Winter chores

Anyone who knows Lynn and her horses has heard her say, "Ziggy's growing! He's getting bigger all the time! He can stop anytime!" Well, the proof is in the pictures. His backend is higher than Lynn's head. She keeps saying she wants to pack in and camp; well, I don't know how she'll get on with her camping gear on the back of that boy! She'll need more than a passing stranger to hoist her hiney. (:

I'm a firm believer: car camping is good.

Yesterday I took some apples and treated my favorite boys to them. Then Lynn did all the hard work while I had the easy job. She cleaned their feet and took the shoes off Brady and Star. I held them, loved on them, and rubbed their favorites itches. Ziggy didn't want to be left out, so he tried to sneak my gloves out of my pockets. I laughed out loud--he is so cute, tongue hanging and all. He knows Lynn keeps treats in her pockets; he was getting those gloves out of the way so he could get his nose down in there to see if I had anything special for him.

Lynn not only had the back breaking job of holding up feet and prying the mud and whatever else out and then pulling shoes off, she also had to put up with the rest of the horses standing around her breathing on her and fogging up her glasses while they watched her work. Brady even reached down and gave her a massage on her upper back with his lips, while Indy looked on with a "Whatta ya doin'?" expression. He had to know Star would get him later for being in his personal space.

Next on our list of chores was to clean out the trailer and oil up our leather for winter storage. So we emptied everything into the quad trailer and moved them down to the tack room. Once the door was opened and the mess overwhelmed us, we decided first-things-first--we had to organize. After a couple of hours, the tack room was awesome! Although we did not get to cleaning up the leather, it will be easy to do now in the well organized and spacious room.

Although I had the pleasure of standing in the newly built, beautiful barn, I forgot to take a picture. Hopefully the sides will be modified soon and the horses will be comfortable enough to use it safely and be warmer and more protected from the elements. (After all, I am still praying for snow!)

Well, that's it for this town girl's country chores this week. Here's wishing you all a safe and blessed new year!

Wanting to be "back in the saddle"

It's December! I am missing the boys. Lynn left a cryptic message on my machine last night about keeping his head up, digging my toes into his armpits, and hanging on! I thought maybe she had been bucked off. But no, she was sending me a message about Brady who is just full of himself. He is acting like he is seven again.

The last two times I have ridden I have worried a little about going off. I think I am due. He really wants to run and when he gets started, he pulls and puts his head down--not good. He is a high-headed horse and putting his head down makes me nervous. He is too excited and just wants me to sit back and enjoy, but I am nervous about going fast.

Lynn knows this. She even had a dream about me going off. Of course she said in the dream I had five blankets on him! Anyway, she has been feeding Brady something new that is supposed to help his joints and help him feel good. It's working. I am glad he feels good, but he needs to remember it's me up there and not Lynn, the crazy woman!

I have not ridden in weeks. My mom and Gene were putting down a new wood floor for me and building a beautiful hearth. I felt guilty going riding; although, I did go to town with Lynn and Lee and bought new furniture. Now it is raining. I don't know when I'll get to go! Next week is Winter break, so I will go up and take carrots to my favorite boys.

Exploring new territory

Yesterday, Lynn, Shirley, and I tried out a new trail system. We drove to Weaverville, had breakfast, and turned up Hwy 3. We drove a few miles out of town to East Weaver Creek Campground. Lynn easily turned the truck and trailer around and we parked in a turnout near the campground and a trailhead. I say "a trailhead" because there are many possibilities to choose from!

It's October, so the colors around us were phenomenal: the yellows, pinks, and reds up against the evergreens and browns took my breath away. The boys were in high spirits--they love a new place to see. We rode along the creek for a ways and came to a fork; we chose not to cross an interesting-looking bridge and headed up a little farther where we made a creek crossing. We rode through lots of bright yellow grapevines climbing up fir trees and varying shades of pink dogwoods, mixed in with orange oaks and some brillant yellow ash (?) trees. The trails were clear and we didn't have cedar trees or madrones slapping us in the face or hanging over our heads and dropping their water down our necks! The trails were beautifully maintained and easy on our horses.

