planBE

I lost my trail buddy this weekend. It’s not clear how much was determined by the ongoing barn drama. He packed his stuff and moved to another barn within 24 hours. So, I am sad. No doubt that having an activity buddy helps keep us motivated, and gets our butts in the saddle more often than not. Now, I feel alone. That our horses and our riding styles were so in sync makes the transition much more difficult. How will I find another trail buddy that is so compatible? This probably marks the beginning of a new chapter of riding solo. I do love riding my horse solo and not having to negotiate pace, direction, detours with anyone. Big bonus is that my Q is just as good alone. Add caption I might need some external motivation like one of those wearable gadgets that track pace, elevation, etc. Something that would push me to go further, ride harder, discover new trails. This week we have our exciting clinic to “despook, the mounted police way”. And soon after that Ill be off fo

The day after facilitating a tense strategy session with executives often requires emotional recuperation. A quiet morning, coffee and breakfast made by my darling husband, and an eventual jaunt to the barn to visit with my fluffy zen master. These days the barn is a source of drama. I usually steer clear but every once in a while I get sucked in. Im not sure why these hobby hubs are such incubators for fear, aggression, criticism, and control. I wonder if its a by-product of the process of becoming an amateur equestrian or if its a bias driven by those naturally attracted to the hobby. Q as a foal. So dark! At the end of the day, most amateurs love their ponies and feed that inner child that wants to love, be loved, and occasionally squeal while accomplishing something challenging. So why are we so tough on each other? We learn to listen to our horses, yet we forget to listen to each other. We pardon our equines for their spook at a plastic bag, yet we forget to empathize wi

Two days of glorious spring weather, two trails of glorious footing, two surefooted steeds happy to trot forever, and two friends gabbing and giggling along the way. It does not get any better. This was probably the last rideable day for my barefoot pony as we begin the period of ice and thaw. At least for a few weeks. I just hope I can ride on trail again before our big European trip. It was also Q’s 6th birthday. We celebrated with apples, carrots and peppermints. 

After a week grinding away at work, it was time for some rejuvenation with springlike weather, blue skies, and fabulous footing! Crazy but true, we were one of the only ones out. We were supposed to only go out for a little hour. But it was just so beautiful with a light dusting of fresh snow that we stayed out for nearly 2 hours!! And, my toes weren’t cold!

Tough week. Had me wondering if it was the full moon or some planet in retrograde. Everything seemed to be souring, and my level of irritation was at an all-time high. And then, out of the blue, a client team shared their gratefulness with me. An unexpected gift. Reminded me of the ted talk on gratefulness leading to happiness. Worth a listen. Ted Talk on Gratefulness Ted Talk

Today was an ice day. The parking lot was a skating rink and news from the trails was not good. It was going to be an indoor arena day but there were patches of frozen ground there too. I decided on doing some groundwork instead and pulled out the rope halter. Although the arena was crowded with riders, we sauntered down to the scary door. Q had other plans. He loves to roll, but won’t do it in the snowy paddocks (too hard) nor in his stall (too small). He has gotten into the habit of rolling in the soft arena sand when I let him loose. But this time there was a crowd, other horses trotting around, and he was tied to me via rope. He kept looking at the sand forlornly and would stop mid-step wondering if it was safe to roll. I could hear the gears clicking. I was hoping he would do it, as I want to teach him to lie down on command without the leg-tying western tricks. He paused, thinking. And then a horse would trot by 5 feet away and he would lose his nerve. Eventually, his

At the intersection of high density urban areas and nordic climates, one must consider what to do with the snow. We get 3-5 feet of snow every winter. Parking and circulation become quite difficult after one foot of snow is on the ground. So we tackle the very inefficient process of scooping up the snow via blower into a series of trucks that then move them to a snow depot. Some snow depots are so large that they have not yet melted by July. Some cities cook the snow and pour the water into the sewers. I wonder what other high density cities do with all the snow.

With spring break and great riding conditions, our weekly riding schedule went from 3 to 10+ hours. Now, Im suffering on the sofa with a heavy dose of naproxen and the heating pad to ease the pain of this throbbing hip and nearby piriformus. With my yoga, stretches and anti-imflammatory diet I thought I had this problem nixed. But no, seems like the piriformus had a few more things to say about this. On another note, I think my horse is a little tired and sore too. Ive always had something in this area which I thought for the longest time was my sciatica. And while it plays a part, my trainer informed me that the sciatica passes through this tiny piriformus muscle and that the inflammation of the piriformus is the cause of the symptom. But the cause of the inflammation is an overloading of the piriformus because of poor quad development for the level of exertion required. The piriformus compensates for the quad, and then gets tired and irritable. So Im supposed to go to the gym a

Trails were lovely today and the sun was shining. Our trail buddy was very tolerant of trotting up his butt, as I had little control with my phone in hand. I was lucky to not drop my gloves or phone in my filming sequences.

Q and I like to keep people guessing. Unclassifiable. We ride in all kinds of tack, and we've been caught many times practicing rollbacks. We ride sans noseband in Westfall's training headset connected to braided leather hunter reins. We love to meander on the buckle, and the English reins just do the trick without slipping through my fingers. We are function over form. In fact, we have no form. Or at least very little of it. We like trotting poles. We love trailriding. We tolerate endless circles to improve our gait and posture. We are great at WHOA. And parking in the aisle for long grooming sessions. Some might say we have more whoa than go. But that's not quite true. When we have a purpose, we have endless endurance. Look both ways.

Q and I have been relishing the winter trails this week. The footing is firm and crunchy making for easy strolls on the wide groomed trails. The narrow trails are more challenging if we meet someone as the super deep snow forces us to do 180’s on a dime until the next intersection. I often joke that he moves with so much purpose on the trails, and have gotten into the habit of singing “We’re off to see the wizard” as we canter down the pine lined trails. He doesnt blink an eye at skiers, sleighs, rocks, dogs, or atv’s. This picture was snagged today as we passed a two horse sleigh. As you can see, he is totally chillax. Our trust is mutual and we have so much fun on the trails. Gotta hurry back out there before the weather turns.