Laidback Lenny becomes a Bucking Bronco

This weekend has been so fun and I am very tired! Shirley's black and blue leg drained down into her foot and it is sore to walk on and thinking about putting her foot in the stirrup made her shiver, so she did not ride this weekend. 

Saturday's ride started off with the darn dogs barking at the trail head house. We got ready and walked up to the trail and put the boys in the ditch and got on there. Ziggy immediately set off at a trot up the trail. Not to be left behind, Jupes poured it on, too. We arrived at the top of Hennessey pretty quick!

We went right and a little way down the road, Lynn's lightbulb went on. Yep. I saw it. It was followed with, "I have an idea. . . and. . . I've been thinking about this. . . " Yep. Uh-oh. Jupes quivered at the words. He always tells me, "You know how she is!" So we became the girls from Snowy River and we headed straight down the hill looking for a road Lynn is sure would take us to the trail that leads to the meadow with the puddles. We did traverse our way down without turning around and going back, but never really found a good way to do it. From the meadow, we did our Westside Hoop-de-do trail and on to around our regular trails, but we mostly did them at at trot. Zigs loped at least four times. Jupiter never hit his lope gear, but he is a big time trotter and you know how he loves to run up hill. 

Coming home, we came down our steep trail for the first time this year. It's do-able. Steep and torn up by the motorcycles, but fine. I did see Zigs corkscrewing his head around and thumping down one part, followed by, "I hate when you do that!"

We started somewhere around 7ish and finished the whole loop by 10:30! It was fast and fun.

Sunday, Lynn suggested we do the Eastside Hoop-de-do. I suggested we create a trail to get to the meadow rather than go down that slick, rocky, car-ruined road with roots and runoff crannies. We bushwacked our way--much to Jupiter's irritation. There were lots of skinny branches whipping us and debris everywhere around his legs.

We tried to go across the creek, but it is boggy and overgrown. We need to get off and work on it when it's drier. I thought we did the Hoop-de-do last year, but my oh my, it was really overgrown. We trotted where someone has made a four-wheeler track, but Lynn did a lot a trimming. At some point, Ziggy got wound up and would not stand still. He even backed off the trail into a bit of potential disaster of downed logs and detritus. We powered on, trying to trim as we rode. If we both don't end up with poison oak, I'll be surprised. (Although I scrubbed up with TecNu and my poison oak soap.) At one point, Ziva started growling and barking. I never could really tell what set her off, but I did hear a dog bark in the distance and something that sounded like maybe some construction. This added to the tension level.

Finally, as we looked beyond the mess of branches and stuff on the trail, we decided to give it up and head back. We did not even get to the steep part where Ziggy slid on his butt way back 10 years ago when Lynn first got him. Anyway, I said okay, let me get Jupiter turned around and I swear before the words were completely out of my mouth, he was turned and trotting hard away from her. Everyone was a little spooked!

What I didn't know until Lynn caught up with me was that Ziggy bucked at least twice before she could get his big head up! Big bucks. Air under her seat, bucks. And then he shot out and then ran to catch up with us. I said it was like revving an engine before it pops the clutch and shoots out into the raceway. Thank goodness she rode the bucks like the true cowgirl she is! I was thinking--maybe his legs were caught up in the branches that she had cut down and Jupes took off and he was stuck trying to get his legs free. ? Jupes is not a very good friend when it comes to horse monsters. He knows he is a juicy morsel and no monster in his right mind would be satisfied with just Ziggy's bag of bones!

We rode pretty fast for quite a ways and I was trying to hold Jupes to just a trot. We got to a part of the trail that opened up a little and Lynn said she felt Ziggy relax, so we slowed down to a fast walk. Maybe something was out there. Or something had been there and they could smell it. Anyway, that was it--all the excitement. We did trot some more going on the park side of the meadow and when Lynn was trimming blackberries and wild roses, Jupes licked the mud, but other than that and our traverse back up through brush to the meadow, we called it a ride!

This weekend there was no humming. No singing. Nope. This weekend it was all about hanging on and moving out. Fun!

A bad day ahorseback is still better than any other day

Puddles are not as scary as they once were--he's getting it. 

Every time is a little bit better. I even caught Shirley smiling once.

Look at Toby. He learned about granola bars quickly!

