Angelia Almos

I know it's been a while since I've done a post on Prince and there's a very good reason for that. I don't have a lot to report except that I hurt my back and neck in January and reinjured them shortly after they healed in February. I've been pretty much land locked since then. As so many of us athletes do (you know who you are) I tried to ignore the injury, doing everything I would normally do, living with the pain and when it would get too intense take some advil. That went on for a couple of weeks until my body had enough and I had to ground myself since I could barely function. Went to a massage therapist and chiropractor who helped a lot and got me back on the right track. But it took a lot longer than I guessed for my back and neck to recover. I've ridden a few times, short test rides, to see if my body is ready. And so far, no. But Prince remains in half-training at his stable so he is still getting ridden a couple of times a week by the trainer. ...

Since my last update on Prince, he's had several more training sessions and I've had two more lessons on him as part of his training. He continues to live in his little pasture with his buddy Boone. We had a real treat over the weekend. We were off the hill and swung by to say hi and give Prince a little attention. We were surprised to find him and Boone in a full out play session. Galloping around, rearing, bucking, and play fighting. And when I say full out - I really mean it. We watched for a while not wanting to disturb them (I'd say a good 15 minutes). I then tried to get some on film, but as soon as I got out of the truck they stopped and decided it was more interesting to drink from the mini-lake in their pasture (it's been pretty rainy and snowy bringing the water table way up). Here's a little video of them - Prince is the one chasing and they slowed down as soon as I opened the truck door. Prince is getting much more balanced and consistent with his...

Some of my readers already know, and maybe remember, that I bought a pony about a year and a half ago named Prince Charming. He's been an interesting pony. Not quite what I was looking for in some ways while exactly what I was looking for in other ways. A picture of me with him is just to the right of this blog. He is a cutey despite his insecurity. His insecurity has proved very challenging for me. He's not a joy to ride on the trail, but more of a chore. I had wanted to send him to a trail trainer this Fall, but the plans fell through. Instead I made the decision to send him to a show trainer for November and December for him to learn his flying lead changes and other skills which would make him more marketable as a show pony in case I can't solve our trail issues. Seeing the trainer ride him was a reminder of his athleticism and a lot of the training he already has that I never really use. The trainer has informed me that Prince is incredibly smart (think Border Coll...