Play Day

On April 11th a friend and trainer at the barn asked if I wanted to go with her to a fun show in Haysville. Of course I said Absolutely! Getting Fritz out into the world is always a good thing, and riding him around at a new arena is a fabulous way to do it. A fun show is something anyone with a horse can participate in and so Fritz and I decided to go for it. We actually did something in a competition setting which had nothing to do with cows. It was great. We ran the poles and tho we didn't win anything we also didn't knock any poles down. Yeah! This is a diagram of pole bending and will help explain what we did:

A rider and horse run past a timer line to the end of a line of six poles, then turn the end pole and weave down through the pattern, again turn at the last pole and weave back up, then run back home across the timer line. The fastest time will win.
The horse has to not only have speed, but also the agility to switch leads between every pole at a full out gallop.
The pole pattern consists of plastic poles that are set 21 feet apart and the timer line 21 feet from the first pole. The poles are 6 feet high and the base is no more than 14 feet in diameter. If a pole is knocked over, a 5-second penalty is assessed. Fast pole bending times are run in 20-21 seconds.

It's not as easy as it looks and no, we did not gallop through it. We jogged, or trotted.

Cattle Class

Tonya sent me some pictures of the cattle clinic held at the barn. Most of them are pretty ugly (No I won't post them). It is helpful to see what you are actually doing though. I can see I am definatly too tight and that I have the wrong leg on Fritz.

A Good Day

This weekend was so much better with Fritz. I rode him on the flag and did pretty well for not having done it in literally months. He was really doing well following the flag, I almost didn't have to do anything but hang on. Saturday I watched Dale work him on live cattle, Fritz did really well keeping with the cow but he also got spanked a few times for not paying attention. Four year olds!

Rough Ride

Went to the barn last night and rode Fritz. It was tough, some days he behaves as though he has never been in training and this was one of those days. Steph, my instructor, keeps telling me to get after him when he's being "dumb" but it's really hard to do that when I am never sure if it's him being dumb or if it's me. It just wouldn't be right.

She and I talked about me and Fritz. She said she thinks that Fritz is too much horse for me (she is kinda right) and that cutting is really too hard to start out in. What she said made sense, but it is also hard to think about letting go of Fritz. I must have already started thinking along those lines because the day before this conversation I found High Brows Joy (JoJo). She is a 7-year old paint reining mare. She is solid, which means she wouldn't make mistakes even tho I would, so she would be good for me to learn on. I haven't decided to go see her, try her out, to see if JoJo and I work together. I look at Fritz, look in his eyes and I know he wants to be good, I also know that the one thing stopping him from being good is me. Makes it very hard. Ugh!

I Got It!!!

I finally received Fritz's registration papers on Saturday. What a relief it is to finally have them! Now begins the process of getting him registered with all the clubs so we can participate in the shows this season. Thankfully getting registered with the clubs is quick and easy.

The Beginning

My husband and I have been married, amazingly, for 16 years. We knew before we married that we did not want to have and raise children. We have lived by that agreement through all these years with one exception, Adele. Adele is the daughter of Sandy and Paul May. Sandy May is my husband's middle sister. We are Adele's God Parents, and thus we have been blessed with a beautiful God-daughter. (Sandy and Adele)

So, having no children, we are able to discover, or in my case re-discover, the other things in life that challenge and thrill us. My re-discovery was horses. I purchased my very first horse nearly two years ago. His name is Pepper, a sorrel and white paint. When I first met Pepper he was so skinny and in such poor condition I almost passed him by, but he had something and I took a chance. This is Pepper the day we met.

What a skinny pony! But, after moving him to the The Adix Training center which has an amazing feeding program and me as his new care giver, he gained weight and lots of spunk! Under Dale and Tonya's guidance, it was discovered that Pepper was one clever pony! He knew how to neck rein and move off leg pressure and how to be a good and obedient boy, he just needed me to cowgirl up and not let him get away with being naughty. While at the training center I was introduced to the world of ranch horses. Wow! Those cutting horses are fast and amazing! Pepper however, was not so impressed by them, his joy was hitting the dusty trail, not following cows and cutting them off from the herd. Pepper found a new home with a young boy just starting to ride, they are having fun exploring the world outside in their back pasture. This is Pepper when he left the training center. I still miss him sometimes.

So, Pepper left for his new home in May 2008. This begins the story of My Life with Fritz. I purchase Fritz from Dale and Tonya Adix in May 2008 following the sale of Pepper. I have never been so excited and so out of my element as I was the day I bought a cutting horse. Just try staying on one of these agile creatures while they're a ducking and a diving! Woo Hoo!!! Fritz is so quick and wily I loose my seat, but its an amazing and fun ride.