The Boss

Little Mama has her daddy and I to teach her, love her, and guide her. However, she also has the Boss. The Boss is Little Mama's trainer, and has been for the last three years. When LM first came to the Boss she was a skinny, little shrimp and stood as tall as the Boss' shoulder. Pictured are LM and the Boss in Florida last March. Who's looking down at who now?

Boss' training covers many aspects. Sure she is there instructing LM in the ways of the horse, but she has also been known to address topics such as dating, boys, sex ed, kissing, driving, personal health and hygiene, etc.

And the Boss is, well she's the Boss. She and LM's relationship is complicated, and there is no easy way to describe it. Sisters? Yeah sort of. Friends? Most definitely. Parent and child? That too. Psychologist and patient? Yep. Teacher and student? Obviously. The list goes on and on, and changes daily.

Most important to me though is that Boss loves LM like she's her own and always has her best interest at heart. A rarity in the ridiculously crazy world known as the horse business.

Dressage

"Dressage is a sport where competitors pursue the unobtainable 100%; in order to even come close, meticulous attention to detail, in addition to ability, is necessary.

The attention to detail starts with good horsemastership. Quality veterinary care, proper feeding and an on-going training program are the foundation. Correctly fitted equipment and good grooming are also necessary ingredients. In dressage the general appearance is much more important than in other equestrian disciplines. The horse and rider which are turned out immaculately, with everything gleaming and in place, make it hard for the judge not to give the benefit of the doubt to the combination which pleases his eye. Dressage is a performance, and, as such, competitors strive to look as beautiful as nature will allow.

Competitive dressage takes place in a 20x60-meter arena, with 12 lettered markers placed at specific points along the rail. Here, horse and rider perform a designated test, a series of movements for which the arena markers serve as reference points.

One to five judges, positioned at specific locations around the arena, evaluate the performance from their different perspectives. Scores are awarded on a scale of zero (not executed) to 10 (excellent) for each movement, with some particularly difficult movements earning scores that are multiplied by two." (excerpt taken from www.youngriders.org)

And this of course is Little Mama's calling...