I rode Catlow again today. This is her second ride this summer. Instead of going out alone, which makes her worried, I met up with the neighbors down by the pond. I wondered how Catlow would be meeting strange horses while out riding. Would it make her more nervous or would it make her feel more secure? When riding out with other members of her herd, she is totally calm.

Well, as long as Catlow has any other horses along, she feels more secure and isn't nervous and looking around constantly. It was funny when she met up with them...she showed only mild interest in them, then completely ignored them, even though she hadn't even sniffed noses with them! But just their presence was enough...she was pretty relaxed on our ride. Later on, we were resting and let the horses sniff noses. Catlow only sniffed noses with Honey Doll, then was over it. When Belle came over to sniff noses, Catlow looked away from her over the hill. She's not really all that concerned with her place in the hierarchy. Like I've said before, she is the #2 mare in the dominance hierarchy in my herd, but she is the lead mare. Everyone follows her. And many times today, the other horses followed her down new trails. We did some trotting, cantering, stopping and backing and working on circles. Catlow was great but her circles were more like eggs.

I really love riding Catlow because my Circle Y Flagstaff fits her perfectly. It also fits me perfectly, and Catlow is narrower than Cody and Chico so riding her is quite comfortable. Plus she is just a powerhouse. She might not look big, but she has so much heart and strength behind her.