Horseback Rider

Almost ready to go to Michigan...horses, trailer, packing...

I was thinking about heading up to Michigan this week. It is hot down here in St. Louis. I can do some things outside but after a few hours in the heat I have to get in the air conditioning.

I have been brush-hogging all the pastures here. It is easy work and I like riding around on the tractor. The horse trailer is about half-way packed up. The horseshoer came today and the two horses that I am taking to Michigan have their shoes all reset. Even little Bella, the miniature horse, got her hooves trimmed and she stood nice and still while he nipped her hooves and files them.

The hay is ready to be cut at Stoney Creek Farm so that is why I am staying down here. It has rained every afternoon lately and we need at least three days of no rain forecasted to think about cutting the hay. Today was dry so maybe tomorrow it can be cut. If we can load some square bales in the barn, sell some bales out of the field and Chuck takes half of the bales then we will have all the bales out of the field. Then... I can go to Michigan.

Instead of feeling that I am missing out by not being in Michigan, I am just going to take it one day at a time. I can be flexible and if I go to Michigan a few days later than planned--that is OK. The good thing is that I will have hay in the barn ready for next fall so I guess all things happen at the right time. In the meantime I can leisurely pack up and get ready to go.

I still haven't sold my two horse trailer. I would have wanted it to have sold by now. I think I will need to lower the price again. Usually price is the factor as to why things don't sell. I wanted to have the trailer sold by the time I left for Michigan but again, I have to stay flexible. I could say that there is nothing I can do about it not selling but that is not really true because the one thing that I can do is to keep lowering the price until it has a buyer. 

Sometimes selling things is not as easy as I think it is going to be. I think it is a lot easier to buy something than it is to sell something. But if is a good product, item or service there are always buyers out there for quality items. But they have to be priced right.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora, North Dakota-May 29-June 5, 2010

This National Park is 130 miles west of Bismarck, ND and 24 miles east of the Montana border. Lots of animals--wild horses, buffalo, birds, mule deer, white-tailed deer, prairie dogs and elk to name some of them. There are 110 square miles of badlands-rugged, challenging land.

We got to see a few of the wild horses close up. They seem to have some paint horse heritage. Some have large white blazes and snips of white on their bodies.

   

In the photo below, a stallion stands on a ridge top.

 

Young foals-

 
 
The scenery changes around every turn. There are steep bluffs, grassy plains, buttes, valleys and views in every direction.

 Riding just north of the park on a cattle ranch.

 Here I am on Sonny.

Prairie dogs are really taking over a lot of the land in and around the park. They are causing a lot of damage.

 

 
Beautiful views of the Little Missouri River.

Large tree stumps from a former time... 
 
Views from atop the Cedar Ridge trail...

  
Buffalo beside the road...

  
Badlands overlook:

 I plan to return for more riding.

 

Grass is getting tall--We are into some pretty hot/humid weather ...

The grass is really tall now... time to mow or bale it.  We have found someone to bale the hay out at Stoney Creek and he lives close by...which is good. Hopefully, we can get two cuttings off the fields this year and sell the first cutting to buyers straight out of the fields.

Right now the horses have plenty of pasture to eat.

 Caroline and I have been riding at the park and the horses seem to be getting comfortable traveling in the slant load trailer. Actually, I was the one not comfortable, and I needed more practice pulling them. I think they were fine. Funny how our issues can become their issues.  

I had to closely look at the situation and figure out what is really going on. 

      These horses have traveled so much and never give us any trouble about anything associated with the trailer. So I know if I am feeling uncomfortable about something, the horses quickly pick up on my emotions, hesitations, etc. When I am confident, they seem to be also. If I am not their "leader" then they seem more hesitant and less confident, but if I am showing them that I am their leader, they respect me and want to do what I ask them.

Horses keep teaching me more about myself.

 

New Hitching Rail

 My brother and I built a new hitching rail. My son Jeff had dug the two holes. Then he left town. Before he left he covered up the holes with some plywood to keep them dry and to keep people from falling in the holes.

We bought two 8 foot poles for the vertical posts. We trimmed them to five feet or so. Then we concreted the two posts in the ground.

