scarlett was 13th in OB & Pi, 20th. Matt washed and put Scarlett up and we hung out in the trailer with the AC on with a friend for a while, then went to watch the show. Lots of futurity horses - Open and Non Pro - here and it was fun to see where everyone was at. And everyone was asking how I was healing up, which was very nice.

The show photographer took pix of the Herd Practice and got a couple a great shots of Matt & Scarlett (which I'll post after I pay for them, LOL). She still owed me a print from the last show and said she was printing it up for me to pick up on Saturday. She posted one of the Herd Practice shots on Friday night asking for people to tag it and people were amazed at the shot she got. When she found out it was my horse, she emailed and asked if I wanted a print of it. I said yes, but would wait until after Saturday and order it with whatever I get from Saturday. Well, she had felt bad about not getting the one print to me, so printed up a 5x7 of the heard practice pix and also gave that one to me. :eek_color: So nice!

Went to find Matt, who had gone to eat lunch and found him by the show office (really a table, LOL) where there are tables to sit and eat, chatting away with Doug Williamson. So I sat down and listened to them chat away and every once in a while I'd add my 2 cents worth. When we all got up to leave (Doug had to go coach a client in a run), Doug said to us, "Come by and see us!" Don't have to ask me twice!! One of these days, definitely!

The Open Boxing runs will be in the next post ... work calls again.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett was up first in Open Boxing. Matt was using the class to try out some of the things Jake & Roger suggested so the feel was very different to Scarlett. They didn't do as well, but it was a good experience and Matt was very happy with her. Here's her run:






Matt & Pis run was 2nd to last in the draw. He did alot better with her this time and she was more relaxed. Still, with the dopey cows, they lost their cow so got hit with a big penalty. Here's their run:






All in all it was a very good weekend. We were extremely happy with both horses, Matt got a lot of good feedback and advice and I got to ride Pi! 

Next up is the BVS show on Sunday for Scarlett. No cows, but reining is what needs work right now.


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## kewpalace

Here are some of the Pro Photographer pix I purchased from last weekend of Scarlett:

*Herd practice*:


















*Jr. Horse*:


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## kewpalace

I think I finally got all the show blankets we need for Reno, LOL. Matt's a little perturbed with me that everything has to be red. :razz: And he's not a red person. I told him not everything, but most everything. And NO blue; just not a blue person. I had bought these two Yucca Flats blanket last year - they were 1/2 price! Can't beat that! - thinking the red one could be for the finals:


















Matt actually like these - he doesn't mind the darker red. I was surprised he liked the orange one though.

I have some other blankets that I currently use, but wanted to get new ones for Scarlett for Reno - a girl's gotta dress up when she goes to town, no?  So was looking around and found these .. NO red for Matt, LOL ... and the one has Navy ... so a shade of blue, but I can live with that. 


















I think these will do nicely. 

So just getting a list together of what we need to take (for Matt - he's starting to freak out about making sure we have everything). Got Scarlett set up for her Health Cert. & Coggins. Things are getting real ... :-o

Horse show on Sunday ... Matt's riding Scarlett in Ranch classes and in straight reining. Good practice.


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## kewpalace

Sunday we took Scarlett to the Bear Valley Show to show in Ranch Classes for exposure, experience and schooling. She was by far the youngest horse there. 

This show has an interesting history. It started out as a 2 day horse show years ago. Then they added some Mule/Donkey classes. That continued for a few more years. Then the Mules/Donkeys became the primary focus and they expanded it to 3 days. Then they kicked the horses out. Then last year they added some horse classes back in. The facilities are nice; they added some shaders & low bleachers since the last time I was out there. But they were not prepared for the amount of horses they got and the management was a bit off. 

1st up was trail. There was LONG line of people waiting to do trail and after a couple of hours just before Matt & Scarlett went into the trail course, they said the riders still waiting would have to do the Ranch Pleasure class (16 horses) and then go back for trail. So down to the main arena they went. 

Matt was also riding another client's horse in trail and ranch riding (Gayle, who was the lady I talked about above who had cancer and did chemo during the Bakersfield Ranch Horse shows this year) and Ranch Riding. Gayle was riding her horse in Ranch Pleasure & trail. Matt actually got through Trail on Gayle's horse before they had to go down for Ranch Pleasure and she did pretty good. Found out later Matt & Rita got 2nd in Trail! Gayle and Rita got 11th, but Gayle was happy with how well Rita did with her in trail.

Scarlett was doing pretty good in Ranch Pleasure, until some girl ran up her rear end and Scarlett almost started bucking with Matt. The Judge must not have seen that since Scarlett & Matt landed 3rd place! I was shocked, LOL. Matt said this judge wanted to SEE forward movement (which they should in ranch classes & which Scarlett definitely has) and most of the other horses were NOT forward moving. Gayle got 5th place and was extremely happy about that (as well she should be!). 









Gayle/Rita; Matt/Scarlett and John/Scratch (he's an Oak Creek Horse)

Back up to the trail course they went but no sooner did they get up there when they were called BACK to the main arena for Ranch Riding (20 riders). They had no time to prep, he trotted from the trail course down to the main arena and into the arena. Had they had some prep time (more mental than anything), they might have done better. But they still did OK - getting 5th place! I only got to catch the last bit of their run, but did see their lead change which Matt's been working on hard. People who were in the area I was in said,"Oh that was really pretty! Could hardly see her change!"  Despite the placing, Matt was really pleased (as was I) with how Scarlett was handling the whole day and the quick changes.

Matt and Scarlett FINALLY got to get on the trail course and it was OK. This was an NICE all natural trail course - nothing you wouldn't find on a ranch. I got video of it, but it (and some other pix I took) are on my new camera and now I have to figure out how to get them to a device that I can edit them. Any way, I was REALLY pleased to find out that they placed 4th in the Class (21 riders).

They finally got a break before Ranch Reining (10 Riders) so Matt tied Scarlett back up for a little snack and water break. They had changed the reining pattern from a good one with lead changes, lots of spins and circles to a short stirrup reining pattern, so NO lead changes and only 2 spins each way. Matt was not happy as he really wanted to use that class to practice Scarlett's spins and lead changes (he wants to practice stops too, but couldn't and wouldn't in the ground there). The ground was not good, so he didn't want to stop her very hard (a few hard core riders/competitors had said the same thing). 

They were putting in a BEAUTIFUL run until towards the end when they were coming around the end of the arena to go do their last stop and back, when it looked like all of a sudden someone goosed Scarlett rofl - she tucked her butt and scooted out - but Matt got her quickly focused back and they finished the course. Everyone (except me, LOL) asked Matt if he spurred her; he said no, she will see something out of the corner of her eye and do that sometimes. Still, with that little bobble, they placed 2nd! :eek_color::loveshower:

Needless to say, I was extremely pleased with her at this show. But wait - there's MORE! At the end of the day, Scarlett and Matt got Reserve High Point Ranch Horse! :winetime: She got the BIG ribbon and a few prizes (Kensington water bottle holder and boot bag). 


























(Scarlett looks REALLY LONG in this pix, LOL). 

So for a little show we were going to use as schooling, we were pretty happy with how things turned out. 

Next up - Matt's going to haul Scarlett somewhere next weekend; he hasn't yet decided, but the results from this show has really fueled his fire to be as prepared for Snaffle Bit as he can. 

I'll post the pix & video I got when I can ...


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## kewpalace

Figured out how to transfer the pix off my new camera. I really like the camera. It takes great pix and video and is nice and small - perfect for taking on the horse with me! 

Anyway, here some pix of Matt riding his other client's horse, Rita, in trail and riding Scarlett in Ranch Pleasure class:


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## kewpalace

And here's the Ranch Trail Video ...


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## kewpalace

Oh ... almost forgot ... Here's Scratch, an Oak Creek Horse, getting the VIP drink treatment at the show on Sunday ...


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## kewpalace

My friend Paula is on the cover of America's Horse (Aug-Sept Issue)! :eek_color::loveshower: She is an awesome person and very nice; so happy she got a little recognition!


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## kewpalace

Finally got on my horse yesterday! Only about 30 minutes, but really nice and it felt fine. Walk, trot, lope; a little spinning; some side passing. It was great and she was great. Just more of the same. 

Matt took Scarlet down to Roger's on Saturday. He called me with a report as I was driving down to my Mom's. Said he got a lot of good feedback and advice from Roger and Cynthia and have some good things to work on. He said he's going down a couple more times before the show at the end of the month. Then won't do too much before Snaffle Bit, just maintenance stuff. Hard to believe that 3 weeks and a few days and we'll be on our way to Reno! :eek_color:

I got the the photo from the last show in a frame ... I think it looks nice!










Cuteness overload ... Emma in bed with me, LOL:









And finally, a little Scarlett & Matt and Go Art app:


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## kewpalace

Matt is taking Scarlett Saturday morning to a local cutting horse trainer to help with herd work. I know of him, but have never met him. I asked if I could go too, to watch; he said that was fine but he was leaving at 6 am. Oy, and I thought I would be able to sleep in this weekend. 

Sunday is Matt's sorting Clinic in Bear Valley. He's taking Scarlett (and likely another horse). I'm going to go to that too. So that means another early morning.:-| 

Oh well, if I want to see my horse being prepped for Snaffle Bit, gotta bite the bullet and give up a few things. :razz:

PS - the NSHA Snaffle Bit starts in Vegas on 8/20 (most likely webcasted; I'll post the link later). Lots of people use it as a prep show for Reno and/or Texas. We are not going (Scarlett will have a prep at the CCHA show at the end of the month); but I'm anxious to see what horses are entered there that will be in Reno.


----------



## kewpalace

Saturday I went with Matt & Scarlett down to the Cutting horse trainers. These guys live, well, not in any type of fancy set up at.all. LOL. But we appreciated his taking the time to work with Matt & Scarlett. He said Scarlett was way cowy & pointed out a few tweaks that Matt could make to put in a nice run.

Here's a few pix:










































And my new boyfriend ... Humphrey.  He's just a big pet that the cutting trainer's wife bought at a cutting (he wouldn't play the game, LOL). While the Cutting trainer said he was good for nothing and always in the way, you could tell he loved the big galoot by the tone in his voice, even when yelling "Hunphrey! Dangnabit! GET.OUT.OF.THE.WAY." :rofl: Humphrey would come over to where I was and I'd scratch his head; the trainer said,"Don't let him lick you! He'll do that all day!" 










We got back to town just after the start of the parade; Matt's boys were in it and some of my cowhorse friends were in it. Here's a pix of the a ladies:









They want me to ride in the next parade and the head of the group talked me into joining. Oy. 

Got home about 2-ish, sat for a minute and then off to the dump after loading the truck up and to get cow hay. Ended up with 14 bales of hay, which I took to Matt and let him offload them. Then home. It was an EARLY night.

I have video of Scarlett & Matt on the cows, but have to edit them still. Will post them later.


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## kewpalace

Sunday was Matt's Sorting Clinic in Bear Valley. I told him on Saturday that if he wasn't going to take Scarlett I wouldn't go. He ended up taking her so I went. I was very happy it was only a 1/2 day, so I could sleep in a bit. Clinic was good, Scarlett was good and I had fun watching. It was supposed to be from 1 pm to 5; but, of course, it was Matt, so it ran until 6. LOL ... 

As per the course, Matt ended up getting on about 4 or 5 of the riders horses when they worked the flag, LOL. He made it look really easy. He first rode Scarlett on the flag and you would think she was really fresh, but after a few turns she got down to work it (or as much as they were going to for this clinic). I have video which I have yet to edit, so will put that up latter too. Matt essentially demonstrated what he wanted people to do, which was to follow it down to the end and then loop back and follow it, so it would make the horse think it was making it move.  The end was actually practicing sorting using the tools he gave them earlier. He first demo'd on Scarlett then quickly let me take her back to the trailer, since the cows were pretty flat and Scarlett was getting frustrated with them for not moving and tried biting them. He didn't want her to do that, so he had me put her up.

Here's some pix:










































On one rider's horse ... went from this:









to this in a few minutes:









Same horse with his rider ... she loosened up a bunch on her reins after Matt rode her horse.










He got quite a few nice feed back comments and half of the riders wanted to get in his next one (next month), but it is already full (with a lot of my cowhorse buddies, LOL). And some said they wanted to send him horses for training. 

Next up, the CCHA show on 8/30-31 (herd work practice on the 30th; show on the 3sst). Then off to Reno. :dance-smiley05:


----------



## kewpalace

Videos! Here's from the herd practice on Saturday:







And from the Clinic:


----------



## dustywyatt

This has been such a cool thread! It was neat to see the whole journey from picking her out, to her starting to be shown under saddle. I liked her look from the start! I know that's easy to say at this point lol. But I liked the way her neck tied into her shoulder, and even though she was butt-high in the first pics I liked the shape of her hip. She is growing up beautiful! Seems to have a good mind too. I know you can't ride papers but she's got some good names there! A friend of mine has a Nu Cash stud and he is just wonderful. Can't wait to see how she goes from this point! 




Kalraii said:


> I super dupe appreciate seeing this in action. I have to ask... maybe a silly question. But... is it normal that when you dismount western you keep your foot in the stirrup? Please keep sharing I think this fantastic and educational to see it for real!


 
Not me! I'm way too short and my horses are way too tall 



kewpalace said:


> But then Doug Williamson came out and BLEW EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER! I texted Matt just as Doug was driving his cow down the fence after boxing "And Dougie is showing us all how its done." Little did I know he was making a history record shattering run ... I think before his run I calculated he needed to get a 225.5 to tie Sarah.
> Just such an amazing thing to watch; I have never seen someone get a 77 on anything! But his run was textbook perfect - that is how it is supposed to look. So awesome!


 
DOUG!!! Doug is my idol. I saw the article in one of my horsemanship magazines (I think it was QH Journal but don't quote me on that) and then watched the video of the actual run. How cool would that have been to see in person!!


I know he's been in Cali forever, but he'll always be an Oregon cowboy to me. <3



kewpalace said:


> I got the the photo from the last show in a frame ... I think it looks nice!


 
Beautiful pic! Definitely frame-worthy.


----------



## kewpalace

dustywyatt said:


> This has been such a cool thread! It was neat to see the whole journey from picking her out, to her starting to be shown under saddle. I liked her look from the start! I know that's easy to say at this point lol. But I liked the way her neck tied into her shoulder, and even though she was butt-high in the first pics I liked the shape of her hip. She is growing up beautiful! Seems to have a good mind too. I know you can't ride papers but she's got some good names there! A friend of mine has a Nu Cash stud and he is just wonderful. Can't wait to see how she goes from this point!


 Thank you @dustywyatt! I am glad you are enjoying our journey! The whole point of this journal was to show the progression, especially with a trainer who will not use intimidation to train Scarlett. I am so happy with her training and my trainer, I don't really care how we do at snaffle bit! 



dustywyatt said:


> DOUG!!! Doug is my idol. I saw the article in one of my horsemanship magazines (I think it was QH Journal but don't quote me on that) and then watched the video of the actual run. How cool would that have been to see in person!!


He is a legend to be sure, but very approachable and very nice. We all love Dougie. 




dustywyatt said:


> I know he's been in Cali forever, but he'll always be an Oregon cowboy to me. <3


 LOL ... :thumbsup:


Matt called me last night saying he was lamenting some of his competitions photos that have been posted and then he got on Scarlett and she did everything with MORE and he was cured of his lamenting, LOL. Her stops were better, her spins were better and her cow work was better. He's all happy again. LOL ...


----------



## kewpalace

Well, my vet had to reschedule Scarlett's health cert & Coggins due an emergency out of my area. I am mre than willing to reschedule for an emergency; the Vet's asst. thanked me for being flexible. Made me wonder how many others are NOT flexible when the vet has an emergency and has to rescedule? Vet's can't schedule in an emergency; they have to deal with them as they come. I don't understand why anyone would give the vet grief if their scheduled appt. got trumped by an emergency? I always find the easier I am to work with, the more the service provider is willing to work with me, sometimes to their detriment and my benefit. Win-win for me.


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## carshon

My family cleans a vet clinic (our own vets work there) and I am going to say first hand that very few people are understanding of emergencies or wait times. Our clinic is small and cares for large and small animals. Sometimes vets are late coming back from a large animal appt and the person left waiting is rude and many leave and storm off. In my area our vet clinic is one of the only clinics (and there are very few) that do after hours emergency farm calls and small animal calls and people are still rude and ungrateful. This clinic gets a tons of after hours calls from non-clients demanding that their animals be seen and when the clinic declines people can be really really mean and aggressive. Ask yourself - why would a vet come in after hours for a person that is a non-client? They are not legally obligated to and many of these emergency clients have pets that have never been seen by a vet, never been vaccinated and have no medical history. And a lot (not all) of those owners get mad when told that the services have to be paid for up front including the emergency call.


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## lb27312

Wow I'm always willing to work with the vet on the time.... as long as mines not an emergency as well and really depending on the emergency, but mine always time it after hours so I'm good there(eye roll)... but some people have the mentality that what they have is more important than anything else.
@kewpalace - I bet you are getting sooo excited! I hope you keep us up to date on how they are doing. What classes are they in again? Where are you staying? I wish you the BEST of luck!


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## kewpalace

@carshon, I know what you say is true. It's just disheartening that people are like that, but I sadly do know people like that, too. 
@lb27312 - I am getting excited - it is ALMOST here! I feel like a chicken with my head cut off, but we have a good handle on things, so I should quit worrying. 

Scarlett and Matt are in the Open Futurity Division (in all divisions; one run for all divisions). Prelims are Sunday (i/8) for heard work, Monday (9/9) for reinwork and Tuesday (9/10) for fence work. 

After that the L1 will be decided and then those who make the cut-offs (don't yet know what that number is) will go to the finals - herd work/rein work/fence work are all on Sunday 9/15. If Matt does not make the finals he will take Scarlett home and I'll stay to watch my friends show in the NPL classes on Saturday and probably stay for the finals on Sunday. 

Matt has a good chance to place well in the L1 division. If he's lucky he will make finals for the Limited Open. That would be a dream for all of us! But what ever happens, we are all bent on having a good time. Safe ride for all horses and riders and just do their best.


----------



## kewpalace

Saturday was a good day; I have not been feeling great last week, so spent most of the day on the recliner, until Matt texted that he was going to ride Scarlett if I wanted to come up. He said he wasn't going to go hard on her since she was pretty tired from working during the week and was going to do a short ride. I said I'll change and be up.

Got up there and he wasn't even down at the barn yet. So I went to say hi to Scarlett. She's a busy girl, LOL:


























Then Matthew came down and we had a little fun; I got video, but don't see it on my phone now, darn it all ... will try to find it later. Here's some pix:


----------



## kewpalace

Scarlett is looking really good. Question is whether she will peak in Reno or not ... we figure if she doesn't there is always Stallion Stakes.

Here's the video montage of her workout:






We tried different headstalls on her for Reno (bit will be changed on either):



















We decided to save this one for the Stallion Stakes:


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## carshon

Why can't she wear the same headstall at Stallion stakes and the other show? Seems pricey to have to have different tack for each show


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## kewpalace

@carshon, she could. But we don't want to be blingy for Reno and figured Stallion Stakes, which is in Vegas, would be a better "fit" for the sliver headstall. We just want to be very understated for Reno, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

Draws for Reno are on Wednesday.:shock:


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> Seems pricey to have to have different tack for each show


Didn't address this. These are headstalls that Matt already has (he's a tack hoarder, LOL), so no cost in that respect.


----------



## dustywyatt

Thanks for the update! She looks so good. 




kewpalace said:


> We tried different headstalls on her for Reno (bit will be changed on either):



I like the second one you guys tried on. It's understated, but pretty. And I like the color and the knot in the browband. For what it's worth 



kewpalace said:


> Didn't address this. These are headstalls that Matt already has (he's a tack hoarder, LOL), so no cost in that respect.



I have SO. MUCH. TACK. Especially horsehair mecate snaffle setups. It's a problem. I need a support group. :dance-smiley05:


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## kewpalace

dustywyatt said:


> Thanks for the update! She looks so good.


 Thanks @dustywyatt! I'm really excited.



dustywyatt said:


> I like the second one you guys tried on. It's understated, but pretty. And I like the color and the knot in the browband.


In person I liked the 1st one the best; in the pix I like the futurity knot one (which I initially favored - if you're going to the futurity you NEED a futurity know headstall, right?). Matt's going to clean them both up and we'll re-do and reassess. but it may end up being the futurity knot, which I would not mind. 



dustywyatt said:


> I have SO. MUCH. TACK. Especially horsehair mecate snaffle setups. It's a problem. I need a support group.


I don't have a lot of tack, but Matt is of NO help as he thinks you always need more, LOL. I just want what I can and will use.


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## Knave

I liked the second one best too.


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## lb27312

Yeah I'm a fan of the second one also... fwiw

You must be getting soooo excited! Your girl is going to be in the big time! And yeah I know it's the experience and the friendships that matter but it's still cool! 

What are you wanting from the draw? Just curious.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I liked the second one best too.


LOL, yea, it may end up being that one. Matt liked how it looked in the pix. :smile:


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> You must be getting soooo excited! Your girl is going to be in the big time! And yeah I know it's the experience and the friendships that matter but it's still cool!


It IS very cool! And the experience and friendships (many of my cowhorse friends either have horses in the Futurity or are showing in the horse show & many non-horse friends are coming JUST to watch Scarlett and Matt) will make it very special. I just have to make sure I don't get TOO excited, LOL ... 



lb27312 said:


> What are you wanting from the draw? Just curious.


It doesn't really matter to us, except we'd like an early draw for Tuesday. That way people who came to watch can leave if they want to get home early. The nice thing about the draw is that it is a definite - you can calculate when you'll go and then you can plan the rest of the day. And the draw will tell you who is "really" going to show and who is in your division. They post "entry confirmations", but those are really definite and usually change, sometimes quite a bit, from who is in the actual draw.


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## kewpalace

The vet came out yesterday for Scarlett's Health Cert and Coggins. It was the first time he and his assistant had seen her since he took her braces out (see post #26); they were pretty amazed. His assistant said,"She's so BIG!" I added,"And muscly!" LOL. He checked her mouth and was amazed at how well it healed; said you would never knew that she had broken her jaw. Drew some blood, took pix and off they went. 

Watched Matt ride her a bit and then went home and got on Pi. Pi was great; we are both out of shape, LOL, but we'll make a go of it this weekend.


----------



## kewpalace

So the entries they currently have listed for the Open Snaffle Bit in Reno - there are 91 total Open riders. 21 Level 1. I know two of the L1/Open slots are for sale; so there are only 19 riders at the moment. There are also Intermediate Open and Limited Open divisions. All divisions are determined by money earned by the rider. Matt's eligible in all divisions; his best chance is in Level 1; he might be able to squeeze into the Limited Open. We shall see. I'll post entries in a bit. These are NOT the draws, nor will it be 100% accurate (entry confirmation is nortoriously inaccurate). But it's fun to see anyway.


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## kewpalace

Let's see if this works ...

Here's the list of the Open Futurity Divisions in Reno:

HORSE OWNER	RIDER 
1.	A Whiz Like My Dad	Gary & Becky Rose	Callee Miller	
2.	Bad Situation	Dylan Sponseller	Dylan Sponseller	
3.	Bet Hes The Man	John/Paige Kremer	Jake Telford	
4.	Bet Hesa Prize	Linda Brooks	Phillip Ralls	
5.	Bet On The Boone	Sis Buttrey	Brad Buttrey	
6.	Betcha Shes Stylish	Gina Liberini	Will Pennebaker	
7.	Better Pepto	Scott & Regina Stevens	Scott Stevens 
8.	Blantons Blue Jeans	Sarah Bender	Rebecca Sternadel	
9.	Blood Brother	Russ A Mothershead	Zane Davis	
10.	Cafe Cutie	Sinan Imer	Rebecca Sternadel	
11.	Cat Chugwater	Joyce Diegel	Darrel Norcutt	
12.	Cockedandreadytorock Ken Chrisman	Les Oswald	
13.	Cool Ranch Chip	Barbara Crist	Holly Irish	
14.	Crack Out The Jack	Will Ingram	Joe Redig	
15.	Crown Royal Knight	Debi/Loren East	Zane Davis	
16.	Divorce	Nicole Scott	Teddy Robinson	
17.	Docs Von Peppy	Sinan Imer	SLOT FOR SALE	
18.	Dulces Sweet Becky	Brian Sloan/Angela Begley	Rod Burr	
19.	Fine Vintage Cash	Robertson Ranches	Tina Robinson	
20.	Fly Me To The Boon	Celia Westbury	Travis Mankins	
21.	Forever Metallic	Michael LaGrande	Craig Boyd 
22.	Genuinely Lucky	Tim & Katy Murphy	Jake Black	
23.	Get N Wicked	Madland/Ward Ranch	John Ward	
24.	Golden Catalena	Cathy Frank	Corey Cushing	
25.	Gonna Geta Prize	Tim & Kathryn Murphy	Jake Black	
26.	Got Easter	Peggy Biller	Chris Krieg	
27.	Got Me A Mercurey	Robert Norrie	Will Pennebaker	
28.	Gotta Pokerface	Samantha Biller	John Ward/Sam Biller	
29.	Gottagetalittleoak	Raymond/Shawna Lamarsh	John Ward 
30.	Graceful Smart Cat	Bill Stevenson/Wagonhound Nick Dowers 
31.	Hez A Metallic Star	Deanna Clark	Jessica Wright 
32.	Heza Rowdy Cat	Kim Basterrechea	Kim Witty 
33.	Hickoryhollyisallena	Quail Run Ranch	Trent Pedersen	
34.	Illegalnontherun	Alex Torres	Alex Torres	
35.	Keep Lookin	DTF Venture LLC	Les Oswald	
36.	Marie Donesome Magic Barbara Ditmore	Jaton Lord	
37.	Masterful Dual	Yvette Stevenson	Justin Wright	
38.	Maverick Dun It	Amy Corbett	SLOT FOR SALE	
39.	Metallic Master	Jenny Alvarez	Les Oswald	
40.	Metallic Quake	Monel Shelley	Carol Schryver	
41.	Metallic Ruby Cat	DT Horses LLC	Kelby Phillips	
42.	Metallic Slide	Beechfork Ranch	Kelby Phillips	
43.	Metallics Gabreyella	Larry & Virgie Gay	Smoky Pritchett	
44.	Misterey	Charles Stevens	Charles Stevens	
45.	Mizz Jackson	Michael Walsh & Associates	Brandon Staebler	
46.	Mo Redwood Cat	Michelle Gilles	Michelle Gilles	
47.	More Metal	Sarah Davis	Ricky Nicolazzi	
48.	O Chic Its Boon	Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch Ricky Nicolazzi	
49.	Oh You Betcha	Barbara Giljum	Ron Emmons	
50.	One Fine Boonshine	Robertson Ranches	James Ferreira	
51.	Special Nu Gun	Alward Ranches Inc	Jason Gay	
52.	One Time Everafter	Dawn Champion	Travis Mankins	
53.	One Timely Cat	Ron J Zumbro	Brady Weaver	
54.	Peptos Heavy Metal	Debra McFarren	Lance Johnston	
55.	Peptos Hickory Cat	Ken/Ramona Wold	Ken Wold	
56.	Playboys Pic Nic	Brett Weaver	JR Marshall	
57.	A Smooth Lady	Tate Pieper	Brandon Buttars	
58.	R Onetime	Jayson/Teresa Fisher	Wyatt Fisher	
59.	Red Voodoo Remedy	Erin Ellison	Charles Stevens	
60.	RTR Reason To Dream Ann Simon	Ann Simon	
61.	Sandhill Cat	Sandhill Cat Partners	Jeremy Knoles	
62.	SBF Smart Lil Boon	David/Rebecca King	Callee Miller	
63.	Seven S Reyncheck	Ed Robertson	Ed Robertson	
64.	She Got Swagger	Brenda Kay Hannan	Brandon Buttars	
65.	Sheza Smart Nu Ride	Laura Rene Johnson	Matt Sheridan	
66.	Sheza TMR CD Playgun Suzanne Westcott	Mysti McMaster	
67.	Shiners Tuff Chic	Lana Corless	Sarah Kennedy	
68.	Shiney Little Rey	G2 Performance Horses	Corey Cushing	
69.	Sister Magic	Dan Macedo	Tucker Robinson	
70.	SJR Diamond Laredo	Charles McCluer Jr	Paul Bonnello	
71.	SJR Dualin Cadilac	Brady Weaver	Brady Weaver	
72.	SJR Metallic Gem	Don Maston	Justin Lawrence	
73.	Slick N Jonezin	Jeremy/Jennifer Knoles	Jeremy Knoles	
74.	Smart Sticky Cat	Robin Dangel	Justin Lawrence	
75.	Smart Yellow Boon	El Ray Performance Horses	Amanda Ray	
76.	Smokin Autumn	Nikki Jump	Teddy Robinson	
77.	Smokin Starshine	Nikki Jump	Teddy Robinson	
78.	Smooth Cat Voo	Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch	Ricky Nicolazzi	
79.	Son Of A Snapper	Lisa Jensen	SLOT FOR SALE	
80.	Steady Eddie	Kevin Wood	James Milum	
81.	Sweet Jetta Boon	Susan Allen	Todd Farley	
82.	Tallihoe	Sheri Jamieson	Corey Cushing	
83.	This Autumn Cat	Billy Martin	Billy Martin	
84.	Time To Honkytonk	D & S Performance Horses	JR Marshall	
85.	Uno Im Smart	John Scheck/Dan Daponde	Dan Daponde	
86.	Very Fancy Genes	Jeremy/Jennifer Knoles	Jeremy Knoles	
87.	Very Smart Rosie	Karl Smith	Karl Smith	
88.	Wicked Echos	Gretchen Synclaire	Glen Aspinall	
89.	Wish U Wood	Roy/Breanne Richards	Brad Buttrey	
90.	Wood Nita	Stacey Maffei	Rod Burr	
91.	WR This Cats A Champ Ty Or Melissa Fowler	Darrel Norcutt	


Here are the Level 1 riders (we know the ones in red):

HORSE OWNER RIDER
1	Blantons Blue Jeans Sarah Bender Rebecca Sternadel
2	Cafe Cutie Sinan Imer Rebecca Sternadel
3	Dulces Sweet Becky Brian Sloan/Angela Begley Rod Burr
4	Fly Me To The Boon Celia Westbury Travis Mankins
5	Hez A Metallic Star Deanna Clark Jessica Wright
6	Metallic Quake Monel Shelley Carol Schryver
7	Mo Redwood Cat Michelle Gilles Michelle Gilles
8	One Fine Boonshine Robertson Ranches James Ferreira
9	One Time Everafter Dawn Champion Travis Mankins
10	Playboys Pic Nic Brett Weaver JR Marshall
11	RTR Reason To Dream Ann Simon Ann Simon
12	Sheza Smart Nu Ride Laura Rene’ Johnson Matt Sheridan
13	Sheza TMR CD Playgun Suzanne Westcott Mysti McMaster
14	SJR Diamond Laredo Charles McCluer Jr Paul Bonnello
15	Smart Yellow Boon El Ray Performance Horses Amanda Ray
16	Steady Eddie Kevin Wood James Milum
17	Time To Honkytonk D & S Performance Horses JR Marshall


Sorry for the formatting; it did not copy over from my WP. :-(


----------



## dustywyatt

kewpalace said:


> 45. Mizz Jackson Michael Walsh & Associates Brandon Staebler



Hey - I know these guys!! Mike has a couple businesses here (he comes in where I work quite a bit) and Brandon lives about 15 miles down the road from me. Small world, lol.


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## kewpalace

dustywyatt said:


> Hey - I know these guys!! Mike has a couple businesses here (he comes in where I work quite a bit) and Brandon lives about 15 miles down the road from me. Small world, lol.


Awesome! :thumbsup:

More reason to watch the webcast!! :cheers:


----------



## kewpalace

CCHA posted the entries verifications yesterday; I forgot to enter Pi & I in the 1k. :icon_rolleyes: Luckily the show secretary is a great gal and put us in it.

The other thing that made me giggle was that there are quite a few futurity horses entered. We have a herd practice on Friday and then the show on Saturday. TONS of futurity prospects are in the herd practice, but if you didn't already know that, you wouldn't be able to tell except that they enter them under pseudonyms ... John Ward has 6 horses in the herd practice. They are named "Ward 1" all the way to "Ward 6". Lots of trainers do that for their futurity horses - use their last name and a number. Others just use the barn name. I think there are only a handful of us who are using their horses registered name. 

When I emailed NRCHA last year about showing Scarlett before the SB, I asked Alison (one of the secretaries there) why they do that and not just show under their registered names. She didn't know. She said as along as a Snaffle Bitter prospect does not earn any money in the bridle, they can show in what ever they want. 

So I giggle when I see the "spy names" - like they are trying to keep things under cover I guess, LOL ... 

Went up and worked a cow on Pi last night for the first time since I broke my ribs. Matt had me on the flag first, which was really good. Pi was nice and relaxed and I felt fine. Go down on the cow and it was getting dark; similar to when I came off of her the last time. Matt put one cow out in the pen - one of his slow cows since I said I wanted a slow cow. It was perfect for us! But as it got darker (he has some lights but not alot) I started getting a little freaked out and stopped. Pi was good; she was getting a little up but a lot of stop and back and she settled down. Then we just moved the cow back and forth for Matt/Scarlett. In the end that was perfect for us. I'll go back up on Thursday.

Matt walked me back up and we talked about the Reno plans/logistics and general Reno; he's getting excited/nervous but is very into now. After all he's given me and done for me horse-wise, I am thankful I'm able to give back a little. 

PS - Draws are today!


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## SilverMaple

Do the code names apply to a specific horse, or are they just place holders? So if, say, the Wards have 12 prospects and six slots, they can decide closer to the show which six they think will have the best chance?


----------



## kewpalace

SilverMaple said:


> Do the code names apply to a specific horse, or are they just place holders? So if, say, the Wards have 12 prospects and six slots, they can decide closer to the show which six they think will have the best chance?


 I think that they have specific horses in mind for the spots, but especially in herd practice, it doesn't matter what horse shows in which spot, so are probably place holders. With shows, they are not yet showing any futurity prospects in NRCHA classes, and it seems like the names are for specific horses. While they could also be just place holders, you pretty much know that a certain trainer has only so many snaffle bitters, so you know they are those horses (especially this close to the shows). 

I know John Ward has three horse entered in Reno; that's three of his slots. The other three are probably Texas bound. He's not riding any of them in the Show. Just herd practice. Rebecca Sternadel has two horses which are entered in Reno - both are in the herd practice and in the horse show, but only one is being shown under the registered name. The other is under a pseudonym; but looking at the owner name, you know it is her other Reno futurity horse. One last example, Travis has two Reno horses. He's showing in herd practice under Mankins 1 and Mankins 2. But everyone knows they are his only futurity horses and they are the one he will be using. 

Long story short, the bigger barns probably use them as place holders; the smaller barns - I have no clue cuz you know what they have and what they are taking and who they will bring to the show.

PS - excellent question @SilverMaple!


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## kewpalace

They put up a better chart of the entries - you can see better who is in what division. I noticed quite a few changes in the Open & Intermediate Open. A few more added riders as well. I altered it a put, but here it is:

Horse	Owner	Rider	

Open
1.	Annies One Time	Wagonhound Land & Livestock	Nick Dowers
2.	Bet Hes The Man	John/Paige Kremer	Jake Telford	
3.	Bet Hesa Prize	Linda Brooks	Phillip Ralls	
4.	Better Pepto	Scott & Regina Stevens	Scott Stevens	
5.	Blood Brother	Russ A Mothershead	Zane Davis	
6.	Crown Royal Knight	Debi/Loren East	Zane Davis	
7.	Double The Boss	Tammy Scotti	Jake Gorrell	
8.	Golden Catalena	Cathy Frank	Corey Cushing	
9.	Graceful Smart Cat	Bill Stevenson/Wagonhound	Nick Dowers	
10.	Marys Blue Boon	Northern Cross Land & Cattle	Justin Wright	
11.	Masterful Dual	Yvette Stevenson	Justin Wright	
12.	Metallic Memories	CR Sis LLC	Phillip Ralls	
13.	Metallic Ruby Cat	DT Horses LLC	Kelby Phillips	
14.	Metallic Slide	Beechfork Ranch	Kelby Phillips	
15.	One Time Frosty Nic	Dan Heath	Justin Wright	
16.	One Timely Cat	Ron J Zumbro	Brady Weaver	
17.	Peptos Hickory Cat	Ken/Ramona Wold	Ken Wold	
18.	Shiney Little Rey	G2 Performance Horses	Corey Cushing	
19.	Sister Magic	Dan Macedo	Tucker Robinson	
20.	SJR Dualin Cadilac	Brady Weaver	Brady Weaver	
21.	Smart Shiney Playboy	Clinton Marshall	Nick Dowers	
22.	Tallihoe	Sheri Jamieson	Corey Cushing	
*Plus all intermediate, Limited & Level 1 riders*

Intermediate Open
1.	Annies Smart Cat	Sally Rome	Tish Wilhite	
2.	Bet On The Boone	Sis Buttrey	Brad Buttrey	
3.	Betcha Shes Stylish	Gina Liberini	Will Pennebaker	
4.	Boe Jackson	Casey/Nichole Branquinho	Casey Branquinho	
5.	Cat Chugwater	Joyce Diegel	Darrel Norcutt	
6.	Cockedandreadytorock	Ken Chrisman	Les Oswald	
7.	Colt Bennett	Jason Gay	Jason Gay	
8.	Cool Ranch Chip	Barbara Crist	Holly Irish	
9.	Diamonds R Metallic	G.Lemoine/LB.Johnston	Lance Johnston	
10.	Divorce	Nicole Scott	Teddy Robinson	
11.	FHR Herecomesthesun	Flying Hawk Ranch	Jon Roeser	
12.	Fine Vintage Cash	Robertson Ranches	Tina Robinson	
13.	Flos Little Rey	Chris Zundel	Doug Williamson	
14.	Forever Metallic	Michael LaGrande	Craig Boyd	
15.	Get N Wicked	Madland/Ward Ranch	John Ward	
16.	Got Easter	Peggy Biller	Chris Krieg	
17.	Got Me A Mercurey	Robert Norrie	Will Pennebaker	
18.	Gottagetalittleoak	Raymond & Shawna Lamarsh	John Ward	
19.	Hy Asa Cat	Jon Murphy	Trent Pedersen	
20.	Keep Lookin	DTF Venture LLC	Les Oswald	
21.	Lucky To Be Royalty	Richard/Rena Whyler	Les Oswald	
22.	Magic Fox	Jon Roeser	Jon Roeser	
23.	Marie Donesome Magic	Barbara Ditmore	Jaton Lord	
24.	Marys Blue Boon	Northern Cross Land & Cattle	Jared Jones	
25.	Metallic Master	Jenny Alvarez	Les Oswald	
26.	Metallics Gabreyella	Larry & Virgie Gay	Smoky Pritchett	
27.	Misterey	Charles Stevens	Charles Stevens	
28.	Mizz Jackson	Michael Walsh & Associates	Brandon Staebler	
29.	More Metal	Sarah Davis	Ricky Nicolazzi	
30.	One Time Madam	Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch	Ricky Nicolazzi	
31.	Oh You Betcha	Barbara Giljum	Ron Emmons	
32.	One Special Nu Gun	Alward Ranches Inc	Jason Gay	
33.	Peptos Heavy Metal	Debra McFarren	Lance Johnston	
34.	PR A Smooth Lady	Tate Pieper	Brandon Buttars
35.	Red Voodoo Remedy	Erin Ellison	Charles Stevensx	
36.	Sailing At Night	Rocking J Ranch	Doug Williamson	
37.	Sandhill Cat	Sandhill Cat Partners	Jeremy Knoles	
38.	Seven S Reyncheck	Ed Robertson	Ed Robertson	
39.	She Got Swagger	Brenda Kay Hannan	Brandon Buttars
40.	SJR Metallic Gem	Don Maston	Justin Lawrence	
41.	Slick N Jonezin	Jeremy/Jennifer Knoles	Jeremy Knoles	
42.	Smart Sticky Cat	Robin Dangel	Justin Lawrence
43.	Smokin Autumn	Nikki Jump	Teddy Robinson	
44.	Smokin Lil Cat	Lyn Anderson	Lyn Anderson	
45.	Smokum Metalic Dream	Dan Heath	Russell Probert	
46.	Smooth Cat Voo	Rogers Heaven Sent Ranch	Ricky Nicolazzi	
47.	Very Fancy Genes	Jeremy/Jennifer Knoles	Jeremy Knoles	
48.	Wicked Echos	Gretchen Synclaire	Glen Aspinall	
49.	Wish U Wood	Roy/Breanne Richards	Brad Buttrey	
50.	WR This Cats A Champ	Ty Or Melissa Fowler	Darrel Norcutt	
51.	Gotta Pokerface	Samantha Biller	John Ward/Sam Biller	
_*Plus all Limited Open and Level 1 riders*_

Limited Open
1.	A Whiz Like My Dad	Gary & Becky Rose	Callee Miller	
2.	Bad Situation	Dylan Sponseller	Dylan Sponseller	
3.	Big Shoots	Molly Russell	Dave Duquette	
4.	Crack Out The Jack	Will Ingram	Joe Redig	
5.	Heza Rowdy Cat	Kim Basterrechea	Kim Witty	
6.	Illegalnontherun	Alex Torres	Alex Torres	
7.	R Onetime	Jayson/Teresa Fisher	Wyatt Fisher	
8.	SBF Smart Lil Boon	David/Rebecca King	Callee Miller	
9.	Shiners Tuff Chic	Lana Corless	Sarah Kennedy	
10.	Sweet Jetta Boon	Susan Allen	Todd Farley	
11.	This Autumn Cat	Billy Martin	Billy Martin	
12.	Uno Im Smart	John Scheck/Dan Daponde	Dan Daponde	
13.	Very Smart Rosie	Karl Smith	Karl Smith	
14.	Wood Nita	Stacey Maffei	Rod Burr	
_*Plus all Level 1 riders*_

Level 1
1.	Blantons Blue Jeans	Sarah Bender	Rebecca Sternadel	
2.	Blu Cherrey	Joel Albin	James Milum	
3.	Cafe Cutie	Sinan Imer	Rebecca Sternadel	
4.	Dulces Sweet Becky	Brian Sloan/Angela Begley	Rod Burr	
5.	Fly Me To The Boon	Celia Westbury	Travis Mankins	
6.	Hez A Metallic Star	Deanna Clark	Jessica Wright	
7.	Maverick Dun It	Amy Corbett	SLOT FOR SALE
8.	Metallic Quake	Monel Shelley	Carol Schryver	
9.	Mo Redwood Cat	Michelle Gilles	Michelle Gilles	
10.	One Fine Boonshine	Robertson Ranches	James Ferreira	
11.	One Time Everafter	Dawn Champion	Travis Mankins	
12.	Playboys Pic Nic	Brett Weaver	JR Marshall	
13.	RTR Reason To Dream	Ann Simon	Ann Simon	
14.	Sheza Smart Nu Ride	Laura Rene Johnson	Matt Sheridan	
15.	Sheza TMR CD Playgun	Suzanne Westcott	Mysti McMaster	
16.	SJR Diamond Laredo	Charles McCluer Jr	Paul Bonnello	
17.	Smart Diamond Time	Triple D Ranches	Susannah Campbell
18.	Smart Yellow Boon	El Ray Performance Horses	Amanda Ray
19.	Steady Eddie	Kevin Wood	James Milum	
20.	Time To Honkytonk	D & S Performance Horses	JR Marshall


----------



## kewpalace

Draws are up! This morning, LOL. Kept checking all night up to when I turned out the lights at 11 pm - no draw. Checked 1st thing this morning - no draw. Was almost to work and checked and they were up! WooHoo! Matt's 41 (middle of the 4th set) in the herd, 9th in reining (middle of the 1st set) and lucky 13 (1st out in the 2nd set after a drag) on the cow. Good draws - get done early and can relax for the rest of the day (maybe get a ride in after they are done in the main arena for the day). Just praying for good clean runs.


----------



## kewpalace

What a weekend! Had Friday off, so finished packing the trailer. Pi knew we were going somewhere and she starts RUNNING in her turn out, bucking and rearing, LOL. But I faked her out cuz after packing the trailer, I went in for breakfast. Then came back out and gave her a bath; took my shower, loaded her up and went to pick up Scarlett. For the Most part it was a good drive, but when I got to Bakersfield, due to road construction and broken down vehicles it took me a 1/2 hour to get through town. I was very happy to get past it. Matt was about 1/2 hr-45 min. behind me, but I called him and he took an alternate route, so ended up being only about 15 minutes behind me.

It was HOT and HUMID in Tulare. Got on the horses pretty quick and warmed them up a bit, then went down to watch herd practice. Matt & Scarlett were DEAD LAST so we had a wait. But it was good to watch others and our competition. Plus, a great thing about the cowhorse community, everyone is very supportive of everyone else, so my friends who have horses in the Open Futurity wish us luck and we do the same for them. 

Lance Johnston has a NICE Metallic Cat filly; he bought it with a client at the NSHA sale a few years ago and she is a 3 yo now. He told Matt she (Snowflake) got injured before the NSHA Futurity so she didn't go and is entered in Reno but is geared for Texas really. Using Reno as a warm up. She has always been stunning, this is her from from NSHA sale; she is much darker now but her mane/tail are still light:










And her pedigree. She is going to be one to watch.

Matt and Scarlett did much better in the herd work from the last show. I was really happy with her. Excited to see them in Reno.


----------



## kewpalace

I didn't get much sleep Friday night and we were up and out early. Were at the show grounds in time to watch the start of the show. Matt and Scarlett went about 1:30-ish and did better than last show again. Even with the bobbles they had, they ended up 2nd in their class! Yeah! Fed him and kicked him out to go home and spend time with his family. 

It wasn't as hot, but it WAY more humid on Saturday. I think I lost 10 lbs. in water. 

I tried to take a nap. Got a 15 minute one in. Pi and I were in Open Boxing - I took a pain pill about 15 minutes before our run, but I was still a little apprehensive about being jerked around and hurting my ribs again. The result showed in our scores, which were less than stellar. And I lost my cow cuz I was whimpy. But I realized I was OK and not hurting afterwards. 

We had about a 2 hour wait until our 1k run ... things went much better on both reining and we got a great cow. 67.5 in reining and 70 on the cow. I was pretty excited; Turned out it was good enough to tie for 3rd in the 1k and earn a small check! Yahoo! 

I washed Pi off, loaded her up, went and loaded Scarlett and emptied water and got all the stall gear packed and was on the road at 9:20. Went for gas and dinner and hydration! Got to Matt's about midnight - don't know why it was such a slow drive home, but I was way tired, so went slower. Woke him up to get Scarlett and then drove home and after taking care of Pi, the house animals and showering, fell into bed about 12:45. Long but fun day.

Sunday and Monday I spent cleaning the trailer & my truck for Reno. I have a little pressure washer so I use it to clean the trailer every now and then:


















Pulled all my gear out of the trailer tack room, cleaned and vacumed it out. Pull a ton of stuff out of the Truck. Pressured washed the truck and vacuumed it out. Cleaned all the grooming tools & buckets that were in the trailer (although we are taking new grooming stuff for Scarlett). Going to take my trailer in tomorrow for a check over. Have a few errands to run and then will pack it with my stuff and go up to Matt's to get his stuff. Then it's up early, go get Scarlett and head on up to Reno!

They posed the patterns. No. 2 Lope Towards for Prelims; No. 11 Lope Towards for Finals:


















And finally, I noticed when cleaning the trailer that my license plate holder was broken. So I made a new one :grin::mrgreen::


----------



## carshon

Go team Scarlett!! And I am so happy that riding did not hurt and you seem to have healed from your fall. Sounds like you and Pi did very well. I hate riding in the humidity!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon! We are so excited it's hard to stayed contained, LOL. But there is still so much to do before we leave Thursday morning - hard to believe it's already HERE!

Yes, Pi and I had a great comebaack show. I was a little sore on Sunday, but that was to be expected. We need to be a little better to get a few more points before the end of the year. We have dropped down to 8th in the region, so need to pull us up a little to have a good cushion for World Show possibility.  We still have at least 4, maybe 5, shows to do that. But the small check I got on Saturday put us over the 1k mark, so next year we'll be bumped to the 5k (although after the world show, if we make it, she will likely have the year off for breeding).


----------



## kewpalace

Oh, forgot to tell you! Saturday after Matt's run, Ted Robinson came up to Matt and said,"Your filly's looking real good! Much improved from last show." :shock::happydance::winetime: When Teddy gives you props you know you're on the right track! WooHoo!!


----------



## lb27312

Congrats on the check!! That's sooo awesome!! Thanks for sharing!


----------



## SilverMaple

This is so cool... I'm living vicariously through you. 

Someday when I win the lottery, I want to buy a really nice youngster to have trained up for cow horse. Just once. And when done showing, I'll have a super-awesome all-around ranch/show/pleasure horse to enjoy.


----------



## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Congrats on the check!! That's sooo awesome!! Thanks for sharing!


Thanks @ lb27312! It’s pretty fun to finally advancing. 



SilverMaple said:


> This is so cool... I'm living vicariously through you.


[email protected]; if you would have told me I would be doing this this year, I’d have said you were nuts. It was never a dream until this year ... hard to believe tomorrow night Scarlett & I will be in Reno for the Snaffle Bit Futurity- blows my mind. It’s great to share my journey, especially with people who understand. Sooo cool!



SilverMaple said:


> Someday when I win the lottery, I want to buy a really nice youngster to have trained up for cow horse. Just once. And when done showing, I'll have a super-awesome all-around ranch/show/pleasure horse to enjoy.


 It’s achievable! I am actually doing SB on a budget; thank goodness Matt made me a killer deal I could NOT pass up. And here we are. If I went with anyone else I probably could not have afforded to keep her in training. Hoping something like that falls in your lap. 

Long day today. Got the trailer brakes fixed, made a Costco run, came home & packed the truck & trailer. Weed whacked so Hannah could walk through the property (yes, they were that bad), went to get Matt’s gear & watched him put a quick ride on Scarlett & put down TWO monster killer stops! Got home & filled the trailer’s water tank, put shavings down & packed the hay for tomorrow. Just ate & now need to pack for me, LOL ....

It’ll be a bright & early start tomorrow...


----------



## lb27312

kewpalace said:


> [email protected]; if you would have told me I would be doing this this year, I’d have said you were nuts. It was never a dream until this year ... hard to believe tomorrow night Scarlett & I will be in Reno for the Snaffle Bit Futurity- blows my mind. It’s great to share my journey, especially with people who understand. Sooo cool!
> 
> It’s achievable! I am actually doing SB on a budget; thank goodness Matt made me a killer deal I could NOT pass up. And here we are. If I went with anyone else I probably could not have afforded to keep her in training. Hoping something like that falls in your lap.


I WISH I could have something like that fall in my lap.... I think my young guy is bred for something like that... But also you have awesome dedication. 

Good Luck this coming weekend! I am sooo looking forward to your report...


----------



## SilverMaple

On a librarian and teacher's salary, it's not gonna happen! Lol. Plus nobody does cow horse around here... we'd have to move.


----------



## dustywyatt

SilverMaple said:


> This is so cool... I'm living vicariously through you.
> 
> Someday when I win the lottery, I want to buy a really nice youngster to have trained up for cow horse. Just once. And when done showing, I'll have a super-awesome all-around ranch/show/pleasure horse to enjoy.



SAAAAAAME. *dreamy sigh*


Brandon Staebler does lessons and has some really nice horses. I need to figure out a way to juggle work, money, and ride time!



kewpalace said:


> Long day today. Got the trailer brakes fixed, made a Costco run, came home & packed the truck & trailer. Weed whacked so Hannah could walk through the property (yes, they were that bad), went to get Matt’s gear & watched him put a quick ride on Scarlett & put down TWO monster killer stops! Got home & filled the trailer’s water tank, put shavings down & packed the hay for tomorrow. Just ate & now need to pack for me, LOL ....
> 
> It’ll be a bright & early start tomorrow...



Squeeee!! So exciting! Fingers, toes, and hooves crossed for you guys!


----------



## kewpalace

We made it to Reno yesterday! About a 1/3 of the way there I gassed up & try to get Scarlett to drink-nope. She also tried to back out of the trailer, LOL. Ran into some GOOD rain, but all in all it was a good ride & she was relaxed & calm. Did not drink on the way up, so I gave her electrolytes about 3/4 of the way here & the rest when I got here. She drank about 1/2 of a big bucket. 👍. 

We were the 1st ones in the temporary stalls, so I unpacked everything & set Scarlett up in her pen. I hung out until someone else came with their horses (Jeremy Knoles & his wife Jennifer, 2 young kids & Stella the dog. 

Man, was I beat! Got to the hotel & went for Mexican food & a big Margarita. 😋. Went to bed & died. 

Scarlett was great this morning-had eaten everything & drank some good amount of water. Went & hung out with the Mankins (Travis has 2 Futurity horses) & they invited us to their BBQ dinner to tonight. 💗. 

Watched them prepping the main arena for a bit. You can feel the energy even now! Was cool to think in two days, competition will begin. 👍

Walked Scarlett around and let let loose in the round pen. She’s amazing. Alert but calm & just taking everything in. 

Will post pix later - can’t seem to master it on my phone.


----------



## COWCHICK77

I wish @Knave and I could of made it cheer Team Scarlett on! Maybe next year all of us will finally be in Reno at the same time. Wishing y'all the best and it has been fun watching Scarlett mature and come along to this point.
I will be waiting impatiently for updates 


@dustywyatt I have heard good things about Brandon. I don't think you'd be wasting any money to go ride with him


----------



## Knave

@COWCHICK77 I wish we made it too, but I think we both just had too much crazy this month. Next year we should strive for it! I had so much fun last year.

I almost forgot! Good luck!!!!!


----------



## SilverMaple

Have a wonderful show!


