So lets recap some of our summer! Back in June, actually on our anniversary weekend, we took Cooper down to Scappoose OR for a hunt test. We had not planned to run him this year; however, Derek needed to get a Started Pass under his belt to qualify to become a started judge! We were hopeful Cooper would pull through and perform well.. and he did good enough! It was his first test in almost a year, he had the land series first and of course in his usual form, he messed around with the bird once he got to it and was reluctant to bring it back.. but he did and he certainly was much better than last year! The second bird that went up, well Cooper had a bit more "fun" with that one as he was tossing it into the air. No Joke! He threw the bird up in the air multiple times and then he would leap up in the air too, he was having a grand ole time out there.. but he brought it back. And of course his water marks were perfect so Derek got his pass. Now on to becoming a judge we will go. He will be taking a hunters safety course in August (he never took the class prior since he had military experience, he didnt need it for his hunting license). And then we will be taking a Judges Seminar in August. By next year we will be judging!! Yeah... A new adventure in this dog world.
The following weekend we were back down in OR, the next town over in Rainier for the Annual Waterfowl Festival. We stayed in our camper at the fairgrounds and spent the first part of Saturday walking around. It was well attended and there were a lot of duck hunting type vendors, but still fairly small. From there, we drove along the Columbia River to Walla Walla WA. The plan was to look at a draft cross mare Sunday morning over there, then drive home. But we got to WW at about 5pm and decided to go see the mare that afternoon instead of waiting until morning. it was close to 100 degrees outside! :( The mare was OK, not impressed and she needed more work than I wanted to put into her, not as level headed as we wanted. We then drove back home that evening.. What a long weekend of driving that was!!
We spent the 4th of July weekend at home this year. Needed a break from being gone all the time and had a nice time just chillin. Got to spend time with friends we dont see often, watched the fireworks in Monroe from the car races parking lot with my family and even got in a ride on Edgar! Sure made me miss riding being on him and hopeful at finding a new horse sooner than later. Although I still was not feeling any pressure to buy. I had found a really nice draft cross down in Northern CA, but the logistics of it all put that horse out of my price range and would have completely drained our account. Not looking to invest that kind of money again.
Derek and I had a Dog Training day this past Saturday that we had to help run/organize. I had to "run the line" meaning I kept everyone going as they ran their dog and made sure the test setup was to their skill level etc. But it also meant I had to load the winger too on occassion. The winger is the contraption that throws the birds.. It was so gross! I wore gloves so I did not have to actually "touch" the birds, but the stank of them was so gross, I was close to dry heaving every time I had to load it. And I felt so disgusting at the end of the day. But we had a good day and although Cooper had his mistakes, he ran pretty good.
The week prior to the weekend, I found a new horse to consider, over in Spokane. A 12yr Draft cross mare. I wasnt over-thrilled with her age, had hoped to find a horse under 10 but most everything else about her sounded quite promising, particularly her price of $2150. Derek and I woke up at 3:30am Sunday morning to make the 5 hr drive to Deer Park (N of Spokane by 20min) as the seller wanted us there by 9. He had a 5-day pack trip he was leaving for that same day. We arrived at 9:10am, spent just over an hour there. Her name was Jezabel "Jez". Although I never called her by name as it was not one I liked! lol She is a 16h Belgian Paint. A little bit of a stinker with picking up her feet. She just doesnt want to, but never tried to kick. I watched Garret ride her, he rode her down the road, then turned her around and loped her back to us in a big open hay field. Absolutely NO buck or even thoughts of bucking in that field.. a very good sign.
When he got back close to us, he was trying to get her to back up and she planted her big ole feet and refused! :) He was rolling his spurs on her sides pretty good and she still just stood there. Again, no thoughts of bucking with that spurring. She tried to get away from the pressure and spun around a bit, but no rearing involved. I mentioned that I thought maybe she would respond better to a sidepull bridle and not the bit he had in her mouth. The guy riding her is a trainer, so no discredit to him at all. He actually is not her owner, he takes horses in on consignment and sells them for the owners. When he was done, I asked if I could put her in a sidepull and ride in the round pen. Got on and immediately felt at ease, actually felt "at home" on this girl. Rode her around for a while, she kinda responds to leg pressure, kinda thinks about neck reining. But not solid on either area.. easily fixable with time. She stopped and she backed. She tried to stand her ground on backing, but with a little scissor motion on that bridle, she realized it was easier to back up than take the pressure. I then asked to ride her out to the woods, so we headed on down the field to the trees. She was very cautious and aware of her feet, she dropped her head and looked at the logs I asked her to go over. She never tried to eat the luscious grass. I took her through thick trees that brushed up against her and hung over her, she never flinched. I broke branches above her and dropped them on her, no reaction. She was solid. We jumped a few deer back there and again, no reaction. As I walked her back to the barn area, she stopped and stood fairly still. Not 100%, but she didnt fight me either and I know with other horses around, she would have stood all day.
I was pretty much sold on the mare the second I got on her, but after riding, I just knew she was a great fit for me and possibly for Derek if he ever wanted to confiscate her from me. They gave us some alone time to think on her and we offered $2000 and would pick her up in 2 weeks.. the next free weekend I had to get back over there! Left a deposit and I now technically own this beautiful girl.
We have decided we will not be buying or getting a horse for Derek this year. Hunting season is approaching quickly and why spend money on a horse for him, when he will not be focused on riding. Come about Feb though, that will change and we will then restart our search for a horse for him. If he takes my Hula Girl, thats OK, I'll deal with it and will be happy knowing he has a solid horse.
AHHH, I just cant wait!!
And finally the last update I have is my Weight Watchers success. I am now down 43 pounds! I am officially starting to retire some of my baggiest of jeans.. They are all baggy (except some of my wranglers that have been in my closet for years as I outgrew them). So I walk around baggy-assed most days and it looks terrible, but I dont want to spend tons of money on pants I intend on shrinking out of.. :) I'm happy and working every day at this!
There are a lot of positive things going on around us right now and I am looking forward to the future! ;)
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