We lifted the big rail onto the posts. We used a level to make sure the rail was at the right height. We bought two very long nails and we nailed the rail on to the posts. We also added some copper straps to keep the rail on tight. Then we decorated the hitching rail with some old horse shoes that I had in the barn.

 

Horse Trailers: Bigger ones are not as easy to haul around...

I took the trailer for few test drives. It is not as easy to haul around as the smaller one. I guess everything has its advantages and disadvantages. It is a lot wider than the other one and longer too.

I am still getting used to loading the horses in this one. I took Eli for one ride this week and that was fine. It is different though. I don't feel like I have a lot of confidence loading them by myself yet.  When I put Eli in and leave the trailer he acts like he wants to follow me out. This is not good! 

The other trailer I could easily load both horses myself with no help and be on my way. I hope that I can load two horses into this new one eventually without help. I hope that my son will come out and help me practice loading them a few times. I think that will help a lot.

Almost everything we have learned to do was, at first, uncomfortable. Then with practice it becomes easier and with enough practice I can become comfortable. It just takes time.

Big decision for me--I bought a larger horse trailer.

Three horse size-yes.

Mangers-yes.

Large separate tack area-yes.

Living quarters not too big-yes.

Full-size refrigerator-yes.

Separate bathroom with shower-yes.

Awning-yes.

Automatic jack-yes.

This Elite trailer 60 miles away appeared to have all the features that I was looking for.  I negotiated with them for five days and we finally came to a price.

I picked the trailer up and headed down Interstate 44 toward St. Louis. This trailer is eight feet wide and is hard to see around. My mirrors are very inadequate. I stayed in the right hand lane all the way home because I had a huge blind spot on the right side of the trailer. I would not be able to see to get back over in to the right lane if I needed to. That is not a safe way to travel anywhere-not being able to see around the trailer. (I am working on getting better mirrors for the truck.)

Here is a picture of the larger trailer: 

Decisions have consequences. I am now selling my smaller trailer and I spent several days getting that trailer cleaned and ready to sell. Spending that time scrubbing the trailer and cleaning everything made me think of all the places I have gone to with this trailer. I thought about the many nights I spent in that trailer sometimes hearing the rain on the roof while I was nice and dry inside. It was a very easy trailer to pull and my horses always loaded right up in it. I will miss it.

Decisions usually mean that something is going to change as a consequence of that decision. I may need a larger truck to pull this trailer. I am going to have to practice turning corners and backing up. I will have to think ahead more about how to get in to gas stations. My smaller trailer could turn around in a small spot but I will need more room with this one.

Decisions can be stressful. I have felt a bit of anxiety this week as I changed my things over to the new trailer. Until I get more comfortable pulling this larger trailer, I still feel stressed a little bit. Did I make the right decision? Yes, I think so but it just takes some time to feel comfortable with something different.

Decisions like this make me look forward to experiencing new adventures. I hope to be making new memories with this trailer as I travel with it and that will be fun.

With decisions like this, they are not irreversible. If it is too hard to pull this trailer or whatever reason might come up-I can always go back to a smaller trailer. On the other hand, I have to give a larger trailer a try for awhile because it is very possible that I will love traveling with it. I won't know unless I try.

Chicken Chase AERC ride April 2010

I left St. Louis on Thursday to drive to southern Indiana. I was heading for the Chicken Chase ride in the Clark State Forest at Bill Wilson's farm. I planned to ride on Friday and Madison would just be entering the 30 mile LD ride.

It is about 310 miles to Henryville Indiana from St. Louis. That is a little farther than I usually go for rides but it is a scenic drove through Illinois and Indiana on I-64. I had planned to ride three days of limited distance but ended up only riding one day.

Clark State Forest is the oldest state forest in Indiana. It presently has 24,000 acres of land and 100 miles of marked horse trails. 

This was a tough ride! By tough I mean lots of hills that go straight up and then up some more! I train and pleasure ride a lot in Greensfelder Park which has hills but this area of Indiana really had the big ones. We had an "away" vet check that was 11 miles in to the ride. It seemed farther than that maybe because of all the hills. The forest trails were well marked with lots of wildflowers blooming.

