Afternoon Delight

We had big plans to ride after we went to town on Saturday. You know, grocery shopping and home, right? Ha. We shopped that town like crazy. We went to the Discovery store and spent how much? Oh yeah, I did find the ONE thing I was looking for--in addition to five other things I bought. Lynn found a few tablecloths, which I think she was actually looking for. :)

Oh and Joann Fabrics! Ha. How fast can two crafty, always thinking "hmm," kind of women, get out of Joann's? Not until they have SAVED at least $50 (it was actually more like $150 between us!). Then there's Winco. Everyone in Humboldt County was there. Every cashier line had 4-5 people with full baskets. Costco? Yep. Busy. We diddled around and when we got home and it was 3:30-4:00 by the time groceries, etc. were unloaded.

So we planned to go early--7:00--Sunday morning. Lynn called at 5:30, "Umm, it's really cold here." Ya think? It was 28 degrees. So we postponed our ride til after church. What a glorious decision! We have been talking about going to the Hoop-de-do trail and wanted to do it before it was too slick. We have not ridden it in forever.

We rode down to the meadow, across the creek, and to the trail. We loped and trotted at a good pace the whole time. The boys were excited to go somewhere different. They had fun. It was beautiful! The trees were bright yellow and there were leaves everywhere on the ground, too. It was a bit overgrown since we have been there to break off branches and whatnot, but it was in pretty good shape for as far as we were able to go. We knew there was a bunch of downfall that kept us from reaching the road, but now there is a big tree across that we couldn't get around to even get that far. But it didn't dampen our spirits. We turned and loped and trotted our way back out.

Then we took the trail that skirts around the meadow and worked our way backward to the north end of the trail and looped back to the meadow and then back up the way we came down. The boys were sweaty and the sun was way over the mountain, so we walked the last bit of upper meadow and the road back to the trailer to let them dry off a bit. Lynn and I had smiles a mile wide (I think the horses did, too!). It was just what we both needed before heading back into the work week. Even thinking about it later made me smile.

Jupes is transitioning into his lope more easily and we are loping a lot more. (He is trying to keep up with that tall drink of water who effortlessly runs the trails ahead of him!) I think the two of them had a fun day, too.

Anyway, it was fun and just absolutely gorgeous. Bring the rain on! This memory will carry me for at least one weekend. :)

Fall colors and good rides

Showed up to ride on Saturday of the last weekend in October to this! How crazy! We thought it had fallen, but no! It was cut down and then got hung up in the big oak. It's crazy. And dangerous. AND hanging over our "bathroom." It might be more than just dangerous when they attempt to cut the tree--it might doggone messy--if you get my drift. :) I just can't figure how why anyone would cut it and leave it like that. It doesn't make any sense. It obviously was not going to be a clean fall. And it's a fir.

 Our get on log is a mess, but Lynn picked up an entire tree (ha ha), okay, an entire block of a tree, that was as light as a pillow, but tall enough for us to use as a mounting block, and away we went.

October has been good to us. We have gotten good use out of our shoes. We haven't ridden far, but we've had good rides. We went down on the ranch one day, Underwood one day, and the rest have been mostly on the Hennessey. We dubbed our left hand ride, "Deadwood Ridge." There were other options as well, "Dead Tree Trail," "Widow-maker Trail," and other more alliterative names that I can't remember. Anyway, you probably get it--a good, strong wind and our trail is going to change. I just don't want to be there when it happens!

Last weekend, both Lynn and I had the same thought at the same time: we need to ride our old hoop-de-doo trail off the ranch. Our intention was to do it before it gets too slick, but with our latest weather, we may have missed our opportunity.

Shirley's birthday lands on a Sunday and we have been mentally trying to prep her for a little ride on Star. She has been very tentative, but recently, she got her "blood up" chasing some dogs who she said were chasing the horses. Ever since, she has been way more mobile and independent. She has been riding on the 4-wheeler with Lynn to feed every night. :) Lately, she has been talking more about riding. Hopefully, she is talking herself into it. I think it would do her good.

Today is TGIF and tomorrow, I am meeting my cousin in Redding, so no riding. Hopefully we can start off our November rides on Sunday. We have a few more weeks left on our shoes; then, bring on the rain! I'm ready.

Doggone it! Stung by wasps!

New shoes on Wednesday and a short ride today. We were surprised by wasps today. We were right by the horizontal tree that we have to skirt around (the one Keota thinks he can go under) and then dip down and around. Well, Lynn pulled up quick with us right on Zig's tail. She said, "Something's out there!" I am thinking hunter. She was thinking bear. I think it may have been a couple does after all, but as she was looking, I said, "I'm getting buzzed; let's go." Then I got stung. Then she got stung. We each had a wasp IN our helmets.

