Nothing to Do with Horses - But Its a Good Read!

Back in 2008 we ventured to Canada as a family with a small baby, there are no horses involved in this story but I stumbled across it and thought it might make some great holiday reading...ENJOY and yes it is a bit long!

Canada 2008 – A Comedy of ‘Erorrs’!

Back before travel was accessible to every Tom, Dick and Harry, the person that made the gallant effort to travel overseas (hereon referred to as OS) was looked upon with jealously mixed with adoration.

Nowadays parents make the brave decision to travel to faraway destinations with small ones in tow, believing that some mysterious and ridiculous inner strength with pull them through and fully convinced themselves that it will still be a holiday.

On January the 14^th 2008 Loretta and Danny headed to Whistler Canada believing just that! Their story begins here….

As with any impending disaster, there are always the signs that we mere mortals ignore. Ours was our transfer arriving on time but unaware that we had skis to transport as well as the usual truck load of luggage. It is here I would like to point out the following…it was written on the confirmation letter!!!

We headed to the airport with the usual holiday euphoria and met with out travelling companions for this leg of the journey, my sister in law Connie, her husband Tim and their children Sarah (10) and Finlay (6).

Earlier that month Connie had mentioned a dream she had where there was a stuff up with my requested seat and Connies dreams were about to come true. The Qantas check in assistant (I mention Qantas as I want everyone to know who is responsible for the following) advised me that my bassinette for Zeke was not confirmed (I had actually confirmed it twice over the phone). Connie and I looked at each other in disbelief as the assistant scrambled to rectify the situation which thankfully she did.

We finally boarded the plane and settled into our seats when the captain made the announcement that there would be a slight delay…that slight delay turned into two and a half hours which included some sort of paper work and a man removing himself from the plane due to chest pains (I think is was more likely that it was angina from over indulgence in the departure lounge). The search for his luggage alone took around one and half hours!

The flight to Los Angeles was relatively uneventful but it was clear that we weren’t going to meet our connection. Upon arrival we dashed around LAX, being harassed by security and customs and were an expletive away from a cavity search at any given moment. Lots of staff work there who left school in Year 5 and were trying to make up for it by wearing cheap uniforms and telling weary passengers to bend over and take it because you are in the good ole USA now sweetheart. We just wanted to try and make it to our new flight on Air Canada. Qantas ever so kindly gave us $120.00 worth of food vouchers as compensation, but stupidly only seven minutes to spend it! We loaded up on Starbucks and $40 worth of pre made sandwiches which we didn’t get a chance to eat and then had to be dumped at Canadian Customs.

Our transfer met us on time which was a bonus but the driver took us on a crazy ride to Whistler and had to be told to ‘slow the hell down’ as several of us had wet ourselves with his frenzied driving manner!

The next week proceeded fairly uneventfully and the skiing was pure heaven. Powder, long challenging runs and bourbon filled hot tubs. The kids went to the pool every night and Danny’s mums cooking filled the corridors of the hotel with delightful home cooking smells.

Later in the week (Friday) our friends Brad and Kristy arrived with their baby girl Ava. Within 24 hours all three of them were exploding from all orifices at a destination several kilometres away from where they had expected to be staying.

Monday of the second week we all went on a 2hr Skidoo ride which was a tad cold for Jade who cried through the whole thing and had red frozen feet by the time we got home, but great fun regardless…Note to self: heated blankets in skidoo bucket not as warm as advertised!!!

Finally on the Tuesday Brad and Kristy were well enough for a visit. I offered to baby sit for them the following evening and said they might as well sleep over as well. The next day Danny and Brad took off for their first day skiing together and Kristy popped around to my apartment. Another comedy of errors was about to begin.

To start with I was very, very premenstrual. I was tired because Zeke had gone back to waking every two hours through out the night and my apartment with everyone in it became a bit over whelming. Soon it was time for Ava to have a nap so Kristy and I put her in my hire stroller. Ava was on her second bottle of milk when she turned into Linda Blair and threw it all back up over my hire stroller. It dripped through the seat into the basket and onto the carpet!

