It's almost camp time!

Friday the 7th
Yesterday Blaire and I reached our goal! She cantered Coyote with out me leading her! I was pretty proud of her! She has come a long way from the 29th, that's for sure. Eugene came that night and after staying over night, he and Blaire left after lunch today. He'll be bringing Blaire back for a little bit this next week, I guess though. Then 'My Girl' and I can go riding some more. :-) When we go riding with her on Coyote, I ride Grey Girl, one of Eugene's horses. She's a nice horse. I like her for 'out riding' for Blaire. That's when we are cantering, and Coyote doesn't want to slow down, I can come up and take hold on a rein or his headstall and help Blaire slow him down. That's actually rather fun! :-) It's interesting going from riding Coyote to riding Grey Girl, because Coyote has a very big stride and is really smooth, whereas Grey Girl has a short stride and is a little more choppy to ride. Both are nice, but going from one to the other is a change. :-)
It's been rainy all day today. :-`( It's good for the land but it means no riding. I should probably make the last two halters for Sharron that I need to make. But I don't feel like it right now.
I've been practicing guitar off and on all day. 10 days until we leave for camp!!!!!!! Can't hardly wait. Seems like I've been waiting a long time for it, yet at the same time it seems so short. :-) I'm just glad it's almost here now!
I guess that's all I'll write for right now. ~Lyddy~




Saturday the 15th
Oh me, oh my! I haven't written for a while! :-P I'll try to remember everything since the 7th. On Sunday the 9th I was able to talk to the Miller's about taking on their three year old QH filly, Sugar. And on Monday the 10th we rode down to get her. I rode Grey Girl, as Coyote doesn't handle strange horses well. They weren't home so after leaving a note I haltered Sugar, and we started home. Grey Girl did very well, she acted like she wanted to kick Sugar once when Sugar stepped on GG's heels, but a little bump on the reins and a “Quit that!” made her quit. That night I went out and rubbed Sugar for a bit. She was quite stuck up, until I started rubbing her and talking to her, then she relized that I actually could be a friend. The next morning I went out, haltered her and worked with her a bit. More or less just checking her out, and seeing where she was touchy, and what really needed to worked with. She's a bit pushy but at the same time, very sensitive. We rode down to Youngs that afternoon to drop off the halters that I had made for Sharron. Blaire rode with us, as Eugene had brought her up on the night of the 10th. So I rode Grey Girl and ponied Sugar. When we were at Young's, I felt it was the right time so I got on Sugar and rode her a bit.
On the 11th Eugene took Jesse back to Yorkton with him. He has a job that he wanted Jesse to help on.
On the 12th after having lunch, Hannah wanted to put the first ride on Shiloh her paint filly. Martha was riding Grey Girl as I was going to ride Sugar, so she ponied Shiloh for a bit in the field across the road from our place. Then when she came back, she asked Hannah if she could try getting on Shiloh. Hannah said she could so Mart got on and Hannah ended up riding Grey Girl. Martha was riding in my old western saddle with the stirrups my length, and Hannah was riding in Mart's saddle with Martha's length of stirrups! But we did go around six and a half miles! Neither Sugar or Shiloh tried to buck, and we went from a walk to a canter.
In the afternoon of the 13th Ellie, Mart, Cilla, Blaire, and I were going to go riding, but it looked like it was going to rain so we just grabbed some grooming tools and took the horses into the stable. Sure enough it started to rain just after we got inside. Then the wind picked up and it started hailing. Looking outside it looked like a blizzard! It was raining, hailing, and blowing HARD! I got soaked dispite of being in the stable, because the window is just a hole, and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. LOL! Try to fit three nervous horses in a stall that was meant for two tied side by side! :-D Blaire and Mart had Coyote and Grey Girl in the stall, and Cracker was trying to get in. :-) We never did get to go riding that day. We went inside and chopped the rhubarb that had been picked that morning. Then I packed a little for camp and made another full size horse halter for Sharron Young.
That evening one of our neighbours gave their year and a half old collie dog, Bear, to us. He had followed us home on the 11th and when we took him back on the 12th he waited until we had gone about half a mile and then he came after us again and he's been here ever since. They didn't want him, and said that either we take him or he goes to the pound. I don't have any problem with dogs going to the pound, but Bear seems like a nice dog so why not try him out.
The 14th brought no rain thankfully. In the afternoon Ellie, Martha, Blaire, Cilla, and I went riding up in the provincial forest (or would that be the provincial bush? LOL!). I rode Sugar, she did really good. We explored some really neat trails!
Dad said that Bear was on trial period. He had to learn not to, nip the horses, and chase the sprinkler, and to learn to help us bring in the milk cow. He already learned to not nip the horses, and is learning when to nip the cow on the heels! LOL! Vanilla doesn't like him, and she tries to charge him every chance she gets. And when he nips her, oh boy, does she ever kick! LOL! Bear learns very quick though, we told him to get out of the garden once, and he doesn't go in it now! As Naomi says, I'm so used to the dogs just going where ever they want, and not listening to you. The Great Pryenees mostly so.
That evening we went over to the Stehr's place for supper. After supper we played tag for a while with Scott (their hired hand) and Mark (Mr. Stehr's son), then when we were all worn out we played 'duck, duck, goose' and 'have you ever'. Then it was getting dark so 'Sardines' was in order! That was fun! The only problem was that Ellie got chilled and now needs to see a chiropractor. :-( Ever since she got thrown off her Thoroughbred mare a couple of years ago, she has a problem that when ever she gets chilled she is in terrible pain the next day, and has to see a chiropractor.
Today it's been raining all day. No riding, period! Eugene is going to bring Jesse back tonight, I think. Us four oldest girls are getting ready for camp, and the younger kids are colouring pictures. :-) Actually I'm almost all the way packed for camp. My clothes are ironed and my backpack is packed. ;-) It's hard to believe that it's only 'day after tomorrow' that we go! LOL! I'm still in the '8 weeks until camp' mode! :-D It usually happens that way though. Time flies by so fast, and every year it goes by faster than the year before. Before I relize it I'll have used up all of my sick days and will be calling in dead.
That's all my thoughts for now. G'day until after camp!
Lydia ~ The Galloping Guitarist