We've Come A Long Way, Baby. . .

I'm always amazed that Gloria's horse instructor, Kim, just casually gives me tasks to do on the farm that are way out of my comfort zone and yet she just trusts me to do them. She knows all about my fears and phobias around horses but she still sends me out to get them or move them or help someone with them. Granted, I've come a long, long, LONG way in the last two years and I almost always rise to the occasion and accomplish the tasks she gives me even though I'm usually faking it until I figure it out!

Today, however, she asked me to do something that I really didn't think I could handle. All of the horses were out in the big field after having baths that morning in preparation for Kim's big trip with many of them to Kentucky next week and they all needed to come in and get sorted into their respective gated pens. Kim had to go out to the field with Gloria and the other three students to catch the horses they would be riding so she told me she would be sending all of the horses (about 30) back my direction and all I had to do was stand between the horses and the other big field that was behind me. The idea was that the horses would see me and be too afraid to head for the field and, instead, turn into the open gate that led to all the pens where her son would shoo them all into the correct pens. So . . . my job was to just stand between 30 galloping horses and freedom. No problem. But, like I always do when she asks for help, I just nodded and smiled and went and stood right where she told me to. . .


Of course I had my Blackberry for protection so I stood my ground, took pictures and kept my mind busy thinking about what a great blog post this would be (I do that a lot. . . ) . . .


Amazingly enough, the horses saw me, got nervous and turned into the gate instead of plowing me over and heading back out into an open field. . .

This one actually thought about taking me out but decided at the last minute that I was far too frightening of an image standing there with my purple phone . . .

I have to say that I'm really glad that Kim has confidence in me. I've overcome so many things out here on the farm because of her high expectations of me.

The girls ended up having a bareback riding lesson. . .

Gloria rode Diamond again and did really well. . .

All the girls had a chance to trot with their horses sans saddle. Diamond would much rather canter so Gloria had to use every muscle she had to stay on. . .

Gloria has come a long, long, LONG way, too. . .

She's turning into a very confident rider . . .

Kim has been really good for both of us. . .