Dollar Store Desensitizing

What was supposed to be my first off-property trailer adventure with Quest got completely drowned out by unending torrential rains this weekend. It was disappointing but we made the most of a dreary, cold, and wet situation by doing some desensitizing work in the indoor arena instead.

Before going to the barn, A and I stopped by the local dollar store to see what they had in stock and found LOTS of stuff to work with. There is much to be found and utilized if you look carefully and think creatively enough!

Unsurprisingly the barn was totally deserted when we pulled in. I admit it was pretty miserable walking through the pasture in the rain and I questioned my sanity for a moment. But the weather did effectively deter the usual weekend boarders from coming out so A and I had the entire indoor to ourselves the entire time we were there. Poor Quest was shivering from the cold rain and wind though so I immediately got the cooler on her once we were in the arena and set aside her rain sheet for later. While mareface dried off and warmed up, we started working our way through the new toys.

The umbrella was the first item up and it caused quite a bit of concern at first. Even just opening and closing it caused Quest to scoot away with snorting and nostrils flaring. She still wasn't 100% happy with it at the end but she was much more brave and stood quietly while I opened and closed it, twirled it around, and waved it above her head. 

As I moved on to the other objects, it was really neat to observe how it took progressively less and less time for Quest to get over her initial concern. Her reactions at the very worse were to move her feet and evade the offending object but she eventually figured the game out.

I tried to up the scare-factor as much as possible by doing things like draping and running the flag over her ears and eyes, bumping her between the legs with the pool noodles, etc. While my antics worked handily at first, Quest caught on and  soon quietly stood, resigned to her tortured fate.

Towards the end I could tell the marebrain and her attention were starting to fry- the bouncing inflatable beach ball and popping balloons finally did her in, so we called it a day. A and I let the horses go blow off some steam and get a cardio workout. For obvious reasons, it was the first time in awhile that I free lunged Quest. She was definitely feeling good though and looked happy for the chance to finally move out. 

All in all, it was a nice break from riding to do something a little different, plus it's always beneficial to spend some time on the ground for things like this. And thank goodness for dollar store items that can be repurposed for horse-use too; no harm, no foul if something gets destroyed/trampled/stepped on. 

Anyways fingers crossed we have better luck weather-wise in the upcoming weekends though and I actually manage to rent the truck (a different story for another time) so we can get out for some trails. If not, I think I found a few more locations to explore which could be used for actual distance training (e.g.; +15 miles). I am really hoping that is the case- it'd be great to be able to condition right from the barn and put the money saved towards attending more rides. One could dare to hope!

Celebrating the Little Stuff

From Day 1, Quest had never given me any issue with trailer loading. I still mostly have no idea what her 3-4 previous owners did with her but in the handful of times we have had to hit the road, I had deemed it safe to say trailers were NBD for her. Quest was always a model citizen and unquestioningly followed me into every trailer put in front of her, regardless of configuration. Step up, ramp load, 2 horse, 3 horse, straight load, slant load, first one on, last one on...She did it all without hesitation.

So when I bought my little stock trailer, I didn't think what I got specifically would matter all that much as long it was safe, solid, and tall enough. After all, a trailer is a trailer.

Well, the first time I tried loading Quest up on the trailer, she balked. She got two front feet on and and would not budge another step. I eventually got her completely loaded up in the end but we needed an extra hand to get it done. Her reaction totally surprised me though. This was first, and not a good one.

I immediately wondered if it was something having to do with the trailer itself but a quick mental run-down came up with nil. It wasn't too small (TB height), too dark (hello stock trailer), or unstable (floors and frame all good). Whatever it was though, this snafu did make me realize that I had to have the mareface pretty much as close to self-loading as possible since I'll more than likely be hauling out solo to train and attend rides. And to be honest, I didn't really want to haul off property if I couldn't get my horse consistently loaded every single time. IMO a trailhead or an endurance ride isn't exactly the best time or place for this kind of training.

