Goodbye Mel

It had been a wonderful, blissful day away from social media and private messages as I celebrated my daughter's 1st birthday. Our families had gone home after dinner, the kids were down for the night. I sat down on the couch, winding down after a busy day and picked up my phone to catch up on missed messages. 

"I had to put Mel down today."  

I immediately called A and we cried together. 

A is one of my oldest friends, we met freshman year in high school during swim team practice and  quickly found out we shared a lot of similar interests. During our college years, we would do rent-a-horse trail rides and always said that if we both owned horses someday, we'd board together and trail ride everywhere. 

Many years later, our dreams came true....I found Quest and A found Mel. 

I remember my first ride on him all those years ago. A told me she found someone looking to rehome a mustang gelding and she wanted to get my opinion of him. We drove to the owner's barn. I got to test ride him in the arena and I ponied A as she rode him outside in the yard. He hadn't been ridden much and spent most of his 18+ some years a pasture ornament but he was sweet and steady, with not a mean bone in his body. 

Mel was exactly what A needed and exactly what I needed when I needed saddle time while Quest recovered and rehabbed from her suspensory. 

Most of the time he was happy to plod along. He did have his sassy moments, but those were very few and far in between.

Out on the trail, Mel was rock steady as the day was long. A and I boarded together for 2-3 years and we made the most of it when our schedules allowed. We did everything together. 

 

 

Rest in peace, Mel - you were a very good boy. 

Moving Along

Work and personal travel has kept me extremely busy and on the road nearly every other week which has lead to a lack of posting here but quite a few things on the horse-front have happened.

About a week ago, my TX horse adventure friend T had to put down her Icelandic pony Nickers due to colic. I was out of town on vacation with my husband in Boston at the time but was closely following T's posts for nearly 24 hours- at one point during the ordeal, it seemed like Nickers was doing better and going to pull though. When the final news broke, it was a total shock.

Goodbye, best ponybeast

Nickers was a tough, opinionated ponymare to ride but so rock-solid steady and a really fun trail parter. I got to experience my first tolt with her and discovered just how fun it was to ride a gaited horse. She will be sorely missed...

On a happier note, Quest and I have been doing well though and still enjoying lovely meanders in the arena and on the trail with the oddly suspicious lack of snow on the ground. I had brought all of my saddles home around Thanksgiving since I now have a secure and safe place to actually store things during the off-season so the only option was bareback. I've been using the pad that I DIY-ed when I first got Quest and it has been holding up just fine with no issues whatsoever. Mareface was so good despite the holiday hiatus during December and has kept on a nice weight.

There is a big change that will be happening in about a week or so but first off...I've decided to get rid of the farrier I had been using with Quest for nearly 2 years while we boarded at OF.

I work a full time 40hr/week, 9 to 5 job so a huge majority of time the farrier would show up at the barn and trim Quest while I was at the office. He text me an update, sometimes include a photo even and that system worked out really well until the past half year when I started to notice more and more that Quest's feet were still looking VERY long despite the fact she had been freshly "trimmed" and the clubfoot was impacting her general soundness.

When I contacted the farrier asking for an explanation, there were excuses why he didn't trim as much (or, one time he completely skipped trimming entirely and then failed to tell me??)....the ground was too hard, bruising could happen, there was ice, etc. The list of reasons went on until, one day I went to the barn and heartsick at the sight of my horse moving unhappily with her overgrown hooves I took out the rasp and and trimmed her myself to at least make her more comfortable.

Enough was enough. I'll be looking for another farrier  that can help us actually manage Quest's clubfoot. Fingers crossed that in a week's time, I'll have more options available and access to proficient hoofcare professionals soon.

Happy, content, sleepy mareface getting her head scratches

Ever Stronger

Life has been busy busy busy- nothing new there. Work has been keeping me on the road a lot (and giving me a ton of airline mileage lol) but whenever I do find myself back at home, I always make time for a ride. 

To her credit, Quest has been SO good despite the haphazard and sporadic ride schedule. It marvels me to no end that we can get right back to it regardless of the many days, sometimes nearly a week, going by between the last ride and now. Mareface still has her sassy moments obviously but those have been very few and far in between. Most of the time it's simple as tacking up, hopping on, and deciding what trail to explore together. 

Our rides have been 100% solo still (Mel is working through some feet issues and other folks at the barn are hard to coordinate with) but that's fine. Quest is very much okay with being by herself and eats up the trail happily. 

 

Last weekend I took L, one of the high school girls I mentor, out to the barn to meet and ride Quest. This was something we had planned since last year but due to circumstances (L tragically lost her brother in December and a few months later in May her dad also passed away), we didn't make it out to the barn until this weekend. 

We got an early start to escape the heat and had a great morning at the barn. L was eager to learn and help. After giving her a quick run-through of basic horse care and horse sense, I handed L a brush and she helped groom Quest while I tacked up. 

We headed to the indoor arena and I hopped on Quest first. Since I had been out of town all last week, it was a good mental check (and one that I normally do whenever I have guest riders) but  mareface was completely fine from the start. She was on her absolute best behavior and did so well for L the entire time. It was starting to get really warm in the indoor when we finished the riding lesson so we cooled off with a quick loop walk on the trails before heading back to untack, bathe, and stuff Quest with treats. After the barn, I treated L to lunch and we got ice cream for dessert before I dropped her off at home. L had a great time and it was just so good to see her smiling again. 

There's no denying that horses can do things for people that other humans can't though. In fact, I began riding because I needed something, anything to get me out of the mental state I was in. Even now, I go to the barn on a bad day and just spending time with Quest-the things that burdened me somehow seem to go away, even for a moment and that's sometimes all the reminder I need to make it through another day.  

Those reasons and more are why I realize how truly blessed that I resolved to learn how to ride and followed my gut instinct that day in August four years ago when I bought a certain mare sight unseen at a feedlot auction. I'm grateful that I can share Quest and my love of riding with those who otherwise would have not ever had the chance. Horse ownership is not without its challenges but this is one of the many reasons why I do what I do. 