We madly attempted to start cleaning and I was working up a sweat trying to get the stroller apart so I could wash it. I called the hire company thinking that they must obviously have this happen all the time and that hopefully they would take care of it and bring me a new stroller. Well in their words, ‘I don’t know what to do we have never had this happen before’. Well I told them if they wanted me to clean it I was going to have to cut a part of it to get it off. They didn’t seem to object to that comment so that is exactly what I did! Soon everything was washed and clean and the drama appeared to be over….Jade slept thought the whole thing. That should have been my next warning sign.

Brad and Danny returned worn out from a days skiing and changed and took Kristy into the village for dinner. I stayed home with Jade, Zeke and Ava.

When they returned Brad and Kristy decided to head back to their hotel for the night. Danny and I tucked into bed and were peacefully sleeping when at about 2am we heard noises from the lounge room and cries of ‘Sorry mummy I couldn’t stop it’. We rushed out to find Jade, her bed, the floor all covered in Nonna’s ravioli courtesy of Jades big SPEW! I couldn’t believe it. Hoping that it was a once off we cleaned her up, called room service for another cot (they brought us a luggage trolley FOR CHRISTS SAKE things definitely get lost in translation over there!) and then went back to bed.

It wasn’t long before we were met with cries from the lounge room again. Zeke woke in fright, Jade was covered in vomit and crying again, Danny and I were rushing around trying to sort it all out and it was out of control. This time I decided to spend the rest of the night with her and became quite skilled at waking and catching spew. Her last spew was at 6.30 in the morning and I missed that one, it ended up all over the fire place.

Brad turned up and I soldiered on and went out for a ski despite feeling like a zombie with dead legs, I had a great morning and piddled myself laughing at some of Brads exploits with lazy snowboarders. Brad and Danny believe that if a Snowboarder isn’t making an effort to stand up and get moving then they deserve a big spray of snow in the face.

I convinced Brad to come to the Crystal Hut with me and eat waffles (I was told they were awesome…..they weren’t). Brad laughed as we were leaving and I said ‘What!’ He said I was just thinking if you get sick what a rainbow of spew that will be…..JINXED~!!!

Shortly after as I made my way up the Whistler Gondola I started looking for holes on the floor that I could discreetly spew down. By the time I started to lose feeling in my legs, resulting in an un-ladylike fall on the Peak to Creek run, I knew I was in trouble. I summoned all my bourbon reinforced stomach muscles to the fore to help me eat a little lunch but it was all to no avail, I was back on the bus headed for home as I knew trying to ski back would end it for me.

Well I was wrecked and after three nice healthy chucks that had me gasping for air, AF turning up in full force and my bowel emptying itself voluntarily, I retired to the lounge room to spend the night with a recovering Jade.

The next day, after a bit of a sleep in, I started to feel a bit better, when news reached me that Connie was next. She fainted and was driving the porcelain bus to Chucksville. This just all happened to coincide with the day we had to all move to the three bedroom apartment for our last two nights.

At lunch I took Jade to go skiing with Danny, he looked green but assured me he was fine…NOT TRUE.

Danny spent the afternoon trying to encourage Jade while sneaking a spew behind the odd pine tree, and then didn’t quite make it to the toilet when the diarrhoea started. A Blackcomb mountain garbage bin is now the proud owner of one of Danny’s stained undies! Danny staggered back around 3.30pm and I got the washing machine going..EEEWWW! I have a lot of respect for Danny’s iron will as he didn’t let the bug beat him and still came out to the village for a walk that evening and was determined to still ski the next day.

Our last day was the next day and we had organised to have Danny’s mum take care of Zeke while Danny and I finally go to ski our only day together during the whole two weeks.

We were up and getting ready, rushing, as we were running late. Jade had to be in ski school by 8.30am. There were six adults in that room to supervise one baby, you would have thought that would have been enough. NO…suddenly there was a scream from where Danny’s freshly laundered pants were drying in front of the fire. Zeke had burnt his fingers. Shortly three big blisters had formed on his finger tips and it was decided on a majority vote that I need to bundle him into a cab and take him to get checked out.

