June 4, 2007Speaking of Monty and Jack, we had another great boy-and-horse weekend. We went on a little retreat with the drill team to a ranch in Cle Elum. It is a fun get-away we do every year and involves trail riding in the hills. I had been looking forward to doing it with the boys this year and had planned to take Boone. That did not work out as you know, so I ended up having to send the boys out with the group without me. That was hard! I was able to relax though when I saw Jack lope Monty all around the field with his friends (after ground work of course) before they left. Then I could watch them all ride up the ridge and I could see Jack and Monty in the middle of the pack with a big gap in front of Monty. They were just walking along, with Sugar and Adam right behind. I had asked them to stay near the middle or the end, because the leaders’ horses tend to jig and I did not want that energy to affect Monty. I have a calm friend who usually rides at the back of the line and I told the boys to stay near him. He promised he would keep an eye on them. He said they did great. It felt so good to watch them ride off calmly and to then see them come back into camp calm and happy. They had two good long successful trail rides over the weekend. Adam has completely turned a corner with Sugar. She will occasionally throw up a little buck or two and it used to scare him. She did it at drill practice the other night (new arena, lots of energy) and he brought her around, stopped her feet and then sweetly petted her neck and rode off again. I was so proud of him! I love to see his confidence blooming. So, another good report! Jeanine
April 29, 2007Hi Dale and Suzy,
I wanted to write to tell you what a great couple of days Adam and Sugar
have had. There was a 4H gaming show at the fairgrounds on Friday night and
they opened up the indoor arena for "Ride Night" on Wednesday evening so the
kids could practice the games and let their horses get used to the arena
before the night of the show. I took the boys and Monty and Sugar up there
so we wouldn't have any unpleasant surprises on Friday. Sugar has been in
that arena a number of times and I had no real concerns about her, but Adam
(who is 11 now) has had a lot of confidence issues. This was his first show
and although he has been to watch a number of shows there, he had never
ridden in that arena. I wanted him to have the chance to do so without the
added pressure of the show. He rode around in there with his friends and
had a smile on his face the whole night. I think being able to just chat
with the other kids while they were riding without any time pressure or a
specific agenda really helped him relax. A few of the more experienced
girls took him under their wings. He tried all the games and even got
comfortable enough to lope home on some of them. It was truly a pivotal
night for him. I can't tell you how happy I was to see it.
Then on Friday night he did the five games (Poles, Idaho Figure 8, 2-Barrel
Flags, International Flag and Key) in the junior age bracket. He considered
doing schooling, but they only run 3 events for the schooling bracket and
none of his friends were doing that, so he opted for the regular program.
He warmed up in the outdoor arena and then lined up for his first event. It
says a lot about how comfortable I am with Sugar that I was able to attend
to my jobs at the show without feeling that I had to keep running out and
checking on him. I think Sugar really enjoys the gaming and would
definitely go faster if he wanted her to. The nice thing is that she
listened to what he wanted, unlike some of the horses I see at the gaming
shows. He mostly trotted, but did lope home on some of the games. I have
been talking to him about getting his butt down and back and to get his
hands down low. He has had a tendency to sit too upright and with his hands
and elbows too high. Since I work down at the loading paddock, I was able
to talk him through some of that. On the last two games he figured it out
and got low. He looked like a different rider. The clincher was that he
won three ribbons! He took 6th in International Flag and 6th in Key and a
whopping 2nd in 2-Barrel Flags. He was thrilled and I was thrilled for him.
I didn't care about the ribbons, just that he participated and got over a
lot of his fear. The ribbons sure meant a lot to him though!
I am just so happy and grateful to Sugar for bringing another of my boys
along.
I hope you are both well.
Jeanine
Aug 20, 2006
Hi Dale and Suzy,
I bought a palomino mare named Sugar from you about a year and a half ago.
I am writing with an update. My 12-year-old son Jack is using her for 4H.
He games with her and also rides on a drill team. The drill team will be
doing four performances at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe starting later
this week and then they will be performing at the Ellensburg Rodeo over
Labor Day. They will also ride in the parade and in the Grand Entry. It is
the Snohomish County Hilltop Hayburners Drill Team. Jack is the only boy on
the team, so he is not hard to pick out. I don't know if you plan to come
to Ellensburg, but if you do, keep your eyes out for them. We sure do love
that horse. I have attached some pictures of them. I hope you are both
well. I was happy to see that you found a horse you like and that you are
riding again Suzy.
Jeanine
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Sept 30, 2005
Hi Dale and Suzie,
These are photos from a girlfriends-and-horses trip
we took early in the summer and the photos just got circulated.
I was thinking about you last weekend because
Sugar and I went with a friend to Hermiston for a Parelli horsemanship clinic
there and we met one of your clients...Penni.
She has a big gray mustang named Smokey that she told me Dale rode for a month.
I told her to say hi to you all if she sees you around Richland.
My boys have been taking lessons on Sugar and she is a doll for them.
I hope all is well with you there,
Jeanine
May 30, 2005
Hi Dale and Suzy,
A friend and I took my husband Jim out for his first trail ride last night.
He rode Sugar and she took good care of him. He loved it! He is enjoying
the horses so much and is eager to learn all he can. We took the horses to
our friend's house because he has trail access right off his place. Our
horses were so well behaved in a new place. It is one of the things that I
love most about Sugar...she is just so calm and easy to be around. Our
friend described her as a very secure horse.
It was in the mid-nineties here on Friday and Sugar and I went for a trail
ride with a friend. It was so hot that when we got back I rinsed her off
with the hose and she so appreciated it! She hadn't been in the wash rack
before and was slightly uneasy until she realized how good it felt!