So for the past couple weeks, we have been working on loading practice before our arena and trail rides. The first sessions were rough and progress was very slow since I had to first figure out what did NOT work for us. It really didn't help that Quest was surrounded by what essentially was an all-you-can-eat salad buffet; I spent most of the first sessions working on getting and keeping her attention on me.

I also quickly found out she has never been taught how to self-load. As this was something completely new to both of us, it gave me a chance to observe how Quest processes and figured something out from start to finish. While she starts off doubting and trying to escape pressure very dramatically (in typical mareface fashion...le sigh), she has a ton of try and quickly gets the hang of something if I figure out MY job first. The latter was hardest for me since I had to try a ton of different methods before finally finding something that worked for both of us.

She questioned me hard at first but suddenly everything clicked into place. We solo loaded up about 5-6 times in a short 15 minutes earlier this week. And yesterday we finally did a real 100% self-load with no tricks or treats.

Got herself little tangled in the lead rope while tied to the trailer.
Oops...NBD though. 

We did it twice again to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and it wasn't. It might seem silly to get this excited over something so small but I'm relieved we got this figured out. I admit I worried at first because not being able to solo load would have put a big wrench in our endurance plans and being independent. The fact that Quest can self-load is the cherry on top and putting in the time now to do it right will make it much easier and safer for all involved in the future. It was learning experience for both of us, especially for me. Next stop, off-property trail ride adventures!

Chasing Daylight

Working regular weekday hours is both a blessing and a curse. I am grateful for my job, don’t get me wrong, but it’s always a race against time to fit in trail rides during the week until we get more daylight hours.

While I can (and have) tack up super quickly, I prefer a moderate pace so I don’t mindlessly miss something, plus grooming is a great time to run my hands over Quest for a full body check. Mareface got through winter in decent shape but there has been a bit of feeding time drama with A’s mustang gelding Mel. The horses are fed apart from each other but they are loose in the field. Quest eats SUPER slow, like she really enjoys taking her time with meals. Mel, on the other hand, inhales his food in minutes. He’s a big drafty-built boy and often uses that to his advantage for extra helpings.

Fortunately Quest has since learned to stand up for herself but I can tell she’s still not getting her full portion. Right now she’s a 4 or moderately thin on the body condition scale which isn’t horrible but since we’re going to be stepping up the conditioning intensity and increasing energy output soon, I really like her to have more reserves before we start hitting the trails hard. I’ve talked with the barn staff to make the needed gradual feed adjustments to up the energy intake so hopefully that will make a good difference. Also of note is the fact that their back pasture has been completely closed off to the horses since the beginning of winter to allow it to rest. It’ll be opened later in a month or so though so there will be a fresh forage for them.

As for rides, I got in two back-to-back sessions this week. I was feeling pretty crummy earlier in the week so as it happened there were two sessions one after the other. Even though our rides aren’t super intense yet, I usually like to put a rest day in between to let a mareface be a horse and do horse things.

Earlier this week, it had been raining a ton the past few days so I was keeping a close eye on the forecast. Luckily the weather cleared up by the time I left work so I decided to head out to the barn. I got Quest groomed and tacked up in the pasture, it was gray and extremely foggy out but at least the skies remained rain-free. In case of bad weather, we are allowed use the aisle and cross ties in one of the barns to tack up but I’ve never done it yet since all of my stuff is up by the pasture.

I made sure to strap on my helmet headlight before I mounted up and we set off for a quick trail speed workout. The rains kept the dirt roads clear and gravel free so we were able to get right to trotting once the pavement ended. We got in a respectable 1.5 mile at the trot and canter before we ran out of trail and it got a bit too dark for my comfort.

