Boots: Day 1

Well, today was Callie's first real day having her new boots on (many many thanks to Cori for loaning them out to me!!!). After putting her boots on, we went out in the back pasture to play with a friend. She must be feeling really good in them because she was extremely extroverted! She jumped back and forth from right brain to left brain pretty quickly, but I really saw some great play come out in her. The car wash has once again become a horse eating monster (due to my failure to go out there and play with it often), and there were also some horse eating poles and barrels that had been placed out there since the last time we worked in the back. I have discovered my horse has an amazing love for milk jugs with rocks in them. They were tied to a barrel, and I honestly thought my horse would be out of there when she found out they made noise, but she had so much fun with it! She started with just a slight investigation, then progressed to full on nose pushing, and was finally trying to tip the entire barrel...oh how i love my LB extrovert. We did manage sideways over a cavaletti for the first time...something about the pole not being on the ground really gets to her! We also happily jumped a ditch we are usually terrified of, and were just a little too happy to canter in the field! Callie decided tire jumps were just no fun..passed it and threw her heels up at it! I know she isn't scared of the thing...little bit of mischief shining through I suppose. :)

Got to explain the boots numerous times today...I get better at it every time! Tomorrow will be the first time riding her with them...will let you know how that goes!

Family Time, Family Troubles, and Callie's Feet

Hey everyone. For the 4th I got the chance to come see some of m family in Kentucky. We had a cookout (well cook in really) and I got to spend time with a lot of family who I don't see much. I got to see my new baby cousin, Nathan, and he is the most adorable thing! We had lots of fun and I reall enjoyed the opportunity to see all these great, crazy people that I am related to. I love them all.

A few members of our family, however, are having some hardships right now. I will not state them as I feel there is a line to be drawn in what I share, but if you could just keep us in your thoughts and prayers that would be great.
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Now, on to the Callie! We had her feet trimmed last week, and after reading Pete Ramey's book, I can finally see all the great things my trimmer is doing to help her out! I must say, I absolutely love the lady that does Callie's feet. She drives 2+ hours ONE WAY just to do my horse, and she never rushes. This trip, since I was there, she spent at least 2 hours at the farm. She was so patient with my girl. There was another family out and she was explaining everything she did to the husband (who trims his barefoot horses but still has horses in keg shoes). She was telling him all the benefits of barefoot, and how she trimmed Callie's foot to help Callie out the most. I realized for the first time just how knowledgable she is! Let's just say she has done her fair share of learning, and is still continuing to study all the time. We are trying to figure out Callie's tendency to land toes first, despite having a short toe and smooth breakover. After watching her walk and studying her foot, her best guess was that Callie just hadnt built up the strength in the back of her hoof to land heel first and was "protecting herself" by landing toe first. Her recommendation was to ride in boots until the next trim to help her build up the insid eof her hoof. I immediately hesitated when I heard the prices (190 for a pair!), but figured if that is what was best for my horse, then that is what I do and I would find the money somehow. Cori saw my hesitation and told me she didn't want to psh me anything, but I told her if that's what she thought was best then that is what we would do. She spent a good half hour or more fitting her for them and making sure I knew all about putting them on and off. After that we talked a bit about next trim date and all the necessary, and she left me with a price so I could mail her the money for the boots. I went about my day, played with the boots some, playd with Callie to get her used to them. A few hours later I got a phone call...from Cori. I thought maybe she left something at the farm, but turns out she was calling to give me great news! She had thought about it over the course of the day, and had decided to loan the boots to me for FREE! She didn't see Callie needed them for more than a month or two and didn't want me to pay all that money just for that amount of time. Talk about generous! I think my jaw dropped all the way to the ground when she told me this! I am so so thankful for her...she is making great changes in my horse's feet and is also helping me help Callie in everyway she can. Thanks Cori!!!

Missing DeBerry

Wow guys...sorry I haven't posted in forever!

Today was a very very special day to me. The people at the barn all feel like family to me, so when one of us suffers a loss, we all suffer. A few months ago, Theresa, a very dear person to us all, lost her Arabian gelding, DeBerry, to a severe episode of colic. It was a devastating loss for all of us. Now, months later, I was finally able to close my end of the deal...and surprise her with a portrait of her dear DeBerry. I am especially proud of how this one turned out...and would have given such a special piece to no one besides her! My "crew" was there to help me present it to her. All of them were key members in keeping me motivated and getting Theresa to the barn without knowing what was going on! She had absolutely no idea what was happening, and it turned out to be a wonderful surprise. Of course, there were tears from all of us, and plenty of hugs to go around. Though it brought sad memories back to mind, I also think it will be one more step in Theresa's healing process...and also one more event that brings us all closer together. So of course...pictures!



With my letter to her as well...


And here is a picture of Theresa with DeBerry...


May your prayers be with Theresa as she continues her healing. She is a very special lady. :)

Amazingness!!!

So tonight I met the MOST amazing person. Her name is Sarah Weber, and she works at Crossroads Community Church. She is also the wife of my former student teacher in Calculus, which is how we became acquainted. We emailed for a couple days, then texted, and then tonight we finally got the opportunity to meet each other! We met at Lava Java, and they played the August Rush soundtrack which is one of my all time faves!!! Sarah did most of the talking, which is totally fine with me, and boy did she have some great stuff to say! I was pretty much sitting in awe the whole time at how every single word related so much to what I was going through or had gone through in the past. She told me about how she had asked God for someone in which to make an investment, and I had been severely needing someone to fill the role that she is now playing for so long! Amazing how God fits the puzzle pieces together just right... :) Seriously I am at such a loss for words that I really can't write anymore, even though there is so much more to be said. Thanks so much Sarah!!!