Unfortunately, we finished just at the time cut-off and received a completion for this ride. I did not push Madison to go faster when she was having a tough time with the hills. She drank very well and wanted to stop at most of the water crossings to drink. She is still young and it is early in her riding career. I don't want her to feel rushed on the trail and until she is better conditioned I'll take it easy with her.

Here is Madison ready to go:

 

  I rode Madison with Easyboot Gloves on her front feet and her back hooves were barefoot. About an hour in to the ride her Easyboots came off her feet but they were still attached by the gators to her pasterns. I took the boots off and just carried them with me on the saddle. I later put them on again when we had to ride on a gravel road. I think these Easyboots are one size too big for her hooves. They shouldn't come off that easily.

This is the first time I have taken her to a ride without another horse along with us at the campground. I had her in an electric pen during the day but at night I tied her to the trailer with a hay bag and water. I am not confident enough that she would stay in her pen and not get out during the night. All that keeps a horse in the pens is a small electrical tape attached to step-in plastic poles and a battery charger to electrify it. It is not a significant fence.

This ride was very well managed by Amy Whelan. The Distance Depot was set up at the ride for shopping. I had two of my favorite things at the same place--riding the trails on a horse and shopping. I bought a pair of fleece stirrup leather covers for my Wintec saddle. Last week when I rode with that saddle, the stirrup leathers rubbed a sore on my legs so I will try these fleece leather covers.

Beautiful scenery:

  

Eagle Ranch Spring Fling Endurance Ride on April 10-11, 2010

This was a beautiful ride this past weekend. The weather was sunny with some nice breezes. High temperatures around mid- 70's. This AERC ride is held at Eagle Ranch just outside of Collins Missouri which is north of Springfield Missouri. 

The drive there and back was beautiful with red bud trees blooming and all the pastures looking very green.
 
An old Missouri farmhouse.

 

Beautiful fields.
  

Eagle Ranch has horse stalls, electric sites, full bathroom with showers, beautiful trails and an accommodating staff.  They even clean the stalls while we are out riding.

The trails are a mix of wooded and hilly winding trails, some pastures to ride around and a fair amount of rocks and mud. There was lots of water for the horses on the trail. The trails were very well marked with lots of ribbons and arrows. No map was needed since we just had to follow the trail markings.

Winnie Clutter was the Ride Manager and the vet was Dr. Leon Self. There was another vet there working also but I apologise for not knowing his name. Thank you to all the ride management and volunteers. The Potluck on Friday and Saturday night was delicious.

I rode Eli on Saturday in the 50 mile endurance ride. I was happy with how he did. We finished somewhere in the middle of the pack. I knew he was ready for a 50 since he had been ridden regularly all winter and is in good condition. 

My legs were rubbed sore after finishing the first 3 loops from the stirrup leathers on the saddle. I had not expected that since I have ridden a lot in that saddle. While I was in camp at the last vet check/hold I switched saddles and saddled Eli with the Big Horn Endurance saddle. Comfort is important. My legs weren't rubbing anymore during that last loop. Tired is one thing but pain...if I can find a way to fix something then I will.

Reminder to myself: It can be a good idea to bring two saddles in case one isn't comfortable for whatever reason.

Here is Eli in his stall.

I also brought Madison along to the ride. I have not brought two horses to a ride before without my daughter, Caroline, with me. The two horses whinnied back and forth to each other whenever one of the horses would leave the sight of the other. This was really annoying. I would take Eli over to the vet check-in and he seemed all worried about his friend. Maybe it was a mistake to bring both horses because they won't stop calling out to each other. 

I see people bringing two horses to endurance rides so maybe horses just have to learn to deal with the separation.

 Thankfully once I got Eli out on the trail he apparently forgot about Madison and settled down. Then when we came in to the vet checks he at least had the edge off of him so he didn't care so much about whinnying and obsessing about Madison.

After I finished riding Eli on Saturday I decided to ride Madison the next day in the 25 mile LD ride. The exercise would be good for her. She was ridden all winter so she was ready to do a 25 mile ride. 

