Lest You Forget

The other day I had cause to consider who the first Arabian that I had ever owned was. Almost to my surprise, since in my brain these days I am very much an "Arab person,"  I realized that my little man Blaze, resident of my heart just these last 5 years, was the first. Not the first I've ever ridden, by any means (actually it was Pretty Lady), but the first owned. And while he is a tiny (14hand) sweet little fella, when kept in his own quarters not bordering another gelding's domain, he has his opinions, and is owed his time and attentions, lest you forget human!

You asked for it, buddy

Everything is gorgeous and green around here lately and all that grass means that Sheza and her momma Desire have been venturing farther down their big pasture in search of all the goodies. This takes them over a hillock and entirely out of Blaze's sight before long, and you may guess that Blaze isn't entirely pleased with this outcome. He did in fact spend a good part of the last three days hurling himself around his paddock in angsty teenage hissy fit fashion, trumpeting for the mares who are out of sight, but not sound--they just don't give a horse apple. Periodically I whistled the mares up to give him, and my ears, a break, but after he started hollering again yesterday afternoon I consulted my calendar and decided to schedule a late morning ride to simmer him down. With the stormy weather pre race and then last weekend's Derby experience, it had suddenly been 3 weeks since he'd been out, and even at 18 he was reminding me! 

 We got 10 hot (80*F) hilly miles in at Lake Oroville today, and Blaze was decidedly more demure and less inclined to holler afterwards. I walked about a mile of the downhill and tailed about a mile up, and aside from my jarred lower back from Blaze's ever lofty trot, I'm feeling great after the 50 and some more.

 taking a breather after tailing uphill

 trailertrailertrailer

 poor tragic exhausted thing ;)

In other news, Sheza turns 3 next Monday and she and Rambo and I are headed for Humboldt county area to a great friend's for some training. Stay tuned for some seriously fun photos and maybe even videos, as my filly and 6 yr old do some growing up. I will be staying to participate in the early process of Sheza's training and bringing Rambo along as well and I can't wait!!

Sheza yesterday