I arrived at the Medical Centre and my nerves were frayed to say the least, when the receptionist informed me of the $600 fee to take a look at his fingers I burst into tears, by this stage is was all too much. After being treated by a lovely doctor Zeke and I returned to the apartment where we proceeded to take photos of his bandaged fingers. We are still convinced that Zeke’s only reason for touching that fire was to meet the pretty lady doctor.

Danny and I made it onto the mountain after realising that the burns were now bothering us more than him, and had a wonderful day. We skied the Blackcomb Glacier blind..literally as we couldn’t see a thing for the snow and fog or tell how fast we were going because of the gusts of wind. And Danny spent time teaching me the Glen Plake method of skiing bumps.

We packed that night and the next morning we were travelling by Limo to the airport with Danny’s mum and dad. It is here that I must digress again and mentioned that I had reconfirmed our transfer the day before and was assured by the agent that they were all prepared with everything required to get six people with a truck load of luggage back to Vancouver…again WRONG. The Limo turned up with no trailer. A very flustered Limo driver kept ringing unknown people trying to work out what to do and looked very exasperated when I decided to take control and load his friggen Limo for him. No kidding I had to organise the packing and then the bugger had the hide the stick his nose up at a $30 tip and demand more!! I can’t believe Danny’s dad paid him $50 if I had known at the time that would not have happened.

We boarded the Alaskan Flight for a humorous flight back to LAX the attendants and pilots were very funny with their banter as we landed, they might want to start screening those guys for drugs. We found our way to one of the most un-classy shuttle bus transfer lounges you have ever seen. Again manned by year 5 drop outs, I was told by one happy cheery lady to ‘get over it’ when I asked ‘do we have to walk in the rain to get to the bus?’…Beearrcchhh!

So we get to the departure lounge and finally get a tired and screaming Zeke to sleep when our names are called. We have to leave our seats and recheck in for some reason. Now we have lost our seats and have to stand for the remainder of the time waiting to board.

Finally on board we have another passenger who doesn’t want to fly Qantas and again the search for his bags takes place. An hour later we take off.

Jade slept the whole way and Zeke spent the 14 hours sleeping sometimes but mostly wanting to stand, play, whinge, not eat, drink a little bit etc

We arrived in Sydney worn out but as usual with any OS trip, happy to be home. We sat our sweaty stinking selves down to wait another two hours for Danny’s mum and dads Air Canada flight to get in and in the meantime I treated passengers and staff of Sydney International Airport to one of Zeke’s stinky nappies…too bad!

I am home, I am jetlagged but I am happy in the knowledge that no holiday for me and the family will ever be as hard as this one was. I have great memories some I will chose to forget some I will remember forever and have the photos to prove it.

So will I do it again….Yep I am flying to the Sunshine Coast by myself in April, with both kids, for two weeks to wait for the birth of my nephew…am I an idiot you bet ya, but I wouldn’t swap my life for anything. I will grow old with stories to tell about travels afar and who knows; maybe once again people will hear these stories and listen with feelings of jealousy and admiration for those who venture outside their own world to explore what the rest of the world has to offer no matter how hard it seems at the time.

PMS Gone! Good Ole Rox is Back.

It would appear that my theory about Roxy's behaviour was correct. This week and last I have my usual girl back and we have had some great moments.

Two stroke motorbike desensitization is still a work in progress, I can't even get used to that noise. Everything else however is back on track.

Had a nice long trail ride last Tuesday which saw Roxy's evasive behaviour only surface twice ....no biggie.

She handled a dog running at her with raised hackles with caution but not panic and this weekend in the round yard I had an amazing breakthrough.

I have been working on getting Roxy's front end moving and her transitions. Leg aids are also on the schedule.

Roxy was doing so well on line in the round yard the other day that I decided to ditch the rope and reins and try some liberty from the ground.

