Dreams DO Come True!

I have been dreaming of this moment from the time we moved into our current house 8 years ago. Dreaming of the day when the old pole barn was renovated into my dream barn. Well, my husband made it all happen. And now, this is one of my favorite views (as well as my screensaver on my work computer):

(Scout is on the left and Tonto on the right)

The stall guards and divider wall is temporary...we are so busy with soccer and baseball, we don't have time to breathe, so these things will be finished in due time. Yep, the stall guard is a little high for Tonto, but he has behaved so far and only gone under it once. :) The stalls are almost 14x14, so they really don't complain about being up at night. Being small ponies, they have plenty of room! My wonderful neighbor has 3 young daughters that come over a few days a week and work the ponies for me...I love watching them ride - and I sure wish I had their fearless attitudes! They have gotten Tonto to canter, so we now know he CAN canter under saddle! Will post more photos soon - I want to share the move-in and my daughter's 6th b-day party pics. Promise I will, Soon!!

Check out this Blog

Okay, I just found a new favorite Blog. I love Cake Wrecks (http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/), but, OMG, this one has to be one of the best ever. I was laughing so hard, I was crying.... Check it out when you have time, but if you work in a cube, you may want to wait until you get home.... :) I'm just sayin'... http://yougottobekidding.wordpress.com/ I promise I will post updates and photos of the ponies - soon!!!!!! Rode Scout yesterday - he is a DREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to my BABY!

Our youngest turns 6 today. Where in the world does the time go?

She has recently decided ponies are pretty cool....who could resist little Tonto anyway?

Can you just imagine these 2 competing in leadline?

(once they are both cleaned up a little...) :)

Happy Birthday, my sweet darling. I sure wish I could pause time, or at least slow it down - there will never be enough time to get my fill of having you by my side.

Your Daddy and I love you more than words could ever describe.

Don't wake me if I'm dreaming!

Well, it is finally happening! The ponies are coming to live with us tomorrow! It all started with a plan to bring Tonto to the house for our daughter's 6th birthday party - I asked her if she'd like to have a "pony party" - a very last minute idea, and she responded with a huge "YES!," so hubby, 3 kids, the wonderful neighbors and I got to work preparing for Tonto to just come stay the weekend. Well, one thing led to another, and now we have a fence, the stalls are almost complete, and everything is kind of just falling into place. I can't believe it. It has been a dream for so long, and now that it is just on the verge of coming true, I am terrified something is going to happen to prevent it from all working out. Don't you hate it when you have those feelings? Everything seems so perfect, then BOOM. The rug is yanked out from under you and you fall flat on your face, dreams and all. So, if I'm dreaming, please don't wake me up!

I promise I will post photos soon -

Happy Riding!

Sorry it's been so long!

Things couldn't be better - we are just so busy! I will post a longer update soon, but let me tell you, if I am dreaming, please DON'T wake me up!!

Scout is a dream pony - he is better than I ever imagined he could be. Tonto is doing awesome and is such a solid little fellow for my kids now. All 3 of my kids are beginning to ride independently and are even fighting over who is going to ride first! I love it!!

This weekend we are working on the barn and fence!! We have the screenings coming for the stall floor on Monday...things are coming along! I have photos and some video I will try to get up soon.

Sorry for being absent for so long - things never seem to slow down!!

Until next time, Happy Riding!

Rode the Ponies Today!

It was chilly, wet and windy, but D and I decided to brave the weather and try out the new pony. D rode trusty old Tonto, while I lunged, then managed to muster up the courage to climb on the new pony, Scout.


Good old Tonto was an angel - he continues to cart D around, although it looks like D could use some roller skates while riding the little pony:


D demonstrates the "chair seat." He is begging for a western saddle...it may be time to comply. However, he may need a new pony to carry the western saddle around...or maybe we can teach Tonto to pull a cart! :)

Scout was full of himself today. The lady we bought him from warned me that he could be "spunky," and he was, but he wasn't bad. He just wanted to play!

