April,Bryan,Diane, and Karen over nighted at our house.When Bryan,April and Diane arrived with the 31 foot trailer my mom told them to circle around the circle so they could come back and park.As they were going around the circle we heard a big crash.Mom said,"I hope they didn't run into the mailboxes!"Sure enough the 3 mailboxes at the circle were smashed.Not completely smashed but in rough shape.Our neighbors were nice and said they'd take care of the boxes(Even though bryan said he'd pay for them.)The next day  Kahlua ,my mom and I went with Karen/Tripp, Diane /Cochise, April/Nevada and Brian/Zip to do the ACTHA ride in St.Louis. It was great.The first obstacle wasgoing through vines and trotting off over logs,Kahlua hesitated at first then she went right through!On the second obstacle we had to trot over caveletes(little jumps)and canter off on the right lead after it.Kahlua trotted the caveletes fine but there was hardly enough room to canter off.My mom said she heard someone say i got a few strides in but i didn't think so.The third obstacle wasthe bridge. Kahlua went right on the bridge.Then on the fourth obstacle Kahlua and I trotted through barrels and did a flying emergency dismount while she was still walking(Don't worry it was part of the obstacle.) Anyways the fifth obstacle was dragging a log which she did great and the sixth was side passing over to the rain slicker and putting it in front of and behind the saddle.I don't know if we side passed  but i was actually surprised when Lua and I placed 2nd overall the Juniors! We got a $25 gift card to walmart and some ACTHA bucks! Diane and Cochise did great!She made Cochise do some obstacles even horses with 4 years of training wouldn't do!Karen was riding Tripp for the first time for a while and she did good too! Even if Tripp and her Did not complete a obstacle she always had a big smile on her face! Of course April and Brian did amazing!They are seasoned pros!

Kahlua got a boyfriend yesterday!!! They shared a hay bag and Kahlua never put up a fuss with him!(Its unusual for Lua because she never likes geldings or any type of male horse!)The dashing young horse was Tripp!And when Lua left they kept whinning to each other!It was sooo cute!)

Well thats all for now folks!haha! I gots to get packing for the EMM! I am nervous Yet excited!I hope to see a lot of people there!

I am so happy with vaulting right now!It is sooo much fun!I am working on flying arabesks(which is where you stick your leg into the air and jump and switch.)

Valero and I have just spent time improving everything we have set out to do.And i am imensely proud of some things he accomplished today!!!We got him to stand still while the tractor was going around him,worked on sidepassing,and he experienced his first human made fire(i think,depending on if a fire happened in the wild.)He was amazingly good with all those!He also went on his first trailride today!!!He did good except when i first asked him to trot to keep up with the horses in front of us he tried biting Lua because she wasn't going fast enough!haha!I repremanded him but later Kahlua tried kicking him but was not sucessfull.That ended very quickly and he crossed through water(even played in it) and i made him fall back when being ponied through VERY tight spaces.So over all he did GREAT!(I know i say this alot! But i am just so proud of him!)

This weekend we went to an event called "Old Threshers" to promote the mustangs.

  Valero did REAL well!! I mean at first he had tractors coming at him from EVERY direction!!!He was really ansy...even reared up on me a few times(i was poning him)But as the night went on he got better!!!We even did a demonstration!We showed the crowd how smooth his gates were , sidepassing,showmanship and how i could pick up all four of his feet.The crowd was very attentive and asled lots of good questions!I told them everything i could think of and my mom helped!One of the parents i know from my old drill team said,"Jessi you are doing so great with Valero!!!I mean WOW!By the time you were done witht he Demo i heard people in the crowd saying 'i want a mustang'!"I got so many compliments like that one on him and we accomplished our goal of promoting the mustangs!!!I talked with an older couple for about 20 min. and i had realized i talked their ears off but they said they didn't mind and really enjoyed it! Add another one to the list of people who want Kahlua!A guy came up to me looking for a 13 hand horse for his granddaughter and he asked"How much do you want for her?" i replied,"I don't know i couldn't put a price on her...shes my baby!!!" And he said"Well you are getting a little tall for her" and i said"Well she is spending the rest of her life with me unless i really can't take care of her!" he told me "You can't blame a guy for trying!!!" Don't worry dona if i ever had to give up lua i knew who she'd go to! Kahlua put up with soooo much of Valero's crud tonight!!He would walk into her,nibble her ear,pull her braids and she never snapped at him!!!I am so proud of her!But at the end of the night i let her nip him...i was sick of repremanding him and thought lua needed too.He never messed with her for the rest of the night!     I rode some old drills with my old drill team...my instructor kept trying to get me to come back but i told her"Well i have to finish the EMM first" sooo yeah.

Valero did so good today he was falling asleep!haha!Kahlua and i entered the show and got 2nd in walk/trot/lope and 6th in POLES!(Which is amazing because she is soooo lazy!)Valero and I and also Karen and Boom got to do a demonstration in front of everyone again!Valero and Boom did great even with tractors going everywhere they showed like pros!

Well today was one of the nicest days of the summer Temp. wise but wasn't a good day with Lero...I went up to start working with him and noticed his frog was bleeding...i imediately called mom,who called the farrier.He was going to come out this afternoon unless the bleeding stopped because he was not feeling too well.I could not work him because my mom did not want to risk hurting him any further...When my mom got home she told me to wash his hoof out with hydrogen peroxide and then soak his foot in warm water/epsom salt/iodine.In order to keep his foot in the bucket i had to stroak his leg...so i pulled up a chair and stroaked his leg for 20 minutes while he ate his grain...Update on his hoof tomorrow because the farrier is coming out early...Schools starting soon so Lero and I have to adjust to a new schedule.    :(

Valero went to his first show!!!We arrived friday night to stall him overnight.He did wonderfully!!!He had no problem in his big boy stall...

I saddled up lua after that and ponied Valero around the main arena.I talked to a girl who couldn't believe i trained Lero by myself!She goes,"Wow hes PRETTY!! And so well behaved" I said,"Thanks i trained him myself!" "Nu-uh?!" "Yeah he was wild a month ago!" "Haha,sure!" I then said"No really!He is a WILD MUSTANG that came from the WILD a month ago!!!Never has he been touched before that!" She then turns to her friend and says"Wow he's better trained then your mom's yearling and your mom has had her horse longer!" Haha it makes my heart feel good to hear that!But after she said that he started playing "Ring Around The Rosy"with Lua and I!!!So i just worked the rope around me like i was lunging him and he soon calmed down.

 After that we took them to the washracks...Kahlua got a full bath but Lero just got a hose down because he wasn't that dirty.Here's Lero drying off in front of fan!

We got there the next morning and prepared Lero and i for his first halter class.But while we were getting ready he got his halter hung up on the stall and broke it...so we had to use the tie-die halter....First of all i didn't hear my number called and my mom yelled,"Jessi it's your turn!!!Hurry!!!"So as i got in there he spooked at blue BUCKETS!Can you believe that?!Then as we were trotting off Valero spooked at the camera man!Just a bit though but when he spooked at the buckets he jumped on me!He REALLY soon realized he was on me and quickly got off.We got ourselves together and got in the line-up...outta 16 we didn't place but i was proud of him.

I put lero back in his stall and we headed to lunch.Kahlua and I competed in Egg and spoon and got last!haha!Her trot is a lil bumpy!And we did not place in walk /trot.Kahlua was not collected enough...My mom said the judge favored the paints.

Kahlua and I weren't allowed to compete in walk/trot/canter because there was an age limit...I was feeling sick towards the end of the day so we went home,But overall it was a great weekend with a lot of new experiences!