0:00

Welcome back to Katching Up with Katie. We have a lot to talk about this week because Miss Stephanie, who is our new trainer, is back on. We haven't talked in I don't know, I think a couple months on video. We talk every day, but like we haven't talked on video. And the first time you were on here, we just kind of like chatted about you and your background. And now that you've been here for a little bit, people have questions. And I don't know if you can tell, but she's uncomfortable mildly.

0:31

I love being on camera mildly.

0:31

Once we get to where we're just like chatting, it's easier. Yeah, this this part.

0:37

Wait, it does feel formal at first because it's like welcome. Um I'll just break the ice. I have one of the worst booty bruises you've ever seen in your life right now. Like I pulled my pants down and showed her today. Don't tell HR.

0:52

We'll pull a bedroom. I — everyone like here that is a female has a picture of my butt right now. Jonathan like held his hand where you couldn't see my like crack.

1:03

But yeah, it's bad. Um so what happened and what caused the gigantic bruise on my butt is we were with Ricky and Bobby last Thursday. I don't know. Have you ever had a horse with 106 fever?

1:17

Uh I don't think I've had quite that high. No. That freaked me out.

1:21

Almost. It was scary. I mean you know 103 104 you're like oh and then 106 you're like — I mean I know in humans you can go like blind and like you know big fevers that are prolonged like that you can get like brain damage and like you can go blind or go deaf or like and I know in horses prolonged fevers can like cause you know laminitis and like things like that. So, you know, immediately they started like cold hosing her, putting ice boots on her legs and like I got — by the time I got down there, she was already a bit perkier and so we had the vet out.

1:52

Anyway, long story short, we put them in the big folding stall to like quarantine them away. And so, I've never seen Bobby act this way. Like, she was a jumping bean like mounting Ricky.

2:03

She's wild.

2:04

Wild. And so, hindsight probably should have just taken Ricky out of the stall. Yeah, that probably would have been the safest bet.

2:13

But we've never had an issue with Bobby. She's always the sweetest girl.

2:18

And so we were in there trying to draw blood on Ricky, which mind you, Ricky's like all good now. We were trying to draw blood and this baby wanted to nurse and we were in her way when she swung her butt around and she just went to kicking and on video — it doesn't look bad. We pulled the cameras.

2:36

It doesn't look bad on camera. It doesn't. And it's like I feel like a pansy because I was like I got double barreled. I was hiding on the other side of her hair. I was hiding.

2:49

I was like, she's got a mean double barrel. And then she's just like it just looks like she's like,

2:55

but I have the most deep like she's she's offered — I did not ask.

3:02

She offered to laser it for me.

3:04

So, we're going to see if that helps with the bruising. I'm curious. I'm curious to see cuz I'm supposed to freaking ride this week and like go to a horse show and my butt is bruised. Luckily, I'm double cheeks up so it was not to the bone. Like I had plenty of cushion. Yeah.

3:20

So the bone doesn't hurt. Like at first I was like, "Oh my gosh, my tailbone." And that subsided. Now it's just the rough.

3:27

What did you say upon impact?

3:31

You know, I don't remember what I said, but I like I think it was visibly threw my back because I I just felt when I did that I was like, "Yep, that's what I did because it hurts." And I just immediately grabbed my tailbone. It was like, "Oh," and just kind of couldn't talk for a second. I think it was like a ow and then yeah.

3:54

You didn't speak.

3:54

I just kind of like waddled away.

4:01

Yeah. It was rough. And then what was funny is I came back here cuz we were supposed to go to Alabama. Well, we did go to Alabama, so I sat in a car — oh, this was before the lake.

4:11

Yes. Oh, wow.

4:12

The boat sucked. So I went to the house right after and I had to like finish chores. So, I like went and did the mini stuff and was like waddling around. Jonathan came in and we were trying to just load the car and go. And I was like I pulled my pants down. I was like, "What does this look like?" He was like, I see nothing. It doesn't look like anything. So then my like story sounds so dramatic, you know, it doesn't — you would think that there'd be something already there, right?

