The Beginning of the Playground

So the barn that I board at has given our Parelli playgroup permission to use the area by the pond to build a playground for the horses! We are allowed to swim in the pond (15ft deep) and put up obstacles. Niels and I took the first (and most ambitious) step of building a bridge. We started the bridge before my trip to Utah and the Reno Celebration and left it sitting (in a nice pile I may add) in our driveway while I was there and Niels was in Seattle for work. When we got back from our trip there was a letter (a few days old) that was from the HOA. It stated that we needed to "move our unsightly wooden object out of the driveway." Needless to say Niels and I were NOT happy about that! It didn't look THAT bad! The good thing is that we decided to clean the garage out so we can make pedestals and work on and keep them in the garage until they are finished so we can avoid any more "pleasant reminders" that our stuff is ugly! UGLY? Seriously, like the yard that had a literal trash can's worth of trash in the backyard for 2 weeks. THAT was ugly. But a bridge?

We got it done (finally) between the many rainstorms that have been gracing us here in North Carolina and it is the beginning of many fun things to play with with our horses!

Other items include

1. Barrels (some with cow flavored covers)

2. poles that stick into the ground to use for weave etc

3. cones

4. pedestals (which are next up to build)

5. pvc pipe for jumps and ground poles

6. The pond (no work required, just savvy!)

7. Eventually a carwash obstacle and 50' playpen with a low fence

But so far just with what we have I've got plenty to keep me busy all summer. So far Duck has only jumped the bridge (which is 33" wide and 18" tall) and put her foot on the ramp in the last 2 sessions. Yes, it is going to be a fun summer!

To add to that we've done mounting bareback by the neck a few times. Nothing consistent yet, but I did get brave enough to try the put my legs between her head when it is down and get flipped up on backwards. Very cool!

Yes, Yes I know it is all tricks! But how else can I justify giving her all those treats that she loves so much?

Reno Celebration, Trail ride, & Kira

I went on vacation! A true, no kids vacation! Well, I DID have to take them on the plane with me to get to Salt Lake and again (kicking and screaming) to come home, but other than that I was kid free for a week! Which is a first for me besides the time I went to help my sister with her new baby, Ayden one year ago.

The purpose of the trip was to have the kids visit my family and the ulterior motive was for me to attend the Parelli Celebration with my sister and her friend Tracy in Reno, NV.

We left for Reno the day after I got there and drove 8 hours. The Celebration was wonderful! Pat played with a Humane Society Rescue horse named Cheyenne. I love watching him play with horses. It is inspiring. His timing is almost perfect!

The celebration also had "savvy spotlights" which are basically regular people studying the program that brought their own horses for Pat to evaluate them. There was so much to learn!

Linda of course rode Remmer with Walter Zettl the dressage master. I was in the retail area looking at Walter's book when I hear a voice in a german accent behind me "That is a very good book!" It was Walter himself. What a sweet, sweet man and an awesome trainer that really knows his discipline and how to achieve it, naturally. I'd love to be able to ride that high of a level someday!

When we got back after 3 fun filled days Kris talked me into going for a trail ride. My trail rides are pretty far and few between. I usually get out twice a year or so. I didn't want to bother her with having to hook up the trailer but she insisted. So we headed out to Rose Canyon which was just so awesome! I rode one of my sister's schooling horses, Cleo. She is such a sweetie.

To top it all off I got to go visit Kira! My sweet, sweet mustang who is now 20 years old! She looks great although she has aged quite a bit since I saw her last. Oh how I miss her. She still nickers at me though, which about made me cry! She loves her home though, and it is truly the lap of horsey luxury!

Here is Cleo and I on the trail in Rose Canyon

Reno! Yeah besides the Celebration, lights and the good food at the brewery we ate at 3 days in a row, Reno doesn't have much happening!
Here are all of us with Walter Zettl. I bought the book (of course who could resist?) and he signed that as well as everything else Kris and Tracy bought too!
Linda and Remmer. My camera didn't work hardly at all in the arena so I didn't get hardly any pictures. They are all very dark!
Kris and I
Linda with Walter
Kris and I on our Trail ride. Kris is riding Sunny.
Grazing the horses after the ride
Kira and I!