I know that good horses are made--not born. For Madison to be more confident doing limited distance rides, she has to get out there and do it. Waiting for another ride to enter isn't going to be any different. And if she worries about being away from Eli, then the best thing is to get her out with other horses. The more she gets to be with Eli, the harder it will be to separate them. Confidence comes from doing something rather than just thinking about it.

I was able to check her in with the Vet the night before so Sunday morning I tacked her up right near Eli. I thought of tacking her up over at the horse trailer but I thought why add more stress to both of them? If they seem relaxed standing by each other then I will just tack her up right near Eli. 

I got on her and walked her around the campground area. There was a lot of whinnying going on between all the horses and the excitement of getting ready.  Once the trail opened we headed out. 

I had hoped I could ride out with someone so she would have some company but we headed out alone. She wanted to move out so I let her trot and we found a nice lady to ride with right near the top of the first hill. If I hold back and make a horse walk they can get frustrated trying to hold back their excitement. Depending on how the horse is acting, if they want to trot then that is OK.(It helped that there was a hill right away to climb. The hill climbing helps takes a bit of the edge off of Madison.)

The other rider and I rode the whole first loop together. It was nice to have the company and Madison settled right down. This is only her second LD ride. She has done one CTR so this was her third ride in a competition. I was happy with how she relaxed on the trail and her gaits are comfortable with a smooth trot and rolling canter. I think I am going to remember to ride the smooth horse on the second day when I need the smooth trot instead of Eli's bouncier trot. 

Reminder to myself: ride the least comfortable horse the first day and the more comfortable one the second day, if possible.

We rode the second loop with another rider doing a 50 mile ride. We finished up the ride and Madison felt relaxed and confident on the trail. She got her mind off of Eli, did her LD. It was a good decision to get her out on the trail and participate. Madison did the 25 miles barefoot.

In their pasture after the drive home.
 Madison
   Eli
 

Visiting Jeff in Chicago on April 5 and 6th, 2010

Here I am in front of the Harry Carey statue located outside Wrigley Field in Chicago. Harry Carey also broadcasted for the St. Louis Cardinals. He like to get everyone singing "Take me out to the ballgame" during the 7nth inning stretch.

  

 

Here is Jeff in front of the stadium wearing his St. Louis Cardinals hat.

This is the Trump Tower in Chicago on Wabash Ave. It was completed in January 2008 and is the second tallest building in Chicago and the fourth tallest in the U.S. The tallest building in the U. S. is the Sears Tower in Chicago. The Trump Tower has 92 floors and overlooks the Chicago River. It cost $847 million to build.

   
 

The Chicago River still looked a little green maybe from St. Patrick's Day? The river used to flow in to Lake Michigan but in 1900 the flow was reversed to flow away from Lake Michigan.

 

We had lunch at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. Views of Lake Michigan were clear then some clouds would roll by. This building was built in 1970. At that time it was the tallest building in the world outside New York City. Right now it is the fourth tallest building in Chicago.

The tallest buildings in the U.S. are: Sears/Willis Tower, Empire State Building, Bank of America Tower in NYC, Trump Tower in Chicago, AON/Amoco Building in Chicago and 6th, 

the John Hancock. 

 
 

      

View from the 95 floor.

Horse drawn carriages:

         

 

Glen Arbor, Michigan for Easter 2010

I drove to Glen Arbor, Michigan for Easter to visit my brother, Buz and friends.

Here is Max on the shore of Bear Lake.

This is a picture of the Cherry Hut--Cherry pie is very good here.
 

How often do we see a drive-in movie theater? This one, The Cherry Bowl, is located just north of Beulah, Michigan on U.S. Highway 31.     

 A schoolhouse used from 1891 to 1943. The Platte No. 2 Drake School.   

A view of the sunset over Little Glen Lake from the Narrows bridge.

 
 Sleeping Bear Bay Point just west of Glen Haven, Michigan.

 

 

  

Jeff and I hang gates at the farm.

Jeff and I went out to the farm and hung a set of gates at the entrance to the lower pasture. We first thought of buying a sixteen foot long gate but long gates put a lot of weight and pressure on the fence post. We decided to buy two ten foot gates and the gates will meet in the middle.

As long as we have a level, the wood posts, the gates, several bags of concrete and a good cordless drill-- we are good to go. 

