# 2018 rides! Happy trails 😊



## ChasingDreams

Wanted to ring-in the new year right with a short (albeit chilly) ride around the farm today  I thought it was neat how folks were tracking miles and sharing pictures on the trail last year, so here we are again in 2018.


















Total miles so far in 2018: 2.23 

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## phantomhorse13

Glad someone got some saddle time! What a great way to start the new year.

With a real feel of -12F here today, riding was simply not happening.


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## ChasingDreams

phantomhorse13 said:


> Glad someone got some saddle time! What a great way to start the new year.
> 
> With a real feel of -12F here today, riding was simply not happening.



It was maybe 15ish F while I was out; I was numb all over by the time I got back to the barn. Even bundled up. 

But, I didn't want to lose the opportunity to ride while my husband was home to watch the kids... if he gets busy at work, I'm lucky to have time to sneak in a little groundwork between chores lol


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## JoBlueQuarter

Great way to start the new year! I didn't get in any riding this year (imagine; last time I rode was *last year*! :lol, but I did do some groundwork with Heidi today.

What is that app called?


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## CaliforniaDreaming

I only just started riding again 3 days ago, which was 9 weeks from the date of gallbladder surgery and 12 weeks from the last time I’d ridden. Meant to ride today, but got caught up going through my tack, so I just hand walked the foster/rehab Arab (long story, that) and round penned the ponybutt. Should be riding tomorrow though!


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## PoptartShop

I can't wait to ride, I'm hoping to ride sometime next week as this week it will be WAY too cold after work. Sigh! :sad: & this weekend it'll be a low of 1 degree...NOPE!
Looks like a beautiful ride though!!


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## SwissMiss

phantomhorse13 said:


> Glad someone got some saddle time! What a great way to start the new year.
> 
> With a real feel of -12F here today, riding was simply not happening.


We had a real feel of 19 - Sorry y'all, but that is too cold for a (apparently quite adapted) Southerner :rofl:


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## egrogan

Yep, 6*F here yesterday, no riding. Woke up to _actual temp_ of *-19*F* this morning, so no riding. BUT... tomorrow it is going to be 20*F :happydance: 
THERE. WILL. BE. RIDING.


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## ChasingDreams

JoBlueQuarter said:


> Great way to start the new year! I didn't get in any riding this year (imagine; last time I rode was *last year*! :lol, but I did do some groundwork with Heidi today.
> 
> 
> 
> What is that app called?




It's called "horse riding" lol pretty simple app, but it worked for my purposes. If someone has something a little more advanced they like to use I'm open to suggestions 

The "pro" version supposedly has more statistical tracking capabilities, but I don't like paying for app subscriptions. 

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## AnitaAnne

Must confess I chickened out too. After spending 2 hours outside cleaning stalls (they are mostly open) and clearing ice out of tanks, I was too frozen to even think of riding. It was 17F yesterday brr

The other boarder's mare did not have her blanket on and must have spent the whole night circling her stall. It was such a mess of poo and hay, I nearly had to empty out the entire stall :frown_color:

Last night she agreed to let me blanket her...

Today we are going to get in some more hay, hopefully the place is open!


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## JoBlueQuarter

egrogan said:


> Yep, 6*F here yesterday, no riding. Woke up to _actual temp_ of *-19*F* this morning, so no riding. BUT... tomorrow it is going to be 20*F :happydance:
> THERE. WILL. BE. RIDING.





PoptartShop said:


> I can't wait to ride, I'm hoping to ride sometime next week as this week it will be WAY too cold after work. Sigh! :sad: & this weekend it'll be a low of 1 degree...NOPE!
> Looks like a beautiful ride though!!





phantomhorse13 said:


> Glad someone got some saddle time! What a great way to start the new year.
> 
> With a real feel of -12F here today, riding was simply not happening.


With those temps, I woulda been outside riding! I had -30 and windchill *brrr* It's a lot warmer now, though, so I'm gonna be riding!


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## PoptartShop

WELL...it'll be like 25 degrees when I get off work later, so...I AM RIDING TOO!!!!!!!!! LOL. Just gonna literally hop on my friend's horse with a bareback pad over his blanket & walk around. :lol: I could use some no-stirrup work anyway! Bahaha lazy people problems! It's just so cold!


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## PunchnMe

I am way too lazy to put the 
saddle on lol. Gonna stick to bareback. 
I will only ride with a partner but she is 40 mins away and I live in the middle of no where. 
That app looked awesome! Looks like a good tracker.


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## CaliforniaDreaming

Yikes! It's cooooooold where you all are. And here I thought I was being a wuss yesterday in 60 degree overcast weather (but it was windy, so brrrr)

I did ride though! Just some barn trails, which were probably about a mile or two to do the loop. Nothing spectacular, but as neither myself nor the pony are in shape, it will have to do.

I use the Endomondo app to track my rides.


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## PunchnMe

CaliforniaDreaming said:


> Yikes! It's cooooooold where you all are. And here I thought I was being a wuss yesterday in 60 degree overcast weather (but it was windy, so brrrr)
> 
> I did ride though! Just some barn trails, which were probably about a mile or two to do the loop. Nothing spectacular, but as neither myself nor the pony are in shape, it will have to do.
> 
> I use the Endomondo app to track my rides.


Haha! You are so right! It's been -15 one night here, and our lake is so frozen we can drive our 20ft long pickup onto the ice.


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## ChasingDreams

It got up to 25F today! But, sadly I didn't ride. I did have a really nice lunging session though. But, the whole time I was thinking that I should be riding right now...The rest of the week looks pitiful 

Oh well, Sunday might be OK. Come on spring!


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## JoBlueQuarter

#lazypeopleproblems!! I ride bareback 96% of the time, mostly 'cause I'm lazy. In my defence, though, I also ride bareback because I feel more like me and Blue are moving in harmony better than when there's a saddle between us.


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## PunchnMe

ChasingDreams said:


> It got up to 25F today! But, sadly I didn't ride. I did have a really nice lunging session though. But, the whole time I was thinking that I should be riding right now...The rest of the week looks pitiful
> 
> Oh well, Sunday might be OK. Come on spring!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes! Spring! Come on! I can't wait till it's warmer than your hands and feet go numb just standing outside. :/ Then maybe my riding partner can come out too.


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## PunchnMe

Our pond outback


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## phantomhorse13

Today I got in the first ride of 2018! The whole story is in my journal.




























Fingers and toes are crossed the Nor'easter doesn't change track and nail us tomorrow..


2018 mileage
1/3 Hombre 9.31 miles 604 ft climb 4.6 mph 17F real feel


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## PunchnMe

Ugh. Lucky. I haven't ridden my horse since November. 
Hoping to get a though the ears on my bareback hacking out..


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## whisperbaby22

Sunny and mild here in So Cal.


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## SwissMiss

Today was a lovely day in the high 40ies - practically screaming for a ride! My riding buddy claimed it was too cold to ride, so I rode with the BO and the guy who helps maintaining the property around the pastures.

It was an interesting ride  I am sure that was the first time I rode her with non-gaited horses and it showed. The two mustangs were rearing to go and let's just say my mare is not the smoothest when gaiting fast enough to keep up with cantering (and sometimes even galloping) horses :wink: And she got trained that she is not allowed to jump logs, but we were riding the "jumping course" and she just gaited over the logs the other ones were jumping :gallop: But wow, where did my mellow, chill horse go? She was a fire breathing dragon and seemed to enjoy the ride as much as I did 

p.s. I tried out caged EZ ride stirrups today. And while I love the feel of the stirrups, the cages got hung up in the garden gate and several downed trees and branches... Needless to say I will stick to tapaderos again :wink:


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## mmshiro

I mentioned my troubles with Scout in the other thread, causing me to cut short a ride with him. Today, BO was fit enough to take him for a spin; I tagged along on Dita. There's good news and good news: He started out the ride exactly as he did with me, so he didn't just react adversely to me as a rider (#notmyfault); as the ride went on, he settled and became his usual self again. BO leaned on him a bit harder than me when he got uncertain, so that was a good teaching moment for me.

Dita wanted to go, go, go, but we were in company and the snow was a few inches high, so she had to cool it. We ended up with one one-rein stop (who the hell starts to canter on a snow-covered downhill forest path?) and with one "collected" canter that took way more contact on the reins than I would have liked. I'm thinking about revoking her snaffle privileges and putting her Pelham back to "leveraged action".

We crossed one street, and there was a deep snow bank on the other side back into a field. The monster that lives in the snow bank must have grabbed her foot, because we did a mighty hop out of it. I ended up in the field with my left leg in front of the saddle...great position to stop a hot horse that had just entered a field. But - "Yay!" for me! 

The temps were in the low teens, there was sunshine and no wind. Horses and riders came back safely - good ride!


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## AnitaAnne

So jealous of everyone getting to ride! I was all set to ride this afternoon, had my boots on and Chivas bridle in the car (to warm up his bit). 

Instead of 45 and sunny we had 42 overcast and very windy. Me being the wimp I am in the cold backed out of riding :frown_color:. I just couldn't stop shivering. Trying to understand how y'all ride in the cold!? 
@SwissMiss Miss Raya is looking gorgeous in her fancy new tack! I love how soft her eye now is; recall when you first got her she had a super mare glare face! 

She is looking at you with such love


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## SwissMiss

AnitaAnne said:


> So jealous of everyone getting to ride! I was all set to ride this afternoon, had my boots on and Chivas bridle in the car (to warm up his bit).
> 
> Instead of 45 and sunny we had 42 overcast and very windy. Me being the wimp I am in the cold backed out of riding :frown_color:. I just couldn't stop shivering. Trying to understand how y'all ride in the cold!?
> 
> @*SwissMiss* Miss Raya is looking gorgeous in her fancy new tack! I love how soft her eye now is; recall when you first got her she had a super mare glare face!
> 
> She is looking at you with such love


She is looking at me "where are the cookies?" :rofl:. But yes, her mare glare (which was mostly fear I see now in retrospect) is mostly gone around me - other horses, well she came in heat today and showed the gelding that she is not fond of him :rofl:

And thank you, I love her new tack too! Especially the reins. Only 7 foot long make a huge difference when she is zooming around with the typical high headset :biggrin:

And I hear you on not riding in the cold. I used to do all sorts of things below freezing (from scuba diving over skiing and yes, riding too) but now I prefer warm and sunny weather


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## egrogan

AnitaAnne said:


> So jealous of everyone getting to ride! I was all set to ride this afternoon, had my boots on and Chivas bridle in the car (to warm up his bit).
> 
> Instead of 45 and sunny we had 42 overcast and very windy. Me being the wimp I am in the cold backed out of riding :frown_color:. I just couldn't stop shivering. Trying to understand how y'all ride in the cold!?


Hehehe...that made me laugh. You need more layers @AnitaAnne! 

I was watching the thermometer creep up very, very slowly to get above 0*F yesterday morning- was supposed to get to 16*F (rideable) but when it was still 1*F (not rideable :wink at 11am, I knew there was no way that was happening. DH and I opted to try a new brewpub instead! :cheers:

But TOMORROW....tomorrow is going to be 32*F. Hopefully that will give us our first ride of 2018!


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## PoptartShop

I did get to ride last week, I'm also going to ride tomorrow & hopefully more this week after work since it's going up to the 40's/50's!!!   
We rode in the dark soooo didn't get to take any pictures  BUT I can't wait until it starts getting light out again after work!

Love the pictures everyone!


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## knightrider

I've been reading this thread for years but rarely, if ever, posting on it for 2 reasons. (1) I have no idea how far I have ridden (2) this is the main reason: my rides are kinda ((((boring)))). You all write such exciting things happening on your rides, and 99% of the time nothing happens on my rides, so I am embarrassed to write about them. Also, I almost never take pictures because there is nothing noteworthy to take pictures of.

But thanks to @egrogan, I learned about "endomondo" to put on my phone for free, and I tried it today, so it made me feel brave enough to post. I already do "Pasos for Pleasure" and frequently get third place (I do a LOT of riding) for the year, but that is logging hours, not miles. Today I rode Acicate 2.25 hours, which I can count for Pasos for Pleasure because that time only counts when you are actually sitting on the horse, even if you are not riding, and I stopped off at my neighbor's house to admire his new horse trailer and two trees that came down on his porch due to our terrible ice storm last week.

Thanks to the endomondo, I actually rode moving along 8 miles in two hours, which averages at 4 miles an hour. My other Pasos are not quite such fast walkers as Acicate, so I'll use 3 mph as an average--sometimes I take kids and go slowly and I almost always have to stop and wait for my daughter's TN Walker, who does not walk fast unless she wants to.

So far, in 2018, I have ridden 15.5 hours, times 3 miles an hour--I've logged 46.5 miles . . . and I even have a photo (rare for me) because it was the first time ever we got all 5 horses out on the trail together, and that was a kick.


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## Celeste

@knightrider You're ride looked like fun. No ride is boring. We like to hear about them all. I hope my first ride will be this weekend. This 20 degree stuff is not for a Georgia girl.


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## ChasenT

I've been a lurker to the 2017 thread, but enjoyed all your posts very much! I started using an app called View Ranger on September 28th and managed to log 239 miles between my two horses, for the year. 87 on my gelding and 152 on my mare 

We started the new year off right with an amazing ride, a new tradition for me starting this year!!! Looking forward to everyone's 2018...Happy New Year & Happy Trails!


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## SwissMiss

@knightrider, you just inspired me to trick my phone into accepting endomondo :rofl:
Will update (if it works) the next time I manage to go ride!

And I agree with @Celeste, no ride is ever boring!


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## Spanish Rider

So, is this thread accepting applications from wanna-be trail riders? Since I no longer have a horse, I have not been trail riding in over a year, but I am interested in seeing how far I ride, albeit in circles. 



> You all write such exciting things happening on your rides, and 99% of the time nothing happens on my rides, so I am embarrassed to write about them. Also, I almost never take pictures because there is nothing noteworthy to take pictures of.


*knightrider,*
Don't worry. I've got you beat on all fronts!

OK, so I am trying to download Endomondo, but of course it pops up in Spanish and all I see is cycling and running. Is that the right version, or is there another one?


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## knightrider

Running and walking is all my daughter and I found, but after the ride, we looked harder and if you tap in the middle, there are about 30 options to use and one of them is horse riding. Tomorrow I ride Isabeau, and we'll see how fast she walks, and see how the horse riding ap does.


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## egrogan

:happydance: It was 33*F and sunny today, so out we went- FINALLY!

The snow was really deep- it came up to the top of my tall boots walking out to the mounting block, so while we only went 1.5 miles, it was a workout for Fizz.

You can sort of get as sense of how deep and crunchy the snow is in this little clip





We rode to the beaver pond and back (the pond is the big flat snow covered space)- it was a truly beautiful day.









Fizz was wiped out by the end- I actually worried I had asked her for too much as she needed a pretty long cool down to get her respiration under control. But she really does thrive on "going somewhere"- in fact, I had to turn her back towards home against her will, as she wanted to keep going past the pond. Really glad I didn't let her!

*Total 2018 miles: 1.5 *(that feels silly to write, but I guess you have to start somewhere :wink


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## ChasingDreams

Celeste said:


> @knightrider You're ride looked like fun. No ride is boring. We like to hear about them all.



I agree, all of my rides are around farm fields at the moment lol 

Of course Chase is out of commission now anyway So, my head start for the year was short-lived. And it's supposed to get close to 50F this week!! 

I'm hoping his foot gets better and I can work up the confidence to hit the actual park trails with him soon...




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## Spanish Rider

Well, I downloaded Endomondo and was all excited to give it a whirl today during my class... but it wouldn't start up. I guess it's time to erase some music so it functions correctly. :frown_color:

I will definitely try again Thursday because my trainer was curious about it, too. When you ride 4-6 horses a day, as he does, sometimes you get confused about how much/how long you worked with each. Does anyone else use it this way?

*egrogan,*
Love the name Fizz. Thanks for sharing photos!


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## knightrider

Today I rode Isabeau for 2 hours and 5 minutes. We didn't make quite 8 miles, but her average speed was 16 minutes to go each hour. My neighbor and I were hoping to ride until we completed 8 miles, but his wife called --she wasn't feeling well--so we headed home. Good thing we did, because the field trials were just coming by our houses and it would have been terrible if we had been in their way. First prize for the field trial is $10,000. I would feel horrible if I messed up the quail or the dog or handler and caused him to lose.

I was tempted to turn Isabeau around and follow the field trialers (after they had passed, of course) for 45 minutes, but I went on in. Lots of things to do at home--I'd had a great ride and time to get back to life.

I hope this doesn't make you northerners too jealous. Today it was 72 degrees, bright sunshine, light breeze, perfect day for a nice long ride.

The endomondo switched from horse riding to badmitton sometime during the ride. I don't know if that made any difference in Isabeau's time. I wonder how many steps it registers for badmitton.


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## phantomhorse13

@knightrider : I am glad you decided to join us here - no ride is too boring to hear about. (we leave the excitement to @mmshiro most times! :wink

@Spanish Rider : you might be surprised how many miles you cover going around in circles. certainly everyone will enjoy seeing pics of the gorgeous PRE guy you ride!

@ChasingDreams : what happened to Chase??

@egrogan : snow is a huge workout, so good on Fizz for keeping her enthusiasm.


Today was the first day the actual temp has been above freezing for 16 days! Even our overnight temp was so much warmer (mid 20s) that I decided to make it a barn day. The whole story is in my journal. 



















The creek really brought home just how cold it's been. I have never seen it frozen solid before:



















2018 mileage
...
1/9 phin 0.93 miles 0 ft climb 2.7 mph 23F 10.24 total miles
1/9 george 3.05 miles 318 ft climb 3.3 mph 26F *13.29 total miles*


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## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> @knightrider : I am glad you decided to join us here - no ride is too boring to hear about. (we leave the excitement to @mmshiro most times! :wink


I'm a little bit envious of that field in the first picture...seeing that obstacle-free path between the ears of a horse made me all giddy! :gallop:


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## ChasingDreams

@phantomhorse13 that ride looks beautiful! 

Chase has an abscess  so he's out of commission for a few weeks until it's all healed up


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## phantomhorse13

ChasingDreams said:


> Chase has an abscess  so he's out of commission for a few weeks until it's all healed up


Ugh, that is super frustrating. We just went through it with George, so I sympathize. Hopefully its healed up in no time!


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## knightrider

Today we took my daughter's friend to field trials behind our house. I have been many many times, and it is always fun. This time it was more fun than ever. Last October when the field trials were behind our house, I took Acicate for the first time. He was fantastic . . . and then he was horrible. I was thinking then that he seemed to be afraid of his shadow. He had done marvelously on the field trial, and we were hunting back toward our house and he just flipped out, rearing, leaping, spinning, slamming into bushes and trees, not paying a bit of attention where he was putting his feet. I knew it was only a matter of time before he fell with me because he was completely wigged out and was totally out of it. I dismounted and began to lead him--as he was flipping out, I lost the gallery--but knew I had about 3 miles to walk home, and he was difficult to lead. My daughter and her friend had gotten separated from us, and how I wished they would come back and find me! It never occurs to my kids or husband that **I** would have trouble with a horse. They think I can ride anything.

I thought he had calmed down some, and I really didn't want to walk any more, so I re-mounted and started for home. He was just a fire breathing dragon. It was so scary. When I'd turn him around away from home where he couldn't see his shadow, he would walk calmly. But I wanted to go home, not away from home, so I'd turn him back and he'd go nuts. But at least he was going forward instead of rearing, spinning, and hurling himself around mindlessly.

Finally my daughter and her friend showed up, wondering what had happened to me. Acicate wasn't much better with his buddies alongside him, but I told myself he was, and we finally got home.

So today, I was wondering how he would act in these field trials. At first I thought I would ride my daughter's World's Greatest Pony, but last night I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns and see if Aci could behave himself this time.

We did the field trials differently this time. We waited for them to ride along right behind my house and then join in. That way, if anything went wrong, we could just turn back for home and didn't have 5 miles to have to struggle home.

Aci was lovely this time. I think it really was his shadow that was scaring him so badly last October. This turned out to be a very active field trial. We gaited and cantered the whole time. Aci has a lovely smooth corto. My daughter had chosen to ride her World's Greatest Pony instead of her filly (who was too excited to gait smoothly last time). Both my daughter and I are still a little ragged out from the bad flu we had over Christmas, and she just wanted something easy and fun to ride. My daughter's friend had her hands full with my Chorro, who always gets wound up at field trials, but she managed him just fine.

These are photos from past field trials. I did not take pictures today.


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I took advantage of the relatively nice weather and got all 3 boys out. The whole story is in my journal. 

I started with Phin. 



















Next up was Sultan. 



















Last up was George. 



















2018 mileage
...
1/10 phin 2.22 miles 13 ft climb 3.2 mph 28F 15.51 total miles
1/10 sultan 3.07 miles 339 ft climb 3.8 mph 26F 18.58 total miles
1/10 george 5.04 miles 505 ft climb 4.0 mph 24F *23.62 total miles*


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## AnitaAnne

Finally got my first ride of 2018 in yesterday!! It was 60F and forecast to rain but the rain held off so out I went. 

Chivas hasn't been ridden in over a month due to weather/work/etc. so he was highly put out and told me so, lol. 

The first 10 minutes were a bit challenging, but since he is so um...plump, he gave up the shenanigans and we had a nice little ride with lots of lateral work and changes of direction all at the walk in the pasture. 

The rain started last night and should continue through Friday night at which time the temperature is supposed to drop again. May be a little while before I can get back on :frown_color:

Chivas in his new red Haf pad showing off his tummy :icon_rolleyes: I'm a bit disappointed that I can't see more RED but they don't seem to make the square pads anymore...


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## Celeste

@AnitaAnne I have noticed that when my mare's tummy gets a bit more rotund, mine seems to do so as well. Happens every time.............


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## Spanish Rider

*knightrider,*
Pardon my ignorance, but what is a field trial?

*AnitaAnne,*
Plump tummy? Yup, that's me.


I experimented with the Endomondo app during class today, and everyone at the barn was interested. Worked well, but I can't send screen shots with it. Anyone else have that problem? Anyway, just for fun, and so everyone else realizes how exciting their trail rides are in comparison, I am uploading some shots (that I had to take with my son's phone of my phone - what?!).

Interesting to see that I rode more than I had expected (meaning that I have no notion of time or distance when riding). Total distance 3.5 mi, top speed 10mph, low speed 3mph. Also interesting to note how the satellite adjusts at some point (because we definitely did not ride through the grandstands) and to see how 10m circles show up as triangles.


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## knightrider

@Spanish Rider, love your posting about the endomondo ap. I am experimenting with it every time too. My phone suddenly stopped working during the field trials, so I did not get to use it then. Oh well.

Field trials are tests of bird dog abilities. Each dog handler has 45 minutes to showcase his dog's ability to flush out quail. Two dogs and handlers ride out at a time with a judge for each right behind them. The "gallery" are the people who follow along after that. All the horses are gaited, mostly Tenn Walkers, with a few Foxtrotters and Pasos thrown in.

The dogs search out quail, and when they find one (or a covey), they "point." The dog handler then dismounts and walks around until he can flush out the quail. This is called a "find." When the bird flies up, the handler shoots a blank and then releases the dog, usually by a pat on the head. The faster the dog, the more quail can be found in the allotted 45 minutes, so fast field trial runs, like yesterday, often result in many finds. Sometimes the dog points, but the handler cannot get the quail to flush out, and that is sad--no score for that. Sometimes the one dog points, and the second dog sees him and points also. Lots of interesting and fun things happen in field trials.

One very interesting thing about field trials is that they are 99% men. You notice in my photos there are no women. Maybe once every third ride, there might be one woman among 30 men. I have never seen a woman dog handler. Usually they are like me--just ride-alongs.

Field trials last about 6 days, with 3 sets of 2 dogs going out in the mornings and 3 sets of 2 dogs going out in the afternoons. The prize for the best dog is $10,000. The gallery is NOT under any circumstances to get in the way of the dogs or judges. Stay behind, stay out of the way. Each handler usually has one or two outriders who help him keep track of where his dog is running. The outriders upset and confuse inexperienced horses or exciteable horses, having horses galloping past, back and forth.

The handlers cue the dogs with high weird calls and whistles. Their voices across the Florida scrub are quite eerie. The horses are amazingly strong, well behaved, and resilient. The horses have to gallop across country through thick scrub, and then stand ground tied when the handlers dismount. I included in my pictures some horses standing ground tied. Never ceases to amaze me how these horses can be racing top speed and then seconds later, standing quietly. Field trial horses are very well trained. On the other hand, not recommended to buy one because they are ridden very hard, often from 8:00 a.m until 6:00 p.m., mostly gaiting the whole time.

Like foxhunting, field trials are totally unpredictable, and you never know what will happen on any given day.

I've probably told you ten times more information than you ever wanted to know.


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## Zexious

Really cool looking app, @Spanish Rider!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy new year, with lots of happy trails!
Maybe this will be my year! Fingers crossed<3


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## whisperbaby22

Finally got some rain here, it makes the sand a lot easier to get through.


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## AnitaAnne

Celeste said:


> @AnitaAnne I have noticed that when my mare's tummy gets a bit more rotund, mine seems to do so as well. Happens every time.............


Guilty as charged...but he is just getting too much hay. The other boarder is over generous with the hay and I haven't been able to come up with a good solution yet :frown_color: 

All that hay is costing me a lot of $$ and afraid it may be costing Chivas his health...


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## Celeste

@AnitaAnne We feed round-bales, so the same problem exists here. If only I won the lottery, I would have time to ride the fat off of me and my horse.


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## Spanish Rider

*knightrider,*
Thank you for your explanation! I figured that it was hunting-related as I had noticed all men in camo, but I didn't realize that there were dogs involved That is quite a hefty prize! Are there sponsors? Here, we have partridge hunting, but not on horseback.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got to ride twice. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin was first.











After that, I went over to Nicole's and got to ride Polo.



















2018 mileage
...
1/11 phin 1.82 miles 0 ft climb 3.8 mph 33F 25.44 total miles
1/11 polo 10.11 miles 566 ft climb 4.3 mph 41F *35.55 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

I hope to have my first ride of the year with a very special friend. Can't wait to tell everybody, but I'm going to wait anyway.


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## Spanish Rider

*Celeste,*
How exciting!


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - It's not often I see something other than white ears in your photos! 
Hope you had some good rides!


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## knightrider

@Spanish Rider, no sponsors for field trials. The farm owners put up the purses. The family that owns Chinquapin, behind my house, owns Florida Rock and have piles of money. But they are very down to earth, not at all snobby. At one field trial once, the owner showed up with a sweater full of holes. I felt like laughing. When I ride in the field trials, I wear my nicest boots, leather half chaps, and my best riding jacket.

Yesterday I rode Isabeau first and later in the day I rode Acicate for a total of almost 10 miles in 2.75 hours. Isabeau doesn't walk as fast as Aci, as I thought. I don't think many horses walk as fast as Aci. I had my daughter and her friend with me yesterday morning, and they wanted to canter. I was surprised that Isabeau cantered 11 mph. 

This morning I rode Chorro solo, who did not want to leave his buddies and started out at 2 miles per hour. It took him 27.7 minutes to walk the first mile. On the way home, he was walking 16 minutes to do a mile. We rode 1 hour and 32 minutes and went 4.79 miles. I really am enjoying the endomondo ap. Fun.

Since I ride every day, I won't post constantly . . . as @egrogan said, it's fun to share your trails, even if I don't have any adventures.


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## SwissMiss

@*Celeste*, I have a strong suspicion what you can't wait to tell :biggrin:
Exciting!!!!!




Edited to add: Can't wait to see if I should change my career to fortune teller :wink:


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## Spanish Rider

*SwissMiss,*
You're not the only one!


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## knightrider

Our friend who rode in the field trials sent some pictures. She is riding Chorro, my heart horse.


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## knightrider

More field trial pictures.


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## CaliforniaDreaming

Mitch and I hit the barn trails for our first outing since the end of the rainstorm earlier this week. Unfortunately, I was charging my phone and left it in the car so I don’t have any pictures.


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## AnitaAnne

swissmiss said:


> @*celeste*, i have a strong suspicion what you can't wait to tell :biggrin:
> Exciting!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Edited to add: Can't wait to see if i should change my career to fortune teller :wink:


ditto :d But we will await your news...Very Intriguing...


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## gunslinger

knightrider said:


> @*Spanish Rider* , no sponsors for field trials. The farm owners put up the purses. The family that owns Chinquapin, behind my house, owns Florida Rock and have piles of money. But they are very down to earth, not at all snobby. At one field trial once, the owner showed up with a sweater full of holes. I felt like laughing. When I ride in the field trials, I wear my nicest boots, leather half chaps, and my best riding jacket.


While I haven't field trialed bird dogs, in a distant life, I field trialed beagles extensively. 

Most of the time, prize money is taken out of entry fees. For a 10,000 prize, I'm wondering what they charge to participate, or, what's the entry fee?


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## knightrider

@gunslinger, the entry fee is either $100 per dog or $200 per dog, I can't remember which. The owners of the hunting land behind my house own 3 other properties besides the 8,000 acres, state of the art barn and kennels, hunting lodge and two guest cottages behind my house: a mansion in Jacksonville, an estate in S. Dakota, and a hunting property in Idaho. They pay $3,000,000 in property taxes every year. They have 7 full time employees just to maintain the land behind my house, and they pay $3,000 a month just for corn for the quail. For them, $10,000 is chump change.

This morning was Isabeau's turn and she boogied. We rode 5.5 miles in an hour and a half, which is an average of 16.4 minutes per mile. On the way home, she was taking 14 minutes per mile. As you can tell, I am fascinated with the endomondo.


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## Celeste

Some of you are probably pretty suspicious about what my news is already, but here it is.

I bought Rapper! @Change brought him down yesterday. She spent the night and we really were going to ride until we felt the wind-chill. It is too cold for southern girls. 

He is getting along great with my other horses and we had a great visit.


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## SwissMiss

@Celeste, many happy trails!!!!! 


Hmm, maybe I need to consider changing my profession :wink:


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## knightrider

Great news! I am so excited for you. I hope you enjoy him for many many years!


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## gunslinger

Beautiful animal Celeste! It's cold here in Dixie! Dang wind is blowing about 15 to 20 MPH.....I haven't rode since the last Christmas parade in December.

The weatherman is predicting the coldest nights so far this year coming up Tuesday and Wednesday.


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## AnitaAnne

@Celeste WOOT!!


:loveshower::loveshower::loveshower::loveshower:

SO Happy you have that Cute Horse!! 

Can't wait to see those ears shots


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## Celeste

@AnitaAnne He is kinda cute, isn't he?


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## AnitaAnne

Celeste said:


> @AnitaAnne He is kinda cute, isn't he?


Adorable and I think he knows it!! 
The PP is going to be sooooooo jealous!


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## mollybeamon

Hey right back at ya!! I love those trails!:cowboy::runninghorse2:


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## Celeste

More pics of my new boy. The other horse are keeping a difference, and he doesn't mind just so he can see them. They are not chasing or fighting at all.


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## mmshiro

Dita was happy to see me today - she rarely, if ever, gives me a nicker when I come to the barn and she's waiting in her stall for me, but today I got one.

She was also excited to see me - on our first brief canter, she gave me a little "happy buck" (kicking out with her hind legs), which caught me a bit off guard as it went uphill and I was two pointing it. I used my forearm to support me on her neck. She then ran through the bit - usually I don't use all my strength to stop her, so "running through the bit" means "not reacting to my escalating to the max. rein contact I usually use". I pulled her head a bit sideways - just enough to make running fast uncomfortable and so she could look me in the eye - and when she slowed down to a safe speed, I completed the one-rein stop.

Next up - a dozen walk-to-halt transitions, but I also let her have three more canters. No gallops - my butt was glued to the saddle because I won't be fooled twice. She did canter on loose reins, though, so however fast she could go with my butt on her back, she was welcome to. There were no further incidences.

I threw in a few more stops, got her to do a few trots (which she did not like much), but she got it out of her system. If you could have seen us during the second hour of the ride, you'd have put a beginner on her.

Such a noodge...in a lovable kind of way, of course...

Oh, conditions were mixed. It was muddy, and it had cooled down to the upper 20s, so there was water, ice, snow, and mud. Another reason why there wasn't any more two-pointing today: I wanted to make sure I could help her out if she lost balance rather than contributing to her predicament. There was only one spot where her butt slid out (at the walk), other than that, she was a trooper. Well, her hind feet are bare now, and she's got snow pads and traction on her front.


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## Celeste

One more picture. This is me and @Change. She has on the black top and I have on the blue flannel. We may not have ridden today, but we talked riding for hours!


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## egrogan

Congrats @Celeste! Now the big question is- is that beautiful new horse for _you _to ride, or does your lovely husband get him?


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## Celeste

@egrogan He won't ride my mare, so I suspect that he will be riding the new horse. I certainly intend to ride him some though. DH can't have all the fun.


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## egrogan

We had the "pleasure" of going through Friday's massive snow melt and subsequent flash freeze, so I can't totally trust the footing in the woods. That means a lot of arena riding this weekend with some cool-down walks along the road. The ground is as hard as concrete and sort of uneven from the muddy ruts that developed during our brief thaw, so it's not ideal. But still, it's nice to get out of the arena, even just for short walks.










*Total 2018 miles: 3.55*


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## Celeste

DH and I got Rapper out for a few minutes today. We took turns riding him up the dirt road a couple of times. He is still very nervous about being in a new place. He didn't want to hold still for mounting. In spite of all that he was willing to leave the barn. DH and I each rode him up to the stop sign and back twice. That amounts to 1 mile each. He rode great once you ever got on him. 

He REALLY likes having that luxurious round bale sitting out all the time. This is the best hay we have had. I guess he'll turn into a porker if I don't work him a lot.

*Total for 2018: 1 mile*


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## AnitaAnne

I got on Chivas for about 30 minutes again, but mostly walk just a few little gaiting sprints. He is way out of shape (plus I am still worried about his feet) 

My riding buddy was trotting up and down the hills in the pasture and Chivas was very concerned about her. Had a hard time keeping his attention. All good though, I just call it training 

Puppy is being a bit better too, actually listens to me sometimes... 

Got all three water tubs emptied, cleaned and refilled. Going to have one more nice day tomorrow then *SNOW* Tuesday and back to the cold weather :evil:

Not tracking miles yet cause need to get another GPS unit.


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## mmshiro

Ride with the BO today - she was taking out Hamlet for a bit of training, I came along on Marion. Conditions were tricky, with frozen mud everywhere. It was a leisurely ride with just one canter along the (smooth dirt) road home.

Marion was true to form today, still checking if she could scare me. When I was tacking her, she snapped her head around, pinned her ears, and pretended to bite me. I say "pretended" because she stopped well short off target, even when I was within reach. It was also clear she didn't mean it because when I grabbed her neck, gave her a smooch, and told her she was a good girl, the ears came right up again. She's checking who's afraid of her, and if you aren't, she can be really affectionate. (I mean, I know that now, but you better believe that my elbows were ready to make swift and hard contact if necessary...)

On the ride, she was a good girl throughout. BO told me I could take her out anytime I wanted, so I got an idea: What if I took her on as my horse when Dita's lease runs out? For practical intents and purposes, it makes no difference - Right now, I can ride Dita because she's "mine", and I can ride Marion because I got permission. Switching the lease only makes her my default horse for when the tourists start coming back, and Dita will be BO's go-to trail lead horse instead.

So, for the horses, it's a symmetric situation, but for me, there are two big advantages: 

(1) Marion's personality is completely opposite of Dita's, and it's still early in my riding career, so I do benefit from riding a wide spectrum of horses. Riding her for an entire year gives me a chance to really get to know her. Dita's not going anywhere, so if she doesn't find a new rider, and I'm still here, and if I miss her a lot - BO is quite indifferent which horse she takes the monthly lease fee for.

(2) Marion knows English and neck reining! So while I'll still use my English saddle, I think getting versed in neck reining is a great expansion of my skill set - whether it's on a trail ride vacation out West, to pony a horse here, or just to hold a camera for a between-the-ears picture on the move. (I don't foresee myself having any need for roping livestock, so I won't need a saddle horn.)

For you, there is the potential for stories about a whole new set of shenanigans. As I said, she's the consummate mare.


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## knightrider

Today was a fun day because there was no school. First I took my two little next door neighbors riding for an hour and a quarter. We rode 4.7 miles. The older girl, age 11, is a somewhat talented and interested rider. Her younger sister, age 9, has some issues, and riding is good for her. I was complementing the younger child on her progress as a rider. She had an ugly fall in the spring and did not ride all summer. I was proud of her courage in trying again. "Someday you'll be a good rider," I said.

"I'm already a good rider!" she exclaimed.

I laughed out loud. "I don't even consider myself a good rider," I said.

These are the children who moved next door last February, went crazy over my horses, and said they loved to ride. "We are expert riders," they told me confidently. I was excited. 

"Where did you ride?" I asked.

"We went on a trail ride once in North Carolina with the family."

Which, of course, qualifies them to be experts--one trail ride.

The older girl has stuck with it all year and knows now it takes a lot more than one trail ride to learn how to ride. The younger one--just remember she has some issues . . . and horses are very good for her.

After that fun ride, I went out on the trails behind my house with my neighbor riding buddy for an hour and 40 minutes on Acicate. So all Pasos got out today--nice sunny pretty day in Florida. My apologies to those of you in the cold and snow.


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## Celeste

I rode my mare by myself today. She very well. I almost think she rides better alone. I remembered my camera, but I forgot my SD card. Oh well. All we saw interesting was one small deer.

I tried that Endomondo app today. It is actually pretty cool.

*Total for year: 3.95 miles*


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> I tried that Endomondo app today. It is actually pretty cool.


Is the _kcal_ number for you or the horse?


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## Spanish Rider

> Is the kcal number for you or the horse?


Yeah, when mine registered at 700 kcal, I had the same doubt. I think endomondo makes the estimation based on speed, but I still find it high. I have seen other estimates for trotting at around 350 kcal/h, which is what I use, assuming that work at the walk and canter would cancel each other out. Of course, calories burnt also depends on rider weight... how well can that satellite see me?


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## Spanish Rider

*knightrider,*
I love working with children. Last year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a riding clinic for blind chidren, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I worked with two 11-year-old girls that day, one blind since birth, one partially blind/deaf and with a brain disorder. Sooooo much fun!


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Is the _kcal_ number for you or the horse?


I would assume they mean for the human. 

They could have it high hoping that you will like the app enough to buy the premium one rather than staying with the free..........

I expect the rides you do burn more than that.


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## knightrider

@Spanish Rider, I was a teacher for 32 years, taught special ed for about half that time. I love being around kids, and my heart goes out to troubled kids. I'm lucky to have these two fun children next door.

When I saw the number of calories burned on the Endomondo, I ignored it because Paso Finos probably burn very few calories for the rider. You just glide along like you are water skiing.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> I expect the rides you do burn more than that.


I meant that as a joke, but now I did click on a calorie calculator to get some idea. Apparently, to burn those 600-ish kcals within one-ish hour, I'd have to go on a 5 mile run. I never ran more than 3 miles at a time in my life!!

In my opinion, it's a marketing gimmick. Exercise isn't a substitute for proper nutrition when it comes to weight loss, as nutrition isn't a substitute for proper exercise when it comes to fitness. Fitness and weight are on different axes in the coordinate system, and it is possible to occupy any point in it with the appropriate combo of exercise and diet.

My measure for the physical demand of a ride is: Can I get out of the car and stand up when I get home?


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## SwissMiss

mmshiro said:


> My measure for the physical demand of a ride is: Can I get out of the car and stand up when I get home?


Or do you still have enough strength left to move pedals and depress the clutch for shifting gears?

There were days where I cursed my manual car :rofl:


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## Spanish Rider

> My measure for the physical demand of a ride is: Can I get out of the car and stand up when I get home?
> Or do you still have enough strength left to move pedals and depress the clutch for shifting gears?


Better yet: Can I lift my right leg over the cantle to dismount? (the answer is not always a resounding "yes" :icon_rolleyes


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## SwissMiss

Spanish Rider said:


> Better yet: Can I lift my right leg over the cantle to dismount? (the answer is not always a resounding "yes" :icon_rolleyes


You saw pictures of my saddle, right?


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## Spanish Rider

> You saw pictures of my saddle, right?


:rofl: Yes, but you haven't seen the dressage saddle I've been using!


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## SwissMiss

Spanish Rider said:


> :rofl: Yes, but you haven't seen the dressage saddle I've been using!


Oh, are you using a Spanish saddle??? Pictures please!


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> I meant that as a joke, but now I did click on a calorie calculator to get some idea. Apparently, to burn those 600-ish kcals within one-ish hour, I'd have to go on a 5 mile run. I never ran more than 3 miles at a time in my life!!


Seriously, we look at riding as just an easy fun time. Try taking a non-rider for one of your regular rides. Don't hold back; have a good ride. Call them on the phone the next day. Chances are, they can't move.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> Seriously, we look at riding as just an easy fun time. Try taking a non-rider for one of your regular rides. Don't hold back; have a good ride. Call them on the phone the next day. Chances are, they can't move.


I did that once - accidentally. Last summer, there was a tourist family, and I was about to be backup for BO. The guy had ridden before, but wifey and daughter weren't suited to be taken out. So BO took those two to the arena for an intro lesson, and I took out dad riding Scout - when he was still greener than now. He turned out to be quite comfortable with his mule at w/t/c, Scout was relaxed and well behaved, so I took him home "the long way 'round". I think he had ibuprofen instead of cereal for breakfast the next morning! 

The funny thing is: I didn't think of it that way at the time. I was having a good time, I wasn't concerned about him falling, and I didn't care that he paid for an hour-long ride - in my mind, I got him some extra FREE trail time! :shrug: 

A non-rider on one of my regular rides? One year ago, when I still rode Gershwin, *I* would have hit the dirt pretty quickly on one of my regular rides now! :falloff: The first time I let Dita loose in a field I almost fainted because that speed was unfathomable to me. (Since I'm not entirely insane, my first few rides on her were under BO's supervision, of course.)


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## Spanish Rider

> are you using a Spanish saddle???


No, no Spanish saddle; just an Otto Schumacher with a very high cantle. Trainer says I sit better in it, and I believe it lends more support to my broken bits, but getting my right leg over the cantle means leaning heavily on my weak left side, and THAT is when I know I have had a good workout. Not a pretty picture...

I took the Endomondo while walking the dogs. Kcal estimate was 140 in half an hour, which seemed more realistic to me.


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## gunslinger

mmshiro said:


> I meant that as a joke, but now I did click on a calorie calculator to get some idea. Apparently, to burn those 600-ish kcals within one-ish hour, I'd have to go on a 5 mile run. I never ran more than 3 miles at a time in my life!!
> 
> In my opinion, it's a marketing gimmick. Exercise isn't a substitute for proper nutrition when it comes to weight loss, as nutrition isn't a substitute for proper exercise when it comes to fitness. Fitness and weight are on different axes in the coordinate system, and it is possible to occupy any point in it with the appropriate combo of exercise and diet.
> 
> My measure for the physical demand of a ride is: Can I get out of the car and stand up when I get home?


You're right....I've been doing the 9round workout for about 3 months now....burn about 500 to 600 calories in 30 to 45 minutes.....I can't begin to tell you how much better I feel....took about 20 workouts before the soreness went away.

I read an article that said the average 60 year old can't do one push up.....and before I started, I struggled with that myself....

Older (yep, me too) people lose muscle mass....the older the faster....It's very important to keep moving.....and try to off set that loss....

I ride with a fellow that's 85...you'd swear he was 60.....incredible gene's I guess....I hope that's me in another 25 years....

By the way....it's was a balmy 6 degrees at the barn this morning, with about a 10 mph wind......darn cold here in dixie....


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## Celeste

It is cold. It is 23 degrees, but the wind is blowing like crazy. It took me about an hour to get all the animals situated. I have the day off. I plan to be lazy.


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## gunslinger

Celeste, I think you got more snow that we did here in the Chattanooga area....

Yesterday morning I was in Jackson Alabama.....left there hoping I'd make it home.....as Alabama has zero snow removal equipment...and no salt....I did see a crew spreading sand on an overhead ramp in Montgomery, but nothing else.....

I was more worried about ice, but thank goodness the big road stayed clear and I'm back in the promised land.

Hope to get the first ride of the new year in Saturday, and Miss Lacy see the saddle fitter tomorrow.....


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## Change

I'm still at *0 miles for 2018 *since the only even marginally pretty weekend riding day was spent in a truck delivering Rapper to @Celeste and then coming home to freezing cold. It was worth it though. Had a great time talking with Celeste and her DH while sitting round the wood-burning stove in her 100 year old house (which I adore). Rapper showed that he was thrilled with his new home, racing around the pasture with the other horses and actually doing some pretty nice jumps over downed tree branches. I'm so glad he's in a good home, although I have to admit we've kind of miss that sweet fella this past week. 