As you can imagine, we made fast trip down the slope and jumped off our horses pulling our helmets off as we went. We both had a wasp in our hair. Lynn had her head upside down and running her hands over her hair---once it was free of her curls, it flew right out. I had such a tight ponytail, I could not get it loose. Eventually, I did and the wasp flew free. Lynn is thinking that the nest is in the trees versus on the ground because the horses and dogs were fine (thank goodness!) and we both got stung about the same height.

Lynn got it on the base of her skull. It did swell up and it gave her funny tingles the rest of the day. She drank some liquid Benedryl right away, so I think that helped. I had a little also. My ear was on fire and swelled up a little, but I am not allergic, so I wasn't worried about me. Lynn handled her sting just fine and we made it out okay.

We came back and did cowgirl chores: fixed fence and moved pallets. Nothing stops us, but next time they get double barreled wasp spray.

A great month!

I lost August somewhere along the way (in the smoke, maybe?). . . but, September has been awesome. It began with Alisa's birthday. Lynn and I took our boys and our girls and went Quincy. We rode with Suzy and Magpie. We went up into the Caribou Wilderness and did a loop around a bunch of lakes--Beauty, Emerald, Betty, Eleanor, Long, Gem, and more and more. I can't remember exactly, but I think it was 12 miles.

The next day we went to the Pacific Crest Trail, off Hwy 70, I think, and rode north. What a hoot! We met tons of hikers who were friendly and told us their trail names and where they were from. They all liked the dogs and the horses. It was super dusty and the dogs were very tired at the end. Next time we go, we will go when it is a little wetter and not so dusty. Although we made the decision to turn back before we got to a river crossing, I think we rode seven miles up and then back (14 miles). It was fun.

Then it was Native American ceremonies weekend. Suzy and Alisa came here! Unfortunately, Ziggy started us off with a hole in his leg and a trip to the vet on Thursday. So Lynn and I did not ride that day, we just took Jupiter and Ziggy on a trailer ride to town.

Friday, Lynn rode Buster, who was so happy to go! We rode 14 miles around Gray's Falls and our Hennessey loops. The dogs did fine and it was beautiful day. We all wore bright blue so no hunters could mistake us for deer and all the horses did great. On Saturday, we left the girls with Lee and headed to Orick.

We did the short, three hour loop in a little over two. Then we threw them in the trailer and went to Clam Beach for a quick ride on the sand. As usual, the beach makes for an exciting ride--LOL. Although beach riding is fairly boring, our horses are not. All of them were a little keyed-up, some more than others. I am always happy to be done, even though, Jupes did really well (no pink monsters this time!).

This weekend, Alisa came over again! Yaaay! We rode all around Hennessey. Lynn rode Ziggy and he did fine. (I forgot to ask Lynn how many miles we went on her new app.) We saw lots of vehicles as evidence of hunters, but we didn't see any out and about--even though, Jupes was sure they were nearby.

So that ends September. Looking back, it feels like it just started! Wet blankets, old friends, new friends, and our favorite animals made it one of the best months in a long time. :)

Closing of July and the beginning of August

Well, it seems that even though I have had a lot of time off, I have not made time for sitting here and writing down all our cool stuff!

1. Lover's Camp was awesome! I had a great time camping with my besties: dogs, horses, people. The weather was great, the trails fantastic, and although the road was tricky and stressful, I think it was a wonderful experience overall.

2. We are having an early fire season. The people who know about these things say that although it is just the full first week of August, the fuel in the forest is at September's dryness level. Not good. Southern Oregon was hit really hard by lightning and there are many fires just over our border to the north. To our east, the horrendous Carr fire is still raging and only at 49% contained because of the tricky winds in that area. To our south, the Mendocino fire is now the second worst of California's history. There is also a smaller, but still large, fire threatening to join up with it. Not good. We might need to buy a big ferry boat so we can put all our animals, family members, and whatever else we want to keep and set sail on the bay!

Actually, we have been lucky. Lynn and I rode every Saturday in July. We missed a few Sundays because the smoke was creeping over the mountains to our east and there has been smoke coming down the ridgeline from the north, but we still managed at least one day every weekend. Gotta count our blessings.

3. August has started off cooler in temperature for us. We rode both days last weekend and it was in the low 50s when we started out. The horses felt good and we rode at a good clip all day. We had two very tired dogs at the end. Jupes found another gear to hit--and it was fast! As long as he doesn't kick his heels up for joy and I stay centered and seated, we're good. Ziggy was also good for a hard trot and canter. Going downhill, his favorite, I heard Lynn yell, "Stop it! You are not going to buck!" I saw his head swivel in 360 degrees circle and his hind end was swiveling the opposite way. Yep, he was feeling good.

