Sometimes it's tough to be a "town" girl in a country setting. My whole life I have wanted a horse, but my dad always said I had to wait until we had some property to keep it on. Well, that never happened. As a result, I never learned how to take care of one. Now that I have one, I still don't take care of him; I am very blessed that he lives with Lynn and Shirley's herd and they take excellent care of him. At the least, that means breakfast at 5:30 am and dinner at 4:30 pm.
Since I am married to my work and it is a demanding relationship, I do not get to help feed very often. Maybe Tuesdays and sometimes Thursdays and Fridays during the week and then depending on the weekend schedule--hopefully Saturday and Sunday. Even then, it's only dinner. So I am really enjoying the horse experience from a very easy, nonresponsible perspective. Consequently, whenever the opportunity arises that I can help out my friends by doing the feeding chore and releasing them to do something else--I jump on it.
Yesterday was one of those days. Lynn assured Shirley, "Oh yeah, she can do it." HA! It started out fine, I filled up the hay wagon and got some grain. In my mind I planned out how I would take the grain to the feeders first, then do the hay--knowing the grain would settle them right down. So off I went.
First I had to yell at Jupes to move: he ran up and stood in the path looking at me, with a "Hi! What cha got for me?" look on his face. (He likes his chow, that boy!) He finally moved and I pulled up to Brady's feeder and turned off the four-wheeler. I gave them all some grain and then started putting hay out, stopping to pet and talk to each of them in turn. I started the four-wheeler and drove it down to the bottom feeder where Zigs was eating and unloaded his hay. There was some hay left in the trailer, so I left the motor running and carried it up to where Jupes was eating with Brady. In the meantime, the engine died.
No worries, right? Well, I couldn't get it started. So I trudged down to the house and told Lee. He walked up and got a gas can for me (while I listened to a lecture on checking the gas and oil) and I trudged back. Still wouldn't start.
Now he's clean and waiting for Lynn to come home so they can go to her brother's for a family dinner. We've had lots of rain and the ground is not only wet, but chewed up by horse hooves. Although the machine is stuck at the bottom of the feeding area and a little less mucky than up the hill near Star's box (where I almost stepped out of my rubber boot that got sucked into the mess!) it is still too muddy for someone who is about to go to dinner. Nevertheless, I walked back to the house--head hanging a little, sheesh, I can't even do this right!--to admit I couldn't do it and ask him for more help. I hate that!
This time Lynn is coming toward me through the field--good clothes on, but with her rubber boots. Thankfully it was not raining at the time. We walked back and she pulled out one knob and it started. (Don't you hate that!?) We drove back to the barn and she left me to fill it up again for morning. Okay--so I saved her from messing with the hay, but good grief! I am definitely a novice when it comes to being a farm girl.
Shirley once said I was a "girly girl." Dang it--I guess I am!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
"Gomer Style--an Oxymoron No Longer"
I got out of my car and headed up the driveway to meet Shirley to feed the horses; there stood Lee, shaking his head at me. "I never thought I'd see you in pink polka-dotted rubber boots," he sighed, "Lynn's rubbing off on you." Puhleese. First of all, I've been wearing my rubber boots for at least three years and he's seen them lots of times. Second of all, polka-dots are way cool!
On my way by, I gave him a lifted eyebrow look and said, "Looked in the mirror, lately? You aren't exactly the height of fashion, buster." But I had to keep moving--Shirley was waiting and "daylight was burning!"
When I returned, I had time to tell him about Bob Goddard's article in the November issue of TrailRider titled, "Clothes Minded." If you have not had a chance to read it, here are some highlights that I used to combat Lee's "clothes-ism."
"If you can tell what a person does for a living from what they wear in the barn, they really aren't wearing barn clothes. Every day, we experience a glorious metamorphosis as we come home, shed [our] clothes, and put on ones that make us real. Like Spiderman donning his hero garb, we feel rejuvenated and powerful, ready to take on any task. . . .It's important to note that barn clothes are almost always recycled (or more properly, 'repurposed'). This is why horsepeople love secondhand stores and garage sales. . . the stains, smudges, and tears don't ruin the clothes. They're the battle scars of barn life. They add character to the clothes--and the person wearing them." Good job, Bob-do you think he knows Lynn?
Good news! Weather permitting we are taking those fat boys on a ride on Friday. I can hardly wait.
On my way by, I gave him a lifted eyebrow look and said, "Looked in the mirror, lately? You aren't exactly the height of fashion, buster." But I had to keep moving--Shirley was waiting and "daylight was burning!"
When I returned, I had time to tell him about Bob Goddard's article in the November issue of TrailRider titled, "Clothes Minded." If you have not had a chance to read it, here are some highlights that I used to combat Lee's "clothes-ism."
"If you can tell what a person does for a living from what they wear in the barn, they really aren't wearing barn clothes. Every day, we experience a glorious metamorphosis as we come home, shed [our] clothes, and put on ones that make us real. Like Spiderman donning his hero garb, we feel rejuvenated and powerful, ready to take on any task. . . .It's important to note that barn clothes are almost always recycled (or more properly, 'repurposed'). This is why horsepeople love secondhand stores and garage sales. . . the stains, smudges, and tears don't ruin the clothes. They're the battle scars of barn life. They add character to the clothes--and the person wearing them." Good job, Bob-do you think he knows Lynn?
Good news! Weather permitting we are taking those fat boys on a ride on Friday. I can hardly wait.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Putting on a show
Well, it's official--DRITS has set in for all of us. And I mean all of us. Lynn is having withdrawals from her daily feeding of the horses--she rarely gets to see them at all. Shirley does a great job of taking care of them; she counts noses daily, makes sure the water is full, rounds them up for their shots, and brings them enough hay to keep them warm. She does it all. But the boys don't get any extra attention. No petting or sweet nothings whispered in their ears. No carrots or apples. I try to help her feed a couple times during the work week, but it doesn't always work out. Weekends, too--I usually come up to see my boy at least one day.
The weather has been crazy. Lots of wind, six inches of rain in one day, and cold nights. Shirley has had to look for them more than once. Sometimes she finds them all huddled up together under the trees. Sometimes after a couple of rounds driving on the trail, they come wandering toward the feeders from wherever they were.
On Tuesday, I called Shirley and said, "Wait for me! I'm coming." When I got to Lynn's, I expected to see Shirley waiting for me on the four-wheeler. Nope. So I walked over the trail to her house: my pink-polka-dotted boots galumping along. The horses were near their feeders in the woods. I had at least three of them giving me the eye, probably with these various thoughts, "It's about time! Where's the chow wagon?", "OMG! I think a monster is coming! I should probably act like a fool and run around and stir everyone up!", and "Is that my mom? I miss my mom. Does it have ear flaps on?" I'll let you guess which ones I'm talking about.
Anyway, I tore Shirley away from Matt Dillon and we went up to feed. As we were driving along the trail, I could see an orange horse bucking and crow-hopping and rearing to beat the band and it didn't look like Indy who screws his head around when he acts crazy. "Oh no," I thought, "which one is carrying on like that?" Shirley had warned me that Jupiter had started getting in the habit of bucking and getting too close to the four-wheeler. The carrying on continued through the trees as we approached. However, these were not little bucks and hops and rears--no, they were big ones. Big ones with long strides in between, racing around the outside of the feeders and the four-wheeler. A smaller orange horse ran alongside, encouraging him, no doubt. Yep, it was Zigman.
He carried on and put on quite the show. Wow. He is fast and can get way up there! Hind feet flying, crow-hopping three feet off the ground, and rearing like "Hi Ho Silver and away!" Then he came running up toward me as I unloaded the hay. Sheesh, he's big. Once I spoke to him and sent away from me a bit, he realized I was not the one he was looking for. Star and Brady both had their ears back reminding the youngsters running in circles that it was eating time and all that foolishness needed to be done somewhere else. Indy was eating as fast he could next to Brady, but the other two were needing some attention. Jupes is spoiled to me always bringing him a treat, so once he realized it was me, he was right there--nosing in my pockets. But like I said, Shirley is all business. I had to run down and empty out the trailer of hay in the last feeder. So I petted Zigs on the side real quick and kissed Jupe on the nose and away we went.
So, we are all missing our riding time and even just being together. We've been invited to ride with Suzy over Thanksgiving--cross your fingers and let's pray for continued healing and sunshine.
The weather has been crazy. Lots of wind, six inches of rain in one day, and cold nights. Shirley has had to look for them more than once. Sometimes she finds them all huddled up together under the trees. Sometimes after a couple of rounds driving on the trail, they come wandering toward the feeders from wherever they were.
On Tuesday, I called Shirley and said, "Wait for me! I'm coming." When I got to Lynn's, I expected to see Shirley waiting for me on the four-wheeler. Nope. So I walked over the trail to her house: my pink-polka-dotted boots galumping along. The horses were near their feeders in the woods. I had at least three of them giving me the eye, probably with these various thoughts, "It's about time! Where's the chow wagon?", "OMG! I think a monster is coming! I should probably act like a fool and run around and stir everyone up!", and "Is that my mom? I miss my mom. Does it have ear flaps on?" I'll let you guess which ones I'm talking about.
Anyway, I tore Shirley away from Matt Dillon and we went up to feed. As we were driving along the trail, I could see an orange horse bucking and crow-hopping and rearing to beat the band and it didn't look like Indy who screws his head around when he acts crazy. "Oh no," I thought, "which one is carrying on like that?" Shirley had warned me that Jupiter had started getting in the habit of bucking and getting too close to the four-wheeler. The carrying on continued through the trees as we approached. However, these were not little bucks and hops and rears--no, they were big ones. Big ones with long strides in between, racing around the outside of the feeders and the four-wheeler. A smaller orange horse ran alongside, encouraging him, no doubt. Yep, it was Zigman.
He carried on and put on quite the show. Wow. He is fast and can get way up there! Hind feet flying, crow-hopping three feet off the ground, and rearing like "Hi Ho Silver and away!" Then he came running up toward me as I unloaded the hay. Sheesh, he's big. Once I spoke to him and sent away from me a bit, he realized I was not the one he was looking for. Star and Brady both had their ears back reminding the youngsters running in circles that it was eating time and all that foolishness needed to be done somewhere else. Indy was eating as fast he could next to Brady, but the other two were needing some attention. Jupes is spoiled to me always bringing him a treat, so once he realized it was me, he was right there--nosing in my pockets. But like I said, Shirley is all business. I had to run down and empty out the trailer of hay in the last feeder. So I petted Zigs on the side real quick and kissed Jupe on the nose and away we went.
So, we are all missing our riding time and even just being together. We've been invited to ride with Suzy over Thanksgiving--cross your fingers and let's pray for continued healing and sunshine.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Building a partnership
Saturday, Jupiter and I built another level of trust. With Lynn's arm in a sling, her riding is postponed for a few weeks; but I decided it could be a possible learning experience for me and Jupes. I went up in the afternoon and caught both Ziggy and Jupiter. (Caught is such a misnomer--I walked up to Ziggy and put his halter on and Jupiter came to me and put his head into the halter himself, practically!) We took them over to the hitching rail and proceeded to talk to them and brush them and give them carrots. They were happy. They know they are well loved.
Then I saddled Jupiter and he and I went for a ride on the hill above Lynn's house. We started out a little rough, as he did not stand for me to mount and I hopped one time too many with my foot in the stirrup. I think I strained a little muscle in my butt! Anyway, I got his attention and he stood still and I easily got on. We headed up the road to the green gate with a few whinnies calling out to us from Brady and Ziggy. Jupiter did not whinny; he was focused.
We rode the trail that parallels the fence the line. It was pretty steep and the sweat was pouring off him. He was nervous, but he didn't attempt to turn back or call out. We came to a tree across the trail. He did not want to cross it where I wanted to, so I let him choose his way. We went over it and on up the trail as far as we could go. We turned around at the big pile of brush and trees. As we headed back to the downed tree, he started side stepping a little. He was obviously nervous and did not want to cross; so I got off and pulled the large branches around me and braced them so there was an clear opening to step over. He did not want to, but he came along and I gently let the branches ease back into place as both of us stepped over the tree. Then I turned him on the hill so I was on the uphill side and remounted. We continued on down the trail.
When we got back to the fork in the trail, I felt him relax. He saw the "trailer court" and knew he was in familiar territory. But then I turned him onto the upper trail toward the water tanks. I felt only the barest hint of hesitation, then he headed up the hill. We trotted a little and I had to stop him once as he took the side of the trail with stiff manzanita branches about rider high, but he adjusted and we went on. He gave the water tanks a good look, but did not shy. He carefully navigated down the steep side toward the horses's regular water hole and then down by the feeder boxes on the hill near Shirley's.
As we turned onto the road that parallels the pastures, all the horses were looking at us and starting to call out. I let him trot a bit, but kept it a controlled, steady pace. When we slowed to turn at the green gate, he whinnied for the first time. It was a short ride, but I took him back to the hitching rail where Ziggy and Lynn were and unsaddled him. He was dripping with sweat. I loved on him and told him what a good horse he was and gave him some carrots and grain. Hopefully that helped make his experience something he would want to do again.
It was a good day for both of us. I have never ridden by myself and I don't know if he has ever gone out by himself. We did well and our trust for each other increased. He did something he thought was scary and trusted I would take of him, and I was able to talk him into doing something he didn't want to do, which increased my trust in him.
Afterward, Lee and I moved feed boxes while Lynn supervised. Everything is about ready for them to go up on the hill for winter. With some gate opening help from Lynn, I fed the horses and had one last rub on Jupiter. Doing farm girl chores is always a pleasure as well!
Then I saddled Jupiter and he and I went for a ride on the hill above Lynn's house. We started out a little rough, as he did not stand for me to mount and I hopped one time too many with my foot in the stirrup. I think I strained a little muscle in my butt! Anyway, I got his attention and he stood still and I easily got on. We headed up the road to the green gate with a few whinnies calling out to us from Brady and Ziggy. Jupiter did not whinny; he was focused.
We rode the trail that parallels the fence the line. It was pretty steep and the sweat was pouring off him. He was nervous, but he didn't attempt to turn back or call out. We came to a tree across the trail. He did not want to cross it where I wanted to, so I let him choose his way. We went over it and on up the trail as far as we could go. We turned around at the big pile of brush and trees. As we headed back to the downed tree, he started side stepping a little. He was obviously nervous and did not want to cross; so I got off and pulled the large branches around me and braced them so there was an clear opening to step over. He did not want to, but he came along and I gently let the branches ease back into place as both of us stepped over the tree. Then I turned him on the hill so I was on the uphill side and remounted. We continued on down the trail.
When we got back to the fork in the trail, I felt him relax. He saw the "trailer court" and knew he was in familiar territory. But then I turned him onto the upper trail toward the water tanks. I felt only the barest hint of hesitation, then he headed up the hill. We trotted a little and I had to stop him once as he took the side of the trail with stiff manzanita branches about rider high, but he adjusted and we went on. He gave the water tanks a good look, but did not shy. He carefully navigated down the steep side toward the horses's regular water hole and then down by the feeder boxes on the hill near Shirley's.
As we turned onto the road that parallels the pastures, all the horses were looking at us and starting to call out. I let him trot a bit, but kept it a controlled, steady pace. When we slowed to turn at the green gate, he whinnied for the first time. It was a short ride, but I took him back to the hitching rail where Ziggy and Lynn were and unsaddled him. He was dripping with sweat. I loved on him and told him what a good horse he was and gave him some carrots and grain. Hopefully that helped make his experience something he would want to do again.
It was a good day for both of us. I have never ridden by myself and I don't know if he has ever gone out by himself. We did well and our trust for each other increased. He did something he thought was scary and trusted I would take of him, and I was able to talk him into doing something he didn't want to do, which increased my trust in him.
Afterward, Lee and I moved feed boxes while Lynn supervised. Everything is about ready for them to go up on the hill for winter. With some gate opening help from Lynn, I fed the horses and had one last rub on Jupiter. Doing farm girl chores is always a pleasure as well!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Broken Bones
Willow Creek's oracle (and her friends) are definitely going to be suffering from "Deficient Riding Time Syndrome" or DRITS for the next six to eight weeks. Hmmm. November usually means rain--our DRITS may last until February, when we usually get a brief look at spring. Otherwise, it may be April? May? If I don't ride Jupiter, will his feet stop growing? (: We just got shoes!
Lynn fell off the quad while feeding the horses with her mother-in-law Saturday night and broke her arm. Broke it so bad it had to be set. She will be put in a cast sometime late this week. Is it six weeks from casting? Or six weeks from Saturday? Are you sure you can't just buck up and ride? (:
Okay, enough selfish groaning. The woman is tough. She said how silly she thinks it is when the nurses and doctors ask, "What's your pain on a scale from one to 10?"
"'A two,' I told them," she says. I've had a broken arm, two of them in fact. Neither of them was a "two."
The doctor told her when he had to set it that it would hurt; "I'm not lying," he said, "it's going to hurt a lot."
Pshaw. He didn't know who he was dealing with.
