Friday favorites

I go to the barn every single morning, and as often as not, my camera comes with me.

This means I end up with a lot of photos.

Of course, many of them feature Sage.

But really, I have pictures of everyone and everything.

Sarah on Amora

Doodle

Ender in training

Luna

Guaranteed

Azar

Sir Valor

Glamour and Canela

Dexter

King

Rhaena, Dawnovan and Sage

Amora

Ted

Ronda, Laura and Diana on Fantasia, Sacred and Guaranteed

Summer

Grizz

Except there is one thing - one of my very favorite things - that has been completely undocumented... until now!

At least two or three times a week, everyone's favorite barn guy, Lee, gives Sage and I a ride from her stall to the mare field.

We always trot. 

Carol videoed us doing this on Wednesday, and yesterday, I let one of Gray's friends hold the lead rope while I took photos.

Sage and her entourage.

This was - and always is - so much fun. I'm so glad to finally have photographic evidence of this favorite activity!

Midweek weekend

Sometimes the best weekends happen in the middle of the week.

My best friend, Carol arrived in Denver Tuesday night. I picked her up at the airport after work, and we spent the rest of the night catching up and playing with Piper. A perfect Friday night.

The next morning we went to the barn. 

I rode Sage, and Carol took pictures.

Look at us go!

After that, we had lunch with Karen.

Then Carol and I got in the car and drove east, to the new-and-still-under-construction Hogan Park at Highlands Creek.

Eventually, this nearly one hundred acre space will be home to a disc golf course, performance plazas, climbing walls, a zip line, embankment slides, linear challenge courses and pollinator gardens. 

Right now, it's mostly large public art installations.

I liked it a lot and am glad we went.

The day ended with dinner at my favorite restaurant with my two other best friends. There just aren't words for how happy this pictures makes me.

Today - pretend Sunday - featured a visit from best niece, Gray, and two of her horse friends.

We played with the foals...

and Gray rode Sage.

Sage was so good.

Carol and the kids have all moved on, and Seth, Piper and I are enjoying a quiet evening at home. We're all tired and a little people out, but also very, very happy.

Tomorrow is Monday Friday. Back to work!

Preparations

Seth and I are expecting a number of out-of-town visitors this week, including our niece, Gray, and two of her barn buddies.

Of course, I want to take them to the barn, and of course, I want Gray to ride Sage again. Except this time, I want it to be a real ride, no lead ropes involved.

But before that happens, I wanted someone else to ride her.

Specifically, someone else who is not me.

So I asked fellow mustang owner, Rain, if he would be interested in giving her a few training rides. He definitely was, and the first one happened this past Sunday.

Before he mounted, Rain started with a little groundwork.

Sage was fine, so he took her to the mounting block...

and climbed aboard.

I held my breath as he asked her to walk forward, but Sage moved out willingly. 

If she had any concerns about being ridden by a stranger, she kept them to herself. 

Sage looked very confident and relaxed with Rain.

That is not to say there weren't a few awkward moments.

Sage is very green and also very opinionated. Of course, there were a few awkward moments.

Still most of the ride looked like this. I was so pleased.

At one point, Sage acted like she wanted to trot. We haven't done that yet, but I told Rain I was fine with it if he was. He definitely was!

The session finished with a series of walk/halt transitions and Sage's first ground mount. All of this went really well.

I can not overstate how much I enjoyed watching Rain work with Sage. I'm so proud of my funny girl, and I'm looking forward to sharing her with Gray!