The sky was looking very ominous as we headed back to the barn at a meandering walk and right when we got within earshot of the indoor arena doorway, the rain started coming down in earnest. The arena was completely empty though (I guess no one is crazy like I am...) so the plan was to do a short cardio session and cool down while we waited for the rain to slow down enough for us to trek back to her pasture. This entire time the drumming of the rain hitting the aluminum roof provided a steady gentle rumble in the background. It was a bit more noisy than what we were used to but it was manageable.

We had just settled into a nice working rhythm when suddenly the rain picked up in monsoon-hurricane level intensity. In a split second, a gentle rumble turned into an ear-deafening roar that echoed and reverberated through the entire empty arena. I couldn't hear myself think.

Poor Quest had no idea what just happened and lost her brain for a moment. She scooted her feet, trying to escape the noise that surrounded us and when she found no reprieve (obviously), she worried more and kept scooting.

I allowed her to move but directed the motion into a circle. It was a madly whirling circle at first but as her brain came back to me, I was able to gradually apply my single-rein stop/emergency brake and slow her to a stop. Entire time I kept my hand on her neck and spoke to her with low quiet easys. At some point I also took my feet out of the stirrups for an emergency dismount just in case Quest decided to go up or escalate her reaction. She did neither but when she did stop moving, I still opted to jump off just in case the rain picked up again and someone felt the need to lose her brain again.

The rain was still thundering loudly but it was nowhere near the ear-deafening roar that had happened a minute ago. While not freaking out, Quest was still extremely distracted so I took advantage of the situation and did some basic groundwork to get her attention back on me- Sending her to either side of me, backup, forward, whoa, turns on fore and haunches. Once I had her dialed into me, I asked her to join up and she happily came in. I had couple treats in my pocket that I use for rewarding positive behavior on the trail; I was very glad I had them with me in this instance.

When the rain finally died down to something more manageable, I closed up the arena and we calmly walked back to her pasture to untack and call it a night. In hindsight, I honestly can’t fault Quest for how she reacted because the sudden noise took even me by surprise. I had to scramble for a bit to get my bearings but I’m glad I was able to turn it into a positive training opportunity in the end. And if I had to choose, I’d much rather go through all of this drama at home first rather than away at a trailhead or an endurance ride. Home is where we do the hard work!

Ready, Set...

Moving forward slowly is better than no motion at all, right? With winter (hopefully) finally relinquishing its grasp on NJ, I've been steadily getting the trailer ready for hauling.

This was seriously an ordeal in it of itself. I double checked with the trailer's former owner S, who I still keep in contact with via FB and text, that I had everything I needed before I set off for the DMV/MVC. It's a 30-35 min one way drive so I really didn't want forget something and have to drive all the way back home for a piece of paperwork. 

I was flying out for vacation later in the afternoon but still took the whole day off so I'd have plenty of time to go register the trailer in the morning. I figured that since it was a week day, the lines in the office would be not as crazy and I could zip in, pay for the plates, and get to the barn with ample time for a quick ride with Quest before heading out to the airport. Well when I got to the DMV, the guy behind the counter said I was missing the seller's notarized form for a non-titled vehicle...despite having the official trailer title in hand?? Ugh. 

I texted S to fill her in on the situation. Fortunately for me/unfortunately for her, she had been called to do a random drug screening test for work and she was at a state dept office that had a in-house public notary. Once I got the address from S, I made my way over to her and soon got the form signed and notarized to register the trailer.

I also stopped by S's work place to pick up the mats that she had forgot to include when dropping off the trailer at the barn.

So now I have a bunch of ready-cut trailer mats that I need to figure out 1) how they were meant to fit together in the trailer, and 2) how to attach them to the walls. I really don't want to rivet/put holes in anything so I'm looking for an industrial strength adhesive. Tbh I could haul out without the mats on the walls? But I was thinking it'd be smart move to proactively protect my investment if possible. So if any fellow trailer owners have suggestions on how to tackle this, I'm all ears!

