Pick It up and Read

Recently, along with a few other horse loving bloggers, I was contacted and asked if Alison Hart could do a guest blog to help get the word out about three books which will be coming out in 2010. Alison has written stories for American Girl, The New Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley, as well as The Riding Club. In other words? She's gifted at story telling for the 8-12 year old crowd. And as the aunt of a young girl who falls into that age group, I've got to tell you that it's a real treat to find something that is sweet, innocent, and a good story.

Some of her books, such as Shadow Horse, have a bit more meat on their bones. A mystery surrounding a young girl, the death of her favorite horse, and a dirty rotten owner fills the pages.

I happen to have a copy of Shadow Horse sitting right in front of me at the moment. I'm wondering...would any of you be interested in owning it?

I may be persuaded to give it to someone.

Maybe.

How do you win? You tell me!!! I want to know what you'd do to win. Or...how about what you'd like to see someone else do to win? Now, that could be interesting! Just post your comment here between now and Friday. The bestest, craziest, zaniest, goofiest, funniest, makes me want to pee my pants laughing suggestion wins the new book!

On Friday I'll announce the winner, plus we'll have a guest post by Alison herself.

Good luck!

Ch-ch-ch-chilly!

City Boy sent me an email the other day letting me know about a photo contest being sponsored by Troxel. Great! Sounds like fun. I figured I'd haul Sandy over to my friends place and let him get acquainted with the cattle and an open field on Saturday, then Sunday we'd return and Darling could ride and I'd get some photos.

It was bitterly cold, and we didn't last long. Sandy was more concerned about the fact that there was grass beneath his feet that the cattle had yet to rip out by the roots (which, of course, cattle don't do) than he was the brisk air or cattle milling about. I asked him to move in and out of the herd, and even separated a calf or two while we were at it. Piece of cake. Which is just the way I wanted it.

Come Sunday, Darling took one trip out to the barn and came back in questioning if we really needed to go to Beanie's and play cowgirl. Too cold, she insisted. I didn't put up much of a fight. As much as I'd have loved to submit a photo that was out of the norm (lets face it, cow work is done in cowboy hats...not helmets), I couldn't deny that I was happier indoors.

Which is why I was surprised when, this afternoon, Darling jumped up and asked, "You want pictures with the red dress?"

Absolutely!

So off trotted my model as I bundled myself up and gave Steve Holt! a quick brushing. I pulled out the red bronc halter that Curt had gotten me last year for Christmas and slipped it onto the mustang's head. Boy, did he look handsome!

Then out came Darling, looking all festive and beautiful, red lipstick to match her dress and her pretty cowboy hat perched atop her head.

We turned Steve Holt! so that his brand faced the camera, and Darling went to work, kissing and hugging and propping herself against her horse. I just stood back and click, click, clicked away as my child stood there, no coat, in air that was well below freezing, doing what she does second best...pose for the camera.

I may need to turn this into a Christmas card. And what do you think; does she need red boots.

Let the Training Begin

Trainers from around the northwest have braved the possibility of iced, snow covered highways and passes this weekend, traveling from their homes to the Wild Horse Corrals in Burns to pick up their new wild partner in hopes of competing, and possibly even winning, at the Northwest Extreme Mustang Makeover.

I was not one of them.

I had decided several months ago not to compete this year, but to look for other events, such as the Extreme Cowboy Race, to set my sights upon. I really wanted to get the horses here broke, and Darling was looking forward to a year on Steve Holt!'s back, learning new skills. When I train for an EMM event, it becomes all consuming and eats up time that would otherwise be spent helping Darling along. Not to mention it's bloody cold in the winter!

So here I sit, no EMM horse in my corrals, and now that I've realized there's no Extreme Cowboy Race to focus my sights on, well.... what's a Desperate Horsewife to do?

Not that there isn't plenty to do with simply riding Sandy and hauling Darling to lessons, mind you. I just need something to focus my competitive energy on.

Enter the Beautiful Wadatika. All told, I've probably only got two weeks handling on this mare, and it was hardly consistent; rather strewn over the course of about 6 weeks when she first came. So I'm pitting myself against the trainers from the makeover in a personal challenge, but without the stress of knowing I need to get out there despite lousy weather, or taking time away from the family, or when I'm sick (like today.) It's an effort to see how far I can get with a seven year old horse. A mare old enough that not a soul seemed brave enough to adopt her for fear of being stuck with an untameable, untouchable, eternally wild mustang.


Shall we see where this leads?