It was once again that time of year where Kevin and I got to listen to the kids' teachers say such nice things about them, leaving us shaking our heads in amazement. What do you mean she gets along well with others, is a group leader, and quite independent? You couldn't possibly be talking about my Katie! (The one who still gets in bed with us during the middle of the night, and who won't leave my side EVER...lol!!!)
I am told that most parents are shocked when they find out how their child acts in school, and let me be the first to tell you that I always am...lol!!! It is interesting to see how your child behaves when you are not around, and it is very reassuring, because my kidlets are little beasties at home, to know that they are little angels at school. It lets you know that you are doing something right!!!
Why am I not expounding on Eric, you may ask? Mostly because he is a third grader, so we have had three years to adjust to his school personality. Both of the kidlets have done great so far this year, but that was not a surprise to me, as I volunteer in each of their classrooms once a week. (Surprisingly, I think that I will miss that when I go back to work!)Volunteering is kind of nice, because it allows you to observe your child in a learning environment, and you have plenty of opportunities to talk to their teachers about any problems that your kidlet may be experiencing.
Eric's conference was really neat, in that it was student led, and Eric had to guide us through his progress so far this year. Remember back in the olden days, when we just learned multiplication and division in third grade? Well now they are learning factoring, geometry and beginning algebra. It is really quite neat to see the level of learning that kids do at such an early age, and what is even neater, is that they understand it!!!
Katie's conference was also good, and in the two months she has been in first grade, she has gone from a K1 (kindergarten/month one) reading level to a K8 (kindergarten/month eight). Her teacher assures me that by March, Katie will be reading at or above grade level. Way to go Katie Kate!!!
Anywho...I just wanted to let family know that Eric and Katie are doing well in school, and let Eric and Katie know that we are really proud of them!!
Good job you guys, and Eric, I may need your help in my math class next semester...lol!!!
Anywho...I just wanted to let family know that Eric and Katie are doing well in school, and let Eric and Katie know that we are really proud of them!!
Good job you guys, and Eric, I may need your help in my math class next semester...lol!!!
Take a look at Abu Farwa, a Crabbet-bred stallion, in the above picture. I bet that he is not what most of us think of when we think of the Arab "type," but 40+ years ago, he was. Today, there are several types of Arabian horses, and to me, the interesting thing about them is that they are all interconnected.
My favorite type of Arab is known as the Crabbet Arab. They were selected from Bedouin herds in Egypt and imported to England's Crabbet Park, by Lady Anne Blunt and her successors. *Abu Farwa, the chestnut featured earlier, and *Skowronek (actually imported from Poland), the gray stallion above, are a few famous stallions that came from this breeding program, and who's influence is still seen today. (See this 
Perhaps no Arabian stallion is as well known as *Bask++ (above stallion). He is one of the most prominent Polish Arabian stallions ever, and many horses can be traced back to him. Polish Arabians have a fascinating history that is riddled with many hardships, and the fact that the breed survived in Poland is amazing. You can read more about them 
Another bloodline, which is closely related to the Polish Arabian, is the Russian Arabian. This bloodline was also lucky to have made it through political turmoil and strife, and it really took off when prized, Polish Arabian stallions were sent to the Tersk Stud in Russia during World War II. Until then, the Russian Arabian was mostly composed of some stallions who were imported from France and the Crabbet Stud in England. The stallion above is *Muscat, and you can read more about them 
Most likely the least known Arabian, the Spanish Arab composes less than 1% of the Arabian bloodlines today. They were originally bred from Polish and Crabbet horses, but were eventually refined to represent the Spanish Arabian as it is known today. They were introduced in Spain to enhance the breeding of Iberian horses, and their influence can be seen in breeds such as the Andalusian and Lipizzaner. The above stallion is *Barich de Washoe, and you can read more about the Spanish Arabian
Lastly there is the line that most people think of when they reflect upon Arabian horses, and that is the Egyptian Arabian. They are often considered to be the purest of the Arabian bloodlines, and were developed by breeders such as Henry Babson. The important thing to remember about Arabian horses is that they all stem from the Egyptian Arab, and that the various "lines" that are seen today, are representative of the areas/regions where they come from-Poland, England, Russia, and Spain- and their breeding programs. Two prominent stallions that helped to carry on the Egyptian line, are *Morafic (above), and *Nazeer (below). You can read more about Egyptian Arabians 
Again, this is just a brief synopsis of the Arabian horses current lineage, and I will write more about their versatility in another post. If there are any major errors, I am apologizing ahead of time...my research time is limited and I am going off of what I can remember "off the top of my head"...lol!!!! Can you tell which line, Bo (Caballero SF), comes from by noting any resemblances to horses in the above photos??
Six Things About Me!!!
Do you see the big, gray horse that is watching us through the gate? He is a giant 
Handsome!!!
