Winter is here in Minnesota!    I threw up a few finished object photos. I also have some photos of the skirt I am making.  Its made of jeans type yarn, and will turn into a swishy, sexy lace around mid thigh. After this, I am swearing off cotton yarn forever!

Again, my computer consultant wishes I would go to Myspace, as photos are easier to put up.  Most of my friends are on Facebook, so I may be switching at some point.

I've been at the barn alot!  I was in a show, and I performed consistently.  (I lost every class, but I had a blast).  I wanted to be in the stick horse event, I was pretty sure I could dominate all those 6 year olds!  But you had to be under 10, or own the barn to do it.

 I tend to ride really well, or really badly. It is generally my fault, and the horse is very patient and always tells me when I'm doing things wrong.  I'm sure it takes hours of saddle time and  I am focusing on small goals.  Sometimes I get so frustrated that I can't ride really well, but I've only been riding properly for 2 months. I am starting to learn to bend the horse, and I was sort of able to do a shoulder-in, which is some fancy stuff.  I am very driven and my own worst critic. 

In addition to riding, I get to help around the barn, taking in 20 horses in the afternoons, and spend some time with the 4 foals there.  I'm gaining alot of valuable practical experience, things like how to put the hay in a stallions stall. 

So, I managed to get one photo up of an FO on the blog.  I wanted to get more, but my computer consultant (son), needed the computer for homework.  Soon I'll get more knitted finished objects up, and a stained glass gallery.

I am now leasing an arabian horse named Khouragable.  She is very gentle, gorgeous and well trained.  She immediately halts if you say whoa, and trots and canters to verbal cues. I call her my confidence builder because I completely trust her to take care of me.    She gets easily bored and stomps her feet if you putz around too much in the ring tightening her girth, or talking to the trainer.  She want s to get busy and move, she loves to run. 

I have been torturing about the quarter horse purchase decision.  I made and remade my decision repeatedly.  I've been banking on the idea that no one in Minnesota is buying horses this time of the year.  Pretty much there is very little good riding weather ahead, and many months of boarding fees facing us.  But, the owners got another offer. I did not really love that horse, I just felt she fit well for the job I wanted her to do. 

By leasing, I can quit with one month's notice.  I can change horses as my abilities develop.  I can also take an extended test drive on a horse I am thinking to purchase.  There is a really friendly/pretty black horse there-hmmm.