Hillbilly Desensitizing edited

Edited.  OMG mobile blogger is not my friend.  I originally posted this from my phone then the next day read it from a computer and the ridiculous amount of typos.  I am quite sorry.

That is what we did tonight.   See all you need do do this is for a hillbilly family with their like 35 hillbilly children to move in next door and viola, your horse is desensitized to chainsaws,  lawnmowers,  bonfires,  screaming, screeching, running children, shouting adults.   Prefect. Well almost.  Except for the idea that living out in the country is supposed to be relaxing and peaceful. Despite the chaos next door we had a super super fun night.   I challenged my daughter to a bareback jumping challenge.  She accepted the challenge.   It was a fabulous post surgery first ride.  And E had never jumped bareback before so she was having a blast.

Just a cute picture of these two because, cute.  And jumping bareback and taking pictures or video at the same time is probably a bad idea.

We started with a bitty x.  She asked how this challenge worked.   She gave me a funny look when my response was,  "well you just keep raising the jumps and who ever falls off first loses".  What?  Do you mean that is not some thing that all mothers say to their children?   This is why I am winning at parenting.  Ok there was no falling but lots of fun.  We put up an 18 in vertical.  Once we both got our bearings then it got real.   2 ft then 2'3" then 2'6" then skinny log and we were tired.   We both were equally successful clearing all the jumps.   I then said she won it all if she jumped the 2'3" 3 log stack that has a decent spread.   She again accepted the challenge and like the badass in the making that she is it was no problemo.

Jumping 2'6 bareback for E the first time ever and she was bomb and I surprisingly had to talk myself into the last one on my first ride back.  I wasn't concerned about the no saddle jumping thing but had more to do with my sometimes over exuberant horse and the hillbilly chaos going on just feet away.   But I'm glad I talked myself into it.  The first distance could have been better.   We got a bit of a long one so I needed to do it again.   The next was great and Steady was a saint. E thought the whole challenge was crazy fun and her and Lily were rock solid every time.  All the while the littlest on Penny was having her very first bareback ride.   She mostly walked and then decided she was brave enough to try trotting.   She did awesome.   It isn't easy on a quick strided pony.   She couldn't resist watching Mom and big Sis jumping and stated trotting poles and baby logs.  Badass kids have I.

And the littlest.  Not you just need to imagine these two trotting around saddles and you get the idea.

I am working on the post recapping the crazy awesome Team Challenge weekend.  It is a lot of work to put such an amazing experience into words but I am trying. Promise.