After the creek crossing we rode on a nice, soft road and enjoyed many different views; we were to the west of, and way above the town of Weaverville. We could see the regenerated burn area off west highway 299 that we drive in order to reach Weaverville. We could see Yolla Bally and the clouds that covered the mountain range to the east were an awesome sight. Unfortunately, there was one spoiler--hunters. It was the last weekend of hunting season and we heard shots fired that didn't seem as far away as they should have been! We rode around the corner to a clearing and sat, so if they were above us they would see us easily. Brady was nervous, as was I.

We continued down the road, looking for our next trail sign. We came to a road that headed back toward where we thought we should be heading, but we weren't sure, so Lynn rode into a nearby yard where a man was out working. We heard his horses calling to our horses, so we figured he must be a good guy. Anyway, he told Lynn we should travel on down the road a bit and we would see another trailhead. He recommended it as a good ride that would take us back to the campground. He was surprised and impressed we had come all the way around the top. Well, we are "cowgirl tuff."

We found the trail and headed back toward the campground area. It was indeed a great trail. There were so many signs for other loops that we became very excited to return. We rode through many different types of terrain and felt safe and comfortable all the way. We met people with dogs on leashes, others out hiking, and even two hunters who mumbled and freaked out the horses a little. We eventually found ourselves at the bridge we had seen on our way out in the morning. All three horses crossed it easily and eagerly in order to get away from the mumbling men in camouflage with guns.

All in all , I think we rode a little over four hours. Ziggy's head was hanging a little, but the other two were high stepping and happy. The three of us were filthy (of course) but as happy as we could be! Our next idea is to find out about camping there: we could get camp set up on Friday night; Alisa could meet us there and then we could spend all day Saturday and maybe a little Sunday exploring the trails. Sound good?

This is a definite redo!

(Lynn, leave me a comment with the trail committee information, address, and/or website to use in my article for Trailrider. Thanks!)

It's fall in more than one way!

Fall colors were all around us today. The poison oak was red and pink and salmon-colored; it was especially beautiful climbing up trees. The dogwoods were in various stages of pink and green and hopefully I will get some pictures from Lynn since she stopped every little bit and took some. She also took movies of us--on purpose this time--so maybe I'll see about downloading them as well.

Last weekend, we all met up in Red Bluff and went riding at Jelly's Ferry. It was a pleasant, breezy day. We traveled all over that flat and even went through a deep little creek. Brady and I almost took a header when he caught his foot in deep groove left in the hard ground, but somehow I stayed on and he righted himself. Thankfully he wasn't hurt. It was good to have all of us together again--Alisa and Odie; Shirley and Star; Lynn and Ziggy; and me and Brady. It had been a while since all us of rode together and it was fun.

Today was an odd day on the Hennessey. It was foggy and drippy. The branches seemed to hold their water in little cups for us and it wasn't long before we had it running down our necks and off our helmet visors. There were hunters out and about and everything sounded differently. Once again, it was me and Brady doing tricks. I never really know what happens. I just find myself in the position of hind end in the air and top-heavy helmeted head hanging over his neck! But, I guess he shied and then slipped and fell onto his knees. He scraped his nose on the ground and I squealed in his ear, but I stayed on and I helped him get up a little by getting back in the saddle and up off his neck! I guess I'm getting stronger or more balanced or something since I didn't go off. Although I will say that both last weekend and this time I got a cramp in my leg so I must be clamping on tight. (:

Anyway, he was positive there were scary monsters out in the brush today. Finally he was proven right--as we were walking out the last bit like we always do, a covey of quail lifted straight up, flapping loudly over the big clump of blackberries directly in front of us. I felt the reins lift from my shoulder where I had them draped and Shirley, who was behind us laughed and said I should have been on him that time. I guess he jumped straight up in air and landed to our left. Good grief! Then he settled down--it's good to be right.

Catching Up

Well, there has been a lot of excitement and wet blankets in last few weeks. For example, on Sunday when Lynn and Shirley went riding without me they came upon a group of kids camping after an obvious all-night party. They didn't wake them up or take down license plates, but worried about it just the same. When they returned to the meadow, the kids were all gone, but there was a campfire blazing!

Once again, Shirley and Star took off on a run for help, while Lynn dug up a squirrel hole and used the dirt to try and stifle the fire. The little bit of water they both had left didn't even make a dent. Pretty quick, Shirley and the closest neighbor were back to help fight it while Forest Service was on the way. They had it almost completely out by the time official help arrived. Armed with the description of the vehicles, the local Forest Service guys thought they might know who the culprits were. The potential for a huge fire was there and many people and animals could have lost everything.