So my riding partner is laid up. She needs her riding time in order to deal with all the crazies that inhabit her work world: "No, FedEx did not bring your package here!" "I don't know if Kimtu is full." "The weather is expected to be in the 80s for the next week." "I have not seen your cat with the big manhood."
Although I deal with fewer crazies, I'm going to be even harder to get along with than before (do you think it's possible?) and my horse is going to get fat (and sassy--make that sassier). At least Shirley will be able to go out of town without worrying that Lynn and I are riding and having fun without her.
We were hoping the vet would come out for a clinic and do everyone's shots. Now Lynn is saying maybe we will go out there and afterward Shirley and I will ride on the beach (because that worked so well last time! Ha!) and she will work with Ziggy and his leading problems.
They say it's the hard times in life that show what we are made of. . . .
Lynn fell off the quad while feeding the horses with her mother-in-law Saturday night and broke her arm. Broke it so bad it had to be set. She will be put in a cast sometime late this week. Is it six weeks from casting? Or six weeks from Saturday? Are you sure you can't just buck up and ride? (:
Okay, enough selfish groaning. The woman is tough. She said how silly she thinks it is when the nurses and doctors ask, "What's your pain on a scale from one to 10?"
"'A two,' I told them," she says. I've had a broken arm, two of them in fact. Neither of them was a "two."
The doctor told her when he had to set it that it would hurt; "I'm not lying," he said, "it's going to hurt a lot."
Pshaw. He didn't know who he was dealing with.
So my riding partner is laid up. She needs her riding time in order to deal with all the crazies that inhabit her work world: "No, FedEx did not bring your package here!" "I don't know if Kimtu is full." "The weather is expected to be in the 80s for the next week." "I have not seen your cat with the big manhood."
Although I deal with fewer crazies, I'm going to be even harder to get along with than before (do you think it's possible?) and my horse is going to get fat (and sassy--make that sassier). At least Shirley will be able to go out of town without worrying that Lynn and I are riding and having fun without her.
We were hoping the vet would come out for a clinic and do everyone's shots. Now Lynn is saying maybe we will go out there and afterward Shirley and I will ride on the beach (because that worked so well last time! Ha!) and she will work with Ziggy and his leading problems.
They say it's the hard times in life that show what we are made of. . . .
God's Country
Saturday was an unexpected pleasure; Lynn was expecting special company and had originally called off our ride. Fortunately for us, she worked like a demon and cleaned house all week and then decided we could go for a couple of hours. Shirley and I were there in a twinkle--no one has to call us twice. All the horses jumped eagerly into the trailer as well--after all, for two weeks in a row they had been somewhere new.
We went up the Hennessey and then headed toward the meadow. Sometimes we come around the north end of the meadow and go across the creek and back into the bottom of the run out (I call it that because Brady always ran up the little road to the top meadow and now Jupes thinks he should, too). As we went down to the upper middle meadow, I suggested we go backwards and go across the creek and into the flat, cow-grazing meadow area. As we rode along, Lynn looked up the hill to the north. We had come down a fun trail one day and then never really found it again.
Today, she turned us up into the woods to see what we could find--and what a find we found! (: There were new quad tracks leading up the hill. The trail was good and we climbed higher and higher hoping it would take us somewhere. In my heart I was praying it would not lead to a pot patch! Anyway, it was a truly nice trail and the boys were excited to unexpectly see new territory. We eventually ran into a dead end, and had to back track some, but we went bushwacking and after awhile found ourselves back in the meadow. Then we rode over to the east side of the meadow and rode around on different trails that brought us back into the lower meadow.
After the horses enjoyed some apples, we worked our way along yet another trail that took us to the Hennessey road where we dismounted and walked back to the trailer. It was a beautiful autumn day and even though we were home, we saw new things. Shirley maintains that we live and ride in the most beautiful place on earth. I think I have to agree. I know I am happy that I get to be a part of it and I don't know how I ever lived without riding and having a horse of my own to love. I am truly blessed.
We went up the Hennessey and then headed toward the meadow. Sometimes we come around the north end of the meadow and go across the creek and back into the bottom of the run out (I call it that because Brady always ran up the little road to the top meadow and now Jupes thinks he should, too). As we went down to the upper middle meadow, I suggested we go backwards and go across the creek and into the flat, cow-grazing meadow area. As we rode along, Lynn looked up the hill to the north. We had come down a fun trail one day and then never really found it again.
Today, she turned us up into the woods to see what we could find--and what a find we found! (: There were new quad tracks leading up the hill. The trail was good and we climbed higher and higher hoping it would take us somewhere. In my heart I was praying it would not lead to a pot patch! Anyway, it was a truly nice trail and the boys were excited to unexpectly see new territory. We eventually ran into a dead end, and had to back track some, but we went bushwacking and after awhile found ourselves back in the meadow. Then we rode over to the east side of the meadow and rode around on different trails that brought us back into the lower meadow.
After the horses enjoyed some apples, we worked our way along yet another trail that took us to the Hennessey road where we dismounted and walked back to the trailer. It was a beautiful autumn day and even though we were home, we saw new things. Shirley maintains that we live and ride in the most beautiful place on earth. I think I have to agree. I know I am happy that I get to be a part of it and I don't know how I ever lived without riding and having a horse of my own to love. I am truly blessed.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ain't Nothin' Better
Friday was a holiday/vacation day for us so we headed for Quincy. Odie was ecstatic to have company and ran all over his field. He looked beautiful as he ran and stretched out ahead of his friends to show everyone who was boss of the meadow. That boy has some wheels!
We had a relaxing, pretty ride across the highway from Alisa's house. We saw lots of bear tracks and some distinct mountain lion tracks, but did not see any wildlife. We rode the dirt road up and around and took some paths through the trees. While we were trailblazing, Ziggy sunk at one point all the way up to his chest in the soft dirt and peat, but he did not panic. He calmly got his feet under him and they plowed on. Lynn made sure we all went safely around that spot. Jupes got in trouble for trying to bite Zigs when were trotting on the road, but everyone else was good.
The next morning we headed for a wide spot in the road. For years, Lynn has wanted to ride out from this spot. Two weekends ago, Alisa and her friend did just that! So we came over to do it, too. It is a few miles east of Child's Meadow on National Trails Association trails. When Alisa went before, she took the Meadow route; so we went on the Canyon route--the west fork. The idea was maybe/hopefully there would be fewer hunters in the vicinity.
The trail did not seem to have been used recently and we had to traverse off the trail to go around a few downed trees. The ground was soft and peaty and there were many limbs and general forest detritus that made the going a little treacherous. We hit a dead end at a creek bed with a huge log blocking the path so we turned around and headed back to the Meadow route. It was a pretty trail with canyon views and valleys that stretched forever. The horses all did really well and the dust was minimal. There were many bear tracks in the soft dirt of the trail and when I was in the lead, I was sure we would come upon a bear--however, we didn't. Shirley said Star may have smelled one or two because he seemed to really be paying close attention to the forest around us.
We turned onto the Meadow route where it was much dustier; however, it was open and really pretty. We didn't go real far on the trail because it was becoming late afternoon and we were going to drive home. We stopped at good grassy area for the boys to eat and for us to get off and stretch. We had not really stopped anywhere or gotten off to stretch or eat a granola bar until then, so we were all a little stiff legged. The Canyon trail was more narrow and did not really have wide spots for stopping everyone together. Some really nice people hiked up and had a map (!) that showed the two trails actually loop into each other. Although that is cool--I personally would not have liked to have met anyone coming out the Canyon route.
Ziggy made history on the trail and got himself in trouble. Instead of Jupiter or Star being the aggressor--Ziggy turned on Odie. He bared his teeth at him for trying to drink out of the same water hole and for eating grass too close to him. He also gave serious thought to going down the steep sidehill to the trail he knew was below us somewhere in order to get back in the lead. We tease Lynn all the time for being just like him: "laid back, easy-going, nothing bothers him;" but she also has that side to her that's competitive and knows when she should be in charge of things and he's no different! They are two peas in a pod. (Except he has long legs!)
It was a fun day. It was the epitome of the saying by Lonesome Dove character Augustus McCrae, "Ain't nothin' better than ridin' a fine horse in new country." The only thing I would add is "in the company of good friends."
*It was dusty on the trail and we were all pretty dirty. Lynn said Alisa and I could have tied, but I think I won the dirty contest for the day. Jupes had rubbed his head on my shirt front and I was pretty bad all over. Well we stopped at Arby's in Cottonwood for dinner. There was a lady in line. She told me to go ahead, she was waiting for her husband. Shirley and Lynn stood and talked to her while I ordered. She told Shirley she "didn't know you got dirty riding horses." Ha!
We had a relaxing, pretty ride across the highway from Alisa's house. We saw lots of bear tracks and some distinct mountain lion tracks, but did not see any wildlife. We rode the dirt road up and around and took some paths through the trees. While we were trailblazing, Ziggy sunk at one point all the way up to his chest in the soft dirt and peat, but he did not panic. He calmly got his feet under him and they plowed on. Lynn made sure we all went safely around that spot. Jupes got in trouble for trying to bite Zigs when were trotting on the road, but everyone else was good.
The next morning we headed for a wide spot in the road. For years, Lynn has wanted to ride out from this spot. Two weekends ago, Alisa and her friend did just that! So we came over to do it, too. It is a few miles east of Child's Meadow on National Trails Association trails. When Alisa went before, she took the Meadow route; so we went on the Canyon route--the west fork. The idea was maybe/hopefully there would be fewer hunters in the vicinity.
The trail did not seem to have been used recently and we had to traverse off the trail to go around a few downed trees. The ground was soft and peaty and there were many limbs and general forest detritus that made the going a little treacherous. We hit a dead end at a creek bed with a huge log blocking the path so we turned around and headed back to the Meadow route. It was a pretty trail with canyon views and valleys that stretched forever. The horses all did really well and the dust was minimal. There were many bear tracks in the soft dirt of the trail and when I was in the lead, I was sure we would come upon a bear--however, we didn't. Shirley said Star may have smelled one or two because he seemed to really be paying close attention to the forest around us.
We turned onto the Meadow route where it was much dustier; however, it was open and really pretty. We didn't go real far on the trail because it was becoming late afternoon and we were going to drive home. We stopped at good grassy area for the boys to eat and for us to get off and stretch. We had not really stopped anywhere or gotten off to stretch or eat a granola bar until then, so we were all a little stiff legged. The Canyon trail was more narrow and did not really have wide spots for stopping everyone together. Some really nice people hiked up and had a map (!) that showed the two trails actually loop into each other. Although that is cool--I personally would not have liked to have met anyone coming out the Canyon route.
Ziggy made history on the trail and got himself in trouble. Instead of Jupiter or Star being the aggressor--Ziggy turned on Odie. He bared his teeth at him for trying to drink out of the same water hole and for eating grass too close to him. He also gave serious thought to going down the steep sidehill to the trail he knew was below us somewhere in order to get back in the lead. We tease Lynn all the time for being just like him: "laid back, easy-going, nothing bothers him;" but she also has that side to her that's competitive and knows when she should be in charge of things and he's no different! They are two peas in a pod. (Except he has long legs!)
It was a fun day. It was the epitome of the saying by Lonesome Dove character Augustus McCrae, "Ain't nothin' better than ridin' a fine horse in new country." The only thing I would add is "in the company of good friends."
*It was dusty on the trail and we were all pretty dirty. Lynn said Alisa and I could have tied, but I think I won the dirty contest for the day. Jupes had rubbed his head on my shirt front and I was pretty bad all over. Well we stopped at Arby's in Cottonwood for dinner. There was a lady in line. She told me to go ahead, she was waiting for her husband. Shirley and Lynn stood and talked to her while I ordered. She told Shirley she "didn't know you got dirty riding horses." Ha!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
School is in session
Saturday the young boys had a lesson in navigating rocks and narrow trails. We drove to Canyon Creek trailhead and headed into the lake. The trail is a well-used hiking trail and climbs from 2800 elevation to 6500. We knew this in advance and weren't worried about it; however, after we traversed on the trail for about 20 minutes, Lynn stopped and apologized about the narrowness. Although she and Shirley had done this trail about 40 years ago (it's crazy that we could have done anything 40 years ago!), she did not remember how narrow it starts out. We all did fine.
Deeper into the trail we started seeing granite. At one place, we had to cross a flat, sheet of rock that sloped toward a ravine. We dismounted and walked across--admonishing the young ones to stay to our right on the high side. We did that twice going up and twice going down. In addition, there were lots of places where they had to pick their way through the rocks carefully. We only had two real uh-oh moments, first with me: I am not sure what really happened, but he lurched forward and right and I was pitched out of my stirrup and over his neck. No worries, though--he caught me and we calmly kept going. The second time was scarier--Star lost his footing on slab of rock and was furiously attempting to get his back feet under him. Thankfully, he was able to get a grip without going down and although it scared all of us (including him), everything was fine.
We stopped at the creek at a good place to water the horses thinking we were nearing the lake. We were at 5000 feet elevation. After some investigation, we came to the conclusion we would have to cross the creek to get to the trail. The creek was rocky, but not too swift; however, there was a big, rusty pipe sticking out of it and a smooshed rusty pipe a few feet away. I did not like the crossing. So I said I could be done and turn around here. I hate to be the one to admit defeat or that I'm ready to quit, but they both agreed. Honestly, I was worrying about the way back as much as what might lie ahead. The rocks bothered me--I worry about those spindly horse legs under me. I would be devastated if he (or any of them) were to be hurt.
We went back a bit and had lunch. Ziggy decided he liked peanutbutter and crackers. I think he would eat anything Lynn ate--he worships her. They got to eat high mountain grass and we snacked and drank water. Then we headed out.
Surprisingly, the way out was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Lynn said the young ones had learned a lot going up and were better at navigating going down. Not that they weren't nervous a little, too. They pooped a lot and I could see Ziggy's legs tremble a little every now and then. Shirley was sure if she were in front, Star would have just run out, but I think he would kept an eye on all us and not gotten too far ahead. Jupes was confident and made his own way a few times and I am getting better at listening to him and letting him show me the way. Nobody slipped and we were all safe.
It was a beautiful, warm day. The waterfalls were gorgeous and the scenery as awe-inspiring as they come. I'm glad we went, but even though I know the boys would be even more confident and comfortable, it wouldn't be my first choice to go back anytime soon.
Deeper into the trail we started seeing granite. At one place, we had to cross a flat, sheet of rock that sloped toward a ravine. We dismounted and walked across--admonishing the young ones to stay to our right on the high side. We did that twice going up and twice going down. In addition, there were lots of places where they had to pick their way through the rocks carefully. We only had two real uh-oh moments, first with me: I am not sure what really happened, but he lurched forward and right and I was pitched out of my stirrup and over his neck. No worries, though--he caught me and we calmly kept going. The second time was scarier--Star lost his footing on slab of rock and was furiously attempting to get his back feet under him. Thankfully, he was able to get a grip without going down and although it scared all of us (including him), everything was fine.
We stopped at the creek at a good place to water the horses thinking we were nearing the lake. We were at 5000 feet elevation. After some investigation, we came to the conclusion we would have to cross the creek to get to the trail. The creek was rocky, but not too swift; however, there was a big, rusty pipe sticking out of it and a smooshed rusty pipe a few feet away. I did not like the crossing. So I said I could be done and turn around here. I hate to be the one to admit defeat or that I'm ready to quit, but they both agreed. Honestly, I was worrying about the way back as much as what might lie ahead. The rocks bothered me--I worry about those spindly horse legs under me. I would be devastated if he (or any of them) were to be hurt.
We went back a bit and had lunch. Ziggy decided he liked peanutbutter and crackers. I think he would eat anything Lynn ate--he worships her. They got to eat high mountain grass and we snacked and drank water. Then we headed out.
Surprisingly, the way out was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Lynn said the young ones had learned a lot going up and were better at navigating going down. Not that they weren't nervous a little, too. They pooped a lot and I could see Ziggy's legs tremble a little every now and then. Shirley was sure if she were in front, Star would have just run out, but I think he would kept an eye on all us and not gotten too far ahead. Jupes was confident and made his own way a few times and I am getting better at listening to him and letting him show me the way. Nobody slipped and we were all safe.
It was a beautiful, warm day. The waterfalls were gorgeous and the scenery as awe-inspiring as they come. I'm glad we went, but even though I know the boys would be even more confident and comfortable, it wouldn't be my first choice to go back anytime soon.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Beam me up, Scotty
Thursday, Lynn had a crazy day: she was in charge of who's dead (no one), who's alive (oops, she was sleeping), and whether Kimtu was full. Not to mention regular work and people who wanted to talk or pay a bill. She is the oracle of WC--she knows everything! Well, she is expected to anyway.
She decided she needed some open air and horse sweat. With a little notice, Shirley and I can be right there, too. So off we went to clean a trail we are trying to turn into a nice long loop, over on the Horse Linto side of the mountain. Well, it was dinner time as far the boys were concerned. Ziggy kept trying to turn around or go down the mountain back to the truck, so Lynn kept him feet moving forward at a good, strong walk. Jupiter just sauntered along in no hurry and Star was Star--the grown-up who does what he is asked to do.
