Perla de Vez

Santa brought the best present EVER on Christmas Eve. Her name is Perla de Vez. She came from Florida to Texas to arrive just in time for Christmas. No, she didn't come down the chimney. So, this montage is just her first day which was Christmas Day. Thank you, Barb, for sharing such a lovely girl with us. Thank you Deb Price for doing such a great job of playing Santa... I never knew that Santa's sleigh could take the form of a big trailer.

Anyway, we are incredibly happy to have this lovely girl join us here in Texas from Barb Preiss' paradise in Florida.

Condesa Negra de Rojo 12-20-09

It was a cold December day. Condesa had just worked out. She is all groomed up and ready to go...Just look at that mane. She's sweet and beautiful, too.

A look back at my first ride on Tita - the beginning of my Paso Fino addiction

Well, it was May of 2008, and I had just gotten rid of a truly crazy mare that tried to run me down in the pasture, and I was looking for a nice, sweet fun-to-ride mare. I had two geldings at the time. And I found myself riding a couple of Paso Finos at Carol Nelson's place. I bought the mare after this incredible ride and one more the next day. I still have that same Paso Fino grin today.

Mary and Riosa

What a great day (actually weekend). Riosa has been in training with Sergio Reveles, and wow, he has done a great job taking a wonderful mare and fine tuning her. She turns on a dime with very little pressure (and what a quick turn it is!). She stops like she has brand new brakes and is a joy to ride. Her gait is like floating along. In the video snippets, you will see Sergio on Tita (my sweet mare who I thought was the smoothest thing on Earth). You will also see that Riosa is not one bit afraid of the man on the horse in the center of the ring practicing roping. Sergio and I met and traded horses. I took Riosa out in an 11 acre pasture before this footage was shot. She was steady and easy to ride. She had no problem crossing water on the way back. What a dream come true!

Great Gaiting

Some days are just perfect, and I think I had two perfect days this weekend. After nearly 6 weeks of being off a horse after being slammed to the ground by one of my dogs - I got to ride this weekend. On October 14th, I had knee surgery, and about 18 days after it - I rode again. On Saturday, magic happened for me when I simply "knew" it was the right time to swing a leg over Riosa. So, I did. It was lovely. No saddle - just her headstall, noseband and barbada -- it was beautiful

On Sunday, I got the ever lovely Tita out, saddled her up, and rode out the gate. She was ready to work. We went down the road, down another and she fino'd to show her excitement. Then, we headed home, and we passed our gate, and took the road to the McCormick estate where we did a lovely canter down the road. We came home, cooled off, and Tita grazed around the front walk (she's very considerate to edge the walkway for me).

So, two horse in two days - one with a saddle, one without. And no knee pain! Hurray!!!!

Quick montage of Riosa

Here's a few shots and one video snippet of Riosa.

Riosa de Vez comes home to Texas

This is a genuine Paso Fino smile...on me, not the horse. She may be smiling, but if so - she's doing so very discreetly. Riosa followed me home from Barb's in Florida.

Great Trip

I got back Monday from visiting with Barb Preiss - what an amazing woman who has the most beautiful horses. Her family is the nicest group of people I have ever met - so sweet and hospitable. I hope to see her again one day. I need to post some pictures from it, but there are so many... which ones? Hmmmm, here's a quick taste. The picture is of Bill Furman's Bandido. More to follow...

Steve sneaks a ride on Presa

So, while I was busy this afternoon, I suddenly realized I hadn't seen Steve in a while. So, I went out back, and there he was... with Presa in the round pen. He had just gotten on her after working her round and round, and they were both doing great. Steve looked relaxed, and you couldn't tell that Presa hadn't been ridden in 5 months. So, enjoy the footage that I got of Steve when I ran back in the house and got the camera. I love it! Steve and Presa make quite a pair.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Devante

This is a lovely young stallion - this montage is all from the clinic on 7-11-09 at Rancho Mi Estrella. This was the end of a long day for all of us, and Andres continued to give us great lessons as he worked with Devante.

Princesa

Carol has a lovely young mare that is going off to "finishing school" with Andres Guzman. This is a very short montage of Andres working her at the clinic. Sorry it's so dark - the light was beginning to fade under the awning that was shielding us from the Texas heat...

Rojo Tejas at the Clinic

The clinic - the morning sessions (with Andres' instruction)

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Morning sessions at the clinic

Riding Rojo Tejas at the clinic...

What a lovely stallion as demonstrated that he was ridden by so many at the clinic.

