The month of July - here & gone

Towards the beginning of July, we had our horse trainer from Wisconsin come and stay at the ranch house for about 10 days.  We met her in Wisconsin and she gave lessons to both me and Katie.  During the last few weeks of June, she was let go at the barn she had been teaching at.  No terrible reason.  Just that the owners did not think she was bringing in enough business.  So, she was headed back to her home state of CO at the end of June and really had nothing going on for the first few weeks of July so we invited her out (with a little monetary motivation).


 Brit it like the big sister Katie always wanted.  


We have another horse out here that Katie has mentioned before - Cody.  Let me just say that Cody wants to be a good boy, but has no idea how to be one and therefore will just about walk right over you.  He is a big tubby guy who has no idea how big he is, like the Great Dane that wants to be a lap dog!!  So, Brit was going to work with Cody and have him be her project while Katie would work with Snorty.


We all got a lesson a day in the form of something.  Either is was a traditional 45 minute lesson in the arena (which is what we call one of the gated corrals!), a trail ride, horse sense (things like how to walk out into the pasture to get the horses), how to clean the tack, all kinds of great information.  The kids all loved her and we all had a lot of fun together.  


We were sad to see her go, but we are all grateful of the time shared together and all that we gained from her.


It was really one of the most beautiful things I have seen in Katie for a long time.  
There had been afternoons prior to Brit's arrival that Katie was truly getting frustrated with Snorty.  She wanted to ride, did not really know how to communicate that to Snorty and Snorty just wanted to eat grass.  So there the two of them would be --- she would have him all saddled up and off they would go---Katie thinking that were headed to the "arena" and Snorty heading over to the grass.  


Tears of frustration just streaming.  
I can totally get it because if and when that horse decides to go somewhere, he is gonna go!


So, of course, as the mom and wanting to undo this all, I keep asking her if she wants to be done for the day, secretly thanking the stars that aligned for Brit to arrive in a few short days.  But she refused and just stuck with it.  And she stuck with it and stuck with it.  Despite wiping those tears after she did finally get him in the corral to ride, she just kept with it!


Later, I told her how proud I was of her and she looked at me, straight in the eyes and said, "Mom, I am a horse girl now and horse girls never give up."  
AMEN to that.


So, to watch her rise above the adversity and challenge, grit her teeth and stick with it, laugh it off and let it go and simply move forward has been such a wonder to watch and something I will treasure always.  And learn from.


The first day that Brit got here, she showed Katie how to pick out Snorty's feet.  I watched Katie that morning with little to no confidence while she did it.  After Brit showed her, Katie feel right into it and by the end of the day, she was a new girl.


You want to build self confidence in those little girls of tomorrow?  
Get them into riding.
Really.


At the end of the month, we flew back to WI for our annual trip to Minonqua - in northern WI.  
We just returned from there on the 30th.
And now it is August.
Wow.