Side note: when I find my camera cord/cable, I will upload the downed tree in our turnout parking place. Yep. The snag fell and broke up all over our spot. I have a picture of Logger Lynn carrying a huge chunk of it. :) It was really dead and light. I brought home a bunch to use as fire starter.

So, although we are hurting and praying for our sister counties and the forests that surround both them and us, we are doing well and planning our next riding adventures.

June has been good to us. . .

June was a good month for riding. We have ridden every single weekend and add in today, 4th of July, and it all adds up to big smiles that signal wet saddle blankets, happy dogs who've lost weight and are both at their top physical shape, and a few bruises from errant "stobs" (I know you know what I mean, but what is their real name--if there is one--and how it is spelled?). 😆

One day we were coming down the trail and saw that someone had been out cutting a fire break. We turned right down the road toward our Gray's Falls trail and decided to ride it backwards and wa-la! there was a great fire break trail. We rode it and it turned into what seemed like an old trail--minus the overgrowth--and we went way back into forest above Hawkins Bar/Burnt Ranch. We thought maybe we could even get a hamburger at The Rockslide if we turned on down that way. :) We rode all over in there--probably about 3 ½ to 4 hours. It was a great find. We plan to go back that way again soon.

Another day, we (Lynn mostly) worked on clearing out the poison oak so we could ride one of our old trails that comes up the mountain from the below the little granola meadow. It used to be one that both Brady and Jupiter liked to run up, then a tree fell across it and we have had to bushwhack around it. Well, there are motorcyclists using some of our trails and creating a few of their own and they cut the tree! I am sure they completely appreciate Lynn's sacrifice of catching poison oak in order to make it a really great trail. I know I do!

The new saddle has been a blessing for Lynn and Ziggy. He is doing super with it. Poor Buster has to stay home, but Lynn gives him lots of attention. Ziggy has been being weirder than normal about peeing. It takes him forever to find the right spot. He drags his feet along the way until finally, FINALLY, he kicks his leg over. Sheesh. I hear Lynn say, "You are driving me crazy!" Jupiter is constantly looking for a spot to grab some green grass, because, "208! I'm losing weight!!" Although he decided at the last minute to jump the black, mushy water hole and I was caught off guard, but I still managed a one leg--foot out of the stirrup--clamp around his lower neck--and stayed in my saddle--he has been such a pleasure to ride. Yep, sometimes I still do tricks.

Today, Lynn kept smelling smoke--like campfire smoke. When we were coming down the hill, I thought I could see the mountain range across the river looking smoky. Sure enough, it is seeping over our way. We are both hoping the fires are contained and that there won't be any lightning strikes to cause anymore. We have been having so much and we want to ride as much as possible!

Lynn's post on the South Fork Trail Ride 6/2/18

SNAKES!   South Fork Limited 50 mile Endurance and 20 mile Trail ride.    Ruth Ca. 

We picked Mary up at the rock quarry off Oregon mountain... 4 x 4 steep,  okay,  not going down, but coming up out of there,  I put in 4 x 4 low and just idle out STEEP.    You know when you go up Oregon on the way home and it's the  turn just as it straightens out and you can almost see the top of the hill?  There is a road just before a small cut bank,  go DOWN down, down that.   Waited about one hour for her.    She has no cell phone.  Her brother walks to school  2 hours one way, there is no bus stop.  Mary was walking from her house, we didn't know how far away it was from the quarry.   We saw  a man driving up from the quarry and I stopped him and asked if I was in the right place, he said, yes.  He said, oh I will drive out to their house and let her know you are here.   He said you don't want to go out there, the road is horrible.      Here she came back pack in hand.    I think she felt like she knew me because of all the letters I wrote her (she has/had cancer and there was a shout out from the Back Country Horsemen that she would like to hear from horse people).   She is growing up from the pictures I saw way back,  she is 5'10" tall!   15 years old now..    She said they are now worried about her heart.   :((( 

We arrived in camp about  6 p.m.   We parked way in the back, pretty much by ourselves. Then a woman named Laura that we recognized from Redwood BCH (we met her at the Trail trials) and her friend parked near us, but  closer to the main area and then another one ended up coming in a living quarters from Marysville (I think) parked across the field from us. They seemed like nice ladies, and they were in our starting group for the trail ride.   

When we pulled in and a lady came and said they had seen a rattle snake at that outhouse (ours), and we just killed one in the first one you drive by.    (Great)  Thanks.   We were very careful using the toilet.   VERY!   We really walked all over and listened and looked for snakes and hoped they would stay away.    They did.   

We took our horses first thing and vetted in.   We were both worried about the horses trotting out with us.   You know Zigman, he can walk that fast with me pulling him along,  more like work for me, I figured Jupiter would do great and he did not disappoint.      They both vetted fine, trotted out and  everything,  we both got A's as starting scores, from the Vet.   Our numbers were 51 & 52.   I wish we could have gotten 51- 50.... wouldn't that have been funny? (and fitting!!)