I sent her off and we practiced changing direction. After some initial confusion where she showed me her butt instead of her face, we got a bit of a rhythm going. We had this going at a trot and canter and I just stood in the middle taking all the pressure off her and letting her work.

Then I thought I would try halting her and bringing her to me, to my surprise she did it!!! I saw her ear cock towards me and then she turned and walked in, my heart could have lept through my chest, I was so proud. I feel like we have achieved a lot in the last 6 months and this has been the highlight so far.

I remember being at Parelli last year and admiring the people and horses doing this exact same thing and here I was having the same experience (but without several hundred people watching). I tried it a few more times to make sure it wasn't a fluke and again Roxy did it. In true Roxy form though she did start to get bored with it so we quit while I was ahead.

So again, things are progressing and apart from some new saddle fit issues they are going really well.

We are planning a working bee to make some obstacles to play with at my friend Lucy's property and also continuing with the business Leah and I have started... Paddock Planet.

Exciting to say the least.

Merry Christmas punters!

Love Lorrie and Roxy

xx

Horsey Hormones

Three weeks ago while riding Leah and I took a stab at how much we think Roxy would be worth in the market right now...I was thinking $3000 or so Leah's guess was more like $5000-$6000...while optimistic, Roxy had been going so well that a few days later I was bragging that she was clearly worth $8000..this was all tongue in cheek but have you seen what is out there? It wouldn't be a huge stretch.

Then two weeks ago on a Tuesday I noticed Roxy was a little out of sorts. She has been in season a few times this spring but NEVER really went nutso like some mares do...It is here that I point out that I spoke WAY too soon about Roxy's 'quiet' cycles.

I knew something was up when Roxy started shying on a trail that only the weekend before she had handled brilliantly. Things turned a little pear shaped when a man stood up out of his garden and Roxy took off. Luckily my superb independent seat (and alot of luck) kept me on and I realised that today I had my hands full.

Four days later I was in the same boat. Riding up the back paddock and again she turns into a psycho...for the first time and for my own safety I got the hell off. Roxy was then made to do ground work until her focus shifted back to me...value of horse now? Somewhere between No Name Dog Food and PAL....nah only joking..but I had come to understand that my Roxy was a raging hormone machine who was beside herself with PMS...I know exactly how she felt!

Fast forward to this week and other than a bit of an issue with a bread crate, which in her defense was a little scary looking, she was back to her big brave self.

They say that animals are often like their owners, no wonder I have inherited a headstrong, stubborn, PMS'ing, like to be the boss, indifferent mare.

Lord help us :-)

Until the next adventure...Yee Haaa!

Water Landings and Gazebos

Insane is the only way to describe my life right now but in a good way.

My good friend Leah and I are kicking off our new business 'Paddock Planet' and all systems are go with samples and product on its way. Look for us on eBay and in the near future our own online store with many many more plans for the future.

We also have a separate blog for Paddock Planet which we will start soon.

Now for the latest on Roxy.

It has been just over a year since I bought her and every time we ride we find a new challenge.

Last week we took on a creek crossing. Plodding up and down the embankment became a tad boring so I decided a little speed was necessary. Now remember a year ago Roxy and I had many many heated discussions about crossing anything really!

I trotted up the hill turned and took off.....jumped down the embankment ploughed through the water and leaped up the other side. WHAT A RUSH! SO of course we did it a few more times trying to get a bit more splash each time.

On the other side I gave her a rest and in typical Roxy attitude she just stood there quietly afterwards. Not hot or stirred up at all.

Yesterday we decided to do some street work. Leah on Lola and Roxy and I rode two abreast through the back streets of Albion Park. Cars over took us and kids came out to say hi and Roxy did great. We soon reached the park with the gazebo. There are about three steps up into the gazebo and I decided to let Roxy just smell it and I would be happy to get one foot on a step and that would do it. Well on one side I just got her to sniff. We followed Lola around the perimeter and once I go to the other side I turned her to the step and up she goes! I look at Leah with a mixture of surprise and happiness as Roxy calmly comes out the other side.