Of course with us, everyday is an adventure. We came around a turn and ahead of us was a vehicle. I am sure all of us thought of illegal grows and hunters right off. Neither are welcome sights for sure. There was no one outside in view, but the door was open on the SUV. Behind it was a tall trailer full of wood. I relaxed a bit and thought it might be guys out cutting firewood. There was a something lying across his windshield. I heard Lynn say she thought it was a rifle case.
Suddenly, a man in an army combat helmet bolted from inside the vehicle and snatched off the piece of cardboard from the windshield. He had wild and crazy eyes and his helmet was rocking around on his head. He said the planes had been looking for him. At least that's what I think he said. (We had heard one earlier.) Lynn was trying to read the cardboard that had writing and figures drawn on it. It's still driving her crazy because she couldn't read it and she wanted a better look! Anyway, he looked CRAZY.
Lynn, ever the calm one, and of course the one with the crazy job who's used to dealing with odd balls, said we were just going to ride our horses and be on our way--or something soothing like that. We rode this trail all the time (not!). Shirley was giving me the eyeball--but I kept a straight face and Jupes and I stayed straight on their trail.
Lynn and I sawed and clipped and made headway, but did not complete the job. It was getting late and the shadows were chasing the sun up the mountain across the ravine. It was time to go. She told us if he was still there to "line it out and keep a good trot going." Of course he was still there. It was obvious he was living in his car and we knew he would have a hard time getting that load of wood down the mountain anyway.
As we approached, he was out of the car and moving in a stealthy, sneaky way around it. The path by him was a little close between his vehicle and the bank and Ziggy was not happy about it. It probably smelled funny and the tall wood trailer was different from this side and the man was just plain weird. But he did what she asked and the rest of us followed behind. The man seemed more happy to see us and said animatedly, "I LIKE dogs, too!" Sheesh. We hollered, "Have a good night," and trotted on our way.
Later, I got to thinking he probably thought we were okay and maybe even on his team. He might have thought we had come to save him from the planes. After all, we had helmets on, too!
I am just glad Jupiter and I were in the back of the line when that guy bolted from the car. Jupes and I would have been 10 feet up that bank--it would have freaked both of us out. I had the epiphany last night that I am a very jumpy person--quick to take that deep inhalation of surprise and jump when someone or something surprises me. Jupiter has recently picked up a quick shy around seemingly harmless objects. We have that personality trait in common. That man would have sent us flying!
Lynn wants to go back and read his sign. She is sure it was written in Martian and was a message for the "people" looking for him. I just didn't know that they needed firewood for the winter!
She decided she needed some open air and horse sweat. With a little notice, Shirley and I can be right there, too. So off we went to clean a trail we are trying to turn into a nice long loop, over on the Horse Linto side of the mountain. Well, it was dinner time as far the boys were concerned. Ziggy kept trying to turn around or go down the mountain back to the truck, so Lynn kept him feet moving forward at a good, strong walk. Jupiter just sauntered along in no hurry and Star was Star--the grown-up who does what he is asked to do.
Of course with us, everyday is an adventure. We came around a turn and ahead of us was a vehicle. I am sure all of us thought of illegal grows and hunters right off. Neither are welcome sights for sure. There was no one outside in view, but the door was open on the SUV. Behind it was a tall trailer full of wood. I relaxed a bit and thought it might be guys out cutting firewood. There was a something lying across his windshield. I heard Lynn say she thought it was a rifle case.
Suddenly, a man in an army combat helmet bolted from inside the vehicle and snatched off the piece of cardboard from the windshield. He had wild and crazy eyes and his helmet was rocking around on his head. He said the planes had been looking for him. At least that's what I think he said. (We had heard one earlier.) Lynn was trying to read the cardboard that had writing and figures drawn on it. It's still driving her crazy because she couldn't read it and she wanted a better look! Anyway, he looked CRAZY.
Lynn, ever the calm one, and of course the one with the crazy job who's used to dealing with odd balls, said we were just going to ride our horses and be on our way--or something soothing like that. We rode this trail all the time (not!). Shirley was giving me the eyeball--but I kept a straight face and Jupes and I stayed straight on their trail.
Lynn and I sawed and clipped and made headway, but did not complete the job. It was getting late and the shadows were chasing the sun up the mountain across the ravine. It was time to go. She told us if he was still there to "line it out and keep a good trot going." Of course he was still there. It was obvious he was living in his car and we knew he would have a hard time getting that load of wood down the mountain anyway.
As we approached, he was out of the car and moving in a stealthy, sneaky way around it. The path by him was a little close between his vehicle and the bank and Ziggy was not happy about it. It probably smelled funny and the tall wood trailer was different from this side and the man was just plain weird. But he did what she asked and the rest of us followed behind. The man seemed more happy to see us and said animatedly, "I LIKE dogs, too!" Sheesh. We hollered, "Have a good night," and trotted on our way.
Later, I got to thinking he probably thought we were okay and maybe even on his team. He might have thought we had come to save him from the planes. After all, we had helmets on, too!
I am just glad Jupiter and I were in the back of the line when that guy bolted from the car. Jupes and I would have been 10 feet up that bank--it would have freaked both of us out. I had the epiphany last night that I am a very jumpy person--quick to take that deep inhalation of surprise and jump when someone or something surprises me. Jupiter has recently picked up a quick shy around seemingly harmless objects. We have that personality trait in common. That man would have sent us flying!
Lynn wants to go back and read his sign. She is sure it was written in Martian and was a message for the "people" looking for him. I just didn't know that they needed firewood for the winter!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Laborless Weekend
I have not had a weekend as fun and rewarding as this past one in a long time. Saturday was filled with working and shepherding students, but I had lots of laughs as Lynn and I walked to the park, passing all the people sitting in cars as they waited in line. I saw many of my former students and their families. The sun was shining, the temperature pleasant, and all around me people were having a good time--too bad Lynn had to sit in the "dead head" museum for some of it! (Where she had to put up with some live dead head's as well. And I don't mean Mr. Garcia and his band!)
Sunday, we drove up Underwood and rode trails I have not ridden before. Jupiter did really well. He showed his unflappable and confident nature when we sunk up to his knees in soft dirt; he simply stopped and then took his time stepping up and out. He didn't mind where were in line--he simply enjoyed the new trails.
Monday we went up the Hennessey, but took some trails that I had not been on. They were steep, but Jupes likes going uphill and the all the horses in good shape, so it didn't faze them. Star was being cranky with Ziggy; he did not want to follow him anymore. So he decided to the take the lead, but he stopped in the middle of the trail as we were going uphill. I could see on Jupiter's face that he was frustrated that Star was directly in front of him as he likes to go faster than Star does when we climb up steep hills. Star is methodical and steady where Jupiter is strong and fast, so when Star stopped, he jerked his head up, huffed a little, stepped to his left, and plowed right by him--practically scraping alongside. Jupes had his momentum going and for whatever reason, Star just stopped. I could see the irritation on Jupiter's face. (Probably poor manners on our part! Lead, follow, or get out of the way--I guess Jupes and I are a lot alike--Yikes!)
On some of the wider trails, Lynn teased Star by coming up alongside him over and over. He kept laying his ears back and turning head to tell Ziggy to stay back. Finally, he had had enough! Instead reaching out to bite at Ziggy--he bared his teeth at Lynn. He's smart, he knows who's causing his irritation. He knows that Ziggy knows his place and wouldn't keep pestering him. Cranky old thing.
Jupiter had another great day. We stepped down into a pond a little too far and he sunk in, but even after he realized it, he did really well. He kept his head and got his feet free and up on the solid ground. I wasn't too sure at one point--I thought we were both going in, but he was calm and didn't thrash. And on one of the long easy grades uphill, Ziggy and Star trotted ahead of us. They were faster than us and gaining ground. He did not attempt to buck or throw a fit; he asked to go faster, but didn't push it beyond my comfort level. After our rodeo last weekend, this weekend was smooth sailing.
Sunday, we drove up Underwood and rode trails I have not ridden before. Jupiter did really well. He showed his unflappable and confident nature when we sunk up to his knees in soft dirt; he simply stopped and then took his time stepping up and out. He didn't mind where were in line--he simply enjoyed the new trails.
Monday we went up the Hennessey, but took some trails that I had not been on. They were steep, but Jupes likes going uphill and the all the horses in good shape, so it didn't faze them. Star was being cranky with Ziggy; he did not want to follow him anymore. So he decided to the take the lead, but he stopped in the middle of the trail as we were going uphill. I could see on Jupiter's face that he was frustrated that Star was directly in front of him as he likes to go faster than Star does when we climb up steep hills. Star is methodical and steady where Jupiter is strong and fast, so when Star stopped, he jerked his head up, huffed a little, stepped to his left, and plowed right by him--practically scraping alongside. Jupes had his momentum going and for whatever reason, Star just stopped. I could see the irritation on Jupiter's face. (Probably poor manners on our part! Lead, follow, or get out of the way--I guess Jupes and I are a lot alike--Yikes!)
On some of the wider trails, Lynn teased Star by coming up alongside him over and over. He kept laying his ears back and turning head to tell Ziggy to stay back. Finally, he had had enough! Instead reaching out to bite at Ziggy--he bared his teeth at Lynn. He's smart, he knows who's causing his irritation. He knows that Ziggy knows his place and wouldn't keep pestering him. Cranky old thing.
Jupiter had another great day. We stepped down into a pond a little too far and he sunk in, but even after he realized it, he did really well. He kept his head and got his feet free and up on the solid ground. I wasn't too sure at one point--I thought we were both going in, but he was calm and didn't thrash. And on one of the long easy grades uphill, Ziggy and Star trotted ahead of us. They were faster than us and gaining ground. He did not attempt to buck or throw a fit; he asked to go faster, but didn't push it beyond my comfort level. After our rodeo last weekend, this weekend was smooth sailing.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
WHOA!
I think Lynn and Shirley bring me along for the entertainment value. After the rain and the "oh no!" quick, but strategic covering of the hay on Saturday, Sunday turned out to be a great day for riding--the weather is turning and the air was cool in the afternoon, so after Lynn's company left she called for us to come and get the boys. For fun we decided to do some bushwacking.
The grass was pretty dry and grasshoppers were in abundance. There were goat head stickers and hitchhiker burrs grabbing onto the horses legs. Bees seemed to be more pesky, too. All of the horses were doing some stamping of the feet and high stepping. Jupiter was in high spirits and feeling frisky.
We saw lots of big piles of bear scat--fresh ones full of berries and apples; so Lynn lead us through the briars and around the orchards in search of one. We did not see one until later in the ride. First we rode all over the trails to the east of the meadow. I gave Jupiter the benefit of the doubt most of the day and blamed that bees were bothering him--he wanted to run all out and buck and I don't know what all, because as I have said many times--ignorance is bliss; I just try to stay on. Thankfully most of the bucking episodes were uphill and thus easier to ride out and stop. I did have to pull him up short when he seemed like he might run smack into a tree!
We came out into the meadow from the woods and decided to see if we could find the north trail we rode once before. Then we heard the bear in the berries. We chased him into the woods where we caught sight of him a couple of times. He was small and cute. This is where we did some real bushwacking. The horses had vines tangled around their legs; they went through thick brush and we all had to duck through. Ziggy and Jupiter did really well; to some degree even better than Star who hates to have stuff touching him. They are becoming very good listeners and trusting not only themselves to make good decisions, but us too.
On the way back to the truck we crossed the meadow as usual. We went to the apples trees and the horses ate and slobbered down some ripe apples. Then we headed to the hill that leads out. Star was in the lead and then Ziggy and then us. They were kind of running--not a gallop, but a quick trot up the first hill. Jupes was pulling at the reins and his head to the side. I thought maybe he could smell or see something in the woods that I couldn't. Right as we got to the hard-packed, rutted road (believe me, I had a good look at it), he humped up and crow-hopped and threw his head down like he would buck. I don't know if he did or not. All I know is I yelled (I am not sure what--something like "STOP IT!" when I should have probably yelled, whoa or something else) and he stopped and stood still and looked back at me.
I did not go off. I don't think I even came out of my stirrups. BUT, I did come up on the horn and probably dug my knee into his neck. I knocked off my horn packs, so I know I came up under them and I have a huge bruise that is probably 5-6 inches long on the inside of my thigh. It's real pretty. But I did not go off! I saw that hard pack and thought I do not want to go off here! I do not want to start the new school year broken. I have been lucky and only gone off in the soft stuff of the trails--this would not have been a good place.
Lynn says Jupes will make me a good rider. Shirley says I am so lucky--Jupiter is an outstandingly good, young horse who listens and makes good decisions. I know they are right, but I think they enjoy watching the show we put on, too. So, blame it on the wind in the trees; blame on bees or stickers; blame it on Jupiter wanting to be in the front and not behind Star, I don't know. But we had a rodeo and I stayed on! Progress.
The grass was pretty dry and grasshoppers were in abundance. There were goat head stickers and hitchhiker burrs grabbing onto the horses legs. Bees seemed to be more pesky, too. All of the horses were doing some stamping of the feet and high stepping. Jupiter was in high spirits and feeling frisky.
We saw lots of big piles of bear scat--fresh ones full of berries and apples; so Lynn lead us through the briars and around the orchards in search of one. We did not see one until later in the ride. First we rode all over the trails to the east of the meadow. I gave Jupiter the benefit of the doubt most of the day and blamed that bees were bothering him--he wanted to run all out and buck and I don't know what all, because as I have said many times--ignorance is bliss; I just try to stay on. Thankfully most of the bucking episodes were uphill and thus easier to ride out and stop. I did have to pull him up short when he seemed like he might run smack into a tree!
We came out into the meadow from the woods and decided to see if we could find the north trail we rode once before. Then we heard the bear in the berries. We chased him into the woods where we caught sight of him a couple of times. He was small and cute. This is where we did some real bushwacking. The horses had vines tangled around their legs; they went through thick brush and we all had to duck through. Ziggy and Jupiter did really well; to some degree even better than Star who hates to have stuff touching him. They are becoming very good listeners and trusting not only themselves to make good decisions, but us too.
On the way back to the truck we crossed the meadow as usual. We went to the apples trees and the horses ate and slobbered down some ripe apples. Then we headed to the hill that leads out. Star was in the lead and then Ziggy and then us. They were kind of running--not a gallop, but a quick trot up the first hill. Jupes was pulling at the reins and his head to the side. I thought maybe he could smell or see something in the woods that I couldn't. Right as we got to the hard-packed, rutted road (believe me, I had a good look at it), he humped up and crow-hopped and threw his head down like he would buck. I don't know if he did or not. All I know is I yelled (I am not sure what--something like "STOP IT!" when I should have probably yelled, whoa or something else) and he stopped and stood still and looked back at me.
I did not go off. I don't think I even came out of my stirrups. BUT, I did come up on the horn and probably dug my knee into his neck. I knocked off my horn packs, so I know I came up under them and I have a huge bruise that is probably 5-6 inches long on the inside of my thigh. It's real pretty. But I did not go off! I saw that hard pack and thought I do not want to go off here! I do not want to start the new school year broken. I have been lucky and only gone off in the soft stuff of the trails--this would not have been a good place.
Lynn says Jupes will make me a good rider. Shirley says I am so lucky--Jupiter is an outstandingly good, young horse who listens and makes good decisions. I know they are right, but I think they enjoy watching the show we put on, too. So, blame it on the wind in the trees; blame on bees or stickers; blame it on Jupiter wanting to be in the front and not behind Star, I don't know. But we had a rodeo and I stayed on! Progress.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Horseless camping
After a week of sleeping on the ground, I am dead certain that I am buying a living quarters horse trailer for when we are retired and camping around the country with the boys. Although it would seem I have lots of cushion on my body--there are still places that poke out and feel all the hardness underneath my sleeping pads. Izzy really wanted to sleep in the motorhome rather than with me in the tent last night; I think she is tired of my thrashing around.
Other than that--we are having lots of fun. There is nothing like camping in a beautiful place. We have had lots of rain and thunder and lightning, but in between we have gone for some pretty walks in the sun. Of course the tent leaked, but with a blue tarp we managed to be dry inside. Yep--it looked like okie flats for a couple of days, but I fixed it so it looks pretty good now.
We went out and about to hang flyers announcing "Dredge Days" and we got to see some new country. We went to Redfish Lake first. It looked like a resort right out of the movies. The backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains overshadowed the jet boats and the thousands of people on shore and in the very full campgrounds. We went to Stanley Lake and it was much more majestic with backdrop of McGowen peak framing it. The campgrounds were pretty full as well, but they didn't take anything away from the view. We stopped by a fish hatchery as well--wow! Talk about some fish. Lots and lots of fry--so many the water was black. It was a fun venture out. Izzy got to get into the river and the lake and have a drink as well as cool her belly off.
