Colours in my life

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Juggling Perceptions 1 7 0

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Annual Trail Rides: 170/200 (Bareback 21/40) Our on-the-buckle trail lope is increasingly solid, which is a surprise to me because I never expected my pretty andalusian to be such a steady eddy when he grew up. My intention back when I started my search in 2015 was to just have a cool and spunky trail horse and I ended up with something completely different but also incredibly fun, and cool and spunky but in a different kind of way than what we horsepeople generally mean.  Our tremendous mileage of 2021 has really highlighted the good, the great, and the incredibly annoying that is my wonderQ. This beautiful, friendly, generous and willing partner turns into a cantankerous pony when given the opportunity to eat (hello branch!) or stop on the trail to poop. He can be so obnoxious when given the chance. And then, when Im just thoroughly annoyed at his yanking me all over the trail, he gives me the most amazing lopes on the buckle with an easy glide from walk to canter and a steady pa...
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And its back

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For how long, nobody is sure. But 3 cm of snow was all that was needed to create a cushion on the dry trails and make them sound for trotting and cantering. Poor Q was excited, and seeing two buck dance through the trees really got his adrenaline pumping. But we did finally manage to settle and had some nice trotting and a little lope. The light in the dense forest changed dramatically while it snowed but unfortunately my phone camera does not do it justice. So I just enjoyed my ride of falling snow, tingling eyes and runny nose. Ive always thought that Q and I are in constant conversation when we are on solo trails, but this GIF I captured for purpose of seeing the falling snow really highlights how chatty he really is. This is usually our take-off spot on a good canter track, but instead I have him waiting patiently for me to get a good shot. He must be saying : " can we go already?" Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the barn dog murdered my tiger tongue sponge and a mouse. Her...
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Double Trouble

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Annual Trail Rides: 38/200 I made the mistake (?) during a Monday Blues episode to complain about being bored on my trail rides. Blasphemy with our incredible footing and increasingly mild and sunny days where we have regular unfettered access to our winter wonderland. And my horse has been just amazing these last rides. But sigh, you can not rationalize boredom away. So fellow boarder C (an international concert violinist, first chair and all) offered to tag along with me on her still somewhat insecure 17h Hanoverian hunter. And then BO asked to have me to babysit her baby stud on his first ridden trail ride (he has been ponied in these woods aplenty). So I got two trail rides today, each very different. In the first, I coached C on how to ask for a canter on her leggy beast with the 12 foot hunter stride while staying behind my andalusians 7 foot cantalope stride. We got it on the second try but it still requires a bit more work. In the second, I just led the way sticking to the narr...
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Heaven

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Annual Trail Rides: 16/200 Self steering horse trotting down the trail of a winter wonderland. Mild weather at +3C. Did my familiar loop in my best time of 39 minutes. 10 minutes of walking, 20 minutes of trotting, 9 minutes of cantaloping.
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Cheers 1 6 0

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Annual Trail Rides: 160/200 (Bareback 17/12) This ride (#160) was just for me! Q gave me a blast of an experience, finishing 20 km in under 2 hours which was a blazing pace for us given the terrain. Up, down, narrow, wide, rooty, deep sand, asphalt and gravel sections, rocky sections, bogs, creeks ... we had a little bit of everything. We trotted where others would walk, and cantered where others would trot. We would not have been able to tackle that pace accompanied. I put a saddle on for this ride, and warned the barn staff that I was going for a long one, thinking it would take me 3 hours. Q was a beast! This ride also marked the official end of my glorious 6 week vacation, clocking in 35 trail rides. Thats a solid 5-6 trail rides a week, never once setting foot in the arena. And of course, Ive been blowing up my objective of bareback rides at 17.  Now, I have 40 rides left for the next 3 months, and Im thinking of pushing the needle on the bareback portion. If I do 23 of the ne...
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