----------



## kewpalace

Sorry no update yesterday; hard to do it on my phone. And to find time. Did a lot of hanging around yesterday waiting for Matt to come. Took Scarlett for a walk & let her loose in the round pen - she played a bit & stretched her legs. Just looking relaxed & happy. We t & hung out with the Mankins. Travis has 2 Futurity horses. They invited us all to dinner. 

Matt got there about 2:45. Unpacked his horse stuff & got on to ride Scarlett in the show arena. But only got to see them ride in as I had to take his wife & So. To the hotel. But she seemed fine. Matt said later they had a few moments but not bad or lengthy. He also said she LIVES the ground. 👍👍 After he washed her & tgen we all went to eat dinner with the Mankins. It was FUN. 

Today Matt was finishing his ride when I got there & watched them work the flag. She was AWESOME. 😃😃. 

The place is totally alive now - tons of horses & people. Lots of familiar faces. Totally cool. But back at the hotel; I Need a nap!


----------



## kewpalace

Quick update ... they are not done with the herd work yet so don’t know where they stand, but we are done for the day. Matt & Scarlett did good - 201! Certainly not the best but I can’t complain. I was pretty excited though, LOL. Lots of good & higher scoring runs in Level 1. Will be anxious to see where they place overall in the herd. 👍👍


----------



## kewpalace

Current standings:

Tied at 79 in Open
Tied at 61 in Intermediate
Tied at 24 in Ltd Open
Tied for 9th in Level 1


----------



## kewpalace

Well it all fell apart yesterday in the Reining yesterday. It was going good in the warm up pen but she did not get her lead changes - either one - and got slightly dinged on everything else. She got a score bit it was only 180, so no hope if finals with that. 

Matt was pretty disappointed with it, but I am OK with it. She’s a baby at a huge show and is being trained differently from some of the others. And she’s tired. Reining is her worst event but expected her ti do a little better than this. 

After that class we took her to a spa treatment & later Matt rubbed her down with liniment & took her for a theraplate treatment. 

Today is fence work - her favorite event. The cow should liven her up & she should do well. 

Matt will take her home tomorrow. She’ll get some time off & we’ll work towards the Stallion Stakes in March.


----------



## kewpalace

She looks a little brighter today; praying for a good cow!


----------



## lb27312

@kewpalace - Sorry to hear that the reining fell apart.... Good luck with the Cow draw!!


----------



## SilverMaple

Disappointing reining score, but not horrible for a young horse not being pushed. I hope you get a good cow draw!


----------



## kewpalace

Scarlett’s Snaffle Bit experience is over. She & Matt put in a great run on a bad cow (it wasn’t just my opinion) but they only scored a 198.5 - not enough to put them in the $$. Lots of people said they should have gotten a new cow, but that’s the breaks. 

All in all I am very happy with the experience & exposure Scarlett has gotten this week & know she will only improve in the future. I am also thankful she is sane & sound after this hard week. 

And I’m so thrilled with how Matt has trained her - no “trucks of the trade”. 

Next up is the double CCHA show in November. 👍👍


----------



## kewpalace

I will post pix & video sometime next week after I get home.


----------



## kewpalace

Matt will take Scarlett home tomorrow. I am hoping to stay until Sunday.


----------



## kewpalace

Matt & Scarlett ended up 15th in Level one. Travis Mankins won Level 1 - his 2nd consecutive win - AND qualified for all open divisions finals - he’s on a great horse but competition will be TOUGH. Hoping to be there to see it all!


----------



## Knave

Good luck to Travis! I’m sorry that Scarlett didn’t come through, but what a cool thing to be able to forever say she competed.


----------



## carshon

I would be proud of that 15th placing. She has come so far and has so many years ahead of her.


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave! Scarlett still has a few things to figure out so was not her time. I am fortunate to be able to bring her here & for her to do as well as she did. I am definitely satisfied with her & Matt.

So happy for Travis. He is a HARD worker & it was well deserved. Very much looking forward to seeing him in the finals.


----------



## kewpalace

@carshon definitely proud! We got a lot of compliments on her & Matt’s training. She seems very bright & alert today & we did a Theraplate treatment for her long ride home. Can’t beat having a relaxed sound pony after a competition like this. 👍


----------



## Aquamarine

Scarlett is beautiful. Congratulations on your successes with her!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @Aquamarine.


----------



## dustywyatt

kewpalace said:


> Well it all fell apart yesterday in the Reining yesterday. It was going good in the warm up pen but she did not get her lead changes - either one - and got slightly dinged on everything else. She got a score bit it was only 180, so no hope if finals with that.



Darn those lead changes!  Still, for being a young'un and all, that's not awful!



kewpalace said:


> Scarlett’s Snaffle Bit experience is over. She & Matt put in a great run on a bad cow (it wasn’t just my opinion) but they only scored a 198.5 - not enough to put them in the $$. Lots of people said they should have gotten a new cow, but that’s the breaks.
> 
> All in all I am very happy with the experience & exposure Scarlett has gotten this week & know she will only improve in the future. I am also thankful she is sane & sound after this hard week.
> 
> And I’m so thrilled with how Matt has trained her - no “trucks of the trade”.
> 
> Next up is the double CCHA show in November. 👍👍



Yay!! 



kewpalace said:


> Can’t beat having a relaxed sound pony after a competition like this. 👍



THIS.


----------



## kewpalace

Matt texted me today that Scarlett was doing excellently today. Tired still but physically looks great. Great news to me. She’ll have the next few days off then will start back with very easy week for a week or so.

Staying in Reno so far. Tomorrow is the Spayed Wild Filly Futurity. No doubt it will be webcasted. Matt want me to bid in a filly for Matthew on Saturday. 

Gotta hit the sheets. So tired.


----------



## kewpalace

Spayed wild filly Futurity is about to start! Webcast at renosbafflebitfuturity.com!


----------



## kewpalace

Our local Aussie, Andrew Steiger won on his huge paint filly Maggie Magpie. He’s a nice guy & worked hard. The win would have been Tyler Johnson-Clark should have won but he did one less spin than he should’ve on both sides. Judges were generous & gave him a score but very low. His was the most broke horse although Andrew’s was close. Good competition!


----------



## kewpalace

Tonight is the open bridle finals!

Tomorrow is the Snaffle Bit Open Finals!

BTW, winner of the NP Ltd SB Futurity was a half Sister to Pi ... Shiners Ella - last foal from their sire who died last year.


----------



## kewpalace

So ... here’s the news. 

Before Matt left Reno, he gave me a list and LIMITED budget to bid on a 2 yo spayed mustang filly or Andrew’s mare. So I got a bid number & sat in on the sale. I only bid on one of his chosen mustangs & that was $400 over his budget. Then I was outbid. They were going way over his budget. 

Then they announced they switched out one filly at the last minute since the original one had gotten sick. So no one had really seem this filly including Matt. I ended up getting her for a $1400 steal. I texted Matt & I think he was a bit surprised. He was wary since he hadn’t seen her. But liked the pix I sent. She is a cute little red dun.

Then I tried to find her a way home - no go, everyone was full or didn’t want to haul a wild horse (understandable). So Matt left his house at 10:30 pm & got to Reno at 9 am (after stopping for a nap). Watched Travis’ herd run, loaded up the filly, grabbed a breakfast burrito for the road & is on their way back to Tehachapi. 

So look for Matt & Warm Springs Tiger Lilly in the 2020 Wild Spayed Filly Futurity at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity! 👍👍


----------



## carshon

RFD aired an older spayed filly futurity this year and I loved it. I sure wish they would do it again.


----------



## kewpalace

@carshon - you might be able to see all the episodes at this link.

I'm going to start a new journal for Tiger Lilly.


----------



## lb27312

Cool on the filly! Can't wait to read her journal... and see pics! I bet he was like ummmm hadn't seen her but I have a new horse! lol


----------



## kewpalace

Going up and arriving in Reno:









Crestview Rest Stop, near Mammouth.









In Reno:


















View from the stall of the main arena



























Here's some pix from when I turned Scarlett out in the Round Pen the day after we got to Reno. She was having fun!


















































And our number:


----------



## kewpalace

I bought an official vest and T-shirt (will post pix later), but also got one "custom" embroidered. The colors in the pix are not true to life, but they'll give you an idea. I got this jacket from Costco (the color of the jacket looks like this pix):










and then had them embroider the back with (they had two form choices for the back or you could do your own [which would have cost more]):










The color of the text is bright, almost neon, pink and the bit is silver.

On the front I did, in the same pink: 










It was fun to get it!


----------



## kewpalace

The wife of the couple that bred Pi, who owned her sire, was showing the last foal of the stallion (who died last year, I think) in the Reno NP Ltd. Futurity and WON it! She looks like Scarlett ... 


















Right now, here are the best pix I have of Scarlett ... a friend took these off the webcast, LOL and added the flames. 

















And one of Matt's friends took this at the competition:


----------



## kewpalace

Here's some random pix ... 

Matthew & Scarlett during one of Scarlett's theraplate sessions:









Scarlett and me; she's getting a theraplate session before her ride home:









Scarlett tries on Bill Black hackamores ... Matt bought one to ride her in.

































Getting ready for herd work:


----------



## kewpalace

Went to Matt's last night to drop of a saddle for Matthew he had me pick up in Bakersfield on my way home. When I got there he was riding Scarlett - she's back to light work after a break after getting home from Reno. It was late so some of the pix didn't turn out too well:


























Here's a pix that Matt posted after the reinwork in Reno ... Now I know why Michelle & John thought she was dead, LOL:










But she's in good company ... Phillip Ralls posted a pix of Mitch:


----------



## kewpalace

Love this Pix:










Matt is in the darker blue shirt & you can't see Scarlett; two over is Jake Gorrell. Don't recall who the others were. They are watching someone's run (maybe Jake's) on the video replay.



Up Next ... Pi and I are off to Temecula tomorrow for a two day show. Reno knocked us down a few places since we didn't show, so need to get some points!


----------



## lb27312

@kewpalace - Good Luck tomorrow!!! I hope you get lots of points! 

Love the pics, especially the one where she's out flat! Thanks for sharing...


----------



## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> @kewpalace - Good Luck tomorrow!!! I hope you get lots of points!


 Thanks @lb27312! Pi will be pretty fresh, but she seems to do better after being off, so hoping for a good showing on both days!



lb27312 said:


> Love the pics, especially the one where she's out flat! Thanks for sharing...


Aw, thanks! Yea, the sleeping pix is funny; she was certainly comfortable there! The Mitch pix makes me laugh .... he does look Dead! LOL ...


----------



## kewpalace

Well, our show was total bust. Pi was really good, but I just could not keep focused on my cow and lost it both days. But yesterday, we got a check plus on both degree of difficulty and courage, so that's a good thing. It was also very hot and humid and I don't seem to be able to handle that much anymore. 

Still had a had a good time. And Pi and I are figuring out her stops, On Saturday, she got slightly dinged on two stops (although I thought all her stops felt really good) and we got 0's on all other maneuvers! So on to the next show. I think I need to recharge from Reno still; but it felt good to be back on Pi. She's a good girl. 

Matt says Scarlett is felling really good and doing well. He sent me a stop pix over the weekend and said it was for my Birthday, LOL (it was Saturday). Looking forward to the Show at the end of November.

Next up, is watching the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity next month. Will be interesting to see how the horses who went from Reno will do ... That's a lot to ask of a young horse, but some are ready for it.


----------



## kewpalace

At least Pi looked great on the 2nd day ...











And lots of the big names there like her.


----------



## dustywyatt

kewpalace said:


> So ... here’s the news.
> 
> Before Matt left Reno, he gave me a list and LIMITED budget to bid on a 2 yo spayed mustang filly or Andrew’s mare...they switched out one filly at the last minute since the original one had gotten sick. So no one had really seem this filly including Matt. I ended up getting her for a $1400 steal. So look for Matt & Warm Springs Tiger Lilly in the 2020 Wild Spayed Filly Futurity at the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity! 👍👍



That's awesome!! I love her name! Can't wait to see pics. My friend Molly picked up a filly there called South Steens Stickers and I'm so excited to see how they do! 



kewpalace said:


> Scarlett tries on Bill Black hackamores ... Matt bought one to ride her in



Those bosals are GORGEOUS! 



kewpalace said:


> Well, our show was total bust. Pi was really good, but I just could not keep focused on my cow and lost it both days. But yesterday, we got a check plus on both degree of difficulty and courage, so that's a good thing. It was also very hot and humid and I don't seem to be able to handle that much anymore.
> 
> Still had a had a good time. And Pi and I are figuring out her stops, On Saturday, she got slightly dinged on two stops (although I thought all her stops felt really good) and we got 0's on all other maneuvers! So on to the next show. I think I need to recharge from Reno still; but it felt good to be back on Pi. She's a good girl.



Aww that's a bummer.  But I'm glad you had fun anyway! It sounds cliché, but I feel like a show that doesn't go so well makes you appreciate the good ones more. Pi is beautiful!


----------



## kewpalace

dustywyatt said:


> That's awesome!! I love her name! Can't wait to see pics. My friend Molly picked up a filly there called South Steens Stickers and I'm so excited to see how they do!


That was one of the mustangs I liked! She was 5th or 6th on Matt's list. LOL. @dustywyatt, there are pix in her journal ... 



dustywyatt said:


> Those bosals are GORGEOUS!


They are! They are also way out of my price range! LOL ... 




dustywyatt said:


> Aww that's a bummer.  But I'm glad you had fun anyway! It sounds cliché, but I feel like a show that doesn't go so well makes you appreciate the good ones more. Pi is beautiful!


Thanks! When I bomb a show, it makes me that much more determined to do better the next time. Because I KNOW we can do better! Thank you for the Pi compliment; I'm partial to her (of course) but it's nice to hear others say she's beautiful.


----------



## kewpalace

Here are some pix from the last CCHA show - just before Reno - there was not a professional photographer officially there but Lucky Dog Photography took some of a limited few (Scarlett being one of them) and allowed us to share them:


















She's got her cow face on here, LOL:


----------



## Knave

Happy birthday!!!


----------



## dustywyatt

LOVE the cow face!! <3


----------



## lb27312

Happy Birthday!! Great pics! Scarlet looks good. Sorry about the show... but you did it and had a good time.

I found a trainer that has cows and I'm going to take Captain over and see what he says. Just to see how he acts around cows, haven't started backing him yet but just want to know if it's something worth pursuing.


----------



## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Happy birthday!!!


Thank you @Knave! I had dinner alone - which wasn't too bad since I was at the show alone; I went to Outback and had steak & lobster and a glass of cabernet. Yum! Next weekend is celebrating with my Mom.


----------



## kewpalace

dustywyatt said:


> LOVE the cow face!! <3


It is my FAVORITE. 



lb27312 said:


> Happy Birthday!!


Thank you @lb27312!



lb27312 said:


> Great pics! Scarlet looks good.


Thanks! Wish she would have looked that good in Reno, LOL. Just waiting for the November double show - should be a kick to see what she's learned since Reno.



lb27312 said:


> Sorry about the show... but you did it and had a good time.


Yea, that's the way it rolls sometimes. It think the heat got to me; just not so tolerant of it any more, darn it all.



lb27312 said:


> I found a trainer that has cows and I'm going to take Captain over and see what he says. Just to see how he acts around cows, haven't started backing him yet but just want to know if it's something worth pursuing.


Awesome! Can't wait for your report!! Be sure to take pix too!!


----------



## Knave

Lobster sounds delicious! I had it once and it was amazing, but it could have been the restaurant because everything was. I hope your celebration with your mom is awesome too!


----------



## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Lobster sounds delicious! I had it once and it was amazing, but it could have been the restaurant because everything was. I hope your celebration with your mom is awesome too!


I hadn't had lobster in a LONG time, but you only turn 60 once, so I splurged a bit. It was very yummy. Mom is getting up there in years, so likely we will keep it low key - go to a movie (they serve wine there!) and have a small bite to eat. Which is fine by me. Still trying to recover from Reno and this last weekend, LOL ...


----------



## kewpalace

Finally going up to see Scarlett & Lilly tonight. Matt sent me a Scarlett Preview ...










That is the Bill Black bosal he bought in Reno ... He said Scarlett loves it and was stopping effortlessly. He said she likes it WAY more than the snaffle; so her Derby years may be in the hackamore ... 


I dressed the pix up a bit ... :biggrin:


----------



## SilverMaple

Beautiful hackamore!


----------



## SilverMaple

And she's not alone. I have yet to find a horse that really likes a snaffle. Most prefer a bosal or curb, hands-down.


----------



## lb27312

Love the pics! That's a nice looking hackamore... I used to call them a bosal...


----------



## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> That's a nice looking hackamore... I used; to call them a bosal...


Thanks! The nose piece is a bosal; the entire set up - bosal, hanger & mecate - is the hackamore. 😁


----------



## kewpalace

I saw my girl on Friday, woohoo! She's looking so nice and fit, relaxed an confident. Matt rode her in the hackamore and did an easy ride on her. Warmed her up, did a few stops, a few spins and worked the flag for about 15 minutes. It was about dusk, so pix may be a bit grainy. Here's some pix:


















































Really pleased with her and Matt is too. 


Also saw Lilly, but will update her journal when I get the pix uploaded.


----------



## kewpalace

Finally got the Reno videos downloaded, so will now post them for your viewing pleasure. :razz: First up is the Herd Practice on 9/8/19.


----------



## kewpalace

Here is Herd Work 9/8/19 ...


----------



## kewpalace

Rein Work 9/9/19 ...


----------



## kewpalace

And last, but not least, Fence Work 9/10/19


----------



## kewpalace

Her Scores:

*Herd work*: 201 

She tied for 12th [out of 19] in Level 1; Tied for 24th in the Limited Open out of 31; tied at 61 in the Intermediate Open out of 81; and in Open tied for 79th out of 106.

*Rein Work*: 180

Her Lead changes killed any chance she had. :-( She only beat one person in Level 1, ILtd. Open & Intermediate Open; & 3 in Open

*Fence Work*: 196.5

She was pretty tired at this point, but did a little better than the dismal reining run. She tied for 9th in Level 1, 19th in Ltd. Open, 61st in Int. Open & 81 in Open.

In the Composite:

Level 1: 16th
Ltd. Open: 27th
Int. Open: 73rd
Open: 93rd

Regardless of the results, it was a fun experience and I can't wait to see her at Stallion Stakes!


----------



## kewpalace

And to wrap it all up, here's the video of Scarlett's Spa treatment after her reining run ... :biggrin:


----------



## kewpalace

Went and saw Matt ride Scarlett on Saturday. He rode her in the Hackamore again; said it was the first time since the last time I was up that she was ridden in the hackamore. She did great! 

Some Pix:









































Matt was giving a lesson while he was riding her, so he got off to ride the client's horse and I was the hitching post for Scarlett; she's a busy girl, LOL ... always in my face.


















Here's some pix of her slide marks - we cracked up on the zig zag ones, LOL ...


----------



## kewpalace

But the fun part of Saturday was that Scarlett's Reno web file pix came in! 

Reining

















Herd Work

















Fence Work

















Am really pleased with these!!


----------



## kewpalace

Where am I?









Yep, I'm ON Scarlett! :razz:









Matt was really excited to get me on her, so I did. He was still giving lessons, on the obstacle trail course. So we went up there and did some as well. Then went back to the arena and Matt wanted me to lope her - so walked, trotted and then loped (she's smooth! ). And then we spun ... OMG, she's amazing! I told Matt I can now cool her out at shows for him - WooHoo!!


----------



## SilverMaple

That's so wonderful! Enjoy her!


----------



## kewpalace

SilverMaple said:


> That's so wonderful! Enjoy her!


Thank you @SilverMaple ... I'm sure I will!


----------



## kewpalace

Went up Saturday to watch Matt work Scarlett. He's been working on getting her to move out. I think she's learning her lesson:










































Slowing down:









And some spin pix:


































And some artsy ones


----------



## kewpalace

Matt/Scarlett and Pi/I went to the local Ranch horse show. Matt was also showing another client's horse. So the classes were Ranch Reining, Ranch Riding, Ranch Trail & Ranch Pleasure. At the end of the day, Matt got 1st in the composite with the other client's horse and tied for 2nd on Scarlett. 

I had to laugh at Matt, though, cuz he said that Trail was NOT Scarlett's Forte ... yet he tied for 1st with her against his other horse with a whopping 74 score! I told him he couldn't say that any more about Scarlett. 

I only got video of Matt on Scarlett:






And someone else (not sure who) took pix and posted them on FB (we are allowed to share):




















And a pix of Pi and I ... we did OK. I thought she did alot better than her scores reflected, but that's showing for you. I think we tied for 4th overall. Most of the classes we fell into 3rd or 4th place.


----------



## kewpalace

Forgot to post photos from Friday night when I went up to get Matt's Tack. He was still riding Scarlett so I had to wait for them to get done.


----------



## kewpalace

Not much going on. Cowhorse show next weekend and I was hoping to get up to Matt's to work the flag a bit and watch him work Tilly, but that didn't happen. So Saturday I took Pi out for a little trail ride and a little work in the yard.

Part of our "usual" work on the trail is trotting in the creekbed. The sand is deep and I like to do a little trotting to help build muscles, endurance, etc. We don't go a long way, but trot on/off for a bit. Well, we just started in the creek bed, rounded the corner and saw this:










A wall of tumbleweeds. The creekbed continues to the right of the telephone pole.

I just stood and stared at it a while, couldn't believe how much was there! We went around it (it's good to have 4WD!) ... this is in the middle: 










1st pix was taken to the left of this pix. And from the other side:










It was a nice ride and got her breathing a bit. Now with the time change, I hope I can squeeze in a ride before the Show. Will likely be able to on Thursday as we'll go up then. Show is Friday - Sunday, although my classes are only on Friday and Sunday.


----------



## Knave

I don’t think I understand what I am looking at.


----------



## kewpalace

LOL ... creek bed packed full of tumbleweeds. Probably 15-29’ long, 10’ wide & 3’ deep; so packed Pi would have a had time walking through them, so we had to go around. We usually just trot through. I’ll post some pix tomorrow of how it usually looks.


----------



## Knave

Oh! I wondered, but then I thought it was yellow grass and something was wrong with the ditch! I was looking at what she was looking at for something smaller too. Lol

That is a lot of tumbleweeds!


----------



## kewpalace

Yea, it was a lot; just a solid wall of tumbleweeds! That's why it was so astonishing to me, LOL. Here's a pix of the general area w/out the weeds; I don't have a pix of the exact area in the TW pix above; you can see the telephone pole in there for reference. It's the same one in all the pix.


----------



## COWCHICK77

Finally caught up on your journal!
Fun to watch the videos and the pictures! Wish knave and I could have been there!

I always giggle about horses' top lip when they first go into the hackamore and trying to figure it out, makes them look like they have a parrot mouth.

Just curious, do you think the spa helped Scarlett?
My friend who runs barrels pro takes her horses to swim them. She swears by it and wants her own pool..lol


----------



## Knave

@COWCHICK77 if you go swimming you have to come pick me up!!!


----------



## COWCHICK77

Knave said:


> @COWCHICK77 if you go swimming you have to come pick me up!!!


For sure!!!!


----------



## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Finally caught up on your journal!
> Fun to watch the videos and the pictures! Wish knave and I could have been there!


Thanks! Yes, I wish you both could have been there too!



COWCHICK77 said:


> I always giggle about horses' top lip when they first go into the hackamore and trying to figure it out, makes them look like they have a parrot mouth.


It is pretty funny to watch them at first ... Pi was excellent in the hackamore; wish I could have had more than a year in it. I think Scarlett will be the same. Looking forward to doing her final derby year in the hackamore.



COWCHICK77 said:


> Just curious, do you think the spa helped Scarlett?


To be honest, I have no clue and I was surprised she was so good with it - she is not a water lover. I asked Matt what he thought and his impression was that the theraplate did better for her than the spa treatment. Which was good for me since the theraplate was free and the spa was $75 a crack. She got a lot of theraplate treatments.


----------



## kewpalace

They posted class counts yesterday for this weekend. Matt only has to show in both shows (which we are planning on doing) for him to win the Buckle in Open Jr. Horse. Yea! There is stiff competition in the 1K, so hoping I have good clean runs. Friday is going to be a LONG day; Sunday I should be home by 9 pm. Shooting for 7 or 8 though.


----------



## lb27312

Good Luck at the show this weekend I hope you have clean runs as well!! And I hope Matt wins the Buckle! Is this the last show of the year?


----------



## carshon

Good Luck!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312 & @carshon! lb27312, yes, it is the last cowhorse show of the year (seaon ends at end of Nov.) We'll start up cowhorse again in January.

But we have one more Ranch Horse Show on 11/16. Then we are totally done for the year.


----------



## kewpalace

Draws for Friday's show was just put up. There are _*159 total runs*_ for the show! :shock: There are _*42*_ in the Non-Pro Limited block! :eek_color: It's going to be a late night, but I was lucky that I my runs in Open Boxing and the NPL blocks are about 2 hours apart and I should be done by 8:30-ish. Figured Matt and Scarlett will go about 1:20 pm. 

I am starting my weekend today ... will leave work at lunch, pack up Pi and Dogs, go pick up Scarlett and head up to Tulare. And will likely get a ride on Pi tonight. :winetime:


----------



## lb27312

:winetime: lol Sounds like long days but a great time! I hope you have fun and do well!! Can't wait for pics and details!!


----------



## kewpalace

Thanks @lb27312!


----------



## kewpalace

Weekend did not go as planned in any stretch of the imagination, LOL. After I got home on Thursday, I left work at 11 and got home and could.not.find.my.truck.keys. :evil: I had packed some things in the truck on Wednesday and had them in my hand when I locked the truck on the way to the House. I remember them in my hands and that's the last I remember them. I tore the house apart - nothing.

I had given Matt an extra set in case he wanted to use my rig to haul Scarlett someplace. He NEVER would remember them (except he did bring them to Reno cuz I kept bugging him) so thought that they were at his house. Called his wife who was not at home and she called their daughter and called me back to say I could go and pick them up. Get up there. They.were.NOT.there. :eek_color::eek_color::dance-smiley05::frown: Texted Matt twice and called and Left a message. He was at a conference until Friday, an hour and 1/2 from me. :-( Matt texted me and said he had the keys! Oy!

So I went home and started looking AGAIN. Nothing. Called Matt and said I'd drive down to pick them up. He actually met me 1/4 of the way and brought me In/Out for dinner. :Angel: Such a good friend!

By the time I got home it was 6:30 pm and by the time I would have finished packing everything and picking up Scarlett, I wouldn't get up to the showgrounds until 9-9:30. So I opted to stay home. I had called the hotel to tell them my friend (who was already there) was going to check in.

Friday is next post ...


----------



## kewpalace

Left my house about 5:30 am Friday morning and picked up Scarlett. Made it to the show grounds just after 8. Took a breath and watched a bit of the show before saddling Pi & Scarlett up and long trotting them for about an hour around the show grounds (there is a LOT of area to do that there, thank goodness). I went in to the warm up pen and both horses were breathing hard and behaved nicely. Took them back out and continued to do that until a friend came and we rode in the warm up pen together, but Scarlett got a bug up her B#$$ and started rearing and kicking out HARD. I thought, "I can't stay here with her doing that!" so rode out and more long trotting.

Matt came soon after and got on her. She was very hooked on to Pi at that point and was not focused on him at all. He rode her a while before her run and she was still pretty scattered brained. His run was a disaster. Came in last in the class. She was just not focused on anything but Pi (who was not where she could see or hear her). 61/64. So disappointing.

My runs were much better. Pi was OK, but I guess I was not over any residual confidence issues as I was hanging on her the entire time. She did not make ANY of her lead changes in Open Boxing - WTF?!!! In the 1k I made SURE she did, but our stops were crap and cow work mediocre. OB - 63/67; 1K - 66/69. Not enough for the $$. Another disappointment.

Saturday was Matt's final run. Scarlett was much more dialed into him and they were having a great run, especially on the cow - when she got hung up on the fence. :-( BUT he made BOTH lead changes fantastically (which has been a problem prior), but got dinged on stops & spins. 67/63 - the hang up was a costly mistake, but she ended up 2nd in the class & sealed her 1st place in Open Jr. Horse for the Year in the club class. She also ended up 3rd in the Circuit Awards for the weekend, winning two bags of alfalfa cubes - yeah!

Here's some pix from Saturday:


















And just because he is so darned cute on his Pony on Saturday, here's cow help, Chet Gorrel:


----------



## kewpalace

Finally, Sunday, Pi and I were up EARLY in Open Boxing - I was done by 9:30 and had a couple hours until the 1K. We did MUCH better in OB - 67/71.5. Was hoping for the same in the 1k, but ended up with 68/69.5. I started losing my focus in the cowwork, but Roger (who was working the cow pen) started coaching me (thank god!) and we got through it w/out loosing our cow. Still, it was not enough for the $$, nor did we win any circuit prizes. But I had fun and was glad to have some relatively good runs to end the season.

Here's my cow pony after our 1k run:


















If my calculations are correct, I will end up tied at 12th for the NRCHA 1k in our region for the year; which should be enough to qualify for the World Show. :think: Will have to wait and see .... :wave:

All done for Cowhorse for the Year. Next weekend is the last of the Ranch Horse Shows, then we'll be totally done for the year. Next year some showing for Pi (especially if we go to the World Show), but will mainly be off for breeding to Brother Jackson next year. And I'm trying to convince Matt to ride Scarlett all year, so I can have a year off, too! I need one ....


----------



## Knave

I’m sorry the last show wasn’t perfect. It’s exciting that Scarlett ended up placing so well though. That key thing sounds awful. Did you find them?


----------



## lb27312

Wow sorry to hear about how Scarlet was concerned about Pi the first run.... glad she was better the next day... and you and Pi did better the next day. Bummer on no money though... I HOPE you make it!! How exciting. Pi looks good in those pictures. Cute kid on the pony helping with the cows... 

Ugh on the keys.... I hope you find them!!


----------



## kewpalace

@Knave & @lb27312 - yes, I found my keys! On Monday. They were where I never put keys & slightly concealed. I was just glad I found them.

While the show was disappointing, that is showing, so you chalk it up to experience and move on down the road.  

lb27312, that little kid is Jake Gorrell's son. Jake won the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity on Plain Catty in 2017. Jake's been in cowhorse forever and I've been aquainted with him since I started. VERY nice guy. Chet is shaping up to be as good if not better than his dad. He currently shows in the youth limited on Quick as Einstein ("Albert") and I think he won his division this last weekend and made the saddle shootoff. Not bad for a 9 yo (I think he's 9; might be 8). He looks really small on Albert; and really cute on the pony.


----------



## kewpalace

CCHA Standings were updated - Scarlett came in 1st in Jr. Horse; the only horse that qualified, LOL - still, it means a buckle! Pi and I came in 6th in Open Boxing and 9th in Int. Non. Pro. Ltd. (CCHA's version of the 5k; they have no 1K). Awards dinner in January. WooHoo! 

Now to wait for NRCHA to update their standings!


----------



## kewpalace

Here is Chet on Albert:









Is it bad to feel embarrassed that he has better form than I do? :tongue::tongue:


----------



## JoBlueQuarter

kewpalace said:


> Here is Chet on Albert:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Is it bad to feel embarrassed that he has better form than I do? :tongue::tongue:


Wow. I don't know if it's bad or not but I feel the same :rofl: That horse is *gorgeous *<3


----------



## kewpalace

JoBlueQuarter said:


> That horse is *gorgeous *<3


He's a very nice horse! Chet's Dad won the NRCHA Derby on him in 2005. Story is that Jake asked to borrow Albert for Chet from the owner, who was happy to lend the gelding to them. I think I heard that the owner gave Chet the horse, but I'm not sure about that. That horse is gold - he takes good care of Chet.


----------



## kewpalace

Wow, NRCHA is quick for our region! They have input all the shows. Usually they take weeks! So they have the final standings results for our region.

Yea, my rib incident really killed me the shows I missed and then not having my mojo back when I was able to ride again - still, we managed to eek out a tie for 13th, which should be enough to qualify for the World Show! :loveshower:

SOOO MUCH FUN!!! :cheers:

Now I just have to wait for the invite ....


----------



## lb27312

:clap::winetime: Woohoooo!!!! So when is it?? Where is it... so you will really go? With Pi? How exciting!!! 

Really congrats on your accomplishment....


----------



## kewpalace

HTML:




@lb27312, thank you!! 

It is 2/13-22 in Fort Worth. Yes, Pi and I would probably go ... lots to think about before then (logistics) and still need the invite to make it official. I can't believe we made it, with all the issues; but we did well enough before I broke my ribs to hang on, LOL. 

One more thing off my Bucket List! :thumbsup::mrgreen:


----------



## Knave

Congratulations!!! I am so proud of you.


----------



## kewpalace

Aw, thanks @Knave! I am still a little in shock .... but what fun! 😁😃


----------



## COWCHICK77

So cool, congrats!!!!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77!


----------



## dustywyatt

kewpalace said:


> Where am I?
> 
> 
> Yep, I'm ON Scarlett! :razz:


 
Yaaaay!!! How exciting! 



kewpalace said:


> Not much going on. Cowhorse show next weekend and I was hoping to get up to Matt's to work the flag a bit and watch him work Tilly, but that didn't happen. So Saturday I took Pi out for a little trail ride and a little work in the yard.
> 
> Part of our "usual" work on the trail is trotting in the creekbed. The sand is deep and I like to do a little trotting to help build muscles, endurance, etc. We don't go a long way, but trot on/off for a bit. Well, we just started in the creek bed, rounded the corner and saw this


HOLY TUMBLEWEEDS!! 






kewpalace said:


> Weekend did not go as planned in any stretch of the imagination, LOL. After I got home on Thursday, I left work at 11 and got home and could.not.find.my.truck.keys...I had given Matt an extra set in case he wanted to use my rig to haul Scarlett someplace...Matt texted me and said he had the keys! Oy! ...He actually met me 1/4 of the way and brought me In/Out for dinner. :Angel: Such a good friend!


 
So glad he had the extra keys! And that is a good friend. <3 



kewpalace said:


> His run was a disaster. Came in last in the class. She was just not focused on anything but Pi (who was not where she could see or hear her). 61/64. So disappointing.
> 
> My runs were much better. Pi was OK, but I guess I was not over any residual confidence issues as I was hanging on her the entire time. She did not make ANY of her lead changes in Open Boxing - WTF?!!! In the 1k I made SURE she did, but our stops were crap and cow work mediocre. OB - 63/67; 1K - 66/69. Not enough for the $$. Another disappointment.
> 
> And just because he is so darned cute on his Pony on Saturday, here's cow help, Chet Gorrel


 
Awww man, that's a bummer!  Glad the second ride went better. That's horse showing for ya, I guess!



kewpalace said:


> One more thing off my Bucket List! :thumbsup::mrgreen:


 
Woohoo!!!


----------



## kewpalace

And, just like that the 2019 show season is OVER! :clap: I am pretty burned out, but need to keep riding Pi and get her in shape and look for my Mojo ... :wink: In that respect, I put up some solar motion activated lights yesterday ... only one for where I can ride; It's a big enough area that I'll need to get a few more ... but the brightness from the one light is amazing. 

The last show was Saturday - the 2nd & last of the Ranch Horse series. Pi and I did not do well; it's hard to get a cowhorse to SLOW down, LOL ... she thinks if she's in an arena, WE.MUST.LOPE. LOL ... Here's a pix that Matt's son, Matthew took of us:









Matt & Scarlett faired better. They were 2nd coming into the last show and put in a really nice run. Matt was 1st on the other horse he was riding, Rita, coming into this show, but Rita was a pill and dropped gaits and would take leads. Because of that Matt/Scarlett finished the series in 1st place - not a bad ending for her 1st real show season and being the youngest horse in the RH series!  Matt/Rita came in 2nd. Another friend came in 3rd and Pi and I came in 4th. This was Scarlett's 1st time being shown in the Hackamore! 

Here's a video of Scarlett's day ....






And a few pix:


















Scarlett is still up at Matt's. The 1st CCHA (which is changing to the California Reined Cow Horse Association or CRCHA 1/1/20) is 1/25-26, so we still have to ride them to keep them legged up.


----------



## carshon

Congratulations! You look great. And Woo Hoo for Scarlet and Matt!


----------



## lb27312

Woohooo!!! You do look great!! That's awesome for a first show season, I'm sure you are so proud. I bet you're ready to chill for a bit, gives you time to get ready for next year! When were you thinking of breeding Pi? So you have an early foal in 2021? 

Congrats!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon.


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. 

Plan for Pi is to go to the World Show in Feb. & breed her after. Lots to do to prep for both, so no rest for the weary, LOL ... yes, an early 2021 foal is the plan. :0(


----------



## SilverMaple

How exciting on all fronts!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @SilverMaple. I can hardly believe it :eek_color: ... any of it, LOL ...


----------



## Knave

It is so exciting! I am so happy for you!!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave.  It's a pretty daunting adventure given our history (my bargain basement reject horse who had 35 rides on her when I got her, was never in training with anyone and only had me to fumble along with her); I still can't believe we made it AND that I get to breed to a great stallion next year. The world show reality will really sink in when I get our invitation letter. OY, hard to even think of that!


----------



## knightrider

THIS!!!!!!!



> (my bargain basement reject horse who had 35 rides on her when I got her, was never in training with anyone and only had me to fumble along with her


It means so much more when you've done it all yourself, including seeing the potential and believing in her when everybody else said you couldn't do it!


----------



## kewpalace

knightrider said:


> It means so much more when you've done it all yourself, including seeing the potential and believing in her when everybody else said you couldn't do it!


Thank you @knightrider.  Knew you guys would relate!

Sorry for the late response. Life has a way of upending your life, in my case ANOTHER unplanned medical emergency. :icon_rolleyes::-(. Got sick on 11/25. Took 11/26 off work, but felt worse on 11/27 so drove myself to the ER in the a.m. We had some snow on the ground & expecting more on Thanksgiving eve evening. 

Thank God we have a brand spanking new ER & hospital. Took lots of blood & took me for a CT scan (which was OUTSIDE). They had to wrap me all in blankets. Diagnosed with appendicitis and scheduled for emergency surgery. BUT they couldn’t do it until they got my potassium up as it was very low. They gave me potassium by iv all day & night. Was finally taken to surgery Thanksgiving morning. They released me on Friday & I’ve been hunkered down for the most part at home. 

Matt & Jennifer fed my animals and came to get me & my truck on Friday. They are great friends. Matt fed Pi through Sunday night & I was able to take over Monday. Today’s my post surgical consult. Hoping for a few more days off work.


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## knightrider

Oh wow, how stressful. Here's to a speedy recovery.


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## SilverMaple

Oh wow, that's no fun at all. I had an emergency appendectomy two days after Thanksgiving several years ago. They tried to send me home from the ER saying I had just 'eaten too much' and it was indigestion. Uh, no. I demanded an MRI and had surgery two hours later.


Rest up. Recovery is pretty fast but you'll tire easily for a few weeks. I'm glad you're on the mend!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @knightrider & @SilverMaple. I am finally feeling like a person again. Already planning on when I can get back on Pi. Doc said another week off. I’ll take it! :smile: 

SilerMaple, your experience is unreal! I was fortunate that I went in before Thanksgiving I guess, LOL!


----------



## lb27312

Glad you're feeling better!! Yikes on the appendicitis..... Definitely take the time and heal...


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## Knave

I'm so sorry that happened! I am glad you are feeling better though, and that you had good care.


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## kewpalace

Getting back into the swing of things but with the holidays and weather, I have only just gotten back on Pi on Saturday. Went up to Matt's for a little flag work and Pi was FRESH! But we are working at slowing things down and it was a good lesson. Matt rode Scarlett and I got some pix:



































And got this on Friday ....








:shock::happydance::loveshower:

Finally, reconfigured Pi's shelter so I can "lock" her in a stall; pulled out the one panel and put up a gate panel, so now she has a 12 x12 shelter and I can put a light up and put shavings down! I'm so jazzed! She was not real sure about the change, but think she'll like it in the end.


----------



## kewpalace

Forgot this ... Got this in the mail on Saturday. 











Not sure who sent it as there was no indication. The artist is a local horsewoman ... someone obviously sent her a pix, as that is Star's coloring and markings AND that is her bit!

For Comparison:


----------



## Knave

I love the ornament, and the pictures look good. I’m excited for you about the world!!


----------



## carshon

that ornament is gorgeous. Glad you are feeling better


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## COWCHICK77

Glad you're feeling better!


Congrats on your official announcement qualifying for the world show! Are you planning on going?


The ornament made in Star's memory is very pretty and looks very much like her. What a cool and personal gift!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave, @carshon & @COWCHICK77 - I am beyond pleased with the ornament ... it almost made me cry.  

COWCHICK77, yes, I am planning on going. It'll be expensive, but may be the only time I'll qualify, so gotta do it, LOL. It will be way fun ... looking forward to it. Will get to see my sister and hopefully will be able to make it out to see Richard & Cheryl Winters' new place. Miss seeing Richard at shows.


----------



## lb27312

Yay on getting the formal invitation!! That's awesome. And I agree that ornament is soooo pretty how special....


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312!


----------



## kewpalace

So much happens in a short amount of time ... nothing horse related; haven't gotten much riding in or horse time in at all. We got hit with an unprecedented snow storm that dropped 19+" on us. I was at my Mom's in San Bernardino for Christmas & the day after, so I missed the actual storm. I was planning on going home the afternoon of the 26th, but all freeways (5, 14, 15, 58, 138) & roads in/our of Tehachapi were closed. PLUS, my area was without electricity, which was supposed to be restored by 6:30 am on the 27th. So I opted to stay the night and get up early to get home, drop the dogs off and go to work in Bakersfield. Yea. That was the plan.

I did get up early and left my Mom's by 5 am on the 27th. It normally takes me a little over 2 hours to get home. I could not go my normal route because 138 _*required*_ chains for ALL vehicles and I did not have chains (although I had brought my truck which is 4x4). So I went 210 to the 14, which was finally open. But reports were that there were multiple accidents on the 14 since it was icy and people were idiots. Still it was an open freeway. It took me an hour and half to get from Mom's to the 14, and just before Pearblossom Highway, it came to a dead stop. :| From that point on, it took me _*9-1/2 hours *_to get home. :evil: It should have taken me a little over an hour.

LOTS of accidents, lots of idiots (but there were decent people out there) and traffic NOT MOVING at all. Part of the problem was the 5 was still closed (101 may have been closed too) so EVERYONE was going that way to go North.

When I finally got to my off ramp I was sooooo happy! Until I got to the road that goes to my road. It was a mess. It was very icy & lots of snow. I got up to my road, but the corner was really icy and I couldn't make it around the corner. Which turned out to be a good thing. Otherwise I would have been stuck at some point. The snow was about a foot deep at the good parts & even more at my property; I would not have gotten my truck into my property. I parked the truck about a 1/2 mile away and walked with the dogs in. Sam loves the snow. Khaleesi - not so much, LOL.

Electricity was still off (it came on about 6 pm), so I started a fire to get warmed up. Had to clear off the back door deck to get in the house. 

It is slowly melting and my neighbor with his mini-tractor cleared out street enough for us to drive on it and did a little area in my yard so I could get in with my truck. Yea! Can't believe it ... here's some pix:

Palmdale from the 14









Traffic on the 14 north of Mojave









Tehachapi Mountains









Pine Canyon - turn off to my road.









Finally HOME! That's Sam in the pix

















View south









Truck stuck at the corner of Pine Canyon/Old Well Road - I think he bent his axle; his back tire looks bent









Finally got my truck on my property! Yahoo!









This was after a few days of melt ...









Khaleesi - not much liking snow, LOL ... 









Here's a short video of the Dogs in the snow ... 







Matt sent me this pix of Scarlett at his house. She does not look like she's liking the snow ....


----------



## carshon

Wow! pretty to look at - not so great for driving. Glad you made it home safely!


----------



## kewpalace

@carshon, so true! Luckily it's starting to melt now. Not looking forward to the mud .... LOL ...


----------



## COWCHICK77

That is so crazy! 
We have some friends in Palmdale, they got about 9" of snow and it collapsed the roof of their barn. Thank the Lord no horses were in it.

Glad you made it home safely!
I agree, Scarlett looks less than amused, fair weathered horse. Lol!


----------



## lb27312

Yikes that's a lot of snow! What a drive! I bet it was making you stir crazy taking that long! Glad you made it home safely.

Scarlett looks like she's thinking... my feet are cold and wet! Not having fun! lol


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## knightrider

@kewpalace, this is something I have always worried about in case I get stuck in hurricane evacuating traffic: How do you go to the bathroom if you are sitting in your vehicle for 9 hours? Do you move along far enough so that you can get off at gas stations? Do you ever sit still for many hours at a time so you can't get off? I am so sorry you had to go through that misery.


----------



## kewpalace

knightrider said:


> @kewpalace, this is something I have always worried about in case I get stuck in hurricane evacuating traffic: How do you go to the bathroom if you are sitting in your vehicle for 9 hours? Do you move along far enough so that you can get off at gas stations? Do you ever sit still for many hours at a time so you can't get off? I am so sorry you had to go through that misery.


Well, it depends, LOL. I got off the freeway in Palmdale for a break and to get some Tea at Starbucks. I hit the bathroom then. :icon_rolleyes: Past Lancaster (which is adjacent to & just north of Palmdale), the freeway turns into a state highway and goes through rural areas and towns, so you just turn off the highway for a bathroom break. I stopped in Mojave for gas, just turned right into the gas station. I DID have to use the restroom there, which was fortunate since, although it was only normally a 15 minute drive from there, it took me 4 hours. :-x 

I know some people had posted on various FB pages that people were just getting out of their cars and going on the side of the road. I suppose if its an emergency you don't really care ... 

I drive that route 2-3x a month (and have for years) so know where the stops are for bathroom breaks. Others don't. When I stopped at Starbucks the cashier told me that all the people in the store were from out of town. Crazy!


----------



## kewpalace

Had a nice semi-mini lesson on Pi and the flag on Saturday. She was really relaxed and did some nice moves. Now to work on me ... the never ending story, LOL.

Sent in my entry for Texas ... now to plot how to get there ... what a trip!

We have a show on the 26th. Looking forward to it, but also to my limited show schedule this year. I need the break.


----------



## lb27312

Yep it's getting close! Yeah I get on the what a trip, that's going to be a drive... will you be doing it by yourself? Anyone you can caravan with? What fun!


----------



## kewpalace

I will likely go on my own - just Pi & I. There are probably other people going, but none directly from my area. They are likely to be going 1-40 (which goes through mountain/snow areas) and I'm thinking of going 1-10 - a little longer but not likely to be hampered by snow or that kind of weather. Or they, if they are going I-10, they will not be going by my area, so to meet up with them would not be convenient. Plus, it is unlikely they will be going when I am going since I don't show until 2/19 and the show starts on the 13th (I think). Just seems easier to go on my own.

I have my dogs/cats taken cared for, vacation time secured ... just need to plot the way and my stops.


----------



## PoptartShop

Wow, that's a lot of snow! :O Very pretty.

Glad you had a good little lesson. The show should be a good time, & the trip to Texas...sounds amazing!!!


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## kewpalace

PoptartShop said:


> Wow, that's a lot of snow! :O Very pretty.


Yea, for us it was a lot; I know for a lot of others, it's pretty whimpy, LOL. But it's all moot now as it is gone. 



PoptartShop said:


> The show should be a good time, & the trip to Texas...sounds amazing!!!


Thanks @PoptartShop! What ever happens, it'll be an adventure and I'm up for it.


----------



## kewpalace

Talk about being brain dead, Oy!

Went to feed Pi this morning; she was full of it - rearing and bucking in place. Guess I was so entertained that I left the pen gate wide open! And out she went ...:icon_rolleyes: Usually she would not go out cuz I had FOOD! But because she was feeling good, Food was an afterthought. She yahooed around like an Arab (tail and head high) ALL over the entire 2-1/2 acres of the property. My place is not fully fenced and I thought when she went around the house, she'd go out the driveway ... Nope, she came back to my area. I'd start to walk up to her, she was still getting her ya-yas out so off she would go. She finally had enough after about 10 minutes and let me walk up to her. Couldn't get mad at her cuz she actually looked great doing it, LOL.

At least she got some exercise! 

Matt Flag lesson in the morning, then off to the CCHA awards dinner. WooHoo!


----------



## kewpalace

Had a great weekend with the Ponies! Went up to Matt's Saturday and yesterday to work the flag. Both times he rode Scarlett in the hackamore. She did great. Also got to see him ride Tilly - she's progressing great (I'll update her journal later). 

Pix of Tilly from Saturday:



















Pix from Monday:










































Matt's boy











Saturday night we went to the CRCHA Awards Banquet. This is the 2nd year they put out a booklet with the winners & "qualified" placings. So Matt & Scarlett got their pix in it and won the buckle & a set of reins. Interesting tidbit, the breeder of Scarlett (she is also a good friend) also bred Rein is Precious, who won this class in 2016! 

Typically the owner gets all the goods (since they paid all the $$), but I didn't really like the buckles they had, so I let Matt have the buckle and I kept the really nice romel reins! :razz:


























It's also the 1st year they "capped" the club awards. It was that anyone who made the requisite number of shows (1/2 the show) would get a prize. Now they cap it depending on the number the qualified riders. Which means that even though we made the requisite number of shows in Open Boxing, they cut off of the prizes at 5th place - and we were 6th place. :icon_rolleyes: But we still got a prize for 9th place in the Int. NP Ltd. - a Prof Choice gear bag:


----------



## carshon

Congrats!


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## knightrider

I like the buckle . . . and the reins! Both are super nice. Congratulations on your wins. You worked very hard and deserved them. Sorry you didn't get the 6th place one. . . but glad you got 6th place. Lotta work!


----------



## kewpalace

knightrider said:


> I like the buckle . . . and the reins! Both are super nice. Congratulations on your wins. You worked very hard and deserved them. Sorry you didn't get the 6th place one. . . but glad you got 6th place. Lotta work!


Thanks @knightrider! Matt liked the buckle too, so I was happy to let him have it. I am glad we got 6th place too! If we got a prize, most likely it would have been another gear bag.  But you can always use another bag! 

They used to also give perfect attendance awards for each class you had perfect attendance in. Now it's just one award, regardless of how many classes you had perfect attendance in. I can see that ... there were years that I got multiple perfect attendance awards and got the same thing ... LOL.


----------



## COWCHICK77

That's awesome, congrats!!!


----------



## kewpalace

What a weekend! Got a quick ride on Pi on Friday night and then finished packing the trailer. Was up and out to Matt's by 6 to pick up Scarlett, stopped for gas and made good time to Porterville. Except when we were almost there, I realized I forgot my overnight bag. :sad::icon_frown: But I had everything I needed for showing, just needed the basics for me (toothpaste, etc.) plus socks and underwear.

Matt, his wife & his boys drove separately since they were only staying for the day. The boys had a great time playing with Jake's son, Chet.

One of the Board members always gives an estimate when the classes will start and the show end; he is usually off and he was. My estimate was closer to the mark. There were only two in the show counts in Matt's Class (Ltd Open Jr. Horse; which ran with the Open Jr. Horse), but one scratched and one added so there were still two at the end. The other one was a cutting trainer who never had shown cowhorse. She was a mess but got a score on one - don't know if it was the cow or reining. 66.

Matt/Scarlett were up a little after her. Their reining looked a lot better and she got her leads, but they only scored a 66.5. Their cow came out and what a crazy cow!! It would NOT move then looked like it was Hot Shot when it did - it bursted out like a rocket. Matt Boxed a bit and then tried to move it down the fence and it did NOT want to go. He was behind it trying to push it, but no go. He should have gotten a new cow. Finally, the cow moved a little and Matt moved Scarlett up beside it and it turned and took off like a rocket back to the end where the cow holding pen is. Scarlett was game to go and they went after it. As they neared the end of the arena, the cow ran smack dab into the fence (corral panels) which moved it. 

Matt waited for it to get up (yea, still NO new cow) and moved it (pushing it hard) back the other way and it did the SAME EXACT THING. It turned quick and shot out like a bat out of hell, running full tilt towards the end of the arena. Matt was a good 5 feet off its side and Scarlett was still game to catch it. And it again ran smack into the fence, this time essentially flattening the panel. Some guys ran out to fix it and when they were almost there, the judge FINALLY called for a new cow.  However, Matt elected not to put Scarlett through that again as the cows were generally horrible and he didn't want to injure her or totally fry her brain since she gave everything on that first darn cow. 

So they got a zero on the cow. I told Matt I was totally fine with him forgoing the 2nd cow as Scarlett did the best she could. He got a lot of kudos from many people there for not taking the 2nd cow. He also got a lot of compliments on Scarlett since Reno. So that's a good thing. AND he ended up winning his class ... by 1/2 point! :grin:

We went to Black Bear Diner for lunch before they took off for home. Matt watched the video I took (if I can find out what I did with my camera, I'll post it). On the 2nd time the cow hit the fence, you can see Scarlett sliding about 20' towards the fence ... it's amazing. I did take some stills from the video, which are not great but fun, and the show photographer said she got a really good one of the cow hitting the fence (oy!).

Reining

































Cow









































I will do Pi's and my show report later today ... have to get some work done.


----------



## COWCHICK77

Geez, that's frustrating they didn't whistle him off sooner! But good on him for saving Scarlett and congrats on the win!


----------



## kewpalace

Thanks @COWCHICK77. It was pretty frustrating, but that's showing. Things don't always go the way you want them to. After watching the video, Matt was pleased with Scarlett's improvements, too and her try on the cow. He knew she was giving it her all, but seeing it really drove it home. So, on to the next one!


----------



## kewpalace

After Matt & his family left, I saddled Pi and waited for the show to end so I could ride her in the show pen. We worked about an hour and 1/2 of which a lot was walking & trotting. But Loping too. And getting her to listen. Cooled her down, rinsed her off and wrapped her up for the night. Scarlett was glad to see her back at the pen and they both enjoyed their dinner.

Ran to Walmart for necessities, grabbed a bite at Denny's and went to the hotel to iron my shirts & sleep.

