I Feel Special

Special enough to groom a 2** horse. Oh yeah!! Cross-country today, Show-jump tommorow. She had 2 stops on XC, but it's only her first 2** and she didnt stop at the jumps, she stopped at the decorations! :D
I'll post pics soon!
- Quinn A.A.

Hoedown at FH and another Field Hockey Win!

Went to the Hoedown for Fair Hill International last night, dressed like this:


Anyway, they auctioned off the rider teams, and we bought team 10! GOOOOO! Allison Springer, one of my all-time favorite eventers, is on it. And she was there. She remembered me too. :) <3 Such a nice person.

My feet look big because this picture was taken from a lower angle. :P

And today, another Field Hockey Game. Which we crushed. 4-0. OH YEAH UNDEFEATED!

Cheers, Quinn A.A

Fair Hill International Event BEGINS!

WOOT WOOT! Today was  the in-barn check in day. All the riders and horses came! Let the 2** and the 3*** begin!
Dressage
Cross Country
Show-jump.
3 things. 3 chances. 3 possible failures. 3 possible successes. 3 Learning experiences.

Many horses. Many riders. Famous Riders.
GET EXCITED!

:)

Quote of Today

I love it! It immortalizes everything about horses. :)

“A horse is the projection of peoples’ dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence” ~ Pam Brown

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

Eventing: A Sport Where You Can Always Improve

I love this about Eventing. There is always something to work on.

This weekend, at  Loch Moy, I needed to work on everything a little bit.

That said, I was still happy with Google.

The dressage judges this weekend were tough: they hammered everyone for the littlest things and gave people worse scores than they deserved. Google was definitely a little tense and nervous for whatever reason today, but I think we probably deserved a 39. What did we end up with? A 42.2-- L. Oh well.

Show-jump was great, but I have a bad habit of occasionally jumping ahead of him. This resulted in a sole rail, but was happy with the way he was jumping up out of his canter.

And then cross-country. He was jumping great, and we headed on course. Over one, then on to two…. But not over it. Jump two was a scary jump right before a treeline. Horses just don’t like it. He ran out to the left, but went over it the second time. The rest of my course was good, and solid. Molly said I now get in good position before the fences, but need to hold his pace when we get closer to the jump.

We ended up in 12^th or something, out of about 24. Doesn’t matter.

LESSONS LEARNED:

-         There are always things to work on.

-         Try, try again.

-         Don’t be disappointed- especially if you improved something.

-         Be happy with what you accomplished.

-         It’s better to make mistakes at lower levels, and learn and improve from them now instead of at a higher level, such as intermediate, where it could result in a dangerous fall.

THINGS TO WORK ON:

Dressage;

-         canter transitions

-         calming him down

-         halts

-         geometry of my shapes.

Show-jump

-         Riding him forward to my hand- I did that most of the time today, and he jumps well.

-         Don’t jump ahead of him!

Cross Country

-         Sit down and ride him forward.

-         Prepare him before the jump.

-         Give him a tap with the crop before every jump!

I hope everyone enjoys reading my blog- feel free to comment.

I also hope you learn things from it. J

Cheers! – Quinn A.A

Joining the Big Leagues!



The newest Silkies, d'uccles and Sebrights explore.

This years babies, hatched on May 18, joined the big girls in their pen on Wednesday.  I put the pullets in one of the coop halves and the roosters in the pen. The older roosters came out and went into the dog kennel pen. I was afraid they would hurt my little, sweet boys.
The older girls were very apprehensive as the new guys and gals explored. They watched from the sidelines...


Ares isn't all that happy about his new pen.




The broody and her babies also joined the flock.
" This is freedom. Enjoy it, my son." she tells her growing Cockerel.




How could you?! This is our house.



"Mom, what is this?"



" It's so scary out there!"



" Woah, WOAH, WOAAAH!"

Cheers, Quinn A.A

P.S. I invite you to post captions for some of the photos- whatever you think would be funny/ fitting. Just comment. :)

Morven Park: Make Good things out of Bad.

