work has been extremely busy so I am happy the weekend is here. we just have had two people leave on our team so it’s just been hard to keep up. i’m constantly swimming in the sea of ‘catch-up’. Hoping it might slow down a tad over the holidays allowing me to get my feet back under me.

so I haven’t ridden all week……. and we’re going to the Moss Foundation!! we were planning on showing but eh. I have been sick so I need an easy fun day! I told Lauren that we are taking pics!!!

So anybody reading this blog this AM, say a prayer and send mental well wishes to Lauren and I. We need all the help we can get.

oh PS. I talked to the Farm Owner again. Nice, nice man. He’s actually talking to me!! Providing information! It’s a welcome change from the brick walls I have been hitting. He said that he had gone through some files looking for items for me. Yay! Keeping my fingers crossed.

It’s FREEZING HERE!

So in addition to being cold, I’m feeling under the weather today. on antibotics. shared an apple with Cook but didn’t ride. hopefully will be “show-able” by Saturday. Trick is that Cook hasn’t been ridden since last Sunday. So tomorrow, regardless of temp or how I’m feeling, I must get on to school Cook down.

But onto exciting news!!

I have been researching Cook’s background for some time. What is interesting is that I have had more success in the OLDER horses in her pedigree rather than her parents and grandparents. I occasionally go to check Cook’s lineage in the allpedigree query to see if anyone has added anything. I saw an item on her grandsire so on a whim I googled him to see if there was any recent info, even though I went this extensively back a few months ago. I scrolled down and happened to come across a name - and I contacted the Farm and spoke to the owner. SOOOOO EXCITED!! He gave me a number to fax some info to and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will have some info. Nothing concrete has happened yet but even just talking to him was further than I have gotten with other people.

I keep saying this… it doesn’t matter where she came from, just that she is here with me NOW. but I still want some piece of her history, her bloodline, her foals.

so wish me luck!!

On Sunday morning, I got to do something I have been looking forward to for a LONG time.

Ride with Ashley Kerr and Aurin.

Ashley just had a baby 4 weeks ago and her horse was started under saddle while she was preggers, so we never got to actually to really ride together. (that is, HER horse….. I rode many time with Ash on other horses… Aurin was too young at the time). Ash, u looked awesome. I took a video too but I gotta convert that.

To see more pics, go here.

So on Cook news, when I rode with Ashley, Cook was FINE. Perfect. Better than Fine. FAB-U-LOUS! So I called Fernando and told him to hold off on the shots until I saw how she went this week. She had two weeks of rest (rain + Thanksgiving) and the horse dentist floated her teeth. maybe she had a toothache all this time. Keep your fingers crossed….

Today was BUSY! man, I’m glad to be at home and sitting in my bed.

So this AM I went out to the barn to take my Christmas card photos and the galloping picture photos. Debbie, Pam, Eric and Nikki all came out to lend a hand.

So while we waited for Debbie and Pam to come, Nikki helped me groom and get Cook ready. Kathy had left a Santa blanket and hat out there for me if I wanted to use it on Cook. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna do with it but when I saw it, I LOVED it. I knew it had to be part of my xmas pic. So I got on and we took pics (see the gallery of Xmas pics….)

Here are the 3 I’m trying to decide between. Let me know in the comments which one u like.

I’m leaning towards picture number 1.

So then we took Cook down to the ring to see if she would gallop around in hopes I could get my childhood “Black Stallion” Arabian galloping shot. Cook did not disappoint. SHE WAS SOOO good. Superstar. Nikki did an awesome job capturing video. Below are some of the shots of her, more are in the gallery. What I love most about the video is not the actual video but the sound of her digging in at the gallop. I love TBs. Its’ that Seabiscuit coming-down-the-stretch sound that I adore.

When I watched the video on my TV, the thing that was touching to me was that after Cook would free gallop around loose, she would stop and circle back around and come back to me. She was like a boomerang.

My fave is the first pic where she is all stretched out.

I walked her out to cool her down and then decided to hop on. After so much time off due to rain and Austin, I figured the galloping would take her down a notch. Under saddle she was extremely good. Not dead at all. Still had alot of gas pedal. I only stayed on for about 15 minutes, just trotting over some poles. It was a fun Cook day.

