She's Mine...Again

Two years ago, not having the slightest idea what we were getting in to, we bought horses.  We got two mares and three geldings, one horse for each of us.

Sweet D was my pretty paint. With brown and white patches and long black tail, she was the horse I had always dreamed of.  She was gorgeous but she was a little skittish & shy.  It wasn't long before we ran into a problem.  

She spooked,

I spooked,
&

together we were just plain spooked!

I couldn't convince myself to get back on her.  So my husband and I switched horses.  He took D and did a great job working with her.  I started working with the older, more dependable mare, Bobbi.  She's a babysitter and was perfect for me. I appreciated her but I didn't LOVE her.  If you're a horse person, maybe you understand.

 We found a natural horsemanship trainer that led us through the Clinton Anderson Foundation Series.  We did mostly groundwork for a year.  (Yes, a year!)  We had to learn to handle our horses properly and the horses needed to learn to respect us. All of the horse improved greatly but the biggest change was in our confidence.  It was a slow and steady transformation.

We reached the point in the C.A. program where we needed to ride but we weren't confident enough in the saddle.
We needed to learn to ride,
 to be encouraged,
and to learn the cues.
So a few months ago, we started riding lessons once a week with a young woman that teaches natural horsemanship but specializes in teaching green riders.

After a few lessons and with my husband's encouragement, I decided it was time for me to get back on D.  For the last month, I've been riding her at least twice a week.  We've done really well!  It hasn't been perfect but we are working together and learning to trust each other.

trotting!

It's been a long time coming

but I'm happy to announce that Sweet D is officially mine again.

I couldn't be happier about it!

For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.  He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 3:10-11