On another Saturday ride up the Hennessey, I had a surprise--we were tooling along and suddenly, I was laying across the saddle horn, Brady's neck, and one of my feet had flown out of the stirrup. I thought he had tripped and we were going down! All I could see was the ground coming up at me. As I pulled back to help him back up--I looked up, some bicyclists had very quietly come around the corner and startled Brady. He had shied--both front feet stretched out into a wide V. Once the men spoke to us, he was fine. That's what we get for being too complacent, I guess.

One Monday night, Shirley, Lynn, and I went to the rodeo grounds with another friend, Toni. She wanted to work with her young horse, Buckwheat. While Lynn and Toni worked with saddling, bridling, and eventually riding Buckwheat, Shirley and I rode around in the arena.

I walked Brady all around the arena so he could see everything. Then I came out and got on him. When I took him back in, he had a fit. Feet high stepping and whirling around. He saw the gate and made for it. We walked around outside and then when Shirley got on Star, we went back in. We just walked them side by side so they would calm down. Then we cantered a little and trotted and I worked on being more centered and balanced.

After they both settled down, we worked on reining. We trotted in figure 8s. Then I walked Brady and took my feet out of the stirrups, closed my eyes, and held my arms out. I want to be more in tune with his gait and sit more balanced. Brady sensed there was no one in control, so he took it. He started walking faster and faster and heading for gate. Finally I took back the reins and we stopped to watch Toni ride Buckwheat. It was a fun evening and we almost got to ride in moonlight by the time we finished. Next time, maybe I'll be brave enough to try bareback!

1st Day of Hunting Season

Saturday was the first day of hunting season, so Lynn and I stayed clear of any real trail riding and kept to the meadow area on Hennessey. We played with cows and looked for bears (we found lots of scat!). We rode down a dirt road until we could go no further without trespassing on people's driveways. Coming back, Brady found his comfortable trot and we moved right along. Occasionally we went into a bit of a canter and he would have easily stretched into an all-out-run. He blew spit all over me as he tossed his head in his unhappiness at having the reins so short. We felt good together and finally I slowed him and down and we went back for Ziggy and Lynn who were doing their own thing.

We picked apples and hung out in the meadow until the loose horses came running to where we were. Lynn tried to shoo them away, but they were hungry for apples. They did not cause any ruckus and we were able to cross over to the creek. Ziggy looked smoother than ever going up the embankment and when it was our turn, Brady jumped up it.

We encountered a bee that would not leave us alone and Brady panicked a little. However, we did not have a rodeo--we just kept moving ahead. Although it followed us for quite a way, it did not sting him. Coming out, we ran up the little hills that lead to the top field and both of us felt good at the end of the ride.

If wet blankets make good horses, check out the foamy sweat Brady worked up! (Pictures soon.)

Back at the house Star had obviously run most of the time were gone. He and Indy were not happy at being left home. Lynn is planning another ride (after hunting probably) on the branch of Trinity Summit's Pacific Crest Trail. I'll ride Star for that one since it would be too much for Brademan. When you coming over, Alisa?

Just Beachy

Saturday, Lynn and I rounded up Star, Brady, and Ziggy to go to town for their flu shots. Ziggy chose to turn around again in the trailer so he rode backwards to the vet's. In the parking lot at the vet's, I managed to get horse slobber, and I don't know what all, in my hair and on my sweater as I walked Star and Brady around. But for once, I did not win the dirtiest shirt contest--Lynn ended up with horse poop smeared all the way across her shirt, on her hands, and just about everywhere.

Ziggy threw a fit when he was tied to the trailer after getting his shots. Star, Brady, and I stayed near him so he could see us, but he pulled back so hard, he pulled himself down onto his back legs and took some hide off. He left hair and shoe skid marks on the pavement--scaring me into screeching for Lynn for help. I hate when one of them hurts themselves, even when they are being stupid.

We loaded them up and headed for Clam Beach. Lynn wasn't too sure about this venture since Star has never seen the ocean, heard the waves, or dealt with sand like that--not to mention it was only the second time I was to ride him. Moreover, Ziggy was going to have to ponied.