Roxy just continues to grow and get better every day. She looks fabulous and next weekend we are going to tackle Tony's Training Day and hopefully a group ride after..we'll see.

Bye Bye

Love Lorrie

xxx

Roxy still has a thing for the boys. (Far Left )That is her and Zac. The other picture is just her and her new blue Nungar Knots halter...hot horsey! xx

Trick and Horsemanship Clinic with Luke Thomas

It was only at the last minute that my friend Christine and I decided to head to Nowra for a clinic with a horseman we had heard was worth going to check out.

We headed off in anticipation early Sunday morning and, having missed the first day of the clinic, we weren't quite sure what to expect. It didn't start without dramas. When Christine pulled up to put Roxy on the float, she noticed that she had inadvertently stolen a swallow's nest...eggs and all! They had built it inside of her float. We decided what was done was done, and just left it and the eggs there.

We arrived at the clinic and without noticing that a) Neville was still tied up and b) the bum bar was undone...we let the tail gate down. Neville tried to dash out backwards only to meet with the end of the rope, while I stood dumbfounded in the small cavity that is the front of the float...pretty soon Neville gave up and unfortunately came flying back in...yes the rope held. As usual I have no sense of what I should do and just stood completely still waiting to see what would unfold. Pretty stupid in hindsight!

The next dilemma was Roxy pulling back after tying to a fence wearing her webbing halter and cheap Horseland leadrope...of course it snapped. I SOOOO blame the bailing twine on the MS Ride for Roxy learning this new evasion. A quick change of lead ropes, feed and water for the horses and it was down to business. The good news is she tried it again later but I had the rope halter and lead on her. It held and she gave up...hopefully that is the end of that!

We started the clinic learning the basis of tricks, clicker training and timing. It soon became clear that, although from the outside tricks might seem to be trivial and novel, you soon learnthatit is like another version of games you can play with your horse to build rapport and respect...Fantastic!

We moved on to riding after lunch and everybody got to chose an issue that they would like to work on. I told Luke that I would like his opinion on where Roxy is at with her training and that I was hoping to try and collect her more without gizmos. He quickly told me the Market Harborough that I was using, I could do without. He rode Roxy and showed me his method of collecting her. I jumped on and started practicing and in a very short time I saw improvement and she was collecting nicely and more often. We practised roll backs, yielding, and I continued to try and get Roxy's two front feet on a box..something I thought I might not achieve in one day...however at the end of the day she did it! I might add that Neville was a champion at this and at one point I rode past and pushed him off with my foot just to annoy him :-)

We finished up with a 5 minute ride around the showground before loading the horses back up on the float.

The day was a huge success. Christine and I had a chuckle on the way home about the conversation that the horses must be having about clickers, long bamboo sticks, spray bottles and boxes.

Dialog went a little like this:

Neville (slumped and crying a little): Oh my god Roxy did you see the stick!

Roxy (aloof and indifferent): I swear to god if I hear that clicking noise again and have to sniff a tennis ball I will eat them both.

Neville: But Roxy the stick!!!!

Roxy: Stuff the stick Neville I don't give a shit about the stick but that clicka! I know the friggen carrots are in the stupid bum bag next time I swear...(begins plotting next move)

Neville (sulking like a pre-pubescent teen): I CANT believe it she swore she would never smack my bum..and ONE clinic and she does it...That is it I am going over the chest bar again just to prove a point...ah yeah and I am taking a dump all the way home cause I know that stupid blonde one hates the smell. And what was with that BOX?......... (Continues to ramble)

Roxy (still bracing with her front feet and plotting): Whatever Nev...Tuesday...I'm tellin' ya Tuesday that bitch is walking past the tree line and into the quarry to catch me!

They had so much thrown at them during the day that the idea of misbehaving again must be the furtherest thing from their minds...at least for now.