We went back to  camp to get it tent set up etc.  before dark and the potluck dinner. 

We were at the "Hall" for potluck dinner and riders' meeting.   They hollered and said to go out back door and in thru the kitchen for dinner and back into the hall to eat.   Well about 3-4 went out when someone heard or saw the rattlesnake.    It was coiled and ready,  there was a fast clearing of people and hollering of need of shovels and or a gun.   LOTS of wanting of a shovel.    Eventually it was killed.   There was a girl about 12-13 had a Flathead shovel and someone handed me a spade shovel... really a spade shovel?   NOT going to work and I missed it, course it moved.   Someone said something about missing it, which made me mad, so  I handed them the shovel and walked off.   You try to hit a rattle snake with a little point and no maneuvering room.   One lifting the boards and dead wood and really?    I walked away.    Someone wanted to see the head.   I said no it can still bite.   Others were saying the same thing.   Made for some real excitement that no one needed.    

We left the horses tied to the trailer the first night and they made so much noise, it meant no sleep and we kept checking on them.   AND Zig whinnied and whinnied.   IDIOT! 

The next morning the endurance riders were to leave out at 5 am.    They were probably all getting ready and at the start line at 4:30.  It is O-dark thirty.   Well from then on Zig was a nutcase.   I could hear the horses hoof beats with riders heading out, so you know he could hear them.    They were leaving him!    He would rear straight up and leap forward and swing back and forth.   When it came time to saddle up,  I could not saddle him.   The blanket would go on the ground.    I walked him down a ways towards to main grounds and let him look around, well that did not help.   His brain was not firing on all cylinders or hitting any cylinder.     It took Vicki and Laura  to hold him.   I was finally able to get saddle on and it was still hard.    He was lifting me off the ground I could not do anything with him, I was beyond frustrated!   Even with Vicki and Laura helping me and it was still hard (Alisa, still want to trade?).   

We headed to the start line and we were too early and had to wait a few minutes so rode back to trailer and left our coats.    We did not need them.    They started groups at 8 a.m. and five minutes apart.  Our start time was 8:20 a.m..  

We rode back and found that our group was 5 riders.     They were all very nice.   Jupiter took the lead and off we went.   Walking and trotting.   We followed our colored ribbons and crossed the river and started up the mountain.... crap it was steep!   As we came up on riders, they would pull over and let us go,  eventually it was just V & I.   Jupe was just knocking them off, Vicki kept trying to  tell him it was not a race and he needed to conserve some energy.    Our boys powered up the mountain.    The first group that pulled over had a horse I spotted in camp.    Beautiful thing.... MARE!      But you know the saying, pretty is as pretty does.   She was a witch.   Ears pinned and would bite or kick when you went by.   I told the lady,  man she is pretty, but would look better if those ears were ahead!   We were not hanging around.    She said I know.  :(  Poor lady.      Zig finally settled down towards the top when it was finally just the two of us.    We just kept going and slowly passing people.   They settled down to more normal walking and trotting.    Then, I spotted some riders on the ridge and so did Zig.   I said, "No, we are staying on the trail."   At that point, We were almost to the little turn around loop.

They called it a lollypop loop; there was the stick part where everyone went straight and had to yield to each other and then there was the top, which was the loop. We thought it must be a long loop, so we planned to get off at the top and we would eat our lunch there.  They had told us there would be a vet check or check in place, so they would know we had made it that far. Well, when we got there, there wasn't much of a "top" (although it was over 5000 ft elevation). We gave our numbers to the 1/2 way check in people and they took our picture. But even though we brought our lunch, was only around 10:30 or and we had just ate breakfast a few hours before! So onward we went, starting back down  the hill.       

Zig and I took the lead and off we went, walking FAST!    You know he likes down hill.   He's a Slalom skier!    We again started to pick them off.   You know this is NOT a RACE!!!    He would not stand still when I needed  him to.   He would just start backing up, almost over the bank twice!    Which was not fair to Jupiter when it came time to drink.   Zig drank the well dry when he could.   

We came up on 4 riders and  kept a little distance to not crowd.    They met the group of 6 still coming up the hill with the MARE  and seeing how she was when they went by, I told Vicki to turn around and find a place to get off.    We both turned around   and found a safe place to wait (mean mare).   As she was passing I said still pretty, but prettier if those ears were ahead.   I felt so sorry for this lady, she said, "I have no words."   :((((  I have been there!    I felt for her, big time.     After they passed it was on down the hill.   Well, that big boy of mine was twisting his head and coming off the ground and hitting hard; we were moving right along.   Jupe right on our tail, and a way we went.    Well, I very much feel my stomach muscles.   Maybe I need to do this more often.   Dang.   This trail is steeper than what we ride on.  We do have as steep, but not miles of it.    AND I better get back to my story...   We moved on.    Arriving at the vet check at 12:03p.m.   NOT bad for a just a trail ride.    It was a challenging ride, in as much as about 10 miles uphill and 10 down hill.   

