Goodbye Avalo :(

I am sitting at Columbia airport waiting for my flight home. I was very sad to leave Avalo and cried a lot! I will miss the place, the horses and all of the people so much. I really hope I can see them again and that I can come back to Avalo. We went out for a meal on Friday night to Michelle's friend's Italian restaurant in Aiken. It was so nice, I had a delicious but enormous pizza and in true American style took the left overs with me in a doggy bag. I had my final ride this morning on Teddy and we did bridleless jumping. It was a great way to end a fantastic trip that I will remember for the rest of my life. Michelle asked me the other day what I've learnt from my time here- the list is long and I'm sure there are many other things that I haven't even realised yet.
First and foremost, I am a much better horseman (horsewoman?). I now understand the way horses think, I am ten times more confident dealing with horses on the ground, especially in a herd situation, and I think that now I could work with any horse a lot more effectively. My riding has improved as well, and I have done many new and exciting things with horses- riding in a halter, riding with no halter or bridle at all, cross country schooling, competing in a show, working with a horse at liberty and feeling that I have a true bond and connection with a horse. Natural Horsemanship has definitely changed the way I will work with horses from now on, and I can't wait to try it with horses at home.
Aside from horses, I feel more independent and a lot more prepared for university in September. Having to cook and clean for myself has been very good for me! I made some great friends from all over the world who I will definitely keep in touch with. I have learnt so many things I never thought I'd know; how to put up an electric fence, drive (and reverse) a truck and trailer, use an electric saw and drill, make cavaletti and even cast a shrimp net. I also like cats a lot more than I did before (with literally 100 of them it's easy to find at least one that you like!)
I have had such a good time here and leaving has only made me realise that more. I guess this will be my last blog post, so thanks for reading and I hope to see everyone at home soon!

Bridleless jumping this morning 

Hitchcock Woods

 

The show I did at Full Gallop Farm

Hitchcock again

Swimming with April at Sandy Hills 

Working on the Cavaletti

Paint-covered hands

Driving the tractor

Last weeks

This is the week that I should have been at Myrtle Beach, but unfortunately we weren't able to go in the end. I was going to go with Emma's family, but her grandmother fell ill and had to go into hospital two days before we were due to leave, so Emma flew up to New Jersey to see her along with the rest of the family. It's a shame as I was really looking forward to the beach, but it's good to have another week on the farm.

I can't believe I only have 3 more full days here! I don't think it has really sunk in that I am leaving. We are all going out for a goodbye dinner tomorrow night. I am looking forward to going home in some ways, but we have done so many fun things recently and everyone is getting along so well that it makes me feel extra sad about leaving!

Last week we went to the centre of Aiken to hear a talk by Dr Marty Becker, a well known vet. It was a charity event hosted by Equine Rescue of Aiken (who gave Michelle one of her horses- a thoroughbred called Flashman's Papers ('Flash') who was a successful racehorse) and Michelle, Maude and I volunteered. I was happy to be given the job of photographer. There was a silent auction and lots of free food provided by restaurants in Aiken wanting to support the charity. A lot of people were there and I felt rather under-dressed in shorts as it turned out to be quite a formal event! The talk itself was really good. Dr Becker spoke about the human-animal bond and the healing power of pets. It made me miss our dog Murphy!

Both last Friday and today, Michelle took me to a state park called Hitchcock Woods. It is such a nice place- really big and peaceful, and nice and cool in the shade of the trees! Anyone can ride their horse there for free. There are miles of trails to ride on, a stream to take the horses to for a drink, and clearings with cross country jumps in them. My favourite thing was going around the steeplechase track- a circular trail with wide fences in your path every so often, like a race course. Teddy, who is not normally the best jumper, was brilliant over these jumps! Michelle said it was the best she's seen her jump in years, and it was certainly the best I've ever felt her jump. It was so much fun.
Earlier in the week we got up early to go on a morning trail ride- not Teddy's finest hour as she decided to walk backwards into some bushes and refused to come out, me still on top of her but unable to do much because of the branches in my face! In the end I had to get off and lead her out.

On Thursday I went to a chiropractor in Aiken to try and help my crookedness (Michelle noticed when I first came here that I tilt my head and slightly collapse my body to the left, which isn't good for riding!) The chiropractor did some muscle strength testing on my legs and my left leg was so much weaker! He massaged some pressure points (painful!), cracked my back and neck and then I had to lie on an inversion table (where your head hangs lower than your feet) to stretch out my spine. It all sounds very tortuous when I write it down, but afterwards I felt really off centre and like I was leaning to the right, which hopefully means it worked!

