Thanks to her commenting on Peaches’ blog, we are able to share Lori R.’s questions and stories as she begins to train one of her miniature horses to pairs driving. Lori is in process of obtaining harness(es) and a mini cart, has one mini which already drives, and a second one which she will be training. She also drives a really cute donkey! Follow Lori’s reports here as they happen!!
Oooops, Forgot the Plow! Lori shows us her REALLY cute driving donkey! (See below…)
On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 11:51 AM, connie moses wrote:
lori
REF: Driving horses pairs training, step-by-step
The pairs harness has traces just like a single harness, which attach to “trees” which may be singletrees or doubletrees, I’m not sure, but same idea as on a singles cart except there are 2 of them. The only other attachment is the pole straps, those short ones in front, which hook to the front of the pole. Ours buckle into what is called a “crab.” Those are also called brake straps, the reason being that that is what slows or stops the carriage when the horses stop, which keeps it from running up and hitting them in the rear. Our 4-wheel carriage has a foot brake which you’ll find on any sizeable carriage but I don’t know about on mini-carriages. The pairs harness for road use will probably have breeching, to give better stopping power. Often in shows or in fine harness the breeching is not even used.
There are other styles of pair harnesses, for draft teams or with neck collars for example. This style is the only one we are familiar with, which uses a breast plate across their chests. I’m sure you can find plenty of info online or in books or maybe videos about pair driving, that’s mostly how we learned. Also if you visit a shop that sells the harness, they will tell you all about what you need! Or other mini drivers of course.
Once our ground training was solid and each of our guys had driven singly several times, we started out pairing them simply by leading them beside each other, then with a 3rd helper we could have one ground driver behind and a person at each horse’s head to lead them side by side. We did that a few times before trying them fastened to the pole, just so they’d be used to walking at the same speed and to be sure they didn’t object to staying that close together. THey had no problems with our fake pole, being already used to shafts, but walking straight was a little challenging at first because suddenly there was only one “shaft” instead of one on each side to keep them straight. We had 3 people when first trying the pole too.
A travois-type drag could work, although there’s more risk of it hitting their heels or them backing up and stepping on it. You can see how our practice pole was made… the traces hooked into the crosspiece (singletree) and I used baling twine to tie the rear of the pole up in the center by tying onto the sides of their breeching. It sort of pulled the breeching sideways but not heavy enough to be a problem. Because our harness had trace-keepers on the sides, the traces were held up high and the pole was practically self-supporting.
Best of fun to you! Your season is just the opposite of New Hampshire, where we now are about to have such cold weather that we won’t do much more with horses until next May or June, and even in May it is often too muddy to do anything!! However, there are some hardy folks who do ski joring with their horses in winter. Not us (YET!), but we do love to watch it!
connie
PS. A lot of baling twine around our farm is used as “fake” electric fence wire. It will stop our horses for a long time until it rots or accidentally gets broken! Of course we don’t use it for primary fencing, but handy and cheap for strip grazing and other interior fencelines.
Nov. 25, Lori’s Reply:
Hey again Connie,
REALLLLLLLLYYY??????? I would be ~~~honored~~~ to be on your blog. Me on a blog…. who’d a thunk it! Guess I’d better get busy with the mini team.
Today I hitched up my **new** cart and harness with Lil Black to see what tweaking we needed to do. Good gracious, I was afraid it would be too big since it was advertised as a large mini size… it’s almost too small in some places. The belly band (an easy fix) and the brow band are pretty tight.
I must have a large size mini with really short legs. It also doesn’t have breeching since it is a fine leather show ring harness. I’m not used to driving without breeching so I was concerned there but LB did just fine, and I plan to add a pair soon as I can.
I had zero leg room (I’m 5′8″) but it has the adjustable seat with one hole left for moving it back so that will help. Also, Connie would you know about this?… the swingletree is tightly fastened by two straps to the metal bar behind it. I always thought the tree was meant to swing freely and it does on my other mini cart. I think I had read what the purpose of this was on another driving group, but can’t remember now what it was. I drove it today without removing the straps and really didn’t notice anything different so I’m a bit stumped there.
We don’t have winter here except for maybe a few icy days in January. Then we finally get to put on sweaters, cute scarves, knee high boots and run around without ever breaking a sweat. The El Nino effect has really changed our weather patterns too. It’s just downright scary how hot and dry it keeps getting each summer and now we’re getting really good rains. It’s just like Spring again. Fields and plants are blooming and everyone is running around cutting and baling hay during these last warm months.
