Belonging

Busy weekend. Went to my trainer on Saturday to work, ride and see Kachina, then hit up the Western States Horse Expo Sunday.

First off, Kachina looks great. She's just as sweet and good-natured as she was three weeks ago, when she was here, and no one at the ranch had any bad things to say about her. I made it a point to not handle her too much, because I wanted to see how she behaved with others, and she didn't disappoint. Even walking next to a flirting stallion, she remained focused on the handler and calm. I was very proud of her.

My trainer explained a little more of her anatomy to me, what he liked about her, and his predictions for what she'll look like when she's older. He says that she'll be close to fifteen hands, if not fifteen solid, and that she looks like she'll be a strong horse. His opinion is that she'll have good hindquarters, but her real strength will be in her shoulders, which will allow her back end to do some nice things that it ordinarily couldn't. He says her back legs look solid, and can get under her quickly, that her chest is nice and wide, and that she has a good amount of space between the ears (which he likes, personally). He also explained that her neck is already very strong, which is another clue that she'll have a good, strong front end for quick pivots.

I think the highest compliment, however, is one I got from a fellow apprentice: "she looks like she belongs here."

Going into the barn and seeing her, I had the same feeling. My little feedlot pony with her hacked off tail, who was only a couple of days from slaughter, was stabled right next to a daughter of Freckle Face Smoke and an own son of Genuine Doc and she looked like she belonged.

Any person walking through that barn could never tell that she wasn't a Freckle Face Smoke baby, or a Powder River Playboy baby. And it wasn't just her look, or her build, but also her attitude; she behaved like the daughter of a champion. Watching her there, holding her own next to those well bred horses, I couldn't help but swell with pride.

I'm hoping to start her official training next week. I can't wait to see her bloom into a genuine performance horse.

But Kachina wasn't the only one fitting in: at the Western States Horse Expo, I had a chance to rub elbows with people I've only ever seen in magazines and, to my surprise, I was able to hold my own in a conversation with men like C.J. Murphy and Russel Dilday. I could talk cowhorse, knew my lingo, and could ask questions.

Kachina's not the only one getting her feet wet in a new pond.

The rest of the Expo was great, too. I got to talk to all of the trainers. I really liked Richard Winters; he was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, and I felt like he'd talk to me for hours if I needed it. I liked Tommy Garland a lot, too; he gave me some really good tips on helping Maverick with his neck reining that I can't wait to try (the boy's a little dull at it). Stacy Westfall is a personal hero of mine, so it was great to have a conversation with her about training, and especially about riding bareback. And, of course, I grew up with John Lyons, so it was great to see him in person.

While I was at the Expo, I had the pleasure of sitting in a McDaniel saddle. I'd never heard of them, but I gotta say, it's the best saddle I've ever sat in, and I've had the opportunity to ride in big name saddles, like Billy Cook and Martin (up until now, Martin was my favorite). I visited his booth three times! Unfortunately, I don't have the spare $5,500 (spare? I don't even have $5,500!), but if you do I'd definitely recommend checking them out. The man I met was Ron McDaniel, who was extremely nice. The saddles are made by him, his son and his father, which is something that I really liked.

I'll probably dream about that saddle for the next few years, but I did walk away from the booth with a pair of awesome reins!