Trying to get my passport to go down to the US for the Buck Brannaman clinics this month. This will likely not happen until next year – now. I did the same thing last year when it was just Birth Certificate required and mine got damaged when I pulled it out of the sleeve to check it and then had to get a new one last minute… I totally spaced that the requirements had changed again this year, and left it until possibly too late. A miracle may yet happen. Here’s hoping.
Played with Bailey on Friday evening – took her up when I went to help Jai with Prowler. It’s amazing how much better I do with Bailey, now – I can read when she’s unconfident and quickly retreat and reapproach the threshold and she goes much farther with me in a much calmer manner. She’s still not certain of my leadership, so I keep retreating as necessary – sometimes we go a little too far, or she hears Maya call and her threshold suddenly gets HUGE and we retreat a long ways back until she can walk without being tight and calling back to her buddy. Fascinating. She gets tight in her head and mind, but her body can still MOVE. I wonder if that is her on LB adrenaline vs. RB adrenaline? She goes a bit introverted when I introduce new things as a friendly game, but quickly comes out of it if I retreat a bit and release when she blinks or lowers her head. She quickly becomes confident and then VERY curious. So athletic and such a powerful, long, low canter compared to little May’s quick, short stride. I’ve a lot to learn about her. It’s interesting that I no longer have the problem of her turning her butt to me and taking off with the 22′ line dragging. I can now head off that idea in a hurry – thanks, I think, to a lot of falling leaf the last time I played with her. Her HQ & FQ yields are much lighter and more responsive! Yay us! I plan to play with her around here, all week and then take her to the grounds next week (and ride Maya up there and then back to go play with Bailey!) – two birds, one stone! It’ll be more work with stall cleaning and traveling to feed twice a day, but that’s okay! It’ll be worth it to put some quality time on Bey and have the round pen and arena to play in. I’m thinking saddling by the middle of next month at the latest. We’ll see. She is capable of progressing so quickly!
My back suddenly went into extreme OUCH mode on Saturday night and I made it worse on Sunday morning – but it seems to have nearly sorted itself out with a LOT of rest and a chiro visit. Have to keep those visits up. Now that I’ve seen what a difference it’s made for Maya, I know I should maintain my back, too – if only to help HER back. 
My completed batch of mugs arrived on my porch yesterday afternoon thanks to a dear friend… so I’ll be sanding, grinding a few, pricing and selling. Hopefully at the market on the 24th. I ought to find a tent to borrow for the sale, we’ll see what we can come up with! I need hay money, desperately. This is probably my last batch of mugs for a long while, so if you’ve been wanting one of my horse mugs, now’s the time. $25 each. I have about 50.
