2005 Scenes from Snail's Pace Ranch!

         

Top Row: Majestad; The herd grazes last fall.; Washoe & Lilly hang out with Korbel, the Llama. Second Row: Taz grazes in her favorite spot, and Washoe and son, Blue Moon, eat in the dark.  Below: The herd doing their favorite thing - grazing on early Winter grass, and Lilly strikes a pose.

 

     

Taz models her first Dressage saddle (left), but she prefers the Western (middle).  I worked with Taz a lot this year.  We both really needed it.  See how she yawns and lets go of her stress after one good session.

New Kids in Town...

        

Mason & Dixon (aka: Thing I & Thing II or The Boys) whirled into our lives.  They look like Silver Tabbies, but we're pretty sure they are Bengal Cats - Tabbies crossed with a wild African Cervil Cat.  We adopted them at the local pound!  We call them our dog-cats because they are more like dogs than cats in many ways.  They definitely play rough. They come when called, and they love to play in water.  They can reach the kitchen counter without jumping.  They weigh close to 17 lbs. each, and they always want to lay on me while I am typing.

Times of Joy and Loss...

This year has been one of great joy and and great loss.  David's Great Aunt Elizabeth passed away suddenly in February at the age of 97.  The amazing role model she was and the light she always brought to a room is now carried fondly in our memories. 

   

Above: The extended family in Baltimore; Aunt Elizabeth's memorial luncheon place setting;  Mary, David & Susan and Bill, after the funeral.

We also lost a young light who was just as vibrant as Aunt Elizabeth -- Gracie.

     

Gracie wasn't ours.  She and her mom came to our barn to recooperate after problems at birth.  She recovered well and stole our hearts before returning to our neighbor's pasture.  At 2.5 months, she cracked her neck. Despite a valiant fight, she had to be put down.  She -- like Aunt Lib -- took a big piece of our hearts with her to happier pastures.

Together, they reminded us to live life to the fullest as long as you have it.  Forge new paths.   Face your fears.  Always follow your dreams, and kick up your heels as often as possible.

Each in their own way remind us not to mistake the details of life... for life itself!     

The Work Front...

We spent lots of time working this year.  Saddles That Fit! continues to grow, with more and more people taking advantage of our educational services.  A lot of word of mouth, one well placed ad and some strategic guerilla marketing has produced a steady increase in business. Here's a snapshot what we do:

		Left: During a saddle fitting, Susan and David take turns explaining the elements of saddle fit to clients.  Then they put saddles on to see and feel what fits.  After that, the owner rides in different saddles to see which works best.  Right: Susan checks the fit of a saddle on Bjola, an Icelandic horse, while her rider is aboard.  Sometimes saddles that should fit don't feel as good when riding, so it is important to check fit with the rider on top.  Then we watch the horse and rider move to see what the horse says about each saddle.
			Left: David helps adjust a saddle cinch to fit this young Halflinger gelding. The saddle fit both horse and rider like a glove, so (middle) David gets it all ready to stay with Monte and Cheryl.
	Left: David helps a client tack up her Andulasian mare with a saddle she is going to try.  Right: Susan triple checks fit after another client rides for awhile in a saddle that both horse and rider like.

And below is more work research. I spent two weeks with the ultimate horseman, Harry Whitney (left). It really helps to spend concentrated time with someone there to coach me as I work on improving my training and riding skills. Autumn and Taz and I really learned a lot. Left to right below is Harry riding Autumn to help her find softness; Me working on forward with Taz; Autumn and I pose with Harry and his Morgan horse; & David and the gang watch a rider.

     

On the Family Front...

I also made a trip home to PA in August.  I got to help Dad move to a new place.  It's closer to Tonya and the rest of the family.  He really likes it there.  I also got to spend some quality time with Tonya (pictured below with Dad and me), cousin Joyce and Aunt Joanne (not pictured), with Mom and Tony, and with Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Bob.  It was nice to visit again. But it's good to be back home in CA.

         

We also spent Christmas with David's family in Southern California.  Mary's family hosted us for a DVD movie fest. On Christmas day Doris opened presents with her entire family:  Bill and his girls; Mary & Tom and the kids; and David and me.  And, my brother Tim and his wife Norma and son Tim (he's almost 22!) were able to join us for Chrismas Dinner.  It was great to see everyone.

     

One of the great benefits of what we do is meeting a lot of really nice people.  And, sometimes they live nearby!    Here, David and Charlie help Stella and Jean Michael check out a tractor on their new ranch just a few minutes from us.  Stella is a horseback riding instructor/trainer.  They just relocated to Plymouth from Half Moon Bay, CA.
We are fortunate to have the friendship of so many wonderful people near and far, new and old. We wish each and all the very best in 2006.  (PS: Our doors are open for visits!)