Stella's Latest Adventure I

Yesterday my mom, my sister, and I went out for another ride in our pasture! The horses where worn out within 10 minutes of riding. It was such a warm and sunny day, the horses' coats were making them really hot! My mom (Laura), riding Wyoming, figured this one out.

My sister, Josalynn, riding Lady, didn't get any RAC points. So, she ponied Franky, Lady's baby from 2 years ago. He is currently under going training so is getter used to having people above him.

We rode down inside a ditch, crossed a stream, and even I got brave enough to jump my feminine Stella.

At the end of our ride, Josalynn, Mom and I, took turns walking the horses through our tractor tire. I have been working on Stella to get all four of her feet in the tire at once. We finaly got that accomplished yesterday!

Stella had some friends bugging her, so she decided to bring the pictures to a hault.

Later, after the horses were untacked, Mom and I were playing with Stellas belly, brushing, and stroking her soft, fine, hair. The last time we went in the woods, Stella didn't try to run over the saplings like she usually does. We weren't at all conserned until I went to rub her belly, like she loves, and she jerked back on the rope, and flenched away from my hand. Mom tried also. The same reaction. We started pushing, lightly, on the sides of her belly. We felt something roll around inside her. Getting curious, we moved to different positions around on her belly. The baby, hopefully, was getting very active, and Stella, (the soon to be mom), was confused, and upset. So we stopped torturing my girl, and gave her some Red L, and grain for a Good Night snack.

An Outside View of The Inside

I've been contemplating, since that seems to be something I tend towards when I am well inspired. I'm not a big competitor in general, I've long given up most competitive interest with horses but find the personal competition with RAC inspiring. I feel like this is such a positive form of competition. Mostly, as riders, we are competing against our own individual potential, and we are competing in a way to benefit the horse most. We are not competing to win a blue ribbon necessarily, we are not putting our horses on the speed circuit to break down in an effort to be favored by some judge in the ring. Instead we are having lots of fun riding our horses in whatever way suits us and our horses best, we are promoting them at events and talking to people about why we LOVE these Curly-haired monsters. *grin*

It makes me think about one of my favorite mentors, who would say that riding cannot be based on what it looks like from the outside, because it is all a feeling. How can you judge the relationship someone has with their husband/wife based on the external actions they make with each other? You cannot for the same reason you cannot quantify the chemistry two people may have between each other as friends, family members, or spouses unless you are one of them. Or, as my mom and Life Coach would say, stop comparing your insides to their outsides!

Which then leads me off a tangent circling back around to the Curlies again. We all know that wonderful feeling that we have when in the company with our Curly horses, and while unfamiliar onlookers may be confused and befuddled, we know the feeling. We know the addiction to Curlies! ha ha
And perhaps that is one of the keys to helping promote this wonderful breed, to pass along the feeling rather than the description. We are such an open and inviting group of equestrians and I think it quite rare to hear of someone not being asked to come and visit and see our great Curlies in person. We are naturals at helping bring people closer to the feeling aspect of a relationship with the Curlies.

I hear that the cold weather is coming again for a short stint but I already have my gear out to be cleaned and prepped for a busy spring and lots of time logged for the RAC!

Erica K. Frei
Awareness In Riding

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