1 Down, 99 To Go...

In Germany, you're not considered a real rider until you've been thrown from your horse 100 times. Well, I'm 1% of a real rider...

We were out, having a nice ride in the fall air a few weeks ago, when Dixie decided to jump a fallen tree. Dixie's a jumper, so I'm generally well prepared for her leaps, but at the time of her jump, I was complacent because she had been so well behaved. She took a big prep step, throwing me to the back of the saddle, then upon the landing I was thrown to the front, hit the saddlehorn, and flipped over her shoulder. Luckily, I grew up getting thrown around, so I know how to fall without getting hurt too bad. As I rolled out of my flip, Dixie turned and looked at me, as if to say "What are you doing on the ground?" I did better than my brother, who fell (not thrown, fell) off his horse twice that day.

In Other News: Thanks, Video Games

On this ranch, you learn by doing. Well, I needed to clean up some poop, so I hopped in the big (expensive) green tractor and was confronted with this set-up:

I had no idea what to do, but I've had to learn enough games and use enough joysticks that I was able to quickly figure it all out.

That might look like a lot of manure, but it's only one of three piles!