I’m sending you a pic [SEE ABOVE] that I’ve been sharing with friends… just for grins. It’s pretty redneck (don’t worry, I clean up purdy!) and I’ve given it the title: “Oooops, Forgot the Plow”. Wish I did have a plow that I could stand him in front of… then I could use the caption: “The Little Donkey that Could.” What a Hoot!
Twine tip: it’s also good for tying snaffle bits to halters when you don’t have a headstall. Just be sure to tie several knots so it won’t slip out!
Hope you and yours have a very:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Lori
Nov. 26, Connie’s Reply:
Hey Lori
That’s gotta be the cutest donkey I’ve ever seen– I’d forgotten they can be colored! AND you can see where you are going! With our boys, I am looking at butt most of the time…
The swingle/singletree on our Meadowbrook cart was fixed in place by permanent straps too, with some looseness to them so that it had a little bit of play. I think the play would make the pulling feel more comfortable because there is a little bit of give. Perhaps your other cart was missing its straps? I think all the ones I’ve seen had them.
Our carriage has an evener bar, which is a second full-width pivoting bar which both of the singletrees fasten into. We were advised by pros to strap down the evener because it gave so much play that it allowed one horse to pull too far ahead of the other one, and therefore carry too much of the load. (or conversely, one horse could be lazier and let the other one do more of the pulling!)
Go minis go!! I bet they are really cute too! SEND MORE PIX!!!
connie
It may be that Hubby and I often do things DIFFERENTLY with our horses…
Our two horses we bred and raised were ponied beside their mom starting at 2 weeks old– introduced to streets and forest trails and other horses, being trailered and being beside carriages and bicyclists, even going into parades as babies.
Our guys received trail training in a group of horses as their earliest saddle training. Later on they were given fine-tuning of the “riding aids” through being schooled solo in a ring.
Our guys started right out pleasure driving on roads and trails as their first exposures outside the pastures, both singles driving then as a pair.
Some may think it is NECESSARY to do weeks and weeks of “ring work,” ie. schooling, in the “safe” environment of a riding arena before you can ever DREAM of riding or driving your green horse outside the arena. This has proven NOT to be the case with our horses. Neither is it the case with any of the other green horses who are trained through natural horsemanship the way Joanne Gelinas Snow does it, a la Tom Curtin, whom she follows. [Tom Curtin's website]
As well, I have read how Clinton Anderson and John Lyons and I’m sure Tommy Garland, etc., trail train their green horses in the company of experienced horses out on the trail, where it is NATURAL for the HORSE to learn to follow what the other horses are doing, learn what steering means by being steered around trees and rocks, learn he can balance a rider by walking and trotting and cantering WITH other horses. He learns in a situation which is natural to him and where he WANTS to do what you are teaching, and NOT by practicing in an arena for hours and sessions on end.
I get kinda involved in this discussion because I get a LOT of comments on my (older) youTube videos that we “shouldn’t” be even riding 2 yr. olds, or that they should “never” be cantered under saddle until they have been trotted for months in an arena, etc. (These people don’t know that our horses, ages four and six now, have yet to suffer any “damage” from being ridden “too young.”) (These people also don’t read the video descriptions telling them the horse does maybe 3 STRIDES of canter… duh!) See all the comments on my youTube video Green horse first canter under saddle.
Mostly though, people seem to think that there is only one way to train a horse, and that is by going around in circles in a riding ring. I’m sorry, but in my observations, this gets a bit boring quickly to a young horse which has a short attention span. I have to work at keeping it interesting for myself, never mind the horse.
Don’t get me wrong, I surely believe there is a place for schooling and higher-level training beyond that, and it certainly is easiest to do it in an arena. I’m doing it myself right now, and I have an increased appreciation for it. HOWEVER, think about WHAT IS NATURAL FOR A HORSE TO DO?… what sort of environment would a horse (a wild horse, at least) be moving around in… how would a horse be acting in its natural social surroundings with other horses or within a herd? How would you expect the horse to behave when the other horses around it were going about the business of being ridden along a woods trail?
