December Donuts

Introducing Smokey.  We've had Smokey for a long time.  He's one of my moms Quarter Horses and well, in short, I was having a little fun with him today.  He was a little frisky and jumpy at first but after a while he calmed right down again.  So then I decided to go grab the donuts out of the car and have a little snack.  Of course he wanted in on my powder sugary mess so we had a great little old time just goofing around.

Secret to a great flex...feed him donuts while mom's not looking!

December 2013: Home for the Holidays

Nice to be home and finished with my first semester at Texas Tech.  To start off being home for the holidays, I didn't see any better fit than to play with some horses!  So my mom and I worked with a few horses the day after I cam home.  Pickles, my moms Mustang Million palomino, has come so far since our times back in May.  He has matured to where he tries to please you and I mean really tries.  He lopes off smoothly on a lunge-line now and stops with my body language alone.  I'm very proud of how far he's come with the time I've been gone for college.

Stopping Off My Body Language

Staring Contest

Sidestepping Towards me Over an Obstacle.

My mom said she y=couldn't get him on this cylindrical log...

So she was pretty happy when he got up there.

Nice soft pivot.

Thanksgiving Reunion 2013

Well I finally got to see all my horses and family over Thanksgiving!  It was such a wonderful experience!  It made me really appreciate how great of a family I have and how thankful I am for having them.  Back home Jesse has grown into a spunky bright 3 year-old!  He's still as great of a horse as when I left though!  Jesse is doing great in-saddle.  Rode him almost every-day I was home.  He's a great little mustang.  I'm so proud of how far we've come. Had a great time playing with all the ponies and going riding with my sisters.

My Jesse

Jesse's 5th ride!

Trail riding.

My Sisters

Me and my Sisters

Like Big Sis, Jennifer and Larry are getting there.

Goofing around with the 'Stangs

Love my Jesse

Took Jesse out for a stroll.

Virginia and J.J.

Going for Guns-up!  Red Raiders!  Kathryn and Jesse.

Yoga anyone?

Little Jesse and Kathryn.  This horse is going to be one heck of a horse one day!

Larry

Big sis had to try it eventually.  He did it like a pro.

Can't wait to see them over the Christmas Break!

BLM Expo 2013

Although I personally couldn't go to the Wild Horse and Burro Expo this year, my mom and sisters went and had a great time.  Virginia competed in EVERYTHING she could POSSIBLY compete in with the mustangs.  She placed pretty well in everything too!  Lighting performed quite well in English too!  That and my sisters had a great time making and re-using props for the costume contest!

Virginia and Lighting in English

A Dittmer boy helping my sister with her saddle.

Jennfer and Lightning

My sisters and my 'Stangs

Waiting her Turn

Somebody's Bored...?

Switching Head-stalls

Virginia and Relay barrel racing.

Larry-boy? Plunger girl?

Knight in Shinning Armour, Trusty Steed, and....Dragon?

Costume Contest

Mustang Million 2013 Good-news, Bad-news, Sad-news

The Mustang Million was an extremely eventful week for my sisters and mom and our friends.  Although this week brought a lot of good accomplishments we also had a loss.  At the beginning of the competition Prince Ali became ill and died the following day...this was extremely heartbreaking new for all of us.  He was an amazing horse and I am so proud of Virginia for what she had accomplished.  Virginia has had a very long week up in Fort Worth but I am nevertheless proud of what she has done for and with Ali.  This was her first time competing in the Mustang Makeover and she and Ali I was sure would make top ten they were truly one-of-a-kind AMAZING.  RIP Aladdin.  You were truly "Something Special."

 Jennifer on-the-other-hand with Larry did great!  I couldn't be more proud of her!  She place so well in all her classes.  Even got 3rd in her age division and 19th out of 100 over-all.  She truly is becoming a great young horse-woman at only 12 years old.  Just wait until she's 16!  She'll blow us all away!

Jennifer and Larry

 Sarah and Eli are an amazing young pair that my sisters made friend with over the course of the competition. These two were titled Reserve Champions and they did an amazing job from what my sisters told me!

Sarah and Eli

Jennifer and Larry's 3rd place!

Chillin' in the Stalls

 So I thought my family was getting to have the time of their life up in Fort Worth without me.  So I was so blessed to get to come down and watch the Legends Finals with them the last night.  It was truly a one-of-a-kind performance!

My family

Setting up.

Dan James and his Mustang

 My former mentor came into the free-styles performance 7th out of over 200 people!  So happy for her and her little mustang.

Miranda Lyons in her finals performance.

Jennifer and Larry

Pattern Class

Trail Class