Muckleratz CTR 2017

It has been two years but I finally made it back to Muckleratz CTR in PA for a weekend of camping and riding with great company and horses. How this came to be is a whirlwind of a tale, but I'm grateful this opportunity happened when I simply needed something positive horse-wise going on in my life.

Photo credit: Mike and Dom Turner

Two weeks ago while I was stressing over finding a vet to come check on Quest, my friend L sent me a text late one evening to ask if I was interested in riding Romeo at Muckleratz again. Older readers will remember that we first got paired up for my first ever CTR event back in 2015. At that point in time I had just started riding with barely 2 years of experience, but this was the event that sealed the deal that I wanted to do distance riding as a discipline.

Romeo's owner C had unfortunately injured her back recently but her horse was conditioned and ready to go. L gave me first dibs and said the ride on Sunday was mine if I wanted it. The entire thing was and felt super last minute. In the week leading up to the ride I would be out of town in TX doing training presentations for work. I'd then fly home Friday afternoon, leave for ride camp on Saturday morning, and do the ride on Sunday. It wasn't a whole lot of time to physically and mentally prepare myself. But after giving it some thought, I got that familiar nagging instinct feeling and it wouldn't go away. I told L to count me in. C called me a few days later and we were able to catch up. She was bummed about being injured but very excited that I would be taking Romeo out again.

Ride weekend started off a little ominously...My flight home on Friday ended up getting in almost 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time. Instead of a leisurely evening to unwind and relax, I barely had time to speed pack and load the car before making myself go to bed early. The weather forecast also called for rain and thunderstorms on Saturday so I glumly included extra sets of clothes and rainwear. It was supposed to clear up by Sunday but the trails could be sloppy and wet.

On Saturday morning, I stopped by OF to attend a boarders barn meeting and checked on/groomed the mareface. Quest is looking better and still full of herself. I spied her trotting in the upper pasture even. Long story short, the vet said the prognosis is good. I'll do a full update with thoughts and future plans after I have the vet out for a follow-up and I get a better idea of what we're dealing with. Please keep sending us good thoughts!

After the barn and a quick lunch, I got on the road. I made good time and pulled into ride camp 3 hours later. The Saturday ride had finished up and everyone was lounging around. I found where my group was set up and settled in with hellos and introductions. We sat around chatting until it was time to head up for dinner and the ride meeting.

I found Dom and her husband at dinner, or rather they found me haha I am glad Dom called my name when she did because my tired brain was barely functioning at that point. They were doing the ride pictures that weekend and it really nice to see them again. I also got to finally meet Herbie and Julio too! After the meeting, everyone went back to the trailers to sit around and talk but it got really cold as the hours waned. I was feeling exhausted and finally made my way to bed. L was kind enough to let me crash in the backseat of her truck so I had more room.

Having more room didn't necessarily mean it was more comfortable though. I only slept for a few hours at a time and woke up before my alarm on Sunday morning. At first light I got changed, grabbed breakfast, and started helping get the horses ready.

 Poor Romeo was still shivering through his blanket so after tacking up, we kept a cooler on him and walked until L and I got called to start. It was cold when the ride began but it soon warmed up. I had to shed my hoodie after about 3 miles in and somehow managed to cram it inside my hydration pack. L was in awe that my bag could still zip shut lol

Despite not having been at Muckleratz in two years, I still remembered the trail and the miles flew by quickly. Romeo and L's horse Jack train together so they worked well all day with zero issues.

The weather was unseasonably cool for this particular time of year so it was awhile before Romeo had to be sponged and tanked up on water. Everything was going well but I noticed that the poor guy would trip every so often, and it continued to happen probably about once a mile. C mentioned that he had been doing that on trail yesterday too so I didn't go flying off when it happened. It was a little worrisome but he was still moving out evenly and briskly.

At the halfway hold, Romeo pulsed down and trotted out with zero issues but he picked halfheartedly at his extensive food buffet. C gave me a water bottle holster full of carrots and instructions to feed as much as I could on the 2nd loop. The holster was totally empty by the time we arrived back at camp again for final trot out and vet in.

At the hands-on evaluation, Romeo only got 1.5 points off overall and we were sitting pretty with a 98.5/100, which was our reserve champion score from two years ago. However we got knocked 2.5 points during the trot out because Romeo didn't look as lively as he did that morning. He was sound but just did not have as much pep in his step at the end of the day. Our final score of 96/100 was still high enough to land us in top 10 though with satin and lots of neat goodies.

After talking it over with C, we both agreed that all the tripping on the trail did not help with the fatigue issue. Romeo probably spent a lot of mental energy trying to watch where he was going. While I made sure to steer us clear of big hazards, after two days of intense focus his energy level had to dwindle at some point. Romeo is also horse that never interfered or tripped in the past either, which speaks volumes about how he more than likely having an issue with his feet. C said that she would contact her farrier to have the problem fixed immediately. Hopefully with that addressed, the Grey Superbeast will be back to his usual awesome self.

Photo credit: Mike and Dom Turner

Despite the lack of downtime from the work week, I had a great time and actually left the ride feeling emotionally refreshed in some strange way. Perhaps it was because this entire thing fell into my lap at the very last minute and worked out for everyone involved. The fact that L and C thought of me first as a suitable catch rider is something that I am incredibly grateful and humbled by. For me personally, just being able to compete again was something I really needed at this point in my life. It's no secret that I have been looking forward to getting back in it with Quest. This latest setback has been tough...I know we will get over this in time, it is difficult not to scream in frustration at times.

While distance riding is filled with its own share of challenges and drama, I still look forward throwing myself right back into the fray. A day of trail riding with good horses, great people, and breathtaking views- what more could anyone want?

Birthday Mareface

Quest turned 13 this past Friday! We didn't really get a chance to celebrate properly last year since I couldn't do a 2 hour round trip after work during the middle of the week. I planned to amend that this year but a huge summer thunderstorm rolled in that night so the mare's birthday party got pushed to the next day.

