Last night proved to be interesting. DH has a trucker friend who is as redneck as they come. Great guy, a little goes a long way, but all in all a cool guy. Anyway, DH had been talking to him about me and Royalty(horse)......this guy was raised around horses, broke more than I can count, and knows his shit. Anyway, the guy came out last night to look at her and talk to me. I admit, I had to put my pride on the back burner, not because I know more than he does...not by a long shot...but because some things he was talking about and 'teaching' me, I already knew. I know he wasn't doing it to insult me, on the contrary, he was trying to be thorough. So I listened and watched intently as he worked the horse, telling me what he was doing and why, as well as why her reactions were what they were.

I learned about "personal space", which is hard for me because I like my animals to be close and affectionate. But evidently you really don't want a horse to crowd you, which on the safety side I can totally understand. I also learned what I was doing wrong when getting on and off, as well as where I should be sitting vs where I had been sitting. Now, this all sounds silly, and maybe even some people might ask "Didn't you have horses as a kid? Don't you know what you're doing?" Yes and no. First, its been 20 years since I've owned or been on a horse. Second, my horses were different. They didn't have voice commands, or even leg pressure cues. I rode bareback alot, and sat up close to the withers....this is evidently not where I should be, lol.

Anyway, I was given a few things to work on with her, and he might be out this evening to watch me ride, so he can correct me again! Ah well, I want this horse to be good, so I'll take the lessons where I can get them. I'd like for my son to be able to get on/off with me, and ride with me as well, so I better get my shit together!

On another and final note....allergies are still horrible, but I've purchase several different meds so something has to give. Its like they work for about 30min-1hr, then I have problems again. I've doubled up the dosage, and that seems to make it more tolerable, but I still just can't wait for this part of the season to pass.