At Redfish Lake, there is also an opportunity for trail rides. We stopped and looked at the horses, which ended up looking kind of sad. They had just sent out a string before we stopped, but I didn't get to check it out. I asked about the all day ride ($110) which consisted of a 2 1/2 hour ride to a lake, lunch, hang out and swim time, and then back again. Ha! I would want a whole day ride--forget the lunch, we got granola bars! (:
My idea of horseless camping includes lots of feet up and reading. I am getting it done, too. (: Unfortunately, since this is a workers' camp, they all have RVs. With generators. And a laundry room with an extremely LOUD generator. When the laundry is done and the workers whose solar isn't enough leave for work, it is peaceful.
So far, no bears. I guess they trapped one and took it Salmon a month or so ago. We have seen one huge doe and one smaller white tail doe. Neither of them waited for me get my camera up and on, but they were both very interested in Izzy. She took no notice of them, but they still bounded off too quick for a pic. The Golden Mantles (chipmunks) tease Izzy into chasing them and the gray jays and little black birds hang around some of the day. But that's all the animal life I have seen so far. Mom and Gene had to stop for a moose when they went to Challis last week--yes, you heard me, a MOOSE. (: I want to see one! They also saw some mountain goats. I keep my eyes peeled!
Today (Saturday) is Dredge Day. I am going to go down and watch a mining demonstration. They came in a couple of nights ago and have been out mining--one gal found a lot of flakes just panning. The guys will show how to dry mine (?) and then there's another kind, too, that I forgot the name of, that uses the creek that flows into the dredge. It should be fun. Sometime today or tomorrow I have to do some school work--yuck! I know, what am I complaining about? My two best horse buddies are working as they read this, right? Sorry. It's kind of funny that I'm sitting in the middle of a forest, sort of in the middle of nowhere, and playing on the internet. Who would've ever thought?!
I am looking forward to riding next weekend. I hope Alisa is coming over. I expect to be on the road Monday and home Tuesday. I miss Jupes (who is probably having fits as I type for being left home) and my friends, but I am having a nice time.
Other than that--we are having lots of fun. There is nothing like camping in a beautiful place. We have had lots of rain and thunder and lightning, but in between we have gone for some pretty walks in the sun. Of course the tent leaked, but with a blue tarp we managed to be dry inside. Yep--it looked like okie flats for a couple of days, but I fixed it so it looks pretty good now.
We went out and about to hang flyers announcing "Dredge Days" and we got to see some new country. We went to Redfish Lake first. It looked like a resort right out of the movies. The backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains overshadowed the jet boats and the thousands of people on shore and in the very full campgrounds. We went to Stanley Lake and it was much more majestic with backdrop of McGowen peak framing it. The campgrounds were pretty full as well, but they didn't take anything away from the view. We stopped by a fish hatchery as well--wow! Talk about some fish. Lots and lots of fry--so many the water was black. It was a fun venture out. Izzy got to get into the river and the lake and have a drink as well as cool her belly off.
At Redfish Lake, there is also an opportunity for trail rides. We stopped and looked at the horses, which ended up looking kind of sad. They had just sent out a string before we stopped, but I didn't get to check it out. I asked about the all day ride ($110) which consisted of a 2 1/2 hour ride to a lake, lunch, hang out and swim time, and then back again. Ha! I would want a whole day ride--forget the lunch, we got granola bars! (:
My idea of horseless camping includes lots of feet up and reading. I am getting it done, too. (: Unfortunately, since this is a workers' camp, they all have RVs. With generators. And a laundry room with an extremely LOUD generator. When the laundry is done and the workers whose solar isn't enough leave for work, it is peaceful.
So far, no bears. I guess they trapped one and took it Salmon a month or so ago. We have seen one huge doe and one smaller white tail doe. Neither of them waited for me get my camera up and on, but they were both very interested in Izzy. She took no notice of them, but they still bounded off too quick for a pic. The Golden Mantles (chipmunks) tease Izzy into chasing them and the gray jays and little black birds hang around some of the day. But that's all the animal life I have seen so far. Mom and Gene had to stop for a moose when they went to Challis last week--yes, you heard me, a MOOSE. (: I want to see one! They also saw some mountain goats. I keep my eyes peeled!
Today (Saturday) is Dredge Day. I am going to go down and watch a mining demonstration. They came in a couple of nights ago and have been out mining--one gal found a lot of flakes just panning. The guys will show how to dry mine (?) and then there's another kind, too, that I forgot the name of, that uses the creek that flows into the dredge. It should be fun. Sometime today or tomorrow I have to do some school work--yuck! I know, what am I complaining about? My two best horse buddies are working as they read this, right? Sorry. It's kind of funny that I'm sitting in the middle of a forest, sort of in the middle of nowhere, and playing on the internet. Who would've ever thought?!
I am looking forward to riding next weekend. I hope Alisa is coming over. I expect to be on the road Monday and home Tuesday. I miss Jupes (who is probably having fits as I type for being left home) and my friends, but I am having a nice time.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Things That Go Bump in the Night
The countdown finally ended and we packed up our camping gear, loaded our horses, and drove east to meet Alisa and Odie. We got through Redding before it was too hot and arrived in Quincy around noon. The horses were happy to hang out in the pasture with Odie and his girlfriend, the old white mare. Right away, Odie made sure Jupiter, who hadn't been to Quincy before, was aware that she was his girlfriend and he was to stay away from her!
After our ice cream and a little shopping, we added ice to everything and away we went. We stopped for wonderful Mexican food in Sierraville (?) and then drove through some pretty country and arrived at Euer Valley around six. The sign on the peak before dropping down into the valley read 6775 elevation. It was about 75-80 degrees and everything was still green and blooming. (Check out Lynn's landscape & wildflower pics.)
We rode out Saturday morning on the blue trail--mapless, so we just followed the well-marked trail. At one point we came into a junction and the pink and yellow trails merged into blue. We went through the cattle gate and on up into the higher country. We could see Boreal Ski area (I think) and lots of green valleys and meadows.
We rode all morning and returned to camp for a late lunch. After relaxing a bit, we went out again for a short ride. We wanted to find the showers, see everyone else's horses, and check out other campsites. After returning and brushing the horses and letting them eat good mountain grass, we drove over to showers. It was nice to be clean! We ate mediocre chicken and rice (sorry about that!) and then snugged up to the fire pit. Even with one ear listening intently on the horses, I think everyone slept pretty good again that night.
The next day was gorgeous again. We had heard different people's stories about the red trail being super steep and having some treacherous rocks, not to mention an unfriendly owner and moving trailmarkers, so we went up the road near us to the yellow & pink trail marker.
It wasn't long before we got to the top at 7200' on the yellow trail. There are lots of overlooks for scenic vistas. The trail markers were a little scarce, but we made sure not to go south on red and stayed north. We stopped and let the horses catch their breaths and spent some time looking for our trail on the top. There had been some logging which had destroyed some of the markers, but we found them and headed down the other side. The trails consisted of a lot of road riding, with some nice trails that came off and into the woods.
This particular trail was steep, but it was soft and relatively easy to navigate. I was glad to be going down it instead of up; although we met some women who went the opposite way and they said they liked going up it better. At the bottom of the trail we saw a coyote. He looked pretty healthy and fat and was guarding a recent kill.
The horses were tired, so we unsaddled and let them eat grass and relax. Then we let them roll in a soft dirt pit near our camp. They loved it. Later, Jupiter, being the smallest, lay down in his corral. Everyone's lips were hanging and eyes were half-closed (maybe even ours!).
That night was the real show. Lynn and Alisa got their wish--a bear. Albeit, they really wanted to see them while we were riding rather than in the middle of the night! Lynn is one fast woman--she had her shoes on, flashlight in hand, and was out of the tent quick enough to almost tackle that 300lb bear who was about six feet from our tent door. By the time I got glasses, shoes, and flashlight--I could barely see her light in the dust storm caused by Ziggy. Evidently the bear had run between the truck and Zigman's corral and he did not like it. We all searched for the bear without luck (or with luck, I don't know), settled the horses, and went back to bed.
In between snores we all listened for him to return. Sure enough someone said, "Listen!" and there he was, right behind the tent--not 10 feet away. Again we flew out of the tent. This time Lynn almost did run up on him; he had stopped and looked back at her and he was as black as the night. She threw rocks at him and he lumbered off to the meadow. All of us were shivering in the dark, so we decided to blanket the horses. Not an easy feat with their nervousness making them move around their corrals to keep an eye out, too. Lynn ended up with a shoe full of dirt as Ziggy turned and ran away from her to the other end of the his corral.
We couldn't decide why the bear had come back, so we started searching camp. Sure enough we had missed something; although all the food and garbage had been picked up and put away, we somehow missed a package of opened danish: raspberry danish! We had heard the foil container that the danish came in. He had eaten all but one little square before we disturbed him. No wonder he stopped and looked at Lynn--he wasn't finished. And raspberries are out of season! We threw it away and I am glad he didn't slash through our tent to take it out on us when he returned!
In the middle of all this, Shirley told us to bring Happy into the tent from her warm, cushy bed in the truck cab. She would let us know when the bear came back! She would bark and scare him away! Right. That dog slept through it all. She was comfy down inside her blankets. She was off-duty.
Finally down inside our sleeping bags again, we agreed we would sleep in. (Although Lynn slept in her glasses, just in case.) Before the sun came over the mountain, we were awakened to the sound of cows loudly bellowing in the camp next to us. I mean LOUDLY. They were annoyed. We found out that they had a schedule--Mondays were for eating leftover hay from the campers. We put a hole into their plans and they were letting us know. They went from the north side of us to the south side and then up from the meadow and into the lower campsites. All the while bellowing for babies, bellowing for directions, and just overall nonstop chatter if you ask me. Anyway, we got up and enjoyed their company.
We went for a short ride to loosen up the horses and to be nosy; we wanted to make sure we truly had the best campsite. So we cruised the entire horse camp area. It was fun to talk to the other campers and see where all the bear had been in the night, too. We almost got invited for breakfast by a friendly man, we thought, but one of the women in his camp quickly disinvited us (she rides a mule, so what does that tell you?). After she asked what kind of horses we had, she turned to Lynn and said, "And what is that?" pointing at Ziggy. I tried to brag on him and let her know Zigs is from famous racehorse stock and later Lynn said she wished she said, "He's a BigZig." Lots of smarty comments have crossed my mind since, but I'll be good and say nothing.
All in all, it was a great weekend! I had a good time and I apologize to my friends for being difficult to be with at times and promise if I'm invited again, I'll keep my emotions in check! (I'm going to blame it all on being 50 and having my body rebel against me. I'll try to be more cognizant of the signals its sending me so I can control my overly sensitive feelings.)
After our ice cream and a little shopping, we added ice to everything and away we went. We stopped for wonderful Mexican food in Sierraville (?) and then drove through some pretty country and arrived at Euer Valley around six. The sign on the peak before dropping down into the valley read 6775 elevation. It was about 75-80 degrees and everything was still green and blooming. (Check out Lynn's landscape & wildflower pics.)
We rode out Saturday morning on the blue trail--mapless, so we just followed the well-marked trail. At one point we came into a junction and the pink and yellow trails merged into blue. We went through the cattle gate and on up into the higher country. We could see Boreal Ski area (I think) and lots of green valleys and meadows.
We rode all morning and returned to camp for a late lunch. After relaxing a bit, we went out again for a short ride. We wanted to find the showers, see everyone else's horses, and check out other campsites. After returning and brushing the horses and letting them eat good mountain grass, we drove over to showers. It was nice to be clean! We ate mediocre chicken and rice (sorry about that!) and then snugged up to the fire pit. Even with one ear listening intently on the horses, I think everyone slept pretty good again that night.
The next day was gorgeous again. We had heard different people's stories about the red trail being super steep and having some treacherous rocks, not to mention an unfriendly owner and moving trailmarkers, so we went up the road near us to the yellow & pink trail marker.
It wasn't long before we got to the top at 7200' on the yellow trail. There are lots of overlooks for scenic vistas. The trail markers were a little scarce, but we made sure not to go south on red and stayed north. We stopped and let the horses catch their breaths and spent some time looking for our trail on the top. There had been some logging which had destroyed some of the markers, but we found them and headed down the other side. The trails consisted of a lot of road riding, with some nice trails that came off and into the woods.
This particular trail was steep, but it was soft and relatively easy to navigate. I was glad to be going down it instead of up; although we met some women who went the opposite way and they said they liked going up it better. At the bottom of the trail we saw a coyote. He looked pretty healthy and fat and was guarding a recent kill.
The horses were tired, so we unsaddled and let them eat grass and relax. Then we let them roll in a soft dirt pit near our camp. They loved it. Later, Jupiter, being the smallest, lay down in his corral. Everyone's lips were hanging and eyes were half-closed (maybe even ours!).
That night was the real show. Lynn and Alisa got their wish--a bear. Albeit, they really wanted to see them while we were riding rather than in the middle of the night! Lynn is one fast woman--she had her shoes on, flashlight in hand, and was out of the tent quick enough to almost tackle that 300lb bear who was about six feet from our tent door. By the time I got glasses, shoes, and flashlight--I could barely see her light in the dust storm caused by Ziggy. Evidently the bear had run between the truck and Zigman's corral and he did not like it. We all searched for the bear without luck (or with luck, I don't know), settled the horses, and went back to bed.
In between snores we all listened for him to return. Sure enough someone said, "Listen!" and there he was, right behind the tent--not 10 feet away. Again we flew out of the tent. This time Lynn almost did run up on him; he had stopped and looked back at her and he was as black as the night. She threw rocks at him and he lumbered off to the meadow. All of us were shivering in the dark, so we decided to blanket the horses. Not an easy feat with their nervousness making them move around their corrals to keep an eye out, too. Lynn ended up with a shoe full of dirt as Ziggy turned and ran away from her to the other end of the his corral.
We couldn't decide why the bear had come back, so we started searching camp. Sure enough we had missed something; although all the food and garbage had been picked up and put away, we somehow missed a package of opened danish: raspberry danish! We had heard the foil container that the danish came in. He had eaten all but one little square before we disturbed him. No wonder he stopped and looked at Lynn--he wasn't finished. And raspberries are out of season! We threw it away and I am glad he didn't slash through our tent to take it out on us when he returned!
In the middle of all this, Shirley told us to bring Happy into the tent from her warm, cushy bed in the truck cab. She would let us know when the bear came back! She would bark and scare him away! Right. That dog slept through it all. She was comfy down inside her blankets. She was off-duty.
Finally down inside our sleeping bags again, we agreed we would sleep in. (Although Lynn slept in her glasses, just in case.) Before the sun came over the mountain, we were awakened to the sound of cows loudly bellowing in the camp next to us. I mean LOUDLY. They were annoyed. We found out that they had a schedule--Mondays were for eating leftover hay from the campers. We put a hole into their plans and they were letting us know. They went from the north side of us to the south side and then up from the meadow and into the lower campsites. All the while bellowing for babies, bellowing for directions, and just overall nonstop chatter if you ask me. Anyway, we got up and enjoyed their company.
We went for a short ride to loosen up the horses and to be nosy; we wanted to make sure we truly had the best campsite. So we cruised the entire horse camp area. It was fun to talk to the other campers and see where all the bear had been in the night, too. We almost got invited for breakfast by a friendly man, we thought, but one of the women in his camp quickly disinvited us (she rides a mule, so what does that tell you?). After she asked what kind of horses we had, she turned to Lynn and said, "And what is that?" pointing at Ziggy. I tried to brag on him and let her know Zigs is from famous racehorse stock and later Lynn said she wished she said, "He's a BigZig." Lots of smarty comments have crossed my mind since, but I'll be good and say nothing.
All in all, it was a great weekend! I had a good time and I apologize to my friends for being difficult to be with at times and promise if I'm invited again, I'll keep my emotions in check! (I'm going to blame it all on being 50 and having my body rebel against me. I'll try to be more cognizant of the signals its sending me so I can control my overly sensitive feelings.)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Poetry for the soul
Awhile ago I found a saying that seemed to fit Lynn very nicely; so I used it with some pictures of the boys and made a collage for her horse bathroom decor. I told my friend from whom I had copied the saying that I had done so and she told me that it was part of a larger poem. I love the poem and it fits even more in its entirety. I hope it will fit me too!
The Woman I will Be
I shall wear diamonds and a wide brimmed straw hat with ribbons
and flowers on it
And I shall spend my social security on white wine and carrots
And sit in the alley of my barn and listen to my horses breathe.
I will sneak out in the middle of a summer's night
And ride the dappled mare across the moonstruck meadow,
if my old bones will allow.
And when people come to call, I will smile and nod,
As I walk them past the gardens to the barn
And show, instead, the flowers growing there
In stalls fresh-lined with straw.
I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel.
And I will be an embarrassment of all who look down on me
Who have not yet found the peace in being free
To love a horse as a friend, a friend who waits at midnight hour
with muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
For the woman I will be when I am old.
~anonymous
I shall wear diamonds and a wide brimmed straw hat with ribbons
and flowers on it
And I shall spend my social security on white wine and carrots
And sit in the alley of my barn and listen to my horses breathe.
I will sneak out in the middle of a summer's night
And ride the dappled mare across the moonstruck meadow,
if my old bones will allow.
And when people come to call, I will smile and nod,
As I walk them past the gardens to the barn
And show, instead, the flowers growing there
In stalls fresh-lined with straw.