Anyways after attaching the new plates to the trailer and unloading all the mats from the car, I had barely enough time to groom and tack up the mareface for a super quick ride. We had a really nice w/t/c cardio session in the indoor and a leisurely wander walk outside.  

This past weekend was the start of the distance riding season for a lot of riders on the East Coast. With Quest officially done with rehab and staying 100% sound throughout the process, I have been optimistically thinking about legging her up for LD/CTR rides later this year in the fall. While I think mareface will probably be ready way before then due to all the long slow distance we had been doing for months during rehab, the slow start is intentionally giving me the time to practice driving a rig empty at first for the basic parking, backing up, etc.

Next will be hauling out for short local adventures to explore trails while scouting out places that will be good for training. Hopefully by the time the LD/CTRs roll around in the fall, I'll be more comfortable with doing longer (2-3hr) hauls on my own.  

As for training for the rides themselves, the first few events I've picked out are ones located in areas I've ridden myself so at least one tiny part of the unknown is addressed. While rehabbing, I rode Quest on a wide variety of surface conditions found at the barn, from pavement and arena sand to rolling grass hills and forest trails. While sand still scares the effin hell out of me, I have to remind myself that we had a huge footing disadvantage while at WSS a year ago because we only got to work on grass and gravel rail trails. In stark contrast, OF has a great sand arena which we have access to year-round and, after chatting with some FB distance riding folks, the footing is hugely reminiscent of the Pine Barrens. 

Another thing is silencing the ugly little voice inside my head that questions my ability to manage my horse properly. While I know a lot of people in the distance riding community, not all of them have time (or desire, as I found out indirectly) to share tips with a newbie. I've tried contacting AERC listed mentors but so far nothing  has come of it. Unsurprisingly and as with anything, I'll probably have to do my own research and develop my own training schedule. 

Anyways that's the game plan for now. I'm excited and a bit nervous to see what this year will bring. It's been a long difficult road making this endurance thing a reality but we're another tiny step closer to it. Hopefully having a trailer now will provide the freedom that I've always wanted and not just more stress! 

Damp & Dreary

Despite the wind and rain, we ride!

Quest and I got in a solid 12 miles this weekend. I woke up Saturday morning and wanted to laze in bed forever after an exhausting work week but I remembered how this time last year we were buried in nearly a foot of snow and ice. With snow expected THIS week, I knew I’d be kicking myself if I missed what may be my last chance to ride on non-frozen solid trails.

J and B had traveled down to Florida earlier in the week to ride in a FEI 1* endurance ride which left me very much alone at the barn. When I arrived, there was the backhoe parked by our normal tacking area next to a giant hole I presume it had been working on. I fetched mareface from the pasture and got her ready in a different part of the paddock. She could have cared less about the giant holes and heavy machinery. Good mare.

Because of the wet footing from the rain and a near slip & fall we had on pavement months ago, I have been handwalking her the first 1/2 mile down the road on our solo rides and then mounting up by the trail head. The road is a bit narrow at points with sharp turns so it’s been beneficial for all parties involved if I was on the ground leading when we head out.

Heading home is NBD. But you get a sense of the roadway we share with vehicles

Mounted up, we set off on the south trail with intentions to ride until we hit the construction area/temporary trail end point. Quest and I have done the route twice before though it was always with company so this would be our first time solo. Mare was a little looky when we got started first but soon settled into a good groove. The weather is quite a bit colder than where I live 50 minutes east; there was snow along the trail and sections of ice where the perpetual puddles usually were. I hopped off so Quest and I could play billy goat to go around the worst of the ice. She was good when I mounted back up on the trail. We passed a couple people walking, a few with dogs, but no other riders. All was quiet asides from the sounds of her hooves and our steady breaths as the miles flew by. The trail intersects the river at a few points and we crossed bridges solo for the first time- the first bridge was a longer conversation but each one after were short and simple. With time, with time.