This week I have been working with a horse called Ducky (strange name I know- his name as a racehorse was Ducktown Eddie) who Anni was working with before she left. Although he is very sweet natured, he's a challenging horse. It has taken him a long time since his retirement from racing to settle and realise that going fast is not always the right answer! When he first arrived he wouldn't stand still, couldn't trot or canter without losing his mind and was very tense. In fact, Michelle got him for free because a local farm that retrains lots of racehorses couldn't cope with him. We have been doing a lot of on-line work with him, and he can now do that fairly calmly. He has only just started being ridden again, and we are only doing very basic things- walking around on a loose rein, a bit of trot, and a couple of days ago he was calm enough to try a little canter which went well. He can still rush and be tense, but he has improved so much since he's been here. I think this just goes to show how effective Natural Horsemanship can be. Click here to see a video of me riding Ducky.

Also in the past week I filmed my on-line routine for my Parelli assessment (I am hoping to get a level 2 in the on-line and freestyle (riding in a halter) sections) and also practiced some more liberty with Teddy- see the video on the left. A new working student called Rachael arrived on Saturday. She's from Pennsylvania and is planning to stay for 2 months with her horse, Whiskey.

                                     
                                                   Riding Teddy without a halter or bridle

A strange sight- 'Beacon Homes' in Aiken where you literally choose your house from their selection and transport it to your plot of land.

Competition, liberty and cavaletti

On the Sunday before last we all went to a CT (combined test- dressage and show jumping competition) at Full Gallop Farm which is quite local. All 4 working students competed, and Emma rode two horses, one her own and one Michelle's. We borrowed a trailer big enough to carry 5 horses and took the horses to Full Gallop the evening before so that they could settle in. The next morning we arrived at about 9am, but I wasn't riding until midday so I volunteered as a dressage ring steward until then. 

My dressage test went really well, I felt it was the best I could have done and I was so pleased with my horse, Teddy, as it was probably the best she's ever gone for me. My show jumping round wasn't as good- we only knocked one pole down but it wasn't the smoothest round! To be fair neither Teddy nor I have jumped a full course of jumps in a long time so we are both a bit out of practice! Overall I was really pleased with how it went. Although I didn't get a particularly high score and I came 9th (would have been 5th without the 4 penalties for the pole down in show jumping), I had so much fun and wish I could compete every weekend! The three other working students were in a different class to me and did well- Emma came 2nd on her horse and 5th on the other, Anni came 6th and Maude came 7th. 

Teddy

Over the past few days I have been trying out 'liberty' with Teddy. This is like playing with the horse on-line but without a halter and rope, so you have to communicate with the horse using only body language and the carrot stick. It is so cool being able to do this, and I can really see how much I have improved over the two months I have been here. So far at liberty I can get Teddy to come towards me, back up away from me, go in a circle around me then turn and face me ('disengage') when I ask, and walk and trot with me running next to her. At first I did it in a round pen so she couldn't run away, but this morning we had a group liberty session with all four working students and four horses in one of the pastures which was a real test of our communication with our horses as they could (and occasionally did) just leave.

Harcala and me

This week I have started to ride a pony called Harcala who belongs to one of Michelle's friends. I have played with him on-line quite a lot and he's great at that, but he has less experience at being ridden- in the past he has mostly done trail rides. The first time I got on him he was reluctant to move forwards (but went sideways quite happily!), so we have been doing an exercise called 'point to point.' This is where you go from one side of the arena to another as fast as you can and then stop and rest for a minute when you get there, before turning around and going fast to the other side where you rest again. This gives the horse motivation to move as they keep being rewarded for doing so by getting rests, and they quickly have a lot more enthusiasm for going forwards, especially if there's grass they can eat at the rest stops! It worked really well with Harcala, he is now like a different horse who will go forwards to trot with very little encouragement. The only problem is that now he keeps drifting towards the fence because he knows that's where he can stop and eat grass!

Cavaletti (the black things)

In the afternoons we have been testing our carpentry skills by making cavaletti (little jumps) out of old poles and fence posts. Maude, the working student from France, has made them before and is very good at DIY so she is the project manager! She also has some ideas for cross country jumps to build around the farm which would be great (although I'll probably have gone by the time they're built.) I now know how to use a circular power saw, and I always seem to be covered in paint as we're painting the cavaletti black.

