planBE

In training horses, Frederic Pignon (of Cavalia fame) says we must open our hearts and forget our objectives. We must receive the gifts our horses bestow, and flow with them. Except when your horse bangs your knee into a tree. And this was at a walk. (for the record, this is my third banged knee in 6 years with Q) But it was a glorious ride yesterday, a 3 hour trek done in 135 minutes. We zipped up and down a few roller coaster trails, Q as surefooted as they come. The weather was cool (required a vest) and the sky was blue, in that perfect almost fall type of day. We chatted with a few trail riders in a field of clover, and Q didnt try to drop his head to eat once. We are improving! We got in lots of nice canter stretches, and there was one mild spook at a blowing tarp (plastic is his kryptonite) but he barely broke stride. Im going to try the hackamore again. I think we are ready. His spanish nose is becoming more prominent (at 9 years old!) so the nose band wont be such an eyesore. ...

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. 🦌 

Spring break turned out to be a delightful week of riding everyday. Some extra snow came our way and the weather eventually got quite mild. Footing was exceptional and we basked in many hours in the forest. One of my fellow boarders inquired about Q, saying “he is a machine”. I smiled and had a little chuckle remembering the trail just 2 weeks ago where Q decided he wanted to explode and go very very fast, or the other time where he kept bolting and spooking off. I then shared a sentiment that resonates with me, heard a few times on the Warwick Schiller podcast … “what is the value of yes, if no is never an option” I explained that I embrace the power of no with Q (to her shock) but that he makes me laugh every day. And thats all that matters for now. #flyingmane in Sector 2, H trail

All is ho-hum over here, with some more normal winter temperatures and good snow and footing conditions. Ive been riding 4-5 times a week on trail and still havent seen the inside of the indoor in a very long time. Overall, good. I changed my reins last fall, moving to split reins western style and throwing out my aging english reins with the potential hazard of breaking at a most inconvenient time. It was a challenging transition, as I added another 6 inches to my supposedly loose rein contact on each side. And then I realized that I had been riding with more contact than I thought. So I polished up my neck rein and seat cues. Its become more obvious in the last month that I get caught unaware (and with a slow response time) when Q decides to bolt. He has bolted 6 times in the last month, and Ive usually been able to shut it down within a few strides. Bolting can quickly turn into a panicked runaway situation if not stamped out quickly. But with my floppy reins I have 12 inches of sla...

Went out today with buddy L and we tackled the sector 3 across the road in some of the mildest weather we’ve had in a month. The day started out at -20C but as the sun rose in the sky and warmed the air, it landed in the single negative digits after noon. It was good enough that we were able to survive field crossings and a long walking pace for 2 hours! It was my longest ride since fall. The footing wasnt great, in what we like to call “punchy”. The caveat of groomed trails is that when the foliage is light (deciduous) and the hoof traffic is sparse, the grooming machine evens out the terrain but makes it evenly unbearable as the horses punch through every third hoof. The snow isnt so deep, but when it gets to 6 inches or more it makes the trail a real slog. Thats when Q starts grunting and groaning at me. Most of the trails near my barn are exceptional footing. But when we venture out we must be more cautious and slow our speed down. So walking it is. And that can be rough when the t...

Last week I got my horse back. I was able to maintain a long distance lope and cadence with the reins on his neck and my hands waving in the air. But its been touch and go since. We had days so cold (-35C) that the horses were kept inside. Even during “warmer” turnout the horses didn’t move too much, huddling together and bracing against the wind. So when I finally show up with a saddle, my Q starts prancing in the aisle. We headed out on Sunday for a solo jaunt, and he bolted and spooked on me 3-4 times. Everything was contained within a stride or two, but it was a bit unusual. Today we went out again, in a now “balmy” -13C (-20C with windchill), and while he didn’t literally bolt, did try to set his own pace especially on the way home. With the extreme cold weather Ive cut my rides to 4x a week, but with our recent snow the footing has been amazing so its been good rides for the most part. I havent seen the inside of our indoor arena in many months and hopefully this trend will conti...

I have zero ambition for goals this year and Im definitely not going to track every ride. I was done with that objective by August of last year. So tedious, so boring. It did force me to ride out more. And more riding did wonders for Q and I in confidence and trailability. So it wasn’t all dumb. By the fall of last year we were getting very good at loping on the buckle so I could start filming with my iphone and it got me my first shot of flying mane on trail. And thats now my new addiction. So I think this year Im going to capture as many flying mane shots on as many trail sections as possible. A totally silly goal.  This one was taken at -20C which is terrible weather (and windchill) conditions for removing your gloves to capture the shots. It takes me 5 shots to get one good one. I then missed the turn, which forced a halt and rollback with a single hand and lots of leg. Neck rein is improving! Taken in Sector 2 - Trail 21 (private land)