Cranking on the New Year...

Caitlin on Cleo...

Yeah it has been wild here for a change...we have been to three shows since January first...has been fun. I want Cleo back although me and Foxy are doing just fine...and suddenly Cleo is no longer for sale. Caitlin is loving showing her...fine with me...So I am working on Crush.
I have been working diligently on my awards stuff (got the go ahead from the Paint horse board) as well as my chance to do the world show poster...If they accept my work, I am taking the mares and Caitlin out to Oklahoma and Texas for the summer...took much fun and opportunity to pass up.
Crush is coming along great...he went to another show last weekend and he actually got BORED! He was sighing and gazing out over the stall door watching me walk Foxy back to the arena, not freaking out or nothing...My boy! I love to ride him; he has the nicest lope!
Just bought Stroke 9 and am looking for more Post Secrets books on Amazon...Love to read those!
Back to work...

The push is on to get our year organized and planned...we may need a bigger horse trailer/living quarters so I can set up the studio...the demand for my work from live horse people is terrific and I am so glad I have it!

Here I am riding my "new" old horse Foxy. As usual, my kid has absconded with my other horse Cleo and while she WAS for sale, no more mention has been made of it...the little snot is out riding her right now...While I adore Foxy and yes, she IS my horse, I was so hoping to make Cleo the major champion she deserves to be...Anyhow I rode Foxy huntseat yesterday and long for Cleo...she is far more comfortable and better suited to riding english...I do make Foxy look bigger than her 15 hands as I am kind of a small person myself, I do so like a 16 + hander to post on...
More later...Emma, love ya and miss ya...How's Jasmine?

It has been a year I will always remember...for the art, it got better when I decided I did'nt have to stand in the shadows of someone who made little of my talent...AWESOME feeling to look at something I created for the reason I wanted to create it for, and LIKE IT! I use my LOVE of art to create and not to make it financial reason to exist!
As for my live horses, it just always gets better...recognizing where I made my mistakes with Cleo will get me further with Foxy...it is KILLING me to stop showing my big girl but getting back to Foxy will give me a boost of confidence...Radar and I have come to an agreement in the show ring; if he will stand still and not play with me, I won't smear Tiger Balm on my hands and make his nose twitch. And me and Crush continue to defy everyone's low opinion of him...he IS a good boy and by the end of '08 we will have points from the association and I may even train him to drive...
The good things in 2007:
Caitlin and Foxy in Tennessee being 1st in showmanship after an 8 hour class and 140 exhibitors.
Me losing all that weight!
Me and Cleo beating the two world champions in HUS in Conyers, Georgia when I went there by myself (me, Sugar, and Cleo) I feel like I could go to Oklahoma by myself now!
Ending up 25th in the nation in HUS.
Caitlin & Foxy ending up FIRST in the nation in poles!!!!!
Completing the sculptures for the presentation and getting the live horse art collectors as major 'fans'...what a terrific shot to my art heart!
There's so much more and I have decided NOT to list the bad things as I am not gonna dwell on them!

I feel like I have got my issues cornered...I have all my sculptures ready to present to the Paint horse board the end of this month, and even my notes typed out (no mistakes!) and so far it is looking like a very cool plan!

Happy New Year!

moar funny pictures

SHAME ON ME!

Here is me and Radar in halter class...he is so handsome and you can tell the 20 pound weight loss has paid off!


I am so far behind...we got home from Perry, Georiga, our final show of the year on November 26th and we just collapsed...Cleo felt bad, Foxy had her extra mean wrinkles in place, and Radar didn't have an ounce of piss left in him to harass anyone...
Georgia was fun...Caitlin did awesome as usual; she got Radar's superior in youth halter geldings, won everything in speed events, and cleaned some clocks in youth showmanship, horsemanship and trail (once more) However Cleo and I did NOTHING! Beat by people who had no clue what a diagonal was (like the judges!) and so I just quit...why add to the competition's points when they are doing it all wrong and I get punished for it!
Next year we are staying closer to home. Paint shows within the state of Florida and focus on getting Crush out, me on Foxy, Caitlin on Cleo, and Radar's amateur superior in halter. Our next show is at Clarcona on January 21st...long ways off.
I had Jenn take over my web site...nothing I did was right so she has done an incredible job. I will continue to practice and learn on my own...I am just not a computer literate person!
On the studio front, I have almost completed the stack of Christmas orders of portrait models of the live horses...so much fun replicating people's beloved pets...