Morning came too early, but got up, grabbed a bite, got to the show grounds, fed Scarlett in her pen and took Pi to the trailer for breakfast & saddling. We did Open Boxing first. Pi is out of condition, so I decided to go easy on her and we had a nice reining run. Had a dopey cow that would stop and stare at us & when we'd go to move it, it would rocket out of there for about 3 steps and stop and stare at us. That is the only thing it did. Got a 68.5 & 67. Put us at 16th in the OB.

We had a couple hours to wait for our 5k run so took her back to the trailer and let her eat. Decided for that run to amp it up a bit, but I had no horse left. When I asked for increased speed, even on the run down (which she will usually have a whole other gear) she barely ramped it up. Still managed to get a 68.5 & 67.5 for 5th place - one place out of the money. Need to get on her alot more before we leave for Texas.

We got back to Matt's at 4; it rained on us all the way going up the hill out of Bakersfield. Although when I would think about stopping to put the windows up, it would stop until I was past a good stopping place and then start raining again. That went on the entire ride out of Bakersfield to Matt's. 

It was a long weekend and I was happy to be home. Pi seemed to be happy as well. No shows until Texas ... but will need to put rides in and find some cows to play with.


----------



## Knave

Bad cows are excessively frustrating! The pictures really show her growing up and looking good.


----------



## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Bad cows are excessively frustrating!


True that! My first cow (in OB) was bad; but the 2nd (in the 5k) was OK. I was gun shy though so didn't work it as well as I could have. :-/ Bad decision which put me out of the money.

Seemed like the majority of the fence classes cows were bad. No one had a classic run, even though many of the open riders were just schooling.



Knave said:


> The pictures really show her growing up and looking good.


Aw, thanks for saying that @Knave! Obviously I am biased, so it's nice to hear it from others. Let's me know I'm not completely out of touch with reality. :razz:

And now for something completely different ... you know you are meant to do something when things start falling into place. Before this weekend, I was wondering if Texas was really going to happen. But things are falling into place so that the path will be clear to leave without problems. Such peace of mind when that happens.


----------



## Knave

Oh, that makes me happy. I would have been so sad to hear you didn’t go, because I think you will always regret it if you don’t.


----------



## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Oh, that makes me happy. I would have been so sad to hear you didn’t go, because I think you will always regret it if you don’t.


 I would have been sad as well; there were many things that made me think it would not be a good thing to go, but I definitely would regret it if I didn't so I ignored those things (even though if they happened closer to when I would go I would have had to stay home) and pushed on with planning. Now it looks like all the obstacles are getting resolved, so I feel much better about leaving.


----------



## kewpalace

On another note, sending in Matt's/Scarlett's Stallion Stakes entry tomorrow. Very excited about that!


----------



## kewpalace

Matt & Scarlett's Stallion Stakes entry is IN! WooHoo!

Plus I got two pix from the show photography at the last show of Scarlett & Matt (didn't like the ones of Pi and I). Here they are:


















I picked out the 1st one - wicked turn on the fence! Matt picked out the Cow one - but I didn't like that one as much since you can't really see the cow! But anyway, we got them both. 

Yesterday at work, I had a temporary interruption of work:


















Thankfully, nothing got damaged and they fixed the problem. They will replace tiles tomorrow.


----------



## COWCHICK77

Cool pics!!!

Oh geez, did a pipe break, leaky roof?


----------



## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Cool pics!!!


Thanks! I really like the first one, even though Scarlett is a ways from the cow. :tongue:



COWCHICK77 said:


> Oh geez, did a pipe break, leaky roof?


They said a bad "O" ring. Apparently it was leaking in my Judge's chambers, too. :eek_color:


----------



## lb27312

@kewpalace - Those are Great pics!! And woohoo on the Stallion Stakes! 

Yikes on the leak! Glad it wasn't worse and got fixed quickly!


----------



## kewpalace

Thanks @lb27312! 

Yea, glad the leak wasn't worse ... I was happy to be able to get back to work quickly.


----------



## kewpalace

I am so excited! I got an invite from Cheryl Winters to go to the Baby Shower she is putting on for Sarah in Texas during the World Show! It is on Friday; my preliminary 1k run is on Wednesday ... I was going to leave on Thursday if I didn't make the finals ... now I have more incentive to make the finals, LOL. 

Also a friend is going to try to wrangle us World Greatest Horseman tickets - for SEATS. They are all sold out except standing room and neither of us can stand for that entire time. Her mare is getting an award for making Supreme Reined Cowhorse last year, so she going to see if they would throw in a few tickets for us.


----------



## kewpalace

Well, no WGH tickets. My friend said that Exhibitors get 1 general admission (so mad dash for a seat), so I guess I get one. We'll see when I get there.

Got home early on Sunday from Mom's to give Pi a Ride. She was full of herself, LOL, and running around the arena, I heard that distinct metal clink ... yep she had lost a shoe - one of her sliders. Darn it all. Still rode a little bit, but did less than 1/2 of what I would have done. Farrier is out today to reset and make sure all hoof-wise is good for the WS. Getting down there ...:shock:


----------



## kewpalace

Things continue to fall into place for my Texas Trip! So excited ... I talked to Richard Winters last night to ask if he would coach me during my run. He and his wife are such NICE people. He said barring any unforseen scheduling complication, he would be happy to help me out. :loveshower: So cool! If for some reason he is unable to when I get there, there are a few other people I could ask ... my first choice would be Jake Gorrell. We chatted a little bit and when he found out I was travelling alone, he told me to call him if I ran into any trouble. Can't beat good people like that! 

Richard also told me to get to riding every day and get in front of cows as much as I can. Oy, now the work starts, LOL ...


----------



## COWCHICK77

I'm so excited for you!!!!


----------



## lb27312

I'm excited for you too!! Love how things are falling into place! And cool about the baby shower! I can't wait to hear all about your journey!


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77 & @lb27312.  It's going to be bucket list adventure for sure!

I need to call the overnight place in NM today ... 

Not really looking forward to riding Pi tonight; it's been COLD! But my farrier came out, trimmed her up and re-set all her shoes. She's good to go and I need to get on her. Just wrap up all nice and toasty I guess.


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## kewpalace

We are home from TX - not the WS experience I was hoping for, but all in all it is amazing I made it there and back at all. I will make different posts and I can't get it all in one (obviously, LOL). 

My cold turned in to the flu and put me in bed on Saturday 2/8/20-2/11/20. I got NO further rides on Pi before we left and couldn't take her up to Matt's to ride. Could not bathe her or shave her whiskers. Was not an ideal way to prep for the WS. :frown_color: I am still not 100%.

Went to the ER on 2/9/20 a.m. since I wasn't getting any better and they diagnosed me with Flu A. :sad: Got Tamaflu & a nebulizer to hopefully help get me over it. I had no idea if I would actually be well enough to drive to Texas. But loaded up the truck (yea, feeling like crap) on 2/12 and was going to make a final decision the evening of 2/13. I felt like I could drive the evening of 2/13 as my fever had broken, so decided to go. 

I had decided to take three days to get there - even that was a real chore. Drove the I-10 out; our first stop was Eloy, AZ. I didn't get out of my yard until about 9:30 am; we made good time, but there were three successive accidents just before Phoenix which put us an hour late to getting to our stop. The guy where Pi was going to stay (Diamond J Ranch) was really nice and said his Dad was waiting for me when I got there. The Dad was really nice, too; he was an ex rodeo guy. He really liked Pi.  It was a 10 minute drive back to town, and every hotel was FULL. The last one I went to I asked if there were any cancellations and the clerk got me in a room. Yea!

Was up and out before dawn (Dad told me he checked on Pi a couple of times during the night), on our way to Big Spring, TX. Not feeling much better, I'm surprised I could drive. We got to our next destination, Lugo Ranch, just before dark; had ordered a nice big pen for Pi and she was happy to be out of the trailer. The Mom took me to my hotel & picked me up in the morning, at 6 am.

Both places I found on Horsemotel.com .... they were great and would be highly recommended.

Got a text from Richard asking if I had made it to TX. I had to tell him I'd be there by noon the next day & was sorry to miss his Cowboy Church. 

To be continued ....


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## kewpalace

I'll post some pix later; I didn't take many because I didn't feel well.

We got to Fort Worth at about 11:30 Sunday am. I had to unload everything and Pi, and haul it up to my stalls. Being sick, this was not an easy or quick task, but I got it done, even hauling my 120+ lb. bale of alfalfa on my rolling saddle cart (SSSOOO glad I got that when we went to Reno!). Pi traveled to Texas like a champ, but was still mad at me for having to be in the trailer so long. It was 80 degrees when we got to Ft. Worth. :eek_color: Poor Pi - that was hot for her. 

After I unloaded Pi, went and checked in and was directed where I would park the trailer (not close, LOL). I made sure I had everything I would need out of it before taking it to go and unhook. Texted Richard that I was in. Went to unhook the trailer (the guy at that lot had me SQUEEZE in between these trailers ... it was a little difficult to get to that spot, but it was a good spot), got my parking passes for the truck & trailer, and went back to the barn. Sat for a while to catch my breath and decided to saddle Pi, walk her around to see things and go ride in the Coliseum, where we would be riding for our class. 

So we walked around a bit and Pi was really good. Went to the Coliseum and they had it set up for the Worlds Greatest Horseman herd work (so it was divided and the judge stands were in there), Pi seemed good so I got on her. She was really good, just wanted to get out and stretch her legs some. 

Richard texted me and asked if I felt good enough to ride Pi today and that the Coliseum was open for a bit if I felt like it. I texted back I was already riding in there, so he said he'd come over. He and Cheryl came and I'm hacking away (one of the flu perks was a cough that sounded like I was hacking my lungs out ... and that's what it felt like too). We chatted a bit and made a plan to ride (which I don't think we ever stuck with, LOL) and they told me not to overdo it (for either Pi or me). I left not long after they did.

One thing at the NRCHA Premiere Events which is nice is that San Juan Ranch puts at ALL bathing places free its Santa Cruz foaming shampoo and conditioner with the foamers for everyone to use. That stuff is fantastic ... it makes the horse feel so soft and really cleans them up good. Plus the barns had warm water for the baths. Pi hates cold baths (can't blame her) but really LOVES it when the water is nice and warm. Got her all cleaned up and put her in her stall.

I was dead. It was almost dinner and I was waiting for my sister, who came up from Waco, to text me about where we would eat (my niece was with her). Finally decided to do Korean BBQ (it was awesome) and then I went back to the hotel and they went to stay with my BIL in FW where he was for the night. 

Went to check into the hotel and died ...


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## Knave

I am guessing the story continues. I am so sorry you got sick then of all times! Ugh. The flu is nasty around here too. That really is disappointing.


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## kewpalace

Yes, @Knave, the Story continues! LOL ... but maybe not until tomorrow ... have to get some work done and I I'm likely going to bed when I get home. :???:


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## lb27312

I'm so sorry to hear you go the flu! And at the worst of times.... interesting read so far, can't wait for the rest.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. It was the worst time and in hindsight, probably was not a good thing to make the long trip to Texas. But I did.

So, we got there Sunday and our run was on Wednesday. Monday morning I went to feed Pi and clean her stall. She seemed pretty relaxed and eager to eat. She would eat during the haul a bit, but would chow down when we got her to her stop for the night. Drinking, she was not really interested in drinking while we were on the road, but did drink a lot at her stop for the night. When we got to Fort Worth, I gave her some electrolytes as a precaution, since it was so hot. The last day of hauling there was a short 4.5 hour haul - piece of cake compared to the prior two days.

So, Monday after feeding Pi, went and had breakfast with My sister and her family - 2 of her daughters and her husband. Her Son is in Texas A&M so was busy with school. Seemed strange not to see him with the others! My sister was going to stay with me at the hotel - the Best Western on the west 820 Loop - in her own room due to me being sick, so we went to check her into the hotel after breakfast. Then it was back to the barn. We walked around the vendors and checked out a few things.

The Will Rogers Memorial Center is HUGE - the show pens were in the Coliseum and the John Justin Arena. Each had warmup pens; there were about three or four other practice arenas and TONS of barns. Pi was in Cattle Barn 3, which is actually not a bad place. There were no big names in there, but people from CA who I knew and competed with were just down the aisle from us. We had two end spots; I put Pi on the very end so she could see something - three sides were solid & too tall to see over (although she did try a few times with little rears, but there wasn't much to see). She could hear other horses, so seemed fine with that. 

We then walked over to where cow practice was to check it out. When we 1st walked in I saw Russell Dilday talking to Andrew Steiger; I have not seen Russell for a few years. He knew me from the beginning when I was riding & competing on Star, my 1/2 Arab. A friend once told me, a few years after we had been competing, that Russell interrupted a conversation he was having to watch my run, telling the other guy,"these two have improved so much, I have to watch them". We were still pretty crappy, LOL, but we had improved.

I said "Russell, how the heck are you!" and he gave me a huge hug.  I said,"Russell, all those years ago, who would have thought I'd make it to the World Show!" He gave me a big grin - if you know Russell you know that grin is iconic - and said,"I always knew you would make it." :shock: He's such a nice guy. I introduced him to my sister and said that Russell had moved from CA to OK. Russell then starts teasing Andrew saying smart people have moved out of CA and he was still trying to smarten some people up, LOL. Andrew's a sport and said he was trying to get his affairs in order to leave. Andrew was on one of his client's horses but he's also very nice to me, saying,"Hey how are you doing??!!" He has really started doing well in cowhorse, coming from a rodeo background.

I went back to saddle up Pi and we went to the warm-up pen for the Coliseum - I had not yet found the other practice arenas and was not really up to looking for them. We then went to the cow practice pens & I put my name in, but it goes by priority so I had to wait. We got a really slow cow - perfect!! And the lady running the pens yelled at me that I could get a new one if I wanted; I said it was perfect for what we were going to do. I just went slow and reminded Pi to stop and back a 1/2 step before turning. I didn't really try to work it, just working on basics with Pi. When our time was up, the guy working the cows, who had been watching me work, looked at me and gave me a thumbs up. That made me feel like I at least had a clue, LOL. 

While we were waiting to work our cow, we also saw Rebecca Sternadal & her hubby waiting to work a cow. Rebecca shows in our local association and one of my friends takes lessons from her. She's very nice. She was riding in the Open Two Rein on Tuesday. We chatted a bit & then she was up to work her cow.

Took Pi back to the barn and washed her off - that Santa Cruz Shampoo & Conditioner does not take long to make her feel all soft and silky. Fed her and put a Baker Sheet on her and then Trish & I headed out for dinner. The place she wanted to go to was close - The Bent Rail BBQ. It was awesome! And I was hungry, LOL. Their saying is "Life is too Short to live in Dallas". :razz::rofl: Even being sick, I was enjoying Fort Worth.

While at dinner Richard texted me that if I wanted to come to the Coliseum at 6 am on Tuesday, he was going to be riding then - he was showing later on Tuesday in the Open Two Rein. Oy, 6 am is very early, but I had been getting up that early to haul, so what's another early morning. I texted him that I would be there. I told him I worked a cow and it went well although I didn't really try to do anything fancy or difficult. 

Went back to the Hotel, cracked open a bottle of wine, called her Mom (my stepmom) and then just hung out for a while.

Tuesday re-cap a bit later ... time to get a little work in.


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## kewpalace

Tuesday a.m., Got up and out of the hotel by 5, got the Barn and saddled Pi up and got to the Coliseum before 6. There were probably about 6-8 other riders in there. Richard came out on his horse had me talk him through our reining pattern & then ran us through a few drills (large fast/small slow circles & lead changes). Then had us do some run downs and stops. Yea, pretty embarrassing. But after a couple of tries, we got acceptable ones - not great ones, but acceptable. Then we just did rundowns all the way to the fence, not asking for stops.

Then he had us do some spins. The first set, Pi would NOT get off my leg so we did more than the pattern called for. Richard asked how many spins I did. I said, "I think it was 4". He said, "4 & 1/2. Did you mean to do that?" I said,"she wouldn't get off my leg, so I did more than the 3 1/2 called for." He seemed OK with that, LOL. Then we did a few rundowns and spins with the correct amount of spins. After that he said, "OK, it looks good; do a few more rundowns to the fence and call a morning. Step off her, loosen her cinch and walk her back to the barn." So we did that. I told him before we left that we would go work a cow later that afternoon. We watched him work his horse a little bit. 

Took Pi back to the barn, unsaddled her and gave her another fantastic Santa Cruz shampoo bath. Then caught up with my sister. We walked around the vendors and in the afternoon, went to watch Richard's and Rebecca's runs (both in the Open Two Rein). Richard did good in reining, but got a bad cow and it was enough to keep him out of the finals. :-( Rebecca, on the other hand, had a great run all the way around and made the finals. 

Got back on Pi later that afternoon and went to put our name in for cow practice; we only had to wait 5 minutes. Awesome. We got a livelier cow, but I worked on the same things. Stop, back 1/2 a step & turn. Got to where Pi was listening to me really well. It was a good ride. Cleaned her up, put her Baker Sheet on, fed her and then my Sis and I went to eat. Mexican place called the Blue Goose, LOL. It was good, especially my Margarita! 

Went straight to my room after we got back to the hotel to iron shirts; still was not sure which one I would use. So I ironed about 5 of them, LOL. Texted Richard that I would do the same thing Wednesday morning as we did today and then work a cow, clean her up, wipe off my gear and get ready for my run. He said it sounded like a good plan.

So Wednesday was show day ... re-cap a little later ...


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## kewpalace

So Wednesday I was up and out of the hotel by 5 am and Pi and I were in the Coliseum before 6. I rode for about an hour, doing the same things we did the day before with Richard - loped some circles (both large fast & small slow), did a few stops (still not great, but acceptable) and a lot of fencing. Pi was doing good, so I quit, got off her & walked her back to the barn. Shampooed/conditioned her and tied her up with her hay bag.

Went and had a bite to eat and then cleaned my tack. Walked around the vendors and then got changed into my show clothes and actually put an arena bag together for Pi - we usually don't have one, LOL. We've had one for Scarlett from the start, but I just never thought it was necessary for Pi and I. So, spray Lazersheen, a mane/tail brush, a hoof pick, a cloth, and her boots. Stuff we need and stuff to tidy her up.

Saddled Pi and get to the Coliseum warm up pen, where Richard met us saying he thought it was way too early (we still had a couple of hours), so to go back and rest a bit (I was still hacking away). So I did, but left the arena bag there. Hung out with my Sis and then decided to go work a cow, so got Pi and did our workout. It went pretty good and she was listening to me. Go back over to the warm up pen and Richard suggested we do different things, so we did; he'd call me over and we'd go over the pattern or he'd tell me mistakes he made that he didn't want me to make. 

A few horses before our go, he called me over to tidy her up and boot her, checked all my gear and asked if I always left her whiskers on, LOL. :smile: I said no, but being sick, that is one thing that did not get done. I also don't use bell boots since they have sored her up and he asked if I used them. I said no, just split boots. He put her skid boots on, brushed out her mane/tail and sprayed her with a little Lazersheen and off we went. It felt a little weird with all his attention, since I usually don't have anyone there. But it was very much appreciated.  He did say that Matt called him to see how I was doing. Matt told me later that Richard told him he didn't think he did much for me except hand holding - he did more for me, but I very much appreciated the hand holding, too. 

The pattern called for us to go in the pen, pick up the right lead and then do 1 large fast, 1 small slow, change leads and do one 1 large fast, 1 large slow, change leads, do a rundown & stop, 3 1/2 spins to the left, run down & stop, 3 1/2 spins to the right, run down past center stop and back.

When we were announced in the pen, the announcer mispronounced Pi's name (Nu Shiney Shocks) - which is not unusual; 90% of the time they will say "socks" instead of "shocks". It irritates me to no end - can't they READ! :x But I just shook it off this time and focused on the task at hand.

Pi is always spot on with picking up her lead without trot steps, and she did this time, but dropped down a stride icon_rolleyes but picked it right back up when I asked her too. It was not much more than a slight bobble, but we got dinged for it, of course. 

She does good circles and will do a nice transition from fast to slow; our 1st set of circles was nice. And she changed leads very nicely. Going around for our 2nd large fast, she spooked at something - she NEVER does that! :frown_color: Another ding, but she went right on when asked. Good transition to the small slow. We usually have a little trouble changing leads from a small slow, but Richard just told me to make sure she is collected and MOVING forward, so I did and she changed really nicely. 

Come around for our rundown and she started off very nice; when I asked her to accelerate, there was no response. :neutral: I kept asking but there was no more horse there. Went down for a stop and it was pretty pathetic. But her spins were spot on and looked nice. Went down for our next stop and the same thing. Went for our final stop and I thought she stopped better, but still pretty bad.

So then it was the cow. We got a good lively cow and Pi was doing really good - stopping, getting on her back end before turning and going to stop the cow. Then we lost it.  That was it for us - no finals. Got it back to the end and had maybe one or two more turns and then the buzzer went off. 

I was so disappointed. Richard met me at the gate, giving me positive critiques and we went to watch the replay of our run. He was still all positive, but I could see it was not good generally. Lead changes/spins were good; circles generally, except when she dropped down and when she spooked; and the cow was going great until I lost it. Richard was very supportive and pointed out all the good things, but still, I had hoped we would at least would have a solid run. We finished pretty close to the bottom.

My sister met me at the stall and gave me positive reviews, but then had to leave to go home. I cleaned Pi up and got her all situated in her stall. Can't remember what I did much after that, except drove back to the hotel at some point. It was raining and getting dark and Matt called while I was driving; I told him I'd call him back when I got to the hotel since I needed to concentrate on driving in a place I was not real familiar with at dark in the rain.

I called him back when I got to the hotel and he was very positive about the run; I told him it was not real good, although I could see the good things. He said I was just too close to it and give it a few days ... LOL ... nope, still feel the same way. BUT, I was in good company since Richard didn't make his finals either and one girl who swept our region in the 5k & NPL (and qualified for both for the world show) didn't make her finals either (her run in the NPL was very unlike her; but she came back in the 5k and put in a typical solid run - but it was not enough for the finals). That girl was stalled near me and we had some good conversations the days before our runs. She actually came to watch my run and told me it was good (LOL, it was not, but appreciated her being there). 

Matt & I talked for quite a while, he was trying to cheer me up, but it didn't work. After we talked, I went to get some dinner - a local BBQ place Woody Creek - to go (ribs, green beans, cold slaw) and treated myself to some peach cobbler. OMG, the ribs were fantastic (although I could only eat one which was as big as a house) and the peach cobbler hit the spot.

I still was not feeling all that great so was trying to decide if I should forego Sarah's Baby Shower or not; but Richard had told me before he left after my run that I HAD to go. LOL ... that was not until Friday, so decided to stay, go to the shower and leave early Saturday, making a two day trip home. At least now I could breathe a bit, since I did not have to prep/ride for any show runs.

It rained all night, on/off pretty hard. I love the rain - so it was comforting.

Rest of the trip later ...


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## COWCHICK77

Uffda! That sucks you were so sick. Too bad we didn't live closer I would of loped Pi for you, geez!
I'm sorry you were disappointed in your run but I think it is so cool you qualified for the show and went! How awesome you had Richard to help you and coach you, that was pretty nice 

My internet had a hard time keeping up with the live stream so the only thing I watched in length was the Open Two Rein Finals. Rebecca's run in the finals was good! My trainer won the Open Two Rein. I am pretty excited for him 

Reading about your trip makes me miss TX. When we lived down there we used to stay in Ft. Worth for a few days to watch the cutting futurity, it was so much fun. And the Will Roger's is a great facility, I get why they moved the Snaffle Bit there even though it left the west coast. 
Hubby years ago used work the futurity there, shipping, recieving and sorting cattle. He says it was a lot of fun even if the weather was bad because everything is covered.


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## kewpalace

Forgot on Wednesday was the final for Open Two Rein. It was run while I was trying to get ready for my run and was done when I was doing cow practice. I did hear that Rebecca got reserve champion on her own horse - so AWESOME! I did not catch her run, but saw it later online. I did run into she & her husband as I was leaving cow practice - that reserve ribbon was around her horse's neck and she was beaming (rightfully so). Was so happy for her and told her how amazing she did and that I was happy for her. @COWCHICK77, that is so cool that Wade won the Open Two Rein!! Congrats to him!! I was sorry that Richard did not make the finals, though.

Thursday - got a little more sleep. After feeding Pi, went to the John Justin Arena to watch the Limited Open Bridle since Andrew was riding in that. I caught his run, which was really good, and got some pix with my phone, LOL. I posted them on FB for the owners of the horse he was riding, which they loved since it was almost instantly after his run. Certainly not professional, LOL, but they appreciated the early preview (guess they missed the live feed). 

I know the owners (Darnell & Scott Trueblood) and they have always been nice and supportive of me and my ponies. Darnell showed a little; Scott did well showing, but guess he's not showing now. I saw him at Reno last year; he was sitting near where I was standing/videoing when Scarlett did her fence run. After he came up and gave me a HUGE hug and was all excited saying,"Aren't you just so proud of your horse? She looks great!" LOL ... 

They have some awesome horses that they used to have with Russell, but when he moved to OK, they switched to someone else (can't remember now) and ended up with Andrew, who was at Russell's old place in Porterville (they live in Ducor, about 5 minutes from Russell's old place). Russell eventually sold his place to Jake Gorrell and when I asked Andrew where he ended up, he said he was at Jake's old place in Hanford, LOL. 

After watching Andrew, I went around to the various vendors and did a little shopping, most getting World Show T's, hats. And getting samples from the Nutro booth for Pi and the dogs and from the San Juan Ranch booth for shampoo/condition for the dogs and a whiter shampoo sample for Pi's one little sock, LOL. 

And I started packing up the tack room and made a trip to the trailer to put that stuff in there and get ready for the trip home on Saturday. Got back to the Barn and checked out of the office (just paid what I owed; I still had my stalls so Pi could stay there until we left). With every entry you got a World's Greatest Horseman finals ticket; since I was leaving before the finals I told them to keep it.

As I was walking back to the Barn I ran into Rebecca who asked how my run went. I said horrible and she asked why. So I went over the bobbles and when I said I lost my cow, she said, "yea, that'll do it". :wink: I told her I just needed a day to beat myself up about it and I was OK with it now. She said that was a tough arena to show in since the ends are not flat; it curves and makes it hard to keep the cow in. She also said to be proud I made it and that lots of people don't do well when they first make it here. I thanked her and congratulated her on her reserve placing. She gave me hug and off we went.

At some point, Teresa Ralls put a post on the Call Me Mitch FB page that if anyone was at the show to come by their barn for a vest or a jacket. I texted her I was here and would love a jacket; she said she'd text me when she was back at the barn. 

I saddled Pi up and found the outside arena (it was COLD and windy) and we loped a bit and then I was asking her to stop softly (I did not have her booted up). I just wanted her to stop on her back end. When she wouldn't I'd pick her up softly, back her up and we'd try again. By the end of our ride she was stopping very nicely. I rode for about an hour and then gave her her last Santa Cruz shampoo bath/conditioning and put her up. 

Then decided to go see if Teresa was at the barn and found her; and got a free Call Me Mitch jacket!! It's so cool (pix later); I told her I would wear it that night.

Thursday evening was the last of the preliminaries for the Worlds Greatest Youth - they only had the steer stopping so I guess they did the other events earlier - and the Worlds Greatest steer stopping and fence work. Those kids were AMAZING - makes it kind of embarrassing when you put in a bad run. :biggrin::razz:

In the regular WG, the steer stopping is fun to watch but, of course, the fence work is amazing to watch. Such good horses and horsemen! Unfortunately neither Brother Jackson nor Call Me Mitch made the finals. :-( I stayed until the of the 3rd set (there were 4 sets); before I left. Cheryl Winters saw me leaving and called me over, asking me how I felt. I said not that great so was going "home" to bed.

Which I did. Was happy to get back there.


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## kewpalace

Friday, after feeding Pi, I got a text from Richard asking if I would be willing to sell my World's Greatest Horseman finals ticket since I was not going to be there Saturday for the Finals. I felt bad since he would not let me pay him for his time spent with me and I had turned my ticket in. I texted back that I would have totally given him my ticket, but I checked out and they kept the ticket. After I texted him I decided to go and ask for it back; the worst they could say was no. 

So I went to the office. I know the one lady who does all the score sheets (Kelley), etc. and she has always had a soft spot for me, so would do things for me she wouldn't for other. Have no idea why, but I sure appreciated it. But the other ladies were manning the desk while Kelley was working on finals score sheets/placings. So I asked if I could get my ticket back and they had me wait a while since they had to get it from Kelley, and she was busy. I said, "no rush; I can wait". She waited until everyone else in the office who were there with questions/to check out left to seeking WG Finals tickets (it was sold out) and gave the ticket to one of the ladies who gave it to me.  I said,"Thanks Kelley!!" and she waved as I walked out. 

I took a pix of the ticket and sent it to Richard - "Look what I got!" And then said I would bring it to the Shower that afternoon. He was happy about that, LOL. I was happy to be able to do SOMETHING for him since he spent all that time with me.

Then found a Cavendar's and consoled myself with three new shirts, LOL ... prices are much better than CA, so how could I say no? I went back to the hotel to change for the shower. 

There was a vendor outside the buildings that sold general tack and barn items. She had some Good Medicine blankets. On Thursday, I saw one that was perfect for Matt and Tilly and texted him a pic of it asking he if wanted me to buy it for him (he'd pay me back). He asked how big it was & how much, but by then I was not at the facility. I told him I'd look on Friday. So, I was on my way to the Shower and stopped to ask about it. The lady said these were all she had and would not hold any for me (not unreasonable), so I went ahead and bought it. Texted Matt that if he wanted it this is what the cost was; if not then I'd keep it. 

Finally made it to the Shower after taking the blanket back to my truck. Gave Cheryl the WGH finals ticket and she gave me a HUGE hug saying that was a godsend and asked how much I wanted for it. I said nothing; since Richard did not charge me, it was the least I could do. She gives me another BIG hug. 

The shower was very nice and the decorations really cute. I actually won a prize! They had cards on the table with statements from either Sarah or Chris and you had to guess which one said what. I got the most right, LOL, which was funny to me since I don't really know either of them. But it was really nice hand lotion. 

At the end, I went up to talk to Sarah and we had a nice chat. I know she did not remember me, but that was OK. She asked if I was in TX to watch, I said no I competed and she asked how that went. I said horrible, LOL, but it's OK. She said, yea, that happens to all of us. I then said my goodbyes to Richard and Cheryl and went to take Pi for a walk around. We walked around for about an hour. Then finished packing up the tack room and making a final run to the trailer before heading to the hotel. Stopped at Uncle Julio's (mexican) for dinner to go since my sister recommended it; it was awesome. Got the truck packed for the most part and hit the hay.


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## kewpalace

Friday afternoon, I called a place in Edgewood, NM for a stop over place. The lady was really nice and said they had a pen for Pi with a shelter and they had four rooms for me to choose from. I was grateful I didn't have to trailer out to a hotel. So reserved it for us.

Was up, picked up Pi and pulled out of the facility by 5:40 am. Got to Edgewood just before it started getting dark; stopped at the Denny's for a club Sandwich to go and got to our stop over. That place was amazing - Pi's pen was an acre in size and her "shelter" was a HUGE (20 x 20?) brick stall. The husband was there to let me in the gate and had me follow him to her turn out & then to the house. The house is huge and divided so they live on one side the kitchen/dining in the middle and the guest rooms on the other side. Each room had it's own bed/bathroom which were beautiful. When I met the wife, she gave me a huge hug, "You're finally here!" LOL ... I think I was in bed by 8 pm. They were a little disappointed that I was not going to stay for breakfast, but I said I wanted to hit the road early so I could get home before dark. We chatted a little bit, they liked Pi - and I went to bed.

Sunday, I was up and out by 4:40 am CA time. Hit snow and nasty weather from the west side of Albuquerque to the west side of Williams AZ, but then it was smooth sailing. Stopped in Needles for lunch (glad I did; it helped keep me awake) and then in Mojave for gas. Got home just after dark. As I was driving towards my street, I could see someone on our street and thought "they better not block my road!" Turned out to be Matt & Matthew at my house, picking up hay for Scarlett. However, I suspect Matt wanted to be there to help me out when I got home. 

So they helped me get Pi situated and Matt carried my suitcase to the house. We chatted a bit and they left and I went to bed. I had Monday and Tuesday off from work - yeah!!

So that was the trip ... bucket list item checked off and was very happy with how my pony travelled. She was awesome.


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Uffda! That sucks you were so sick. Too bad we didn't live closer I would of loped Pi for you, geez!


It was bad. I've been texting Ramona Wold about the contract for the Brother Jackson breeding - seems she got the flu while they were in Texas & was in bed for 3 days, too. I said I was in good company. @COWCHICK77, I sure wish you could have come and loped Pi ... I felt bad that she did not get prep work. 



COWCHICK77 said:


> I'm sorry you were disappointed in your run but I think it is so cool you qualified for the show and went! How awesome you had Richard to help you and coach you, that was pretty nice


I am grateful that I qualified - We had so many obstacles, the main one with me breaking my ribs in May and losing our momentum, so after that we did not get any points at any shows we went to. We were lucky that we had made enough before the ribs injury to stay in the top 20.

In hindsight, I probably should have stayed home being as sick as I was. But I may never qualify again, so was determined to go. Would have been a much different experience had I not been sick; but it is what it is and I was fortunate to be able to make it there, show and make it home safe and sound. 

I was very blessed to have Richard helping me out. He is soo nice, , as is Cheryl. For him to take the time out to help me out ... priceless. It would not have been the same at all if he had not been there for me.



COWCHICK77 said:


> My internet had a hard time keeping up with the live stream so the only thing I watched in length was the Open Two Rein Finals. Rebecca's run in the finals was good! My trainer won the Open Two Rein. I am pretty excited for him


That is so cool and that you got to watch that, especially if that was the only thing you got to watch. 



COWCHICK77 said:


> Reading about your trip makes me miss TX. When we lived down there we used to stay in Ft. Worth for a few days to watch the cutting futurity, it was so much fun. And the Will Roger's is a great facility, I get why they moved the Snaffle Bit there even though it left the west coast.
> Hubby years ago used work the futurity there, shipping, recieving and sorting cattle. He says it was a lot of fun even if the weather was bad because everything is covered.


I really liked Fort Worth - the driver's were so polite, especially for this out of stater hauling a trailer. And you could go 70! WooHoo! When I hit the CA stateline and went through the boarder control, the officer reminded me that the speed limit for trailers was 55. Bummer. Looking forward to when I eventually move out there. 

The Will Roger's Memorial Center is amazing - so HUGE. It was only after our run that I found all the warm up pens/arenas! Such history there and I was fortunate to be able to ride there. I heard from someone that since they moved the Snaffle Bit & WGH to FW, the entries have doubled ++. And at this show - all the big names were there. It was great to see & watch them ride and show.


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## kewpalace

Some pix:

Pi checking out the cow practice pens:

















Pi in her Stall:









With my little sis and her family (absent, her son):









Railhead BBQ (probably misnamed it above):

















Richard's cow work in his 2 rein run:


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## kewpalace

Will Roger's Memorial Center:

































Rein pix for friends doing virtual shopping, LOL - some of these are kangaroo


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## kewpalace

Andrew's Ltd Open Bridle run pix:


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## kewpalace

Pix of Pi & I

Mid drool, LOL 


















show pix

by my sister









Matt took these pix off the live feed, LOL ...

















official pix ...









These were taken of the website; I purchased prints of them


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## kewpalace

Shower pix


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## kewpalace

Mitch Jacket - its sort of a silvery white


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## kewpalace

​


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## kewpalace

Will post pix from the WGH prelims steer stopping and fence work probably Monday ... need to get back to work ...


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## lb27312

Awesome pics!! Sorry about your ride... and it was soooo cool that Matt and his son was there when you pulled in. That was really nice of them. I bet you were happy to get home! You and Pi that is!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. It was really nice that Matt and Matthew were there to help; they are very good friends. I was VERY happy to get home and Pi was ready to bolt out of that trailer, LOL. We had to do a little attitude adjustment in the trailer before she unloaded. Got up on Monday morning and she was flat out in the turn out. Wondered if she was OK, but she lifted her head, so yea, just tired like me. She really was a good traveler; so happy to have her.


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## Knave

I think you are too close to it too!  It is so cool that you qualified. It is awesome that you were able to compete at that level, and so you had a bad run. That part doesn’t mean too much; we all have a bad run sometimes, even the best of the best have those days. Of course you wish it had been a different day, but that’s how it rolls. Lol

I am so proud of you and think it was so cool. The really bad part is the dang flu. That is just awful! My littlest and I were dying with it, and a couple others in my town had it super bad too.


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## COWCHICK77

I love the pics too!

Sooo...I think you said already but now you're done with the World show, when are you going to have Pi bred???
Already waiting for the Baby Pi thread..lol!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I think you are too close to it too!  It is so cool that you qualified. It is awesome that you were able to compete at that level, and so you had a bad run. That part doesn’t mean too much; we all have a bad run sometimes, even the best of the best have those days. Of course you wish it had been a different day, but that’s how it rolls.


Part of what got me out of being nervous in the show pen is watching some of the top pro riders make basic mistakes that take them out of the running. They just shrugged it off and moved forward. I strive to be like them & most times I can shrug it off. I just wanted to put in a decent run - the goal was to make the finals, but if I didn't I would have been satisfied with a solid run. So it was disappointing not to have at least have a solid run. But, I was fortunate/blessed to have the people around me I did; they help take the sting out of it. 



Knave said:


> I am so proud of you and think it was so cool. The really bad part is the dang flu. That is just awful!


Thank you @Knave. Yea, the flu was the definitive factor, but you work with what you have, eh? Sorry you and your daughter got it, too. It's definitely the pits. 



COWCHICK77 said:


> I love the pics too!


Thanks @COWCHICK77! 



COWCHICK77 said:


> Sooo...I think you said already but now you're done with the World show, when are you going to have Pi bred??? Already waiting for the Baby Pi thread..lol!


 Working on that now! Got the contracts in, will sign and return them this week; have an "appointment" set up with a friend on Wednesday to pick her brain on all the ins/outs of breeding ... she's bred some top horses for years and knows her stuff. After I talk with her, I'll contact her breeding vet (in Bakersfield) and set up getting Pi in the system for breeding.

Will have to set up a new thread soon .... 

Speaking of the flu, when I was texting Ramona Wold last week for the contracts, she said she just caught it. They are in AZ at the Sun Circuit. It's the pits, that flu. 

And finally, Pi is rested from Texas and back to practicing her NFR moves this morning, LOL. Was really happy to see her bucking and carrying on in the turn out. :loveshower:

Next Saturday is a cowhorse show in Clovis; we are only taking Scarlett and Matt may take Tilly, too, just for exposure. The 22 is a Ranch Versatility show that Pi and I will go to. Looking forward to that for just a nice get out and do something show.


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## kewpalace

Some pix from the WG Youth Steer Stopping competition ... only got two:



















The 2nd pix is the kid who won the competition - Trail Townsend on TRR Lucky Playgun. That horse was STOUT.

These and the rest of the pix I'll post are from my iPhone - which does not like low light situations.


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## kewpalace

World's Greatest Horseman Steer Stopping (premliminaries) - don't know all of who I got ... and they've taken down the draws:

Ken Wold & Brother Jackson (Pi's soon to be Baby Daddy ):

























???


































Video - Phillip Ralls & Call Me Mitch:





Russell Dilday & Metallic Rose:





Jake Telford & Sparktillion


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## kewpalace

World's Greatest Horseman Fence Work Prelims


Video:

Brother Jackson





Metallic Rose





Sparktillion





Call Me Mitch









Chris Dawson & Shine Smarter (Richard & Cheryl Winters' former horse):






Kelsey Thomas & Kit Kat Jerrie - they won the Worlds Greatest Horsewoman competition in AZ for a free entry into the WGH the the World World ...















I have tons of pix from the fence prelims ... will post later ...


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## carshon

I love your post. I am so sorry you were not feeling well. But I love to see your bounce back attitude!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon!


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## lb27312

I liked the video of Pi's baby daddy! He's nice looking and did a good job. Looking forward to hearing about this new adventure of yours!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you, @lb27312. I like him too and he has a reputation of putting a quiet disposition on the babies. I think it will be a good cross, but we'll see eventually, eh? :smile:


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## kewpalace

WGH Fence Prelims pix:

Todd Crawford (I think) & Shinen Metallic Cat:

























???

































Clayton Edsell & Metallic Train

































???


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## kewpalace

Nick Dowers (Love the way he rides!) & High Stressing Cat

















































???































:shock:

Anne Reynolds & Magicality


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## kewpalace

???

































???

































???


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## kewpalace

???









???

















Cow Exit Gate Guy 









???

































That's it for the WGH pix ... sorry for the ??? - thought I'd remember, but my flu-brain didn't retain it, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

This is Blind Sided & Jay McLaughlin.


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## COWCHICK77

I really like Blind Sided! What a work horse and pretty to boot!


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## kewpalace

Matt is excited to show Scarlett on Saturday; hoping all the improvements/advancements transfer to the show pen. He posted this pix of Scarlett & Matthew that Matt's Dad took ... I love it ... 










I loved it so much I cropped it ...









And then put it through some photo apps:

































The first one is my favorite. 


Finally some NRCHA news ...









Thank goodness we are taking Scarlett this year ... it is probably the last for the Derby in Paso.  Question is ... should I take Pi (or will I have enough $$ to take Pi)? :think:


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> I really like Blind Sided! What a work horse and pretty to boot!


I like him too! I can't believe I couldn't remember that was him ... brain failure for sure! I was surprised he didn't make the WGH finals either (along with Mitch & Brother Jackson), but just shows I'm in great company, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

I think this is Boyd Rice & Quahadi
































:shock:


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## kewpalace

Well, the show didn't go as planned - but as we've said before .... does it ever? :wink: Matt and Scarlett looked great in the warm up pens and her stops were good; kept telling Jennifer (Matt's wife) that I would be happy if she did that in the show pen. Nope. Everything that looked nice in the warm up pen was non existent in the show pen. :icon_rolleyes:

She did two things that were very out of character for her ... she kicked out on a lead change and she got hung up on the fence to the left - TWICE. She never does that. She's hung up on the fence going to the right before, but never to the left and never twice. :redface::shrug:

So they finished at the bottom of the pack. At least not last! Haven't seen the pro pix yet, but here's a few stills from my little fence video, including of her turning to the right on the fence .. If only she had done that to the left ... 


































It was weird not riding, but I am glad I wasn't showing. I left at 7:30 and they still had a couple hours to go. It was a 3 hr. drive for me home. 

Tilly did very well at the show. Will update in her thread.


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## kewpalace

Just saw that the AQHA has cancelled their Convention in Vegas (at South Point) this Weekend due to Covid-19. The NRCHA's Stallion Stakes is at South Point starting 3/27. Unless there is a drastic turn of events, it is unlikely they will cancel - but you never know. NRCHA is pretty die-hard, LOL. Kind of glad we aren't going to the Stallion Stakes - not that I'm that concerned with the Coronavirus, but need a low stress environment right now (yea, hard to come by with all the panic).


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## kewpalace

Well, I only liked one of the pix the show photographer took ... 










But there is a lot of very cool stuff going on here ... :thumbsup:


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## COWCHICK77

Cool pic!!!


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## kewpalace

Time for an update ... although shows have been cancelled, training still goes on. May shows are iffy - some people are having local shows regardless of the Stay at Home orders still in effect. Matt has opted not to go to those. The CRCHA Derby/Spectacular/Horse Show has added "tentative" to their event announcement so it is not clear yet whether it will happen.

The NRCHA Derby, currently set for 6/5-15 in Paso Robles, is currently still slated to go. I sent in Scarlett's entry, which was conformed as received. Nothing was said about it not going forward. However, the rumor mill is in full swing and several people have said "on good authority" that the Derby will be moved to Vegas in August, taking over the NSHA's pre-futurity slot. So at this time, we await word on what will happen. 

This year has been the pits for Scarlett's 1st Derby year; luckily she'll have one more, but will likely be with me and not Matt. It is unclear what will happen with the snaffle bitters .... they are not going to have the prep shows available to them to make Fort Worth. 

If you read my post on the Mustang Futurity, you know that Protect the Harvest has pulled out of all horse show sponsorships, including the Reno SBF. However, Reno still says they are going forward (they are a die hard bunch anyway, LOL) and the powers that be have said that people are ready to show. Unless something drastically changes, which in today's world is not unexpected, Reno will likely go forward.

But for now, training continues. Regardless of whether Scarlett actually makes it to a show this year, she still needs some riding before I take over the reins. Here is the latest video of Scarlett I made of when I went up to see Matt work the horses (go to my Mustang Futurity post for the video of Tilly):


----------



## carshon

How is Pi after her colic scare?


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## kewpalace

@carshon, I updated her status in her thread under the Breeding section, but she is doing good! Going Saturday for the pregnancy check.


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## kewpalace

Well, they moved the NRCHA Derby to Scottsdale since CA will not be "opened" enough to have it on its scheduled June dates. :frown_color: Dates are the same, but I withdrew Scarlett's entry. :sad: It's WAY to hot in Scottsdale in June for me or Scarlett and it's way to far ... anything over 4 hours after driving to TX is too far for me, LOL ... But it's very disappointing.

Well, hopefully they'll start up some of the local Cowhorse Shows in June.


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## Knave

I liked it for the hopes of cowhorse shows starting. I am sorry the derby is out for you.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. I'm sorry about the Derby, too, but have accepted that we won't be going. And that CA now, no longer has any premiere NRCHA events. Very sad as CA is the where cowhorse originated. BUT on a brighter note, Matt is making noises about wanting to go to the Stallion Stakes (in August) in Vegas. So we might get at least ONE premiere show in for Scarlett this year. 

Next Sunday the local ranch horse show is going forward. They had one on the 3rd and this is the 2nd one, a double point one. Matt is taking Scarlett!! WooHoo!! He was itching to go, but his wife was a little hesitant. I guess he convinced her, so I'm excited that they get to show at last!


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## kewpalace

Well, Scarlett didn't get to show this last weekend due to kicking a gate and getting sored up in her right hind leg.  She did it on Thursday, but Matt was still not confident in showing her for fear she could reinjure herself. He's more anal about things than I am, but I go with his recommendations on her; afterall that is what I'm paying him for, LOL.

But I hitched a ride with the Sheridans to go watch part of the show and was glad I went. It was great to see people and catch up on what everyone is doing. Got to see some people I've not seen in a year! And people were obviously riding as they had improved quite a bit since the last time I've seen them. Here's a few pix ... these are all friends ... 


















































The next show is the last show and a two day show ... hoping Matt can make both on Scarlett. :thumbsup:


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## kewpalace

Well, not much new to report. Scarlett strained her back right suspensory - it is NOT bad at all, but enough that she was walking tenderly on it and not wanting to stop well. Matt has had her on stall rest for about 5 weeks now; one more week and he'll start riding again. She is standing square on it and is backing balanced and true. He's been rubbing her leg with liniment & wrapping it and took her for 5 treatments on the Equivibe. You can tell she's bothered by that!









I don't know why she looks REALLY LONG in this pix, LOL.

Matt sent me this pix today:









He will leg her back up and hopefully will be able to show end of June; but we'll see.

Nothing going on with Pi. Go for her final Pregnancy check on Monday. Meanwhile, she is living the life of leisure. And since the mice ate a hole in her nylon camo sheet, she is now sporting a new SmarkPak turn out sheet ... it is heavy enough for our still cool evenings (got down to 39 the other night).


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## kewpalace

Well, Matt is back to riding Scarlett and she is full of it, LOL! They will be showing at a local open show on Sunday, doing the ranch horse classes (including ranch conformation!), so it should be fun. EXCEPT, it is supposed to be 108 on Sunday. Hoping they get most of their classes done in the morning. Then they will go to Tulare on 7/25 to show in the cowhorse show. I'll have to miss that since it's my Mom's 85th Birthday!

Matt's son is going to show one of Matt's geldings in the Walk-Trot 12-under ranch classes. It will be his first time showing. I'll post some pix below ... he's looking good, but he's nervous. I understand the feeling. Matt was coaching on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, one of Matt's other clients is starting her filly with his help. It's the first horse she's ever started. Sunday was their 3rd ride and they are looking good. The filly is cute and has a nice even temperament. 

I'll post videos first ...

The 3rd ride video:






Sunday's Video:


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## kewpalace

Matt & Scarlett ...










































Matt's son:


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## kewpalace

Colt starting pix:


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## kewpalace

Forgot a couple of pix ... here's Matthew on 7/5/12 - he's on Pi :










And here's a small stop on Scarlett from Sunday; Matt did not ask her to stop hard:


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## kewpalace

Busy weekend - did mostly show prep stuff on Saturday. Got up and out early Sunday to go up to Matt's to ride with them to the show. Except when I got there, I realized I left Pi's water on and so had to go back home to turn it off. I said I'd meet them at the show, but ended up getting done just when they were pulling by the usual pickup point near my house. I could leave my car there, so they pulled in, I hopped in, and off we went.

It was a fun day, but HOT. Jennifer checked the temp at multiple times; one said 105! I was glad not to be showing, but the heat still affected me. 

Since Matt was busy with Scarlett for the entire show, it fell on me to help coach Matthew. It was his first show ever and I had fun coaching him. Matthew was really right on the money for the Majority of his classes. There were only two kids (he and another girl) in the 12 & under walk/trot ranch division. Out of the 5 classes, Matthew got two firsts (Reining & Ranch Riding), one 2nd (Ranch pleasure) and a 7th (Ranch Conformation). He went off pattern in Ranch Trail, but that was his very first class and he lost focus soon after getting into the course; but he knew the course since he recited it to me a few times. I definitely know how THAT goes, LOL ... After going off course though (which he knew soon after he did it that it didn't fee right), he continued on - which is as he should do. He didn't get flustered and went on to rope his "steer" (roping dummy) and finish the course. For Conformation, they had ONE class for all divisions, so Matthew was in with all the open riders (there was no amateur division - only 12 & Under and Open). So there were about 15 horses in the class. He was a little squirmy during the class (more so than his horse was, LOL), but he hadn't really practiced showing his horse in a halter class and didn't really know that he needed to pay attention to the Judge at all times. Still, he did great.

The other girl didn't do trial; she did conformation but didn't place, so Matthew won High Point for his division! He was pretty stoked, as we all were.

For coming off of injury rest & only two weeks back riding, Scarlett did pretty good. I was expecting more; but don't we all! LOL ... Matt rode her in the hackamore. She got a 2nd in Trail, 2nd in Ranch Conformation, 3rd in Reining (she did not like that ground to stop in & she is still having trouble with her left lead change), 7th in Ranch Pleasure (I thought she definitely should have gotten higher; she was awesome); and we don't know where she placed in Ranch Riding, but not high ... she was starting her pattern, came around the corner and then spooked HARD to the left. We don't really know what she spooked at but that put her out of the running for high point.

Even though I was hoping for more, I have to remember she's is still a YOUNG horse (probably the youngest competing in her division at this show), coming off a 6-8 week injury rest, had only been back to working for about 2 weeks and the majority of the horses are older show seasoned campaigners. Definitely a tough group to place in, especially when you are a silly bubbly blonde. :tongue:

I took video, but haven't uploaded or done anything with them. But here are some pix:





































These pix were taken by a local photographer who was out there just for fun, this is from the Ranch Pleasure class:










































So next show is hopefully in a couple a weeks in Bear Valley Springs. Although the Trail judge at yesterday's show, who is the BVS show secretary, is saying they are considering cancelling because of COVID. She was not in favor of that. We shall see. Then it's CRCHA in mid-August and Vegas at the end of August. If they also do not get cancelled.


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## kewpalace

Here's Scarlett thinking it was a Western Dressage show :razz::biggrin: ....


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## carshon

Matt's son is a cutie! Scarlett is just gorgeous!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon! Matt's son is very cute and is turning into quite the horseman. Just a nice kid all the way around. Here's a little video I put together of his day ... although have to kick myself for NOT getting his reining run ... he did awesome!


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## kewpalace

FINALLY got on Pi on Saturday! It's been since February, I think, since I've ridden her. It felt great to be back on her and she was good. Took her up to Matt's to help him turn back donkeys for Scarlett. We are hoping to get cows soon. Can't wait to get back on cows!

Friday, we got our hay for the year ... always a great sight!

















of course, Matt got the majority of the hay:


















Matt has asked our hay guy to put some cow hay on there; the hay guy called him back after they agreed to that and said that was too much of a PITA to do, so he would just sell Matt the regular hay for the same price as the cow hay - so we got hay about $5 less a bale than feed store hay, including cow hay! We scored this year!

Saturday was at Matt's by 8:30 am to try to beat the heat. It was a fun morning. After warming Pi up, Matt came in with Scarlett. She's getting her stop down great ... now to get her to do it in the show pen ...


























He also has his other client's filly in; the client was a little afraid of the filly (although she really is a nice filly) so gave her to Matt to put on 30 days on her. He rode her before Scarlett ... she has some stop in her!


























And for the last three nights, I've been looking at Coment Neowise - won't get another chance for 6,800 years once it goes. There are some amazing pix of it on the internet - but still does not compare to seeing it in person. You can spot it with the naked eye, but it really stands out with binoculars. I think the last day to see it is 7/26? Not sure.


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## kewpalace

They cancelled this weekend's cowhorse show. It was a huge show too - a Derby, a Spectacular, horse show classes and herd practice. They started off by cancelling herd practice (which would have been tomorrow); the venue is in Tulare County, a hot spot in increased covid cases. I guess the Ag Center said no way to having the show there. The Cowhorse Board tried to move the show to another venue, but said after talking to various counties' officials and state officials (and the rumor Newsome is going to shut the State down tomorrow), they decided it was not going to happen. Very sad and frustrating. There are very few shows between now and the Reno Snaffle Bit (September) and the NRCHA Snaffle Bit (October), so very hard to get your contenders any show experience. 

Also makes me wonder if the Stakes next month in Vegas will go forward. If not, this would be a total bust for Scarlett's first Derby year. :-(


----------



## kewpalace

We got COWS! :happydance:










9 head; they are pretty wild, LOL. Matt went and got them on Monday. He & Scarlett worked them last night. She is out of practice, but I'm sure she will quickly get up to speed ...


































































Then the boys had fun with her, LOL ... 

