4:40

By the time we get to Alabama and I was changing cuz I just kind of — I was like, "Oh, well, there's nothing there." I was changing and he was like

4:50

and it was just black already. And so yeah, it's pretty big, too. I know. It's pretty big cuz well I sent her a picture — it doesn't look that big but in person it's pretty big and then I showed her in person today

5:04

and she's like anyway don't tell HR on any of this. We don't have HR just kidding but anyway —

5:13

you're looking at it buddy.

5:21

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6:22

Winston is HR. Uh, just go tell your problems to the pig. Anyway, we are about to go to our second horse show.

6:30

So, I figured we might talk a little bit about the first one since that was like our dummy test run. Yeah.

6:36

And then we're about to go to Kentucky, which it's going to like rain the entire time. And then I have some questions that people have.

6:46

It's good though. We've been in a drought. I understand that. Yeah. But is it going to rain?

6:52

Yes. It's going to rain in Alabama. It's going to rain in here. It's going to rain in Kentucky. Like everywhere in the specifics on this, you know, post because I always do like on Facebook. I'll put like a little, hey, I'm having so and so on Catching with Katie. What do you want me to ask them?

7:10

And I specified we already covered a lot of basic things on the first episode and I linked the first episode. I was like here's that one. What would you like to know? And they're like her riding background. I'm like we already did that.

7:24

We already did that.

7:24

Okay. So we'll just start with the basics which is now that you've been here — so let's see three months, like almost to the day you've been here three months. Been here a quarter.

7:39

Who's your favorite?

7:41

That is a horrible question.

7:41

No, it's not.

7:43

It's a horrible question. I don't have a favorite. I love them all in different ways.

7:43

In different ways.

7:50

I don't believe you. You've got to have a favorite. I mean, you work with — there's like a set of horses you work with like every day and then there's some that you kind of just pull out and like, you know, do some stuff with on the ground and then, you know, you've been actually amazing because of your, you know, knowledge bringing in from other barns and, you know, not just with like folding out, but you know, with rehabbing and care and like that's all been great, too. So, you worked with like a little bit everybody at this point. So I guess like out of the ones that you work with all the time, like the ones you're riding, who's your favorite?

8:27

Well, if it wasn't riding, it would be Woody. Woody.

8:31

I love Woody. I love Woody so much. Riding wise, it honestly it depends on the day. But for the most part, it's probably — I would say like Kennedy and Walter are my faves.

8:46

I mean, Walter — and we have there's a couple really good questions about Wall-E. So, like, is he your favorite because he's uncharted territory for you, or is he your favorite because he's so smart and good? Like, what makes that?

9:02

Probably I mean, he is very smart. He's different. Usually, I would say I'm a mare person, so it's interesting for me to really enjoy a stallion. They're usually not like my cup of tea. But he is really smart. You just have to get past some of like the the dumb stuff. But I don't know. He started out he was really tough. Now he's really good. And usually those are the ones like when you look back you're like I love them so much. And you hated them in the beginning. That's usually how it works.

9:33

Like in the beginning you hated him.

9:33

He's awful. And now I'm like he's the best boy.

9:36

Well, you know he's also kind of a later baby. And so when you came in, he was like, you know, not even two yet. And I think that was the first time with him being like testicles dropped, smelling mares in heat. And like, you know, as a yearling boy, you know, maybe he had been like a little naughty at times, but as far as like being a man and being like, "Oh, I have these things swinging between my legs and now these all these ladies smell really good." Like that was his first ever experience.

10:07

and you came in and started working with him at that same time. So, yeah, I could see how that could be very — and I'll just say that like if I ever say like something's bad, they're not bad. Like I'm just being really dramatic. So like Walter was in my version like bad a few times, but really like he was not.

10:23

He was — elaborate on bad.

10:23

Just like going — the hardest thing I had with him was just going in and out of the barn sometimes, just like walking past different mares getting distracted and like you know he does that like smelling thing — he's like sniffing everybody, flipping his lip up.

