Day 22 - February 22. Today we headed to Dunns in Litchfield Park - they have a barrel race every Monday. Montana ran Gin and Matalyn ran Pippa. Breezy ran a few time onlys. The girls had clean runs, but did not slot in for any money. We enjoy going to Dunns because they have great homemade chicken burritos and cheese quesadilla and it's fun to watch the airforce jets fly around. We stayed for a little while after the race ended to watch Judy work her horses and get a few more pointers from Sue. There is just so much horsemanship wisdom and knowledge between the two of them! 

We came back and worked on school and work. The girls gave the mares a bath and took advantage of the beautiful weather (it's always 70 and sunny!). I finished the night off with a walk and then we all joined the Minnesota folks over at Bruce's for a fire. It's always a fun time with the Minnesota folks at Buckeye!

Funny story - It was after dark when we realized the gray tank needed to be emptied (the sink "bubbles" when it gets full). Matalyn was in the shower, so Montana and I went outside to empty it. I opened the cap on the trailer to hook up the sewer pipe and "GUSH", liquid started pouring out (OMG)! It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening and the only thought I had was "please don't be black (toilet) water"! Luckily, I got it covered back up and it was only gray (shower/sink) water (phew!). Apparently, I did not close the gray water tank earlier, and now I'm triple-checking it! 

Day 23 - February 23. This morning I had some work I needed to complete, so I stayed back at the trailer. The girls were very excited about roping practice and had checked into school, completed a few classes, and were in the roping practice pen by 10:30 am. They roped for about 2 hours - Matalyn rode Breezy and kept Pippa tied up. Montana had some excitement when she got buck-off Gin during practice (but sort of landed on her feet)! Matalyn got it on video and we all had a good laugh. Montana is just fine as 16 year-olds bounce back much quicker and easier than someone older!

It was then time for some barrel racing at Buckeye. Montana rode Gin and had her second-best time of 18.5 on a standard pattern. Matalyn had a great ride on Pippa (20.3) and sort of a "wild ride" on Breezy (20.6). Apparently, Breezy still needs a few time onlys to help her prepare for her run. My Uncle Bruce and Aunt Gai came to watch - it's always fun to hang out and talk with them. We stayed after the race and watched Sue and Judy work and cool down their horses. Matalyn worked Breezy a bit too and walked the pattern with Pippa. It was 5:30 pm by the time we got back to the trailer. 

Day 24 - February 24. This morning we went out the yard in Tonopah - it's such a fun place! We each rode two sets of horses through the desert for condition. I rode Gin and boy, is she really turning into a nice horse. Montana rode Breezy and got along well with her (much better than I do), of course, Matalyn rode Pippa. Since all of them had run earlier in the week, we walked the pattern and called it good. Everyone needed and appreciated the "easy" day (humans and horses). 

We got back to Buckeye and unhooked. I went to the laundromat and washed two loads of clothes. This should be my last trip to the laundromat. I'm impressed that we've made it 5 weeks with only 3 trips to the laundromat; however, today I think I had one of the washers a little too full! While I was gone, Matalyn worked on school and rested, and Montana rode one of Michelle's horses with her - Montana really had fun! I came back and picked up the girls. We went to Bales and got our 3 last bales of alfalfa, stopped at Tractor Supply to pick up our final bags of shavings, and picked up one bag of grain (since we were going to run a little short). They did not have our normal ration balancer, but when you know who formulates the products, a quick call helped me pick a temporary replacement. It helps to have friends in high places! We fueled up the truck and then came back and made tacos, and worked on school and work. Matalyn continues to be our "muscle" and is great at hooking up/unhooking the trailer and is the only one who can lift the big 3-string western bales.   

Horse health update - the mares continue to do well with only minor issues while adjusting to life in Arizona. Gin has a little cough, but we think it's from the dust. We are using non-scented baby wipes to keep her nose as free of dust as possible. Pippa has an irritated eye, and again, we think it's from the dust. Fortunately, I came prepared with eye ointment (and many other drugs and first aid items), and that seems to help. Breezy is doing well but is maybe just a tad body/foot sore. The trail ride on Sunday really chipped her hooves (combined with her idiot behavior). Our mares are not shod as we normally run them barefoot and we were planning on mostly arena riding and not necessarily trail riding. If your goal is trail riding in Arizona, horses really need to be shod to comfortably ride the trails and mountains.  

Human health update - we are all doing well and getting plenty of sun! The weather has been perfect, but really dry, even for a desert. We need lots of lotion and sleep! We are just beat after a day full of sun, fun, and horses and tend to be in bed by 9 pm.