PONY'TUDE Goes West

Hello from beautiful Shepherd, Montana! Michael and I are on vacation and having a blast. Our gracious friends Corey and Christy are putting us up at their place for the week, and I've got to say there is nothing better than being able to wake up in the morning and look out the window to see their horses grazing in the pastures that surround the house. I've also gotten the opportunity to help Christy with her 2 year old pony mare Willow who just had her 5th ride as of yesterday. Willow is also Dino in mare form. I didn't think another pony as smart and rotten as Dino existed, but I was wrong.

It took both of us about 2 hours to get Willow to lunge a few circles in each direction and walk under saddle with Christy on board. She just didn't want to go forward. At all. She had our number.

Horse keeping in general in Montana is also very different than what I'm used to. Most horse owners don't bother to feed grain, blanket, vaccinate, or even provide run in sheds for their horses. Christy's horses are considered 'spoiled' because they have shelter and get vaccinated every year. The way most Montana horses are kept makes both of us a little twitchy.

But we're having a great time out here so far! We've explored mountains, lakes, little towns, and seen lots and lots of cows and glorious open space. Tomorrow will take us hiking in Big Timber Falls. Lots of pictures to follow upon our return!