The Vet checked us in. She said, "Wow, you're our first trail riders in!"   We were first  place in the 20 mile ride.   We vetted the boys in, and their heart rates were great at 60 and trotted out and still going good.   We got A scores.    Zig's new saddle is  working out well.   Vet said his back looked good.    :)))) YES!!!  Good test, this was a tough ride.  

We went to the trailer took care of the boys and then we ate our lunch.   Cold filet mignon, crackers and cheese with chocolate pie... living the life!    Just kicked back in the shade and relaxed.    Well okay, not totally.   We moved them into the trees to high line.  Jupiter kept tipping his water tub over and we would have to go about 50 yards and fill up the tub and pull back up the hill  with the dolly and pack it down to him.   I did not do any pulling, Vicki was on it.   That big dummy did this several times.   So several trips.   Then I said, "Let's give him the other bucket."   Hum, maybe he just did not want to drink after Zigman.   Problem solved.  Well it could be he could not have as much fun playing with the big hard tub like the soft tub.    He does like to flip grain feeders and now water tubs in the air and have some fun.   The ding dong.   

They fed us tacos for dinner with cake and pies for dessert.   Very good and great idea for feeding a big group in jig time.   Then they gave out the awards and then the band played... yes a band with fun music in the middle of nowhere!  Just fun.  There was one couple that were really great--man they have danced a lot together.   Poetry in motion.   (boy was he good looking!)  We left before dark and took care of the horses and went to bed.   The music was still playing.    Lights out (Ha) we're light weights.   

We were so sleeping good, when Zig let go a huge, come from the belly whinny, that sounded more like a scream.   These two ol` (NOT OLD)  girls can still move!   All was good.  We  believe it was a concocted story to see if we cared or was paying attention to them.   Well it worked.   Hearts pounding, but all was good, and they looked like the Cheshire cats.  Of course they just went back to eating.   When your up you might as well go the the bathroom.... very carefully, watching for snakes.  WE NEVER DID ANYTHING WITHOUT WATCHING FOR SNAKES! 

We saddled up early the next morning  and went for a short ride to the river and back before loading up to head home.   Oh and yes I needed help saddling, but it was not near as bad as Saturday.  Thank goodness.  

Loved the drive over seeing all new country.    It was a  great weekend. 

Memories for Memorial Day 2018

Throwback pic! Lynn gave me some CDs and this is what I found. :) No riding this Saturday morning--cold and wet and we plan to ride the next two days for sure. More later!

CATTLE DRIVE!

We took a high line and our halters to practice for next weekend and oh boy! what a great practice we had!

See Jupes' head? There's a black cow over in the trees.

And then--we had a cattle drive!

Getting every penny's worth out of our new shoes!

Two good days of riding in a row! We are now able to get up early and get out and back and still have time for chores. We are still riding in our chinks and gloves, but able to wear fewer layers and lighter coats. Both Jupiter and Buster were ready for a ride and came easily to us.

Saturday was a short ride, but due to my picking the wrong trail, which led us back to the road kind of early, it worked out; because like Lynn said, it is just good to be out and ahorseback. We both had things to do when we got home anyway.

We didn't ride last weekend due to rain and the boys have been on grass all week. The week before we had been taking them out for half an hour to get used to grass. They are fat and happy. But then there's Mr. Sassypants. Every weekend that we have ridden, he has been huffing and stopping to catch his breath. I didn't expect to have issues with him--after all, he is now 13 and is supposed to be past all that mischief. Nope, he is a twisty-neck horse who wants his own way. Heaven forbid we pass up a good grassy spot without eating. (He kept looking back to make sure Buster didn't get any either!) Or maybe he thinks all the grass will be gone by the time he gets home. Or maybe, and this is probably most of it, he needs to be ridden--a lot--so he remembers how to act and who is in charge. Every year we start out like this.

Sunday we rode Underwood. After worrying about getting stuck in our usual parking place, we decided parking at the dry camp a few turns up the road might be just the ticket! Yepper. Perfect. The boys thought we were somewhere new. We had a great ride and got back in time for church; my idea of a perfect Sunday morning.

Lynn's saddle should be here tomorrow. She is super excited and plans to work on getting it just right. She will probably take Zigs and go for a short ride--which will make that jealous boy happy.

A few days in April

We have braved the cold and the wet and ventured out ahorseback and every moment has been good for the soul. We have ridden every Saturday and had a glorious Wednesday thrown in. The boys have been easy to catch and ready to roll.