When reached the turnaround point, Quest decided that jigging would get us back home faster. Haha no. I immediately put what J taught me last week to use and asked for forward with collection. It definitely was a hot mess at first. Quest shook her head from side to side in sassy protest to evade my hands. But I kept quiet and persistent, rewarding the smallest efforts when she gave me what I asked for.

Eventually we figured it out and for a few glorious moments, I felt it- rounded up through the back and driving power from behind. Quest has always been pretty light on her feet but her movement in that moment was airy, almost floating. I’ve read and heard collection described as feeling like the horse is ready to do anything you ask it to. Quest actually felt like that, a live wire, a coiled spring- ready for anything. So I played with walk/trot transitions all along the way home. Whenever Quest got too quick and “strung out”, I’ll ask her to collect again and she’d go back. It’s certainly not consistent yet but it’s a huge step in the right direction. Best of all there was no jigging, no arm pulling. It was fantastic- certainly one of the better trail rides we’ve had in a while.

Things will be VERY different when we are surrounded by a full field of endurance horses at a ride. Adrenaline and excitement will definitely charge up the mareface’s hot brain. Physically, I am confident that Quest will be fine. The challenge will be her getting over herself mentally. So at home we’ll do what we can to prepare and manage the inevitable, hairy moments that will be by installing and practicing emergency brakes, safety buttons and reset cues.


GPS'd the first half of the ride before my phone complained. So double that for rough time and distance.

Now give peppermint.

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

Note to Self

Every once in awhile you get a ride that irrefutably reminds you how far you've come yet how much more work there is still yet to do.

Last night T wanted to introduce her Icelandic, Nickers, to the big river/horse swimming pool so Quest and I escorted way to the boat launch and we hung out in the water while T worked with her mare. It took all of 15 minutes to accomplish our goal and we still had plenty of daylight left to go to the main barn. Quest led the way for the most part heading out and Nickers led the way home. There were lots of deer along the trail but the mares were fine. On the way back, we went into the meadow to get some pictures and video. I dismounted and took video from the ground as T and Nickers trotted past us and around the corner.

 Then Quest had her first meltdown- she began to scoot circles around me and got super worked up about being asked to stand still. She even bucked, which I immediately got on her case for. I have zero tolerance for dangerous behavior. Firmly reminded that all four feet must stay on the ground, Quest still worried but was much more tractable. I started working with her in hand- walk forward, halt, backup, halt, walk forward, backup etc. Given a task to focus on, Quest came right down and within a couple minutes we were walking quietly on the trail back to a patiently waiting T and Nickers. She was calm enough that I could use a dirt slope to mount back up first try (not the most graceful of mounting attempts but hey, I got back on).

My brain got to thinking about what could have caused Quest to act up. I had a hunch and there was only one way to find out. I asked T to walk past us on the trail while I halted Quest. We watched them leave, mareface was fine though definitely alert. I told T to trot away from us. As if on cue,  Quest went into a jigging frenzy and a rear. She offered up some serious piaffe that would have done FEI level dressage trainers proud.

I asked T and Nickers to come back so we could try a couple of other quick tests. I asked T to trot away from us again but this time I turned around to wait in place so Quest could not see them leave. When we turned back around, we found ourselves completely alone and I then asked Quest to walk off - there was zero jigging, she was calm as could be. I asked T to repeat the same thing, this time facing away from home. Again no reaction. How about passing by each other going opposite directions on the trail, away and towards home? Nothing.

So Quest gets clearly upset when she can see other horses passing and/or leaving her behind on the trail. Taking away the visual or getting passed in the opposite directions- no issues. We have done leapfrogging exercises on the trail but obviously not to the extent that Quest needed in order to figure things out so that's going to the top of the to-do list for our next rides.

