Aaron and Hur

Ok I have been non stop running around trying to get everything ready for Fort Worth. We are "so" down to crunch time it isn't funny. From here on out I will be pretty vague on what I am doing because I have moved into working on freestyle ideas and that is way more hush hush than the regular training. I will be sure to fill you in afterwards, but hopefully I will have a video of it "when" I make the finals (speaking things that aren't as though they are). I will be competing in the Idols class against 40 other trainers. I have to say that I am super happy that I am to this point. Spade is positively the best trained horse that I have ever sat on. He is so trained that without ever running the barrel pattern before I was able to cruise though for a student today to show her what her horse needed to look like in a turn. He did the pattern like an old pro and I haven't even walked him through it before. I am happy to have him. It looks like I will be using him as my lesson partner because he does it all.
So today I rode him and he did much better then yesterday. I didn't blog yesterday mainly because I was so aggravated by the time I came in the house I didn't want to talk about it. I worked him last night and he started out ok. The more I rode, the worst he got. Until he started to drag me around the pen like he did a few weeks ago. Needless to say I was very upset. A week out from check-in and he wants to become "untrained". Angie Lewis has been helping me with things that are perceived by spectator/judges. Sometimes things feel way worse to me then they look. She said, "It looks like he is running away! Like he is fighting you! Of coarse in my short temper I barked back "HE IS!". I am really glad my support group takes me at the best and the worst! The more I worked with him the more mad I got. So I finally quit and left him alone. I could feel the Holy Spirit telling me "You are about to undo everything that you have taught him. Just Stop." Just before I quit I was loping a circle to the left and I noticed that Spade kept glancing to his right side. The whole time he had been fighting me he was running from the tassels on my chaps. I recently, the last few rides, started to ride him in the chaps to get him used to them. The first two days he didn't care but last night he finally noticed that the tassels flop when he is loping. On top of that I notice that he runs away and is more scared under the lights at night. The colors and shadows I am sure are different to him. So all night last night I laid in bed thinking about what I need to do to get him used to the chaps. I even dreamt about it! This morning I let them hang off his saddle as I loped him around on the lunge line. He was "looky" at first but soon settled. Today he did great and loped like a sane and trained horse even with the chaps on. Still trying to find the pattern to the craziness but if it is just because it is dark in the pen at night and the lights are on, I will be happy. I don't have to compete in that type of setting in Fort Worth at all. This afternoon I pulled out all the stops. I had some great freestyle ideas but struggling with teaching some of the tricks and maneuvers. The freestyle consist of 3.5 minutes to do anything you want to show off your horses better than average ability. The more "Wow" you have the higher the points. It is only for the Top Ten that make the Finals in the Idols class. But everyone prepares because you never know how you are going to place. In the Legends (the most advanced class) the freestyle is where you see chainsaws, bullwhips, 4-wheelers, bridle-less and bareback riding and a large amount of firearms. Hence the reason that I chose to compete in Idols. LOL!  After I realized today that some of my conservative ideas weren't really what Spade wanted to do. I told Angie "If I were crazy I would try..... use your imagination!" She said "Try it!" I could hear the faith in her voice. I was a little afraid that I was too ambitious but what do I have to loose at this point. I mean if I make the top ten out of 40 that is already saying something for a horse that has been ridden only five weeks. So why not go for gold!? Lets just say that the ideas scared every horse in the pasture except Spade. He was right beside us and never budged. In fact I think he likes it. I know, I know, what is it?? Sorry that will have to wait until after my competition.  I have some really cool things that are his favorite and they will all be a part of the freestyle. Really looking forward to it.
I can't tell you how important it is to have a support group around you. I have such a great team of people that I can look to at anytime. Angie and Talicia have been a huge part of that. They are the ones that at least one of them are here every time I have worked Spade. I can literally count on one hand how many times I have worked him alone.  They will but be with me in Fort Worth to help with what ever. They are the ones that see how tired I get trying to keep up with the fast schedule that I have set to make sure every horse gets done. And they help with what ever they can. Then I have Mary right down the road that is constantly riding with me and giving input. She is a great friend that loves Jesus and has ridden lots of horses, that makes her very valuable to me. And Danial my husband that is so super proud of everything that I have done with Spade and refrains from exploding every time I use the word "mustang". I know he hates the word by now. Then there is a huge team of vets, mustang trainers and other equine specialist that help me so much. And so, so, so many friends that are rooting us on. I have never been so proud to have such special people in my life. I think often about how great God is to bring in key people to support me. It makes me feel even more loved by Him. Talicia and I were talking the other day about the story in the Old Testament where the Hebrews were in battle against the Amalekites(Ex 17:10-13). Joshua was leading the battle and as long as Moses arms were extended in the air they would be beating the enemy in the battle. But when he would get tired and start to lower them the enemy would start to overtake the Hebrews. So along came Aaron and Hur and they held up the arms of Moses because he was tired. For the battle's sake no matter how tired he got he had to keep those arms up. Talicia had mentioned the story to me to explain something in her own life. But I realized that God had sent Talicia and Angie to hold up my arm in this journey. This "mustang thing" that I am "into" (that's how I have heard people explain me) might look like nothing but the devil knows that it is Phase 1 to a serious kick in the teeth. To me it isn't just a competition to show my skills. In the long run (not sure how!) this is going to become a ministry to glorify Gods Kingdom, not mine. So I feel that I am in a battle against the enemy to just get this cute little "wildcat of a mustang" trained and finished for a greater cause. Every time I have wanted to stop because I was to tired or (I hate to admit it) too scared. These girls have been the ones to pick up what slack they could and encourage me if it was something that only I could do. Just like today Angie's faith that Spade would tolerate something that I normally wouldn't have ever tried, could change my whole competition this year. God knows what we need to finish something that he has called us to do. He also knows when we need an Aaron and Hur to help us in the process. Angie kinda showed up about a month after I had been accepted in the SEMM. Talicia started coming out the first week that I had picked up Spade. Both of them I had been friends with for years but we had lost touch for almost 15 years. But God brought them back to help me now. I am so glad he did. Spade isn't a product of just what I did. He is a product of an entire support group made up of so many. I thank everyone that has helped along the way. I have a feeling he is going to do great.