I rode him in a standing martingale today because he flips his head up. It worked wonders. Poor pony, I am pulling his face off because he kept wanting to run through my hands, so we did some "extreme bending and circling." He seems to bore quickly. We may have to find some games to play once I get to know him better and I'm not so nervous. Not sure how far to push him and I don't want to get tossed at this point as my confidence is slowly growing! This lack of confidence thing is for the birds!

It was fun to have a pony to ride and to be able to ride with D again! Hopefully we can swap ponies in the near future so D's feet won't drag the ground (as bad).

In the photo below, Scout is way behind the bit. It's part of that head flipping thing he is doing and me locking my elbows. I worked him in a plain full-cheek snaffle today and he liked it much, much better than the kimberwicke we used the day I tried him out (they had been riding him in an Argentine snaffle...). Hoping to ride him without the standing martingale soon and may keep trying new bits to see what he goes best in. Any suggestions?

So far, so good - I am thrilled with the new pony. Tonto is thrilled to have a new buddy, too, and has quit running around screaming to the horses next door.

Can you tell I like color? :)

Until next time................Happy New Year and Happy Riding!

Wow, What a Christmas!

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was CRAZY this year, but a great one.

With the break for the holidays, I had some time to spend with Tonto. He is a fuzzy bear this winter!! He just gets better and better with all of the attention he has been receiving lately. My brother's son and daughter came for Thanksgiving and we led them around on Tonto. He was perfect. I need to post those photos! He really seemed to enjoy the children and they absolutely loved him, so I guess he is finally mellowing in his old age.

My dear Grandmother Fisher came down with pneumonia and went from the hospital into a nursing home. At 94, the pneumonia has really weakened her. We pray that she will be able to go back home (yes, she still lives alone), but the doctors are saying she will be in the nursing home for at least another 5 weeks. She is on oxygen and is not able to breathe without it. Hopefully as she recovers, she can be weaned off of it. My Mom and I drove to South Carolina on Monday to see her and I was able to spend 3 precious days with her. What a blessing it is for her to still have her mind - she is sharp as a tack and has a wonderful sense of humor. Please pray she will get her strength back and be able to return home.



Our family spent a fun Christmas Eve at our in-laws with my husband's family. We drove up and my nieces and nephew were playing with a puppy. I thought it was so awesome that their parents got them a puppy for Christmas because they had to put their very old dog down this year and were all heartbroken over her death. Well, they had actually found the puppy under my father-in-law's car when they arrived that evening!
At first my father-in-law wouldn't let us bring the pup in the house, so my sister-in-law and I went back to my house and picked up the cat crate. The puppy stayed in the crate and ended up coming home with us. We figured someone must have gotten her for a Christmas present and she wandered away somehow. My husband agreed we could keep her long enough to see if anyone put up lost puppy signs in the neighborhood and if not, we would find her a home. In the meantime, my Mom and I took the puppy with us to SC to see my Grandmother because my hubby had to keep our 3 kids, work, and his oldest brother (and family) was in town visiting...there was no way he could go with us and it would have been too much to ask him to care for a puppy, too.

So, my Mom named her "Sadie."

Sadie got to discover snow!

She was perfect the entire trip - She spent Monday and Wednesday at the nursing home visiting my Grandmother and the other patients. This was a real treat for everyone! On Tuesday she spent the entire day at my cousin's house playing with her kids. Boy, was Sadie tired after all that!

This is what you call "Dead Dog tired!"

Sadie is ours for now. I really hope no one puts up lost puppy signs because she is such a wonderful dog and I am just a wee bit attached!!!

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Then today, the newest addition to our family arrived! Meet "Scout!"

He's around 12.3 hands, ~7 to 8 years old and LOVES to jump.

I believe Scout is saying, "I think I'm gonna like it here..."

Meeting Tonto:

There was no squealing or anything, so I believe they will be able to go out together soon. Tonto was so happy to have a new buddy!

So, a lot has been going on here lately, but it has been good! I hope everyone has a very Happy New Year and I look forward to 2011!

Happy Riding!