Anna's First Ride

Anna will be two years old on May 14. She was born on Mother's Day. Here's what she looked like then...She's not the only one who has grown!!! Her name came from her momma, Polly. We decided before she was born that if she was a filly her name would be Anna, so we would have "Polly" (and) "Anna". If she had been a colt she would have been "Pockets" for "Polly" (and) "Pockets". In hindsight, "Pockets" would have been appropriate, as that's where she likes to be!

The Biggest Cowgirl and I have been working with her this last week in preparation for her first ride. We have haltered her and taught her to give to pressure, flexing her neck this way and that, moving her hind quarters in response to pressure on her side, followed by crossing over with her front feet. The idea is that if a horse knows how to move it's feet on demand before you take that first ride, then things will work out better!

The next step was the saddle... we did that yesterday before we went out to gather in the heifers. The Rancher put the saddle on and then the Biggest Cowgirl led her around from the back of an honorable and trusty steed, Sweetie.

We then turned her loose to follow us while we rode out to gather the heifers. She learned to move with the saddle on , to run, buck a little, and let all the leather flop and slap and make noise while she moved.

Today we went through all the ground work again. Moving the feet, giving to pressure, saddling, moving with the saddle. Then we added a cowgirl. Every thing went well, no jumps, bucks, or even starts. Just a few cockeyed ears wonding about what was going on. Actually, Anna is, and always has been a very friendly and quiet little filly. Just right for a little girs's first training experience.

Pictures, you ask? No, Mom didn't let go of the rope to take any... Maybe there will be photos of the second ride!

Blog of a Cowgirl

Well, off we go into the blogoshpere. I was undecided on the name of my blog. "Blog of a Cowgirl" is a take-off of the book, "The Log of a Cowboy", by Andy Adams, which was first published in 1903. While I'm a cowgirl, and always will be, as I mature (that's the polite way of saying I'm getting older) I enjoy identifying myself as being a ranchwife. I like to say, "Think of a housewife with a husband and three children, laundry, cooking, and cleaning, plus thousands of acres, a couple hundred head of cattle, several horses, some chickens...." Well, you get the idea.

So, I chose the name, Reminiscenses of a RANCHWIFE, as a take-off of the book, "Reminiscenses of a RANCHMAN", by Edgar Beecher Bronson, written sometime around 1910 as near as I can tell. Bronson came from "back east" and paid his dues as a "greenhorn" and finally settled on a ranch near the North Platte River, a little down-river from where we are now located. The similarities are close enough for me to snatch his title for my own. No, I'm not from "back-east" but I wasn't ranch raised and have now made better than a down-payment on the dues owed to attain the title of RANCHWIFE.

This is all fine and dandy... but I may loose my title if I don't get out and help my beloved husband gather the heifers!