We measured our distance between the posts and set the two posts in concrete. We used a wheelbarrow to mix the concrete. We staked the posts so they would be stable while the concrete is drying. We will let the concrete dry overnight before we hang the gates tomorrow.

Here is Jeff putting the hanger in the second post. 

 

  

We are now ready to hang the second gate.

 
 Jeff and I agreed that it takes two people to hang gates.

 

1. Have a "Can-do" attitude that we can figure this out.

2. Think about solutions and options.

3. Act and do it. We learned a lot as we went along.

Horses have adjusted well to coming back to Missouri...

It is amazing how the horses can travel so much and when they get to the new location they just settle right in. If they have their food and water and some personal attention each day, they appear very happy.

Maybe that is the key for us as well, you know, just the basics of food, water and a little personal attention each day. I try to see some of the things that the horses do so easily as they go about enjoying each day. Mostly I see how they live in the present moment and I have yet to see any of the horses worrying about tomorrow.

For me it was a big step to travel out to Arizona in January with the horses. I had arranged to stay at a place that I had not even seen before. I had two horses and the dog to take care of. I knew of one couple from our saddle club here in Missouri who was out there in Arizona but other than this couple-I knew no one.

I was taking a big step out of my comfort zone. My choices were that I could stay home in Missouri and be fearful of leaving home to travel three days with the horses or I could go ahead and drive out to Tucson and experience winter in Arizona with my horses.

I could hide behind excuses such as, "I don't know anyone out there." "What if I have a truck breakdown, a tire blowout, a horse gets sick, etc.?"  Well the list can go on and on. Some fear is rational because it helps keeps us alive but mostly fear just keeps us from doing something different.

Sometimes asking myself, "What is the worst that can happen?" Going through the various scenarios of how I would handle something if it came up helps me see that most things that I worry about never happen and if they do, I can handle it somehow or find someone who can help me.

Facing fear can help us grow and experience personal happiness and satisfaction. There will always be more things that I am afraid to do but as they come up I will figure out a way to not be too uncomfortable about it. 

I enjoyed meeting many people, learning to dance the two-step, country music, getting to know my way around Tucson, riding horses on beautiful desert and mountain trails, views of the mountains, learning more about the beautiful desert cactus, Arizona sunsets, clear star-filled skies at night, the rain in Tucson, the Tucson Rodeo, riding horses in the snow in Sonoita and more!

 Caroline and Max on a bluff at Castlewood Park overlooking the Meramec River on March 15, 2010.

Tucson to St. Louis: Heading home with our horses

Caroline and I left Tucson Friday March 12th all loaded up with the two horses. Here we are getting gas at a tiny little gas station somewhere between Las Cruces and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Even though we hit rush hour as we drove around Albuquerque, we enjoyed seeing the city and the mountains surrounding the city. Sometime we will have to come back and explore Albuquerque horse trails with our horses.

 
 

We open the doors on the side of the horse trailer when we stop for gas. Eli and Madison like to look outside and they get a chance to relax while we get gas and our "to go" food for driving.

The drive is pretty across New Mexico and we keep heading towards Amarillo. I have stopped before at the Big Texan and we decided that we could make it that far. The restaurant there is like a big Texas saloon. I called and they close the dining room at 10:30 p.m. We pulled in to the Big Texan at just a minute past closing time. Not much we can do about that. We got the horses settled in their pens for the night and got in the trailer and went to sleep.

 

The next day, Saturday March 13th, we drove from Amarillo to St. Louis. Caroline has helped with some of the driving which gives me a break for awhile. The driving has been uneventful which is the way we all like it. Horses are traveling fine and the truck is running well.

 A little bit of drizzling rain but otherwise the weather has been good.

Riding horses in Catalina State Park near Tucson.

Catalina State Park has 5,500 acres and is located at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson, Arizona. There are about 5000 Saguaro cactus here. The elevation here is 2650 feet above sea level.

The first ride here in Catalina State Park, Ben rode Sonny-an Appaloosa. 

Caroline rode Eli, an Arabian and I rode Madison, the Pinto mare. 

We went up to the waterfalls then had lunch near the waterfall over by the "green rock". 