To me, this sort of trail-training education, given in a way which makes it EASIER for the horse to understand, can only further the horse’s ability to know what’s expected of it in ANY situation, and not just inside a ring. The horse balances its rider on rough surfaces, up and down slopes, because it is going along with its herdmates and thus not focused internally or on the funny-feeling weight on its back. It breaks into a canter for a few strides and canters freely because the horse in front of it is doing the same, and it discovers it’s not a big deal and nothing scary.
I ask you: how do you think the plains Indians taught THEIR horses to be ridden?? Not to mention other horse cultures… the desert nomads, the barbs, the mongols…? Can you imagine what excellent horsemen these peoples must have been, and how much a part of their horses they were? Free your minds, horse people!
By late November, we’d normally expect to see something like this… but this snow shower was actually in mid-October– and nothing since then!
Nov. 22, another day of ring-work training… we took Glen and Gilford to the nearby stable (Lakes Region Riding Academy) to practice in their outdoor arena. I rode Gilford while Hubby drove Glendale put to the Eagle carriage. (It was a very large arena so we had plenty of room.)
Hubby was practicing tips and pointers he picked up in his most recent driving lesson with Robbie at Trinity Stable. He worked on keeping Glen forward, driving him into the bit so he could maintain better contact with the reins. I could see Glen getting it and starting to become more rounded in his neck and back; but he did get pretty tired pulling that carriage in the softer footing of an arena.
I have not ridden Gilford probably all year, so I was feeling him out doing the same things I have been teaching Glendale to do recently. I found Gil still remembered the solid training base which daughter Emmie has given him in three different months of schooling, when he was aged 3-5. (See Young warmblood horse goes to school.)
Gil definitely knows bending, leg yielding, side passing etc.– and he is not so distractible as his younger brother although I still had to refocus his attention on me regularly. AND, he was pretty responsive too, he knows he is supposed to maintain the gait he is in until I ask him to change speeds. HE is not so agile as his younger brother, but that’s expected since he has a tad longer back than Glendale so his conformation makes him a little less athletic. We did transitions (going from halt to walk and walk to trot) and lots of bending, circles and serpentines, plus yielding the haunches and shoulders, side-passing and backing. He seemed to understand two-tracking (which is leg-yielding, sort of a semi-side pass, while moving.)
Life is good when this late in November, in NEW HAMPSHIRE, you can still be riding and carriage driving outdoors AND not freezing to death!!!
Thanks to her commenting on this blog, we are able to share Lori R.’s questions and stories as she begins to train one of her miniature horses to pairs driving. Lori is in process of obtaining harness(es) and a mini cart, has one mini which already drives, and a second which she will be training. She also drives a really cute donkey! Follow Lori’s reports here as they happen!!
________________________
Connie, I am enjoying your blog. Would you mind giving me info on your pairs team harness? In particular, I am wondering about the straps, equipment, etc. that attaches the horses at their sides while ground driving. I have a pair of minis that are constantly together and even walk in a synchronized fashion. I might be able to ground drive them together if I can find the proper equipment.
Thanks!
Lori
On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 8:23 PM, connie moses wrote:
Hi Lori
Thanks for reading!
I don’t know of any straps that would attach them at their sides. The pairs harness is designed to attach each of them to the carriage and the pole. When we were getting ready to hitch our boys together the first time, our instructor had us fasten them together by their pole straps, which come off the front insides of their breast collars (when they are hitched they attach the horses to the front of the pole.) This was for ground driving them side by side in a controlled situation in an indoor arena, just so she could observe them.
Prior to hitching them, we had done a whole lot of groundwork and you can see about that here on the blog:
My Hubby had made a pole out of PVC pipe which we used to hold them together and get them used to moving side by side and the feel of a pole banging on them. Bear in mind that we bred and raised both these horses to do just this, they have never been flighty or highly reactive horses, and in a very real way they were preparing for driving their whole lives. Though they were only 2 and 4 at this point, they got along extremely well with each other and listened to us very well. All’s I’m saying is, the prep work is everything, and knowing your horses is everything, so you must use common sense and good judgment as to what your own horses are ready to try.
I won’t recommend anything specific to you because I am not a trainer; however, horses that are tractable, like each other, and are well grounded in the basics of being driven should be able to be attached to each other front and rear with baling twine tied to their harnesses and be able to deal with it. I would hesitate to use anything that doesn’t break easily, just in case they get themselves in trouble. Even what we did, fastening ours to a PVC pole, was fraught with potential risks. But when it came apart and the back piece fell down and banged them on the legs, we just stopped them and they stood there while we got them untangled…
Good luck Lori, please keep me posted!
connie
Nov. 24 from Lori:
Hi Connie!
