What Are Friends For?

I value my horsey friends ... a lot.  They hep me make decisions about my horses and they help me take care of my horses.  And frankly, horse ownership wouldn't be nearly as fun without girlfriends with which to share! I need to put some faces to all of these names.  So, in no particular order, here are some of my horse friends.

Montana de Oro, 2009

This is Taz and his mom.  Taz's mom and I have been friends for many years, almost two decades in fact. She's had Taz for quite a few years now.  He's a purebred Arabian gelding that she uses for endurance riding. He's a big solid horse that gets her safely down the trail, almost always. There have been a few spills here and there, but not for a long time.  Taz has begun to settle down now that he's in his teens.  She often refers to him as Diesel because of his big 'ol engine.

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Lovely Bella

This is Cha Ching's Mom.  She's also Bella's Mom (pictured), and Amari's Mom.  She's an excellent rider, as you can see, and a great friend.  Her horses are Dutch Warmbloods and ... couldn't tell you!  Let's just say that they are all HUGE, but wonderfully sweet and well schooled.  Bella is currently serving as a fill in for a young lady whose horse is laid up. Amari has started her jumping career, and Cha Ching, the baby of the family, is learning the ropes of being ridden and schooled.  He's coming along quite nicely.

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RM riding Bounder at a lesson, 2011

This is Bounder's Mom, also known as RM, the property owner where I now board.  Bounder is the love of her life and a friend that she waited many years to have.  RM is relatively new to the horse world, but she has discovered that the wait was well worth it.  She enjoys every minute she spends with Bounder.  She also enjoys barn chores - a sure sign of a dyed-in-the-wool horse girl!

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JL doing a pre-ride check

This is JL.  I am sure she'll hate this photo, but the only other one I have is rather funny because she's doing a squat to show RM how to use her seat more effectively.  And that pretty much sums up JL's role as a teacher. She does what it takes to help her students get it.  If she has to squat, she'll do it.  Early on, I just didn't get how she wanted me to use my outside leg.  She walked over, lifted my leg, and whacked it into Sydney's side. He stepped over, quickly.  There, she said. That's what I mean.  Oh!  I get it.

She's a hunter/jumper at heart, but she knows what a soft, balanced, connected horse should look like.  It doesn't matter if he's doing an equitation class, jumping an oxer, or trotting a 20 meter circle.  Soft is soft.

She's an excellent teacher and horsewoman.  I am glad I found her! 

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There are many more horsey friends in my life, but these are the four that I mention almost daily.  I thought might enjoy seeing them doing what they love best!