We're in for another warming on this roller coaster winter, and Saturday and Sunday are both predicted to be above 40 and sunny, so I'm going to do my darndest to ignore chores (like poop relocation) and just go riding. Wish me luck! I want to feel like I have the right to post on this thread! ;-)


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## ChasingDreams

@Change - my first ride on New Year's Day was my only ride this year, not counting a short loop around my ring and pasture last weekend just to try out a new bit and make sure Chase was truly feeling better now that his abscess is drained.

We are forecast to hit 50 on Saturday, so I will most definitely be out for some sort of ride!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Spanish Rider

*Change,*
Well, even if you haven't had the opportunity yet, at least you have the _potential_ for a trail ride! If anyone does not belong here, it's me, as I have not been on a trail since 2016!


----------



## Change

Spanish Rider said:


> *Change,*
> Well, even if you haven't had the opportunity yet, at least you have the _potential_ for a trail ride! If anyone does not belong here, it's me, as I have not been on a trail since 2016!


At least you have miles logged! The only miles I can claim with a horse are the 200 or so with Rapper in a trailer. I'm not sure that counts. ;-)


----------



## Celeste

Change said:


> At least you have miles logged! The only miles I can claim with a horse are the 200 or so with Rapper in a trailer. I'm not sure that counts. ;-)


It counts a lot to me!


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## Spanish Rider

*Celeste,*
Rapper looks quite happy in his new snowy surroundings!


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## Zexious

@Celeste - What an adorable picture of Rapper <3 Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Celeste

Thanks for the kind comments about my new boy. He seems to be quite content here. He likes the round bale. 

I walked the dogs this morning and there are tons of little patches of "black ice". I am not going to risk riding in that. I really don't see why they can't reserve "snow days" for nice weather.


----------



## Oreos Girl

@Spanish Rider, your trainer may want to look into an app called Northwood Farm, it tracks time and has session notes and you can do it for multiple horses. It is a part of the Northwood Farm Challenge but the app is available to anyone both in android and iphones.

I am going to get my first trail ride in this Sunday. It is my first since October. I was riding with Fiddler at the place I refer to as the 1099/Ocmulgee Bluffs. Somehow Fiddler managed to fillet himself. I don't know what happened other than my riding partner came up behind me and said he was bleeding and when I dismounted it was about 10 inches long and pumping blood out. It is where the stomach meets the back leg so best guess is a stick got up there. It was a scary day. I have ridden Fiddler a handful of times since but not a trail ride so we are going someplace different so that I don't have to worry about the memory.


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## Cordillera Cowboy

First ride of 2018! Took the little horse off property to visit our uphill neighbors. 


Going that direction, the dirt road quickly turns into a forest path. 
Forest path. by Paul McKee, on Flickr


After the first photo, the trail becomes a steep, narrow footpath. It was still muddy and slippery from the recent rains. At one point, I thought it best to dismount and walk. Narrow, steep, rocky, and slick muddy. On the left was thick jungle, on the right, a precipice down to a rocky creek. Earlier work we had done ground driving paid off there. 


But the path opened up again.


image by Paul McKee, on Flickr


We came out of the woods to a hill top overlooking our place, and the Cagayan Valley. We were just uphill from the neighbors house at this point. 


Looking back at our place. by Paul McKee, on Flickr


Our neighbors gave me a couple of guaovanos. I tied them to the bareback pad with a piece of whang leather. worked pretty good. 


Packing home a couple of guaovanos. by Paul McKee, on Flickr


----------



## whisperbaby22

Well aren't you living the good life! Riding over to a neighbors for a snack sounds like heaven.


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## Zexious

@Cordillera Cowboy - Love the little black tipped ears!


----------



## Celeste

@Cordilla Cowboy What is a guaovano?


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## knightrider

I just got home from going on an endurance ride where @phantomhorse13 was riding. She takes lots of wonderful pictures, and I didn't think to take any, so I won't steal her thunder.
@LoriF met us there and hung out with us in the evening around the fire. Did we ever need the fire! It was 25 degrees last night. It seemed like many of the campers did not have heat. There was no electricity at the camping area and generators were supposed to be turned off at 10. We had a cold night.

I was super pleased with my gelding Acicate. I was riding the 10 mile introductory ride and phantom was riding the 25 mile ride. Boy, those endurance riders are surely tough. I was so impressed with how blase they put on the miles. Phantom is riding another 25 miles tomorrow. 

Aci hasn't had much experience crossing water, and there was lots and LOTS of water crossings. At first he wouldn't do them without another horse going ahead of him. Originally I had planned to dismount and lead him through the water, as he will cross if I go first. But when I saw how deep that water was, and how mucky the bottom, I changed my plan. When we got to a water crossing, I waited until another rider came along, and then followed them, and he would cross. We had no wind and bright sun, so a horse looking at the water would see trees and sky. Aci said he wasn't sure about riding through trees and sky. As cold as it was, I knew the ride would stop being fun if I was wet up to my thighs. After about 20 crossings, Aci started going by himself, including some really deep ones. 

We completed our 10 mile ride, and the vet was quite complimentary, saying Aci was super fit and in good shape. I surely did have a good time meeting phantomhorse and it was great to see Lori again.

Thursday late afternoon: one hour ride, maybe 3 miles? I forgot to take my cell phone.
Friday: 10 miles, 2 hours, 15 minutes. It was so cold, my cell phone did not work.


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy

Celeste said:


> @Cordilla Cowboy What is a guaovano?


Here is one of them. I did spell it wrong. guyabano is the Filipino word for it. That is an adaptation of a Spanish word. But, I cannot find the correct Spanish spelling of it. 


Guyabano by Paul McKee, on Flickr


A great number of these tropical fruits are new mysteries to me as well.


----------



## Change

I've finally earned my right to post here! I did as planned, ignored chores, and rode.

First up was Tango. After about an hour of grooming/trying to find the horse under the mud, I saddled him up. I wasn't sure how he'd behave since I hadn't ridden him since October, but he did remarkably well. He gave me a few little spooks - stacked round bales are scary, I guess. So are stacks of firewood and one lone cotton plant still covered in white! Silly horse. All in all, though, he did really good. We even cantered. He's a lazy boy, though, and kept dropping back to a trot (yes, some gaited horses also trot) unless I pushed him. Here's a between the ears shot of the cotton field we rode around.








Oops! Sorry it's sideways!

After a short break, I got Cally out. She didn't take nearly as long to groom and saddle - she never seems to collect as much mud as Tango does. She only gave me a slight argument when I asked her to leave the property, but once she realized we were going, she became her usual forward self. She prefers jogging to walking, so we spent some time just remembering how to walk. We also got some nice canters in, and unlike Tango, I usually had to ask her to slow. That girl like to move! And I completely forgot about taking a between the ears picture with her.

Tango: 44 mins, 2.91 miles. Avg Speed: 3.96 mph; Max Speed 8.79 mph
Cally: 37 mins, 2.7 miles. Avg Speed: 4.78; Max Speed 10.18

Me: 1.21 hours, 5.61 miles.


----------



## egrogan

Love your post @*Change* . So fun to get out there after a long break!

@*knightrider* , can't wait to see those pictures. What an awesome day for you and Aci. From my experience meeting at @*phantomhorse13* at a ride last year, she is a phenomenal ambassador for the sport of endurance. I felt like I was walking around camp with a celebrity because everyone wanted to say hi to her and her lovely husband and see how they were doing :grin:

We didn't rack up many miles today, but we had a very productive mile-long trek through the woods. The snow was much deeper than I expected based on what the footing was like near the barn. So, we had a pretty serious workout. Fizz spooked a little bit the first time snow fell out of the trees off to our side (it was warming up throughout the day, and ended at a lovely 40*F and sunny- woohoo!) but after that she settled in and seemed to enjoy herself. We also had to deal with crossing water - I'm sure nothing like you had knightrider, but the woods trail was crisscrossed with streams that had popped up as melting started. It was a little worrying to Fizz that the snow was collapsing under her feet as she got closer to the water, but she was brave and went through.



















*Total 2018 miles: 4.6*


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## Celeste

I did another solo ride on my girl today. Our pace was much faster than normal since I didn't have to wait on anybody. She did great except going too fast at the canter.

Today: 2.9 miles
*Total for 2018: 6.85 miles*


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## CaliforniaDreaming

Cordillera Cowboy said:


> Here is one of them. I did spell it wrong. guyabano is the Filipino word for it. That is an adaptation of a Spanish word. But, I cannot find the correct Spanish spelling of it.
> 
> 
> Guyabano by Paul McKee, on Flickr
> 
> 
> A great number of these tropical fruits are new mysteries to me as well.


I think that’s soursop. Looks similar to, but not quite like cherimoya (same family though)

My mom had a cherimoya at our old house.


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## AnitaAnne

Beautiful weather here today! Got in a nice little ride on Chivas for only about 30 minutes just pasture riding again. Wanted to head out on the trails, but riding buddy was busy until about 11 or so.

Still need a way to track the miles though. Saving up for another Garmin for the wrist, my last one died after a few years. 
@Cordillera Cowboy those ear pictures are adorable and scenery is terrific. The fruit(?) was one I'd never heard of, but sounds interesting. Seems to have a lot of health benefits, so quite a nice gift for you! 
@knightrider was this your first endurance ride? Congratulations on your completion and high vet marks!! Great fun to meet other HF members especially at a ride!! 

Will look forward to hearing about @phantomhorse13 adventures; was wondering if she was off at a ride...


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## LoriF

@knightrider sounds like the ride was lots of fun. Wish I could have ridden a bit with you guys.


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## knightrider

@LoriF, I wish you could have ridden with us too. I am so lucky I met you from Horse Forum. We've had a bunch of super fun times. Remember the time we rode so late, we got locked out of camp, and had to jump a stone wall to get back in? Your wonderful mare was so brave to fly over that wall and give Isabeau and me a lead.
@AnitaAnne, it was my second endurance ride. I rode a 10 mile endurance intro ride at McCulley Farm in the spring with my daughter and my neighbor. I was curious this time because I was on my own and able to let Acicate go at his own pace. I wanted to see what kind of time we would turn in. We were understandably much faster this time, but uneven as we had to wait at two water crossings for someone else to come along. On the other hand, I stuck with other riders at times whose horses were going faster than I had planned to go so we could get through all that water. It probably evened out in the long run. We finished the 10 miles in two hours, 15 minutes, which is an average of 4.4 miles per hour. We finished the first 10 mile endurance ride at McCulley in 3 hours, 15 minutes (with no waits or stops) in 3 hours, 15 minutes, which is an average of 3.1 miles an hour.
@phantomhorse13, you may have wanted to win the turtle award, but when I saw you ride past me on a different trail, you and your friend were really booking at a fast trot, two horses on a mission! I sure did enjoy meeting you; it was a very fine time for me.

Yesterday's ride was a little bit interesting because I ended up riding Isabeau solo due to a small mix up. I had thought I was taking my little next door neighbor, but since the temperature was quite cold (for us in Florida), and she did not show up, I assumed she wasn't coming because of the cold. Turns out, she wanted to ride Tico when she decided to ride 5 minutes before I was ready to mount up. I didn't have another 40 minutes to walk to the leased pasture to get Tico and help her get him ready, and she announced she was afraid to ride Isabeau (though she had ridden her successfully twice--fear is an insidious thing, I know), so I rode Isabeau solo.

This winter Isabeau decided riding solo was not her thing, though she had done great all summer. It's hard to manage a recalcitrant horse in heavy ski mittins with warmers in them, oversized insulated work boots, and 5 layers of heavy clothes. I hoped Isabeau was over her balking, and was quite pleased that she was. She gave me a lovely solo ride. We managed 3.5 miles. I was especially proud of her because, unknown to me, my husband had locked the front gate, and we had to ride back home, tie Isabeau up, retrieve the key, and ride back to the locked gate. She didn't give me a moment's problem. Two months ago, she would have refused to go back out after riding back home, and there would have been an ugly struggle. Yay for my sweet Isabeau!


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## ChasingDreams

Chase and I got out yesterday! Unfortunately, I had an app issue so it didn't record the ride but it was around an hour so just for record keeping purposes I'll say it was 2.5 miles. 

It was too muddy to do much more than walk, with a couple little trots here and there. I found the trail that leads to the county park nearby, but couldn't find a good way to safely get to the top of the ridge where the main trails are. I text one of the other boarders and she said that there is a another path through the woods but it might not be in the best condition right now, so I'm going to have to wait for her to come out with me in the spring/summer to show me the way.

I'm hoping to get out for a bit again today. I just found out that my neighbor used to ride quite a bit, and she asked to come for a ride. I'm going to let her take the kids' mare, although she can be a little barn sour so we will have to see how far we get once we leave the ring 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## AnitaAnne

@knightrider Endurance sounds like such fun! Have been wanting to go but thought my horse was too slow. I thought the minimum was 6 mph and my horse can't sustain that. But your times were 3.1 mph and 4.4 mph...and you got completions.

Maybe I can get a turtle placing on a 10 mile ride!!


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## CaliforniaDreaming

AnitaAnne said:


> @knightrider Endurance sounds like such fun! Have been wanting to go but thought my horse was too slow. I thought the minimum was 6 mph and my horse can't sustain that. But your times were 3.1 mph and 4.4 mph...and you got completions.
> 
> Maybe I can get a turtle placing on a 10 mile ride!!


I think LD is a bit more generous with minimum speed. I remember reading in the packet that AERC sent me that you have like 6 hours to complete a 25 miler, which works out to about 4.167 mph.


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## AnitaAnne

CaliforniaDreaming said:


> I think LD is a bit more generous with minimum speed. I remember reading in the packet that AERC sent me that you have like 6 hours to complete a 25 miler, which works out to about 4.167 mph.


Good to know, thank you!


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## SwissMiss

Rode today some trails I haven't ridden since fall. Raya was a little firecracker and was ready to go-go the second I sat in the saddle! Very unusual. But since my riding buddy was riding his mare that I call "freight-train", we were walking/gaiting right along full steam! And despite the still tricky footing (mud, leaves, lots of downed trees and we even encountered some ice!) the horses navigated the trails without a hitch (except slipping on the wet, wooden bridges) and seemed to enjoy the ride as much as we did.

No idea about mileage: I was all prepped to track it with endomondo, until I realized that my phone does not fit comfortably in the pockets of my breeches and it was way too warm to wear a jacket. What a problem to have :wink:


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## egrogan

With warmer weather today, I got both my mares out, and had buddies to ride both with as well!

I took Fizz on a slightly longer road ride, taking advantage of more trustworthy footing along the roads- at least in places where there is more sun than shade. A few more days of melting, and we should be able to do a 4-6 mile loop somewhat regularly.









Then I took Isabel for a quick ride around the property with my regular riding buddy (an amazing woman who is 84 years old and still rides a ton- much better than I do, I might add :wink. In some sunny spots, there wasn't even any snow left!









*Total 2018 miles: 8.01
Fizz: 6.9
Isabel: 1.1
*


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## Spanish Rider

*egrogan,*
At 84, I hope to be still riding like your friend!

*SwissMiss,*
Same thing happened to me the other day, so I shoved my phone into my bra...:hide:


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## egrogan

Spanish Rider said:


> *egrogan,*
> At 84, I hope to be still riding like your friend!


She is so inspiring. I tell her all the time that my goal is to be like her "when I grow up." And, I love her little mare to pieces. She's the definition of what a Lippitt Morgan should be- strong, confident, kind, rock solid.

For carrying phones- I like to have a vest for the pockets. In warmer temps, I ride in this one (Safe Riders Hi-Vis Safety Vest), which weighs nothing so it doesn't make you hot, but does double duty as a piece of hi vis gear:








You can get different sayings on the back, or just plain. It looks horribly dorky, but cars really do slow down when they see it! In the fall/winter, just a plain old lightweight fleece vest (bright orange) does the trick. I tried one of those leg "holster" style phone holders, and it slid and bounced around and was just generally annoying. Kerrits has also started making riding tights with a phone pocket on the outside of your leg; I have one pair of those and the phone is pretty secure- just a little awkward if you want to pull it out quickly to take a between-the-ears picture :wink:


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## mmshiro

After yesterday's dismal day - 45ºF and sunny on the outside, me inside a humid and chloriny pool to time a swim meet - I went on a nice ride with Marion and finally made it official with BO: Marion is going to be "my" horse, and Dita is joining Hamlet, Scout, and Gershwin in the "also fun to ride" category. It's actually a win-win because BO prefers a horse that tends to get along with other horses when she leads a ride. Marion - not so much.

With more trail experience, Marion has a lot more smarts - I think she's more intelligent overall. Which isn't necessarily an unmitigated advantage because she also knows tricks on how to casually dump a rider, like ducking out from under him when he's all the way "up" on a posting trot. Yes, I did lose some balance and supported myself on her neck; no, she didn't lose me and the ride suddenly got twice as long for her.

On the plus side, I felt a lot more confident on her cantering along snowy forest trails. And I say "cantering" because she knows the difference between my butt sitting down in the saddle and my two-pointing, which gets you the top gear. So looking ahead and evaluating the trail, turning her as necessary immediately ahead, and making sure I help her with my seat to compensate for slips was a lot easier than with Dita. I told BO that Marion is a lot more "traily", while Dita is still a lot more "tracky".

There is nothing wrong with Dita that consistent work and miles wouldn't improve, but my situation (full-time work plus distance to the farm) is such that I cannot provide her with consistent training, and when I do come to ride, I don't want to spend it on in-gait and between-gaits transitions (mostly down transitions). She needs to run, I get that, and I enjoy that, but having a horse with secure footing and who thinks about the trail like you do (like, "There is a 90º turn ahead, and I'm currently running in wet snow - I think I will adjust my speed for this turn as asked by my rider!") is nice, too. What's more, Marion leaves nothing to be desired in the running-fast department. "Chocolate Thunder" indeed! 

And that, my inability to give a horse with some training gaps the attention it needs, is also the exact reason why I lease, and why I won't become a horse owner anytime soon. I do return Dita secure in the knowledge that I return a better horse than I took, because BO took her last Friday with tourists, and she is reported to have behaved exemplarily. (Funny story: The very first time I rode her was after she dumped a rider who lost control at a full gallop and I had helped BO track her down to take her home.)


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## ChasingDreams

Wohoo, two riding days in a row! Today, I had my neighbor joining me for the first time, so in the excitement I didn't even think to start my tracking app. But, we had a nice, hour-ish ride around my normal loop - so I'll say 2 miles. 

She said she rode a good bit when she was younger, but it had been 8 years since she was last on a horse. She did pretty well, even when Gracie was pulling her barn sour "I want to go laze in the pasture" routine of backing and turning. She pushed her through a couple of smaller protests, before Gracie got really sticky feet out in the big field. I ended up hopping on while she held Chase and giving Gracie a little "talking to"... and by the time we switched back Gracie was happy to follow along without argument. 

The rest of the ride was really fun. We even loped a bit in a stretch of field where there was more grass than mud. Chase and I had a nice rhythmic lope going, and the next thing I knew Gracie was flying past us at a near-gallop  The old girl still has some fire in those legs! My neighbor was a little unbalanced by her little outburst of speed, but she didn't fall off so that's good. And she had a blast anyways. We loped again on the way back and she said she was much more steady the second time...I can't wait to see how her legs feel tomorrow 🤣

Didn't take many pictures, but here's one of Miss Gracie getting ready to go out:











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## Change

No riding for me today. Chores ended up taking priority. And tomorrow is Monday and work for the next 4 days. At least this is my short week and I'll be off Friday. Hopefully, between getting a load of hay in the morning and the farrier in the afternoon, I'll get to ride at least one of the horses Friday. And if weather holds, maybe Saturday will see me out on the trails again. Fingers crossed!

This thread has me eager to rack up the miles!


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## SwissMiss

Change said:


> This thread has me eager to rack up the miles!


Same here! Was only lurking last year, as I didn't ride enough to write about, but this year I am up to a good start


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## Celeste

If you start putting the miles on this thread, your enthusiasm will increase as they start to add up. I rode twice as many miles last year as I did the year before.


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## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> If you start putting the miles on this thread, your enthusiasm will increase as they start to add up. I rode twice as many miles last year as I did the year before.


Speaking of miles....I finally got some....GF and I took the bumpities down to the Chickamauga battlefield yesterday afternoon after church.....

After suffering though the bitter cold that plagued Dixie, all I can say is oh what a difference a week makes.....

Highs near 70.....not a time to be in flannel lined jeans and a long underwear top.....about as perfect a riding day as you'll get....

Mr. Jack is getting there.....I left my crop in the trailer.....and no doubt, needed it.....as he still refuses me when I don't have it....other wise, he was a pretty good ride.....

So, I'm on the board with 8 miles.....


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## PoptartShop

Rode Camden FINALLY yesterday. <3 We did a lot of arena work, but then went on a little adventure.


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## Oreos Girl

I did my first trail ride on Sunday after nearly 2 months off. My friend Aimee and I went to a membership park because the trails are very different from where Fiddler got hurt. I was worried about him being nervous and have worked gradually up to this. Luckily the only nervousness he has shown is when I took him to the vet to have the drain removed. So we hauled to Mingo where my friend bought me a membership as my Christmas present. 

I keep getting broken links when I put in image from Flickr. 
Stopping for water as it was really warm after being cold the last week. 

My dogs actually listening to me.

Our ride.


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## QueenofFrance08

Finally got in a solid weekend of riding time! I've ridden about 2 other times this year but all in the arena and otherwise it has been way too far below zero to ride. Thankfully it was a balmy 40 degrees in Minnesota this weekend so I got out Friday night, Saturday, and twice on Sunday which I was happy with considering it was my first 58 hour work week of the season! Rode my 3 year old fox trotter mare 3/4 times and Sunday morning I took out my husband's paint mare. I tried to track my miles but all I got was "error GPS not found" so I'm going to assume it was an average of 2 miles each ride for a total of 8.

Here's how Daisy felt about having to work after all of her time off:



*
Daisy 6 miles
Stitch 2 miles*


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## egrogan

Congrats on getting out there @OreosGirl. No small feat after your accident. Looks like a fun ride!


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## mmshiro

Late ride (almost at sunset) with the BO who continued training on Scout. I took Hamlet, so it was another "Ride of the Oreos". I swear, the horses were a lot better looking than the riders. With temps in the mid-30s and a slight drizzle, the wet snow was seriously slippery. On one small downhill, I think Hamlet just slid down while I helped putting weight on his backside, so he could balance with his neck and front legs. At one point, we had a serious "Oh sh|t!" moment when his back went out - followed by a "Holy sh|t!" experience by me when I realized that my hands did.not.move.  

It was a cool ride though. No wind, no noise, a bit of fog, a bit of dusk, horses (mostly) well behaved. Hamlet was a doll, Scout still has a few "straight line issues" (keeping his shoulders and but in line with his nose) and got concerned about a few foresty things, like rocks and sticks, and that dark stuff between the snow (a.k.a "dirt").


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## phantomhorse13

This past weekend, I was back in Florida for a ride. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal. 

























I met @*knightrider !* 

































2018 mileage
...
1/19 flo 25.34 miles 346 ft climb 5.6 mph 60F 60.89 total miles
1/19 flo w/fugi 0.66 miles 0 ft climb 3.0 mph 54F 61.55 total miles
1/20 flo 25.26 miles 347 ft climb 5.6 mph 68F *86.81 total miles*


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## mmshiro

@phantomhorse13: That looked like fun, and highlighted a dilemma of mine: I really want to ride in different geographies because the immersion into the environment is so immediate on horseback, but I can get almost a half year of "horse any day" at home for the money I'd have to spend on a mere week of riding, sleeping, and eating elsewhere, let alone getting there in the first place.


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## phantomhorse13

mmshiro said:


> I really want to ride in different geographies because the immersion into the environment is so immediate on horseback, but I can get almost a half year of "horse any day" at home for the money I'd have to spend on a mere week of riding, sleeping, and eating elsewhere, let alone getting there in the first place.


Yes, I hear that - horses are a crazy expensive hobby! I am SO very lucky to have happened upon this arrangement with Lani and Kathy, as I would never be able to do it otherwise.

When we win the lottery, I have so many plans..


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## gunslinger

Oreos Girl said:


> I did my first trail ride on Sunday after nearly 2 months off. My friend Aimee and I went to a membership park because the trails are very different from where Fiddler got hurt. I was worried about him being nervous and have worked gradually up to this. Luckily the only nervousness he has shown is when I took him to the vet to have the drain removed. So we hauled to Mingo where my friend bought me a membership as my Christmas present.
> 
> I keep getting broken links when I put in image from Flickr.
> Stopping for water as it was really warm after being cold the last week.
> 
> My dogs actually listening to me.
> 
> Our ride.



I must have missed something...what happened to Fiddler?


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## Oreos Girl

I didn't really post any details when it happened. I was writing out my post but got distracted and never got back to it. Long story short, I think that he stepped on a small tree trunk off trail or a downed limb swung up but he cut himself really badly where the stomach meets the back leg on his left side. He gashed himself about 10 inches long and it was deep. So we got to witness field surgery by the vet and I was very lucky that there were some very nice people around that day to help me because about half a mile from making it out of the woods Fiddler had given up on my and two people took over one in front and one behind to make sure that he kept moving. Others that I called came rushing to to help and we finally found a vet that was in town and would come out to that location even though I wasn't a client.


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## phantomhorse13

@Oreos Girl : how scary!! I am so glad Fiddler wound up being ok.


Today, I got all 3 boys out despite the mud. The whole story is in my journal.





































2018 mileage
...
1/24 george 5.81 miles 1249 ft climb 3.7 mph 20F 92.62 total miles
1/24 sultan w/phin 6.73 miles 1451 ft climb 4.2 mph 20F *99.35 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - There are those white ears that I love <3

Keep up the great rides, everyone!


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> There are those white ears that I love


calling them _white_ is very generous.. gotta love random thaws!!


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## Spanish Rider

*phantom,*
Flo is a very good-looking horse! Love the pic of the 3 of you together - so happy!


Well, I am slowly clocking in some miles, but in an hour-long dressage class there is not much time to cover distance, especially during passage series! Today was my personal best this month in distance: 7 km, which is 4.3 miles. Sounds so much better in kilometers, though!


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## Rainaisabelle

Yay I finally get to join this thread as my new agistment has loads of trails! Super excited to see everyone’s trails this year


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## Celeste

@Spanish Rider I have taken dressage lessons before. I suspect that your 4.3 miles is WAY more work than my 4.3 miles.


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## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> @*Spanish Rider* I have taken dressage lessons before. I suspect that your 4.3 miles is WAY more work than my 4.3 miles.


THIS! :iagree:

Omg, 30 minutes of ring work is much harder than any training ride I do.


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## Spanish Rider

> I suspect that your 4.3 miles is WAY more work than my 4.3 miles.


*Celeste* and *phantom*,
Thank you for being such positive people and my personal cheerleaders! Such good vibes on this and other threads.:hug:

*Ranaisabelle,*
Congrats on your new "agistment" (will have to google later) and trails. Please share photos, as some of us don't get out much.


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## Rainaisabelle

@SpanishRider ‘agistment’ is basically the Australian version of boarding


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## Change

@phantomhorse13 - Wow! Just WOW!! You already have 2 horses approaching 100 miles in just one month. That's amazing. Especially since I know you also have miles on Flo, Phin, and others! Would you please, please, please at the end of the month post all of the January miles - each horse's total and your total riding miles? You are definitely a driving factor in making me want to ride more. Thank you!!
@Spanish Rider - I don't think I could handle 30 minutes of dressage training. I've never had a "formal" lesson in my life - just kept getting my butt kicked by a few old cowboys and a lot of seasoned and green horses until I got it right. I'm a trail rider, through and through.


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## knightrider

Fun ride this morning on Acicate. I was in the saddle at 6:50 a.m. and was able to ride an hour and 47 minutes, covering 7 miles. Nothing of interest to tell about, though, just a lot of fun. For some reason, Aci has picked up learning his leads faster than any horse I have trained. I thought Shadow was fast, learning in just one weekend. I like to ask for one lead, than mix them all up. I'll ask for right, right, left, right, left, left, and I can hardly trip up Aci. He takes the correct lead about 80% of the time. And I only started him in February of last year. He is really a nice nice horse.

So far, between Chorro, Aci, and Isabeau, I have 155 miles for 2018.


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## Spanish Rider

155 miles?!! Congratulations!

*Change,* 
You didn't ask me for my monthly mile totals. :rofl:


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## phantomhorse13

Change said:


> @*phantomhorse13* - Wow! Just WOW!! You already have 2 horses approaching 100 miles in just one month.


Oh no, that "total miles" is for ME, not for each horse. Until your nudge to update my spreadsheet, I didn't keep totals per horse! That will be a fun stat for me to watch as the year goes on.



Today, I took advantage of the sunshine and got everyone out!

I started with Phin, seeing as he got ponied last time instead of ridden. The whole story is in my journal.




















Next up was Sultan and George. 



















2018 mileage
...
1/26 phin 10.92 miles 1635 ft climb 4.6 mph 22F 110.27 total miles
1/26 sultan w/george 10.87 miles 1630 ft climb 4.3 mph 26F *121.14 total miles*


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## Zexious

Can I come next time, @phantomhorse13 ?


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## ChasingDreams

Right @Zexious? I would gladly ride so she doesn't have to pony one  Her one ride beat my year miles though lol

I got out today with my neighbor and Gracie again. Chase did pretty good, and Gracie was even better than last week... though she did have a couple moments. But, my neighbor was able to work her through them.










I didn't get any through the ear pictures...I'll make sure to get some next time!

Total 2018 miles ~ 9.18

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## phantomhorse13

C'mon over @Zexious and @ChasingDreams ! It would be a lot easier on me to not have to pony one.


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## Change

@Spanish Rider - I think it would be a GREAT idea if on the last day of the month everyone posted their total miles and miles per horse (if more than one). It would be a race for everyone except @knightrider and @phantomhorse13, who will easily have the most miles. LOL! I'm pretty happy with the 6 or so I've managed so far this year. That's 6 more miles than I rode last January. It's all about the weather!


So the weekend stole my chance to ride. I was late getting hay and by the time it was unloaded and stacked, I was worn out. I texted my shoer and she said she was sick and asked to postpone until Wed. {Sigh} Okay. I'll ride Saturday since the rain isn't supposed to show until evening. Saturday I wake up at 7 and go out to feed and everything is mud. It decided to drizzle all night long and our clay had turned into slip-n-slide goo. Bleah. And it continued on and off all day and then rained good last night. Tango is currently a buckskin since he hasn't found a mud-puddle he doesn't like. I'm stuck inside with the laundry and a vacuum cleaner.


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## Celeste

@Change I do try to keep up with Phantom. Just I change the decimal place. So if she rides 2,000 I try to do 200.


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## Zexious

I'll be waiting for those ear pictures, @ChasingDreams ! They're pretty much my favorite thing on this whole forum


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## Spanish Rider

*Change,*
Well, if you post, I'll post. But as far as competing goes, I'm competing with my 2017 self, and my ultimate goal this year has to be to avoid re-injuring myself. :thumbsup:

*Celeste,*
Love the idea! And I think 200 miles is very doable. :iagree:


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## egrogan

We got to add a few miles today after a couple of weeks of being iced in! The roads are finally clear enough to go out. 

Fizz and I did about 3.5 miles- we went out with friends for about a mile and did the rest solo. Unfortunately it's still too icy to go out on the proper trails in the woods, but she sure was happy to get some time out of the arena.


















*Total 2018 miles: 11.38
*Fizz-10.28
Izzy-1.1


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I went over and rode with Nicole. I got to ride Polo. We had hoped to do a bit longer ride, but the ice made a lot of the trails impassable.





































2018 mileage
...
1/26 sultan w/george 10.87 miles 1630 ft climb 4.3 mph 26F 121.14 total miles
1/27 polo 8.19 miles 477 ft climb 4.0 mph 41F *129.33 total miles*


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## mmshiro

Third solo ride with Marion today. Apparently, I'm not considered quite worthy yet - by Marion - so I'm still in a trial period. Today's "mare surprise" was, "Can you sit some little kicks and bucks at the canter?" Well yes, Marion, I can. What you call a "buck", Dita called "business as usual" when she cantered. (BO explained to me that Dita is very short-coupled, so all her engine power from the back gets transmitted much more to the saddle.)

After that first "canter", we had a difficult, but otherwise awesome ride. The woods were partially solid, partially muddy, partially icy-muddy, so the trail required both of our full attention. There wasn't any more mare business either...once she got going and warmed up, she impressed me again with her engagement in the process. Take her through a tricky piece of trail, she'll think about it, and then find the route that works best for her. True, I would have taken her the same way, but it's nice to see her making an effort in keeping us safe. 

I took Marion to "The Hill" for a gallop to finish the ride - dear Lord, she's smoooth! Dita felt like flying too, but more like flying with the "Fasten Seatbelts" sign on. It was either "two-point", or "decouple your pelvis from the rest of the body".

So, preliminary assessment of Marion: A bigger challenge than Dita mentally, but not as draining physically. Because Marion is thinking all the time (whether it is to your benefit or not), you have to be present with her all the time, because you need to have a response when she asks you a question...NOW! I'm not getting as aggravated when Marion does get a bit Thoroughbreddy - I can sit her "shuffle" without compressing my spine and dropping my kidneys into my seat.

Oh, and I already found Dita a new rider...they went on their first ride yesterday, and by all accounts it was a success. Funny thing is, BO told me today that she doesn't want me to stop riding Dita entirely, especially later when I have more daylight (and even later when I have the summer off). Apparently she likes the work I've been doing with her working on patience when the nose points towards the barn. So it's exactly as I predicted: Marion became my default horse, and Dita my "take her out whenever you like" horse. How cool is that?


----------



## knightrider

@mmshiro, your descriptions are too funny!

Wasn't going to post anything because it was a plain fun ordinary ride, but then I got to thinking about it. Although it was just a regular ride on my beloved Chorro, at one point we were on a dirt road when a gigantic tractor trailer truck towing a huge earth moving machine came barreling down the road without slowing down one bit, rattling and banging and splashing puddles. I wasn't too worried because we happened to be on a little side area off the road anyway. . . and Chorro is quite road-wise.

But it was still kind of dark, and Chorro is a big spooker, and my daughter's friend, who often rides Chorro, gets super nervous when the big rigs come fast, and Chorro has started reacting to her fear. On the other hand, I wasn't the least bit scared, so I figured he wouldn't be. He was. He leaped sideways in his signature 5 foot bound, spun around, and bolted--right into a tree that had come down in an ice storm--and right next to a barbed wire fence. Thank goodness he stopped when tangled in the tree and did not end up in the fence. So . . . it was an ordinary ride, except that I could have died.

We rode 1 hour, 48 minutes and went 6 miles. Very fun ride.


----------



## phantomhorse13

knightrider said:


> So . . . it was an ordinary ride, except that I could have died.
> 
> Very fun ride.


:rofl:

Remind me if I ever get to ride with you - much like if I ever ride with @mmshiro - that I would like a not-very-fun, boring one!!


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> :rofl:
> 
> Remind me if I ever get to ride with you - much like if I ever ride with @mmshiro - that I would like a not-very-fun, boring one!!


I'm reading this, I look at your avatar pic, I'm reading it again, and I'm calling BS... :smile:


----------



## phantomhorse13

mmshiro said:


> phantomhorse13 said:
> 
> 
> 
> :rofl:
> 
> Remind me if I ever get to ride with you - much like if I ever ride with @*mmshiro* - that I would like a not-very-fun, boring one!!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm reading this, I look at your avatar pic, I'm reading it again, and I'm calling BS... :smile:
Click to expand...

While Cougar Rock itself was not a worrisome part of the Tevis trail for me (what my avatar pic is of), a lot of the rest of it was. There isn't enough money in the world to have me ride that one again..

The older I get, the more the line between challenging yet fun versus scary migrates.. I used to break racehorses for a living - sure wouldn't catch me doing that now!!


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> The older I get, the more the line between challenging yet fun versus scary migrates.. I used to break racehorses for a living - sure wouldn't catch me doing that now!!



In that case, probably you'd not only ride circles around me, but give me a good lesson on top of it! You should definitely talk to my BO and come for a ride this summer. Bring your own, or take one of hers! You can make it a weekend trip and check out some of the local sights.


----------



## QueenofFrance08

Another weekend in Minnesota in January after working 58 hours. Friday was nice but my husband was sick and it was dark after I got home so I didn't want to take anyone out by myself in the dark. 

Saturday I was hoping to get out but it was really windy. I decided I wanted to ride more but I couldn't convince DH to go outside so I told him I was taking my mare down the driveway and I would appreciate it if he could look outside a few times to make sure I wasn't splatted on the gravel somewhere. It was her first ride out from home by herself (I've taken her out to parks and trails by herself a few times but never at home where her buddies are hanging out and watching). With a little convincing we got halfway down the driveway before she started spooking at the wind and jumping sideways. We then got into an argument about continuing down the driveway (my plan) or walking into the cornfield to eat the corn husks (her plan) when DH came outside and said he was watching us and figured he should come out and help. It was getting pretty cold so we just followed him around the yard while we determined what projects to work on this summer. Once again GPS didn't work so I'll say 1.5 miles.

Sunday we drove about 3 hours to look at a horse. Thankfully they had an indoor arena where he was boarded so I got to ride for almost an hour. He was such a fun ride and exactly what I've been looking for so we brought him home! This is Jake (picture taken by his former owner, it was too dark last night when we got home to get any pictures)! I'll say 2 miles for him.

I think that puts my total at:

Stitch: 2 miles
Daisy: 9.5 miles
Jake: 2 miles

Next weekend is going to be cold again :frown_color:


----------



## Oreos Girl

I rode again Sat. Basically the same trip I did last Sunday but with more people. In addition to Aimee and me, we added Amy with Puddin who hadn't been on a trail ride since a big accident 4 years ago, Karen and Domino (Karen has trail ridden probably about 20 times but it was Domino's first ride (he is a level 3 dressage horse)), Koko and Gypsy, Koko is a jumper and Gypsy is a mustang and this was her second trail ride.









The whole gang








Karen and I on Domino and Fiddler infront of the pond.









Amy and Puddin









Aimee and Buddy










Koko and Gypsy








Puddin in the lead

5.1 miles for the day with a total of 10.3 for the year.


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## Spanish Rider

*Oreos Girl,*
Thanks so much for the pics. Your group looks like a lot of fun! Nice to see your friend trail riding with a dressage saddle. Right now I am looking for a barn where I could trail ride with a dressage saddle (they cause me less pain), and I am not having any luck.

*QueenofFrance08,*
Jake is quite a handsome boy. Congratulations!


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## egrogan

Spanish Rider said:


> Nice to see your friend trail riding with a dressage saddle. Right now I am looking for a barn where I could trail ride with a dressage saddle (they cause me less pain), and I am not having any luck.


Huh, I wonder why? That seems to be all that the folks at my barn go out in, with one exception who has a big Western saddle.

Clearly we don't pay too much attention to fashion, just comfort! :wink:


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## phantomhorse13

@mmshiro : where you ride looks like a lot of fun, so I may just take you up on that this summer!

@QueenofFrance08 : congrats on the new horse!

@Oreos Girl : how fun to be able to ride with so many friends



Today, I got more saddle time! The whole story, with more pics, is in my journal.


First, Phin & I did the Space Needle loop for the first time this year.




















Then DH & I got Sultan & George out on the Sugarloaf.



















Tomorrow we are supposed to get "off and on snow showers" which "aren't supposed to amount to much, maybe a coating to an inch." Pretty much exactly the forecast we had before the last storm dumped 8" on us..

2018 mileage
...
1/29 phin 13.02 miles 1531 ft climb 5.1 mph 24F 142.35 total miles
1/29 george 7.01 miles 1397 ft climb 3.7 mph 36F *149.36 total miles*


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## QueenofFrance08

@Spanish Rider Thank you so much
@phantomhorse13 Thank you! I joined a Green Bean team and reserved a camp site for the intro ride that's closest to us. Hope we can do some LD's this year!


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

Went for a ride today around the ranch with some friends who returned after a long time up in Northern California. Mitch was really super forward and perky, more so than usual. 

Gotta clip him though, he’s sweating pretty badly in this summer-weather-in-January-heat. It was probably upper 70s today, and no rain in sight. Probably just gonna do a snazzy trace clip. 

Hopefully hauling out for our first off-ranch adventure this weekend. Yay! Probably just gonna be an easy ride since we still need to condition more. 

Maybe riding a 10 mike intro ride a week from Sunday. Maybe. It depends if they have to relocate the ride or not, otherwise we won’t do our intro until April.


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## knightrider

Isabeau solo ride this morning. She was very naughty and it was disappointing, though ended just fine. 

Because we thought my daughter's friend was coming (she later cancelled the ride), I put Windy in the leased pasture with Tico so she wouldn't be so wound up and hyper. Last time my daughter rode her, she jumped around and reared a bunch right by a cliff at the road. Last year we put her in the leased pasture the night before every ride. This year (until Thursday, that is), she's done fine being in the sacrifice pen all winter.

When the friend didn't come, I decided to leave Windy there with Tico to keep him company, to give her more exercise and keep her from getting so antsy when my daughter does ride her, and to give the sacrifice pen a little less stress. Also, I planned that DD could take full care of both her horses and leave me out of it completely.

Windy was fine all night with Tico. Worked out great. But when I went to ride Isabeau solo this morning, all heck broke loose. Windy saw Isabeau going up the driveway and went nuts, screaming and tearing around the leased pasture. Chorro heard the whinnying and went nuts, screaming and racing around the sacrifice pen. Windy and Chorro screamed back and forth. Isabeau flipped out and refused to ride. I got out my whip, and dropped my glove. So I had to dismount and retrieve my glove, then re-mount a dancing, agitated, unhappy mare. After a bit, she wouldn't go, no matter how much I smacked her with the whip, which wasn't easy with all the warm clothes I had on. So I had to dismount AGAIN and lead her for a bit. It is very hard to mount with layers of warm clothes, heavy motorcycle gloves, thick socks under boots too big for me.

But I managed. I could not put on my gloves because Isabeau was a dancing crazy hot mess. My hands were SO cold, but I had to keep turning Isabeau away from home and keep her between my legs, pushing her to go on.

Things settled down and we started to have a fun ride. I got my gloves on, and all was well. Then a big pick-up towing a large landscaping trailer came towards us. Isabeau was having none of that, and kept trying to turn for home. The truck stopped, which might have been a bad thing, I'll never know from hindsight. Isabeau would NOT pass that stopped truck. I knew he had a job to do and things he needed to do and did not have time for me to train my horse. So, again, I had to dismount and lead her past the truck. I know none of this would have happened if I did not have the bright idea of putting Windy in the leased pasture with Tico. Isabeau has been doing great on solo rides since I started carrying a whip. I don't even have to use it. Not this time. I used the whip to no avail.

So, again, I re-mounted and was smart and turned down a side road that I knew would have no traffic on it. Isabeau rode along like a champion and gave me a lovely ride.

On the way home, I asked her to corto quite a lot, and she gave me such an incredible smooth gait, I just loved it. I had been thinking that she had lost her gait, and I had allowed that to happen. But she still has it all right. Like a dream. Then I let her canter a long time, and she gave me the smoothest best canter EVER!

We rode 6 miles for an hour and a half so we managed on average a mile every 15 minutes, in spite of all the dismounting, balking, circling, and leading.


----------



## Spanish Rider

Good Lord, *knightrider,* I'm stressed and exhausted just from reading your post!

*egrogan,*
Your group is definitely stylin' with those dressage saddles! Does your barn do trail rides for "tourists"? I vacation each summer between my mother in Massachusetts and our cottage in Maine, and I have a cousin in the Concord area who could merit a visit...


----------



## Oreos Girl

Spanish Rider,
My friend on Domino went out an bought a western saddle for trail riding even though I told her it was perfectly fine to ride English. I can't believe you have a hard time finding a barn that won't let you ride trails English. Your horse, you should be able to ride in what you want. Next time take pictures of all those endurance riders riding in English saddles. I grew up riding Western so to me English is hard but being comfortable is more important than most anything else.


----------



## Spanish Rider

*Oreos Girl,*
I no longer have a horse, and I have ridden hunt seat all my life, but after an accident my back can't handle it anymore. I just changed to a dressage horse/saddle/trainer, and it is the first time I have ridden pain-free in years. However, the barns that I have hacked out at in my area use all-purpose saddles. Western saddles are not used in Spain; the vaquera saddle is very similar, but not often used in this area (I have only seen one once).