And for comparison sake, here's a pix of the day I brought her home ... 3 years ago today! Look how tiny both Scarlett & Matthew were!









Matthew's horse was cow-fresh and kept trying to crow hop with Matthew, LOL. He finally whacked him with the romal and that was the end of the crowhopping. 

We gave Pi her shot on Monday; she's a little sore from it, but will start getting her loosened up tomorrow and then take her up to play with cows.

8/8 Matt is having a Mock Ranch Versatility Show/clinic at his house for his student's only, limited to 8 total. It should be fun. All 5 classes - conformation, trail, ranch cutting, ranch riding & working ranch horse (reining/boxing). We have some fun prizes lined up.

Sorry for the crappy pix .. the lighting was terrible and my phone camera dislikes funky lighting ...


----------



## kewpalace

Looking forward to this weekend - tomorrow Matt's doing a Versatility Ranch Horse Clinic. I suggested he do one with a slightly different focus - it is going to be like a mock show, so tack and apparel have to be show legal. Classes are Ranch Riding, Ranch Trail, Ranch Reining, Ranch Cutting, and working cow horse (ranch reining and boxing [we're all amateurs]). It will be a small group - 7 riders. So he will go over the class with us before we start, then we show in the class while he judges, and right after the class he'll go over our score sheets with us. I made up score sheets for the individual rider so they can take them with them at the end of the day. We're going to have 1st & 2nd class prizes and then a High Point prize. Should be fun and we all need to get out for a little fun with our ponies!

I've taken Pi up there a couple of times to play with cows. But I didn't realize how much my broken rib experience has played havoc on my brain (I broke 4 ribs doing herd work last May). So I haven't actually worked out of the herd yet; I had Matt ride Pi in the herd. LOL ... But I think I'm ready to get in there, so will go up this afternoon to work the herd.

"Real" shows have been dropping like flies. There were two cowhorse shows set for this weekend on the coast (Santa Ynez & Paso). They both cancelled due to Covid. The Paso show had all the approvals from all the county governments to go forward until someone complained to the County; they didn't want to risk it or open more cans of worms, so pulled the plug on the show yesterday. It was very disheartening. Very hit/miss and even if things look like they are going forward, many cancel at the last minute.

They moved our Cowhorse show 8/15-16 from Tulare to Watsonville, which effectively knocked us out. 2 hrs. one way vs. 5 hrs. one way ... yea, not happening. We are still set for Vegas from 8/25-30, but just heard a barrel race that was supposed to happen this weekend at Southpoint was cancelled. Rumor is the show there on the 18th was also cancelled. Sort of bad omens for our show. If it cancels, that effectively ends Scarlett's 1st Derby year. She'll have next year, but I don't know if I want to keep her in training with Matt after this year.

But in happier news, I finished my Virtual Walking Challenge doing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage walk (481 miles). I started 5/30/20 and put in to take until 10/23/20 to finish it. I finished yesterday, so in 1/2 the time I thought it would take me. It's been fun - I do the bulk of walking during my work breaks. They give you a medal on completion, which should come in a few weeks. Now to pick a new one ... I have to wait on some until my friends catch up (I was the first in our group to finish) to do another with them, but I can do a short one before they finish.


----------



## kewpalace

Went up to Matt's on Friday afternoon to ride. Thought I would try to do the herd, but chickened out and had Matt ride Pi in the Herd. But before he did that, he rode Scarlett. I have no cow pix, but here's some other Scarlett pix:


































I didn't get home until 7:30 and then had to wash Pi & clean my tack ... so got into bed about midnight.

The show clinic was fun! We had 7 riders:

Gayle & her QH mare, Rita
Tina (who used to ride cowhorse) & her QH gelding, Cruiser (who showed cowhorse YEARS ago)
Bill & his paint gelding, Buddy
John & his Oak CreeK Gelding, Scratch (John started Scratch in the 1st Vaquero Challenge in Tehachapi; the first horse he ever started)
Matthew & his QH gelding, Rowdy
Andriana and her mustang gelding, Toaster (he's a cutie!)
Pi and I

It was a nice group and everyone was very friendly.

Other than Pi and I, only Cruiser had any cow training and Tina the only other one who had worked cows. I have pix but still working on getting them sorted. Matt went over the general idea for each class before the class - most of the participants have not had any Versatility Ranch horse show experience and since this was a clinic/show combo he did this and then after each class went over the scores and the placings.

Long story short, We had a really nice run going in the Ranch riding, but I overspun so we got a zero. :icon_rolleyes: In ranch trail, rider error (again, oy!) we went too fast in the backthrough (it was a "U") and kind of destroyed the one side. :neutral: I think we got 4th in that.

Then came cutting ... I ended up being one of the turn back for most of the riders since they saw Pi and decided I would be a good turn back. Gayle was asked by someone to herd hold, but she wanted me to do it because I had more cow experience. I told her she could do it, it'd be good experience and I would be behind her just in case. She did fine. I think Pi and I went 2nd. I was a little apprehensive, but we went in nice and slow and we got a cow cut out and did a good job of working it slow ... Yea, me! LOL .... Then we got a 2nd cow cut and did nice slow work on it, too. I was so glad it went well. I think we were the only ones to cut out our cows and keep them out from the herd. We were not that good, but our cow experience helped us win the class.

After Lunch we were going to start working cow - so doing the reining pattern and then working our cow. Matt had all the cows in his round pen just off the end of his arena and a panel set up so you could open the round pen and shoot the cow out into the arena. Pi and I were up first. Just as we did our one circle, the boys tried to let a cow out into the holding area and it went crashing through the panel, up over/through a fence, and over to the side of the arena and was crashing around in there trying to find a way out. Needless to say our reining went to hell in a handbasket. But I got a reride; only problem with that was that Pi knew the pattern by then and anticipated the maneuvers. We ended up 2nd in reining.

We decided (while catching the cow) to do all the reining and then do the boxing. That worked out well. We got an OK cow; at least it wasn't a runner! And Pi was all up for that class. We placed 1st in that class too. 

Last was Ranch Conformation. We placed 4th, which isn't too bad. Pi's really stocky so not real ranchy, LOL. I was happy with 4th for her. 

We ended up getting High Point for the day! Problem was the prize was a logo tumbler, which I already had, so after we had broken for the day (but before people had left), I told Matt he could have the tumbler back and he gave it to Andriana, who was reserve High Point. I was happy for that - she had done a nice job with her mustang and got 1st in Trail & 1st in Conformation.

So, blue bucket w/hand sanitizer & hoof pick for 1st place in each class, red bucket & sweat scraper for 2nd place. High Point was the Tumbler, little hand sanitizer, leather air fresheners, lip balm & gold bond hand cream.










I was the only one taking pix, and am still going through them. I'll post when I get them done.

It was a fun day and I think everyone had fun. I was happy with getting in there and doing the cutting since that was the one big mental block I had. And it was nice to see people having fun with their horses ... so many things have cancelled, it's just nice to get out there and do something!

Then this morning I got into work and found this on my desk:










The court reporter said she said it and said,"it's so YOU" and had to get it for me.


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## kewpalace

I'll post pix by class ... I can only post one class tonight, but here are some from Ranch Riding (I didn't get any of Bill & his horse in ranch riding :sad:

*Matthew/Rowdy*:

















*Tina/Cruiser* (who has only one eye; missing his left eye):

















*Adriana/Toaster* (BLM Mustang)

















*John/Scratch* (Oak Creek Horse)

















*Gayle/Rita*


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## kewpalace

Lots of trail pix ... might make additional posts for trail ...

*Adriana/Toaster*









































*John/Scratch*

















































*Bill/Buddy*

































No ground tying for Buddy, LOL ...


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## kewpalace

Trail part deux ... 

*Gayle/Rita*









































*Matthew/Rowdy*









































*Tina/Cruiser*


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## kewpalace

Draws for the Stakes have been posted. Matt is feeling really good about Scarlett, so that's exciting. We are trailering out to Bear Valley this afternoon to practice. Should be fun.

Anyway, Matt/Scarlett are 



No. 130 in the Herd work (1st set on Friday, 8/28), 
No. 140 in the rein work (LAST set on Saturday, 8/29) and 
_*No. 2*_ in the cow work (1st set on Sunday, 8/30). 

Plus, there are perks to bringing only one horse ... Matt/Scarlett are stalled with the Big Boys! Brandon Buttars, Kelby Phillips, Doug Williamson, Zen Davis, Jake Telford .... nice! Keep fingers crossed it isn't cancelled ... really looking forward to this!


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## lb27312

Fingers and toes crossed it's not cancelled!! I sooo hope you guys get to go and do well!!


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Fingers and toes crossed it's not cancelled!! I sooo hope you guys get to go and do well!!


Thank you @lb27312! Me, too!!

correction to my above post ... ZANE Davis NOT Zen, LOL. It's Friday, what can I say ...


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## kewpalace

Took the horses to Bear Valley on Friday. Driving home before hand was scary with the Lake Fire's smoke hitting Tehachapi; Matt said he could really see it from the Antelope Valley (he was driving back from Lancaster).

Here's what my view was:


















At home - this is all fire smoke

















Luckily, Bear Valley got none of the smoke, so working the horses was fine. I didn't do a whole lot with Pi. Scarlett has not been in such a big arena for a while and we wondered how she would react to it; she also doesn't seem to stop as well when she's not at home. She proved us wrong on all counts; she got down to business and did her job:



















































20+ feet ... wow. Hoping she produces that in the show pen in Vegas!

Drove to San Bernardino on Saturday. You could seek the Lake Fire from the 14:










Ran into a flash flood that I wondered if my little Civic could make it through ... here's the preview I got ...









Coming out of the flash flood, firemen were putting out a lightening strike fire:









Then from my Mom's place you can see the Ranch Fire (Azuza)


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## kewpalace

Just wanted to share a few pix. 

Scarlett's cow work From Saturday morning:


























She missed ALL her stops on the fence work, but made for interesting pix ..










































And the air yesterday was horrible - smoky & hazy from all the wild fires (there are mountains in all these pix ... :-( )

























Tehachapi was not as bad, but that's not saying much ...









And finally got my medal from my virtual challenge









It's pretty cool; very substantial, not flimsy at all. Like it.

I'm more than 1/2 way done with my current challenge. 61 miles to go. They are running a "special" this month - every time you finish 20% intervals of your challenge they'll plant a tree. I've planted 4 trees so far. Will likely hit 6 by the end of the month! So excited!!


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## Knave

Wow, she has flat turned on! That is awesome!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave! 

Watching the NP/NPL Bridle Spectacular rein/cow work & watched herd work yesterday. These cows are TOUGH! Runners for sure. Oy ... Will have to watch the Open Spectacular to see what they get (although NP are not rerun cows). Cross your fingers for Matt/Scarlett they get decent cows!


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## kewpalace

We are home from the Stakes ... so weird in the show environment, but everyone did their part and we all got through the strange time. You had a wear a mask the entire time, unless you were ACTIVELY riding (if you were sitting on your horse, you had to wear your mask). People did not hang out together ... which is very strange for a cow horse show. There were tons of friends there that I never saw; which was sad, I love hanging with my cow horse buddies. The announcer gave frequent reminders to wear your mask, although really, the majority (and I mean about 90%) were diligent about that. But we were like a test case and the state inspectors came a few times to see how the show was complying with all the rules.

All the bars were closed but you could get drinks if you sat in the lounge (the waitress served you). There were some restaurants open for dine in and 1/2 the slots were turned off (like every other one). There were no shows going on. South Point has a movie theater and bowling alley. Both were open part time. 

Matt/Scarlett and his family were in Vegas Tuesday evening (8/25). I followed on Wednesday, getting there about 1-ish. I went to get dinner for everyone on Wednesday evening at Excalibur (we were at South Point) and my car started giving me fits. Great, not the thing you want happen when you are on vacation and have to drive home later. So I took my car to the dealer on Thursday morning; they fixed it but it took a couple of hours and was a few bucks. When I went to Excalibur, the strip was DEAD. It was VERY sad to see.

Scarlett started out not being very relaxed in her stall; it took her a couple of days to relax and settle down but she was great in the warm up pens. I think Matt was nervous ... first time he's shown with a lot of the BIG names! And the talent in these horses - amazing! After I got there, Matt and I went to the office so I could get a barn pass bracelet. I know Kelley in the office, but she was a little wary at first ... but gave me one with the COVID precaution speech (always wear my mask, could only watch my horse's go in the main arena, arena watching limited to 50 people, don't congregate with people, maintain social distancing, etc.). It was not a problem with me, LOL. 

Herd work was up first (Friday 8/28). They were up early on Friday in the herd work (7th out) so we were up and at the barn early. They get a practice run before their show run (everyone gets this) & Roy Rich helped him out and they did pretty good. He had Roy, Tucker & Tina Robinson and Jake Gorrel as his herd help in the show. His run was a little conservative, but they didn't loose any cows and put in a decent run. Score was not high, so they were at the bottom of the pack.

Next up was reining on Saturday (8/27). They were almost the last run in reining on Saturday, so didn't go until about 3:30-ish. Matt took Scarlett by hand to one of the warm up pens and lunged her a bit ... she was prancing and acting like a dressage horse and then at one point launched into the air. I got video of that, but took a screen shot of the airs above the ground and posted on FB, after I got home saying the problem we had was because Scarlett thought it was a Lippizan show! LOL ... 

While we were saddling up Scarlett, Matt noticed her back shoe looked a tad weird. I looked at more closely while holding her and told him he needed to take a closer look at it. It was BENT and one nail had come out taking part of the hoof wall with it. We called all the farriers on the list and no one answered. So Matt, who has some trimming experience, thought he could straighten it enough for the run but needed hammers. So we ran around the barn trying to find someone with hammers. Luckily some people I know (the Fishers) were at their stall and Wyatt had hammers. It helps that they know me; they didn't hesitate letting us borrow hammers and were OK with us putting them back after. 

Matt was able to straighten the shoe out but didn't want to do big run downs. Still, it was the best reining run Scarlett has ever made in a show, getting both lead changes AND even doing some really nice SMALL stops. But, conservative does not get points so we were still in the bottom third of the pack. After reining Matt found some duct tape and taped her shoe/foot. We got her all cleaned up and back in her stall and went to eat at Crackle Barrel!

At one point Matthew & I were leaving the barn and we ran into the Wolds. I had not formally introduced myself, so took the time to call out to Ramona and we chatted a short time. I just told her I wanted her to have a face to put with the name after all the problems I had trying to breed Pi.  Another time, I was going back to my room and rode up in the elevator with Daniel Perez - Brother Jackson's owner. I told him I tried to breed to him this year but my mare wouldn't take. He was SO SORRY, LOL. I told him it happens and we would try again next year. I think I got some good juju for next year, ROFL. 

We thought cow work was first up on Sunday, but while Matt was riding Scarlett on Saturday, Travis Mankins came over to talk with me. I miss seeing them - they are nice people! He said that Open cow work was after the NPL & NP cow work ... and we thought we'd be up and show and out of Vegas by noon! Still, Matt/Scarlett were 2nd up in the open set, so would go about 11:00. 

Matt and his Fam got up and packed most of the trailer Sunday Morning. While in the Barn, he and Matthew got to visit the Wolds and Brother Jackson. Matthew got his picture with him! They all scored Brother Jackson hats and masks and got one of each for me, too. It was nice.

Matt/Scarlett got their practice cow and it all looked good. If they put in a good cow run (which she definitely can do!), they could climb a few spots! After the practice cow, they still had quite a bit of time until their run, so Matt let me cool Scarlett off! What fun that was!! There was a few mishaps in the NP division - a few ladies came off their horses, one had to be taken out by ambulance, but I heard later she was just bruised, thank goodness. 

Then it was Matt/Scarlett's run. They started out really good - the boxing was great, with Scarlett turning with the cow and going and stopping it, but it was not a cow that moved much. They started down the fence and got a whistle for a new cow since the cow would.not.run. Well, they got a completely opposite cow; started off with a few turns, but getting later with each one and then the cow got by them and ran down the opposite side of the arena wall. There was no catching it then, although they tried. And they finished the run, but it was not pretty and it was the lowest scored fence run. 

I was heart broken. :-( I know she can do better than that, but this was not our day. So we packed up and were out of there by 1. There were multiple accidents on the 15 going home, so what would usually take us 3-1/2 hours took us 7.

I have pix and video to post, but will do that later.

I did manage to finish one virtual walking challenge (124 miles) on Wednesday in Vegas and started a short one (24 miles) the same day and finished it on Friday night ... just gives you an idea on how much walking we did while there.

I was really pleased with Scarlett's demeanor while there after she got comfortable. She was amazing and tried her heart out. Couldn't ask for more than that. 

So, we have a few local shows and then the CRCHA show in November (hopefully) and then Scarlett will be home. I'll be happy for that, but am sad that Matt's last full year with her was so hit/miss on shows going forward. Oh well, such is life. Onward and upward.


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## kewpalace

OK, here's some pix ... 

Hitting Jake up for Herd Help









Chatting up Sarah Dawson (who said she's heard of Matt!)









In the one warm up pen

















In the main arena practicing; this is where reining and fence work would be

























Chatting it up with Andrew Steiger 

























Getting ready for herd work

















Oh yea ... bought a headstall for Scarlett when she's in the bridle


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## kewpalace

Herd work practice


































Herd work show pix









































The Professional shots

















Scooter Kat paid for all the competitors to receive their videos for free! How cool is THAT?!! Here's Scarlett's herd work.

Matt & Scarlett 2020 Stallion Stakes Herd Work

Reining to follow, probably tomorrow ...


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## lb27312

Great pics!! Thanks for sharing, I really like that headstall... That is cool about the video!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312! There were so few vendors there and my friend said she bought something from every one of them, so I had to do a little too, LOL. They had another one that I really liked but it was darker with light highlights. But thought this one would go with Scarlett better. This was $150 - expensive, but well made and pretty. I also bought bell boots - at $16 can't go wrong and she goes through bell boots like no one's business.


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> That is cool about the video!


It's very cool! It saved the competitors some bucks (the videos are NOT cheap). And it cost Scooter Kat's connections a few bucks ... you know they made a deal with the videographer, but still, they had to shell out some good money to do that. There were likely over 200 competitors for all the pre-futurity, horse show & Stakes runs and three (or two for the horse shows) runs for each competitor so that's a LOT of videos!

Makes you want to go breed to him! :razz::razz:


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## COWCHICK77

I had some catching up to do on your journal!
Scarlett is really maturing! It's been fun watching her grow up.

The show season has been so weird, makes it tough to get out there. And I'm sorry Pi didn't catch, I was excited for that baby, dang it!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77. Scarlett no longer looks like a little filly for sure and she is mentally maturing as well. I have good feelings about when I take her over. Thanks about Pi, too. I was very excited for a baby; now, sadly, none until HOPEFULLY 2022. 

Will post reining video later today (hopefully).


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## Knave

I am sorry she didn’t show as well as she could. I was sure she was going to really bring it this time, but it’s cool even that she was there and competed. She’s turned into such a nice horse. Maybe she’s saving it up and you’ll be the one winning big open shows on her one day.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. I was also sure she was going to bring it; on reflection I'm with you ... she might be saving it up for me, LOL!! I will, of course, ride her differently from Matt and ask for different things, so maybe it'll just bring it out in her. Matt has made a very nice horse for me; soon it'll be my turn to see what I can do with her. 

I would love to win an NRCHA premiere event with her; unfortunately that may not happen since ALL premiere events have been moved out of CA (they just announced the Derby has been moved to Scottsdale) and I have no desire to drive 6+ hours to get to one & fork out the $$ for it. Maybe in the future, but in the immediate future it is unlikely. 

So ... on to Reining. We knew Matt would be up later that afternoon so there was no big rush to do much in the morning. Matt did not want to ride her until closer to the time he was going to warm up, but did take her out to the warm up pen to lunge her a little bit to stretch her leg. Probably the first one to ever do THAT at the stallion stakes, LOL! But there was little traffic in the pen he was in, so it didn't bother anyone.

Scarlett was glad to be out of the stall and pranced like a dressage horse and then launched into the air! She felt good.










This is the screen shot I posted after we got home, saying "I think part of the problem was that Scarlett thought this was a Lippizan show":









Can't remember what we did for most of the day, but in the later afternoon, back at the barn getting her ready. We were a little apprehensive since reining has not been her strong point. She has yet to nail any lead change in a show and her spins were pretty pathetic. 

Matt made a comment about her one foot looking funky (inside right hind), but we were in the stall in the shavings (and he bedded her deep) so it was hard to really see. But I took a closer look and told him he needed to look at it better. So he went and lifted her foot - the inside tail of the shoe was visibly bent down and it looked like one of the nails came out and took a chunk of her foot with it. We needed to get it fixed.

They had a list of farriers on the bulletin board; we called each one. NO ONE answered. >:-( Matt said he could try to straighten it but would need a hammer; so we ran around the barn trying to find someone who had one. After making almost a full revolution, we ran into the Fishers packing up their truck and asked them. Wyatt had his farrier tools and let Matt take two hammers (I know them a bit) to return after Matt was done. They were close to our stall, so that was very convenient. Matt went to work pounding on the shoe and got it straightened out the best he could, which was pretty darn good. 

AFTER reining we took pix:









So, go into reining. Matt was not confident the shoe would stay on, so the goal was NOT to stop her hard. :-( She has been doing so good in her stops, it was heartbreaking not to see if she would do it in the show pen.

It was a LONG pattern - 2 large fast circles, one small slow, change leads, 2 large fast circles, one small slow, change leads, go down & stop, 3-1/2 spins, go down & stop, 3-1/2 spins, go down and stop past center line and back. 

Matt booked it in the large fast circles and her down transition to the small slow was very nice; she nailed BOTH lead changes, but the stops, although good, especially given that she was on a wonky shoe! but were not huge or impressive. The run did not raise her any in the standings.

Here's her Scooter Kat funded video:
Matt & Scarlett's 2020 Stallion Stakes Reining Run

The professional pix I got:

Her first stop:









One of her spins:









Matt taped up the foot after the run:









He redid it the next morning and it stayed on for the fence run. 

On reflection, it was a HUGE improvement for Scarlett with reining, even given the sedate ride due to the shoe issue. She was calm and confident and she made it through ALL the elements! I was very happy with how she handled it all. Just wish we wouldn't have had the shoe issue. But, it is what it is and we revel in the improvements.


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## Knave

It is too bad about the shoe. I think I’d have stopped her anyways. Ugh! I wish you had tacked a new one on. Hindsight though right?

I didn’t know everything had been moved. What if one day you come to the Reno show and do the open? We can dream right... maybe @COWCHICK77 and I would even come down to watch you. Shoot, cowchick may have a horse she’s showing there then too! Not me... sadly the oldest girl took my Bones (who I couldn’t get shown anyways do to his hatred for town in his young years) and I ride a plow horse now. Lol


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## lb27312

Ouch on that hoof... Sorry to hear that happened. 

I really liked that video! But really missed the cheering in that. I did anticipate the lead changes! She did good!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> It is too bad about the shoe. I think I’d have stopped her anyways. Ugh! I wish you had tacked a new one on. Hindsight though right?


Yes, we thought the same AFTER reining, LOL. She was stopping so good with the little stops in her show run, she was ready to & would have laid them down big if asked. 



Knave said:


> I didn’t know everything had been moved.


Yes, sadly, there are no NRCHA premiere events in CA. They moved the Derby this year due to COVID, but there were already rumblings they were seeking to move it permanently since the Paso Fairgrounds was making it extremely difficult to keep/have horse events there. NRCHA announced this week that Scottsdale is the new Derby home. Westworld is a lovely facility (more so even than when I was last there as they have enclosed & A/C'd the show pen), but after TX my desire to drive to show has disappeared. 

This really affects many of my co-competitors as well since most of us are full time working stiffs who dabble in cowhorse, including doing spectaculars at the premiere events (although some also show 3 yo in Snaffle Bit Futurities). We don't have the time or money to travel extensive distances to show in one class. It's very disheartening.

NRCHA used to have the Hackamore Classic here, too (well, everything was here for a time) - this and the Derby were the two still in CA when I started in Cowhorse. The Stakes was also in CA; I vaguely remember when they moved it to Vegas. The Hackamore Classic was moved a few years back to CO, then to TX & now held in conjunction with the World Show. 




Knave said:


> What if one day you come to the Reno show and do the open? We can dream right


Well, The Reno connections (Teddy, John Ward & someone else I can't remember now) are fighting NRCHA for use of "Snaffle Bit Futurity" which NRCHA has copyrighted for their use only (or with their permission). :icon_rolleyes: Reno has taken them to court (and seems likely to win) which is still pending. However, this year, NRCHA pulled their muscle and demanded Reno NOT use "Snaffle Bit Futurity" for their show and if they refused to not "check the box" on the form to get the show sanctioned that NRCHA "owns" "Snaffle Bit Futurity", they would not sanction the show. Reno refused to "check the box" and so NRCHA pulled their sanction of the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, so it is NOT NRCHA approved. Which sucks big time.

That, together with Protect the Harvest pulling the $$ out of the Wild Filly Snaffle Bit Futurity, effectively cancelling it, has reduce Reno's allure for many people hunting NRCHA points. It is now only 5 days long (9/16-20) and with COVID, many of the "fun" events (banquet and even just hanging out and watching) are gone and spectators are discouraged from being there.

Still, they have a good crop of 3 yos in their Futurity this year (no doubt looking for show pen experience before heading to Texas; the Stakes had a pre-futurity too) and the 1k has a respectable 39 entries - but still not like it was in the previous years. Added $$ is less and the pay out less. But it is still a chance to show - something rare right now!

But I am hopeful Reno will bounce back and I can go up there to show one of these days again. Would love to see you and @COWCHICK77 showing with me (maybe you'll have a horse by then, Knave!)! Or just see you ... and hang out.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. Glad you liked the video; agree ... very WEIRD without the cheering and whooping and hollering. LOL ...


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## kewpalace

My Friend MaryAnn posted this the other day (and said everyone can share it) ... MaryAnn was a great friend/mentor to me when I was showing Star and getting discouraged when things did not go well. She has been in Cowhorse a LONG time & is a HUGE supporter of Bridle horses. She is Russell Dilday's Mother-in-Law (way after she became involved in Cowhorse). :razz: She runs a broodmare/foaling business at her house. Any way, this is what she posted - hope you enjoy it as much as I did:



> I have been discussing reined cow horses a lot lately with all the movin' and shakin' goin' on in the industry.... I am older than dirt, so I am going to throw out some opinions for you to ponder... I am going to share what I have learned about the reined cowhorse and what makes it the most amazing animal on earth to me… I am taking NOTHING away from any horse, venue, or trainer… Horses are my life… there is nothing done with any horse that is not amazing.
> 
> The reined cowhorse is NOT a reiner, a reiner stops to slide ~ and does it beautifully… the reined cowhorse is NOT a cutter, a cutter cuts to hold a cow in front, with a back and across motion, which he does magnificently. The reined cowhorse is NOT breed specific........ the key word is right in front of y'all ~ REINED !!! It’s all about what happens when you pick up (and note I did not say “pull”) on the rein.
> 
> First off the reined cowhorse moves the way God made him, free and elegant. They do not have a “cookie cutter” look… They may be a quarter horse, a thoroughbred, an appaloosa, or arabian.. And each of those has their own distinct style of movement. It is all about the response to the rein… Greg Ward once said ~ when you take the bridle off the horse’s head, when the poll is straight over the mouth as he releases the bit ~ that is the total release for that horse. The trick is to always meet that point with your hands… You have to be giving back as he is giving in, so you meet at that total release every time. This gets trickier and trickier as you progress step by step.
> 
> The snaffle is the easiest… You have your hands on each side where the horse can see your hands… The horse learns to watch you, to follow the hand from side to side, and when you make lift that rein, he is already hunting for that release… The hackamore is the most fun and challenging because there is so much that can be accomplished with it… Again, as Greg and Richard explained it.. The hackamore is about balance… the trick is to keep the bosal in perfect balance and the horse’s nose in the center… When you lift up on the mecate, it tips the bosal ~ the horse finds the center by tipping the head left or right and finding the middle… along the way, he is learning to neck rein by keeping his head and neck in balance as he turns… And then we progress to the 2 rein.. We allow that horse to carry a bridle, to learn to feel the weight of the bit, to learn to hold it, and eventually to feel the pressure from the curbstrap… Again, we are aiming for THAT horse’s release point… Again, that horse has to find and feel your hand now holding both reins in the center. And learn to feel the movement of the reins on the bridle.. This is amazing ~ just the swing of the reins can generate so much response from that horse… And finally, we arrive at the bridle !!!! This is a whole new adventure.. The thrill of lifting your reins and trying to beat the horse to the release is like nothing else…. By this time everything is subtle… it’s like a finely tuned dance… Just the pressure of your calf can start a lead, a lead change, a spin, all with that face at the release point….
> 
> The reined cowhorse is about throwing the reins down, running wide open, free, and stopping.. it’s stopping to STOP, not slide by that cow, to be ready instantly to spring forward, backward, or sideways. It’s finishing with that stop soft in front, with the head at the perfect point of release… and being ready to back, spin, or move at the slightest cue, immediately… Above all else, the reined cowhorse is about cows !!!!! In the herd, in front, down the fence, circling up !!!! All the while moving in their own style, their own drive and determination, with a rider working WITH them… or as Greg used to say ~ staying out of their way !!!!!
> 
> Are they easy to train, yes and no… it depends on how much each trainer (and owner) wants to invest in time, patience, and individuality.
> 
> Are they easy to ride, yes and no… it depends on how much the rider wants to invest in time, patience, learning the horse, the pattern, and just plain staying on top, and staying out of their way.
> 
> Are they easy to judge, yes and no… a judge has to look at THAT horse, THAT performance, THAT style, THAT rein… Are they fun to watch…. YES, and the more you learn how to watch, and what to look for, and appreciate these amazing athletes, the more EXCITING and FUN !!!! — at TLC Quarter Horses


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## Knave

I didn’t know all of that. It’s too bad. They should have never moved it anyways. I didn’t know they took the money out of the protect the harvest fillies. Many of them didn’t put the time in the first year though, maybe it was discouraging...


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## kewpalace

@Knave, the2nd year of the filly Futurity went really well & people stepped up for the 3rd season, which is what Matt/Tilly we’re going to be in this year. Here’s what I wrote on Tilly’s journal (post 105) about the pull out: 



> From what has been discussed between the trainers, one of whom used to work for Protect the Harvest, PTH has pulled out of ALL horse and livestock events, not just the Mustang Futurity, including the Reno SBF, the AQHA world show. It was a pretty bad thing to do after the trainers had bought and put the time/effort into their fillies, and blaming Covid 19, when rumor has it that that is not the real reason. The supposed real reason is that is that PTH did not want to sponsor horse/livestock events in the first place and only did so because Forrest Lucas wanted it. But he is now having health issues and they took the opportunity to pull out of horse/livestock events. What ever the reason, the manner in which they did it left a bad taste in may people's mouths for PTH.


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## kewpalace

Finally getting around to finishing off the Stallion Stakes recap ... Fence Work. 

The practice run went OK, not stellar, but it only needs to be stellar in the show pen, right? After the practice run, Matt let me cool Scarlett out a bit ... 


















We took her back to the barn to relax a bit before their run. He took the saddle off and let her back air a bit and let her eat/drink some.

Then came their turn. They got a very sedate cow, but it was good for boxing. However, when they went down the fence the cow would.not.run. The Judges whistled for a new cow. The 2nd cow was just the opposite - it was a runner. They almost immediately got behind in boxing and the cow took off down the fence on the opposite side of where they should have been (on the Judge's side, but that wouldn't ding them any), so they were way late in leaving to go down the fence. They caught up to it past the 1st penalty marker and right at the 2nd penalty marker Matt tried to turn it (he was right next to it), but it pushed its way under Scarlett's neck. I think they got it turned almost at the center marker. 

They were behind coming out of the 1st fence turn, too, and it went around the end the arena & they got a turn on the fence. But again got behind to try to circle it. Managed to get it circled both ways and the whistle blew. What a fiasco. 

I felt sorry for Scarlett who can do so much better and sorry for Matt who also could do so much better. They scored a 181.5. Unfortunately that the way it goes sometimes. But really, it could have been a straight 180, so they got some credit some where.

Here's some screen shots ... 



















































































But, the fiasco did make for some cool professional pix:

















I really love the last one.

One things Matt said, which makes you love Scarlett even more, is that she never quit throughout the whole run - in which she was going 9-0 the ENTIRE time. He also said that even though she was obviously tired toward the end, when they went to do their 2nd fence turn, he said she relaxed and had at it - she loves the fence turns!

Next up is HiDHA on the 27th - just straight Ranch Horse Classes, no cows. HiDHA again in October. Then CRCHA in November. Then we are done for the year.


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## kewpalace

Yesterday was the 1st day of the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity, which started off with herd work in all divisions. 7 sets of Open, 3 of NP and 1 of NPL. I watched on/off all day - today the site will not load. :-/ So I'm missing all of the NP Two Rein and I know two people in it. :-(

Anyway, Travis had two horses in Open - scored 214 on one and 204 on the other. On the 1st horse he tied for 24th (out of 86) with Jake Telford, Lance Johnston, Russell Dilday & Chris Krieg (good company!) in the Open, tied for 14th (with Russell & Chris), was 6th in the Ltd Open and WON the Level 1. I will post a pix, but the internet is giving me fits this morning, so not only NOT connecting to the live feed, it's not uploading pix. :-/

In NP, I know two people - JJ Fisher placed 213, which tied for 2nd (there are 22 riders) and the other, Cynthia Bias, scored a 210 which tied for 6th in the NP & tied for 3rd in Ltd NP. Was happy for them both, they were nice runs.

I didn't catch the NPL, but know one person in the division; Luckily a friend who is there to compete in the 1K sent me her video ... she WON the herd work!!! With a 211. She's been doing Futurities for quite a while and worked really hard this year to get to a competitive level. I'm so happy for her ... a life long dream after putting in all the very hard work. 

Today is non-Futurity horse show classes. Two rein and bridle. Hoping my feed will be back up soon ...


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## Knave

Oh wow, that is a crappy thing for sure of PTH. 

I do like that last photo a lot!


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## lb27312

Great pictures @kewpalace - love the action shots... Thanks for sharing! Yeah I agree with @Knave - that's pretty crappy of them.


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## kewpalace

@Knave, it was pretty crappy. This would have the year the trainers really put some effort into the training of the fillies - well, there were at least 5 who were going all out to be competitive. 




Knave said:


> I do like that last photo a lot!


It's a great one! :thumbsup:



lb27312 said:


> Great pictures @kewpalace - love the action shots... Thanks for sharing!


 Thanks @lb27312! Being behind makes for great action shots, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Forgot to give a recap of yesterday's Reno happenings ... I finally got the feed during the last set of the NP Bridle. JJ Fisher (I am acquainted with him) won the NonPro Bridle. He rode in the first set, so I missed the run. 

In Open Bridle, Ron Emmons on SJR Metallic Beau won; it was a beautiful run. Brother Jackson was in it - LAST draw. His cow came out running, completely blew off the horse and took off down the fence. New Cow. They actually got to box! Took it down the fence, did two NICE turns and went for a 3rd and the cow turned into Matt's cow from Vegas ... Ken Wold went to turn the cow and the cow did NOT honor the horse and squeezed under his neck and by him. He tried a couple of other times to turn it as they rounded the end of the arena - with the same result - and he finally got it turned before the center marker. The Circles were good, but by that time the damage had been done. 202 on the cow. :-( That put him 3rd from the bottom.

One bright note was that the young girl (woman now I guess, LOL) who competed in some of the ranch horse versatility shows I've been to was in Open Bridle riding her Slider (Topsails Rien Maker) stallion. I don't know that she's ever ridden in an NRCHA or top cowhorse show before, or that she's even technically ridden in any cow horse show. She has done all the training on this horse herself and I guess is training other horses, since she is riding in Open. In any event, her reining was not bad, but the cow work was all over the map. She ended up with a 404, but that put her 7th (2 spots out of the money), which I thought was a good showing for her first show against the big guns. 

Today is Non Pro Ltd day - sponsored by Scooter Kat - you have to love him for putting all the $$ into putting his name out there by buying all the competitor's videos in Vegas for us and I think for this show, he bought all the saddles for the NP divisions - that is so cool. 

My friend Lissa (who I bought Pi and Scarlett from) and Sharon are in the 1k. Sharon has good shot to win it if she keeps focused and relaxed. She's practiced hard for it. Lissa has a good shot for some money if she does the same. The NPL block starts about 9-ish, after the NP Hackamore (8 entries). Live feed available at Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity.

My friend Michelle is in the Open Hackamore (after the NPL block) on her Ward Ranch mare that she bought this year. Crossing fingers for her!


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## kewpalace

Busy weekend - went to Mom's; the route to her house that I normally take runs along the foothills of the Antelope Valley. The Bobcat fire, which started in the foothills above Azuza - on the other side of the mountains from the AV has made its way OVER the mountain range and down into the AV foothills. It has really spread out and sort of divided - so one branch to the west in the AV mountains AND the other to the east. about 15-20 miles? You could see the active smoke plumes (but no flames as of yet) from Hwy 138 and it is moving towards the 138.

Found out Saturday night the Bobcat fire destroyed the Devils Punchbowl nature center ... it was built in 1963. We hiked there Pre-COVID a few times and were planning another hike in the fall. So sad. Quite a few home were lost in Juniper Hills; thank God none of my friend's home were lost (as far as I know). Coming home on Sunday, 138 was still open, but the fire had moved closed to it. The smoke was very thick on the Hwy, but it wasn't until I hit Palmdale that ash was visibly falling. It was relatively clear when I got home, but you could see on the way that the smoke had fallen like a dense fog on the AV north of 138. 

Reno is done and ended pretty successfully for not being NRCHA approved and the pull out of PTH. My friends were not real successful, except Lissa, but they were all happy to have gone. My friend Sharon end up 14th, I think, out of the $$ but was very happy with her run. Lissa had a great run and hung on for an 8th place tie finish in both the 1k & 5K, earning her FIRST cowhorse $$. She did awesome. 

My friend Michelle tanked in Ltd Open Hackamore - she was putting in a nice reining run when, after the 2nd set of spins, her horse backed, like - ALL the way around the end of the arena. :shock: So they zero'd in reining and, of course, that took them out of the running.

In the Futurity, my friend Shelly, who won the herd work in NPL, lost focus in reining and ended out of the money. She had a great boxing run, but she had tanked enough in reining that her great boxing run could not pull her into the $$. Just a few more reining points and she would have been there. Travis won a little money in the Open Futurity on his one horse (tied 9th in Ltd. Open & tied for 2nd in Level 1 on RO One Time Cayenne; 1/2 point out of the money on his other horse Khaleesi Diamond in Level 1).

NRCHA"s Snaffle Bit Futurity is in two weeks. It'll be webcasted.

Now it's getting ready for next Sunday's show. Should be fun. Rode Pi yesterday after I got home and she did really well. It was a good ride.


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## carshon

I hope the fires don't get near you. I read your journal with great interest and love how you write. I have learned and even educated myself more about reining since reading your posts. Keep on posting!


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## kewpalace

Aw thanks @carshon! Glad you are enjoying the journal (an like my writing style! ).

I used to tolerate reining only because you had to do it to get to work a cow at the cowhorse shows, LOL. Then to advance, I really how learn how to do it. Grant it, it is not quite the same as straight reining (the cowhorse guys have a field day with that ... saying they like a horse that thinks [i.e., a cowhorse] for itself ), but it still requires similar skills and the horses still have be "willingly guided". My view of reining has moved from tolerating it to knowing how hard it really is, so appreciating it much more. And then the cows are the icing on the cake after you get done with reining! LOL ... 

The fires are not near me. The Bobcat fire is a good 70 miles or so from my house. In between is the desert floor. So it is unlikely to get to me. But, I have friends in the AV and drive through it to go back/forth from Mom's. And I used to ride there exclusively (in the foothills of Palmdale) for years. It's very sad to see it burning, including the Joshua Trees.


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## kewpalace

My friend Lissa gave me an interesting bit of news ... CRCHA has signed a contract to do a Derby in Paso next year! WooHoo! Wonder were it will be ... since the Events Center is apparently not so horse-friendly any more. But it's nice to know there will be a Derby close (well, it's probably as far from me as Vegas is!).


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## COWCHICK77

I love the pictures of you on Scarlett, you are smiling ear to ear! It'll be so fun seeing you two showing together!

I only caught the tail end of the Open Bridle and even then it kept cutting out on me. Not sure if it was the live feed or my "out in the sticks" internet. Ron did have a beautiful run. Saw Ken's cow work, I agree two textbook, smooth as glass , turns on the fence them that cow gave him the finger.
Caught part of my trainers run and heard they held the score but didnt hear where he ended up.
A couple days later I went to his place to go pick up Piggy for a couple months and asked him what happened.
He got hung up on his left fence turn so they dinged him the 3 pts.

I wonder if the CRCHA found a private facility???


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> I love the pictures of you on Scarlett, you are smiling ear to ear! It'll be so fun seeing you two showing together!


 Aw, thanks @COWCHICK77! It was really nice feeling; but until she's at home, I'm a little hesitant that I will do something that Matt will have to fix for him to ride her, LOL. The little I've been on her, that is unlikely to happen; but you know your brain does weird things .... ;-)



COWCHICK77 said:


> Saw Ken's cow work, I agree two textbook, smooth as glass , turns on the fence them that cow gave him the finger.


OK, that made me spit out my tea, LOL ... :rofl: That's exactly what happened alright. Still he came back on two BJ babies at Reno and grabbed checks on both! And Sista Jackson, ridden by Tyus Olson, won the Level 1 division (taking away a 3rd Level 1 one win in a row from Travis; he came in as reserve).




COWCHICK77 said:


> Caught part of my trainers run and heard they held the score but didnt hear where he ended up. ... He got hung up on his left fence turn so they dinged him the 3 pts.


That's unfortunate; that was Scarlett's trick going to the left, but Matt's been working on it and it seems to be getting better. But he didn't get to show off his hard work since their cow was pretty wonky. :mrgreen::tongue:



COWCHICK77 said:


> I wonder if the CRCHA found a private facility???


Definitely a possibility. I wondered if it was going to be at Sharon's (she started & has all the MidState Cowhorse shows at her place), but she would have said something. Once I hear, I'll post it. 

So, Pi and I have been out of showing since Texas. I ponied up to show this weekend at the local show in their Ranch Horse classes and have been riding every night. She's been really good, so I'm excited to go and show. 

Meghan Mankins posted last night that Travis is going to have a clinic on 10/5 asking if people wanted a Ranch Horse or Cow clinic; majority said COWS! LOL ... I posted cows and would love to do another clinic with Travis. Sharon jumped on that and wants me to come stay with her the night before, LOL. It would be fun though; she has a NICE place. Wish she wasn't so far I'd go ride at her place every day! Anyway, that is 10/10. Meghan as yet to post any particulars or how much it will be. They usually price their events reasonably. Would be nice to go someplace and hang out with friends ... :thumbsup::cheers:


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## kewpalace

Oh, and I have new neighbors. One is an older lady with two horses. I don't think she's done much with her horses other than trail ride - one's ancient and one's a baby. I have no clue how trained they are, but a comment she made to me made me think not so much (which is fine, if she is happy with them). I was on Pi and went by her place and stopped to talk. A car comes down our road so I moved Pi over (moved the HQ and side passed). She was SOOO impressed, LOL ... She came over yesterday while I was riding and told me that Pi and I just look so beautiful together.  Always nice to hear that!

My other new neighbors are renters directly across from Pi's turnout. The grandmother was out with her granddaughter (who's 4? 3 or 4) and always goes next door to see the little Oak Creek filly, Mimi. I ride by them, stopping to talk a bit; little Ava just loved on Pi. Pi loves it and nuzzles her a bit. Then when Nancy brought up Mimi, she loved on Mimi a bit, but came right back to Pi, LOL.

Anyway, nice to have nice neighbors.


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## kewpalace

A whirlwind of activity to get into the Mankins' clinic, LOL. Meghan posted the details this morning and said the first 10 deposits are in. Oy! So I sent my deposit. Meghan emailed me that the 10/10 clinic is for anyone - beginners on up - and that she set another clinic on the 17th for seasoned showing non-pros, so gave me an option to do one or both. Darn it all, the last HiDHA show is the 18th, no way I could do both. Buellton is a 3.5 hr. haul from me and the HiDHA show is is an hour in the opposite direction from me. So just opted for the one on the 10th. Which is fine, since Pi and I are so out of practice, LOL. Anyway, as mentioned they are so reasonable - $135 for the clinic - cows in the a.m., dry work in the p.m. PLUS lunch! Should be a fun time!


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - Wow that sounds soooo fun! I'm jealous! Wish I could find something like that close to me... that's a great price!!


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## kewpalace

They put on super affordable (& fun) clinics - yea, you won't find another one with cows so cheap. And they feed you WELL. How could you NOT go?!  Wish you had something close to you, too, @lb27312.


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## kewpalace

Pi's new headstall came in. For $40 it's really nice ... and looks good on her!


















I got bit by something on my left index finger yesterday morning. It's now pretty swollen and I can only bend it about 1/2 way. It's also warm to the touch. :icon_rolleyes:

But at least our sunset was pretty ... thanks to fire smoke....


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## carshon

Love the headstall. But, I am a tack hoarder.


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> Love the headstall. But, I am a tack hoarder.


LOL ... Thanks @carshon! I'm not much of a tack horder, but was tired of Pi using Star's old VCHA trophy headstall. Way past time for her to have her own.


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## lb27312

Wow Pi looks real purdy in her new headstall!! I like it. Glad she finally got her own. I'm not much of a hoarder myself, Captain will probably use hand me downs until he gets older.. 

When will Scarlet be coming home again? I bet you're excited.


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## Knave

I love the headstall, and that’s super exciting about the clinics! 

On a different note, I hope you finger has worked itself out by now.


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Wow Pi looks real purdy in her new headstall!!


Aw, thanks lb27312! 



lb27312 said:


> When will Scarlet be coming home again? I bet you're excited.


End of November or sometime shortly thereafter.



Knave said:


> I love the headstall, and that’s super exciting about the clinics! [P] On a different note, I hope you finger has worked itself out by now.


Thank on the headstall, I really like it. And I'm looking forward to the clinic ... found out they also set one up for next weekend for beginners. My friend Gayle is going to that one; was hoping she would be in the 10/10 one so we could carpool, but oh well.

Yes, my finger FINALLY went down. Still a slight bit of residual soreness, but after swelling to the point it made it hard to type, it FINALLY went down on Saturday. I have no idea what bit me; what ever it was very small as I didn't see it or the bite/sting mark.

Have lots to report over the weekend, but need to get some work done first. Turned out to be an interesting weekend!


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## kewpalace

I had typed out a Saturday recap, but things are acting a bit strange today (and I"m so tired that could be why), but it disappeared. Have no clue what happened.

Anyway, on to Saturday. Matt changed our lesson/show practice times to the afternoon since Gayle, who was hauling up from Bako and spending the night with me, could get stuff done in the morning. And Jennifer had invited us for dinner (homemade lasagna). I volunteered making a salad & Gayle brought a Fruit bowl. I cleaned my house a bit in the morning then hauled up to Matt's & ended up following Gayle into his property, LOL. 

Jennifer asked us to guess whether their one donkey was fat or pregnant and she would take our guesses at dinner, LOL. It was one of the ones Matt picked up from BLM to work Scarlett on and BLM had no clue. Matt could not tell, but she was getting progressively bigger. You would have thought it would be evident, but it wasn't. Matt did say on Saturday that she was bagging up; which would mean pregnant. 

We had a couple hours of good lesson/practice - going over our reining, ranch riding & trail patterns. This show only has an Open division for Ranch Horse that was not W/T. So Pi/I were in the Open division with Matt/Scarlett. Gayle/Rita were in walk/trot open. We agreed that Matt would haul all of us and would come down to get us in the morning. We left our tack and gear in his one trailer.

After we were done we agreed that Matt would haul all of us and would come down to get us in the morning. We left our tack and gear in his one trailer. Gayle & I went back to my place to wash & settle the ponies and for me to make my salad. Then we went back up to Matt's. Dinner was great and it was fun to talk mainly show & horses. Jennifer is an awesome cook and the Lasagna was fantastic. She made an equally amazing chocolate applesauce cake - YUMMY!

We left about 9:30 and Matt walked us out. We could hear some dogs barking that sounded like they were right at his property line which was unusual. But off we went. A few minutes later, Matt texted me this:











So adorable! 

Gayle and I talked a bit and finally hit the sheets, but I had trouble sleeping. I'm feeling it today, LOL, but Sunday, I felt OK ... Sunday's recap later....

Jennifer did send this pix in the morning though ...


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## kewpalace

Sunday, I'm up and out early to feed the horses and get the fruit chopped up for breakfast. I'm all dressed by the time Gayle is up, LOL. We had a nice breakfast and then carted our stuff out to my truck to wait for Matt. My neighbor comes by to wish us good luck. Matt came, we loaded up and off we went packed in the truck & trailer!

Found a good spot and went to check in then warmed up our horses a bit. Scarlett was WAY high and prancing like a dressage horse. I never saw her go up, but Matt said she was ready to do that & he was having a time trying to ride her, she was really bouncy. He's been telling me I'll have a hard time riding her and today was the first time I started believing him. When I do, I guess I'll have to lunge her first to get her ya-yas out and have her brain kick in. 

Found out that Matthew was the ONLY rider in the 12 & Under W/T classes; which was sad since he was looking for competition. Hoping next show (the last show which is also a double show) he gets some. But he still went in and rode all his patterns and did well, except in reining where he overspun. 

We all did our trail before conformation and we all seemed to have a good go of it. They don't announce the scores right away. After trail closes -it's a separate area and you just go do your pattern between 10-2 then the judge turns in all the sheets - they announce it sometime later that afternoon. Pi was really good in it; only one turn around I wondered about since she was a bit dopey on it. Scarlett/Matt did a nice pattern too (they were in Ranch Open with me). As did Gayle/Rita (they were in the W/T Ranch Open).

Then we waited around a bit for ranch conformation. They dump all divisions in the one class. The only one of us who placed was Gayle/Rita, who placed 5th or 6th? I'm really bad at remembering everyone's placings (I had to write mine down!). I'll post the correct placings when the show does.

Then came Ranch Riding. Now all the arena classes are a bit hard for Pi since she thinks when we go in the show pen, we lope. And 98% of the time, she's right. But not in Ranch classes, LOL. But we did OK, just a few times she wanted to break gait and I almost lost my way at one point. :icon_rolleyes: But got back on track and we finished the pattern correctly. We had a nice run. We ended up 3rd under BOTH judges! It made me happy. :mrgreen: I can't remember how Matt and Gayle did, but they also both placed.

Next up was Ranch Rail - the pleasure class. That one is not too bad since Pi thinks its the warm up pen with all the horses in there, so she's not so keen to lope (we do all gaits in our warm up pen). But we still usually don't place in that class. We did manage to eeek out a 6th place out of one of the judges ... :dance-smiley05:.

Last up was Ranch Reining. Here was our pattern .... with NO lead changes. :icon_rolleyes::think: 










So where the lead changes would be, we stop. I had practiced that, but we needed to go to a big arena to practice and didn't get the chance. Our rollbacks were good and our first set of circles and stop/spins were good. Our 2nd set of circles were good and we come into the middle for our stop and Pi DID A LEAD CHANGE! :evil::lol: At the same time I asked for her stop, LOL. I heard people commenting about my "trick" pony, LOL; but can't do anything at that point. We finish our pattern and our last stop and back were really nice. Even with the non-patterned lead change, we ended up 4th under BOTH judges in Ranch Reining Open. I can't remember how Matt and Gayle did, but they also both placed. I think Matt got 1st under both Judges.

While we were pulling saddles, they announced trail ... Pi and I GOT 1ST under BOTH judges! That put us 3rd in overall for the Ranch Open for the day. I do remember Matt/Scarlett came in 2nd in the overall for Ranch Open and Gayle/Rita came in 3rd overall in Ranch Open W/T. Here a pix of most of our ribbons (they were short a few for each of us).









And then mine (missing the 6th place ribbon):









So, not a bad day for my little cowpony who thinks show pen means loping and lead changes, LOL. 

While we were setting up our group photo, Mitchell was holding Rita, who stepped on his foot, right on the big toe nail. His foot was a bloody mess, but by the time we got home, he was in good spirits. Matt said this morning he was doing great (other than losing the toenail). 

We got home about 6:30 ... Gayle still had an hour's drive to get home from my place, but made it in good time. 

Fun day all the way around! I was happy that we were consistent in our placings between the Judges, except for Ranch Riding (and I could kiss the judge who placed us! LOL ... ).


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## kewpalace

Well, looks like I'm off riding for a little bit; strained/tore a knee ligament. :icon_rolleyes::???:









Doc thinks its an easy heal; went for an xray. If not better by next week, will have to go for an MRI.

Cancelled out of Travis' clinic. Hoping I'll be good enough by the next HiDHA show.

So dopey .... :evil:


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## carshon

Oh No! After such a good show! I hope you heal fast with no lasting effects!


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## knightrider

Oh no! That's terrible! How did you injure it?


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## kewpalace

Thanks @carshon & @knightrider. It should heal up fine, but very inconvenient in the meantime. @knightrider - I'm a bit embarrassed to say ... told the doctor I wish it was in a more dramatic fashion, LOL ... I rolled over in bed and guess the bottom of my leg didn't follow the top; I heard/felt it "pop". It's a B%^$#@ getting old ....

I may leave a little early to go see Matt's new donkey .... need a little cheering up ...


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## COWCHICK77

Oh geez!!! Hope you heal up fast! And definitely give it the time and rest it needs.

It's never really an exciting story..lol...you could make up some exciting bronc riding tale


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## kewpalace

Thanks @COWCHICK77. Last time, 12 years ago, when I injured my knee, it was pretty "exciting" as I did it jumping out of my truck bed. Guess they just took the "truck" out and made it "bed" for this time, LOL. 