10:42

Yes. And it was always like if mares were in different stalls, if someone was not there, if someone was there, like anytime anything was a little different, he's like, "Oh my gosh, who are you?" Like, yeah, I can see the bane of your existence being in the round pen when like we've been resting those two pastures.

11:00

So, it's nice.

11:01

But before then, we had mares in pastures two and three, which they can actually kind of peek into the round pen. And like Erlene — it was Erlene. It was all Erlene. She was a hussy and she was just all up all over him every time he was in there — which they can, she can only just like peek over. It's not like they could actually — but that's enough. And it was so distracting. So they've been — he's had a rest from that just because we've been resting those pastures. But okay, so that kind of leads into a few people actually asked what the main differences were in starting a stud colt versus starting a gelding or a filly, you know.

11:42

Stud colts you just have to be really careful with, really on top of. You just have to make sure that they're on it, they're behaving, they're paying attention because they just do kind of dumb explosive stuff and it's all hormone related for the most part. So, you kind of have to be a little tougher on them, a little bossier. Mares I think are much easier for me to start because they're just a little smarter, a little more sensitive in a good way. I feel like those ones if you do it right, it doesn't take much time at all. Geldings are just kind of dumb dumb and but good. I mean, they're still really good.

12:23

There's a reason most people prefer geldings. Yes.

12:27

But you know, with the stud colts — I mean, one thing about — I've been very spoiled in the stallions I've owned because my first stallion I ever bought was VS Code Red, who in that time was already a senior stud.

12:43

So, been there, done that. You know, he's solidified into his routine. He's broke, like you said. And on top of that, he's exceptionally good-minded, and that's like the draw to him.

12:55

And so, you know, the first time I ever saw him, like no chain, you know, leading him around, hand grazing him, you know, no big deal. And then that was a big draw to Denver was that he was, you know, very solid-minded and I rode him as a nonpro, like as a three-year-old the first time I ever went over there. And I hadn't ridden a horse in a year. And, you know, it's like that's so important to me. And so, you don't really want to let anything go. You don't want to let habits form now when they're two.

13:29

Yes. And then when they get to be seven and they're like beefcake, they've been breeding mares because there is a difference pre-breeding and post-breeding as well. Yes.

13:41

Like if you don't have a well-behaved stud pre-breeding and then you go let them cover a mare or jump a dummy, it's not going to get better.

13:50

Yeah. It's not gonna get better. Well, and I feel like with studs, too, like in general, if you let them have a bad habit in this time of their life, it's going to be there forever. Yeah.

14:01

Like you might like be chipping away and trying to fix it, trying to fix it, but it's always going to be there. It's always going to be underlying if you don't just nip things in the bud like right now.

14:09

Yeah. And so Wall-E, poor thing, he doesn't have a very long leash right now, I would say. No.

14:16

But he has — it's getting there. It's getting better.

14:18

And it's not like we're riding the crap out of him or it's not like he's being just like worked worked worked — like today you just worked him on the ground. He's going to have like his fifth ride tomorrow ever. And you know he didn't get a ride until six weeks ago or something like that. And so he's been very lightly started slow. It's just consistency and making sure he stays in his little lane.

14:46

Yeah. He has to stay mentally in the right lane for me to get all the way on. And I think it's fine kind of going slow with him because he's huge.

14:56

He's going to be big. Yeah, he's going to be really big and he's not done growing mentally. Sometimes you think, oh, he's like mature. He's not.

15:04

He's not. He baby. He's baby boy.

15:08

He's baby. And I think — I don't know what it is if it correlates like the bigger they are, the more baby they are.

15:14

Yes. Like he's just like — I think and I don't know if it's going to be accurate. I need to redo it honestly, but we screen tested him when he was like — I don't know. I think when we did his like yearly X-rays or sometime around there and he was going to be like 171 or something like that. I feel like that could be accurate.

15:35

Yeah, you need to measure him with the testosterone.

15:38

I'm wondering if that might stunt it a little bit and put more muscle on him versus like growing up. I don't know all the science behind that, but I don't know if that's like an old wives tale or not.