Sometimes things happen for the better though. After the stormy night, the weather cleared up and was absolutely beautiful in the morning. Instead of doing the indoor arena session I had planned, Quest and I set off on a quick easy trail ride and threw in a couple of hill sprints just for kicks because I knew mareface liked to go fast.

After our short trail ride, we picked up A and Mel from the main arena and headed down to the lower arena to play party games. We have always done barrels on Quest's birthday and this year was no exception.

Two cavaletti blocks and a jump standard served handily as the barrels. A bit ghetto but it got the job done!

Both Quest and Mel got to run several times before we called it a day. Everyone headed back to the barn and mareface finally got her birthday cake! I whipped it up this morning before I left for the barn. I have been using the same recipe since Rori-days and it's always been a hit.

The timing of her birthday couldn't have been more perfect since this weekend is our last "vacation day". We are now T-minus 3 months to our first ever endurance event so we have to get back to training and getting that mileage in. There is so much that needs to be done before then- I'm excited yet nervous.

Promoting Insanity

Wow, January is a little more than half-way over and this is my first post of the year haha A lot has been going on since then though so you'll have to bare with me as I do a recap of sorts. I do hope you all have been getting some riding in despite the cold/snow/whatever inclement weather you have your respective region.

During the holidays, I was shuttered indoors with family most of the time but I did manage to sneak in some saddle time here and there. The Friday before NYE day, I met J at the barn to do a long trail ride and have her show me more new trails. Unfortunately about 10-15 minutes into the ride, we discovered that the gravel road accessing the trail head was completely frozen over and encased under a solid sheet of ice. I convinced J it was not worth risking injury and we turned around, carefully making our way back to the barn. A few vehicles passed us while we were navigating around the ice and my anxiety level immediately shot straight up...all I could picture in my mind was 5000lbs of metal crashing into my horse and me. Fortunately no such thing happened.

In stark contrast to the dirt roads, paved asphalt in my area of NJ is typically salted within an inch of its life during the winter and the roads were sparkling clean and ice-free. Itching to trail ride, J and I decided to go for a walk. When I half-leased Rori about 3 years ago, I had pre-emptively scouted out more places to take her to ride and stumbled upon a trailhead access point that was located on the side of a road and had always wanted to check it out. I did attempt to try the route once with Rori but she had zero interest and we didn't get far without an argument every single step away from the barn. It really wasn't enjoyable or fun for either of us so I didn't try too hard with her.

Quest, on the other hand, was totally game for an adventure and led the way as we walked through residential neighborhoods with J and Lucy. It was a quiet Friday morning with little to no road traffic (both mares were totally fine with vehicles passing them when there was traffic) so we took our time meandering along and stopping at our leisure along the way to explore potential locations for more trails.

We eventually reached the trailhead access and I was FINALLY able to "connect" the trails together after 3 years of wondering. The rest of the ride went without a hitch and both mares seemed to enjoyed themselves as well.

On NYE, A and I had a mutual friend's party to attend later in the afternoon so we did a quick arena ride. We got festive and dressed the ponies with polo wraps in their respective colors. I gifted A with the teal set for Christmas this past year. My friend M at KBTC gave me a set of purple two years ago and I had not yet tried them on Quest. She looked super cute though!

The weekend after snow was on the forecast but I wanted to fit in a trail ride before the weather got bad. I got Quest tacked up and we set out solo. The snow began falling about 10 minutes into the ride. Despite bundling up, I was still freezing but it was a ride nothing short of magical. We were lone observers in a quickly changing landscape of gray into white surrounded by the dreamlike lull of falling flakes.

I managed to hold out for almost an hour 30 minutes before it was just too cold to stay out any longer. I spent nearly as long thawing out afterward. My core and legs are fine but my hands and feet still get chilled. I have gloves and bought some wool socks a couple months ago and have been wearing them for colder temp rides but my feet still get cold. Maybe I need some fancy winter riding boots...On the other hand, mareface was fine the whole time and was all warm and snug in her blanket at the end of our adventure.

Yesterday I took a day off work to recoup from a cold I caught the past week while traveling on business. I was stuffy but not feverish AKA "still okay to go to the barn". I told myself it was because I had to deworm Quest (the boarders are responsible for administering at OF, staff does it for a fee if you don't get to it in time), I even wore jeans and sneakers to try and dissuade myself from riding...But the warmer (34 degree) weather beckoned me to hop on. I kept it simple and intended to only do a bareback arena rehab session ride. Of course seeing the bright sunlight made me want to venture outside, so then we hit the trails for a walk.

It was my first time doing a longer trail ride with Quest bareback and she was awesome; a little looky because the sunlight did cast some new, strange looking shadows all around but no spooks or antics. I made a point to ride up the back field to check on the trailer. The ghetto hitch cover is still hanging in there lol

All in all, a handful of good rides were had over the few weeks despite the weather and my health attempting to thwart the best laid plans. While I might have a FB reputation to uphold as the insane person that rides in every weather, I'm certainly looking forward to saying good riddance to winter!

2016 Recap

It's been a year of big lessons and decisions.

The year started off full of hope and excitement as I eagerly anticipated beginning my first year of LDs with my own horse. There was only one major snowstorm in January so Quest and I were able to make the most of the rail trails by WSS, braving the cold to condition for the upcoming season. As the weather turned from winter to spring, I began to gear us up for rides with new tack and purchased insurance for Quest a few weeks before our first CTR...Little did I know this would be the most important decision I would make all year. 

Mareface and I tackled our first distance ride event together as a team the last weekend in March. Quest took great care of herself metabolically, eating and drinking up a storm and was remarkably sane on the trails. However the sweetness of our first completion turned bittersweet when a mystery lameness was diagnosed as a front right suspensory injury a few days later. Ride plans for the rest of the year were scratched and our schedule was filled instead with shockwave treatments and handwalks. Unmanageable in a stall and small paddock, Quest was happiest in pasture with her herd. I took the chance and had her turned out 24/7, praying for no re-injury and that she would heal and rehabilitate in her own time.