Sugar and I will be going on a 4-day horse-camping trip with a bunch of
girlfriends on Thursday. I can't wait! We won't really be roughing it too
much...there are cabins for us and corrals for the horses. But we will get
to do lots of riding in the woods, which we all so love.
I hope the open house went well and thanks for inviting me!
Jeanine
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March 22,2005
We had a good trail ride with a friend the other day. Sugar and I left the farm
around 6:30 am to meet a friend and her horse and immediately encountered a
coyote who was quite bold and would not leave the trail. I was nervous,
but Sugar stayed calm. I was on my bareback pad and didn't want to get dumped,
so I jumped off and stomped at him and made a lot of noise and he finally went away.
We then crossed the road (me leading her) and had to walk a short distance along it.
The cars did not bother her. We met my friend and had a lovely ride through the
nearby suburban neighborhood and then on the trails around a lake in the middle,
with lots of trotting and loping when the trail was open and clear. We encountered walkers,
joggers, dogs and bikes and she handled it all with no problem. On the way back when
we had to go our separate ways, my friend's horse (who is used to going out alone) made
quite a fuss when Sugar left. Sugar didn't bat an eye at going off alone again back to the farm.
She is shedding LOTS and her butterscotch color is starting to come out. I can't wait to
see how she looks all shed out. She keeps my upper arms in shape, because no
matter how much I brush her, she always goes right to her favorite
mud hole for a good roll when I put her away.
Happy Spring,
Jeanine
Hi Dale and Suzy,February 22,2005
Hi Dale and Suzy,
I thought I would send you an update to let you know how much we are
enjoying Sugar.
My boys Jack (almost 11) and Adam (just turned 9) have each ridden her a
couple of times in a large arena, after I do some ground work/riding to
check her out. At first I led them around and then I let them ride but with
me holding a loose lead rope. Finally Jack got sick of me baby-sitting him
and wanted to ride by himself. He rode her in a bareback pad and snaffle,
and has trotted her a couple of times. He hasn't tried loping on her yet,
but I know he will ask to soon. He also rode her back to her pasture the
other day in a halter and bareback pad (with me not too far away). He is a
confident kid, and that, combined with Sugar's lovely disposition makes me
feel comfortable with him on her. Adam is more nervous and wants me to stay
right beside him, but he is also progressing. I am getting some lessons
lined up for them.
I can't tell you how wonderful it is for me who has always loved horses to
see my boys riding and to feel comfortable about the horse they are on! I
think she likes them too, because the first day they met her she stood at
the gate for a long time letting us pet her and then for a long time
watching us walk away. That was all the more special because the feed truck
had already come and her pasture buddy was up the hill in the shelter with
the dinner!
She usually comes to us in the pasture without us having to go catch her,
which makes me think she likes being with us. My husband is new to horses,
but he is eager to learn, and has good innate instincts. She came to him
from a long way back in the pasture yesterday when he went to get her. He
just waited at the gate for her to get there. Jim and the boys and I have
been having some great family time together with all of this, which is just
what I was hoping for with Sugar.
We hauled her and another horse to Mike's Western Supply down in Enumclaw
yesterday so Mike could help us with saddle fitting. She was beautifully
behaved the entire time and stood quietly tied to the trailer in a strange
parking lot.
It has been warm and sunny here, so she is shedding like mad. Her feet have
been fine, but I have the farrier coming this week to trim her. We will put
shoes on too if necessary.
So, I am feeling that my angels steered me right when they put me on the
road to your place!
Thanks again for everything and I will try to send you some pictures soon.
Jeanine
February 16,2005
I just wanted to let you know that Sugar and I made it safely home over
Snoqualmie Pass. Sugar was a little sweaty when I opened the trailer, but
not too bad. She did not try to turn around or bolt out when I opened the
door. I went in and backed her out.
I could tell she was nervous, but she was very well-behaved with all the new
sights and horses. She will share a large pasture with one other mare for
the time being. The mare is nice, but was pretty ugly to Sugar for a few
minutes. Sugar took it all in stride and just turned her butt to her.
There is a stream along one side of her pasture. It's not the mighty
Yakima, but hopefully it will make her feel at home. There is even some
grass in there for her to eat like she did at your place.
The next morning I went back to the farm and met up with some of my
girlfriends to play with our horses. The farm is a busy place with a large
covered arena. They are in the process of adding a building to the outside
of it. A bunch of guys were there with ladders and hammers and electric
saws. Sugar took it all in stride and was even curious about some of the
"scary" things. She was also very mannerly with the other horses.
I rode her in my bareback pad, both with a rope halter and with a snaffle.
She was more responsive in the snaffle since that is what she is used to,
but we worked it out fine with the halter as well. We did a lot of trotting
and found a pretty good rhythm with each other for the first day.
I loved that even though I was very watchful since it was all new to her, I
never felt nervous around her. That is what convinced me to buy her...the
fact that I just somehow felt calm around her. Dale read me correctly when,
after talking to me and seeing me ride, he told me which of the horses you
had available would work for me.
I shared with you that I have had some BAD horse-buying experiences in the
past, so I am sure I was one of your more cautious and methodical buyers.
Thank you both for the time you spent with me, both riding and answering my
questions. I also appreciated Dale putting me in touch with Keith so Icould hear about his positive experiences with Sugar.
It was nice to finally meet you both after contacting you about the paint
horse years ago. It struck me at that time that Dale must surely be honest,
because in that conversation he told me he didn't think that horse would be
a good fit for me based on what I told him I wanted. I have looked at a lot
of horses, and so many people will do anything to sell their horse, even if
it means endangering a potential buyer. I have learned to be careful, and
felt safe with Dale.
So, I am excited about a new and so far very positive horse adventure!
Thanks again for everything,
Jeanine
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