A day in the life...

I have a fairly nice sized place. It is 25 acres of beautifully cleared pasture. Right now it has very little grass because the native blue stem that grows here is just beginning to come out. But, it is sprinkled with wildflowers. It is a rider's heaven. I had no problems riding the fenceline on Prissy. I had no problems taking her anywhere. She is safe. She is, of course, unsound and retired.

I had taken Diesel out only twice before. Today after a nice, short ride in the new heat of the year I decided to take the big Bub out. He was hesitant headed away and I cut across the pasture toward his buddy as soon as he began to relax. He settled into a nice, lazy walk on the buckle. We passed Bec and kept going. I followed the fence and felt comfortable continueing on. The next thing I know we are almost to the back of the pasture and I hear Bec screaming. I expected her to come full out towards us. Bub turned to look at her but kept pace. I ended up going all of the way around the place. It was perfect. I meant to go to the corner and back but instead whooped my goals completely. What a nice ride.

Upon returning, I hosed him down to wash off the dirt and sweat. He immediately dropped. So....I cleaned his sheath for the first time myself. Doc always does it when he does his teeth. It was really bad but he allowed me to dig and poke and prod without so much as moving a leg. I'm glad I did it because he had a good sized bean in there plus lots of flakes. Yuck.

The next big deal was the spook...or lack of one! The neighbors pulled in fast with a noisy trailer. Becca took off in fear but Diesel just raised his head and turned to see what was going on. All of this while tied. We finished up with a shampoo and condition. He's a pretty boy.

Not wanting him to roll immediately and mess up his hair, I decided to push him even further. He is anxious in new places and is not entirely perfect being led while upset. He is strong and stubborn with far less give to pressure than I'd like. Still, he deserved a treat. We walked around to the road to eat rye grass out of the ditch. He was a gentleman. And so funny! He could see the neighbor working in her yard through a few trees. He was mesmerized. Such a nosy fellow.

I am so pleased to be riding regularly again. I'm riding 3 times a week now, mostly on Bubba. I'm finding him a pleasant ride compared to Becca. Go figure. I like that he bounces me up at a trot and I'm getting much better at a sitting trot. Becca is so inconsistent these days- my fault for not riding much.

Diesel will be my next Prissy. I am sure of it. He is gorgeous and smart and has a fantastic personality. I'm getting very comfortable with him and he can tell. Not that I wasn't before but time is making us close. He is enjoying our outings, too. No matter where he is he will come to me when I call. He knows we are going to go out and work but he heads in anyway. He's a willing partner. I am so lucky to have found him. My life is blessed.