While mareface recovered, I dealt with my own emotional setback. Feeling incredibly discouraged and defeated, I took a month-long hiatus June though July from blogging and social media to take time for myself and mentally reset. I did continue to ride during this time though and was very lucky to have friends willing to let me borrow their horses for some saddle time when I needed it most. I also tentatively made plans to catch ride later in the LD season with J’s horse, Dip but he became suddenly ill and had to be put down. It was a sad way to end summer.

In September, Quest returned to 100% soundness and we moved to OF the first weekend in October. The new barn was closer to home/work for me and it had the amenities I needed to begin Quest's undersaddle rehabilitation. Our first rides back were happily uneventful and even included a short solo trail outing. Mareface handled the reintroduction to light work very well and I signed us up for a walk-only hunter pace held at the barn. It was our first "competitive" event in 7-8 months and while we didn't win anything, I had the biggest smile on my face the entire morning.

I also took my first ever "horse vacation" that month and did a 15 mile trail ride at an endurance barn in Dallas, Texas. It was an amazing experience and I gained a new riding mentor as well.

As Quest got stronger, long slow distance was added into the rehab plan in November and we did our first long trail ride walking 11 miles. In the weeks following we did lots of solo walk-only trail rides as the weather allowed and at the end of the month, I added back the trot during our evening arena bareback rides.

The month of December was a continuation of adding more trot increments/time and more trail rides. My friend A moved her horse Mel to OF and we start pasture boarding in the same field. Around this time I invited my friend B to visit the barn. She had never ridden a horse before. Quest was her introduction to horseback riding and mareface was so patient with her newbie rider in the indoor arena. B had a great time that morning and wants to ride more; I would say that was an equine ambassador job well done!

Determined to end 2016 on a better note than it started, I decided to purchase a trailer to get Quest and me out exploring and conditioning next year. There's a lot that needs to happen before we can take advantage of our new found freedom but this is a huge milestone in my equestrian journey.

Looking back, I would say this has been the most trying year in my three years of doing this "horse thing". But to endure means to persevere through the good times and the bad. Quest and I had more than our fair share of bad times but we are getting through them, slowly but surely. Endurance is still our end goal but that will happen in due time. Now that I actually have my own trailer, we'll be tackling this sport at a pace that is appropriate for us without the rush and worry of matching other people's ride schedules.

There's no telling what next year will bring and there will likely be even more lessons to learn. No matter what happens though, we'll take each day as it comes and make the best of every moment. Here's to 2017.

Let It Go

I got in three rides with Smokey this week already and it has done wonders for my mental health. I'm happier and I feel more energetic despite stepping up my activity level. During my last yoga class I started relaxing earlier in the session; it usually takes me close to the entire hour to finally let go of distractions that play around the edge of my mind.

Relaxing is as natural as breathing when I am with horses though. On my first night working with Smokey, A suggested that I lunge him first. When I turned him out in the dustbowl, someone decided that he’d rather stick right by me instead of taking off. Capitalizing on the moment, I decided to do a quick liberty session with w/t, whoa, and back up. There were some sticky moments but overall Smokey was so very good and mirrored my every move. Clever boy…He might not be my Quest, but he’s certainly sneaky sneaking his way into my heart already. We finished the night with a great w/t/c bareback ride hanging out in the arena with A and T. It was the happiest I had been in a long time.

I purchased a navy saddle pad just for Smokey’s use earlier in the week from someone on FB and it arrived yesterday just in time for me try out. The weather was gorgeous and the trails were beckoning so we headed out with T and Nickers for a quick jaunt.

It was our first time out together and Smokey did fine. He got quick at points but it was never bad, just excitement at being out of the ring and moving along. We did w/t/c and he responded nicely to my requests to half halts. Being on the trail again riding with friends did me a world of good. I had no idea that I missed it so much. I feel very fortunate that I was the first choice when A and D were looking for someone to pick up rides on Smokey. I’m not sure how long the arrangement will last but I’m going to enjoy every moment now.

Tomorrow is Quest day. I’ll go to the barn early morning to give her some loving and do our handwalk. I feel guilty that my work schedule and the distance prevents me from taking a more active role in her rehabilitation and spending more time with her during the week. This mindset is totally classic me though- trying to change things that are out of my control. I’ve always been tough on myself and I don’t think that’s going to ever really change but I can work on moving forward and focusing on what I can do.

While Quest's injury has set us back quite a bit from our initial goal, as a wise friend recently said me “…this will be over before you know it and you'll be on the other side. You'll look back on this and it'll just be a blip in your adventure with her.”

And you know what, I totally believe every word of that.

3-Day Weekend

I randomly took this past Friday off since I had extra PTO days that were use-it-or-lose-it before the end of the calendar year. It's always around this time of year I start to feel run down and sluggish despite trying my hardest to keep up the energy. It's a vicious cycle though so this year I'm trying to do things differently by taking care of myself BEFORE the total burn out happens. What a novel idea.

My friends A and T also managed to get Friday off as well so we decided have a fun random adventure day and it was a blast! We met up at the barn bright and early, piled into T's car and first headed to Lakota Wolf Preserve to hang out with British Columbian, Timber, and Arctic wolves. I've wanted to visit this facility for the longest time ever. Wolves are one of my favorite animals and I actually got started in art/became popular in online art communities by drawing wolves years ago. I still find them quite inspirational and took a ton of photos that I will be basing some future paintings on.

It was early afternoon by the time we finished at the wolf preserve so we hustled our way out to our next stop. T is good friends with a lady named D who boards her horse at a barn that offers trail rides so we stopped by to visit and go for a ride. Having an insider helps because we got our pick of the horses they had. When D asked us what kind of horses we wanted, I asked for forward so they hooked me up with a gelding named Chester who was supposed to be their most forward-est horse in the barn. Spoiler alert: I did not get forward.