While I'm a bit bummed about the meltdowns, I have to remind myself that the improvements should be noted- Quest settled down very quickly when she used to take MUCH longer after getting that worked up and despite all the scooting around high as a kite, she did not once invade my space. Though nevertheless when things like this happen, I do beat up myself a lot and can't help but wonder if I'm pushing Quest too fast or asking too much of her too quickly. Doesn't help that being so new at literally everything, there is always that tiny voice in the back of my mind that rears its ugly head. I shared some of my doubts with T later that night after our ride and she was the voice of reason that put my thoughts to ease.

I'm not someone who will ever be happy cooped up an arena all day and just going for 1-2 mile walking trail rides. Quest was not happy with her past life in the western pleasure show ring. We found common ground in our shared love of being out on the trail with miles to look forward to.

In trying to set up Quest with a career in endurance though, she's probably never been asked to do most of the things that I ask of her now. That being said she is allowed to worry and she is allowed to express her opinion (...in a safe way). My job is to make sure that I'm just as prepared to deal with whatever comes our way so I can be the leader she needs at all times. I've been working hard to develop a secure seat so most things don't faze me too much- stuff happens, she acts up, we move on.

At the end of the day though, I just want to do right by her. 

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!

Trail Walk and Wanderlust

Took the red-eye back home on Friday and arrived at a somewhat decent hour in the morning so I headed out to the barn after dropping off my bags and a quick change of clothes. When I arrived, I was super pleased to see that a few horses had been turned out in the individual paddocks and one of them was yours truly mareface.  It was the first time in months. The temperature was in the high 40s and the sun was out. The trails were calling and I wanted to ride but was still feeling a bit bleary from 2-3 weeks of non-stop flying and traveling so opted to go for a walk instead.  I was glad I decided to unblanket before I left last week because Quest was already beginning to shed everywhere from a quick grooming. Sure sign that spring is upon us? Maybe. 

For this trail walk, I decided to test out the nylon western headstall that I got last week at the expo. I have been on the hunt for a biothane snap-on headstall since I decided that I want to use rope halter while trail riding. I still do like the Running Bear halter-bridle but it never hurts to play around with options. There were no snap-on headstall to be found at the expo though and the western headstall was too ridiculously cheap to pass up. 

The dustbowl was looking a bit muddy because of the melting snow so we headed straight for the trails. The walk went without much incident for the most part. Quest followed my lead nicely, and grabbed shoulder-level bites to eat here and there. Good endurance pony in the making. There was still snow and random patches of ice on the ground so the going was slow and labor-intensive.  Sign #2 that spring has come? Water and mud puddles and my very soaked boots. The nice weather got some of the neighbors out and we passed by a guy walking a pitbull with a big booming bark a few yards away. We exchanged greetings and the man apologized, chastising his dog. Quest didn’t react at all, good mare.

We stopped for little breaks and worked on backing up and standing still; the latter is a monumental task for Quest BUT she’s getting better at it. There was a temper tantrum involving a mini rear and frustrated kicks so we had two conversations where I asked her to stand and if she was more interested in moving, I sent her around me in small circles at a trot then walk until standing still sounded like a very good idea. I was very glad for the rope halter and my dressage whip (also an expo purchase) came very handy.  

Quest was still on high alert but finally standing still so I did little things like fixing her headstall and adjusting the rope lead if it got tangled, quiet talking, and patting her neck- taking my time with everything to further encourage the idea that standing still on the trail was no big deal and it was a pleasant experience. I tried to enjoy it as well as I stood and half-closed my eyes to savor the sunlight. Still some rushing to get home so we did lots of backing up and more standing, and made sure we walked past the barn gate and further out before heading back. I also lunged her at a trot in the yard before cooling her off, untacking, and putting her in. 

We only did about a mile distance-wise but I think a ton was accomplished. It’s little steps forward towards a larger goal. I am definitely itching to get started with actual distance riding/training, but it’s more important to take it at her pace and work with what horse I have for that day. While the trails are absolutely abysmal here, the number of urban obstacles we run into during a typical walk is perfect for Quest and exactly what she needs exposure to. She’s proven that she can handle a forest trail/more rural setting just fine during our solo trail ride and does fine with bikes, dog walkers, etc.

