Well, another month has gone by. I really need to update my blog more often. Not just so my family and friends know what is going on with me, but also so that I can keep track of everything that happens! Geez, even at the end of the day we usually look back to what happened in the morning and can't believe it happened in the same day. Mostly we just work a lot, and ride a lot.

We do have 3 new girls, and they are so great! Hannah is 20 and is from New York. She is going to an equestrian college there and is here on internship. She is really sweet and a super hard worker. She has fallen in love with Ammador and is hoping to win the lottery in order to buy him. Today they went cross country jumping, which is something I am not typically brave enough to do. Kat is from Utah, and has worked at a few places before coming here. She imported her horse from Germany, but hasn't brought her here yet. I don't think she is going to, I think she is going to move on to an eventing barn. Erin is here and has brought her horse. She is so great! I love her energy and enthusiasm, it's exactly what I needed. In fact, the other day we decided to ride out in the field after finishing up all our chores, and we ended up riding until 9:00 pm. It was actually pretty nice because it is much cooler at the end of the day.

Luc went home last weekend. You would think I would be sad to lose him, but it has actually been a really great experience. I went to South Carolina with him to help Gilda with him for the first couple days back home. It was nice to be the one to turn him out to pasture. And I have never seen a horse so excited before. He knew he was home, and all his buddies knew it was him coming back, it was very sweet. Gilda sent him to me for training because he was very bratty and scared her a couple of times, including bucking her off. However, he was so well behaved when he got home that not only did Gilda and all her horsey friends notice, but her non-horse husband noticed that he was a different horse. That has been my most rewarding experience so far. Not only that, but I stayed with Gilda and Nick for a couple days at their lovely house and Nick took me to the beach to learn to surf! It was a lot of fun, and even though the second day did not offer ideal conditions (Gilda likened it to a washing machine), I still stood up on the board, and am looking forward to trying it again. I love South Carolina so much, and Gilda and Nick both encouraged me to come as often as I like, that I have decided to try and get up there once a month or so. It will be really good for me as well, since Gilda will be able to set up a few lessons for me to teach while I am up there, so I can make some extra money, as well as get my name known in that area as well, since I think I will probably end up there in a few years.

Now that Luc is gone, I have another horse in training with me. She actually has similar breeding, as she is a Quarter horse cross by Stilleto as well. She is grey, and is named "Kite" because the marking on her forehead looks like a kite. She is only 3 and hasn't been started yet. I had to explain to Jean after she came that I have never started a horse before, but she has confidence in me, which is great. Actually, I am starting 2 horses right now, the other one is Erin's horse, Nachi. Nachi was so wild as a youngster that they resorted to breeding her to see if she would mature and calm down a little. She has really started to trust me, and has actually been pretty easy to work with so far. A LOT of work goes into starting a horse before you actually sit on them for the first time, so it may be a bit before I really get them going, but I try to do at least a little something with them each day.

My riding is improving overall, and Erin even told Jean right in front of me that I was "pretty darn good." In fact, she said that she just got back from teaching a clinic for 3 days, and none of those riders were as good as I was. That really made me feel good. Not only is my riding at the higher levels getting better, but I am getting better at riding the young horses as well. However, I still need improvement there, since young horses are much more unpredictable, and that tends to make me tense up. However, Rezzi, one of my training horses, is only 4, and I feel totally comfortable on him, and he has been coming along really well, so I know that I am getting better in that area as well.

There is so much more to write! But I will have to stop here for now, and will just have to get better at writing more often =)