The Importance of Flat Work and Focus

Well a few weeks have passed now since my return from the MS ride (see the pics below all taken by All Action Photography), and I had many nights to reflect over my plan of attack with Roxy. I was riddled with doubt, but determined to find a path to follow, one that would lead me to the next MS Ride and a more rounded, established horse.

I have never claimed to be an expert when it comes to horses and more often than not have relied on instinct. Now with the internet and the wealth of knowledge out there I am inundated with ideas and methods to achieve my goal. It is easy to be swayed by a million well meaning suggestions or methods but there is one thing I know to be true. Every horse is different and while basic principles are the same you must be ready to change your approach and rethink your plans to suit the horse you are riding.

It was with this in mind that I knew that Roxy NEEDED focus and work in the round yard and arena. The trail is brilliant for training but every now and then you need to strip it all back and get into a confined space, then concentrate on the foundations from which everything should extend. It doesn't have to be hours and I like to use the "5" rule...practice each thing five times.

My first goal was to get Roxy rounding and collecting. I began with some coaching from Leah, then I tried it on a dressage arena and had some success. I then decided that my hands were not responsive enough and moved onto a Market Harborough. Once the horse has had time to get used to this piece of equiptment the way in which is works is a god send. Roxy is starting to soften and round up, find her own relief by lowering her head and if feels wonderful! I am even using it on the trail rides now, which I wasnt sure about at first, but is really working for us now. It gives me the chance to ride on a loose rein but to gather up and practice collection when I can.

My second goal is to stop Roxy's evasion with going forward away from other horses and the paddock. I am riding with a lead mare each time I go on the trail and slowly extending the distance when I can. I am starting to focus more on when she starts to build to evade and when I sense this coming she gets pushed forward at a trot and I am assertive and firm with her.

This approach to Roxy's training has been going for two weeks now and the changes in her are thrilling. Every ride sees improvement and although I am not ready to test her in a large group of strange horses she is performing so well within the small familiar group.

I wont be attempting any official ATHRA rides for the remainder of this year but hopefully after one or two test rides with a slightly larger group soon I will know where I stand in regards to the larger groups.

So what next....well I will continue as I am mixing flat work with trail rides. I will try to stretch her comfort zone and the distance between her and the other horses and I will take the time to do it right. I am really enjoying this time with her and the achievements we are making.

I want to thank with the biggest hugs my friends Leah, Lucy, Christine and Rhonda as without these girls and their fantastic horses and advise my job with Roxy would be much more difficult. Lucy and Leah's support and encouragement is something I truly value..thank you...thank you.

SO on another note I am looking forward to next weekend where I will be attending a horsemanship clinic and in a few weeks the Snowy River Festival in Dalgety. I am going to take my cheeky daughter Jade and have a girls weekend camping and getting amongst it in the snowy mountains!

Until the next post...yeee haaaaa!

Love Lorrie

xxx

MS RIDE 2009

There is so much more to write but for now enjoy this...

Things I Learned on the MS Ride 2009

• A pair of jeans can last more than two days
• A hairbrush is not an essential item.
• Camping near the fence is good, leaving your new saddle pad on the fence to fall off and be pissed on by someone else’s horse…not so good
• PMS and camping don’t mix
• Side passing for 27kms really isn’t as hard as it may sound
• Two young horses together on the trail with 200+ others is a bad combination
• Metal horse shoes hitting stones in the middle of the night is a fire hazard
• Getting out of bed and walking to the toilet at home is never as bad as it is camping
• You have to push the gas knob in to light the gas
• A horse can float for four hours straight and not die
• Wind is relative, what you thought was windy night will pale in comparison to a gale force windy night
• Getting spanked by the tent for 8 hours isn’t as kinky as it sounds
• A book will go mouldy if you don’t shut your tent properly and the rain gets in
• Red desert dust is almost impossible to remove
• Dust storms are best avoided by being at the pub
• 100+ horses are capable of pushing down 600m of fencing and escaping into 1000’s of acres and not giving a stuff about your feelings
• Just because your horse looks innocent don’t assume it is
• Soup ladles are too small
• Your body doesn’t seem so bad after 2-3 days of communal showering
• Never brag about not falling off…Karma will bite you in the arse
• Bruises on your inner thigh hurt, dry humping your saddle is optional
• Make friends with a nurse…they have everything you need
• A sudden downpour can add 6 inches to your height and take 12 inches off your waist
• Thongs are no good as gumboots
• People who pee in the middle of the night on the ground make a lot of noise
• Sluts is a term of affection
• You can spend 9 days sharing a tent with someone and not want to kill them
• Alcohol is necessary
• Losing weight is possible if you eliminate alcohol….therefore losing weight is not possible

