Horse Baths

 Well it's been miserably hot and dry so I am hoping by bathing both horses it will encourage it to rain just so they get muddy. 

Saturday Stormy got her first ever bath.  I mean I've hosed her down in the past when she was hot and sweaty but I've never put soap to her.  I didn't bother to condition, I didn't want to keep pushing on her with it so hot, plus the dogs were in the car and it was getting hot.  

That didn't garner us any storms that I saw or heard about on Saturday so I planned to do Heidi on Sunday.  Aunt Lisa's ground is a LOT drier than ours out here in Bath County so it would water the ground some too.  

Been still going to dog class when temperatures and time work with me.  Right now no dog shows entered but I am still looking at Bluegrass to start Willow on Rally Advanced and finish Autumn on Rally Intermediate.  Trying to decide where to aim Autumn after Rally Intermediate.  I may take her to Rally advanced but I really got to work on settling her down.  Currently working on saving up money for new tires on my car and for things needed for the new house.  Jess and I have started taking stuff out of the storage room and put them into the shed.  Hopefully this next weekend we can get dad to help us take a couple loads out and get it mostly empty.  

Dog show!

 I feel like all I do post about is Dog showing right now.  Dad has been doing the updates on the trailer progress.  Soon, I am sure dad is getting excited to get us out so him and Natalie can be by themselves.  Monday I am going with him to go look at a trailer for us and hopefully it will be a good one!  

Anyway, back to my dog showing, this was the last double show we had entered.  I was worried by the end of the week coming into the show as I didn't get anywhere near as much training work into them as I would have liked.  I was comforted at least by the fact Aunt Lisa came with me.  It relaxed me knowing she was there with me.  Missy and Chad with their german shepherds Lotti and Tilly were there showing.  Chad and Tilly was in Intermediate with me, but he only entered one show.  He walked the coarse with me TWICE and we went over each sign and I *STILL* messed up one sign.  At least I was able to correct it with Autumn.  Willow qualified with a score of 87 that got her, her Rally Intermediate Title. Autumn got her first Intermediate leg with a score of 96.  Second trial I was less worried about what Willow did since she already had her title anyway.  Willow did fantastic with a score of 97, Autumn got her second leg with a score of 86.  It was funny, there was 2 perfect scores for 1st and 2nd, then there was me and a Border Collie that scored a 97.  Of coarse time is what decides who gets what place and Willow's legs are substantially shorter than that Border Collies were so he beat us in time.  But that's still a placed.  I was just hoping for qualifying scores.  They were the largest classes I have ever had showing.  Now to start working on Willow's heeling off-leash work, as well as Autumn's.  I'm not sure how far I will be able to take Willow or even Autumn.  It's all new ground for Willow.  

Anyway a quick picture I snapped before going down to video Suza in Trial 2 Novice.  Suza and Petunia got their title in Trial 1 with a perfect score of 100 and a 1st place.  I know she scored 90 in Trial 2, Petunia got a little jumpy just like Autumn had.  It happens, the two are about the same age.  

Hopefully soon we will be able to have a big happy excited post about the new house.  Exiting work coming! 

Dog Show!

 Okay Second dog show, first ever without Lisa there with me and it felt super strange for sure.  But Suza with her little toy poodle Petunia from dog class traveled and showed with us.  It was Suza's first time back in the ring since the early 1980's and she was thankful it was a small show.  Trial one Willow was the only dog in Rally Intermediate, so we qualified and for our first leg.  Autumn and Petunia both were in Novice B.  Autumn hadn't had a chance to completely settle yet, my fault I should have had her outside moving some before we showed but we settled for a score of 81, and 3rd place.  Petunia and Suza were Second place with a score of 91 I think.  Not bad first trail.  This is the first show I've done both trials on the same day.  Usually it's a 1 and done deal.  

Trial 2 there was a second dog in Intermediate so Willow ended up with a 2nd place on that one and it was ME that messed up more on her.  She was doing great.  Autumn and Petunia only had one other person in Novice this time and like Autumn he got his novice title.  Autumn scored 94 for second place, whereas Petunia, through handler error ended up 3rd place.  

Petunia was not in this picture because we were trying to get stuff picked up so we could head home.  Petunia was literally the last dog in the ring for the show.  But all-in-all it was a good weekend.  So Willow has 2 legs in Intermediate and will aim for her title in less than 3 weeks and Autumn I need to decide if I want to push her for intermediate there or let her do 2 more in Novice to solidify her a bit more.

Long Time No Post

 

Well long time no update.   I entered the girls both in Rally Novice at the Kentuckiana Cluster in March.  Willow does already have her Rally Novice title but it has been 8 years since she was last in the ring. Of the 4 dogs in our class, Willow was first in the ring and Autumn was 3rd dog in the ring.  Jenny was able to take my phone and take pictures and Lisa was my ring-side help and Aussie Auntie.  It did take a good toll on Aunt Lisa but she found she could do it.

Willow qualified and placed 2nd.  Autumn barely qualified and earned a 3rd place.  The dog that was in the ring between my two NQ'd and the 4th dog in the ring was perfect and spot on. 

Autumn was seriously distracted but it was a REALLY big show, especially for a first show.  Willow was not happy with the male judge walking around the ring with us.

I was very proud of my girls.  Willow at least had a couple shows as a guest before I entered her, Autumn did not get so lucky.  We skipped Kanawha in West Virginia in April to give Autumn a little more time to mature.  We are entered in The German Shepherd Club of Greater Cincinnati Rally show this coming Memorial Day Monday.  Autumn has potential to title out but I am unsure Willow will do well as I put her into Intermediate.  We shall see!

At the beginning of my vacation this week I had a mammogram on Monday, and Jess met me on my way home.  She came out to Tamarack with me and I figured it's now or never.  I swung my leg over Stormy's back.  Stormy didn't flinch.  I had Jess feed her a bunch of cookies and walk us around the outdoor arena.  It was a fantastic feeling.

She is so narrow she reminds me of Amber.   I was like 'where's my damn horse?'  I am so used to Heidi's width.  So all in all not much other than some Horse stuff and dog stuff in life.  

Dad has the updates on the trailer and how the progress is going on that.  It's getting exciting.

Winter

 

Winter is here with some vengeance.  It's cold and dumped 6 inches of snow on us this past week.  So I had to get some obligatory snow pictures. 

The deer were some I came across- twice no less- on my way to Tamarack.  They were hanging out near the road on Big Stoner.

Stormy still came to me but my car once I stopped to open the gate, it wouldn't roll forward.  Even remembered to turn off Traction Control.  So I walked in and got some pictures, but so many of them are washed out from the bright sunshine and the white snow.

I was glad to see this time that Stormy is not the only naked horse out in the pasture.  Annie and two of the bay mares are also naked.

And the deer again, they were still hanging near the road.  That's the little bridge near the Bourbon County line.

Willow and Autumn could care less about the cold.  They ran and romped around until Willow was limping from the snow balled up and frozen in her paws.