I went up to Matt's on my way home last night to see little Radar, the new baby donkey. OMG, is he SOOOO cute!! I can't believe how adorable he is. I didn't go in just in case Momma got excited - and I can't move very well, but Matt & Mitchie went in and scooted him near the gate for me to love on. He is very friendly, but you can see the personality in him, LOL. Wish I would have gotten pix but there is it. He let me scratch on his neck and withers and sniffed me up and down a few times. 

After I watch Matt on Scarlett; he is part of a group of horsemen who gets together every year to fish and talk horses. This year it was the week before the HiDHA show. One of the guys, Keith Seidel, is a saddle maker and they started talking horses and saddle fitting and Keith had an idea about todays performance horses and how they are built. After the fishing meet, Keith spent a few days at Matt's and they talked about Scarlett and Matt's issues with her. Keith looked at him riding her and then looked at her back and identified an issue - the same one he thinks is affecting many performance horses. They came up with a plan; the first part was implemented for the HiDHA show; which was better but presented other issues (sorry to be vague; until they announce publicly what they are working on, I have to be vague). Matt had another way to deal with the first issue and has been working on it; last night was the first practice with his new idea - and it went swimmingly!

Scarlett seemed to us to be naturally high headed and has been clunky with her feet. After Keith and Matt identified her one issue and discussed ways to help her out with it, with the first incarnation used at the HiDHA show, she looked alot better - lower head; faster/more precise with her feet; but as I said, it presented a resulting issue, so the first incarnation was not the answer. Last night he was trying out the 2nd incarnation ... and it went alot better. Matt was very pleased with the practice run and now will work her up to carrying herself a little different and see how it goes. I took pix, but the sun was setting. Still got some cool pix ... 


































































HiDHA updated the point standings. Matt is sitting 2nd in the Open Ranch Horse division; next show (another double pointer) is the last show of the series - he has a chance to nab first place, but he is up on his greeny (although technically green, she is not as seasoned) cow pony against seasoned/experienced show horses (mainly reiners); a lot has to happen for him to catch 1st .... 

Still in the Class standings he is 2nd in Ranch Horse Riding; he has a shot at 1st is things go well; tied for 4th in Ranch Rail, 1st in Ranch Trail (I'm sitting 2nd!) and 1st in Ranch Reining.

Even though I did pretty well at the last show, most of the people ahead of me in the standings showed in the 1st show (July) so has a good jump ahead of me point wise. Still, it I can show at the next show, I'll likely end up at the top of the standings in the class standings. The division standings, I'm pretty far down there, so the others would have to have a really bad show (which I don't wish on anyone) or not show up. I might be able to eeek out 3rd, IF I have a great show!


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - Ouch! On the knee, I hope it heals fast. Super bummer on the clinic! That stinks.... 

Those are bad placings! I hope you keep them, and do great at the next show. 

That little donkey is sooo stinking cute!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @lb27312.  Knee is feeling better although I'm wearing the immobilizer practically all day. I did walk around the house a bit this morning w/out it, and it did quite well. I could still feel it's swollen and not liking to twist, but I could bear weight on it and bend/straighten it pretty well. Makes me optimistic!

Little Radar is very cute ... here's one of Matthew with him on Wednesday ...


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## kewpalace

And then just because I was playing around with Prisma & GoArt ...


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## Knave

I only “liked” the leg stuff because I read it. Ugh. That really sucks.

I do however love that stinking donkey!!!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I only “liked” the leg stuff because I read it. Ugh. That really sucks. I do however love that stinking donkey!!!


LOL, yea you can’t not like that stinkin’ cute donkey!


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## carshon

I second the cute donkey pics!


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## lb27312

Cute donkey pics! It looks so small.... 

Sorry I meant to say those AREN'T bad placings and that I hope you keep them. So sorry!

Those art pics are cool...


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Sorry I meant to say those AREN'T bad placings and that I hope you keep them. So sorry!


LOL, no worries @lb27312! I thought you mean bad A$$, LOL ... 

Little Radar is definitely little; but his personality is huge. He's got some attitude for sure!


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## kewpalace

Matt & Matthew took Scarlett & Rowdy to round up a few of Matt's Dad's cattle yesterday. I am awaiting pix, but Matt called on the way home and said Scarlett was did really well with it and seemed to have a good time. I am glad he took her; get her off the property and doing something not real stressful. They all seemed to have a good time. I will post pix once I get them.


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## kewpalace

Went up to Matt's on Saturday to watch his lesson and watch him ride Scarlett, since I'm still sidelined with my knee (although it's doing fantastic, so I think next weekend is a go!). Scarlett is doing really well with the new adjustments that Matt made to her pad ... 

Keith, the saddle maker I mentioned above, told Matt that the way many performance horses are bred, it raises their rib cages out a bit from their spine before they fall down along the sides - I know I'm not explaining this correctly or adeptly, but I think you'll know what I'm getting at. Most horses (Pi included), their rib cage starts to fall directly coming out of the spine. Matt showed me on Scarlett and Pi; it was interesting to see. 

So, per Keith, this causes the horses not to be able to lift their backs right under the saddle against the pressure of the saddle pad and gets them sore and causes other issues. Shim Pads don't work that well; they set the rider up off the horse and can rock the saddle. Matt made a wither shim from an old felt pad; that is what he used at HiDHA. While it worked OK, he said he felt really disconnected from Scarlett and wouldn't want to use that going down the fence on a cow. He also felt it put more pressure on her loins and made her sore. He bought the Diamond Wool Shim pad and tried it out. He said he felt the same except with the added "bonus" of the saddle rocking side to side, so definitely wouldn't want to use that doing cowwork. 

So I had an old Smith Brother's pad (Smith Brother's went out of business :-() - it had a neoprene core sandwiched between two felt pads (less than 1/2" each). Matt carved out portions on each side up by the spine to give her some back relief and been riding her in that. It's made a huge difference! She's more relaxed and travels with her head lower and her spins are faster.


















Here's a video of a couple of stops ... unfortunately for the 1st one, his lesson person was blocking it and I wasn't prepared for when he did the 2nd one, LOL ... 





Looking forward to see them in action at HiDHA on Sunday; that will be the real test ...


And since I was there, of course, I had to see little Radar ... he's so adorable!


























And Finally, the Snaffle Bit Futurity has started (webcasted at nrcha.com). Sarah Dawson has been awesome - she put in a 223 ride on a Smart Chic Olena filly to tie Nick Dowers & Kelby Phillips for 1st in the Open Rein work. It was a beautiful ride.

Sarah Dawson & Smart Chic An Tari 2020 NRCHA SBF

Clinton Anderson, who shows cowhorse occasionally, ended up tied at 9th with a 221; he usually does pretty well in the reining portion. Cows (herd & reining) is where he usually can't keep up with the cowhorse guys. Chris Cox is also riding this year; but he's only doing Level 1. He's currently 2nd with a 218 after reinwork.

Today starts Herd Work ... There are 226 Open Riders & 55 Level 1 only riders. They are running Level 1 Riders who are only entered in L1 separately. So, it'll take two days for herd work. Cow work is then next Monday.


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## kewpalace

Sarah Dawson had her herd work yesterday on Smart Chic An Tari - they scored a 218 for a 441 composite total which was top of the leaderboard. Then a few runs later Ben Baldus & Teles Were Dreamin came in with a 219 to tie Sarah at 441. Here's their runs ... I thought Ben's horse was REALLY catty and thought he'd score higher ...

Sarah & Smart Chic An Tari

Ben & Teles Were Dreamin

10 sets today, so things could definitely change; plus they still have fence work; but it looks like both of these riders/horses are headed for the finals!


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## kewpalace

Well, it looks like Sarah & Ben held on to their 441 composite 1st place tie going into the fence work. They still have a few sets of Level 1 herd work to do this morning. Fence work starts Monday so the babies get a nice rest. That doesn't mean there is still not showing going on! Today is herd work for the Hackamore Classic. Tomorrow is herd work for NonPros & NPL Futurity riders. And are horse show classes going on in the other arena starting today!


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## kewpalace

Sunday is the last HiDHA show for the year. My knee has felt great the last few days, so the plan is to ride Pi in it. Although I have not ridden Pi since the last show. 

We will do a repeat of the process from the last show - Gayle/Rita will come up tomorrow afternoon and we'll all practice; then wash the ponies and go back up to Matt's for potluck dinner. Matt's making smoked chicken, Jennifer's making coleslaw, I'm making Best Ever Cowboy Beans and Gayle's brining a fruit bowl. 

I may actually go up early tomorrow as Matt's client, Crystal, is coming up with her mare and her new filly, who she bought from my other friend Anna. I want to see the filly.  And practice the trail pattern, LOL ... 

Open Two Rein going on at the SBF right now ... love watching the two rein horses!


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## kewpalace

Finally have a little time to recap the weekend!

Saturday, I got things done at the house, including starting the beans in the crockpot, packed up both the soft & the stiffer braces, and Pi and headed up to Matt's about 11. Put on the soft brace and started loping Pi in the upper arena - yea, that was not going to work so put on the stiffer brace and it was much better. Went down to the lower arena where Matt was still working with Crystal. 

Crystal did not bring her filly (which is still feeling poorly from a worm infestation), but that's OK. Pi and I tooled around a bit while Matt finished up with Crystal. Gayle came and we worked on the serpentine with a pole in between the cones (trail obstacle) and a few other things, then went to practice roping the cow (another trail obstacle). Pi was really good for not having been ridden for 3 weeks! 
Gayle & I left about 4-ish to go wash horses at my house.

Finished up washing and wrapping the ponies & got in the house and the crockpot had not heated up. :evil: Put some in a pot and started heating them on the stove. Went up to Matts for dinner and it was a nice evening. Beans were actually a big hit, although they were more like a mash. :| After dinner, We were ready for bed, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Sunday, Matt picked us up about 8:30 and off we went to Palmdale. The little parking area was packed, so we parked along the fence where there were some trees; actually turned out to be a good spot! Saddled horses and went to warm up. 

Then we decided to do our trail class, which was a "do as you can fit it in" class. Here's our Pattern:










It was actually pretty easy and Pi did a nice job. Trail ran until 2 pm, so we wouldn't know the scores until later.

Matthew was the only kid in w/t 12-under. Felt sorry for him, but he was a trooper. He was hoping they would combine his rail class with the w/t open class - and they DID! He was so happy!! LOL. One of the Judges (there were two judges; it was a double point show) told him after that if he was in the w/t open (there were 6 riders in that class) he would have won it. That made him even happier. He did a good job in all his classes; they announced his ranch riding class - gave him a 70!
Then we had to unsaddle for conformation. Here's a pix of us, albeit from the back, LOL:










And while waiting:










We had Ranch Riding next. Here's our pattern:










The side pass was REALLY TIGHT! But Pi did great and I was really happy with her performance. Here's a pix of the side pass:


















I couldn't believe when they announced the placings and we did not place - a few other competitors had some BIG mistakes and they placed over us. :evil: Even Matt's wife was a little astounded about that.

Ranch Rail was next. We usually don't do great at this since Pi doesn't understand why we need to do all the transitions, LOL. So I wasn't so upset to learn we didn't place in that either. Matt's wife was not happy about it though. :smile:

Last was Ranch Reining. I decided to give it my all since I had nothing to lose. Here's our pattern:










So we went out and hauled butt! After, Matt told me that was the bravest he's ever seen me ride; Matt's Dad told me I ride just as good as Matt, LOL and then said, "No you ride BETTER than Matt!" :rofl:


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## kewpalace

Matt and Scarlett did pretty good, although he said she was a little too sedate for him and he ended up having to wake her up a bit for reining, where he also hauled butt in, LOL. Some pix:


































































Gayle and I wore our pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month ... Matt's wife took our pix:










Final Tally between Matt & I in Open Ranch Horse:

*Conformation*: Matt got 3rd under one Judge; I got 4th under the other Judge
*Ranch Riding*: Matt got 4th under one Judge; I got skunked razz
*Ranch Rail*: Matt got 4th under one Judge and 5th Under the other; I got skunked ()
*Ranch Reining*: Matt got 1st under one Judge, and 2nd under the other;
I got 3rd under one Judge and FIRST under the other Judge! :happydance:
*Trail*: Matt got 3rd under one Judge and 5th under the other;
I got 4th under one Judge and FIRST under the other Judge! :biggrin:

Gayle did great too; don't know her actual placings in all the classes (except she got a lot of 2nds) so ended up high point under one Judge!

For the series, I think Matt ended up reserve for the year. I came in 5th; might have been higher if I had shown the 1st show. But that's OK, we did good for the ones we did show!

By class for year, Matt won Reining, came in reserve in trail, ranch riding, 3rd in Conformation & Ranch Rail

I tied for first in Trail, 3rd in Reining, 6th in Ranch Riding, 5th in Conformation & 7th in Rail. 

It was a fun series. Hope we can do next year; it's close and the competition is good for a local show.


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## kewpalace

Finally, the Snaffle Bit update.

They started Open fence work on Monday. Sarah Dawson was up early - like the 1st set - and laid down this run:

Sarah's Fence Run

which cemented her Finals entry with a 225.5. It's such a beautiful ride; I think those who came after her got scored lower since they looked really clunky after her soft ride.

Stayed on Pins/Needles through yesterdays runs, which ended Open fence prelims, hoping she'd stay high point on the cow; and she DID! She qualified TWO of the three horses she rode in the prelimins for the finals. Her husband, Chris, rode FIVE horses in the prelims but couldn't get any qualified for the finals ... the closest he had he missed the cut off by 1/2 a point. :-|

Here's who's made the finals (which start Thursday):

*Open*:


















Open Cow $$ winners:










*Intermediate*:









*Limited*:










And *Level 1 $$ placings results* (no finals for Level 1):










This afternoon is Open Hackamore finals ... webcasted on nrcha.com. :thumbsup:


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## Knave

Congrats on your placings in the series! I like that she was a bit dull. It’s always easier to wake one up than it is to go the other direction.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Congrats on your placings in the series!


Thank you @Knave! Made me wish I would have shown the 1st show! LOL ... 



Knave said:


> I like that she was a bit dull. It’s always easier to wake one up than it is to go the other direction.


True! But Matt said it worried me since that is not "normal" for Scarlett, LOL ... but since changing things up with her pad, her "normal" is shifting. Towards better! He just needs to get used to it. :razz:



Well, the Open Hackamore class was "interesting". Cows in the 1st set were dull and lazy. But no new cows awarded. Lance on last year's Snaffle Bit winner pulled up off the cow and walked out. So zero on the cow. A few others did the same in both sets. Erin Taormino was in the 2nd and pulled off a 441 run, which I think wins the class.

In between the 1s & 2nd sets, there was something happening with a banner in the arena. A friend said it was a Yellowstone banner. In the next class - Cowhorse for Cutters - there are a few entries for "Yellowstone"; so I'm thinking they were putting up the banner for Yellowstone since they were going to film during the Cowhorse for Cutters class. At the end of the Open Hack, the announcer said they did not know when they would be back - 30 or 45 minutes, so makes me think they are setting up to film some runs ... which is why the banner was put up? They're doing sound checks right now ...

Should be interesting; will be looking forward to seeing that class anywhere!

Speaking of Yellowstone, my cousin makes peace pipes (he's 1/2 Native American - 1/4 Cherokee, 1/4 Taos) and they had him make a pipe to use this season on the show. I'm excited for him!


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## Knave

That’s cool! I finally watched that show and I really liked it. That is why we named the leppy buffalo Teeter. Lol


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## kewpalace

@Knave, I've never seen it.  My friends who watch it love it. 

But, as with all good Hollywood stories, they caused a huge broo-ha-ha in the Hackamore class. After the 1st set they put up the Yellowstone banner ... it looks like this:










on the end gate near where the cows come out - so in this pix, on the right gate (if you are facing it) right under the far World's Greatest Horseman & World Championship stickers:










Apparently a lot of horses in the 2nd set spooked at the banner as they went by so much so that they took a zero in reining - mind you this the finals, so a lot of high dollar horses. There must have been a complaint about it - it would be one thing if if was only one or two horses, but it was a lot. So story goes, Executive Producer of the show, Terry Sheridan, ponied up $$ to pay EACH rider in the class what would have been paid to the winner ... $13,224. Nice! BTW, Erin Taomino won the class for the points & prizes:











FB exploded with opinions yesterday ... made me :rofl:



Open Finals Herd Work starts at 2 this afternoon (TX time) - it will be webcasted!


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## kewpalace

I was wrong in my memory of the Yellowstone banner used; but correct in the placement. Here's an actual photo of the (evil :twisted banner ...


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## kewpalace

Limited & Intermediate Open final herdwork is completed. I was only really interested in the Limited results.

Chris Cox won the Ltd with a 216 on his horse (he owns him) OnceBluOak! :cheers: WooHoo, Go Chris! I'm a little partial. I love Chris Cox; I got to ride with him at Equine Affair one year. He was a nice guy.

Sista Jackson & Tyus Olson got a 214.5. Tyus also owns her.

Clinton Anderson and Don'tDrinkAndWorkCows (such a great name! it's a client's horse) got a 212.4.

I'll post the full results later. 

Open Herd starts in a couple of hours. They will do the Non-Pro next (2 sets).


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## kewpalace

Kelley is quick at posting the results:


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## Knave

That gave me a really good laugh. I guess I should have borrowed husband’s Lucy and shown in the hack this year. Honestly though I doubt she’d spook at it.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> That gave me a really good laugh. I guess I should have borrowed husband’s Lucy and shown in the hack this year. Honestly though I doubt she’d spook at it.


It made me laugh as well. Some of my staunch cowhorse friends were a little offended at the criticism of the horses spooking at it, pointing out that cow horses especially are bred to notice the difference in things and are bred to react to those differences. I hadn't thought about that.

QH News posted this pix:









which illustrates how most of the horses reacted to it & which would either get you a huge mark down or a zero. Since this was in the 2nd set (the 1st set the banner was not up) it put those riders at a distinct disadvantage; and there being some cash on the line since it was the finals for the hackamore class, it was really unfair to the 2nd set. 

All in all it was an unfortunate incident, but I think they did the best they could to "remedy" it.


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## kewpalace

No personal horse news from the weekend, but I did get this video of Pi:





Friday was the finals for Open Limited and Intermediate divisions at the Snaffle Bit Futurity, EXCEPT there were a few riders in those divisions also in the Open finals, which was not until Saturday. Chris Cox was in the Limited and Clinton Anderson was in the Ltd Open & the Intermediate. Both did OK in herd & rein work; was surprised Clinton didn't do better in reining, though as that is is forte. As usual, it all came down to the fence work; it was evident neither were as smooth as compared to the cowhorse guys, but each got it done. Chris scored better with a 213.5 as compared to Clinton's 205, which, in the end put Chris 4th in the Ltd. Open & Clinton 6th. Clinton ended up 15th in the Intermediate. So Clinton won a little $$ in both and Chris earned some in his division.

Of course the BIG even, the Open Finals, was Saturday night. The Ladies were in the house: Sarah Dawson had two horses in the finals - I was so excited for her! Erin Taormino had one and Gusti Buerger was in ALL THREE division! Ltd, Intermed. & Open.

After the herd & rein work, Sarah was sitting pretty on Smart Chic An Tari for the fence work, needing only about a 220 to get 1st with a commanding lead; an EASY score for her to get. 










She had an early draw (4th out) and came in looking tenative and a little nervous. The cows were TOUGH throughout the entire finals, which usually isn't a problem for her, but she made some mistakes which cost her. Still she came out with a 219, and went to the lead with a 656. 

She kept her lead for about a set and 1/2, when Zane Davis on SnapDragons scored a 222 on the cow, to squeeze ahead by 1/2 a point. Zane, of course, is a SBF veteran and laid it all on the line. With these tough cows, you had no idea how they would score and they all had bobbles with the cows. Seemed like boxing wasn't too bad for everyone and they could usually get the 1st turn, after which, for the most part, it went to hell in a handbasket. But some managed to hold it together enough, like Zane, for a decent score.

Then Clay Volmer on Ricato Sauve, who had been in the lead for the entire finals, was up. His run went like most - boxing good, 1st turn good then the trouble started. He ended up with a 216 to tie Zane's 656.5! However, in cowhorse, high cow score breaks the tie, so Zane was in the 1st. Sarah was pushed to 3rd.

Corey Cushing on CR Woody Dig It could steal it all with a GOOD cow run, but the cows were not cooperative; he ended up with a 219 for a 655.5 composite.

Sarah was up on her 2nd horse, Selvery, one her parents had bred, in draw 26 - three from the end. I wasn't as impressed with this horse as I had been with Smart Chic An Tari, but she had a chance with it ... she needed a 220 to tie and 220.5+ to win. When she rode in the pen I could see her confidence was back and crossed my fingers. Her tried the same tricks, but she was on it - a "typical" Sarah run ... here's her run:

Sarah Dawson & Selvery

She scored a 224! Composite of 660.5!! She won the 2020 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity not only during this crazy covid year but 6 months after having a BABY! Only the 2nd woman to win, 27 years after Sandy Collier!

Whoa Equine posted this pix of her during her interview, it's my favorite:









They ended up with high Cow score for the finals, too.

She and Smart Chic An Tari ended up 4th, for a nice paycheck.

Here's the final placings - Open:

















Intermediate:









Limited:









What a thrill ride it was to watch! So happy for her!


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## kewpalace

Shades of the future ... Matt sent me this last night ... I doctored it up a bit, LOL ... 










That cheek looks good on her. I'm getting more and more settled with bringing her home next month after the final CRCHA show. Will have to make the concerted effort to get on her frequently during the week, not just on weekends. We have to start building our riding relationship.

And, in preparation for her coming home, I'm going to reconfigure her stall a bit. Open it up and make it bigger & hoping to make it more of a shelter than a wind tunnel. Wish me luck!


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## Knave

I’m excited you are bringing her home to start your own journey with her! She’s saved all these wins for you, and I just think you are going to have a wonderful relationship!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave! It's a big daunting - she can be a handful at times; usually at the beginning of a show (in the warm up). But I'm ready to put in the time. If my knee cooperates. :-/


Saturday I went up to Matt's in the late afternoon to ride. Pi was doing really good and I was nice and relaxed. Got some good stops on her. Matt's still riding Scarlett in the hackamore - She's looking great in it and he got a few nice stops on her, too:



































We went down to play with the donkeys and it was nice SLOW work, which is something Pi really needs; she did really really well and not trying to rush and by getting back before she turned. Really a nice fun time. Scarlett was awesome as well; unfortunately no pix of that.


I decided last week I was going to redo Scarlett's shelter for when she comes home. So will widen it and hopefully enclose it. I don't want to tear it all down & figured I could do what I want w/out doing that. But it entailed taking all the corrugated metal sheeting from the sides of the two shelters (lots of lag bolts and old nails and taking the wire off the front under the metal sheets). 

Here's a old pix of front of the shelters:









And the back:









Finally got it all taken apart on Sunday:









Matt will come down towards the end of the week to give his input on what I want to do (he built his shedrow barn). He's going to keep Scarlett until the 1st of Dec. so I can get something configured ...


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## kewpalace

Matt's Dad got this pix of Scarlett at the last show in Ranch Halter ... it really shows her off well :


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## kewpalace

Final placings for HiDHA came in ... This is what I've figured:


*Matt/Me Open Placings*:

Open Ranch Riding - Matt 2nd, Me 4th
Open Ranch Rail - Matt 3rd, Me 7th
Open Ranch Reining - Matt 1st, Me 3rd 
Open Ranch Trail - Matt 3rd, Me 1st 

Matt - Open RH Division Reserve

Gayle’s placings:

W/J Open Ranch Riding - 1st
W/J Open Ranch Rail - 3rd
W/J Open Ranch Reining - 1st
W/J Open Ranch Trail - 1st

Gayle is W/J Open RH Division Winner

Conformation:

Matt 4th, Gayle 5th, Me 8th & Matthew 12th


*Overall Ranch Horse Placings (includes all divisions)*:

1	Ronda/Im so Busy 107
2	Matt/Sheza Smart Nu Ride 80
3	Gayle/Rita 75
4	Marcia/Peppy Cayenne Rose 72
5	Chris/Remi 66.5
6	Stacey/Tuff with Dignity 60.5
7	Adriane/Toaster 60
8	Me/Nu Shiney Shocks 51
9	Diana/JP Juniper Orphan 49
10	Katrina/WR Annies Berry Wine 43.5
11	Daniel/Chex Me I’m Dun Two	24.5
12	Matthew/Rowdy 23

It'll be a fun awards Banquet - when ever that will be!


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## COWCHICK77

Congrats on the placings!


I have to say, Pi cracks me up!


So exciting to have Scarlett home. Is she home for the holiday/show season break or are you going to be showing her next year? I hope so!


The hackamore class...
I have my own theory. Along with cowhorses being cowhorses, that banner looks a lot like a flag. I realize the banner was bigger with yellow print...
At work, we have to put the flag and string over the top of the back of the arena if the boss is working cattle that day. The lead steer who keeps the heifers in the middle likes to rub the underneath side of his horns and ears on the string and tears it down if we don't put it over the fence. If the flag is inside the arena and it didn't get put over, if we are just loping horses every single horse does the same thing those horses did in the show pen, they start to lope by, catch it in their eye and react like they did. Plus they probably got free time in there without the banner at some point beforehand and noticed the difference, especially a black and yellow banner on a white fence where the cattle come out. Just my theory..LOL


Really cool Sarah won the SB! Heck all them gals showing in the open, holy smokes! 



Excited for Zane, Snapdragons is close to home in a way, know the owner/family. Excited for them as well! Big feather in their cap and the breeding program they are building. My new filly is coming from them.


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> Congrats on the placings!


Thank you! I wish I would have shown the first show, but I didn't. Still I'm happy with my placings. I think Matt is a little shocked I beat him in the Trail class, LOL! He had a shot of winning our division & overall Ranch Horse, but we were up against a seasoned reiner, who the judges loved, so she wracked up the points in the last show with both judges and there was no catching her. I'm pretty pleased with their reserve placing though. She was the youngest horse in the division and probably the one with the least amount of show experience. Not too bad!




COWCHICK77 said:


> I have to say, Pi cracks me up!


She is pretty funny. Just your regular sassy red head! :biggrin:




COWCHICK77 said:


> So exciting to have Scarlett home. Is she home for the holiday/show season break or are you going to be showing her next year? I hope so!


She will be home permanently and I'll show her next year. I think Matt's a little burned out; it's been a long two years and this year has not help with the inconsistent show schedule.

Now to just get the shelter back up for her; I re-injured my knee on Sunday, I guess; didn't really feel anything while I was working, but yesterday, I could barely walk on it and was getting sharp pains in it. Yea a PITA this injured knee is. :evil: Just when I have a lot of stuff to do ... 




COWCHICK77 said:


> The hackamore class...
> I have my own theory. Along with cowhorses being cowhorses, that banner looks a lot like a flag.


Your theory is a good one; while many people opined that they should be "trained enough" to ride past it, as we know, these horses are highly tuned to their environment, especially any changes to the area where the cows come out! So not only NOT being there before, it did look like a cow/flag. Alot of people are over it and chiding those still going on about it saying the riders/Yellowstone & NRCHA are all happy with the solution so nothing left to discuss. :razz: It did provide a little entertainment, LOL ... 




COWCHICK77 said:


> Really cool Sarah won the SB! Heck all them gals showing in the open, holy smokes!


Right? The women were bringing it to the Open Finals!



COWCHICK77 said:


> Excited for Zane, Snapdragons is close to home in a way, know the owner/family. Excited for them as well! Big feather in their cap and the breeding program they are building. My new filly is coming from them.


That's pretty awesome! Zane had an insane ride on Snapdragons (who is a VERY nice horse) and would have won it if Sarah had not regained her composure from her Smart Chic An Tari ride (which was NOT her normal ride - I think she was nervous; she looked nervous to me) and put in her usual stellar fence run. Still it was a great finish for Snapdragons! Congrats for his owners and I can't wait to see pix of your filly!


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## COWCHICK77

Sorry to hear about your knee!
I'm in the same boat. I broke my foot back in June, didn't know it until last month when I finally went in for an MRI. I've been in a walking boot for a month, another month to go but hopefully it'll keep me out of surgery. But I agree, there is always so much to do this time of year to get ready for winter. I'm starting to climb the curtains ..lol

I'm hoping to go get my filly next month, I'll post pics when I do. 
It is so exciting you have Scarlett home, you guys are going to do great things together!


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## lb27312

Wow what a pretty girl!! Great pic! Excited to hear how her coming home works out. Hope you get her shelter finished.

Ouch on your knee, hope it heals quickly!


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## carshon

I hope your knee heals soon. Can't wait for the pics of you on Scarlet


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## kewpalace

Thanks Ladies on my knee; dopey thing, I hate getting old! It's pretty painful but I am able to walk on it. Usually have the very stiff brace on it (it has metal hinges on the side - very lovely & fashionable with dresses ), but at night switch to the one without braces. Back to the ice packs and red light therapy.



COWCHICK77 said:


> I broke my foot back in June, didn't know it until last month when I finally went in for an MRI. I've been in a walking boot for a month, another month to go but hopefully it'll keep me out of surgery. But I agree, there is always so much to do this time of year to get ready for winter. I'm starting to climb the curtains ..lol


Yikes! @COWCHICK77! Will keep my fingers crossed that you heal up nice and good so NO surgery! I didn't want to go for a MRI, but now thinking it may be a good idea. Yea, injures really put a crimp in our style ... not happy about that. Especially as I have to get the shelter put together for Scarlett. May have to see if my neighbor is available. :think:



COWCHICK77 said:


> I'm hoping to go get my filly next month, I'll post pics when I do.


 Ooooo so excited to see the pix!! 




COWCHICK77 said:


> It is so exciting you have Scarlett home, you guys are going to do great things together!


Thank you.  I'm a little apprehensive, but am getting more settled to the idea; it's been two years she's been with Matt. Two and 1/2 years. But I've been able to watch her and she has a good heart; just have to get in her brain she needs to be less silly with me, LOL. But she's only silly in warm up; once she gets down to working she's pretty awesome. 



lb27312 said:


> Wow what a pretty girl!! Great pic! Excited to hear how her coming home works out. Hope you get her shelter finished.


Thanks @lb27312. That's one thing we always joked about when I got her; I was all "hoping she can work a cow good". Everyone else, including her breeder would say, "oooo she's sooooo pretty!" :lol: But when I see pix like the one above, I too think, "oooo she's so pretty!" LOL ... 



carshon said:


> Can't wait for the pics of you on Scarlet


Thanks @carshon. I'm sure Matt will get some when I go up for lessons ... when he's not cringing at my riding his highly tuned baby, LOL. I think he's ready for the break but I know it'll be a little hard since he's had her for so long. This is the longest he's ever had a horse in training. Keeping my fingers crossed they do good at the next (last) show so they go out on a good note. She does great at home; just need to get that in the show pen.

I forgot to put up pix of the Sunset from Saturday ... Here ya go:


































Then I played around with Prisma/GoArt on a few Saturday Pix:


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## Knave

That is something I never considered @COWCHICK77. It makes sense to me once you say it. My parents’ flag is the only I’ve used, but it actually is a stuffed cow. Lol. It even kinda looks at the horse in its stuffed cow way and how the wires work. Big girl and I were going to try it the other day, and she was super excited, but Cash had never seen it (obviously he needs to lol) and right when I put it up the wind started to blow. She was holding Cash from Bones and he started lunging around her snorting about the dang stuffed cow and I couldn’t see if I left it how I could keep her out of a wreck while I went to get him from her, so I decided the windy day wasn’t the day to start him. Lol

Congratulations on your placings kewpalace!!! I bet it will be a fun banquet!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave!

Weekend was not conducive weather wise to ride; very windy, cold, rainy/snowy on Saturday and hailing/snowing on Sunday, although not much stuck. It was 21 this morning and the ice on the troughs about an inch thick. Pi was happy to be out of her pen, though. I did get the rest of the wire off the shelters and am ready to decide what the next move is. Matt will come down and give his opinion on Wednesday. 

CRCHA just posted they have 165 runs for Friday. :shock:

The schedule was (it was a two show weekend) to have a full show on Friday, Saturday would be the 2nd show's fence work and a saddle shoot off at the end & Sunday would be all the boxing with a saddle shootoff at the end.

Now, they said they will have all the 1st show's fence work on Friday (78 runs!),
The 1st show boxing 1st thing Saturday morning and the 2nd show's fence work Saturday afternoon and then the saddle shoot off.
Sunday will remain the same.

They didn't say how many fence runs are on Saturday. 

Matt/Scarlett will go up on Thursday night. I'll follow on Friday morning. Glad I'm not showing, but will still miss it. At least I'll get to see my friend's ride.


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## kewpalace

Well, I just found out some BS news ... NOT happy right now.

CRCHA usually has 10 shows a year. This year they only had 6. Rulebook says to qualify for year end awards you have to show in 1/2 the shows. Scarlett/Matt, with this weekend, would have qualified as they would have shown 4 of the 6 shows. BUT CRCHA JUST announced they are basing year end awards on the _*planned*_ shows (so 10 shows), NOT the number of shows that went forwarded (6 shows). So that means Scarlett/Matt are out for year end awards. If this was not their last show together, I would cancel their entry. :evil::evil::evil::evil:


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## COWCHICK77

That is BS!!!!


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## carshon

I am sure you are not the only caught in that trap. Sounds like they are rigging it so just certain people qualify. That is BS!


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## lb27312

ARGHHH!!! That is BS! That is so wrong!! How can they do that?? How can they base any of that on shows that never happened?? I hope they withdraw that thinking!!


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> That is BS!!!!





carshon said:


> I am sure you are not the only caught in that trap. Sounds like they are rigging it so just certain people qualify. That is BS!





lb27312 said:


> ARGHHH!!! That is BS! That is so wrong!! How can they do that?? How can they base any of that on shows that never happened?? I hope they withdraw that thinking!!


I am not the only one, of course. They are cutting some big names out of the running. And it is total BS. I am going to talk to the President tonight to express my objection (and will likely follow up with a written objection to all board members). It completely takes the class Scarlett is in out of year end awards as there will be NO qualified person. 

I think what fries me the most is the LATE notice. If they would have said this before the last show or at even by the beginning of October we could have attended that show or decide not to show at all this weekend and go to Santa Ynez instead. 

Yea, Santa Ynez, MidState & Temecula look a LOT better next year than CRCHA. So ****ed.


----------



## kewpalace

Wow, this new software/look will take some getting used to.

I talked to the CRCHA president last night. He cracks he up; he talks very slow and goes into excruciating detail on things. We talked for an hour and half. Oy. Bottom line is they had made a "guarantee" (I don't remember this or if I heard it, I didn't pay much attention to it) that for each class the 1st place qualifying rider would win a saddle - that's a huge cost of course and this was to be the first year for that. But since their derby/pre-futurity and a few other shows were cancelled, they didn't get that income and couldn't see awarding saddles in every class. By making the qualifying cut-off at 5 shows, I think they have to give away 3 or 4 saddles as opposed to 10-13.

I also brought up that the timing of their announcement precluded those who are not now eligible for any year end award from NOT showing CRCHA and from going to another show, where there was a possibility of winning something. He didn't really have an answer for that except the Board was just slow on the uptake.

I told him I would not be in the running for a saddle and am not concerned about the saddles; but I was interested in a year end award - SOMETHING, it didn't have to be big! (Although a buckle would be nice). Anyway, as expected, nothing was changed, but I did put a bug in his ear to bring up at the next board meeting to NOT cut off awards for the beginning boxing classes at an arbitrary number (such as down to 5th place when 10 people had qualified) but to think about awarding ALL those who do qualify - doesn't have to be a big thing, but just recognition that they put in the time and money. 

He also encouraged me to ride in the Novice NonPro Ltd (Greener than Grass) since I was still eligible for that. I am hesitant and it goes against my thinking that that class is for the beginners and I have been at this quite a bit. He said as long as I qualified for it under their rules, I could ride in it. I'm still not convinced. 

We talked about a lot of things (as you can imagine in an hour and half!). But it was a civil talk. He thanked me for calling and said the Board doesn't hear from ANYONE, so it was nice to hear another perspective. 

Anyway, I got it off my chest. We'll go to the show, but, as I told him, we are rethinking showing with CRCHA next year. I think that gave him a little pause too, since I've shown with them for quite a few years.


----------



## All About Hope

> Wow, this new software/look will take some getting used to.


I have enjoyed reading this journal. I love seeing how much Scarlett has improved since you got her. This has provided entertainment for me in my boring life  for the last week or two . I'm a little late to this thread (sorry!). I hope your leg gets better too. 
I am also having to get used to the new software on this site. I've been on here for a year (without account) and it is the same, but then when I got to page 33 of this journal it was like _boom! destroy everything you know about this site!_ Really kinda annoying but whatever... I guess they have to keep it up to date or something.
I also hope that they fix the show thing. That's just really inconvenient and BS.


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## kewpalace

Thank you All About Hope! Welcome to my Journal and glad you are enjoying my journey with Scarlett & Pi. 

I'm sure once we get used to the new software, it'll be OK. Just a pain trying to get used to it, LOL ... 

Yea, the show thing will not be fixed. It is what it is for this year; as with everything, COVID has affected the show world as well. That's OK; it's only showing. As Knave said, Scarlett's probably saving all her wins for me, ROFL! 

Knee is feeling better. I am going without a brace today; so far so good, but it's weird to feel the knee/tendons, etc., actually moving in there. Trying to be really careful as I know (and can feel) it would not be hard for it to get reinjured.


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## Knave

I think it’s going to take me an adjustment as well with the software. At least there is the like button on this (I am always on my phone on the forum) and I don’t have to keep swapping views.

I am sorry about the awards. I guess I get it, but it is still bs. I feel like they should have just owned the issue and said, “we’re stuck doing buckles this year instead of saddles. Apologies to all, but this happened...” Everyone would probably understand, but they wouldn’t feel like their prize was taken from them.

i can’t believe it’s their last show!! I’m so excited for you to take her over!!


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## lb27312

I agree with @Knave that maybe they could have not done saddles...

I'm excited as well for you to take over showing Scarlett!! Exciting times! Hopefully next year gets back to somewhat normal for showing!


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## kewpalace

I'm not sure I like this new format, but nothing to do but try to get used to it. Which is why I haven't posted as much; no time to mess around with it. :-/

Back from the show on Saturday. It was not a very successful one for us, but there were improvements, especially in reining. But the cows were horrible and Matt's in-show-pen decisions didn't go very well, LOL. So they ended up 6th out of 7 on Friday and 5th out of 8 on Saturday. It was the cow scores that killed us. Surprisingly, she had a huge improvement in reining - got all her stops AND lead changes, both a big problem in the past. 

On Friday Scarlett was a bit of a mess and distracted in the show pen. On Saturday, she was nice and relaxed. I could see the horse I'll be riding on Saturday. 

It was kind of a sad thing, since this was their last show together. I was hoping it would go better for them. Reining definitely did, even if the Judge's didn't score her what consensus was. So I followed the Sheridan's home, with the plan being they would keep Scarlett until beginning of December, so I could get her shelter put back together. 

Santa Ynez put out their first show of 2021 - a Ranch Horse/Stockhorse show on 1/30 and a cowhorse show on 1/31. I posted the flyer on my FB page; Matt saw it and made a comment about it only being another 2.5 months ...  So I posted, "Does that mean you want to keep her & show her at SY?" He responded "🤠". LOL ... so I guess she is staying there through January. Which give me plenty of time to get her shelter ready.

I'll post pix & video from the show later. Haven't had much time to get my act together, LOL ....

A few excellent things from the show ... my friend Lissa (who I bought Pi and Scarlett from; she bred Scarlett) won both her classes on both days (NRCHA AND club classes!) and ended up the 1k Circuit Champ for the weekend with a few nice checks! This was on Pi's 1/2 brother who was pulled out of the pasture at the beginning of the year when her other horse unexpectedly died. AND she qualified for the Saddle Shootout (high cow score in each club class got to box for a saddle). She came in 4th, but the woman who won it had the most gritty, gusty ride I've seen from her; she's a VERY nice person and worked for the win. It was well deserved.


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## kewpalace

Some pix and screen shots from Friday of the video I took:


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## Knave

You should show her at sy!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> You should show her at sy!


 

I thought about it @Knave, before Matt indicated he wanted to. I'm happy to let him do it; get a few more months and a little more show experience before I take over the reins. 

Pi was full of herself last night when I went to put her in her pen. She reared up about 5-6 times and ran all over the turn out. I let her do it; she comes to me when she's through with her hissy fit, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Here's the pro pix we got from the show, two from Friday; three from Saturday:


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## Knave

Those photos are excellent!


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## lb27312

Great pics!!! How exciting about SY and that Matt wants to show her! Sounds like he's going to miss her when she's gone. But I was looking forward to hearing about her coming home to you! 

Sorry about the last show not going as well as planned but her stops look awesome!! And to me the cow work looked cool! But I'm not a judge! lol


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Those photos are excellent!


Thanks @Knave! I wish she would have gotten some other stop pix, but I am pleased with the ones I got. Those were about the best cow pix she could have gotten ... cow work did not go well ... 

Talked briefly with Matt last night on the way home. He said he got some good rides on Scarlett and is working on her anticipating the lead change in the show pen, which she never did before this show. I said, "Welcome to my world."  Still need to get up to give him some $$ & talk about next year. Maybe next week ...


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## kewpalace

Thanks @lb27312! I think Matt wants to redeem himself in the show pen, LOL. It was not a good show to go out on. Plus, I think he wants to go to SY; he's never been and everyone raves about it - with good cause. It's typically much smaller with $$ & day prizes. And the setting is lovely.

I'll eventually get to the video I took and post them. Yea, you'll not think the cow work looked so cool ...


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## Knave

At least she got good pictures! When I took Bones in to show he was terrible. He just wasn’t himself at all, but he finally hooked on to this half blind cow in the end. Lol. Did I see a good picture? Nope. It was like she didn’t even try. Lol


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## kewpalace

She got some real clunkers of them; these were the best of the lot. She has yet to get any good ones of Pi when I show her. Like you and Bones ... it was as if she wasn't even trying. Her timing is not real good usually, but she got some good ones of other people.

Kevin Stallings, who rode NMSU Truckin Chex in Cow Horse (put some cash on him) suffered some serious medical issues the last year+ and has some other major surgery coming up. They are holding a benefit auction - lots of stallion breedings and various other items. Richard Winters donated a spot in next year's Ride the Ranch at the V-6 Ranch in Parkfield. I bid on it ... I'll bid up to the actual (estimated) cost of a spot (I kind of know what it is from going a few years ago) and thought if I win, I'd take Scarlett. So far, I'm high bidder, but it doesn't end until 12/15, so there is plenty of time to be outbid, LOL. If I am I'll look to see what's available in the stallion breedings!

Pi had a moderate colic issue on Sunday night. I rode her, but towards the end of the ride she was not feeling right. I went down to my neighbor's for her feeding instructions (I'm feeding for her on Thanksgiving & Friday) and when I came back Pi was not moving and looked miserable; she wasn't interested in dinner either. :-( I walked her for about 45 minutes before I called Matt when she wasn't getting much better & wanted to go down and asked if he could come and give her some banamine (which I had from the beginning of the year). So he did (& he's really good at it, LOL). I tied her up for a couple of hours so she wouldn't roll & to let the banamine kick in. Went down with soaked pellets and untied her and she was HUNGRY and eager to eat! Yeah! Yesterday morning she was better and seemed back to her old self by evening. Seemed good this morning. Have no clue what went on, but hate when that happens. Really stresses me out.


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## kewpalace

Got the videos from the last CRCHA show done ... here's Friday's


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## kewpalace

Here's Saturday's, 11/14/20


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## lb27312

Loved the videos!! Great rides.... I liked Saturday's best but both were good! 

Yikes on Pi.... did you just want Matt for support for the colic? Or does he do the intravenous for the Banamine? Just curious.... I've done it but it was just orally... but it helped quick enough...


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Loved the videos!! Great rides.... I liked Saturday's best but both were good!


Thanks @lb27312! Saturday's was definitely better; she was flying high on Friday! LOL ... 



lb27312 said:


> did you just want Matt for support for the colic? Or does he do the intravenous for the Banamine?


He gives the shot interveneously. Takes him 2 seconds; would take me forever! LOL ... He's close enough that he can just come down. He said I could do it orally, but it's quicker with the shot.


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## Knave

My parents lost their good cowhorse this year. They took him to a big hospital where they did wonders for him, although he didn’t end up making it in the end.

It started with a colic. Dad gave the banamine in a shot. Anyways, the horse had very bad ulcers and went down again in another colic another two times before being in the hospital. He fractured his skull and ended up cast... lots to it. They told dad to never give the banamine in a shot again. They said it creates the ulcers. I know that was something we had never heard. We always gave a shot.

They said from now on to just do it orally.


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## kewpalace

@Knave, such a horrible sad story! I'm so sorry for them. 

I have never heard that about banamine & ulcers. None of my vets have ever told me that, including the one who sold me the banamine. Thank goodness we rarely have to give them banamine.


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## lb27312

@Knave - Wow that's so very sad for your parents.... sounds like a terrible story! 

I hadn't heard that either I just haven't done a shot in so long that I'm nervous now. I haven't had to give orally in a long time but when I did it seemed to help pretty quickly, probably not as fast as the shot but it worked. My vet is good in that she'll trade out my Banamine every few years... It often isn't even opened... 

Sorry @kewpalace for high-jacking your thread with Banamine!


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Sorry @kewpalace for high-jacking your thread with Banamine!


No worries @lb27312 ... I love healthy discussion and this is an important issue!


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## Knave

It was important I thought too! I wouldn’t have said anything, but the hospital vets were very clear with my parents. My dad is a spectacular ‘vet’ for the horses too. When I was a kid there were no vets, and so I went with him when people called for him to sew up their horses or whatever they needed.

If the vet was able to change his long held opinion I figure he can change mine. They did end up bringing Jimmy home for almost a month before he died. He needed the banamine again once, and orally it worked as well as given as a shot, just a few minutes longer.

It was a terrible thing that they lost him. He was a cool guy. He competed at the world in super horse, and he won a big cowhorse event for my father. He toted my mother through her workdays and to a few shows, and he was just their ‘go to guy.’

They did everything they could for him there at the end. I don’t know what part the extreme ulcers had in his death. (That hospital said he was top 5 for worst they had ever seen.) Maybe he would have died anyways from the original colic. I don’t know which episode was when he fractured his skull. The vet believed he was cast the second time because he was trying to get away from the ulcer pain...


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## All About Hope

Hope Pi feels better. Also Scarlett's so pretty in that tack! And her mane and tail too... she such a pretty horse. I can't say anything about the riding because I don't know what she competes in or how it works but it looks cool and fun


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## kewpalace

Thank you @All About Hope. She is feeling better. Here's a video of her from Friday night (sassy little girl, LOL):








Thank you for your Scarlett compliment. Both Pi and Scarlett compete in Cowhorse & Ranch/Versatility. The videos above of Scarlett are from two cowhorse shows. Matt's riding was fine; his decisions were off, but with those cows, you could make a good decision and it turned out wonky. They were just not cooperative cows.


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## kewpalace

Had some sad news this weekend. Friday a friend passed from Covid complications. She was diagnosed on 11/4; was hospitalized on 11/7. Passed on 11/27. She had some previously underlying health issues, but was pretty good at the time she was diagnosed. It was just so aggressive she body couldn't fight it off. She was on a ventilator for about a week and was off of it & breathing on her own, but kept getting hit with new complications every day.

I "met" her on a chat board. That board had a camp get together every year and I went last year. I had a great time and still keep in contact with many people, her being one of them. She lived in AZ and I got to see her a few times and spend some time with her. I really liked her. One time she put me up on her warmblood; what a thrill that was and so different from my firey Star. I wanted so much to return the favor and have her ride Pi or Star, but sadly she never made it out to me.

I am so very sorry for her husband; Covid S*&%$ .


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## lb27312

Wow soooo sorry to hear that about your friend! Yeah I agree on the Covid!


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## All About Hope

So sorry about your friend  

Man, Pi has a lot of balance. I can hardly stand up that long without falling, sheesh. I think it'd be fun to be a horse sometimes...


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## kewpalace

All About Hope said:


> So sorry about your friend


 Thank you.



All About Hope said:


> Pi has a lot of balance.


That she does! She does this all the time ... here's another video from last year:






I am thankful she only does this in play; never under saddle!


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## Knave

I’m sorry about your friend.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. The chat board I met my friend on tanked about the time FB got started, so they transferred over to FB in a private page. Activity on that board has been sporadic, but since my friend passed, people have reactivated the page to post memories and catch up with everyone else. While I'm FB friends with most of the people I really liked on that board, It's amazing how many more people have popped up and what everyone remembers. It's been a good healing thing - to "hang out" & reconnect with people who knew my friend and see where everyone is; and that they are just as shocked over my friend's death. Another amazing thing, is that many of the people on the board were teens (anywhere from 12+) and the stories they now tell about growing up, marrying, having kids & jobs and what the board actually meant to people and their journey in horsemanship/horse ownership or just horse education. 

I posted my favorite pix of her and her warmblood on her FB page. There was much comment about the horse and what people remembered about him & her accomplishments with him. Her husband then posted a link to a site they had created when she had him, with all their accomplishments. It was a really nice read. If you are interested, it is here. BTW, the pix on that site were all taken by Sarah K. Andrew, who is a very talented photographer (mainly does race horses & thoroughbreds), who was part of the chat board. I always wanted her to come and take some pix of Star, but we never got it arranged. Could kick myself now.


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## Knave

The pictures are good. I see why you wanted her to take them.

Your friend was very accomplished!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Knave. Sarah is very good; wish I could have gotten Star to her when she was in CA for the Santa Anita racing seasons. Yes, Karen was accomplished; really appreciated her advice when I was starting out with my 1/2 Arab mare.


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## kewpalace

Well, things have taken another turn with Scarlett. Entries for SY came online yesterday, so I asked Matt if he wanted to go. When I was at his place on Saturday I asked if he was serious about Santa Ynez & he said he was at the time he posted, but he wasn't sure now. I was hoping he'd say he'd pass since it's a two day Stockhorse show & a Cowhorse show, so $$$$$. I could use that to help finish Scarlett's shelter. He talked it over with the family and they all voted not to go. Which is fine. I told him if he's interested in future shows, to let me know.

So NOW the plan is ... to see about switching my Brother Jackson Breeding to Scarlett. Matt's always said once a mare has a foal, it settles them a bit (some a lot) and I could use that in Scarlett. I ran it by some other cowhorse friends who agree that another year would be good for Scarlett. Matt thinks its a great idea as I can get used to her before I really start competing on her. I may take her to the local open show that has ranch horse classes & possibly the Bako Versatility shows, but probably not cow horse. AND I'm hoping that Scarlett will breed off the cooled semen rather than me having to haul Pi up to Wilton (5 hrs one way). I just need to contact Ramona Wold and see if that's a possibility. I'm sure it would be fine since she offered it before.


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## lb27312

Wow that's huge news!!! So when would you start trying to breed her? I know there's a lot to think about just curious! Some like to get it done early in the year.... I sooo can't wait to hear what's going to happen... it's like As The World Turns with Pi and Scarlett! lol jk

Sorry about SY though, even though saves big bucks it would have been kinda interesting to see how she would do.


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## kewpalace

lb27312 said:


> Wow that's huge news!!! So when would you start trying to breed her?


Well, we'd want an early baby - March or April would be ideal. So I'll call the vet bout getting her into the vet in March/April. Hoping 🤞she takes the cooled semen; but will only do a couple of tries with her. I'm over the marathon attempts, LOL. 



lb27312 said:


> I sooo can't wait to hear what's going to happen... it's like As The World Turns with Pi and Scarlett!


 😂😂 That's Funny!!! LOL ... Now the big question is ... do I show Pi in the January CRCHA show? It's in Paso; a 3 hour dr. And we've have NO practice and unlikely to get any before then. But who knows she may be good ... we'll have to see when the entry forms are posted.



lb27312 said:


> Sorry about SY though, even though saves big bucks it would have been kinda interesting to see how she would do.


Yea, we agree with that ... it would have been fun, but I think all of us need a break. Although Matt is still riding her while she's at his place.


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## Knave

I am kinda glad for you that you are going to get to keep her. I feel like she’s all yours now! Lol. Breeding her would be a great idea! My grandpa has a rule that is, if you want to ever breed a mare breed her once before 6.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave! Yes, I'm happy she'll be at home soon. Especially with a new shelter. Thanks for the vote of confidence for breeding her; I have not had ONE person vote against it. Must be the right thing to do.  So I guess I'll have to call Ramona & my vet and get it all set up. 

I think I caught something. Hoping it's just a cold, but will keep a close eye on it. Massive headache and my eyes look like I've been drinking all night. Oy. Tylenol is my friend. I have a few things to get done and then I'll go home. Thank goodness I have nothing planned this weekend.


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## Knave

I’m sorry you are sick. We were sick a while back, and I think it started that way. It lasted about 2 weeks, but really it wasn’t awful, whatever we had. It was just long.


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## lb27312

Oh no @kewpalace sorry to hear you are sick! I hope it's just a cold too! Hopefully you can recoup over the weekend! Take care of yourself and drink lots of fluids!

And yes! on the January CRCHA show! lol yeah it stinks that you can't get any practice in...


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave & @lb27312. I don't think it's anything serious; but it has my attention and just need to keep an eye on it Very happy I have NOTHING planned this weekend. Can doze in the recliner if I so choose. 😁

LOL, @lb27312, you are funny! I will try to make the January CRCHA show, if they have it. 

Speaking of Pi, she was really full of **** and vinegar this morning, LOL, playing NFR bare back pony in her pen when I went to get her. Then while walking her to the turn out, the mare across the street was doing her arab impression - racing around the pen, tail held high, LOL. Riled Pi up some more that when I let her go, she had to do a few NFR bucks before heading to her breakfast. I should get on her this weekend; we both could use it.


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## The Stomp

I'm back. I've been following this thread for awhile now, but got busy with life. Looks like I got a little catching up to do. 😅


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## kewpalace

Welcome Back, @The Stomp! Hope you enjoy reading the thread.

