Rusty Springs in Spring

My sister, Julie, has carved out a little piece of cowboy heaven. With her lifelong obsession with horses and living on a farm most of her life, she has the skills and talents to make her work count.
This beauty is Nahla, one of her students.

This is another one. She was able to catch and saddle it after a bit of non-verbal coaxing. This is a retired racing thoroughbred.

These are her own babies and she has three from last year. She likes quarterhorses that have 'cow sense' so she can move them and rope from them.

It's time for Nahla's lesson. My sister can make her walk or run around the round pen, turn direction, walk toward her- all with body language. I find it fascinating. I am not a brave rider. Nahla performed her duties beautifully and it was only her second lesson.

Another bay (brown with black mane and tail) in training is getting new shoes. We always had to cross tie horses at my Grandpa's. But Julie just holds the line and the horse is expected to just stand there like my dog.

Jake (in front) and Dexter also have cow sense and thrive on the ranch.

Her farrier is a woman and one of her best friends. Julie used to shoe her own horses, but it is a specialty that requires lots of practice. Many people think it is too heavy work for women. But you're not allowed to talk like that around my sisters.

I love to just follow her around on her daily chores. She takes me to Chapters book store and Starbucks so I don't get too homesick. She has a lovely home with lots of space for family to crash and I look forward to going back for the summer solstice.