Thanks so much for replying. Great to hear from you. You’re the first person that’s even attempted to explain pairs driving to me, so you really know your stuff! All I’ve been getting so far is Oh, you can’t do that.
So the pairs harness has a pole loop. Ah… I never knew this.
THAT is what I was wondering how they were attached. I thought it was maybe from the side. Baling twine… isn’t it a godsend? I have plenty of that on hand. If I’m not careful I’ll end up with one of those huge Guiness twine balls. I used the twine with a slip knot to attach a narrow pvc pipe/travois to the tugs while ground driving my mini-donk. It also served as a neat reins holder off the back strap when the lines kept getting hung on the breeching buckles.
I understand about the liability risk of providing training advice to others. The tips you’ve given me just now are basically what I was stumped on and I can proceed. I promise I will be careful. This mini pair has been together consistently for quite some time now… eat together, sleep together. I even lead then together with one hand. But, being attached is totally different than being able to move off from each other. I understand this and just thought I’d give it a try. I’ve got to get another harness as well. One of the pair is already trained to drive. I just bought another cart/harness yesterday that was too good of a deal to pass up. Nothing glamorous but fine for training purposes and all parts/accessories in top shape. I’m afraid the harness might be too big though. The minis are 29″ and 30″. It might, however, fit the mini-donk… at 34″ he is growing out of the one harness I have. I’ll intro the untrained mini to ground driving singly first.
Now that our sweltering summer is over here in Texas, I’m able to spend more time outdoors and actually teach my minis something other than eating and hanging out! LOL! I’ll keep you posted on their progress or call upon you (if you don’t mind) for further tips. Take care and Happy Driving!
Gilford and Glendale are ready for more advanced fine-tuning in their driving; there is more to it than just moving down the road and getting used to all that involves while remaining manageable.
Towards that end, Hubby decided to get some coaching in more advanced driving techniques. Except for when we first hitched the boys with the help of professionals, plus 2-3 driving clinics and a fun Arena Driving Trial, he has not ever had professional assistance.
So we found a driving and eventing stable in Canterbury, Trinity Stable, run by Roberta Bailey and Barry. We took both boys and Hubby drove each one individually put to the Eagle. The instructor Robbie was very nice, and was able to explain things so Hubby could understand.
Gilford moving along nicely, Roberta coaching Hubby.
Hubby said some of the things she told him were the same things I had been telling him. lol. Things like driving them forward more consistently, and thereby having more contact with the bit. Both of them got a good workout from pulling the carriage in softer footing, a clay/sand base, but it wasn’t really deep.
Roberta gives Hubby pointers for increasing Gilford’s impulsion, getting him to bend around circles, performing a halt and salute, backing a couple of steps, and walking off. (On both his passes by me at the rail, I swear Gilford is looking at me and saying “Help– get me out of here, this is WORK!!”)
Glendale at the trot. Hubby is learning how to drive him forward into the bit and to take more rein contact (Robbie demonstrates, then Hubby takes the reins), which encourages the horse to use his hind end more strongly to push himself forward. As that happens, the horse’s back and neck become rounder as the horse begins to stretch his head forward and down, thus working in a better “frame.” This way of working improves the horse’s athleticism by strengthening his back and hind end; the same principles apply as in ridden dressage.
Hubby works Gilford at the trot…
…and Glendale too! It appears that Glen’s shoulders are elevated a little compared to his rump, which indicates he really IS bringing his hind end underneath himself and thus is becoming lighter on his forehand– as is the desired result!
It was good for both the boys to get that attention, Roberta drove each of them a little– also to have to deal with one horse in the ring and the other one next to the ring at the horse trailer. The only time they got real anxious was when Hubby drove Glendale out of sight of Gilford for a minute after his lesson, and Gil tried to break off the trailer but he didn’t manage it thank goodness. Glen was antsy too with the cart when they were out of sight, but not as bad as Gilford. Such wimps.
Glen hung out at the trailer while Gilford was being driven.
Trinity Stable is attractive with a huge ring; they built a shop/tack room/stall row with their living quarters above it all. It seems to work well for them. Nice and clean, enables them to have heated tack areas, bathroom with shower, and heated water in the sink. They decided not to keep horses stalled under the house– they have a couple other stall barns for about 9 horses– but they store carriages and bring the horses into the aisle/stall area under the house to tack and harness.
