Rachel Ray has NOTHING on me!

I was not blessed with a creative bone in my body, but I was blessed with one skill.
Cooking.. It is a God Given Gift, and I love to share it. So here goes.
Ok . This is how my evenings I cook happen. I only cook Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat. The other days I am either at the barn, or appointments.

First and foremost my rice cooker. My Oba ( Okinawan for Mother) , who was my sisters MIL at the time bought me my first one, it died and this is its replacement.
We use it sparingly as rice is nothing but carbs.

Next is the Salmon Patties from Costco. I have canned salmon/breadcrumbs on hand, and would more than likely make these from scratch. But not tonight I am tired from a hard day at work. My job is extremely difficult and emotionally draining, so pardon me die hards if I take a few shortcuts in the kitchen from time to time. But I am NOT sandra lee.. gag......

Cook some veggies with Dill, and VIOLA! Dinner in about 20 minutes.

But wait there's more! What's this? Homemade Blackberry compote with semi-homemade Shortcakes.

Bisquick was my Mothers BFF and it's mine too. Who knew a cute Yellow Box can hold the magic mixture within its walls? Pancakes, fried Chicken, shortcakes, and the list is endless. You will always find the magic yellow box in my pantry. I always add the Pampered Chef cinnamon plus to my shortcakes. Gives them a bit of punch instead of plain ol biscuits taste.

Next the blackberries chillin out and draining in the sink. I wonder what they are thinking?

"Hey man... Did you see the Yellow Box on the counter? I also heard that there is sugar and cornstarch out. This cant be good, I hope she doesn't over stir and break us up."

Poof by Blogger magic, we have warm , thick yummy compote. Just like that ! It's not as cool as Emiril or Alton, but I do make a mean compote folks.. I will not reveal my secret ingredient for a TV show worthy fruity goodness.

So here is the finished result, shortcake on the left, berries on the bottom and ice cream on the top. I know you are all droooooooooooooooling right now,
My family loves dessert, it doesn't last but minutes in our house. I don't like to bake cookies, so I try to do other things instead. I have adult ADD, so baking cookies, up and down every 11 minutes, is not fun for me. If I had double ovens I might do it more. I feel Oatmeal Scotchies on the horizon.

And the final cherry on top, my husband perfectly brewed coffee. He is the resident coffee maker and he sets the coffee maker for me every morning so when I get out bed its ready and waiting.

Nobody makes coffee as good as he does. We buy coffee from Sisters Coffee Company and brew it on weekends. Our Favorite is Cowboy Coffee. It is from Sisters, OR, and by far the best beans ever, and we are self admitted coffee snobs!!

Well, I hope I satisfied the gals who were asking to see more of my real life, and not my barn life. I often cook enough for others, so if Deb is reading this, Curry is coming your way Thursday sister!
Hugs and love, Jocelyn

A day in the life 101

All right Already ! I was asked to post more about my life and less about my horses.
Well you asked for it and here goes.
Payne Family Stats: Husband, Three Boys, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 horses, 5 fish.


Husband: Shawn, married for 5 years, full time Air Force Reservist, has a life long dream of taking over his Dad's Cattle Ranch. Oklahoma.. Oklahoma.. Where the wind comes sweepin down the plain... He is the love of my life, my everything.



This is my oldest son Lucas. He lives in Oklahoma with his Dad. ( long story). He just turned 18,Senior in High School, is doing great has over 3.5 GPA, has a job, goes to college summer school and wants to go to Oklahoma State for Ag, next Fall. He could be in magazines he is so handsome.

This is Logen, he just turned 17. He is a Jr. in High School, loves horses too, trying to turn a new leaf in school this year, a great help in the kitchen, can bake better than me. He is funny and sarcastic just like me.. Heaven Help us !

This is Catlin my Step-Child. HE will be 16 in November. He lives with us full time, Shawn has been his primary parent since he was three years old. He is 1/2 Korean and the girls go crazy for him. HE plays all sports, goes to a College Prep. Catholic High School and gets over a 3.5 GPA. He is a hoot, very easy child and owes me huge when he becomes successful for getting him out of some major hand to backside moments.

Well, this is the basic stats, I am the ONLY girl in my house. Which is sometimes a good thing or a bad thing. I have to listen to " boy talk" more than I care to, I DON"T have to share make-up or clothes, Boys have a funky smell I don't appreciate, I DON'T have to take out the garbage or mow grass. So I guess it all evens out !

Next post will be my house, family moments, regular life happenings.

