I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving weekend; although us Windchase girls didn’t exactly have a few days of rest and relaxation, we definitely had a good time.
One of our number, Meagan, was gone for three days, leaving Jenna, Heidi, and me back at the farm to keep things ticking over. Working with one or two people exclusively for a few days is definitely a bonding experience, and it was great to get to know them better and feel more at home here – I can honestly say that I’ve gotten over my homesickness now…even if I do maintain those daily calls home 
On Thanksgiving day we were given no schooling rides, trotsets, or lessons, so we had a lot of time to kill. We used this time the best way we could – by going on a long hack around the gorgeous property! Heidi rode her horse Gemini, Jenna was on Gary and I took Danny, and they showed me all the best places to ride – the hayfields and the galloping field (where we, of course, had a gallop!), the trails through the woods which took us over a couple of little logs, the path alongside the fields with some more jumping opportunities, and finally a little detour up and around the lake, and back down the driveway. It was a blast, even with Danny’s “mustang moment” on our way back through the galloping field – he just didn’t understand why he couldn’t have another run!
On our hack I was also introduced to a Windchase tradition – the crazy pictures tradition! Throughout the ride we passed the camera back and forth and got tons of shots – some cute, some funny, and way too many ear pictures to count.
That night, we all went up to Phyllis’s house to have dinner with her family. I think we were all a little astonished prior to heading up there, to find three very clean, well-dressed, and pretty people in the living room. We’re so used to seeing each other filthy that it was a little like entering a parallel universe…ha! Somehow, we all managed to end up in green shirts, and when we got up to the house, we saw that Melissa (the assistant trainer here) was in green too. Apparently that’s the new Windchase uniform! Dinner with the Dawsons was really nice, Phyllis has quite a diverse family! When we got back to the Little House – our humble abode – we all settled down to watch Silence of the Lambs, because, as per Jenna, it’s a perfect Thanksgiving movie…because it involves eating. I can’t even begin to fathom how that girl’s mind works
The next morning, however, it was another 5:30am start and back to our regular schedule. Danny and I have been working diligently on our dressage, and found an old dressage saddle up in the gallery which, after a good going-over with saddle soap, works perfectly for us until I can buy one. We also had an *interesting* jumping lesson with Melissa, and now we have a good idea of what we need to work on this winter. (In Virginia, you can actually jump through the winter! Haha! I was shocked!) I’ll also be having some jumping lessons on more experienced horses, which should be a blast. I’ll keep everyone informed
