Cold puddles

Yesterday, rain threatened all day. We rode out on the ranch and everything was great. The clouds were crazy, but we stayed dry.

Shirley has renamed Cobie (who she thought was Colby) to Toby. They did well together until Lynn said her famous, "Wait a minute. I want to look at something." Then Toby got antsy and Shirley panicked and screeched, "Lynn. LYNNN!" So they followed up the steep embankment. I was a little worried she would pull him back over on her, but I heard Lynn say to "Let him have his head, mom," and they made it up the steep bank.

We have been working on a new way to come up from the meadow since the road is slick and steep. The roots are really starting to stick up and the rocks are at the surface. I think the vehicles have really ruined it. So we are trying to create a new trail to the road, bypassing the top meadow.

We didn't ride very long because we thought it was going to rain. It started raining at my house about two and rained steady until about eight, but Lynn didn't get it for a long while--so we could've ridden longer and farther, but it was still fun.

Today we rode up Deadwood Ridge (aka Widow Maker Mountain) because we knew it would be slick in other spots. Shirley even led a little (till she missed the trail). I told her, "Do what you're gonna do--go where you want--I don't care, lead on." To get there, we have to ride the road to the BIG mud puddle. Toby does not want to get his pretty feet wet. Or muddy! So he went around. But on the way back it was a different story.

The bottom of the trail below the turtle pond, it is deep, mucky mud. Jupes does not like it either. He whips through there and I end up with cedar in my mouth, across my face, wherever--it just slaps the crap out of me as he bolts through there (since I have no control over him!!). Anyway, I told Lynn we needed a better spot to come out of there. It is getting really bad now that the motorcycles have also been through it. We did meander our way around last weekend, but today we just rode back up to the road the way we came down. Uh-oh. That also means the horse-eating puddle awaited us.

Last week's video showed Toby going up the little bank. Today, he slipped on that bank and caught his right leg underneath him. Shirley never moved--she was fine, she might've screeched for Lynn, but I don't remember. But Lynn said that was IT! She told Shirley to get off and she got on.

She worked really hard on him, but he is not having it. Unfortunately, Ziva is becoming an uncontrollable handful and is a now barking manic trying to help. It's driving me crazy and I am worried she will get hurt. She thinks she's helping, but I don't want her to get kicked. So I eventually had to ride away to get her to come with me. Toby did not react to her, thankfully and Lynn eventually got him into the little puddles. He put his feet in three of them and walked through a little one. Progress. They ended on a positive.

At the bottom of the trail where we get off, he did better going through the muddy area than he did last week and when we went up the trail earlier. He's learning. It is just kind of weird since his field was so wet and muddy where he came from. Although, I think I understood Lisa to say the water had just started coming on again, so maybe since he had only been there eight months it hadn't been real wet earlier. I don't know. What I do know is: Lynn will help him to overcome his fear.

Today was a tougher day and I heard Shirley say, "Pretty is as pretty does" to her horse and she didn't brush him very much and he didn't get a granola bar when everyone else had one. I know what it's like to be frustrated with your pretty horse.