Emmy Lou – We Love You!

March 25, 2018Posted inEmmy Lou, Missouri Fox Trotter
Emmy is a Cadillac trail horse. She is rated as a beginning rider and kid horse. She dies not spook, turn and run nor bolt. She goes straight down the trail. If anything major concerns her, she will stop. She has been a saddle-up, get on and ride horse. I’m borrowing her for the spring and summer. I’m one of those crazy people that insist on forming a relationship on the ground, doing ground work always before I ride and being able to independently move the front and back parts…

Love, Language and Leadership – Not There Yet with Fancy!

February 27, 2018Posted inCISCO, Fancy, Missouri Fox Trotter
Those are the three core words that guide my life with horses. This is a story about the invisible feel and bond between my beloved Cisco and I. Fancy is in round pen training with Cisco and I. Cisco and I show Fancy how to respond to my “language”. My desire is for the horse to come to me from several feet up to 20 feet from me. My signal is to bend my head to the side and focus my eyes at the flank area. My focus should communicate…

Sue -How Do You Love Jill?

February 23, 2018Posted inSue - How Do You Do!
Judy who Owned Sue for several years, had been afflicted with serious health problems and her daughter wondered if I would take Sue back. Sue had gotten a couple bad deals with humans at the time when I came to know her and had gone completely over the crazy and fearful line. It was a bad deal for a sweet fox trotter, so I bought her. She had been completely ruined in six months and it took me four years to rehabilitate her. Her rehab ruined parts of me. My…

Florida Fancy Tales

January 30, 2018Posted inFancy, Missouri Fox Trotter
Monday morning at 16 degree weather was the departure of Fancy and young Bravo for their training adventure in Florida with Tony and Jenny Vaught. Tony and Jenny arrived around 8:00am, hooked up trailer, loaded hay bales, secured hay nets and loaded horses. They had to touch metal to do all this. While Fancy was loading everyone complained about being frozen. Tony’s fingers were frozen up to the nails. Jenny’s face froze. My thighs froze. The horses were fine. They live in this weather. Plus the hay filled nets blocked…

Fancy Tales – Our First Encounter December 2017

January 30, 2018Posted inFancy, Missouri Fox Trotter
Teresa loaned Fancy to me while Cisco is recovering from EPM. I picked her up from Teresa and Junior Osborn. Fancy had nearly 60 day’s training with a Fox Trotter trainer who had problems getting Fancy to move forward when he started her.  It was at her "colt start" when Fancy became "spur sensitive". Fancy had just completed 30 days training with a trail riding trainer. In her first two weeks with the trail rider trainer, she was ridden in a parade! Boy Howdy! She had kicked the husband and…

E-venture with Emma

January 23, 2018Posted inEmma
I thought most of the Emma excitement stories were winding to an end, but I was wrong. We have just progressed to going outside without a leash again. Emma runs around and comes bounding to me for a pet and a treat. It’s going great! I stroll by Lake Robin. Emma goes down the short bank. I think “Oh that’s nice, she’ll get a drink. SPLAT! SPLASH! I look and Emma had leaped into the water. Her legs are submerged. Her belly is in the water! It’s 36 degrees! I…