So let me fill you in…
Boy oh boy, it’s been busy since I last posted.
Delilah: We took her to a Michael Gascon clinic in Wichita. She was a handful, but he was finally able to ride her before the end of the three day clinic. Hanna continued to work with her, and we were able to find her an amazing home with a trainer here in Kansas.
Fiddler: I guess it really has been a long time since I posted. We found out Summer, who Hanna had been riding for barrels, has some old bowed tendon injuries and running her was just not good for her anymore. Without a barrel horse Hanna began hunting and hunting for a new horse. She looked at probably thousands of horses. We went and checked out a few, and in a twist of magic Fiddler came into our lives.
Hanna worked with one of the best local trainers last summer. She worked hard. She got to ride one of her barrel horses a few times, and kind of fell in love with him. I’d pull in to pick her up and I saw that look in her eyes. It took some effort to get her off him, and oh, that longing look. <3 When the trainer heard we were looking she mentioned he might be a good fit. We never in our lives thought Fiddler would be for sale, or in our price range… but sometimes things are just meant to be. So FrenchMeIfYouCan aka Fiddler became a member of our family and Hanna’s new barrel partner.
They ran their first race together last winter, it happened to be the last race you could qualify for Bonus Race Finals and they managed to get a qualifier. 😀 They’ve had their ups and downs and are trying to come together as a team and figure things out. I have no doubt they will rise to the top. Hanna has decided to do High School Rodeo this year, so that will be interesting. 😉
Riley: Once Delilah was sold it opened up a spot in the pasture. Hanna really wants to build her training skills so she once again scoured the internet and decided to start with a 2 year old this time, and work her way up. She looked at thousands of horses, considered all the options, the reasons to buy or not buy a horse, thought about her future plans for herself and the horse and she finally landed on this adorable, gigantic 2 year old colt. Hesmyhappygoldseeker aka Riley found his way to our place and has been a fun addition to our herd. She has been working with him slowly since he’s become a part of our family. He’s sweet, laid back, crazy smart, and a two year old. 🙂
Hamilton: Oh Ham. He’s such a sweet boy, but he can be a bit spooky. We sent him to Michael Gascon’s ranch for 30 days of training in Febraury and then all three of us went down to Mississippi for a week long retreat. I took Goose. Hanna took Runaway, and Hamilton was there for Ryan when we got there. Hamilton learned a LOT while he was there, but he still needs a rider who is more experienced and confident than my husband. We love him and it’s taken a while for him to really warm up and come out of his shell, so we are considering what to do with him.
I think that’s about it for the update. So many things have happened, I will have to dig a little deeper in some upcoming posts, but for now, you have at least been introduced to the new faces.