Barn house has tack room, carriage shop and grooming areas below, with living quarters on top floor.
Roberta does eventers too, has 1 or 2 boarders and mostly gives lessons on her own horses. Barry her partner sells some driving accessories like whips and bits, and refurbishes/restores old carriages. He has the carriage shop and she does the horse training.
Hubby seemed to feel the lesson was beneficial, he set up another lesson date for next week!
Here’s a few of the training methods John Lyons demonstrated Nov. 13. IMO, Mr. Lyons has mellowed out a great deal in his approach to horse training from his earlier years.
John Lyons at Equine Affaire…
This horse was so nervous he could not stand still. John’s answer to that is to teach the horse in-hand to go forward, sideways, and back on cue through repetition, thus building respect and obedience to the handler. By directing the horse’s movement whenever he starts to move on his own, he practices positive things the horse needs to learn anyway, and reinforces the habits of response until they become automatic. The habits of responding correctly to cues are built by repetition.
It is impossible to force the horse to stand still, and pointless to try. When the horse learns to trust the person as his leader, the horse becomes more confident, and this will transfer to when the horse is ridden.
Here John does basically the same thing under saddle as he was doing on the ground: the nervous horse keeps moving all on his own; John takes that movement and DIRECTS it, thus practicing and reinforcing positive correct responses.
John describes this as steering the horse’s tail. It could also be called disengaging the haunches. These turns slow down the horse by stopping his forward movement; they are a positive training alternative to trying to stop the horse by pulling back on the reins and trying to force him to stand still, which would be counterproductive and would not work with this horse.
John Lyons riding horse over a tarp on the ground.
Lyons is saying that, to the horse, stepping onto an unknown footing such as this tarp is a life and death decision; as far as the horse is concerned, it could be deadly snakes. He demonstrates letting the horse work through its fears, by keeping him facing the tarp but not forcing him to go forward, and never getting upset or angry or aggressive towards the horse. Whenever the horse moves voluntarily, he simply takes that movement and directs it towards where he wants the horse to go. He gives the horse whatever time it needs to decide on his own to step onto the tarp.
Through this type of training, the horse develops confidence in his rider’s consistency and even-handedness, is not made even more anxious or fearful by his rider, is not punished, and learns that he is not going to be hurt by the frightening object. The next time he is likely to be more confident when facing a threatening situation, and to have more trust in his rider/leader to keep him safe. Depending on the level of fearfulness of the horse, it can take many, many repeated lessons.
Horse facing his fears and learning to deal with them.
Anyone interested in learning more about barefoot hoof care, in addition to reading Peaches’ posts on barefoot, should check out the BAREFOOT HORSES Web Ring at below right to find other sites discussing the topic. Barefoot and natural horsekeeping is becoming more and more popular. That would be because, as more people try it with successful results, they are spreading the word!
At the barn getting their supplemental hay, due to grass being in short supply by this time of year (mid-October)…
“Natural” horsekeeping to me is 24-hour turnout, bare hooves (supported when necessary by hoof boots, such as on rough footing or when transitioning from shod to barefoot), and an approach to training which considers the horse’s natural instincts and way of communicating. Even beyond that, it is training which allows the horse to have an opinion and to be able to express that opinion, to be comfortable and not fearful, and which encourages the horse to figure things out for itself. Sort of a mutual respect, except the person is always the herd leader and must always get the respect.
There are many variations on this training theme, as well as several approaches to barefoot trimming. It is my belief that the trimming model should be based on how wild horses naturally develop their own rock-crushing hooves, through a TON of movement on varied terrain and through a high-fiber, NON-rich diet.
It seems that Hubby and I were ahead of our time 17 years ago when we started 24-hour turnout with our first horses. At the time it was just more convenient for us, plus it saved money on bedding. We gave up blanketing after the first three or four years as being unnatural and far too much trouble. The horses just grew their own fur coats! When horses have the choice of stall vs. outside, and choose to be almost always outside, in all kinds of weather– that really speaks volumes.
Gil and Glen playing at being horses; Momma Willy runs around some too! (Last May in one of their first turnouts in a large area in about a month, due to allowing the grass to get growing…) (Yes I posted this once already) …more similar videos are at Horse brothers gallop and play fight, and Horses being horses, running in the rain videos.
