Finally got to Bob and Betty’s yesterday and they are doing well. I also was back in the saddle again yesterday and it felt great but I know I will pay for it tomorrow. This year the focus is on horsemanship. Getting the feel of the horse so you know where his feet are and what they are doing. By placing their feet in the correct position and asking the horse to do something at the right time is the objective as this helps the horse perform. Bob is not only a tremendous student of horsemanship, he is also an extremely patient and good teacher.
The weather was a little strange last night… for here anyway. We had winds of 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph along with about 1” of rain. They are forecasting higher winds and a lot more rain over the next 3 days so we will see. The old trailer was a rockin’ and a rollin’ last night but I can’t say it was a motion that puts one to sleep.
Wednesday was another beautiful day… mid-fifties with a light wind, just perfect for riding. It never ceases to amaze me how much I don’t know. Working on horsemanship really does bring a whole new dimension into “cowboying” for me. Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance, Buck Brannaman, and others have talked about getting a “feel for the horse” for years but Bob King is bringing a whole new meaning of this to me. Being able to sense/feel what the horse is doing and where my energies are going (right or wrong for the horse) really is helping me focus. What is amazing is that also carries over to everyday life. Being aware and sensitive to others and what they are doing, what message through your energies you are transmitting, and how your respond to the actions of others. COOL! Weather forecast includes 60 mph winds so we will see… might have to batten down the hatches.
Thursday dawned cloudy and windy (60 mph gusts). Fortunately the area we are in did not receive the drowning rains (up to 8.5” in some place) or the snow (Flagstaff has receive 68”, yes you read that right, 68” of snow in the past 5 days and 41” inches predicted over the weekend). We did have the winds though which were not fun. I did manage to rope for a couple of hours in the AM and do a little, and I mean very little, ground work in the PM and then I called it a day. That evening the winds picked up even more and the trailer was rockin’ so much that along with the news casts about potential tornados (west of Tuscan), Arda slept in her evacuation clothes. What a sight but I am not going to divulge what they are so you will have to ask her. J
Friday morning found us with the wind gone but we had rain, which is a welcome site for this area at this time of the year. We are under a “winter blizzard warning” as they are forecasting 1 – 3” of snow tonight. I must have made a wrong turn somewhere on the interstate and would up back in Michigan with all this kind of weather. Due to the lousy weather, we went to Benson to do some shopping. I guess that is better than having to do it on a sunny day when I could be horsing around. We had a busy afternoon… Arda exercised on the Wii (shook the trailer almost as bad as the wind) and I took a nap to conserve energy for Arda J
Saturday morning and the sun is shining although it is a little cool. We are not going to do much but we will set up Arda’s sewing machine in the back of Cowboy Tom’s trailer… no more excuses for the Armitas – at least I hope not.
Well that is it for this week… keep your loops open until next time.
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