Team Sorting

Sonny and I have started a new sport! We are going to a practice Team Sorting day once a month. It is a blast! While he did not appreciate the cattle at first he soon settled down and by the third time in no longer had to have a buddy to go into the herd. The people are so nice with the "old timers" helping and coaching the newbies a fun time is had by all!

Pony Camp

My horse Sonny is one of the 6 horses being used for camp. Now Lisa (trainer) uses Sonny for lessons 4 or 5 times a week, has done for years now. Sonny knows that when Lisa has him out with other horses he has to listen to Lisa. Sonny also knows that when I am riding or have him he DOES NOT listen to Lisa as this makes mom mad! So picture the poor horse today! Lisa is running the lesson and mom is walking beside him babysitting the 6 year old on him. Who do I listen to? Lisa? Oh no, mom says to go here? Lisa is up front I need to go to Lisa, whoops that made mom mad! Oh my god what do I do? Poor horse was trying to have a nervous breakdown! LOL So the afternoon group, Lisa took over Sonny and I worked with the girl on the pony who told Lisa no! Sonny kept an ear on both of us (which when we were on opposite ends of the arena made for donkey ears) but decided that he was really to listen to Lisa!

Winter Riding

It has been a few weeks since I have been able to ride! UGH Between the snowy weather, sub zero temperatures and other must do's Sonny has been on the back burner. That is not to say he has been left in a stall, oh no. The boy has a regular schedule of lessons to give both on and off the ranch not to mention banging himself up in the stall. One morning Lisa came out and he had a fist sized knot over one eye. No cut, no scrape just a knot that had his eye swollen half shut. After a shot of banamine and a day turned out all alone he was fine. One of those mysteries of owning a horse.

Sonny at 11

I haven't used this blog in along time! Sonny is now 11 years old, 12 on April 2. He has matured into a fine riding horse. The kids show him English while I concentrate on Western. We do several trail rides into the mountains each summer with friends. I do wish that showing locally was not so expensive. I get multiple compliments on his movement each time he is out in public and would love to be able to afford showing him!

We lost Sonnys sire - Prairie Badger a couple of years ago to complications from colic. But Sonny has a couple of full brothers still around. One still at his breeders, the other was sold down to TX.

Fall in Colorado

Sonny and I are doing so well! I am so pleased that he is finally getting some sense! LOL He and I have been on trail rides in the Colorado mountains, ridden along busy streets on the sidewalks, he has had to stand tied to a tree along a busy street while I and my fellow riders had the best ribs!

We ride at least once a week usually on Tuesdays at the new stables in Longmont. He and I are really starting to form a team under Lisa's guidence. The past month we have started working on flying lead changes. I hope to be able to show him this summer.

Sonny has been to the horse shows this past summer, but without me. Lisa uses him for a lesson horse for the little kids. Hard to imagine the unpredictable 3 year old is now taking jumps with a 7 year old girl on his back. He and the little girls get along so well. He enjoys being fussed over and they love to brush on him!

He has done well at the horse shows, always in the ribbons even in big classes. All that white is hard to ignore! Lisa is really pleased with how steady he is with the little ones. I always said that he would make a good kids horse if he would just grow up. He is basically a lazy boy and quite content to stand and sleep!

Sonny also has a few adults who take lessons on him, and I guess he is in demand for the Sunday riding groups. I don't mind the others riding him, he gets out and worked...keeps him out of trouble! He sure is a much better boy with a job to do and the break on the board is great on my pocketbook!

All in all it was a very good summer for the 2 of us and I am looking foreward to more riding this winter now that we have the indoor arena for those bad winter days,

Sonny on the Trails cont.

Sonny and I have had 3 rides out on the trials and Lisa is cutting us loose. I can control him and he is beginning to trust that I will not get him into trouble. We have gone over bridges, across water, under a busy overpass, and had kids, bikes and joggers share the trial with us. Sonny will go back to Rick and Marti's until the Lucky B has room for him. I have been going down to work with him about twice a week. Trying to ride but it has been too damn hot.

Sonny and my first ride outside the arena

The day started off pretty badly. I got half way to Longmont before I realized that I had forgotten the keys to the trailer. I had wanted to take the other saddle in to try on Sonny. But with no keys that was going to be impossible. The day proceded downhill from there. When I arrived at Marti's not only was the wireless card in her laptop not being seen, it was not showing any power going to the card. I was able to correct both problems by enabling the card in device manager. This allowed the laptop to see the card and the driver to load. Then she could not print thru the network. I could print from the other computer so just deleted the printer from her laptop and reconnected and all was well.
I got out to Lisa's and she had a saddle for Sonny and I. He did not try any of the evasions with her saddle, so I will start to look for a new saddle when I get back from my vacation. Sonny and I did our first ride on the road and he did great. We rode for about an hour and a half and I had to leave.