Maude's skills also extend to cooking and the other day she brought a taste of France to South Carolina by making us some amazing crêpes. Anni and I had four each! (Two savoury and two Nutella.) 

Today was a very sad day for us as Anni left. She is spending a week with friends in Washington then going home to Germany. She was at Avalo for three months so has been here for my whole stay, and it will be weird without her! She, Emma and I all cried when saying goodbye, the three of us got along really well. Anni and I are going to visit each other when we're both back in Europe.

I have just over a week left at Avalo and then a week at Myrtle Beach before flying back to London. I will be sad to leave but part of me is definitely looking forward to going home. I miss everyone at home and lots of English things like pubs, English television (I have been watching lots of Peep Show on my laptop) and the abundance of tea! My mum sent me a picture of our garden yesterday and it looks so green and lush compared to here (admittedly because of all the rain.) Maybe I'm idealising England in my head, but it's nice to know that I really like the place I'm from! Having said that, I will miss everyone here as well when I leave, and I do wish I could take Teddy home with me! 

Cross country schooling, swimming and show prep.

The past week or so has again been busy and fun, and my highlight has to be cross country schooling. Michelle took Anni, me and two horses, JD and Teddy, to a local cross country course last Friday. We began by warming up on-line, and then got on our horses at the water complex. We enjoyed cantering through the water and then walked round the course trying out different jumps, some of which we put together in a small course at the end. I had so much fun! Teddy hasn't done cross country in a long time but she used to compete to a relatively high level, so she knows what she is doing but was a little cautious at first. It was great to see how much her confidence grew, and by the end she was very willing and much less hesitant which made her brilliant to ride. I had only properly been cross country schooling once before in England during Pony Camp in 2011, and I had forgotten how much fun it is- I want to do it every day! Click here to see a video (sorry about the random blank bit half way through.)

Another highlight was swimming with the horses. Emma and Maude went schooling the day after us, and Anni and I went as well to watch and photograph. At the end of their session they took their horses into the lake to play and cool off, and Anni and I got to have a go too which was great. Both of the horses we took, Rhapsody and Apache, love the water and were pawing at it with their front legs and lying down in it, and after a while we got on and took them in a bit deeper so they could swim. Click here to see a video.

 On Sunday I will be doing my first proper competition at a local farm that is running a CT (a 'combined test' which is a training show for eventing that involves only the dressage and show jumping phases- sadly no cross country.) I am taking Teddy and we have been practicing every day this week. She feels great so hopefully it will go well! I'd love to come back with a rosette (or 'ribbon' as they call them here.) All of the working students are competing and Emma is taking two horses, so we are going to have to borrow a bigger trailer to transport all five horses.

Earlier this week we had a lesson in the evening where we played games on our horses. These included weaving in and out of barrels without using your reins, and trotting around a barrel in a circle tight enough that your stick doesn't lose contact with the barrel. We also got into pairs with another horse and rider and each held one end of the stick and trotted around the arena, and then one pivoted around on the spot while the other trotted/cantered in a circle around them. This was quite challenging but we all got it in the end and it was really fun to try.

This week I have been working with a horse called Starbuck, one of those who is less highly trained in natural horsemanship. At first I only worked with him on the ground, but I have now ridden him 4 times. He likes to move his feet, is quite speedy and very reactive. He is also a space invader; he likes to stand very close to me and is reluctant to back up out of my space. As I've got more experienced I

Me riding Starbuck

can really see a (positive) change in his behaviour on the ground; we can both be calmer and I know how to deal with any problems that may come up. When I ride him he is pretty good but likes to go fast. However, if I use the 'patterns' (a shape that you follow as you ride, for example in the 'bow-tie' pattern you go in a straight line, loop around and then follow that same line in the opposite direction before looping around again back onto the line in the original direction etc.) that I have learnt he relaxes and gets much more steady. He is so rewarding to work with because I can really see Natural Horsemanship benefiting him. Apparently he used to be quite uncontrollable which I can imagine from what I know of him, but now, doing NH, he is so much more sensible and calm.

Michelle has a lot of her horses for sale at the moment as she is trying to downsize, so as it was very rainy yesterday we spent some of the day advertising them on various websites. We have also had a few people come and try out horses they are interested in, and since I've been here one has been sold.