Finally got back up to Matt's on Saturday. He was set for 4 lessons, plus me, but three people cancelled so it was just two of us. I went up with Pi with the intent to work donkeys, which we did. Pi was pretty funny, putting out little squeals every time we turned with the donkey, LOL. She was more than ready to get out and play. I also had the intent to ride Scarlett, but ended up not doing that.

A few days before I went up, Matt called me and gave me a Scarlett update, including that Matthew had been on her an spun her. He said, "I should have gotten a video of it; it was awesome!"  Well, Matthew got on her again while I was there and I DID get video! He rode 1/2 the ride w/out stirrups then, when Matt asked him if he wanted to stop her, he got down to shorten the stirrups from Matt's settings. He isn't that confident at stopping her (nor would I be!), but I was so thrilled to see him ride her and how she reacted ...there's hope for me! Here's my compliation video:






A few stills from the video, you can see in the 2nd one he's not riding with stirrups:


















And of course, I got to see Radar ... he's sporting a Beatles hair cut now, LOL ... and looking like a Cyclops




















Finally, my neice sent the ponies her special Christmas Horse Cookies, so shared a few with Scarlett, Rita & Pi ...


























Sunday, Pi and I went on a nice leisurely trail ride; it was a gorgeous day! Warm and clear crystal blue skies:


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## kewpalace

And in other good news, Ramona Wold agreed to switch the breeding to Brother Jackson to Scarlett!! WOOHOO!! And have my local breeding vet all on board. Soooo Excited now ... makes for a little merrier Christmas!


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## Knave

That is great news!


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## lb27312

WooHoo! On the switching the breeding! So excited! Great pics as usual... sounds like you got a nice ride in!


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## kewpalace

Thank you Ladies! While I'm disappointed in not getting a Pi-BJ baby, I'm excited to get one from Scarlett. He will probably compliment her well, too.


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## bsms

Great pictures and video! I don't have the confidence to do much no stirrup riding. May come from being old....or maybe just not very good.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

(Supposed to be a shrug. Miss the old emoji set!)


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## kewpalace

bsms said:


> Great pictures and video! I don't have the confidence to do much no stirrup riding. May come from being old....or maybe just not very good.


Thanks @bsms. Yes, to be young again and have no fear ... or little fear, LOL. I used to be able to ride w/out stirrups, but can't do it now. Well, can't do it for any quick/fast moves. So for the most part, I need my stirrups! 

Matthew had a little fear when Matt said he could stop her as he was expecting her to go REALLY fast, as she does with Matt. Just gives me confidence when I ride her that she will go as fast as I'm comfortable with.



bsms said:


> ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Supposed to be a shrug. Miss the old emoji set!)


LOL, yea I too miss the old emojis. I don't particularly like these generic fat ones! I liked your "shrug" though.


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## kewpalace

Went up to Matt's on Saturday for a donkey lesson with Pi - no cows; so we work the donkeys. Works out well for us, since they are a little slower than cows and give me time to set Pi up correctly before our turn. It was a good lesson. We also practiced essentially riding w/out reins, except on the ends where I'd pick her up and bridle her a bit and if I needed to correct a drift. She got a good workout.

Matt then had 3 other lessons after which I finally got to ride Scarlett. BUT, it was FREEZING cold (at least 15 degrees colder than when I was on Pi) and having been out there all day I was stiff and sore. But, managed to get a little ride in and realize she was not going to kill me, LOL. Here's a little video:






Went back up on Sunday morning while they were away at Church to practice on Pi. Got a few good stops and a few which would have been fantastic, had she not come out of them. 


















While I was riding, Rowdy and Tilly had an intense interest in what we were doing (their corrals are off the arena):

















(excuse Tilly's rude positioning, LOL). 

And, of course, got to see little Radar ...


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## kewpalace

Does anyone know what this is for?

















Supposedly it has something to do with wind turbines, but is not that big. The bottom where the surveyor's stick it is about max. 10' across; more like 6-8' though. So not big enough for a turbine. I'm thinking maybe for a weather station? Have no clue; all guesses appreciated.


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## kewpalace

So, Covid strikes horse shows again. The Cutting set for the weekend of the 16th was moved from the Paso Events Center (where the 1st CRCHA show is set) to a different facility since Paso is a state run facility and we are currently in somewhat of a lockdown. That did not bode well for CRCHA's show.

Got a notice on Monday/Tuesday that it was definitely being moved and we would know by today. Last night they posted on FB that it was being move to the International Ag Center in Tulare - WooHoo! A two hour drive one way as opposed to a 4 hour drive! Love that so much more! There are a few more restrictions, but they are doable and nothing that is different from other shows. 

Now the questions is ... what do I want to show in? The club class or the NRCHA 5K; do I also want to do Open Boxing since Pi and I are so out of practice? Decisions, decisions .... 

In other news, we got a quote from the barn place for walls for Scarlett's shelter. It's PRICEY, but it will look so nice and I will finally have a place for the horses that is more like an actual barn and not some thrown-together with spare parts shelter. Have to put a 1/3 down for them to start and then it'll be 4-5 weeks. And I need to get the RR ties that they will sit on.


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## kewpalace

FYI, for comparison when it's done: Old pix of the shelters ...



























And after taking all the corrugated steel off and most of the dirt work done ...


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## Knave

All of that sounds like good news!!


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## kewpalace

Yes, good news!


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## lb27312

Sounds like great news! Looks like you get some snow where you are! Good luck on the building! Can't wait to see pictures!


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## carshon

Wow. The new shelter will be great!


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## kewpalace

@lb27312, depends on the winter what we get. Last year we got snowed in for a over a week with a couple of feet of snow. This year? NOTHING. 

Thanks @carshon. I am exited about it. Not about spending the cash, but when I finally get a "barn", I will be really excited.


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## kewpalace

Had another lesson with Pi (working donkeys) and Scarlett on Saturday. Not quite totally relaxed on Scarlett, but definitely much better than last weekend. Plus it was MUCH warmer so I was not frozen on top of her. I can see our future now! LOL ...
























I posted the video on FB and one of the ladies I know who is an ex-expert dressage rider (she used to be a judge) critiqued me. I appreciate her input especially given her background. She said I still had a great seat (yea!) but my shoulders/arms were tense. I responded, Yep, I can see that in the video, LOL; hoping it'll go away when I feel more relaxed with her. I think it will.


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## kewpalace

Of course, Matt rode Scarlett before I did, working her on the donkeys.


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## kewpalace

And after, we tried some different bits on her to see how the cheeks looked:


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## kewpalace

And finally, Matt got a new dog last weekend; here he is meeting Scarlett on Saturday (he's also in the video, LOL):


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## Knave

I like the second one.


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## kewpalace

@Knave, I have the first one, but in like a fat 1/2 breed mouth (the 2nd one down from the top, #6)










I have used it on Pi and it looks good on her.

The 2nd one I was originally going to get for Pi, but when we put it on her, it didn't look good at all. So I got this one for her with a frog mouth and it really looks good on her:









I like the other two on her too. Will have to do another fashion show. I usually do it a couple of times to see how I like them after some time thinking about them. There are some other ones, too:



























Could also break tradition and get a NON-Jeremiah Watt bit. That would be hard to do, I like them so much, LOL ...


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## COWCHICK77

I like the first and second bits on her. I think the browband headstall on the Nevada cheek bit would look really classy on either of the Santa Barbara bits in the first two pics.


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## kewpalace

Thanks @COWCHICK77, appreciate the input. I probably won't get another of the 1st one, but who knows ... have lots of time to decide. As for headstalls, I picked one up in Vegas when we were there for the Stallion Stakes:









Will have to take it up to Matt's to see which cheek looks good with it. Will likely swap out the hardware for Jeremiah Watt hardware though ...


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## Knave

I love the headstall! You will have to do a fashion show with it!


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## lb27312

Beautiful headstalls!! Bits are impressive as well... you look good sitting on Scarlett!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Knave & @lb27312 - I really liked the headstall; was more than I usually spend on headstalls, but it was well worth it I think. Can't wait to get the bit and put it on Scarlett! Will definitely have a fashion show!



lb27312 said:


> you look good sitting on Scarlett!


Aw, Thanks!! 😘😘💖💖


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## kewpalace

Pi & I are entered in this weekend’s cowhorse show. It’s a huge show, so they had to break it up into two days, both running 8 am to 6 pm. We have been practicing at Matt’s and had a great practice on Monday. Was going to try to get another in Saturday before I take off for the show. We don’t show until Sunday, but weather dictates I get there Saturday; that will also let us ride in the show pen Saturday night. Weather also will likely not allow for a Saturday Matt practice. 

Looking at show entries looks like lots of youngsters entered in the fence classes ... Snaffle Bit hopefuls? So fun!!! Well wish us luck. We are showing in Open Boxing & the 5k.

I have some video of Matthew working the donkeys ... I’ll hopefully post it tomorrow.


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## kewpalace

Here's the video of Matthew and Scarlett!


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## lb27312

I can't wait to hear about how this coming weekend goes! I wish you EXTRA Good Luck! Mathew looks good on Scarlett!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312! It's been a rough couple of weeks personally, so it will be nice to get out and on my pony for a little horse & show therapy. LOTS of good riders & horses in my classes; I am hoping for a clean reining run and to not lose my cow. It'll be nice to hang out with friends, too; been quite a while since I've seen some of them. 

Plus I'll get my saddle blankets I ordered a while back. My friend who did the ordering is bringing them. They are from a guy in India who does mock Yucca Flats blankets. Here's what's coming, this one is for me:











And this one is for Matt - a gift for training Scarlett:











I thought Matthew did really well on Scarlett. On a few of the turns I noticed that he sat really deep, but very relaxed. He's getting it!! After that, he actually got on Pi, too, and did a few things with her. He really likes them both. Nice kid.


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## lb27312

Hmmmm that last one would REALLY look nice on a black pony I know...  They are both beautiful! Is the seller online? Just curious...


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## Kalraii

OK I need to sub. I just realised I was liking some mega posts and what page I was on. OOPS, sorry!


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## kewpalace

Kalraii said:


> OK I need to sub. I just realised I was liking some mega posts and what page I was on. OOPS, sorry!


LOL, no worries @Kalraii!

The draws are up for the show. Pi and I will show about 1 pm on Sunday in Open Boxing and about 5:30 pm in the 5k. Which means we likely will not get home before 8-pm-ish. Oy. May have to take Monday off.


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## bsms

Watching the video of Matthew and Scarlett, I was reminded of why I looked to cutting riders for inspiration when learning to ride Mia's spooks! Her startle reaction was a spin. Learning to ride like people whose horse never made a fast turn wasn't helping me. No one around that I could ask, so I watched a bunch of cutting horse videos, slowed them down and paid attention to how they balanced and responded. Seems like ALL riders ought to have a bit of cutting mixed into their lessons.

Watched it again in full screen just for the fun of it!


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## kewpalace

bsms said:


> Watching the video of Matthew and Scarlett, I was reminded of why I looked to cutting riders for inspiration when learning to ride Mia's spooks! Her startle reaction was a spin. * * * I watched a bunch of cutting horse videos, slowed them down and paid attention to how they balanced and responded. Seems like ALL riders ought to have a bit of cutting mixed into their lessons.


Cutters are a good group to watch for that, for sure! It's not easy to learn how to sit deep and relaxed and move with the horse's movement. When I slowed down part of that video and watched it, I thought, "wow! Look how deep and relaxed he naturally sits when she turns!" I thought it was amazing. But, of course, he is young, he is a natural horseperson and he's been riding for about 6 years easily, so his body will naturally do things that mine would not do when I first started doing cows. 😆 Agree about people putting a little cutting in their lessons ... very beneficial for both horse & rider in many ways!



bsms said:


> Watched it again in full screen just for the fun of it!


He's fun to watch.


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## JoBlueQuarter

That's so cool! They look really good. Funny watching the donkey too.😄


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## Knave

I was behind. I see why the donkey would be so good for riding youngsters! I’m still super jealous. Husband and I went on a little afternoon trip the other day and saw several burros. I got out and messed with a couple. They really weren’t that scared. I didn’t get right up to them, but rather close. They looked a lot bigger than Matt’s.

I hope you do well in the show!!! I also like the blankets. I tend towards liking a contoured blanket, but on a horse like Cash that would be perfect.


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## kewpalace

Well, the show did not go well at all. I got down to Tulare about 1-ish on Saturday and found out that Matt & Scarlett won reserve in the Jr. Open Horse last year! So a Buckle and a Headstall!



















That was as good as the show got, LOL. I rode Pi around a bit and then set up her stall. Watched some runs. Talked a bit with Jake Gorrell, who is back to riding and came in 1st & 3rd in the Open Bridle. NICE! The rest of the group came after dark - they got a late start - and then Sharon & I went to check into the hotel. Meghan got pizza for the group back at the show grounds (they had brought their LQ) so we huddled in the LQ eating pizza before saddling up and heading to the warmup pen. 

Pi was great. Soft, relaxed, responsive. I didn't want to ride her too hard. Sharon was having trouble with her mare being fresh. We got back to the hotel about 9:30 pm and crashed. Up and out by 7, ran for Starbucks & donuts before heading back to show grounds. My 1st run was not until about 1 pm. I was not going to get on early. Sharon was before me and had a nice Open Boxing Run. After her run, I saddled up Pi. She was great in the warm up. In the show pen - totally different animal. Pushing on the bit, on the muscle and NOT listening to me. I stopped her a number of times in reining since she was so pushy, so we zero'd in reining. We immediately lost our cow, so got a 60. Horrible run.

We had a few hours before my 5k run. I talked some to Roger and a few others. They all were very nice and gave me tons of encouragement and support, especially saying after a year, I'd be a little rusty. Yea, that's an understatement. But I felt horrible. I was going to unsaddle Pi and put her in her stall, but after our Open Boxing run decided to just let her stand at the trailer. 

Sharon was up early in the 1k, she did OK - Open boxing was a better score, but lost her cow. We didn't go until about 5 pm. Pi was not much better, but I think I rode _slightly_ better; not much but a smidgen. And we did better on our cow, with Roger's help coaching me from the side. Still, we ended up at the bottom. I left almost immediately after, since it was getting dark, weather was coming in and I wanted to get home asap. Stopped for Gas and a Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich & hooked onto a truck for most of the way home. Light rain leaving Tulare, but managed to out run it for the most part. It started snowing slightly when I hit Tehachapi and then, about 8 miles out from home, it started SNOWING hard. Roads were really slushy and it was hard to see with the snow coming at the truck. Got off the freeway and it was worse. Got about 2 miles up the canyon and ... nothing. I was so happy! Wanted to unhook the trailer when I got home and wasn't relishing doing it in the slushy snow. 

Got to my house (about 3 miles up the canyon from the freeway) and it was not snowing at all. Put feed in Pi's stall, unloaded her and it was starting to snow. Got the trailer unhitched and it was coming down more. But I only had to get into the house. 

They closed the freeway overnight, so even if I was going into work (I had taken the day off), I couldn't make it. The freeway was actually open on Monday night, but I stayed home & worked from Tuesday - Thursday because of the forecast ... which turned out to be totally wrong for us. But at least I have the option to work from home if need be. 

So the start of the show season was a complete bust for us. But the sting was somewhat softened by the encouragement of my cowhorse friends. Next show is not until March. 

Got a call on Saturday that my stall panels are done. Will go get them on Saturday and hoping to get them up the following weekend.


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## carshon

So sorry you had a disappointing show. There will be more shows later. Your pads are gorgeous! I really love the green


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon. Yes, many more shows ahead; it's just such a crushing blow when you think "We've got this; we'll put in a decent run" and then it all goes to heck. :-/ 

The blankets are great. I was going to get pix of the actual pads in person, but I haven't had a chance to do that yet. Can't beat the price - $65!


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## kewpalace

One thing I did forget to say, a friend who was watching our runs said that Pi looked REALLY happy to be out there again, LOL. At least one of us was. LOL ....


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## Knave

I think sometimes we all just have those days. Maybe it was Pi’s turn. I haven’t been showing at all in this last time frame, but I even have occasional rides like that. I see my girls have the occasional basketball game like that.

The oldest gets so mad at herself, and she is a super good basketball player. It has shown me though that it kind of spans all species. Lol


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. Yes, it was just our turn, but when you are not expecting it (I was certain we'd at least be in the middle of the pack, LOL) it does deal a heavy blow. But you watch open riders and you see they go through the SAME thing. So it makes me feel slightly better, LOL. I will just keep plugging away and try to do better next time.


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## kewpalace

Went up to Matt's on Saturday - have been having some difficult times with my Mom (who is getting up there in years), so it was a good horse therapy day. It was gorgeous, weather-wise too - warm, but not hot. We worked on getting Pi to slow down going into her spin. I then hopped on Scarlett, felt a lot more comfortable on her and did walking, trotting and loping. Albeit not fast, LOL. She didn't go fast and I didn't ask for any faster than I got, LOL. Here's a short video of a stop:






But Matthew took Tango up on the hill and Tilly got all NFR in her pen at the top of the arena, which made Scarlett excited and scared me! So I got off. Matt reminded me how to handle that, so I'll remember next time hopefully. 

Then we got her to model the headstall she and Matt won last year. Matt will keep this one and I'll order a duplicate.


















Looks good with that bit! Although she will NOT have that cheek as it's no longer made. Still deciding on the cheek.


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## knightrider

Bummer about the show. So sorry. Scarlett looks amazing, and you look great on her. Love the headstall! Love it!!!!!


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## COWCHICK77

Sorry about your run on Pi not going as planned!

Congrats to Scarlett! I'm excited to see you two together!
She looks really nice in that setup, that cheek is one of my favorite styles. We have an El Gato spade with that cheek, we've never really used it, it is so heavy but I refuse to sell or trade it off.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @knightrider & @COWCHICK77. Bad shows happen. But it always sucks when it happens to you, LOL. When it happens to others, especially those better than me, I always think "see, I wasn't so bad". 

Thanks about Scarlett; she's looking good and feels great. Such a change from Pi, who is compact and quick. Scarlett is like riding an easy chair. 😊 I just need to get a little more comfortable on her to go faster. Looking at the video I think, "What the heck are you doing with your HANDS???" Still way up. And too quick on the stop. But we'll get there. It's only about the 4th time I've been on her. 

@knightrider, I love the headstall too; but I gave it to Matt when I found out he/Scarlett won it last year and I kept the buckle (its in post #852 above). Matt wants a duplicate of the buckle, and after looking at the headstall for the last two weeks, I decided I wanted a duplicate of it. So I ordered a duplicate of both.

@COWCHICK77 I love that cheek, but apparently Jeremiah does not make it anymore; he makes a similar one, just not that one. And, talking with Matt, I may not go with it since it's pretty fixed with straight cheek (the same with the 2nd cheek you liked in Scarlett's fashion show above), even if you had chains instead of a slobber bar and we prefer something with a little more movement. Am thinking about it.



COWCHICK77 said:


> We have an El Gato spade with that cheek, we've never really used it, it is so heavy but I refuse to sell or trade it off.


I wouldn't either! What an amazingly cool bit that is!! Post some pix, I would love to see it! I would love to have a nice spade; although it would be wall decor for me and I'm not sure I could get myself good enough to ride in one. Pi would probably go in one, if I could train my hands .... a few more years and Scarlett would be even better. She's very soft and Matt is sooo confident she will shine as a bridle horse.


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## Knave

Your stop looked good! It looks like you are both getting a little more confident with each other already.

That is such a cool idea about duplicating the bridle and buckle!! I never would have thought about that.

I bought my husband a Garcia spade. It is beautiful. Lucy is intended to wear it. She is in the hackamore now, and he wants to get a fancy headstall fixed up to put the spade on.

I myself don’t really desire a spade horse. I guess I think I am just as proud of a horse carrying a little curb but as I would be a spade. Then, the day I mess up and pull back when they spook forward or something silly like that, it won’t feel quite as consequential. Lol


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Your stop looked good! It looks like you are both getting a little more confident with each other already.


 Thanks @Knave. We are getting a little more confident with each other. Matt even commented on it. Still a ways to go, but I'm pleased with it. 



Knave said:


> That is such a cool idea about duplicating the bridle and buckle!! I never would have thought about that.


I never thought about it either, but Matt has apparently heard of it, he asked for one right away when I told him I was keeping the buckle. Then I thought, if you can get a duplicate buckle, you should be able to get a duplicate headstall! So I asked and now both are ordered. Looking forward to it!



Knave said:


> I bought my husband a Garcia spade. It is beautiful. Lucy is intended to wear it. She is in the hackamore now, and he wants to get a fancy headstall fixed up to put the spade on.


 Nice!! You need to post a pix of it too!! 



Knave said:


> I myself don’t really desire a spade horse. I guess I think I am just as proud of a horse carrying a little curb but as I would be a spade. Then, the day I mess up and pull back when they spook forward or something silly like that, it won’t feel quite as consequential. Lol


 Yea, that's why I will likely never get one. It's a dream, but not one that I will likely achieve. I was thrilled when I started my journey with Star and we went from the snaffle to a loose cheek Billy Allen curb. I thought "How cool is this! We're advancing!"  She was eventually put in a fixed cheek curb with roller for cowhorse and I was scared to death in riding with that, LOL. But we got through.

Then when I got Pi and did all steps with her - snaffle to hackamore to two rein to bridle - it was amazing! I couldn't believe what a difference it makes and how the training advanced incrementally. I can ride Pi in anything. Or nothing. Except a spade; I'm not ready (and probably will never be) for that. 

I went to a horse expo in Paso one year. Shelia Varian was there with one of her stallions & gave a presentation. This was WAY before Pi. She had him in a rope halter and had a spade bit in her hands with her romals. She talked a bit about the bit, it's use and the training that goes into getting a horse work properly in one. This thing was enormous! I was schooled a little bit on the bit, so I knew what it was and that the horse AND rider had to be properly trained to use it, but many there (and many any way, even now) had no clue and thought it was cruel and unnecessary - which it definitely would be for them & no doubt their horse. After talking about it, Shelia went to the bridle the horse and he took it like candy. She explained EVERYTHING about what she was doing and how the horse had been trained to eventually work in the spade. Most people in attendance were appalled. Then she got on and rode. You never saw her visibly touch the reins and the horse responded as if he was reading her mind and was very relaxed, mouth lightly closed the entire time. It was amazing. Then she got off and dropped the bit and he released just as relaxed as he had taken it. Exquisite display; I wish more people could have seen that. Hardly one today would ever get even remotely close to riding in a spade or even understand its use; but when a good horseman/woman takes the time that is needed to prepare themselves and their horse to ride in one, it is certainly a thing of beauty to watch.


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## Knave

I agree completely! It is beautiful and can be done quite well. It just isn’t my dream. I do sometimes dream of two reining, but I’m not sure I desire it enough to change what I already do as it seems to work well for me.

Husband is nudging me to go the two rein direction with Queen. She is particularly light in a halter, and he keeps asking if I will ride her in a hackamore. I don’t love riding horses in a hackamore. Oh, I love a good hack horse, and I think it’s really pretty, but I don’t love my hands in a hackamore.


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## kewpalace

That bit is gorgeous! Can't wait to see pix of Lucy in it.

I love riding in the hackamore! It actually makes me pay more attention to my hands for sure. I was sad we only get one year of it in cowhorse, but, of course, I can still ride in Ranch Horse classes in the hackamore. I did NOT like riding in the Two Rein - too much in my little hands. BUT, it was great for Pi and made the transition to the bridle so much easier for her. The Two Rein looks way cool though ... Queen would look lovely in it! 

Scarlett is pretty much already in the bridle; Matt rides her in the bridle all the time. But I will ride her in the snaffle or hackamore and do the two rein with her. Just because I like going through all the steps. Plus NRCHA has made it so NP Ltd. riders can ride in the derbies into the 6 yo year! So that's a plus; I can derby her next year in the hackamore.


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## kewpalace

This could have been taken at the expo I attended ... same horse and spade bit:


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## kewpalace

Just cuz I was looking at spades ... here's some cool ones I found online:


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## Knave

I think Husband loves it too. He has enjoyed the process so much, and Lucy is his first hackamore horse. He’s done excellent with her.

I get on her and now it’s fine, but when she was very young I hated the over exaggeration of the hackamore. I like the finesse and tiny touch of the snaffle.

I’ll admit that Queen feels the same as a snaffle in the halter. She is naturally that light of a horse. Maybe I’ll change my mind and ride her in it, but I just don’t think so...


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## Knave

Beautiful spades both @knightrider and kewpalace!

I think you can get the same look from Capriolas on their curbs. I might one day buy another Garcia for Cash. I need a tiny bit wider of a mouthpiece than the one I ride him in.


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## kewpalace

Well, you have time to decide for Queen, @Knave. Looking forward to seeing your journey with her. 💖


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## kewpalace

@Knave, one of the sites I was looking at you could get different mouths with the same cheek as the spade mouth had. I know Jeremiah Watt does that - you pick the cheek and the mouth, which is why many of my bridle bits have the "spade" cheek.


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## Knave

That’s how Capriolas works too. They are expensive though... maybe I’ll ask for one for something big...


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## kewpalace

Jeremiah's are cheaper .... but that is his stainless steel ones. Obviously his silver ones are $$$$$.


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## kewpalace

Talking about bits, Matt got two Jeremiah bits he's been waiting for ... a spoon spade and a medium port w/roller with a 15 degree forward tilt ... they look cool:


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## Knave

Those are cool!

Cashman has been chewing the side of his bit when he’s annoyed. It drives me crazy. It is why I put him in the bit so young to begin with, because he was particularly bad about eating the sides of the pro reiner.

I know I could wire his mouth closed, or buy one of those leather English thingies, but I don’t really want to. I will eventually if I have to, I don’t really know why I dislike the idea so much. I guess I think it’s kind of a freedom, fidgeting with their mouths, and a way to release anxiety. I wish he’d stick to playing with the roller.

So, I ordered a thing thin line just came out with. It’s simple and probably a waste of money. It’s a piece of rubber for them to chew on that connects to to bridle. I’m hoping it helps... I probably should have just gone with the leather thingy.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Cashman has been chewing the side of his bit when he’s annoyed. It drives me crazy. * * * I ordered a thing thin line just came out with. It’s simple and probably a waste of money. It’s a piece of rubber for them to chew on that connects to to bridle. I’m hoping it helps...


I'll be interested in hearing how this works. I, also, do not like the "idea" of tying the mouth shut, but plenty of people do it. I have not had a horse that has ever chewed/bit the side of the rein/bit, so I have nothing to offer, LOL. Don't know that I would go the cavesson route or not. I'd probably try to address it in other ways first. But you never know until you are in that situation. Let us know how your rubber thingy works out.


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## QHriderKE

Been reading a while, jumping on because I'm a bridle bit nerd!
JT Silversmiths sells pretty decent bits, comparable to what you'll find at Capriolas or Buckaroo Business and the likes.

I have a R. Brooks spade that is just engraved steel (I can't afford silver yet lol) and love love love it. 








I've only brought one horse through the stages into the bridle and honestly I enjoy the hackamore stage the most. I've taken to riding all my horses in a bosal, even my barrel horse.


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## kewpalace

@QHriderKE, your spade bit is rad! Very nice. I agree about cost ... if I had just won SuperLotto a few weeks ago, I'd have some NICE sliver bits in my collection, LOL. Matt has a one silver one by Jeremiah Watt that I LOVE ... which I have to from afar since I cannot afford it. 

I think the hackamore phase is my favorite as well. Snaffle bit was cool; but the two rein was just so much to hold in my tiny hands, so I didn't enjoy it as much. But it was good for my horse; she enjoyed it. But we both loved the hackamore. I will still ride her in it at times. And looking forward to doing it with Scarlett.

Very cool you ride your barrel horse in the hackamore, too! I know nothing about the rules for barrel horses ... could you compete in one? Not sure that would even be something you would want to do, but just curious if you could.


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## QHriderKE

kewpalace said:


> @QHriderKE, your spade bit is rad! Very nice. I agree about cost ... if I had just won SuperLotto a few weeks ago, I'd have some NICE sliver bits in my collection, LOL. Matt has a one silver one by Jeremiah Watt that I LOVE ... which I have to from afar since I cannot afford it.
> 
> I think the hackamore phase is my favorite as well. Snaffle bit was cool; but the two rein was just so much to hold in my tiny hands, so I didn't enjoy it as much. But it was good for my horse; she enjoyed it. But we both loved the hackamore. I will still ride her in it at times. And looking forward to doing it with Scarlett.
> 
> Very cool you ride your barrel horse in the hackamore, too! I know nothing about the rules for barrel horses ... could you compete in one? Not sure that would even be something you would want to do, but just curious if you could.


Once I learned what to do with my hands, the 2 rein was comfortable. I pack 60 feet of rope and manage to handle it and a 2 rein but that was a learning curve for sure! 

There's no rules for tack in barrel racing, so anything is ok. I've never run her in a hackamore, even though I could probably run her in a rope halter if I wanted to. She runs in a snaffle and it's just fine.


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## COWCHICK77

I too enjoy the hackamore but I like riding in a two rein the best. Stilts was a lot of fun in it, we were still cowboying when he went into the two rein, I cowboyed on him in it, showed him, ranch rodeos. I think most the pictures I have of him competing is in the two rein.
One thing to remember is even if you go that route, you don't have to ride in a spade at the end. I really don't care about it anymore. And Stilts is one of those horses, you can ride him in a spade but he loves an old roached out Vogt bit with a bunch of silver popped out of it with a frog mouth piece. It looks like I got it out a dumpster but he loves it. And he likes an old aluminum Buster Welch cheek, low port, I bought for 20$. With all the miles he has given me, I'll ride him in whatever he wants.

I haven't hung a spade in him in a long time so I put the El Gato on him to model today just for fun. He wasn't impressed but he played along.


















@kewpalace what is the deal with mouthpiece/port tilted forward on the JWP bit?
I don't think I've ever seen that. Husband has tilted mouthpieces back on some unbalanced bits to make them a little more balanced or easier for a horse to find the neutral spot in it naturally. That mouthpiece seems a bit counter productive pushed forward like that?


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## COWCHICK77

@QHriderKE I like the Brooks bit! I think the engraved steel can look really nice if done right. We have a little kissing bird cheek bit made by a guy in OR, steel engraved, probably one of my favorite bits.


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## QHriderKE

COWCHICK77 said:


> @QHriderKE I like the Brooks bit! I think the engraved steel can look really nice if done right. We have a little kissing bird cheek bit made by a guy in OR, steel engraved, probably one of my favorite bits.


I'm going to have a hard time buying bits from anyone else than Brooks! Although I really really want one of those cactus flower big concho bits with a frog or half breed (you probably know exactly what im talking about) and I dont really care who made it because I love them so much! 

I also really like the "heart moon and stars" cheek piece that Capriolas sells. I'll take one of those too! 

My collection is pretty sad, I just have the one spade, but I'm hoping to start getting enough braiding stocked up so I can do some trading on stuff I want.


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## lb27312

Dang you guys' bit collection is awesome!! Really beautiful works of art! Even if it just hangs for looks... I'd take any of them! Not sure on the spade because I've never used one but they look cool!


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## Knave

@COWCHICK77 I noticed that about the curb too. I wondered why it was that way. I couldn’t figure it out in my head. He looks so handsome in that spade!

I ride Cash in a bit Shawn bought me from Stockman’s for our first Christmas! I really like it, and all of my horses have. It has some filagree on the side though that has caved in. I’ve been offered trades for it every time I’ve used it in town!


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## Knave

I was just thinking, Grandpa has a bit hanging in the garage that is from the pony express. I’ll have to take a picture of it and show you guys. It is crazy different.


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## kewpalace

COWCHICK77 said:


> One thing to remember is even if you go that route, you don't have to ride in a spade at the end.


Very true; going through the process for me was never to end up in a spade, since it would take _me_ 5x longer to be able to ride in one than to go from snaffle to straight up in bridle. It is still a very fun and educational process for everyone to go through. It's part of why I keep getting young horses, LOL ...

@COWCHICK77 - your spade is truly a work of art. Absolutely beautiful especially on your pony.



COWCHICK77 said:


> @kewpalace what is the deal with mouthpiece/port tilted forward on the JWP bit?


To be honest, Matt told me when he first ordered it - he got one bit from his Dad at the beginning of the year that had that mouth and wanted it in a Jeremiah cheek - but I have since forgotten it since it was not something that was particularly interesting to me. He posted on FB that it was "the next in a series of experiments in Portuguese type bitting".

Looking online I found this:










> *Doma Vaquera Bit, with 45 Degree Correction*
> $74.95
> 
> Spanish Doma Vaquera bit with a 5 inch mouth and 45 degree correction port. Ideal for horses that root or pull through mouth contact. In black sweet iron with copper lined mouth.
> Made in Spain by Lopez.


and this:










> Oiled Vaquero style bit with 45% angled port, pivoting rein rings and oiled hooks, decorated shank..
> 
> Sizes: 12.5,
> Shank :7 cm. 2 3/4” (measured from mouth piece to end of shank)
> Shank full length: 15cm, 6”
> Peanut length: 4 cm.
> Mouth piece thickness: 17 mm.


Will see if I can find anything else on it. But Matt's 15 degree forward tilt seems pretty mild compared to these two with 45 degree tilt.



QHriderKE said:


> I'm going to have a hard time buying bits from anyone else than Brooks!


That's about me with Jeremiah bits ... but I am looking at other ones right now. It's good to branch out!



QHriderKE said:


> Although I really really want one of those cactus flower big concho bits with a frog or half breed (you probably know exactly what im talking about) and I dont really care who made it because I love them so much!


Know exactly what you are talking about ... I like them too and I'm not big on sunflowers, LOL.



QHriderKE said:


> My collection is pretty sad, I just have the one spade, but I'm hoping to start getting enough braiding stocked up so I can do some trading on stuff I want.


I hear you ... but you are one spade up on me! Guess I'll need to get one to get into the race, LOL!!



Knave said:


> I was just thinking, Grandpa has a bit hanging in the garage that is from the pony express. I’ll have to take a picture of it and show you guys. It is crazy different.


 YES PLEASE! I want to see it!


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## kewpalace

Here are some interesting finds ... never saw these before:











> Kandar bar Turtle Tilt from Neue Schule that goes further down on the horse's tongue to provide more space for the bridong bite. Turtle Tilt provides a wide and even pressure distribution on the horse's tongue. The bar is designed to make room in the horse's mouth as it is narrower over the middle part. This candlestick from the Neue Schule is recommended to clarify the helpers and provide increased comfort and performance.













> Baroque academic Curb bit, modeled after a 1700 century decorative bit. Beautiful Historic brass plated bit with a modern comfort angled port mouth.


 This one looks like a lesser degree of tilt.

Guess Myler makes a forward tilt ported bit, but the port is low:










> 7 1/2" Stainless Steel Embossed Seven Shank with Sweet Iron Forward Tilt Ported Barrel (MB 36, Level 2-3) Copper Inlay. This mouthpiece is made of polished Sweet Iron which naturally oxidizes or rusts. Harmless to horses, it has a sweet taste and promotes salivation.
> 
> *About the Mouthpiece*
> 
> The 36 mouthpiece is a Myler alternative to the traditional mullen mouthpiece.
> Has the wide low port that allows the tongue to pass under the bit comfortably.
> The port is ¼” high, just enough to allow the tongue to elevate and swallow, but not high enough for palate pressure.
> The 36 mouthpiece is identical to the 06, except the 36 port is tilted forward at a 45° angle.
> The 36 offers more tongue relief than the 06, but when the reins are engaged, the tilted port will apply more tongue pressure than the 06.
> The curved mouthpiece wraps the horse’s mouth, allowing more space for the tongue under the bit.
> When the reins are engaged, the 36 applies pressure primarily to the bars and lip.
> This mouthpiece also has Independent Side Movement.





Also found this ... this is cool:











> These curb-bits (munsztuk in Polish) - known in Europe as 'morisco,' 'gennette,' 'gineta' between XV-XVIII ( 15-18th) centuries, were know here, in the Americas, as a 'ring bit' or 'mule bit'( US ) and the chileno or morisco (Spanish Texas, pre-1848 US Southwest and Latin America) bit. Instead of a curb chain it uses a fixed ring (some are removable while others are permanent) attached to the port (short port it should be).
> 
> According to a Californio writer and horseman Ed Connell (died in 1970s), it was supposed to be used on a 'finished' horses by experienced riders - check some paintings of Californio riders from early 1800s, I imagine in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Santo Domingo they might have done it too.
> 
> It predated spade curb-bit (still popular in the US), and perhaps came to the medieval Spanish horsemanship (in Spain) tradition via Moors hence perhaps the name: 'morisco.' But it could have been developed from the Roman Newstead-type bit (as shown in the Ann Hyland's book 'Training the Roman Cavalry'), quien sabe


Additional text at the site.


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## Knave

That last one might be similar to the one on Grandpa’s wall. I will go over sometime soon.

I decided to try a caveson. The rubber thingy won’t arrive for a couple weeks, and I have reached my tolerance limit. It’s become a seriously annoying habit.

I have one I cut apart for the leather, but the nosepiece is intact. I ran it through a side of his bit. Way too low for practicality, but his head is so massive it wouldn’t have fit higher. Oddly, it seemed to settle him down rather than wind him up. Like he’s gotten so obsessed with biting the bit that it gave him a reason to stop. I am going to work on making one today.

When I dropped the bit from his mouth he grabbed it and chewed on it for a while. Lol. He had to bite it sometime!


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## QHriderKE

@kewpalace The tilted forward mouthpiece is interesting to me. It means that in a neutral position, the shanks are going to hang father forward. Not sure what the benefit of that would be to be honest. It will give more room for rotation to the shank obviously, but I'm not sure why someone would want that?


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## kewpalace

Things have been rough since I last posted as my Mom is not doing well and I have been driving to San Bernardino (2 hrs each way), a ALOT; sometimes every other day. Mom is doing a little better now, but I have also been trying to get her State assisted help, which means LOTS of paperwork and unanswered calls to the State for help. And I still have to work. All of this has been extremely stressful/exhausting and depressing. I have not been able to ride at all and have essentially cancelled future shows for the time being.

But, on a happy note, we have started putting Scarlett's stall at home together and it will look great. RR ties in for two sides and those two sides' panels up. Need to do one more, then the three sides for the other stall, rebar and the divider and we can start putting up the steal on them.


















You can see the steel in the pickup bed behind the dogs and to the left of it.









And, I am taking her to the breeding Vet on Saturday. A little apprehensive about it because of my experience with Pi, but Matt said he will talk to her in the next few days to tell her she needs to man up (LOL - she's still up at his place).

And Pi was feeling good last night:







@QHriderKE I have no clue. My posts above (866 & 877) has some explanation from makers of bits that offer a forward tilting mouth.


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## Knave

Oh no! I’m so sorry to read this. If you need to vent about it you can call me (I got off Facebook).

I think that on one positive side, at least Scarlett has a job right now anyways. That will hopefully be something to look forward to! Maybe you’ll get some nice get to know you rides on her too.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. Not a fun time for sure; appreciate your offer to receive vents. 💖 

I've been debating with myself for the last week if I should breed Scarlett since I have quite a bit on my plate and could use the $$ for other things, but I need a bit of sunshine and figure this would be it. 

Don't know in the near future if I'll have much time to ride; depends on what happens with my Mom. But once Scarlett is home (if the stall is not done by the time she's ready to be picked up from the vet, then she'll likely go back up to Matt's), it will give me the opportunity if I have time to put in small rides at least I think.


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - Soooo sorry to hear what you are dealing with.... I had issues with my mom too, it was a plane ride a way which I did as often as I could... It's tough. Well aren't I a ray of sunshine! Sorry! Good thoughts coming your way.

I'm sooo excited for Scarlett! I hope she takes right away! lol on Matt telling her to man up... 

The new horse digs looks nice! Very cool.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. It is tough; stories from others are helpful to remind me I am not alone in the experience. It does help. And it would be a blessing to have Scarlett take ASAP. 

I left work a little early yesterday and got home and played ball with the dogs and then with Pi ... she was still full of it ...






Was playing ball with the dogs again when Matt & Matthew came to do a little more work on the stall. I don't think he wants her back after the vet, LOL. We had enough sunlight to work about an hour; I'll get off early today (furlough afternoon) so I'll hopefully be able to finish the digging on the one the side.


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## COWCHICK77

Sorry you're having a rough go! That is a lot to shoulder. 
On a happier note I think you'll be glad you decided to breed Scarlett it'll be a bright point to give you joy and something to look forward to! I know I'm excited! LOL!

That is so cool Matt and Matthew came up to help with new stalls. I wonder if they'll make a trip to ID? 

I get a kick out of Pi because she loves to rear. I rarely see my horses do it. The geldings when they play fight will but they usually do the leg biting like stud colts do. The mares don't play much, they tease and face nip play then they like to spin around and kick when the boys play too rough.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77. 💖 

Pi is the first horse I've had that loves to rear. My Arabs never did that. I rarely see any other horses do it; Scarlett does it a bit, but not as much as Pi ... that might change when she comes home! I found out from my neighbor she does it more than I knew as my neighbor said she loved watching her play out there, rearing & twirling. 

I took Scarlett down to the breeding Vet on Saturday. It seems strange that her time with Matt (this time) is over. She's been there soooo long. But I think everyone is ready for the next step in the journey. They were collecting from a new stallion (Standardbred); that was interesting to watch. Vet asked if I had the contact info for the stallion and I've been so distracted that I completely forgot.  So I emailed Ramona Wold for the collection schedule and told the vet I'd text it to him. Ramona actually sent it right away and said she sent it to the Vet as well. Wow!

Came home after dropping Scarlett off and finished digging the one ditch for the 3rd side of the shelter. Got it all dug out and was playing ball with the dogs with when Matthew and his friend came over; they wanted to park in my yard and bike out on the roads by me. Which is fine. Matt came about an hour later and we got one RR tie in and the panel on top of it; still need about a 3' piece of RR tie. Then we'll start on the 2nd stall. Matt said he might come Sunday afternoon; I kinda thought he wouldn't (family day). I was glad he didn't. I was beat, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Well, the blows keep on coming. 😞 Vet just called. Scarett's right ovary is inactive; her left is the size of softball. He thinks it's a granular tumor, so drew blood and will send it off to confirm. Surgery is about $2k. She obviously won't be bred this year. Next year he said she should be good, since removal of the left ovary would "activate" the right one. But I think I'm done.


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## All About Hope

Aw, that sucks... I hope she's okay...


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## lb27312

Oh MAN!! @kewpalace what a blow! I'm soooo sorry to hear that! That really bites....


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## knightrider

So sorry about your mom and the bad news about Scarlett. A lot of difficult news. I hope things improve. I moved to Florida to look after my mom. It was a hard time. My heart is with you.


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## COWCHICK77

Goodness sake lady!
I'm going to keep jingling for you, your mom and Scarlett!


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## carshon

Wow! I am so sorry to hear this. Sending warm vibes your way.


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## bsms

Very sorry to hear that. And about your Mom. I thought of posting something about my experiences with my Mom near the end of her life but it is hard to even think about it - 10 years after her death. My granddaughter asked me what it means when someone says, "When it rains, it pours!" I tried to explain but I fear life will teach her what it means...teach her all too well.

;>(


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## Knave

That’s an awful blow. I’m sorry. I was really hoping you would have a piece of joy to hold on to.


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## Knave

I finally got this picture, but it was in a hurry, so I didn’t realize I left reins in the way...


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## COWCHICK77

Cool ring bit!!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you everyone for your kind replies. It was a devastating blow amidst all the other problems I'm wading through at the moment. But, after a few days of feeling sorry for myself, I'm bouncing back and moving forward. Mom is doing a little better, but at almost 86, I know things will not improve significantly. So we will do what we can to make life enjoyable and easy. Which is not an easy task.

I pick Scarlett up on Sunday; she'll go back to Matt's as the shelter is not finished. Matt is a great friend; when I told him about Scarlett, it said alot about some of her quirks that had him a little concerned about me riding her. I have a lot going on with Mom this week that prevented me from going to get Scarlett and Matt offered to go down to get her. But he's gone out of his way to do other things for me (and for taking her back), that I did not want to impose on him. Still, it was very nice of him to offer. 

@Knave, that bit is extremely cool (and very interesting)! Thanks so much for getting a pix of it!


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## QHriderKE

I've been following along a little, just wanted to stop in and say that I'm sorry that you're really getting a lot of bad stuff thrown at you! When it rains, it pours. 
Hope things start to look up for you!


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## kewpalace

Well, got Mom's 2nd Covid shot on Friday with only a sore arm on Saturday as a result. That's a relief. It was a hard weekend but we finally agreed on help for her. But we'll have to fund it since the State's Medical assistance says she makes too much $$ so she'll have to pay an additional $1k+ a month as a "co-pay". But it's still expensive and so I'll not show any more this year and not take any Matt lessons for the foreseeable future.

Before I got home Saturday, Matt sent me pix of the work he and the boys did in the morning - they got the corral panels up on the 2nd shelter:











This is from the 1st shelter (Scarlett's) looking down to the 2nd:









I was so amazed and grateful; dealing with everything with my Mom, it's a blessing to have such a great family as as friends. And THEN, he came back after I got home and put up two walls of Scarlett's shelter (I was the screw handler):

















You can already tell just walking in the stall how much wind it blocks. He was hoping to have more up so I could just bring Scarlett straight home, but we didn't get that done. 

I picked Scarlett up on Sunday Morning. The vet said preliminary blood work results shows extremely high testosterone levels (which is funny since she does not act studdy at all); final results will come by Wednesday. He will call the vet hospital and then I'll call to make the appointment for surgery. Vet says once that ovary is taken out, she will be a different horse (yea, so much less testosterone running through her veins, LOL). Looking at May, if not before. 

Got to Matt's and he was happy to see her. He's soooo busy - with his day job, a client's horse he is showing end of March at a multiple day show (showing Ranch Horse) and, of course, family. I feel bad to putting more on his plate with Scarlett and the shelter. I told him on Saturday I never intended him to do the shelter himself. He just brushed it off and said he was happy to help.

We have a storm coming in on early Wednesday morning (2 am-ish) - just got a winter storm warning of 4.5" below pass level, so - if the prediction is correct - that means I'll get more than that. Will likely be working at home for a few days. 

So that's the latest scoop.


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## kewpalace

We were supposed to get 2-4" of snow on Wednesday - Thursday, so I stayed home Wednesday & worked from there. We got very little; not even an inch. I could have gone into work. But I did on Thursday. When I fed Pi Thursday Morning, my neighbor was out and said if I wanted to she would let Pi out in the turnout for a few hours if the weather was nice. I agreed, so she did. Very nice of her.

Confirmation from the vet that Scarlett has a granuloma cell tumor. He'll talk to Alamo and then I'll set up the appointment for surgery, probably looking at late May.

Tomorrow is the HiDHA awards lunch. Riding down with the Sheridans and I'll pay for Matt since he rode Scarlett in the Series. I think Pi and I will get the buckle for Ranch Trail, if my calculations are correct.

Then Sunday to Moms. She's fighting me on getting help; it is expensive but I think it's also because she thinks she doesn't really need it. Makes me pull my hair out. Oy ...


----------



## carshon

I feel for you on elder care. My FIL just turned 85 he is in great shape but not very strong - his laundry is still in his basement and we have begged him to not do it himself. But the side effect is he is just not doing laundry. We live in very small towns so there is no laundromat that will take drop offs - he has had other issues with memory etc and it is getting obvious that driving should be taken away soon. My heart breaks for him as his entire day is planned around driving "uptown" (10 blocks) to the diner and eating with the other cronies - but he has had a few close calls and the town police kind of look the other way. its a town of about 2800 so they look out for the older folks but there is always a time.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon. 💖 My mother doesn't seem to understand watching her decline is extremely hard on me as well - my heart breaks seeing her not being able to do things. It's very sad. My Mom is also 85 (will be 86 in June); she has little strength, but otherwise is "healthy", even though she has COPD.

One good thing is that my Mom realized she could no longer drive after driving to the bank a few weeks ago. Was very thankful she realized that. She didn't tell me she was going to do it & barely got there and back again & said she was scared the entire time. She had the car sold within a few days of that (and, of course, I had to do all the paperwork).


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## Knave

I got better pictures for you.


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## lb27312

So sorry for not understanding the bit... does the whole circle go in the mouth? And then it's like a curb? Very cool bit!


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - it was soooo hard for me to watch what was such a strong woman to fall so fast to a not so good place.... I wish I had caught on when I had phoned that things weren't right...


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## Knave

I guess @egrogan. I’ve no idea. I’ve never seen one used or anything like that.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave - love the clearer pix! What a very cool bit.

@lb27312 I found this pix ... sorry it wasn't larger:


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - thanks so much for the pic! Looks like the one part I wasn't sure about is used like a curb chain? Having a daft moment as I can't think of what that piece is.... curb chain right?? lol


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## kewpalace

@lb27312 I think so ... maybe? LOL ....

Pi was playing hard yesterday ... 





During it she slipped at one point and then looked at me like ... "how'd you like that stop Mom?" LOL ...


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## kewpalace

Matt loves having Scarlett back. He is getting a horse ready to show at Gold N Grand in a few weeks. He said he has to ride Scarlett after him because she is just SO nice to ride - very light and responsive. Always nice to hear your horse complimented. 💖


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## COWCHICK77

Oh goodness I hope things start looking up for you, mom and Scarlett!
Hopefully some encouragement, I rode a horse who was cranky and a tough ride, come to find out,, same as Scarlett needed an ovary removed due to a tumor. She became a sweet mare continued her career for a short time then went onto be a successful broodmare. Funny coincidence, she was also a palomino.

Your barn is awesome!

That is quite the compliment for Miss Scarlett 
Gold n Grand is a fun show. Nice facility now, the first time I was there back in the early 90s was for a USTRC roping. It was just a covered arena, wood box stalls and showers that barely worked..Lol.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77. The story about the horse you rode does provide some much needed encouragement.

Thanks about the barn, too ... Matt & the boys came out Saturday morning and put more walls up. I'll post some pix later. He wants to get enough up so that Scarlett can come home this week; he leaves for Gold N Grand on Thursday. I would have loved to have gone, too; but unfortunately I have enough on my plate to try and show and, of course, can't spend the money right now. That's funny about when you showed there!! Times sure have changed!

Matt (showing the client's[Tina] horse he will show at Gold N Grand) and Matthew (on Rowdy) showed yesterday, along with Tina and her one-eyed wonder, Cruiser, at the local HiDHA show on Sunday. I went up Saturday to watch him give lessons and he rode Scarlett at the end. Have pix/video to share of both, but might have to wait until tomorrow. 

The show was HUGE and they ran WAY behind. It was also cold, windy all day, contrary to the forecast so no one was dressed properly. We left Matt's at 9 am & got to the show at 10. They usually start ranch classes start about noon-ish. They started at 4-ish yesterday. Many people left; Matt, Matthew and Tina (was showing Amateur) had to show Ranch riding and Reining pretty much in the dark. 

Matt got 4th in Trail (in Open). Matthew got 8th - he stepped up in to the Ranch Walk/Trot Open so was showing against trainers & more experienced adults. But he made a wrong turn. They didn't DQ him, but he did get penalized. Matt got 3rd in conformation; Matthew didn't place. Matt got 4th(?) in Ranch Rail & Matthew got 5th - woohoo, finally a good placing for the day! Have yet to get scores for Ranch Riding and Ranch Reining. The office FINALLY got talked into NOT calculating the scores for that class cus they were holding up the other classes which pushed them into the dark.

We got to home to Matt's about 9:45 after trying to find some place that was open that we could get food from where Matt could park the trailer; I got home soon after that, fed Pi and when to the house. No water. I mean, not even a sound. I was so tired, but had to go to the pump house to try and figure out what was going on. Thank God it was an EASY "fix" - I think Matthew turned of the pump switch, thinking it was the light switch. So, flipped the switch and within 20 minutes, I had water! Yahoo!!

Not feeling great today ... but will go home a little early. Pix tomorrow hopefully.


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## kewpalace

Barn pix ...

They got the front panels almost all the way up; need to do some shaving where the 2nd shelter's gate panel goes, & needed a filler pole between the gate and other panel, so that's why it wasn't all the way done.









Looking up from the 2nd Shelter (front is at the left) - got the gate panel up and the back panels - just one smaller piece needed!:









Inside from the 2nd shelter:









Inside from the 1st shelter:


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## kewpalace

Video from Saturday:

1st horse is a 6 yo reining bred gelding that the owner bought about 6 months ago. Had some reining training, but was put on the back burner. I liked him. He had a bridling issue, so Matt worked with him on that.

2nd horse is a cow horse (Metallic Cat mare); I knew the prior owner when she showed this horse. She sold her to get a fence horse as this horse did not seem to care for the fence work. The current owner bought her thinking of doing versatility with her. This is a lot of horse for her, so she is learning the basics with her. Matt is riding the client's horse (Homer) he showed on Sunday in the lesson with the Metallic Cat mare/owner. 

And, of course, they ended with the Golden Child, Scarlett, LOL ... Hope you enjoy this:


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## kewpalace

Some stop pix from Saturday:










































And just because I thought this was funny, Matthew's legs being so straight out there, LOL:












At the show on Sunday, a guy showed up with a Friesian gelding. He was impressive to look at (the horse ). I was not so impressed with him in the show pen, especially when he would not walk when they asked for the walk, but still placed 1st over not-as-impressive looking horses who did everything asked of them. But, that's showing, eh?


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## lb27312

Really enjoyed the video!! Especially where Mathew was cutting his dad on Scarlet! She is such a looker!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share the video!

ETA: I hope you are feeling better today!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @lb27312! Glad you enjoyed the video; it was a bit longer than I usually like, but there was so much going on. I actually cut it down from 20 minutes, so I guess the length is not too bad. I almost missed getting the cutting-Matt portion; glad I woke up enough to get the majority of it!


Thanks also for the well wishes 💖 ... I got some type of tension headache I think that has been bothering me since Sunday night. If it's not one thing it's another ...  But good thing is we have a temp worker coming to help Mom tomorrow so that is the beginning of some relief (mentally) for me.