15:50

Or I've heard it has to do with the growth plates.

15:52

Oh. I've heard when you gel them early, their growth plates stay open longer. Yeah.

15:58

So, there's more growth. And generally geldings are going to put on more fat than muscle. But, like naturally that's all I know. That's the extent of — we need to ask technology.

16:11

But yeah, he's a very exciting boy, I guess, because it's like when you have little breakthroughs, he's exciting. Like he makes it fun. And we've just been kind of shafted with Daphne because I really think she might have been like runner up right there with Wall-E, but she's been out — she tore a ligament in her hip. And so she's my other hunty 2-year-old, which I think me and you have a very similar type.

16:36

We do. Yes, we do. And Daphne is our type. Yes.

16:39

And I mean I don't want to take away from Molly because she's a very cute two-year-old, too. But she's very western, very tight-legged, and she's in just a she's in just a different place than Wall-E.

16:50

Yes. They're just all three of them are so completely different. Yeah.

16:54

In personality, what they're made to do, all the things. They're all different, right? But anyway, they are their whole other — they're their own sect of horses that you're training at the farm right now.

17:08

The others are the ones we're taking to horse shows. So, you know, you've been helping Rebecca with her new horse, Shelby. And then with my quote unquote show horses, I mean, it's just Ethel and Kennedy. And Ethel basically had her first horse show ever

17:24

that she actually showed in as like with an adult this past time. So, you know, 14 years old going to her first ever like real horse show and I think we kind of forgot that in some of the times we did — we just expected her to be super broke.

17:42

And she definitely had baby moments and we were like you're 14. But yeah, she's a horse show baby.

17:50

Which to be fair for being 14 and really having no horse show experience, it's kind of impressive. It really is. And the fact that she'll cart a little around in the pen would be perfect, right? That's crazy.

18:04

But, you know, I won't talk too much about Rebecca's little girl, but at this show, there was a stark difference between the previous years that she has shown where in the previous years, Annie or Ethel, you know, it's just been like, we're just happy to be here. Yeah.

18:21

They're trotting around. If you didn't fall off, hurrah. Right.

18:25

This time it was like, put your head down. And she was like she wanted to be competitive.

18:30

She wanted to do it right to win it. And so that's a new — that's new.

18:35

So her and Ethel are going to have to step it up a little bit.

18:39

So one of the questions on here — we're kind of pivoting for a second. We'll come back to the horse show. You had a baby.

18:47

I did. Not a human baby. A horse baby.

18:52

I think the last time we chatted on here, we were talking about the fact that you had a mare. Yeah. And that it was just poor timing and whatever with bringing her to Running Springs and so she foaled out, you know, at a boarding facility. So, she's at a boarding facility. Now, tell us about Pinkie's baby.

19:13

It's a little buckskin colt by Lazy Loper. I've named him Jimmy.

19:20

I love Jim Bob. Call him Jim Bob. I know.

19:24

He just screams like dumb. He's gonna be a dumb gelding. Very cute though. Very cute. Already love him.

19:30

I was going to say — I mean don't be so quick to gel him. I mean, you're not a stud guy.

19:36

I'm not. I just I don't know. I'll let him keep him for a while, but he's got to like look really — I mean cutesy.

19:44

What are your plans for him? I guess when you bred Pinky to Lazy Loper, what were the thoughts there?

19:51

When I bred her to Lazy Loper, I said, "I want a filly." I have an old client that had a Lazy Loper mare that I was just obsessed with. It was the greatest mare ever, right? Kid-friendly, broke trail horse, all the things. And she was the best. So, I was like, I want her, but buckskin. So, I'm going to do this and then that filly will be my keeper.

20:13

Like I'll ride something and show it and then it came out boy.

20:19

So, does that immediately put him on the sale list?

20:19

Yeah. Yeah.

20:26

Do you think you'll want to keep him back and see him grow up a bit before selling him or are you going to try to sell him on our hip?