I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel.
And I will be an embarrassment of all who look down on me
Who have not yet found the peace in being free
To love a horse as a friend, a friend who waits at midnight hour
with muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
For the woman I will be when I am old.
~anonymous
Monday, June 28, 2010
Big Loop
After a long, six-day work week (isn't it summer?what am I doing?!), I got to spend Sunday morning with my best friends. A phone call from Lynn on Saturday ensured my attendance on Sunday's ride: Jupiter threw a tantrum on Saturday when Ziggy and Star left the pasture without him. She said he ran and whinnied and kicked and bucked--he wanted to go! When they returned, he ran from the far corner to the gate to meet them. He likes to go and doesn't want to be left at home.
We did the long ride that was cut short when Alisa was here last--no crazy stud horse loose on the trail this time. We started out somewhere around 6:30am and finished up by 10:30, right when it was starting to heat up. We had a great ride! Unfortunately, I think we are going to have to find an alternate route; there were too many "camps" for comfort. One of them had a friendly pit bull, but one of them had a dog chained up who sounded a little vicious. We don't want trouble for Happy for sure, and I don't want to have to kill someone's dog either. We want to do this ride with Susie, so we need to work on cutting a trail.
After passing the last camp, we rode through a dense, bushy area (right before the cut block where we have a short rest and treats) of wild lilacs. In some parts, I just lay over Jupe's neck rather than fight the brush. When we emerged from the bushes, not only did we smell good, both Lynn and I had lilac blooms inside our ears!
On the way up, we saw turtles in the little pond. Although it has water in it now, the pond will probably dry up if the weather stays like it has been. So Shirley wants us to drive up there, hike in, and retrieve them so they can live in her pond.
Some of the fun things we did included jumping over logs. It has been awhile since we rode through there and some trees have come down. Jupiter loves to jump. I think it's fun, too. Ziggy is so tall and long-legged, most of the time he doesn't have to jump--he takes it all in his long stride. He sure looks pretty when he canters, too. Jupe and I trotted and ran a little faster this time, but I am still nervous about being out of control. Nevertheless, I think he had fun yesterday, too.
How many days 'til Saturday?
We did the long ride that was cut short when Alisa was here last--no crazy stud horse loose on the trail this time. We started out somewhere around 6:30am and finished up by 10:30, right when it was starting to heat up. We had a great ride! Unfortunately, I think we are going to have to find an alternate route; there were too many "camps" for comfort. One of them had a friendly pit bull, but one of them had a dog chained up who sounded a little vicious. We don't want trouble for Happy for sure, and I don't want to have to kill someone's dog either. We want to do this ride with Susie, so we need to work on cutting a trail.
After passing the last camp, we rode through a dense, bushy area (right before the cut block where we have a short rest and treats) of wild lilacs. In some parts, I just lay over Jupe's neck rather than fight the brush. When we emerged from the bushes, not only did we smell good, both Lynn and I had lilac blooms inside our ears!
On the way up, we saw turtles in the little pond. Although it has water in it now, the pond will probably dry up if the weather stays like it has been. So Shirley wants us to drive up there, hike in, and retrieve them so they can live in her pond.
Some of the fun things we did included jumping over logs. It has been awhile since we rode through there and some trees have come down. Jupiter loves to jump. I think it's fun, too. Ziggy is so tall and long-legged, most of the time he doesn't have to jump--he takes it all in his long stride. He sure looks pretty when he canters, too. Jupe and I trotted and ran a little faster this time, but I am still nervous about being out of control. Nevertheless, I think he had fun yesterday, too.
How many days 'til Saturday?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Cowgirl work
Yesterday, Lynn and I strung electric fence wire. It was an adventure. (Well everything with Lynn kinda turns out that!) We used the quad to hold the wire and then went along the fence hanging it on the insulators. There were problems of course, but Lynn was able to "jimmy-rig" everything to work. (She is her father's daughter afterall.) Then we came to the biggest obstacle. She makes me nervous, but as anyone who knows her can attest, there's no stopping her when she gets an idea.
The fence stretches from the highway to the upper fence line, crossing an arm of the pond in the field next to Shirley's house. The spool of wire is a little heavy and the pond was probably 8 feet across--bank to bank. We weren't sure if we could pitch it across and catch it before it rolled down into the brakish water. Izzy was playing in the water right there chasing water walkers and was muddy to her belly. Lynn decided belly deep wasn't that deep and she would drive the quad across the pond. In both of our minds was the kind of bottom she would be driving across. Would she sink? Would she get stuck in the muck? The alternative was to take off her shoes and wade across--yuck!! Salamanders and gunky, oozy black mud? It was worth the risk.
We rolled out 10 feet of wire and she drove in, with me holding the wire so it didn't get tangled. Her first attempt found her unable to get traction and she spun out trying to get up the bank on the other side. She backed back over to the side I was standing on and said, "Don't hold on to the wire, I'm going to gun it across!" Ha! Well, she made it! She didn't even get her feet wet. Success all around.
The fence stretches from the highway to the upper fence line, crossing an arm of the pond in the field next to Shirley's house. The spool of wire is a little heavy and the pond was probably 8 feet across--bank to bank. We weren't sure if we could pitch it across and catch it before it rolled down into the brakish water. Izzy was playing in the water right there chasing water walkers and was muddy to her belly. Lynn decided belly deep wasn't that deep and she would drive the quad across the pond. In both of our minds was the kind of bottom she would be driving across. Would she sink? Would she get stuck in the muck? The alternative was to take off her shoes and wade across--yuck!! Salamanders and gunky, oozy black mud? It was worth the risk.
We rolled out 10 feet of wire and she drove in, with me holding the wire so it didn't get tangled. Her first attempt found her unable to get traction and she spun out trying to get up the bank on the other side. She backed back over to the side I was standing on and said, "Don't hold on to the wire, I'm going to gun it across!" Ha! Well, she made it! She didn't even get her feet wet. Success all around.
Rattlesnakes, Squirrels, and Vultures; Oh My!
Saturday was a new adventure for us. Lynn and I loaded up the sleepy and somewhat nervous boys to head for Redding in the dark morning hours. She had moved them from the pasture with everyone else to a closer one with just the two of them. They spent the night by the gate nearest the older boys, who were a whole pasture away. Ziggy about jumped out of his skin when Lynn called his name. He thought for sure a monster had come for him. Once he recognized her voice and the sleep cleared from his head, he came right to her.
We met Alisa and our new friend, Suzy for breakfast. The world truly is small and soon we realized that we had friends in common who had been trying to get us all together and we did it accidentally! Too funny. Suzy took us to the Clear Creek/Swasey Trail loops. We began by following her and her pretty boy Forest on the trail that leads to the bathroom at the trailhead to start with and Jupiter finally peed with the saddle on! I was happy. The man in the parking lot probably wasn't as the yellow river ran downhill toward him and smelled strongly. He probably thought I was nuts because I was so excited over this event. (:
From there we set out to make some nice loops with gorgeous overlooks. Odie really wanted to lead and Alisa had to work to make him settle down, but Ziggy set a good, long-legged pace that made Jupiter trot every now and then to stay up. It was a gorgeous day and not too hot. I heard two rattlesnakes; one that rattled and one that whizzed! I am just as glad that I did not see them, nor did Jupiter, I think. All of the horses did fine if they did see them! We also had a tiny squirrel run out of a hole at Odie, run alongside Jupiter, through Forest's legs and then stop under Ziggy. Fortunately, Ziggy did not step on him and squish him.
Jupiter does not care for the gray piles of dead limbs and bushes. He is concerned about gray rocks sometimes. He has not shied, but really keeps his eye on them. He is pretty sure that they could be monsters. Well, as we were heading down the trail to end our day, sure enough a monster did come to life! Vultures were startled by our passing and rose up out of some brush to our left. Jupiter did not bolt or whip around, but he stopped on a dime! There were probably four or five vultures flapping up and off whatever was in there. I can't blame Jupe, it startled me too. Now he'll never believe me when I say, "Silly boy, they're only sticks," again. He might start talking like Star and tell me, "Oh yeah? Remember that one time?"
One of the highlights of the day was in between trails we rode down to Clear Creek. It was a nice spot to let the horses get into the water and drink. I think all the horses thought we could have spent more time playing in the water, as they seemed to like it.
After riding on the opposite side of the road for an hour or so, we decided to call it a day. But what a day! It was fun and we look forward to doing many more rides with Suzy.
We met Alisa and our new friend, Suzy for breakfast. The world truly is small and soon we realized that we had friends in common who had been trying to get us all together and we did it accidentally! Too funny. Suzy took us to the Clear Creek/Swasey Trail loops. We began by following her and her pretty boy Forest on the trail that leads to the bathroom at the trailhead to start with and Jupiter finally peed with the saddle on! I was happy. The man in the parking lot probably wasn't as the yellow river ran downhill toward him and smelled strongly. He probably thought I was nuts because I was so excited over this event. (:
From there we set out to make some nice loops with gorgeous overlooks. Odie really wanted to lead and Alisa had to work to make him settle down, but Ziggy set a good, long-legged pace that made Jupiter trot every now and then to stay up. It was a gorgeous day and not too hot. I heard two rattlesnakes; one that rattled and one that whizzed! I am just as glad that I did not see them, nor did Jupiter, I think. All of the horses did fine if they did see them! We also had a tiny squirrel run out of a hole at Odie, run alongside Jupiter, through Forest's legs and then stop under Ziggy. Fortunately, Ziggy did not step on him and squish him.
Jupiter does not care for the gray piles of dead limbs and bushes. He is concerned about gray rocks sometimes. He has not shied, but really keeps his eye on them. He is pretty sure that they could be monsters. Well, as we were heading down the trail to end our day, sure enough a monster did come to life! Vultures were startled by our passing and rose up out of some brush to our left. Jupiter did not bolt or whip around, but he stopped on a dime! There were probably four or five vultures flapping up and off whatever was in there. I can't blame Jupe, it startled me too. Now he'll never believe me when I say, "Silly boy, they're only sticks," again. He might start talking like Star and tell me, "Oh yeah? Remember that one time?"
One of the highlights of the day was in between trails we rode down to Clear Creek. It was a nice spot to let the horses get into the water and drink. I think all the horses thought we could have spent more time playing in the water, as they seemed to like it.
After riding on the opposite side of the road for an hour or so, we decided to call it a day. But what a day! It was fun and we look forward to doing many more rides with Suzy.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Good Grief!
Lynn and I went for a short ride and did a new little loop. She is figuring out how to make it a longer loop. All was going pretty well, but Jupiter--who likes to go downhill in the soft stuff a little faster than I want him to--stumbled. In my mind, I pictured both of us going head over heels; however, it was only me. Yep. I did it again. Lynn said I almost did a complete somersault and if I would have stood up at the end of it, I could have earned some points. Sheesh. Jupe's toes are a little long and hopefully we'll get new shoes next week and we won't stumble anymore.
Jupiter and I try to stay farther back on the downhills so we can watch Ziggy and give him some room. His big ol' long legs need extra distance. He did really good and only slid on his hocks instead of his butt. The dirt was extra soft and churned up, so no one got any real scrapes or bruises.
Jupiter and I try to stay farther back on the downhills so we can watch Ziggy and give him some room. His big ol' long legs need extra distance. He did really good and only slid on his hocks instead of his butt. The dirt was extra soft and churned up, so no one got any real scrapes or bruises.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Firsts
Memorial Day Weekend finally arrived and all the rain blew away and it was gorgeous--blue skies all around! We loaded quickly Friday and left Willow Creek at 4pm. We arrived and set up camp with plenty of daylight to burn. We walked the horses around the camp so they could stretch their legs and see what there was to see. The campsite was weed-eated (is that a verb?) only near the table and fire so the horses had lots of grass to graze on and the corrals were neat and clean.
Lynn brought all the horses' blankets and Shirley remembered all her blankets and extra sleeping bags, so everyone was warm. This was Jupiter's first camping trip. He was in the #2 corral by himself and Ziggy and Star were together in #1. They settled right in. Jupiter kind of liked the idea of eating alone--he got all his grain and didn't get moved around from place to place.
Lynn only got up once in the night because Ziggy was winding himself up going around and around in his corral. Star was going corner to corner, but Zigman is so big, he was getting himself into trouble. He settled down when Lynn went out and rubbed on him and talked to him. Some time in the night, Ziggy lay down in the poop in his corral and got it all over his blanket. Jupiter had a good night.
Our ride on Saturday was full of firsts for Jupe--big gray batches of dead weeds were kind of scary and big gray rocks gave him pause, but after he sniffed them all he didn't mind as much. We crossed the creek a bunch of time and I only got my boots wet once. Of course Lynn was high and dry! We took a little razzing about how little we are. We went on Baxter trail and way up toward the lookout. We went really far, but it was a lot of dirt road riding after we left the trail and Ziggy's feet started really hurting. He is not healed up totally, yet.
We headed back down the road and we met some women on their way up. We were friendly and asked them about the trails and for any ideas on good loops. They were snotty and unhelpful. As we rode on past them, Lynn said, "I think those were the same unfriendly women we asked directions from last year! I remember those horses." I laughed and said I remembered the big hair woman. Later I remarked that they probably rode on and said to each other, "Those are the same dumb women from last year! They've probably been lost for a year!"
Snobby women aside, we have met a lot of really nice women on this trip. On Sunday, we saw Joyce and Julie (?) from the trail trials. We met them on a tight trail so we back tracked and let them by. We met a really nice woman from McKinleyville who would be fun to ride with as well. We did not go up and join the caterwauling in the group camp, but I think most of the people thought we were nice and spoke to us when we met them on the trail.
We rode the Indian Orchard trail/loop again that evening. It may have taken us a couple of hours, but it seemed quick. Jupiter loves to trot and see everything first. We all spent a lot of the day trotting on the roads. All three of them set good, strong, fast paces on the trails and we took turns leading. After a yummy meal of steak, potato salad, and garlic bread (and undone corn), we had wingdingers!!
Jupiter found his voice. He called and whinnied for a couple of hours. His high pitched voice is getting a little deeper or else a little hoarse (pun intended). ha
Sunday we saw more deer and a turkey hen with babies. We went on the Johnson trail which we had heard was closed after a point, so we knew we would have to double back, but it was the switch back trail that we started last summer and Indy was too worn out to make it. It was a beautiful ride. We went up and up and finally made it to where the tree closed the trail. Although it was obvious others had taken their horses over it--it looked a little dicey. We had granola bars and leftover meat from the night before and then headed back. The whole ride may have been about 4-5 hours.
On the way back we met lots of people--people walking, hiking, on bicycles, and of course, ahorseback. We had to back track for one set of people riding and both Shirley and Lynn got off to lead Star and Zigman respectively back up the trail. Ziggy had been close to the edge of the trail all day. Well, the soft dirt gave way and he fell off the trail. Luckily, Lynn was walking in front of him and not on him. His long legs flailed around and found purchase and he was able to get up and keep going. He was not hurt, but maybe was a little embarrassed and probably surprised a lot! For the rest of the ride, he hugged the bank.
I was in front when we met a hiker. I hollered, "Hello!" and he answered quietly and little slowly. As I neared him, I said, "It's good if you talk, so the horses know you're not a monster." He said, "I'm a monster?! You're the one riding a war horse!" I was nonplussed--I laughed but could not come back with anything--my baby, a war horse? Hardly. (:
Star was wound as tight as a top. He went as many miles up and down as he did forward. Shirley has had Lynn graining him twice a day because Shirley said, "I need a horse under me!" Hmm. All day she told Lynn, "He's had too much grain! You know he's probably had everyone else's grain, too!" Anyway, she had a horse under her.
That night I think Jupiter was tired. He put his butt into his new hay bag and broke the dowels. We weren't sure if he was scratching or sitting on it. Lynn said he was so tired, it balanced him so he could sleep. We took them up to the sandy rolling pit and both Jupe and Star had good, groaning rolls. Zigs was too embarrassed to flop himself and flail his long legs around in public.
Monday morning Lynn got one of the shows of a lifetime. The wild turkeys came into camp and the males put on a hissing, fluffed up, macho performance. I missed that part, but was fun to see them with their feathers all fanned out.
I know there's more to tell, but for now--it was fun. I can't wait to do it again.
Lynn brought all the horses' blankets and Shirley remembered all her blankets and extra sleeping bags, so everyone was warm. This was Jupiter's first camping trip. He was in the #2 corral by himself and Ziggy and Star were together in #1. They settled right in. Jupiter kind of liked the idea of eating alone--he got all his grain and didn't get moved around from place to place.
Lynn only got up once in the night because Ziggy was winding himself up going around and around in his corral. Star was going corner to corner, but Zigman is so big, he was getting himself into trouble. He settled down when Lynn went out and rubbed on him and talked to him. Some time in the night, Ziggy lay down in the poop in his corral and got it all over his blanket. Jupiter had a good night.
