It's a good thing riding is a reward in itself. . .

Shirley is off to Montana, so we decided to go to the arena in Junction City. You know Star would've been too bored with this adventure. First things first meant riding up a steep, I mean steep, trail/road above the arena. It just kept going and and going. There was no top to that hill. But the idea was to "take the soup out of them" as Lynn says, before we took them into the arena. Jupiter especially.

We went into the arena and practiced opening and closing a very heavy gate. Lynn and Ziggy did it twice on one end and once on the other end, but Jupes and I were never successful (we only tried a couple of times). Then we trotted and walked around in circles. I practiced figure 8s and turning where the barrels would've been. Lynn worked on side passes. I went over and she showed us how. Jupes was like, "I do not understand what you are asking of me." I didn't work on it very long.

White barrels outside of the arena are very scary. But Jupiter got used to them. Then Lynn brought in the barrels and set them up. While Ziggy was still tied up and Lynn was out of the arena, we did the cloverleaf successfully at least twice; albeit, the corners were too wide, but we did it on a slow trot. Then Lynn rode Ziggy around them. Ziggy took the barrels tight and easy and they loped back to "the finish line." It was pretty. Jupiter never did the entire cloverleaf in one easy, fluid motion again. He fought and fought and we had to walk and swing out into nothing close to turn. Somehow, we lost his left turn and he only wanted to go right! He'd had enough, I guess. If Shirley would've been there, she would have made me work harder--I should've used my spurs more or something.

I attempted to trot him around the area and then go into a canter, but when he started into it, once again I grabbed at the reins instead sitting back and he quit. I hate that it scared me for a second! I have lost confidence with him ever since he attempted to buck the last two times I let him go fast. Darn it. We never tried again. I wanted to, but then he started acting up--being stubborn and just stopping or fighting turning to his left at all and wanting to just go back to the trailer and eat some grain. I guess I have created a monster. Dang it. I have to work harder on both of us. Going off in the arena wouldn't have hurt as much as in the woods, so I should have just done it there, but we quit. I am sure it's frustrating for Lynn to have to watch my ineptness and his spoiled nature.

In contrast, watching Ziggy and Lynn was like poetry in motion. They looked good. He was stretching his long legs out and she just sat effortlessly on him. She didn't make him run like I thought she would, but they worked on stuff by the fence. I think she only did the barrels about 1/8 the speed she used to do them and I think she only did them once. We rode in circles  side by side trying to get Jupiter to focus on something other than the trailer a few times, but only at a slow trot. With Ziggy on the outside, it forced Jupes to keep turning.We only did it a couple of times and never got fast enough to canter. Later, we found some poles after we decided to quit and we were going to set them up, but their bottoms were broken. Lynn got Ziggy to go into the bushes and let her drag out the pole. When she let go of it, I dragged the pole a little so Jupiter could get the feel of it, too. Lynn does stuff like that all the time when we are riding, but I haven't ever attempted to pull something or carry something big on Jupiter. We would simply fail trail trials.

The dogs were cute. They ran and jumped along the outside of the arena--sort of mimicking what the horses were doing inside. They were both good and stayed close, even though there were dogs barking somewhere over the rise.

So that was our day. We didn't ride very long and I don't think either of us accomplished or even attempted what we had hoped to do. I'm not sure either of us even worked very hard to reach our goals. It was kind of a bust. Good thing Star wasn't there.

Beating the heat

Well, it's time to catch up again! We rode in Orick one Saturday and it was a beautiful day. The temperature was in the middle 60s and the sun was shining. You can't ask for more than that. Well, I guess Lynn can. She had a very disappointing ride--there had been sightings of two mama bears, one with triplets and one with only one, and although we heard a bear, we did not see it. Lynn's latest thing has been, "You know, if I see I bear I'm gonna run it!" No more just looking it at and being happy to see it--it is all about running as fast Zig can to chase the bear. As much as I used to enjoy seeing bears, I was very happy we did not--Jupiter is always as wound up as he possibly can be when we're at Orick and I am not sure I would be able to hold him if Lynn and Shirley took off as fast they could go. I would definitely be over the edge, impaled on a redwood and he would kicking his heels as high as he could and running like a wild man, free of my excess weight, trying to catch up.

