"Hi Sandy:

Winter is doing great.  The 2 girls got here at the same time and have been inseparable ever since.  They couldn't be more perfect for each other.  Penny is the alpha and as you know Winter is more a follower than a leader so the match worked out great.  We finally got around to getting her Wolf teeth taken out and points filed down, so that I could finally concentrate on putting a bit in her mouth and beginning to ride her.  I recently started putting the surcingle on her and putting my weight on her back.  I waited til she turned 4 before attempting this so that her back could develop as much as possible.  She is doing great, not much bucking at all and she pretty much stands still for everything while I am on her.  I didn't go any further than that because we took a trip to North Carolina and then had about 14 relatives out for pre-Thanksgiving festivities so I didn't want a break between finally saddling her and riding her for the first time.  We just put the last relative on a plane for home so I will start in earnest next week with the saddling and riding.

I would say it took her a good 8-9 months to acclimate to all the changes and really accept me.  After about 8-9 months she finally trusted me enough to let me rub her face and now she is tucking her head into my shoulder and letting me rub her all over.  She wouldn't take any treats from me at first and now she won't leave me alone.  She seems to have adapted pretty well to the climate change.  Because it is over 100 degrees from May through early November, I keep an automatic waterer in their corral along with a misting system and she keeps her foot in it most of the time!  I have also found that she LOVES to get a bath.  She will stand still for as long as I want as long as I am wetting her down.  She has completely stolen my heart and I can't imagine life without her.  The other horse is great too but Winter is my little baby.  I can't wait to start riding her.  She is a great jumper and would be great at steeplechase (I don't know how great I would be but that is for another day).

Take care,

Shari"