Back to the Exciting World of Del Val

Last year my roommate and I requested to live in the newest dorm on campus so living conditions are very different this year than they were last year. This dorm is like a hotel with carpeting, central air, wireless internet and our very own shower!! I suppose if you haven't yet experienced college life you wouldn't be able to appreciate what a luxury your own shower is, but if you plan on going to college you will understand the thrill.

This semester I am taking 17 credits, some classes are strictly about equine health and the equine industry such as Equine Nutrition, Horse Show Management and of course my riding class Principles of Jumping. I know what you thinking... you get credits for riding??!! Haha Yes I do, that is the beauty of being an equine studies major :). The other classes are open to all majors here at Del Val, Intro to Business, Spanish I and First Aid/CPR. By far my most difficult class will be Equine Nutrition, but it will also be one of the most valuable classes this semester.

Getting back into my old routine of classes and school work is easier than I thought it would be. I am excited to get this year rollin'!!

A Very Horsey Summer

Can you believe how fast the summer went? Now that I am moved into my new dorm room I feel as though I never left. This summer I did quite a bit of riding, but probably not the type of riding you would expect. I was lucky enough to get a taste of what a real working cow horse feels like. The stable that our horses moved to this summer is full of Quarter Horses that specialize in cutting and sorting. If you have never had the chance to ride a Quarter Horse that really knows his job I would suggest you try it, you may like it more than you think! I also competed in a few horse trials with a pony named Daily Special (Dale). He can be a handful but the judges sure do seem to like him, and I suppose that is all that matters in the end.

One of my projects this summer was to re-train a 13 hand pony that wasn't sure he wanted to be re-trained, I took my fair share of falls but by the end of the summer he was going around the way a pony hunter should! You can see how cute he is in the picture below. He is so fat that I couldn't get a saddle to fit him, so thats why I am riding bareback in the picture. As you can imagine my summer was filled with many interesting riding experiences!
I hope you were able to get enough horse'n around this summer although I am not sure that is possible. A summer just isn't complete without some thrills and spills!!