It was pretty much this the whole entire ride. The trail guide seemed genuinely surprised and pleased that "naughty and rowdy" Chester was lagging so far behind in the hack line. While albeit extremely slow, I was happy enough if he was content just to plod along if uppity fast was his norm.

Saturday morning was my mareface time. The sky was bright blue and sun was shining but the wind was gusting so strong that it was swaying the trees. I don't know if I am brave or stupid but I still saddled up for a trail ride regardless. Quest made it down the end of the road before deciding there was too much going on around her. I asked her to whoa, hopped off and lunged her in the field off the road to get her head back on me (...love riding with rope halters and yacht rope reins for this very reason). When she settled down, I handwalked her the rest of the way to the trailhead and mounted back up. The rest of the ride went mostly without incident. I stayed alert because the wind created a lot of spook-worthy things but Quest was fine once we started moving out and we were even able to do a few canter sets since the trails were totally deserted. It was really good to see that she is getting confident enough to pick her own pace as the terrain allows and felt balanced enough to canter along open fields. I also discovered that mareface has apparently never seen alpacas before. One of the barn properties by the trail had a whole herd of them and they all came right up to the fence to say hello. Quest wasn't too thrilled about that. I had her take a few steps toward them and then parked ourselves there until she figured it out. Don't think she is fully convinced that they don't eat horses though!

Yesterday I got a late start driving up to the barn since I met a few friends for lunch after church. There wasn't  be enough daylight to fit in a trail ride so I decided to do an arena session to revisit ground poles and introduce cavaletti. I tacked up with the treed saddle though used the snap-on headstall/rope halter and rope reins. Must remember to clean and bring the bridle and leather reins to the barn next time.

It was painfully obvious that we have not done any arena work in a long time because we were ALL over the place the first 10 minutes of the ride. It did NOT help that one of the neighbors decided that it was a fantastic time to begin shooting his gun. Between the messy, abysmal riding and the ringing gun fire at random moments, I seriously half-thought about hopping off and just calling it a day. But of course, we rode through it and I'm so glad we did.

We focused on transitions to regroup and once that was in place, we started the ground poles and then the cavaletti. Once Quest realized what we were doing, just like that everything clicked and we had so much fun zooming nimbly over and between ground poles until daylight ran out. I hopped off a few times to adjust the pattern and Quest stood quietly ground tied in the open pasture while I dragged poles and shoved cavalleti blocks around. At the end of the ride, mareface actually decided to hang out with me for awhile before heading back to the pasture after I untacked and dispensed treats. She has always been/might always be somewhat aloof but it's certainly nice to see more of her sweet side.

Best mareface <3

Pony Pool Day

No better way to escape the summer heat than a nice swim in the river! Since discovering the boat launch ramp and after a handful of visits to the river, A and I tossed around the idea of taking the horses for a real swim sometime during the summer. I had plans in the morning with family this past weekend so barn time was in the afternoon. Downside to being at the barn later in the day was the high noon heat and it was hot. Pool-weather hot.

So I texted A to bring her swimming stuff and down to the river we went with ponies in tow. The handwalk over was very warm and I definitely worked up a sweat. When we got to the water, no pretense spared as everyone waded right in.

Me and the ponies. The water came up to belly button height in the deepest sections.

The water was SO refreshing and the temperature was perfect. It was my first time taking Quest this deep into the river. She was totally fine and quickly figured out how much fun water can be. She stuck her face into it up to her eyeballs, blew bubbles, pawed, splashed. In the middle of one of Quest's pawing/splashing sprees, I splashed her back. I think she actually looked shocked and indignantly pouted at me for a moment before going back to splashing again haha

I was happy to see Quest's interest with water but her enthusiasm was annoying (not her fault) when the lead rope proved to be too short for her to do much without almost yanking me off my feet while sand sucked at my flip flops and I had to fish them back a couple times. After losing my shoes for the millionth time, I said "Screw it, I'm riding." I tied the lead rope on the halter into makeshift reins and scoped out a good place in the river to mount up. After some VERY careful position maneuvering in the water while making sure no toes were stepped on, I belly flopped on. I couldn't help but squeal aloud because I nearly slid back into the water from her slick back and my wet behind but somehow managed to swing myself up and over on the first try. I have only ridden Quest truly bareback- without a bareback pad- maybe twice since I've had her and she tensed for a moment and wiggled. I stayed on. She very quickly realized oh, this is fine and went back to exploring the water.

I was much happier not having to deal with the ouchy rocks on my feet and trying to keep my balance while managing a playful horse at the end of it. We spent a couple hours cooling off before heading back to the barn. I was still mounted up and decided to have my horse carry my lazy butt home. Quest was perfect and walked quietly all the way home with no antics. Good mare <3

Happy Birthday

Quest turns 11 today! She had a birthday celebration last night with her friends Nickers and Smokey playing party games ("step in the puddle" and "ghetto barrel racing") and enjoying homemade horse birthday cake. A good time was had by all :)

Taking a step back

I had an interesting ride on Quest yesterday. It was somewhat unplanned because I usually give her a day off in between sessions but T wanted to ride and asked me to come along. I've been having a rough couple of days at home due to a family emergency this past weekend so going to the barn seemed like a better choice than staying home.  Since it was just the two of us, we planned to do a longer trail ride and get in more trotting. Quest’s halter was off when I went to go fetch her from her stall….big hint that she did NOT get turned out during the day. She stood nice in the cross-ties though so I went ahead with grooming and tacked up.

Mounted up, Quest moved out eagerly when I pointed her at the trail and took the lead though albeit she felt all over the place.  When I asked her to move out at the trot though, she settled into her groove though it was not as nice as I know it could be. We kept leaving T and her Icelandic pony Nickers behind with the big trot though so we kept mostly at a walk. Which Quest took to mean “stop completely” and balked at the most random things.