Jerry also went with us on his horse Jessie.

 I don't think Ben has done much riding since our trip to Mongolia. With riding, though, everything comes right back-how to ride is never forgotten

The second ride we took was towards the Equestrian Center in Catalina State Park. 

Ben rode Eli and I rode Madison. Jerry rode with us too. Usually it is either Caroline or I riding Eli but it is good to have Ben riding Eli for a change.

 

Lately, Eli does not want to stand still when we mount. These can be little bad habits but are still very annoying. First the horse takes one step away while mounting, then soon they are walking five steps. Stuff like this needs to be addressed.

Another habit which is annoying: Eli likes to rub his head on me when I am standing on the ground holding him. I know his face is sweaty and he wants to scratch himself but I don't like being pushed around by his head.

Okay, I might as well get them all out here. The other main problem is Eli doesn't always like to stand still when I stop. He fidgets and won't stand. That bugs me because he should be able to stand for whatever amount of time I need to stop without getting all fussy.

 

In the park we stopped and ate lunch. then rode on the Canyon Loop trail which was pretty with all the water flowing. 

 Catalina State Park Equestrian Center

 Here is Ben and Eli in the creek on the Canyon Loop Trail.
 

We came back on a pretty trail alongside a long ridge of tall saguaro cactus then back north to camp. 

A few things to work on:

1. Standing quietly while being mounted.

2. Eli is respectful of people and does not rub his head on people and push them around.

3. Eli stands quietly for a few minutes when I need to stand without moving around.

 

Madison and her Easyboot Gloves

On Monday, I put brand new Easyboot Gloves on Madison since her feet are getting worn down. We are riding in Catalina State Park/Tucson and also the Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson, Arizona. Here she is with them on her front feet.   

I rode her again on Wednesday and she did fine in the boots.

However, on Friday, I rode her for three hours over the same type of trails but when I got back and unsaddled her I then reached down to take off her Easyboots and all that was there were the gators still around her pasterns--no boots on her hooves at all.

The Easyboots were gone. They must have somehow unattached from the gator and came off. Since these boots were brand new 4 days earlier, I was not real happy about how these boots were holding up. 

They seemed to fit her fine so maybe there was a defect in the boots. It seems strange that both boots were gone. Luckily the Easycare/Easyboot offices are five minutes away off Oracle Road. I drove up there that day and showed them all I had left of the boots which was just the gators. They gave me another replacement pair of boots since four days ago these boots were brand new. The people at Easycare were very nice about it and said they had not seen anything like this happen before.

I always check to make sure the screws on each boot are tight and they are. I thought maybe the size was wrong but they fit her nice and tight. Velcro gator was tight as they suggest. I think they might have just been defective boots where the gator was attached to the boots.

 So this week I will put the boots back on her and watch her closely.

 I am really trying to keep her barefoot when possible and use boots when she needs them.

Riding in Sonoita, Arizona

 The snow was deep and our horses were struggling to work their way up the southern Arizona mountain switchbacks. There was no trail already made in the snow for the horses to follow. The horses were sweating and we took breaks to let them stand and rest every five minutes or so. 

Our trail guide decided we would get off and let the horses go on their own up the trail. My horse and another horse broke out of the line and went on ahead up the trail. They did stop further on up the trail. But if we walked after them they would probably start walking away from us.

 So... we waited for them to come back and join the other group of horses but they didn't come. 

 

Lesson! Do not assume that all horses will stay with the group. There are times when two horses become their own group. They may even go off on their own.

We all turned around and started walking back down the trail with the other three horses. We thought that the two astray horses would see us leaving and decide to come down the trail too. Our trail guide walked up and got them. We stopped at this point on the trail and had lunch.

 There was lots of snow-maybe two feet but it was a nice sunny day so wasn't really cold. Our feet were a little wet from walking in the snow but I was not uncomfortable.

My lower back has been hurting a lot lately but I had a really good riding black Tennessee Walker named Thunder who was very smooth. He had a big stride when he walked and was able to gait a little when the trail was flat.

Overall it was a really pretty ride. We did this ride with my friends Becky and David from northern Michigan, my daughter Caroline, Ron-our trail guide and me. 