Now if you all will excuse me...I believe I have a list to start... :)

Bittersweet Day

Wow posting two times in one day! Don't you guys feel special! For those of you who don't know, I am in Kentucky this weekend because my mother decided she wanted to come see her boyfriend for Mother's Day (yeah makes me feel so great...). So I figured I would make the best of it and get out of the house for awhile today. I went to see my cousin Ethan play baseball. They lost, but it was still fun. I got to spend some time with his older brother, Michael, who has basically become like a big bro to me too. My aunt and uncle were there, along with my cousin Amy. After the game, I went with Amy and I few other people to get fitted for the Bridesmaid dress for Amy's wedding. It was so gorgeous and getting to actually put it on just makes me so much more excited for the wedding!!!! We also went to eat at Fazolis. I always have to go there when I'm in KY since Greenville got rid of all their Fazolis. We met back up with Ethan and a few other people to go see Ironman, which was amazing!!! I really want to go see it again! Not to mention I just loved hanging out with my cousins in general. We love to pick on each other, especially little 5'2" me and my 6'4" cousin!

There is something so different about the feeling of KY compared to my Greenville home. Maybe it is just because I am surrounded by family, but I love it here. Not like a "I want to live here forever" feeling, but just a great place to get away feeling. It is just so relaxing to come here and spend time with those I love.

But I also realized it is still very hard for me to be up here. I still feel like I should be going to the radio station to hang out with Austin. As we drive around I remember Austin and I hanging out there or talking about something stupid that related to those places. But tonight I did something very different than I would normally do. Usually I just try to block it out. Tonight though, I talked to God about it. I turned it over to Him and asked Him for healing. I thought I had gotten over all that mess, but being up here made me realize I'm really not. I also realized I can't do this on my own....as I have done in many other areas of my life in the last week. It really amazes me how coming into the right connections can completely change the way I view God and my relationship with Him. Thank you Hal and Sarah!

So while we are on the topic of them, I figure I'll post my most recent piece of artwork. It is the first colored pencil piece that I have ever done, and I am so proud of it...and so happy that I got to give it to two amazing people! I hope they enjoy it!!!

Hello Everyone!

Hey everyone! To be honest I just started this blog so I could keep up with others that I am interested in reading, but I figure I can keep you updated on myself in the process! Considering I am mainly involved in horses, the main focus will be my journey through the Parelli Natural Horsemanship Program. For those of you who don't know what this is (which is probably most of you!), let me explain.

I was introduced to this program when I moved to my current barn, Dark Horse Equestrian Centre. It focuses on building a relationship and line of communication with your horse using a language they understand. You see, horses are prey animals, and we humans are predators, so innately we don't speak on the same terms. As humans, we want to treat a horse the same way we would want to treat a dog, a fellow predator. This involves reward and punishment...it doesn't work for a horse!!! Horses are interested in safety. They need a leader in the relationship, which is where many people fail with their horse. Parelli is all about teaching the human, not the horse, which is what sets it apart from most other programs. It has 10 levels...levels 1-3 are homestudy, and beyond that involves being in the Professionals program. Parelli is a program that will change your life in many more areas than just horsemanship, and that is why I love it! More informations at www.parelli.com

Ok so now you at least somewhat understand the program I am involved in. So, I guess now I should introduce you to my baby girl and how I got her! I have wanted a horse for as long as I can remember, but the terms were just never right until the summer of 2006. The amazing barn owners, Bekah and Tony, helped we work with my parents and finally I got the approval to get my horse (well actually I just started looking and my parents kind of accepted that I was on a mission). I looked at a few other horses first and they were nice, but nothing ever "clicked." Tony found Callie as they were going to look at a stud for one of their mares. He immediately texted me, but being the good girl I am, I don't check my texts as school (well I didn't then hehe). I called him afterschool and he explained her to me. The description was my dream horse...until he got to the never been ridden part. I had always wanted a Paint, and here was one that was affordable and gorgeous. But I wasn't really sure if I was ready to start my own horse. I went to see her with Bekah and Tony one day, and as I soon as I set my eyes on her I knew she was the horse I wanted. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a few hours messing around with her, seeing what she would tolerate and whatnot. She had a really sweet nature and Bekah told me she didn't think it would be too hard to start her. After that day, I set it up to go ahead and purchase her from Teresa. So on June 12, 2006 we finally got to pick her up and bring her to Dark Horse. My friends wondered how I wasn't jumping off the wall, but truthfully I was so excited I just didn't know what to do with myself! It was amazing getting her off the trailer at DH and knowing that she was mine. I didn't have to share her, and I could progress her training in anyway I liked.

Well, she wasn't as easy to start as everyone thought. We found out she really loved to buck, which is not fun! But I stuck with her through thick and thin, and now I have a horse who loves to play and be ridden. We are now in our Level 2. We are about to start Level 3 with the groundwork! That is a HUGE milestone for me! She is my reminder that God loves me...everytime I see her I am reminded of Him.

Here are a couple of pictures from the early days. :) I will try to post some of her very first ride, and her very first day at Dark Horse soon.





And a couple of her now...





Those of you who know me know that I am pretty random...so don't think I will only posting about Callie! I am aiming to keep you guys updated on everything! :D