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. 🦌
Q and I have been relishing the winter trails this week. The footing is firm and crunchy making for easy strolls on the wide groomed trails. The narrow trails are more challenging if we meet someone as the super deep snow forces us to do 180’s on a dime until the next intersection. I often joke that he moves with so much purpose on the trails, and have gotten into the habit of singing “We’re off to see the wizard” as we canter down the pine lined trails. He doesnt blink an eye at skiers, sleighs, rocks, dogs, or atv’s. This picture was snagged today as we passed a two horse sleigh. As you can see, he is totally chillax. Our trust is mutual and we have so much fun on the trails. Gotta hurry back out there before the weather turns.
My quest for a good enough bit is still ongoing. I had a great d-ring copper thin snaffle that worked great for 3 years from our early saddle starts to our summer trails of 2019. But then I noticed lip rubs this summer and realized that Q had outgrown his bit. I switched to a hackamore while his lips healed, and then I borrowed BOs eggbutt stainless steel snaffle in a slightly bigger style. Q was ok with it, but he had become quite mouthy, often fussing with it. My guess is that his small sensitive mouth does not handle this thickish snaffle very well. So then I borrowed a myler comfort snaffle. It was ok on trail, and ok in the arena. But he was still fussing when the contact started. And more importantly he stopped wanting to take the bit when I bridled him. Which was outrageous because Q has now learned how to bridle himself and will usually grab the bit on his own. Now, he was spitting it out. I took it as a sign. So we tried a smaller copper snaffle and Q liked th...
Annual Trail Rides: 20/200 We have been blessed these last few days by some amazing weather and footing. I rode every one of the last four days and hit the big 2 0 milestone today with a beautiful 90 minute ride in great company. I have had two solo rides, and two accompanied rides this week. Some of the rides were short and fast, some were long and slow ... and one of them was long and fast. I was so tired from that ride that I needed epsom salt bath, heating pad, and alleve to deal with my aching lats. I was back out there today and had a blast with three other riders. With the amount of snow hanging off the trees, we had to do lots of ducking and dodging, and we ended up with our saddle seats filled with snow a few times. Here are a few snapshots from my rides these last few days. I continue to be in awe of the winter wonderland. Sometimes the fields are lit up like diamonds, other times we go through tunnels of trees loaded with snow, and sometimes we canter on fast track with the ...
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 ...
My last horse Jazz passed over the rainbow bridge way too early at the age of 13 but forced me to learn some very important lessons about opinionated horses. Having had pretty easy horses up to that point, including his mom, I did not understand, appreciate or even see the warning signs until one summer day at the overcrowded warm-up ring of a local horse show, he proceeded to back me up out of the arena with a complete loss of the forward button. He was 5 at the time, and just at the age where temper tantrums can begin. When I called up my coach to restart lessons, I remember describing the situation as “no big deal”. Boy was I wrong. That was when my high school (and his) began. My coach would need to repeat the same mantra many times, and over many years, before it finally stuck. "Train the Brain." Four years later I ended up with a toolbox of gymnastics and patterns that work the mind. It is also when I made the transition to trail classes and equitation patterns in both ...
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