Thinking about goals for the spring and summer, I’m planning to start up my 5K schedule again and I recently read a neat article about people running with their horses doing something called "equi-cizing". I'd love to take Quest along during my run days. There is a park with riding trails about 2 miles away from the barn that I've been itching to explore. The route winds through suburban neighborhood roads before it reaches the trail head so  that means we will have to work on our road skills and “earn” our access to that trail. It’ll be a nice goal to accomplish while we both get fit at the same time!

I know I found Quest with the intention of making her into a distance horse but looking at logistics and being practical, it'll be awhile before I can afford a rig and really get us out to rides. I think any "real" endurance will take a back burner at least for this year as we just enjoy each others company with these workouts and work on making her into a solid trail partner. And honestly, I'm already happy to spend time with a horse I'm able to call my own. During the the expo, J made an interesting comment about how Quest was so lucky to have found someone like me. She's not perfect and I still have a world of things to learn but she is forgiving and I am patient (most of the time). Just maybe, maybe we could be just right for each other.

Lunging the crazy

Temperatures were in the high 20s this weekend which was a very welcome change from the 8-10 degrees we have been getting lately so I really wanted to get out and ride after I arrived home from the airport on Saturday.  I got a quick bite to eat, changed, and whisked off to the barn.  

When I fetched Quest from her stall, there was someone lunging in the dustbowl arena so I decided to tack her up while we waited our turn to lunge and use the space.  Quest stood nice and still for grooming but when I started girthing up the saddle, she would not stop scooting around in the cross ties. I think all the driving around/traveling I had to do while in Texas was taking its toll on me and I found myself getting fed up quickly. I decided to lunge without the saddle and we trooped into the dustbowl when the other person left. I sent Quest out at a walk with the 15’ training lead still clipped on and asked her to change directions, she started super trotting instead and hauling on my hands. I was already annoyed and in no mood to deal with her attitude so I unclipped the lead and sent her out to work. Sassy mare was rip raring to go. Quest did laps along the edge of the arena at a gallop. While she stayed out of my space the entire time, I was concerned about her slipping and falling. Which happened…sigh. She got right back up, kept moving and got her thinking brain back after that though. Maybe, just maybe, tearing around in circles like a crazy isn't a good idea.

I waited for my opening, saw she was beginning to look at me for direction and we got back to our normal programming with quiet, nice, controlled free lunging with lots of w/t/c transitions. At the end Quest came right to me when invited in. We ended on a good note, tacked up and I hopped on for a great ride afterwards. 

Mares. Crazy half-Arabian mares.

I know some people have different opinions about lunging before riding for various reasons. I don't agree when riders resort to it to exhaust a horse into compliance but I personally use it as a gauge to see where Quest's brain is for that day. We don't do it for more than 10-15 minutes and as Quest and I have gotten to know each other better, it has been pretty much 100% free lunging at liberty- plus there's something really neat about having your horse listen and connect through vocal commands. I think the time spent lunging has been invaluable for us and I always do some sort of groundwork review while at it too. I can count on one hand the number of times I have hopped on her without lunging or doing groundwork first. It's just too important to neglect, in my opinion.

Quest is usually perfect with lunging even with limited turnout so it could have been the warmer weather that amped up the extreme sass. But that’s no excuse for hauling on me so we’re going to revisit lunge basics the next few sessions starting tonight with lunging on the line and switching out the nylon for the rope halter. I was actually a little sore from this weekend's riding- I probably lost some fitness since it's been too cold to saddle up the past couple of weeks. Noses to the grindstone for both of us.

Hello 2015

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and are ready to tackle those resolutions for the new year. Quest and I didn't do as much riding the past couple of weeks due to family obligations but we got in a few trail rides that really pushed and tested us (in good ways, I think). Now to work on the jigging issue- we'll get there though!