Drive-through bank

Yesterday we went to a drive-through bank! You have to put a container holding your cheques into a plastic tube that sucks it up and into the people inside the bank who talk to you on an intercom. It was very bizarre to see and all of us foreigners were taking pictures!

Update

I have decided to extend my stay here in the US by two weeks! Emma has kindly invited me to go with her family to Myrtle Beach (in South Carolina) for a week in June, so I will now be coming home on 16th June. I'll be sad to leave Avalo but am looking forward to spending a week at the beach and to seeing another part of the state. The time has gone so quickly, I can't believe I'm half way through my stay already!

Poppy with her blue ribbon (1st place)

Trail ride

We have had a busy week here. More cross country schooling for Emma and Michelle (where I took photos again) and they also went to an event last weekend where I photographed and helped with the horses. They both won their divisions again! One afternoon six of us (Michelle, Emma, Anni, Maude the new French working student, Michelle's friend Anna and me) went on a long trail ride to the big field where we can canter. I rode Teddy who hasn't been on a trail ride in a long time and she seemed happy to be out and quite eager to go! On Teddy at the farm I have also been riding without a halter or bridle which is cool. When doing this I have to steer using body weight and (if all else fails) the stick- first I turn my head, then turn my body, and then if she still doesn't respond squeeze with my leg, and if she still doesn't respond then wave the stick near her nose so she turns away from it. We did a fun exercise off the horse where one of us gets down on our hands and knees and the other sits on their back so we can see what certain things feel like to the horse. As the 'horse' you can feel which way the person being the rider wants to turn just by them turning their head, and when the rider looks down or leans forward it adds so much weight to the horse's back! If you straighten your back, tuck your pelvis under you and look up it feels so much lighter to the horse and it is much easier for them to go forwards.
I do feel like I'm improving, especially playing with the horses on-line. Now that I know the basics and have a bit of practice I can deal with problems much more easily, and this means that both me and the horse are more relaxed. I would really like to try some of what I've learnt with horses I know in England.

Casanova

On Monday, Dr Ridgeway, a vet who travels around doing acupuncture and chiropractic work (among other alternative methods) on horses, came to the farm. He was here to look at Casanova, one of Michelle's event horses, who has stomach ulcers and had been very crooked in his body at his last competition. I was a bit sceptical of acupuncture before, but it seemed to really work on Cas. Dr Ridgeway would press on certain muscles in his back that would spasm if they were tight (Cas was very tight on his right side) and then he'd put a needle in somewhere else in his body and press the muscle again, and it wouldn't spasm because it was now loose and relaxed. It was really interesting to watch and hopefully will help Cas.

In the trailer

On Tuesday we all went to Charleston for the day, which is a couple of hours' drive away. We got up extra early to feed hoping we would leave by 7.30, but the truck had a flat tyre so we ended up not leaving until 9.30. We dropped a horse home who had been here for training on the way, and Emma, Anni and I rode in the trailer instead of the truck as there was more space there! We weren't in the section the horses go in but the bit where you put the equipment which meant we could lie down and sleep! Charleston is really nice. We went downtown first to a covered market (someone at one of the stalls said I sounded like I had an American accent..?!) and to look around the shops. We then drove around an area that has some really nice houses in it on our way to the beach. Steve, Michelle's husband, loves fish and fishing, so when we all went in the sea at the beach he took a little net and caught some anchovies. Near the beach is a marshy river area where he showed us how to cast a shrimp net. Despite not catching anything I found it really fun. It is something that I never imagined I would learn how to do! The others caught some tiny shrimp and 3 crabs. We went to Steve's parents' house for dinner which was nice.

Charleston

Charleston is very different looking to Aiken, or at least the bit of Aiken I have seen which is only the shopping area. Charleston is fairly old (for America) and pretty, and I think a bit European looking, whereas Aiken has lots of very wide, straight roads and seems totally built for the consumer. The shops in Aiken are all huge and each have their own big car parks that you drive between. I don't even know if there are pavements as I've never set foot on one, and I haven't seen a single cyclist. We went to a charity shop (or 'thrift store') yesterday that was enormous! The same size as a lot of mainstream high street shops would be in England. There are loads of churches in the area around the farm and Aiken, and what seems really weird is that they are all modern buildings. It seems silly to realise this but of course churches don't have to be old, they just are in England!

Sunburn! 