When I took Brady and Star over to the hitching rails, there was a woman and a couple of horses waiting for the rest of their party to arrive. Hanging over one of the rails was a guy with near-waist length dreadlocks. He asked the woman how tall her horse was and after she replied, he informed her he wanted a 16-hand horse (her were too small for a guy like him). He liked them tall. Casually, she said it was farther to the ground the taller the horse. He said confidently he had no intention of falling off his dream tall horse. She dryly replied, "No one usually plans on it." I hid my smile in Brady's mane and she went back to her book. He must have gotten the hint and he sort of sauntered away.

We saddled up and then I put Star in a hole and smugly went to get on, but as I stepped up to put my foot in the stirrup, he started off. I barely had my toe in, but jumped and lay across him to get my other foot in. He kept moving and almost ran me into a tall sign that I hadn't noticed during my graceful attempt to mount (in front of a small audience of course!) Lynn rode Brady and he and Ziggy did really well together. Ziggy followed with no problems--oh except of course when he lay down in the sand and rolled! We were right in the middle of a bunch of campsites, no less. Star had his feet just going too, so I kept his head up because I'm sure he thought it looked like a good idea, too.

We had a few problems, and probably looked a little silly, trying to find a good way to get over to the ocean. The obvious way was through an inlet of water; however, neither of us felt good about going through water we couldn't see the bottom of and it was sandy to boot. Lynn has been in quick sand before and neither of us was in a hurry to experience it. We tried several different trails, but did not get through on any of them.

There were tents pitched all around and as usual there was a little breeze. Star was listening and looking at everything and Lynn reminded me to pay close attention to him. Can you imagine how fast he and I could have gotten into trouble if someone would have zip, zipped his or her way noisily out of one of those moving green monsters? Or if a gust of wind filled it up and it snapped and moved wildly? Thankfully, we did fine together.

We finally started down the Hammond Trail, staying off the pavement and on the shoulders as much as possible. We easily crossed a bridge and continued to try to find a path over the dunes to the ocean itself. Unfortunately, we met a man who said it was miles before we could crossover easily, so not wanting to ride on a paved trail, we turned around and made the decision not to ride any longer--we had only wanted to keep them moving after their shots anyway. As we made our way down the highway, I saw that we actually had been almost to a place we could have crossed over. Oh well--riding on the beach just wasn't to be.

Labor Day at Alisa's

Friday finally arrived and Lynn and I raced to her house to load up and head out. When I drove in the driveway, I saw she had gotten there before me, so I drove up behind the barn to park the Pilot. I began to load my suitcase and boots into the trailer's tack area. I must have made two or three trips--still no Lynn. Finally I started walking down to the house. She came out and headed up the hill toward me to grab the halters.

We easily caught Brady and Ziggy; Star threw a fit and ran around stirring everyone else up--he wanted to go, too. Lee, Lynn's husband, came out of the house and started in on me, "How'd you open my garage?"

I looked at him askance, "I didn't open your garage."

"Yes, you did! How'd you do it?" he demanded. "Did you get in my truck?"

I stopped to look at him and think--which truck did he mean? The logging truck? How silly! Then it dawned on me, I had tried to put my water bottle in the cup holder in the pickup, but it wouldn't sit right because the garage door opener was in it. Suddenly, the lightbulb went on over my head. "Yep, I did open your garage," I said and we both laughed.

Lynn's side of the story was that they were arguing in the house that someone had opened the garage, but no one was there. Lee was adamant that someone had opened it, but Lynn thought he was crazy. He kept saying, "There's someone here--I see legs!" It was a funny way to start our trip.

After visiting with Alisa until late Friday night, we got up the next morning and went to Buck's Lake for an easy, somewhat level ride. It was a beautiful day (as evidenced by the slideshow). We had a little bit of excitement when the trail sort of ended in a bunch of bushes at the creek draining into the lake. Of course we are bushwacking women, so we got off and lead our faithful steeds through the rocky creek and up the other side. I got a little wet stepping in the shallow water, but nothing uncomfortable. We rode out to a point that seemed a little less than halfway around the lake and headed back.

