We're still alive

So monster pony & I are still alive and well. School/work/internship/thesis have had me SO busy I've had very little time to go out and ride. On the nights I do make it out it's usually getting too dark to tack up, so I've spent a lot of quality time grooming monster pony. She's getting better about standing still to be groomed when she's loose in her paddock now. She even let me pick up all four feet without running off. :) Although it seems like no matter how much I groom her, she's still NEVER clean. Not even a little bit.

*sigh* I can't wait until the Summer when I won't have class & all I have to do is go to work & play with my pony. Granted it will be 110 degrees... but I won't mind. I <3 her. I feel like I work work work for this horse I never even get to see anymore. Makes me a sad Becky. :(

Wonderful Weekend.

Well this weekend began with getting a call from the adoption agency, calling my birth mom, and spending ALL day Saturday meeting my birth family! It could not have been a more perfect experience, everyone was so wonderful! I also found out I have two sisters who are 18 & 5 and I got to meet both of them... seeing my 18 year old sister was like looking in a mirror, the whole experience was so surreal and incredible! I can't wait to take them out to the barn to meet Cheyenne & all the horsies! :)

I went out to the barn today to hang out with Chey for a bit. She was an absolute angel, and I certainly didn't deserve it after giving her a week off. She stood still to be groomed, didn't fidget or fuss to pick her feet (both of these are a BIG deal for miss antsy pants!) She took the bit the FIRST time without tossing or lifting her head (NEVER happens) & she stood still while I got on bareback (which most days is at least a 2 person job!) She was a SAINT. We rode bareback around the whole front of the barn- went to new areas, over tarps, under sheets, etc... she was perfect. Not sure if I've ever mentioned this here but I trained her to open gates- she pushes them open with her nose and then waits for the cue to walk through, and we opened quite a few gates today. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my pony?

I feel like so much of our time together is spent focusing too much on making her "get" something, or accomplish something new... today was just about us, hanging out, enjoying each other's company. There we no goals for our time together- just to enjoy ourselves. I think the true joy and beauty of horse ownership is so often forgotten when we focus too much on getting them to do this, or perfect that... we forget to just relax and enjoy this beautiful, powerful, absurdly compliant creature. Today was a breath of fresh air, a much needed reminder of why I pump thousands of dollars into this horse on a regular basis!

A Bond that Can't be Broken

So I got the craziest news today... I have two little sisters! (well, one is not so little- she's 18!)

Long story short, I was adopted when I was 8 months old. I contacted the attorney who handled my adoption 3 years ago, no word back. I decided to call again 2 weeks ago & got a call today saying she had already contacted my birthmother who gave the go-ahead to release her contact info to me. So I put on my big girl panties and mustered the courage to make the scariest phone call of my life...

Well it turned out to be the best phone call of my life also. My birth mom was SO down to earth, easy to talk to, funny... everything I could have hoped and more. I even got to talk to my 18 year old sister who looks like my TWIN... it's unbelievable! I also have a 5 year old sister who is absolutely precious as can be.

So as we got to talking I of course told her about Cheyenne. Would you believe it? The whole family is HORSE CRAZY! Turns out it's genetic, who knew?! My birthmom has been riding since she was 7 or 8 and my sister has been riding for a long time too. WOW! I'm going to meet them all tomorrow... hopefully I'll be able to take them out for a playdate at the barn soon too. :)

BEST.

DAY.

EVER!