It has been hot this week, around 35 degrees celsius. I think I'm getting used to the heat, but I still got horrendously sunburnt last week! There is now a pool up in the garden that we can use, so we go in most days to cool off. Today we had a lesson in the evening instead of during the day so that it was cooler. We did some really fun things like trying to get onto the horse bareback- it's a lot harder than it looks!

Emma, Anni and I bought matching rings in Charleston

Really big charity shop

Week 3

I have had another great week learning lots of new things. As well as the horsenalities I talked about in my previous post we have been learning about 'humanalities'- the human equivalent. I find it so interesting and I think that every time I meet someone now I'll be trying to work out their humanality! Like with the horses there are 4 different personalities. Right brain extroverts are very sociable, they love connecting with other people, are loud, emotional, like being the centre of attention, are always doing something and get distracted easily. Right brain introverts are quiet, cautious, diplomatic, want to do the right thing, often creative, avoid conflict, have to get to know people before they open up, and too much pressure can mean they freeze and can't think. They can occasionally 'explode' (!)- bottle up all their negative feelings about something and then let them all out at once. Left brain introverts are also quiet and are very organised- they love systems, structure and facts.  They might be seen by others as controlling. They know what they think, think their opinion is right and don't avoid conflict. Left brain extroverts are talkative, loud and (like left brain introverts) know their opinion and think they're right. They can be stubborn and don't like being told what to do, but can often be seen as bossy themselves.
People can be more or less extreme within their humanality, and can have traits from other humanalities. They can also have triggers that might change how they behave. In order to get along better with others (including horses) we have to be able to 'flex'- modify our behaviour to help the other person, for example an extrovert might want to talk all the time, but if they are with an introvert who needs some time and space to think, they could flex by being quiet for a bit.
I think I am a right brain introvert. Because everyone here knows about the humanalities and which one each other is, we end up analysing each other, saying things like 'all the introverts are being quiet!' I have started reading a book called 'Quiet: the power of the introvert in a world that can't stop talking' by Susan Cain. Its really good so far, I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this sort of thing.

A chart showing humanalities in relation to working with horses- only showing the negative points!

We were taught humanalities by Gen who, as I said before, is a Parelli instructor who was staying at Avalo for a bit to avoid the Canadian weather. On Monday she left to go back to Canada (via a week in New York state) so we all went out for a meal on Friday night to say goodbye. We went to the restaurant Emma waitresses at in Aiken and she had to work that night, but she served us! Gen has a really big trailer than can take her three horses and has a living area, so that's where she lived when at Avalo and it means she has somewhere to stay wherever she goes.

We (Emma, Anni and I) also went to Aiken another evening earlier in the week. We went shopping at Old Navy (I am going to need another suitcase to take everything home...) and then ate dinner at Applebee's (an American restaurant chain) with Emma's boyfriend and his friend who are both golf professionals at a local golf club (South Carolina is great for golf.)

On Sunday we went to a local schooling show (a CT- combined test- which is just the dressage and show jumping phases of eventing, these are very relaxed and are basically a practice for the more serious events.) I was stewarding for the show jumping- not an ideal job for a right brain introvert as it involves shouting across the warm up arena to tell people when its their turn to go into the ring: my voice isn't loud enough! Emma, Michelle and Michelle's friend Anna competed, and Emma and Michelle both came first in their classes! Anyone who volunteered at this show gets free cross country schooling at that farm's cross country course. We were going to do that yesterday but the weather forecast looked bad so we will do it another time. Yesterday was a really fun day anyway though, Michelle, Anni and I went on a long trail ride in the afternoon to a huge field where we practiced our cross country canters and then all cantered along together. It was so much fun!! I was riding Babe who is one of Michelle's competition horses (although he is now limited in what he can do as he head shakes- some horses get this and it is unclear what causes it but it can distract the horse a lot) and he was great, its so nice to be able to go fast in an open space but still have control! Michelle filmed us and I'll try and get the clips to post here. Sometimes when I go on Facebook and see pictures of friends who are relaxing on beaches, I do get a little jealous, especially at 7 in the morning when we're up feeding horses! But after rides like this I realise how much I like it here and I'm so glad I came to Avalo.