----------



## egrogan

Spanish Rider said:


> Good Lord, *knightrider,* I'm stressed and exhausted just from reading your post!
> 
> *egrogan,*
> Your group is definitely stylin' with those dressage saddles! Does your barn do trail rides for "tourists"? I vacation each summer between my mother in Massachusetts and our cottage in Maine, and I have a cousin in the Concord area who could merit a visit...


No public rides offered at my barn, but I _do _have two horses who are always eager for trail rides...so...you should come ride! PM me if your trip works out, seriously.

Maybe we really do need a HF meet up in CT at @mmshiro's place, which does offer public rides. I think we need a "kiddie ride" option though, for wimps like me who want the no jumping/no galloping option and then all the rest of you daredevils in another group!


----------



## mmshiro

egrogan said:


> Maybe we really do need a HF meet up in CT at @mmshiro's place, which does offer public rides. I think we need a "kiddie ride" option though, for wimps like me who want the no jumping/no galloping option and then all the rest of you daredevils in another group!


BO will be impressed if you don't show up in sandals and shorts. Everytime she tells me about a ride she took out, she says she had another ride with "experienced" riders, the "" being emphasized with index and middle finger. If you can keep your horse between your legs and hands (while keeping the latter still), and you are comfortable with the horse bouncing quickly up a small incline (I'm talking less than 10 steps), you can have a fantastic walk/trot/a little canter ride with challenging and varied terrain.

If you want to gallop, there are fields. If you want to jump - just go over them instead of around them.

Small correction, though: The barn is in Upstate NY in Salt Point, right along the Taconic Parkway. If you do want to come, PM me and I'll give you the link to the website. All other business is between you and BO, of course. I'm just a client of hers...the only difference is that I get to ride (almost) all her horses unsupervised.


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## AnitaAnne

Sign me up for the kiddie ride; one canter up a hill and the rest some walk and trot...rider option every hour if my body quits on me...


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## egrogan

mmshiro said:


> BO will be impressed if you don't show up in sandals and shorts. Everytime she tells me about a ride she took out, she says she had another ride with "experienced" riders, the "" being emphasized with index and middle finger. If you can keep your horse between your legs and hands (while keeping the latter still), and you are comfortable with the horse bouncing quickly up a small incline (I'm talking less than 10 steps), you can have a fantastic walk/trot/a little canter ride with challenging and varied terrain.
> 
> If you want to gallop, there are fields. If you want to jump - just go over them instead of around them.
> 
> Small correction, though: The barn is in Upstate NY in Salt Point, right along the Taconic Parkway. If you do want to come, PM me and I'll give you the link to the website. All other business is between you and BO, of course. I'm just a client of hers...the only difference is that I get to ride (almost) all her horses unsupervised.


Thanks for the correction-and I know that area well. I grew up upstate (outside of Albany) but my dad grew up in Millerton and I absolutely loved summer trips there to visit my grandparents. I do think it would be fun to get a group of folks together to ride...hmmm...


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## Spanish Rider

> Salt Point, right along the Taconic Parkway


Um, quick internet search here... Is that the place advertising "extreme trailriding?"


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## mmshiro

Spanish Rider said:


> Um, quick internet search here... Is that the place advertising "extreme trailriding?"


Yup, it's Misfit Farm. "Extreme" is adjusted to your skill level. One reason why I progressed so fast in my riding is BO's uncanny ability to assess (better than you) which horse you can handle and what you can do with it.


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## Celeste

@mmshiro I think you have progressed so rapidly because you have so much guts.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I think you have progressed so rapidly because you have so much guts.


Most of the interesting episodes I had I did not look for, like "I am not going to slow her on the downhill before the end of this field. So what can I do - at speed - that does not involve running into the tree line or into the road?" I tend not to look to repeat those adventures.

Much of the other stuff I do is just a matter of working my edge. You start with a little sprint up a hill, then right back to walk. Then canter up the hill plus a little of the flat part. Then up a hill, and a little of the flat, including the first turn. And so on. Same with jumping...first a little stick on the ground, about 6" high. Then a tree trunk, about a foot high. Because the risk in jumping goes up exponentially with height, I set my limit at about 2.5 feet. If I can do that comfortably, I can probably do 3 feet in case of an emergency ("Where did *that* come from?"), but I wouldn't go looking for it to jump it for fun - let alone any higher than that.

I never got hurt because I had a "Hold my beer!" moment. My concussion was a result of a steering error, not the result of the jump or the gallop; I jumped that log and ran that field many times before. I injured my groin _in-saddle_ because my horse stumbled into a hole, putting me down on the pommel rather intensely. I got kicked _standing_ (on my horse) behind another horse. I slipped off Scout because I was being a blissful passenger _at the walk_, and he went sideways to escape the killer sparrow that had fluttered up from the ground. Never ever did I say, "I should never have done this!", and I never brought a horse home injured or hurt.


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## Celeste

Like I said, you have guts. You are not scared to keep on keeping on. I admire that a lot.


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## Spanish Rider

Well, if anyone decides to organize anything for this summer in the New England/New York area, I'm in.



> I think it would be a GREAT idea if on the last day of the month everyone posted their total miles and miles per horse (if more than one). It would be a race for everyone except @knightrider and @phantomhorse13 , who will easily have the most miles. LOL! I'm pretty happy with the 6 or so I've managed so far this year. That's 6 more miles than I rode last January. It's all about the weather!


Per *Change's* suggestions, my total for January is just over 27 miles, or 43.5 km, riding 8 days in total (2x per week). More importantly, I experienced no pain, no re-injury, no poppin' of pills or need for my corset and cane! Aiming for 30 km next month and an actual trail ride. Woot woot!

(Yes, I just realized that it took me an entire month to ride the equivalent of a marathon. :rofl


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## Celeste

I'll have to look on my computer at home to know what my monthly total is, but it is not much. There has been too much bad weather. 

My mare was laying down and hesitant to get up this morning. 

When I finally got her up and did a close exam, I saw that she had old diarrhea (maybe 2 days ago - heck I didn't look under her tail) stuck to her anus, vulva, and between her legs. It was all dried up and every time she walked it was pulling out hair. None of the other horses seem sick at all. She probably greedily ate some weeds or too much hay.

I got out the water hose, ran it until the ice cubes all melted, and then hosed off her butt and surrounding areas. At first she objected, but then she stood like a statue. That had to have felt cold. I got her all cleaned up and turned her back out. She was so happy she ran and kicked up her heels.

Basically, my girl has diaper rash. I don't know if it will clear up enough to ride by this weekend or not. I'll know more when I get home from work. 

Where is my bubble wrap?


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## knightrider

@Celeste, I am so sorry about your mare and hope she recovers quickly.

I live in N. Central Florida so I can ride almost every day. I also ride early in the morning before family and home responsibilities take over. It's so easy to "not ride" when a crisis pops up and you have to take care of it at 3:00 in the afternoon. Also, I ride when it is 90 and I ride when it is 22 and I ride when it is raining.

Saying that, my monthly total is 50 hours. If I average 3.5 mph, which is about what Endomondo says I do most of the time, that is about 175 miles.


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## Spanish Rider

Go *knightrider*!



> Basically, my girl has diaper rash


*Celeste,* I am so sorry to hear this, but I couldn't help laughing! Your poor baby.:frown_color:


----------



## Change

@Celeste - I love it when a vet gives a nice simple diagnosis - I guess we should all add Desitin to our vet kits! ;-)

Unfortunately, my ride stats haven't changed since my first post for the year. The weather is lovely during the week when I'm stuck in the office and crap on the weekends. Even today - when I left early to meet my farrier (who canceled because she's sick again) and had actual daylight with my horses - it rained. This Saturday is a possibility - 50s and only 21% chance of rain. Fingers crossed.

*2018 - EOM Jan*
Tango - 2.91 miles Time 44 mins (1 ride)
Cally - 2.7 miles Time 37 mins (1 ride)
Me - 5.61 miles Time 1 hr 21 mins (2 rides)


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## Celeste

My January total was also dismal. 6.8 miles. Too wet and too much working.

I was telling a coworker about my mare's issue with the "diaper rash". (I am glad to say that she is much better though a lot of hair ripped out.) His comment on her problem was, "Oh, so she got a Brazilian Wax?" 

Sadly that is about what happened.


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## AnitaAnne

I'm not counting any miles this month since I really didn't go anywhere. So I am sitting at 0 miles. :frown_color:

The good news is Chivas feet are much better; left front is still a little sore but that is all. I have been riding only about 30 minutes 3x/week mostly at walk, weather permitting. 

Today was VERY windy and chance of rain but it didn't happen so I rode. He is usually fine in wind and today was not exception except one exciting moment while grooming him before my ride.

Unfortunately the wind blew the saddle pad off the hook and it smacked him in the tush sending him flying off the wash rack! Luckily I use bungee ties so he only spun around and didn't break loose! 

Going back into a cold spell with temps dropping to 27F tonight with rain and a high of 42F tomorrow. Sure felt silly putting winter blankets on my horses when it was 59F out :shrug:


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> Where is my bubble wrap?


I wonder if feral horses manage to pull these kind of stunts on a regular basis: stepping in stuff that hurts them, eating stuff that hurts them, falling on stuff that severs their radial nerves. Maybe not, or else their procreation rate must be immense to keep those wild horse herds growing! 

Maybe it's civilization that prevents those from making poor lifestyle choices from getting eliminated from the gene pool. 

Still talking about horses, of course...


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> "Oh, so she got a Brazilian Wax?"


----------



## phantomhorse13

It's been a busy week for me! The whole story is in my journal.

On Wednesday I got everyone out. First up was George.




















Next up was Sultan and Phin. 




















Yesterday, I rode with Nicole and was happy the "chance of rain or snow showers" didn't materialize until well after dark.




















When I got home and checked the radar and it was still clear, I decided to grab George and go trim trail.



















2018 mileage
...
1/31 george 9.24 miles 1859 ft climb 4.1 mph 12F 158.60 total miles
 1/31 sultan w/phin 10.05 miles 1988 ft climb 4.5 mph 19F 168.65 total miles
 2/1 polo 5.41 miles 235 ft climb 3.5 mph 33F 174.06 total miles
 2/1 george 5.23 miles 698 ft climb 4.1 mph 34F *179.29 total miles*
 

January totals:
phin 28.91 
sultan 30.72 
george 30.15 
flo 51.26 
hombre 9.31 
polo 18.3


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## Celeste

@mmshiro I am laughing so hard at that video that I almost dropped my laptop.


----------



## mmshiro

My biggest regret today: Not having charged the camera. It was snowy and sunny, and the sticky snow was still sitting on all the branches when I went out. The 30mph wind gusts took my face off occasionally, but I was wearing a balaclava under my helmet, so ears and neck were protected.

I also ate dirt (make that "snow") today for the first time with Marion. It was early in the ride, I cantered her up a little field road, and she gave me a small happy buck (hind legs out to the side). I caught that with the corner of my eyes and asked her if that was all she got. Shouldn't have asked that...

The second canter of the day, she gave a little buck again, but while I was unseated (by only one or two inches), she also slowed down and dropped her neck. So not only did I come forward, I also had nothing but air to brace against...so I went over her neck. Fortunately I had plenty of rein that way, so I could make her stick around. I gave her the evil eye, she backed up (yeah, she looked really contrite...not...), and that was the end of it. I went looking for a tree stump to hop back on, and off we went...when I noticed the curb chain was off. So off I go again, fix her equipment, and back to the same mounting block stump.

One thing I learned very quickly today is to be on the lookout for a head that is dropping j-u-s-t a bit too low. So the third canter I didn't let her head drop below a certain level, and we made it all the way without incident.

As usual, after being a ***** and working up a bit of a sweat, Marion becomes a trail horse again, and we had a neat ride. I took her on what must have been a one mile canter through the woods all the way from the edge of a wet land to the ridge of a hill, lots of turns to follow the trail and to bypass the jumps set up along the trail...but we did jump one tree that was down right across our path. (My decision - she could have stepped over it, too.) Some loss of traction, but not a single slip! 

However, my thighs were burning after that, so I ended the ride on a high note and took her home...walking like a good girl.


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

I didn’t do a very good job at tracking my miles last month. We stayed at the ranch for January, and just did the on-site trails. Usually forgot my phone in the car or didn’t have Endomondo on. I have tracked it in the past though, and since we go around a couple of times, that’s generally about 4 miles and I ride pretty much every day. Gonna try and do better tracking for February (with an emphasis on try)

Pony got a trace clip, which makes him sweat less (which is good considering it’s been in the upper 70s the last few days). The weather report for the next 15 days is looking pretty ideal for riding, mid to upper 70s with no rain in sight (which can be a bad thing come summer). 

Tomorrow is another day at the ranch and the trails there, but Sunday, in lieu of foosball, the pony and I are hauling out with friends to go for our first off-site trail ride for the year. Exciting! The B’up was cleaned and swept out today, and I am so ready to let the magic happen.


----------



## Change

@Celeste - we really need to step our game up - if we're going to match @phantomhorse13's mileage (revised down by one decimal point) we're still 11 miles behind! ;-)
@mmshiro - Marion sounds like a fun horse! I've have that pop and duck happen once or twice and I sometimes think it's harder to sit those than a full bronc tantrum! 
@CaliforniaDreaming - hope you have a blast on your trail ride today. Don't forget the phone!!


----------



## AnitaAnne

@CaliforniaDreaming You have a Brenderup? So do I...well technically I have two but one is going to be sold as soon as I get it spruced up. 

What model do you have?


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

AnitaAnne said:


> @CaliforniaDreaming You have a Brenderup? So do I...well technically I have two but one is going to be sold as soon as I get it spruced up.
> 
> What model do you have?


I does!

I got it in October of 2016. A 1997 Baron HB.

I don’t mind not having a tack room since I have to load my tack into my car anyway, so I just leave it in there when we haul out, and I like being able to climb in to change the Haffie’s travel halter to his trail one before I drop the tail gate and unload him, so the open space in front of the chest bar is great.


----------



## Celeste

DH and I actually were able to get out for a ride today! He loves "Rapper". He was calling him "Chief" because he had a horse named Chief that looked a lot like him. 

DH is very pleased with "his" new horse. He was very willing to go. This time he stood nicely for mounting. I had fun too but I am slap worn out. I ended up doing a sitting trot for most of the ride. Walked a little. Cantered a little. I think that it was very good for my horse to maintain a trot so long. She actually smoothed out and figured out it was less trouble to just trot than to shake your head and act like a fire breathing dragon. The first canter was really rough. The second canter we did, I tried @tinyliny's little counting thing, and it helped a lot. 

2.9 miles today 
*9.75 miles total for 2018* Gotta start somewhere.


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## SwissMiss

Change said:


> @Celeste - we really need to step our game up - if we're going to match @phantomhorse13's mileage (revised down by one decimal point) we're still 11 miles behind! ;-)


I think I have to revise my goals (was like yours and @Celeste's) - I will try to beat @phantomhorse13 's miles but move the decimal point by 2 places :rofl: - that should be an attainable goal


----------



## Change

@Celeste - I am so glad DH likes his new horse - and Chief sounds like a fine name for him! It's funny, when you and I rode, my fire-breathing QH was the one always out in front. It's good to hear he's beginning to find his gait! And I'm sure your mare will finally figure out that a mile-eating jog is much easier on both of you.
@SwissMiss - LOL! C'mon... we only needed 17 miles to stay up. I managed to get 1/3 of that! Hmm. Maybe my goal should be to slip the decimal to the left by one then divide by 2? 

Well, today the rain didn't and the ride did. When it finally heated up to 37F, I headed out with long johns under my jeans, thermal socks, and a jacket over a sweatshirt over a long sleeved shirt. Grabbed Tango and began the long and arduous task of demudding him. Of course, mud had by now dried into little clay rocks, so it took a lot of elbow grease and patience to have him tidied enough (I couldn't call him clean by any account) to put a saddle on. Took him out and around most of the big cotton field, just doubling back and then cutting through rather than completing the loop beside the road. 

1 hour, 8 minutes; 4.88 miles; 4.3 mph average speed
YTD Tango: 7.79 miles (60.9 _lifetime _total)
YTD me: 10.49 miles


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## AnitaAnne

@Celeste I love the name Chief!! Expect we will be seeing a lot of Chief's rear end, lol. 

I was able to ride Chivas but not very long. Another 30 minute ride but must say his feet looked much better! Was able to gait a tiny bit, but the hills get to him a lot and he slows down. Going to ride every day I can. I am happiest sitting on a saddle on a horse!

My goals are to use @phantomhorse13 miles and move over one decimal place and/or @knightrider miles also moving over one decimal place or 200 miles, which works out to be somewhere around 20 miles per month.


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## AnitaAnne

CaliforniaDreaming said:


> I does!
> 
> I got it in October of 2016. A 1997 Baron HB.
> 
> I don’t mind not having a tack room since I have to load my tack into my car anyway, so I just leave it in there when we haul out, and I like being able to climb in to change the Haffie’s travel halter to his trail one before I drop the tail gate and unload him, so the open space in front of the chest bar is great.


I purchased my 1998 Prestige brand new in 1998 from the factory in Texas. That is the one I plan on selling. My other one is a 1997 Baron HB, purchased in spring of 2017 because I really wanted the tack area. I just hang a tarp over the front part to keep our saddles and stuff clean. 

Doesn't your trailer have a tack area in the front? 

Here's a picture of it inside


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## mmshiro

First tourist ride of the new year: BO/Marion, me/Hamlet, and a couple. The woman (Dita) didn't ride in a while, but still had all the motor skills. The significant other has done "a couple of rides" on a Western saddle and sat on Gershwin in a bit of a fetal position. Still, he managed to stay on. Gershy is a smooth boy.

The woman was delighted with Dita's little sprints, so I took her to take "The Hill" while BO took SO back to the safety of the farm. While I asked her whether she was ready before taking off, I forgot to advice her to grab a hunk of mane on take-off, so she almost ended up off (and behind) the saddle. Still, she recovered, and when I took her home on a little detour, she gladly went for another run along the edge of a field. BIIIG smile on her face when she finally hopped off.

I worked on Hamlets extended trot, and while he still leans into the bit like crazy, at the end he did a nice rhythmic, powerful trot alongside Dita - quite an achievement for a shorty like him. Now all he has to do is slowly start to remember how it works and settle into a collected frame without my holding him together between my seat and my hands.

Marion was a really good girl, too: not _a lot_ of sneering at the other horses, not a lot of wrestling with her rider for control. Those four rides I went on with her really made a difference, eh???


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## CaliforniaDreaming

AnitaAnne said:


> I purchased my 1998 Prestige brand new in 1998 from the factory in Texas. That is the one I plan on selling. My other one is a 1997 Baron HB, purchased in spring of 2017 because I really wanted the tack area. I just hang a tarp over the front part to keep our saddles and stuff clean.
> 
> Doesn't your trailer have a tack area in the front?
> 
> Here's a picture of it inside


A friend of mine has a Prestige. It’s a 2008 Model, and I think she got it new from the Texas distribution location. My great-uncle even has a B’up, which surprised me because he’s in Texas and I’d always figure him for a stock trailer guy, but he loves his and swears by it. When my mom told him I had bought a trailer, he said I should have bought a Brenderup, and when she to,d him I did, he said it was the best thing ever. 

My trailer is the same year and model as yours. It does have the saddle racks and blanket bar (my blanket bar has a portable tack hook rack on it to hold my hauling halters and spares) but I don’t load my saddle and gear in it because I have a personal tack room/hay shed since I’m down in self-care and my trailer is in a different location in the parking by the full-care hay barn. I load my horse from a spot in between, and am just too lazy to take my gear out of the car and put it in the trailer. 

I love the shelf though! I have a grooming kit up there, which is one fewer thing to lug out of my tack shed into my car.


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## mmshiro

Change said:


> @Celeste - I am so glad DH likes his new horse - and Chief sounds like a fine name for him! It's funny, when you and I rode, my fire-breathing QH was the one always out in front.


Is that a QH thing? When I rode Hamlet yesterday, he went nuts when the lead horse or the first two horses were farther than a length ahead of him. At one point he was flipping his head so violently in protest that he almost got me in the face. I took the reins in one hand and socked him right on the poll with the other. We were all at a bloody walk, for crying out loud!


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## CaliforniaDreaming

So bummed!

I had to cancel today's ride. I checked my Jeep yesterday to make sure I had plenty of gas, added more coolant, and made sure everything else was good to go. And then this morning on the way to ranch for morning feed, my steering column locked when I was making the turn into the ranch driveway, so I had to brake to a stop, turn the engine off and restart the vehicle. And it did it twice more just getting down to my spot in self-care. And then twice leaving the ranch. 

How I managed to get home, I'll never know (seemed ok as long as I was going in a straight line :lol

But I don't want to haul with those issues, because I value the pony's life way too much. We'll be stuck on the home trails today, but we can still have fun.

(And of course, when my dad drove the Jeep just a little while ago to see what was wrong, it worked fine. Gotta bring it in to the mechanic and have them look at it, maybe a trail ride will happen next weekend.)


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Is that a QH thing? When I rode Hamlet yesterday, he went nuts when the lead horse or the first two horses were farther than a length ahead of him. At one point he was flipping his head so violently in protest that he almost got me in the face. I took the reins in one hand and socked him right on the poll with the other. We were all at a bloody walk, for crying out loud!



I thought it was an Arab thing.................


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## phantomhorse13

@CaliforniaDreaming : I hope you can get your vehicle issues figured out - don't blame you for not wanting to haul with a Jeep that randomly decides it doesn't know how to steer.


Momma nature snowed and rained on my parade this weekend.. storm came in early so didn't get to ride Sunday, and this morning (after 3 inches of snow, then 0.67 inches of rain, then plummeting temps), this is outside:










Ice skating anyone?! 

And as if this isn't bad enough, anther storm is forecast for Wednesday.. only this time they are predicting twice as much snow before it turns to ice then rain and then the temps plummet. :frown_color:


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## mmshiro

Tricky, tricky ride today. I put my faith in Marion and hit the icy and wet trails for an hour. Even though we managed a w/t/c ride (with the canter confined to a hilly field with sun exposure and no snow), there was a lot of rough terrain, uphills and downhills, but we only had two tiny little slips, nothing even like when you feel the horse disappearing from under your seat. It was possible to just walk on the crunchy stuff and bypass any shiny and hard patches of ice. She was so happy with her performance that she gave me another little buck at the canter (which came towards the end of the ride) :|

Still, she only swings her booty out rather than trying to unseat me with a bronc buck, so it's easy to sit through. Nonetheless, I learned my lesson and brought her back to the walk before she had a chance to really show me how proud she was of herself.

My revenge: When we got closer to the barn, I turned her in the opposite direction. Twice. :evil:

Beautiful sunset just as we got home; well worth it. I think we were a great team today keeping each other safe.


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## ChasingDreams

I came down with the flu promptly followed by pneumonia this week. It was ridiculous, my toddler had it first- fever Monday and pneumonia by Thursday. I started fever on Wednesday and left the doctor yesterday with antibiotics, prednisone, and an inhaler. So, no riding for me.

Although Sunday, determined not to let Chase sit completely abandoned for the entire week... I brought him in the ring to do a little easy groundwork before feeding, and got the bright idea to try jumping on bareback for the first time.

He didn’t blow up, but he wasn’t happy either. Every time I put leg on his ears went flat back and his tail swished violently. Eventually I got him to take a couple steps forward with clucking and just a teeny-tiny bit of leg pressure. We made a short turn in each direction, then I hopped off before I got my sick butt thrown off. It was interesting to say the least 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## knightrider

Possibly my rides are a little more interesting than I thought. Certainly I enjoy reading about other people's rides which don't involve daring rescues or dramatic incidents.

Yesterday I took Isabeau out solo and she was NOT fun. Usually, even her bad rides are good, but not yesterday. I was thinking about @egrogan, who had a bad lesson, and my e-mail friend, whose dog had a bad lesson. Was there something in the air yesterday maybe?

I have 3 stalls and need only 3 horses. I got Acicate because he was a horse in a million and I knew I'd never get the chance to have a horse like that again. We gave away my daughter's pony, but got him back when it wasn't working out. So now I have 5 horses, and financially it is too costly. My daughter suffered so after giving away the pony, and it was so upsetting to have things go wrong that caused us to take him back, that I haven't had the heart to find another home for the pony. But we have to pay the bills, and I decided that Isabeau would be the one to find a new home. I've been bluer than blue since I made that decision. If I found the perfect home for her, I could live with it, but she belongs with ME.

My husband suggested we pray about it, and this morning, I opened an envelope from the bank that came yesterday, and it said we have some money coming to us. Answer to prayer? I think so!

This morning was Chorro's turn for a solo ride, and as always, he was lovely. Great ride. Deer season is over in Florida, and closed trails are now open to us. We rode down one of our favorites. I thought deer season was over and rode Isabeau down it a few days earlier. Lots of trees are down from the ice storm, and I had fun jumping Chorro over some of the higher ones that my teens are not ready to jump. 

On my way home, I discovered barbed wire on the ground stretched tight across the trail. I had not gotten caught on it with Isabeau going up and back, nor with Chorro going up the trail, but whew! I immediately jumped off with Chorro's front legs over the wire and back legs not. I backed him off the downed wire and tried to pull it up. It was firmly attached to a fence on both sides of the trail and not going anywhere. In the scrambling to get the wire up, Chorro managed to turn around and get back legs over the wire, which was now pulled up and waving around knee high. As I tried to step on the wire to at least bring it down to the ground, Chorro turned and looped the wire around a hind leg. Oh! My! Gosh! I let go of his reins to push that part down with my foot when Chorro calmly picked up that hind leg, shook it slightly and set it outside the wire, giving me a disgusted look. "That was stupid," he said.

Next ride down that trail, we will have wire cutters! Funny, we've been riding that trail for 3 years and never had any wire there. They scraped the road and planted rye grass for the deer, and I imagine they scraped up that buried wire.

Isabeau and Acicate ride on Monday: 2 hours, 45 minutes, 9 miles
Chorro ride on Tuesday: 1 hour, 40 minutes, 5 miles


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## Zexious

Eep! I hope you and your boys stay safe with all that ice, @phantomhorse13 !


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## Change

mmshiro said:


> Is that a QH thing?


I don't know that it's a QH or Arab thing - my QH mare just doesn't like to walk. She'll jog, trot, dance, even canter occasionally, but walking is boring! She's probably the only non-gaited horse I know that can outpace a Walker! 



ChasingDreams said:


> and got the bright idea to try jumping on bareback for the first time.


I'm so tempted to try Tango bareback. I'm also pretty sure he'll promptly dump me in the dirt (if I can even get on him). One of these days....



Zexious said:


> Eep! I hope you and your boys stay safe with all that ice, @phantomhorse13 !


^^ Ditto ^^
@knightrider - do you EVER just have boring, nothing happened rides? LOL!
@Celeste - Is your weekend weather forecast as bleak as ours? Sunny of Friday, then crappy for Sat and Sun, then sunny again on Monday. So not right.

Work has been trying to kill me this week. 3 days into it and I've logged 39 hours. Tuesday I went in at 6:30AM and didn't get out of there until 8:30PM! The rest of the week AND next week don't look to be any better. And since the weather will be keeping me indoors, I'll probably bring work home with me for the weekend. What in the world happened to me that I'd rather do WORK than housework???


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## AnitaAnne

@Change those sound like my hours! Getting too old for those 14 hour days...

This rain on weekends with nice weather on workdays is shiitake! Couse even if the weather turns nicer it is still a soggy mess. Poor horses! 

Going to ride bareback? Hmm that could get interesting. 

I'm going to look at another horse Saturday. Middle aged QH gelding. Maybe he will be my new trail horse but I haven't given up on Chivas yet...


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## Change

@AnitaAnne - If you're looking at QHs, the gal who owned M&M/Rapper/Chief has a really nice QH mare I've been dying to get my butt on! She's been in pasture the past 2 years just like Rapper was, so will probably need some maintenance (teeth, hooves) and refresher miles, but she is still easy to catch and sweet as pie on the ground. She looked to have a lot of 'bells 'n' whistles' training on her 2 years ago. PM me if you're interested.


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## Celeste

@Change Yes the weather hates us here too. Rain on my days off.


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## Oreos Girl

I looked at the forecast for the next 10 days. Sunny today (at work) over 40% chance of rain every day until next Friday. It will never dry out enough for me to get a round bale in for the horses. I guess the next round bale I will be peeling and taking it by wheelbarrow.


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## AnitaAnne

Oreos Girl said:


> I looked at the forecast for the next 10 days. Sunny today (at work) over 40% chance of rain every day until next Friday. It will never dry out enough for me to get a round bale in for the horses. I guess the next round bale I will be peeling and taking it by wheelbarrow.


Rain, rain, rain. Same thing here...


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## egrogan

I'd take rain over...





Snow crusted over with ice again last night. That gave us THIS this morning:


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## CaliforniaDreaming

AnitaAnne said:


> Rain, rain, rain. Same thing here...


Looked at our forecast 

Sunny, sunny, sorta cloudy (but don’t get your hopes up because there’s no moisture), sunny, sunny, partly cloudy. 

No rain in sight through Feb 22nd.

Be great to go for a trail ride, except ... the Jeep. :music019::shrug:

(And to make it more of a hassle, now the battery died, even though it’s only 2 months old, which makes me suspect an electrical issue that might be tied to steering as well)


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## phantomhorse13

I am with @egrogan .. at this point rain actually sounds appealing!!


I was so hopeful today..

Anything that had been plowed or driven on was a skating rink, but the lawn and the paddocks weren't too bad. The snow had mushed down to a couple inches with a crust, but that crust was below coronary band level. Here is the herd watching me suspiciously as I knocked icicles off things with a shovel.. because you never know when I might go nuts and attack them with the shovel. :icon_rolleyes:










After a brief walk with Mia, it seemed like the footing would be reasonable in the hayfields at the top part of the farm. I snagged George and tacked up, thrilled at the idea of a ride.

We didn't make it much out of the yard before I gave up. While there was no ice under the grass, the taller grass had apparently kept the snow from blowing away.. so it was deep enough that the crust was over George's hoof as we walked along. I even tried coming up out of the field onto the lawn, but it didn't help. Shiitake.










As much as I wanted to ride, I wasn't about to take the chance that George might cut up his legs. Our entire ride was 1/4 mile!

DH will run the skid loader around the farm for me this evening. That will certainly break up the crust, but I am worried that the roads will have a solid layer of ice under the snow that even the skid tracks won't crush. We shall see..


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## knightrider

Awww, you guys, I am so sorry (not being sarcastic, I really do wish your weather was nice). Florida is 72 and sunny with a light breeze every day. I've been getting 2 horses ridden, one in the morning, when it is a bit brisk, and one in the afternoon, when it is a little sweaty. Riding about 3 hours a day. No flies! (yet) Come to Florida, you guys!!!! We'd have a lot of fun!!!!


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## Spanish Rider

*egrogan,*
I confess: I taught my kids that song when they were little (just the Ice, Ice Baby part). This summer while at Grandma's in Massachusetts, they learned MCHammer's "Stop! Hammer time" from a 3M Command comercial. So now, whenever I scold them and shout "Stop!", they break out into song and dance. My authority has been undermined.


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## AnitaAnne

knightrider said:


> Awww, you guys, I am so sorry (not being sarcastic, I really do wish your weather was nice). Florida is 72 and sunny with a light breeze every day. I've been getting 2 horses ridden, one in the morning, when it is a bit brisk, and one in the afternoon, when it is a little sweaty. Riding about 3 hours a day. No flies! (yet) Come to Florida, you guys!!!! We'd have a lot of fun!!!!


Sounds fabulous!! 

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...


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## Celeste

I think that I had the most fun ride that I have had in years today. DH rode M & M Rapper Chief (still not sure on the name) and I rode my mare. "Chief" was less insistent on constantly gaiting. He walked calmly some and gaited beautifully when asked. I got to walk, trot, and canter on my mare without her acting like an idiot. We both had a ball and it seems like the horses did too. Same old 2.9 mile trail today. 
*2018 total: 12.65 miles*

Picture 1 is during the ride. I promise I will get him a bridle that is not pink. Picture 2 is the "kids" discussing the ride when we got back.


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## egrogan

That update made my day @Celeste! So glad you all had such a great ride. I am living vicariously through all of you ice-free southerners :wink:


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I was able to get George and Sultan out for a ride. We had to stay in the tracks that DH broken with the skid loader, but it was sure better than nothing. The whole story is in my journal.






































2018 mileage
...
2/9 george 11.38 miles 1106 ft climb 5.5 mph 21F 190.93 total miles
2/9 sultan 8.00 miles 704 ft climb 6.0 mph 21F *198.93 total miles*


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## Change

So much for my closing the gap with @phantomhorse13 while she's stuck in the house due to weather! ;-)

I rode both of mine today, and while I didn't have to deal with frigid temps and crusted snow, I did have mud. Lots of mud. Still, I didn't log anything close to what she did and it was darn-near t-shirt weather!

Cally - 2.58 miles
Tango - 3.77 miles
Me - 6.35 miles (16.84 miles in 2018)

And rain for the rest of the weekend. Yay. More mud.


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## phantomhorse13

Change said:


> So much for my closing the gap with @*phantomhorse13* while she's stuck in the house due to weather! ;-)


Oh don't worry, momma nature isn't done trapping me inside. I hope to ride tomorrow morning before the rain starts. Once it does, the ground is going to get ugly again as temps stay warm enough to start melting things and its supposed to rain off and on all week. Until all the [email protected] on the roads melt, I will be stuck as I can't ride fields when wet and sure won't go on roads that are icy!


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## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> I promise I will get him a bridle that is not pink.


You better hurry before they pull his man card. Lol....

Sounds like your two horses are going to be good for each other. 

Rain, Rain, and more Rain in the forecast here......I'm jonesing for a ride...


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## Spanish Rider

> So much for my closing the gap with @phantomhorse13 while she's stuck in the house due to weather!


:rofl: I know! Even in blizzard conditions, she rides 3 times more than I do! :icon_rolleyes: Go Phantom!


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## Change

Spanish Rider said:


> :rofl: I know! Even in blizzard conditions, she rides 3 times more than I do! :icon_rolleyes: Go Phantom!


It's pathetic, really. I'm in a t-shirt and don't have to worry about anything except a little mud (and when did that _ever _stop me as a kid?), and *Phantom *still managed to log triple the number of miles I rode.

Credit to *Phantom*, though. It it wasn't for this unofficial rabbit vs hare race, I probably wouldn't have the incentive to saddle both horses in a single day.


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## Celeste

It looks like the bottom is going to fall out of the sky any minute. 100% chance of rain today and tomorrow. I was mad thinking that tomorrow was my day off and it would be wasted indoors. I looked at my calendar again; I am working. I may as well. I can't ride in a thunderstorm.


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## Spanish Rider

> unofficial rabbit vs hare race


Ummm, weren't we turtles?


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## AnitaAnne

Spanish Rider said:


> Ummm, weren't we turtles?


I know I am...


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## Change

Spanish Rider said:


> Ummm, weren't we turtles?


LOL, okay - my fingers don't always communicate what my brain is thinking. Although, I believe it should be *tortoise *vs hare. I don't ride much in turtle weather (which is why I'm inside typing this instead of outside in the rain, rain, rain....)


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## QueenofFrance08

15 degrees today! Might be able to get out for awhile after work!!!


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## ChasingDreams

It was 40s today, rain forecast at 4pm. By noon, there was a steady drizzle (way-to-go weathermen) I went to the barn anyway, thinking the ice might have melted enough for a quick, albeit damp ride around the field.

Unfortunately, the yard was still an ice rink, and the fields weren’t much better. 

So, rain and ice : 1
Me riding: 0

 supposed to hit 50’s tomorrow, but rain, rain, rain. Maybe... I can try to sneak a quick ride in between rain clouds? Maybe? 

I’m so jealous @knightrider, my parents are down in Florida for the winter, and keep sending pictures in shorts and t-shirts that make me want to pack up and move!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SwissMiss

Does swimming count too?

Rain, rain and more rain and nothing else in the forecast  While some rain wouldn't melt my pony and me, it is so slippery that I simply don't dare to ride... 

I will have to play catch up to y'all later :wink:


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## Change

It has rained pretty steadily since about 9 last night. So far, according to the news, we've had over 2.5" and tomorrow it'll be pretty much more of the same. Tango just hangs out in it, looking for good mud to roll in. Cally ventures out of the barn for drinks and an occasional walk around the fields. Tango is all over soggy. Cally's belly is dry. The fields are bogs. And by the time the rain ends, I'll have to change out the shavings in the barn. Cally won't even venture outside to do her business in this weather.

The only good thing about all this rain is that Tango actually looks clean for a change!


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## mmshiro

Not a great ride yesterday. I went out with the BO and another tourist couple. I noticed that when the number of horses exceeds two, the constant change in speed and the horse's reacting to the spacing in the line can get very tiring. Only the lead horse (or horses, if riding side-by-side) gets to relax, and so does its rider. I've been out with BO on all the major rides now, and we never take it "easy", but with more horses the serenity always goes out the window.

The guy requested Dita. His wife had ridden Dita previously and liked her. He is very small in stature, so Dita's slow trot did a number on him - there was _a lot_ of light between his bum and the saddle. Consequently, he was hanging on the reins a lot, and I could see Dita's attempts to find release impeded by the running martingale. He clearly does not understand the concept of giving release every time, and as soon as, the horse does what you ask. (One of my major achievements in my riding with Dita was to take off the martingale with which I inherited her, and her rarely shaking her head to get release, even when I rode with contact.) 

I was on Marion, who was for the most part well behaved. Her "walk - trot to keep up - walk" transitions are a lot easier to sit, so I just focused on relaxing and staying as close to the saddle as possible following the movement. It's easier to work on your own body when you can afford to be a passenger for a few moments. Sometimes I had to tell her to be nice to the other horses, but she didn't pick any argument with me.

At the end, we took the tourists up the hill. There are two ways to get through the fence: a log jump in the middle and a gate to the left. Marion and I were last to arrive, and the other three were filtering through the little gate. As Marion got a bit antsy, and they were almost through, I took her over the log - only to realize that there was a delay with the dude getting Dita through. So I opted for a more relaxed canter up the hill, so as to not create a panic in the other horses. Marion followed my lead without complaint. When I saw Gershwin and the (tourist) wife catching up with me, about a third up, I let her go...she loved it! (I think she would have divorced me if I hadn't let her win.) Anyway, I really liked how she accepted the slower pace in the beginning without quarreling about it - even though this is something she's never been asked to do in that context.


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## mmshiro

ChasingDreams said:


> supposed to hit 50’s tomorrow, but rain, rain, rain. Maybe... I can try to sneak a quick ride in between rain clouds? Maybe?


We must be in a similar weather area. It's gonna be a threesome for me today: me, the mare, and a bottle of Cowboy Magic. It's better than the alternative threesome: me, the couch, and a screen.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, DH and I were up early to get Sultan and Phin out before the rain started. The whole story is in my journal.




























We finished up with a bareback mosey to cool down. 










2018 mileage
...
2/9 sultan 8.00 miles 704 ft climb 6.0 mph 21F 198.93 total miles
2/10 phin 9.12 miles 746 ft climb 4.7 mph 34F *208.05 total miles*


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## knightrider

Kind of a slightly interesting ride this morning. I had my 11 year old neighbor L., and my daughter's 17 year old friend C., but no DD. She had gone to spend the night with her BFF. I took the girls to the planted pines where we have not been able to ride since Nov. 1 since finally deer season is over.

I thought long and hard about what to do with L. on Isabeau. Isabeau cannot be trusted when things go wrong. I really don't like putting L. on her at all. On the other hand, some horses really respond to a child and/or a beginner and we wouldn't know that unless we gave it a good try. Originally, I had decided (and still probably will if L's sister rides with us, because she has zero control) to only take the girls in my next door neighbor WC's planted pines, not on the road at all. 

But this morning, with 3 horses, all more or less buddies, on a Sunday morning when there is almost no traffic, I figured they would be all right. And they were. They were just fine.

I looked at the place where Isabeau got me off when we went past it, but Isabeau did not seem very nervous, so I said nothing to the girls. My daughter's friend S. has taught me that nervous girls create nervous horses.

We went into the pines and jumped many many fallen logs, just 6 inches to a foot high. The girls loved it. It was such a fun ride.

On the way home, on the road, suddenly Isabeau got terribly nervous, which she should not have done. I realized that there were two monstrous noisy vehicles pulling huge trailers out in the harvested pine field alongside our road. They were planting new baby pine trees. Now, what in the world are two men working in the paper company's pines on a Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m.? That was CRAZY. The paper company, Loncala, owns thousands and THOUSANDS of acres of pines. Why would they be replanting that field on a Sunday? Perhaps because rain was predicted? Chorro flapped his lips but was otherwise calm. Acicate was calm as could be, in fact, he was more concerned about the 3 fake swans on the fake lake that we were riding closer than normal to. We had crossed the road away from the big machines to get as far away from them as we could.

I had L. dismount from Isabeau. I know how difficult and scary Isabeau can get when she is starting to lose her mind. She was soaked with sweat from nerves. L. led Isabeau and C. and I continued to ride. After the machines had headed down a row and were out of sight, L. re-mounted and rode Isabeau home. Just re-mounting a dancing anxious horse is a challenge. L. did a marvelous job of riding that scary fractious horse. I complimented her several times, but I do not know if she was proud of herself or scared spitless.

I told her that she did not have to ride Isabeau anymore if she had become scared of her, that she could ride Tico. She did not say "yes" or "no". I figured she had to process the experience and think it over and see how she felt about it.

Then we were home, and it was over.


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## whisperbaby22

Finally cooled off a bit here, so I hit the trail to enjoy.


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## mmshiro

Solo ride with Hamlet today as the BO's back was shot from doing barn and farm stuff all day. Very muddy and slippery again, but we did okay. Despite a few canters on iffy terrain, no loss of balance of either horse or rider.

I kept working on Hamlet's trot. He's really getting it! Coming into a field, I gave him some rein and he tried to take off, but I caught him gently. He shook his head in protest - once - then he seemed to remember the idea and settled into a trot...with me giving him more and more rein, ready to tweak if he'd break into canter again. He didn't, and halfway up the field he was trotting with really nice and steady light contact. Arena - who needs it, eh? 

I was hanging out with Bibi a little too, after the ride. I stood next to her, giving her a butt scratch, when she moved her butt squarely in front of me and gently leaned into me - with the stall wall behind me. Goes to show that everything with horses is contextual, even a mare turning her butt into you! It might just be a sign of affection...


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## egrogan

The footing anywhere outside (woods, fields, roads) has been near-impossible to ride on over the past couple of weeks, so I'm going to celebrate my ride today, which was all of..._.*0.25 miles *_

I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous, but the ice has been SO bad. I went to the barn Sunday and couldn't even walk Fizz in from her paddock to the barn so didn't even ride in the indoor. 

So today, we were ever so careful and I at least got on and walked around outside. As you can see, the ice was still no joke in the fields, and forget about even trying to get down the driveway to the road...








...and the footing was sharp and icy, so we couldn't really go anywhere. 








But we both appreciated getting some fresh air into our lungs!

Spring is coming. Spring is coming. Spring is coming. Springiscomingspringiscoming. Spring IS coming!

*Total 2018 miles: 14.07
*Fizz-12.97
Izzy- 1.1


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## Celeste

@egrogan Any time you get your horse out and ride, it is a good day. 0.25 miles is 1/4 mile than I rode today!


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I was able to get Sultan out for a ride first thing in the morning. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
2/10 phin 9.12 miles 746 ft climb 4.7 mph 34F 208.05 total miles
2/13 sultan 7.86 miles 1220 ft climb 4.2 mph 27F *215.91 total miles*


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## Change

@whisperbaby22 - I love the pictures you take. You have an artist's eye!
@Celeste and @egrogan - I think I walked around at work more than you rode today! But I'm still jealous. I haven't seen my horses in daylight since Sunday, and probably won't again until Saturday morning... in the rain, of course. The horses aren't happy with me either. I'm feeding before dawn in the mornings, and feeding well after dark by the time I get home from work. I'm getting heartily sick of 12+ hour days.
@phantomhorse13 - I'm not even going to try to keep pace with 1/10th of your miles. If I did, I'd have to have 21.6 miles, and all I have is 16. And Mom Nature must know my work schedule, cuz she's planning on raining on my weekend again.


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## gunslinger

Same here.....I've got 8 miles for the year so far.....the weather hasn't been suitable to ride.


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## Spanish Rider

*egrogan,*
Thought of you and all your ice the other day when my cousin in Concord sent me a video of himself skating on the driveway around the barn! There is no way I would be out riding in that!


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## phantomhorse13

@Change : this thread isn't meant to be competition! and if it was, we would all be challenging @knightrider as she is going to have me beat easily. 

