April 2010

It’s hard to believe we are already starting our spring clinic tour. It wasn’t that long ago that we were packing up our thermals and jackets to head out on our first trip of the year to Visalia, California. We still have that all packed in the trailer, but it is the time of year when we get hopeful and put some warm weather clothes in as well. We usually are treated to warm weather when we head south in the winter, but this year though it was dry, it was unusually cold. Our jackets saw a lot of use!

Our first clinic of the year was in New Hampshire, with an Aikido for Horsemen workshop.  From there we went to California and back to Colorado for a week before driving to Florida and Georgia. We ended our winter tour in Cordes Junction, Arizona, where we almost couldn’t get out because of a river crossing that had risen after two days of rain.

So far we have put 10,000 miles on our rig, and by the end of our swing through California and Washington we will be close to putting on another 7,000.

Crissi continues to clinic full time with Bree, her Arabian mare she picked up last year. Bree is doing her job well and seems to like going different places. She is a sensible and athletic horse, and we are excited to see how they continue to grow as a team.

Mark still has Mic, his buckskin gelding he picked up around the same time we got Bree.  Mic has developed into a reliable and steady clinic horse. This, added to his ranching and roping background, makes Mark’s job even more enjoyable.

A new addition to our herd has come to us as well. Will is a working ranch horse, with bloodlines going back to Poco Lena, Poco Bueno as well as King. He came to us with some physical issues that we have taken the past six months to sort out and as we write this, he is in the trailer with Mic and Bree, getting ready to go to his first clinic in Arroyo Grande, California. From all we can see, he is a very good horse and should fit in nicely. We are both looking forward to learning more about him. We originally bought him as a resale project, but he’s such a nice horse Mark is having second thoughts.

Several of our former herd members have found new homes, and from what we hear back from the folks that bought them they are fitting in very well and everyone is having a good time together.

Looking ahead, we will be spending a couple of months on the east coast this summer. We are looking forward to seeing all of you up there in New Hampshire, as well as in New York, and Wisconsin.

We also want to send a great big thank you to our clinic hosts this winter/spring. We know the time, effort and consideration you put into making each of these clinics a success and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you to Tim Harvey, Lee and Susie Cranney, Angela Winn, Carla Ball and Cal Long for making our job fun. It was great to spend time with you all, and we are looking forward to the next time we get to see you.

Suggestions?

Are there things you would like to see added? Taken away? Obviously, we cannot give training advice about horses and riders we cannot see, but there may be other ways to share information that you find of interest. Let us know by e-mail at consideringthehorse@yahoo.com.

As always, feel free to visit us at our website, www.markrashid.com, for updates and new news!