Texas Day 2/3ish

Good morning world. I'm on the computer this morning because yesterday I was exhausted. I have never slept so well as I have the last two nights. The bedroom I'm staying in has its own bathroom with a gorgeous tub and a giant walk in shower. The bed is like Heaven. It is absolutely amazing!

So, yesterday Annie let me have a little extra sleep because I was exhausted from all that sitting on my ass in the plane. I was up at about six thirty though, because all the dogs were barking and carrying on. That was not a problem though. We fed Anybody in his stall and threw out flakes of hay for all the other horses.

Annie is taking her business degree, so she had to go to class yesterday morning, so I stayed at the house with her friend Sharron, and we made a southern staple. Biscuits and gravy. For my first time making gravy, it was a little lumpy, but not unpleasant. The southerners have pretty great taste in food.

Annie got back around 11:30, and she brought with her the ferrier, who brought a horse that he wanted Annie to start training and working with. He is a beautiful thoroughbred. We think his name is Charlie, but we're not certain. Annie says he has not been ridden before, or if he was, it was not very much. She spent a little time just getting him to follow her around the round pen, and he was listening rewally well.

After that was all over it was time for me to learn to shoe Orlando. It is a dirty job, but I'm going to learn how to do a little bit of everything here. First, Aaron, the ferrier, showed me a fwe different styles of horseshoes, as well as the nails and how they are put into the horse's hooves. Then it was time for me to clean out Orlando's feet. You think a human has the stink foot? Smell a horse's sometime. No offense meant, but it is stinky.

I picked out two of his feet, and helped Aaron put the shoe on one of them. Then we realized that Aaron didn't have shoes for hte back feet, so he will return tomorrow with new shoes. It would seem that I am rather useless with a hammer. I bent the nails. So we needed to get some new nails to put in. I eventually got the feel of it though, which was good.

After about an hour of working with the horse's feet, it was time to learn to groom him. There were three different brushes that I was supposed to use, but Orlando was becoming restless by this point so we just gave him a quick brushing. Annie then showed me how to put on the saddle and do up all of the buckles and straps. This is one of the most important parts of getting your horse ready. You want to be absolutely certain that your seaddle is on securely, because if the saddle slides off, you're going down.

We brought Orlando out into the round pen, and Annie rode him a little bit, just to get him warmed up since he had not been ridden in about htreee weeks. The weather here has not been great. It actually snowed a few weeks back, and it will be snowing again on Tuesday. Damn you weather!

I went to get on Orlando, after Annie had dismounted, and the trouble began. I did not have a good hold on the reins, and Orlando is very sensitive to pressure from your legs, so without even realizing I was doing it, I had my legs against him, which is his cue to go... and he went. Not fast, but he was moving and I didn't have control. Annie instructed him to stop... he didn't stop. My legs were still against him. I was not even pressing but he is extremely sensitive to what the rider's legs are doing and how they are touching him. I finally got hold of the reins and was able to stop him. Annie showed me how to hold my legs out from him. This didn't feel like anything I had ever done before. I was nervous, too, and Orlando knew it. After a short while, Annie decided I'd better get offf him for the day, which was fine. I was nervous and it was a wreck waiting to happen.

At this point I was feeling pretty disappointed with myself. I used to be fine riding English, why was western so different and so dificult? Being the positive and incredibly patient woman that she is, (thanks Annie you really are the best), she got me calmed down and told me essentially that I did a good job and it was better to be nervous and a little scared than cocky and over confident.

We then fed Anybody again, and went out to WallMart to buy a few things for supper. I had penne with saussage and (forgive me I haven't aclue how to spell this) rattatui? It was so delicious. Annie sat and talked to me while I ate. By this point it was quarter to nine and I was ready to sleep... and sleep I certainly did.

This morning we got up, Annie fed the horses, I showered and we headed for Cowboy church. Yup, that's right. Cowboy church. It was interesting. Annie described it as looking like an old metal barn. It doesn't look like a regular church at all. Unfortunately I had a hell of a head ache this morning and as a result I wasn't feeling as nice and friendly as I should have been. But the people at church were lovely people. Annie says they are like her big huge family.

Larry, a friend of Annie's, is here now and we're about to go fix a fence, so I'd best be off. If it doesn't rain again, I will try riding again. Annie suggested that I ride a small horse called Misti, because she is lower to the ground than Orlando and Annie believes that I will regain some confidence on her. Tonight there is the possibility that we will go to a sports bar for an open jam session. I am loving this place more everyday. So, off to fix fences. Hope everyone reading this is not too bored by my ramblings. I will either update again tonight or sometime tomorrow.