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.
There was an accident on the trail yesterday and the rider was taken away by an ambulance. The horse tripped, got caught in the reins, panicked, the rider fell, and then the horse fell on her. The ambulance was able to drive down the trail in a special AWD vehicle and retrieve the rider that has probably broken her leg. We are still waiting for confirmation. It was a freak incident. Rider and horse are well tuned trail horses and have lots of miles under their belt. But accidents happen. So what did the horse do? The mare stood stock still next to its owner until help came. Friends and family made it to the trail section of the incident and walked the mare home while the owner got loaded in the ambulance to then spend several hours at the hospital getting x-rays. Clearly this wasn't a "mistake". But I thought I would spend some time thinking about the "correct answer" before I deep dive into the land of errors, snafus, and miscommunications. Having sta...
Riding is down ⬇️ Dog training is ⬆️. Our little bichon puppy is now 10 months old and is a confirmed lap dog, but also a certified trick dog, and novice in scent tracking, agility (no jumping), and has started swimming lessons. We have definitely double downed on lessons and training at home. As a result, its been harder to fit in the riding and the worsened commute to the barn (now 2.5/3hrs round trip) as a result of road construction. But when I show up, Q is happy to provide kisses and look for carrots. He has been a good egg in my 1-2x a week habit. Big changes have happened at the barn where resident trainer was kicked out and we went to a coop style management, with double the turnout. Everyone seems happier. What hasn’t changed is how Q continues to be my greatest muse. He makes me giggle and happy cry almost every ride (when solo). There is just an incredible emotional resonance with this horse. Such joy. The gross hot weather of the summer now seems to be over, and Im hopeful...
I was out on the trails snagging some media for my upcoming section posts and just wanted to share the joy of this summertime weather. It was sooo beautiful out today! I brought along a buddy, strapped on some water bottles, covered Q and I in bugspray (although some mosquito still bit me in the ear) and headed out for a 2 hour, 14 km trek in section 2. It was a big boggy in spots, but the temperature was ideal at 24 degrees celsius and very sunny with a slight breeze. Ideal riding weather. Q was in top shape, with plenty of gas in the tank at the end. He did a pretty big sidespook as we passed some neighbors playing with their scooters. He hadn’t seen them, nor had I. But he settled down immediately and I never picked up the reins from the buckle. Good boy! He is still a bit of an obnoxious turd when it comes to grabbing branches when he can, and Im diligent about curbing the behaviour. But sometimes those branches are so close its like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Section ...
Holy camoly did I have a good ride today! We are thick in the middle of our second scorching heat wave (and ensuing forest fires) of spring, as summer just started yesterday. It is an unusual weather pattern. So I planned for an early start to get on the trails for a quick ride before the sun started beating at 10. I was back at the barn with a sweaty horse in tow by 945. I had planned for a short loop of mostly walk and trot with a bit of canter. I wanted to check in with my buddy Q as our last trail ride ended in a “discussion” about key principles when heading home, and our ride after that was a tough cantering session that left Q with sweaty eyeballs. So it was time for another trail diagnostic. He was brilliant. An angel. The deer flies were out in abundance so by the second mile I launched us into lovely jog that Q proceeded to maintain in rhythm without prodding, holding or any aiding as he was on the buckle for two miles. It was so smooth and relaxed that I was able to ...
Cold winter days are often bright and sunny. When I woke up to bright sunshine, it was an omen. I finished grading my mid-term papers early to hurry to the barn and finally get in a good ride. “Be careful, your horse is going to be fresh in this cold weather” says my wise husband as I leave for the long commute (2 hour round trip). Sure enough, when I got to the paddock my Q was literally bouncing in place like a ball. As all the horses in the other paddocks. An omen. The barn was quiet and the arena empty. So I pulled out the lungeline and some poles and got to work. Popped over a few jumps, trotted over some cavaletti, practiced trot-canter transitions until Q was happy to drop down to a trot. 20 minutes later he was soft and compliant. Bouncing ball no more. I brushed him and put him away for his lunch, while I had my own during the daily chitchat with the crew. Then I tacked up and got on the trail. It was fabulous. The cold weather had no impact once we got trott...
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