I needed an amazing day. Our appliances have all decided to stop working so we are hand washing dishes, using a different microwave and have put all of our food in coolers. On top of that, ants have invaded our kitchen. First world problems.
When I got the invite to go horseback riding I dove on it. Karen Carr at Broken Wing Ranch Ministries takes three of the Homestead girls on a lovely trail ride each Saturday in the spring, summer and fall. When there are slots open, volunteers get to ride.
The drive out is beautiful. I drove and when I do, the tradition is, to listen to Midwest Meets Manhattan on the way out and back. It gets us in the mood.
I got to ride a different horse! Poor old Bullseye has a bum knee. The old guy and I didn’t ever really hit it off. He turned his head away when he saw me coming every time and he liked to be naughty to keep me anxious. Plus, he had a tendency to stumble, especially on declines.
Yesterday I got to ride Lucky. He let me rub his nose and sweet talk him before I got up there. He liked walking fast but only tried trotting when I didn’t ask him to, once. He liked being in the lead which I embraced and enjoyed very much, the wide open trail out in front of me. My muscles didn’t get as sore as I felt compfortable enough to stretch them a bit in the saddle.
We rode for about an hour and a half then brushed down our horses. Lucky really liked that and let me rub and kiss his nose and love on him.
After a quick run to the grocery and a nap and some food prep, Wilson and I went out to Mutt school to officially start 1st grade. I was so flipping proud of him! He was a rock star!
There were four other dogs and there owners there and Dawn, Wilson’s private trainer, taught the class. Wilson sat before going into each door on the way in and then sat down next to me on command. We worked on getting comfortable with others approaching, then brushing, then letting others brush the dogs. Wilson did great. Then we traded dogs to work on separation anxiety. Wilson only barked and pulled when I got all the way back around but when corrected, he waited patiently. We worked on “move out of the way” which he did really really well at, then we walked around with the dogs on the leash within a few feet of the other dogs to work on distractions. Wilson did great at that too! The last thing we worked on was “place”. Wilson had to be coaxed to get onto the mat but he obviously has worked on that in day training and knew what to do. Dawn said that Wilson knows a lot of skills that he will get to show me during 1st grade. I was super pleased and impressed. That and the fabulous report that he is right on track to being a therapy dog and is demonstrating the right temperament is such a relief.
The day didn’t end there! Scott and I and Dave and Mel were invited over to our friends’ Kathy and Fred’s house for a birthday dinner for Scott. They have a lovely home and back yard and the temperature was just right. We drank cocktails and ate amazing smoked pork and sausage medallions, toured their house and sat out on the patio in the perfect breeze. We topped that off with yummy fancy cake.
dianegclark 