Welcome, 2009!

I am thrilled to be able to participate in the 2009 RAC! I did have a lot of fun with it in 2008, especially the mini contests. Lakota and I (mostly me) did lose steam toward the final quarter of the year, due to many obligations, but I am looking forward to picking up where we left off, just as soon as its a bit less like the frozen tundra out there.

I have also signed up for the ground work portion, which I'm really looking forward to. I love groundwork, and Lakota seems to enjoy it as much, or more, than I do. We often go back to groundwork if we find we're not progressing or getting stuck, or if she feels I have been unfair. Lakota's favorite game is "Touch the Goblins", and it seems to go a long way toward increasing her confidence.

I have quite a few groundwork ideas for early this year before the ground is safe for riding. Stay tuned!



Here is a self-photo I took a week or so ago. This was the first time I did anything other than feed and groom in over 3 months. Lakota was quite happy to be doing something again. We were revisiting "head-down" and "give to pressure" (when I step on her lead on the ground). It was a nice, familar way to get back into the swing of things, and get a feel for each other again. It came in handy, too, because not even a week later I had a bit of a "discussion" with Jen about eating garland, which scared Lakota causing her to run off with her lead trailing behind her. She stepped on it, and stopped in her tracks and dropped her head to relieve the pressure.