Dancer Does Cross Country

 So on Sunday I got to take this guy to Camelot Horse Park to school cross country....

All in all it was a great day for me and the baby horse!

 Not too shabby for our first time out in the "world"

(I think we cleared the log)

 

He wasn't super thrilled to go into the water....

 So we went on a gallop to "think about it"

SO FUN!!!

 A friend offered a pony cookie.....

 

And eventually we were eating up the water like we were born in it!

 

We jumped some more logs.....

 Did some up banks....

Jumped logs that were a little bigger.....

 And of course went back for a victory lap in the water!!!!!

 

All this makes for one tired pony on Monday.....

SSSHHHHHH Do not disturb......

Lessons from a Pony

This guy......

He's teaching me more than just riding......

#1

 

I bought him because he was a dream of mine and because he's an amazing  horse. The stumbling blocks don't matter.  10 hour days at work, growing pains and lost shoes....We will get there. Wherever there is....

#2

Dream BIG! Have little goals so to so you can keep reaching "milestones" but have a "BIG DREAM"

(Ours is a T3 Day at Rebbecca Farm, Galway or Inavale)

Surround yourself with good people! Ignore the haters and just stay focused on that goal and keep listening to the good people!

#3

True for everything in life, not just ponies but ponies really drive it home. If you don't go after it and work for it, it won't happen. You are just going to be stuck if you don't go after what you want!

#4

 

 Stop thinking that he's going to stop at the fence. Believe he's going to jump it like the awesome guy he is. Put your leg on and things will go right.

#5

Not everyone is going to be rooting for you. Some are even going to be rooting against you. Forget them and surround yourself with the good people from #2.  And eventually you will do this.

 That's all you can do when you are riding ponies. Some nights you show up for a lesson and he's pulled a shoe. But that same night your amazing farrier might agree to come out and put it back on the next morning so you can still go cross country schooling on Sunday.

Love this guy!

Destructo Pony!

 <-This PONY!

So Tuesday night I show up at the barn and the barn manager searches me out to tell me this sad tale of how Dancer destroyed his blanket and it was in a ball in the corner of his stall when she found him in the morning....

 The evidence.....He tore off the whole front strap and then shimmied out of it. 

Maybe D stands for ding dong.

So I said fine. I'll throw his medium on him. No big deal I can order him another lite blanket....

 The next day....Same thing with the new blanket!!!

Ay yi yi....

So I ordered him Smartpaks Ultimate Turnout Blanket 

(and he gets to be cold till it arrives, good thing we live in CA!)

(Their photo not mine)

It has a 10 year warranty. If he destroys it, they send me a new one!

Sounds good to me.

So that I don't have a horse that looks like this everytime I come to to barn!!!!!

Well and so he doesn't get cold of course :-)

I made him these cookies but I think he should be giving me the one on the bottom!!!!

Everyone says Dancer is growing soooooo

Everyone keeps telling me he's growing.....So I took a photo of him last night to compare to the ones I have. (and hopefully not cry over the saddle that is coming and may not fit...sigh)

 This was him the day I got him...

 July 4

 September 28

 December 31

Feb 11

I'd say he's starting to look like a horse (minus the mud) YAY!

Dreamland Farms

A little while back we went to a place called Dreamland Farms!

We've made two trips there.

The first trip was just for some experience....but I still got a really cute photo of the D man in his shipping halter.....

But the second we actually got to jump around a bit! Here are some of the highlights!

Such a good baby horse!