Where's The Snow?

For the past week the weather forecast has been predicting snow today - at 100%. So, I worked from home and cancelled my appt at the gym for tonight. We had icy cold wind, frozen mist, hail, sleet and slanting rain. But, no snow.

Tomorrow morning, after chores and breakfast, we will load Winston into the trailer and drive due east into the desert. The show is in Thermal which is between Palm Springs and the Arizona border. It's in the middle of nowhere.

Yesterday, I rode Winston and our canter improved. I don't expect to get high marks on that part of our test but I was pleased that he finally bent around my leg and lifted his back for me. It was hard work. To get Winston there, I pushed with my inside thigh against his side while making sure he continued to move forward with energy. No pulling his head around or playing with his mouth. No shortcuts, no cheating. I want him to move up the training scale honestly and we will take as long as we need to getting there. He doesn't kick at my leg in the transition anymore and only gets high headed when he anticipates so I try to mix things up.

After I rode, I cleaned his bridle and oiled his saddle. I pulled his mane and banged his tail (cut the bottom so it is even across). He looked spiffy. Brett loaded my tack trunk into the trailer.

Today, Winston stood in the sleet and rolled in the mud. He does not look like a show pony and his blanket is filthy. We are going to look like hicks from the country at the show with its fancy horses from the big show barns around Southern California. But, that's okay.

Even though we didn't get snow today, it was miserable outside. I worked and thought about getting back into writing poetry. I played with some words and then I read a blog post that sent me into a numb empty place. Leontien died today at noon. She's a blog friend; I never met her; I read her stories and I laughed; she fought her cancer and I cheered; she got the news that she was losing the battle and I cried. Tonight I feel like there are rocks, hard and heavy, piled up in my heart.

Rest in peace, my friend. I will think of you every time I see a BMW racing the roads, a black horse in a pasture, and fields of dairy cows.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Nicknames

Kate, at A Year With Horses, posted today about the registered names, the barn names, and the nicknames of her horses. I thought it was great -- so I decided to post on the same topic. This post is also a test. I'm posting from my iPad and if all goes well, I will use it to post from the show this weekend.

Like Kate, I'm not big on registered names. The worst one belonged to our big TB, Strider. His registered name was Dances Secretly. Ugh. It sounded like a name for a call girl, not a trail horse.

Flash is an American Paint Horse. His registered name is Jody's Lucky Devil and is taken from his lineage, like they do with QHs. We like the name and it suits Flash. He came to us with the barn name, Flash, and we kept it. I tend to call him "Flashman." Brett calls him "Mr. Flash."

Jackson is also a Paint. His registered name is Twistin Turbo. When I bought him, his barn name was Turbo but he was such a laid back cowboy that I changed his barn name to Jackson -- thinking of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He does have his Turbo moments, though. I usually call him Jackson but sometimes I use "Jacksonian."

Winston came to me with that barn name. His previous owner thought he was an old soul, wise beyond his years, and level headed. He named him for Winston Churchill. Winston is registered as an Appaloosa Sport Horse and his official name is Presto. I like both names and I think they both suit him. He is usually level headed, but he also has a lot of power with big gaits. I call him "Winster" a lot.

Mufasa is a registered QH. His registered name is Wily The Drifter (also out of Driftwood Ike, like Kate's Red). He came to us with the barn name Mufasa. We weren't sure about the name at first. Brett wasn't familiar with the Disney film, The Lion King, and didn't want a little kid name for his mounted patrol horse. We thought about using Drifter but he's not a drifty kind of horse. The more we got to know Mufasa, the better that name fit so we kept it. He is a kind, wise horse with an impressive mane. It fits. So far, the barn name hasn't morphed into a nickname.

What names do your horses have? How did they get them? Do tell!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad