Cowboy Friends

On July 28, we went to the PHSC show in Richfield. We took Brent's best friend Shad. They both love horses, rodeo and roping. I have the cutest picture of them before the show against the rail on the race track. Aren't they the cutest cowboys!

They both had a really good show. We had problems with the wasps in the arena again. Sass was being really difficult with Coy. So we decided it was best for Brent to make do in the Youth Pleasure with Dee Dee. We had not even washed her.

So we hurried and put him on her and Brent and Shad went to warm their horses up. She had a really good warm up and was working pretty relaxed. We entered them in the show ring for their class.

I was not really paying a lot of attention to them getting started but then I looked up and Brent was off his horse walking down the arena. I wondered what could have happened. I ran out to the arena.

Apparently all of the people in the arena had stirred up a wasp's nest in the one corner of the arena. When Brent and his horse got there, they started attacking her. Horses are extremely sensitive to stings. She tried to rubBrent and the wasps off on the fence and then she tried to lay down with him. He just bailed off. It was the best thing he could do to not get hurt.

When I got up to her she was physically shaking. I had to rub her down and then just try to calm her. She finally settled and they sprayed that corner of the arena. Needless to say, she did not work like a pleasure horse but she did better than I thought she would. Brent ended up second in the class and Shad took third. The points will keep him first overall for the year. The pictures to the right are after their class.

We had awhile before their next classes. They had a blast running around the fairgrounds with their other friends Tate and Bowdee. They were roping, checking out the barns and race horses.

The competition in the youth speed events was tough. Shad, Brent, Bowdee and Tate have no fear in going fast on a horse. They all placed differently in each event. Shad placed first in Poles and Keyhole. Brent placed 3rd in Speed & Intelligence and 3rd in Keyhole. The kids beat the times of most of the adults. Everyone was commenting on how well they compete.

Good People

After traveling to San Diego last week, it really made me stop and think about my perceptions of people in the world. Each day we are bombarded by the media about what a dangerous horrible world we live in. The news reports are filled with violence and hate.

The really strange thing is that when you go out each day, you manage to meet really nice people. If you just talk to the person next to you at the restaurant, airport or store, you might find out that they are just like you. They are concerned about their families, careers, and life. The love the people that are close to them. They take care of their responsibilities. They go home and do household chores just like the rest of us.

Then I had the fortune of spending time with the our friends from Japan last week. It completely made me realize all of the above to be true. They are just like us. They worry about their families, careers and life.

While I was gone, I never noticed anyone being mean or hateful. If everyone would just have a little tolerance and spend some time actually meeting and talking with other people, maybe we could focus on how much we are the same instead of how much we are different.