I asked T if she would mind taking the lead for a bit while I gave Quest a mental break. When we trail ride with A and Smokey, she usually requests Quest and I to lead since she is less confident. Quest has risen to the occasion every single time and done so very well so far but bottom line, she is still VERY new to it all.  I had a gut feeling that all the leading on the trails the past couple of weeks was totally frying her brain. Once Nickers took the lead, the change in Quest’s demeanor was immediate. She relaxed and I could sense the high alert tension slowly ebb away. We then did lots of nice trot sets and confirmed that Quest can rate with quite well with another horse in front of her; no problems with transitions up or down either. We only had one nerve-wracking moment when Nickers suddenly shied sideways and back from something in the brush and nearly ran into Quest and me. Thankfully athletic mareface scooted away just in time so there was no collision and no one was hurt!  

Quest was much more eager to lead the way home so I let her move out a few stretches before requesting T to take the lead. We did some leapfrogging exercises, mostly for Quest's benefit to work on staying at the walk while Nickers trotted past and ahead. It was challenging for her but we ended on a very good note. We rode past the barn with no arguments about heading back and Quest trotted up compliantly when I asked so we could close up the gate for the night.

Overall the ride wasn’t full of highlights but it brings up important things for me to think about. It did bother me at first that Quest balked at some things/places that never used to concern her much and we had more conversations on this ride compared to others. The trail we did was not new to her; in fact it was the same exact one we did during our 6-mile solo ride a week ago. However looking back on the miles we did over the past couple of weeks, it could be her way of telling me that she needed a break. And to be honest, I’m tired as well…being the lead rider on a trail ride isn’t easy either! 

We had a bunch of amazing rides lately so I’m not surprised that we’ve hit a low point. Yesterday was a good reminder that endurance riding is not just about training just to get the mileage and completion. It’s about training a horse to finish sound and fit to continue.  I personally believe “fit to continue” includes being mentally fit. 

Quest is so athletic that I think it is easy for me to overestimate and overlook her mental fitness at times. I see so much potential and am so excited to try new things with her that it puts me at risk of frying her brain out. Being a new horse owner, I am bound to make mistakes though I never want to make them at the cost of hurting my horse. And fortunately for me, Quest told me in her way that she wasn’t mentally ready for more and she did it without putting me or anyone else in danger. 

The safest and healthiest thing to do now is to take a step back and mix our rides up with arena rides to work on equitation, play with ground poles/obstacle training/barrels, bum around bareback, and continue desensitizing. Trail rides will still happen but approached in a different manner. One thing is for certain about horses, you really don't ever stop learning!

Water Water Everywhere

So during our last solo trail ride, I found out very quickly that Quest seems to have an extreme dislike for water in any shape or form on the trail. I was nearly unseated a couple times from her creative shoulder dips and dodging to avoid getting her feet wet. This aversion does not bode well for us in our future discipline so it was time for some groundwork.

Outfitted the mareface with the rope halter and training lead, we set out Friday evening with A and Smokey in tow to go find some "fun" obstacles to work with. Lo and behold less than five minutes into the trek, we came upon a huge puddle on the trail that was perfect for our purposes- it was shallow yet wide enough to make evasions hard but with enough room to work safely.

Quest is inquisitive and curious by nature which made approaching the puddle no problem but when I tried to lead her though, she daintily side stepped her way around it. Alrighty then. Lunge whip in one hand and lead rope in the other, I clucked and sent her forward into the water. She investigated it with no problem but then cut in closer to me to avoid the puddle and zoomed around at a trot. I growled and reminded her to stay out of my space. With each zoom around, her feet landed closer and closer to the puddle as I continued to push her out until finally, one foot landed in the edge of the water. "Good girl!" I praised. I kept sending her forward and around. Two feet splashed into the water. "Very good!"

Then all four feet, straight through the puddle, no cut corners. Good mare! I asked for a whoa to give her a break and rub on the forehead. Then back to work. Then change in direction and repeat on the other side. No problems there. I sent her though the puddle a couple times in both directions just to make sure. NBD. I think the whole thing took less than 10 minutes.

Ending on that good note, we continued on our handwalk and headed towards the river boat launch. We made our way down the large gravel stone slope which opened up into a decently sized beach stretch of river rocks and mud. I was very pleased to see that my initial observations were correct; the water was clear and shallow near the shore which was ideal for introducing Quest to the water. Since I have no idea what her experience with rivers/large bodies of water was in the past, I decided to treat it as something she's never seen before. I let Quest explore the water at her leisure first, letting her sniff and meander.

She was curious yet cautious but pretty soon she realized the river wasn't actually going to eat her. When she got more comfortable and confident, I encouraged her to step closer and sent her into the water. I had changed into my rain boots at this point (very glad I brought them along) and was able to wade in at her side. And then the play began.

We spent most of our time that evening letting the horses hang out by the water. It was a very relaxing end to a work week but it grew late and we had to head back before the barn closed.

The next day we did a nice trail ride in which I got to put Quest's newly discovered puddle crossing skills to the test undersaddle. While she was still not totally thrilled about it, only a couple seconds of convincing was needed to walk through everything I pointed her at. It was a definite improvement from pre-puddle groundwork.

A and I did about 1/3 of the south rail trail and added on the lake loop instead. It was our first time out there since last fall and Quest's first time leading the way. The lake trail is very pretty with great views but there is one section towards the end that can be a little nerve-wracking since it requires taking a narrow trail along a very busy road that exits from local state highway.

Quest jigged a couple steps forward when a dump truck thumped past with a full load but I was quickly able to get her back down to a walk. While she still had her worry moments, it was 100% noted night and day difference in her mental maturity. She used to jig horribly, to the point where I can pick out the exact spots where she used to start and did not stop, until we were more than halfway home. Now it only lasts a couple of steps and she comes right back down to a walk, while leading the trail ride to boot.