Just had to Brag...:-)

Today I had a pretty special thing happen to me....often with our horses we are so consumed by training, riding, behaviour etc that we don't notice how far we have really come. It is not until a stranger points this out to you that you realise how lucky and special you are to have a horse and not just own it, have a relationship with it.

Today I stopped at the paddock to feed Roxy. Some days she comes running some days she doesn't. Depends on her mood and hunger factor I guess?

Today was a "I am looking but not sure if I want to come or not" day.

I began to stroll across the paddock and between Roxy and I stood my other four legged friend Monty. At about the same time a car was driving past the paddock.

As I went to pat and pay Monty some attention, curiosity and perhaps a little jealously got the better of Roxy and she came cantering up to us.

I gave her a warm welcome and decided not to put her halter on and just started walking. I then began to jog and asked Roxy to join me by clicking to her and asking her verbally to 'trot on' after a few moments she did. Then I stopped. She stopped. I walked. She walked. I jogged and she jogged and we continued like this all the way to the yards.

When I reached the yards, the car that had been driving past had made a u-turn and was now back down the hill near the yards. A lady wound down the window and after initially mistaking me for someone else, went on to say how beautiful it was to watch, a horse running to its owner and interacting like we did.

I was so, so pleased and proud that someone had actually noticed and mentioned what I already know in my heart. To have validation from a stranger was very special.

Never ever believe that you can't realise your dreams when it comes to horses, because I truly believe that they are the most amazing and complex animals alive and the rewards of true companionship are priceless.

Cheers

Lorrie

xxx

Secret Rides and Big Laughs

On Satuday just gone Rej and Rhonda finally got to enjoy the ride that Chris and I google earthed and found last week. After a practise run by Chris and I to make sure the track was clear, and we weren't going to upset any of the locals, we took off early to get a nice start.

The day was perfect and the horses behaved excellently...we havent laughed so hard in a while and Rhonda almost completely lost it on the platform as Rej continued to engage us with beaver stories as well as some bumbling and fumbling that was classic comedy..."George you bastard!" She really loves her horse...no really she does :-).

After posing at the lookout in various unglamourous shots we were lucky enough to have a tourist pop by who was keen to take our photo. We then asked if she could please take ours and she obliged.

We got the horses off the platform before one of them did a bowel evacuation and headed back along the track. A very steep climb up meant a very steep climb down. We had trotting and cantering and Nugget was stoked to see that cows dotted the hills as well. Luckily for us that bull had very short legs and didnt stand a chance of chasing us up the hill!

Only two weeks to MS and all the horses are going brilliantly. Getting sorted to go is another story. We are having a meeting this weekend to organise the logistics of the drive and hopefully that will make me a little less anxious. I am pretty nervous about such a long trip but we have some nice stops planned and I am travelling with seasoned professionals so I am in good hands

Enjoy the pics

Love Lorrie

xx

At the look out

Rhonda and Nugget...love this pic.

My riding buddies for the day Rej, Rhonda and Chris

Overlooking 7 Mile Beach what a treat!

Getting Fit for MS and Cow Hunting

Well it has been awhile since my last post because I am so darn busy skiing and horse riding. The long story short is that Roxy continues to improve and our battles are not so much of a battle now, but more of a whinge on her part followed by some assertiveness on mine. A little bit of no I don't want to go that way from her and that is responded to with 'oh yes you are and now for being rude you can trot'.