20:35

I've always been one that just I don't really actively sell them or market them until they're closer to riding age. If someone wants to buy them, buy them. Cool. But otherwise I'll keep them till I can start them probably and then just see. I mean, I just feel it out.

20:51

But that's also fun because like a part of our whole thing was that you get a stall. So, at first she actually had a client horse here for a little bit. And then Pinkie is just a different situation because she has a baby on her hip at the moment. But that would be fun for you. I mean, you know, have your own little project in the midst of things.

21:09

Yeah. So, I'll keep him maybe. Yeah. We'll see. I don't know.

21:13

Do you think he'll be like — when you bred Pinky to Lazy Loper, you wanted like a western all-arounder, right?

21:19

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, with that cross, I don't think it'll be anything else.

21:24

It's not going to be very big. Probably like 151, 152. It'll probably be chunky. He looks chunky, though.

21:31

I saw your little video that you posted on TikTok of him. Did you go see him this weekend?

21:34

I did. Yeah, that's fun. So we'll see if Jimmy is mixed in with the yearlings this coming year. And cuz I mean it's crazy to me that like weaning is not that far away for me. No.

21:52

On the first bit of them, right? Like soon it's close. Like the first few babies — like Moose and Bobby and you know Woody — I'm just gonna see how he is with Indie because she's not rebred and like they haven't gone out for that long together yet because of his little like leg wrappies and stuff. So if he's not dragging her down I don't mind leaving him longer with her just so that he is out with babies longer, a little more socialized. I think so. I mean, there's no hurt in it if he's not dragging her down, you know?

22:23

And so, like, Moose and Bobby both have places to go.

22:28

They're not staying here. They have a little bit of a timeline, a deadline.

22:33

And so, that is something to take into consideration. And they're both chunks.

22:38

Like, chunk chunk. So, I literally like June, July. Yeah.

22:43

I have weaning to do, which is — and I'm weaning Glenn in June, too. That's crazy. That's like next month.

22:50

I know it feels crazy. But, you know, Glenn and — I feel like with my mini babies, it's a little different. Like, I've done about four months every time because I do feel like they mature faster.

23:03

Like they get real chunky. They get a lot more — maybe this is just my experience and my mares. I feel like they get way more independent.

23:12

Yeah.

23:12

Off of their mom faster. Like, I don't know.

23:15

That's what it seems like when looking at Glenn. It seems like he just like was here for two weeks and then he was like independent and off on his own and doing all the things.

23:24

That's what I've done so far. And I've always had colts. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I mean maybe hopefully have a dang filly at some point. I'm in the same boat. I keep getting all these little testicles and we — Matthew, what's your take on the whole situation?

23:42

Generally, I like to let you two hash these things out as my expert opinion is rarely called upon or needed.

23:50

I am going to bring up what you said earlier because we didn't — we said we're going to save it for this. So, I was telling him about my butt and he was like, "Oh, so now do you take back what you said about small animals causing damage?"

24:03

because he's referring to when Squirt ran 60 miles an hour from one end of the field to the other and planted me in the chest. Squirt was about 3 days old.

24:16

3 days old about — this is a mini, right? About 25 lbs.

24:21

Matt was on the ground with his camera squatted down taking videos.

24:25

Completely wide open and and like I don't know the word. I can't think of the word, but wide open.

24:33

Trucked.

24:33

Oh no. He was like — squirt trucked him. Vulnerable.

24:37

Just absolutely smashed his whole body full speed into him.

24:42

And then I think he had the audacity to come like bite you later. You had the audacity to immediately say, "Did the camera hurt him?" as I'm going —

24:53

He's a three-day old baby horse. I mean, I was like, "Oh my gosh, it looked more damaging to him." He's 25 lbs. I went literally 5 feet from where I was.

25:03

Oh my gosh.

25:05

This has now been 2 years and there is no video proof of it. So, it keeps getting —

25:05

I was just going to ask — is there video evidence?

25:11

It keeps getting — every once in a while this time of year it gets a little harder to breathe.

25:11

Well, Karen's about to have her other baby. Like, this is her second baby.