All in all, a successful ride around the lake, leading the ride, and crossing puddles. I'm so very happy with the mareface's progress so far. We have made big strides in getting over her mehness about water and just seeing how she has mentally matured is very encouraging. Let's hope the positive momentum continues!

Summer Welcome

Work has been keeping me on the road a whole lot lately. I don’t think I’ve been home for more than 2 days in a row the past couple of weeks! I arrived home Friday afternoon after a 3 hour drive and I really wanted nothing more but to relax with a ride.  I took care of a few work things before the weekend, got changed, and was soon on my way up to the barn.

Quest seemed to realize that I really needed a low-key day. She was sweet as can be while lunging at liberty in the round pen and stood quietly in the cross-ties as I tacked her up with the bareback pad and bitless rope bridle.  The flies are getting pretty bad so we rode in the dustbowl. It was a warm Friday afternoon and the BO’s kid and his friends were using their below-ground pool which was literally 50 feet away from the arena. It was the first time I have ever seen anyone use that pool so the first cannonball splash rightfully unnerved Quest a little but it was just a tiny spook in place. I looked straight ahead and kept her moving. In no time she was plodding along without concern despite all the splashing and pool chaos next door. We moved up into some trotting and she offered me the nicest western pleasure jog from the get go. Quest can obviously do a much faster and longer trot stride but it’s so interesting to note how she defaults into that nice jog when I ask for trot while riding bareback (and usually stays at speed until I ask for more or less). I think a big part of it could be the fact that taking away the saddle and stirrups allow me to really sink weight into my heels and sit deep and up which could be a button previously installed back in her western pleasure days.  Whatever it is, Quest’s jog has helped my sitting trot come along light years from when I first started. 

The day after, Quest and I explored more new trails with our usual adventure partners.  Since conquering the rail trail south, I have been itching to see what the rail trails north were like and if they could be incorporated for overall loop mileage. So after tacking up, we headed north along the old rail tracks and I was pretty pleased with what we found for the most part. The ATVs do a decent job of keeping the trails marked and wide enough to follow BUT there were some harrowing moments where trees were definitely at decapitation height. I was super glad for my English saddle because I was able to skirt under offending branches with relative ease. A wasn't as lucky with her western saddle and nearly got scraped off in a few instances so we're going to go back and do some brush clearing in a few areas before attempting to ride through again.

The mareface led the way 90% of the time and did super. We had to cross the abandoned rail road tracks a few times and while she did hesitate at first, Quest willingly crossed first each time.  I'm relieved to notice that she is quite careful with where she puts her feet and picks her way around challenging terrain.  There were a few instances where the trail was eroded in certain areas with exposed precarious footing and she was as surefooted as a mountain goat. 

Asides from all the neat trails, the biggest discovery by far was stumbling upon an old boat launch area with access to the river and is shallow and open enough to safely work with the horses. It is much better location than the first place we found in the forest the week before. Miss Half-Desert Horse is rather meh about our discovery though and doesn't seem to like large bodies of water at the moment.

It'll likely take some convincing since we ended up having quite a conversation about even 

approaching it. While we ended a good note, I realized in hindsight that she probably really needed a mental break from leading on the trails.  I asked A to have Smokey take point while we chilled in the back- it was very short lived but we were already close enough to home for her to get that mental respite. Both horses were slick with sweat when we got back to the barn so they got untacked and bathed. We hand grazed them while they finished drying out and I managed to snag a turn out pen to give Quest a couple more hours outside. All in all, another very good ride and another step forward in gaining some training trail mileage.

Tough Mudder: Horse Edition

Determined to get more mileage into our rides, Quest and I explored some new trails this past weekend. We’ve been doing short 3-mile jaunts multiple times during week evenings with no issue and minimal effort. It was time to add on more miles. Still unable to find an endurance local willing to help trailer us out, I have been scouring maps to get creative with what trails we do have access to.

I was fortunate enough to wrangle A to come along for the adventure. It was a lazy Saturday and we took our time getting the horses groomed and ready. Finally tacked up, we decided to hit the trails heading toward the big barn before doing the route I had originally planned. Quest led the way with a brisk trot though the forest, weaving through the trees. She was incredibly surefooted and had happy ears the whole way. We calmly went back to a walk when we left the forest and came into the clearing, I had a huge grin from ear to ear. I can't wait to do a real ride with this mare.

While riding the usual route, we noticed a faint path that led into the forest and randomly what the hell, let's go bushwhacking. Despite initial appearances, the trail was actually decently marked by ATVs so we simply followed their tracks. After riding for several minutes, we were delighted to stumble upon an opening in the trees that gave way to a sandy bank with access to the river. Swimming will so be happening this summer. We continued to wind our way through the forest, following the ATV tracks. Quest was leading and I continually kept my eyes open for sharp objects or deep holes. There were a few hoofprints along the way which helped reassure me that it was safe for horse passage. After awhile, I began to notice that the tracks were sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. The plant life around us started to change too- the deciduous trees became plants reminiscent of a marsh or bog. I mentioned this to A and was about to suggest turning around when I suddenly felt Quest’s hind end sink down. Next thing I knew we were in thick, knee-high mud. Not good. 

Quest began lunging forward to try and get out of the bog, her hooves flailing and flinging mud everywhere. I was still mounted and couldn't get a good look at what was happening but it probably looked something like this:

Pretty accurate.

Searching for a way out, I quickly glanced behind me and saw that A and Smokey had followed us in and he was also trying to climb out. Turning around was not an option so the only way was forward. As I attempted to steer Quest towards higher ground, I half-thought about dismounting but there was the risk that Quest could lunge on top of me in her haste. However when her flinging started putting us dangerously close to a half-mud sunken tree trunk, I decided I didn’t really want her falling with me on her or getting scraped off by the tree. I emergency dismounted and immediately sank past my ankles in the mud. No wonder the horses got freaked out. From the ground, I was able to reassure and lead Quest to safety. “Hey I’m here, I’m right here.” I said over and over again. Her wild flinging felt less erratic and we were able to clamber up to higher ground. Finally safe, we stood together on the bank for a moment, adrenaline coursing through from exertion and nerves. I immediately checked Quest all over. Her knees and hocks were completely caked with dark mud. It was enough bushwhacking for one day. A and I led the horses on foot back towards the main trail where we continued our ride, trying to put together what actually happened. The entire thing had probably lasted less than a minute but it felt much longer than that. We were both grateful the horses behaved through it all and so very lucky the mud wasn’t deeper than it was. Definitely made mental note to not to go back there and warn other riders to stay out.