Knock on wood--we have been bee free. Two days we have been around the Hennessey Ranch meadow and one we rode up the hill, skirting the trails with known bee pockets. Star went both days this weekend and I did not hear Shirley yell, "STAR!" once. Jupiter was a little tight yesterday, but managed to do some hard trotting without kicking his feet out and threatening to buck (I thought he outgrew that, but he did it again twice this month). Today he was awesome, even cantered a tiny bit. Ziggy was Ziggy. He did everything Lynn asked him to do, even though he pooped his way down the steep trail that makes him nervous (5x maybe?).

News on Alisa's side of the mountain--Keota went off the side of hill, but she stayed on and he climbed back up on the trail. Pretty darn scary! I am glad both of you are okay and I can only imagine how frightening it would have been to be your friend who powerlessly watched you. I think it is worse sometimes to be the one who is watching because the one it happens to is too busy concentrating on getting to safe ground to be afraid at the time. Maybe later, not usually right then.

I have been trying to find that cartoon car that careens around the corners and I cannot find it anywhere. This is the closest I can come to how Ziggy takes the hairpin turns. He swings out and comes back in like that old red car from possibly Woody Woodpecker. We went on two trails in Orick that had those corners cut into the hill. They are so fun to go on; of course they are not steep canyons like up at Granite Lake. Anyway it's in my head and want to find that car because it makes me laugh when Lynn describes Ziggy's long, tall self taking the curves.

It's 100+ outside, so everyone is inside. Dogs are sleeping and sewing machines are running. Lynn is having much more success than me--my latest project is quite disappointing.

I love summer.

Skunked

Well today I broke in my new-had-to-have-it pink bucket. At 5:30 this morning, I was screaming like a banshee as Ziva first stuck her nose in the behind of a baby skunk and then chased the mama all the way to backyard patio. Oh yeah, she did. Then  she came to me with her head hanging and I dragged her into the bathroom where we promptly took a bath in Tecnu. Lynn suggested Listerine, so she also has had Listerine on her face all day. Later I remembered I had some stuff called "Odormute" so I made a bucket full of it and I have been washing her down with it every little while.

So, yep, we stink; but I'm happy I had my bucket.

Do you know this one?

I have always had a record player and when I was little: 5? 6? 7? this was my one of my favorite songs. I had it on a 45. I was singing it to Ziva yesterday and couldn't remember the words. . .

First weekend in July

We have met our match on our lower trail--bees in two places! Lynn, the allergic one, went tromping up the trail where we got into bees last weekend with long distance killing foam; she could hear them, but couldn't find them. So she took her handy-dandy clippers and opened up the other entrance to the trail and we skirted by the bees. Just about where the stump step up is, just short of the first uphill little jaunt begin on the same trail, Lynn yelled, "Go Vicki! We're in bees! Keeping going!" We took off and with Zigs thundering behind us I heard Lynn again, "Don't buck, Ziggy--please don't buck." He got stung on the nose for sure and I'm not sure where else. Possibly under his belly. I think Star got it on the neck because he had a little welt, but I never heard Shirley say anything.

The bees took a little of the enjoyment out of the ride for awhile for me as I kept looking at the ground instead of enjoying the ride. I was worried about the two other places we've seen bees, but thankfully there weren't any. We walked across the tarp again, although only Ziggy will do the shiny one, Star and Jupiter walked on the other one. Coming off the top of Hennessey on the new steep trail, Shirley had her hands full with, "Star! Star! Quit that you old fool!" He went down jigging a little sideways off the very top. I am not sure why--we were all right there. (Although, Shirley did have to get off a couple times because her saddle slipped either forward or backward and had to be adjusted, so maybe that was it.) We bypassed our bottom trail on the trip back and came out on the road, but otherwise we had a fun ride in spite of the bees.

Sunday Lynn asked, "How about we go across the river?" Cool! We haven't been there in awhile--so we drove over to the Denny road and climbed that mountain. Those trails are pretty steep, but it isn't brushy at all. There were no bees, but there wasn't much water for the girls either. I thought it was a fun ride.

We were back by 10, so Lynn opened up her grooming box and two hours later, both the girls were looking beautiful. It's been a nice three-weekend and since summer school is only Tues/Thurs, I get tomorrow off, too! Summer is good.

All good things must come to an end

Our riding vacation came to an end yesterday. As I sit here, I am missing my horse (oh, and you guys, too). Ziva and I have been playing soccer and chase the tennis ball for an hour. I said, "Are you ready?" and she instantly cocked her head and was heading for the door. I think she is missing going, too.