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## kewpalace

Matt called me Tuesday - he and the boys had been at my house all day (from 10 am) and got all the panels up and got Scarlett's stall ready for her - there are still a few things to do, but for the most part it's ready for her. He had one more thing he needed to do that night and that was it until he comes back from Gold N Grand. They were still there when I came home. It looks great; I put a corner feeder in there (I did somewhat secure it; but waiting for the final touches before doing so. They were still there when I got home. I can't believe how nice this is ... especially from what it was! Still lots of air flow and good wind break.


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## kewpalace

Yesterday I had to go down to the Mom's and didn't get home until 6. Cleaned the feeder & the water trough, secured the feeder & filled it with hay; Matt came down to look at show blankets; he borrowed a couple. Then I went to get Scarlett. Got home it was dark. She shied at the stuff by her pen and when I let her loose, she ran around snorting and bucking and bucking and snorting and after after 10 minutes rolled. She wouldn't go in the shelter, but I wasn't worried about it; she'd find her way in there. Would have gotten a video, but it was too dark; it was fun to watch though, LOL ... 

Got up this morning and she had gone in and eaten all the hay and was ready for breakfast.


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## kewpalace

I don't think I ever posted these ... Scarlett/Matt's videos from last years Stallion Stakes. Compliments of Scooter Kat! Herd Work:

Watch Video - Sheza Smart Nu Ride shown by Matt M. Sheridan - 2020 NRCHA Stallion Stakes (Herd - Open Stakes)


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## kewpalace

Rein work - darn back shoe .... LOL:

Watch Video - Sheza Smart Nu Ride shown by Matt M. Sheridan - 2020 NRCHA Stallion Stakes (Rein - Open Stakes)


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## kewpalace

Don't know why they don't have her cow work ... 

2021 NRCHA Stallion Stakes starts TOMORROW!


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## lb27312

Yay she’s home!! The barn looks great!


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## Knave

She is such a nice little mare. 

It makes me super nervous when someone is telling me what to do in the herd. I realize they are honestly trying to be helpful and that I don’t have to listen, but some weird and unhelpful part of me feels obligated to follow their directions. I HATE that about myself.

I know their directions are good, or intend to be, but I know what I want to do. Sometimes it is totally different. Or sometimes, when they are saying what I’m already doing, I feel like I’m not doing it well enough, and then I have the need to over-exaggerate it.

I know it’s a hang up of my own entirely, but I was nervous watching him. Lol


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312 & Knave. 💖

@Knave I don't mind the coaching in the herd; especially since I usually have people like Lance Johnston and Teddy Robinson in there, who knows WAY more than I do, including which cow to pick, LOL. I suck at picking a cow BEFORE I go in the herd and trying to cut that cow. I usually pick one when they are already peeling off. "Oh, I guess I'll take that one." LOL ...

In Matt's herd work above, he had Tina Robinson who was coaching him and she actually did say some great stuff, which he tuned out, ROFL. If he would have taken her suggestions, he may have scored better. He also had Tucker Robinson, Jake Gorrell& I can't remember the 4th one. I was coaching in my head too ....  the peanut gallery at its finest. 😜

Found the link to the train wreck of the cow work ... he was doing great until they called for a new cow and he took it. Then it missed one turn in boxing and that is all she wrote; they were playing catch up after that ...

Watch Video - Sheza Smart Nu Ride shown by Matt M. Sheridan - 2020 NRCHA Stallion Stakes (Cow - Open Stakes)

BTW - you can see me in this video ... sort of; I'm standing at the one end of the arena on a platform behind one of the South Point signs; you can see my flat hat (and brown shirt).


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## kewpalace

Here's a little video I took yesterday while cleaning pens ... Scarlett found her Baby!


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## Knave

Lol. It could be Dowers there coaching me in a show and I’d be thinking, “please shut up!” 😂 Of course I’d love to hear it outside specifically performing, but my brain and body just respond with coaching and I hate it.

I love her toy!


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> Lol. It could be Dowers there coaching me in a show and I’d be thinking, “please shut up!” 😂 Of course I’d love to hear it outside specifically performing, but my brain and body just respond with coaching and I hate it.


That's too funny! You're the first one I've ever heard say that! LOL ... I have heard people say that they just tune everyone out, but never that they hated hearing it, LOL ...



Knave said:


> I love her toy!


She's been a long two years without it! LOL ... here's the original post when she first got it:

Journey Begins Again - On the Road to Making a Bridle Horse


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## Knave

I think it may relate to my social anxiety. It blew my mind in the cutting show I took Bones in, not that he was performing well anyways (town is his nemesis, among a few others).

When I am roping, and someone yells something like, “right there,” logically I know they are just into it, but my hand opens no matter where it is, and so I hate it. It is this stupid physical response I cannot control. Most people know not to coach me, not because I’ve said anything to them, but because it’s a visible change in my performance. They can tell I can’t handle that.

Most competition things though, like reining or team roping, down the fence, or anything where everyone isn’t bunched together it becomes irrelevant for me because the distance and the speed gives me the ability to tune out the crowd. It’s in the cutting though that I can’t tune out. I’ve thought about putting in headphones if I decide to compete again.

My oldest is convinced she wants to take Bones into a cutting this summer. He may have grown up enough to handle it, but if I let her I will take Slinky in and compete as well. If I leave my hair down, I might just pull off the headphones idea...


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## kewpalace

I got no horse time this weekend. Went down to Mom's although I was not feeling great. Had my neighbor feed the ponies; she came up Saturday Morning to meet Scarlett. I told her about the tumor and how busy minded she is. She brought Scarlett up a cone to play with and texted me a pix of the "first toss", LOL:










She said she's enjoying watching Scarlett play. 

This is Scarlett, looking for breakfast:









I sent it to Matt and his wife saying, "Where's Uncle Matt?" 😜 

And in Gold N Grand news, Matt said poor Homer ran out of steam on the 2nd day, but was a little recovered on the 3rd. It was three LONG days ... They had 6 classes (Ranch conformation, Ranch Riding Flat (Rail class), Ranch Riding (pattern class), Ranch Reining, Ranch Trail, Ranch Horse Extreme Trail; they also did some AQHA classes) and typically got done between 5-7 pm. They ended up, overall for all three days:


5th in Ranch Conformation - for a Top 5 Buckle
11th in Ranch Riding Flat
7th in Ranch Riding
4th in Ranch Reining - for a Top 5 Buckle
7th in Ranch Trail
3rd in Ranch Trail Extreme - for a Top 5 Buckle

BUT, they won reserve in the Ranch Horse division! 🎉🎉🎉


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## kewpalace

Not much new ... saving for Scarlett's surgery; going back/forth to Mom's. No riding to speak of.

I rode Pi briefly last week as Matt had a used Todd Jey saddle he was selling for another client - my current saddle is a Todd Jey I had custom made and he knew I liked mine, so he gave me first shot at it since I was looking for one for Scarlett. There was no rush, but it was a good deal especially if I liked it. He would have kept it if it was a little bigger. He said it was a 16.5 but he thought it was closer to 16. So I hauled Pi up to his place to test ride it. Get Pi out of the trailer and she sees the donkeys ... boy howdy, she got all excited, thinking she was going to get to work them, LOL. I rode in the Bob's saddle that Matt had a little while ago when he was selling it, but I didn't like it. It felt like I was perched on top of Pi and I couldn't feel her very well & felt like she couldn't really feel me. But as soon as I sat in the Todd Jey, I said "sold!" 


Rode about for a bit at all gaits. It was in good shape, but pretty dirty, so I cleaned it up ... looks nice ....



































It came with aluminum stirrups, which I didn't like. I took them off to clean everything. Will likely get Weber Monels. It has a back cinch, but I hadn't put it on after cleaning yet. I also need to get an off billet & cinch (I think I have a cinch). And I have a trophy breast collar that I can use. I'm pretty happy with it.


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## kewpalace

I went down to watch Matt, Matthew & Tina show at HiDHA on Sunday. They did really well! I was happy for them! Here's a few pix I took with my phone. First up, Matthew & Rowdy ...


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## kewpalace

Tina & Cruiser (he's the one-eyed horse):


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## kewpalace

Matt & Homer (Tina's other horse):


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## kewpalace

Oh, & I finally got the smaller water trough for Scarlett, so turned her other trough in to a feeder and they fit nicely in the one area of the stall:










However, Scarlett did a little re-decorating ...😑










Matt's wife, Jennifer, said Scarlett was practicing fung shui .... 🤣🤣


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## lb27312

Wow that's a nice saddle @kewpalace! I wish I could find something like that for Captain. So far I'm not liking any of the saddles I have tried with him. My friend has an old Billy Cook that I really like but she doesn't want to sell it... sad face... lol

Too funny on Scarlett redecorating! Crazy horses....

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @lb27312, I really like the saddle. It's hard to find one you like, for sure. I always thought I'd like a Bob's, but the one Matt had I did not like; I'm sure there are other models which would be just fine, but I like my Todd Jeys. Now, just waiting for Scarlett's surgery & recovery so I can put it on her! 

Scarlett is a very busy girl. She drug the huge plastic bin I had with all the nails/wire from the prior stall incarnation and strew the wire ALL OVER her pen.  Got that cleaned up and moved out of reach. Then when I moved the corrugated steel panels away from her pen, I didn't weigh them down enough so the wind actually blew one of the bigger pieces into her pen and she proceeded to drag it all over her pen and paw on it. I tell ya, surgery can't come soon enough, LOL.


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## kewpalace

Forgot the Khaleesi pix ... she was waiting for me to throw the ball... when I see her like this, I am a little sad I don't have cows to them to work, LOL ...


















Love her little tongue sticking out too, LOL ...


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## Knave

Queen is busy too!

I am so happy you had good news! How nice to find a saddle you like!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. 💖


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is scheduled to be dropped off at Alamo on the 16th. Surgery is set for Wednesday the 19th. I’ll pick her up on the 22nd.

Talked to the vet who will do the surgery. He said they would only sedate her as she will be standing for the procedure. They will do it laparoscopically and will take both ovaries as there’s a chance for the other ovary to also develop a cyst. And one surgery is plenty. He said after two weeks we can start riding her. Testosterone levels should go to normal in about 60 days.

I liked the vet. He was straight forward and open to all my questions and took time to give me thoughtful answers and the options. I look forward to meeting him.


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## Knave

I thought they would leave the one. I’m sorry about that.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I thought they would leave the one. I’m sorry about that.


yea, I know. 😢

He said we could, it was my choice, but he said there is a risk the other one would develop a tumor as well. Given how big this one is & that it likely grew fairly fast, that surgery is already risky (& expensive) and frankly my luck lately & that I’m pretty soured on the breeding experience, safest option for us bent towards total spaying.


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## Knave

I’m sorry about that truly. We are going to take Lucy to get bred this month, and I hope our luck is better than yours was.

With Scarlet you know what you have, and she is far too valuable to gamble with. I wish I had a good mare to send to you for a brood. I’m sorry we don’t have around.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I’m sorry about that truly. We are going to take Lucy to get bred this month, and I hope our luck is better than yours was.
> 
> With Scarlet you know what you have, and she is far too valuable to gamble with. I wish I had a good mare to send to you for a brood. I’m sorry we don’t have around.


Aw thanks @Knave. The friend I bought Pi & Scarlett from has has trouble breeding her mares the last few years too. But everyone else I know have had zero problem. It’s hard to see the foals, especially with people who do nothing with their horses (barely trail ride). I am sure I could get a broode if I wanted a foal, but my goal was to get one from my girls that I could eventually compete on. Not the same with a horse I have no connection with. I will eventually snap out of this mood, but don’t think I will get to a place where I will ever try breeding again. 😟. Too expensive, too much heartache. However, I may buy a weanling at some point. 🤗


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## carshon

I too want to add how sorry I am that the breeding never worked out. But I am glad you caught Scarlett's issue early


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## kewpalace

Thank you @carshon. It's been a heart breaking journey, the breeding experiment. 

Funny thing about catching the tumor early ... the surgeon asked me how we came about finding it and I told him I brought her to be bred and the breeding vet found it & suggested the hormone tests to confirm. He said usually people do it when they see a big change in behavior with their mare. We haven't had that with Scarlett; other with her being extremely busy (she has always been busy, but has gotten more so as she's aged). If we had, we would have, of course, tested/found it even earlier. So I am grateful that we did find it when we did & it can be corrected through surgery - albeit with the loss of her being able to be bred. On the bright side, she won't go into/through "mare moods" and she'll be a fantastic cow horse.


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## kewpalace

I roped my friend in to going with me to drop Scarlett off on the 16th. Thought it would be better to have company for this trip so called & asked if she wanted to come. It's a bit out of the way for her, but she's all in and I'm grateful she's coming. It'll be great too; looking forward to seeing Alamo - have heard about it for YEARS from all my horsey friends; it is the premiere horse hospital in the central CA area. Have the Farrier coming to take her shoes off; they'll be put back on when we redo Pi again.

Finally, ordered Weber stirrups for my new-to-me saddle. Ended up getting the bell bottoms in copper instead of stainless, for something a little different. My other saddle have the Monel Visalia stirrups. They should be here next week and I'll be able to start riding in it ... only Pi as Scarlett will be off for surgery recovery.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett is now at Alamo. I gave her a bath on Saturday. It was really, REALLY windy, but about 72. Still she got a little cold during it. I got all the dirt out and whitened her mane/tail a little:











My friend came as I was waiting for her to dry. After I got her all wrapped up (slinky & blanky, LOL), we went out to dinner at the local Steak House ... it was awesome! Sitting IN a restaurant with good food and wine. Yum.

Got up bright and early on Sunday, fed the ponies, showered, had breakfast and off we went. Left about 8:45 am and got to Alamo about 12:40 ... we had a to make a few pit stops on the way. Alamo is a beautiful place. We really didn't get any tour, but just what we saw was impressive. VERY clean. 

The gate opened for us - the lady I talked to last week gave me a code in case no one was around. I was surprised the gate opened, LOL. Parked in the area she had told me and a tech some rushing out asking if I was someone else; I said no ... she said, "oh you must be ____". I said no. Then she took a breath & said, "OK let's start again ... " They were waiting for two emergencies, so she had thought I was one of them. Nope, just here dropping Scarlett off for Wednesday Surgery. She asked what she ate, I said Alfalfa. She asked what supplements or grain she gets. I said I didn't bring any, LOL. I give her one type of supplement (King Feeds Ultra 20/20), but she could go w/out for the week. 

Got Scarlett out; noticed there was a bird's nest where the divider was latched against the side and apparently there was chick in there that was NOT happy Mom had not answered his calls. I was hoping it was old enough to survive the ride the home AND that Mom could find him after that. Anyway, the tech had the same reaction everyone has, LOL, "Oh, she's PRETTY!" Then she said,"And CLEAN!" LOL ... I told my friend guess not many people wash their horse before bringing them. Tech put her Hospital Necklace on asked if there was anything else and led her off:


















She went to the first barn:










A few other pix:


































We left & stopped for a leisurely lunch & for gas & got home about 5:40 pm. Pi was NOT happy no one came off the trailer, LOL. My friend left to go home (2 hr. drive).

Got a nice surprise just a few minutes ago. The breeding vet called to ask about Scarlett. I told him she just went to Alamo yesterday and he asked that I keep him updated. That was nice. 


Finally, got my Weber Stirrups on Saturday .... I LOVE them!!


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## kewpalace

Surgeon is done! Surgeon called this morning at 9:30 to go over the surgery again and told me it'd take about 2.5 hours. We also had another discussion as to taking both ovaries and decided it was probably best for her. So I sat on pins/needles for a few hours and when 2.5 hours went by, I started getting antsy, so went outside to walk. About 1/2 hour later the surgeon called and said it all went well. L ovary was the size of a grapefruit and took a while to get out. R was the size of his thumb and came out quick. He said she was a good girl and a "real delight" (is this MY horse? ). He said they watch for fever & colic for the next day, but doesn't foresee any complications with her. He'll send her home with Antibiotics and that will be it. Pick up on Saturday, barring any issues.

Glad it's done. Now to healing and getting back to riding!!


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## lb27312

Soooo happy to hear she's out of surgery! Now good healing vibes sent her way! I was sorry to read about them taking both, you've sure been through the wringer with all the breeding issues! And wow that's pretty quick to be riding her after all this! 

Love the new stirrups!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. Yes, we were sorry about the taking of both ovaries, but I think it's for the best. I was surprised too about starting to ride her, but that may change. Will have to see what the after care instructions actually are when I pick her up Saturday. 

Thanks also about the stirrups; I really like them, too!


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## Knave

A good thing came from this breeding anyways. I’m glad she’s well!!


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## Morgan.taylor

She’s gorgeous and you guys have quite the story! 
I absolutely LOVE Alamo! Hoping for plenty of healing vibes! 
I actually have a friend that does HiDha I believe, not often I see posts from people out this way! Lol


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. Definitely agree.

Thank you @Morgan.taylor. She's a special girl for sure. If you ever go to HiDHA shows with your friend, look us up! Hoping Scarlett and I will be showing there next year. And maybe we'll be ready to dabble in some cowhorse shows, too!


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## knightrider

Glad the surgery was a success and hope all continues to go well. I'll be thinking of you with some prayers.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @knightrider. 

Got an update from the vet yesterday ... he said, "Scarlett is missing her ovaries". LOL ... he said she was running a fever in the morning but it had gone down by the time he called me. They were going to hand walk her out to the grass and let her graze a little. "Just let her be a horse." I really like this vet. Wish he was a "regular" vet near me! I asked him if the size of her tumor was on the bigger side. He said, yes, but it was not the biggest he's had. He had one the size of a BOWLING BALL!  He'll call this afternoon with another update and I'll pick her up tomorrow.

In personal news, my Mom fell at home Wednesday night & fractured her tail bone. The medical alert company called and said they got an alert and the EMTs were on the way. I of course had no clue where they took her so went back to bed since there was nothing I could do. Figured I'd start the hunt in the morning. But didn't have to as the hospital called me. I drove to San Berdo, took care of the cats, got a few items for Mom and went to the hospital. No surgery was required so they will move her to a rehab place today. I'll go down again on Sunday.

Oy, life is NOT calming down. Just need a few days of quiet, LOL ....


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## carshon

I am so sorry to hear about your Mom. 

At least good news that Scarlett gets to come home


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## kewpalace

Thanks, @carshon. 💖


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## lb27312

Sorry about your mom, hopefully she heals quick.... 

I hope life slows down for you soon, you definitely deserve a break!!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312. 💖

Got up bright and early on Saturday and was on the road to Alamo by 7:45-ish. Brought my little bluetooth speaker so I could listen to my true crime podcasts on the way. Stopped in Santa Maria to pick up lunch from Panera to eat on the way home (Napa Chicken Salad Sandwich & Frozen Strawberry Lemonade - YUM). Made it to Alamo about 11:30. Was back on the road by Noon. Dr. Walker was not there so I didn't get to meet him.  They gave me the discharge papers which included before/after ovary pix ... interesting. She gets the 500# dose of banamine paste 2x a day for three days. That's it!

Scarlett looked great and it seemed like she didn't want to go home, LOL. I didn't see the her incisions/stitches until I got home. Got home about 3:40 pm (had one gas/pit stop and one other pit stop). Pi was ESTACTIC to see Scarlett. Scarlett could not have cared less, LOL. I took pix of Scarlett. They braided her mane; my friend who took her gelding to Alamo for a lameness exam was jealous as they only put tape on her horse's mane. Stitches looked good:










Right side (no tumor on the R ovary)









Left (tumor) side:









It was chilly and WINDY when I got home. I was unsure of putting the blanket on her cuz of the stitches so called Alamo, but they aren't open on Saturday (generally - there are people there for emergencies) so I had to leave a message, but they said no response until Monday.  I also asked about her rolling. I left Scarlett in her stall with the door closed while I went up to the house to make the call.

Got back down and she had dug a foot deep hole in her stall. 😑 I went ahead and put the blanket on her and let her out in her pen. She shakes her head and goes trotting off, through in a few good bucks in there. I set about filling the hole. Then she rolled. She she RAN around the pen jumping up and doing s a few good bucks. 🙄 She was full of it! I was afraid for the stitches, but when I checked her in the morning, they were all good.

Sunday I realized the vet had emailed me the discharge instructions as well. So I emailed him back telling him I left the message, went ahead and blanketed her & she rolled and had her bucking demo. He responded - was so glad I didn't have to wait until today - that that was find and she'll be fine. Thank goodness!

On the Mom news, it's not great. She's in a lot of pain and is blaming the rehab place (😑). I was able to get in to see her yesterday, which I was glad I could do, but which was very stressful. We spent an hour of her telling me to take her back to the hospital or to urgent care or to let her go home. It was hard to tell her no (especially after some of things she said, but I understand where it's coming from.. Finally got to talk to a nurse and she told me what the current treatment outline was and that pain meds could not be changed until the doctor sees her today. The nurse was very nice and we had a good conversation. I also talked to the CNA, which was also good. I think once they get her on an appropriate good pain med regime she should be much better mentally. 

I had gone to her house first and took care of the cats and a few other things. I left my house before 9 and got home by 7, stopping on the way for Panera Bread Flatbred Pizza (it was good). I am so tired. But gotta keep going ...


----------



## Knave

I’m happy for you that Scarlett is home and healthy!

I like crime stories too! I have been listening to Crime Junkies and I like it.

I’m sorry about your mom.


----------



## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave.

I started out in the true crime podcasts with Up and Vanished. Then moved on to True Crime All The Time Unsolved. Then True Crime All The Time. I have heard of Crime Junkies, but haven't listened to any of those yet. I have a few in the wings I'm looking forward to ... Someone Knows Something & Cold. I wanted to be a prosecutor when I got out of law school. But I think where I am at suits me better.


----------



## waresbear

True crime aficionado here too! Stopped listening to Crime Junkies after they entertained the thought that Scott Peterson might be innocent.


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## kewpalace

@waresbear yea that would make me stop listening to a podcast. I have NO idea how anyone could fathom he is innocent. What do you listen to now?


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## waresbear

I like the Canadian ones the best, Dark Poutine and Canadian True Crime, but I listen to one American one regularly, Big Mad True Crime although she ticked me off with one episode about a girl who was supposedly an adult, she went with adoptive lying parents version. I went back over various interviews and pointed out the discrepancies and messaged her. She answered & agreed but didn't pull that episode. I have listened to most crime podcasts, most are not good , vague & inaccurate. When I hear about a crime that intrigued me, I investigate online, call me weird, lol. The best true crime person is on YouTube, her channel is Stephanie Harlow, very accurate, and easy to listen to.
One I think you will like is Dark Poutine episode of Lynn Duggan murder, best ever IMO. Episode 1 of that is September 30 2019.


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## kewpalace

@waresbear I'll have to check those out. Yea, there's some podcasts I can't listen to because of the host(s). They are horrible ...


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## Knave

I like the Crime Junkie hosts, but I had no skin in the game with the Scott Peterson case @waresbear. I thought the time line they presented was compelling. Lol 

I don’t know the stories at all, so everything is new to me that they tell. I did email them once, because they said no one could place a certain sound in a case, and I knew exactly what the sound was. I’ve heard it lots of times. I don’t think they cared though. Lol (It was an air wrench not quite making contact on a lug bolt FYI.)

I think that would have been an interesting career choice kewpalace! I’m not sure I would have loved the paperwork though.


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## waresbear

@Knave compelling sure, accurate, no! Very disrespectful to Lacey's family. I heard them interviewed, tore my heart out to hear them say when the public even hints at innocence, it takes away from their somewhat healing process. I followed that case in real time when it happened. Believe me, Scott is a murderer of his unborn baby & wife, those crime junkies hags should be ashamed of themselves! Sorry @kewpalace , didn't mean to spoil your journal.


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## Knave

So their facts were off @waresbear? That would not be okay. That is sad what you heard.

Now you will have to listen to that episode and weigh in kewpalace!


----------



## kewpalace

waresbear said:


> Sorry @kewpalace , didn't mean to spoil your journal.


No worries. I like talking about true crime and it helps take my mind off what's going on in my personal world.


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## knightrider

@kewpalace, how is your mom today? Did she get some meds to help with the pain? It's so hard to take care of a parent, when for so many years, they were taking care of you. Hope Scarlett is doing well also. I look forward to an update. You've been through some really hard stuff.


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## kewpalace

Knave said:


> I think that would have been an interesting career choice kewpalace! I’m not sure I would have loved the paperwork though.


Civil has more paperwork than criminal; ask me how I know.  I was so happy when we went paperless ... my office is not crammed full of mountains of paper now. Almost everything is scanned into the system (about 95% I'd say). Every once in a while I do get some paperwork though. When I did Habeas Corpus petitions, some of which concerned the trial and sentencing, the criminal files were SMALL. Even one of the bigger criminal trials (I worked on Patrick Dunn's habeas petition - there was a book about his case), the file was one volume? Not much more than that. Now evidence may be more, but paperwork is less. Most of the Judges don't want to do the civil calendar on that reason alone (plus it's a PITA & DRAGS on for years).


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## kewpalace

Thank you @knightrider. She is not better. She did get meds but they are having trouble adjusting the dosage so she gets what she needs but not an amount that makes her incoherent/sleeping all the time. She could barely talk on the phone last night and fell asleep when I was talking to her. She's exhausted & in pain and now, at this point, is not understanding what's going on. I will go down tomorrow; praying she'll be a little better.

On the positive side, Scarlett is doing great. I got the bill from the vet. I am not doing great, LOL. I don't mind paying for it, it was just a good chunk of change at the time I don't need to be paying out a good chunk of change. But, I can see a change starting in her ... she has not redecorated her stall to the extent she has been. And she seems more settled. Looking forward to seeing what I get after 60 days.


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## bsms

I took classes in paralegal about 10 years ago. But the lawyers I met teaching the classes said very few firms would hire a retired military officer as a paralegal. One of the classes was taught by a paralegal my age. She didn't think it would be an issue. But then she asked the law firm she worked for - and had worked for 25+ years - and they told her they wouldn't hire an entry paralegal who had an independent income. She asked around and got similar feedback from other law firms. A lot of entry level jobs want someone desperate enough to put up with their nonsense, at least until they establish themselves. So....I've stayed retired and we've gotten by via reducing expenses. But the law and the legal process fascinates me. Haven't figured out the whole "podcast" thing, but maybe I should. Sounds like there would be some good listening.

Trying to find a place for my Mom was one of the most painful experiences in my life. I've just erased a long paragraph before posting. Reading it hurt too much. We can do our best by our parents but there often are no good answers. You have my sincere sympathy and best wishes for your Mom!


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## kewpalace

Just talked to the Doctor; we are on the same page as to what to do about Mom. He wants to get the pain under control so she can start physical therapy and then they'll send her someplace else; either home with a 24/7 person or a board/care place (preferable). She cannot continue living alone. :-( I was glad to talk to the doctor; he was very nice and concerned about getting Mom the best treatment he can. But he didn't sugar coat things. He said she could go at any time, but wants to make her quality of life the best he can while she's here. 

One thing that is nice is that I have lots of help to help me figure out what to do for Mom. The Rehab place is going to do the paperwork for Medical, thank God. And the Doctor said he will work to find the best place he can for her. Takes a little bit off my mind.

@bsms, yea, I'm not a real fan of "most" attorneys/lawyers even though I am one. I did litigation for the first 10 years of practice and it was OK. But I was not working for a "typical" lawfirm. I didn't have to bill hours or keep track of my hours. I was in charge of my own cases (mostly insurance defense; did a few med mal defense cases). But got tired of not getting much support from my partners, so got a government job where I don't have to deal with attorneys! LOL. I do work with a Judge, but that is a whole different dynamic. For the most part, I'm left alone in my little cubby hole working away on the computer. 

@bsms, you should definitely figure out podcasts. I was extremely neutral about them before I started listening to them. I started with the cowhorse podcast; when I ran out of those, I started in on a true crime one (Up and Vanished). I was hooked after that. They are entertaining. And they have TONS of them on all different subjects. One I have in my library but haven't started listening to is "Can you survive this podcast" which is an ex-Navy Seal on hypothetical survival situations. Looking forward to getting into that one. One horse one that is interesting is "Feedroom Chemist" which talks about different feed/supplements, etc., for horses.


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## Knave

I am sorry; that all sounds awful. Just making it through the end of my grandfather’s life, I can understand the, well I don’t have a word for it.

I worked as a deputy clerk for district court. It felt like a paperwork only job. Lol. In reality it is a paperwork only job, with court to ease the monotony. It was the beginning of having things stored and filed electronically. So, I had to keep both. (I was the only court worker and fixing the prior 10 years mistakes to boot.)

They wanted the physical document. We kept the records in the same manner they did when the court was established in the 1800s. We even used some of the same books for cases that were rare! Pressure!

Then we stored and filed everything in the current fashion, and then, because it was just becoming a thing, we did the electronic files. There are two copies there. One is redacted completely and the other plain. I had to back do the electronic filing.

A company came that was hired to image all of the old files, but I had to fix their mistakes, make sure everything had all the pages, file them, and of course redact everything! Ugh!!! I see the positive of the electronic files, but it makes a ton of work.


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Knave. It's been hard, but thank God for my Sister and everyone taking care of my Mom has been great & supportive. 

See, @Knave - perspective is everything. Court Clerks have WAY more paperwork than the court/county attorneys have (at least from what I've seen). Before we were paperless, I felt sorry for the clerks, especially the Calendar clerks, because EVERY piece of paper for every case assigned to their judge went over their desk and they had to keep track of it all. They were EXTREMELY happy to see paperless come in, LOL ... 

I didn't have to see everything and only had to see certain things when I worked on motions. Sometimes I had to get the whole file, which in one case ended up being 6 banker boxes. I Was VERY happy to go paperless. The Judge I had worked for for years (he was in his 80's! But still sharp as a knife) retired before we went full paperless - I think that pushed him over the retirement hurdle since he did NOT like to work paperless. My Current Judge is better, but still prints things out for himself. I will be getting a new Judge in a few weeks (they are shuffling Judges around and my Judge opted to get out of civil .... not a surprise, LOL). Briefly met him. He seems pretty nice.


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## Knave

I was lucky and liked my judges. I don’t know if they actually read everything, but they did get a chance to see everything. Lol. We had a case like that when I was leaving. Boxes and boxes and it’s very own filing cabinets to boot. The judge was happy to have those paperless (although we of course also filed the papers...). I’m sure it would have been much nicer to look at on a computer than in its glory.

ETA- I say we, and kind of mean “I”. “We” had the office, but it was a multi office, so we had the treasurer too and commissioners. I did court, and my boss did treasurer; another person did the commissioners. We worked together when we needed it, but overall stayed in our lanes for a time.


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## kewpalace

So much happened in such a short time; long story short, Mom ended up back in the hospital at the beginning of June. Doctor (who was great) said, there was not much they could do for her; her best recommendation was to get her in a board/care place with 24 hr. care under hospice care. So that's what we did. I didn't think she'd last a month, but she's kind of leveled out and is holding her own. Doesn't mean she doesn't need the 24 hr. care or that there is any hope of her going home. I spent two weeks off work; could have done more, but will save it for later. Still, I am going down every weekend.

My nephew came out in June and spent a month at my Mom's place. We cleared it pretty much out and wrangled the cats so I could take them to my house. He was a great help both physically and emotionally. He is so much like me it's unreal. But then, my sister and I were known as "clones" so there it is. My niece (my brother's daughter) has been coming out to see Mom a lot. I've seen her more in the last month in the last 10 years. It's great. 

Matt took a fall last week off a 20' ladder while fixing an arena light. Matthew called me at home and asked me to come up because his Mom was not home (she was in town with his brother). I went right up and Matt was in BAD shape. He thought he broke his wrist & some ribs. Jennifer had called neighbors (who I also know) to come and take the boys while she took Matt to the hospital; I told the husband he'd have to help Matt out since he was in such bad shape. On the way to hospital Jennifer had to stop and call the ambulance since he could not tolerate the car ride. They admitted him. Said he had 3 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a broken wrist & various bumps/bruises. He went in for his one week checkup today ... yea, the other wrist is also broken. 

Ponies and other animals are good. Scarlett apparently didn't get the vet memo that she is supposed to be a different horse after her surgery. It almost seems like she has MORE energy and feistiness. Now I have to wait for Matt to heal up to get on her, LOL ... I have not had any time to ride. At.All. :-( 

So that's the story right now.


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## COWCHICK77

Oh geez @kewpalace!! You've had a lot going on!
I had to do some serious catching up on your journal just now!

First off, I'm glad your mom is doing better after her fall and is fiesty.
I'm sorry you had to take both ovaries from Scarlett but I bet she feels much better and you guys will have a lengthy show career together!

I hope Matt heals up, that's a big fall. Broken ribs are awful, let alone a punctured lung. Goodness sake!


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## Knave

That’s a lot of not great news. I’m sorry.


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## carshon

Wow! what a lot on your plate. I am so sorry about your Mom and Matt's fall sounds devastating


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## lb27312

Wow @kewpalace - you do have a lot going on! I hope you get some downtime soon... sorry to hear about your mom and Matt... yikes! Take care of yourself!


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## kewpalace

Thanks everyone. Yea, not a good time. But at least the animals are good and Matt's in a good mood ... he posted this pix after his doctor appt. with his new flexible/removable casts:


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## waresbear

Geez Louise! No wonder they have those commercials about ladder safety! Very sorry about your mom , it just sucks, I was in the same situation with my mom. Breaks my heart when I visit her, she doesn't know who I am and tells me she is tired of living. Hope Matt heals up well and tell him to be careful!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @waresbear. It is hard to visit my Mom, too. While she knows who I am and is pretty aware for the most part, she is definitely a shadow of her former self. :-( But I don't mind just hanging out even if we just sit there. 

Will definitely tell Matt of your well wishes. Yea, he has a LOT of people riding his tail about being more careful, LOL.


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## knightrider

So sorry about all your difficulties. I hope things get better soon. Tell Matt that one of the folks who comes riding with me lost his dad when he fell off a ladder. He got a broken leg which turned into complications, and then he died. I hope Matt heals quickly--glad it isn't worse, although broken ribs are miserable--and that your mom's illness is bearable. My mom was in hospice care from Christmas eve until March 10. It's so hard.


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## kewpalace

Thanks @knightrider. Won't get much better until Mom goes, but thankfully I have a lot of good support, so I can get through it. Yikes for your friend's Dad ... that's horrible. Matt knows how lucky he is ... for as injured as he was, it could just have easily been so much worse.

We didn't expect Mom to last long after she left the hospital, but just goes to show what decent care can do. She is still not eating enough, but the lady who runs the place tries hard to get things that Mom will eat. Mom complains a few time about things, but the majority of it I think is from the fact she does not like having to have this level of care. Unfortunately, she cannot do hardly anything herself. I can understand that. My mind still thinks I'm 40 and that agile ... my body frequently reminds me that is not the case. :-/


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## kewpalace

Had a little fun while at home for a short visit…


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## knightrider

Scarlett is so beautiful and graceful.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @knightrider. ❤


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## kewpalace

Not much new to report - definitely no horse news as I have not been riding at all. But we have a full cash offer on Mom's house so hopefully everything will go smoothly and it will close on the 14th. Mom is just slowly going downhill. It's excruciating. Mom's cats are doing good. Daisy will let me pet her and pick her up. Hannah, for the most part, has stopped hissing at me, but throws one out there every now and then to let me know I'm still NOT ok, LOL.

Horses are doing good - getting fat and sassier. Told Matt I'll send Scarlett up to him soon for a tune up, although I might wait until after the 1st of the year when the days get longer again. I'll just ride Pi and pony Scarlett when I do start up. All the vets lied to me, LOL - she is not a different horse or calmer since her surgery. 

Had a vent about a girl I know and showing. She's been showing for decades and does well. But she only recently earned her 1st NRCHA check & has no breed points. Still, she's won tons of local shows. She showed in a regional versatility show recently as Novice. I almost spit out my tea. The rule book says that Novice is for those with limited show and riding experience - definitely NOT her. BUT the eligibility form only asks about points & $$$. So since she had neither at the beginning of the year, per the eligibility form, she's Novice. By the rule book, she's not. She ended up winning the all around Novice for the weekend. It just grates me that people aren't honest about where they should be showing. Another lady I know has been riding Green Horse and Green Rider for FIVE years! Oh, well, it doesn't affect me, but I just so dislike the dishonesty. But you run into it a LOT showing. Makes me wonder whether I should get back into showing ... but I really enjoyed it, so probably will.


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## kewpalace

Oh, and this year's NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity has over _300 horses_ in the Open Division!!  That's crazy!!


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## carshon

I'm with you on the honesty part. A parent at the farm my husband takes lessons at taker her son to local shows and he shows against poor 4-H kids when he also shows in breed shows all over the midwest. Then he gets Jr champ or whatever and she brags about him on FB. This kids horses spend 30 days at a professional trainers every spring for a tune up - and he wins against 4-H kids who do not get lessons. Chaps my hide


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## knightrider

Don't you wish those people would realize how totally meaningless their ribbons and trophies are? Chaps my hide, too, a real peeve of mine. Kids who don't get lessons and try their hearts out get discouraged. I'll bet you can guess which kind of kid I was back in the day when I was showing.


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## kewpalace

Nothing much new. Mom is just slowly going downhill. Caregiver said this weekend she had a bad week last week and they thought it was the end. But she bounced back on Friday. Saturday she was pretty alert and could talk a little bit. But I think it's getting close now. Ugh.

On the horse front, nothing new there either since I haven't been riding at all. Still, Scarlett has given me dapples! She looks Appy, LOL:












Matt and another of his students cleaned up at the Bear Valley Show. He had invited a guy who rode in the Gold N Grand shows to come and show; guess he and the guy were neck/neck at Gold N Grand. They had a great time, but Matt beat him. They had fun with the costume party ... Matt's on his "hog", the other guy was his Gold N Grand friend ... they did not coordinate costumes, LOL:


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## Knave

Those pictures made me laugh.

I am sorry about your mother though. I can imagine how hard it must be.


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## kewpalace

The costumes were funny. Which I could have been there in person to see it.

Thanks @Knave. It's very hard. I don't know if I mentioned, but a cowhorse friend just lost her Mom. She was the same age as my Mom. Got pneumonia & was gone w/in a few days. While a shock (she was still quite active), that was "better" than being long/drawn out like my poor Mom.


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## kewpalace

Not much to report horse wise, but got some fun video of them last week and last night ... 

Last week - Pi






Last Night - Pi & Scarlett






Matt got a new colt. I'll post a pix and bloodlines later. He has a few horses in for training so Scarlett's on the back burner at the Moment.


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## Knave

You are lucky Pi never decided to be a bronc!


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## kewpalace

@Knave , I think in her heart she wanted to be a Lippizanner. Scarlett is aiming for the NFR, LOL ...


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## knightrider

Sure glad you weren't riding them when they were doing that! Very impressive athletically! Fun to watch too.



kewpalace said:


> Matt got a new colt.


Looking forward to seeing the pictures of the new colt. Say, remember when you picked out a spayed filly for Matt to train? How did she work out? I always thought you did such a good job picking out a nice mare. I really admire people who have a good eye for horses. I'd like to be one, but I'm not.

Did Matt show that spayed filly? What became of her?


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## kewpalace

knightrider said:


> Sure glad you weren't riding them when they were doing that! Very impressive athletically! Fun to watch too.


 Thanks @knightrider. I'm fortunate they only do that in play ... well, Pi does ... Scarlett will jump a bit but not like she was playing. 




knightrider said:


> Did Matt show that spayed filly? What became of her?


He still has her. He hasn't done much with her as he's had client horses in between his day job, his horse duties and showing, she's been on the back burner. She's totally differently tempermentally than when he first got her. His boys will go out in the pasture and if she's lying down, she won't get up and they crawl on her back on love on her. Really a sweetheart now. But needs more time under saddle to be reliable. She's not so reactive, but occasional will make a move that would unseat the unprepared. LOL ...


----------



## carshon

I am so happy to see your post! And Wow Pi can put on a show and then to get a part II. that was fun to watch!


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## kewpalace

carshon said:


> I am so happy to see your post! And Wow Pi can put on a show and then to get a part II. that was fun to watch!


 Aw, thanks @carshon. 💗 Per my friend, who I bought both Pi & Scarlett from and who bred Scarlett to Pi's full sister, the rearing thing was a typical behavior for Pi's Dad. Scarlett has done it a few times - once doing a real Lippizan move - rearing up and then hopping a few steps ... it was impressive to watch! But Scarlett's preferred move is to haul herself up in the air by her shoulders like an NFR bronc.


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## kewpalace

Here's Matt's new colt, they call him Cool:


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## Knave

Wow, he’s bred how my fantasy horse would be. I’ll be interested to see what he becomes.


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## kewpalace

@Knave, I have yet to go up to see him. He's been looking for a while, but wasn't willing to pay major $$ for a yearling/2yo and the market has just been crazy. This guy came from a place that Matt knows and the price was very cheap (can't remember the exact amount but was not more than $4k or $5k) . I'm excited to see what Matt does with him. Steering him towards Cowhorse and Ranch Horse Versatility. Should top at about 15-15.1.


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## kewpalace

And because last night's sunset lenticular cloud was particularly spectacular:


































































And it's pix like these that have me itching to get on this pony:


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## lb27312

Beautiful pics @kewpalace! Love the videos! They sure are expressive in their antics... and yeah Pi could definitely be a Lippizanner.


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## knightrider

Oh wow, Cool looks like my Chorro










He is almost two in this picture.

That lenticular cloud is amazing! I'm glad you got pictures of it.

@Zimalia22 has to see Cool. She loves Highbrow Cat horses. I do too.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312! Glad you liked the videos & the pix!

@knightrider - WOW, Chorro does look like Cool! Chorro is gorgeous!! What are your plans for him?


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## knightrider

Chorro is now 18, so my plans for him currently are to enjoy him for as long as he lives. He and I had a million adventures over the years. We did a lot of little things--nothing big. We barrel raced for 3 years, did 3 obstacle challenges, did some fun shows, did a whole lot of camping trips, lots of long trail rides, swimming, and hauling beginners around so they would learn to love horses and riding. He has been just a super fun all-around horse, and I love him to bits.


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## kewpalace

knightrider said:


> Chorro is now 18


LOL, I totally read your post wrong! And I’m brain dead. But your adventures sound perfect. You both enjoyed each other & that’s what it’s all about. 💓💓.


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## kewpalace

So ... I did a thing .....












@Knave & @COWCHICK77 may know of Lazy K Ranch in Chowchilla & their Pick a colt day. I've looked almost every year at their colts and found a few that I was interested in, but never bid on any. This year I got an online bid number. I picked one out (blue roan filly) and actually bid on her, but she went way above my budget at $6400. Picked another one out and bid on her but when she went slightly above what I wanted to pay, I put one bid on a 3 month old filly ... and ended up winning. That's her above. Here's her pedigree:











So, sort of related to Pi and Scarlett, who have Shining Spark on their topside and Nu Cash on their bottom side!

She was born on my Brother's (RIP) birthday & we always called him Borgman, so I'm thinking of naming her Seven of Nine. Star Trek Fans will know this. I pick her up on my sister's birthday ... 7/11.

I was a little shell shocked as I thought someone would overbid me, which I was waiting for. Not really looking for one, but there you have it. This filly is actually one Matt picked out. So he got on me about starting to ride again (which I need to do) and that when she's ready to start, he wants to start her. I'll start riding Pi after work and get her legged up. He's going to take Scarlett for a tune up and I'll start taking lessons early Sat. mornings on her. That way I can go to Mom, on the weekends, but get a lesson in. I think it's a good thing ... I've developed some slight health problems that my Dr. thinks is from depression, so this will not only give me something else to think about and do, but will get me out and DOING. Need to also get her stall all put together, which requires a little work.

Here are some additional pix I took from her sale video:

















































Forgot to add her Dad:


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## Knave

I’m so excited for you!!!! She’s beautiful and bred out the tail!! Yay!!!!!

I’m sorry your health has been bugging you. You’ve been under way too much stress. I hope riding Pi will help lower it for you. Maybe this little girl will be the pick up you needed. Everything happens for a reason, so maybe Scarlett couldn’t breed so that you would end up with your perfect horse!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @Knave. I really like her. I was a stumped that I did something .... Stupid, LOL, but I agree, after getting over the initial shock, I think she is the kick in the butt to get and do things. I'm excited to get on Scarlett and am excited to get to play with this little one when she comes home.

I did have one minor success with Scarlett over on Friday. She does NOT like to cross any water - whether it's just wet ground or inches of water. Taking her back to her pen on Friday night, I had filled up troughs so there was some run off that she had to step in. Typical, she tried to side step it. I asked her to walk through it. She hesitated and then did step right on through it. I was shocked so asked her to do it a couple more times and the same thing - slight hesitation and then stepped squarely in the puddle. NOT something she would do before. I was so happy about that small step forward! Make me think big things for her, LOL.


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## carshon

@kewpalace you have an eye for stunning horses! That filly is gorgeous! I am so glad that you have decided to get out and play with your horses again. Depression just sucks the literal life out of a person. Can't wait to read about this filly!


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## lb27312

Wow! Quite shocking huh? lol Along the same lines of how I ended up with Captain.... uh oh didn't think that would happen!! Where were all the bidders?! lol Oh well guess I got a new pony! lol that was a few years ago now...

Congrats!!


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## kewpalace

Thanks @carshon & @lb27312! 

Depression is pretty deceptive; didn't even realize how much I was in a slump until I went to my Dr. today and she reacted strongly to one thing I told her & said it was depression. So maybe my subconscious knew a way to get me out of it was to buy a new filly, LOL!!  Glad for the kick in the rear.

@lb27312, sounds like I'm in great company with the surprise bidding! I was wondering the same thing ... where are the bidder's for this baby??  I kept watching the bidding board and it kept saying I was the winner. Up through the end when it finally said "Go pay for her!" LOL ... looking forward to many adventures with her.

Matt is apparently excited about it as well ... just got an email from his Dad congratulating me on the filly. He also sent me the email Matt sent him, LOL. Texting Matt yesterday I asked him if Matthew knew I bought the filly. He said, "Yes! He wants to be the Monkey Boy!"


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## knightrider

I really like her. I am looking forward to reading about her training. Sure did enjoy watching Scarlett grow up. Congratulations on the water crossing!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @knightrider! Nothing better than a new baby to watch growing up!! Glad you enjoyed Scarlett' journey so far. My journal's title is still applicable, LOL. Does that mean I have to get a new baby everytime my current baby finally makes it to the bridle?? 😱


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## Knave

Definitely that is what it means! Lol


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## kewpalace

Oh no! I'm in trouble now ... 🤠🤠


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## COWCHICK77

I'm so excited for you @kewpalace !

I had been thinking about you as I haven't seen much of you on here but knowing you had a lot going on. I'm sorry you haven't been feeling well, depression sucks literally. I'm a believer of people and animals come into your life for a reason and I think this little girl came to you. Matt, not only your trainer but your friend, also likes this filly makes it sounds like it was meant to be!
I love how she's bred, I can't wait to follow along with her journey!

(PS, I'm glad you'll start riding Scarlett too!)


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## kewpalace

Thank you @COWCHICK77. 🥰 I have had a lot going on and none of it has been fun. This filly is fun and will bring a little sunshine in my life. 



COWCHICK77 said:


> I'm a believer of people and animals come into your life for a reason and I think this little girl came to you. Matt, not only your trainer but your friend, also likes this filly makes it sounds like it was meant to be!


I believe it too; if it wasn't meant to be, someone would have bid on her after I did. No one did. Plus, everyone I've told (I haven't told everyone) has been totally supportive of it. And I can't believe how excited Matt is about her, LOL. I'm excited to get her home and start playing with her. 

In other depressing news, my truck is DEAD. I just replaced the batteries and it was all going well. I think the rats got to the wires. So will tow it into town on Thursday. But the blessing is that I can get some of the other things done to it that need to be done and it'll be running great when I get it back.


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## kewpalace

Here's a video I found of my filly's sire:







And here are her sale videos ... taken 3/14/22 (My Grandmother's Bday - RIP):


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## COWCHICK77

Cute!


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - sorry about your truck! Hopefully it's not too much to fix it.

Gosh she's a cutie!! I think you will enjoy watching her grow. I don't regret how I got Captain! It was a surprise but he's been delightful.


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## kewpalace

Thanks Ladies. She’s is a cutie! Can’t tell a lot for the video, but like what I do see. 
@lb27312, it’s a PITA to have truck problems, but will be happy to get everything addressed & back on the road. 🚙. It puts a crimp in my style to be without it! LOL …


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## kewpalace

Quick update. Stopped by the last HiDHA show on my way home yesterday at the last minute. Matt and Matthew were showing, so was hoping I'd catch part of the show. I got there right after Matthew did reining; Matt's reining class had not yet started, but he was warming up. I haven't seen any of my horse friends for a while, so it was great to see people and was very much warmed by their warm reception at seeing me. Definitely need to get back riding & showing. 

I first saw Jennifer (Matt's Wife) and Jan (Matt's Mom). His Dad was there, but didn't see him until later. He asked how my filly was, LOL. I said, "Don't know, she's not home yet!" Matthew was excited to see me (such a sweet kid) and gave me a hug. 💗 I had seen Mitch first ... he was a little surprised to see me there, LOL. Didn't see Matt until after his run - it was a double show; he got 1st under both judges. Jennifer invited me to go to dinner with them ... sort of, LOL - it was a "if you want to come, we're stopping by El Pollo to grab something on the way home." I said sure. When we got there, guess Matt had decided they could eat at the restaurant, so we had time to catch up a bit. He's still really excited about my filly, LOL. Matthew told me that if I wanted he and his Dad "could come down and gentle her for me".  He's a kick ...

We talked about plans to get the filly's & Scarlett's shelter & pen done. He's going to stop by and see what he needs to do & what I need to get to get things finished out. I'll be happy to get that done. And we talked about getting Scarlett up there, but she has a crack in her hoof - I think she whacked it on something - she is not lame on it and it doesn't seem to bother her, but we want to be extra cautious about it of course.


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## kewpalace

OMG, just had a heart attack! The filly’s ranch texted & asked when I was coming for the filly as they were getting ready to wean her!  I texted back saying I wasn’t supposed to come until July. Reply was “SOOOOO SORRY! I read June!” 🤭. To make it up to me, she’s going to get an updated pix of the filly. 😃🙃😍. I’ll post it when I get it.


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## kewpalace

Watching the NRCHA Derby - Open Cow Work prelims this morning. Strange morning. Many scratches (guess herd work didn't go as planned), but cows are all over the place. Then they had a fall .. Nic Howard was going to circle his cow, the cow fell right in front of the horse, who could not clear his front feet and everyone fell in a tangled heap. Makes your heart stop. Everyone is OK Thank God, but very scary ... took some screen shots:


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## kewpalace

Andrea Fappani has two horses in the Derby Open - one in all the levels, one in just Level 1. Of course he did good in reining. He did better in the herd than Clinton Anderson (who's been riding cowhorse for a few years now & has three horses in the Derby). He just finished the prelims on his all levels horse ... you can tell this wasn't his skill set, but I hope he had fun and comes back again. He got a 202.5 for a 617 composite. Not anywhere near enough for the finals - going to have to get near 652 composite. Here are some screen shots, some not too bad:


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## kewpalace

Clinton Anderson finally got his 1st run - a 211, which is not bad and redeems his 195 in the herd on the same horse. But his 624 Composite is not close to make the finals. Bubble is currently at 650.



































There was another fall, but not as bad. Horse slipped circling the cow. Both Horse (One Ata Time) & Rider (Ryan Gallentine) are fine.


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## COWCHICK77

I've watched CA show before, to be quite blunt, he can't read a cow. 
I'd like to watch Andrea on a cow! That guy is so driven I can't imagine him putting himself out there unless he was he sure he'd make a good showing.


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## kewpalace

@COWCHICK77 I agree with you. Also when CA gets frustrated he starts manhandling his horse. That’s what happened with his 2nd horse. Andrea’s all level horse fence run was kind of like Mr Toad’s wild ride, LOL. But he never got frustrated & never man handled his horse. Scores weren’t great but not bad for his 1st time. BUT his Level 1 horse, IMO was a much better horse. The ride was still a little sloppy but he scored a 214!  AND they WON Level 1. Wanna take bets that he’ll be back?  Another difference - Andrea was getting LOTS of help from the side especially with his L1 horse. I didn’t hear any for CA.


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## Knave

That’s really interesting. I’ve never seen CA’s cowhorses. I’ve seen videos of his reiners and really liked them, but of course you don’t put out videos where a horse looks bad. I have been in my year videos to show progress, but it is hard to do. Lol

I saw one video of him ever working a cow, and it was out there because the saddle slipped off. I liked that horse.

I never like when someone gets to micromanaging their horses on a cow. I think it always makes the horse look bad. Also, if he doesn’t read a cow well, that’s got to get in the way of trusting his horse…

You guys disappoint me! Lol


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## kewpalace

LOL, @Knave ... I'm not a big CA fan, but have to hand it to him for staying in the game. He's been doing cowhorse now for a few years - maybe even 4 or 5? I remember that saddle incident, LOL. That was when he first started doing cowhorse. He actually laughed about it, which is not something you see often from him. He's had one or two horses a year, usually in the SBF. Matt was laughing at the screen shots of both him and Andrea - "You notice how they have the reiner lean while working a cow?" LOL ... his cowhorses are not "bad", but I think he doesn't let them work/think for themselves, something which is totally different from reining. I think he's still getting used to that. Andrea seemed to have a better grasp of that, just not sure how to execute (although he did excellent with his L1 horse!). 

I had one "run-in" with CA when Star and I did Superhorse at the Pomona horse fest. He was there doing demos. The fairgrounds was tearing up the horse areas (taking them out) and the only place to ride was on the torn up car race track. I was out there riding with Star and he was out there on a horse with an assistant on the ground. I did not recognize him (he had gained some weight!) and as I rode by I said, "Isn't it a beautiful day?!" because it was. He kind of stiffened and looked at me like, "who are you?" but when he realized I was making a nice comment he softened and said, "Yes, it is!" That's when I recognized him, by his voice, LOL. I just rode on. Made me think he's on the defensive most of the time. Made me feel kind of sorry for him.