Buster is doing so much better--he absolutely loves Lynn. He comes right to her and although he was extremely head shy when we brought him home, he now likes to have his face rubbed and will put it on you for some attention. He unloads slowly and carefully, rather than barreling out like he was in a stock trailer; he stands still for her to mount, instead of taking off. She doesn't even use a mounting log! She says he's so short and easy to get on and off. He doesn't throw his head anymore going downhill. Ziggy is very jealous and bites at Buster all the time. Her new saddle will be here in a couple weeks and I think it will be Bus who becomes jealous. He loves to go. She gives him his granola bar slathered with marshmallow with some arthritis medicine in the middle and he's ready; however, she says she can tell that it hurts a little going downhill. We are thinking we will pony him and then take him with us camping this summer. Food for thought!

That fat, greedy boy I ride got my finger yesterday--totally my fault. We had stopped in a green grassy area and I pulled out a broken up granola bar for the girls. I don't usually give him the broken pieces from the saddle; if I am sharing a broken one, I do it from the ground and have him take from my palm. Yesterday, I was tossing them to the girls and he was twisted around so far that I thought I could do it, but nope! Even though I had no fingers out, he caught one. It's fine. Just some ripped skin. (Probably a good thing I had gloves on.)

Jupiter was a little high the first days we rode, even wanting to buck for joy. He was tossing and twisting his neck and ready to do a hard trot to a lope. I think he was wanting to be in front of Buster and get to the grassy spot first--you know how he loves to eat! But the last two times we rode, he had other things to think about: being alone and steep hills making him be out of breath.

First of all, we did a little work on them. We split up, went by ourselves on two different branches of the trail, and then came together to met on the lower end of the trail. The first time, Jupes went quite a ways before he stopped and looked back for Buster. He stopped a few times, looking for him. I just sang to him and kept his feet moving down the road. Ziva was with us and everything seemed fine. Haley joined us on a dead run. We turned off the road toward the bottom trail and Jupe started to whinny. He whinnied probably three times--big belly shaking whinnies. I told him, "You don't even like him! What's the matter with you?" :) When we saw them on the trail, he trotted quickly up to them.

Lynn's side of the split was quieter. Buster kept looking for us, didn't whinny and just felt nervous, but didn't do anything other than what he was supposed to do. Although, when Haley abandoned them, Lynn said he got more nervous.

The second time, Buster was in front. Lynn said he just motored on like it was nothing. This time Jupes could see we were not going together and he got balky. He tried a couple times to follow Buster, but eventually did what I asked of him. When we came to the road, we could see them down on the bottom corner and he did not want to get on the next trail and whinnied big time. However, he did what he was supposed to do and we met up at the bottom again.

It was interesting and fun to split up. I have never ridden alone, either. Jupes and I have never had to go for help like Lynn and Ziggy and we haven't ever had to run back to the trailer for a boot and then catch up. (Knock on wood!!) Nothing like that. We have always been with the group. Being apart was good for all of us.

We have ridden in water and mud every one of those April days. It is just running down the trails and pooled up into big ponds. Our get-on rock at the turtle pond has been nearly submerged and Lynn says she has never seen the pond so full. Yesterday, she and Buster rode through pond on what is our normal trail and the water was up to his thighs--not quite belly high--but close. Remember, he does have short legs, but it was pretty deep considering that was our normal trail. We saw lots of turtles and Lynn watched one fall into the pond shell-side down--he must either be the show-off of the family or the klutsy, gomer of the family.

Anyway, we have work to do at home and church to attend, so Sundays have been our off days. As much as I love to attend (and NEED to) church, I am sorry we are not out there right now. It is cold, but it is sunny and beautiful. So when we're retired, will we ride 4-5 times a week and then do our chores? Seven times a week? We need to make more trails! Will our chores ever be caught up enough? At least I won't have to do school stuff. Hmm. Does that mean my house will get dusted? Ha! Probably not.

A Second Opinion

The Trail Trial Obstacle Course turned out to be a mixed bag--it was fun and everyone was friendly and appreciative. Many of the riders said, "Thank you," and enjoyed their experience. Being on the ground and walking them through our events was fun and we got to see a lot of pretty horses. The interactions between the llama and the horses was the fun to watch and the lost hiker with the map, large backpack and tall antennae was fun, too. One of the first horses to come through totally shied away from the hiker and her map, as she said, "Hi! I'm a lost hiker!" The woman on the horse said, "And this horse isn't going to help you!" It was funny. He did settle down after a couple minutes.

All the riders said exactly what we would've said, "I trail ride all the time. We see stuff like this every day, but he acts like he's never been outside!" It was funny. Lynn kept reminding them, "You're in an arena. It's not the same. It's an arena; there are horses in stalls whinnying, people in bleachers above them, and roof over the top of them. It's weird lighting (kind of dark) and there's a lot of horses in here." They agreed, but even though they were having fun, you could tell it was a little frustrating sometimes. Lots of people got off their horses and walked them through the "scary" part and then got back on.