I understand all too well that momma nature has a lot to say about who rides when.. I am hoping to get George out here shortly, but after a surprise round of freezing rain overnight, I am not sure I have anywhere I can ride safely..


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## kenshi

*10 reasons why horses make the best valentines :*

besides that today is a special day its the valentines day here we go :
10 REASONS WHY HORSES MAKE THE BEST VALENTINES : 
Why do you think horses make the best Valentines? Adopted horses make excellent Valentines. One reason why an adopted horse makes the best Valentine is that of how much they appreciate *you* for giving them a forever home!
Valentine’s Day is a day of love and appreciation, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate then explain why my horse, Samurai, makes the best Valentine!

1.He never judges me for eating all the holiday chocolate
for more exemple vheck our list step by step :
10 REASONS WHY HORSES MAKE THE BEST VALENTINES - Art of Folks


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## SwissMiss

phantomhorse13 said:


> @Change : this thread isn't meant to be competition! and if it was, we would all be challenging @knightrider as she is going to have me beat easily.


Yes, it's not a competition per se, but serves as a good "incentive" to ride more :biggrin:

As I said - my aim is to take your miles and move the decimal point 2 places to the left :wink:


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## QueenofFrance08

Oops I forgot to update after the weekend:

Finally got over 10 degrees so I got out. Saturday was only 12 degrees but no wind so it was pretty nice. One of our dogs ran off so by the time I got home from work at noon DH was out on Chico looking for her. When they got home we had lunch and took Daisy and Paco out. Still couldn't figure out how to make the GPS work so I would say 2 miles since we explored one of the fields next to our house. When we got back we saddled up Jake and Stitch and headed out. I let DH (aka Crash test dummy) ride Jake out for me since it's been so long since he has been out of an arena. It went pretty well until Stitch started limping. Grr! We made it about 1.5 miles before that happened so we took her back and looked at her foot. Of course, nothing. 

Sunday we checked on Stitch again and she seemed fine and running just fine in the pasture. We took Jake and Chico (the Arabians) out together for the first time, this time I wanted to ride Jake. As we got out into the field I realize he needs a little work on his brakes! He's not a fan of stopping and listening is not in his vocabulary right now. The lady I bought him from said he hates bits (owner before him used a horse sized bridle on his tiny face and it was too big so the bits always slid out of his mouth and smashed his teeth so he hates them now). She just rode him in a rope halter but of course that was all indoor. I put him in an S hack I had bought but I think we're going to have to try out some bits until he can learn trail manners. I might put crash test dummy back on him for awhile until his kinks are a little more worked out! I did realize the location services were turned off for Endomondo so I finally got it to work for Sunday! 1.54 miles since the wind was too bad to go farther than around the field. 

Weekend Mileage:

Daisy 2
Stitch 1.5
Jake 1.54

Picture of Jake in the start of his new gear/half of Daisy's. Poor guy is so bright you need sunglasses to see past all of his weird colored tack.


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## knightrider

Naaah, it's not a competition. I have a lot more chances to ride, being retired. I usually ride in the mornings when my family is asleep. My DD homeschools, but she's in 10th grade and often says, "I've got this, Mom" so I can put in an extra ride. Also, as @Change said, I have sand, not mud, so I can ride in the rain. (I did today.) And also, the winter is when people ride in Florida. We have the weather. So, please, guys, don't beat yourselves up or think I'm bragging. 
@phantomhorse13, as soon as your weather breaks, you'll have many more miles than me! I'm so impressed with your dedication and riding. Wish we could ride together more!


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## Spanish Rider

*knightrider* and *phantom*, don't take it personally. We're just insanely envious! Even when I retire (_IF_ I retire), I'm sure my body will be in no shape to ride even half as much.

New horse I've been riding is a Lusitano x Hispano-Árabe and much stockier than the PRE I had started riding in December, so I seem to be covering more ground during class. Plus, as a younger horse, when he is warmed up, he gets HOT and needs to keep moving. Lots of canter work (and here I thought I wouldn't be able to sit the canter anymore), so I should be able to better my last month's total (again, only looking to better myself, not anyone else!).

Still hoping to one day actually get out on a trail, especially since the almond trees will soon be in bloom!


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## phantomhorse13

Despite momma nature surprising us overnight with some freezing rain, I was able to get George out this morning. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
2/14 george 9.47 miles 1565 ft climb 4.1 mph 32F *225.38 total miles*


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## QueenofFrance08

Got my Valentines Day ride in! Since it was a rare 46 degrees here in MN I couldn't miss the chance to ride and thankfully I had the excuse of a holiday to leave work "early". Left at 5 (normally work till 7 this time of year) and made it home for a short 45 minute 1.34 mile ride with DH. Two of the dogs came with us and had a great time chasing deer. I rode Daisy and DH rode Paco who was doing much better than he was last weekend. 

Every ride with Daisy I love this girl more and more. She's only 3 and nothing phases her. Paco was looking everywhere for something to spook at and she's 100% focused on either moving or figuring out what is edible in her reach. 

Only got out for 40ish minutes before it started getting dark and cooler so we decided to head in.


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## Change

I'm not looking at this thread as competition, but since I always ride solo, it's good incentive to get out there and ride rather than do all those other non-riding things we horse owners do. And, moreso - to make the effort to ride BOTH horses when the day allows. I will admit to a tendency to ride Tango more, since he's still 'in training,' but the last few rides on Cally have shown that she's getting lazy and snotty. She needs miles and wet blankets again.

I like this thread. I look at my logs from last year, and it shows I only had 5 miles total by mid-February. And I had less than 100 for the year. So - I've tripled what I had and would love to continue that trend. Y'all puttin' on the miles makes me want to ride! The manure can wait a few hours (or days).


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## Celeste

I agree with @Change. This thread is not a competition. It is incentive to keep going. I try to at least meet and hopefully beat my own record. I enjoy everyone's stories and pictures as well.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> I agree with @Change. This thread is not a competition. It is incentive to keep going. I try to at least meet and hopefully beat my own record. I enjoy everyone's stories and pictures as well.


To me, this threat is about hanging with people who can relate to being out there with your horsey and having an adventure. Other than my wife, there isn't anyone else whose eyes wouldn't glaze over if I were to talk "horse" with them.

And yes, seeing y'alls' "between the ears" photos does make me want to ditch the desk and get out there...


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## egrogan

mmshiro said:


> And yes, seeing y'alls' "between the ears" photos does make me want to ditch the desk and get out there...


Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going on days when I'm stuck on 8 hours of video conference calls and have no chance to get out to the barn :grin:


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## Celeste

DH and I rode 3 miles today. The horses were a little spooky because the wind was blowing like crazy. It was also about 75 degrees and sunny. My horse got hot and shook out. Then suddenly she stopped and looked to the side like a snake was about to bite her. It was actually my camera that she had shaken out of my saddle horn bag hitting her on the sides. Thankfully, I had it tied on so it didn't get broken. 

At first, DH's horse that he so far has named "MY horse" didn't want to lead the way due to the 20 + mile per hour wind gusts. So I started off leading the way. 

He soon got tired of following and was willing to take the lead. One good note, I got my horse to a nice, slow, 9.2 mile/hour lope today. I think that may be a first! It was totally due to good manners. She had a fat white butt in her face. 

Winter forgot to be winter today!

Today: 3 miles

Total: 15.65 miles (which is less than I did last year by this time :sad:


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## carshon

@Celeste jealous! The pics are gorgeous!


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## Celeste

The horses got so sweaty, and it was so warm, that we decided to hose off the sweat so they would feel better. When you see how beautiful the "MY HORSE" came out, you will be glad that we cleaned him up.


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## mmshiro

:lol: Studies have *not* shown any correlation between "looking clean" and "feeling good".


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## Change

Around my yard, that _is _a clean horse! :rofl: 
@Celeste: I've been meaning to ask - how's MY HORSE working in that bit?


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## Celeste

Change said:


> Around my yard, that _is _a clean horse! :rofl:
> 
> @Celeste: I've been meaning to ask - how's MY HORSE working in that bit?


He seems to be working well in it. He doesn't act mad about it; he has brakes and steering.


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## Change

Good to hear! I know he was slightly uncomfortable in the ones I had. I just didn't have one wide enough for him. And, it's odd, but I kind of like the name, MY HORSE. It keeps things confusing and fun! LOL!


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## egrogan

MUD SEASON IS STARTING.









That is all :wink:


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## gunslinger

It's darn muddy here too....soupy....

The good news...is....I've seen my first daffodils blooming, and some forsythia as well.

The Daytona 500 is this weekend....to me, it signifies winters dying days and the promise of spring.....

You know? I think were going to make it through another winter after all.

Rain in the forecast, no riding, but DW, GF and I are heading to Pigeon Forge later today.....going to catch the Mo-Town show after an early dinner. Hopefully we won't get there to early and I'll get to keep some jingle in my pocket. Those two love to shop.


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## Celeste

DH and I got out again and rode the same trail. It was 76 degrees with 56% humidity. We got spooked by a deer jumping out, but they just spooked in place. On the way home, DH wanted to see how his horse would canter. He did very well. My horse got overly excited. She cantered without bucking, but the upward elevation of her canter would have taken her over some significant jumps. Somehow I didn't take pictures today. 

I saw a nice shed on the ground. I may go back and get it with the 4 wheeler. That might be picture worthy.

Today 2.9 miles
Total for year 18.55 miles.


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## mmshiro

Marion and I today again. The ground was reasonable - no snow, lots of water, but temps near freezing kept the ground crunchy-to-solid in most places. Got another reason today why I shouldn't own a horse (yet): When I brushed her, I saw that her right hind leg was pretty swollen, so I continued brushing fully expecting that I wouldn't be riding her. When BO came, she said it was an infection due to the alternating wet and cold weather, making her coronary band vulnerable to bacterial invasion. She wasn't lame, and I should just get a feel for how she's feeling. Turns out she was feeling great, but if it were my horse, without competent guidance, I'd have had no idea what I was looking at, or any procedure on how to diagnose the severity of the problem. So much to learn still...

Anyway, I tried a different trail today (actually just took a turn I never took), but was disappointed when it took me back to the road way too early. I don't like plodding along the road, so I looked for a way back into the shrubbery, which I thought I saw behind a property. I snug along the outside of their fence, only to be met by a rock wall in the back...way too iffy to ride because of the low dense tree branches and the roughness of the wall even at eroded spots. So I got off, took her through the underbrush to a flattened section of the wall, got her over it and to the trail behind the property. We managed all of this without any drama, including me getting back on when the coast was clear. I think the rides where you solve a problem together with your horse are the best!

We saw two coyotes, two herds of deer, and a few small rodents. No spooks whatsoever today.


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## mmshiro

gunslinger said:


> but DW, GF and I


Okay, I gotta ask: "Dear wife, girlfriend, and I"? :think:


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## phantomhorse13

Today, DH and I got Sultan and George out. This morning was the calm before the storm, so we took advantage of the sunshine while we could. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
2/18 george 14.26 miles 1539 ft climb 5.0 mph 24F *239.64 total miles*


It's currently snowing like mad. They claim only 2-3 inches but I will not believe it until it stops. Fingers and toes crossed it stays snow and doesn't change over to freezing rain..


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## egrogan

@phantomhorse13- your snow is heading directly towards us. The forecast this morning said 1-3 inches overnight, but now they've updated that to 3-5". We've got a couple of hours before it gets going and DH and I are hoping to sneak out to hear at least the first set of a jazz show tonight. We shall see!

We too had a nice start to the day. I'm so thrilled, I got Fizz out on her longest road ride yet- 3.52 miles. I was riding around noon, and there was a lot more traffic than I would have preferred, but she handled it like a champ. Coming towards us, up behind us, through puddles, it didn't bother her at all. For the last mile of our ride, we were playing Pony Express with the mailman- he was doing his thing, stopping to open and close every mailbox along the road. We had to switch sides of the road so he could keep leapfrogging over us with his stops and starts. She didn't care though! We just walked today as her boots aren't here yet and I'm not comfortable asking her to trot on the pavement, so the ride was pretty slow. 









You know it's spring in New England when sugaring starts- if you look to the trees on the left, you can see the sap buckets out.









I also took Isabel for a walk around the farm with our riding buddy. Just a mile but it's always good to get a saddle on her and get her moving.









*Total 2018 miles: 18.6
*Fizz- 16.49
Isabel- 2.11


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Okay, I gotta ask: "Dear wife, girlfriend, and I"? :think:


I haven't had the nerve to ask. :smile:


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## knightrider

I'm back from my quasi-endurance ride with @4horses. We had a grand time. The ride was called the Gator Run in Goethe National Forest. I had never camped at Goethe, because people told me it was boring. And it is, kinda, but all riding is fun, and we had LOTS of fun.

The first day we decided to work on @4horses's Paso Florian, getting him to cross water, because there was LOTS of water on the trails, and he is terrified of water. He literally shakes when he looks at it. She had a lungeline and whip and wore water shoes and planned to get quite wet. My Paso Acicate will cross water if I walk ahead of him so I wore high rubber boots and thought I might get wet too.

The lunge whip was to keep Florian from jumping on 4horses, which he will do if you are not careful. The water on trails in Florida tends to be 30 feet of soupy marshy black slop, not nice to cross at all. Florian was way too nervous with such challenging water crossings. He is a willing horse, so when asked, he would leap 8 feet wide and 3 feet high and land pretty much on top of 4horses. He didn't pay attention at all to the whip. We did 5 attempts, and he was getting very slightly better, but it was extremely nerve wracking to watch, as 4horses was almost getting jumped on each time. We decided to find a less challenging set of water crossings to work with him. What we need is a bubbling little brook a foot wide and a foot deep, but there are no such things in Florida.

4horses had arrived at Goethe the day before I could get there, and she knew a lovely trail that had no water so we rode that for an hour and a half, and it was great fun.

The next day was the real ride. I upped my challenge to a 15 mile ride. The 10 and 15 mile rides are called "introductory rides" and are not scored and do not count. Years ago, I used to ride 25 mile competitive trail, and it was quite challenging to me, even then. I don't think I'm up to the actual official long rides like 25 and 50 miles. I wasn't even sure I would enjoy a 15 mile ride, but I wanted to try.

At Goethe, they couldn't find a trail that worked out to 15 miles, but it was supposed to be 13.5 miles, which sounded good to me. 4horses rode her black and white paint mare Harmony with me because she crossed water just fine. We had a super fun ride. My Endomondo said it was a little over 12 miles, not 13.5, but who knows? Yes, the trails were not exactly exciting, but we did a lot of cantering and trotting/cortoing. We finished our trail in exactly 3 hours.

What was interesting to me was that about 4 groups of "intro riders" passed us trotting very fast. I kind of figured that with as much cantering and trotting/cortoing that we were doing, we'd catch up with them, but we never did. It seems to me if you planned to really boogy down the trail, you would actually compete. The "into rides" are for folks like 4horses and me who just want to diddle doodle along.

We were pretty close to the end when Acicate suddenly just went straight down on the sand to have a nice roll. I didn't want to get off him because I didn't want him rolling on my comfy Western saddle. I wanted to make him get up with me still on him. But he wouldn't get up. So I finally got off and he did roll sideways on the saddle, but didn't hurt it. We were pretty sandy when we finished the ride. It was a lot of fun.

We missed @phantomhorse13 very much, but her nice friends were there.

Total for the week-end was about 2 1/2 hours on Friday and probably 8.75 miles
3 1/2 hours on Saturday and around 12.5 to 13.5 miles


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## AnitaAnne

mmshiro said:


> Okay, I gotta ask: "Dear wife, girlfriend, and I"? :think:





Celeste said:


> I haven't had the nerve to ask. :smile:


Me either...maybe takes a guy to ask a guy this question...


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## Celeste

@gunslinger You have aroused the curiosity of some nosy people. @mmshiro started it.:hide:


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## ChasingDreams

I got a short ride in today. It was actually a longer ride, but because we’d had so much time off, and the last two rides were with a buddy...the beginning was mostly me trying to convince Chase to leave the yard on his own [emoji31] Apparently, he’s becoming a little barn sour over his “winter break”.

Finally...after a little lunging, switching out my normal reins for split reins, and warming up in the pasture... I convinced him to move out and we did our shorter 2 mile-ish loop. Unfortunately, with all the trouble at the beginning I didn’t start my app to track our exact miles...but I did get a between the ears pic this time 










Total 2018 miles ~ 11.18


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Zexious

I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries by answering for @gunslinger, but I've seen him talk about this elsewhere on the forum. "girlfriend" is literally just that, he and his wife's friend that is a woman. 
@ChasingDreams - You may have had a tough start to your ride, but at least you got a gorgeous picture! Just look at this ears !


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## gunslinger

Zexious said:


> I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries by answering for @*gunslinger* , but I've seen him talk about this elsewhere on the forum. "girlfriend" is literally just that, he and his wife's friend that is a woman.
> 
> @*ChasingDreams* - You may have had a tough start to your ride, but at least you got a gorgeous picture! Just look at this ears !


Thank you Zexious....that is in fact correct. Over the years she's become both of our friends. We've road many, many miles together over the years. 

Lady's, we're not talking about passion filled 20 year olds......we're all in our 60's.....

Now, if there's a 20 year old out there that wants an old man......just kidding ladies! Just kidding!


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## Spanish Rider

Had a good laugh when I checked out my Endomondo after class the other day... covered nearly every square inch of the arena where we were working.:dance-smiley05: So, whenever you think your trail ride is short, remember: it all depends on your perspective!


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## Celeste

@SpanishRider How many miles did that come out to?


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## Celeste

My friend came out and we got my old Abby out and we went for a ride. It was a nice, slow, pleasant ride. I was surprised at how well my 31 year old girl did. I just don't think my friend is ready for "MY HORSE" yet, and she sure isn't ready for my horse. 

Today 2.9 miles
*Total: 21.45*


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## Spanish Rider

> I just don't think my friend is ready for "MY HORSE" yet, and she sure isn't ready for my horse.


  

That was 4.2 miles, 1 hour, max speed 12 mph, mostly canter work. New horse has hutzpah.


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## knightrider

@Spanish Rider, I laughed out loud when I saw your map! Love it!


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## Celeste

@Spanish Rider That was quite a workout! 4.2 miles of arena work. I would be very sore!


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## mmshiro

Dita was slouching all weekend, so I took her out today. We started with a refresher on "how to not accelerate towards the barn", to which she responded within one reminder, requiring about 25% of the strength of my ring finger. This was followed by a few halts, "just because I say so", after which I let her burn off some energy in the wooded area between a swamp on the bottom and a ridge on top. Cantering up along forest paths (with her picking the speed) and going back down on wet snow got her plenty of strength and conditioning, and got me to focus on balance and seat. I followed this with a regular trail ride, during which she impressed me with being surprisingly patient: I gave her a few short canters when it was safe, she didn't muscle me around when I kept her in the trot, and for about 80% of the way she was _content_ walking. Minutes of drama: 0. Number of corrections: 0. Frustration level: 0. Soreness after 2.5 hours: Don't ask.

I'm either an excellent rider, or whoever worked with her over summer is an excellent trainer....


----------



## egrogan

We lost in the game of footing roulette yesterday. I wasn't sure I was going to post about it on this thread (the whole story is in my journal) but I figured we share both good and bad here in this thread so I'd share. 

Fizz fell with me on ice in the woods, which was pretty scary. She went down pretty neatly, with her front legs tucked on her and mostly landing on her belly; I was in the saddle until she hit the ground and then I sort of rolled off her side and proceeded to fall again when I tried to stand as we were stuck on a large patch of ice. She struggled to get up, but I was able to get her head turned towards some snow and she figured out the best footing from there. We are both ok. 

It hadn't been a great ride before that, but it was not a fun way to end it. We were only a couple of minutes from the barn when she fell, so I walked her home without any problems.

It was a pretty day to ride, I guess that was the upside!









*Total 2018 miles: 19.6
*Fizz- 17.5
Isabel- 2.1
(PS- I didn't subtract the distance we slid backwards down the hill on the ice after we fell- hope that's ok :wink


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## mmshiro

@@egrogan;: Glad you're okay! Here in the "south", I mostly had to deal with wetland. Oh, that reminds me...we were coming to a stream that was flowing freely. Dita loves the water, so I didn't think much off it. Suddenly, I hear, "crunch, crunch, crash", and the front of my horse dropped about three inches! Dita took it in her stride, spent a few seconds splashing in the water, and on we went... I was seriously proud of her yesterday.


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## Spanish Rider

*egrogan,*
Sorry to hear that, although that is a very pretty trail. OK, don't subtract the slide distance, but did you clock the speed?


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## egrogan

Spanish Rider said:


> *egrogan,*
> Sorry to hear that, although that is a very pretty trail. OK, don't subtract the slide distance, but did you clock the speed?


Hahaha, maybe this is the beginning of the sport of equine luge! :rofl: If only Endomondo showed you speeds along the route.


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## ChasingDreams

Glad you are both OK @egrogan! Ice is pretty scary. I’ve been apprehensive about even riding in the crazy mud we have right now. It’s ok when the horse is focused and moving along normally, but my guy is green and a little klutzy at times. I’ve seen him kick out and slide under himself when lunging, and I don’t want to be in the saddle when it happens. God forbid he spooks and starts skating around trying to get away...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## QueenofFrance08

Not my best weekend:

Saturday got home from work and it was beautiful out. DH and I took Chico and Daisy out for a walk around the fields. It was pretty windy so we didn't do a huge loop but all was going well until we got near the barn. He started trotting Chico up a hill when Daisy went into a bucking fit. I sat through 4 and on the 5th she dumped me straight on to my head. Ouch. Thankfully my helmet did its job and I got up and rode back (on Chico) to the barn with just a bruised shoulder and back.

Sunday was beautiful again and we decided to take the horses to a park half an hour away to ride. Halfway there the truck went pop and shut off. Thankfully we were able to roll over to a turn lane where a nice officer came to keep watch over us while we waited for DH's friend. The friend used a tow strap to get us off the road and towed us and our horses home. DH and his dad are going back to tow the truck to the shop tonight. DH had just spent several weeks a month ago (and quite a bit of $$$) replacing parts and we think this is the same thing. Thankfully the part should be under warranty but it looks like once fixed we're going to have to be on the lookout for a new truck.


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## phantomhorse13

@Spanish Rider : I love how you use every bit of your arena!

@egrogan : I sincerely hope Fizz had enough luge and you do not repeat the experience

@QueenofFrance08 : I couldn't 'like' your post because that is a pretty miserable weekend. i hope you are still feeling ok today and that the truck part is under warranty.. 


Today I got George and Sultan out. The whole story is in my journal.






































2018 mileage
...
2/19 george 8.12 miles 1583 ft climb 4.7 mph 33F 247.76 total miles
2/19 sultan 8.17 miles 1584 ft climb 5.0 mph 36F *255.93 total miles*


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## Spanish Rider

*Queen of France,*
So sorry about your weekend. When it rains, it pours.


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## egrogan

Ditto @QueenofFrance08. Sorry about all the "excitement" and hope this week gets better!


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## knightrider

Big excitement here. I've been entered in Pasos for Pleasure for many years. You count hours instead of miles and it is an honor system. Since you don't really "win" anything, there is no reason to exaggerate. For a number of years, I won 9th place or 8th place because I owned Pasos that couldn't be registered and project horses, and you can only count the hours of registered horses. I only had one registered Paso.

This past year I got Acicate and got him registered . . . and did not get a project horse because HE was a project himself. I had 594 hours this past year riding 3 registered Paso Finos . . . and I won FIRST PLACE!!!! This is partly a fluke because every other year the first place winners have around 700 hours and second place winners have 600something hours. The people who win first and second place are retired folks who have living quarters trailers and do nothing but drive around all year to fun places to ride and ride many hours every day. For some reason, this year, those people have dropped out, otherwise, I would have won third place, which I have won a bunch of times over the years.

When I was teen doing 4-H many MANY years ago, they nicknamed me "The Third Place Kid" because I was usually in the ribbons at shows, but never first or second. Actually I won more white ribbons (4th place) than anything else, but I was fine being bumped up a place. It seems like my whole life, I've been a "Third Place Kid", doing OK with my life, but nothing spectacular.

So this first place, in a national competition is an exciting accomplishment to me.


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## mmshiro

knightrider said:


> The people who win first and second place are retired folks who have living quarters trailers and do nothing but drive around all year to fun places to ride and ride many hours every day.


:shock: :confused_color: :idea:


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## egrogan

Congrats @knightrider and Aci!!


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## carshon

Congrats @knightrider! You should join a group on FB called Top Trail Horse. I have wanted to join the TWH ride program but refuse to put Tillie's papers in my name and pay an organization that promotes the Big Lick. Makes me sick to see those poor horses. So I tried top Trail


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## Zexious

@knightrider - Congratulations! What a fun accomplishment!!


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## Change

egrogan said:


> If only Endomondo showed you speeds along the route.


It does show speed along the route - if you buy premium, anyway. Under the map, you get a graph and as you slide your finger along either the graph or the map, it shows how fast you were going. Premium isn't that expensive, and I really like all the additional stats that it provides.
@knightrider - WOW! Congratulations on the many, many miles you rode, and the terrific award. You have every right to be excited and proud!

No riding for me - and hardly any opportunity to even see my horses in daylight that hasn't included rain. Of course, while I'm stuck at work, the weather is lovely - 70s and breezy - perfect riding weather. As I slog through days that have me leaving home before daylight and getting home after dark. Oh... and more rain expected this weekend, of course.


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## Spanish Rider

Congratulations, *knightrider!* I wonder how many circles I could ride around the ring in 594 hours? :dance-smiley05::dance-smiley05::dance-smiley05:

Almond trees are starting to bloom, and still no trail ride in sight...


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## phantomhorse13

fantastic job @knightrider !! Something to be very proud of, not only because you put in all that time, but because you did a lot of it on a horse many would have given up on riding altogether.


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## egrogan

Change said:


> It does show speed along the route - if you buy premium, anyway.


Ha, nope. I am a reluctant user of apps generally, and as a general life principle refuse to pay for silly technology. If the rest of the world was happy with sending letters through the mail, I'd gladly give up texting too :wink: But I recognize I'm a Luddite in a Silicon Valley world!


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## phantomhorse13

On Tuesday, I got Hombre and Polo out. The whole story is in my journal.






































2018 mileage
...
2/20 hombre 7.83 miles 491 ft climb 5.4 mph 52F 263.76 total miles
2/20 polo 7.86 miles 491 ft climb 5.4 mph 60F *271.62 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Sultan and George out. It was hot! The whole story is in my journal.






































2018 mileage
...
2/21 sultan 14.54 miles 2183 ft climb 5.2 mph 74F 286.16 total miles
2/21 george 14.78 miles 2184 ft climb 5.2 mph 78F *300.94 total miles*


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## Change

Move the decimal one place to the right and divide by 2 and I might be able to keep up with @phantomhorse13! LOL. 300 miles in 2 months? Wow! If you keep this pace up, you'll hit 2,100 miles before year's end! Yeah. I can do that. Move the decimal to 210, divide by 2... I might be able to hit 105 miles by December! ;-)

It rained yesterday, and will rain tomorrow and Sunday (of course, it _is _the weekend, after all), so if I'm going to get a ride in, it'll have to be today. Muddy trails, here I come!


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## Zexious

Love your pretty tack as always, @phantomhorse13 . I so love keeping up with your adventures <3


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## phantomhorse13

Change said:


> 300 miles in 2 months? Wow! If you keep this pace up, you'll hit 2,100 miles before year's end!


Remember, once it's competition season, the amount of conditioning rides I do drops off sharply (or I hope it doe anyway, as the boys rest after successful events). So if all goes well, I won't have many 300 mile months unless I happen to be doing 100s..

@*knightrider* is the one you need to watch, as she rides daily!


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## Change

But @knightrider doesn't post her actual miles, @phantomhorse13! <hint, hint *Knight *... turn your endomondo GPS on and give us actuals!! LOL!

I did get Tango out for a short ride yesterday. It was a LOT shorter than I'd hoped, but the trails were really bad. He sank to his ankles in places I expected to be firm, and there were a couple places where we did the slippy-skip dance. He didn't have any problems with the run-off stream, although an odd piece of deadfall had him extremely worried... until he saw the clover growing up beside it. I let him have a nibble as a reward for finally approaching the _scary _thing. ;-)

2/23 Tango 1.62 miles (66.29 lifetime)
Me 18.46 miles in 2018

And of course, it stormed last night, so as bad as the trails were yesterday, they'll be worse today. No riding for me.

Edit: Forgot to mention that it was 78F!!


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## knightrider

@Change, I don't post the miles because it is boring . . . and also kind of like bragging. I ride the same trails every day, so I don't use the Endomondo any more. I know how many miles each trail is. Pasos for Pleasure keeps track of hours, not miles. I always wondered how many miles I was riding, but using the Endomondo for a month, now I know. Today it was 5 1/2 miles, same for yesterday, same for the day before. See? Boring. The rides are great fun, but I don't want to monopolize the thread repeating, "great fun, good horse."


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## SwissMiss

@knightrider, no ride is ever boring! And the folks that don't get to ride (at the moment) live through people like you. At least I do :biggrin:

And no, it's not bragging either! You are enjoying your rides, so please share!


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## Celeste

@knightrider You neither bore us or seem to be bragging. You inspire us. I wish you would figure out your miles and start posting about every ride, even if it is just one sentence!


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## Celeste

I rode "Not Rapper" solo yesterday. He didn't want to leave the barn to start with, but once we got going, he did well. His gait is awesome. Smooth as silk. I didn't get him to do a really good canter. He did the famous "TWH broken washing machine" gait instead. I was almost back to the house when I tried it, so I didn't push the issue.

DH and I rode together today. "Not Rapper" did very well. DH asked him to canter and he did the washing machine thing. DH did a little half halt and asked again and he did a beautiful canter. My horse was a pill. She is in heat and acted a bit crazy. She didn't buck and I stayed on; her gaits were just rough and she was ornery. Maybe I got spoiled yesterday.

Feb 23: 2.9 miles
Feb 24: 2.9 miles

Total for year *27.25 miles*.

Tomorrow, I work. It is supposed to rain anyway.


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## AnitaAnne

Question: Do i get to count the miles if I had to lead my horse most of the trail? Long story that I will not bore y'all with, but although I am very sore both of us are (and were) fine. 

It was a beautiful day here today after a week of no rain and the trails were great. The camp was quite full as everyone was taking advantage of the nice weather. The ground was near perfect with only a few muddy spots and all the little creeks had water in them. A lot of cleaning up is in progress and there were horse-eating piles of brush everywhere. Spent time walking my pony all over camp seeing horse-eating brush, stumps, and the dreaded trash cans before finally finding a bank to use as a mounting block. Unfortunately wasn't on him for long before I was back walking. Sure wish I had worn running shoes instead of riding boots. 

For reasons I will not go into, I wound up walking for two hours (including breaks) with my horse. We rode together for about 1/2 mile. 

The good news is my truck did fine hauling the bigger trailer with two horses and assorted tack. So can now put my smaller trailer up for sale without worry. 

Chivas and I: 1/2 mile 
Me: 4.5 miles
Chivas: 4.5 miles


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## egrogan

I think the rule is that you can only count the miles if you tell us the story :wink:

Seriously though, I hope you and your horse are ok. After walking Fizz back to end our last ride on the trail, I can empathize!


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## Spanish Rider

> I can empathize!


Yes, unfortunately, I think we all can empathize. Perhaps we should consider doubling the mile value after an (ejem)... incident?


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## AnitaAnne

Hmm. Y'all want the story...well there was no ejection so nothing exciting like that. It was more frustration that led to my long walk. 

The issue being the other person has a QH that she allows to just amble along similar to what a horse would do grazing. Wandering from side to side along the trail and sometimes even turning away from the trail. I could (and did) walk faster. 

My choices were 1) leave her in my dust or 2) crank down my horse to the extreme to keep him at a grazing pace.

I chose #2 at first while asking her to get her horse moving better or at least trot a bit to give my poor horse some relief. She finally picked up a trot for a short way then back to the amble. That short trot was not enough to get Chivas brain back and the extreme crank down was making him worse and me totally frustrated. Decided to get off and walk to ease my frustration and save his mouth. Riding with him cranked was not doing either of us any good. 

Eventually I was unable to mount due to walking so much on my bum knee and for some reason even at this slow speed (increased by me walking!) she needed "breaks" so Chivas would get wound up again and need to go. 

The only good ride we have had together was with a bigger group and Chivas and I rode up in the front with the Arabian mares while she was in back with the other two slower ones. 

QH types and gaited types are difficult to ride together much of the time, and some flexibility from both is needed. I refuse to ride Chivas like that again. I preferred to walk and at least see what that trail was like rather than subject my horse to being held back so much. He is accustomed to walking slower with me. 

Next time (if there is a next time) I will choose option #1 and let her worry about keeping up :evil: I told her one of us needs a different horse.


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## AnitaAnne

Should I mention the two shortcuts we could have taken to shorten my walk were refused? :frown_color:


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## Change

@AnitaAnne - I don't blame you for choosing the lesser frustration for both of you, although I think at some point I would've said, "You're on your own," and either headed down a shortcut or remounted and gone my own speed. You are SO much nicer than I am.


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## Change

@knightrider - it isn't bragging if you get to ride 5 1/2 miles every day because it isn't the same every day. Isabeau did this and didn't mind the cars. Chorro got ridden today. Aci was an angel so we rode.... and your personal total. You don't ride Tico or Windy much, do you? Give us month end summaries for each horse you ride and your personal total. Seriously, if you ride Aci twice a week, that's only 11 miles; some of us here might be able to keep up with one of your horses! That's a target. 

You, like Phantom, are incentive to those of us who have to work every day to still get out there and work our horses. I didn't break 100 miles last year on my two. This year, I've only accumulated 16 or so, but I'd have so much more if not for the weather. Why? Because now I want to ride every possible day that I can! I know I can't keep up with the two of you, but I now have a goal to ride more than I did, and seeing the miles you two rack up pushes me to ride when I'd rather curl up in my recliner and watch Netflix. It won't be too much longer til there's enough daylight after work where I won't have to wait for the weekends, then watch out! I'm going to try to catch up! LOL!!


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## AnitaAnne

Change said:


> @AnitaAnne - I don't blame you for choosing the lesser frustration for both of you, although I think at some point I would've said, "You're on your own," and either headed down a shortcut or remounted and gone my own speed. You are SO much nicer than I am.


I was not feeling nice at all. Had every intention of getting back on, but there was no good place to do so after a while and not sure how I made it with my knee. No way could I mount up after a while. I was planning to leave and follow the road back when we came up to it, but that idea was shot down and I just didn't have the guts to just do it anyway. She said she would have to walk her horse too if we went down the road. I was biting my tongue a LOT.

Must add I felt it was my problem to solve the best I could do under the circumstances. My horse was the one who could not keep to that ambling pace so my problem right? 

Feel like it is really hard to find people and horses to ride with that keep a somewhat similar pace. I might just head up to the camp on my own sometimes and see who I can find to ride with. Would be easier to do on a Sunday morning because she rarely comes before 2pm. Might be able to go and be back before then so not to hurt any feelings. Raining today though *sigh*


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## AnitaAnne

*Edit to add "guts" is not really the right word. I wasn't _angry_ enough to head down the road myself and leave her to her own devices.


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## phantomhorse13

AnitaAnne said:


> Must add I felt it was my problem to solve the best I could do under the circumstances. My horse was the one who could not keep to that ambling pace so my problem right?


Unless that woman was a green rider or was riding a green horse and _expressly asked you to babysit her ahead of time,_ then IMO, the situation was not just your problem.

I am with @*Change* in that I would have abandoned the woman and done my own thing. I might have been more understanding if she was at least _trying_ to do something to motivate her horse.. but just reading your description made me twitch. Not even keeping the horse pointing down the trail?! H#ll no.


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## LoriF

@AnitaAnne She would have been eating dust with me. In all fairness, I probably would have let her do this to me once but not if I had a bum knee. Yeah, it sounds like you need a new riding buddy.

I've been meaning to ask you, What truck and trailer combo did you end up getting? I tried to find any posts you might have made on this and couldn't find any.


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## Oreos Girl

Anita I ride the slowest horse on Earth, I swear he is part sloth. As such I don't expect people to wait up for me. We periodically trot to catch up or if the distance gets longer, then we will canter up. That said, I know better than to ride with gaited horses because there is no way I could keep up.

My riding partner and I had a short and interesting ride. We went back to the area where Fiddler had his accident in Nov. Good news is that he showed no nervousness even though it wasn't from the same parking area. We were going to do a short 3.5 mile loop because it was already 75 degrees by the time we mounted and our horses are not shedded out nor trimmed. I suggested that we try a different loop to the same destination then ride back the way we know. We tried going that way about a year ago but we had two people with us that weren't familar with riding hills and they chickened out about halfway down a steep hill. (They didn't do their homework because this area is all hills) So yesterday we did that and I knew the trail had been remarked for people like me that don't know the trails as well. Well the steep hill was the way to go. Lots of leaves were down which are slick enough but there was also mud under the leaves so it was treacherous. At one point Aimee's horse was sliding sideways until he hit a tree with his butt that straighten him out. Probably Fiddler too but it is harder to notice on your own horse. We were close to the bottom when we turned a corner and Aimee's horse really hit something slick and legs went everywhere. I told her to dismount he was going to go down with her but she stayed on. At that point we abandoned the plan of going down and headed back up which was still slick. Her horse was so worked that it took about 20 minutes for him to start breathing regular instead of heaving. We stayed in the level clearing until his breathing had returned to normal. So after that adventure, we took a shortcut back the the trailer. We only rode 2.3 miles yesterday but it was an adventure. This is where we spent the 20 minutes resting so Fiddler didn't mind as I let him eat.


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## Spanish Rider

*AnitaAnne,*
Sorry. I still keep thinking that if we all could meet up, we'd have a really kick-a** ride!


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## knightrider

OK, everybody, point taken. I will start out by telling you a bit about the horses I ride. Chorro is my heart horse. I bought him as a yearling when my old mare died. I had planned to just "exercise" my daughter's pony Tico until my daughter was old enough to ride him on her own, but that was becoming a problem. Tico was the nicest horse I had ever ridden in my life, and with every ride, I loved him more. My daughter said many times that Tico should be my horse, and I should buy her a mini (she was 3 and 4 years old at the time). What kind of mother would deny her child the best horse who ever set foot on the Earth? No, Tico should be my daughter's pony, and I must stop being so enamored of him.

Oddly enough, my husband, who does not even want me to ride, suggested that I buy myself a yearling. When the yearling became old enough to ride, my daughter would be old enough to ride Tico on her own. At the time, trained adult Paso Finos cost more than we could ever afford. Tico was a rescue, and also a constant rearer, but an easy fix, as I thought he would be, so we were able to afford him. But a yearling, not so much money. My husband really wanted me (surprise, weird, I know) to have a well bred fine horse, which I never ever had come close to having in my life. All my life I made do with other people's mistakes and cast-offs.

So, for the first time in my life, I researched the internet (it was just starting to become a place where you could find and buy horses), and found an "oops" baby that could not be registered, that we could actually afford, VERY well bred, VERY beautiful little colt.
And that was Chorro. He didn't have a name yet, and I wanted something really elegant, as he was elegant. It took me a long long time to name him because he was perfect and I wanted his name to be perfect. It had to be something that Americans could say, but it had to be Spanish and have a ring to it that sounded regal and special. Little did I know, that in Mexico, chorro is slang for "fart." Bummer. Oh well.

Chorro was a temperament 7 colt, and I kicked myself a thousand times, saying "What were you THINKING! Buying a temperament 7 colt and starting him at your age!" Chorro was very full of himself and acted exactly like the racing colts I used to work with at Bowie Race Track in Maryland. He was almost black, and still a stallion. He was something else. Many Pasos remain stallions all their lives and are quite docile, and I hoped that Chorro would be one of those--I still harbored that silly dream of owning The Black Stallion. I wanted him to have a big chest and also not grow very tall.

But Chorro was temperament 7, and he showed it every day. He broke everything on the farm he could get his teeth on, wrecked anything left in the pasture, climbed everything he could find, jumped all our fences. Doing ground work with him was VERY challenging.

When he started jumping into the yard where my children were playing and trying to mount them, I scheduled the vet to remove his man parts. That helped a lot.

He dumped me a bunch when I started riding him. You'd think I would have gotten discouraged and thought I'd made a terrible mistake, but I never did. I adored him. He was the horse I had always dreamed of owning. His gait was amazing. He adored me too. And he was beautiful.

As the years passed, he spooked less and less and got more and more reliable. He's my soul horse and he has turned into everything I could want in a horse. That's my Chorro Oscuro de Julio.


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## carshon

@anita anne - I cannot help but comment on your ride. My family just moved to gaited horses in 2016. My daughter has had a Fox Trotter since she outgrew her pony (so about 3 years before we all got gaited horses) She grew tired of forcing her mare to walk behind us and her mare was not much of a leader - she eventually just would take different trails. Once hubby and I also went to gaited horses we thought our problems were solved. NOT! my mare (Tillie) is extremely forward - and like Chivas the constant hanging on her mouth makes her anxious. And this is with other gaited horses. When we leave the trailer I do what I can to rate Tillie and the others urge their horses forward. Tillie usually will self rate a few miles into the ride and we can ride in a line. We have ridden with friends and on organized rides with non-gaited horses and have just decided that it is best to do our own thing.

I hope that in the future you are able to make the choice to ride Chivas and not walk. I personally would have left "friend" behind - and let her know which trails I was taking so we could meet at the trailer. And just a side note - many years ago when starting a new horse for trails - my group of friends would always take seperate trails so that the horses (and riders) learned to ride apart from each other and the horses did not buddy up. It was good advice and something my hubby, daughter and I try to practice so our horses learn that they do not always have to be together.


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## LoriF

@knightrider Chorro is so pretty, I'm glad that he turned out to be the horse that you wanted. Do you just ride out from your property? I wish I could do that and have more to look at than cabbage. lol Maybe I'll find a piece of property up your way when I retire and we can ride together all of the time.


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## AnitaAnne

phantomhorse13 said:


> I might have been more understanding if she was at least _trying_ to do something to motivate her horse.. but just reading your description made me twitch. Not even keeping the horse pointing down the trail?! H#ll no.


Maybe this is a Parelli thing? She is a big fan and showed me one time how to ride "following" what the horse wanted to do. Was supposed to turn ones head to the side if the horse did, tip one's head forward if the horse lowered its head, etc. I didn't try it as that is polar opposite of how I ride. 



LoriF said:


> @AnitaAnne She would have been eating dust with me. In all fairness, I probably would have let her do this to me once but not if I had a bum knee. Yeah, it sounds like you need a new riding buddy.
> 
> I've been meaning to ask you, What truck and trailer combo did you end up getting? I tried to find any posts you might have made on this and couldn't find any.


My truck is the same I've had 2003 F150 can't afford another one. My "new" trailer is basically the same too, just has a tack area. It is a 20 yr old Brenderup Baron. 



carshon said:


> @anita anne - I cannot help but comment on your ride. My family just moved to gaited horses in 2016. My daughter has had a Fox Trotter since she outgrew her pony (so about 3 years before we all got gaited horses) She grew tired of forcing her mare to walk behind us and her mare was not much of a leader - she eventually just would take different trails. Once hubby and I also went to gaited horses we thought our problems were solved. NOT! my mare (Tillie) is extremely forward - and like Chivas the constant hanging on her mouth makes her anxious. And this is with other gaited horses. When we leave the trailer I do what I can to rate Tillie and the others urge their horses forward. Tillie usually will self rate a few miles into the ride and we can ride in a line. We have ridden with friends and on organized rides with non-gaited horses and have just decided that it is best to do our own thing.
> 
> I hope that in the future you are able to make the choice to ride Chivas and not walk. I personally would have left "friend" behind - and let her know which trails I was taking so we could meet at the trailer. And just a side note - many years ago when starting a new horse for trails - my group of friends would always take seperate trails so that the horses (and riders) learned to ride apart from each other and the horses did not buddy up. It was good advice and something my hubby, daughter and I try to practice so our horses learn that they do not always have to be together.


You have expressed the problem very well, even with all gaited horses there can still be issues. Really hot TWH can get Chivas really hot too. 

Also a very good idea to ride out separate and meet up. I am not sure how successful I would be with this as Chivas is very focused on that mare. She calls out to him a lot and it is beginning to cause some problems. Normally what I would do would be to ride past her then back behind her, then repeat. I maybe should have done that again. Hindsight is 20/20. 

I had to crank him so much my hands started hurting. That has never, ever happened to me before on any horse my entire life! As soon as I realized it I dismounted without even stopping. I was horrified and afraid his mouth would be injured. Thought I would just walk a bit and let my head cool off but then I guess I just got stubborn and kept walking. 

