This is what I see out of my east facing window every morning.

I’m back in the desert again, and have been since the end of last week. Everyone always asks me if it’s hot here. Well I don’t think the earth’s axial tilt has changed at all, so yes, it is still hot here and will be all summer. One of the more exciting things about coming out this time is that my cell phone now works out past Alma School Rd. Thank you AT&T…another reason to get an iPhone.

Here are some pictures to tide you over.

Edit: Sorry about the size of the pictures. I have a slow connection out here!

Finals are almost over. Here’s a quick look at where I will be heading as soon as the last question is answered.

I finished up with a second place in the Half-Arabian Working Cow Horse Amateur to Ride class. My score was a 70, which I was pleased with considering I haven’t worked a cow since last September.

Crystal won both her classes with Pink, the Open and the Open Championship, with a 74.5 and a 74 respectively. Overall, it was a good show. The weather was great, there wasn’t much drama and I had a great time seeing all the people I only seem to see at horse shows. Now I just need to order my pictures!

Note on the scoring: The highest and lowest scores were dropped and the remaining scores were added together. A score of 70 means you completed everything well and didn’t accumulate any penalties or additional points. Anything above a 70 reflects the amount of additional points rewarded to the maneuvers. The average scores for most amateur to ride working western classes (e.g. working cow horse, reining) is somewhere in the mid to high 60s…at least in the Arab world!

Today I rode my horse Millie in Side Saddle. I had a lot of fun, but we didn’t end up placing in the class. The problem I have with Millie is that she likes to go too fast, so when I tried to slow her down, she broke from the lope to the walk right in front of the judge. Oh well. I haven’t ridden in over a month, so I was glad to just get up on my horse.

Also, my side saddle outfit was too big, so the skirt kept switching around my waist and getting in the way. My vest could also be taken in a good 2-3 inches. I guess I’d rather have it too big than too small.

Side saddle isn’t really my “thing” anyway. Can’t wait for the working cow class with Pink!

In just a few hours, I will be leaving behind slushy Illinois is favor of dry dirt and sand. This is because every February for the past 7 years, I have participated in the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in Scottsdale, AZ. This year I’ll be competing in the Western Ladies Side Saddle and Working Cow classes with two of my horses. Look for plenty of equine related posts in the coming days.