(I have to interrupt my blog to give shout outs to Nikki - who helped SOOOO much getting all these pics taken, Debbie (and Pam)- who trudged out to the barn to take film pics, Kathy - for making the Santa Cook blanket and Eric - who always puts up with my “I-need-u-to-take-pics-of Cook-and-I-doing-_______” for my scrapbook.)

Eric and I left the barn and started on our many chores. We went to the mall to drop off my riding collar to get stitched, develop film and look for some pants for our barn Xmas party. Then we went to the Fairgrounds to get the Cookie and Crystal in a dress framed. So pretty. It’s the pics that is at the top of my website. I love the way the sun is reflecting off of Cook.

Went back to the barn to feed but Mere had stayed late and already had done everything. Which quite frankly was a relief because I was beat and still had an open house to go to.

Went to Open House, grocery store (can u believe Eric has been here for 5 days and we still hadn’t gotten any groceries?). We were going to just go out to eat like we have been doing but I wanted home cooked food. Sometimes I get tired of eating out. Went home, made a quick dinner and watched the video of Cook galloping. Eric will prolly capture the video this week sometime and I will post links when it’s up.

Thanks for sticking through this long post.

Nite!

OH, PS. If u want to see all the shots from todays’ picture days (well the good ones) they are in folders in the gallery. Cook’s Xmas pics and Cook’s galloping Pics. Let me know what u think! Did we get money shots?!

It’s horsey dentist time.

Cook had to have her teeth floated this AM. I won’t bore non-riders with the details but its’ filing down their teeth. ALOT of horses have to be drugged. Cook doesn’t but she wasn’t too thrilled he was there. She backed herself into a corner and was a lil fussy but she didn’t do anything.

I had to deal with the Jeep. Still not running right. Ugh.

I went out tonight at 9 to jsut chekc on her and give her a pat. Good pony.

Ok so I know my blogs have been slack lately but Eric being here and work and life in general have prevented my updates.

So news on Cook. Fernando called me about her X rays and they are clean. Good. Yay. He wants to start her on Equine Legend which is a series of 3 shots. (don’t even ask how much it costs. sigh. I might need a 2nd job). Her first shot is Monday at 930.

I haven’t been in the saddle at all cause it’s been raining raining raining… Yesterday it did quit but I didn’t get out at a decent time for lunch… therefore didn’t have time to ride. Sorry, Upton. I stood her up. Eric and I grabbed lunch and then we drove by to see her for a few minutes. She was COVERED in MUD. I mean COVERED. Aurin, her best playmate, is only 3 and was clean as a whistle!!! Shiny!!! Cook was a dirt pony. Cook and I have discussed this many times. Still she rolls.

So after work I went back out to clean her off and decided to hop on bareback. Mere hopped on Missy bareback with me. So we walked around in the pasture in the quickly fading light. Fun. Cook felt so good. She was very willing but not wild pony.

My brother is supposed to be coming and changing out my alternator but he hasn’t been able to escape from work yet. He said today that he’s prolly not going to make it until Saturday morning.

So on other interesting news, Afleet Alex is retiring due to an injury. They think he suffered it in Preakness when he stumbled. Go here for the complete article. For those not interested in reading the whole thing, this is a copy paste from the endearing part:

When he was a foal, his dam, Maggy Hawk, was unable to produce milk, and therefore could not provide her foal with colostrum, which is needed to help fight off disease outside the womb. During the 12 days it took to find a nurse mare, Silvertand’s then 9-year-old daughter Lauren fed the foal milk out of a Coors Lite bottle.

More than two years ago, Silvertand was diagnosed with cancer and given only a couple of months to live. But when Afleet Alex turned into one of the top 2-year-olds in the country, winning the Hopeful (gr. I) and Sanford Stakes (gr. II), Silvertand decided to discontinue chemotherapy in order to fully enjoy the colt he had bred and nursed.

Aw. The love for a horse.

On a dumb note, TV producers are obviously struggling for ideas on new shows. Is this the dumbest idea for a show or what? Will I tune in?

Prolly. :-p

Nite all.