On Monday and yesterday morning I played on line with Teddy. She is probably my favourite, I have

Teddy

been doing a lot with her, and she is just so good! She knows how to do everything and because I have been working with her from the beginning of my stay, I can see how my communication with horses has improved through her reactions. Yesterday she was following me and walking backwards next to me without me touching the halter or holding the carrot stick, it was so cool and made me feel like we were really in sync! I was just watching a Parelli (the Natural Horsemanship programme that we do) DVD that said something like 'you want the horse to be connected to you mentally more than physically' and that's just how it felt. I could also lead her around by just softly holding her ear. Parelli has different levels that you can be assessed at. The assessments are done by video, and if I want to I can do the level 1 or 2 assessment. I think I will do it, it would be nice to know I have reached a certain level in my time here.

As well as learning new horsey things I am now able to (sort of) park the truck with the trailer attached! Its quite hard as you have to turn the car the opposite way to if you just wanted to reverse the car, so even if the trailer's in the right place the truck probably isn't... Emma taught me how to do it properly and I am getting better!

On Monday night we had a power cut. It only lasted for about an hour, but apparently earlier in the year they had one that lasted for a week during the ice storm that hit the US! It must have been so bad. There are tornadoes in the south east at the moment as you probably will have heard, but thankfully they never hit this part of South Carolina.

We have a new working student arriving this evening who is from France so I will no longer be the newbie. On Tuesday we might be going to Charleston which should be nice, lots of people both in England and America have told me to go there if I get the chance.

Week 2

My second week at Avalo has been great. Last Tuesday evening we had a lesson about 'horsenalities' from Gen, a Parelli instructor from Canada who is staying at Avalo for a while with her 3 horses to avoid the Canadian weather! The lesson was really interesting, it's an idea that I had heard about before but had never really appreciated. Horses fit into one of four horsenalities: right brain extrovert (reactive and like to go fast), right brain introvert (obedient but timid and untrusting), left brain introvert (calm and confident but needs motivation to work) and left brain extrovert (confident and playful but easily bored). Each horse normally has traits from more than one horsenality, but they usually have one that they fit into the most, and some horses show the traits in a more extreme way than others. Knowing which horsenality your horse is means you can deal with it more easily, for example if you have a left brain extrovert, you know that the best way of riding or training him/her would be to keep it interesting and varied so that you hold their attention. If I think back to horses I have ridden in the past, I can fit most of them into a certain horsenality and this explains why they behaved in a certain way.

Casanova doing a cross country on-line warm up.

On Wednesday we all went to a local cross country course. Emma and Michelle took horses and practiced over the jumps, I took photos and Anni filmed. Both of the horses we took were great. Before getting on the horses they were warmed up on-line (see previous post), so were jumping the fences without a rider- an unusual sight! Hopefully some time soon Anni and I will be able to take horses cross country.

We went to an eventing competition on cold and rainy Saturday (not that the weather really bothered me, being from England!) Michelle was competing and came 5th, and the other working students and I volunteered. I was dressage scribing (sitting with the dressage judge and writing down her comments and scores onto the score sheet) which was fun. It was really interesting to hear why the judge gave certain scores and what she thought of each horse.

Trail ride

We are located in such a good area for competing- Aiken (the nearby town) is a very horsey place and top level riders from the more northern states spend the winter around here to escape the cold, so there is loads going on- events every weekend less than a 30 minute drive away.

I went for my first trail ride on Sunday with Anni and Gen on the quiet dirt roads near the farm. The soil here is naturally really sandy which is perfect for horses- the kind of surface that people pay a lot of money to have in an arena! We used rope halters on the trail ride rather than bridles (I have only used a bridle twice in my whole time here so far) which is pretty cool, they're different to the headcollars that are normally used in traditional horsemanship and give you a lot of communication with the horse.

This morning we had a jumping lesson which was really good. I rode a mare called Teddy who I've been riding quite a lot, she's 20 and is the horse Michelle started Natural Horsemanship with. I have also been working with a few different horses on-line. Now that I know the 7 basic 'games' I am starting to try them out with other horses of differing horsenalities and levels of practice at the games.

Other than riding, we went food shopping yesterday (its so nice to have the choice of lots of new food in the fridge!), had to do some DIY and use a drill last week to put up some new electric fencing, and I have been watching DVDs about Natural Horsemanship. Emma and I planned to start working out every day but have only done it once so far and that was a week ago, so that's not going too well... I have been listening to lots of country music as that's what is generally played on the radio we have in the barn!

It was a quiet day on Sunday so I took pictures of the horses. Here are some of them:

Jazzy likes to play in the water bucket! 

Poppy shaking the dust (and lots of shedded hair) off after rolling

The sunset this evening