Great Paso Fino Clinic at Rancho Mi Estrella

ndres Guzman presented a great clinic at Rancho Mi Estrella on Saturday the 11th. Here are just a few highlights -- video montages will follow shortly.

Sucesora de Capuchino

On July 3rd, I rode a lovely mare named Sora. She is a Paso Fino, daughter of Capuchino. While she hasn't had much time in the saddle over the last couple of years, she and I did really well. Sora, as she is called, has a beautiful nature and a willing heart. While she remains with her current owner, I will always carry a part of her with me. I am the person riding her, and Peggy is the person holding her. Look at that SWEET face.

Memorial Day 2009 - Sven & Brenda's

Tita's Home and Family

I love this mare - she's so special...

Montage from first meeting with Condesa Negra de Rojo

This is a video montage of Condesa from the first time I worked with her in the round pen. What a beauty.

There was a day...

This is a picture of Patriot kissing Condesa...

Ok, so, you know that we have a dog that is expecting. Would you believe it's because of the departure of a horse. So, it went like this. Patriot was the first horse I got when I moved back home to Texas. He turned out to be ... a challenge. He is extremely smart, and he has moved on to a GREAT HOME. I thought I should show him too.

One of his things that he loved to do was to find a stick and scratch himself with it. He would carry it with him and drop it and then use it again. He also carried grain buckets around. He is a VERY SMART boy.

Anyway, Patriot had just left here. And I was all emotional. I thought Ruby was out of heat. So, I said..."just put them in the backyard" referring to Ruby and Henry (both Rhodesian Ridgebacks). I went out to feed the horses and heard a terrible sound. I came running back, and they had done it. The puppies are due next week.

Inside the barn...

This is the inside of my barn. We It holds 5-6 horses, my grain, and some of my tack. It sits next to the back pasture and in between both side pastures. It's 30X50.

Big Oops... Meet the Family....Black

Black is a Criollo gelding, roughly 19 years old. He is Steve's horse and is a sweetie. He may be the root cause of me getting into gaited horses to begin with. He is a BIG boy compared to the Paso's and has been with us the longest. He is a gentle soul, but a commander of his troops (or we let him think he is).

I have no idea how I almost forgot to put Black on the page - he's such a central figure here. So here are two photos of Black - one with Steve on him.

By the way, Criollo's are another gaited South American breed. Black (no, I didn't name him) is about 15hh.

The barn and hay tent

Ok, it's not real fancy, but this is our barn and to the right is the hay tent. We also have hay in the barn (the stuff about to be fed).

Back at the Ranch

Well, Stargazer was going to be my kennel name for my Rhodesian Ridgebacks (and I guess it will be for the upcoming litter that Ruby is expecting). Two of my Ridgebacks have 'Stargazer' as part of their names. One is Regulus Stargazer Galileo, and the other is Adili's Stargazer Copernicus. So, the ranch is most like Stargazer Ranch because other then loving horses, dogs and Steve (NOT in that order, of course), I love watching the night sky. Anyway, I am toying with calling this place Stargazer Ranch.

So, I thought I would share a photo or two of the place with you. This is Tita's favorite spot on the place - under the willow tree (great grass and shade).

Meet the Family - Miguel (Mijo)

This is Miguel de Ropa. He came to me through Rancho Mi Estrella, but belonged to a woman named Margie who loved him dearly. He has a sweet heart, and I love his trust and affection towards me.

Meet the Family - Condesa

Also from Rancho Mi Estrella comes Condesa Negra de Rojo. My little Condesa is a sweetie. She's young and willing to learn. I think she will grow into a lovely mare whose potential is unlimited.

Meet the Family - Presa

Here's Steve on Presa - the second of our lovely Paso Fino's. Presa came from Rancho Mi Estrella in Dade, Texas. Her full name is IDH's Fantastico Sorpresa.

Meet the Family - Tita

We will start with the first member of my Gaited Family. Here's Tita - this is my first Paso Fino. Her full name is Pilotita sin Par. She arrived at my heart and in my home in May of 2008. She's a fabulously gaited, incredible Paso Fino.

Gaiting Along

I am in the midst of a wonderful life. I feel like what the explorers must have felt like when they found the New World. I have ridden most of my life. The first horse I ever rode was a Tennessee Walker - I was three.

Between now and then, I have ridden lots of horses, but a year ago - everything changed. Her name is Tita, and she is my first Paso Fino. When I rode her, it was like gliding along - even though I could hear the rapid pace of her hooves. She's bright and beautiful - a lovely Bay Mare. I was told she was too brio for me, but she's always been my girl.

And thus began my life - just Gaiting Along...following my passion for the horses I love.