Oh praise Him, Allelujia!

What a wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL day :) I can't stop smiling, it seems. The Lord has truly blessed me this week and today was no different. First of all, the clouds and rain and wind from yesterday were forgotten as today dawned bright, sunny, and warm. Oh, and early, as we had a first thing trip to the vet for a few checkups (all of which were excellent, by the way!). C rode a couple, and then our newest client showed up with his gelding for an evaluation for training. New horses are always exciting, of course, but doubly so when they are complete knockouts. Denali is a chestnut Hano gelding who will be embarking on his new career as an event horse after doing the hunters for most of his life. And somehow, by the grace of God and infinite kindness from C, *I* got to ride him today. Talk about a fun ride. His trot is so floaty and rhythmic, and he trotted right up to a fence and jumped right out of stride despite whatever I was attempting to do on his back. He seemed kind and forgiving, and even though his flatwork will need time and he'll need to lose his belly before he'll be fit and ready to event, he's going to be fun to have around the barn. He's already made friends with Jet, who could be his twin brother. I have pictures that I will post tomorrow.

So a little later in the day we headed down to S's barn to try out a potential free lease. Allegra is a chestnut OTTB mare standing about 16 hands, and to be honest that's about all I know about her. Stay tuned for more details on her past and training and everything, but yeah, she came right up to me in the paddock and walked inside quietly. She was a little nervous in the cross-ties but settled right down as we walked her to the dressage ring and got on. We didn't do much since she's lacking muscle and fitness, but about 20 mins of w/t/c which was absolute heaven. She doesn't really seem to know much but she goes forward willingly and quietly, has a very soft mouth and the sweetest personality you can imagine. I know, I know, red TB mares are supposed to be the Devil. This one...isn't. Even C said so, and he's the world's toughest critic. He seemed to really like her and wants me to ride her in our ring tomorrow. I am trying not to get my hopes up too much but I really like this little girl's personality and how incredibly kind she seems to be. She's not really a sweet horse, not one that wants to be cuddled or anything, but she's KIND. She has a nice smooth trot that felt like once she gets fit it'll be super. Her canter is like glass and she stays remarkably straight in it despite the lack of strength. She didn't require a huge amount of leg but also wasn't interested in getting quick or rushy. She also stood quietly for her bath and was patient the entire time I handled her. We'll see how tomorrow goes, but fingers are definitely crossed right now.

Well, that would usually be enough happiness for one day, but there's more. I was exhausted after work and ran several errands and felt as though my eyes might actually fall out of my head. The last thing I wanted to do was go work w Champ but I sure am glad I did. The little nuggetchild came right up to me in the field and I just threw him in the roundpen immediately and started asking him to work. He was a little more lazy today than last time so it was a workout keeping him moving, but he was good with stopping and turning at my command. He also looked better soundness wise (last time was a little foot sore because his tootsies had just gotten trimmed). I only had to work him for about 5 minutes before he was licking and chewing, so I asked him to halt and waited for him to walk over to me...then he followed me anywhere I went. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to join-up with a horse. He followed me like a dog and stopped when I stopped, even if I was feet away from him.

Then I went and found a little snaffle bridle for him to try.

He's never worn any tack before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but he opened his mouth right up and looked at me like "What?" I worked him a little longer with the bit and then decided what the heck, might as well try the saddle on him. After throwing the pad all over him and him basically just looking at me like I was dumb, I threw the saddle on and tightened the girth and this is the eruption that happened:


Yeah. Not too exciting. I wanted to hug all over him...so I did. :D Then we had a lovely grooming session with his hair flying all over the place. So proud of this little booger! He's so smart and so chill about everything. I plan on working him in the roundpen this weekend under tack, and then possibly backing him as early as the middle of next week. We'll see. I can't seem to stop smiling.

S and Prowler go cross-country tomorrow, cannot WAIT to watch them rock around that course. I feel like I might finish up this wonderful, blessed day with some HGTV...haha..
God Bless!!!
-Ry