It was strenuous at times but the horses handled the difficult trails very well and we did too. 

Note: Bring plenty of water, chapstick, extra granola bars, gloves, cell phone (it may not work) and a camera.

These trails are very different from horse trails around Tucson and Catalina Park. 

Down here south of Sonoita, there are no saguaro. There are long mountain climbs and switchbacks, pine trees and woods surrounding us. The views from the top are spectacular.

 

Catalina Park Competitive Trail Ride Feb. 6, 2010

This was a very well organized ride which started in Catalina, Arizona just north of Tucson. Since our horse trailer is parked kind of permanently, meaning I have spread my stuff throughout the whole trailer, Caroline and I decided it would be easy to ride our horses down the day before and put them in pens overnight.

It was only a 30 minute ride down to the pens and the ride start. Eli and Madison got checked in Friday afternoon. They were feeling excited and lost of few points for not standing still while the vet checked them. I'll have to work on that with them because they should stand still for a vet check-in. After a nice dinner which the County Line Riders of Catalina provided we got the horses settled for the night and left.

In the morning we tacked up. Both horses are ridden in a plain full cheek snaffle bit, endurance saddle and breast collar. 

The day started cold. We had on our ski jackets. But we had layers on and knew we would be taking lots of that off as the day warmed up.  

Here is Caroline getting Eli ready. We were sent out in groups of 2 or 3 riders about 10 minutes apart. This is nice because then riders are not all bunched up riding together.

We did not see another rider until we had ridden about 1 hour into the ride. The pace was 5 miles per hour and the first loop was 15 miles. Then we had a 30 minute vet check at Spirit Dog Ranch followed by the second and last loop of 12 miles.

 Here we are at the start of the ride.

On the first loop we rode through a lot of the washes. Most of this loop was smooth footing and we could trot quite a bit. We figured that we needed to trot where we could since we knew the second loop was going to be rocky and many places we would only be able to walk.

The mountain views are incredible.

 

As we rode through the, Catalina Park Equestrian Center volunteers were there to offer us bottled water, juice, chips and even a carrot for our horse. They handed it right to us. We didn't even have to get off. We really appreciated those kind volunteers.

We had a 30 minute vet check and hold at Spirit Dog Camp. Then off on loop two. 

I felt my horse kind of step weirdly on a rock with his back foot. A few steps later he was trotting unevenly behind. Work out of it...but he wasn't and continued to trot "off" behind. Caroline hopped off and checked his feet for rocks. Nothing.

We took our time getting back as did not want to push Eli with his leg hurting him and the trail was rocky. He has finished all his rides sound but with rocks and sand, it can happen where horses get lame.

  

We finished on time however Eli lost points for being moderately lame. He was starting to stiffen up while he stood waiting in line for the vet check. Hopefully his lameness is something minor. I will have to investigate further to find out what is wrong.

After a barbeque dinner, the awards were given out. 

We came in 6th place. Caroline and Madison finished in 4th place. 

Madison, the black and white pinto mare did the entire ride barefoot. 

Placing is fun and helps us know how we are doing compared to other riders. But the main thing to consider on rides is how did the horse handle everything that was presented to him-the trail, the surroundings, the rocks, the sand and other horses? How was his general attitude getting started? Did he stay enthusiastic for the entire ride or did he get tired and have a different feel about him? There are many things to be looking at when evaluating each horse and they can tell us different things about how that horse is handling the trail.

 

Great ride. Thank you CLRC.

Moving the horses (and me) to a new location tomorrow--

I am at a beautiful horse facility in Catalina Arizona. But I am leaving tomorrow, January 30, 2010, to move to a location which is right next to the trails in to Catalina State Park. I am just too far away and too isolated here. 

In order for me to ride out with people I have to trailer over to the park trails. That hitching and unhitching every day is a hassle. I will also be closer to get out to places on Oracle Road. There are lots of people over at the new location going out to ride a lot, so I will have other people to ride with.

It is stressful to move and settle in to a new place. I will just take it slowly and start early on Saturday packing things up here.

There are always positives and negatives to consider in looking at a situation. I think this is the right thing for me to do since the reason I am here in Arizona is to ride. 

