I rode all day...now I'm seeing SPOTS!

 OH!  WOOPS!!! She was winkin'

 Isn't she cute?

And yes, she has spots, lots of them.

We rode today.  In fact it was her royal spottedness' ...um...first trail ride of the year.  She did about ten trail rides her first year, and maybe as many last year.  We rode in the Brown County State Park, went by trail to Story,  and hitched the horses up to the rail, and ordered lunch!  The only thing I've found with her as yet is she really buddies up to a horse and she can be rather emotional if you decide to leave the leader horse in another direction, trail fork, etc.  So that is the first thing we will be working on.  I lead, not Phebes, not Cree.  She isn't the perfect horse, but she is a great minded horse, and I'm thinking she is plenty smart.  She is so in your pocket I could barely get a picture of her!  She is smaller than Phebes by an inch, and also shorter backed, and finer boned in her legs.  She doesn't seem bothered by much.  We went along the road with trucks and horse trailers rattling by, we traveled through water, deep mud, uphill (not her strong point) and downhill (definitely a strength) she can scurry down like a bushy tailed squirrel!  I was concerned that she would be back sore from my saddle, but it fit her as well as it fit Phebes.  Nice even sweat pattern when we were done.  She seriously resents the bit, though I felt that I did well keeping out of her mouth.  I'm going to see how she does with my old mare's sidepull for awhile.  I'm sure the shoe hasn't totally dropped, and I will find other issues to work on.  She loads great.  Getting a bridle on her is like wrestling and alligator.  She isn't mean at all, she just has her evasive moves down pat. 

Teri (person who sold her to me) if you check on here tonight.  I want you to know that she was calm when I unloaded her.  I put her out in our round pen to eat grass, but I figured she'd be upset and run the fence a little.  Nothing.  She just said hello to our other horses, stuck her nose in the grass and went at it!  She is in the barn as I write this.  She has been nose to nose with Cree through the barn "window".   I was again thinking someone might squeal or something.  Nothing.  But I'm going to wait a week to put them out together.  So anyway, all is well here.  Hope your Cody has settled down without his girlfriend!

~E.G.