Actually, Morven Park went pretty well. Sabrina, Google, Molly, Maddie and I headed down Friday night. We got settled, then spent Friday ( and Saturday too) night at Best Western. Saturday was cold, rainy and Windy. I mean it poured all day, destroying the show-jump, Cross-country, and warm-up area. Ugh. Sabrina had dressage and SJ on Saturday. She was a little nervous for both, but ended up doing OK. That night we also had time for a little shopping and relaxation in the hotel.

On Sunday It was also cold, rainy and windy.  Slightly less rain than Saturday though. I had dressage, and was very happy to have my best test yet with Google: a 38.5. Now, while that may not seem like the best score, it felt good for me. :)  We also succesfully maneuvered the sloppy SJ, taking down only one rail at a huge oxer with a giant puddle in front you also had to jump. I am not dissapointed with that. And then there was XC. I am mad at myself. It did go well, but we stopped at the 5th jump, a trakehner, because I didn't give him a tap with the crop. I should have, but he felt like he was going to do it, and..... yeah. At least we did it succesfully the next time, and did well on the rest of the course.

Sabrina went on XC, and ran out at the second jump. Sabrina NEVER stops, so Molly retired her. She is fairly new to Intermediate level, and jumping up out of that mud was just too much for her. I also think Molly is having some confidence issues after Fair Hill. Or maybe She thinks Sabrina would've...?

Positives:

Maddie
Reese's cups
Nice Hotel
Good SJ
Good Dressage
Molly
Most of XC

Negatives:
Weather
Weather :P
Stop on XC

There. I have no reason to be dissapointed.

Cheers! --Quinn A.A

We are the Winners, Winners, Winners.....

Our undefeatedness continues!!! YAY! Girls Varsity Field Hockey continues!

Monday we had a game with Villa Maria, and we destroyed them 5-1. ( we had to let them have a goal so they didnt feel TOO bad)

And today, another game: Vs HP Dupont. Again, we won, although by smaller numbers. 2-0 :)

Our amazing goalies have only let in 3 goals, TOTAL for the season so far.

The Question is: Will we remain undefeated?

I really, truly think the answer will be yes. But time will tell....

So Wish me Luck!

Cheers! -- Quinn

Tournament At Ligonier!

On Friday,around noon, we headed to Ligonier. Ligonier is in Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. The reason: A Tournament. Our bus had the Boys Varsity Soccer Team and the Girl's Varsity Field Hockey Team. 6 hours later ( an hour later than it was supposed to be...) we arrived at Ligonier,unloaded our stuff, met our hosts and ate a big dinner provided by the school. I really lucked out: I had a fantastic host family and a great buddy. The next morning we headed back to the school, and the games began. Our first game, against a team called Aquina (?) was good, although VERY muddy. The field was in the middle of a few hills, and it had been raining a lot. I feel like this game was a good warm up, and we crushed them 5-0! Our second game, right after the first, was against a pretty good team. Still, we played well and ended up with a 3-0 score. :) Then we had lunch ( they had yummy cookies...) and we had our last game with the home team, Valley School. This was definetely our hardest game, and was a tough win. We ended up with a 2-0 score with them, and they managed to shoot on our goalie once, a feat none of the other teams managed.
I think It was great that our team finally managed to figure out how to work the ball around the field and work together, especially after tieing our first two games. I am hopeful that we may continue last year's legacy of an undefeated season. So far, so good. :) Well, thats it!

Cheers! -- Quinn

A tie and a Tournament!

So, Yesterday we had our second field hockey game. We totally dominated the field, but unfortuanately didn't get the ball in the goal. It was an 0-0 game. :/

Tomorrow we leave for Ligoneer, near Pittsburgh for a tournament. We play 3 other schools on Saturday, and get hosted. ( awkward... slightly.)

So yeah.

I'll tell more when I return Sunday!

Cheers! -- Quinn

Rosie: The Huntress

Rosie, or Rosie the Rivetor (her registered name), or brat, or kitty…….. she has many names. But most of the time we call her Rosie.

