I wish I came here more often. It has so many beautiful sections. It is plagued by some boggy trails with mosquitoes and we have to cross a busy road to get here. But once here, Im always happy!
We found some wooden trails with occasional muddy spots to go trotting in. I took this video with my trail buddy J and her big percheron mare.
Buffet! I struggled to keep Q on the path and focused.
Much galloping happens on this path!
This section has a few streets that we have to cross. But there is practically no cars here.
Q enjoying the view!
The hunt field is one of my favorite spots. And the sun was out in full force with a cooling breeze.
It was a gorgeous day, and the sights were beautiful. With the tardy summer, the trails were a bit muddier than usual. My friend with her big percheron mare struggles with her soundness, and did not like the muddy trails one bit. She would have much rather stayed on the tried and true section 2.
But I am glad I went, and I am looking forward to going back. Perhaps solo. Q is getting to be quite solid going solo and I think we can do this.
I recently learned that there are 60 million horses in the world. While research has shown us that the domestication of horses probably began 5000 years ago in Kazakhstan, the proliferation of horses across the globe has supported our agricultural, industrial, touristic and recreational revolutions over the century, in addition to being of critical military support through many of those centuries. Where do you think the horses are? Let us begin with the top 10 countries in terms of horse population. Not the usual suspects. I expected to see more G10 countries on the list, and was certainly surprised by the low numbers for the United Kingdom. All this began when I realized that Canada has more horses per capita than the UK. Certainly our land mass has influence. As it does for Mongolia and Russia. The sheer numbers of horses per capita in Mongolia is staggering. No doubt the tourism boom will continue there for the romance of galloping across the Mongolia steppes. A friend of mi...
Wow! The last month was a doozy. Excessive work, sleeping only with the help of medication, the hamster constantly churning … Im not quite sure how I didnt get sick through it all. Today was my first day off in weeks and I was committed to spending time with my lovely Q. I pulled up, and while he was slow to recognize my engine sounds, he perked up fast enough and strolled to the fence line with his usual “where have you been?” face. He did quick work of shoving his buddies aside from the gate so he could get out and eat his first of many treats of the day: a fresh banana! Yumm! We then went to the indoor arena for perhaps a roll and a run/buck session. He was feeling a little shy to roll in my presence and he probably sensed my intentions of work and pace. So we attempted to run around the arena that is still (!) half flooded and muddy. Boy the arena riding boarders must be pissed (been going on for a month now). Q seemed a little lazy so we tacked up and headed to the outdoor ri...
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 ...
Annual Trail Rides: 111/200 (Bareback 5/12) "Can you take me out for a trail ride tomorrow? I really need it." said a fellow boarder to me. Her wife had a stroke a few weeks before, and she was struggling with the tension, anxiety and worry that comes with having your SO suddenly become ill. The morning of our ride I was in trouble. I had not slept, and had been packing a cocktail of anti-inflammatories and painkillers to dull the ache of my sciatica. I thought I would cancel, but I just thought I could power through. I almost cancelled five times that morning ... but eventually I found my way to the barn, tacked up and heading for the mounting block. Fellow boarder had invited another boarder to join us. We were three. When fellow boarder suggested she would like to canter today, I winced. I then fessed up that I was drugged and sleep deprived and I just didn't know what I was capable of. A few minutes of warm-up and I prompted us into a trot. A few minutes of that and I...
I’ve been exposed to some bad human behaviour of late. Lies, disceptions, misdirections. I did not expect it, and was surprised by a certain turn of events. But now it’s time to turn the page, Seger-style. This week is the excitement of a 2 day despooking clinic and I just received the pre-read workbook. It seems like the course will be emphasizing a certain level of equitation skill through group drill exercises. Sounds like fun, and smart. First we develop basic control over pace and direction, then we add obstacles while actually focusing our attention on the group drill work. That should keep us distracted from the fire, smoke and sirens. Because, this is despooking, the mounted police way.
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