Random Stuff

The pic above is now my favorite ever. I didn't see it until yesterday, but my mom took it in May...it says it all. Thanks, Mom, for it! :D

My dad was never really a horse person. I have never seen him ride a horse, but apparently he has. He doesn't mind horses, but he doesn't really mind any animal...except rodents, but anyway, he never led Daisy anywhere until the other day. I was at school, and had left Daisy in our "lane way paddock" (a paddock that runs along the driveway). My mom got a rope burn from Daisy last summer, so she's a little weary about leading her now. She wanted to bring Daisy to another paddock, because Daisy is a spoiled, picky horse and doesn't really like the grass in the lane way, but she was afraid she couldn't handle Daisy (Daisy has only one thing on her mind when being led by grass-eating it- so she will pull a bit to try to get what she wants). My dad offered to lead her over. Apparently, after a stern word for her not to gallop off by herself to the grass, he led her (for the first time) himself! WOW! And we got it on tape ;-). My dad, I have to mention, feeds Daisy on the weekend mornings and summer mornings, so I can sleep in. Thank you, Dad! Happy Father's day by the way! Without my Dad, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have Daisy. I love him.

These last pictures where taken by my mother...actually, all these were. Anyway, last month my parents went for a week long trip to Germany, and at one point they visited an old friend who happens to live right by some horses. I love these pictures, the sky looks gorgeous, and the horses are lined up so nicely in the second picture! I think they make good desktop pictures... ;)
Doesn't it look wonderful? Have any of you ever went to a foreign country?

2:20 PM

~BTW, I haven't reached the farrier yet (ugh....), so Daisy has no shoes yet, and I can't ride. Yesterday I went to our county fairgrounds, where I will be showing, for a showmanship clinic because for out 4H, you are required to do showmanship if you are showing an animal. In showmanship you have to make sure you and your horse look good, and have to stand in a line waiting for the judge to come to you. When they do, (depending on the test) you walk up to them and make your horse stand square, then face the horse, belt buckle to halter buckle. One of the key things is that you have to pretend the horse is cut into quadrants (yes, math class is coming in handy now) and you can NEVER stand in the same quadrant as the judge, so you have to move back and forth, but you have to be able to see the judge at all times. Then you have to do a pivot and trot back to the line, all the while on foot. I was practicing this with Daisy yesterday, and I have to say, every single day I am amazed by my horse. She is SO well trained. She normally doesn't like to do side passes on the ground, but I got her to step her front hooves over herself, which is a big part of pivoting, and she did awesome! She also got really into it, and now she automatically turns and places herself so we are buckle to buckle, and squares up. I love my horse, she rocks! :D