My family was finally able to stop by the barn to meet Quest last week and they really liked her. I didn't ride since we had errands to run but was able to groom and free lunge- smart mareface was on her best behavior. I was fortunately able to sneak in a ride yesterday on New Year's Eve before heading off to make/have dinner with my family first and then immediately run off to a party with local friends. It was the perfect way to end the year of the horse.

2014 Recap

Inspired by Emma over at 'Fraidy Cat Eventing, here's a brief recap of my 2014....which was quite action-packed, to say the least.

Jan/Feb: Rode through the winter with lessons at SHS. They didn't have an indoor ring or covered area- I was freezing all the time. Thanks, polar vortex. I met Rori around the end of January, rode her 2-3 times before deciding to officially lease her starting in February.

March/April: I did my first schooling show with schoolmaster Dylan, the TB at SHS in March. While we didn't win anything, it was a great learning experience for me since I only had about 4 months of riding under my belt at that point. Rori and I continued to do lots of trail riding as the weather got warmer and we even did some bareback.

May/June: Got to go to my first hunter pace with Rori- it was TONS of fun and I realized a few things about myself: I love trail riding, I love going fast, and I enjoy being competitive. Hmm, did someone say endurance? In June, I decided to end my lease with Rori for a number of reasons. I'll get into the details one day but it's something that still causes a lot of heartache.

July/August: I started lessons at EEC in July and realized very quickly that only getting to ride 1-2 times a week really sucked. I start shopping for horses to do endurance and look into several prospects. One night in August, this pretty girl caught my eye. I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words how I "knew" she'd be the one but the next morning, I made her mine.

Sept/Oct: Quest arrives home Sept 16 after three weeks in quarantine. After a month of groundwork review and lunging, we go for our first ride together in the arena on October 8; two weeks later we hit the trails.

Nov/Dec: I start to try new and different things so we ride bareback, we ride bitless, we start working with ground poles. Looking forward to what the new year may bring!

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.

Nov Review/Dec Goals

November In Review:

• More trail rides: Completed! We did 4 trail rides and Quest did great. We found a couple of things to work on which will be addressed in next month's goals.  
• Transitions: Completed. Trot-canter-trot, as expected, was no big deal and accomplished quite early in the month. 
• Work on flying lead changes: Nope. Bad weather led to lack of space in the arena to actually do anything safely. We'll shelf this one for later on in the spring.
• No-stirrup November (at least one entire ride stirrup-less): Completed! Not one but 4 rides, 3 of them being bareback in fact.
• Start trimming: Completed. I'm trimming every other week to start, so that was twice this month. Since I'm still learning, I take off less than a professional trimmer so the shorter frequency works out well so far. I'm starting to get more comfortable handling the rasp and working with a hoof stand. I'll take some pictures and do a hoof post sometime.

December Goals:
Anticipating colder weather and limited arena space to work with, a lot of this month's goals are smaller in "scale" but still important.

• Handwalking trails- Weather pending. We've done two solo handwalks on the trail so far and I'm seeing a ton of improvement already. I got some great feedback on how to address Quest's pushy behavior and I tried out one method which seems to be working really well for her so far. I'll detail it in a later post sometime. 
• Trotting in hand- Quest actually had no idea how to do this when we started out and seemed totally confused at first. Since this just might be pretty important skill for a future endurance horse, so why not learn. Plus it's handy when I get cold and need to jog to warm up. I only started working on this last week and mareface has caught on fast and we can trot straight lines and circles though I want it consistent. And if the footing allows, we're going to do it on the trail too.
• Neck reining: Another future endurance horse-skill thing that would be handy to have I have found myself really wanting to ride one-handed too. 
• Ground pole work: I secretly (not so secretly now) want to cross train Quest to do some jumping. Not knowing her history with it, we're going to start with basic patterns from the 101 Jumping Exercises book.