Miss Sunshine and Riding Daisy!

I don't know if I talked about getting ready for a rodeo (local one around here) or not but I am getting Sunshine ready for it. Well at least getting her used to doing the games and they will so do her good. Anyway a few of the other girls came over and were practicing so since I am not taking Daisy to the rodeo because I have other plans that day (youth group :) I am training Sunshine and practicing with her. Well the first thing and only thing we did was pole bending. Andrea with Sweet Pea went first and then I with Sunshine went second. Sunshine did very well the first time thru and I was happy. Then a few more people did it and it was our turn again. We ran up the one side and started bending thru the poles. Well needless to say she got stubborn and decided I don't want to do this. So she backs up, rears then kinda while she is rearing she spins and then comes down and rears again. Second time rearing she throws her head back and knocks me a good one on my chin. I felt stunned a bit and once she came down I just sat there with my head rattling :D I got off and led her to the others and then got on and rode her thru the poles again just at a walk (we had been doing them kinda at a walk trot before). She did fine then. I felt weird (well my head did) and so I just rode her over and tied her and went to talk to Sharon. I told her what happened and said I would ride her again but I just don't trust her and with the way my head was feeling I didn't trust myself to get on her again if she acted dumb. So Bernell got on her and rode her and wore her out some..so did Earl Dean. I told Sharon I will ride her agian but next time she will be lunged first and then taken thru this stuff. I had never given it a thought because we didn't have to lunge her first before rides anymore so it never occured to me to do it before doing the games. Hey we live and learn I guess. Next time I am also using a tie down so if she does throw her head like that again my face won't be in danger. My chin is just a tad sore, my lip hurts and my jaw on my left side hurts when I open my mouth to wide..hehe. Never got hit so hard in my life. Anyway so much for that. I rode Lightning then while Bernell and Earl Dean took turns with Sunshine. He did pretty good thru the poles. He is fun and easy to ride compared to Sunshine!

Well at 6:30 then I got Daisy saddled up in the bareback pad and stirrups and in her hackamore instead of the bit because I didn't feel like fighting with her. She respects the hackamore because that is what she was trained with. Anyway she did so awesome. Before supper (this was before any of the stuff with Sunshine and riding Daisy) we had put Daisy in with the ponies without her hobbles on (we had rigged something up so she couldn't kick the ponies..that really helped her) and SHE WAS A PERFECT ANGEL. We think that her problem when she first came was so many new things all at one time and so that made her react the way she did. We put Sunshine in there too and Sunshine didn't kick and neither did Daisy. I want to call Sharon this morning and see how things were overnight. Daisy and Sunshine might turn out to be friends. Daisy kept going up to her and acting like she wanted to be. So I guess we shall see. I am just so pleased with my girl. She is such an awsome sweet horse :) Hope you have an awsome weekend!!