25:21

Well, that's fine. I won't be caught in that position ever again.

25:21

I'm ready.

25:25

I do worry that it's going to be another squirt because you've experienced Glenn — sweet boy. I mean, sure, he's like he's a little menace in some ways, but like overall sweet boy. Glenn was a whole other beast. Oh, so sorry.

25:40

Squirt.

25:41

Squirt was a whole other beast. Like not just in your pocket. And I would rock him too of course cuz he was that like he'd fall asleep, but he was like on another level of bad. And Glenn was like, "Oh, you want to put a halter on me? I'm halter broke now." I don't think — I can't — all these dang babies. I don't think Squirt was halter broke until Rebecca got

26:07

him. Like poor Rebecca like here. Cuz when he was born, we didn't tell her little girls. Yeah.

26:15

It was the plan from the start.

26:17

When he was born, if it was a boy, she was going to get him and he was going to be their Christmas present and like she was going to get — and that's why she got an older Minnie to go with him and like all these plans. And so the girls fell in love with him and were like always coming to visit him and then I

26:33

delivered him on Christmas Eve to her house and then it was like a whole thing.

26:37

That's — anyway, that being said, you might have round two coming soon.

26:45

I'll be prepared. I've been training cuz — is there two more mini babies?

26:50

Two more. So, there's Karen, who is due literally yesterday. And then there

26:59

she's saving it for later.

27:02

And then so I looked at the date. So, she had Squirt at day 351.

27:10

Day 351 is the day I'm supposed to be showing Western Riding in Kentucky. So,

27:17

that checks out.

27:17

Don't worry, everyone that I need is going to be with me in Kentucky.

27:21

I'm just kidding. I've got people back here at home and it's 4 and a half hours away. I can head home, but it is poor timing for sure.

27:33

Terrible timing. And then Regina is like 285 days and I think she's going to foal in the early 300s because that's what she did last time. Okay.

27:45

Would you ever want to be a miniature horse trainer?

27:45

I mean, maybe for funsies, but I mean, we could we could have quite the little empire if we added in the minis. Do in-house training.

28:00

Have you ever — you want to do some driving? I would drive a mini. You would? Yeah, I would drive a mini all day long.

28:06

Could you imagine? We have the arena now. Yeah.

28:09

Stephanie, we have the arena now. We have the goods. Well, let's do it.

28:18

Which one's broke to drive?

28:19

So, we'll — we need a teacher.

28:21

None of them. But we'll have Gretchen when she comes back, but she'll be pregnant probably and years away.

28:30

But I've been sending them off. Not to say that I don't want to keep using Emily because I learned so much from her the last time I went there. Like, she's all in on minis and like there's so much about them. Especially like on that high level like — you think you know — whole different world.

28:48

Yeah.

28:48

Whole different world. But it was so crazy at her barn — which we have like a whole video on that from Ocala when we visited her — like how her barn is set up. She had a lot of 12 x 12 stalls and then she just like cut them in half and it's like the perfect size for these show minis cuz they do go outside and you know they have like their regular schedule but she puts them in the round pen. She ground drives them. Like they're all on like show feed, so they're like getting all this like high protein because they're getting worked and they're muscled. And you know what? I'm really obsessed with watching those videos where they show like horse trailer conversions for mini horses.

29:21

Really? I've never seen those. You've never seen those?

29:23

Her trailer is not very big. And I'm like, how many can you put in there?

29:26

Like 14. Like yeah. They'll take like an eight horse trailer and convert it and hold like 16 or 20 minis. I know. And all these little slants. It's so cool.

29:35

It is. I'm like, it must be like Tetris putting them in there, you know, especially if you don't have like a side slant.

29:43

Yeah. Very cool.

29:45

It is very cool. So anyway, what are some things that you think we can improve upon from this last show —

29:54

Oh, yeah. Let's get into that.

29:56

What are some things you think we can improve upon? Not just riding, but like prep, setup, everything from Murfreesboro.

30:06

I thought you meant like where are we lacking here at Running Springs?