We let Eric load Bo today (Amber was waiting on the inside of the trailer), and I noticed in this picture that we need to paint the inside of our trailer! We have had it for 14 years now, so I guess it is time!!!
Sorry that this post is kind of spacey and random, but I have been typing one of my papers all evening and I needed a break! My mind feels kind of fried right now. Where is Saddle Mtn. Rider when I need her...lol???!!! 
...or in his stroller...
Kevin and Keith came home empty handed this year, but five (or was it six?) out of the eleven people in their hunting party, were successful. Keith (Kevin's cousin)used to own a dairy farm over in Deer Park, so he knows a lot of people over where they were hunting, who let them use their land to hunt on....however, Kevin said that all they really saw were huge groups (50-100 or more) of does and last years fawns. Kevin also said that there was an insane number of people hunting over where they were this year, and that the bucks were most likely in hiding. Do ya think???!!!
It has been difficult to get much homework done with Katie 
I have also received another award from a person that I consider a great "blog" friend. Lisa, over at 
(Whitetail Deer picture above)
Let me start off by talking about Bo Bo. This was his first time being around cattle, other than the time that he and Amber chased two cows back down a trail and into their pasture, about eight years ago. While he did really well, it was not because he paid attention to the cattle and what they were doing, it was only because he is so well trained, and was able to move off of my legs telling him where to go. In other words, Bo is definitely not "cowey," but I think that he will learn what it is that I expect him to do, without me having to ask so much, because he is smart. This being said, his strong point was not being the horse that went in and picked out the three steers...he did better at holding the line, or keeping the herd at bay, and holding the cattle that we had sorted out until it was time to move them to the pen. So, for future penning competitions/clinics, Bo and I will be the sweeper (the horse that helps push the cattle down the arena and towards the wing person/pen) and the holder. 
Next we had Kristina and China, (we were really not worried about China's performance because she is a Paint), and she definitely lived up to her breeds heritage. Like I said, it was hard to watch each other out there, because we were all working as a team, but Kristina and China just got right in there and moved those steers! China was not timid at all, and she proved herself, under Kristina's guidance of course, to definitely fit in to the "cowey" category. Kristina and China seemed to be the best at sorting the cattle and then helping to move them down the arena, and also at taking up the wing position (the horse to the right of the pen, who keeps the cattle from slipping between the pen and an open space, and dashing back to their herd), or the hole position (the horse to the left of the pen, that effectively blocks that cattle from slipping between the wall and the pen, and running back to the herd. This horse and rider work alone, without the help of the other two horses/riders ,until it is time to run the cattle into the pen).
Lastly, and the most surprising of all, we had Amber and Waska, who had only been around cattle one other time. Honestly, we weren't expecting great things from Waska, because he is 1/2 Arab and 1/2 Saddlebred, and I don't know about you, but we have never heard of either of those breeds being "cowey." So...you can imagine our great surprise, when he and Amber approached the herd of 14 steers, and Waska dropped his head down, pinned his ears back, and started cutting them! Totally unbelievable!!! Gail even came up to Amber, not once, but twice, and said that she needed to get him around cattle, because "she had herself a really cowey little gelding there." Obviously then, Waska and Amber proved that they were capable of doing any of the positions that were asked of them, either sorter, holder, sweeper etc... 
In retrospect, team penning/cattle sorting definitely works better if you have a horse that knows, or likes what it is doing, but the riders skill level, as well as the difficulty or ease of the cattle that you have to sort, is really what makes up a good team. We will definitely be doing this again!!! Oh...and just so you know, whoever came up with the one and a half minute time limit sucks...lol!!! I think that you should have at least three minutes...one minute per cow!!
This was just one of those things where I got a phone call from Amber, who said that we had the opportunity to ride in this clinic, and that she would pay for half of the cost as a birthday present.
Even though I supported Obama, I do not think for a minute that John McCain is a bad guy, and I feel that he truly is sort of a maverick/renegade Republican, but I also feel that if he would have been elected, some of the key issues that I want changed, would not have been changed. This being said, I was very impressed by his eloquent speech last night, and I hope that he continues to play a part in our government. (To me, what is so sad about last night's election, was that I agree with some of the issues that both of the candidates put forth for change, and I just wish that we could have a "somewhere in the middle" political party. Why does everything have to be extremes?) I also realize, and I hope that those of you who voted for McCain realize as well , that I will not agree with everything that Obama does, and that it will take a long time for our country to get out of the mess that we are in, but I think that if we try to work together to find common ground, we will be able to accomplish this much more quickly. Anyway...I am excited that my my husband, my children and myself were able to be part of this historic election, and only time will tell what the consequences of last night's election will be... either negative or positive.
This is the back of one of Michael's little cousins. She is just a tiny little thing (18 months old), and I just wanted to scoop her up and take her home! How come I didn't think that mine were that cute when they were that little? Probably because I was too tired and stressed out to enjoy them...lol!!!
Hope that you all had great weekends!
