Monday Pictures

Grazing under a beautiful blue sky; Ogie in the back with Trillion and Sebastian up front

Jo (of course one of the world's cutest fainting goats) going after an itchy spot

Bad Jo! BAD!!
Mina striking a pose

Ogie; he has a pretty good swayback but given that he is 28 years old and has been through some very hard times in his life I think he looks really good. Ogie is a great horse and I truly enjoy every minute that I get to spend with him. He comes off as a grumpy old man but you can't help but love him. Ogie is a thoroughbred and did upper level eventing. As much as I like Ogie he is one that I wouldn't have any desire to swing a leg over if I'd had the opportunity back in his day. I feel confident that Ogie would be completely in charge from the moment I hit the saddle and that my wishes would be irrelevant. I think he would scare me to death! I am also sure that he was a great athlete. Even today he has wonderful hock engagement when I see him trot and canter through the pasture. I have no doubt he was a cross country machine and would get you to the other side of every fence.

Slinky, the pony equitation specialist

Snappy, former 4 star eventer and then show hunter, and Clay, retired from the trails in the Colorado mountains. Prior to being a trail horse Clay raced on the Quarter Horse circuit. I have to admit I can't envision the racing part at all!

Teddy, Quarter Horse, retired from dressage

Chili, former working cow horse and then trail horse

Norman and Sky eating together. Norman is a medium pony that showed in the pony hunters and Sky is my lovely new horse. Norman wasn't supposed to live in this pasture but he decided that he was going to live here with his harem and that was that. We aim to please so here he lives!

Mr. O'Reilly and Snappy; Mr. O'Reilly was imported from Ireland and competed in the equitation, hunters and jumpers on the "A" circuit. He is a very cool horse as is Snappy. Snappy was bred in Poland and somehow discovered by the famous eventer Mark Todd of New Zealand who competed him through the 4 star level at famous events like Badminton.

Lightening (Arabian) and Lucky (Quarter Horse cross) were both trail horses. I'm told Lightening had no bottom and could go all day. Apparently Lucky has been known to buck his riders off when he felt like it!

Sebastian and Asterik. Sebastian is a Connemara/Irish Draught cross imported from Ireland. I would have loved to have the chance to ride him. There is something that is so perfect about this horse. He did everything, field hunter, show hunter, jumpers, eventing and won at all of it. Asterik is a Holsteiner and a horse that I drool over all the time. He is beautifully bred and competed very successfully on the "A" circuit in both the hunters and the jumpers. He is the rare horse that could excel at both with the style and temperament for the hunters and the scope and desire to jump clean in the jumpers. I've previously posted a couple of jumping pictures of him. He has gorgeous form and tons of scope over the fences. I would proudly lead this horse around any show grounds! Unfortunately he stepped on a nail at a horse show and it went through one of his collateral ligaments and he is retired at 14.