You like me, you really like me!

I have received my first (but certainly not last) blog award!! This is a proud day for my blog team, consisting of me, Stella, and sometimes I borrow my mother's assistant, Rory. I might even have to treat myself to a decaf extra powdered white chocolate americano with an inch of unsteamed soy!! Got all that? Anyway...

Courtesy of TWO wonderful fellow bloggers, Saddle Mountain Rider at Middle of the Road and Crazy Horse Woman at Adventures of a Horse Crazed Mind. Thank you ladies!!

Here are the details about this award;

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you have nominated.

I believe that most of the blogs I read have already received this award. For good reason. I don't want to read some blog that no one has ever loved! So for that reason alone, I am not going to nominate any blogs at this time...I would like to reserve the right to nominate a blog or two in the future. I think it's only a matter of time before more horse-crazy bloggers find us!

So, for my acceptance speech, I would like to thank all the people who made this possible.

First, my fiance, for knowing to leave me alone when I'm at my laptop because I am CLEARLY either reading about horses or writing about horses.

Second, my wonderful pony cousin Pony Girl, who has inspired many of us and continues to humor me almost every day with her adventures with My Boy. Who, you should all be jealous to know, I have ridden. And let me tell you, he is lovely. Well, once he figured out I'm not a beginner who is going to let him wonder back to the herd...but lovely, nonetheless.

And finally, to Yellow. My dream man. He is the peas to my carrots, the Coco to my Chanel, the wind beneath my wings.

Thank you all for reading, and stay tuned. Life is only going to get more interesting from here on out.

Lesson Horse

Just a few days after Yellow arrived in Spokane, I had some friends out to the barn to meet him. These friends were Becky, her husband Chris, and daughter Brooke (7) and Grace (4). Yellow, was also 4. Grace found that very entertaining.

Grace and Brooke brought their new riding helmets and I had been on Yellow enough that day to know he would be fine just carrying them on his back while he walked around the arena. And sure enough, that's exactly what Yellow did. Pretty soon each of the girls was in control of the reins, and I walked around with them, just in case.

Becky and Chris held a very strong point of view that if their girls were to ever get a horse, they must first understand all the work that goes into caring for one. During the months that the girls received "lessons," they were encouraged to groom, pick up after, and feed Yellow. There were a few times when the ride only lasted 15 minutes or so, because there was a lot of other care that needed to take place. As all of you with horses know, this is a very realistic occurrence.

When Yellow came to live on the farm in February, Brooke and Grace were pretty sad. Grace drew me several pictures of Yellow, most of them were of him getting to eat tons of apples (which the girls found out were his favorite!), and they write emails to check in on him.

In June, a former teacher of mine contacted me and told me her daughter, Audrey, was about to turn 5 and LOVES horses. Well, what 5 year old girl doesn't? She would love to pay me to let Audrey come pet the horse, brush the horse, feed the horse, and if it wasn't too much trouble, ride the horse. Of course!!

So on a beautiful Monday in June I got Yellow out and had my fiance saddle him up. We practiced having an adult ride behind the saddle because I knew both mother and child were anxious about riding a "big horse." He's 15 hands, only 2 inches taller than a pony, but most people don't realize that.

Audrey and her mother on Yellow.

Little sis Maggie and mom take their turn.

Audrey was quite nervous about getting on, and was very quiet. After her mom mounted and moved into position, we got Audrey in the saddle and off we went in a small loop in my back yard. After about 15 minutes, it was younger sister Maggie's turn. We took a short break to have some hot dogs and cupcakes, and then Audrey was ready to try it by herself. She was getting a little more assertive about wiggling her little legs to have him move forward, and gently pulling on the reins and saying, "Whoooooaaaaaa" to have him stop.

Just a week later another young lady, this time the daughter of a friend of my mom's, came over to ride the Amazing Lesson Horse. She was a lot more confident and sure of herself on my horse's back, and had lots of fun getting Yellow to go wherever she wanted.

Since these young cowgirls have ridden Yellow, he has also been ridden by many a novice cousin. He never loses his patience or his will. It's truly remarkable to watch a 5 year old horse respond to a 5 year old child the way he does. I will have absolutely no doubts putting my daughter on Yellow. And that will happen as soon as she can sit up on her own!

Cousin Brooklyn on Yellow.

Cousin Haley on Yellow.

Cousin Jamie on Yellow.

Cousin Tena on Yellow.

Me on Okie, because Yellow was too tired after all the cousins getting to ride him!