Tia and Skyla

A little over a year ago, I finally found a place to go to, here in the middle of horse country, where I can ride western at a small barn, on someone's private property, without being crowded into a lesson with four other riders. Susan is a horse person I can relate to! She is tiny, practical (another farmer's daughter) and keeps her two horses more out of love than for the sake of dollar signs. I respect her as a horsewoman and like her as a person. We've quickly become good friends.



And I adore her two mares.





Tia is a ten year old 14.3hh Quarter Horse mare. She's the one who took me to a horse show last month. After Champ's death, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to face this shining red horse. The opposite happened. I'd run a brush over Tia's coat and feel soothed that I still had a chestnut horse in my life.



Tia is gorgeous. She's so nicely put together, and pleasing to the eye. She's gentle and easy going, but she does not let you get away with anything. You can't be lazy with her. If you don't give her very clear directions, she'll just do her own thing. I love that about her, because it makes her an excellent teacher! You must ask correctly if you want the result!



We're not actually doing lessons at this time, because Susan's got her hands full with her new baby son. I'm riding them to keep them somewhat in shape for her when she's ready to teach again.

I miss the lessons but I'm loving the freedom to just get on and ride. I'm making up little lesson plans for myself, so that I don't slack off and ride around aimlessly. I've spent much of my life riding around aimlessly, and there's nothing wrong with that, except that I have an aim now! I'm working towards a goal and this kind of independent learning has been good for me.

These pictures were taken about a month ago, before all the leaves turned yellow. It was such a soft warm day. The light filtered through the trees and it all felt peaceful. Then I saddled them up and made them work. Mwahahaha.



Skyla is a five year old Pinto pony mare. I'm not sure of her height...13.2hh? She's awesome. I love ponies, despite being kicked in the face by one a few years back- not a story for today! They are different from their full size relatives; more stubborn, spunkier, stockier, tougher, and more gluttonous! Most ponies will do anything for food! (They're like Pugs!) Ponies are a blast to ride too. That short back makes for a choppy ride like a train chugging over the tracks, instead of the rolling waves on a bigger horse.

This particular little mare is just pure fun. She's a little bit goofy, and likes to pretend that she's not really totally 100% absolutely sure what it is that you want her to do. But...she'll do it. She's a good little soul. And she loooooves attention! Brush her, rub her ears, scratch her rump, she loves it all. She'll lean right in to get the full treatment. How gratifying! The pony likes me!!!



I love her face.

Here's the "Nice Pony" side of Skyla...




...and here's the "Crazy Pony" side of Skyla!




But you know what? There is nothing split about her personality. She's solid as a rock. She'll always come up for a pet, always dance around in the crossties if she thinks there's an apple anywhere near, and she'll always make you work when you're on her back!

It's rare to see blue eyes on a horse, but more common in pintos and paints.



Having one blue eye and one brown eye runs in Skyla's family!





They're great horses. Working with these two is a privilege and an honour!

And that, dear readers, is where I go when I have to escape the maze of subdivision streets, and the craziness of typed words. This is where I clear my head and find the other side of myself. Next week I'll show you pictures of a little lesson my Girl and I did a few days ago!

(Now go see how many entries Mr Bransford has in his first paragraph contest!)