Our ride on Saturday was full of firsts for Jupe--big gray batches of dead weeds were kind of scary and big gray rocks gave him pause, but after he sniffed them all he didn't mind as much. We crossed the creek a bunch of time and I only got my boots wet once. Of course Lynn was high and dry! We took a little razzing about how little we are. We went on Baxter trail and way up toward the lookout. We went really far, but it was a lot of dirt road riding after we left the trail and Ziggy's feet started really hurting. He is not healed up totally, yet.
We headed back down the road and we met some women on their way up. We were friendly and asked them about the trails and for any ideas on good loops. They were snotty and unhelpful. As we rode on past them, Lynn said, "I think those were the same unfriendly women we asked directions from last year! I remember those horses." I laughed and said I remembered the big hair woman. Later I remarked that they probably rode on and said to each other, "Those are the same dumb women from last year! They've probably been lost for a year!"
Snobby women aside, we have met a lot of really nice women on this trip. On Sunday, we saw Joyce and Julie (?) from the trail trials. We met them on a tight trail so we back tracked and let them by. We met a really nice woman from McKinleyville who would be fun to ride with as well. We did not go up and join the caterwauling in the group camp, but I think most of the people thought we were nice and spoke to us when we met them on the trail.
We rode the Indian Orchard trail/loop again that evening. It may have taken us a couple of hours, but it seemed quick. Jupiter loves to trot and see everything first. We all spent a lot of the day trotting on the roads. All three of them set good, strong, fast paces on the trails and we took turns leading. After a yummy meal of steak, potato salad, and garlic bread (and undone corn), we had wingdingers!!
Jupiter found his voice. He called and whinnied for a couple of hours. His high pitched voice is getting a little deeper or else a little hoarse (pun intended). ha
Sunday we saw more deer and a turkey hen with babies. We went on the Johnson trail which we had heard was closed after a point, so we knew we would have to double back, but it was the switch back trail that we started last summer and Indy was too worn out to make it. It was a beautiful ride. We went up and up and finally made it to where the tree closed the trail. Although it was obvious others had taken their horses over it--it looked a little dicey. We had granola bars and leftover meat from the night before and then headed back. The whole ride may have been about 4-5 hours.
On the way back we met lots of people--people walking, hiking, on bicycles, and of course, ahorseback. We had to back track for one set of people riding and both Shirley and Lynn got off to lead Star and Zigman respectively back up the trail. Ziggy had been close to the edge of the trail all day. Well, the soft dirt gave way and he fell off the trail. Luckily, Lynn was walking in front of him and not on him. His long legs flailed around and found purchase and he was able to get up and keep going. He was not hurt, but maybe was a little embarrassed and probably surprised a lot! For the rest of the ride, he hugged the bank.
I was in front when we met a hiker. I hollered, "Hello!" and he answered quietly and little slowly. As I neared him, I said, "It's good if you talk, so the horses know you're not a monster." He said, "I'm a monster?! You're the one riding a war horse!" I was nonplussed--I laughed but could not come back with anything--my baby, a war horse? Hardly. (:
Star was wound as tight as a top. He went as many miles up and down as he did forward. Shirley has had Lynn graining him twice a day because Shirley said, "I need a horse under me!" Hmm. All day she told Lynn, "He's had too much grain! You know he's probably had everyone else's grain, too!" Anyway, she had a horse under her.
That night I think Jupiter was tired. He put his butt into his new hay bag and broke the dowels. We weren't sure if he was scratching or sitting on it. Lynn said he was so tired, it balanced him so he could sleep. We took them up to the sandy rolling pit and both Jupe and Star had good, groaning rolls. Zigs was too embarrassed to flop himself and flail his long legs around in public.
Monday morning Lynn got one of the shows of a lifetime. The wild turkeys came into camp and the males put on a hissing, fluffed up, macho performance. I missed that part, but was fun to see them with their feathers all fanned out.
I know there's more to tell, but for now--it was fun. I can't wait to do it again.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A Different Kind of Riding
Saturday was scheduled to be full of thunder & lightning and more showers; no one wants to be on horseback in that kind of weather--especially in an unfamiliar place!The forecast for snow (in May!!)was a threat for coming out of Quincy and concern for Odie's trailer saftey was also important; so our riding plans were cancelled for Swasey Trail. A total BUMMER.
Never one to be in bummer mode long, Lynn decided Shirley needed to get away and have some shopping time in Redding instead. Never one to be left out, I decided I needed to go, too. After breakfast in Weaverville, we followed the directions to a different riding place off Swasey. It was fun--we saw lots of cool houses and open ranch areas full of "Paintos," Lynn's new word for Paints and Pintos.
We easily found the trailhead, picked up some maps, and then talked with a woman who was setting out to ride. She gave us even more ideas of areas to explore ahorseback. Then we headed out to shop. We came to a crossroad. The north-south road was definitely looking more traveled and more like a real road. The east-west, which was what we were on, not so much. We wanted to see if Alisa could skip driving through town and just come up 273 to a nearby junction and hit this road. As the driver, I asked Lynn, who had the map, which way we should go. She confidently said, "Right."
It was a gorgeous day, sunny and clear; although all around us were huge clouds, some of which were dark and ominious. Anyway, off we set going south. After a bit we saw a small sign that read, "Cottonwood, Hwy 273." I slowed down and said something about probably that was our turn. But no. We did not turn; we kept going toward Platina.
As we drove over the mountains and through the woods, it was as if we were on top of the world--we could see forever. And forever was simply fields and mountains and lakes and ponds and waterfalls and absolutely no civilization! There were signs that said "no trepassing" and "survelliance cameras on duty," but no people, no houses, no anything. We were in the middle of nowhere.
Long story short: we drove 30 miles (which I think took about an hour) and we finally ended on Hwy 36. The signs read to the right: Wildwood 9, Platina 45, Alton 102 (which is close to Fortuna and home) and to the left: Red Bluff 45. We laughed and laughed. We were way off course. Somewhere back on the road Lynn looked at the map and said very quietly, "Oh." We asked her to elaborate and she admitted she had looked at the map upside down and we really should have turned to her other right. We were way off the map and we laughed all the way thinking we were going to end up in Hayfork--which turned out to be pretty close. So the bottom line is this: Alisa don't come this way. (:
All joking aside, it was a nice drive. We saw country none of us had seen before. We turned off 36 before we got to Red Bluff and ended up in Cottonwood. From there we went shopping. I think everyone had a good time and there was lots of laughing and spending money. So although we did not ride like we originally planned, we had a different kind of fun ride. Good company makes for good times.
Never one to be in bummer mode long, Lynn decided Shirley needed to get away and have some shopping time in Redding instead. Never one to be left out, I decided I needed to go, too. After breakfast in Weaverville, we followed the directions to a different riding place off Swasey. It was fun--we saw lots of cool houses and open ranch areas full of "Paintos," Lynn's new word for Paints and Pintos.
We easily found the trailhead, picked up some maps, and then talked with a woman who was setting out to ride. She gave us even more ideas of areas to explore ahorseback. Then we headed out to shop. We came to a crossroad. The north-south road was definitely looking more traveled and more like a real road. The east-west, which was what we were on, not so much. We wanted to see if Alisa could skip driving through town and just come up 273 to a nearby junction and hit this road. As the driver, I asked Lynn, who had the map, which way we should go. She confidently said, "Right."
It was a gorgeous day, sunny and clear; although all around us were huge clouds, some of which were dark and ominious. Anyway, off we set going south. After a bit we saw a small sign that read, "Cottonwood, Hwy 273." I slowed down and said something about probably that was our turn. But no. We did not turn; we kept going toward Platina.
As we drove over the mountains and through the woods, it was as if we were on top of the world--we could see forever. And forever was simply fields and mountains and lakes and ponds and waterfalls and absolutely no civilization! There were signs that said "no trepassing" and "survelliance cameras on duty," but no people, no houses, no anything. We were in the middle of nowhere.
Long story short: we drove 30 miles (which I think took about an hour) and we finally ended on Hwy 36. The signs read to the right: Wildwood 9, Platina 45, Alton 102 (which is close to Fortuna and home) and to the left: Red Bluff 45. We laughed and laughed. We were way off course. Somewhere back on the road Lynn looked at the map and said very quietly, "Oh." We asked her to elaborate and she admitted she had looked at the map upside down and we really should have turned to her other right. We were way off the map and we laughed all the way thinking we were going to end up in Hayfork--which turned out to be pretty close. So the bottom line is this: Alisa don't come this way. (:
All joking aside, it was a nice drive. We saw country none of us had seen before. We turned off 36 before we got to Red Bluff and ended up in Cottonwood. From there we went shopping. I think everyone had a good time and there was lots of laughing and spending money. So although we did not ride like we originally planned, we had a different kind of fun ride. Good company makes for good times.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Finding My Rhythm
Last Saturday was awesome! We went across the river to ride on trails that the motorcycles guys have created. One of the best things about them is the lack of brush. The trails are wide open, but a little steep. We worked our way all the way to the top of that particular mountain and we could see at least three ranges stretching across the landscape. There are more trails to explore, but we probably need to plan for a longer ride. Unfortunately, there are not many places to get water for the horses; so I do not know if we will be able to ride it much past spring.
Personally, I had the best day ever. I actually sat the trot! Without bouncing! I think two things are happening: one, Jupe and I are starting to sync--I am feeling his rhythm; two, I do fit better in a smaller saddle. I know it sounds silly, but after I fell off, I think Jupiter lost some of his confidence in me and we have been a little uncoordinated together. Saturday we got connected better than ever.
Jupiter enjoyed the day immensely--his ears were up and he wanted to be in the lead. He wanted to see what was around the next corner. All the horses were happy to be somewhere new. They all did really well going down a steep, steep trail and coming up it was even easier. Ziggy is getting salt water treatments on his feet every night and although he doesn't really like to do it, it is making his infection go away.
The boys are now down in the field next to the house and the grass is tall. They are loving it. Barry brought his horses over and they are in the field on the other side of the house. Hopefully Willy will be leaving soon.
This coming Saturday is going to be a blast! Lynn's new friend, Suzy, has given her new place to ride. I read the directions to it, but I am not sure exactly where it is. It sort of sounds like the trailhead we had planned on starting from, but yet it doesn't. I guess we will find out! It's still BLM so Happy can go, too.
I will call Corbett's and see if they open around 6am so we can meet for breakfast and then head for the trail. I can hardly wait!
Corbett's opens at 7am. Too late? Just right?
Personally, I had the best day ever. I actually sat the trot! Without bouncing! I think two things are happening: one, Jupe and I are starting to sync--I am feeling his rhythm; two, I do fit better in a smaller saddle. I know it sounds silly, but after I fell off, I think Jupiter lost some of his confidence in me and we have been a little uncoordinated together. Saturday we got connected better than ever.
Jupiter enjoyed the day immensely--his ears were up and he wanted to be in the lead. He wanted to see what was around the next corner. All the horses were happy to be somewhere new. They all did really well going down a steep, steep trail and coming up it was even easier. Ziggy is getting salt water treatments on his feet every night and although he doesn't really like to do it, it is making his infection go away.
The boys are now down in the field next to the house and the grass is tall. They are loving it. Barry brought his horses over and they are in the field on the other side of the house. Hopefully Willy will be leaving soon.
This coming Saturday is going to be a blast! Lynn's new friend, Suzy, has given her new place to ride. I read the directions to it, but I am not sure exactly where it is. It sort of sounds like the trailhead we had planned on starting from, but yet it doesn't. I guess we will find out! It's still BLM so Happy can go, too.
I will call Corbett's and see if they open around 6am so we can meet for breakfast and then head for the trail. I can hardly wait!
Corbett's opens at 7am. Too late? Just right?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Just a little ramble
It's a beautiful Tuesday morning and I am sitting here at my desk while my students take the STAR test. I can look out my beautiful new windows and see the mountains and trees and blue, blue sky. It surely is a day for riding! Work sure gets in the way of the truly important things in life! Well, I guess I should think of it as: work allows us to do enjoy the really important things in life; afterall, we gotta have hay and horse shoes!
Last Friday, Ziggy came up lame and it seemed to get worse each day. Sunday the farrier came over and diagnosed him and offered to come and help or administer medicine everyday. Lynn is a good doctorer and Ziggy is a pretty good patient, so they are doing fine. He is much better already. In fact last night, after everyone had had a little grass (never enough in their minds)we rode up to feed them a little hay and the boys were running and bucking after the four wheeler! Ziggy was looking smooth and strong and definitely has a powerful looking buck! Indy corkscrewed his neck around so much I think he could cause himself to fall down. I just love to watch them run.
I was sorry to miss the fun on Saturday, but I sure enjoyed Sunday's ride. Good friends, sunshine, and wet blankets--it doesn't get much better than that.
Last Friday, Ziggy came up lame and it seemed to get worse each day. Sunday the farrier came over and diagnosed him and offered to come and help or administer medicine everyday. Lynn is a good doctorer and Ziggy is a pretty good patient, so they are doing fine. He is much better already. In fact last night, after everyone had had a little grass (never enough in their minds)we rode up to feed them a little hay and the boys were running and bucking after the four wheeler! Ziggy was looking smooth and strong and definitely has a powerful looking buck! Indy corkscrewed his neck around so much I think he could cause himself to fall down. I just love to watch them run.
I was sorry to miss the fun on Saturday, but I sure enjoyed Sunday's ride. Good friends, sunshine, and wet blankets--it doesn't get much better than that.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Lynn and Shirley went up a hill...and Vicki came tumbling after
For the all the confidence Lynn has in me--I am still just a novice rider. I simply do not have the confidence or skill to do much more than walk on my horse. I guess I do not have enough wet blanket time yet to be a good rider. It's a little embarrassing at times.
Yesterday my prophesy came true: I said I thought I would end up going off in the spring because of running and I did. I thought it would be Brady and I going up the meadow, but it was Jupe and I on the Hoop-de-do trail. It was entirely my fault and probably surprised him the most.
We were on our way back and Jupiter and I were behind everyone. We had trotted and jumped down trees and had a generally good time. On the way in, Jupe had his first real green colt moment going up the steep part of the trail. We were in the lead when he baulked and because I didn't think to, or really know to, slap him with the reins to encourage him to rethink it, we turned around and went back down and then followed Ziggy up. Not a good idea on difficult piece of trail! But we're learning.
Anyway, I do not have a "centered seat" as Sally Swift would call it. I am STILL not a balanced rider! I try to find my pockets and sit deeper in the saddle so I don't bounce around. I know it is hard on the horse and it causes me to be unstable. Well--Lynn says galloping and loping is the most comfortable to ride and I have actually felt it a few times with Brady, but I didn't want him to over tire, so it never lasted long enough to really get the feel. I do like to run uphill, but that is probably part of my problem. Going uphill I lean forward so my weight is easier for the horse to handle, so when Jupiter began to really stretch out into his lope, I had leaned too far ahead. I lost my balance and off I went into the bushes along the trail.
I think I probably looked like I was sliding into home plate. I ended up on my right side with dark, peaty dirt all over my face (and everywhere else--down my bra, etc). I got the wind knocked out of me but that's pretty much it. Bending over and then standing upright is a little painful today, but not too bad. It probably scared Lynn more than me.
I think Jupiter stopped and turned back around because I still had the reins. At some point I did drop them and he stepped on them and just stood there. I am sure no one has ever gone off him before so he was surprised to see me stretched and laying there.
In retrospect, I know my feet are often out of position; that is probably what exacerbated my fall. I need to work really hard on it because I want to be able to ride well.
As for the rest of the day, there were other stories to tell, too. Star and Shirley were in the back of the pack and we were trotting along pretty good and suddenly we heard Shirley yell. I was in the middle, and I turned to see her coming up pretty quick but missed the show. I guess Star was unhappy that everyone was so far ahead of him and he bucked two complete rodeo style bucks--head between his legs, throw up the hind end--bucks! Shirley never missed a beat. Hopefully she is not sore today from being jarred.
For the first time, we put a crupper on Jupiter. He's like Brady, he likes his tail rubbed, so Lynn thought he might not mind it too much. He was fine until coming back and we stepped down kind of sharply on steep part and it pulled up tight. Lynn was behind me and saw it all. She said he clamped his tail down and his butt went up in a small buck. I didn't know what he was doing, so I just talked to him and pulled him up and headed on down the trail. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
The story I promised about Ziggy fits in this story as well. Last week, he once again decided that he did not want to make that turn on the really steep part of the trail. He could not see any reason to turn and turn and turn again to get to the trail so plainly in front of him. Lynn has been fighting him to make that turn for a year. Well, last week she let him just go straight down. And down he went. Down as in on his hiney! His back feet slipped out and he slid down on his butt!
Yesterday he made the turn. (:
Seems like there's more to tell, but I can't think of it right now. We are going again today, so maybe I'll have better stories for tomorrow. (Better as in I stayed on and all the horses were fine, too!)
Yesterday my prophesy came true: I said I thought I would end up going off in the spring because of running and I did. I thought it would be Brady and I going up the meadow, but it was Jupe and I on the Hoop-de-do trail. It was entirely my fault and probably surprised him the most.
