While the boy has been occupied all summer with his schedule, the girl has been busy as well.

She declined to go to camp with the boy again this summer. Instead, she is spending her days at the farm, attending and working at horse camps.

She and her horsey friends attended this jumping camp last week. The next Sunday, they all had a major horse show.

Beth-girl looks more like me than the girl does I think. She reallly could be my daughter, skin color and all…

As a result of all this activity, the horses were all pooped out. They had to really be encouraged to work during the show. It was hot, they were tired from all that jumping the week before and they just didn’t wanna.

I know how they feel, minus the jumping part.

I had the girl walk Ella up to the food stand so she could eat.

Look Ella, grass…

Ella was walking really really slowly. She’s a very laid-back horse, and coupled with a very laid-back girl, the combination is like watching ice melt, or molasses in January. Whatever. All I know is that I was walking faster than Ella and I only have two legs.

It was hot, I know.

So the girl dismounts and leaves Ella in very capable hands. I can make her do anything I want her to.

She respects me.

It got to the point that the girl decided to take a drastic step – spurs. Along with the crop, she and Ella were Reserve Champions in the next event, after having came in dead last in the first one.

I would have used sugar myself.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

AND…I’m play over at ishouldbefoldinglaundry today at Beth’s.

These are my three favorite places to play!

When I pick up the girl at the farm, I usually sit in my car and text her, “I’m here.”

Since she’s such a big girl now, I don’t stay at the farm with her anymore and thank goodness. I don’t have the time or the patience to stay there for hours…and hours…and hours…

But on this day, I was a little early so I wandered down to the main barn, right smack into Operation Separation. It seems that in order for Limerick to be ridden again, she has to be separated from her baby. It was the first time the girls tried it.

There was a lot of crying on the baby’s part. It literally sounded like a human baby saying, “Mama, mama don’t leave me!” It cuts to the heart of you.

Limerick found it very difficult to walk away. She kept turning around and refusing to go forward.

Finally the girls brought Limerick back to the stall. Kelly girl said they would try it again later that day. I hope it’s not as traumatic as this first time.

It reminded me of the first time we left the boy with a sitter other than his mama-san. Some friends of our insisted we go out to dinner and they would watch him. We were gone exactly one hour. Nothing against our friends and the boy was fine.

But I know how Limerick feels…

Have you ever seen someone who was losing their hair and swept all of it to one side in order to cover up the fact that they were losing their hair?

For some reason Ella mane reminds me of that.

There was palpable excitement at the farm a couple of weeks ago. A brand new baby joined the herd of fatted lesson horses at the farm. The girls were a-buzz.

It appears that a month of speculation over whether or not Limerick was with foal came to a close when that same foal made her unceremonious entry into the world on a bed of hay. Plop.

Sorry. My own pregnancy was so long ago that I can joke about it now.

Limerick is one of the girl’s favorite horses and the girl had been complaining about how slow Limerick seemed. And how much weight she had gained. These are lesson horses so we didn’t think much about it. You should see how fat Merry Legs is now. But it was not until Limerick started seeping milk that everyone said, aha!

Considering the gestation period for a horse is 11 months, I’d say we were slow on the uptake.

Here is the girl on Limerick last summer. She didn’t show any signs of morning sickness at all:)

This is Camille-girl on Limerick just last month. I can’t imagine being 9 months pregnant and someone strapping a saddle on me and jumping me over fences.

She was the cutest thing. These photos were taken two hours after birth. I and about a dozen young girls watched as the foal took her first steps and made her way to her mother to eat. Awww…

Camille-girl was allowed in the stall so that they can start imprinting the foal. How cute is she?

After all the excitement abated a little, people started asking who the father was. Since Limerick only came to the farm last year, there is a possibility that she was pregnant when she showed up. There are two other possibilities, a horse called Dasher and…

Perhaps it was this stud, Rolo. Other than Joker, Rolo is my favorite horse at the farm because he’s so pretty. Shallow I know. There was discussion about whether or not Rolo was a stud or a gelding when Limerick came to the farm.

I think he was as stud.

Anyway, it was a great “birds n bees” lesson for the little girls. If we are going to talk about s-ex, it may as well be in the context of horse mating which they can then apply to people mating as they can deal with it. Or as their parents can deal with it whichever works.

Welcome to the world little one! As soon as we figure out who your daddy is, I’m sure you’ll get a name.

My little girl and her big huge horse…apparently they know each other well…

This is my entry for this week’s iHeart faces photo challenge. The theme is “Smile.”

And she is certainly doing that. See photos that will make you smile at iHeartfaces.com.

The days are long and the work is hard so the only reason I feel they do it is for the love of the horse. I thought about this as I dragged myself out of bed at 5 am on a Sunday morning to drive the girl to the farm to prepare for this show yesterday.

I love her so I sacrifice some sleep. She loves the horse so she sacrifices all of her free time to muck stalls just for the chance of perhaps getting to ride that day. I don’t get the horse thing but I do get the love thing.