The Bluski aka Shocking Blulace

This will be a post about Blu. She is 9 years old, Russian 3/4 Arabian 1/4 Saddlebred. She was to be my replacement horse for when I sold Star. I wanted to compete in the Ay-Rhab "A" circuit with my barn friends and knew Arabians were stellar trail mounts.

This is My friend Denise in March of 2006 when we went to go look at Blu. I had just had surgery so Denise rode her for me. Blu was such a sweetie, and had a great work ethic, if I could have put her in my Honda I would have brought her home then.

When we went to go pick her up her new Dad ( Shawn) was upset that her owner was being so harsh to get her in the trailer. He said as soon as we pulled out, he said a few choice words about how she was treated and that was to never happen again under our ownership.

He stopped at DQ on the way home to feed the entire crew that came along, but Shawn stayed in the parking lot with our very nervous baby, talking and soothing her while her new Momma was getting a burger. everyone say awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

This is my is my very good friend Toni on Blu, posing for pictures. This is a short 6 months after we brought her home. What a difference!

This is July 2007, it was a horse show for an Equine rescue called S.A.F.E. This was the " other half" lead line class. We did so good, but came in 2nd to Ashley, we got sooooooooooo robbed. We totally deserved to win, but it was for charity.. Charity Schmarity, I wanted that Blue Ribbon. Her and I did win the Blue Ribbon in the Bribe Your Horse Race. We were the fastest by FAR the ring steward said. I screamed when they called out our name as winners !

This is August 2007, we took 6 horse and riders to the Long Beach , WA peninsula for the weekend. Blu was the best behaved and the bravest one in the bunch. She was the only one who went willingly into the surf, then was having fun chasing the flocks of sea birds, she wold see them and then just lunge towards them and watch them scatter. She is just a hoot.

She had a trailer incident, and it was a very scary ride on the way home for both of us. We call it the HAY BAG OF DEATH incident of 2007. IF you have never taken your horse to the beach with your Friends it is a once in a lifetime experience, it was the best time I have ever had bar none, and look forward to the next time.

Here is Blu today, she is for sale. This is her Dreamhorse photo with Teacher Deb. Why is she for sale? Lots of reasons, She needs to keep busy, and a job. She doesn't think WTC to the left and WTC to the right is any fun whatsoever. She will however Climb hills, dirt mounds, traverse any terrain, and if she doesn't sell.... She is going to be my Cowboy Mounted shooting partner. She can HAUL A$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and her canter is so smooth you think she is flying. Her ground manners are impeccable, and maybe we could do showmanship at the Ay-rhab shows too someday, just for fun.

That is my post about the Bluski, Blu-Berry, the Ay-Rhab, Shawn's **** MARE, when she is bad, I just love this goofy horse too. She is so sweet and very personable, loves scream to her mare frens, and hates anything peppermint. She will drink Pepsi straight out of a cup, and thinks I live to love her.

I do..............

oh my thighs!

Well, last night we lunged in the side reins for about 10 minutes. Why? Well, Star is gaining weight back nicely and her top line is improving, but her neck is still too thin and looks out of place with the rest of her. BIG QH body, skinny neck, BIG Jug QH head. Not a pretty picture if you were looking at her conformation. So we are using the side reins to get her to use her neck muscles more to bulk up that neck and top line. Then we worked on the canter ..again.
FYI to Teacher Deb, only 350 more laps to go. as we did about 20/30 last night. hooray.
So, here is my issue, she will canter left lead until the cows come home, right lead not so much, she will putter out and sometimes just stop whilst going to the right on the outside wall.
So, I turned my ball cap around brim to the back, got out the bat, as I left my WHIP in the barn, and worked worked worked. The bat has zero affect on big butt mare-i-tude. Note to self, must bring DQ Whip for next session. ugh... I kicked, I kissed, I batted her bee-hind hard, I used every seat muscle I could muster and still refusal. She can canter sideways down that outside wall, while that is a formidable skill, it is not what I had asked for.
So we did some fabulous laps going left until she was puffing like a smoker. Then we worked on showmanship for another 20 minutes with a loose girth and no bat. :) She learns so quickly, she is very easy to teach. Love that about her, she is a sponge.
But the rhythm is getting better, but she is still anticipating too much, so I think another lesson is in order to fix my aids, and fix her refusal of going right.
Maybe spurs are next? She'll love that..... Time to get out the big guns.