Anyway. Rosie is a 4 year old Scottish Terrier, and is a stubborn and feisty girl. She does what she wants, when she wants. Obediance is not one of her talents. I love her all the more for it. She pretends she doesn’t love you, but when she sneaks up and cuddles in bed with you after you have gone asleep,  you know she cares.

Rosie is also a hunter, through and through. Her breed was created to kill rats and go down holes, but this little prey-driven dog thinks she weighs a hundred pounds or something. If it is alive, and moves, she kills it. Or tries. It doesn’t work with deer or horses. She just barks and chases them. But squirrels, mice, rats, birds, wasps and flies are all fair game. Yes, she does hunt flies. She bites them out of the air when they buzz around. The other thing she has defeated is a mink… yes, I said a mink. Those ferocious little rabbit and chicken eating creatures that are a foot long with muscley necks for biting and breaking necks. They also have very sharp teeth. But the one Rosie killed was no match for her, for  she bore not one single bite mark.

Rosie has good things and bad things about her, like every creature. We love her to pieces, even through all her naughty and playful tricks.

Thats all for today!

Cheers! -Quinn A.A

Fox- Hunting: A sport of Hounds and Horses

^ Well, I can't really say much more than that....
I have actually only been fox-hunting a few times, but have always enjoyed it. I plan to go more often and take Google so he gets more good experiences in his head.

Fox-hunting originated in the United Kingdom, but is practiced all over the world including in Russia, Australia,Canada, Ireland and many other countries.

In this sport trained hounds are used to scent out foxes, and give chase. The hounds have amazing voices- I love the sound of their baying. The Master of the Foxhounds takes care of the hunt- he manages it, often owns the hounds, spends the cap money, and often is the largest financial contributor to the hunt. They have the final say over everything in the hunt.

The Kennelsman looks after the hounds, and makes sure everything is done before and after hunts return.

The Huntsman directs the hounds during the hunt, and often carries a horn to communicate to the followers, Whippers-in, and hounds. The Huntsman may also be the Kennelsman.

Whippers-in are the Huntman's assistants. They carry large whips and control  the hounds, keeping them from straying or hunting other animals.
In the U.S.A foxes are rarely killed, mostly chased for sport. Sometimes the foxes seem to enjoy the sport, leading the hounds and riders on long, twisting chases. When the fox goes to ground it is usually left alone.

For large hunts, The attire is very formal, with scarlet coats, tall boots, and certain colored breeches. However, for smaller hunts, like the one near me, It tends to be more relaxed, allowing simple breeches and polo shirts. Attire deviates depending on the hunt.

Fox-hunting can be formal, or relaxed. It can be slow and easy, or fast and aggresive. It really depends on the area. I highly suggest you try it at least once, and find a hunt suitable to you. I think you will enjoy it.

P.S- I know I don't blog often enough, but I hope that when I do you find it interesting and worthwhile to read. I will be trying to do more educational posts, like the above, rather than ME ME ME! Lol. Oh, and feel free to comment. I don't bite. Most of the time....

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

Plantation= Little Elation

Wow, that is kind of a depressing title. Hmmm.
This weekend (and Friday) was Plantation Field Horse Trials.  For me, Plantation officially started Thurday night when a party of 4 eventers rolled in to spend the weekende in our home.  They also brought 2 dogs and 4 vehicles, bringing our numbers to this:
10 people- 4 eventers in various rooms, 2 riders on 3rd floor, and Andie and Brian in the cottage.
7 dogs- Zippy and Dooky with the eventers, Scruffy on the third floor, Sammy and Beau in the cottage and of course, our dogs, Rosie and Sim. Hmmm.
Our broken car in the garage, plus our other car and truck. 4 vehicles for the eventers, 1 for 3rd floor, and 2 for the cottage= 10 vehicles.
It was a wee bit crowded. ( I dont ever remember saying wee is RL...)
On Friday I rushed after school to Plantation, arriving in time to see Sprite's slightly nervous dressage test. It wasnt her best test,but it wasn't her worst either. She was competing at Preliminary level, By the way. Two hours later was SJ, again slightly nervous and she ticked one of the rails. Molly did a fantastic job riding her.

