giveaway winner and shy's inner arabian

. . . and the winner is Liz from In Omnia Paratus! Congrats! This time I used random.org to pick the winner since I stayed home sick from work. Enjoy the fleece cooler! Thank you again to Horze.com for letting me host another giveaway! They are a ton of fun to do.

What are Shyloh and the minions looking at?

Whatever it is, it has caused them to run up. . .

and down. . .

the back end of the pasture. And only the back end. Never near the actual source of the excitement.

Whatever it is, it has Shy's nostrils flared and her tail carried high (for her). 

What could it be that has channeled Shy's inner Arabian?

Why. . .

It's just Gunny getting hooked to the cart for the first time!

He did very good in the round pen. Did I ever mention that this is a draft sized round pen? It is pretty huge for Shy and the minions. A short and sweet lesson was had. Until the decision was made to drive Gunny back to the barn. Then disaster was had. . .Gunny made the decision to fully gallop to the back fields. It was not pretty, but he was calmed down and was brought back to the round pen for another lesson. We must end on a good note. And he did. 

I am pretty sure Shy was sending Gunny telepathic messages to be bad, hence the staring and running. She was probably thinking. . .not another equine being trained to drive, oh bother! Or not, but either way, it was less than exciting the whole time Shy and the minions were worked up. Usually she does not care for that length of time about what goes on around her. Searching for food is her main goal in life. It was funny to watch her though!

and we have a name!

Ta da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was meant to be. I told Mike about that name a few days ago, but he didn't really like it because we know a dog named Cheyanne and they call her Chy. Then I mulled it over at my dad's house. They liked it, so I texted Mike and told him I really liked that name. When I walked into the barn today, Leslie said, what about Shyloh, because she is so shy? And so it goes. . .

I took Shy into the arena today and Robin showed me how to use the lunge whip and exercise her the right way. She wasn't on a line, but she was trotting and cantering. At one point she kicked up some ground and a stone hit the side of the arena and she spooked! She took off and did a mini buck, but then had no problem going back to the same area. 

Mike showed up at the barn to see her, too! I swear, I always get the strangest animals. Every day I discover something new about her. She likes to lick. She will lick my hand, my arm, my shirt, the stall, whatever! I let her for now so she gets to know me and trust me. Leslie said I should put a sign on her paddock stating that she is in training and to only approach her with treats, so she comes to associate people with good things. 

Ever see that movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore? That's what I feel like with Shy. Each day, I have to regain her trust. I know, I know. . .I haven't even had her a week yet. But every time I go out there I spend a large amount of my time building trust. And that's okay.