At home I never ride next to anyone else or even in the same direction. 

When I used to ride with my youngest and my horse Dreamer, we would be going at a decent speed, not super fast but a good forward walk with lot of trotting/gaiting and some short canters. 

Chivas was not so spooky and reactive then, although still a bit of a challenge nothing crazy. Now he is super reactive to even tiny things. It is weird.


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## AnitaAnne

@knightrider what a wonderful story of your beautiful Chorro!! What a fine boy he turned out to be. 

When I read this "_in Mexico, chorro is slang for "fart."_" spewed my drink all over the computer :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Have called many horses "little fart" but never before knew one actually named that :rofl:

You have made my day so much brighter; thank you ma'am
@Oreos Girl OMG that was a challenging ride! So relieved everyone was ok...


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## AnitaAnne

Maybe best one defines what type of trail riding they enjoy before going out with folks. 

I enjoy a nice brisk ride with water and/or potty breaks. Prefer to chow on something while riding if food is needed rather than taking a real break unless on an all day ride. 

Do not like the extremes; ambling along at grazing speed with stops to look at the fauna is not for me. Also racing at neck-breaking speeds for the whole ride is also not for me. 

Some canter is great, more trot/gait with some walk suits me best.


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## knightrider

This will be a really short one about Tico since I don't ride him much any more.

We got Tico when horses were advertised in the newspaper, not the internet. I had long wanted a Paso Fino, even looked at some when we were in Maryland, but they were very pricey. So, when my daughter turned 3, I opened the newspaper to see what kinds of ponies might be available and how much we might have to pay. Just looking. And there, in the paper, was a 13 hand Paso Fino at a price I could afford!

So I went to look at him. He was the ugliest horse in the herd. The owner said she got him off a used car lot. He was standing day after day on pavement in a tiny enclosure, often with no hay or water. She just wanted to find him a good home.

I don't think I rode him 30 seconds before I knew I HAD to have him. He was lovely to ride. He reared a whole lot, but neither his saddle nor his bit fit him at all. I figured with just regular riding, in well fitting tack, he'd come out of the rearing. If he didn't work out for my daughter, I'd keep him for myself as my mare was old and looking at retirement.

He has been such a wonderful pony for us. We quickly nicknamed him "World's Greatest Pony" because he just goes along so willingly, listening to children and taking care of them. My daughter never came off him, ever. He's semi retired now, just taking neighbor children for trail rides from time to time.


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## phantomhorse13

@knightrider : loved the story of Chorro! and i too laughed very hard at the slang meaning of his name.




AnitaAnne said:


> Maybe this is a Parelli thing? She is a big fan and showed me one time how to ride "following" what the horse wanted to do. Was supposed to turn ones head to the side if the horse did, tip one's head forward if the horse lowered its head, etc. I didn't try it as that is polar opposite of how I ride.


I guess call me unnatural, because when riding, I am the one in charge. I am happy to listen to what the horse has to suggest, but in the end I expect to be the one making the decisions on speed and direction.

While I do tend to look to see what my horse is looking at when they turn their head, I never really thought of that as riding in a 'following' manner. And I guess I would spent a lot of time looking up on my high-headed arabs if I did what she suggests.. wouldn't that work well the first low branch we came to! Of course at a grazing mosey, I would stand little chance of being knocked off.. :icon_rolleyes:


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## AnitaAnne

@knightrider Tico is beautiful and so pretty in pink!! If he was the ugliest one can't imagine what the other goddesses looked like!


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## AnitaAnne

phantomhorse13 said:


> @knightrider : loved the story of Chorro! and i too laughed very hard at the slang meaning of his name.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I guess call me unnatural, because when riding, I am the one in charge. I am happy to listen to what the horse has to suggest, but in the end I expect to be the one making the decisions on speed and direction.
> 
> While I do tend to look to see what my horse is looking at when they turn their head, I never really thought of that as riding in a 'following' manner. And I guess I would spent a lot of time looking up on my high-headed arabs if I did what she suggests.. wouldn't that work well the first low branch we came to! Of course at a grazing mosey, I would stand little chance of being knocked off.. :icon_rolleyes:


Totally agree. If I let Chivas do what he wanted...well several times he wanted to head straight downhill and not where the trail was either. Another time he caught sight of a horse up high above and wanted to go straight up to see him. I tend to discourage this type of behavior...she lets her horse plow through the bushes and then is having to turn her back after her tail is off the trail. 

Back in September I will admit Chivas was getting more and more high headed and antsy; I did not recognize the scenery either so turned back and found where we had missed the turn on the trail. He was much happier to be on the right path.


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## mmshiro

I'm gonna read y'all's stories later...just gonna report on my ride with Marion today. Super, super water-logged, muddy - and much more slippery than any snow-and-ice ride I went on. I do like to motorcycle some turns, but today was straight-line canters only, down to a walk around the corner, then continue with the canter. What I thought was a buck was is actuality a sideways slip of her butt on a bit of a gentle slope in a field - without any snow or ice present! Some serious slipping and sliding on downhills in the woods, too. I still got an hour of riding in, but it still felt cut short because I wasn't ready to go home yet - but did so anyway because I didn't want to ask for it. Not a great ride, but confidence-building; Marion was a good girl, and horse and rider returned safely to home base.

She was hardly damp to the touch, that's how carefully we went today!


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## mmshiro

AnitaAnne said:


> Feel like it is really hard to find people and horses to ride with that keep a somewhat similar pace.


It's usually just me, my horse, and my SPOT satellite beacon on the trail. Other than BO and her son, there is one other woman at the barn with whom I can ride. All other rides I tend to file under "character building". I'll forever be indebted to my BO for kicking me out of the nest: "All right: walk, trot, and CONTROLLED canter! Go have fun!" after she gave me a 20 min arena lesson on a horse I had never ridden before. If you know the idiom "whistling on the graveyard" - that was me on that ride, "reassuring" my horse.

In any case, I'm sorry to hear about your horrible experience. Could you not have gotten on by temporarily making your mounting stirrup really long, and then hoisting it up again when you're in the saddle? Next time this happens, bring your phone, look at it with an expression of terror, and excuse yourself for having to tend to an "emergency".


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## AnitaAnne

mmshiro said:


> It's usually just me, my horse, and my SPOT satellite beacon on the trail. Other than BO and her son, there is one other woman at the barn with whom I can ride. *All other rides I tend to file under "character building".* I'll forever be indebted to my BO for kicking me out of the nest: "All right: walk, trot, and CONTROLLED canter! Go have fun!" after she gave me a 20 min arena lesson on a horse I had never ridden before. If you know the idiom "whistling on the graveyard" - that was me on that ride, "reassuring" my horse.
> 
> In any case, I'm sorry to hear about your horrible experience. Could you not have gotten on by temporarily making your mounting stirrup really long, and then hoisting it up again when you're in the saddle? Next time this happens, bring your phone, look at it with an expression of terror, and excuse yourself for having to tend to an "emergency".


I bolded and made red your statement that I love! That is what I was thinking too. Plus mentioned I was too out of breath to talk (easier to just keep my thoughts to myself). my mantra was one more step, just one more step...

I have sheepskin over my leathers and find it impossible to shorten and lengthen them from the saddle. Besides, my knee doesn't work that way anymore. Stepping up with my left knee onto a step (like stairs) is a daily challenge. Its called old age and arthritic problems. 

No phone service up in the mountains, and besides she boards with me. I can't exactly leave her behind...

But I am never going to hold Chivas back like that again.


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## phantomhorse13

mmshiro said:


> She was hardly damp to the touch, that's how carefully we went today!


That is a much better choice than you or her (or both) being wet and slathered with mud because of a fall.

Perhaps momma nature is conspiring to teach you some patience - and it's working!


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## knightrider

I was thinking about your ride, @AnitaAnne, and I remembered that similar things have happened on my rides about 4 or 5 times. When one or two of the people in the group were having trouble, they would say, "This just isn't working. I am going to have to go off by myself," and off they would go. We felt a little sad and sorry that it wasn't working, but nobody's feelings were hurt. Sometimes the problem was that all the gaited horses were just too fast for the quarter horse and the person didn't want to trot. Sometimes the group decided to hare off trotting and cantering and the single person didn't want to. One time (I wasn't on this ride--I heard about it), people in the group would canter off and then canter back, and one of the men had had shoulder surgery recently and his horse couldn't handle the frequent disruptions. He and his friend rode off, nobody's feeling were hurt, everybody got to have a nice ride. "This just isn't working."


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## knightrider

Now I will tell about Isabeau. I rode her solo this morning for 5.? miles--I forgot to look at how many miles.

My neighbor loves to buy and sell horses. So one day, he came home with a free horse. The lady had bought this mare with a guarantee that if she didn't like her, she could bring her back. She was looking for a no-drama horse, and clearly this mare was NOT IT. When she tried to give her back, the former owners refused to take her back (and I can see why). AND she never wanted to see the mare again, ever, (and I can see why about that too), so she gave her to my neighbor, who will take and ride just about anything.

We soon discovered that when Isabeau didn't want to do something, she would rear and come over sideways on the rider. And she didn't want to do much of anything, ever. My neighbor didn't want to fool with that, so he offered her to me. I've had lots of good luck "fixing" rearing horses, so I thought, 'how hard can it be?' Turns out, pretty hard.

Isabeau rides like a dream when she lets you ride her. She is a delight to ride. But she had a million quirks, and every one of them took a lot of effort. When I got her, she wouldn't ride beyond whatever time SHE decided she was done, couldn't give her wormer, couldn't bathe her, wouldn't let the farrier handle her feet, wouldn't go through a gate easily, wouldn't stand to be mounted, wouldn't ride solo at all, and wouldn't ride calmly in a trailer. She kicked the living daylights out of my trailer every time I tried to haul her.

One by one I tackled her issues. The worst, of course, was the rearing and coming over on the rider. We discovered that if she was ponied, she'd ride along just fine, so I kept a halter and lead rope on her. When she'd balk and start to rear, I'd toss the leadrope to whomever was riding with me. They would lead her for 10 or 15 minutes, then all was well . . . until she'd balk again.

We fixed the riding solo by splitting up when we started for home. I could get her to ride home OK by herself (this was about a year after I got her. I didn't try to ride her solo for the first year because of the chance of an injury being solo) By then she was riding along just fine, not needing the lead rope if another horse was along. If I didn't have anyone to ride with, I just led her about 2 or 2 1/2 miles, then climbed on her and rode her home. Short ride, but progress.

The trailer hauling was the hardest one. I still load her ****every**** *****single**** *****day**** in our trailer. She's always walked right in the trailer, it's once she's in there, she starts kicking. After 4 1/2 years, we are just about done with the kicking. I can now haul her any time I want to, and even with another horse who is padded up really good "just in case."

She's still very quirky and can revert back to her bad old ways, except no rearing for a long time. She's a blast and a half to ride, and for some weird reason, my back never gets sore on her. She doesn't walk, she dances along in a glass smooth glide. She's SO much fun!


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## mmshiro

knightrider said:


> One by one I tackled her issues.


Holy smoke...at what point do you say, "Let's fix the issues", and when do you say, "Okay, let's pretend this horse just came from a helicopter roundup" and start from scratch? 

Much respect for putting your life on the line to give this horse a life!


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## phantomhorse13

@knightrider : hearing you talk so calmly about having fixed Isabeau's rearing issue just makes me shake my head in wonder - that horse is SO lucky have landed with you, because I suspect she would have been on a truck to Mexico otherwise.


Today, I got Sultan out for a long ride. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
2/26 sultan 22.26 miles 2644 ft climb 5.5 mph 38F *323.20 total miles*


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## mmshiro

Monday time is Hamlet time! We were just cruising through a wooded area to let out some of his energy (a.k.a "lots of running, much of it uphill"), and I could feel that he needed it from his reluctance to slow down even at the end of a lengthy hill trail and while not going towards the barn. Apart from shorter ones, we also did about 1/4 mile of brisk, ground covering trotting on just a few ounces of rein contact; I think he now really understands that he can move at a brisk pace without having to fall into a canter. Today, there was no protest, no nothing. Yay for me! I taught a QH to trot, and I taught a TB not to rush to the barn!

Oh, and I worked on my walk-trot and trot-canter transitions with just my seat, no leg action or clucking. It's pretty neat when that works, and it worked quite a few times. (Slowing down with my seat already worked easier because he doesn't have the strength to muscle through my failing to sync my seat with him like my TB-knuckleheads.)

He's always such a cheerful little fellow - except when you make him stop and wait on the trail, which we didn't practice today - so today was another fun ride.


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## PoptartShop

It's been raining so much lately, I haven't ridden in WEEKS...sunshine for Saturday, hoping to ride then. Fingers crossed...for now, enjoying all the posts!


----------



## Change

Having ridden both Tico and Isabeau, I can confirm @knightrider's comments about World's Greatest Pony for Tico, and FUN ride for Isabeau. Both horses were a blast to ride - and my first rides on Pasos. It's hard to believe that either of them had rearing issues before she got them! They were so well behaved. Chorro is absolutely stunning in person, and I can't wait for the chance to ride him! Sucks that you live so far away!

Monday and Today are absolutely beautiful out - sunny, 60s, mild breeze - and work. So not right.


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## Spanish Rider

*knightrider,*
Chorro sure is a looker! You are so lucky to have a daughter interested in horses, too. And, please rest assured that in Spain "chorro" does not mean the same as in Mexico.


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## knightrider

@Spanish Rider, what a relief to know that chorro is an OK word in Spain. Where I live now there are a lot of Mexicans and you should see the smirks when I tell them his name. Sigh.

Today's ride was 5.62 miles and I rode Acicate, who was lovely, as always.

So I will tell about my last horse, Acicate.

My neighbor got Acicate from a rescue place. Not sure why he was considered a rescue as he is sweet, well fed, and never been abused. The minute Aci got off the trailer, my heart sank. I knew in my gut that this horse was meant to be mine, and I'd never even ridden him or seen him ridden. It was love at first sight.

The problem was I could not get another horse, had one horse too many as it was. So, I hoped very much my neighbor would keep him, or it would break my heart to see him sold.

Soon after my neighbor started riding him, he began to rear and land bucking. So, once again, he offered the horse to me, and I had to make a lot of plans to figure out how I was going to keep him. I still had never ridden him, but I knew he was meant to be mine.

When I did start riding him, I discovered he had never been trained. At all. He rode like a green colt on a second or third ride. It didn't take him long to start rearing and bucking with me. We tried ponying him, which worked so well for Isabeau, but it did not work at all for Acicate. He leaped and jumped around and tormented the pony horse until she started kicking him. We tried 3 times and had to agree, no ponying for Aci.

With each ride he got worse. By the 10th ride, he wouldn't even leave the yard, just started in right away rearing. I could dismount him (leap off him was more like it), and lead him for 100 yards, mount up, and ride him, which I did, but in 20 minutes or so, he'd just start rearing and bucking again. I called my horsetrainer friend and asked if she'd either take him or show me how to fix him. Bless her heart, she said, "You can do this. You are a good enough rider to do this yourself."

I am????? I don't think so. I was stymied. Then she said to spin him. Now, I had read that spinning a horse will keep it from rearing, but spinning Isabeau was a guarantee that she'd come over on the rider. So I wasn't much into spinning. I had actually tried to spin Aci, in fact quite a lot, but the minute he stopped spinning, up he'd go. And when he landed, his hind feet were so high up that I could see his heels out of the corners of my eyes. Then my horsetrainer friend said, "But are you spinning him for 50 minutes? You have to spin him fifty minutes."

FIFTY MINUTES!!! That's a VERY long time to spin a horse. So I started in the yard because that's where he started out rearing. And I'd just turn him around and around and around, and within about 10 minutes, no more rearing. Then the other way, ride him around the yard. Piece of cake. I was delighted. He was FIXED!

Nope. Not. We did 3 days of riding in the yard, spin two or three times if he started to get light in the front, no problem. So, it was time to take him out on the trail. Wow, it was tough. On the trail, the first time he reared, (which was just 50 feet from the yard), I spun him and spun him and spun him. He was furious. It was so scary, completely different from spinning him in the yard. He was out to win. He constantly tried to bite my foot, so I was kicking him in the teeth as I was spinning him. His attitude was 'do or die'. I can't really describe it except that it was frantic and violent. I was exhausted, but the minute I slacked the reins, up he would go, so back to spinning. It wasn't so much spinning as plunging. It was not 50 minutes, but it certainly felt like it. It was probably closer to 12 minutes before he stopped rearing.

Then he went on to give me the nicest trail ride you can imagine without a hint of a rear. But we weren't done, and I figured that, but I had his number, and he has never given me that kind of furious fight again. From time to time, he gets light in the front when he doesn't want to do something and it takes only 3 or 5 spins before he says, "OK, I give up."

When I try to take him out from my back yard, he can be pretty determined to not go and rear, and the problem is that he can spin us under the carport overhang, or up against the trailer, or into the wheelbarrow, or into a fence. So when I go riding from that area, I lead him down to the road and mount him there, where I can spin him safely. So far, he has not given me grief at the road.

Am I glad I got him? You bet!!! EVERY SINGLE RIDE. He's just the greatest to ride. He has a delightful fast animated walk, a smooooth corto, and a fabulous canter. He responds to the lightest touch of the rein or heel. No spook. In fact, when I got him, he was terrified of traffic on the road, and it only took about 3 rides to desensitize him to traffic. He is so smart and quick. And CUTE! He is SO CUTE! Love him!!!

Which horse of the 3 do I like the best to ride? I have to say the one I rode last. They are all fantastic. I am so lucky.


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## mmshiro

Change said:


> Monday and Today are absolutely beautiful out - sunny, 60s, mild breeze - and work. So not right.


Just a little while longer, then we'll get an extra hour of light at the end of the day, so "working" does not necessarily prevent "riding" anymore.

Did I mention that bug season is almost upon us?


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## SwissMiss

mmshiro said:


> Did I mention that bug season is almost upon us?



Bugs never go away here


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## phantomhorse13

Today I went riding with Nicole. I got to ride Polo. It was a beautiful day, with lots of sun and only a light breeze. We did some hillwork for the first time in a while and Polo soon settled down.




























2018 mileage
...
2/27 polo 9.55 miles 1131 ft climb 4.5 mph 46F *332.75 total miles*


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## knightrider

OK, guys, last day of February and time for monthly totals. I rode Isabeau solo today for 5 miles and she was wonderful. Very fun ride. Since I had that very bad fall 3 weeks ago, she has been quite nervous on the road, and it has made me lose a little confidence on her. So when I have to ride solo, I go in my neighbor's planted pines (not the neighbor with horses). One of his trails goes alongside the road so she is getting some practice being on a road but not quite "on" the road. It won't be long before I can take her solo back out to our real trails. She's fine on the road with her herd, just anxious solo.

Totals for February: 56 hours, 184.8 miles


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## Zexious

Wow, @knightrider , those are some incredible totals!
Y'all have me so jealous !!


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## phantomhorse13

Today I got George out for his long ride. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
2/28 george 22.23 miles 2701 ft climb 5.4 mph 51F *354.98 total miles

*February:186.33 miles 
phin 9.12 miles
sultan 60.83 miles
george 85.73 miles
hombre 7.83 miles
polo 22.82 miles


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## Zexious

Wow, what a beautiful looking day, @phantomhorse13 ! Can you send some of that my way~?


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> Wow, what a beautiful looking day, @*phantomhorse13* ! Can you send some of that my way~?


I would if I could! I would also keep it here, as it was short-lived. 

Today we are expecting an inch of rain, which will turn to snow overnight as the temps drop. Just how much snow is anybody's guess - the forecast range is literally 1-12+ inches! Needless to say, I am hoping for the 1" side..


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## Spanish Rider

I've been ill, so I wasn't able to meet my February goal of bettering my January total. And still no trail ride in sight.

February
5 rides, 5 hours
19.2 miles

Total for 2018: 34.7 miles

The good news is that I should have no problem beating my February total in March! :icon_rolleyes:


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## SwissMiss

Spanish Rider said:


> The good news is that I should have no problem beating my February total in March! :icon_rolleyes:


It can't get less for me, as my February total was a whopping 0 

But between crazy work the first week of February and constant rain for the last 3 weeks, that's all of the month accounted for *sigh*


----------



## Celeste

January 6.85
February 20.4

Total 2018 27.25

I am a little behind where I was last year, but I have to go around the weather and work.


----------



## QueenofFrance08

Sigh 

January Mileage 11.5
February Mileage 6.38

Work got busier, a foot of snow, a truck break down, and some bruised ribs from a fall on my head.


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## Spanish Rider

*Queen,*
It'a a wonder that you even consider riding after a fall on your head!


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## QueenofFrance08

*SpanishRider*:
Thank goodness for helmets!


----------



## Change

February:
Tango 10.27 miles
Cally 2.85 miles
me 12.85 miles

my year total: 18.46


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## knightrider

Yesterday I rode my daughter's TWH Winddancer and she rode her World's Greatest Pony Tico and her friend rode Chorro. I was AMAZED at how nicely Windy rode for me. I hadn't ridden her since May because my daughter rides her all the time. I hadn't realized how well my daughter had trained her since last May. Windy likes to give us a horrible pace and sometimes a trot, although she has an awesome running walk. I get frustrated at times because I think my daughter isn't pushing Windy enough to demand the running walk all the time. I know if I was riding Windy regularly, I'd make more of an effort to get that gorgeous running walk, and I think, 'What a waste," and then I tell myself, "It's HER horse, let her train it the way she wants. Get off her case. Yes, the horse could ride better, but let her have it her way. Not worth fussing with her." I was thrilled to discover that I am having my cake and eating it too. I've stayed off nagging my daughter to put more effort into getting the running walk, and she is getting it doing it her way. MAN, that horse has a lovely gait. And a glorious canter too. I can't count rides on Windy for my Pasos for Pleasure, but we rode 4.62 miles.

Today I rode Acicate with my neighbor. Aci is like the perfect horse, he's so much fun to ride. Ideal riding weather--nice breeze and 75 degrees, sunny skies. We rode 7 miles.


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## knightrider

Today was about the perfect ride. The weather was breezy, sunny, and pleasant. I got to take Isabeau on a long ride with my neighbor. Usually I either ride Isabeau solo or the kids take her because she is (nowdays) so gentle and quiet. Today I got to ride her not solo and she is so grand. My back never gets tired on her. We rode 9 miles in 2.25 hours. Fantastic ride.


----------



## SwissMiss

Finally got to ride again today :happydance:

It stopped raining Friday morning, and the trails were wet but not as sloppy as I expected. We simply had some water crossings where we have normally dry ground...

Rode with friends (horses my pony doesn't really know) and met up at the trail head. Tried out a saddle and it made for an interesting ride: the fenders were too long and the whole thing was slipping left and right... Couldn't tighten the girth either, as it was in the last hole... But my pony was just perfect. As if she knew I was struggling to sit quietly, she moved as smooth as possible and only got antsy when the other 2 needed a grazing break :wink:
Not bad for the first ride after 6 weeks on a green pony :biggrin:

4.88 miles, 1hr 35mins


----------



## LoriF

knightrider said:


> Today was about the perfect ride. The weather was breezy, sunny, and pleasant. I got to take Isabeau on a long ride with my neighbor. Usually I either ride Isabeau solo or the kids take her because she is (nowdays) so gentle and quiet. Today I got to ride her not solo and she is so grand. My back never gets tired on her. We rode 9 miles in 2.25 hours. Fantastic ride.


It couldn't be nicer days than this for riding down here right now.


----------



## mmshiro

Nature keeps on "developing" my patience. We had a snow/rain storm coming through yesterday, so in addition to last week's ride when I had mud, today I had mud, but also large bodies of standing water on what used to be trails, fallen trees, and snow drifts. To make it more interesting, mother nature also gifted me today strong winds and wet, heavy snow falling off the trees in large junks, so I started the ride, literally, "a spook a minute".

We sorted things out though, and after a while she got used to the environment and got startled less, so I only had to deal with the ground. It was interesting, to say the least, even though I primarily stayed on flat terrain. From bush-whacking to get around impassable trails to her buckling in the front in a snow drift (at the walk), this was one of the most "technical" rides I've been on. What enhanced the experience is that you need to make your horse believe that you are not concerned about any of this, that you are a cool and confident leader. Nothing says "challenging ride" like you whispering "Oh****oh****oh****!" while you drop the reins to allow the horse to figure it out.

To Marion's credit, even with all the spooks, there wasn't a single refusal - she put her feet and went where I told her to. (That's how I know she wasn't just BS-ing me with her spooks.) She was a real soldier, and when she was back at her stall with the cooler on, and I hugged her and put my cheek against her face, she even forgot to snipe at a passing chicken...


----------



## Change

No riding for me today as the ground was still a bit too mucky. Tomorrow, though, is another day.


----------



## gunslinger

Miss Lacy now has a new saddle and it appears it just might have fixed the back issue we've been having.

The local vet recommended a saddle fitter, that just so happens to own the American Saddle company located here in Chattanooga. We tried several naked trees and found one that fit.....

Yesterday, we rode at Gee Creek in Polk County TN along the scenic but swollen Hiwassee river and spring creek......15.3 miles....no swelling, and no tenderness. I can't say the new saddle is as comfortable on me as the Tucker, but I can make it work if it works for Miss Lacy.


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## mmshiro

Hamlet ride today! Owing to the conditions, I didn't plan on doing any "flatwork" training on the trail - how surprised was I that a few times he _selected_ the trot as mode of locomotion all by himself! He did need a bit of running, though. I basically checked on the trails on the side I didn't go with Marion yesterday - they were a disaster as well. We had one turn-around and two or three "through the bushes" to bypass fallen trees. After that, I retraced my ride with Marion - minus the spooks, so I felt more comfortable with letting him go where conditions allowed. Being familiar with what's coming helped, definitely.

Anyway, we came to a field that I knew was full of drifts, about a foot of wet snow in spots, but nothing treacherous in terms of mud. So I let him go, fully expecting he'd reconsider once the going got tough. Nope! Powered right through! I just started laughing because - it was just adorable, and he looked like he had fun. Needless to say, it was very easy to slow him at the end of the field.

Crappy trails, but perfectly fun, spunky horse...doing different things is how you get experienced, I guess.


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## ChasingDreams

I fully intended to track this ride, but my phone died halfway through and the entire session disappeared. I can’t win.

Anyway, Chase and I did a nice loop around the top field, mostly walk and trot. Even a little lope in the big stretch, he did awesome! I’d say we rode about 2 miles. I kept it a little short since I warmed him up for a good 15-20 mins in the ring before heading out. We hadn’t ridden in a few weeks, and I wasn’t taking any chances [emoji39]

Ears picture at the start of our ride, and pretty view...









Total 2018 miles~ 13.18
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## egrogan

Oh my goodness @*ChasingDreams* , seeing all that green makes me...well...green with envy:wink:

This is what it looked like for us today: 








Just mud and grey as far as you can see-except where it's still interrupted by the white stuff. 

I didn't track any trail miles today, but I did ride for a bit in the outdoor ring for the first time this year.


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## ChasingDreams

@egrogan it’s finally starting to look like spring is on the way! The grass is starting to sprout. Loving it!

I will say, this thread makes me brave. I thought about just schooling in the ring today since we’ve been off for a couple of weeks, but after a good warming-up I was sitting there thinking “He seems pretty relaxed, if I go out...I can put a couple more miles up” 

You guys are a good influence on me [emoji108][emoji23]


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## Change

And a good influence on me, as well. At this time last year, I had only ridden about 5 miles.

It was a beautiful day, and for once it looked like Tango hadn't found a mud puddle to sleep in. Maybe his grooming yesterday made him feel spiffy and he didn't want to mess it up? Anyway, he just had a little bit if dry stuff that needed brushing off. Nice change. I brought out the clippers again, and again he decided it was terrifying, until I touched him with them. Then he relaxed. I completed my butchery of a clipping on his chest, but hey... it does the job. After that, I saddled him up and off we went. Up the road and to the big cotton field.

About a mile north of us is a river, and the cotton field goes almost all the way to it. Well, at least until the ground drops away and the only way down is bike trails. I followed one of them down close to the river, then back up through the woods until a downed tree stopped our progress. Tango did great. I asked him to back and yield his hind to turn in that narrow place and he did it. Big smiles from me! So, back along narrow scary trail and up to the cotton field and continued on our usual trip around it. There were a couple mini-ponds along the way, but Tango didn't even hesitate. He walked right in and gave it a sniff to see if it was worth drinking. Nope. 

About 3.5 miles into the ride, the trail and cotton field turned into a huge bog. I think Tango would have powered through, but I didn't want to risk it, so we turned around and headed back the way we came. He gave me a nice controlled canter - my ghod, he has a nice, comfortable lifting canter! 

When we got back up the driveway, I checked my endomondo and our ride was exactly 5.0 miles. That give me 23.46 this year. Tango has given me 18.18 of them, and his lifetime miles are now 71.29.


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## phantomhorse13

ChasingDreams said:


> You guys are a good influence on me





Change said:


> And a good influence on me, as well.


Do you think that is what lemmings say to one another as they head for the cliff?! :think::runpony:


We got lucky to only get about 4 inches of snow here from the Nor'easter (compared to 15 miles east of here that got a foot or more!), but I am expecting a lot of downed trees when I finally get back out on the trail as the wind was scary. Hoping for some ride time tomorrow, as the next storm comes in Wednesday.


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## mmshiro

Hey guys, it's me! Roll Model! Getting you out on the trails with tales of adventure and overcoming adversity!

I went out with Marion today - not a super fun ride as I began to feel guilty about all the miserable terrain I made her handle. Erosion, standing water, slush, exposed rocks, going through brush around downed trees: today was the first time I felt like apologizing to my horse. 

It's funny, though, how the standards for "fit to canter on" go down as the average trail quality goes into the dumps. 

Just a few inches of snow and not _too much_ debris up to the first turn? Sure, go for it. 
Yup, I think I can duck under that one... 
Hey, don't worry - we'll swerve around this no problem! 

Two iron-clad taboos, though: no jumping into iffy traction, and no hard turns where I can see the wetness on the ground. Now get out there and remember: If you don't risk your life, you can't come here and brag about it.


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## carshon

I envy you @mmshiro - I live in farm country and although I had gotten permission to ride on a neighboring farm we got a foot of snow and some of the drifts were many feet deep- so no riding yet for me. And now we are in "mud" season and riding in any farmers field is strictly "verboten" and our local state parks will not open for at least a month and of course are closed if the trails are wet or "life risking"

I wish I lived in an area where I had unlimited access to trails year round and no one cared if you tore them up with a good canter on a muddy day!

:Living vicariously through all of you that have been able to ride!


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## phantomhorse13

I got Sultan out today as the next storm is coming tomorrow. The whole story is in my journal. 




























2018 mileage
...
3/6 sultan 10.06 miles 1109 ft climb 4.6 mph 28F *365.04 total miles*


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## knightrider

Today was a super fun ride with @4horses and @LoriF. 4horses brought her foxtrotter Paris and Lori brought Laela and ponied Novia. I brought Isabeau because she is the one who needs the most experience in the trailer. Yay! No kicks! Neither coming or going home--no kicking at all in the trailer. Unfortunately, although the temp was 43, she was soaking wet with nervous sweat when I got her out of the trailer. So, we still have a ways to go with Isabeau and the trailer.

Unlike many of my rides, we had a bunch of adventures and it was tons of fun. Novia and Laela were not terribly experienced with ponying and being ponied, and the trails were narrow in places with some drooping down branches. Paris led the way through the water and Laela and Novia went right in. Isabeau--not. We went around. Next time we ride there, I'll bring my rubber boots and lead her in. I was having too much fun to have wet and cold feet for the rest of the ride. 4horses helped me train Isabeau to go through water years ago, but because we only cross water about once every 4 years, she refused this time. I will work with her when conditions are more conducive to getting wet.

Lori had to dismount I don't know how many times, but she is so slim and agile, she just hops right back on up. Novia got a LOT of experience stepping over high logs. At first, she couldn't figure out how to do it and kind of crashed into the logs, but by the end of the ride, she was stepping over them like a seasoned trail horse. One time, she got away from Lori and headed for home, but when Lori stopped Laela, Novia came back. Whew. On one narrow trail, something pierced Lori's plastic water bottle in her saddle bag and got everything in her saddle bag wet. Bummer.

One log was so high that little 13 hand Isabeau couldn't step over it, so we jumped it. Paris jumped it too, but landed with bucking, which did not please 4horses much.

San Felasco is one of the few parks in Florida where the trails wind all around going up and down high hills. There is all kinds of varied terrain there, from windswept hayfields to tangled jungle. The sun was shining, low humidity, no bugs (yet) and when we got back, the temp was 72 degrees F. We rode 3 hours and went 9 miles.

4horses took the pictures, so I hope she'll put some up. Isabeau is antsy pantsy and not good for standing still for me to take pictures.


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## mmshiro

carshon said:


> I envy you @mmshiro - I live in farm country and although I had gotten permission to ride on a neighboring farm we got a foot of snow and some of the drifts were many feet deep- so no riding yet for me. And now we are in "mud" season and riding in any farmers field is strictly "verboten" and our local state parks will not open for at least a month and of course are closed if the trails are wet or "life risking"
> 
> I wish I lived in an area where I had unlimited access to trails year round and no one cared if you tore them up with a good canter on a muddy day!
> 
> :Living vicariously through all of you that have been able to ride!


You may well be more mountainous than the soft rolling hills of the Hudson Valley. However, we have a snow storm rolling in tomorrow and we'll see what that does to the existing drifts (which so far are no more than about a foot). Also, we may get even more downed trees - yay! Definitely even more mud and erosion. 

On the flip side, what would be even worse than _those_ rides is "up and down - or along - the road". I already cannot stand taking a turn in the woods and ending up on the road too soon, even though traffic isn't a major concern in the boonies. I may be projecting, but I don't even like taking my horse on the same trails twice on a weekend, let alone "a long straight line out, and the same long straight line back".

So what's my payoff? Getting off the horse, looking her in the eye, and saying, "Can you believe we just did that?"  I seriously get a sincere sense of gratitude when she (a) soldiered through a rough spot and (b) brings me home safe by being engaged in the process. There is nothing like bonding over having overcome adversity - even if it's just the weekend adventure kind - together.

I must mention "Roll" = "Role". It hurts my eyes every time I see it, but that result of allowing my fingers autonomy on the keyboard is too late to edit.


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## my2geldings

Awesome thread! it's still in the -20's here so no trail riding yet, but I will make sure to post all sorts of things when I do head out. We go deep in the mountains when we head out, so we always have awesome photos. Will come back with more when I get the chance.


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## mmshiro

@my2geldings: Do feel free to post some "best of" photos in the meantime. They don't lose value with the number of days passed since the ride!


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## LoriF

knightrider said:


> Today was a super fun ride with @4horses and @LoriF. 4horses brought her foxtrotter Paris and Lori brought Laela and ponied Novia. I brought Isabeau because she is the one who needs the most experience in the trailer. Yay! No kicks! Neither coming or going home--no kicking at all in the trailer. Unfortunately, although the temp was 43, she was soaking wet with nervous sweat when I got her out of the trailer. So, we still have a ways to go with Isabeau and the trailer.
> 
> Unlike many of my rides, we had a bunch of adventures and it was tons of fun. Novia and Laela were not terribly experienced with ponying and being ponied, and the trails were narrow in places with some drooping down branches. Paris led the way through the water and Laela and Novia went right in. Isabeau--not. We went around. Next time we ride there, I'll bring my rubber boots and lead her in. I was having too much fun to have wet and cold feet for the rest of the ride. 4horses helped me train Isabeau to go through water years ago, but because we only cross water about once every 4 years, she refused this time. I will work with her when conditions are more conducive to getting wet.
> 
> Lori had to dismount I don't know how many times, but she is so slim and agile, she just hops right back on up. Novia got a LOT of experience stepping over high logs. At first, she couldn't figure out how to do it and kind of crashed into the logs, but by the end of the ride, she was stepping over them like a seasoned trail horse. One time, she got away from Lori and headed for home, but when Lori stopped Laela, Novia came back. Whew. On one narrow trail, something pierced Lori's plastic water bottle in her saddle bag and got everything in her saddle bag wet. Bummer.
> 
> One log was so high that little 13 hand Isabeau couldn't step over it, so we jumped it. Paris jumped it too, but landed with bucking, which did not please 4horses much.
> 
> San Felasco is one of the few parks in Florida where the trails wind all around going up and down high hills. There is all kinds of varied terrain there, from windswept hayfields to tangled jungle. The sun was shining, low humidity, no bugs (yet) and when we got back, the temp was 72 degrees F. We rode 3 hours and went 9 miles.
> 
> 4horses took the pictures, so I hope she'll put some up. Isabeau is antsy pantsy and not good for standing still for me to take pictures.



@knightrider I had a lot of fun even though I got kind of crabby when my electronic device got soaking wet. I think Laela really felt my crabbyness as she was misbehaving so much. I know you didn't see it too much but it was little things and I know that she knows better. I also think that part of it was that Novia was there and Laela was more concentrated on her than me. When it's just me and her (no baby around) she is Boss trail horse and so smart.

I love how Isabeau is getting better and better with each outing and trailer ride. She was such a good girl on the ride and becoming an expert log jumper. I know that you were super excited that she didn't kick the smack out of the trailer. Maybe when kicking the trailer is far in the past, you can get another one. Unless of course, you like it and want to keep it for good memories. 
When we go to Hatchet Creek trails, we'll have to practice the water crossing some more for Isabeau.

@4horses Paris is a really nice mare, I love her. Her face reminds a little of my old Saddlebred girl Bella. She seems like a keeper to me. By the way, Pictures? hint hint.

On a side note. After a night of sitting in front of my air purifier blowing, my electronic device is now functioning again. Yay


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## knightrider

@LoriF, you weren't crabby! It was 100% fun, and you were such a good sport about your stuff getting wet. I am glad you were able to salvage it.

Today was a solo Acicate ride and he was lovely. Halfway through the ride, I suddenly felt fearful. Aci is at times like riding a powder keg, and today he was, but I am used to it and normally never even think about it. I had a powder keg mare that I rode for 25 years, so normally it doesn't bother me. I think I got fearful because I was worrying (trying to have faith, but it is a worry) about my kind neighbor who used to ride with me all the time. He is dealing with cancer now, and I am scared for him and his family who depend on him. I made myself stop thinking about him and his upcoming surgery and the fear (of riding powder keg Aci) went away.

Grand ride this morning--6 miles, 1.5 miles. Aci never did a thing wrong.


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## LoriF

knightrider said:


> @LoriF, you weren't crabby! It was 100% fun, and you were such a good sport about your stuff getting wet. I am glad you were able to salvage it.
> 
> Today was a solo Acicate ride and he was lovely. Halfway through the ride, I suddenly felt fearful. Aci is at times like riding a powder keg, and today he was, but I am used to it and normally never even think about it. I had a powder keg mare that I rode for 25 years, so normally it doesn't bother me. I think I got fearful because I was worrying (trying to have faith, but it is a worry) about my kind neighbor who used to ride with me all the time. He is dealing with cancer now, and I am scared for him and his family who depend on him. I made myself stop thinking about him and his upcoming surgery and the fear (of riding powder keg Aci) went away.
> 
> Grand ride this morning--6 miles, 1.5 miles. Aci never did a thing wrong.



Oh, yes I was crabby. I'm a firm believer in "Fake it till you make it". It's a lot better than dwelling on things. 

I'm so sorry to hear about your neighbor/riding partner, it's a tough thing for everyone involved to deal with. I hope he makes out ok.

It's funny how some totally unrelated worry can bleed over into your riding if you are thinking about it at the time. Glad your ride went and ended up splendid. This morning was beautiful.


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## Zexious

What an adorable picture of Sultan, @phantomhorse13 !

Here's hoping the footing improves for everyone


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## mmshiro

Okay, weather, or climate, or whatever: we have to talk. After getting another 1-2 feet of snow, conditions on the ground have deteriorated further. Still, Marion and I ventured into the hostile environment. I had planned for a ride mostly along the edges of fields, so I was happy to see that some snow mobilers had done some work for me already. Unfortunately, they just barely compressed the wet snow to give it the consistency of wet concrete: not hard enough to support the horse, not soft enough to just sink through without twisting your foot. Marion protested; after two attempts and about 15 yards of good-faith struggle on her part, I saw what she meant and turned her around.

We went a bit further up the road (Bleah!) and found another point to turn into traily terrain. No trail blazing snow mobiles came through, so the drifts were high, but she could step down straight at least. On the bright side, when we did get to a trail in the woods, there wasn't enough snow so the snow mobiles really flattened it, and the good people had taken care of some of the downed trees across the trail. 

I ended up near at the fields near the farm where I did let her canter a few times. I didn't feel any slippage or stumbling, so that was fine. I even let her run through a little downhill between two uphills, even though I am usually squeamish about full speed on a downhill. On the other hand, she worked hard for it, and I'm contractually obligated to get her out of breath at least once, and at least a little sweaty, each ride - so I gotta do what I gotta do...

Oh, I had a few refusals today, as in, "Nope, nope, nope...not going there!". When she does that, she starts backing up, and when you don't allow that, she shakes her head violently (rotating, as in getting flies off her, not up and down, as in evading the bit). Once you are used to it, it's kind of adorable, but it can be quite intimidating when you experience it the first time - especially as novice rider. Anyway, my mantra is, "Don't get sucked into the drama!" and I talk and squeeze her through it, even if it'll take a half minute or so. The point is that each time I _persuade_ her and she does what I ask, and nothing scary or dangerous happens, I get a more trusting, confident and respectful horse.


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## ChasingDreams

Spring is on the way! Short ride today, but it was actually really fun.Chase and I took a quick loop around a different field than our usual, just to change it up. I’ve circled a couple areas of interest [emoji23]








At the red circle, there was a hunting shelter. It was basically like a tent, and the wind was kicking up pretty well...making it kind of move and ruffle and snap. To be fair, I think it was pretty scary...even a seasoned trail horse might have flinched or gave a start. 

Anyway, Chase spooked pretty hard. But, it was an awesome spook. Because he was genuinely scared, but I was in full control the entire time. We had a nice open field, so I let him step around and take a few steps back, but his nose was fixed on the shelter. By the time we moved on he had walked straight up to it, and walked past it both ways without speeding up. It was a confidence boost for us both.

The blue circle is a spot where I found a nice wide log to try to pop over. I wasn’t sure what he would do as we never jumped before. I walked him over it first, and then circled back around at a trot and he jumped right over. He was great, but I definitely need to practice my two point 🤣










It was beautiful. I’m counting down the days until daylight savings, so I can get out more.

Total 2018 miles ~ 14.63

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## ChasingDreams

@mmshiro I often wonder if it’s dedication or denial that gets me out in the snow haha. Good for you for braving the conditions while also being considerate of Marion.

I had a similar moment today when I thought about pushing Chase to cross a little stream. He’s not particularly fond of mud and water yet, and I was going to try to push him through until I realized it was awful, deep, swampy mud and for a good 15 feet on either side of the water. He was getting worked up in the mud before we got anywhere near the water, so I decided to not traumatize him through more than he’s able to handle, and made a sensible retreat. We will work on crossing streams at another area with better footing another time.

Even though working together to get through a scary area is best, knowing when the fight isn’t going to be worth the battle is also important.


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## Change

No riding for me this weekend. I was too busy on Friday taking care of chores and prepping for next week's rides. And of course, in Alabama, it insists on raining on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm hoping I'll be able to post several more miles this coming week, though!! Yellowhammer, here I come!!


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## ChasingDreams

I got out two days in a row, yippee. We went a little longer, about 2.5 miles around the fields. I started with my app running, and again it drained my phone battery before the ride was over. If the phone turns off the session is lost  This is the second or third time it’s happened now, I’m thinking I can’t use it unless the battery is nearly 100% charged. I think I had around 45%. 

Anyway, I warmed up in our unused pasture rather than the ring for a change of scenery. There is a perfect stream right at the divide to practice crossing. He didn’t have any issues with it.









Then, we did a loop around both of the two bigger fields. He was surprisingly forward today, and kept trying to break into a trot. I think his recent diet change has him feeling pretty good [emoji23]


















Total 2018 miles~ 17.13


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## mmshiro

Ride with Hamlet today. Conditions were not as sucky as yesterday because the sun was shining on the snow, making it much softer today. Still deep in places, but softer. I took Hamlet up "The Hill" because I saw some horse tracks going up already...halfway up he slowed down to a crawl and inquired as to what "this effing effery is supposed to be?". Then he thought he'd be smart and hop over to where the surface looked smooth - alas, it was only wet, deeper snow there. So, I had a somewhat disappointed pony on my hands, stomping through the snow the second half of the hill. I took him to the field where the snow mobiles had worn down the snow cover quite a bit (where I took Marion yesterday) and let him have some fun. For some reason, he still wanted to drift sideways to where the snow looked smooth, but I managed to keep him straight.