She makes me laugh when she then gets her sulky donkey ears. This doesn't last long though and they perk back up and dare I say it she enjoys herself.

Turns out she is quite the cow hunter and now I now know what is meant by the expression 'cowy'...she sees them and she is dying to herd them up. The other day on the trail a small Angus calf blocked her way and we were heading straight for each other. The mother cow bellowed but the calf stood its ground and Roxy just continued to head towards it....I was ready for some sort of explosion from either the calf or Roxy but I ended up with Roxy and the calf gently sniffing each other before the calf bounded off with its mum. Rox took it in her stride and we continued on.

She often turns her head to my foot to check in and get a scratch too and she has a heart of gold...ok gushing about her again now:-)

Tahoe is sold technically but I will write about that another time as I don't want to jinx myself.

Below is a pic from a recent ride....will post more later XXXX Lorrie

Baby Steps, Big Wins and a New Horse for the MS Ride

Well there's no beating around the bush so to speak, the great news is that Roxy has been voted in for the MS Ride.

After a mid paddock discussion with members of the Wild Waler Women, Leah and Rhonda, I came to the conclusion that I should trust my heart and my head and give Roxy a chance at this years MS Ride. If I am to be honest with myself, I can do this on her and I can have her ready, all things going to plan. I have never been one to chicken out of a challenge, and to have made the decision to get stuck in and get Roxy back to work, has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

So now where to from there? Well Leah and Lucy kindly offered to escort me out this morning with their beautiful mares Lola and Rose. Roxy is being treated as a green horse fresh from the breakers and Rose and Lola were there to hold her hoof and Lucy and Leah to hold my hand...or keep me talking which isn't hard :-)

So I saddled up Rox and did a flight test, she was calm and relaxed and it was all systems go...oh...what...we are going down the road and off to the complex? Love these guys no fussing around just get out and ride.

Roxy was nervous at times but brave and we took things steady. We reached the tunnel under the road, a real test for any horse, and Roxy gingerly got through it. She was a bit rattled on the other side but we did it. We continued on like this taking on mini obstacles and many of the evasions that had previously been an issue. Again gently and bravely Roxy took each challenge on, sometimes needing Rose or Lola to show her the way. She looked to Rose often for support but got braver and braver as we went on. On the way home she led the way and was first through the tunnel, relaxed and confident.

YIIPPEEE !!!!! We aren't back home yet but I can tell that Roxy is calm and really does have the potential I saw in her all those months ago.

There are some issues to work on...not racing to catch up, softer in the mouth and more rounded, but really I am ecstatic. Those things are nothing that time and gentle hands cant fix. As for the rearing, well I am sure in the back of her mind and if she was pushed in the wrong way, it might 'rear it's ugly head' but if I listen to her and consider her viewpoint and support her as a leader I truly believe she will be everything I dreamed of.

Thanks WWW for a wonderful ride and a massive confidence booster...slowly, slowly baby steps and big wins for everyone.

The only thing I regret today...no photos...oh well will get some next time. ;-)

XX

Lorrie

Nowra ATHRA Ride - Chris and Rhonda made the pics!

Well I never make the pics because always being last tends to get you out of frame, but two (possibly three) of my riding buddies made it....just! :-)

She leaves artwork nailed to the fence posts of Croome Road every three months and has a knack for choosing brilliant horses....On the far right is Chris and Premier Nev!

She masquerades as "Bush Pony" and true to form there she is hiding in the bush with old mate Nugget...Is that Rejie and George hiding behind them?

It was a great ride and there will be more photos to come as soon as I can be bothered to download them...which reminds me of how damn lazy I have become!! Crap in the old days we had to take that roll of film to the lab to wait days for it to be processed only to find they were all out of focus, legs and heads cut off and the lab developed them too dark and with yellow undertones.

Oh well better go order a movie off Box Office on Austar and get some take away delivered!

Cheers

Lorrie

xxx