Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

Yes, we are back. Back at Tanque Verde. The land of trail dust, cactus, and horses. I took a picture of the place we are staying. This is the view of the front door. It's the same as last November. And the November before that and the November before that... Here is the view out the back:



And the front:

I took horsemanship lessons today and yesterday: "Heels down! Toes up!" I swear, it's all that ballet coming back to bite me. Yesterday, the wrangler wanted me to use my left hand when I've been using my right all this time. He finally told me to switch back and I did much better.

When I stepped outside the room today, there was some local wildlife. Yes, it's a roadrunner! But a minute later, it was chased off by the approach of another example of the local wildlife.














Tiny took a private lesson and concentrated on loping. They won't let you go on a lope ride (that's a slow gallop to you greenhorns) unless you pass the lope test. So, during dinner the recurring theme was, "I hope I pass the lope test." At bedtime we heard, "I hope I pass the lope test." At breakfast, she was watching that clock harder than any student in sixth period history class. You guessed it. The lope test was at 8:30. I found myself a perch with a very obstructed view of the arena. This is a picture of her riding out. I could see her, barely, and she seemed to be loping like a pro.
And yes, she passed! And immediately went on a lope ride. What a happy kid!