There were some very narrow areas with the soft dirt of the trail almost slipping away. Brady and Odie had no qualms and simply stayed to the high side like good trail horses should. Lynn walked Ziggy since he came by his name honestly and she felt safer showing him how to do it first. We went down to the lake so Ziggy could drink and then they could eat the good grass growing along side.

We met some nice women and had some laughs at the antics of their dogs. Then we headed for home. We put the horses up and headed out, horse slobber and all, to watch some team roping at the fair grounds. It was a nice day all the way around.

The next day, we drove across the highway to a side road that Alisa's friend told her was a good riding area. It wasn't too steep for Brademan and we just cruised right along. It was obvious he was feeling good by the spring in his step. We rode a loop that brought us back too soon to for us to end the day; so we followed "The Man from Snowy River" also known as "Lynn from Burnt Ranch" as she made her own trail.

We found a great trail, but it ended on the highway. However, we also saw a great old car and met a nice man who lived nearby and told us about a pond no one else knows about. We broke a new trail back and promised ourselves to look for the pond next time.

In two days of trail riding there was only one time where we had to take a sharp intake of breath: Alisa and I watched as Ziggy attempted to climb a creek bank and then went a little vertical. It would not have been a good place for Lynn (or Ziggy) to end up on their backs. Thankfully, Ziggy seems to be a thinker, maybe a slow one, but a thinker nevertheless. He realized he could not go the way he wanted as his knees buckled under him on the slippery rocks, but he did not panic. He took a moment and reassessed. Then he stood up and went the way Lynn had tried to get him to go in the first place. Alisa and I (and probably Lynn) let out our air and we went on our merry way.

When we got home, Gordy, Alisa's husband, accused us of being "old" when he pulled up beside the horsetrailer. "What?!" we all exclaimed.

"You used to ride until 5:00, now you're back by 2:30-3:00," he said.

"We have old horses and young horses who can't do as much," Lynn told him.

"Yea, right. Blame it on the horses," were his last words as he drove off.

We had a group head-shaking moment at his tail lights and then we went in and took showers, ate half a butterscotch pie for lunch, and then drove around Quincy. What a horse owner's heaven. Lots of green fields with little streams running through them. Big barns dotted the landscape and horses of every breed and color stood eating in different fields. It was a beautiful, late summer day.

Thanks Alisa for your great hospitality--I can hardly wait until the next ride. I know I say it everytime, but "every day ahorseback is a good day!"

Stayin' On

Today was a great day! After bribing the horses with carrots, we saddled up and took off toward the Hennessey. Yesterday, Lynn and Shirley had some excitement. First they saw some illegal farming, but thankfully their friend told everyone on the mountain, "Nobody was to mess with women on horses." Okay. Kinda scary.

Secondly, someone pulled a "monster" of an old oak branch down onto the meadow cutoff we have been taking. Star whirled around and headed back toward the trail, but settled in to watch Lynn and Ziggy rodeo. Ziggy had whirled around and was crow-hopping in the ruts. Lynn was looking down at the hard, unlevel ground thinking, "I'm stayin' on." Finally, everyone calmed down and did a little snorting at the big monster, but managed to walk by it to the creek.

Today we had none those shenanigans. We had others kinds. Fun kinds. Sort of. We did the Hoop-de-do trail again. Brady is in good health and high spirits. We jumped gracefully over every log and as long as we were in the front he was happy. His head was up and Lynn said his tail was curled all the way over his back.

We rode upto the Bray house and down to a little meadow for a snack. Shirley went in the bushes to pee and scared up some cows who came flying out until they saw us. They didn't know what to do! Mouths open, eyes wide and bunched together for safety. Finally they recognized we were okay and they went to graze in the bushes some more. It was funny. Later Shirley worked on teaching Star to straddle a log so she could get on easily--that was funny, too.

Coming back on this trail is a more fun ride than going out. We trotted, cantered, and jumped. Jumping uphill is lots easier than downhill jumping. I felt more relaxed and comfortable than I ever had before. I told myself, not to get too comfortable. Sure enough, Brady, whose head kept getting higher and pace kept getting faster, decided to notch it up a little. Then we came to a sharp turn and he went one way and I wasn't quick enough. I was hanging over his left shoulder, one foot out of the stirrup, but I elbowed my way back on. Sheer willpower kept me on that time. (and maybe the boot stuck into his armpit!)

