Hi Dale and Suzy,
I sent you that long update on Monty recently, but I had a great day with Boone today and realized that I have neglected to tell you how well it is going with him. I really love that horse. One of our highlights happened one day before Christmas when my horse trailer was in the shop. I wanted to go meet my girlfriends at the covered arena near where I live. It is less than a 10 minutes drive, but takes about half an hour to ride there, along a bike path next to a busy road and also through some suburban neighborhood and then across a REALLY busy road into the farm gate. On that same day, Adam was scheduled to have a lesson on Sugar at the same arena after school. So, I saddled up Boone and ponied Sugar over to the farm. I was so impressed that I was riding a two-year-old and ponying another horse along those busy roads. Sugar is so easy for the most part that I can really relax with her, but not having had Boone all that long at that point, I was open to the possibility that it might not go smoothly. It could not have gone any better. At one point I dismounted to cross one of the busy roads to get to the bike path. Once I turned onto the bike path, I saw that there was a fir tree down across the path. (We had lots of downed trees here due to windstorms.) I looked at it and decided that although the branches were thick and brushing the ground, it looked like I could duck under the trunk and push through. So I did, and then asked the horses to follow me. They pushed right on through too, those good bush-whackers! I later rode Boone home by himself, but rode part of the way with another friend. When she turned off to go her way, Boone was only a little bit concerned and showed it only by a tiny whinny occasionally. I just kept petting him and telling him he was with me and he gave me no trouble. Adam had his lesson on Sugar later that day and then my husband dropped me off at the farm early the next morning and I rode Sugar home.

The next big highlight happened more recently. I took the boys and Sugar and Monty to their first couple of drill team practices without Boone along, simply because I wanted to focus on the boys and their horses the first few times. It went well the first couple of practices, so the last time we went I took Boone along as well. While the kids rode the drill, I played with Boone on the ground, playing games on-line and jumping him over barrels. I then rode him in the HUGE outdoor arena where the kids practice. I rode him in a bareback pad, rope halter and single lead rope, walk, trot and lope, while all those other horse were in there. It was SO much fun. He has a reliable stop on him, thanks to Dale. Everything is more fun when you know your horse will stop when you ask! I am working on trying to have it happen with just my seat and energy and not with the reins.

Earlier this month I took both boys on a 4H trail ride...the first one the three of us have been on together (a big personal highlight!). I have 3 horses and only 2 saddles, so the boys got the saddles and I rode in a bareback pad and a rope halter with rope mecate reins. If anyone had told me two or three years ago that I would be going out on a 3-plus hour trail ride with 14 other riders on a two-year-old colt in a bareback pad and rope halter, I would have said they were crazy. That is how comfortable I am with Boone. He is such a wonderful combination of calm and sensitive. I am so happy to have found him as a youngster so we can have lots of years together.

I have realized that one thing that has continued to motivate me with regard to the horses is managing fear. I was not afraid of horses as a kid, but as an adult had several scary experiences with them as I was getting back into horses after my kids came along. I am really safety conscious around the horses, because I know what can happen. I am EXTREMELY safety conscious when I combine the horses with my kids. However, worrying about what might go wrong is important on one level, but can also really take the fun out of things. That is what had happened to me. It became clear that I needed to push my fear envelope a bit. It became a personal challenge for me to do so. Part of that included (and continues to include) managing my own fears enough to allow my kids to have the experiences with the horses that will push their own boundaries. That means I have to let go a bit more than I am naturally inclined to do, because until I do, my boys won't get all they can out of their relationship with their horses. That means I have to let them do things that I am scared to let them do and that maybe they are scared to do until they do it enough that they are not scared any more. The biggest piece in all of this is PICKING THE RIGHT HORSE. I now have horses (all from Sand Dunes Ranch!) that are the right combination of challenging and comforting. My dream all along has been to get a young horse that I can partner with until I don't want to ride anymore. I believe I have found that in Boone.

So thanks for all that good Foundation Training!

Jeanine