{Horsin' Around}

(picture above is Dolly getting up after laying down so I can "mount up"...one of her "tricks". For those of you that are not horse people please note that she is doing this for me outside of the pen and with no saddle, halter or bridle of any kind - that's my girl!)

 ~My love of horses, like most girls, started at a very early age. Here I am in the oh so popular "pony pic" from the early 80's ~

Okay, so this post has very little to do with fashion (as a matter of fact most of the attire you will see me in is really not great - it's barn clothes!). This post does, however, have everything to do with BEAUTY - at least as far as what I consider one beautiful equine companion! 

I want to introduce you to my Paint/Draft horse, Dolly.  These pictures range over the last couple of years. She is now a 6 y/o massive horse as she has finally stopped growing up and has finally begun to fill in that massive frame. She is a truly magnificent animal. Absolutely the sweetest horse you will ever meet. She is well behaved, calm, trained for search and rescue and mounted patrol and also has a few "tricks" under her belt :)  All of my children have ridden her - my youngest two before they could even walk!  She is just wonderful for our family.

Dolly is also BLIND on the right side. She has been blind in her right eye since she was a yearling (I have owned her since then) so she doesn't really know any other way and it doesn't slow her down at all. 

I hope that you all enjoy her photos and getting to know my "other" baby girl :)

 ~Above are all shots of her laying down/playing dead. It might seem that this is a useless "trick" to some, but it actually goes along with the training that we used to put our horse through in our program (I used to run Hickory Lake Ranch and the Mounted Patrol and Search and Rescue). This was a skill taught to them in case of the need to get someone on the horse who was unable to mount from the ground as you typically would. Having them lay completely prone on their side (play dead) really just builds on the trust that the horse has for it's rider.To practice we have Dolly lay down to let smaller riders get on and then she rises to her feet.~

~Dolly playing in the snow and her "mini me" friend, Petey, on our ranch. Petey is a 10 year old miniature horse. People would ask all the time if he was her baby - LOL! ~

~Sledding and snowboarding....yes, we did that!  Everything we do with the horses helps with their overall training and this is no exception!  While the kids (and adults) have fun, Dolly is training. She is a breed that typically would be used for driving (pulling a sleigh or carriage or wagon) and pulling  snowboarder is just a slightly easier job than the eventual goal of an entire group of people. Sometimes I think she enjoys this more than the kids, though! ~ 

~Just waiting on a rider~

~Finally, Dolly and my family.  These pics are actually from the end of 2009 so they are a few years old and missing our baby girl, but I still had to include them.  It is such a great family portrait with our equine girl :) ~

~ Above is my husband helping me get her ready for a ride....the kids were at the barn and wanting some saddle time. ~

I hope you enjoyed the pics and catching up with the 4-hoofed part of our family. Do any of you have horses?  I would LOVE to hear about them and./or any experience that you have had with these beautiful animals. I look forward to reading your comments :)

XO

Jessy 

~ This pic was taken just a month ago. You can see how in her old age (she is only 6!) she has begun to grey much like her Percheron roots say she should......she has lost the black and white and now is definitely grey and white (look at the whiskers on that girl!! haha ;) ~