My wife started taking some lessons at a different barn. Her confidence is somewhat shaken from the broken shoulder, so the horses at "my" barn (where she has her minis, too) are a little bit intimidating currently. Since the lesson barn is on the way to my ride, I accompanied her. BO let me play with her 6 yo OTTB. I took him to the round pen (which also had a pristine snow cover) and basically played (at liberty - no lunge line) "If I point and wiggle the flag, move - if I cut you off, looking relaxed with my arms down, just stop and pay attention (and don't change direction and run the other way)." Even though I did not expect any "joining up" from him - I just expected two eyes and two ears wherever I stopped him - he did start to follow me when I turned and walked away, which was when I stopped the game as he was clearly a winner at that moment. It was great to take a young horse who had never seen a round pen from the inside and that I never interacted with before, and establish some kind of friendly rapport with him.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, Nicole hauled over and we rode Polo and Hombre with DH and Sultan. Unfortunately, the ride was cut short due to a lost shoe. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
3/10 hombre 6.73 miles 1078 ft climb 3.7 mph 30F *371.77 total miles*


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## Celeste

DH and I got in a couple of rides since I have posted on here. DH is more and more pleased with his new horse. Like I said, he names him on every ride and then changes it. 

Total for year: *33.09*

It is a wonder I have that many miles in the way work has been going.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> DH is more and more pleased with his new horse.


Did you tell him to draw his pistol he has to let go of the saddle horn? :rofl:

JUST KIDDING!!


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## ChasingDreams

@Celeste I love your husband’s horse too, but then again I’m partial to paints. Even my dog has spots [emoji39]










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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Did you tell him to draw his pistol he has to let go of the saddle horn? :rofl:


Actually I told him that it was nice decoration, but that if he shot the pistol, he was likely to hit the dirt. This is Georgia. Men have to carry. Especially when their wife puts them on a gelding wearing a pink bridle............


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## QueenofFrance08

Finally got some riding time in! (Of course I only remembered to take pictures one of the 3 days). Friday got home from work and DH and I took Stitch and Chico out. Made it 1.54 miles until it started getting dark and we figured we better not hang out on the road any longer. There's still tons of ice everywhere from our nasty storms last week so the only safe place to ride is out the driveway on the gravel roads. 

Saturday after work and before we had to go meet our realtor about buying our riding arena land we got out for 1.87 miles on Stitch and Chico again. This time we flipped and I rode Chico and he rode Stitch. Learned really fast Chico (our fairly steady eddie) doesn't like the sound of my Hit Air vest clipping in so I had to work with him on that a little bit after we got back. Saturday night it snowed just enough to make everything slick again on Sunday.

Sunday we decided it was time to get the other kids out a little and we took Stitch and Daisy out (DH rode Daisy since I'm still a little nervous after she dumped me on my head a few weeks ago). They were both feeling pretty good since Daisy hasn't been out in 3 weeks and the boys were calling to them, not to mention it was pretty windy. We made it .75 miles with them before deciding we should take them back. When we got back there was a face peering over the gate to the field, apparently someone was upset he didn't get to go out. He looked so sad that we had to take him out too and Josh decided to walk Jake along with us. Chico was so happy to be out that we walked all the way down the driveway over to the neighbors and all the way the other direction to the neighbors (which was exactly as far as the un-iced parts of the gravel were). DH was complaining that we were going to far (seeing as how he was on foot) so we turned around. My GPS told me that was 1.68 miles although I forgot to turn it on until we were halfway down the driveway). I would have loved to go farther and Chico was feeling great but DH was tired of walking and there wasn't much farther to go with safe footing.

Stitch: 2.29 
Chico: 3.55

Year: 25.74


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## QueenofFrance08

@Celeste My husband rode my mare in her full pink tack yesterday. He was rather embarrassed.


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## egrogan

@ChasingDreams- cute, cute dog. What kind of dog? We have one who looks similar, we don't know for sure what she is as she came from a local shelter, but many signs point to English Shepherd.









I've been traveling for work for most of the past two weeks so ride time has been limited. I missed a foot of snow falling in the middle of the week, and it was still on the ground yesterday so we couldn't do all that much. Rode around the farm with my riding buddy yesterday afternoon and the snow was heavy and hard to get through. Another foot is on its way tomorrow!









*Total 2018 miles- 20.92 
*feels like we're stuck and never going to get over this 20ish mile hump


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## Spanish Rider

Adorable puppins!

Well, to make everyone feel better, I haven't ridden for 3 weeks because of some virus that wound up in my lungs. I might get to the barn tomorrow for some grooming. Maybe. Do hand-walks count towards mileage?:icon_rolleyes:


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## ChasingDreams

@egrogan We think he’s at least part Brittany spaniel, maybe mixed with another breed. He’s literally the most cuddly dog I’ve ever owned, like a living teddy bear. Loves, loves kids! 










Your dog is adorable too! I can definitely see shepherd, or maybe cattle dog. Definitely has that working dog look.



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## mmshiro

And _Dita_ rounded off the weekend. Nobody came to ride her this weekend (though I did spend about half an hour with her in the pasture before going out with Hamlet), so I took her out today. The snow cover (which will be replenished tomorrow ) was pretty low already, so all we had to do was navigate swampy areas, downed trees, and heavy soil erosion. Intrepid snow mobile riders created some nice paths to follow here and there - it's great to look ahead and see where the path goes, rather than figuring out in real time the least risky turn to take. Since snow mobiles don't jump, where they go, I can go.

I took Dita to the field that I let Hamlet run on yesterday, and let her have the entire stretch too. Dita on a downhill is...memorable :dance-smiley05:, to quote the other thread. I had taken that same stretch on two horses the two days before; neither had the wind whistling in my ears. She didn't get to go out in a while, so "patience" really was the last thing I wanted to make her work on, but when it came to piping it down and go on a cool-down *walk* home, she was a good girl.


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## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> Actually I told him that it was nice decoration, but that if he shot the pistol, he was likely to hit the dirt. This is Georgia. Men have to carry. Especially when their wife puts them on a gelding wearing a pink bridle............


Reminds me of a story.....a fellow going elk hunting went to rent a horse and asked the owner if he could shoot off of him.

The owner said sure, you can shoot off of him.

The elk hunter returned, limping and bruised....and yelled at the owner....YOU SAID I COULD SHOOT OFF OF HIM.....

The owner replied....yes, I did....but I never said what the horse would do....

Still using the pink halter.....okay.....someone will likely be down pretty soon to pull his man card.


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## knightrider

Missed trail riding and horses for 4 days because I went on a cruise with my two childhood best friends to celebrate 68 years of friendship. All 3 of us turn 70 this year. I was amazed to learn that cruises are not all that expensive. We went for 4 days and 3 nights to the Bahamas for $330 per person. The food was incredible and the service was lovely.

I did miss the horses quite a lot and couldn't wait to ride when I got back. I was disappointed when my daughter's friend came an hour later than when we normally ride. I don't know what she was thinking! She's been riding with us for years. She should know that we ride at 6:45 in the winter when it stays dark a little later. I suggested she come "a little later" since we just started daylight savings time, and it would still be quite dark at 6:30, her usual arrival time. She finally came at 7:45! I had the horses ready to ride at 6:45 and waited an HOUR. Not much time to ride then, since I start homeschooling at 8:30 and she knows that. I have never started riding that late (unless there was a school holiday). I was SO bummed, as I was so looking forward to a nice fun ride. It was a short fun ride anyway.

Here are some pictures of Bahamas, it was so lovely and fun.


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## ChasingDreams

@knightrider I would have went for a ride without her  Jk 

It’s tough when you are at the mercy of someone else. That’s probably why I usually ride alone.

Glad you had a nice trip though! That beach picture...




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## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> Reminds me of a story.....a fellow going elk hunting went to rent a horse and asked the owner if he could shoot off of him.
> 
> The owner said sure, you can shoot off of him.
> 
> The elk hunter returned, limping and bruised....and yelled at the owner....YOU SAID I COULD SHOOT OFF OF HIM.....
> 
> The owner replied....yes, I did....but I never said what the horse would do....
> 
> Still using the pink halter.....okay.....someone will likely be down pretty soon to pull his man card.


Not while he's carrying that hand gun..........


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> Not while he's carrying that hand gun..........


He'll be easy to disarm while clutching the saddle horn, though.........


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> He'll be easy to disarm while clutching the saddle horn, though.........


That could be the place he plans to steady the gun.


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## knightrider

Just have to crow a little bit about my solo Isabeau ride this morning. She is my most difficult horse to ride solo. She goes along fairly well, but she looks at everything fearfully, startles in place, and acts really nervous. This morning was her turn. My little 12 year old neighbor was supposed to ride her--Isabeau is fantastic if there is another horse along, quite calm--but my neighbor decided it was too cold, 30* F (now is the time for you northerners to laugh or sneer), so it was Isabeau solo.

She was the best she has ever been solo, just riding along sweetly, doing her inimitable dancing gait, what a fantastic ride. One hour, twenty minutes, 4.62 miles. You can laugh and sneer at me--I got cold and had to come in.

I'll be riding again this afternoon with my neighbor on the other side. I'll ride my heart horse Chorro. He does everything well.


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## mmshiro

knightrider said:


> She was the best she has ever been solo, just riding along sweetly, .


Ha, ha! I know the feeling of, "Here we go!", only to wonder during the ride what the horse had for breakfast, so I could feed it every day!


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## ChasingDreams

Time change, baby! I REALLY want to ride today, because I could have last night but ended up chickening out and doing groundwork instead. It was sunny, but a little cold and really windy. I should have just rode though, because by the time I finished working with him and doing all of my barn chores it was still light out, sunny, and not *too* bad.

So now I’m sitting here staring out my window and it’s cloudy, windy, and snowing off and on. I’m in denial, I’ll probably chicken out again once I’m at the barn.


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## knightrider

It's spring break and for some weird reason "my" teens all decided they were up for a very cold (for us Floridians) ride this morning. Two of them (DD is one) usually opt out if the temperature is below 32, but since the other two were going, they went.

Born and bred Floridians are so funny about cold. They just don't have any concept of getting cold. My next door neighbor showed up with no gloves and insisted she wouldn't need them. It was 25 * outside. Yes, she would need gloves. Because they just run out to their cars when it is cold, Floridians don't know to put on extra sweaters or socks when they are going to be out in the cold for a while. They think if they are not cold when they just step out the door, they aren't going to be cold. 

It was a wonderful fun ride. I got all 5 horses out and all of the horses were great, in spite of showing attitude while getting tacked up. Nobody got bucked or bounced. Tico and Windy hadn't been ridden in over a week, but they were as good as the others who were ridden yesterday. The girls chattered away and had an amazing time. We didn't get a picture, because nobody was warm enough to take one. My neighbor had hoped to canter and jump, but I said no, not with heavy mittens, hand warmers inside, extra sweaters and numb feet. Not to mention rambunctious horses that might get carried away. We just walked, but it was all good.

We rode 4 miles in an hour and 15 minutes.


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## ChasingDreams

knightrider said:


> Born and bred Floridians are so funny about cold. They just don't have any concept of getting cold. My next door neighbor showed up with no gloves and insisted she wouldn't need them. It was 25 * outside. Yes, she would need gloves. Because they just run out to their cars when it is cold, Floridians don't know to put on extra sweaters or socks when they are going to be out in the cold for a while. They think if they are not cold when they just step out the door, they aren't going to be cold.



My parents are funny like this, and they live in a “normal” 4-seasons climate. My dad has worked outside all his life. “Cold” to the rest of us is just another day in the sun for him. My mom hates cold. So much, that she convinces him to take her to Florida for a month or two each winter.

But, my mom texts me pictures and it’s funny because my dad is wearing swimming trunks, a tank top, and sunglasses; and my mom wearing jeans, a sweatshirt/jacket and sneakers  She says it’s cold, it’s like 55F.



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## QueenofFrance08

Good luck today/this week everyone at Yellowhammer! So jealous!


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## Spanish Rider

My father-in-law is a retired fishmonger, so he worked with no heat and his hands in ice 12 hours a day. I don't dare complain of being cold in his presence!

Had my first ride today in nearly a month. Looks like my lungs are finally clear. Rode the PRE stallion, who is coming back into work for the spring, although had to use the indoor b/c it started to pour. This is prime pneumonia-catching weather for me (cold+damp+wind), so I am not taking unnecessary risks this year.

I am finding that, while the Endomondo is accurate for distance and altitude, it can sometimes be WAY off for climb. Today, it registered a climb of 252m (826 ft). Doing flatwork?! Although perhaps series of tempi changes may be interpreted as small increments of climb, I definitely did not do 252 lead changes!


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## findinghappy

I have found Endomondo can be way off for my distance. I walk the same loop around the property where I live daily. In the car, it's 1.33 miles. With Endomondo, it can be anywhere from 1.21 to 1.91 for the same loop. I hadn't worried about altitude though, that's kinda funny!! 

Take care of yourself @Spanish Rider!! Pneumonia sounds like no fun, especially compared to riding a PRE stallion.


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## Spanish Rider

> especially compared to riding a PRE stallion


Yes, but don't think he is some macho stud. He is actually quite the cutie-patooty, although with major _hutzpah_. Love the ripples below his withers.


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## Change

I got home from the Yellowhammer endurance ride yesterday, completely exhausted and exhilarated! Got to meet @phantomhorse13 and camped and rode with @AnitaAnne. Tango had so many firsts! This was his first trip away from home (besides the vet) since I brought him home. It was his first time riding with other horses. His first mountainous trail ride. His first time spending the night tied to a highline. His first time with all the hustle and bustle of 100 horses and people and trailers and trucks and hot Arabs galloping or trotting by. And he was a ROCKSTAR! We did the 10 mile intro rides on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday's ride, Tango led most of the way - ears up and very forward - obviously enjoying the changes in terrain. He even crossed a wooden bridge! Another first! Of course, the first time over it, he wasn't sure until *AnitaAnne *and Chivas crossed first, but then he followed like it was no big deal - and on day 2, he crossed it first, like it was nothing new! I am so proud of him!

My campsite, with Tango tacked up and waiting to go out, on his highline.








AnitaAnne on Chivas - taken over my shoulder.








Me and Tango ready to go out on Day 2.








And the obligatory between the ears shot!








Thurs, 3/15 - Tango 10.1 miles 
Fri, 3/16 - Tango 10.37 miles

Tango year total: 38.65 (lifetime 91.76)
My year total: 43.93


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## Spanish Rider

*Change,* way to go Tango! So cool that he dealt with so many firsts in such a short time without freaking out. You should be proud of him, and yourself as well! I have never seen a highline before myself.


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## Zexious

@Change - It sounds like you had an amazing time--and with fellow HF'rs, no less! I can't wait to hear about more of your adventures :')!


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## Change

@Spanish Rider - I apologize for being so tired when I posted last that I completely forgot to mention what an absolutely beautiful horse that white PRE is. Is that Presumundo? He's stunning! I'm so jealous you get to ride him regularly!
@Zexious - I think I've been bitten by the bug. I'm seriously looking at an AERC ride in April and another in May. I'd love to get Tango in good enough condition to tackle the 25 mile distances!


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## SwissMiss

@Spanish Rider, every time you show a pic of Presumido, I am literally drooling 
@Change, you must be so proud of Tango! And it sounds like you had a ton of fun! Meeting other HF peeps is just the cherry on top :wink:

After weeks of rain (dry and sunny during the week when I was stuck at work) I finally got another ride in. Raya was just living the easy life since our last ride and stuffed herself with the new spring grass... The pastures/trails are a sloppy, slippery mess so we decided to take a quiet, slow ride, as both riders were not feeling well either...
Raya however had a different agenda (lots of new grass = made her resemble my kiddos after too much candy :shock
and was a little firecracker. We were arguing about a reasonable speed for most of the ride. Lots of serpentines and weaving around trees helped settle her down a bit. That and LOTS of water crossings. Normally dry areas are know knee deep under water and a place we used to cross a little creek is now a swimming spot... But my good pony didn't miss a beat even wading through deep, murky water (she would have to slow down for that, right?).
But all in all it must have been pretty strenuous for her - at the end of the ride Lady Raya was quite content with walking on a loosish rein... 

I forgot to take a picture, but after the ride my pally mare was resembling a leopard appy with dark legs and my tack is pretty gross. Riddle of the day: how do mud splatters end up on my torso without me falling off? :rofl:


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## Spanish Rider

@SwissMiss , after reading about your exciting ride, I just realized that I haven't ridden in mud for many, many (30?) years. Mud is something else we don't often see here. So now, after all the washing of your new tack last week, you need to wash it again? Perhaps, in addition to the teal tack, you also need mud-colored tack? :icon_rolleyes:

@Change , yup, that's my little carousel horse. Appropriately, his name means "Show Off". I am fully aware of how lucky I am to be riding the horses I am riding with my new trainer (1 PRE stallion, 1 Lusitano x Hispano-Árabe gelding). They are amazing, well-trained, no bad habits and incredibly trusting. And, I also like feeling "useful", because the horses used in lessons with kids and pre-teens really need regular training to work out kinks so they don't fall into bad habits. Trainer says I might start riding another horse soon, but I'm really happy with what I've got right now. And now you know why I'm not looking to buy any time soon. Unless Swiss sells Rayita.


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## SwissMiss

Spanish Rider said:


> Unless Swiss sells Rayita.


:eek_color::eek_color::eek_color::eek_color:

Sorry, not likely :biggrin:

At least I was smart and didn't use the new pad - but only because I didn't wash it yet :rofl:


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## knightrider

@Change, so thrilled you have been bitten by the endurance bug. We look forward to many pictures and adventures!

We got all 5 horses out again yesterday, after our very cold ride on Thursday when we got them all out. Same teens on the same horses. Although I had not planned on a Very Long Ride, we got one because my cell phone fell out of my pocket while jumping Acicate. We rode all the way back looking for it. Luckily, my clever teens found it when we had given up and were riding home. It was 100 feet from where we jumped. If only I had looked harder around that area. Oh well, at least we got a Very Long Ride out of it. The girls said they were too sore to ride again today. Not me. I rode solo this morning. Very fun ride this morning, but I had to enjoy it all by myself.

Here are some photos of all 5 horses getting ridden by "my" teens. (Love those girls!)


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## AnitaAnne

Finally got some real trail miles to post! 

As @Change mentioned; we attended the Yellowhammer endurance event and rode the 10 mile Intro trail Thursday and Friday. Had a blast there and was thrilled to meet @phantomhorse13 in person; and also @Change and the lovely Tango!! 

Best of all? Tango and Chivas are almost perfectly matched in pace!! Wish we lived closer together; would be riding the trails a lot more 

I do believe Chivas could do a LD with some more training, but not sure I am up to it. My thighs were sore yesterday...

3/15/18 Chivas 10 miles
3/16/18 Chivas 10 miles


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## Change

@AnitaAnne - I would love to ride a LD, but I'll have to invest in one of those cushy gel butt pads, first. My thighs are okay, but I do have some bruised spots where my bony butt and the barrel saddle connected. I changed up the rigging on my gaited endurance saddle from center-fire to full western today, hoping it might be more comfortable at distances. Haven't tried it on Tango yet, as he discovered a mud puddle as soon as we got home, and I just wasn't up to a full mud-scraping/grooming session just to check saddle fit. 

Oh! Something both AnitaAnne and I forgot to mention! At one of the creek crossings, we took turns drinking. While Tango and I were waiting (in some soft, wet sandy soil), Tango decided it might just be a good place to roll! Down he went, with me still aboard! Luckily, I was able to convince him to get up before he tried to roll. It was interesting, though.


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## SwissMiss

@Change thank you for the good laugh this morning. I can totally see Tango wanting to roll, but am glad you convinced him _not_ to do it :rofl:


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## Spanish Rider

*Change,* how can you blithely _forget_ to tell us about the stop, drop and (almost) roll?!! That would have been the first thing out of my mouth! I would have had a panic attack for sure.


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## ChasingDreams

So jealous of all you HF folks at the endurance ride this weekend. Camping and riding are my two absolute favorite activities. I’ve only gone horse-camping once but it was a total blast!

We didn’t have the excitement you did, but Chase and I took advantage of the decent weather this weekend and rode out Friday, Saturday, & Sunday! Friday we didn’t go far, it was more of a schooling ride in the ring and around the empty pastures. Saturday we did about two miles.









The squiggly line in the middle was a trail I found through the woods around the little stream that cuts through the property. I thought I’d be able to use the trail to cut through to the other field, but it dead-ended at a tree stand and we back-tracked out instead. 

I was proud of Chase though...on the way through he balked at a big mud puddle and almost hopped sideways down a bank to avoid it. Luckily I was able to persuade him that the mud was not going to eat him, and on the way back out he walked right through like “meh, no biggie”

Sunday, we did about two miles as well, looping around both big fields. We did lots of transitions, and a few very nice lopes. He was actually breaking a bit of a sweat. I didn’t have my app running because my phone wasn’t charged enough, but I’m certain we made a nice pace and he was really working  

Hopefully, by the time spring is full swing we will both be in better shape and our rides will continue to get faster and longer- until we are ready to hit the actual park trails! I went hiking at the park this weekend, just to get a gauge on trail conditions and traffic. It was PACKED, lots of people and LOTS of bikes. So, bike desensitizing is definitely going to need to happen soon.

Total 2018 miles~ 21.26

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## QueenofFrance08

Finally a weekend of beautiful weather so I was able to get some riding time in! Thursday I left work early because it was so nice out and DH and I took Chico and Stitch out for 1.85 miles. Stitch was true to her chestnut mare form and was acting up a little. She wasn't in the mood to go out that night so every step was a struggle. She even tried to pop up on DH a few times when we were trying to get past the neighbors fields. 

Saturday was so beautiful I took one of the dogs for a run after I left work at noon. She loves running and will sit by the door and cry if you tell her "Lucy we're going running" until you go. I was planning on a short 2-3 mile run since we are both pretty out of shape but the neighbors dog chased us out into the road so I made the executive decision to do the full 5 mile loop instead of having to run past that house again. At one point she found an ice patch halfway through and laid down on it so I guess we both need to get out more! By the time DH got home from working on the truck we only had time for a short ride before we had to meet some friends for dinner. We took Daisy and Chico out for 1.8 miles. It was a beautiful day and they were both excited to be out. Daisy was being a little fussy since she hadn't been out in 3 weeks since the incident where she bucked me off. We're pretty sure she only went into her bucking fit because she had a stick with sharp burrs stuck in her tail that was catching her in the back of the leg. We made it down the driveway and then went back to the house to work in the arena for awhile which was good practice for Chico too. He hates being in the arena and tries to bolt out whenever we get near the gate but we kept moving and working and practicing turns, figure 8's, stopping with weight shift, and side passing. 

Sunday we trailered Chico out to one of the trails by DH's work so I could ride while he worked on the truck. There is barely any snow left on the roads or in our yard so I was shocked to see the trail still had belly high snow piles on it and plenty of ice. We walked almost the whole way due to the footing but it sure was one heck of a workout due to the snow. We made it about 2.5 miles down the trail to where it weaves behind the gun range and the gunshot noise started to upset Chico. I was really proud of him he wasn't spooking at it but he wasn't thrilled to keep going. He was getting pretty sweaty and breathing a little hard so I decided it was time to turn back. I walked him down several of the hills due to the ice and in total we made it 4.85 miles before DH came back to pick us up. He got a picture of me crossing the road to the parking lot. 

When we got home we decided we needed to get Jake out for awhile since we haven't had a chance to work with him. We got him at the end of January and realized pretty quickly that he's pretty green. A prior owner had him in 60 days of training so I can tell he has an idea of what to do but it has been so long since he's been ridden regularly that he's very rusty on the basics (like stopping!). Combine that with his Arabian brain that has been out of work and stuck in the pasture for several years and it makes for a bad situation. We saddled him and walked him around the arena practicing stopping. He's pretty spooky so I ran up behind him and made noises waved my arms behind him while DH was walking him. He did really good with all of that and was a great sport. We tied him for a little while and I rubbed my jacket all over him and zipped/velcro'd everything so he would get used to that noise (since I just found out Chico hates the noise of latches clicking and Stitch can't handle velcro) DH practiced getting on him and getting him to stand still and he rode him around the arena for awhile. 

A great weekend!


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## Celeste

We had a beautiful weekend and I was really looking forward to riding. Then of all the aggravating things, I got sick. I finally went to the ER and I have severe pneumonia.


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## Spanish Rider

*Celeste,* no! I'm so sorry to hear that! Take care of yourself, and have everyone else take care of you, too. Make sure you eat plenty to not lose weight, especially cool things, which feel good going down. My favorite when I have pneumonia is homemade baked custard - lots of protein and cold. (Of course, if I want it, I have to make it myself... :icon_rolleyes Most importantly, you need to _slow down._ Lots of hugs coming your way :hug:


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## mmshiro

Like a true trooper, I returned from NH at 1 p.m., hit the farm at 3 p.m., and took Marion out for a ride. It was a shortish ride - a little less than an hour - because it was thoroughly frustrating. While the water-on-the-trails situation has improved quite a bit, the trees-and-shrubbery-on-the-trails one did not. There I was thinking, "You can trot here!" - nope, some twigs across the trail show up, just obnoxious enough to not be ignored. I walk down a trail, go carefully around the first downed tree, but see no way around the second about 30 yards later - turn around. We did the first few jumps (log height, not fence height) of the season (and for me on Marion), and I did let her run on the field, following a set of snow mobile tracks. The snow mobile had done a super wide U-turn in the field, so the visual made it easy for me to have her follow it all the way around, so that was fun for the two of us.

Anyway: Good horsey - bad trails. Let me see what you all have been up to.


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## ChasingDreams

@mmshiro I liked for being able to ride, but dislike the crappy trail conditions:/ 


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## SwissMiss

@Celeste, hope you get better soon! :hug:


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## carshon

@Celeste I hope you feel better soon. pneumonia is not something to mess with


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## Oreos Girl

I have been busy the last couple of weeks. I had spring break and then a conference. The first weekend of spring break my riding buddy and I took a long weekend and went to A.H. Stephens state park. Got there Saturday, got camp set and did a short ride.

We got buddy sites so that we had the trailers facing each other.










The first day, my poor attempt at selfie.









A lake beside the trail that has a picnic table at it.









Lake with Amiee and Buddy









Last day when Fiddler didn't want to go and he didn't care how far ahead his buddy was.









We ended up doing about 18 miles over the 3 days which brings my total for the year up to 30 miles.


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## Zexious

@Oreos Girl - Wow, what a great trip! I love the photos, and only wish I could tag along! Thanks for sharing


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## Change

No riding for me since getting home from our trip to the Talladega Nat'l Forest (Yellowhammer Endurance Ride). Just rain and work. I keep going in early with the (false) hope of leaving early enough to catch a ride before the weekend rains. No such luck. I did manage to create another mini horse by currying my two, though! LOL. Cally looks ridiculous - she's retaining all of her long, grey/white guard hairs and shedding undercoat like crazy. Tango is just a dark brown fuzz-ball, no matter how much I curry and brush!
@Celeste - slow down and take it easy! Pneumonia is BAAAAD! Kick back on the couch with a good fire going and just let yourself heal! You do too much!


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## gunslinger

Celeste....hope you're improving.....Feeling any better yet?


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## Celeste

Thanks for everybody's concern. I am feeling somewhat better. I won't be playing outside for a while. I am thankful that my DH is willing to take care of the outside critters.

Every time I get up and walk around to do simple chores, I remember why I am in bed........


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## knightrider

@Celeste, all my good wishes and healing thoughts are with you. As everyone says, pneumonia is dangerous. Take care.

Today I head out to camp and ride with @4horses. Can't wait!

I rode my daughter's horse Windy with my daughter's friend this morning because Isabeau and Acicate will get their legs ridden off them today and tomorrow. My daughter didn't want to go, so I rode Windy, and she was AWESOME!!!! I have never enjoyed her the way I enjoyed her today. ALL running walk (no trotting or pacing), and lovely!!! Super fun canter. Just a great horse to ride. I LOVED her!! As some of you know, Windy was not giving us the gait we expected from her breeding. Her dam didn't have any gait until she was 6, and I kept telling my daughter, don't worry about it until she turns 6. Windy will be 6 in August. I am so glad she has grown into the flawless smooth gait that her sire and dam have.

We rode this morning for an hour and 35 minutes and went 4.96 miles. I can't count it for Pasos for Pleasure because Windy is not a registered Paso. But DD's friend turned on Endomondo just for fun on her phone. And 4horses wants to ride THREE HOURS this afternoon. Wow! Getting some ridin' in!!!! See you when I get back!


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## phantomhorse13

Forgive my tardiness in coming here to talk about Yellowhammer, but I returned home in time for a crisis that resulted in my putting Dream down. That whole story is here.

While that was not what I expected to come home to, it did not change the fantastic time I had at Yellowhammer. That whole story, with lots of pics and the ride videos, is in my journal.

I got to meet @AnitaAnne and Chivas and Lily & @Change and Tango and even got a picture to prove it:










:happydance: :loveshower: :happydance:


The first day, I rode Flo in the 30 miler. The trails were amazing and we had a blast.




















The second day, I rode Fuji in the 25 miler. That day, we had a thankfully-brief adventure worthy of @mmshiro (details are in my journal post).


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content




















The last day, I rode Flo in the 25 miler. We had some weather and some extra company on trail, but a great time was had by all.



















2018 mileage
...
3/15 flo 27.94 miles 2282 ft climb 4.8 mph 45F 399.71 total miles
3/16 fuji 24.80 miles 1956 ft climb 5.3 mph 60F 424.51 total miles
3/17 flo 24.61 miles 1737 ft climb 5.8 mph 61F *449.12 total miles*


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## knightrider

I'm back from my super camping trip. I brought Acicate and Isabeau this time to camp out.

Of all days, we got a cold snap the night I could go camping. Luckily, my husband presented me with my birthday present early since he knew I wanted to camp. He had bought me a propane stove, safe for heating a trailer, cabin, camper, or tent. It runs for about 5 hours. It surely was nice in my trailer since it went to 35 degrees last night.
@4horses joined me during the days to ride. The first day I rode Acicate and 4horses rode her Harmony. We explored some trails that were a bit further away than we normally have time to ride. We managed 3 1/2 hours and rode 11.55 miles. I got to practice with Aci what I learned on the endurance ride at Goethe. Aci will corto fast quite smoothly if he can follow another horse's animated trot. I can wind him up better and collect him.

The next day, our new riding friend from Puerto Rico joined us. I let him ride Acicate and I rode Isabeau. 4horses was looking for a looong ride, and so was our new friend and I. We went back to the further away trails for more exploring. For all her hundreds (thousands?) of rides at Oleno, 4horses said she had never seen "River Rise". Neither had our Puerto Rican friend, so I watched the horses while they went to see the place where the Santa Fe River comes out of the ground. A near-by park is "River Sink" where the river suddenly goes underground for 6 miles. Then it comes back up where we were riding.
We rode 4 hours and 40 minutes today and 15.18 miles for a grand total of 26.73 miles for the weekend.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, DH surprised me by having the afternoon free to ride. I took Phin out for the first time since his leg injury. The whole story is in my journal.



















2018 mileage
...
3/23 phin 5.51 miles 1085 ft climb 3.1 mph 36F *456.08 total miles*


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## mmshiro

Marion time today! It was windy, so she taught me some new skills: How to sit a 180º-and-bolt, and how to sit a side dodge at the canter. Yay! I'm happy to say I mastered both lessons. 

What was interesting is the role that acquired reflexes played in keeping me safe: It took me much, much longer to realize what's happening than clamping my thighs into the knee pads of the saddle and tightening my core. By the time I started working the reins she was already two steps into her bolt. Do I have a clue what the hell she saw? 'course not. But it was something, as it took me a moment to get her past that spot.

Otherwise, nothing new in this ride, other than my foregoing any and all two-pointing, lest I experienced another dodge at speed with my butt out of the saddle. Tomorrow, of course, will be Hamlet time. BO wants me as backup with a first-time couple who will be going to Scotland in three months for a three-day trek, the prerequisite being "avid trail riders, comfortable at jumping logs etc. in English tack". BO said couple doesn't know the difference between English and Western tack. 

I did something similar like that once - only I started lessons *six* months before the ride I had booked, and it was for a one-day, 5-hour, w/t/c trail ride on groomed trails near Reykjavik. 

Oh, and I witnessed a gelding (verb, not noun) after the ride...I was entrusted with holding the light for the vet.


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## mmshiro

Oh, it's my turn again! Well, I took out Hamlet with BO and the newbie couple (pre-posting), so it was a leisurely ride with short trot intervals. Hamlet behaved admirably, applied his trot skills, and was overall patient with the pace of the ride. The couple did okay, but their goal is going to be quite ambitious for the time frame they've given themselves: "pre-posting" to "canter and jump" in three months? I guess it's doable if you ride three times a week...

Anyway, I did eye some of the stretches that I would have opened Hamlet up had I been by myself, but this was a good patience ride for the two of us. If the weather will be nice, I'll take Marion out for a bit of "open-field riding" (a.k.a. "hauling a**") tomorrow - the snow is almost gone everywhere.


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## Change

Friday I was way too busy with E's 1st attempt at getting her driver's license and then getting ready for prom, so I didn't get to ride. It was supposed to rain Saturday, and sure looked like it wanted to, so I stayed inside waiting for it. It never showed. We got a slight drizzle overnight. Bah! Wasted day! So today, I ignored the overcast sky and Tango and I headed out on the 5 mile loop around the big cotton field. We had to cut around a couple really boggy areas, stopped to let some kids take a selfie with Tango, and then had to pause while a little girl chased and caught her young dog, who had decided to chase after us. As usual, Tango dragged his feet on the way out since we were alone and Cally was screaming for him, but one to the cotton field he picked it up a little, and of course once we were past the 1/2 way point he became a lot more animated, since he knows the loop so well. I think he's bored with it. I know I am. It was still a fun ride, though. 

4.6 miles in 1.06 hours. Average speed 4.16 mph. Tango's lifetime total: 96.36.
My year total: 48.53

Last year I didn't hit 48 miles until May!!


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## phantomhorse13

Today, DH and I got Sultan and George out. 





































2018 mileage
...
3/25 george 12.94 miles 1838 ft climb 4.5 mphv33F *469.02 total miles*


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## ChasingDreams

Only got out once this weekend. It was a good one though, because my mom came out with me for the first time. She took Gracie, and got a little of her usual sass at the start. But, once Grace realized she wasn’t going to convince my mom to take her back to the barn...she was much better.

Chase was really great during our ride, I really have no complaints there. But, he’s been getting progressively worse when mounting... so we are going to have some lessons this week focusing on that completely to hopefully nip it in the bud.

The ground was still covered with a couple of inches of snow so we did mostly walking, with a couple short trots in the areas I know well. I didn’t have my phone, so no pictures on this one. But, we looped both big fields which I had mapped out before to be 2.45 miles, so I’ll stick with that for my total.

Total 2018 miles ~ 23.71


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## QueenofFrance08

No riding this weekend :frown_color: We were supposed to get anywhere from 5-15 inches of snow on Friday night so imagine my surprise when I woke up to bare ground Saturday morning. I had to work until 2 and when I got home unfortunately even though we missed the storm we didn't miss the 30 mph winds that came with it. DH and I spent the afternoon trimming trees in the horse pasture instead. I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning yesterday and couldn't wait to ride until I realized the 30 mph winds were back. Where we live there are tons of hills and the wind hits so strong that it's not worth trying to get out. We then realized both our outside hydrants were frozen and the horses water was low so we spent all afternoon hauling buckets and trying to connect a hose to our washing machine to fill up both 100 gallon stock tanks. 

The only highlight was that Chico's new Renegades came and they fit him perfectly! 

Also a herd picture just for fun!


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## mmshiro

Near-perfect ride with Marion today. We went to the side where there is a river valley, and from where I stayed away all winter because there are a few ravines to traverse on descend to and ascend from the river - probably not super wise to do with 1-2 feet of snow. But things have cleared up, and it turns out that the storm damage is quite limited, most likely due to the sheltered location inside the valley.

I promised Marion I'd let her go bananas today, and bananas we went. Two nice gallops (I let her go twice on the same field - like a kid on a ride in an amusement park), a few reasonably civilized canters, all mixed into a regular trail ride with terrain, obstacles, and the usual stuff. After the last canter, she even was a little out of breath!

I was wearing a sweater and no jacket, and it was just right. I had perfect weather, reasonable ground conditions, and a horse ready to play. And - because I expected the ride to take place around sunset - I put the camera on the helmet. I'll see if I can toss together a highlights reel tomorrow.


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## Spanish Rider

First trail ride for me in more than a year due to injury, illness, changing barns then changing discipline and trainer. Longer than I would have wanted, but as I no longer own a horse, it's really not my decision.

Today the rain and wind had finally stopped, and BO decided that it was a beautiful day for a trail ride, so off we went! For nearly 2 hours! You cannot imagine how excited I was. Even the sour-puss faces of the teens and college students couldn't dull my excitement (I mean, come on, it's understandeable: who wants to ride with an old lady?). Awesome ride on dirt roads, through fields, a ravine and an almond grove in bloom. The scent was heavenly! Past tractors, cars and a biker, with only one minor spook (rump only). I hope to go out again soon.

I didn't dare try to take photos while on the trail, because if I dropped my phone and had to get off, there was no way I was getting back on. So, the following photos were taken by other riders. In the group photo, I am the one in the rear, right. *9.67 miles*


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## knightrider

Today I met @4horses for a ride at San Felasco. I took Isabeau so she could practice not kicking in the trailer, which she did beautifully (not kicking at all). 4horses brought her black and white paint Harmony. It was the most beautiful day in the world and perfect for riding, and we could just not bear to go in. The trails were gorgeous and the horses were great. I got Isabeau to hop over a streamlet, which is a start. Harmony went through a very tricky and deep water crossing. I thought Isabeau wasn't ready for that yet. Baby steps. Plus I did not want to get soaked up to my thighs for the rest of the ride by leading her.

I brought my camera but didn't take any pictures. Hopefully 4horses will post some.

I rode 14.42 miles in 4 hours, 15 minutes.


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## mmshiro

mmshiro said:


> I'll see if I can toss together a highlights reel tomorrow.


Here you go - zero sound track this time. You get the full brunt of my interactions with Marion.


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## QueenofFrance08

Left work early (at 6:15) yesterday to get a quick ride in with DH because it was beautiful outside! Took Chico out to try out his new Renegades some more and DH took Stitch. We had a great ride and got 1.88 miles in until it was starting to get dark. I'm not sure if it's the new boots or the new diet but Chico was on fire last night! DH trotted 3/4 the ride to keep up with our walk. Aside from one big crouch and jump sideways when a deer popped out of the woods we had a great ride. When we got back to the driveway (1/4 mile driveway) Stitch decided she'd had enough of our ride and bolted toward home. DH got her settled down and made her go back and walk the whole driveway again. I was pretty proud of Chico for listening to me and not reacting when she took off.


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## carshon

@mmshiro what are the large grass expanses you canter up? Are they hay field? Public lands? I would love to have something like that to canter on! We have 1 public area that is marsh land and very sandy - we can canter there but you have to be very careful of the gopher holes on the track - count down to April 15 when local public areas and state parks will be open for riding (weather permitting) Our foot of snow melted but then we had rain on top of it and more rain predicted this weekend. Any field riding is out of the question now as farmers have started chiseling.


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## mmshiro

carshon said:


> @mmshiro what are the large grass expanses you canter up?


The long field where I let her go twice goes (colloquially) by the name of "Tommy Hahn's field", and it's a standard destination for when you just need to let your (and your horse's) hair down. It's one of the fields where the hay grows that my BO's horses eat in winter. The entire region is part of a land conservatory (https://dutchessland.org/), and owners have given permission for horseback riding on their land. There are indeed a lot of hay fields, as there are a lot of horse farms nearby, so it's profitable to grow hay, and hay fields are a lot less sensitive to being travelled on than other crops.

It helps that most other horses in the area remain wrapped in bubble wrap throughout the year as I can distinctly remember each occurrence when I met another horse on the trails during the last two years. Our riding has significantly less hoof print impact than the local deer population.

Courtesy dictates that you stick to the tractor paths on the edges of the field as soon as there are crops; as soon as there is green, we'll stick strictly to the tree lines to go from forest patch to forest patch.

Except for Tommy Hahn's field...


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## lostastirrup

I took my dude down the road into Butte. For a flighty Arabx he doesn't care about traffic. I still put a curb on him in case **** hit the fan. He goes in western tack for adventures. 10/10 good pony for the 3 miles to the gas station for a candy bar. Photos are from the last bit home


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## egrogan

I feel like I'm finally back in the land of the living- I was able to get out, at least briefly, for a ride today. I haven't been able to track miles since mid-February, but we did get in a couple of miles today now that the ground is mostly thawed. Unfortunately the woods trail was in pretty bad shape, with big trees down all over, and I wasn't prepared with tools to deal with that. Will likely go out on foot a bit this weekend to do some cleanup. So we went a little ways through the woods, and turned around when we got blocked and did a lap around the property.

Look how exciting- mostly bare ground visible!! :happydance:


















*Total 2018 miles: 22.06
*Fizz-19.95
Izzy-2.11


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## Change

I was a bit surprised to see that I'm actually keeping up with @phantomhorse13 (by moving the decimal) so far! So glad to see everyone else is out riding, too! It's raining today, but supposed to be sunny this weekend - the first sunny weekend all year! The trails will still be soggy/muddy from today's all day rain (we could get 4"?!?) but... the SUN! 

I semi-contemplating hauling out to one of the trail heads about an hour away just to give both Tango and I some different scenery on Saturday, and I really need to take Cally out for a short ride. I think she's feeling neglected.


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## knightrider

Interesting and not very good things happened on today's ride. First of all, my heart horse, Chorro, was off. I'm not sure if it is saddle fit, arthritis, or ???? I've been through 12 saddles with this horse, trying to find one that fits him. I THOUGHT I had found the perfect saddle, which everyone agreed seemed to fit him. I've had it about 3 years, and now I'm wondering if it makes him short stride on the right side. So, we headed back and I put on our Aussie saddle, which the saddle fitter said "would do in a pinch with this certain heavy pad."

After about 10 minutes of riding, his stride was back to normal. It could be the saddle, but why is he better with the saddle that supposedly doesn't fit that well? He's done fine in his saddle for 3 years. Now, not so fine. This is the third time he's short striding in 6 months. He'll be 13 on April 11. Arthritis????

All I can think of is going through all the heartache that many forum members are going through--chiro, supplements, osphos, injections, buying saddles, selling saddles, vet visits, vet visits, vet visits. Oh no, sigh. I HATE selling saddles! (I love buying them)

So, Chorro was back to striding evenly. We were having a nice ride. My daughter and I had switched horses for fun. I was on her TWH Windy and she was on my Isabeau. We are at a breakthrough with Windy's running walk, and I tend to work harder and more consistently keeping Windy in gait. Windy was doing a fine smooth running walk the short sessions of gaiting that we did (very short, as I have no idea why Chorro was short striding at first--arthritis starts out "off" and then gets better, worry, worry).

Windy is only 5 and still does colty things. She did a little spook when our dog came out of the bushes, and Chorro copied the spook. My daughter's friend came off. I am embarrassed to say, I yelled, "Grab his rein!" to the young person rather than, "Are you OK?" We were on that road near my house where the speed limit is 60. Chorro has been known to run home when folks (mainly me) come off him. Our friend took it in good grace. She did struggle to her feet quickly and grabbed his rein.

She says she is OK. I fear I was not as sympathetic as I probably should have been. I was worried about Chorro.

Our friend works at the animal shelter and a bunch of DNA kits were donated, hoping the shelter would buy more. Her boss said she could have one so we DNAed our mutt. I am excited to learn what she is. She looks like a very mixed up little terrier.

We only rode 4 miles, and I didn't keep track of the time because I was on Windy and cannot count it for Pasos for Pleasure. It was about an hour and a half, counting riding back and changing the saddle.


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## mmshiro

knightrider said:


> My daughter's friend came off. I am embarrassed to say, I yelled, "Grab his rein!" to the young person rather than, "Are you OK?"


Uhm, as far as I can see, you worried about the thing you could control rather than the thing you could not. Nothing to see here, move along...


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## PoptartShop

I was supposed to take Camden to Fair Hill tomorrow for the Paperchase, but it's 99% getting POSTPONED for Saturday...& my group most of them either have to work Sat or they have plans. Ugh.
BUT we will go another day at least, & I'd rather have the footing be dry. 