You would think we would all have flat bellies and strong backs, because some trails are a workout!

Some days are tougher than others. I think I learn something new about riding and myself every day. I got surprised today and had my feelings hurt; but I'm not a quitter and I learn fast. I think if I would have had a few more minutes, I would have chosen a direction and we would have been just fine. I love Jupiter and riding too much to not be there. He and I are pretty good partners (I'm not perfect, but we work together). So go ahead and ditch us on the mountain, I'll be ready, but please don't forget to take us with you when you load up to go.

Success!

What a blessed day today has been. We have heard all week that it was going to rain today. Again--another Saturday. We missed last Saturday because of rain! Although the wind blew like crazy yesterday and the temperature dropped substantially, we decided to ride this morning if at all possible. 

This morning it was pretty still and the sky was a mottled cloud cover of white, gray, and pink tinged clouds. There was some blue sky peeking through. But no rain. We loaded up and went up Hennessy. The big puppies were inside the pot fence and we all loaded up and headed out without incident. 

Shirley led most of the way and when we got to the top, Lynn said she had a plan. So we took the middle road and headed down the hill. I was nervous about her plan, but it turned out great. We went down the trail where the bees were in the tree. Toby confidently navigated the "technical" parts of that trail: the tight path under the tree and next to the dry creek bed; the sharp turns around the horizontal tree where the bees were; the huge hole next to the trail; ducking under the low branches--everything. He loped up the hill toward the little creek, jumped it, but everything looked smooth. And then. . . yep! PUDDLES.

Toby managed to jump or skirt the mud and small creeks and puddles until we got to the big meadow. When we dropped down we could see there were BIG puddles. So we splashed around for probably an hour. We got Toby to come into the puddle because he wanted a bite of a granola bar!! LOL. I just held it out a little bit farther than he could reach and he took a step toward it until we were in the middle and then I gave him the treat. He seemed to trust Jupiter, so he followed us around--in and out of puddles. Jupes even started doing a Keota and splashed water everywhere, but he went in and out of puddles with us. 

Lynn got off because we dropped a granola wrapper in the huge puddle and she tightened our cinches, which were hanging. So she was on the ground and Zigs was just standing and watching. When Shirley and I went around the bend to make a circle through several puddles and Lynn walked over to watch us come toward her, Zigs was not happy about being all alone. He was going to follow us, but stepped on his rein. Otherwise, he would have dragged Lynn's reins through all the muddy water. 

It was all good. We also went up to the big puddle we worked on in weekends past. We put him in between us and we all walked in and back through. His flanks still tremble, but both horse and rider and starting to trust each other. Yaay!

Back to the weather: we wore our chinks, thank goodness; Lynn was in and out of vest, jacket, jacket, vest; both Shirley and I wore gloves and my cheeks were cold. It was pretty crisp on the back side and the clouds started piling up and becoming a solid sky. The wind started coming down the trees as we headed back to the trailer. We could hear the storm rolling in. 

We couldn't have timed it more perfectly; as we pulled over to let cars go by at Lynn's there were sprinkles on the windshield. We put the horses up and as I pulled out of the driveway, I had to turn on my windshield wipers. It has been breezy all day with sun coming in and out of showers. We were truly blessed today.

Baby Steps

Saturday was a good day for puddles. We have had almost three inches of rain this month, so the puddles and little creeks have filled back up. Out we went yesterday and first of all, the dogs at the house nearest the parking spot are getting bigger and louder and more aggressive. Jupes was crazy and I had to walk him out and on to the trail because I could not get on him. He had lost his mind and was not thinking about me and our team. Once I got on, he settled down.

When we got to the first little creek below the road, Toby was not going to go through it. So he and Lynn went through it a bunch of times. When we got to the big puddle up on top, he and Lynn got in it after doing a little more work. But the BIG news is that he went in the puddle with Shirley when we came back down. Jupes and I blocked his way to the bank and the puddle was wall to wall. Lynn came and rode on the left side of him and he walked in and all the way through!! Yaay! Of course he still jumps the little tiny trickle farther up the mountain, but it was a big success.

Sunday we rode Gray's Falls trail again. It was fun. It was a good day!

Shirley's a jump rider

Mud puddles with Toby (aka Cobie)

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.