30:09

Where do you see the problem?

30:10

I mean, we can go there. We can go there.

30:13

What do you think needs to be improved here?

30:15

You know, we went to this show very honestly, I think, pretty unprepared.

30:20

Yeah. Oh, yeah. It was definitely one of those like, well, we're not really ready, but let's do it anyways cuz it's 30 minutes away. And sometimes that's the best thing you can do because it's very eye opening. So I came home with all sorts of homework, right? We just went in there and went, "Oh, well this isn't fixed. This isn't right. We got to do these things." What would you say was your key homework from that show going to the next one?

30:44

Mainly Ethel.

30:44

Ethel.

30:47

Yeah. Ethel really surprised me there. She felt pretty broke going there. And then we got there and I was like, "Oh, it's not broke." And that's just like the green of her.

30:58

Like I was like, "It's not broke." You don't really understand how much you can do homework at home and then you have to do show homework at the show.

31:07

Yes.

31:07

And then you have to build upon it by going back and forth because you can prep so much at home and it just doesn't translate.

31:14

The amount that you learn just by going to a horse show is so worth the dollars.

31:18

Even if you come home with like no ribbons, no nothing, like you will always just like jump up.

31:23

You find holes in knowledge. Yes. You find your holes in your training.

31:27

You find where your own horsemanship is lacking, where your horse is lacking. You in a just a different environment.

31:37

Yeah.

31:37

Lots of things reveal themselves, which Ethel we learned a lot about. Like we did not expect that. And now she's in way better shape. Yes.

31:46

Than she has been in. She needed to be — okay, we call it knocked down. That's not like a bad term. Like it just means like their energy knocked down. Like she needed to have been prepped energy-wise a lot more. Yeah.

32:00

Before showing because after the last day and we had a pretty poor class.

32:07

We did not have a good class. And you'll see that in the full horse show video that it's been posted by this time. So by that last class and then we were like, you know what, we're going to make her do it, right? Like yeah, we're going to go outside and ride her. And so we rode her for about an hour afterwards and it was like, okay, we're ready to show now.

32:30

Like this is where she's at to go in the show pen. And I wish I could have done it again. And I could have, but it was going to be like three more hours. So, I didn't want to open up another can of worms, cuz that's also important is knowing when to pick your battles at the horse shows, when to say, "This is the time to quit. We've made it through this spot.

32:52

Let's not just keep pushing to push or when to keep riding." Like, it's a very — I don't know. Yeah. It's just an eye opening experience.

33:01

Yeah. And you got to just know your horse and what you're trying to accomplish. And right, it should always be the goal of, well, I want the next time I horse show to be better, right? You don't want to do something that's going to ruin or sour your horse. So, I think it was really good.

33:17

So, that was one thing that, you know, I had said, "Oh, and Stephanie's going to show Kennedy in the Senior Western pleasure." And then they're like, "Stephanie didn't show." We — that was one of those things where we were like we made it through the novice amateur and the amateur like I showed her twice because you know me being like a green western pleasure rider part of it was me like getting used to showing it and like navigating traffic and you know feeling out Kennedy in the class which I thought she was probably the happiest she's been — like I think she very much enjoyed the western pleasure and then after the second go it's like she was so good and we had had such a like we felt like we had settled in.

33:58

It was kind of like I don't feel like doing a third time is going to be productive.

34:04

Yeah. You wanted to leave it — end on a good note, right? It was the first time she'd been to our show in I don't know how many years. We wanted to leave it on a good note — like five years.

34:12

Yeah.

34:12

Yeah. And she had just been — now her previous owners, they still rode her some like, you know, just for fun. And they had even said that they trail rode her and they would, you know, go get cows up on her and so funny to me. She's such a diva. I can't see that. But I can a little bit. I can see it.