First Ride in the Desert in Tucson

    Yesterday Caroline and I went with two other people on our horses for a ride in the Catalina Mountain desert foothills. We needed to go with other people as our guide since we have no idea about the trails here. We did not want to get lost!

    Eli was kind of obnoxious for the entire ride. Caroline did a fabulous job of riding him. He wanted to jig most of the time and when we would stop to look at the views, he did not want to stand still. If I had known the trails, I would have told the other two riders to go ahead and we could have worked with Eli on our own. Riding a jigging horse is a nightmare-uncomfortable and annoying.

     Towards the end of the trail ride, Eli brushed against some Cholla cactus. These cactus "jump" onto whoever gets near and stick on. Caroline had them on her legs and Eli had four of them down his sides. Our guide used a comb to scrape them off. Then a pliers to pulls out the barbs. Eli did stand still while the stickers were pulled out of him.

The cure for the jigging is to circle the horse whenever they start to jig. Give the horse their head and a loose rein as they walk nicely. When they jig, turn a circle then with loose reins start down the trail again. 

We couldn't do this with Eli yesterday so next time I head out on the trail I will ride Eli with just one other person and tell them that we may be circling a lot. This kind of behaviour has to be addressed right away so it does not become a bad habit.  

Another thing that would help is changing the order of the horses on the trail. Eli was the third horse and I was the fourth riding Madison. We could have played a game of "leap frog" where each rider moves up to the front and becomes the trail leader for awhile. Then the next horse comes up and the first horse moves back to be second. Changing positions is a good game to play on the trail. After practicing this a lot, horses usually don't care where they are in the line since no spot is long-term.

I rode Eli in the ring today for one hour and I worked on just keeping him in a relaxed walk on a very loose rein. He was calm and paying attention. This is how he needs to be on the trail as well. 

One thing that Eli is not used to is seeing way off in to the distance. He looks way off and sees things that distract him. At home in the Midwest, we usually ride in forests and horses can not see very far. Sometimes if a horse has some tough trail to navigate it keeps their attention on the trail and not gazing off in to the distance. Since horses are prey animals, seeing things way off maybe worries Eli as his goal each day is to keep himself safe.

This is the view the horses have from their stall runs. They stand and look towards the mountains. I think the warm sun out there must feel good to them also.

Tucson & horses

I am getting settled in here in Tucson, specifically the Oreo Valley/Catalina area which is north of Tucson. I am located very near to the Santa Catalina Mountains. 

When I first arrived, Madison was not finishing her grain for a few days. She would eat half and leave the rest. She didn't seem interested in her food much. I have been keeping a close watch on her. I have cut back on the amount of grain for her in case she might colic. 

Maybe it could be the altitude bothering her and she needs to adjust. At home in St. Louis, Missouri the altitude is 600 feet. Here it is 3000 feet. Yesterday Madison finally appears to feel better because when I turn her and Eli out in the big ring to run, she bucks and seems playful. And in the past two days has she been cleaning up her food...so that is good.

Here is a picture of the horses in the ring. What a view. I have been turning them out most days for a chance to stretch their legs in this huge ring. They each have their own stall with a run. TThe place I am staying at is very nice; a very accommodating facility and the nicest people making me and the horses feel very comfortable.

I have met some other people with horses who are close by and I plan to ride with them. The Santa Catalina Mountains will provide plenty of riding.

Madison is barefoot. I have Easy Boot Gloves for her. I will see how she does on the trails. Eli is shod all the way around so he should be fine.

  Right now the horses still have their winter coats that they grew last fall in Missouri. Eli has more of a winter coat than Madison. I will see how they do on the trail before I will consider clipping them. The nights get cold here and once I clip them, they will need blankets on at night.

If I do clip them, it will be just a trace clip which takes off their hair on the lower parts of their bodies. It is not an entire body clip. But I will see how they do for awhile before deciding.

We have had some big storms in the last week. Lots of rain and very strong gusty winds at night. Some of the dry creek beds are running fast with water. The winds blew off siding and metal roofs off of places nearby. The storm has moved off and the weather is clearing and should be warmer and sunny this week. Time for riding tomorrow!