Had a good ride in sector 3 and got some new flying mane pictures on 17 and N trails. The scent of the wildflowers was a delight, and we got surprised by a deer. 🦌
I was waiting at the barn for the custom western saddle maker, when the english saddle fitter shows up. Surprised, but delighted to see her, I show her the growing white spots on Qs withers and she says “uh oh”. I told her about some other issues (how everyone tells me the saddle is tipping left, and this weird spongey bump that appears after very long rides), she pokes, prods and measures and tells me that this will be a bigger job than usual (she refits every 6 months on my growing boy). So we got a surprise fitting, she took the saddle and said it would be ready in a week. No problem for me, because I had a very busy work week. Well I picked up the saddle a few days ago, had a magnificent ride and !surprise surprise! my left hip did not hurt afterwards. Huh. So, clearly hindsight is 20/20. But next time I will call saddle fitter sooner. Meanwhile, the custom western saddle maker came to test the tree. A perfect fit. It was cool to see the tree on Q in advance and imagine what is...
There is a wonderful veterinarian-turned-acupuncturist that works in our area, and Q gets an exam and sometimes a treatment once every six months. With our latest saddle restuffing, I thought it was good timing to take a look. This lovely older gentleman has over 30 years of equine acupuncture practice (in addition to 20 years as an equine vet) and many a story to tell but the biggest stories come from his patients and his magic hands. While I have never tried acupuncture on myself, I have been successfully treated for many ailments with osteopathy and I believe in the body as a system that can often heal itself. So today was the day, and I watched him do several treatments before it was our turn. Q had no back pain or soreness, but his weakness in the left hind was flaring up and probably connected with the increased work on collection over the last few weeks. So, he got some needles and then I watched him slowly drift to sleep as he licked my arm slower and slower. After these ...
What a pleasure to spend the morning picking berries with my mom. The blueberries were not yet ripe, but the blackberries were starting to ripen. It was hard to see them from the trails but once we went through the thorny bushes they started to appear. Pickings were still a bit slim, and many of the fruits were a bit small. But we will go out two more times over the next two weeks and hope for more abundance. These babies were hiding behind some bushes My mom is 81 years young and still a firecracker. Although she stopped riding a few years ago, she still volunteers twice a week at the local horse rescue doing chores ... even stacking hay!!! Here is a picture of us on our palominos dressed up for the western pleasure pairs class. It was a hoot of a time, with tons of trail riding and the occasional shows. On trail, we enjoyed the nickname of the golden ghosts as we trotted and cantered through the forest. Mom & I on Mare & Son Things changed a while ago, and bot...
It was a tough two weeks of road walking and hand grazing. Everyone in the barn and club were depressed at the terrible trail conditions. Those of us that were barefoot (ie no winter shoes with studs) were regretting our choices. And then, we got the news. One brave soul in our club ventured out and reported a successful path to the power lines. With all the sun exposure under the power lines, it was sandy like a beach. But most of us needed to confront the icy trails in the forest first. With two back to back sunshine days and warm nights, we booked a time, tacked up, and ventured out. And it was glorious. It feels so good when you get back out there. Now that the trails are back on the horizon, its time to start planning for my pack trip. Aside from the worries about what to bring (ie will my toothpaste attract raccoons or bears?) and building up my ride time so that Im comfortable with 8 hours in the saddle per day, Im both excited and nervous. I bought a new oilskin spring jacket t...
It’s that time of year where the weather is a roller coaster of snow, ice, sunshine, warmth and strong chilling winds. The forest is barren aside from the conifers and moss. The odd beech tree is still hanging on to the dark brown leaves until the spring and the increasing rains have made the footing range from boggy to frozen. But we have plenty of fun just the same. Found myself a new riding partner who is just a delight. We canter and hand gallop down the big wide trails and my inner 9 year old giggles. She is back in the saddle after a 20 year absence, and her previous life as a cross-country eventer makes her bold and secure on the trails. Work is always busy this time of year so riding time takes a backseat. Im usually managing to ride 3x a week. But every once in a while 6-7 days go by without a trip to see Q. And Im happy to report that this lovely 7 year old andalusian gelding is easy as can be when I finally show up: brush, tack up, foot in the stirrup and off we go. No ...
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