Getting hit by the reality train

Ok, so I am married to Mr. Wonderful, and with that comes comprimise, sacrifice and willingness to let alot of what bugs me .. slide right off my back. There will not always be teenage boys in my house, there will not always be obnoxious dogs ruining my carpet and yard, there will not always be insurmountable stress in our lives. But what there WILL always be is my sweetie and our marriage. So thus, I let things ....slide............



BUT! There are some people in my life that do drive me crazy, and I have let things SLIDE for too long, I hate having to be the bearer of B***tchy news , but I am going to have to put a big fat stop to it once and for all. I am constantly overwhelmed with work, business, horses, kids, etc.. to pay attention to all the little things in my life. But then there are those days when boundaries are overstepped and I've literally had it. Can't go into much detail, but let me be the first to say, that I will no longer be a Welcome Mat. Nuff said.



Ok, on to something fun....

I think I may be able to find a great Showmanship Blazer used for a bargain. Someone I know daughter is getting rid of her Show Clothes, and is MY SIZE, and I get to go try them on next weekend. yipeeee. I really need a Blazer as that is Standard SHWNSHP attire, and i don't have one and could sure use one before October. What an answer to prayers I tell ya. I love bargains! Paying retail for anything makes me cringe...
Now if we could just get that little thing called the collected canter.. We would be sweeping the Blue ribbons...Like Teacher Deb said only 400 laps to go!

Name Change !

Happy Sunday,
Stars new Registered Name is NOW.
Sierra's Only Star
It was Sierra Jovahnas Star which was not my favorite, and would most likely get butchered by announcers.. as I have heard some announcers just butcher horses and riders names. You are all excited you place a class and it comes over sounding like a fast food drive through.. Major Peeve.

Yipeeee, the papers are finally in order.. Long story but it is finally done !


I saw this moon last Wednesday evening on my way home from the barn. I almost called Shawn to run outside and take photos. Well, he did it without me asking, I came home and he took these! Great minds! It was one of the most beautiful moons I had ever seen, it was a sight to behold and bask in the Glory of Our Father who without him, the simple joy of a Harvest Moon would be nothing but a big Orange Rock in the sky.


Movie night is on Friday nights. The Yeller' dog is Shannon out lab/golden mix, aka Last in Class. the Spotty lookin one is KellyDog, yes all one word, Blue Heeler/Terrier Mix aka Head of Ranch Security.Why are they Both on my lap? Shannie is MY dog, and KellyDog was being sheepish and refused to go cuddle with Shawn. Why? He smells like the cat is my guess.
The mare below is not Star. Her name is Miss Kitty. Her owner is so nice and gave me all sorts of tips on getting Star snowy white. She is going to be my direct competition next year. She won most of her classes, HI Point in Showmanship, and I didn't stay for the western portion this morning. I saw a variety of outfits in the ring this morning, but I am still going to wear my show shirt, black eq pants and boots, so if we fail in out pattern, we'll at least get points for looking good. ;) Oh my I am so nervous. We are going to practice until Star shows her teeth. :) alot...

Shut it Donkey! If this is not the cutest pair ever , she even got applause after she was done with her pattern and that pony was a SAINT. Her Dad was the show announcer and told me that I could NOT call her sweet, cute or likewise as she is quite full of herself already. I sometimes wish I had a house full of little girls, but boys are cool too, my son is going to re start taking lessons on Blu or Star, he can't decide. We'll let Teacher Deb decide.
I would prefer a little girl like this one, but I'll take what I can get I guess. shhh dont tell Logen, he uses the horses as a chick magnet. ugh... teens.

Have a great week !

Jesus take the Wheel

Good Morning,

Well, last night right before I left for the barn , Shawn kindly announced that he will most likely be deployed to Africa very soon for 4 months. Where he would be going is a very dangerous, poverty stricken place. This come after the news that Shawn is trying diligently to get another position at another base. Our choices currently are Mississippi, Alaska and Florida. This will mean a huge move for us, the kids, Star, possibly Blu as well. I will have to leave friends I love, family and my home that I love. It is a HUGE career move for him, it is a devastatingly emotional move for me. I have a hard enough time making friends and now I have a barn full.

Now the kids, both are settled into schools, in the last years of high school, and almost grown.
My parents did this to me my Sophomore year of High School, after being with the same friends since Kindergarten they pulled me from school and we moved to California and I never scholastically recovered.

I need Jesus to take the wheel on this one. Prayers needed and appreciated. I literally don't sleep, can't think and just feel a huge emotional melt down coming on.

Jocelyn

Working on the WHOA...

Good Morning !

