Winter Blues

This time of year is really hard for me.  It's cold outside and not much sunshine.  The ground is really slick and I have a hard time staying on my own two feet, so I can't really go for a horseback ride either.  I hate it.  I get really bummed.  It makes me tired and when I'm tired I get cranky.  I can't sleep at night and I can't wake up in the morning.  I'm just miserable and don't even want to be around myself.

Today was a good day.  The Cowboss, QT, and I took some horses to the Horse Palace to ride.  The Cowboss and I are both riding colts.  I'm riding "Freckles" who the Cowboss bought (and QT says is his horse), and the Cowboss is riding my filly "Junie B."  (Fittingly named after Junie B. Jones, one of my favorite children's book series, and her papered name is Juniper Berry something or other....).  She has a stronger personality (a lot like her namesake!), of the two and better suited to the Cowboss.  Long story short, I'm a little bit of a chicken and not brave enough to ride her just yet.  Freckles is pretty laid back, a little more my speed!  QT rode "Cowboy" who is one of the best kids horses I've ever been around.  He is an excellent babysitter and I love him!

Freckles says "I don't think I like this very much!"

The Cowboss utilized one of the round pens and QT and I had the arena totally to ourselves.  After we got over spooking at tracks in the dirt, fence poles on the ground, and banners hanging on fences, it was time to play.  QT and I played Red Light Green Light and tag.

Tag on horseback can be a difficult on a broke horse.  It takes a lot of patience and is very challenging on a green broke colt.  It is great for sacking them out though, and it is really good for young riders to build up confidence and horse handling skills.  They have to work hard to get their horses to stop, back up and turn away from you so you can't touch them.  We had a ball!  QT got to giggling so hard I thought he was going to fall off his horse!  He thought it was pretty funny that mom's horse would shy away from him every time she tried to tag him!  He got pretty good at turning his horse away from me, stopping, and backing up.  Freckles has started to turn better for me after today too.  QT told me "Today is the best day ever!" when we loaded up to go home.

I get really tired of riding with my boys.  All of the questions they ask and nonstop talking exhausts me.  I find it a challenge to keep them lined out in the right direction, not riding in front of me, or bumping into my horse as we go along, while trying to get a job done.  I really enjoyed today just playing games and not trying to work too!

My little man on my old man.  =)