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.
So our last weekend was a bust. The original plan was to fly to Cordoba, then drive to Villa General Belgrano (known for the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany) in the foothills of the Andes mountains, with a day trip to pedestrian mountain village Cumbrecita … both towns known for their German heritage. I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend in the mountains with beer, sausage and schnitzel. A nice contrast to the beef, empanadas and cheese excesses of Buenos Aires. The AirBnB we rented was not great, better suited for young large drunk men needing space instead of comfort. It was made worse when the whole town shut down at 6 pm on Christmas eve with barely a stray dog stirring. We witnessed the shutdown shortly after the lamest lunch we have experienced, and started to panic as we had no food or water. We hit the last kiosko to close, and grabbed what we could to bunker down for likely two days (water, dulce de leche, coffee, tea, bread, ham, bananas). Is this our...
Annual Trail Rides: 60/200 Its been a good week! Footing is great, weather is dry and sunny and almost feels like summer minus the bugs.Q has been giving me some good rides although he is testing the boundaries and I haven't quite perfected the lope on the buckle. Even yesterday he started out in a spooky mess jumping at shadows on the ground. I had my first ride with buddy B yesterday. It had been three months since we had last ridden together because we were both on covid barn schedules that didn’t match up. For the past year, he has been on a barn schedule restricted him to 5 days a week in 2 hour slots. Unfortunately that makes for very limited trail riding when you substract the time to tack up, cool down and wash up. But his dressage BO doesn’t understand because you don’t need much more than 2 hours to ride in a rectangular box. But he didn’t want to fuss or object, so one year later he is still in the same spot. As for me, things had been pretty loosey goosey from May to D...
Annual Trail Rides : 15/200 With the wind chill it is bitterly cold today at -20C. That with some sore muscles after yesterday’s ride makes me very happy to take today off. Yeah, working day! The woods are exceptionally beautiful this week, and the footing is crisp and crunchy. Ive been seeing mirages of the Rocky Mountains through the treetops as the snow has hardened and created stiff peaks. I find it fascinating to be transported to a different world by a light change in perception. Maybe you see it too? Had a good ride out with the BO yesterday. We are reconditioning one of her riding horses, so the pace was 33% slower than usual but we still got in some lovely jogs and lopes. Q continues to express his displeasure with his radar ears and body tension when the other horse edges too close. But a little heat of my calf takes away some of his worries (although there are probably lingering “bunnies in the basket” as per Warwick Schiller . He prefers to lead, or follow ... but this sid...
There is something different about birthdays that end in 0. A silly human tradition, but one I embrace as well. I can honestly say that this birthday has me at my highest level of contentment. My 20th birthday was in a context of uncertainty, my 30th birthday was in the turmoil of massive change, my 40th birthday was in a context of newly married but professionally dissatisfied ... which brings me to this day. Today, I am healthy and strong. Nothing hurts today (although that's not always true) and my body seeks fresh air, movement and the beauty of nature. Today, I am in a wonderful relationship with my husband who I adore. The experiences we create and embrace are magical, no matter if they happen in our backyard or on the other side of the planet. Today, I work for joy. Gone are the days where I am chasing promotions, raises, rewards and approval. I pick my projects and gigs based on the joy and energy they provide me. I rearrange my schedule to accommodate my lifestyle. I work...
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...
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