Last couple of days Star and I have been working on our Showmanship pattern for our upcoming BIG GIRL show. This will be the first EVER " A" show her and I have done.
IF anyone is in or near Boring,OR at the Mt Hood Eq. and Event Center, October 24-26th. Stop by and say hello.
What is showmanship? It's like Advanced Halter with a pattern you must complete. Think "working" halter. :) I am working on my posture, confidence and the WHOA. Star is super smart and once she gets it she gets it, so I have complete confidence that I will be the one looking like a nervous beginner in the ring. But, it is for practice and exposing the pony to fun show outings.
What is funny about the difference between my two mares.

Star- slow to respond on the first step, kind of a lagger until she warms up, not a fan of the back up cue,haunch turn is ugly and stiff, shows her teeth when she is getting irritated. Getting better with the WHOA, will semi-set with no real training. Acts bored after 5 minutes.

Blu- perky, will trot out with no " clucking" , will back up to next week if asked, NO WHOA, NONE..., can spin a haunch or forehand turn like a top reiner, sets up with 4 crooked legs and won't budge. Always has a " this is fun!" look about her. She is so cute when she is having a good time, ears forward and all puffed up.

Like I've always said, they are just like kids. They each have their own personalities and talents.
I think I sweated off 5 pounds last night with these two girls.

Tonight.. we ride......................... I won't be home until after 9 for sure.

LET R BUCK!

We just got home from the Pendleton Round up in Pendlton, OR. It's about thee hours due East of us. This is one of the oldest rodeos in rodeo history. I would have taken more pics of the actual events, but as you can see I was in charge of the camera and Shawn was in charge of the beverages. So, I've posted the best/clear/non blurry/ photos out of the 100's I took! We stayed at Shawn's cousins house Tracey, that his wife with me Sheila, and Tracey is trying to show his mug behind us.Do you see the Kleenex in my purse? Yeah, allergies, so Claritin twice in one day and about 6 " beverages" I was well on my way to blurrrrr-ville.





This is Sheila and I in the cab of the Pendleton Hay and Feed truck. It is an International, not sure that year, but it was cool. MOM, LOOK! I am wearing my necklace!

This is the performance by the Umatilla Indians, they do the Indian horse race, where they do a lap, and switch horses. Indian teen girl Pageant, dancing and a parade of the Chief and the top tribal members. We had terrible seats, I won't go into it, but JP almost had a throw down a time or two, even Sheila had to tell people constantly to move move move. They would just stand in front of us and block our view. It sucked, just a total drag. Shawn and Tracey are already planning the seating arrangement for next year.

Below is my favorite pic of the day. This is one of the Umatilla Indians , he has such a great smile , a look of pride for his tribe and just looks like he is having the time of his life. His Pony however was not as equally enjoying the moment.So, I cropped it, to paint a more favorable picture for my blogger frens. I do have to say most of the horses that they were riding were NOTHING like the barn full of show ponies where my girls live. Bathing,Clippers, Show Sheen and basic dietary and hoof management I do not think are on top of the must -do's for those poor ponies.

Here is the Indian Princess that won the contest. I do have to say, out of all the contestants, she was the prettiest, she almost looked like the cartoon Sacajawea. Very pretty. We really didn't hit the shopping, or the vendors this time. We were starving and Shelia had homemade enchiladas waiting at home for us, and we were all in a hurry to feed our pie holes.

So, they day was over and we went home, roasted some marshmallows, visited, passed out. We had to sleep on the daughters WATERBED! I havent done that in 20 years. Needless to say, Shawn almost got the boot, as he is a turn and flipper sleep mate. I wanted to kill him, everytime he flipped I got shoved inthe wood siderailing. ugh...

Day two: Sunday

This is Dakota, she is a rescue pony they have for the grand kids. She was rescued by a friend of theirs who saw the pony tied to a fence for years, and finally offered the owners a 100 bucks, and she now lives atTracey's house. Her age is undetermined and she is nearly blind. She has the run of the place and is the favorite by far. She is so sweet and just a hoot. I went out to the pasture to take some pics and boy did she have her attention on me the whole time. I was afraid if I made a sudden move she would come over and bite my kneecaps.

Poor girlie had to play Fair Pony ride for about an hour. She was so sweet and compliant, and there were about 8 little girls just dying to get their turn. Look at that sweet face. Shawn said she looked all sorts of P'od and was saying under her breath" um... I am going to call BS on this just as soon as I can, but first I need something to eat and maybe a nappy" She didn't even need a halter and lead rope, she stood still like a statue while being brushed by a bunch of shrieking giggly girls, and while Tracey saddled her up. Notice the upside down stirrups?