Sprite warming up for XC- she is actually jumping a jump beside the one you see. :P

On Saturday she prepared for the very large, very hard cross-country course. There had already been several falls at a coffin, and I was nervous. I think Molly was too. Sprite began her cross country course beautifully, jumping each jump enthusiastically and forward, with her usual high kick. Then they reached number 10, the coffin. Sprite jumped in extra big and kicked up. Unfortuanately the steep hill caused her to flip over and do almost a 390 flip. She fell onto her nose, then jumped up and galloped through some Roses and Trees.

Molly and her were both fine, except slightly rattled and bearing a few scratches.
I am dissapointed, but I know it was an honest, green mistake. Sprite didn't know that jumping in that big would cause her to flip. Next time she won't do it.

Molly also rode Sabrina, who had a gorgeous dressage test ( a 29!!! ), but had some trouble with the jump. She did go out and do the coffin on Sabrina, and I think that made her feel much better. :)

That about sums it up. Thanks to my entire two followers.. LOL.

Google this morning.

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

Yearbook Staff

Short post today, for I have a busy life.
I MADE YEARBOOK STAFF! I am super excited. It's a two year commitment, and we choose colors, design it, write articles, etc. It will be lots of fun. I also think I will enjoy fueling my creativity in a prouductive way in school. Unfortuanately I can't tell you anything we do.... top secret. ;)
Anyway, look for these posts in the future:
Fox-hunting
Beekeeping
Molly Rosin
Lacrosse

Cheers, Quinn A.A

Brandywine Festival of the Arts!

That's where I headed for the afternoon. We've been several times, and it is always great. :) . But there is never enough time to see everything.... anyway, I forgot to take pics. Shame, shame. Bad me. It was amazing, seeing artists of every craft come to sell their hand-made wares. I love the environment. Since I only got my ears pierced this year ( very late, I know... :P) my mom got me three pairs of earings that I can wear every day so I dont have to just wear my sapphire studs. YAY! They are so pretty :). I also got a really cool belt.. It's blue with jumping horses on it. I is excited... lol.

On a more sobering note... today is 9/11 and the 10th anniversary of it. Never Forget. It's a motto.

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A
~~ pics to come!

Sunday at Seneca!

First off, I should apologize for this being waaaay late. Too bad.

Sunday was an a reconized event at Seneca and....

WOAH! We had a BUSY day! Ten horses came: Mr.Nunn and Red Horse Harry, Jenn Nunn and Maiden, Hannah Metz and Anna, Bryce Kinnamon and Toulousse, Maddie and Zia Zavata, Me and Google, and Molly with: Delaware Love Doctor, Alpine, Kynymont Sterling O’ Grady, and Kynynmont’s Cody.

The first trailer left at 5:30 A.M for our 2 and a half hour journey, and the second left at 7.

Maddie says peace out...

Google had a really good dressage test, except I messed up and did an extra circle. I thought he deserved a better score than the 43 the judge gave him. L . Our show-jump was good, although we had an unlucky rail on a big, red oxer. I hate the color red. He went pretty good on Cross Country, but we were unfortuanately eliminated due to me jumping the wrong jump. L

Hannah and Anna did REALLY well! They had a nice dressage test, and double clean Cross Country and Show-Jump rounds. CONGRATULATIONS!

Jenn had a really nice dressage test! J

Mr. Nunn took Red Horse through his first event, and Harry enjoyed the experience.

Bryce had a great dressage test (34), clear Show Jump and a coupla time faults cross-country, but a smooth round! Good job finishing your first recognized!

Maddie and Zia:

YAY! Baby Zia, at only 4 years old, rocked the intro division. She had a good dressage test, double clear Stadium, and went too fast Cross-country! But it was too fast in a good way- she had a nice, collected hand-gallop going for her there.

Delaware Love Doctor placed 4^th in the beginner novice division for his very first event! He was very good.

Grady got 1^st! Yay! He was really good. Such a man. J

Alpine was very good- calm dressage, great show-jump. She had a few green moments on cross-country, but that’s ok.

Cody was good too, but also had a few green moments.