He was high on life. We got out in front and headed for the monster. Shirley reminded me that it would look different from this side. However, no one minded it. We went through the creek and Brady jumped us up onto the bank with ease. We were all just kind of ambling along, but somehow, Shirley and Lynn turned the corner around the berry bushes before us. Lynn called back and I said we were coming.

Suddenly, Brady realized that they were out ahead of us and running up the meadow. I swear both his front feet came off the ground and it was "Heigh Ho Silver!" Zero to sixty in nothing. We were flying. I have never gone that fast on him before. They had stopped to watch us and when we caught up and he stopped--urch, urch, urch on his front feet. This time I almost went off on the right side. I was hanging over his neck and head again. It was lucky because now my back is balanced--both side were torqued so I should be okay.

Lynn said she couldn't tell if I was scared or having fun. Well, it was a little of both.

Like I said, it was a great day--it was the epitome of a perfect summer morning in the country with the animals and friends you love. It doesn't get any better than that.

*Pictures coming soon.

Summertime and the livin' is easy. . .

If the early morning sky was any indication, Saturday was going to be a gorgeous day. After some confusion from a hurried message on my phone Friday to "come up and catch mud-caked horses to brush," I arrived at Lynn's about 6:30 am this time, which worked better than 6:30 pm Friday. Hey--if someone says let's brush horses, I grab some carrots and I'm there.

Lynn had already caught the horses and was in the process of bringing them to the trailer to be brushed. She feeds Brady his "old man grain" and usually gives the rest of them a treat every morning so they came right to her. I brushed Brady and whispered sweet nothings in his ear and then gave Star lots of attention, too. Lynn saddled up Star while I put all my apparatus back on my saddle--cruper, breast collar, and lengthened my bridle. Although it was fun to ride Star, and easy to get him ready, I was happy to be back on Brady.

Shirley arrived; we hitched up, loaded the boys, and were off. We took the "hoop-de-doo" trail, which is Brady's favorite. I don't think we walked over many downed logs; he was feeling good and we jumped and jumped! I reminded him that downhill jumping was not my favorite as my almost 50-year-old back muscles would complain later.

Coming out, Lynn let Ziggy run a little going up the trail and through the woods. Brady was in seventh heaven--we ran and leaped like he was 10 years younger. In fact, he took me by surprise over a new downed log that was pretty high and I came out of my stirrups and lost my front pack. Of course where we stopped to reload, the trail was not real level so I centered Brady over a small log in the trail to use as a step up. Being the kluts that I am, my boot slipped off the log as I went to put the other one in the stirrup and everyone laughed. Brady even looked back at me like, "What are you doing? Sheesh!" But then when we were on our way again with more running and jumping. Both Star and Ziggy were jumping and having fun, too. At one point when Star and Shirley were in front of me, I had time to notice how easy she sits her saddle--she was leaning up a bit, but her bottom never moved. Then there's me! Banging away in the saddle, poor Brady--Lynn always says he's rough, but I think half of it is me simply being out of control and trying to stay on!

Back in the meadow, Lynn and Ziggy practiced rounding up cows. He blew at them a little at first, but he does pretty much whatever Lynn asks him to do. (Except keep his tongue in his mouth!) He stood patiently still earlier on the trail while Lynn stood in her stirrups sawed some of Yew wood hanging down dangerously over the trail (as the bruise on my shoulder will attest).

As Brady and I took the last hills his favorite way (running to the top and then walking down to the bottom, then doing it again up the next one) Shirley and Star had a little rodeo. Because I was in the front, I didn't see it happen, but she said Star bucked a couple of times on each hill because he was mad about being last and not being able to run with Brady. He's never done that before! Hopefully she's not mad at me--it's probably my fault because once again, I let Brady do whatever he wanted and felt good about doing.

Anyway--we walked the last bit out like always and the boys seemed as happy as we were. After a good brushing and a little bit of grain we went home. It was another beautiful day ahorseback.

Alisa, if you're reading this--what are you planning for Labor Day Weekend? In the mood for wingdingers and laughing till we pee?

Slightly Damp Blankets

After what felt like an eternity without seeing the horses--Lynn and I went riding on Saturday. She called and said we needed "wet blankets" and to be "ahorseback" and I agreed. I had not had my horse fix for two weeks.