Asides from all the mud, Quest was none worse for the wear- in fact she was game for more trails. As we approached the barn, she marched on past the gate. I had to laugh to myself- mud incident or not, there is no stopping this mare. We continued walking along the trail and past the turn off for the lake. We kept going, and going, and going until we ran out of trail and had to double back. Much of the trail was 100% new to us both and Quest led the way probably about 90% of the time. We walked for the most part but whenever I asked for trot, mareface was happy to oblige.We stopped to let the horses graze a few times along the trail.

We worked on some trail skills, like being passed and allowing Smokey and A to trot ahead at a faster gait while we maintained a walk. Quest still gets annoyed about being left behind but single-rein stops addressed that. The majority of the ride I was able to ride with one hand on the reins and on the buckle as she powered steadily forward without me nagging at her.

The trail intersected several busy streets downtown so I hopped off each time to lead everyone across on foot. Quest followed politely and didn’t have any issues with me parking her next to a rail tie to mount back up. In fact none of the random objects I used each time to get back on ever bothered her. She’s really getting tons better about standing still and letting me mount up while out on the trail; such a huge noticeable difference from how she was back in November. The busy road traffic isn't bothering her quite as much any more either. It's just so awesome to see these tiny changes in her demeanor.

We got in a little over 6 miles which was totally respectable for a hot and humid day. A and I immediately stripped tack and bathed the horses when we got to the barn. I felt Quest's legs for heat or swelling and she was fortunately moving just fine. We let the horses handgraze while they dried out. The mud incident was definitely pretty scary but mareface didn't let it faze her at all, instead she was still game to continue on the ride and had plenty of go left in the engine at the end. I'm seriously glad she kept her space from me despite how crazy things got because it could have been pretty bad otherwise!

Easter Photoshoot

I'm very lucky to have talented friends who know photography. T gifted me with a photoshoot for Christmas last year and it finally got nice enough to actually do pictures last week. Things are still really dead looking here but at least there's no snow on the ground, right?

It was my first time free lunging Quest in the upper arena so I was like oh boy, see you never mare. But she was listening and T got a ton of lovely pictures at various gaits, and she came right to me at the end. Quest surprised us both with some jumping on her own and went over the logs several times. She looked like she was having fun and enjoyed it, which bodes well for us and our spring project.

Food for thought: Groundview

Last night's rough plan was to do a couple of the early exercises from the 101 Jumping book after lunging and groundwork. J and Nutmeg were already in the arena so being limited on space, we did the best we could. The early patterns in the book have a heavy focus on flat work with a ground pole or two thrown in. I appreciate the focus on good flat work, and while the patterns are incredibly simple they demand that a lot of the foundations be in place. While we nailed going over the pole at a steady pace at walk and trot, we need to work on getting our circles even more round. To help with that, I'm going to place a cone in the center so I have something to visually orient ourselves at first while we practice.

After patterns, I did a couple laps of cantering with Quest. J had been watching us for awhile and gushed over how comfortable she looked. I grinned and said, "You can hop on her if you'd like." "CAN I REALLY?" I got off and handed the reins over. I stood in the center with Nutmeg while I watched J work with my horse. J has taught lessons for years and she helped owned a horse ranch trail ride business at one point in her life. I knew Quest would be in good hands. I watched J put Quest through her paces- transitions, walk, trot, canter, circles, etc. It was interesting to see how my mare responded with someone different on board.

J had a huge grin on her face at the end and I was so happy to have someone else enjoy her as much as I did. She also gave me a couple pointers to think about:

• Setting Quest up better for canter departures- This is something I really need to get more consistent about. When I set Quest up correctly, she feels great, balanced, and forward with that slight bend to the inside. When I don't, Quest shows her displeasure quite visibly with resistance though being the awesome mare that she is, she complies but everything feels all over the place. A big part of this is my new-ness to riding but I shouldn't forget that I am a RIDER and NOT a passenger. 
• More rein contact- I prefer to ride with loose reins and light hands and while there is nothing entirely wrong with that, I understand the need to fine-tune that balance where there is some contact to support and communicate. Like canter departures, I've had my good and bad moments. If I do it right, it's most telling at the canter and I feel her balance nicely in my hands. The best visual analogy I've been able to find (I'm a very visual person when it comes to learning) was a shopping cart rolling on a slight downhill. The amount of weight should feel similar to that. 

I got back on one more after J hopped off to give her suggestions a try and while work is needed, I could start to feel a difference. The issue is not ignorance, it is consistency. I'm happy that I've been learning as fast as I have been but last night was a good reminder that I can't get complacent. I'm going to take these suggestions to heart and work on them during the winter on my own. Once the weather gets nicer, we're going to sign up for those lessons! Having a trainer on the ground will help us tremendously; it's the least I can do by becoming a better educated and fair rider.

Reunion

I stopped by to visit Aurora this past weekend. It's been a month since we last saw each other and to be honest, I wasn't sure how she'd react. When I arrived, she was standing on the opposite end of the pasture grazing with Gigi (who is also an OTT Standardbred mare!) across the fence. I called to her from the gate. For a moment I thought she decided to ignore me, then suddenly she lifted her head and BEE LINED across the field to where I was.

I miss her so much. Not sure if its coincidence or not, but her owner just listed up her for adoption/sale this past weekend too. I hope she lands somewhere safe, happy, and loved.