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## Knave

That’s crazy! I’ve learned a lot of different things from his videos, but wouldn’t say I’m an avid follower by any means. If I came across something I couldn’t get fixed in a way I knew, I would look up a few trainers and watch their methods. I have kept the flexing from him, because it works really well for me, and the rolling back when a horse is spooking of something.

I went back to him when Queen first came and I was struggling, because I was treating a weanling like a 2-yr-old, and I learned a few things from his foal video I watched, like what I was messing up on.

I guess I never thought through the idea of he was an *** or not. I know someone he apprenticed for, and that guy is a major jerk and blows up horses, so I guess it makes sense.


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## Knave

Oh, I learned from his foal video how to get the spin from the ground! That was worthwhile for sure! I never could get that before, and boy did it make it easy on Queen’s back. Granted, she could just be naturally apt to cross over, but husband used it on his baby and she already spins!

I should have watched him show a cowhorse. I don’t take enough from one person besides my father for it to matter much though. Dad taught me to only take what works from someone for me and use it, so the worst guy in the world could end up with something that would help me. I never was taught to really follow anyone blindly, but a rude person who thinks they are better than they are, those people I tend to route against in my mind. Lol


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## kewpalace

He definitely has some good methods & quite a few people have benefited from them; a few of my cowhorse friends use his ground methods for unstarted horses & playing with their babies. I have not seen his foal video; may have to look it up! I think I have one of his books; I'll have to look. 

He's gotten better with cowhorse; maybe it makes him a better horseman too, since you can't get a good performing cowhorse through intimidation. That's what his reiner's always looked liked to me. I think that's where he gets in trouble in cowhorse; trouble in as his horses don't do really well. But, as I said, he's sticking in there, so maybe he'll figure it out. Lighten up, don't take things so seriously ... have a little fun!


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## Knave

Yes! I think intimidation works little for a working horse. It does work for a reiner, but I think that to get the best it can’t come from there. To be the best it has to come from desire.

I am going painfully slow with Queen. I want her to understand things completely, and not come from an intimidation standpoint. Sure, sometimes she has to do something because I told her to, and her bad attitude gets disciplined, but I want things with solid understanding before speed. It is a whole new process for me, because speed is easy when intimidation is there.

I think speed will be easy with her in any case, because it’s her nature to be sensitive and intense. It’s because of that nature that I’m going so awfully slow… we’ll see if it results well or not.

I always think back to my parent’s best cowhorse. What’s funny is, as successful as he was, he started out the first six years as nothing really. He competed all around in slower events, and was this super gentle horse who didn’t seem like a lot. They introduced all of that to him later, and boy was he good. He had this desire to be the best though. He strutted around after every competition like he thought the world should bow down to his talent. Lol

That’s what I’m trying to see. I’m trying to see if I can get her so broke and solid that when I introduce things and ask for something she shines. Who knows. It may blow up in my face.

Clinton is all about right now. That works well enough for a reiner. Now that you say that though, I watched the mustang makeover horses this year. The only one half good on a flag or cow was one of Dan James’s I believe, and he micromanaged that horse so much I thought it made him look bad. Not in comparison to the others. Either I got lucky with mustangs who acknowledge cows, or most non cowhorse people just don’t know how to let a horse think!


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## kewpalace

We're not into intimidation either; although, being a midget (LOL), I will get after my horses if they are not mindful of where I am. They can squish me like a bug if they do not pay attention to where I am! It's been a LONG road for me NOT to micro manage my horses; I'm still working on that. I had no formal training/lessons until I got Star started, so really, I'm a novice at it all still. But from her to Pi, I've changed so much for the better. Still more to be done (always, eh?).

Your plan with Queen is perfect. As they say, "Learning good horsemanship is like watching paint dry." It may be slow, but pays SOO much more at the end. I can't wait to see how she does; she's going to be fantastic.

Pi, who is obviously cow bred, never looked at cow for the first few years. We took her to cow clinics, worked her on cows, yadda yadda yadda. Nothing. No spark, no interest, nothing. But we kept doing the slow stuff with her. Then one day, the light was switched on and, boy howdy, she became a cow eating machine. I've gone to work cows and been told the cows are pretty dead. I say Pi will liven them up. 9/10 she does, she's so intense now, LOL. So when ever any one says their horse is not interested in something, I always tell them to keep at it, it may be in there and could awaken at any time. Foundation is the key; not many people have the patience to put a good foundation on their horse before starting them on their discipline. Obviously open caliber performance horses pointed to a show career are different - they are started (by professionals), geared to and live their discipline almost their entire lives.

I've never thought of that - that Clinton is all about right now. Makes perfect sense and explains a lot. Very true.


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## kewpalace

Quarter Horse News has an article on Andrea Fappani's entering cowhorse. One thing I didn't know ... he 1st rode a cowhorse at the AZ Sun Circuit this year. We'll definitely see more of him in cowhorse.


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## kewpalace

I asked for a pix & she got a video.


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## kewpalace

The Filly is HOME!!! WooHoo!

Her pen is not finished - panels weren't ready until yesterday, but Matt just adjusted the panels I have for a smaller pen. It worked out fine. Will be a few days before we get it all ready.

We went up on Sunday (7/10) to pick her up, leaving Tehachapi a little before 8. Stopped just outside of Fresno for lunch and then made the final leg to the Ranch in Chowchilla, getting there just about noon. The drive is an easy route, although some of CA's roads are horrible (even though they gouge us in "road taxes"). 

The girl I've been dealing with was not there (she texted me the day before saying she would not be there but her sister/brother-in-law would load the filly up). They told me since she was so young, she has not been worked with or handled as much. They usually do two halter sessions with them, but she only got one. They had me back up to some pens; the filly was one of them. Brother-in-law walked her out and up to the trailer .... OMG was she cute as a button!! He walked her up to the trailer and they stood there for a minute. He asked her to step up and she did. Easy Peasy! We were back on the road within 20 minutes.

Got home about 4; Matt was not able to be there, so I got a hold of the lead rope, asked her to step out and she came out nice and easy. Was high headed looking at the new surroundings, but not nervous or spooky. We started walking to her pen and she's a bit all over, but follows the lead. Go by the hay shed and the tarp took that opportunity to flap, which scared her and she almost came over on top of me, LOL. She took direction well and managed to avoid me. No further incidents while leading her to the pen. Let her go and then filled up her water and a little food. She took food from my hand so I could coax her to the feed bucket and she had a nice drink.

Matt and the boys came down a little later to see her. Matt really likes her. They came yesterday with with the panels and put the stud panel between the stalls. It almost looks like a "real" barn now. I'll get pix of that tonight.

Nothing much bothers her. There was commotion putting the stud panel in ... she was sleeping and didn't move, LOL. I was doing work out there Monday morning and it didn't bother her. One of the panel's fell over making a huge noise. Nope, not even a concerned look. I'm likin' this filly. 

Here's some pix:


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## twhvlr

Lovely lady!


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## Knave

Yay!!!!!


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## kewpalace

Finally got a video that shows a little movement beyond a walk! LOL ... hope you enjoy it.






She is settling in really well. Switched her over to a slow feed net and it seems better for her.


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## kewpalace

Not too much going on with the filly. Finally settled on "Karma" for her barn name. I toyed with the idea of calling her Scarab for all the recycled waste she puts out. 

I had taken her halter off, intending to put the new one my friend got on her; Matt asked "Did you put the new one on before taking the old one off?" No. No I didn't. 🤦‍♂️ So I spent last week getting her used to the lead rope touching her so I could slip it over her head. It worked really well and when I finally slipped it over her head, there was little drama:











Then I actually got the halter on ... yea, not a good fit, LOL:









Put the other one on for comparison:









It's a suckling halter; the other one is a yearling. The suckling halter is on a self-made hole at the end of the strap. Weanling halter, here we come! I leave the halter off if I'm not around. 

Pi has taught her to whinny when I come down to feed - she's got that cute little high pitched whinny. She sticks her head out of the pipe panel and watches me. Just a real sweetie. So far she's doing a great job of giving me something more to think about and keeping my mind off the problems. 

When I was leaving the house where my Mom is at last Saturday, the caregiver's Son (who hleps his Mom out) gave me a present .... a drawing he made of my Mom:









I was so touched I almost cried! He said my Mom reminded him of his Grandmother, who had died in 2000. For that reason he loves taking care of my Mom. They are the best caregivers, I am very blessed to have found them. 

And just because they are so cute, here are the smiling dogs, Khaleesi & Sam:









Sam had a slight accident this week playing ball. He doesn't always watch me throw the ball, but will watch Khaleesi, so was running watching her and ran smack-dab into a telephone pole post - nearly knocked himself out! Did knock him off his feet. I was a little concerned, so we quit playing and went to the house. He was fine after a few minutes & the next morning.


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## kewpalace

A few days after my last post, the suckling halter no longer fit Kharma 😱 🤦‍♂️ (yea, added an "h" ... must be my Middle East influence ). Waiting on the weanling halter, just played around with her with the lead rope to where I can walk up and put it around her neck and if I pull on it, she follows the feel. Finally got the weanling halter. Walked right up to her and put it on ... one little step back then she stood like a champ and let me put it on.



















And her trying to will me to hurry up with the food already, LOL:












Then we have this goofball ...


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## kewpalace

It was a rough week last week - working OT most days and not getting enough sleep and lots of horse events around and not being able to participate in any of them. Little Kharma does brighten things up and I'm more than thrilled with her, so calm and curious & when she does get a little scared, she just runs a bit and stops.

We were predicted to get a few thunderstorms over the weekend, so Friday night I opened Kharma's stall with the intent to work with getting her up and down in it a few times as I wasn't sure how she'd do with it. It was closed as I thought Matt was going have enough time to come back and finish out the mats. But he hasn't been able to come down so I was just going to open it. I had a tarp on the door as a wind break, that Kharma sampled, so needed to take it down. She was standing fairly close to where I was &, of course, with tarp noise she skirted off away from us. But I opened the stall door and went to throw the tarp away thinking of how I would coax her up into the stall. I come back to this:


















Little stinker, LOL. So I put her feed up in there and she was happy as a clam:









It was really hot & humid, so I sprayed Pi down ... she was loving it:

















Saturday morning, it was evident Kharma broke her stall in, LOL: 










Went to see my Mom on Saturday, but I was majorly dragging. The Caregiver took me aside and told me I needed to rest some and to stay home on Sunday and do nothing. When I left, they packed me up with Phillipino noodles with Pork and some shrimp on the side. They are really great people. It was a nice visit with Mom, but it was a hard drive home as I was sooooo tired and kind of out of it. Got over the hill into the Antelope Valley and got hit with a little rain (huge drops though!). When I got to Palmdale I could see what I was at the edge of:










Was glad I was at the edge of it instead of in the middle of it!

The clouds did provide a nice sunset though:

















Sunday I stayed home for the most part; did run into town for supplies. Ran into a fellow cowhorse friend who has a gelding the same age as Scarlett who was with Travis Mankins for training & showing. They were in the same shows together for the most part. We chatted a bit & it was good to see a horse friend!

Played with Kharma a bit and had to fix the tarp on one hay stack, but otherwise stayed in the recliner and napped, LOL. In the evening, sprayed all the horses down, starting with Pi, then Scarlett - who was not so appreciative of it as Pi at first, but then got into it. Then I moved to Kharma. First putting her halter on ... she's not bad about it, but a little hesitant (just kind of meanders off, LOL), but I am patient with her and within a few minutes she'll stand to be haltered. Was leading her around a bit, she's not great at that yet, but she has the idea. Then I was going to spray her down .... but left the nozzle out of the pen. So I dropped the lead rope and she did this:









Just stood in that position until I came back in the pen and picked it up. LOL, I didn't know she came with ground tying already installed! She was NOT happy with the spraying of her body (it was not on a forceful setting, just nice and soft), but surprisingly she didn't mind it on her head at all. It's been fun just playing around with her; she's pretty smart but not high strung. Will be anxious to see how she is in a few months!

And just because everyone likes QH Butt Pix, here's her glamour shot:









And finally, a cloud pix


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## knightrider

Kharma is so great!


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## kewpalace

knightrider said:


> Kharma is so great!


Thanks @knightrider. 💓 I’m really loving her and having loads of fun!


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## COWCHICK77

Awww Kharma! I miss the curious stage! 

My yearling is going through the, "You can't tell me what to do!" stage right now. We had a CTJ meeting this afternoon when I brought her and Stilts home from the vet. 
My husband gave me _the look_ the other day when she threw a fit and told me I better get a handle on her. It ****ed me off but I know he's right.LOL.


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## kewpalace

Curious stage is certainly the best one! 

LOL on your yearling ... or not. 🤭 Not looking forward to the "You're not the boss of ME!" stage, but she may surprise me ... my horses have generally not been bad youngsters. Pi - of course I missed the yearling stage as I got her at two - was always trying to please. Scarlett was, well, she was Scarlett - mind going is 50 directions all at once. But she never really challenged you. Kharma is just so chill; with the water she took off when it was on her body - did NOT like that - but just kept turning her when she hit the end of the lead and she finally said, "well, guess it's OK". But no real drama from her. Will be interesting to see how her mind develops. 



COWCHICK77 said:


> My husband gave me _the look_ the other day when she threw a fit and told me I better get a handle on her. It ****ed me off but I know he's right. LOL.


 😆😆 Understand, LOL .... it would grind me too, especially when I knew they were right!!


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## kewpalace

Pi & Kharma:




























And then the Mare Face comes out


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## kewpalace

Kharma is 6 months old today! 












We've been working on bending & moving the hip over. She's getting better about it. Need to do more leading. I'll take her out of the pen on Sunday and walk her around. We worked on this the other day ... this was taken about the 4th or 5th try:







Farrier's coming out in the next few days. 

Yesterday morning, she was threw a little fit since I wouldn't let her eat off the hay bag when I was walking with it. She turned around and kicked up and landed one hoof in my stomach ... it was just a touch really & I'm not sure she meant to land a kick, but it made me mad, LOL. I immediately got after her and then made her stay away until I could get the bag hung up. Called her over and rubbed on her while she ate. 

Got home last night and she was super sweet - came right up to me, let me halter her with no problem, moved her hip when asked and I picked up all four feet with no problem. Thought it might be her way of apologizing.  But made her stay away when I brought the hay bag in. She seemed to remember that lesson!

Project for Sunday is to get the polytape insulators up so I can put the poly tape up and let her out in the turnout. She's getting more confident being at home and I can tell she wants to MOVE! 

Been tossing things on her back, too. She doesn't care that they are on her back & will walk around with it; she reacts when I throw my arm up.


















Spent the day at the Ranch Horse Show on Sunday. It was fun and I saw A LOT of people I have not seen for quite a while. They were all encouraging me to get back on my horses and come show. 💗 I took video of some of Matt's clients. I took only one still shot ... of my friend Tina and her horse Homer (who Matt showed last very successfully year). I put it through Prisma and got some neat results:

Original:









Filtered:




























And some pix just because:











Khaleesi


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## knightrider

Kharma is just adorable! I like that photo of your friend and all the filters you put on it. I wish the hat wasn't covering the horse's face. Those clouds look like some kind of extra terrestrial phenomena. What breed is the cute dog?


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## kewpalace

Thanks @knightrider! Kharma is really sweet. I hope she keeps that as she grows up. 

Khaleesi is an Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler. She came from the local Shelter. her former family gave her up cuz she was nipping at the kids heels. DUH, that’s what they DO! 🤦‍♀️ She’s also super sweet. 💓

The clouds are cool … no filter but Iove how silvery ever look.


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## kewpalace

Kharma update ... not much new to report. Just more of the same - working on getting her to lift her feet when asked. She's doing great at that. Back feet she'll start lifitng before I get there. From feet, she still needs a little prompting but once she lifts them up, she'll let you hold it and move her leg/foot around with trying to take it back. Have hopes that next farrier visit will go good.

Scarlett was full of it the other night. Caught her going from a straight up stand, dropping down, sweeping left and then taking off ... she's ready for her cow!! Here's the video snippet:






And some screen shots from her playing ...






































Finally got the poly tape up yesterday, but connection to the hot wire didn't go as planned, LOL, which we found out when Kharma stuck her head THROUGH the polytape & hotwire. 🤦‍♀️😑

Here's some screen shots:


































Then tried getting registration photos ... this is what she thought of that:










Some of the better ones:


















This one looks really wonky, LOL: Butt high!









Will have to make another attempt later this week ... 


And cuz she's so cute:











Finally, personal news, I ordered a new car ... a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek Sport. My poor little Civic is winding down its usefulness. It should be here in October, but hoping it gets here for my Birthday at the end of next month.


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## kewpalace

Driving home from seeking Mom on Saturday was treated to a beautiful sunset:


















Sunday & Monday, it was so bleeding hot, I did not get all the chores on my list done. But because I knew it was going to be so bleeding hot, I expected not to, so was happy with ones I did get done ... cleaned out my car in prep for getting the new car; put the tarps back up on Pi's stall so she has max shade again; put tarps on the outside side of the new hay stack; and a few others. Also sprayed the horses down a couple of times a day. 

Kharma showed her appreciation, LOL:










And then showed me she might have a little stop in her ... starting to pracitce stops & fencing, LOL ....










Unfortunately, Scarlett developed hives Sunday afternoon, which got worse Monday morning and then way worse before Matt could come down with some Dex:

Sunday evening:

__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










Monday morning:

























Monday late afternoon:

















And, of course, being Scarlett she acted as if nothing was wrong. I was dying and she's running around the pen bucking, etc., when I was playing with Kharma. And she was eating normally. Crazy girl. 

Scarlett does NOT like shots, especially IV ones, so after a few tries, he had to give it IM. He gave her a healthy dose. This morning she was about 85% better ... so he said he'd give her another shot this evening. I couldn't get good pix of her (she was annoyed cuz I wasn't hurrying with breakfast, LOL) but her eye was practically normal, her R muzzle was all the way down & just some smaller hives on her neck/body:

















I have no idea what caused this ... she developed in while in the turn out. NOTHING has changed there so I don't know. 

Matt & Matthew then helped me get some registration photos of Kharma. Hoping to send it off tomorrow. Matthew got to put the first ride on Matt's colt Cool. He lives up to his name, being laid back and no buck. Matthew said it was fun - it's the first time he put the first ride on a horse but was nervous about it, LOL. He also got to put the 2nd ride on him, then Matt got on him. Matthew took a shine to Kharma and handled her the entire time after asking if I wanted to handle her. Matt only took over when we were setting up for pix cuz he's great at that. 

Monday gave me another nice sunset: 










Matt and I also talked briefly about him riding Scarlett in the October local one day show. I hope he does. I told him is he did, I'd start setting up Saturday am lessons on her, LOL. 🤞🤞🤞😬😬😬😄


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## kewpalace

Here's the link to my original post about Cool, which includes his pedigree.

And here's some pix of Matthew's 2nd ride:


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - dang on Scarlett! I wonder if the Dex would have worked just feeding it through the mouth? That's the way I usually do it.... most of the time I put it in the feed... I wonder what caused that big of a reaction?! But glad it got better quickly and didn't become a pusy mess... 

Kharma is coming along nice! What a stop! lol She's showing off a little for you!


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## kewpalace

How funny that they put a warning on the least hive-y pix and not any of the others, LOL. 

@lb27312, yea, she's gotten them a few times before, but never this bad. Yikes! Couldn't even imagine them getting pussie ... ew!! I don't know how quick giving the meds orally is compared to IM. IV is the quickest. But I trust Matt & he would not mess with Scarlett & her needle phobia (seems more for IV than IM) if oral was quicker. But maybe he's wrong ... I have no clue. 

Thanks about Kharma. She's getting more and more comfortable and personable. She'll come out to me when ever I'm out & will follow me about her pen. When I was putting up the tarps on Pi's stall, she stood there and watched me climb up/down the ladder and hauling the tarp up. 

Here's some of the registration pix I took with Matt's & Matthew's (who provided the behind-the-photog distraction, LOL) - not confo exactly but if anyone wants to take a crack at critiquing an almost 7 month old, I'd be open to hearing it  :



























I have a message to the farrier we need to start addressing the toes out ... 

This was a few weeks ago ... none of the ones we took recently were good:


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## Knave

All I can see besides that she’s beautiful is the toeing out. Bones toes out. I don’t put front shoes on him because of it. It makes him brush pretty bad.


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## kewpalace

Aw thanks @Knave. I think so too but I’m biased. 😁

Scarlett toed out when I got her. We got her pretty straight from being consistent & on top of it from the start. Hoping it works with Kharma.

Speaking if the Golden Child. Hives 95% gone. Just a few in her girth area just behind her elbow on both sides.


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## kewpalace

Good news for Scarlett! Hives are completely GONE! WooHoo!! 

Matt didn't make it down last night - Matthew put another ride on Cool with Matt talking him through it and it went a little longer than anticipated because Matthew's timing was off. So they worked until they got to a good place to stop and by then, it was too late. Matt said he'd stopped by 1st thing this morning if she still had them or had a flare up, but she was good. I'm very fortunate & blessed to have him close to come down and help me out when I need it. Such a good friend, mentor and trainer!!


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## kewpalace

Well, the hives came back.  Matt came down and shot her with Dex for three days in a row. All cleared up again. 🙏they don't come back. 

We had a flash flood alert for last Saturday. So did San Bernardino. I did NOT want to get stuck any where, so texted Mom's caregiver that I was staying home. Which was a good thing since I took Friday afternoon off to prep Scarlett & Kharma's stalls for the impending rain - caulking the roof - which I guess I had done in the Star days, since there was old caulking there - & putting up tarps. I put Scarlett in the turnout but left Kharma in her pen. She was not bothered at all with me going up & down off the roof and stomping around up there and flapping tarps up there. I had to get in her pen with the ladder at one point and she was not bothered by the ladder (a big extension ladder) or me crawling up on it. Brought a tarp in her pen, and as with everything else, she was curious about it and coming over to check it out. Was really happy with her and all the commotion ... she's going to be a good one. With all the work I did (about 4 hours), I could barely walk the next day. I was glad I told them I wasn't coming down to see Mom.

We got ZERO rain. 😑

Matt & family came down on Saturday to give Scarlett a shot and they said Matthew was going to put another ride on Cool. I asked if I could come up to watch and Matthew said yes so I spend the afternoon up there. Matthew is doing great, especially when you realize this is the first time he's really ridden two handed.



































Then Matt wanted me to see the sale horses he was interested in in the Van Norman sale this coming weekend. It was a nice visit. He's talked to quite a few of the sellers about the horses he's interested in & it looks like they want a lot more for their horses than he's willing to put out. On to the next sale!

Sunday, I cleaned out the hay shed, moved hay into it (10 bales) and retarped the hay stack. I think I worked about 5 hours. Yea, I was dead after that too. Matt and Matthew came down to give Scarlett the 2nd shot of Dex about 6. By the time they left, it was clouding up and looking like it might rain - yea, there was NO rain in the forecast for Sunday. I still had retarping to do and had to feed the ponies, so was finishing up that when it started thundering. Then the lightening started. I was not yet done. Working as quickly as I could, just praying I would not get zapped by lightening and managed to make it up to the house, but forgot to close the tack room door. 🤦‍♀️ It was starting to rain along with the thunder & lightening, but I managed to close the tack room door and get back up to the house without being fried. Then it POURED! Was glad it waited to do that until I was in the house.


And the Reno Snaffle Bit Futurity started today; it is being live streamed. All futurity herd work is today. They are currently in Set 4 of the Open division (there are 7 sets). I'm excited for a friend's horse being ridden by Chris Krieg. She has a wicked mare that smokes the competition in our local association (Lenas Gun A Smokum) that she bred to Bet Hesa Cat - gorgeous red roan colt, that I think she calls Groot as a barn name. Can't believe he's three already! Anyway, they are currently tied with Ted Robinson on a Bamacat colt for 1st at 216. Have a few people I know up there, so will be watching quite a bit.


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## Knave

I don’t think we’re going to make the Van Norman this year. Normally we do, but no one is looking for a horse right now. My oldest is singing at a wine walk on Saturday anyways, and I think we may be weaning. So, I’ve glanced at some of the horses, and Dad likes Jimmy’s, but I won’t pay much attention. They always go so high. Lucy came from that sale though.


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## kewpalace

Matt and Matthew went last year, but didn't get anything. They were all too high for them and they got outbid. I didn't recall Lucy came from there! Small world! LOL ...


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## Knave

She didn’t go as high. Husband was walking out of the sale, because all the others he had marked went really high. He was going to get a beer when I called him back because she was coming up. Everyone teased me over it for the longest time. She broke two rules he had. One was that he’d never buy from the seller, and the other was that he’d never buy a mare.

He had marked her really high in the previews though, and she went cheap. It was the second time I had ever really talked to the seller, and to be honest I really liked him. Husband came away liking him too. I called him out on a horse once prior, and he laughed and agreed. This time I told him “you have the money, now tell me what’s wrong with her,” he looked at me and gave that same laugh that I am so blunt and awkward, and he gave me the list.

Lucy has ended up being husband’s favorite horse of all time. People sure missed out on her; she only took 3,300 out the door.


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## kewpalace

Awesome story on getting an awesome mare! Great price for what she turned into, for sure. Funny things about mares; a great one will certainly change your opinion about them, LOL. I am glad Lucy is your Hubs favorite. 

Matt's one to really talk to the sellers about the horses. He's a talker though and a haggler, neither of which I am. And with my limited experience in buying horses, I have never really talked to sellers much. I bought Pi & Scarlett from the same friend. I asked her what was wrong with them, but both were so young (Pi had already been started though) that there was not much to tell. Only reason Pi was for sale was the prior owner failed to make all the payments on her. And, of course, there was not much to say about Kharma, who was only 3 months old when I bid on her. 

We had a good laugh this weekend on me & what I've paid for horses. Magic & Star were gifts. Pi was a bargain basement clearance price of $1200. Scarlett was $2k. Kharma was $3500. One of these days I might make it up to getting a really pricey horse! LOL ...


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## kewpalace

The Scarlett & Hive Saga continues. Finally got the Vet out on 9/23 for the 4th outbreak. That was a feat in itself. I have not had to have a vet out since my Vet left over a year ago. Now I needed to FIND one. There is one right across the paved road from me (maybe a mile from the house). I don't really trust her as a vet, but for assessing hives and giving her some type of treatment I was willing to risk it. BUT, she is not taking any "new clients" now. Sort of a win-win for me, LOL, since I don't have to go to her now.

They recommended another vet office who happens to have a vet in Bear Valley, so up in Tehachapi, albeit about 45 minutes from my house. The office said they would call him and see if he could make it out to me but if he could it there would be an emergency fee. I said I was good with that. One thing that was nice was the receptionist kept calling me back with updates of trying to get a hold of him. Finally he called me back - I don't think he really listened to me describe what was going on and start on a rote lecture on what causes hives and generic treatment. He wanted me to soak all her food. He said if he came out he would give her dex. I don't think he wanted to come out. After he was done with his talk, I asked if dex was all he was going to give her if he came out, since we had already done that for the last three outbreaks and that's why we were calling him. He said he could leave some antihistamine with me too. I said yes, please come out.

So he gets there about 4 and saw her and was a bit astounded as she was covered with hives. Gave he dex, gave me the antihistamine & told me to soak her food. He also left me a shot of dex to give in the morning, IM. One nice thing was that he didn't charge the emergency fee ($175) and took a few bucks off the "fuel surcharge". Still came to $300, but at least it wasn't $500! 

I gave her the shot in the morning and she was clear for 4 days, but then broke out again on the 5th day - not as "bad" but something new with some HUGE welts:

left side:









Right side:









So I texted the vet and he was again astounded and said he'd be out the next day (9/29) & wouldn't charge me for the call. He asked if I had soaked _all_ her food, which I confirmed I had. When he came out he just sat and scratched his head. There was nothing we could figure out would cause this. He gave her an IV injection of dex (NOT an easy task - she HATES IV shots) and said he was going to leave me with 4 dex shots - he was going to have me give them orally since he said she was "dangerous" doing the IV (she's not if we tied up a front leg though), but I said I could do the IM shots. It was the IV shots I was not comfortable with. So he gave me the shots all ready to give IM. He said if she was still breaking out after the 4th shot, he suggested doing a blood allergy test ($500). I agreed (I mean OUCH, but whatcha going do). May not show what's causing this, but will give us something to go on. 

He also had me change her pen, so she's in Pi's old pen and Pi's in hers. She's been clear until last night. Beginnings of an outbreak so not too bad. But I gave her the 1st of the 4 shots and she was clear this morning. One good thing with this vet is that he's very accessible by text. So I would text him every morning and evening since his 2nd visit.

This has really stressed me out, which exhausts me. I so want her to be done with this (as I'm sure she is). She has not been in the turn out for about 2 weeks now and the vet doesn't want me to put her out there until we get more figured out.

My Mom is still just slowly going down hill. 

One bright spot is that I got on Pi on Sunday!! WooHoo! Thought it would be tough on me since I haven't ridden for a WHILE. But was just like riding a bike and she was very responsive. I just rode her in the snaffle and we went out about 1/2 mile and back; then hooked up with my neighbor for another short jaunt out. Got back to my house and asked for spins and soft stops and she was spot on. GREAT way to end the weekend and relieve some of the stress. I think she was happy to get out, too (until we got to where she couldn't hear Scarlett and Kharma screaming, LOL). 

And just for you enjoyment, some pix of the sunset last weekend:


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## knightrider

This is so hard. I hope you get to the bottom of it. Prayers.


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## kewpalace

Thank You @knightrider - can use all the prayers we can get. I just can't believe she's _still _breaking out. 😰


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## lb27312

Wow that looks bad! I can't believe it's to that extent. Vet sounds nice! Thoughts sent yours and Scarlett's way! Sorry to hear about your mom.... it's sooooo very hard to watch.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @lb27312 💗 - it's the weirdest thing ... she'll get like a few on her neck & her body and then by the next day is COVERED in them. Nothing has changed with her feed. No new weeds/plants out/about. She's in a dry lot pen. The other two have nothing. So very strange.


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## Knave

I’m sorry things are so rough right now. I am glad you got to ride at least.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. 💗 I was super happy to ride again. Been WAY too long. And I didn't feel like a complete dork either, LOL. Went to bed that night very content.


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## carshon

Have you had more than the average rain fall? I just read a really interesting article that had a horse almost like Scarlett. Same pen, same food etc. They had had more than average rainfall and a plant had bloomed that had not in years and years and the pollen from that plant was causing that horses hives. Darn I wish I could remember where I read that article. maybe on horse vet corner? Anyway it was more of a wait and let the plant die kind of thing. They lived in an arid/drought stricken area and then had a lot of rain


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## Knave

If it makes you feel any better, Bones has the same problem. We never could figure it out. For a while I thought he was allergic to alfalfa, but that’s not true. What we ended up doing was just ignoring it. He gets dex when it gets too bad, and overall it hasn’t effected him in any dramatic way, excepting the hives in any case.


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## gottatrot

Poor Scarlett! Those look terrible. I'm sure you've thought of everything, but you're not using fly spray on her, are you? My horses broke out once from Bronco Gold. I'd guess other types might sometimes cause issues too.


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## kewpalace

Thanks Ladies for the ideas.

@carshon, no rain at all (we are in a severe drought), so that is one possible cause eliminated.

@gottatrot I rarely use fly spray and when I have it is the same as always. She has not broken out after I have used any fly spray. Since she started breaking out at the beginning of Sept., I may have sprayed her head a few times and her body once. She has the pattern of breaking out, clearing up with dex, then 4-5 days later, breaking out again.

@Knave I hate to say I'm glad to hear about Bones ... but it does help to hear someone else is/has gone through this. Scarlett's Mom apparently did as well. I think once I get past this series of outbreaks I'll ignore it too if it doesn't get too bad. She's doing the pattern where she breaks out a little bit one day and the next is covering her body. I will probably go through the allergy test if she is still doing this after the last dex shot I have. 

@knightrider Scarlett & I thank you for the prayers. Very much appreciated. 💗

She was all clear this morning, but then it's only the 2nd day after the dex shot. If she makes it past 7 days without an outbreak, I'll begin to start feeling hopeful she's getting past it.


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## Knave

That’s the way Bones was. He kept getting hives bad for about a year, off and on. He doesn’t get them so bad anymore. I see today he has some, but it looks like what you are probably seeing on that first day. It really doesn’t seem to almost ever pass that anymore. On rare occasions it does and I give him the shot of dex, but overall it isn’t like it was when he first started with it.


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## kewpalace

Scarlett broke out again On Saturday night. I gave her a shot of dex that night. They were still there in the morning, but no more than what was there on Saturday. Vet said to give her another shot, so I did. 

Later Sunday afternoon, saddled Pi up and took her and Scarlett out for a short ride. It was lovely. I think Scarlett really liked going out, but was pretty good. We did walking and trotting. Then when I got home actually loped on Pi ... 1st time in 2 years! LOL ... it went fine and makes me itching to do more. Have to be careful not to overdo for both of us. Although for me, I have not been sore at all after riding, which kind of surprised me.

Here's Scarlett after we came back from our ride on on Sunday - luckily you can't see her hives:










Scarlett was all clear on Monday. Vet texted me that he wanted to do the blood allergy test. I'm ready for it. So he's coming tomorrow to draw blood. Crossing fingers!!!

Been watching the SBF and Hackamore Classic on/off since last Friday. There are TONS of horses in it this year (300+ in the SBF and 100+ in the HC). Have a few friends and acquaintances and, of course, favorites to watch, so that's fun.

Kharma is 6 months old today! I'm just loving her but haven't had much time to spend with her.


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## kewpalace

Vet postponed the blood draw until next week after talking with the lab. They said another 5-6 before doing it. So no test today for Scarlett!


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## kewpalace

Finally got Scarlett's blood drawn yesterday ... what a show! LOL, she does NOT like the IV shots AT ALL. Tried a few different things that did not work and then the vet resorted to the rope twitch, which I got to hold. He has it on a 3-1/2-4 foot pole. Took me a couple of tries to get it twisted fast enough. She stood for the shot and he had the syringe filled about half way when she started moving and jumping around and the vet had to pull the needle out. I started twisting more and the vet is yelling "HOLD ON, HOLD ON!!!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I did, but it was only about on 1/2 her nose at that point. She calmed down and he got the rest of the draw. After he kept telling me how good I was in holding on, ROFL!!! After the vet gave me 4 ready shots of dex. I asked if I could give her one right then (she broke out again on Thursday) and he said, "I'll let you do it; she probably hates me by now." 😆😆 So I did. She wasn't too happy about that, but we got 'er done. Then she got some King Feeds Ultra 20/20 which she LOVES, so life was good again.

Results hopefully will be here by end of the week. 

On a different note, the fence work in the SBF is winding up today. Richard Winters posted the video of Sarah's run on Vince Von yesterday (I missed all of yesterday - too much work after getting done with the vet). Here it is (If you click on it, it'll bring it up in a different window):






She scored a 227.5!!! 😳🤯😍😍😍😍 Currently sitting 1st in all her divisions with him and is going to the finals on all three of her rides. She only ("only" LOL) had three horses in the SBF; other trainers had many more and didn't make it. Her other two were at Nos. 5 & 6 in the prelims. I'll post the Prelim results (all who are going to the finals) later. Her hubby, Chris, made it on at least one horse. Should be a GREAT finals.

In the NP SBF Cynthia Bias is currently sitting 1st in all her divisions. She just won the Reno NP SBF on this horse, who is really a NICE and very talented horse. Her husband, Roger, was also riding him in the Open Divisions and did well in reining (217), but rider error caused problems in the herd work (187 - ouch) and they scratched. I'm so excited for Cynthia!! Keeping my fingers crossed for her and her pony!!

Went to watch & video the BVS "Spookatcular" ranch horse show. Lots of friends there who all were asking when I was coming back to show. So nice to feel appreciated and missed. 🥰 It was just a one day show, but was really fun. I had to leave before the costume class, darn it. Matthew finally got some competition - there were 8 kids in the Youth Class!!! Everyone was so jazzed and supportive of all the kids. Matthew and another kid, Miles (who may be a little older than Matthew), were swapping 1st & 2nd throughout the day. But in the last two classes, Matthew seemed to loose focus (heck, he's only 11!) and ended up Reserved Champion - still pretty amazing!!

Sunday was the Air Show at Edwards AFB. What a fantastic show - 4 hours of fantastic flying - and one guy who was insane!!! (I'll post video later) - that ended with the Thunderbirds flying - so very cool. I was thinking of my Dad all day. He was a USAF C-130 pilot and would have LOVED the show. So much history at Edwards; I kept wondering if my Dad ever flew into there (he flew everywhere!). I'm sure he did, but I'll never know.


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## twhvlr

I sure wish I knew what I know now when my parents were alive so that I could ask a lot of questions. My Dad was in WWII and I’m not sure he would even talk about it but I sure would have liked to ask about that and many other things. We are so clueless when we are young!


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## kewpalace

@twhvlr we were clueless when young; we don't know that in the future you will want to know different things about your parents that don't interest you when you were young. My Dad loved flying and would talk about it a lot; not about his experiences in the military, just flying and where he went. I wish I would have asked him more about his military experiences. He loved it so much he and his flight crew accepted a job in Saudi Arabia to continue flying after they retired from the AF. There were there over 20 years. When they got together (which was all the time, they were a close knit group), it was great to sit and listen to their stories. Miss those days.


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## kewpalace

Was just texting with my step-mom and thought I'd ask her is she ever knew if my Dad flew into Edwards. She was a USAF nurse years ago when she met my Dad. She said Edwards is where she and my Dad met! She said the new nurses got a tour of Edwards (maybe all CA bases, wasn't clear) and he was the pilot who flew them into Edwards. Wow, I had no clue!!


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## kewpalace

Snaffle Bit is over and kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. Going into the fence work, Sarah & Vince Von were leading the pack with a nice cushion in case things didn't go according to plan on the cow - it looked like another win for Sarah as she is great at reading & working all types of coews! 

But the cows for the open finals fence work were HORRIBLE. There were basically two types of cow (1) EXTREMELY fast or (2) EXTREMELY soft. Many big names got the soft cows - ones YOU.COULD.NOT.SCORE.ON. And, really, not appropriate for the OPEN finals. (yea, I'm still pretty hot about it). They were NOT given new cows.

Lee Deacon was a few riders ahead of Sarah, got a FAST cow and nailed it, getting a 224 & jumping to the head of the pack. Competition for Sarah!. She needed a 220 to win - very doable for her. Sarah comes out and ... gets a REALLY soft cow. She was ALL OVER that cow in boxing and he would barely move. Didn't box for long and moved it down the fence. It pony loped down the fence and she got her turns (3) on the fence and moved it off the fence to do her circles. For her, it was not a great performance. She got a 214. 😠 On that cow, it was probably the best anyone could do. But that was NOT a fair shot. It's one thing to mess up on a fast cow (and she could very well have done that); it's another to get a cows that doesn't even give you a fighting chance to make a GOOD score. I feel bad for her and for all other finalists that got the soft cows. No bueno for the Open finals.

Sarah did come in 2nd on Vince Von - they were 5 points out from winning it. She also placed 6th on Itchin Ta Shine in a tie with her hubby on Pride and Joyy. Her 3rd horse All Hail Da Vinci was scratched after the herd work; they scored a 198. Sarah lost a cow - so unusual for her, but it happens to everyone. 

I did watching Clinton Anderson's final's run on the fence in the Ltd open. He boxed well enough, took it down the fence at a good clip (looked like he was going to get a good stop on the cow), and stopped about 5 feet past the cow ... I don't think he was watching his cow since the stop was not even started until he was way past the cow. By the time he got stopped and turned around, he was just chasing the cow around the arena, so pulled up. I think cowhorse is teaching him a little humility ... it's not even close to as easy as it looks.


On other news, Scarlett's blood test results should be here this morning sometime. She broke out again on Thursday night with a few on her neck. Friday, there were just a few more and then Saturday - they were gone. Hoping this means she's coming out of the cycle and getting past it.

Put Kharma in the turn out yesterday while I worked on expanding her pen. Took me a good 3 hours and didn't get it quite done, but sufficient to put her back in.

I'll update when Scarlett's results come in.


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## Knave

That is disappointing! The story about Clinton is a little funny. My dad I guess was showing this mare, and he goes and pulls out a cow in the cutting, and the mare would not look at it. He was confused and frustrated to the point of it being funny. So, he lost the cow and pulled it again. The same thing happened, and once more even.

He walked out of the herd, and I can only imagine what the look on his face must have been. I imagine it being embarrassed and wanting to laugh and with a little anger too, and a lot of confusion.

Someone walked up to him just laughing their tail off. He said to him, “Ya, a horse who’s never seen a white cow before doesn’t really think it’s a cow.,” and he laughed and told him a story of when he learned that lesson.

I know that wasn’t what happened with Clinton’s horse, but it still reminded me of that story. Cowhorse can definitely be humbling. Lol

I’ll be curious to hear Scarlet’s results!


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## knightrider

kewpalace said:


> I think cowhorse is teaching him a little humility ... it's not even close to as easy as it looks.


I have nothing against Clinton Anderson really, but I do think showing humbles you no matter who you are. You can think you are pretty hot spit in the practice arena, but get out in the show pen, and boy, can things go wrong!


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## kewpalace

@Knave, that's funny! Clinton's an interesting guy. He clearly has the potential to do well in cowhorse. Maybe just get the ego out of the way and he would do really well. 🤭🤭

It was very disappointing. You want to watch the best riders strut their stuff in the finals, but the judges refused to let them do that by not giving them a decent cow.

@knightrider I don't have anything against Clinton either. I find it interesting to watch him compete in a discipline where there is a 3rd variable (the cow), which really shakes things up. I give him (and anyone getting out in any show pen) props for doing so. It's not an easy thing to do.

I just heard that Leslie Jordan (actor) died this morning. He was my neighbor back in the 80's in Hollywood. He was next door to me and Luke Perry lived across the street from me. I didn't watch BH 90210, so wasn't a "fan". Leslie was a very nice guy. He had a wire haired Jack Russel named Earl ... I loved Earl!!! Anyway, I was so sad to see Leslie had passed.


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## kewpalace

It appears I wasn't the only one not happy with the SB Judges and cows. Lots of comments online about it. I was wondering what Sarah & Chris thought about it and found my answer:



















Sportsmanship at its best. They are such a class act. Sounds so much like Richard ... he taught them well.


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## kewpalace

Forgot to add my new game ... guess the animal:









I have no clue but saw this by my house/garage this morning. BIG print!


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## Knave

I say wolf.


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## cobra

I say cougar - or bobcat. Wolf and dog prints have toenail impressions. Cats can retract their claws, usually only leave an imprint when running.


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## kewpalace

As to the paw print, I think it's a cat like @cobra said, for those reasons. And we have both in my area. No wolves, although I'd love to see one! Still, a little disconcerting since it was right by the house. 

Still waiting for the blood lab results 








​Vet said they were coming Monday Morning .... nope!


And, Kharma got her 1st winter blanket! It's a little big since I wanted to give her some room to grow ... still she was in between a foal size and a horse size, so pony size it is!! She was not real sure about it when I brought it in the pen on my arm, but after about 5 minutes of scratching her neck, letting her sniff it and touching her with it she had no problem with me throwing it on her back. Not sure she's real sure about it, but seemed settled with it this morning.


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## kewpalace

Another day, another Scarlett issue. 🙇‍♀️ She went off her food on Tuesday morning. Ate nothing that morning or that night. Gave her some unsoaked hay to entice her to eat. She did eat a bit. Wednesday morning she still hadn't eaten anything, so contacted the vet. He had me take her temp (have no clue WHY I didn't think of that). It was 102.9. He asked if I had any bute/banamine and I said I had some expired Bute. He said to give her two scoops of that & he would drop buy a new jar of bute in the afternoon & to monitor her temp & manure output. The Manure output seemed fine, if just 1/2 its normal amount. Her temp was 102.9 when I first took it. An hour after syringing the bute into her, it was down to 101.3, then just after the vet lett, it was down to 100.3, but when I went to feed, it was up to 102.4. So I'm to give her the bute 2x a day until her temp stabilizes. She looked pretty miserable at the highest temp, but at the 102 or below, she looked more like herself. 

The vet's contacted the lab a few more times. They finally got back on Wednesday and they had to rerun her tests ... no clue why. Should have results on Friday. That's the latest story there.

I'm so over all these problems. Calgon - take me away!!!


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## kewpalace

Scarlett's temp has evened out a bit. Still not eating as much as I would like, but she is eating and seems OK. Vet texted that the allergy results are in ... waiting for it to be emailed to me.


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## kewpalace

So... here are the results ...












The only thing that she is exposed to that could cause the hives based on this report is the Omega Horseshine: 










I'm all out of it, so haven't fed it to her for a few days. She has not broken out since 10/28. 🤞🤞🤞🤞 that is what was causing it - it's a simple enough fix if so ...


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## Knave

Wow! She is allergic to a lot of things!


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## kewpalace

@Knave, true, but the majority of those things are not within our environment. I don't recognize any of the weeds except, Sage, which we have, but it has never bothered her before. The Grasses, we have access to but I have never fed her any of the ones she's allergic to. Trees - we don't have any of those around. The Food allergies are the main concerns and completely avoidable, so I will work on that. I have no clue what Mucor is - looked it up and it seems to be more prevalent in a barn situation/environment. I don't have a barn, LOL, so can rule that out.

Just glad she's not allergic to any of the grasses/hay I feed or any of the flies!


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## knightrider

But the fever? Why the fever? How disheartening. I hope she never has another hive breakout!


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## kewpalace

@knightrider, Right??!! I think it's probably from the stress of the last couple of months. But who knows? Vet doesn't. 

But she's pulling through. Fever has gone and she is hive-free for now. I turned her out the entire weekend and it seemed to do good for her mental state. If I had time, I would have ponied her out with Pi, but had to spend Sunday prepping the stalls for the storm we're supposed to be getting. Maybe next weekend. She was a little put out that she's not getting her supplements, so I got her some carrots and she's happy now, LOL. Also pray for no more hives. That was a horrible experience.


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## kewpalace

Well, three weeks w/out a hive breakout. Then they came out last night. 🙇‍♀️ They were still pretty prominent this morning, so I gave her a shot of dex. She was NOT happy about that, poor girl. But otherwise seemed fine. She is only on Alfalfa & a few carrots, which are both non-allergens to her. Hoping it was just a stray weed she ate while in turnout.

Little Kharma turned 9 months old on the 11th - such a little cutie. I was cleaning her pen last night and she was following me all over while I did it. 🥰 I am going to TX in a few weeks for my Nephew's College Graduation, so Matt's son is going to feed for me. He said he's really excited to do it, so he can hang out with Kharma. 😍

Pi is Pi, LOL. Since she's now in Scarlett's old pen I thought the dogs would not have anyone to tease. Nope, she deliberately goes over there to rile them up, LOL. Must be the performance bred into them. Hoping to get a ride in on her this weekend.

Went down to see Mom on Saturday. When I left I let the caregiver know I was coming on Thanksgiving. She got really excited and said her son was getting Honeybaked Hams (YUM) for Thanksgiving and I am to eat to with them. She's so nice to me and takes excellent care of my Mom. Could not ask for a better place for her.

Went down yesterday to Bako to watch friends in the last Ranch Horse show of the year. I saw way more people than I thought I would (including Cynthia who won the Reno NP Snaffle Bit Futurity this year and came in 3rd in the NRCH NP SBF! Was so excited for her!!) and they all were asking if I was showing next year. I said, "Yep! Scarlett and I are going to give it a go." (Maybe that's why she broke out, LOL). They were really excited I was going to come back to show ... so blessed/thankful to have good friends!

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!

ETA - various words so it makes sense.😜


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## kewpalace

Scarlett broke out again last weekend. Oy, getting tired of that. Think it may be some of the plants by the fence line in the turnout she is tasting. One is sage - of which she is allergic. So will need to clear the fence line before I turn her out again.

Sam, my cattle dog, got a laceration on his right flank. Have no clue how he did that. He's at the vet now, getting ready to be stitched up poor guy. I drove all the way to a 24/7 er vet in Bakersfield only to be told they were closed because their one vet was in surgery. So gave him an aspirin with a hot dog to get through the night. We got home at 1:30 am. Took him to the local vet this morning. $1150 to stitch him up (incl. blood test, fluids, shots & meds). Thankful my work is good about this. 

Turned Kharma out with Pi on Sunday. It was pretty much a non-issue. Not too much boss mare from Pi, LOL. Here's a video ... the beginning is what it was like when I first turned her out. The racing around was when I was going to put them up for dinner. Pi wanted to be first, Ha!!







Then some screen shots:


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## Knave

I’m sorry about the dog.


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Knave. 💓


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## kewpalace

I typed out this response last night but didn't send ... guess I was just too tired yesterday:


*Sam is spending the night at the vet. He’s OK, but had surgery to clean & Stitch the laceration. He was last in line, so they got done after the office closed. But they said blood work looked good & he’s healthy. I’ll pick him up in the morning with the cone of shame & a wound drain for a few days. Will be glad to have him home.*


Picked Sam up this morning. OMG, the wound is about 4x the size I thought it was!  Here's a pix ... bypass if you are squeamish. 











Drain comes out Friday. In two weeks the stitches come out. Cone of Shame on until stitches are out. Poor boy. 😢


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## Txshecat0423

Awww man, prayers for quick healing and uneventful recovery. Poor pup! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Knave

Wow! That is a lot worse than I expected. I’m sorry!


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## lb27312

Oh wow! That's bad!! I hope he heals quickly! Dogs are resilient And DANG on Scarlett still getting the hives.... Hope you get it figured out soon. Love the pics of them playing!


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## kewpalace

Thank you @Txshecat0423 & @lb27312. @Knave, me, too!! I was really beating myself up about not getting him to the vet the day before. 🙇‍♀️ But he was so stoic about it, it didn't seem like an emergency. 

He seemed pretty depressed when I picked him up. They said he wouldn't eat breakfast so didn't get his morning meds. when we got home, I put the pills in pieces of hot dog and he wolfed them down. He was HUNGRY and glad to be home.

@lb27312 She's clear at the moment, but has been in her pen. I'll tackle the bushes on Sunday and then hopefully can turn all three out together.


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## kewpalace

Guess Sam was trying to match Khaleesi's wound from June 2016:










Put the Magic Beatles shirt on her and she healed up quicker than the vet thought she would! 











Guess I'll have to dig it out for Sam. 😜


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## gottatrot

Oh wow, poor pup!!


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## kewpalace

Well, the hits just keep on coming! I got Covid ... probably when I was in LA, but who knows? Put me on my rear a for a good 4 days. Thank Goodness I still had my sense of Taste/Smell & had no vomiting. But basically everything else. And to top it off, my Mom got Covid, too! The same day. Even thought I hadn't seen her for over a week and before I went to LA. The Caregiver said there were 4 people there with it. So Maybe I caught it there. Anyway, we are both on the mend, although I can't see her before I leave for Texas on Thursday. 

Sam is doing well. So over the cone of shame, but so am I. He get's his stitches out on Wednesday. I know we will both be happy about that. 

Horses are all good. Scarlett has not had any further breakouts, but hasn't been in the turnout either. Since I had Covid I was unable to trim/take out bushes/weeds need to the fence line. It'll have to wait until after I come home from Texas. 

And just for your enjoyment, here's my little Yak .... sorry their a little blurry; it was getting dark (I lightened the photos):


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## kewpalace

Hoping that I am past bad stuff for the time being ... went to Texas for my nephew's Texas A&M graduation. It was a quick trip, but I had a good time and it was great to see my sister's house/property and her family. My Brother in Law is the best, too. Just had a great time. But, when I got back, I got some sort of cold/sinus infection that put me in bed for a few days - should have been longer but I did manage to go to work. I am just now getting over it (getting back amongst the living) but for the last week, had no voice. Finally got my voice back!

While I was in TX, Sam stayed at the vet as he needed additional care that Matthew could not do. He is healing up great now and is no longer wearing the cone of shame.

Couldn't see my Mom until this last weekend (I last saw her just before Thanksgiving) and even then they are testing all visitors for Covid. Thank God mine was negative. The caregiver had said that there were 4 of her residents who had Covid; one of them died from it. :-( But Mom is plugging along. 

My friend and I went to the Rose Parade (I got us tickets for my Xmas present to her). It was both of our 1st time to go. I was still sick, but tickets are non-refundable, so we went. It was a lot of fun but I was sad none of my horse friends were in it - usually there is one or two, but this year no one I knew was riding. Still, it was a fun day.

Finally let all three horses out together. I had let Pi & Kharma out a few times and then Scarlett and Kharma out a few weeks ago. Scarlett was a bit bossy, but never bullying, so it worked out. She would shape up on Kharma like she was going to turn her on the fence, but never tried to do it. If Kharma would stop, Scarlett would go a head a little bit and then turn back. So yesterday, I turned them all out - it's been a while (a couple of years?) since Pi and Scarlett have been out together. A few squeals, but on the whole not a bad result. Here's some highlights:







Happy New Year, everyone.


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## Knave

I’m sorry you were sick, but I’m glad you are over it. I just fell to it today. Everyone else has been sick.

I haven’t been able to watch your videos lately. I don’t know why it won’t let me see private videos.


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## kewpalace

Th


Knave said:


> I’m sorry you were sick, but I’m glad you are over it. I just fell to it today. Everyone else has been sick.
> 
> I haven’t been able to watch your videos lately. I don’t know why it won’t let me see private videos.


Thanks @ Knave. Hope yours is quicker than mine! 

how weird about the Video!  I’ll see if I can fix it.


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## lb27312

@kewpalace - I can't see the video either... says this video is private... Glad they all got along!

Sorry you were sick but cool on the Rose Parade!!


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## kewpalace

Ok how about this:


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## Knave

Pi will always be the most entertaining.


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## kewpalace

She actually slipped & fell (which I cut out), but the look on her face was priceless! She got right up & acted like she didn’t fall.  She definitely is fun to watch.


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