We were on our way back and Jupiter and I were behind everyone. We had trotted and jumped down trees and had a generally good time. On the way in, Jupe had his first real green colt moment going up the steep part of the trail. We were in the lead when he baulked and because I didn't think to, or really know to, slap him with the reins to encourage him to rethink it, we turned around and went back down and then followed Ziggy up. Not a good idea on difficult piece of trail! But we're learning.
Anyway, I do not have a "centered seat" as Sally Swift would call it. I am STILL not a balanced rider! I try to find my pockets and sit deeper in the saddle so I don't bounce around. I know it is hard on the horse and it causes me to be unstable. Well--Lynn says galloping and loping is the most comfortable to ride and I have actually felt it a few times with Brady, but I didn't want him to over tire, so it never lasted long enough to really get the feel. I do like to run uphill, but that is probably part of my problem. Going uphill I lean forward so my weight is easier for the horse to handle, so when Jupiter began to really stretch out into his lope, I had leaned too far ahead. I lost my balance and off I went into the bushes along the trail.
I think I probably looked like I was sliding into home plate. I ended up on my right side with dark, peaty dirt all over my face (and everywhere else--down my bra, etc). I got the wind knocked out of me but that's pretty much it. Bending over and then standing upright is a little painful today, but not too bad. It probably scared Lynn more than me.
I think Jupiter stopped and turned back around because I still had the reins. At some point I did drop them and he stepped on them and just stood there. I am sure no one has ever gone off him before so he was surprised to see me stretched and laying there.
In retrospect, I know my feet are often out of position; that is probably what exacerbated my fall. I need to work really hard on it because I want to be able to ride well.
As for the rest of the day, there were other stories to tell, too. Star and Shirley were in the back of the pack and we were trotting along pretty good and suddenly we heard Shirley yell. I was in the middle, and I turned to see her coming up pretty quick but missed the show. I guess Star was unhappy that everyone was so far ahead of him and he bucked two complete rodeo style bucks--head between his legs, throw up the hind end--bucks! Shirley never missed a beat. Hopefully she is not sore today from being jarred.
For the first time, we put a crupper on Jupiter. He's like Brady, he likes his tail rubbed, so Lynn thought he might not mind it too much. He was fine until coming back and we stepped down kind of sharply on steep part and it pulled up tight. Lynn was behind me and saw it all. She said he clamped his tail down and his butt went up in a small buck. I didn't know what he was doing, so I just talked to him and pulled him up and headed on down the trail. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
The story I promised about Ziggy fits in this story as well. Last week, he once again decided that he did not want to make that turn on the really steep part of the trail. He could not see any reason to turn and turn and turn again to get to the trail so plainly in front of him. Lynn has been fighting him to make that turn for a year. Well, last week she let him just go straight down. And down he went. Down as in on his hiney! His back feet slipped out and he slid down on his butt!
Yesterday he made the turn. (:
Seems like there's more to tell, but I can't think of it right now. We are going again today, so maybe I'll have better stories for tomorrow. (Better as in I stayed on and all the horses were fine, too!)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April is Poetry Month
Because April is poetry month and because I am who I am--I get a new poem every day in my email.Today's poem is about kissing a horse. Click on this link to read it:
http://www.randomhouse.com/kdpg/poetry/poemaday/2010/poemaday_20_wrigley.html
http://www.randomhouse.com/kdpg/poetry/poemaday/2010/poemaday_20_wrigley.html
D.R.I.T.S.
In the March 2010 issue of Trailrider, Bob Goddard, a funny contributor to the magazine, wrote about the serious addiction (albeit healthy) of riding. He delved into the medical condition of what happens when a serious addict is denied his or her fix; that condition is called "Deficient Riding Time Syndrome" or DRITS. There are tee shirts on the market that support this theory as well. They sport sayings such as "I need my barn time" and "I'd rather be riding." Lynn and I have had many conversations throughout the winter (and seemingly nonstop rain!) on this very topic--we just didn't know it had a name.
Goddard describes the late winter meltdowns in his home and it makes for funny reading; however, it wasn't so funny when last Friday I made one of my good friends cry because I was in the throes of undiagnosed DRITS.
I am obsessed with Jupiter. I want to help at evening feeding time as much as I can, so I can see him (and hang out with Lynn, of course). Last week we had the beautiful ride with Alisa on Saturday and I helped feed Sunday evening. I was able to get out of school at a decent hour and I helped on Monday. So I had three good days of seeing him, smelling the good horse smell, and being with good friends. I knew Tues, Wed, Thurs I had to work until at least 6pm, but the promise of Friday evening kept me going.
The sun came out on Thursday and I subbed for my friend Melodie. I had the students outside in the sun and they were working on memorizing bird names in Hupa, teaching me correct pronunciation, and then reading an old story in both languages. It is one of my favorite things to do and some of my favorite students to be with. I was happy. Suddenly there was a dark shadow hanging over me. It was a friend and colleague with whom I am in a subcommittee. She and another one of our colleagues had decided that Friday would be a good afternoon to meet and work on our project.
I said no, it was not good for me--I had something planned. But she gently insisted that we could meet in my room or my house (hint: I could make margaritas for them), but that everyone was available and we needed to progress on our project. I gave in, grudgingly; after all, it was only feeding the horses, unlike the important curriculum project that needed my attention.
Friday came and so did my colleagues. Immediately upon arrival in my classroom, one of them began to complain that it was Friday and why were we here? I put the blame back on her--it wasn't my idea. However, the meeting went along smoothly and we accomplished many things. About 5:30 it began to rain. Although I had already missed the feeding, with the rain my spirits dampened further. When my friend began to go down the already well-worn path of her neverending complaint at her school, I got up and began to put things together to take home. She noticed and made a comment. Never one to hold back much anyway, I let her have it. I was sick and tired of her whining. She cried.
Later I stomped into my mom's house for dinner and warned, "I'm cranky!" Once I explained myself, I did get over it; afterall, I had Saturday to look forward to--I was going to feed all by myself. However after experiencing the raging, out-of-control emotional rollercoaster I was feeling inside from missing Jupiter, I've decided DRITS is not just about riding, it's about all things horses.
On a high note, we had a gorgeous Spring day, Sunday. All the horses enjoyed the hoop-de-do trail and we all had big smiles stretching our faces. As I write this though, it is raining AGAIN, with forecasts to continue until ???? Ziggy lost a shoe on Sunday and Jupes does fine on the soft and peaty trail, but he is a little tender-footed on the rocky areas. Shirley has not been able to reach the farrier and Lynn got a little short with her yesterday. All I have to say is: he'd better return some calls and shoe some horses pretty quick or three women will have a bad case of DRITS and he should want to avoid that!
Goddard describes the late winter meltdowns in his home and it makes for funny reading; however, it wasn't so funny when last Friday I made one of my good friends cry because I was in the throes of undiagnosed DRITS.
I am obsessed with Jupiter. I want to help at evening feeding time as much as I can, so I can see him (and hang out with Lynn, of course). Last week we had the beautiful ride with Alisa on Saturday and I helped feed Sunday evening. I was able to get out of school at a decent hour and I helped on Monday. So I had three good days of seeing him, smelling the good horse smell, and being with good friends. I knew Tues, Wed, Thurs I had to work until at least 6pm, but the promise of Friday evening kept me going.
The sun came out on Thursday and I subbed for my friend Melodie. I had the students outside in the sun and they were working on memorizing bird names in Hupa, teaching me correct pronunciation, and then reading an old story in both languages. It is one of my favorite things to do and some of my favorite students to be with. I was happy. Suddenly there was a dark shadow hanging over me. It was a friend and colleague with whom I am in a subcommittee. She and another one of our colleagues had decided that Friday would be a good afternoon to meet and work on our project.
I said no, it was not good for me--I had something planned. But she gently insisted that we could meet in my room or my house (hint: I could make margaritas for them), but that everyone was available and we needed to progress on our project. I gave in, grudgingly; after all, it was only feeding the horses, unlike the important curriculum project that needed my attention.
Friday came and so did my colleagues. Immediately upon arrival in my classroom, one of them began to complain that it was Friday and why were we here? I put the blame back on her--it wasn't my idea. However, the meeting went along smoothly and we accomplished many things. About 5:30 it began to rain. Although I had already missed the feeding, with the rain my spirits dampened further. When my friend began to go down the already well-worn path of her neverending complaint at her school, I got up and began to put things together to take home. She noticed and made a comment. Never one to hold back much anyway, I let her have it. I was sick and tired of her whining. She cried.
Later I stomped into my mom's house for dinner and warned, "I'm cranky!" Once I explained myself, I did get over it; afterall, I had Saturday to look forward to--I was going to feed all by myself. However after experiencing the raging, out-of-control emotional rollercoaster I was feeling inside from missing Jupiter, I've decided DRITS is not just about riding, it's about all things horses.
On a high note, we had a gorgeous Spring day, Sunday. All the horses enjoyed the hoop-de-do trail and we all had big smiles stretching our faces. As I write this though, it is raining AGAIN, with forecasts to continue until ???? Ziggy lost a shoe on Sunday and Jupes does fine on the soft and peaty trail, but he is a little tender-footed on the rocky areas. Shirley has not been able to reach the farrier and Lynn got a little short with her yesterday. All I have to say is: he'd better return some calls and shoe some horses pretty quick or three women will have a bad case of DRITS and he should want to avoid that!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Today is Jupiter's 5th birthday!
I am not one to complain too much about old Mother Nature, BUT I am now very tired of the rain and snow and cold. On Monday, Jupe was the muddiest of all. Poor things are probably even more tired of rain than any of us. Nevertheless, the boys were full of themselves and racing with the quad to the food boxes. There was a lot of bucking and neck twisting and moving each other around.
Speaking of riding the quad: anyone who would've seen the three us riding that quad on Saturday would never have believed that at least two of us (Alisa, you're such a baby!) are over 50! I have to laugh because Shirley, Lynn and I also ride all together on it, so it's no wonder that it is starting to poop out.
Isn't it fun being a country girl? Don't you feel sorry for those city girls who never skid around a muddy corner with horses in mad pursuit? I know I'm happiest when I am hanging out with all of you and the boys; and if I had my way--we do it a lot more often!
I am not one to complain too much about old Mother Nature, BUT I am now very tired of the rain and snow and cold. On Monday, Jupe was the muddiest of all. Poor things are probably even more tired of rain than any of us. Nevertheless, the boys were full of themselves and racing with the quad to the food boxes. There was a lot of bucking and neck twisting and moving each other around.
Speaking of riding the quad: anyone who would've seen the three us riding that quad on Saturday would never have believed that at least two of us (Alisa, you're such a baby!) are over 50! I have to laugh because Shirley, Lynn and I also ride all together on it, so it's no wonder that it is starting to poop out.
Isn't it fun being a country girl? Don't you feel sorry for those city girls who never skid around a muddy corner with horses in mad pursuit? I know I'm happiest when I am hanging out with all of you and the boys; and if I had my way--we do it a lot more often!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
A Near Perfect Day
Although it was a little blustery and cold off and on, it was a nearly perfect day ahorseback on Saturday. Alisa and Odie came over to spend the day with us on the Hennessey and after Lynn finally found Odie and Jupiter (who are now best friends) so they could eat breakfast, we headed out. Our plan was to ride the long trail, up and around and down to the back side of Underwood to one of our favorite mountain trails which then opens up to the meadow just above where we park.
The horses went along fine together. Everyone took turns being in front, being in back, riding alongside each other--everyone was happy to be out on the trail. We took the high road and headed into what could be called "The Fear Factor Zone." We went around a gate and into a deserted, illegal grow area. It was trashy, of course, and Lynn said it looked like toxic waste. There were barrels and collapsed tents and who knows what else. It was the same area Lynn and Shirley rode through last fall when it was full of activity and even more scary. She plans to contact her friend whose house is nearby and remind him to tell his "friends" that we are harmless and not to shoot us--we are definitely not interested in their product! However, as I keep saying--it is our land, too--the US Forest Service land belongs to all of us! I hate being frightened by these jerks. Anyway. . .once we were past it, we stopped at a logged block and had cookies and rested the horses. We weren't quite on top of the whole world, but it's our world, I suppose.
There was snow on the ground in spots and some big mud puddles, but the brush and trees were pretty dry. The ground was soft and Jupiter's barefeet did fine everywhere except by Bray's house on the hill where it was pretty rocky. We went down some steep slopes and everyone did really well. Odie was as surefooted as his friends and did well coming down. Jupiter didn't seem to think twice about any of the terrain and loved going through the woods. He was very surefooted and confident. I loved riding him all day--I'm still smiling.
Then we saw a red pickup. The driver slowed and turned around. He gave us a wave and headed back down the road. Odd, but nothng we really commented on. We crossed the pavement and went down the next trail. It was Alisa's viney trail, but Lynn had cut off the potentially dangerous vines earlier and we relaxed and headed down the hill. When we came out to the next road crossing, there was the red pickup again. This time it parked, running, and the driver's side door was open. Alisa commented that she hoped he wasn't going to pop out of the brush and spook anyone. Ahead I hear Lynn hail someone.
Unfortunately, the driver is the owner of a crazy, out-of-control, stallion that thankfully I have only heard about and not ever seen. The guy stopped Lynn with the words, "My stallion is out. He's down there. Don't let him smell you--stay out of the wind!" Lynn, Shirley, and Alisa have all had experience with this horse. They immediately turned around and got us all headed up the hill. Lynn said, "Be quiet" to the horses and no one whinnied--who knows if they understood there was a dangerous problem. Everything I read and hear from Lynn tells me that they understand a lot just from our body language and attitude, so they might have understood very well as there was a lot of tension in the air.
Ziggy looked beautiful as he carried Lynn up the hill ahead of us. He made it look effortless as his long legs ate up the distance. Jupiter and I also ran, with the other two pretty close behind us. Lynn came out on the road, still moving at a good clip. As we entered the roadway, Alisa and I stayed to the righthand apron and Shirley and Star crossed to the left side. Just as Lynn turned around to say, "Stay off the black stuff, it's slippery," Star slipped on it. Both feet skated under him and he valiantly tried to get his footing, but he couldn't. Just as smoothly as he does everything else, he went down on his right hip. Shirley's leg was caught under him, but she let go when he got up.
Star went to Lynn and stood still. Shirley took inventory and then slowly stood up with some help from Alisa. As frail as she looks, that woman is tough. She walked off to the Bray's road where we were going to hide from the stallion. The only real casualty was her new leather glove. She checked her saddle to make sure it was fine--she didn't want any scratches on her pretty saddle!
After a hurried conversation, Lynn and Alisa decided to run down the hill and through the woods to get the trucks and come back to get us. So away they went leaving Shirley and I to stand with horses in what was becoming a howling wind and light rain. Not five minutes passed before the old guy came up and saw me in my bright orange jacket and honked that he had caught his stupid horse.
Lynn and Alisa half-ran, half-walked close to three miles. They "dropped and rolled and hit the other side [of locked gates] running." While they were gone, Shirley and I hung out with the boys. The young ones ate the little grass shoots for awhile, then all of them dozed. She and I talked a bit, but mostly we just listened to the wind and tried to visualize where the two were in their trek. It didn't take them very long and they were back. Everyone loaded easily and we came home.
So we missed a favorite leg of the trail, but all the horses and all the people (and Happy) came home safely. Jupiter and I both have scratched knees (mine is probably more bruised than his!), but Shirley is fine and we all lived to see another day of wet blankets!
The horses went along fine together. Everyone took turns being in front, being in back, riding alongside each other--everyone was happy to be out on the trail. We took the high road and headed into what could be called "The Fear Factor Zone." We went around a gate and into a deserted, illegal grow area. It was trashy, of course, and Lynn said it looked like toxic waste. There were barrels and collapsed tents and who knows what else. It was the same area Lynn and Shirley rode through last fall when it was full of activity and even more scary. She plans to contact her friend whose house is nearby and remind him to tell his "friends" that we are harmless and not to shoot us--we are definitely not interested in their product! However, as I keep saying--it is our land, too--the US Forest Service land belongs to all of us! I hate being frightened by these jerks. Anyway. . .once we were past it, we stopped at a logged block and had cookies and rested the horses. We weren't quite on top of the whole world, but it's our world, I suppose.
There was snow on the ground in spots and some big mud puddles, but the brush and trees were pretty dry. The ground was soft and Jupiter's barefeet did fine everywhere except by Bray's house on the hill where it was pretty rocky. We went down some steep slopes and everyone did really well. Odie was as surefooted as his friends and did well coming down. Jupiter didn't seem to think twice about any of the terrain and loved going through the woods. He was very surefooted and confident. I loved riding him all day--I'm still smiling.
Then we saw a red pickup. The driver slowed and turned around. He gave us a wave and headed back down the road. Odd, but nothng we really commented on. We crossed the pavement and went down the next trail. It was Alisa's viney trail, but Lynn had cut off the potentially dangerous vines earlier and we relaxed and headed down the hill. When we came out to the next road crossing, there was the red pickup again. This time it parked, running, and the driver's side door was open. Alisa commented that she hoped he wasn't going to pop out of the brush and spook anyone. Ahead I hear Lynn hail someone.