I am so proud of everyone! It was a great weekend.

That’s all for today!

Cheers! – Quinn A.A

Rescued Rose in full Bloom!

Pretty!

Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

From Trashcans to Beauty: The Story of Two Lucky Roses.

Several years ago my mom brought home two of the most pathetic roses I have ever seen. Ever. They had no leaves, and were simply a ball of roots and a few stems poking out. She told me they had been rescued from a trashcan. That explaineed their patheticness. I decided they deserved a second chance, and planted them right away. Slowly, painfully slowly, they grew leaves throughout that summer.

The next spring they were still alive, and they continued their recovery period. By the end of the summer we were rewarded with one rose. Yay!

The next summer, three roses.

And this year? Nine total.  See for yourself the reward they gave us. It may not be much to you, but for me it is Victory!





This weeks reward- please ignore holey leaves.



Last weeks reward! :)

That's all for Today!
Cheers -- Quinn A.A.

Broody Mama in the House!

Daine with her three little babies.

The chicken house, that is. Daine sat faithfully on the three eggs I allowed her to sit on, and then they hatched last Friday, the day before Hurricane Irene. Daine is a first time mom, and very proud of her babies. Daine is a buff brahma bantam and mille fluer d’uccle cross. We are delighted to have her and her chicks around. The funny part is that Daine is the daughter of last year’s broody hen, Goldie the buff brahma bantam. Now she is the broody of the family.

Two of the chicks have EE's for moms, and the last one could be any banty hen in the coop-- buff brahma, d'uccle, buff brahma/d'uccle cross, etc.

Not sure who the dad is either-- could be the mille fleur

d'uccle roo, or the mille fleur d'uccle/ buff brahma banty

cross roo. Hmmm.....

EE/? baby

mystery bantam baby

EE/? baby

That's all for now!
Cheers! -- Quinn A.A.

We Survived!

Yep, I am indeed alive. As are all of the animals!
Actually, there was very little damage. We had a BIG tree fall in the field, lots of branches down too. The river also flooded....  Big time. Our field was like a big lake... which peaked in size at 6 A.M on Sunday and quickly receded. By the afternoon we only had a small lake left in our field, and the river looked mostly normal. Our basement flooded, but no damage was done. We had power returned yesterday afternoon, but the pump  is messed up so.... no water. We also do not have internet.... I guess Sprint's satellites are messed up. Oh well....
Thanks to all for the support, and best of luck to those recovering from  greater damage from Irene!

My computeer is resisting uploading of the flood pictures, so no go there.

That's all!
-- Quinn A.A.

Storms, Cyclones and Hurricanes - Oh My!

I can't say I am excited for Irene. She is predicted to reach us Sunday afternoon. My area is in the high risk zone. We are predicted to get up to 70mph sustained winds, with gusts of up to 110mph. It is predicted to be a tropical cyclone type thing. The bad thing is, we live right near a river. As in, it borders our property. And that river fills fast, even with normal storms. Are you excited yet? Because I am not. We already are having a huge rainstorm today, with blowing winds, thunder and lightning. We had to go rescue the horses from the fields, and the chickens refuse to go inside.

I am preparing for the worst by filling water containers, cleaning coops and areas where animals stay so they are ready for for creatures to live in them through any storm/cyclone. I cleaned the fish tank so they would have clean water for the weekend. :)

Good luck to everyone who is supposed to get it worse... especially S.C.

Good Luck to all! -Quinn

Saturday's Jumper Show.

On Saturday we made the journey to Top Venture Farm in Nottingham, P.A. for a little Stadium practice.

It was lot's of fun. Molly took Ankhe Pass and Tuxedo, Hannah came with Anna, Mr. Nunn brought Smilelikeyoumeanit and Red Horse Harry, Bryce brought Toulousse, and I took Google.

Google was very good. In our first class, a 2.6-2.9 Optimum Time Class, we went clear with a smooth round. In our second class, a 2.6-2.9 Power and Speed class, we had one rail. Our last class, a lm class that looked like it was actually set to 3.3, we had one rail, but it was our smoothest and best round yet. Google is certaintly prepared for his next Novice, in September.