I didn't ever hear Lynn say it, but "monkey see, monkey do," was probably part of it, too. There were probably plenty of horse brains saying, "That horse is scared of something over there--I better be ready to whirl and run!" There were horses whirling in circles. There were others lifting off their front feet in the air and turning away from obstacles, and others backing up quickly and swinging around. At some point in the day, most riders were going sideways. Now--not all. There were also some very calm, "git 'er done," horses--both males and females--who did the course with one eye peeled, but with little visible effort or trepidation.

Because the llama guy was chatty and horses were a little freaked, I spent some time talking with people waiting to for their turn to pass by him (the first time--they had to do it twice). Several said, "I can feel his heart beating!" The llama was cute. He would put his nose up to the horse's nose if he could; of course not all horses were up for that, but a lot went nose to nose--especially the babies. They were like, "Hey, who are you?" They weren't overly afraid of anything.

Next to the llama was a mule. He brayed all day and dug to China. He had big white pack boxes on and some people said, "My horse does not like the white things." :) Horses balked at the crisscrossed down logs and they didn't like turning around at the downed tree; I guess a lot horses bypassed the bear and mountain lion event completely; although, one lady said she finally got her horse by the bear and it shied a little at the mountain lion, but after she reached up and rang the bell, her horse reached up and rang it, too! Another woman said that she got her horse to back down the "narrow canyon," but then the rooster crowed and it was all over from there. :) So, it was fun. We didn't get to see the horses go through the events at the far end, but our end was pretty entertaining.

Unfortunately, the event planners were way off in their expectations. I wish they had not said anything Saturday night about the numbers. We had already walked the outside area looking for where we would park and had it planned out. In addition, we got there before 8am Sunday, and could have easily got our horses set up to hang out. It was a beautiful sunny day, as well. Because only a little over 40 people registered and paid their fees, we got them all through before lunch. After lunch, they all got to go through again--some of them went three times. Then the committee started going for their horses and they were riding the course. It was at the point that I told Lynn, "Okay, let's go; I'm done." At lunch, Lynn said she had considered calling Lee and telling him to load up our boys and bring them over. Had we brought them, they (and us) could have easily handled the day. Oh well. We have a new plan for next time: help set up the night before, bring our horses and pay the fee, ride the course, offer to give people breaks, ride the course a second time after lunch, and go home. :)

However, I really enjoyed doing my event and I think Lynn did, too. That's rub about doing things like this--there has to be people who will help. We were those people this weekend and I didn't see anyone else hanging around offering to do it. There were 13 people manning the individual events; 2 people starting the horses from the entrance; 2+ cooking hamburgers and hotdogs; 2+ selling/taking money for the concessions; 2-3 working the membership table and selling t-shirts, 50-50 tickets, and admission bracelets; one guy teaching knots; one guy who gave breaks to people threatening to use the trees as cover to go potty behind; and one woman who said, "I'm here to help clean up." So that's approximately 25 people just to run the event. I don't know how many people there are in the Redwood Unit of BCHA, but I am willing to bet there are a quite a few who are like us: pay our dues and read the newsletter, but never participate with the group. In the end, I feel good about volunteering and I know Lynn does, too. Sometimes, it's okay to sacrifice your own fun for the fun of others. It was just another kind of fun. And honestly, I would do it again.

One and Done

The Back Country Horseman  (Humboldt County branch) advertised that were putting on a Trail Trial Obstacle Challenge. We tentatively began talking about whether we wanted to go. Then they sent out emails that asked for volunteers to work the event with the hook that they would get to do the course at the end of the day for free. That sounded like fun. So, thinking we would be good members and get involved more, we gave up our Saturday ride and headed to Ferndale.

Well, it worth a few chuckles. It wasn't as organized as either of us expected and there was quite a bit of disagreeing (bickering) among the three women "in charge." We spent three hours setting up and walking through the course. It has potential to be fun. They are bringing in turkeys, chickens, llamas (!), a fan to blow and rattle a tent, bear pee (?), and there are doves and pigeons flying to their nests in the rafters all the time. It should be interesting.

But then we heard that 200+ people were coming. They said that last year, they had 30 and it took all day. Everyone started mumbling that maybe they would rethink bringing their horses.

We had already been out scoping where to park and how to handle our boys. We didn't want them standing on pavement all day. We weren't sure about being in the trailer from 5:30 am to 4:00 pm either. They weren't going to be where we could see them. We weren't sure if we were even going to get bathroom breaks, let alone check on the horses breaks. Although we really wanted to do the obstacle course, we decided to leave the boys home.