Unfortunately, the driver is the owner of a crazy, out-of-control, stallion that thankfully I have only heard about and not ever seen. The guy stopped Lynn with the words, "My stallion is out. He's down there. Don't let him smell you--stay out of the wind!" Lynn, Shirley, and Alisa have all had experience with this horse. They immediately turned around and got us all headed up the hill. Lynn said, "Be quiet" to the horses and no one whinnied--who knows if they understood there was a dangerous problem. Everything I read and hear from Lynn tells me that they understand a lot just from our body language and attitude, so they might have understood very well as there was a lot of tension in the air.
Ziggy looked beautiful as he carried Lynn up the hill ahead of us. He made it look effortless as his long legs ate up the distance. Jupiter and I also ran, with the other two pretty close behind us. Lynn came out on the road, still moving at a good clip. As we entered the roadway, Alisa and I stayed to the righthand apron and Shirley and Star crossed to the left side. Just as Lynn turned around to say, "Stay off the black stuff, it's slippery," Star slipped on it. Both feet skated under him and he valiantly tried to get his footing, but he couldn't. Just as smoothly as he does everything else, he went down on his right hip. Shirley's leg was caught under him, but she let go when he got up.
Star went to Lynn and stood still. Shirley took inventory and then slowly stood up with some help from Alisa. As frail as she looks, that woman is tough. She walked off to the Bray's road where we were going to hide from the stallion. The only real casualty was her new leather glove. She checked her saddle to make sure it was fine--she didn't want any scratches on her pretty saddle!
After a hurried conversation, Lynn and Alisa decided to run down the hill and through the woods to get the trucks and come back to get us. So away they went leaving Shirley and I to stand with horses in what was becoming a howling wind and light rain. Not five minutes passed before the old guy came up and saw me in my bright orange jacket and honked that he had caught his stupid horse.
Lynn and Alisa half-ran, half-walked close to three miles. They "dropped and rolled and hit the other side [of locked gates] running." While they were gone, Shirley and I hung out with the boys. The young ones ate the little grass shoots for awhile, then all of them dozed. She and I talked a bit, but mostly we just listened to the wind and tried to visualize where the two were in their trek. It didn't take them very long and they were back. Everyone loaded easily and we came home.
So we missed a favorite leg of the trail, but all the horses and all the people (and Happy) came home safely. Jupiter and I both have scratched knees (mine is probably more bruised than his!), but Shirley is fine and we all lived to see another day of wet blankets!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A New Addition to the Family
As I sit here sipping a cup of hot tea, munching a Thin Mint cookie (one of many), I have a fire going and the washer and dryer are humming and my taxes still sit on my dining table waiting to be completed. Outside the wind is picking up and the rain gauge is getting fuller by the minute, but all I can think about is going riding or helping Lynn feed the horses. Actually one might laugh watching how much I help feeding anyone--all I do is ride up there with her and then stand around and talk to and rub on Jupiter.
Looking around at the herd of horses, Shirley asked if we had enough sorrels yet. Well as far as I'm concerned we do. (: Jupiter is the smallest of the boys, but he will fill out and pass Indy up in no time. He came from a pretty ranch in Oregon called the Poco Loco where he was obviously well loved and trained well. He has a beautiful disposition and a gorgeous face. When Lynn sent for pictures the first time, I fell in love with him instantly. We were fortunate to find that he was as good as he looked and as wonderful as he was portrayed in the ad. The women who owned him saddled up a horse for Lynn (a champagne ride, named Sparky) and one for one of them and we rode around their ranch. Much of the ride was like riding on the Hennessey and Jupiter was smooth and easy. It was a real treat to be able to try him out and see how he behaved on the trail. Shirley says I got the best deal of the year. I couldn't be more happy.
Star has been ill and in the hospital for a weird fever caused by a tick bite. We have been checking the horses for ticks regularly ever since. Just a note: if you ever hear a horse grinding his/her teeth, it means they have a high fever! Star is very thin because he wouldn't eat or drink while he was there. Shirley said he practically dragged Don (T-Texas) into the trailer once he realized it was in the parking lot. He was ready to come home! He already looks better--his eyes are bright and he is more spirited again. Shirley is feeding him vitamins and sweet grain to get him to fatten up and be healthy; she wants her cadillac ready to roll.
Also in the trailer were Brady and Jupiter. Jupiter needed his shots and would not get into the trailer. Who could blame him? The last time it was a long ride! Anyway, because Brady is the best horse in the world, he was brought down to help convince Jupiter to get in. Brady ended up eating all the bribery and going for a ride to Arcata and back. He likes to get out now and then anyway.
Yesterday, we rode up the Hennessey. It was a beautiful sunny March Saturday morning. Lynn rode Brady, Shirley rode Ziggy, and Jupiter took his first local ride. Once again, he was baulky getting into the trailer. Let's see--a six hour ride and then a ride to get shots. Hmmm. Not his favorite thing. Anyway, our ride was very nice. Jupiter did great. He did not like it when Brady and Lynn (go figure) said, "Stay here, I want to check this out," and took off up a different trail. Jupiter got a little nervous and danced around a bit, but not too bad. We finished the ride and he got into the trailer on the second attempt. Maybe it's not so bad after all.
Shirley was funny riding Ziggy. He isn't very competitive (right now, anyway) and Shirley was left in the back--not her favorite riding place. And she said Ziggy was rough. We think she is just spoiled. I practiced using my legs to turn Jupe and we went in circles around some of the briar bushes by ourselves. He didn't mind being away from everyone else. He is barefoot right now, and although he has very tough feet, being on the rocks already made one of his hooves split a little, so Shirley is calling the farrier to come and shoe everyone.
So--Ziggy hangs his tongue out, Star is a cranky old man who throws little fits occasionally, Indy is an airhead, and Brady is just Brady; well Jupiter hangs his head down and sniffs the ground as he walks along. I think he was taught to stretch his head down toward the ground to relax(?) anyway, sometimes he drops his head all the way down and seems to be smelling where we are going. Lynn laughed at us. Oh well, I guess we all have our quirks. Thankfully, I am better at finding the right relationship with a horse than I was at finding a husband!
We are looking forward to riding with Alisa in a couple of weeks and I can hardly wait for camping at Cueno Creek the end of May. Next week is spring break for me and I hope to "help" Lynn feed every day.
Looking around at the herd of horses, Shirley asked if we had enough sorrels yet. Well as far as I'm concerned we do. (: Jupiter is the smallest of the boys, but he will fill out and pass Indy up in no time. He came from a pretty ranch in Oregon called the Poco Loco where he was obviously well loved and trained well. He has a beautiful disposition and a gorgeous face. When Lynn sent for pictures the first time, I fell in love with him instantly. We were fortunate to find that he was as good as he looked and as wonderful as he was portrayed in the ad. The women who owned him saddled up a horse for Lynn (a champagne ride, named Sparky) and one for one of them and we rode around their ranch. Much of the ride was like riding on the Hennessey and Jupiter was smooth and easy. It was a real treat to be able to try him out and see how he behaved on the trail. Shirley says I got the best deal of the year. I couldn't be more happy.
Star has been ill and in the hospital for a weird fever caused by a tick bite. We have been checking the horses for ticks regularly ever since. Just a note: if you ever hear a horse grinding his/her teeth, it means they have a high fever! Star is very thin because he wouldn't eat or drink while he was there. Shirley said he practically dragged Don (T-Texas) into the trailer once he realized it was in the parking lot. He was ready to come home! He already looks better--his eyes are bright and he is more spirited again. Shirley is feeding him vitamins and sweet grain to get him to fatten up and be healthy; she wants her cadillac ready to roll.
Also in the trailer were Brady and Jupiter. Jupiter needed his shots and would not get into the trailer. Who could blame him? The last time it was a long ride! Anyway, because Brady is the best horse in the world, he was brought down to help convince Jupiter to get in. Brady ended up eating all the bribery and going for a ride to Arcata and back. He likes to get out now and then anyway.
Yesterday, we rode up the Hennessey. It was a beautiful sunny March Saturday morning. Lynn rode Brady, Shirley rode Ziggy, and Jupiter took his first local ride. Once again, he was baulky getting into the trailer. Let's see--a six hour ride and then a ride to get shots. Hmmm. Not his favorite thing. Anyway, our ride was very nice. Jupiter did great. He did not like it when Brady and Lynn (go figure) said, "Stay here, I want to check this out," and took off up a different trail. Jupiter got a little nervous and danced around a bit, but not too bad. We finished the ride and he got into the trailer on the second attempt. Maybe it's not so bad after all.
Shirley was funny riding Ziggy. He isn't very competitive (right now, anyway) and Shirley was left in the back--not her favorite riding place. And she said Ziggy was rough. We think she is just spoiled. I practiced using my legs to turn Jupe and we went in circles around some of the briar bushes by ourselves. He didn't mind being away from everyone else. He is barefoot right now, and although he has very tough feet, being on the rocks already made one of his hooves split a little, so Shirley is calling the farrier to come and shoe everyone.
So--Ziggy hangs his tongue out, Star is a cranky old man who throws little fits occasionally, Indy is an airhead, and Brady is just Brady; well Jupiter hangs his head down and sniffs the ground as he walks along. I think he was taught to stretch his head down toward the ground to relax(?) anyway, sometimes he drops his head all the way down and seems to be smelling where we are going. Lynn laughed at us. Oh well, I guess we all have our quirks. Thankfully, I am better at finding the right relationship with a horse than I was at finding a husband!
We are looking forward to riding with Alisa in a couple of weeks and I can hardly wait for camping at Cueno Creek the end of May. Next week is spring break for me and I hope to "help" Lynn feed every day.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Shopping for that special relationship
On Sunday, Shirley, Lynn, and I went horse shopping. We had so much fun! Although we only got to see Romeo, a beautiful bay, it was not wasted time. Romeo is half Arab/ half Quarter horse. He is tall and long-legged, traits that instantly attracted Lynn. He crossed his front legs like a runway model when he walked and that concerned Shirley. I wasn't too sure I really wanted to get on and ride him until Lynn had as he seemed a little high strung. Anyway, long story short, Romeo's guy rode him around and we decided that he was probably too much horse for me--too much work and not enough fun. I told Lynn if she really liked him, she could ride him and I could always ride Ziggy--Mr. Easy-going.
We searched everywhere we could think of for ads selling horses, but we could not find any! The ones we had searched for on Craigslist and Dreamhorse.com did not leave phone numbers so we couldn't reach them either; however we had left our cell phone #s on their email and Lynn did speak with one who had already sold his gelding, but he was a nice guy and gave us some leads on others.
So after a lot of driving around, watching a slow gymkana, reading every free newspaper and horse magazine ad section, and talking to cashiers and feed store workers, we decided we would try again another day. We already had one possibility, Otter, in Oroville sort of set up, so we would just line up some more and come back.
It was a gorgeous day and we laughed until I thought I might have an accident--in more than one way. We also found another great place to ride! We met Romeo's seller at the Swasey Trailhead. He rides there all the time and gave us tips about the trails.
In a moment of serious, contemplative quiet, Shirley told me not to worry and not to fall in love with and buy the first horse I saw. She said no one could/should buy a horse for someone else. She likened it choosing someone's husband for them. Having a horse is a special relationship and that I would know it when I found it.
Although the advice is good and I appreciate the feeling behind it, I do wonder if she remembers that I am single and must have missed one part of the lesson along the way. So here's hoping I will recognize the special one for me when I meet him.
We searched everywhere we could think of for ads selling horses, but we could not find any! The ones we had searched for on Craigslist and Dreamhorse.com did not leave phone numbers so we couldn't reach them either; however we had left our cell phone #s on their email and Lynn did speak with one who had already sold his gelding, but he was a nice guy and gave us some leads on others.
So after a lot of driving around, watching a slow gymkana, reading every free newspaper and horse magazine ad section, and talking to cashiers and feed store workers, we decided we would try again another day. We already had one possibility, Otter, in Oroville sort of set up, so we would just line up some more and come back.
It was a gorgeous day and we laughed until I thought I might have an accident--in more than one way. We also found another great place to ride! We met Romeo's seller at the Swasey Trailhead. He rides there all the time and gave us tips about the trails.
In a moment of serious, contemplative quiet, Shirley told me not to worry and not to fall in love with and buy the first horse I saw. She said no one could/should buy a horse for someone else. She likened it choosing someone's husband for them. Having a horse is a special relationship and that I would know it when I found it.
Although the advice is good and I appreciate the feeling behind it, I do wonder if she remembers that I am single and must have missed one part of the lesson along the way. So here's hoping I will recognize the special one for me when I meet him.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Glorious Weekend
It’s February and we are having our faux spring that we often experience this time of year. The boys were pretty surprised the day Eric, the shoer, showed up; in fact, Brady was laying down and Shirley put his halter on him and he still just looked at her like, “What?” Anyway, the boys got shoes and we went riding both Saturday and Sunday. It was glorious.
Of course the horses are all muddy and wearing their winter coats so they tried to tell us they were on vacation. It didn’t matter, we brushed the mud off and put cold blankets on their backs and then the saddles. Brady put his ears back and turned toward me as if to nip to show his displeasure on Saturday. I brought him some Oreos today, so he was a little less cantankerous. Star has been a little out of sync, but he seems to have gotten over whatever it was;
Brady was a little stiff today, but he still considered having a little run up the meadow—after all, we have to be in the lead. Ziggy drank at every crossing of water we came to and we decided maybe with that tongue hanging out he gets extra thirsty! Star cracked me up because I saw it coming and held Brady back, but he went into the creek after Ziggy finished and proceeded to paw at the knee deep water and send it spraying everywhere. He loves to splash. I am just happy I saw it coming and held back or Brady and I would have been soaked.
Shirley has been sore and stiff with her neck and back keeping her cooped up. She rode with a neck brace both days and she says she feels better now than before. I agree there is nothing better than being out in the mountains ahorseback! I think I will be able to make through this next week after all.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Spit and polish
The sun came out a bit and it seemed warm at 50 degrees, so we decided it was time to oil up the leather on our saddles and bridles. Of course I couldn't be at Lynn's without going up and finding the horses on the hill. I had forgotten any treats (!) so Lynn grabbed some granola bars and away we went.
They came running as soon as they heard the crinkle of the foil--boy do they know that sound. The boys are so dirty. They are definitely mudboggers--especially Brady. We will have to get the Downey out again this spring to work out his dreads.
Lynn took pictures of the new barn. It is very nice, but hopefully the back panel on both sides will be removed soon. Then it will be safe to move the feed boxes in and start feeding them under cover. It will be nice for them to be able to get out of the weather if they want to.
We enjoyed an afternoon in the clean and organized tack room. We cleaned and oiled all our equipment we currently use. Next is to do the old saddles and tack so they will be preserved as well.
Since we can't ride, we have been reading a lot of Trail Rider magazine. The newest edition hadn't arrived, so Lynn took to reading old copies. She brought me a July/Aug 2005 article by Kent and Charlene Krone. They get to do some of the coolest rides and then write about them (I could do that!). Well this particular one was in the wilderness of Canada. I totally enjoyed the article, but had to call Lynn and admit that I would be too scared to do this type of ride. She is fearless! However, being alone with grizzlies and deep, swift, glacial rivers make me nervous. I want a guide along who is armed and whose job it is to protect me. Someone who knows the easy places to cross the river and who keeps me and my horse safe.
I know I keep saying it but, I mean it! I like car camping, Lynn! I like my creature comforts. Most of all, although I love horses, riding, and camping--I am a town girl!
**pics too slow to finish uploading--so only silly ones of me are in the album. I'll get the barn pics in tonight. ****Pics are up! (Sat. 1/9)
They came running as soon as they heard the crinkle of the foil--boy do they know that sound. The boys are so dirty. They are definitely mudboggers--especially Brady. We will have to get the Downey out again this spring to work out his dreads.
Lynn took pictures of the new barn. It is very nice, but hopefully the back panel on both sides will be removed soon. Then it will be safe to move the feed boxes in and start feeding them under cover. It will be nice for them to be able to get out of the weather if they want to.
We enjoyed an afternoon in the clean and organized tack room. We cleaned and oiled all our equipment we currently use. Next is to do the old saddles and tack so they will be preserved as well.
Since we can't ride, we have been reading a lot of Trail Rider magazine. The newest edition hadn't arrived, so Lynn took to reading old copies. She brought me a July/Aug 2005 article by Kent and Charlene Krone. They get to do some of the coolest rides and then write about them (I could do that!). Well this particular one was in the wilderness of Canada. I totally enjoyed the article, but had to call Lynn and admit that I would be too scared to do this type of ride. She is fearless! However, being alone with grizzlies and deep, swift, glacial rivers make me nervous. I want a guide along who is armed and whose job it is to protect me. Someone who knows the easy places to cross the river and who keeps me and my horse safe.
I know I keep saying it but, I mean it! I like car camping, Lynn! I like my creature comforts. Most of all, although I love horses, riding, and camping--I am a town girl!
**pics too slow to finish uploading--so only silly ones of me are in the album. I'll get the barn pics in tonight. ****Pics are up! (Sat. 1/9)
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