They also have a 6 year old B/W Overo gelding named Studley, as he was a stallion until 2 years ago. He is hard to catch, but who managed to be the Horse Whisperer today?? Yes you guessed it. Shawn! We wont go into his methods as we are thinking about marketing it and selling it to the masses, making millions and selling funny various items as , handfuls of hay and bailing twine to catch an uncatchable horse. We will be RICH! The horseie folk will be so thankful for our vast array of common sense and easy to follow instructions. Cha-Ching.

Logen trying to bond with Studley. He was freaking out because Dakota the pony was on the OTHER side of the fence with her peeps and eating some very green yummy grass. He was either frightened by the shrieking or freaking out that the minions soon would be looking at him for their next mount.

This is Stud Muffin riding Studley. I cannot tell you how excited I was that Shawn was riding. He never gets too, and he loves to ride. He wants to do Cowboy mounted Shooting so bad, and we just don't have a horse that can do that. We also board at a stable, and to practice is out of the question. He even cantered him in the pasture. It almost brought tears to my eyes, seeing Shawn doing the same thing I love doing and having such a good time. we are so funny, we always ask each other: Did I look Ok? Were my hands down? How was my posture? Did I look like I at least knew what I was doing? Shawn has no problem telling me that my posture is less than stellar and that I need to sit up straight and keep my heels down. CRITICS!

This is me riding Studley, none of the other pictures turned out, so you get the picture of my bee-hind instead. His canter is smoooooooooth. His owner doesn't do more than a walk with him about every 6 months, when I got on and trotted him he was like.. What? W.O.R.K ? Then after about 10 minutes it was, OK sister you want speed you got it. Well, we opted for a casual walk after that.

This is the famous store Hamley's. If you are a Cowboy wear/tack/art/decorating aficionado then this is the place for you! The saddles are made on site, I even watched a saddle maker for a bit. Remember Abby's Pizza where you could watch them make pizzas? Same deal. I was entranced.

IF you don't have $$$, window shopping is all you can really do here.

This statue is as big as it looks folks. I asked permission first before I snapped photos.



The ceiling is copper and the fans are on an actual pulley system, You really feel as if you are stepping back in time. There is also a Coffee shop/ Wine shop and Steak house all in the same building, all called Hamley's. It's so impressive.

Ok, so here is the saddle that my Powerball winnings will buy me. The price tag? 8200.00. That's right the price of a KIA Rio, or a saddle. hmmmm
The tooling was to die for. This was one of many saddles that were like pieces of art. The one in the saddle makers workshop I am sure was over 30K, and I am sure custom ordered as the Tapaderos were definitly parade style.

Here is the web site, so you can browse at your leisure. Careful of the sticker shock !

http://www.hamleyco.com/

Well, that about does it for our trip to the Round-Up. It was a blast, Tracey and Sheila were excellent hosts once again. Everyone should go at least once!

LET R BUCK!

Remembering 9-11

We are watching it on the History Channel.
in 2005 Shawn and I visited the Oklahoma City Bombing site, we were there for quite awhile taking in the intensity of it all.
Then we came upon the OKC museum/gift shop. I was appalled. The commercialization of it all was offensive to me. While I appreciated their efforts to keep the memory alive of those who were lost, I refused to support the private sector financially. That should be something that OKC should fund publicly, and visitors should be able to see the museum for FREE.

With that said, I will someday travel to NYC to visit Ground Zero. I am sure I will be forever haunted with the insurmountable tragic energies and devastation that happened there.
Don't get me wrong, I am a Christian woman, and am secure in my salvation. But I am also very acute in the energy of others and others that have come before me. It is not something I boast about, or pride my self in , and I rarely talk about it. It just is.

I pray that neither my family, friends or neighbors ever experience anything like that.

God Bless the people of NYC.

9-11 where were you?

I remember where I was. I was at home between jobs. I got a call around 6 am from Shawn.
He was frantic and said turn on the TV! I did, just as I turned it on the 2nd plane hit WTC2. Iwatched it live as it was happening.
Then not soon after my Dad called and we sat on the phone in silence while we watched the news together, trying to make sense of it all.
It was a moment I will never forget. I was awestruck by the devastation and the courage of the people of NYC.
My husband is an Active Duty soldier and it is job everyday to protect and serve our beloved country. Shawn has given his life for almost 20 years in service to the United States.