Posted on Mosaic Monday at Little Red House. I used Big Huge Labs again to create the mosaic. I also just recently found Photoscapes which is fun too. And it’s all free. I’m addicted to these mosaics now…

There was a little fun meet for the girls that the farm a couple of weeks ago that let them let loose and not worry about competition or anything else except for the privelege of being on their horses and riding like the dickens. There’s nothing better than watching a girl and her horse so it was fun for me too.

There were games, and races, and jumping as high as they could. What could be better?

Well, playing games, racing and jumping without your saddle of course.

I got there a little late (as usual on Sundays) and I was watching the festivities when I noticed that something was missing.

Even I can spot a naked horse.

So I said to the girl, “Where’s your saddle?”

“Over there,” she says.

“Why isn’t it on the horse?” I inquire.

“It’s more fun to race without it.” She answers so matter-of-factly that I almost let it go.

“I want you to put it on…wait a minute, what horse is that?”

“It’s Champ.”

I’ve never seen her ride Champ before. And I’ve never seen her ride Champ without a saddle before. No – wait, I’ve never seen her ride or race Champ without a saddle before. For the safety minded worrysome mom, it’s a little bit concerning.

So I ordered her off the horse. Well I didn’t.

Because by then the racing was over. And she was wearing a huge smile. And she was having so much fun.

And sometimes, you have to take chances and not follow protocol and just go through life without a saddle or stirrups – but at least wear a helmet.

All photos are SOOC and posted at Melody’s SOOC Saturday.

I’m feeling better already.

I first wanted to thank you for coming by at the beginning of the week only to see horse bottoms.

Here’s another one.

There’s just something about girls and their horses that just makes me sigh. It’s like extra sweetness on the lemon meringue slice of life.

It makes getting up at 4:00 am tolerable. Almost…somewhat…kind of. I was actually up since 1 am, worrying that I wouldn’t get up at 4 am so not much sleep for the equestrian mom that day.

The barn dads showed up around 10:30. But he did make the sandwiches so I’m giving him lots of grace.

The girls took so much tender care with their horses, I was so touched. It was pure and raw love.

Just look at that. How sweet is it?

Do you remember Ella, the difficult horse that the girl only started riding a little while ago? She was another reason why the equestrian mom was up all night.

Well she was a doll. She was a dear. She was perfect.

Well…she was perfect except when she broke in the first class, bucked in the second class and then peed like – well – a race horse in the finale for at least three minutes while everyone else was getting judged.

Come on’ Ella, can’t you just hold it for five minutes? Gees.

Other than that, she was perfect.

She did get her leg massaged by the girl before the meet. Ella has a large gash from a barbed wire fence on her leg. It happened a long while ago but it was quite ugly. I really think this girl is going to be a vet. Or a cowgirl.

Even with all the work, the girls took time to play.

And there were special times like this. That little Afton is adorable. And I have a photo of her horse Mighty peeing as well which I won’t show because well, Mighty is a boy.

So we all survived another glorious season of girls, horses, competition, life and manure.

The “Fun Meet” comes next month. This one is competition just for fun. The girls will ride their favorite horses and race against each other, jump as high as they can, and leap on and off the horse.

Oh my, I see more sleeplessness in my near future.

Posted on…

Hosted by Cecily

For some reason this horse really liked me. He wouldn’t leave me alone. It was a little creepy, I decided I didn’t like being liked by a horse.

Anyway…on with  my story.

The girl’s finale is tomorrow and she is scheduled to ride in an event that she has never before ridden in a competition and on a horse that she has never ridden before the last couple of weeks.

The horse’s name is Ella and apparently Ella is a good horse but with quite a few idiosyncrasies. People are that way too and the girl is a good equestrian so I wasn’t too worried.

Until last week that is.

I took the girl to the farm and she said she needed help getting Ella from the back field.

I said, “I’ll help you girlie.”

She answered, “No mom, I need serious help.” I wasn’t offended because I know whereof she speaks.

But I said, “I’ll help anyway. Do you have your leash?”

“Mom, it’s not a leash it’s a lead.”

See? I told you I’m not serious help.

She said, “Ella’s in the back field with all the crazy horses and I don’t want to get killed.”

At this point…I’m getting a little nervous. So she got some serious help from a 16 year old girl. I followed them to the back field and I realized that after all these years, I had never been way back there before.

And now I know why…it was filled with stinking rotting piles of manure. I said to the girl, “So is this where you bring your poop?”

“Yes mom.”

Hmmm, okay now.

So the two girls couldn’t get Ella to come. I’m thinking, this is the horse she’s riding in the finale? Yikes.

So Miss Danielle has to come and help convince Ella to leave the field and come to work. It only took 45 minutes and an entire bag of carrots.

I don’t know why Ella does what she does. I just know now that I’m a nervous wreck. Yesterday I took the girl to the tack store and we purchased a bunch of horse treats for Ella to bribe her to be good…

I know it’s going to be okay. I know it’s going to be okay. I know it’s going to be okay…

I know it’s a silly title. I love the lines in the stall door and barn. And the horse is cute too.