Boxing day at Santa Anita Opening Day.

That is famous country singer Dwight Yoakum in the cowboy hat.

One of the few women trainers Carla Gaines in the saddling enclosure

Marlane and Dasha

The crowd

 Doug, Dasha and I went to the first day of racing for the season at Santa Anita about an hours drive away. I was interested to see that Frankie Dettori had some rides as this is his last racing season. I won about $50 in $2 bets to win. Dasha was very interested to see it all. The crowds were pretty bad, Doug had to wait in line for a while to get food. At least I could get a beer right away. I learned how to buy a voucher to use for betting as did Dasha. The lines were so long at the betting windows we just got our bets in before the races started. In the end I just bet the last several races together. The weather was perfect about 70 degrees with some clouds. Several big stakes races of $200 to $300 thousand dollars prize money. It was announced as the afternoon racing ended that the money taken in betting broke all records with 26 million dollars. The attendance was about 41 thousand spectators.

Marlane with Frankie Dettori in the background

One of the horses in the paddock waiting for "jockeys up"

Two time Triple Crown winning
trainer  Bob Baffert with his two jockeys heading to the paddock.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours

Our tree

Our cat Smokey

Tandy session 5

 

Me and Tandy before his training session

Standing "ground tied"

Doug can ride Tandy but Dasha and I are not able to yet. This means that I have decided to "train" Tandy to be the best riding horse ever. I should mention that I am not new to horse training. Doug has done a lot of important riding work and now it is time for me to finish Tandy. I am starting Tandy off with grooming and being ground tied. Allowing clippers to be used for the bridle path. Letting me put his feet down for him when his feet are picked out. and not clamping his tail when I brush it. I am giving him a refresher of the Parelli seven games that Dasha has taught him, which includes for the time being rudimentary lunging. Clicker training also is incorporated and join up ala Monty Roberts. I am integrating a lot of horse training methods that I have learned over the past 50 years LOL and it feels good !

I get to ride

 I went on a half hour ride with husband Doug today, he rode Tandy. It is the first time I have ridden since I twisted my ankle about three weeks ago. It felt awesome to be back in the saddle again and my ankle felt completely back to normal. I did wrap my ankle in an elastic sock and also wrapped just below my knee with vet wrap.  I have an old injury there that was hurting because of stress on my ankle. I forgot to take a picture of me in the saddle,

so here is me and Coco after our ride. Temperature about 60 deg F ( Southern California USA)

Doug rides Coco

My ankle which I strained about a week or so ago is still bothering me, so I dare not ride. I asked hubby Doug to ride for me... he said she was a pistol. Coco has not been ridden out by herself for at least a year.

Doug coming in after a 30 min ride on Coco my step DIL took the video.

Husband Doug on my usual ride on Morgan Horse Coco, aged 23

My grand daughter

My son and my grand daughter Audrey aged 3 in October about to leave their house in New York 

 to walk Audrey to preschool which is just a few minutes away. It is cold there now.

A formal photo of my son Eddy and Audrey. This photo was staged and taken by my daughter in law Steph who is originally from S. Korea

. It portrays what kind of Daddy Eddy is. I am so proud of him and his family.