Everyone else did wonderfully, and It was lot's of fun.

On Sunday I got a camera. Finally! Now I can provide you with clear pictures, action pictures, and videos. :)

In case you are wondering, it is a Panasonic Lumix DMC- FH27. It has smart touch and intelligent zoom capabilities, which are really cool. It automatically adjusts to any movement of your hand so you don't get blurry pictures. I love this camera already and would recommend it to you.

Yesterday, I went to the barn, and then to two hours of field hockey practice. Ouch.

That's all for now!

Cheers -- Quinn

A Busy Week

It's been a very busy week!

On Tuesday we drove up to New Jersey to school at the Horse Park of New Jersey - Andrew, Shadney, Maddie, Molly, Hannah and I.

Google enjoying the afternoon sun.

And it rained, no, It poured. But we rode anyway, and got soaked. It wasn't all that much fun, but it was a very good experience for me, mostly because I had never ridden Google in the rain, or on slippery ground. He is green, and was unsure of the ground. It was a lot of work to get him around, but I did it. All of us were wet at the end of it, but I think we were all happy, or at least satisfied with the experience. It did stop raining after the first two sets went out.



Hannah's Anna wasn't sure she wanted her picure!



A metal horse at one of the galleries.

On Friday, Molly, her mother, Bryce and Hannah came over for dinner. My mom's friend, Pat Maykuth, who was staying with us for the weekend, was also there. The food was good, and most of it made from the vegetables in our garden, or from local gardens/ orchards. The talk was even better; we were an interesting group who had many things teado discuss.

On Saturday, Pat, My Mom, and I headed up to Saratoga while the barn crew headed to Waredaca for a rainy show weekend.

Saratoga was loads of fun- we stayed in a nice bed and breakfast, and walked around Saturday night. We stopped at a few art galleries, where I saw some really nice artwork. The Fasig-Tipton Yearling sale was on at the track, so we stopped there and watched a few horses get sold. That was very cool. Then dinner - a delicious cheese plate, from which I liked a soft cheese the most, and then 3 small, perfect Gnochhi. Yum, Yum, Yum. We walked back to our lodgings to collapse into bed.

The next morning I slept in, then had breakfast. Bacon, Egg, and Cheese sandwiches are a  great way to start your day. My mom went off for a Jockey Club meeting, and I visited the racing museum. I highly recommend it- great exhibits!

Our view of the finish line- WOW!

At Noon we were off to the races for the afternoon, and we started out with a success. Michael Matz's filly, Welcome Dance, broke her Maiden in her first ever race! The afternoon continued and anded well, and then we were off for home. It was a late night, but lot's of fun.



Veggies from our garden- a HUGE zuchinni, etc.



Yesterday I collected some vegetables from our beautiful garden! MMmmmm, Zuchinni, Cucumber, and tomatoes. Strawberry season is over, but earlier in the year we got lot's of those.

Tomatoe hornworm- with a few unfriendly followers.



Yes, Maddie and I know we are silly!

Thats all for Now!
Cheers -- Quinn A.A.



Fred: The Grumpy Old Man

Sir Frederick is our oldest animal on the farm at a whopping 40 years old! He thinks that this gives him the right to be as grumpy as he wants. I disagree, but he doesn't care. In fact, he doesn't care about much except food and his friend Silver. I guess that's what happpens when you get old.....

Fred is a shetland pony gelding, who was originally black. Well, he has turned brown on his body and gray on his face. He was originally a stud pony in Canada, and then at some point he did some pony carting. Then my mom aquired him for my brother, John, to learn to ride on. He was the first pony I and a few others ever rode on. He is sweet, but he knows what he wants, and will be completely stubborn until he gets it.

Fred is nearly blind and deaf, and his teeth are worn down to nubs, but he is still doing alright. His thick furry coat insulates him from all weather, and so in the winter he is allowed to roam free on our lawn to eat the softer, greener grass. This incites many, many phone calls throughout the fall,winter and spring. " Your pony is loose on the lawn!". Yes, we know. He rarely wanders close to the road, but if he does he gets locked up in the barn for a week ( to his annoyance) .