When I arrived at her house, she had already caught Indy and Star. After sharing carrots with everyone, I immediately set to brushing Indy. He seemed to wince whenever I brushed near his hip. I called Lynn over and she said maybe I was tickling him--after she looked at him, she decided to catch the baby (whom we're trying to call Ziggy) and turn out Indy.

She wrapped up his foot, which looks really good now, and said we would just stay on the road so no sticks or anything would bother him. I took off my crupper and the breast collar and saddled Star. It sure is fast to get someone ready when you only have one thing to cinch up. (:

We drove to the Hennessey and Star bridled easily--another pleasure I don't usually have. I elected to go without spurs since I don't really know how to use them, and we set off. It was my first time on Star. He walked much slower than he usually does, but he did respond when I asked him to pick it up. He was testing me, I'm sure. He got very excited when we didn't take our usual trails and we stayed on the road. I am sure he thought we were going to be doing something new and exciting; but then, he would recognize that we were still on the same road and his ears would relax and he would slow down again.

We only rode to the top and back, but it was new for me being on the "smooth" horse. It doesn't really matter to me where we ride or who I'm on--I just want to be "ahorseback." Riding is never boring--even on a road. Thankfully, Ziggy did well and when Lynn took off his bandage, his foot was fine. He's ready again. Now we are waiting for the farrier--darn him. Doesn't he realize how important he is in our lives?

The Wild Child: Ursula

It doesn't get much better than this. . .

After a lightning storm that set a fire too close for comfort on the mountain above Lynn’s home, Fourth of July weekend finally arrived! Alisa and Odie showed up at Lynn’s on Thursday night and we began the packing of our camping gear. Unfortunately, when we went to move the horses so they would be easy to catch early the next morning, we found that Red (whose name could be changed to Ziggy because of his tendency to zig and zag across the trail) had been caught up in some barbed wire the night before and had a deep cut in his pastern. The smells and sounds of the fire and the men fighting it all night stirred up the horses and somehow, Red ended up tearing down a section of fence and hurt himself in the process. Shirley and Lynn looked him over and decided that Lynn should ride Star for the weekend since Shirley wasn’t able to go with us.

Friday morning came early and we took off. We arrived at Cuneo Creek Campground about 9 am and we were easily saddled and on the trail by 9:30. We rode up and around the Indian Orchard loop. It was pleasant and there was a still lot of water along the trail for the horses to drink. They were wound up and moving at a good clip until we reached the trail portion that winds downhill. Indy was a little confused by the switchbacks and kept stopping to look back up at the horse above him like, “What are you doing up there? I thought you were behind me!” He never did seem to understand no matter how many we did.

We rode back into camp in a little over two hours. We got the horses settled in their corrals and pitched camp and relaxed. In the late afternoon, we saddled up the boys again and headed out to the redwood trails which are 10 degrees cooler than the rest. We rode for a little over two hours enjoying the cool air, the redwoods, and the company. It couldn’t have been a better day.

After a dinner of surf (yummy shrimp scampi!) and turf (perfectly cooked fillets!) and dessert of wing-dingers, we headed for the tent. Unfortunately, we had a late night visitor. Not the usual four-legged kind—but a young male wandering the campground. He said he didn’t mean to “creep us out,” but he sure did. We warned him off, but then we worried about it most of the night and slept little.

The morning found Indy stiff and unhappy about downhill trails. We tried to find the Baxter trail because on the map it looked like an easy ride, but we took a wrong turn somewhere and had to come back the way we went. We finished the ride early and turned the horses back toward camp, where we cleaned up and came home.

On this trip, we learned that Star is a mother hen; he kept track of me and Indy both days. He wanted everyone together, so he would stop and watch for us to come up the trail. Odie is just a sweetheart who got along with everyone and did everything smoothly and easily. He didn’t care if he was in the middle, the front, or pushing the Indy from behind. Indy and I did well together and although he is a slow walker, he was a pleasure to be with all weekend.

As for my fellow campers, what a blast! You make me laugh even when I shouldn’t. When are we going again?

Coming soon. . .

Stay tuned for pages on the wild child, Ursula, and my favorite companion, Izzy.

