JHR Open House!

Okay so I have been promising some info on this Junior Horse Rescue I have been talking about and it's open house.

So the Junior Horse Rescue is a brand new rescue organization started at my farm. It is run solely by a group of girls all ages 20 and under (with me being the oldest). There is a select group of adults that serve as an advisory board, but again the rescue is run solely by juniors, hence the name Junior Horse Rescue. We are hoping to make a difference one horse or pony at a time. We will be going to the local horse auction and saving a horse out of the kill pen. Once it has been rehabilitated and retrained we will put it up for adoption and use the adoption fee we receive for that horse towards getting the next horse from the auction.

We have been working for weeks towards our biggest fundraising event an open house at our home farm. It will be a fun day filled with demos involving a variety of breeds and disciplines such as reining, jumping, bridleless riding, western pleasure, english, and much more! It will take place this Sunday, July 19 starting at 10 am and ending around 5 pm. There is a $5 admission charge which includes a pony ride, snack, and drink (while supplies last). There will also be other food, drinks, additional pony rides, and items available to support the rescue for sale. Unfortunately due to our insurance children under the age of 5 can not receive a pony ride, so they will be admitted for free and can still see our great demos, brush the horses, and take pictures with our horses. We will also have an equine massage demo, pictures, grooming, raffles, coloring contest, and other games. Come out and join us for a day filled with fun. For more information please go to our website: www.juniorhorserescue.webs.com

All of the proceeds from this event will go directly to the rescue! It really is a great cause and everyone involved is working really hard for this event so I hope we get a good turn out. Its been a tough week because we have been super busy prepping the farm. Today we spent the whole 90 degree day picking manure and old hay out of the fields and removing large sticks and such. Tomorrow we are doing all the inside cleaning in the barns and dragging some of the fields. We did weed removal earlier in the week but will be doing a little more. Then Saturday we have horses to bathe, tack to clean, tables and signs to put up and a bunch more. We have been making signs and information sheets all week. We are putting together the announcer's script and music playlist and the to-do list just goes on and on. It feels never ending already, but it will lead to a great event.

We have all also been practicing all week. I am doing a reining freestyle to music, as well as, a bridleless freestyle to music, so I have been very busy practicing and getting my routines down. I pretty much change it every time I ride it, but that's okay because it give me a feel for how I want to ride it that day. My reining freestyle is to the song "No Reins" by Rascal Flatts and my bridleless freestyle is to the song "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" by George Strait. So Tuesday I practiced my bridleless routine and she was bit quick at the lope and didn't want to stop, but it wasn't too bad. Wednesday we took a break from all the work and went on a trail ride with my friend L, which was a lot of fun as always. Today I practiced both routines. My bridleless was much better. She loped slower and was listening better and it turned out pretty well. My reining freestyle was good, as well. I am getting my timing and ideas down and Satin knows as soon as she hears the song what is to be expected Lol :). Tomorrow is my last day to practice both freestyles because Saturday I have a lesson with my trainer.

We will also be taking part in a few other demos that day. We will be representing the quarter horse in the parade of breeds, doing a western trail class pattern, and taking part in the games portion of events. There will be 4 of us doing barrels, poles, dash, and relay race. Those who attend the event will be able to win prizes if they choose the winner of the events correctly. Then we will also take part in closing ceremonies, so it will be a long, busy, but fun day for Satin and I. Bridleless riding has become a passion of mine since watching the Stacy Westfall bareback and bridleless reining freestyle to the song "Live Like You Were Dying" (if you haven't seen it you absolutely must) and I have always wanted to perform my own bridleless freestyle so now is my chance because she will be quietest with it at home. Anyway so that's what my week / weekend has been like. I probably will be too busy to write again until Monday when the open house is over, but maybe I will see some of my readers there!