This is a picture I took of the American Flag in Park City , Utah. The flag was huge and you could hear it flapping from blocks away. I sat there admiring it for a moment before I took the picture. I was feeling grateful for the time I got to spend with my sisters and Mom, and the freedom to have a glorious day shopping and eating without really a care in the world right at THAT moment the camera snapped this photo. God Bless America, God Bless our troops and their families. May you remember the fallen, the greiving, the volunteers and the Troops that still fight for that freedom to THIS DAY.

Why do I obsess?

Ok, so I am obsessed with getting Star to have a canter. I would prefer a pretty canter, but could we at least get one that doesn't involve, puttering out, bucking, crow hopping and general attitude? So last night out came the pokey stick. When ever I would feel her starting to putter, kiss, leg, then WHACK if she didn't respond. Well, after about 5 WHACKS, she was being good so we stopped. This is not however without a few bucks and ear pinning tantrums. But she is getting the idea. Deb is such a great trainer, and I know most of it is my " operator error" , so I will try the Jane Savoie tips for keeping a balanced seat and sitting square.

This is from her email newsletter:





Can you tell if you're sitting straight and square in the saddle? Or are you collapsing at your waist and sitting crookedly?
Ask a ground person to stand behind you.
1. Are your shoulders level (i.e. the same height)?
2. Is your seat in the center of the saddle so that each seat bone is the same distance from the middle of the saddle?
If your shoulders aren't level, you're
collapsed at your waist, and your seat
isn't in the middle of the saddle.
Here are 3 simple tips to help you sit
straight and square:
Let's say you've collapsed your left side, your left shoulder is lower, and your seat is off to the right.
1. Bring your right seat bone over and
place it on top of an imaginary line that runs down the center of the saddle from the pommel to the cantle.
2. Stretch your left arm straight up so it passes by your ear and your fingers are pointed straight toward the sky.
3. Now to keep yourself straight and
stretching tall, pretend you have two sticks of equal length between your last rib and your waistband. If you collapse again, you'll get jabbed in the ribs by the stick on the left side. And the stick on the right side will end up on the ground.


I will have a canter, I will ride and ride and expect MORE out of Star. She can handle the pressure and my expectation levels. It is just getting me to trust her to do her job.

This is my new obsession, the canter. I will prevail!!

Take me Take ME!!

Hello again! I got a call from Denise saying she wanted to take a trail stroll/ride Sunday. SO me being me, I always say YES! Well, the Blu-Berry gave me this look seen below , like TAKE me mamaa..puuullllease?? So who can resist that face? I sure can't. She loves a good jaunt with her mare frens.

So, we are all tacked up and ready to head out. She is just stoked.. She is a born trail mare, and well, MUST be in front at all times. She will occasionally look back to see if the rest of the pack who are usually about 5 lengths behind, to make sure everyone is still following HER. I call it the " doesn't my hiney look great?" pose. She only spooked a couple of times.She has a thing with trailers, motor homes, heavy equipment. Goofy horse. Don't you just want to kiss those ears? I do all the time.

So, got back from the ride, Star was screaming in her stall as we left.. So she got a bath. She would have much preferred the trail ride, but Blu winked her big doe eyes and I fell for it.

This is what a black and WHITE horse should look like. She is not a fan of the spa day, nor does she care if she is black, white, brown, green and yellow all at once. She says it makes her unique. I said it makes her look like a feral range poster child for Mane and Tail shampoo. High Maintenance is an understatement.


AHH YES, the typical Star, stop taking pictures of me, face. They are just like kids ya know. You whip out the camera, either they pose like Blu, or get Pissy like Star.

What's this? Aunt Denise giving me a braid? Oh Holy Hooves of Mother Mary, what will my mare frens say. Might as well put on my Hot Pink wraps, some Twinkle Toes and some other unsightly girlie product on me. I will never live this down at the next meeting.

whatever, take my picture of my stoooopid braid, so Aunt Denise will be happy and get me back to my room, so I can roll in some poo or sumfin. Blu gets to go on an outing, and I get a bath. I will bring this up at the next meeting for sure.

Denise and Cyber getting ready for the trail ride. Cyber is a good boy, kinda squirmy, but very willing and funny personality.

and her HE IS! My favorite gelding of all time! COCO.. AKA COCO-nut, COCO-bean, shimmy shimmy COCO-pop. He gives big kisses and whinnies at me when I bring him in from outside.

Him and his person Beth, are just made for each other. They are such a cute team.

Tonight I have another CANTER lesson. Please pray that Star behaves, and we can get a pretty canter, besides the Lipizzaner LEAP and Camel Canter, my thighs can't take much more.