First love

When Lynn and I were young--I'm not sure if we were in junior high or high school--I rode her Appaloosa, Bubbles. It was my first time on a horse by myself. I don't know who was more nervous, Shirley or me. We did not go far and I don't think I did very well. It was probably a good thing Bubbles was patient and knew what her job was.

As an adult, my good friend Sandi kept inviting me to join her in the summer for what she said was the best way to revive and rejuvenate. She and her husband owned a packing outfit. They took people into the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area all summer and into hunting season. It was Sandi who hooked me into trail riding. At the time, she did everything for me--saddled, bridled, and held the horse while I got on. It was my first experience of feeding horses regularly, mucking corrals, and the pleasure of just sitting and watching horses interact. We had lots of adventures and the memories of those summers will always be precious.

Brady will always be my favorite horse, but those summer memories lead me to my first horse love, Kibbles. Kibbles taught me how to ride. We went many miles and we were always safe and he always helped me make good decisions.

Another horse that is special to me is Studly. I have not ridden Studly, but my dog, Izzy has! Although the story is way too long to share here, suffice it to say that after one very long ride, my dog needed to hitch a ride home. Studly didn't complain once and Izzy decided that being "ahorseback" is the way to go!

The pictures are of me; Kibbles; a favorite young man named, Terrence; Sandi; Studly; my hero, Jack; & most important of all: Izzy, my baby. This was our trip into Thompson Peak the summer of 2003.

Out for a Sunday ride

Today was the best day we've had all week. The sun was up and shining and it was only about 80 degrees--perfect! Last Sunday, Indy's head was so high, he hit the visor on my helmet once and I flossed a little with some of his mane hair a couple of times. Although we were jumping logs and running more on the trail last week, this week Indy was mellow and easy to ride. He did not throw his head or flip his reins at all. Yesterday, Indy had his shots and his teeth "floated." I think maybe his teeth have been bothering him and having the bit in his mouth was uncomfortable. Anyway, we had a great day.

Lynn and I went on a short ride that included a pond and trail that isn't marked--Lynn loves to trailblaze--so we made one to fit our ride. It ended in a short, steep path back onto the road and both horses went down it smoothly and easily. Red is learning lots of good trail habits and Indy, whose reputation has not been good, seems to have matured and is a pleasure (if slow sometimes) to ride.

The slides to the left show Lynn & Red in front of the pond where she heard two big splashes, but she failed to identify the source. The rest are of Indy.

Introduction: Who am I?

I am a horse lover from way back. I always wanted one and it just never happened. My very best friend, Lynn, is a horse woman and she and her mother, Shirley, are very generous people. They share their horses with me. For the last few years I have ridden Brady--a beautiful, Arab-Thoroughbred mix. He is full of personality and fun. He has taken care of me and helped me to become an emerging horsewoman. Unfortunately, he is getting older and I now am having to learn how to ride Indy, a pretty boy Arab with more looks than good sense.

We live in Northern California and we try to ride every weekend. Lynn and Shirley have created their own trails near their home. We trailer the horses about 15 minutes to a wide place on a mountain road and then "go for it." However, we also love to go other places. Our first exploration this year was to the Jelly's Ferry area between Red Bluff and Redding, CA. Lynn was test driving/riding Red, her newest acquisition.This was a long drive for us (3 hours), but it was fun to see new trails.

Our second ride was on the Orick horse trails. We only did a short loop because we had been to the vet for shots first and just wanted to exercise them a little so they would not get stiff, since we live an hour away from the vet's office. This is a great place to ride--not only is it beautiful in the spring, but all year long it is a haven from hot weather.

Over Memorial Day weekend we tried a new place--Cueno Creek Horse Campground in Rockefeller National Forest. What fun! There were creeks to cross, Redwood trees to gaze upon, and tons of trails to choose from. We had a good time and plan to return over July 4th.

The slideshow is of our adventures up to this point. The list of characters include: Odie (the first sorrel) and his favorite person (and one of mine, too!), Alisa; Lynn is on the young sorrel, Red (also with a blaze); Shirley is with Star--a gorgeous bay; Brady is the handsome bay with the blaze. The pictures start at Jelly's Ferry. Notice the snow on the Trinity Alps in the back and maybe a shot at Mt. Shasta in one of them. Next is Orick and the ferns. Following that is Cueno Creek area. We rode several trails and experienced diverse trails.