34:31

I honestly think cuz Denver, which is her son, and he's my young stallion. First things first, he has a way better time and has a lot more fun and is a lot more willing when he's doing different things. He likes to go over poles and he likes to do lead changes and he likes to be busy and doing things and then once you put him back like okay now suck back and do the western pleasure. He's like, "Okay." He doesn't want to just go in a circle all the time. And I think that's her, too. Like, she's good in the pleasure, but I think, you know, we have

35:01

plans of adding the western riding and trailing, dabbling in other things. We did pivot our plans a bit. That was another thing that this first horse show was good for.

35:13

So, we like took her in the horsemanship, which is a pattern class. They need to be like a lot more bridled. And while there were pieces that look really fancy that we were doing at home, again, just does not translate the same way at the horse show. And we realized she is like not there. No.

35:31

To go to a bigger show. And pretty much everything we're doing from here on out is like a bigger shebang with like a lot of people in these classes. And I just think it's — I don't think she's there yet. And I don't think it's making her happy. And I think it's going to probably not help our case in the other classes we're wanting to be successful.

35:51

Exactly. I think it was just a little too much like mental stress with her.

35:54

And that's the big thing you have to balance for her is like mentally keeping her happy and just focusing on the pleasure for a while until she gets back in the swing of things. I think is going to be perfect. It's going to be great.

36:06

And I think western riding is aligned a lot better with western pleasure.

36:13

Whereas like we were trying to bridle her up and then drape her for the western pleasure, you know, it's like doing two different things. Whereas the western riding, all we're doing is like pushing her forward more. We're still letting her hang her head out there differently, right?

36:25

And again, it'll probably give her something to kind of like be thankful to go back to western pleasure some, you know. Yeah.

36:32

But yeah, so lots of homework. What are some of your goals for us in this next horse show?

36:40

We're only taking Kennedy. Let me just say we're only taking Kennedy to Kentucky.

36:48

What are some of your goals for us in this next horse show?

36:55

I would just like things to be a little more broke feeling at this horse show, but I feel like we did figure out like how we need to prep her a little bit at the last horse show, like what she needs to be successful and now we've got another, you know, couple weeks from the last show. We're a little more tuned up.

37:11

It is going to also be fun. So, we're stalling with Aaron, who trains her son, Denver, and he's also the one who showed her as a two-year-old and like trained her for other people. Yes.

37:22

Throughout her whole career. So, being able to have him, even if all he does is give a couple tips. Yeah.

37:29

Even if all he does is as we're warming up be like, "Hey, with her I used to do this or you know, hey, we used to prep her this way." That's going to help a lot. I think it'll be really nice to just pick his brain and have him there.

37:45

Aside from like the showing aspect, is there something you're excited about for the premiere, which is at the Kentucky Horse Park?

37:52

I mean, it's beautiful. I just I love the horse park. It's so pretty. Oh, they have all the cross country that you can go ride in. And there's water obstacles, so you can take Kennedy into some of the water obstacles cuz she loves water. Water. Yes. She loves her pond.

38:07

It was so fun. The last time I went, I like trail rode through there with like little pleasure horses that wandered around. Wonder cuz she'll have a couple of off days. I wonder if we could go and see if she'll like — is it where you can like let him go like swim?

38:23

It's just like maybe like knee deep at the most, but they like it.

38:27

I have so many videos from her old owner though of her like laying down at the edge of the pond and just like laying in it.

38:36

That's why everyone like my comments are always like, "Where's Kennedy's Pond?" I'm like, "We're on Shelf Rock. We're in Middle Tennessee."

38:41

So anyway, that's just a little wrap up. You know, we're trucking along. We've now had a trainer here at Running Springs for a whole quarter, three months. We have a lot of things to look forward to. You know, the babies, the 2-year-olds are just now kind of getting like a few rides under their belt. We'll be doing like a little update on that soon. And we're going to our second horse show. And I think there's just a lot of fun things happening. And one exciting thing is right after this, we're going to go saddle up and christen our brand new

39:15

outdoor arena. So that video will be posted after this one. So you have to wait on that. So hope you enjoyed today's video. If you have more things that you would like for us to discuss in the future, I'm going to be forcing her to come and update us every so often.

39:31

So, let me know and I hope you enjoyed.