It would be Cam's first time so I want it to be nice. 
They have one on Black Fri too we could do anyway...but I WANT NICE WEATHER!!!


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## phantomhorse13

Tuesday, I got Sultan out.





























Today, I got George out. 




























2018 mileage
...
3/27 sultan 7.21 miles 653 ft climb 6.9 mph 34F 476.23 total miles
3/29 george 9.61 miles 1816 ft climb 4.7 mph 41F 485.84 total miles


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## EquineBovine

These photos are all awesome!


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## mmshiro

My BO wanted to take out her horse, Red, whom she didn't ride in a while due to assorted injury and health issues. As she was a bit concerned regarding his initial, uhm, exuberance after such a long break, she asked if I could come and ride with her. No problem!

Turns out she chickened out (and, knowing the horse - check out "Solar Panel", I do not blame her), so it was just me and Marion. It was an uneventful ride, par for the course for her, with w/t/c where appropriate.

I also took another flatwork lesson at Sky Farm. The BO seems to have a similar philosophy as the other, as many of her horses have some kind of trauma from their previous careers. This time I got to ride a TB show mare who came from a jumping barn, where her life consisted of living in box, being tacked up, taken immediately into harsh contact and spurred over jumps. In other words, she has an anxiety about riding. So, I got to ride her so that she learns that it can actually be a relaxing affair - by being super soft and super relaxed. (Actually, BO took her away from another girl because she wasn't soft enough.) I have never experienced a horse that responds to a whisper of an aid: upward transitions almost without leg, downward transitions almost without rein, turning by just looking. It reminded me of driving my Porsche...  Anyway, we did have a good time, and she did get, and stayed, relaxed during the lesson. 

When I started riding, I really thought TBs wouldn't be for me, but the more of them I ride, the more they impress me, even if they are having a past that would make them more of a challenge. I also credit trail riding with my ability to ride these horses, because when BO said, "She's anxious, and she hates harsh contact!", I knew this would only be a moderate challenge.


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## knightrider

Last day of the month, and time for the monthly totals.

I don't regularly write about my rides since nothing happens on them but having fun. Today I rode Chorro solo. I was going to give him a week or two off, since he was short striding on the right hind on Thursday, but came out of it with a different saddle. I have been through 12 saddles on Chorro, trying to find one that fits both him and me. The ones that seem to fit him well are miserable for my long legs. The ones I love seem to dig him in the shoulders or loin. He has shark fin withers and a weird underside that makes saddles ride back. He is super super reactive, which makes him spooky, but on the other hand, such a delight to ride, as @mmshiro says, just the slightest movement of fingers or heel and he responds. He also has sensitive skin and reacts overmuch to rubbing tack, gets rubbed spots if anything doesn't fit just perfect. I paid way too much for a Paso Fino saddle that appeared to fit him beautifully and AMAZING! is super comfortable for me (why I paid too much). And now, after 3 years, short striding. BUMMER. 

Anyway, I couldn't stay off him today because he's been sound as sound since I switched saddles. Unfortunately, the saddle fitter did NOT recommend the saddle that made him go sound, so I don't feel I can ride him in it very often. Today I rode him in the saddle that @LoriF gave me. I don't think it fits him all that great, but he was moving beautifully, in fact, he started cortoing on his own, and it was heaven. I found some new, for me, gorgeous trails that I'm probably not allowed to ride on and will most likely get chased off at some point.

Today's ride: one hour 45 minutes, 5 miles.

Monthly total: 50.5 hours, 169.9 miles, not counting rides on non registered Paso Finos (which are not very much, maybe 15 miles?)


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## Zexious

I love your photos as always, @phantomhorse13 !


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## Spanish Rider

> Last day of the month, and time for the monthly totals.


Well, not a very good month for me. Only 5 rides, 6 hours, 22.8 miles total for the month, and 69 miles total for the year. But, I FINALLY had a trail ride on my new pony, who acted like quite a pro.


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## QueenofFrance08

Well ending the month with another weekend with no riding :frown_color: We got more snow last night that partially melted and froze and the next week is going to be really cold. Add 25 mph winds and it doesn't look like riding is in my future. I did get 1 mile in on Thursday night though but some people were out dirt biking on the gravel road and we didn't want to ride down it with them whipping back and forth. We did take Chico and Stitch up to the road so they could see the dirt bikes and they did pretty well. 

March Mileage: 19.29 (much better than my 6.38 in February)

Total for the Year: 37.17

Daisy: 11.34
Stitch: 5.79
Chico: 17
Jake: 3.04

Hopefully April will be better weather and after the 17th I go from 60 hour work weeks to 32!


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## mmshiro

Standard fun ride with Hamlet today - I expected no less of him. Oh, we ran into an ATV (a dude was out looking for shed deer antlers), and it was a good exercise for Hamlet. When we first saw him, he came across a field from the right, and then he turned into our direction of travel, so Hamlet could follow him for a good bit. Now, as we all know, that's exactly what gives horses confidence! Later we met him again and he said something to me, but I couldn't hear him, so I took Hamlet over to him. He acted like it was the most normal thing in the world, and he let me have a quick chat with the guy without problem. He just wanted to get going after a while...

Before the ride, I saw three horses lying in the sun with a Percheron standing guard for them. I figured that looks like fun, so I strolled over, checked in with the Percheron, and he told me to take a seat - he'll be watching my butt, too. It was so nice to be part of a group, relaxing, and _nobody got uncomfortable with the silence_ and felt the urge to wag their chins unnecessarily! Except for the QH behind me, who suddenly started snoring...


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## Celeste

Yesterday, DH and I went on a ride. It had been almost 3 weeks since the Psycho Princess had been ridden and it showed. I'm not sure if she was trying to compete with "NotRapper" or what. As long as she was in front, she was ok. On the way back, he passed her and she was agitated. That is kind of weird, because she usually rides in the back with no objection. 

I suspect it is his gait. When he does the running walk, her speed is either too fast or two slow and I think it made her mad. At one point, NotRapper was cantering, the the PP just stopped, planted her feet, and acted like she would buck for a little. I just sat there with a loose rein, and she realized she was being left behind and trotted on up the hill. She had done something similar to that the last time we rode. 

Things are starting to green up a little.

March 30 2.94 miles


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## Celeste

Today, DH had something to do besides ride so I took the PP out alone as far as horses go. The dog (which normally don't get to go) wanted to go SO badly, so I let them. If we rode 3 miles, Prissy ran 12. She was totally crazy to start with. The little dog was just glad to keep up at all. I wasn't sure if the dogs would make things better or worse, but I think they helped. (I was riding totally on our own property a mile off the highway.) 

Usually, when we are alone, she looks all around for spooky things the whole time. Today, she watched the dogs. When they would get out of sight, she would start looking for them. Prissy ran right up behind her, but PP had been watching and was totally prepared for the sudden appearance. I will probably do it again when it is just me and my girl. 

The dogs had so much fun! The manure they rolled in means that they will either smell up the house when I put them to bed, or I need to give them a bath. 

Prissy is a blue merle border collie. The picture I put up is pretty old. She is much more mature looking now. 

Lulu is a 15 pound ball of love, found on the side of the road and rescued by my son and given to me.

*Today: 2.9 miles
March: 11.7 miles (Dang pneumonia has messed up my plans)
Year to date: 38.93 miles*


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## EquineBovine

omg lulu kills me


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## Spanish Rider

> Except for the QH behind me, who suddenly started snoring...


 :rofl:

*Queen,* a 60h work week is _insane_.

*Celeste,* your Lulu reminds me of my rescue mutt, Cookie. She is a little black ball of fur, but very opinionated. It is extremely hard to get a photo of her where you can see her eyes because of all the hair. Here she is, right after a haircut, and she has quite a sourpuss on. If there is one thing she hates more than a haircut, it is being held. This is the little dog that I had mentioned in the other thread that a runner had threatened to kick because she was not on a leash. :evil:


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## SwissMiss

Snuck in a ride yesterday after work. BO and I were both pretty beat, so decided on a quiet ride. According to the BO rose bushes in the bush-belt between pastures just started blooming, and I still haven't seen the newborn calf. So we set out to look for the calf and admire the blooms, while moseying around. Well, that was the plan, but the BO's mare had other ideas and started bucking the moment she got on. Something with her saddle must have irked her, as after resaddling she was more agreeable, but remained agitated for most of the ride. She is in heat and _really_ doesn't want to leave the gelding :rofl: Raya is still learning that riding through an open field doesn't mean automatically running at warp speed :rofl: Lots of serpentines, circles and even a spiral-in and -out later she decided walking (or gaiting at the speed I wanted) was actually less work and we managed to finish the ride at a loose rein.
We found the blooming rose bushes, but the calf remained well hidden, though. But we also found a pristine adult coyote skull - all nicely cleaned up.

Really love the opportunity to have a really nice ride without having to haul out!


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## Zexious

@Spanish Rider - Cookie is such a doll xD
I love seeing everyone's dogs  (Another way I live vicariously through the people on this forum!)


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## EquineBovine

@SwissMiss - Did you pick up the skull? Can we see it?! I love things like that! @Spanish Rider - Cookie is so beautiful and cute and you can see she has an attitude just from that photo! Hope you kicked the cyclist. I would have. Jerk.


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## Change

Rode both my horses today - short rides, but rides anyway. Cally was first up, and I decided to change things up and take her through the cotton field, then around the loop of road for about a mile before cutting back through fields to home. She was her usual perfect self even with the Easter traffic of folks coming and going. Only one minor argument when she wanted to pick up the pace on the way home. Our agreement is, if I can sit it, we're good, so she settled into her Very Comfortable jog for the last 1/3 of a mile. 

Then it was Tango's turn. We did the same loop, with only a slight variation as I made him go the long way around one of the cotton fields first. He did really good on the road, and only eyed the scary dead couch that someone had thrown out. He even stopped for pets and pictures with some kids from the church! So - this is a totally new loop for him, and there was one Very Scary place where he balked, shied, tried to bolt, then bucked. Yes. I came off. But since he didn't know the way home, he stopped instead of running off. It took a few minutes to settle him before I could remount. I'm okay. I still remember how to land on my butt! LOL! I'll probably ache a little tomorrow.

4/1 Tango 2.82 miles (99.18 lifetime!)
4/1 Cally 2.4 miles
4/1 Me 5.22 miles YTD 53.75 miles


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## Change

Oh - and @Celeste, I am totally in love with Prissy and Lulu! They are adorable. Give Lulu a belly rub for me, will ya? 

For @Zexious - I can't take my dogs on trail with me, but since you like dog pictures, here's a few of mine.

Shadow & Patch








And Ash (aka Mama)


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## mmshiro

Day 3 of the weekend, 4th horse: Dita! She didn't have anyone come out to ride her, so we went for a spin. Being lazy, I took her on basically the same trip that I had taken Marion and Hamlet - I knew all the surprises there already. Except we got lost a little bit, so there was some trail blazing involved. I had the camera, but other than a sudden stop when a turkey took off in front of us, there was nothing much new and exciting to record.

Dita was a good girl throughout, but she is physically much more demanding to ride than the other two. If I want to sit her canter, I actually have to allow her to get out of collection and stretch out, because when she comes under and works her back, it's "two-point or bounce like a ping-pong ball"! Especially when slowing down, the sequence is: "two-point the canter, sit down for down-transition, back to two-point as she collects to slow down, sit back down for the walk". There is no such thing as a "sitting trot".

Anyway, just a short little video if you want.


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## Zexious

@Change - Thank you for sharing, they're so cute! Do you have a (*gasp*) favorite?


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## QueenofFrance08

Another return of winter weekend so no riding for me. Apparently there's supposed to be another 6 inches of the white stuff tonight. Ugh. But since everyone is sharing dog pictures...

Meet the loves of my life... My girls

Lucy: 5ish year old Lab Chow (Far left in couch picture)

Bella: 2 (will be 3 in May) year old giant mutt mix. Was told she was a lab mix when we got her at 12 weeks but grew up very differently. Got her DNA tested and she came back 1/4 pit 1/4 great pyranees and 1/2 unknown (Middle on couch)

Alice: 4 year old miniature poodle. Therapy dog certified, princess Diva of the house. She was the "Dog of Honor" in our wedding last summer

Molly: 1.5 year old Lab Springer mix. She was the flower girl in our wedding. 

Emma: 3 month old husky mix. Still trying to grow into her ears.


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## Celeste

@Spanish Rider I think that I would be ready to attack that runner if he kicked poor little Cookie. Such a sweet little dog!
@Change Sorry you fell off. I don't know if it is global warming or what, but the ground is harder than it was 30 years ago........


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## phantomhorse13

Momma nature played a cruel late April's Fool joke on us today: SIX INCHES of new snow!! 

Seeing as everyone is also sharing dog pics, this is Mia, who was the only one who enjoyed the weather:



















Once I was done shoveling, I got George out for a bareback jaunt.










George was really good and the footing was better than I expected, so I was able to do some trot and canter. We shall see if I can walk tomorrow. :smile:



















2018 mileage
...
4/2 george 5.39 miles 556 ft climb 3.8 mph 32F *491.23 total miles*


March totals:
phin 6.96 
sultan 17.27 
george 27.94 
flo 52.55 
hombre 6.73 
fuji 24.80


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## mmshiro

Last weekend ride, and saddest one, today: Lance (Percheron). I really had my fill of athletic horses over the weekend, so I was looking for something more cerebral for today.

Lance was purchased and boarded at the barn in order to be a walk-only trail horse for his owner. Last summer, she got it in her mind to move him to a barn closer to where she lived and - turn him, an ex-Amish plow horse, into a dressage horse. Long story short, he came back to the barn late last year, after having been thoroughly effed up. They treated him so badly that he would shake and shiver and refuse to leave the barn, knowing what would await him in the arena. He was "unrideable" for his owner, and still probably is. (She is unable to get to him in pasture - he takes off.)

So I took him out on his second solo trail ride (after BO). Naturally, this would be a trail ride of a different kind, not focused on athleticism and adventure, but giving a horse back a semblance of trust and confidence. Basically, it was a clover-leaf trail ride: Ride out, get him through his nervousness and anxiety, when he relaxes, turn back towards the barn. Ride out in a different direction, or in the same direction - just a bit farther and longer. The ground rule: I tell you where to go, you can pick whatever speed (other than standstill) - minimum pressure from me, in other words. It's a Percheron, for crying out loud - in the worst case, where's he gonna run with me in a big field?

Towards the end, I tried to walk(!!!) him in a 20m circle and figure-8. That was a complete disaster - he got nervous whenever I'd turn him back away from the barn, and he sped up on the arc towards the barn. At that point, we were about 100m from the fence line. After I got something that I considered a "good faith attempt", finally, I got to do him these figures in a field right adjacent to the fence. 

He's the sweetest big horse you'll ever meet, and it breaks my heart to see what they did to him. His owner makes no attempt to reconcile with him, basically stating that, at this point, she "expects nothing of him". Whatever the hell that means.

How did I do with him? Well, after he was all squared away and released into the pasture, I grabbed a cup of tea and sat on a rock wall to enjoy the horses munching their dinners. He ate a bit, then he came over to stand with me for a while. I'd say I did a hell of a lot better in one hour than both his owner and all her stuck-up dressage trainers combined.


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## mmshiro

PS: (Too late to edit) Lance is the big guy who hangs out with the pony (Napoleon).


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## EquineBovine

Little and large show! What a lovely horse. Such a shame what happened to him. Hope you can get him right x


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## Celeste

@mmshiro You should buy the poor fellow and teach him to trust humans again. He looks like he likes you a lot.


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## Change

Zexious said:


> @Change - Thank you for sharing, they're so cute! Do you have a (*gasp*) favorite?


Patch is my baby girl. When she was born, my daughter-in-law said "I want the patchy one!" Hence her name. As soon as the litter was weaned, I began house-training her. She slept on my bed, laid on the couch beside my recliner - the goal being to have a magnet dog/protector for my DIL. When they came up to meet her/take her, my son fell in love with one of the reds from the litter. They still have Bella (Patch and Shadow's litter sis). She smiles when she does something she knows she shouldn't and it is so cute you just can't stay mad.

Shadow is the spittin' image of his daddy, Smoke, whom we lost last year. He's much quieter than Patch - she's got 2 speeds warp and stop! - and more thoughtful. He's a lover and he's careful and he watches. He is our protector. And he'll climb right up into my lap rather than join Patch on the couch. He only weighs 80 lbs. ;-)

Ash/Mama - well, her name tells you. She's their Mom. And she's a lovebug. She'll sneak into the room and put her nose next to you on the seat and look at you with those big, big limpid eyes and telepathically command you to pet her. Next thing you know, her head, then her chest, then her front legs, then the rest of her is in the chair with you and she has this happy silly grin on her face. Outside, she's the rough and tumble one. She loves to fetch and play tug-o-war and keep-away. She has a growl that sounds terrifying, but that's just her play voice. When she's serious, she doesn't make a sound.

So yes, I have a favorite - it just depends on which one is in my lap at the time. ;-)



Celeste said:


> @Spanish Rider I think that I would be ready to attack that runner if he kicked poor little Cookie. Such a sweet little dog!
> 
> @Change Sorry you fell off. I don't know if it is global warming or what, but the ground is harder than it was 30 years ago........


Me too! Thankfully, I landed on a lawn that was nice and thick, so the landing was more a plop than a splat! LOL! I think my pride is more bruised than my butt! He gave me all the signs that he was getting stressed, and I just didn't listen. 

@Spanish Rider - That runner would be best off running if he threatened one of my dogs. MY bite is worse than any of theirs!

@QueenofFrance04 - I love Bella! We had a white pit/pyr mix and he was the sweetest dog. He was 110 lbs at 10 months old. Just a wee thing. I still miss him.


WE NOW RETURN THE RIDING THREAD TO ITS INTENDED TOPIC​


----------



## gunslinger

We spent Easter at Big South Fork.....it rained on Friday.....was quite nice on Saturday, and rained again on Sunday.....

The campground had a poker ride saturday.....and gave away a saddle......I was in it for awhile, with a pair of queens.....but, my queens just weren't good enough....

It's muddy at Big South Fork right now.....campground owner said she had 18 inches of rain in February.

This is the slowest start I've had in the past several years with only 33.8 miles.....and it's supposed to rain again on Saturday.

Winter just doesn't want to go away!


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I don't think I've ever been so jealous! There isn't much I miss about Colorado, but the weather is definitely one of the things. We're already consistently hitting the 80s... that's too much for me!


----------



## knightrider

@mmshiro, love that video! Noses and teeth. Did Lance actually lick the camera when everything goes dark????

I think you should ride Lance a lot more often. Seems like he needs you. And clearly he likes you.


----------



## mmshiro

knightrider said:


> @mmshiro, love that video! Noses and teeth. Did Lance actually lick the camera when everything goes dark????
> 
> I think you should ride Lance a lot more often. Seems like he needs you. And clearly he likes you.


When everything went dark, that was the camera (a little helmet camera, about as long as an index finger and twice as thick) and half my hand disappearing in his mouth. 

Yeah, BO would like to take him out more often with a buddy horse for added comfort and security, so if the opportunity presents itself, I can always squeeze in another ride with him now that the days are getting longer.


----------



## Finalcanter

I just went for a trail ride with a friend and it was a much needed break from the arena. I loved everything about it!


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## Celeste

DH and I went on a trail ride and it was beautiful out. We waited until it warmed up a little too much. It was 78 degrees, but that's not bad in the shade. 

We finally figured out why my horse has been acting so bad when we ride together. She feels annoyed if old "Big Boy" (not his name, but I refuse to keep calling him "NotMandMNotRapperMyHorse") anyway, if he is in front of her especially on the first little bit and the last little bit of the trail. I led the way on the last quarter mile and they both walked nicely on loose reins. It was much more fun than balking, bucking, backing, and other things that start with a B. 

We'll keep doing it this way for a while, and then I think she will settle down a bit about the newness. I was looking at my records, and they have not even ridden 30 miles together. 

The spring was beautiful and green with flowers everywhere. 

Today 2.9
Total 41.83


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## ChasingDreams

Lovely @Celeste! I’m just starting to see some green on branches and a few flower buds...

Chase and I had a nice ride out today. It’s been two weeks since we rode outside of the ring, and he was abnormally full of it! I spent the first mile or so struggling to keep him from speeding up. If I let him trot, he would try to canter. If I used circles to rate him, he’d just speed up again as soon as we straightened out. 

Finally, I just took him up into the big field and let him loose. We galloped a few strides, then cantered, and then he went back to being his normal relaxed self for the rest of the ride. It was fun 










Total 2018 miles~ 27.21

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## phantomhorse13

Nicole and I went for a ride with a couple other ladies today. The whole story, with more pics, is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
4/7 polo 14.55 miles 2373 ft climb 5.3 mph 32F *505.78 total miles*


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## mmshiro

First day of jumping today with Marion! Nothing to call the press about - I'm comfortable with about 1.5 - 2 feet when I'm by myself - but we did about a dozen jumps, some of which combinations. The benefit of having hunter pace trails around...you can take the jump or not as you please.

Got a bolt, too, that almost took me off over her butt. I'm ashamed to admit that the reins, for a split second, were the only thing keeping me on. We came to a farm where people had firewood stacked, protected from rain by two pieces of colorful sheet metal. When we came, those were on the ground...I know, right? You'd be scared out of your mind, too!

I was done with 90% of the ride, so I decided to do a little training. I let her walk a wide arc through the bushes to pass the metal pieces, then I turned her around and took her back. It took a little encouragement, but she scooted right past them. So, emboldened, I took her back around in our original direction of travel. Just as we were next to the offending pieces, she took off like one of them had jumped up at her throat. Not expecting a strong reaction anymore (after all, we were already walking at the closest point to the metal), I almost lost it.

Now, I can't let her walk away after a spook like that - it'll teach her that it was the right thing to do. So I put on my big boy panties and took her back again. This time, however, I only took her close and skipped the "going past" exercise. I let her look, she took one small step forward _by herself_ and started to investigate - I waited a few seconds, said, "Good enough for me!", and we were on our way home.


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## phantomhorse13

Today, DH and I got Sultan and George out. While the sun was out when we started, there was a wicked cold wind which had me muttering bad things at momma nature and her real feel of 21F :eek_color:. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
4/8 george 12.02 miles 1302 ft climb 5.2 mph 21F *517.80 total miles*


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## knightrider

Finally got @Celeste excel up and running so here are my statistics:
Chorro since Jan. 1 is 31 hours
Acicate 73
Isabeau 52
Windy 3.5

Total hours 159.50
Total miles 529.65

Probably far more than you ever, ever wanted to know.
But thank you , Celeste, it was so kind of you to send that excel spreadsheet

Now, for the endless saddle hunt, made more discouraging because Chorro started shortstriding 3 YEARS after buying what I thought was the perfect saddle: fit him, I loved it, and it was very light, plus he gaited smoothly and happily in it. But then it made him unsound. 

I looked online for some used treeless saddles, and they were all way out of my price range.

Oh, the reason Chorro has so few hours even though he is my best and favorite horse is because he is the one all the kids ride, so when I am riding Acicate, Isabeau, or Windy, somebody is often riding Chorro. Everybody loves riding him because his gait is so lovely, and he is so sweet and good. And because he is so sweet and good, he never complains about his saddle until he is visibly damaged by it. I really hate that, and I am discouraged about finding a saddle that won't damage him. They seem to fit him until something goes wrong with his body--white hairs, hunter's bump, and now short striding.


----------



## mmshiro

Hamlet today. We did the same route as Marion - it's always nice to compare horses apples-to-apples and not having to come up with a new route each time. We did some jumping, too, though Hamlet isn't quite as comfortable yet with the activity, despite the fact that my jumps are nice, low, and safe. He knocked over the top one of two boards that were a little over a foot high combined, and other jumps (I think) he waaay over-jumped. Ah, doesn't matter - my sole objective for jumping is not being in a situation of "go over or go home" and having to go home.

He acted quite "caffeinated" on the second half of the ride, so I wanted to see if he's just bouncy or barn sour. I took him up the hill - didn't make a difference. I took him to an adjacent field and let him run - away from the barn - top speed. Rather than stopping him at the end, I made a wide U-turn uphill - which slowed him down, but as soon as he saw flat, he took off again. I was basically doing canter serpentines lengthwise in a field to see when he'd throw in the towel. Just like with Dita, I lost again...I threw in the towel, got him to a walk, and bounced him home. Little Energizer Bunny, that horse. I mean, let's face it: I'm 190lbs dry, we had just come from a 70-80 min trail ride during which he already ran, jumped, trotted, and worked on hills, and still he had the energy to run his little heart out for about 10-15 mins.

I also took my BO's horse Red to the arena for some liberty work. Because of her injury, and because he's a horse in a class by himself ("Intermediate++++"), he didn't get worked with for about 5 months. He came up to me all right at liberty, but after a quick lesson in leading on a loose line (he is extremely energetic), I wanted him to follow me after I unclipped him. I walked away - he didn't follow. I turned around, put a bit of pressure on, walked away...nope, no following. Finally, I walked up to him, smooched him right on the nose, and walked away. That's when he followed me! Watch out, CA, "I have a method" too now!


----------



## Celeste

@knightrider I liked your post because you used the spreadsheet. NOT because Chorro is having issues.


----------



## Celeste

By the way, it rained yesterday and today I worked. So no riding for me.


----------



## QueenofFrance08

Got a short ride in on Saturday, took the two Arabians Jake and Chico down the driveway for 1.25 miles. Wish we could have gone farther but the snow last week made everything pretty icy. When we got back DH worked with Jake in the arena for awhile (he was being naughty) while Chico and I just hung out and Chico found a patch of grass that wasn't covered in snow. 

Took the new guy out for awhile in the arena. Not sure if it's that he hasn't been ridden much or that he's completely confused with snow footing but he's definately going to be a project. 

Picture of Chico trying out the S-Hack. He loved it!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I went over and rode with Nicole. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
 4/9 hombre 16.07 miles 1596 ft climb 4.5 mph 28F *533.87 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Who has a crazy OTTB and went for an (almost) walk-only ride today? 

Dita was exceptionally chilled today. She came to me in the pasture right away, and when I brushed her cocked leg, it was basically just hanging there - with virtually no muscle tension at all.

We rode out, and usually, after she gets her blood flowing, she tends to ask for a little trot on the first incline in a field. Not today. We continue - same route as Marion and Hamlet - and she showed absolutely no desire to speed up. "Game on," I said to her. "First one to ask the other to speed up loses!"

We came to the dirt road she absolutely _has_ to take at speed, and I was ready to let her at least take it at a trot...nope, we walked up. Then came a field where usually I have to start stopping her pretty early (it goes a tiny bit downhill) - we walked across that, too. Mind you, all of that was on "cruise control" - I used neither rein nor leg to control her speed.

She still lost, though. About 5 minutes from the barn, she couldn't take it anymore and got impatient...so I took her up the hill at the barn to finish the ride. She really did earn it, and I'm not sure she completely understood the rules of the bet. 

Throughout the ride, I made an extra effort to praise her, scratch her neck, and tell her she's a good girl, so she knows she's doing the right thing. A somewhat surprising ride, but not at all disappointing, especially since I was pretty sore from the weekend rides.

Next time I ride Dita, I don't want to hear any more BS from her about "I'm a TB, and I _need_ to bounce around at an annoying little trot even though my ground speed is actually walking speed!"


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> By the way, it rained yesterday and today I worked. So no riding for me.


Sounds like you're feeling a bit better? At least, I hope so.

We had rain again this weekend too.....and rain forecast for the upcoming weekend.....


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> Sounds like you're feeling a bit better? At least, I hope so.
> 
> We had rain again this weekend too.....and rain forecast for the upcoming weekend.....


I am feeling better. Thanks for asking. I'm not sure that I am totally back to normal, but I am getting there. This nice weather should help.


----------



## egrogan

I signed Fizz and I up for an April 28th 15-mile competitive trail event in Vermont, and have been trying to get out to ride as often as the weather allows. It's still snowing and sleeting, with the ground freezing solid overnight so has been frustrating. But this morning it was a little less frozen than it has been so I was able to get out for a really nice ride- doing more than just walking too!

Fizz was happy to be out and about.


















*Total 2018 miles- 29.8*
Fizz- 26.94
Isabel- 2.89


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## phantomhorse13

Today I got George out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
4/11 george 11.53 miles 1865 ft climb 5.4 mph 30F* 545.40 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> I am feeling better. Thanks for asking. I'm not sure that I am totally back to normal, but I am getting there. This nice weather should help.


Normally I'd recommend a good hot totty made from some special Tennessee corn squeezings, a bit of honey and some lemon......but I hear there's the new product....sponsored by Willie Nelson......that seems to be the new fad in Colorado and California.....

I'm sure either would make you forget about it for awhile.....but probably won't cure it.....

Lol.....anyway.....glad your improving....


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> Normally I'd recommend a good hot totty made from some special Tennessee corn squeezings, a bit of honey and some lemon......but I hear there's the new product....sponsored by Willie Nelson......that seems to be the new fad in Colorado and California.....
> 
> I'm sure either would make you forget about it for awhile.....but probably won't cure it.....
> 
> Lol.....anyway.....glad your improving....


I guess you'll have to send some of those cures my way.


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## knightrider

Today is my heart horse Chorro's birthday! He was born in 2004, and I got him as a yearling. Poor guy, I celebrated his birthday by taking him for a longish ride. But we had a lot of fun. He's a good guy.


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## egrogan

Happy birthday Chorro!


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## mmshiro

egrogan said:


> Fizz was happy to be out and about.


Awwww...that are the eyes of a content horse!!


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## egrogan

Thanks @mmshiro-she has tolerated the indoor well all winter, but she wants to be a trail horse! It was noticeable yesterday as we were trotting along that she’s much more engaged-mentally and physically-when we’re going somewhere.


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## knightrider

Today we had a super fun trail ride at a local riding park with 4horses and my new riding friend and me. I brought Chorro because 4horses is helping me figure out what kind of saddle would suit him best. We spent an hour trying different saddles and pads and none of them were ideal. I brought Acicate for my Paso Fino trainer friend. The only noteworthy thing about today's ride was that I trailered Chorro and Acicate together for the first time ever, and they are mortal enemies. I have never trailered them together before because Isabeau and Acicate are young and need the experience trail riding and trailering, Windy and Chorro are my DD's and my heart horses so when we camp out for a week, those two go, and when Isabeau was still being a very naughty girl kicking my trailer to pieces, my daughter and I would bring Aci and Windy for short camping trips. They were both young, and we just told them they had to put up with each other, so they did.

My trailer is a two horse stock trailer with no partition, so I gave it quite a bit of thought as to how I was going to haul these two horses who attack, bite, and kick each other whenever they get near each other. Chorro especially wants to make sure that Aci doesn't get anywhere near the mares and understands that Aci is low man in the gelding part of the herd.

I put Aci in first, as he jumps right in and stays calm in the trailer no matter what. Then Chorro went right on as if they had been trailering together for years. There was lots of what @bsms calls "bitey face", but they rode together beautifully.

This is our new riding friend's fourth ride, and we had such a grand time riding, we just hated to go in. We rode 2.75 hours and went 9 miles--low mileage for the time put in because we fooled around trying to figure out exactly what Chorro would need in the way of saddle fit.


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## knightrider

Today was Isabeau's turn for a ride, and as is often the case, I had to ride solo. She was lovely. Great ride.

I realized that I had never worked with Isabeau on leads. I've cantered her hundreds of times in the almost 5 years I have owned her, but never even noticed what lead she was taking. Does she alternate leads? Always take the same lead? I never paid attention. With Isabeau, I am still so thrilled that I can ride her going forward instead of up or backward or circling, that I don't push her for the little things. Even today, when riding her, it feels so wonderful just to be able to climb on her and go riding. She is always on high alert, swiveling her ears constantly, yawing away from something she sees as a threat, sweating, nerves on edge. She is not a relaxing ride . . . but she sure is fun!

When she is with her herd, she is just the opposite, completely calm, nose to tail rider. That's when I put beginners on her. When the other horses spook, she doesn't. Funny quirky little mare.

Last year my goal was to teach her to jump, to learn some elementary dressage, and to pack beginners, which she has learned to do. It takes her months to learn something that Acicate will learn in just a few days. Isabeau is so certain that she has to do what she wants to do, and if you push her even a little bit, she explodes or shuts down completely or loses her mind. Everything is baby steps with her.

So today, when I was cantering her, I finally paid attention to what lead she likes--right lead--and now, hopefully we have a strong enough bond to start teaching her to take the lead I ask for. I won't be at all surprised if she says, "Scr%#w you, I'll take the lead I want," because that is her way.

We rode 1.75 hours and went 5.86 miles.


----------



## Celeste

I have ridden twice since I posted. Yesterday afternoon, DH and I rode 2.9 miles. We had a great ride and the "kids" were awesome.

Today, my friend came over and we rode 5.3 miles. We had a great time. I couldn't get my horse to do a smooth canter, but at least she would canter. I always complain about noisy neighbors target shooting around here. Well I have to admit that they are doing me a favor. Someone was shooting rifles and then exploding some kind of stuff. It was very loud and not that far off of the road. Neither my horse nor my friends horse paid them any attention at all. 

And DH found a baby turtle in the yard! He was mowing, and thankfully he saw the little guy.

With the two rides, I just passed *50 miles.*


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## mmshiro

Somewhat adventurous today. Marion got drafted for lesson duty, so I grabbed Dita. We had a good ride - I just wish she would walk down ravines rather than skip like a school girl! We ran some, but she wasn't super energetic, so we both had a kind of Goldilocks ride.

When I came back, the woman who likes to ride Dita (but only shows up occasionally) had taken Scout (the green Paint) to the arena. BO asked me if I wanted to switch horses - I'll take Scout, she takes Dita - and go out some more. I go to the arena to pick them up...turns out that she just had a nasty fall. When trying to slow Scout from a canter, he reared and flipped over with her, narrowly missing her obviously because she was back in the saddle walking around cautiously.

To her immense credit (I once told her she had "ovaries of steel"), she got on Dita, and we went out for a trail ride...I was on Scout. I figured I wouldn't have a problem with him because with lots of room, I don't need to be in a hurry to slow him down. And, indeed, he was still his green self (BO's injury tossed a wrench into a lot of training at that barn), and we may have cantered one or two side passes in the field (before I told him to knock it off and gave him a swift kick into the offending bulging shoulder), but overall there was nothing that would have put me in danger. So, it was a little bit adventurous because, of course, I didn't know that when I got on him! You better believe that my "read the horse's body language" sensitivity went to a much higher level on that ride.

So why did he rear? Well, sometimes, when you want to show the horse who the boss is, especially a horse who needs more reassurance than anything else, he'll end up on top of you.


----------



## knightrider

@mmshiro, isn't it funny, we both discussed the same issue--an opinionated horse that you can't push too hard or they'll go over on you! Good on us for you figuring out Scout and me figuring out Isabeau.

To be honest, Isabeau has not come over on me for 4 years, but I well remember when she did it regularly. That's always in the back of my mind, and probably why I am not as firm with her as I am with other horses. Also why just riding her down the trail is such satisfaction.


----------



## mmshiro

knightrider said:


> @mmshiro, isn't it funny, we both discussed the same issue--an opinionated horse that you can't push too hard or they'll go over on you! Good on us for you figuring out Scout and me figuring out Isabeau.
> 
> To be honest, Isabeau has not come over on me for 4 years, but I well remember when she did it regularly. That's always in the back of my mind, and probably why I am not as firm with her as I am with other horses. Also why just riding her down the trail is such satisfaction.


Results like this beat any ribbon any day, wouldn't you say! It's just like at he barn where I now take a few lessons to keep current with my riding habits. For my third lesson there, BO gave me an OTTB mare (Toni) who needs rehabilitation from a harsh show environment by being shown that riding can be relaxing. BO asking me when I can come back for another lesson with Toni is worth more than any ribbons, because it gives my riding meaning and purpose. 

But what's even better is me grooming her and tacking her up, and a bunch of wide-eyed little horse girls (from the previous lesson) asking me, "Are you going to ride Toni? Awwww!" I know, it's not very mature, but I promise I only gloated internally...


----------



## egrogan

Like many on here, we have had awful winter weather hanging around this weekend. I woke up to heavy sleet, but it stopped by mid-morning, and the roads were just wet, so I ventured out to the barn expecting to have a schooling ride in the indoor. I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the next town over, and the roads were totally dry with no ice to be seen. I changed my plans and headed out to ride. A couple of the nice-for-riding dirt roads are closed to traffic through May 1st, and we've hardly gotten to use them all winter/"spring" because the ice has been so persistent.

It seems like a forest worth of squirrels suddenly woke up in the past week, and they are scurrying everywhere. This was very distracting to Fizz, who kept a suspicious eye on the woods...









Still, we had a decent ride. I got some hoof boots yesterday so this was our first real test spin in them. She doesn't seem to notice them at all, and that allowed us to trot a good part of the ride, which was a nice change. 









It is supposed to warm up mid-week, so we'll see if that happens. I'm hoping so!

*Total 2018 miles: 34.5
*Fizz-31.6
Isabel-2.9
(Just checked my riding log and saw that the number of miles Fizz and I have done this year is exactly the same as the number of miles she and I did after I bought her in October. Hoping for many, many more this year!)


----------



## Celeste

@egrogan What kind of boots did you buy? I am thinking of buying boots for my old girl so that she can be ridden at her usual frequency which is about 6 times a year. It is hardly worth keeping her shod any more.

Anybody else have any good boot opinions?


----------



## carshon

We have used Easy Boot Epic's for years and had good luck - although the clip can be hard to get down on a well fitted pair and to release when the ride is over. I have ridden in Cavallos but found them to be really clunky and not good for up and down hills etc. I am dying to try Scoot Boot's!


----------



## Spanish Rider

@Celeste , egrogan bought Scoot boots, and she uploaded some great photos to her thread: http://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/my-mare-star-trail-today-*update-431322/page155/


----------



## mmshiro

Super funny ride with Hamlet today. You may remember that once we tried to teach him to trot properly? Well, now it seems to be his favorite gait ever! The funny thing is that he does not care about terrain when he goes, so him trotting, on loose rein, around the perimeter of a field in the beginning was fine, but when we came through the forest, the enthusiasm with which he covered ground was just too hilarious. Of course I _started_ trotting him where the ground was good. He can be a bit oblivious regarding his surroundings, so I gave him a wiggle on the reins to tell him to watch his feet when things got rough. He did not care! Ruts in the trail? Power through. Loose sand surrounding a dried stream bed? Power through like a little ATV. Shrubbery and tree trunks in the way? Depending on thickness, go through or jump over! 

To appreciate the humor, you have to imagine a 15:2hh paint-colored QH, with a baby face and the ground demeanor of a teddy bear, in top physical condition - strength and cardio - and who steps out like he's late for a meeting, but without jigging, rushing, or fighting the bit. At first I was concerned he might be a bit anxious, but despite the windy day, we only had one spook. So him powering through a rough trail, despite my best attempts to have him slow to look at the obstacles in front of him, before he hit rocks, sand, or mud, it was just too adorable. Little Energizer Bunny! Even the bloody TBs put more thought into were they go!

What really helps is that he's learned a cadenced, rhythmic trot that is really easy to ride. I "post", but I doubt the cloth of my seat is even leaving the saddle. When he was all jiggy and bouncy, I wanted to hit him with a hammer; now I just let him do his thing. 

I did have to slow him a few times to the walk, because we were also working on "Seeing an open field does not mean 'Launch into orbit!'" So, two fields he got to walk, the third he got to run after showing me that he can walk for the first 10-20 meters or so. I swear he was probably about to explode inside, judging from the take-off after the gentlest of nudges with my calves. But he hid it well - I did not have to fight him at the walk (otherwise I couldn't have let him go).

Anyway, 37 degrees and a bit drizzly, but a fantastic ride with the Hamster!


----------



## charrorider

Finally had a chance for some saddle time a couple of days ago and rode 10 miles (6 km) in The Year of the Winter That Won't Go Away. I haven't dared to look at the number of miles I had ridden last year at this time, but eventually I had to do it. Middle of April in 2017, I had ridden 102 miles (63 km). In 2018? 50 miles (31 km).


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## egrogan

@Celeste- as @Spanish Rider says, I got the Scoot Boots. I will remember to post here in the future as we break them in. After the first two days in them, so far I like them!


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## Spanish Rider

*charrorider,*
Good news! You rode more than you thought in km: 102 miles is actually 164 km, and 50 miles is about 80 km. After 30 years of living in Europe, I still have to stop and think about it myself.:smile:


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> @*egrogan* What kind of boots did you buy? I am thinking of buying boots for my old girl so that she can be ridden at her usual frequency which is about 6 times a year. It is hardly worth keeping her shod any more.
> 
> Anybody else have any good boot opinions?


Celeste, I've never put a shoe on Miss Lacy. She's been in boots for the past 9 years. 

I haven't tried the Scoot boots so I can't really comment on them, but I've used Renegades for the last several years and can highly recommend them.

I've used the Easy boot Epics, and they're a close second.

Miss Lacy only wears front boots.....barefoot in the back....Sonny Boy, needs all four. Jack just gets fronts.

The good thing about being barefoot, feet stay healthier. We do trim more frequently, usually at 5 weeks. 

If I rode every day I'd put shoes on her....but for weekend riding, boots work fine for me.


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## egrogan

I would have done the Renegades if the Scoots hadn't shown up and looked easy to use. I've heard really good things about the Renegades too.


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## Celeste

DH and I rode yesterday and today. The weather was perfect both days. 
Yesterday, DH's horse spooked pretty good when a buzzard flew almost on top of him. All he did was leap forward and then stop, so there was no harm done.
Today, I talked DH into going down the dirt road. We had it all to ourselves. No shooters, hunters, loggers, or any other stuff. The only wildlife we saw today was a marsh hawk flying over us. (Nobody spooked.)

April 17: 2.9 miles
April 18: 3.6 miles

Total for the year: 56.53 miles. 

I am really enjoying having a few days off!!


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## Celeste

@Change I have never had luck getting DH to ride this much. He really likes this horse. I appreciate you helping me find him.


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## egrogan

Wish I saw the same budding green that you have in your pics @Celeste!

We did get some unexpected moments of blue skies this morning while I rode, but it was still hovering right around freezing temp wise. The woods are back to iced over, but the fields closer to the barn are clear, so when we turned back from the woods we still managed to get some fresh air by doing a few laps around the property.









*Total 2018 miles: 37.4
*Fizz- 34.5
Isabel-2.9


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## charrorider

Took my second horse, Amal, a rescued gelding out for a solo ride. Two rides in less than a week and another ten miles!!! Met a lady and her teenage son at the trail head. Had to explain to her that the local chapter of Backcountry Horsemen of America does not consider downed trees that a horse can step over, or that can be avoided by going around without getting too far off the trail, to be blocking the trail. Not sure we'll see her, again.
Amal, snacking on some brome hay before the last 2.5 miles and home.


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## Oreos Girl

Charrorider,
It is interesting that the BCA doesn't clear trees that have to be ridden around in your area. Our state/national trail system (linked trails some on state land some on national land) that I ride one they commmonly remove those trees because they want to preserve the trails that are there and not create new ones. It may be 6 months but they do go out and cut them so we don't go around. Since they are out there anyway, they typically cut the smaller trees too because the chainsaw is already there.


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## Celeste

DH and I rode our regular trail today. It was a little bit breezy and cool. The horses were really wanting to go. I finally was able to get my girl to jog in rhythm to DH's horse's running walk. They were just really wired today. I tried to do a canter and rather than a nice, easy canter, I got an annoyed horse trying to decide which way to gallop. I pulled up her track into google earth and looked at the crazy excuse she used for a straight line. On a good note, at least she tried and she did not buck.

The picture that I will attach with the map and arrows is about 1/4 of a mile that was supposed to be a straight line. The arrows show her actual path.

The next pictures, the kids are saying, "Bath? I'll show you what we do with baths. Now. That's better!"

Today: 2.9 miles
Total: 59.43 miles


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## charrorider

Oreos Girl. I don't think we are talking about the same thing. My understanding is that the BCA doesn't have a national policy as far as clearing trails. That's all left to the local chapters. The other thing is, this is National Forest land (not State or National Park) and we don't have nice, wide manicured trails here. These trails are more like paths, narrow, rocky, primitive. If a fallen tree, three miles down a rocky path, needs to be cleared out of the way, some volunteer is going to have to carry that chainsaw the three miles there and the three miles back. No riding a pickup, or an ATV (four wheeler). We do some clearing every year, but not anything fancy. Personally, I feel our primitive trails makes better trail horses. The horse learn to pay attention where they put their feet.


