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.
Got back to Buenos Aires at 2 am this morning, after a week at the southern tip of South America in the borderlands of Chile and Argentina in the Los Glaciares National Park. Stunning scenery, rustic outposts of the neighboring sheep farm where we cooked meals on wood fires and slept in shacks barely protected from the howling winds blowing down the Dickson and Perito Moreno Glaciars. My little firecracker of a criollo mare Achicoria was stupendous. We herded wild cattle and scrambled over rocks, logs, and steep descents in between long gallops. I took a nap in a glacier field between the Calafate Berry Bushes and the wild grasses, drank mate and learned how to make empanadas with my guide Juani. To say the trip was epic is a disservice. Being disconnected for so many days in the grandiosity of the Andes glaciers, drinking water straight from the streams, was a return to a lifestyle we have never known. As Juani and I did our last race back to the barn we were intercepted by a gaucho w...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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