When I was 16 I received as a gift a 2 year old Chestnut Arabian filly named Penny. When we first brought her home, she and another horse purchased from the same farm, lived in a huge field down the street at a very old farmhouse.

I remember one of the first times I went down to visit her. Although I had loved horses all my life, being around real ones was a new thing for me. I didn’t even know to bring treats, I just wanted to see and be close to her. So I went out into the field and she came to me, then ran a few short steps away, and then came back to me. It was so obvious she was playing a game! How delightful! I played chase with her and it was the first time in my entire life I had a bonding moment with a real horse. I could not have been happier!

Then, I got yelled at by my brother in law (who also knew nothing about horses) and was completely shut down (the story of my life). I was reprimanded for practicing this ‘bad’ behavior with Penny, when in reality, none of us had any idea what was good or bad horse behavior. I will cherish that moment forever, and be grateful to Penny for trying to be my friend in that moment. Sweet girl.

Yesterday was Great Day Colorado and it was so much fun. I dressed up as one of Santa’s elves and we joked about how the dog’s in a Christmas story probably got horrible diarrhea after breaking in and eating all that Thanksgiving meal! Ha! The dogs were perfect and people in the studio could not stop taking pictures of how cute they looked, Wasabi with her Christmas antlers on, paws over the edge of the stage, looking right into the camera the whole time, and Mochi tucked in behind her for security with his head across her back. I love my dogs. And they love going to the studio. Wasabi especially somehow really seems to ‘get it’, she loves all the attention and the treats, and looking up at herself in the mirrored ceiling of the elevator. It is wonderful.

Also yesterday we had new guests out to the ranch, and boy were the mustangs spicy! With the chill in the air, and their breath visible in the chilly temperatures, they look (and act) like fire breathing dragons. Fun fact, it’s one of the ways horses stay warm. All horse people know this, that when the temperatures drop, look out! This is the best time to teach your horse new tricks that require a lot of physical movement, because they are light on their feet and ready to run, to warm up in the cold. Natalia was bucking and running, and following me from one side of the pen to the other, galloping and trotting back and forth to come to me, while the other horses looked on with disinterest in the antics of the youngster. We had a training session with her on Thursday, and worked a lot on teaching her to go from cone to cone. She did really great and showed us just how smart she is. She touched all the cones over and over again that we pointed at for a treat, but then when another horse came by and got a treat for touching just the pointer, and then not transferring that touch to the cone itself (a little more advanced concept), she didn’t want to touch the cones anymore and wanted the easier task of just touching the pointer. It goes to show you just how accurate your training must be, and how subtly smart they can be, and you have to pay close attention to make sure they continue to progress in what they learn. I am so grateful for her! She is the spotted palomino wild mustang filly I never dreamed I needed in my life!

Yeah! It’s Saturday! How will you make the most of it (FYI the fish are begging for breakfast, they are so funny)? Besides moments with Penny, and Natalia, I am grateful I have passion for my life, that I have mentors I can learn from on how to be continually improving, I am grateful I have the drive to keep going no matter what, I am grateful for healthy kids, healthy food, that I have power over what food I eat or not to keep myself healthy, and that I got to get a little extra much needed rest yesterday, which gives me renewed energy to tackle this day as I head off to work.

​What are you grateful for today? Today, you can be better than you were yesterday. What was the best part of your day? Everything you want comes easily to you today, and you will have an amazing day, because you deserve it! Tell yourself that in the mirror today, and tell it to someone else who needs to hear it, too.

Thank you for being here you Animal Loving Angel, be better and better every day, in every way. God bless!

Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq