My Big Girl

Aria is a big girl now. She has her new shoes on and can dig in better when she goes around the curves. She looks like she is enjoying them. She’s pulling on the bit and asking to go faster. I really enjoy just watching her gallop. It’s nice to see a horse enjoy its work. Lots of people are critical of racing and the training. I show up regularly to see my horses whether in show training or race training. They seem to really like galloping. I’ve never had a horse drag me to a halter class or any performance class at a show, but I have had them drag me to the track when they know it’s their time to run. I’m amazed at the difference between the two from the horse’s perspective.


Aria went swimming this week. To everyone’s surprise she just walked in like it was no big deal. She swam like a duck and had no problems. Amazing. Just amazing. I just knew some fits would be tossed over that pool of water. I’m hoping to get some photos of her swimming. She galloped on Friday and took Saturday off. She’s getting plenty of turn out and seems to be satisfied with life.


The racetrack at Sam Houston took a big hit from the hurricane. The track lost some railing, the grooms’ rooms are moldy, the grandstands had the roof popped off and plopped back down on it. The track was going to open up in Nov. Now, they are discussing whether or not it will open this season at all. I truly hope it does, but it does not sound like it will. It is so nice to be able to race there. It’s one of the best tracks in the country for the horses and the people like it too. If it does not open, I guess we will be hauling to San Antonio to run which is a pain because it is a three and a half hour drive and diesel is not cheap. It is just time and money that could be spent elsewhere.

The First Week at School

Aria like most school kids said, I’m having a good time here at home, don’t wanna go to school. She informed me she really didn’t want to get in the trailer. She did drama girl as we went toward the trailer. Shai2 was screaming take me, take me or probably bring her to me. It was hard to tell. He loves to go in the trailer. Aria was very reluctant to lead and I was thinking about locating a whip to encourage her. But as she lined up the back of the trailer, she suddenly got this funny look on her face. She looked at me and just walked right in the trailer. Woweee, Joe’s training has worked, not that she has ever been horrible to load. Joe spends time teaching them to load in the trailer and to be quiet in the trailer.

Off to school, she went. We arrived and she knew where she was even though Ike had rearranged the fences. She was happy to be back in her stall. Aria remembered all her training. No lapses of memories. I think she was happy to be doing interesting things again. She’s getting her first set of shoes this week.


I went over on Sat. to watch her gallop. The man who has done all her under saddle work was not there so a new man was going to gallop her. She felt good and was sassy, but not naughty. This was the first time, she had been ridden by someone new. They went out to the track and around they went. I’ve included a few photos of her at the beginning of her work. She was huffing and puffing by the end of her gallop. But she worked through tired and did it. She will be learning how to swim soon.