The True Tour Of The Place-1/25

today we started out our mornings as usual. i rode Mario and Amy rode Frosty. we did allot of work on the barrels. usually when you are working on barrels you check them just before the barrels. when you check a horse that means you slow them down or when exercising you stop them completely. you do this so the horse doesn't "run away" with you and go past the barrels. it reminds them they need to turn soon and rock on their hind end. since Mario is already so slow moving we didn't worry about checking him. we wanted him to think more of to keep moving threw the turns and push through. we also kept working on keeping him out and away from the barrels instead of short and close. he was doing pretty good at a trot so we tried it at a lope. the first two go rounds were not too good, but the last two or three times we did really well. we started to figure out each other. he knew what i wanted and i knew how to ask him for it. Frosty was a little bit more sluggish today. she wasn't as forward. Amy really had to push her to get her going and she had a hard time picking up the correct lead going from first to second. you want to make sure the horse is on the correct lead going in between barrels so that they are correctly balanced. they cant as good of a turn if they are on the incorrect lead. but towards the end they started to get it. when we were done working them we took them out on a trail ride. we rode into the hay fields. the field was so big and open there were only trees on the edges of the field. as we walked over a small hump i could see the tips of a heard of Texas Longhorn. as i climbed to the top of the hill i was able to see all of them. their great horns pointed in different directions. some looked like field goals, others came out straight at you, and others seem to be just flat out. we passed a cemetery in the middle of the field. it looked as though it was abandoned long ago. it was in the middle of the field, fenced in by stone and trees. it looks so mysterious but sacred at the same time. a ways after that there was a church, again one you would think would be abandoned but turns out they still use it and berried people in that cemetery. we walked all around the field. the cow plops looked like the field had a bad break out of black heads. the brought sun beamed down and made the dry grass seem like gold swaying in the wind, dancing almost. the quiet of it all. just us and the horses. with the occasional long horn. everything just seemed so much more natural. out in a field, with the sunlight, just walking along having a good time. nothing to worry about and nothing to fear. of course Mario and i trailed behind the other two. when we got back to the ranch we worked our colts. Fred will probably be ready to start on the pattern soon. he trots and lopes nice circles. he keeps his nose bent to the inside and doesn't drop in and keeps his momentum. we were able to quit a little early today since there wasn't much more left to do. it was a beautiful day and a great way to celebrate it. now i see why they find it so easy to call it home on the range.