The other thing we have always done is to turn out mares and geldings together, which often is not done by horsepeople. AND we turned out Gilford when he was just a month or two old (along with his Momma Willy of course) with the neighbor’s 30 year old gelding next door. We took a thoroughbred only a month off the track and turned him out fulltime with 3 mares, and he was happy as a clam! Horses are sociable animals, and it has been our experience that they get along just fine together. Just use common sense and observe them during an adjustment period.
We as stewards of our own horses’ health and well-being need to devote the time necessary to learn all we can and to make informed decisions about their care and training. The results will be happier and thus more tractable horses, because they are living a life more natural to horses, which satisfies their needs and does not create stress.
[CONTRIBUTED BY HORSE GAL, Ghost Rider/guest writer]
“The path to your horse’s heart lies through your own.”
I recently lost both my mom and dad in the span of six short weeks. This has been the worse time of my life. Alzheimer’s took dad; Mom had complications from a fall she had taken, but she was expected to make a full recovery. I guess that’s why I’m reeling from the loss of her… it was not expected. I am so lucky to be Stan and June’s daughter.
One of the things I know Mom was very proud of me doing was my getting involved with horses so late in life. I was 53, and that was 4 years ago. I had always loved horses, but never had the chance as a child to get involved with them. And it was because of Mom that the door opened for me to start on my lifelong dream of involvement with horses.
I remember it like it was yesterday – Mom told me about a picture she’d seen in the local paper that said “It’s a boy!” referring to a new foal. Believe it or not, I had just picked Mom up from a hospital stay and when I was driving her home, she asked if I wanted to stop and see if this new baby boy was out in the pasture. Poor Mom… she was so tired and not feeling well from her hospital stay, but she KNEW how much I would want to see this new arrival. And we did stop that day on the way home from the hospital in spite of how she was feeling. She wanted to stop for ME and she was so insistent! So stop we did.
That foal was Glendale and that is the day I met my dear friend Connie and my beloved mare, Momma Willy, and Momma mare’s other handsome baby, Gilford. I remember Mom being so tired she sat on an upside down bucket while I went and got to know Glen and Connie in one of their fields. My mom – she did that for me. From then on, she wanted copies of all my blogs and always asked about Connie and the Herd. She asked about my riding and always was so interested in all my horse adventures. She LOVED seeing Connie’s horses out and about whenever she drove by and she’d always call me and say “I just saw Connie’s horses” or if she drove by and all the stall doors were shut, she’d ask me if I knew why they were closed or where the horses all were! She was a huge part of my horse life. Dad, even with his Alzheimer’s, enjoyed looking at pictures I took of horses, mostly Connie’s.
Now they are both gone and I feel so lost without them. But, in spite of this pain, when I even just see a horse, that somehow momentarily gives me some comfort. Two weeks ago, I was in Gilford and I went with Connie while she took lessons on baby Glen. I loved every minute of it and it made me smile. I thought of my Mom a lot during those two lessons and I know Mom would have wanted me to be there with Connie. There’s something about just the smell of the barn, looking at Connie’s horses just being at liberty in their pasture, watching others ride, that just makes me feel at peace in spite of the grief I’m feeling.
The non-verbal, non-judgmental horse is helping me to work through this difficult and emotional time. It’s the unconditional love and acceptance of horses that is so comforting. They aren’t saying to me “it’s time to get over this” or “you need to move on”. It’s almost as if horses can lift the burden of grief from my shoulders and in turn, ease my pain. It’s intangible what these amazing animals do for me! I can’t explain it . There are just no words. Mom knew and understood my passion. She always encouraged it and it made her happy to see me so happy around horses!
Deepest gratitude to my mentor and wonderful friend Connie, without whom I would never have the horse life that I have and for always sharing her wonderful Herd with me. Especially during times like this.
And thanks, Mom and Dad for being the best parents ever. I miss and love you both.
__________________________ Connie’s NOTE: I remember that day too, like it was yesterday. A horse-crazy stranger dropping in out of the blue… dragging her nice mom along. But of course I was happy to show off our new foal! I set the horses up for picture-taking, then set Horse Gal up to photograph them running right by her and out of a gate. Little did I know that would be the start of a lasting friendship and sharing of MY own lifelong love of horses.
