May to July

Fed up with my bad back!

So, today is day three I’ve been laid up with a bad back again and I’m not a very good patient. The medical system here is more complicated than back in England and the specialist I wanted to see doesn’t take my insurance. My back was much improved by then, so I didn’t prioritise sorting this as I should have and now I’m back where I was 3 months ago. Lesson learned!

I can’t believe we’re already in July! Only 2 weeks until Joshua and Chloe arrive and I’m so excited!!!!

Wrong turn Ranch

I have been busy at Angi and Seth’s working with just a few of the horses that Angi either owns, boards or has in for training. I thought I’d give you a little bit of info on some of the horses I get to work with....

Freddie

Freddie is a 15h chestnut mustang gelding. He has such a great personality and loves to try new things and go on adventures! He also has really lovely rhythm, elevated paces for a mustang with good hind leg action, loves to jump and a great stop! He’s such an amazing all-rounder we’re really keen to find him his forever home but he needs a rider who is confident as he’s still green. I love this little red head!

Alchemy

Is also a mustang mare with a very unusual colour. I’m so pleased she has found her forever home and that I was able to work with her with parts of her training including riding English, learning to accept the bit and going out on trail.

Storm

Storm is only 3 and is a bay mustang mare. She’s super smart and learns things so quickly it’s crazy! She’s also really laid back! The perfect combination. She’s still too young to do lots of ridden worked but she’s fully backed and ready to find a person of her own.

Glenda

Glenda is with Angi for training. She’s clearly had issues in her past and her current owner has enlisted Angi’s help to work through some of these issue. She can be grouchy, sensitive and is very attached to her friends but she’s slowly becoming much more confident. She’s also helped me with becoming more confident riding bareback after I fell off Arianna bareback last year.

Jack

Jack is a male burro rescued by Angi and Rafe. He was far less confident than his sister Jill when he arrived and I’ve been doing some ground work with him and especially working on preparing him for the farrier so he doesn’t kick out.

 

Stella

Stella belongs to Karen Perry. She’s only young at 5 years old but she’s so mature for her age and she loves to work. She will stand at the gate all day waiting to be picked! This mare will do anything for attention! She loves people and going on adventures.

Yaya

Yaya is Angi’s Friesian mare. She has only a handful of rides on her from last year when I started working with her. She has also hugely helped my confidence bareback and there’s something really special about her. I’m hoping that we could may be able to go on to do some dressage together.

Gia

Gia is Seth’s Arab cross mare. Seth has done endurance with her but has let me jump her on a few occasions and now were starting to train for the cowboy challenge at Ventura county fair next month together. I feel very honoured to ride Gia as I know how precious she is to Seth. Gia and I get on really well together.

Progress with Arianna

Arianna is also making great progress. We took her on her first adventure to the beach and she made me so proud. We played in the surf, we rode in the dunes and we had our first canter! We also did our first jump together!

 

I also started riding Arianna in the English saddle as this is what I will ride her in primarily and we haven’t looked back! She makes me so so proud and I’ll probably be ready to bring her back nearer to Los Angeles by the end of the summer so I can spend more than just a couple of days a week with her.

Sagebrook

Sagebrook Farms is also going well and were hoping to do a 6 week “introduction to dressage” course in the autumn for some of the clients which I’m really excited about.

Julie also has a new horse called ‘Steve’ who I’ve fallen in love with! He’s a BFG at over 17h but something about him resonates with me and I’ve been able to ride him a few times.

Life in the Marina

We’ve also moved apartments and are feeling settled now everything is unpacked and somewhat organised. The cats like it too and I’ve started taking them out for short walks on their harnesses which is much easier now were on the ground floor.  4^th July was pretty cool as they have a huge firework display across the Marina ay and we only had to walk outside to watch it! Amazing!!!