Fred is free to live out his last years in our fields and barn, as are all the older horses we own. We hope he will live for awhile, enjoying the freedom of being old!

That's All!

Cheers - Quinn A.A

Oliver: The Hundred Mile Cat

I thought I might do profiles on everyone, starting with Oliver!

Oliver has been with us since he was 4 weeks old, and he will be turning 2 this month. There is a very interesting story behind how we got him..........

One day, in September two years ago, the night I had a school dance, as it happens, my mother was doing vet work at a farm when she heard a kitten meowing. She searched for a bit, but didn't find anything. I went to the dance, and she went to get gas. When she got there, she heard a kitten meowing, so she searched the trash can's there for an abandoned kitten. Still, no luck. So she searched the inside of the truck, and didn't find anything.

An hour later, I was picked up from my dance, and my mom told me about the meowing. I heard it too, a few times, as we drove. We stopped to grab some food, and I peeked under the back of the car. There he was, sitting on the spare tire, obviously very scared of people. We didn't want him bolting across the road, so I tried, and failed, to get him out of the car when we returned home. We put the tire down, and set down cat food and water to entice him down. In the morning the food and water was gone, and the tire was put back up, with us thinking that was that. Wrong!

The next day, as my mom told this story to someone, they replied " An orange kitten? Like the one I saw in the parking lot this morning?" I was called in to search, but I couldn't find him, to my despair. To we went to an event, got groceries, etc, until we got a call from my mother's vet technician, Fenneka. It turns out she had found him hiding in the front of her truck, perched so that falling would mean death! She caught him for us, and I took him home and gave him a little milk, water and food, as he hadn't had any for about 36 hours, and had driven about 100 miles. The next day we gave him a bath, and he purred the whole time. He also really liked spending time in between my shirt and sweater, so much that I took him to a party like that. He enjoyed the party. :) .

Now, at almost two years old, he is very sweet, and I am his favorite person. He hasn't ventured into any more car engines or tires, as we feared. He is not trusting, and is especially scared of tall men, especially when they are wearing boots. Approach him quietly though, and he may stick around and let you pet him. He has a soft, kitten-like coat of a light ginger orange color, and he was lucky to grow up with a 6 month older kitten, who unfortuanately was caught by either a fox or a coyote we saw around the same time as he dissapeared last summer.

That's all for today!

Cheers, Quinn A.A

Phone Pictures



<>

Oliver has a nap after a night outside



I apologize for the bad quality pictures so far: I plan to get a camera soon, but for now I am stuck with my phone camera. The one advantage to my phone camera is I can put effects on the pictures, and that is what I did yesterday. So, a few animals from around the house!

Blossom letting me take her picture.

Original picture of Blossom- edited ones are from this!



Pencil?



Beware the 2 headed cat!

That's it for today! Cheers- Quinn A.A.

Fair Hill Recognized Event: Groom

So here is my first real post. I am new to this blogging thing, so forgive me If I skip around.

Today was a recognized event at Fair Hill Event, and Molly had two horses  competing training, so I offered to groom, along with my friend, Hannah. Molly also had a student, Andy, competing with his horse, Beau. The two horses Molly had, Indie and Tux, were both going Training level.  The day turned out to be very humid, although not super hot.

Indie had a very nice dressage test, putting him in fourth after it. Unfortuanately, he had one rail in Show-Jumping, but had a clean Cross Country and put out a great effort in everything. He moved up to third, although he would have gotten first if not for the rail. 

This was Tux's first training level, and he did very well. He had a clean cross country jump, and he jumped around his biggest SJ course with glee. His dressage needed a little more consistency, but that's ok. Molly was happy. :)

I didn't here how Andy and Beau did: I will post it when I know.

Pictures!

 The ever handsome Beau!

L- Hannah and TuxR-Indie getting his braids taken out.

Indie likes his picture taken!

It was a very succesful and fun day, and relatively easy, due to the fact we only had to groom two horses. What a treat!