Doggone bees ruined our last trip. The hoop-de-doo trail used to be fun, but we have not been able to do it for awhile. For one, we don't want to have to see the damage done to the lower meadow by trucks spinning brodies (and all their trash left behind). Secondly, there have been bees along the trail unless we go in the winter. Finally, there is a tree down at the end and lots of brush surrounding it, blocking our passage to the end of the trail. I can't remember the last time we made it the Underwood road and headed up the trail from there!

Anyway, it's been fun. We are lucky that we can stay home and ride everyday. (Sorry Alisa--I hope you don't mind not being home.) Just like Shirley says, "We live in the prettiest country. Nothing can compare to what we see everyday."

All the riding we did was good for Jupiter. We worked on walking with others, standing and waiting until I said we could continue, crossing bridges, stepping over logs, and navigating over rocks, rocks, and more rocks. He got better every day. Shirley says he listens to me. I guess I have won enough battles of the will that we are forming a solid team bond. He does shy at silly stuff, but I don't expect him to be perfect--after all, I am definitely not. And of course, right or wrong, I still reward him with what he wants to do occasionally.

Keota also seemed to be enjoying his days on the trail. He didn't hesitate at the bridge; he never misstepped on the rocks; he didn't do anything to get yelled at all week (at least that I noticed). He was in the front, in the back, and even sometimes in the middle without worrying about Jupiter or Star being behind him. I think he did great. I love that he lopes along without any effort. I just wish I could see him do  his perfect jump again.

Both Buster and Star gave Shirley some sideways jigging. I am not sure why they got upset--we stayed pretty close together so Star couldn't worry where everyone was and why Buster acts up is always a mystery to me. Maybe he wants to be in front! When Lynn rides him, he gets a taste of being the leader and seeing everything first. Shirley rarely takes the lead, so maybe Buster is exerting his desire to be in front. Shirley was a little nervous in the rocks with Buster, but I reminded her that Star is the one that has slipped the most and Buster has only been sure-footed with her.

Ziggy must be in his defiant teenage years. He has been so good for so long, maybe he testing the waters--just like a kid. He got in trouble everyday. I don't think he will continue to test Lynn as much, since he really is "the good kid" who doesn't like being in trouble. (Maybe Jupiter, the true bad boy, makes fun of him in the field for wanting to please Lynn so much. Just like a bully who teases a good kid into being less compliant.) Anyway, he is such a sweet boy and Lynn thinks when he gets in trouble he stops thinking and makes more mistakes that cause him to be yelled at again. Once he figures out how to break that cycle, he won't get yelled at and everything will be good again. One funny thing I heard Lynn say was that he did his cartoon stretch-car-zoom over the curves coming down from Granite Lake; the visual is pretty funny. He's a lot of horse to be making hairpin turns. :)

Thankfully we only had bees twice (three times if you count that we went through one set two times). No one was really hurt--Ziva, Sammi, Jupiter, and Zigs got stung, but not badly. We got to see new country, albeit disappointing because the trail wasn't open, and we played around with the black tarp/trail trial crossing. Riding anywhere with my horse, my dog, and all our favorite equine, canine, and "peeps" works for me.

Thanks, Lynn, for being our tour director.

Sun, Rain, Time

A little rain, a little sunshine and a nice day to ride close to home. After the drenching the trees received yesterday, we knew we would be knocking water off on ourselves as we rode this morning. Shirley went into the doctor today because she was battling a couple of lines of itchiness across her neck, so it was just the nine of us. We drove up Hennessey in Alisa's pretty truck because Lynn was in trouble again--left the window down on Shirley's truck yesterday and the seat got wet.

When we first started off, it was Haley, me & Jupes, Lynn & Zigs, Sammi, Alisa & Keota, followed by Ziva, all in a line. Well I guess we stirred up a wasp's nest and Ziva got stung on the side. On the way back down, I forgot about it and just took the same trail as always. We were back in the same formation, only this time I guess we really stirred them up. Ziggy was bucking and upset and Lynn yelled back at Alisa to go another way. Zigs, Ziva, and Sammi all got stung. Thankfully Lynn, who is allergic did not. Ziggy has a puffy spot on his side and Ziva is swollen a little over her eye.

Besides hitting bees--today was a really nice day. All the horses listened and behaved. We worked on our trail trial tarp crossing again and we went all over on the back side of the mountain. It was a fun day. The sun came out and I am glad we have had the time to ride together each day.