JL Hot Poco Star

I haven't posted in a while so I figured I'd post some pix of Montana's sire. I want to ride him, but he's 9 and Mr. Wave says that only one ride on him was ever "uneventful"(i.e. he didn't fall off).









He handles really nicely on the ground and has good manners. He's friendly and doesn't seem to have any bad habits, but I'd sure have to do a lot of convincing before I could ride him!










Isn't he gorgeous???? He has bloodlines straight back to Poco Bueno, and boy is he built like a Poco Bueno horse! Mo's chest is actually starting to widen and fill out some, so that's exciting!

Is this cool or what?

Here are some really cool pictures that Lydia took of the horses. If you haven't figured this one out, it's the reflection of my horses in water.











This one's really neat too because you can see both sides. Left to right: Ebony, Essie, Montana, Buddy











This is just Essie and Montana. Well, I guess Ebony managed to squeeze between them, but you can't really see her!

Montana's First Rides

I know what you're thinking, this is an awful picture. I put it on here just because this is how I like to start my horses out - bareback. It just gives them an extra step so that they don't have to deal with a saddle and a rider at the same time on their first ride. I ride them bareback a couple of times and work on having the horse accept the saddle. Then when they get used to the saddle, it's not nearly as much of a problem for me to step up on it because they're already used to the weight and the saddle separately.



I like to teach them to line drive just so they get the feel of the bit - it makes things easier and safer when you get in the saddle! It's also nice if you decide to teach them to drive.










Here we are with the saddle and all. Amazingly enough, she has yet to buck or show any sign of alarm. She took everything like she'd been ridden for years! We did have a few little issues with giving to the bit, but nothing serious.









Notice the lead stuck through my belt - that's a must! If you get thrown you're still connected to the horse and they don't feel as it they've gotten away with anything - you're still in control!








As you can see below, we're riding outside the roundpen - that was quite an experience for me after Cowboy!

New Activities

I've been teaching Buddy to jump barrels, but he lacks the enthusiasm that some of my other horses have had. He thinks it's easier to jump his front feet over, and then step his hind feet! Not very impressive! We kept working with it though, and he's getting the hang of it.








This one's a little better - he's really going for it though he doesn't have the impulsion that Cowboy had. I really miss his jumping! :-(

























At least his feet cleared the barrel this time. He generally doesn't care whether his feet hit the barrel or not which is kind of irritating!











Here is his final jump. I'd like to perfect it more, but my round pen isn't closed in yet - more projects for the future! :-) I'm still trying to decide how I want to go about that.

Here are a few pix from a trail ride we took on Saturday. Left to right, Josiah on Blaze, Caleb on Captain, Stephen on Ebony, Lora on Buddy, me on Jet, and Kati on Essie. We rode for about 3 1/2 hours and had a blast - especially trying to beat the rain back to Wave's! (Blaze, Captain, and Jet are all Morgans belonging to Mr. Wave)






Here we are heading out after a break for water at Grandma and Grandpa's. We were on trails a lot of the time, but we did ride on roads quite a bit as well.










A view from the back! Lydia was swimming with the rest of the family at Grandpa and Grandma's so she took pictures while we were there.











This is down at the lake. We took turns holding and watering the horses while the others got drinks up at the house. Something scared the horses, but Lora and Kati got them under control pretty easily.

My Horses

This is my Quarter Horse/Mustang filly, Montana. She's almost two and has as good of temperament as any horse I've ever seen. I've ridden her quite a few times and I'm always amazed at how she takes everything in stride - literally! :-)

This little guy is named Buddy. I just got him a couple of months ago, and I'm doing some work with him before I sell him. He had some problems with a bad rider and got a reputation for bucking. He's been the easiest horse I've ever trained besides my Mustang mare, Essie(short for Estrellita).









Now for this scrawny little girl! I got Ebony in February just before we left for TN. She's 19 years old and has had a rough life, but she's just as spunky as ever. Given the right circumstances she can beat my 10 year old mare in a race. Of course, Essie is just now learning how to compete, and learning that the goal is to stay ahead of the other horse!

I've had Essie for 4 years now. Wow! She taught me how to work with horses and I would have been done a long time ago if it wasn't for her. When I first started riding I wanted to go FAST! (Who doesn't?) She knew I wasn't ready for that and she simply wouldn't go faster than she knew I could handle. She helped me tremendously after my accident(s) with Cowboy, because I always knew I could trust her no matter what happened!

That's your introduction to the horses that I have right now. I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but I'm going to try to keep up with the things that go on with them.