According to Facebook (where I think they are getting their numbers), there are over 200 people "interested" in the Trail Trials Challenge. There are 50ish who are "going." We are going to be super disappointed if there aren't that many and we could've done the course without a lot of stress of having the our horses there. We are going to be very tired if there are tons of people and we spend the day standing at our posts. Most of all--it is going to be beautiful day and we are going to miss out on a second day of riding. AND hang out with people who are only marginally friendly.

Next time, we will do this differently.

FEBRUARY

It's been a good month! Alisa and Keota came over to ride on Keota's birthday weekend, which coincided with Lincoln's day off for Lynn. We rode bundled up both Saturday and Sunday. They were cold, but glorious days. We called it early on Sunday because the wind was really moving and everyone was a little jumpy; but Saturday we rode on the left fork and went up and around to the turtle pond. It was fun. It feels like forever since we rode with Alisa. All the dogs had fun and horses were glad to get out and see some country.

The next weekend it was dreary. Lynn called and said it was cold and supposed to rain and we all had things to do. Fine. I went in and worked on something (wasting time more like) and when I came out the sun was shining.
        I called Lynn instantly, "THE SUN IS SHINING!"
        She said, "I'll see you in few minutes!"
And we were off! We had a great ride and worked on our new trail.We turned around at the top and came home, but it was fun and we all loved it.

Today was another "Do we or don't we?" day. We have done this practically all month. We want to, but it's cold. We want to, but we have stuff to do. We want to, but we need to go to town for groceries. Sheesh. Talk about two indecisive people! All our weather advisors told us it would not rain until after 2pm. I wanted to go to church, but we wouldn't be back in time. What to do? Silly question. We rode!

It was 35 degrees and snow was on the ground and in the trees. It was beautiful and worth every minute. We only rode to the spot where we would have to ride the road because it was icy on the road. I guess our next project needs to be to make a trail that bypasses that long stretch of road. Unfortunately, it's pretty steep all along there. Anyway, we saw icicles and were careful around big clumps of snow that threatened to go down our backs. We slipped and slid a little, but came home happy.

After unsaddling at home, we walked Bus and Jupes to Shirley's so she could see they weren't sweaty and cold and she could nuzzle with Buster. I think it made her day--made ours, too.

Bare footin' and grousing

February is here and with it usually a false spring. Saturday was such a day. The forecast was for 70+ degrees; although I don't think it reached that temp while we were riding, it was still a glorious day!

After a week of being able to think of nothing else, Lynn said we would start at 7am. We knew we needed to brush all the mud and pitch off Jupiter and Buster; load the saddles, head stalls, helmets, and the other necessary detritus into the 4-wheeler; connect the pickup; and then put everything all away again; and I needed to be home around noon-1:00. Gene had company and wanted to run around a bit, so I was on Mom duty.

At 6:30, she called and said, "Um, it's really dark out there." I laughed. Yep, so it is. I told her we didn't really need five hours. So at 8:00, I arrived. Boy they were dirty horses. But we got them loaded and off we went.

The original plan was to toodle around the ranch. The boys are barefoot and we figured it would easiest on their feet. But we as we headed that way, we began to see bits and pieces of car parts. Both of us started worrying about the state of the meadow. Sure enough, it was torn up. Bad. Off to the side of the road was the chassis of a vehicle. It had two wheels, with tires surprisingly, and was upside down. We decided not to go on down to the lower meadow. :(

We continued up the road with both boys looking for the softest ground to walk on. When we rounded the corner just below the little road that leads to the big mess of a campsite above the meadow (got that? :) LOL), we saw something. It was the body of the car off on that little road. I am not sure what exactly Buster did (he was ahead of us), but he snorted or something and you know Jupes--he snorted, shied, and we whirled away from it. I talked him through it and we were able to walk, albeit a little sideways, past it. Suddenly, Haley jumped up a grouse. Good grief! Flap, flap, flap, flap! You got it--another shy, this time much, much larger. :) But he recovered before anyone could tease him and walked on like it was nothing.

We rode up to our trail and found a new way to go. We all really like it--well let me change that--Jupes did not. It was a little narrow where there were trees with branches sticking out and he did not want to go through it. But after a solid, knees locked balk, I told him he had to and he gave in. On our way back down it later, we fixed some of the trail, but next time we will need to cut some of those branches. At least now I know what we will fail at if and when we ever do a trail trial--it will be those colorful nerf branches off the poles. He will not want to do that for sure. (Especially since he is so smart, he'll be like, "Seriously, can you not see that we can go around it?")

Haley and Ziva jumped up three more grouse, in three different places, but all they got was an ear. The two of them had a wonderful time. The two of us had a glorious time. And I think the boys enjoyed getting off the place, they just wished they had some shoes on. :)

I'm am already looking forward to next weekend.