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## gunslinger

charrorider said:


> Oreos Girl. I don't think we are talking about the same thing. My understanding is that the BCA doesn't have a national policy as far as clearing trails. That's all left to the local chapters. The other thing is, this is National Forest land (not State or National Park) and we don't have nice, wide manicured trails here. These trails are more like paths, narrow, rocky, primitive. If a fallen tree, three miles down a rocky path, needs to be cleared out of the way, some volunteer is going to have to carry that chainsaw the three miles there and the three miles back. No riding a pickup, or an ATV (four wheeler). We do some clearing every year, but not anything fancy. Personally, I feel our primitive trails makes better trail horses. The horse learn to pay attention where they put their feet.


Same here. I always carry a pair of nippers, a hand saw, and last year bought a very small Echo chain saw; weight empty is 6 pounds.

I can't get the really big trees, but it's already saved a long ride back on a couple of occasions.

Wildfires a couple of years back, along with a wet spring, seemed to put trees down every where.

I have a group of friends who miss some great riding because they simply are afraid when they have to go off trail. So, they just won't go to many of the places I ride.


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## knightrider

Kind of an interesting ride this morning. I have a 13 year old next door neighbor, who moved here in February of last year. She told me the day she moved in, that she was an expert rider because she had rented a horse for a trail ride in North Caroline once with her family. 

It has taken over a year of taking her riding almost every week, but I think she is sort of getting the feeling that there is more to riding than she thought. She's had a ton of adventures, and done very well handling horses in worrisome situations.

Yesterday she brought her friend over, who was spending the night, asking if her friend could go this morning. Her friend said she was quite experienced, had had lots of riding lessons, and was quite a fine rider. I thought to myself, "Yeah, right."

But the sooner I get kids on horses and get them experience, the sooner I have decent riders to accompany me on trails, so I did the things I have to do to get her on a horse (parent signature, etc.).

So, this morning, I put her on Chorro, as my neighbor child is afraid of all my horses except Isabeau. I would have preferred my neighbor rode Chorro, and put the new rider on safe, nose to tail quiet Isabeau, but my little neighbor was too nervous. She is one of those riders (we have a few adults like that on Horse Forum) who thinks she can't ride as well as she rides. She thinks Chorro is pretty hot. So the unknown kid gets Chorro.

As soon as she climbed on, my heart sank. She knew absolutely NOTHING. She kept holding the reins wrong, death grip on the pommel with looped reins, heels up, the whole nine yards. As we rode along, I kept telling her things (hopefully tactfully) like "put your heels down" and "your foot is in too far, pull it out some" and "see how C rides? Try to ride like that". And the child kept telling me, "Oh, I know how to ride."

I felt like saying "No you DON'T!" but I kept my mouth shut, and kept urging and encouraging her. Fortunately, she did everything I said so by the end of the ride, she was looking 1000 % better, and doing better with Chorro.

My poor Chorro, bless his sweet dear lil' self. This is a horse that will move out faster if you move your heel a quarter of an inch, and will slow down if you move your pinky finger. And this child was swinging her legs banging into him with every stride. And he just walked along quietly. I was so proud of him. I don't like putting beginners on him because he can spook really really big with absolutely NO warning. But fortunately, he did not spook at all, and the ride was a smashing success.

My 13 year old next door neighbor was proud fit to bust, showing her friend how she could brush and tack up her horse, tie a safety release knot, mount smoothly and demonstrate all the gaits, be a model rider, and at the end, lead TWO horses through two gates and out to a pasture. I was happy with both the girls. We had fun.

What never ceases to amaze me is how neophytes think that they can just "say" they can ride, and they don't think we can "see" and know how they ride???? I hope this little girl comes often so we can get her on the road to understanding what real riding is. She made a grand start today.


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## EquineBovine

knightrider said:


> Kind of an interesting ride this morning. I have a 13 year old next door neighbor, who moved here in February of last year. She told me the day she moved in, that she was an expert rider because she had rented a horse for a trail ride in North Caroline once with her family.
> 
> It has taken over a year of taking her riding almost every week, but I think she is sort of getting the feeling that there is more to riding than she thought. She's had a ton of adventures, and done very well handling horses in worrisome situations.
> 
> Yesterday she brought her friend over, who was spending the night, asking if her friend could go this morning. Her friend said she was quite experienced, had had lots of riding lessons, and was quite a fine rider. I thought to myself, "Yeah, right."
> 
> But the sooner I get kids on horses and get them experience, the sooner I have decent riders to accompany me on trails, so I did the things I have to do to get her on a horse (parent signature, etc.).
> 
> So, this morning, I put her on Chorro, as my neighbor child is afraid of all my horses except Isabeau. I would have preferred my neighbor rode Chorro, and put the new rider on safe, nose to tail quiet Isabeau, but my little neighbor was too nervous. She is one of those riders (we have a few adults like that on Horse Forum) who thinks she can't ride as well as she rides. She thinks Chorro is pretty hot. So the unknown kid gets Chorro.
> 
> As soon as she climbed on, my heart sank. She knew absolutely NOTHING. She kept holding the reins wrong, death grip on the pommel with looped reins, heels up, the whole nine yards. As we rode along, I kept telling her things (hopefully tactfully) like "put your heels down" and "your foot is in too far, pull it out some" and "see how C rides? Try to ride like that". And the child kept telling me, "Oh, I know how to ride."
> 
> I felt like saying "No you DON'T!" but I kept my mouth shut, and kept urging and encouraging her. Fortunately, she did everything I said so by the end of the ride, she was looking 1000 % better, and doing better with Chorro.
> 
> My poor Chorro, bless his sweet dear lil' self. This is a horse that will move out faster if you move your heel a quarter of an inch, and will slow down if you move your pinky finger. And this child was swinging her legs banging into him with every stride. And he just walked along quietly. I was so proud of him. I don't like putting beginners on him because he can spook really really big with absolutely NO warning. But fortunately, he did not spook at all, and the ride was a smashing success.
> 
> My 13 year old next door neighbor was proud fit to bust, showing her friend how she could brush and tack up her horse, tie a safety release knot, mount smoothly and demonstrate all the gaits, be a model rider, and at the end, lead TWO horses through two gates and out to a pasture. I was happy with both the girls. We had fun.
> 
> What never ceases to amaze me is how neophytes think that they can just "say" they can ride, and they don't think we can "see" and know how they ride???? I hope this little girl comes often so we can get her on the road to understanding what real riding is. She made a grand start today.


I'm so tactless with kids who think they know it all but don't. Comes from my mum chasing me with a whip when I was little for yanking on my pony's mouth because I didn't want to canter :lol: 
Sounds like you and your horses handled it well. I would have told her to get of my bloody horse :lol:


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## Celeste

DH and I rode today. It will be my last ride of this glorious vacation. I start back to work tomorrow. :sad:

The horses behaved much better than they did yesterday. My girl threw one small tantrum including a few small bucks because she couldn't keep up with the running walk without trotting or cantering. And yes, that was an improvement from some of the rides. She can't really understand how the TWH seems to glide along at what she considers the "wrong" speed. 

We have had issues with some vultures that are nesting in a building we ride spooking them a bit, but today, they totally ignored the birds.

There was also a rattlesnake in the road and they walked calmly around it. 

Today we took the 2.9 mile trail. (The longer trail had so much target shooting going on that it sounded like a war zone.)

Total for year: *62.33*

I would have liked to have taken a picture of the rattlesnake, but I couldn't make myself stay that close to him. I'm glad he didn't rattle. Or bite.


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## EquineBovine

Woah woah woah hold on...
Vultures and a freaking rattle snake?! Where on earth are you riding! Sounds like an old western trail haha How the hay do you 'calmly walk around' a rattle snake!
Scariest thing around here are the white butterflies my Freya is completely petrified of :lol:


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## mmshiro

It was Marion's day today. I figured it would be an uncomplicated ride when, before putting on her bridle, she put her head against my torso and I rubbed her ears for about half a minute. And it was! We still had all the speeds and a bit of jumping, but overall a very relaxing ride. Just like Dita the other day, she did not ask for a run in a field that is usually a "given". Since "chilled" is desired behavior, I just scratched her neck a bit as we walked down the tree line. Two does were watching us the entire time from across the field. 

New horse at my lesson barn today: Gunnar, retired reining horse. There was an "Oh s**t!" strap attached to my saddle which I wasn't allowed to take off because, according to BO, "He'll probably be the most athletic horse you've ridden here, and he likes to get strong. If he gets too strong with you, I'll get you a martingale!"

Not only did we not need a martingale, I also have no idea what she meant by "getting strong". If anything, he was a bit of a pebble pusher at the trot. Yes, he was a bit straight-line challenged, but gas, steering, and brakes worked flawlessly. He was also quite fast, to the point of slipping a little in a few corners, but, again, this "difficult" horse presented me with no difficulty to overcome at all. 

While I didn't get to do a real sliding stop, I did get to stop him from the trot just with my seat, so that was neat. Also, "leg plus exhale" means "side pass", "leg plus inhale" means "canter". Not your typical lesson horse...


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## SwissMiss

Took a longer lunch break at work to take advantage of the rain-free weather today.
It was pretty breezy with quite some gusts mixed in and I expected a ride where speed would be a discussion point... Wasn't I surprised when it wasn't most of the time :biggrin:
We moseyed (aka slow gait both Peruanos were trying to beat each other in how slow and smooth they could go :wink all around the property, checked on the beaver dam, how well the newly planted trees were doing and found the grazing muzzle that the mustang mare tried to hide :wink:
BO's horse wasn't really keen on crossing mud, water and squeezing through bush, and got quite agitated, while Raya just looked at him "what's the fuss all about?" and she didn't even bat an eyelid when she caught her hind leg in a dead bush and dragged it for a while...
The only time she got all bug-eyed and worried was when we visited the guy unloading gravel/rocks from the truck with a shovel.The noise and flinging of the shovel were apparently highly suspicious... 

Best way to enjoy a lunch break :biggrin:


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## gunslinger

Well, it was a short ride, but never the less, thankfully the weather on the weekend has finally improved...

Only 6 miles, on bumpties.....DW rode with us....and thus the reason for making it a short ride.

I'm at a whopping 40 miles....


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## Change

@Celeste - I am so happy to hear DH loves riding MY HORSE and is getting out more often to ride with you. I'm sorry your gal hasn't found a gait that can match NOT RAPPER's gliding walk, though.

I went to the Hodges Hootenanny 10 miles intro rides that were actually 12 miles, and a lot more technical and challenging than Yellowhammer's 10s. Lots of water crossings, or dropping down steep slides over rocky bedded creeks just to scramble up equally steep banks on the other side. Single tracking through and over Huge granite boulders. And, after all that, we had to ride past a herd of cattle and goats - neither of which Tango had ever seen up close before. Unfortunately, that meant my phone stayed in my pocket, so no pictures. 

Day 1 I rode with a really nice 16 year old boy on a palomino quarter horse. Good thing, too, because at one of the water crossings (belly deep) Tango decided he wanted to take a bath. Without warning he dropped to his belly in that Very Cold water and proceeded to roll. I got my foot out of the stirrup and leg out from under him but lost the reins in the process and he decided to get up and head back home without me. J, the kid, took off after him on his QH and caught him after about a mile and met me as I was slogging back after them. On one part of the trail, we saw a large rattler under a tree we were supposed to ride over - we went around - and a second snake in the grass alongside the trail. I was soaked, my boots squishy, but we finished the ride in 3h 35 mins and vetted out with all A's except gut sound, which got Bs.

Day 2 was the same trail, but this time I rode with a lady who had done the 25 miler the day before and just wanted to stretch her horse out, and a very petite (under 5') marathon runner on an 11h pony. That pony really was amazing, keeping up with the 2 big horses for the 1st 10 miles before just not having any steam left for trotting. But he did amazing on some of those big drops and climb outs - better than the Arab in some cases! They had deep water by-passes marked, and took ALL of them or had the Arab chase Tango through any standing water, just in case. Survived that ride dry in 3h 15 mins with the same vet scores as Friday. 

All in all, I had a blast. I met some really nice people, and J won the Hero's Award (made up just for him) which entailed the club sponsoring him in the 25 at the upcoming Bonita Flats Endurance Race. I won the usual t-shirt for participation and a sponge for the next time my horse wanted a bath! 

Tango 4/20 - 12.2 miles; 4/21 - 12.24 miles. He's finally a 100 mile horse now, with 123 lifetime miles!
Me this weekend, 24.44 miles; year total *78.19 miles*. Last year, I didn't hit 78 miles until August!
[/B]


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## mmshiro

Ride with Hamlet today. Last week I thought he was just a bit caffeinated, but something happens to that boy as soon as you jump a few logs. He rode out calmly, took the invitation for a few canters, but as soon as I had him jump a few logs, he was all :dance-smiley05: :happydance: for the rest of the ride. At one point I let him go, and he took me on a ride through the forest that'd make a TB blush. Not that there was a problem slowing him when necessary, but loose reins were impossible to maintain because of the constant corrections.

Back at the farm, I took him to the arena, and he confused "small circles to slow you down" with "We are barrel racing now? Cool!" Then I tried to ride him into the fence whenever he sped up. He stopped, but he also didn't catch on. Finally, I had to do some pretty drastic "Halt and back!", which caused him to give me a round around the arena at the walk with no correction necessary. At that point, I hopped off immediately, loosened the girth, and hand-walked him to the barn. Hopefully the lesson will stick!

Later that day, I went to see Marion in her pasture. She's there with Gershwin and another mare. When I showed up, they immediately got out of Dodge...until I laid down on one of their big piles of hay and got comfy. They did an immediate 180, came all over to say Hi!, and - the coolest part - Marion remained and stood with me and ate from the hay I was resting on, her nose making contact with me probably 80% of the time. She would chew over me, then she'd carefully clean up the hay she had dropped on me.

Here's a pro-tip, though: Hypothetically, if your horse starts eating between your legs and you start chortling because it's just so **** funny (Of all the spots of a big pile of hay? Really?), she _might_ get startled and accidentally kick your foot. Just hypothetically speaking.

Anyway, it was so cool to get temporary honorary herd membership from those three, and a relaxing picnic date with Marion.


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## charrorider

Third ride in ten days and another 10 miles, which bring me up to 70 for the year. I know I shouldn't complain, but I had 102 miles at this time last year. Anyways, yesterday I went for a solo ride in the pine woods.


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## Celeste

EquineBovine said:


> Woah woah woah hold on...
> Vultures and a freaking rattle snake?! Where on earth are you riding! Sounds like an old western trail haha How the hay do you 'calmly walk around' a rattle snake!
> Scariest thing around here are the white butterflies my Freya is completely petrified of :lol:


It was a small rattlesnake. I just went behind him. I guess he could have turned around, but he he wasn't looking for a fight. Thankfully.


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## Celeste

@mmshiro I'm glad you are not now singing soprano.


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## EquineBovine

​


Celeste said:


> It was a small rattlesnake. I just went behind him. I guess he could have turned around, but he he wasn't looking for a fight. Thankfully.


The SIZE doesn't matter!!! Surely! You and your horses are made of STEEL


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I'm glad you are not now singing soprano.


Nah, there was no risk of that. She ate dropped hay from my shirt without lifting the fabric...let alone making any contact with her teeth.


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## ChasingDreams

We had our first ride at the new place yesterday! It was so fun, I put all the details in my journal:
Adventures with Chase
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh....com/showthread.php?p=1970527105&share_type=t

I didn’t have my app running or take pictures this time, as I was mostly just focused on Chase and making sure nothing was going to take me off guard... but I will definitely try to get some maps and pictures soon!

We rode for a little over 2 hours, I’m going to guess it was maybe 4 miles, maybe longer. I’ll just use 4 for now and adjust it once I get a more accurate reference next time 

Total 2018 miles~ 31.21


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## carshon

I finally got my first ride in for 2018! The weather finally cooperated! Rode 6.5 miles gaited and walked most of the ride. Just a lovely ride and on glorious day! I won't even begin to compare to my rides in 2017 where I was able to start riding in Feb. So ride 1 under our belts and no shenanigans.


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## Oreos Girl

Charrorider,
No I am talking state and national trails that are mostly single track unless it is down a fireroad.








A typical trail.









This is some downed trees that were small that we had to go over.









This is how the chainsaw is carried in.









Machetes are also used.








It is hard work.










The results

I stole the last four off the person that has the license to use the chainsaw in state and national lands fb account so I covered any faces.


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## QueenofFrance08

Finally got some rides in! 

Tuesday 4/17-Quick ride around our arena after my work party
Wednesday 4/18- I had big ambitious plans for my day off of taking Chico on a long relaxed ride. Instead it was windy and cold and we got 2 miles in before he decided he had enough with the neighbors dog barking at him. We walked by that house until he realized it wasn't going to get him and then went back to the arena for some circle and figure 8's
Thursday- I rode DH's mare and he rode mine who promptly took off and dumped him in the grass.... She's feeling good after having a month off
Friday 4/20- Horses got trims and DH and I got out for a 2.5 mile ride to the end of the road and back. I rode Chico and he rode Stitch
Saturday 4/21-Rode with our farrier and his fiance around their land. Got 6 miles in and got to chase some cows in the arena.
Sunday 4/22- Rode 1.53 miles with DH and his mom. DH took Jake out and he did great. I rode Stitch and MIL rode Chico. They did great despite neighbors kids tearing around in golf carts and trucks.

Total miles: 52.32


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## mmshiro

Last ride of this week's batch: Dita. After she gave me an almost-walk-only ride the other day, I figured she deserved a somewhat brisker pace today, so that's what we did. I am so fortunate to be able to ride three horses in a row on exactly the same trail on three days in a row: Everything that all the horses have in common on the rides is my fault (or to my credit), everything that's unique to the horse is on the horse. 

I was very impressed how she waited for my "Go!" signal for the first run, even though after that (i.e. after waking up) she started to share her opinion about the optimal speed for the next bit of trail more often. Sometimes I let her have at it, just so I could tell her, "I told you so!" when she got into mud, rocks, and other debris after just a few paces, and voluntarily slowed down. I still praised her for her wise decision...

Overall, I think it was a good ride for both of us: She had a cocked foot when I put on her saddle, and she had her foot cocked by the time I had fastened the cross tie clip when we returned. I think she's what you would call "both fast and sane".


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## gunslinger

Oreos Girl said:


> Charrorider,
> No I am talking state and national trails that are mostly single track unless it is down a fireroad.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A typical trail.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is some downed trees that were small that we had to go over.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is how the chainsaw is carried in.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Machetes are also used.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is hard work.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The results
> 
> I stole the last four off the person that has the license to use the chainsaw in state and national lands fb account so I covered any faces.


License to use a chainsaw....I've heard of those....I had a game warden cut our way into the Hickory Creek trail head.....lots of trees down over the road....He told me if you wanted to be an official volunteer then a chainsaw license was required but to cut a down tree across a road or trail, no license was required.


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## egrogan

Spring is in the air, and that's meant lots of riding the past few days!

Saturday I took Fizz out to trails in the next town over with a new riding friend. The trails were gorgeous- lots of steep, rocky climbs and challenging terrain. We did ~8 miles and were able to maintain a pretty forward pace (almost all trot/canter up those steep hills) for the first half. Both our horses are still shedding out though, and it was the first day above 60*F, so they were huffing and puffing. We took things a bit easier on the ride home to let them catch their breath. Was particularly proud of Fizz as she handled a stream crossing like an old pro, something we've struggled with at home.



























Our nice day ended on a sour note as we had some pretty major trailer loading issues trying to come home. It was the first time I've taken her off the farm since I got her back in November, so now I know about this hole in her training and have a lot of homework to do before we go out next time! We did get her home safe and sound- just took 4 hours trying to load into two different trailers to do it :eek_color:

Sunday I got my older mare Isabel saddled up for the first time in a couple of months and did an easy ramble around the farm with another boarder. I'll keep adding slow miles for her now that the weather is warming and footing is good- her arthritis won't bother her as much.









Yesterday was the nicest day of the year so far! I took Fizz out for ~3.5 miles through the woods trails. Went to check out the beaver pond and found it looking postcard pretty!


















*Total 2018 miles: 45.7
*Fizz- 42.1
Isabel- 3.6


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## SwissMiss

@Oreos Girl logs like the one shown in your last pic normally stay intact on our trails... There is one relatively close to the trail head where the horse of my riding buddy manages to step over in the front, but has to jump up to get over it in the back. And the mare is 14.1... And there is no alternate way around it (ditches and dense bushes) - I was actually surprised it stayed like that after the last "trail maintenance" day...
@egrogan That beaver pond is picture perfect, indeed!
Sorry to hear that your nice trail ride away from home ended with loading trouble  How did Fizz load at home?


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## egrogan

SwissMiss said:


> @*egrogan* That beaver pond is picture perfect, indeed!
> Sorry to hear that your nice trail ride away from home ended with loading trouble  How did Fizz load at home?


She didn't give us any real trouble. She hadn't been on a trailer in 6 months, so she hesitated at the door for a minute (it was a step up) but with a couple of "tap taps" on her flanks she walked in and dove into the hay without looking concerned at all. She came off just fine at my friend's house too. 

Consensus seems to be she was hot and tired after the ride, and asking her to load again just pushed her mentally passed the point where she could cooperate. And things sort of spiraled downhill from there. So, we're going to reteach loading slowly and with no pressure over the coming weeks. She will have to get on again in June as we are moving and the horses are coming home. Sadly we were supposed to go to a CTR ride up in Vermont this Saturday, but I withdrew from that because I didn't want to chance another bad experience...


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## phantomhorse13

Its been a crazy couple weeks for me, but I was able to get some saddle time. DH and I went on vacation to Jamaica and of course I found horses. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal.





































2018 mileage
...
4/16 whisper 5.13 miles 3 ft climb 3.1 mph 85F *550.53 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

We got home about 11pm Thursday evening and I was up at 2am Friday to finish packing the trailer. We were on the road just before 5, heading for Virginia. The whole story is in my journal. 

In a last minute change, I rode Duroc in the 30 miler.










































2018 mileage
...
4/21 duroc 32.39 miles 4205 ft climb 8.2 mph 60F *582.92 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

Monday, I got George out for a ride. The whole story is in my journal.




















Next up was Iggy!




















Yesterday, I got Iggy out again first thing in the morning. 



















2018 mileage
...
4/23 george 12.7 miles 2000 ft climb 5.6 mph 61F 595.62 total miles
4/23 iggy 5.24 miles 339 ft climb 5.1 mph 63F 600.86 total miles
4/24 iggy 9.6 miles 1407 ft climb 5.4 mph 57F *610.46 total miles*


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## lostastirrup

*Discoveries*

So the barn I am at is pretty limited for trail riding. in fact up until 2 days ago I would say there wasnt any. Circles in the arena- and dont get me wrong I love a good circle. Anyhow the other day I convinced the other english rider at the barn to head up the road with me. I had a sneaking hope and suspicion about a certain open gate. 

Up the road we go. Get to the gate and im like "look its open we should totally see where it goes" she declined but by the time we came back that way after coming to the end of the road she was game so after navigating a ditch (Nick is a saint, her mare was convinced it was the abyss) we find the coolest trail. an old raised railroad track- rails long since removed, leaving a soft broad trail up into the juniper and boulder fields. We walked up most of it yesterday, and theres several offshoots, a few good jumpable downed trees and some GORGEOUS scenery. I am going to take more pictures tomorrow. 

Today we went back out. and once we were through the gate, decided to try a canter. both horses gave us beautiful hand gallops, Nick cruising along with his uphill smooth traveling little canter, and her on big sweeping TB strides. I think we were both giggling like little kids by the time we slowed up to navigate a canyon. 

This is 100% the happiest I think I've been in a year. Id forgotten what it was like to feel like one body cantering down a trail. Id forgotten what it was like to marvel at my horse and nature. 

We headed back a little early because we heard some growling- but we're not really sure what it was, I havent heard of bears or mountain lions in the area, so one can hope it was nothing. Neither of our horses seemed frightened. 

We're going out again tomorrow, then saturday morning early before Nick goes back out to the ranch on sunday and I start finals, It seems just a shame to only have found this now, and not 6 months ago! Oh well. Plenty of fun for next fall. 

pictures of Nick and Me. Yes. this is our usual riding attire. I am unapologetic on every point of equestrian propriety and style.


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## EquineBovine

Love living vicariously through this blog. Hope I can join in next year


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## Celeste

lostastirrup said:


> pictures of Nick and Me. Yes. this is our usual riding attire. I am unapologetic on every point of equestrian propriety and style.


I am impressed you did all that bareback!


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## SwissMiss

Celeste said:


> I am impressed you did all that bareback!


I just thought the same! :gallop:


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## BarbandBadgerandPedro

Gorgeous pix!! Please make sure you have permission to be on that land with the great trail... lots of landowners are OK if they are asked first, maybe offered help with something. The gate implies this is a private not public road.


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## lostastirrup

It's actually state land. I did some googling and we're good to go. 


We haven't had tack in awhile. At this point Nick and I read off each other so much I think I'll hate going back to a saddle when I finally get one again.


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## Celeste

@mmshiro and @gunslinger

Now you can be happy. My boys are no longer in pink!

The last picture is especially for @mmshiro. Note DH's hand position.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Izzy out for a longer ride. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
4/26 iggy 14.09 miles 1784 ft climb 5.7 mph 52F *624.55 total miles*


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## knightrider

I haven't told about any rides recently because nothing much happens on them. All 4 horses are doing great, lots of fun. I got a Barefoot treeless saddle from @AnitaAnne for Chorro, and so far, it is working well. Three of my teens have now tried it and pronounced it very fine.

Yesterday I took my 12 year old neighbor riding. She just started riding last February, got scared in April, didn't ride all summer, and started back riding about October, and has ridden regularly all winter. She is now up to cantering and jumping Isabeau and all she wants to do is go fast. Yesterday, on one of our canters, Isabeau decided to move up to gallop. I was on Acicate, and he thought galloping would be grand. I was a little taken aback to see how terrible my little rider looked at a gallop. She is so proficient at slower gaits. She was loving it, but boy, does she need some instruction! So, next time we canter, I'll be sure to work with her a bit about how to ride a gallop. It was very fun. We rode an hour and a half and went about 5 miles.

Today I took Isabeau out solo and she was lovely. We rode one hour 45 minutes and went 6 miles. This is why I don't post all that often. Just a fun ride.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> The last picture is especially for @mmshiro. Note DH's hand position.


Still, he does not seem very relaxed...


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## knightrider

Here is a question for gaited horse experts. My daughter has not been riding her young TWH much, so I have taken over her exercise. This 5 year old mare has a lovely gait when we get it out of her. She prefers to trot or pace, both bone jarring. I was riding recently with a lady who has ridden Tenn Walkers for years, and when I told her I was having fun working with Windy, getting her to gait better and better, she said that you have to hold the horse in tight the whole time or it won't gait good. She said, "Do not release or you'll lose the gait."

This seems counterproductive to me. It seems to me that when Windy starts giving me her amazing smooth gait, I should give her a release so she understands that is what I want. She only gets some rein tightening when she trots or paces. I don't throw the reins away, but I ease up when she gives me her smooth glide. Her mother didn't gait at all until she was 6, and Windy will be 6 in August, so I'm not very worried as Windy is gaiting better and better all the time. I was just curious. Is that lady all wet? Or am I wrong?


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Still, he does not seem very relaxed...


Your just jealous that he gets to ride with me. :rofl:

Actually, it was a posed picture. I told him to grab his side arm and he said "what the shiitake for?"


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> Your just jealous that he gets to ride with me. :rofl:


Can't fight you there. I found it very curious how suddenly, having a horse near home, money to ride horses farther away isn't as abundant anymore. I'd love to hit your trails with you before the southern summer heat arrives, as I would love to do an autumn horse round-up in Iceland!


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## Celeste

I already posted all the pictures from today's ride. We did out little short trail again. For the most part, they were really good. 

There was one slightly hairy moment in the ride. DH was cantering. My horse got mad because she was behind. At first she couldn't catch up. Then we got into an accidental all out horse race. They were neck and neck. We both pulled our horses in and they both threw a couple of bucks. They did, however, stop and nobody was the worse for wear. I wish I had turned on my Endomondo on my phone. My Garmen is not accurate on miles per hour.

DH wants to go back to his pelham. I tried a low port walking horse bit on him and he blames the little buck on that. Other than that, he was getting better gaits with the new bit. 

By the way NOTMANDM/NOTRAPPER/MYHORSE/NEWHORSE has had the same name for an entire week. 

His new name is:

*Blackhawk*

We'll see if it sticks.

Today: 2.9 miles
Total: *65.23 miles*


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Can't fight you there. I found it very curious how suddenly, having a horse near home, money to ride horses farther away isn't as abundant anymore. I'd love to hit your trails with you before the southern summer heat arrives, as I would love to do an autumn horse round-up in Iceland!


I'm not sure I could keep up with you.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> I'm not sure I could keep up with you.


Not necessarily! First of all, I'd be borrowing one of your horses, and the horse I ride, especially by myself, gets a significant say in how fast we are going; and secondly, I'm a disciplined rider when in company. 

There are many ways I can have an awesome ride: fast pace over easy terrain, or slow pace over tough terrain. Sometimes I appreciate the relaxing ride, like a sunset ride after a snowfall last Xmas. Sometimes I don't care much where and how fast we are going, because the horse needs 100% of my attention, be it a green one or a nervous one. What you see in the videos are the bits that lend themselves to watching on video. Keep in mind that you are seeing 5-6 mins out of 60-90 mins total...

But yeah, not hearing the hoof beat anymore because of the wind noise in my ears...I do like that! :gallop:


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## gunslinger

knightrider said:


> Here is a question for gaited horse experts. My daughter has not been riding her young TWH much, so I have taken over her exercise. This 5 year old mare has a lovely gait when we get it out of her. She prefers to trot or pace, both bone jarring. I was riding recently with a lady who has ridden Tenn Walkers for years, and when I told her I was having fun working with Windy, getting her to gait better and better, she said that you have to hold the horse in tight the whole time or it won't gait good. She said, "Do not release or you'll lose the gait."
> 
> This seems counterproductive to me. It seems to me that when Windy starts giving me her amazing smooth gait, I should give her a release so she understands that is what I want. She only gets some rein tightening when she trots or paces. I don't throw the reins away, but I ease up when she gives me her smooth glide. Her mother didn't gait at all until she was 6, and Windy will be 6 in August, so I'm not very worried as Windy is gaiting better and better all the time. I was just curious. Is that lady all wet? Or am I wrong?


I'm not an expert by any means, but I tend to agree with her....if I drop the reins, we go...and I mean go....usually into a canter.


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## Celeste

DH and I took a different trail today to try to get a look at our new neighbor. We were hoping to stop and have a chat with her. All we met were the Hounds of Baskerville. They charged out and scared the shiitake out of the horses. DH said he was very glad that he went back to his milder bit because it would have been easy to hurt his mouth in a panic and cause him to buck. All they did was gallop for about 3 strides and go back to a walk. 

I don't think we will go that way on the weekend during turkey season in the future. There was just too much activity. 

1. The Hounds of Baskervilles
2. Trucks hauling rattly trailers
3. People shooting guns (not at us)
4. A parked tractor trailer rig. It may have been a horse eating one at that. It took a lot of discussion to convince the kids otherwise. 

The pictures show the house that we were trying to be nosy about. It is pretty impressive. 

Blackhawk spent most of the time walking really fast and looking a lot. (We did go faster some.) The Psycho Princess can't keep up with his walk, so she is perfecting her jog. It is getting better all the time. She also cantered without trying to stir her buddy into a major race. I thought it was a good ride. I don't think DH had fun. Dang it.

Nobody got dumped and that is my definition of an ok ride. 

Today's ride: 3.7 miles
Total for the month: 30 miles
*Total for the year: 68.93 miles
*


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## mmshiro

I started with Hamlet today, as we had some leftover training issues to discuss. Before there was any running, we started with a lot of walk-halt transitions - very gently, just as a refresher of the signal. Later on, that appeared to give the half halts a lot more meaning when he tried to speed up. The exam for him came at Tommy Hahn's field: He did not get to speed up until he walked on that field on a loose rein for a few paces. He passed! Not only that, he took off up the hill without leg aid, without cluck, just by me backing up the loose reins by leaning forward a bit! It was very cool - I rebalanced myself to get ready for the take-off, and he understood the intention and took off, but not before.

Slowing down went almost as smoothly, but I did need to reinforce my seat with a few tugs on the reins - nothing harder than ring finger strength, though. He did really good, and since I'm the only one currently riding him, I'll be taking all the credit, thank you.

After the ride, he hung out with me. I was sitting down, and he came over, standing close enough so I could lean my head against his chest. Which is why you don't see much of his in the first picture.


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## AnitaAnne

@knightrider you asked about teaching (and keeping) a good gait. Keeping the head lifted up is not really the best way to teach it. All that teaches is for the horse to move hollow. 

The horse is more inclined to get pacey if they are moving hollow. 

The way I taught Chivas was to practice a nice, big, forward walk on light contact. As marching as your horse will do. The back should be round and the head down, poll highest point, with the nose slightly past the vertical. In other words a good marching, dressage walk. 

This will build the correct muscles for an even, cadenced gait. Do walk-gait transitions once the walk is good and strong. 

Putting on a big bit and cranking their heads up is not really proper training...


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## gunslinger

Blue bird day yesterday....GF and I rode at Dry Creek GA yesterday...13.4 miles....

I'm up to a whopping 54.4 miles so far. I think it got warmer than expected. Truck thermometer showed a temperature of 82 degrees.....

Still, not many bugs.....nor spiderwebs yet.....plenty of fly's at the parking area though....


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## egrogan

Yesterday morning I volunteering at the GMHA 15-mile mud ride-I was the timer so got to send all the riders out and check them in as they finished. Thought you all might enjoy seeing a little bit of our famous Vermont spring mud :grin: The ride lived up to its name! Note how much snow there still is!! They had to change the start and finish location because the usual spot was a glacier.


























Got home in the late afternoon and took Fizz out quickly just to stretch her legs. We played in the puddles in the woods and she was a pretty good girl.









Passed 50 miles total for the year, yay!

*Total 2018 miles: 50.2
*Fizz- 46.5
Isabel-3.7


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## mmshiro

@gunslinger's 82º already, or @egrogan's mud and snow residues? I'd take the latter over the former! 

Fortunately I live between you two, so I had 68º and sunny. :clap:


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## gunslinger

mmshiro said:


> @*gunslinger* 's 82º already, or @*egrogan* 's mud and snow residues? I'd take the latter over the former!
> 
> Fortunately I live between you two, so I had 68º and sunny. :clap:


What a difference a day makes....black berry's a blooming and today it's 60, sunny and the winds blowing about 10 mph.....

I suppose this is blackberry winter....


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## mmshiro

Marion has been drafted into tourist service this weekend, so today it was Dita's turn to go out with me. (Did I mention that yesterday, when I came home with Hamlet, Marion was just about to ride out with a tourist and, seeing me (us), attempted to do a 180? I was so proud of her!)

Anyway, as is tradition now, Dita got the exact same ride as Hamlet yesterday. She was a good girl - I cannot find any fault in her - but she's about 5 times more exhausting than all the other horses. If you think you can do a down transition by simply putting your weight into the saddle, you better think again. All she thinks is, "My, are you clumsy today! Well, fear not - I got you!" 

Every time I ride her in two-point and she's not slowing down of her own accord (say when running across a flat field instead of a hill), I dread putting my butt into the saddle to start slowing her. I know, if I'm not back to two-pointing by the time she gets her feet under herself, I'll be launched into low orbit by her back. She will slow, and she will slow willingly, but it always comes with a price - and that is what feels like another mile or so into my legs.

But look at that face! I can't stay away from her... Maybe I'm just a sucker for strong women!


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## knightrider

Time for monthly totals. I rode Acicate yesterday for 2 hours, 15 minutes and 8 miles. I took him on the trail that leads to a pleasant shady dirt road which I took about 10 days ago hoping for a quiet relaxing ride and got anything but because they were harvesting pine straw, plowing, driving tractors and rigs up and down, and Aci was super wound up. Yesterday I got the ride I had hoped for last time, since it was 6:30 on a Sunday morning. Aci is some kind of amazing horse. It was a miserable sacrifice giving up Tico, hurting my daughter, but Aci is a horse in a million, and once again made it clear to me why I did what I did to get him.

Acicate 61.05 miles
Isabeau 42.08 miles
Chorro 47.03 miles
Windy 14.03 miles
Total for April 164.19 miles
Total for 2018 694.65 miles


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## ChasingDreams

I took Chase out for our first solo ride at our new place. For the most part he did well, a little spooky around some puddles. But he was brave and forward going through the woods.

We followed the same route I’d taken the week before with my BM, which ends just a bit up the lane from the barn. When we got out I wanted to take him further, towards the other trails at the end of the property, but he was having none of it. Full balk, mule style.

I tried every trick in the book, circles, backing in the direction I wanted to go, using the ends of the reins as an over-under (as smartly as I’m willing to snap them), and finally just sitting and waiting for him to get bored and move forward. Eventually, I got a few steps forward but I could feel him tensing to balk again so rather than continue the fight I decided to turn back into the woods and loop back around.

I definitely didn’t want to let him take the lane and finish the ride on a bad note. I’ll tell you one thing, I’d take a spooky horse over a balking horse any day...boy, is it frustrating! 

So, not as long as a ride as I was hoping for...but it could have been worse. Next time, I’m going to take him up the lane first, so he doesn’t get a chance to say “no” anywhere near the end of the ride. I’m hoping going straight to the furthest point will eliminate the issue of him saying “nope, the barn is right there again...I’m done now” lol

Only have one ears picture from the ride start on the lane. As we both get more comfortable in our new trails, hopefully I’ll be able to get some new scenery pics for you all 🤩


















You can see the couple spots where I made a wrong turn and hit a dead end [emoji23] I don’t have the best sense of direction for a trail rider... maybe that’s why he didn’t trust me to go further this ride out [emoji848]

Total 2018 miles~ 33.09



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## SwissMiss

@knightrider, re teaching to gait: I agree with @AnitaAnne that a good walk will help with the transition...
Raya is still in the phase that some contact will help her gait. Not cranking her head up and back, but slight, steady contact on the rein, to remind her to use her hind to step under...


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## mmshiro

ChasingDreams said:


> Eventually, I got a few steps forward but I could feel him tensing to balk again so rather than continue the fight I decided to turn back into the woods and loop back around.


Well, reward the slightest attempt, right? Next time you can ask more of him. When I started riding Gershwin, way back when, my task was to get him to walk from the barn to the arena. I walked him until he balked, then I asked him for a few more (willing) steps, and while he was making them, I turned him around back towards the barn. Then the same in the opposite direction. Ultimately, I did get to take him out for an hour-long ride by myself.


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## ChasingDreams

@mmshiro you’re absolutely right, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. The trails on that side are quite a bit nicer, with one stretch in particular that begs for a nice lope. And, I also wanted to see if I could convince him to cross the stream without his buddy along.

But, I realize with him being unsure it was for the best. And that stream would have likely ended our ride anyway with his current frame of mind. There’s always next time [emoji5]


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## mmshiro

Oh, I always forget, but here is a map of my riding area. The SPOT beacon only takes a reading every 10 mins (for the cheapest plan), and sometimes it doesn't see the satellite, but over a few days, I got some decent way points collected.

https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0sKPO0dbo7migydvJCqlx3fv3527RhiIn


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## carshon

Got another ride in. The day could not have been better. We are in Red Flag warnings (fire danger) and our local state park was closed still. So we rode at the prairie restoration land again. BUT you could see fires and smoke around and daughter and I joked about what would we do if we were in the middle of the prairie and it caught on fire. Because I don't think you can outrun a grass fire! So we rode on high alert and enjoyed the 65 F weather and sunshine! No pics this week. Tillie has let me mount and stood like a rock (our project from last year) my hips were tight and sore so mounting was ungraceful with a lot of grunting and grimacing. I tell you Piriformis syndrome sucks! This years Tillie project is - do not race the horses you ride with! She loves to lead - and takes that job seriously my photos of our rides are always of me taking pics of DH and DD behind me. So we are working on dropping our head and walking with propulsion but not racing as soon as riders foot is in the stirrup. The first 2 miles were good she was pretty relaxed but well ahead of DD as my hips loosened up and I could in-grit my teeth I worked on sitting deeper in the saddle and relaxing. At mile 3 DD decided to lead at a Fox Trot. So Tillie decided to race for the lead at a fast running walk - and the fight started - lots of half halts and firm "slow" commands. Eventually we were gaiting side by side - Tillie with her ears pinned flat to her head and nose stuck straight up in the air. We gaited about a mile and by then Tillie was more relaxed. Out other summer project is "round your back" so we worked on hind end propulsion as DD loped beside us and Tillie moved into her ground eating running walk. I love it! 

Great ride 7 1/2 miles of sun and fun -


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## ChasingDreams

@carshon You and I have a similar goal about not fighting for the lead. At my previous barn I rode alone at least 80% of the time, and the few times I brought a guest I was the one leading since I was the one who knew the area.

When I went out with BM last week, it was a struggle trying to keep him behind her. Eventually, I let him go to the front so that I could actually enjoy the ride, but it was interesting to say the least since it was my first ride in a new place and I had no idea where I was going [emoji23]

And then this week we went out alone and he got cold feet haha

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## charrorider

Went out for a ride yesterday with my wife. Out of curiosity, she used both her trail apps on her phone. I brought my two handheld gps. One of her trail apps recorded 8.33 miles. The second, 8.5 miles. Not exact, but only .17 miles off. My old Garmin Dakota 20, which I bought refurbished, read 8.65 miles. Again, not exactly the same, but in the neighborhood. Now, the most expensive device, a Garmin 64 st, bought new, was the most off. It recorded 9.08 miles. Go figure.


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## mmshiro

I couldn't go to see Marion today, but I did have another lesson with Toni. Again, I was promised a "nervous horse" which may be "harder to stop today" because she's had an exciting weekend, but yet again, calmness and harmony descended over the arena when we got going. The purpose of these lessons is to teach me to work with horses than need a tune-up, and Toni in particular needs to learn that she is allowed to relax when ridden. I really love the stretching exercise we do: take her into a working trot around the arena, and once I get rhythm, drop the reins to the buckle and take her into a circle. Taking an OTTB into a right circle with just your legs and seat is not easy!

Anyway, at the end I got unsupervised cool-down privileges around the property, so I'll count that as my first trail ride with her.


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## Spanish Rider

In April, things were crazy at the barn with a regional Dressage and a national Grand Prix jumping comp. Lots of horses, lots of trailers, lots of noise. Still got in some good rides, though, although the younger Lustitano I ride was more skittish and one day reared and came over on me when I tried to take off my jacket. Lesson learned.

My totals for the month of April were: 9 h, 33.5 mi (54 km). Not much, but it is my highest monthly total this year. Best part is..... NO PAIN!!

My total for the year is now 102.5 mi (165 km).


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## phantomhorse13

This afternoon, I was able to get Iggy out. The whole story is in my journal.




























March numbers:
george 41.64 
hombre 16.07 
polo 14.55 
iggy 28.93 
duroc 32.39 
whisper 5.13 
total: 138.71

2018 mileage
...
5/1 iggy 10.21 miles 1746 ft climb 5.1 mph 74F *634.76 total miles*


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## knightrider

Finally some nice pictures of one of our rides. My daughter and I switched horses for fun. I really like working with my daughter's Tenn Walker getting her to gait.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got double saddle time. The whole story is in my journal.

First up was Sultan. 




























Next up was George. 



























2018 mileage
...
5/2 sultan 10.26 miles 1968 ft climb 5.8 mph 83F 645.02 total miles
5/2 george 10.24 miles 1969 ft climb 5.8 mph 86F *655.26 total miles*


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## mmshiro

I had a short day at work yesterday, so I went to see Marion, as I hadn't ridden her on the weekend. Instead of the promised 81ºF, we actually went up to 89ºF, so neither of us was amused by that. The trees being still naked, the forest didn't offer much in terms of shade. 

Marion certainly was a bit grumpy about the whole affair because at each intersection, her shoulder and head showed me exactly where to go to get back home as fast as possible. It almost made me cry when I made her go the way I wanted, and she wistfully turned her head in the direction she wanted to go, ultimately resigning to her fate - until the next intersection. Poor girl...she never did that in winter!

Oh well, she may not have been able to pick the direction, but I did let her pick the speed much of the time, and unlike her farm mates, she got a nice cool shower, an extra grain snack, plus some attention and pampering from yours truly.


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## ChasingDreams

Chase and I got a quick ride in yesterday. My only goal was to get him to the end of the lane and back, and we did! He was a little balky when he realized I wasn’t going to turn into the woods at the normal spot, but I convinced him to move on and we made it to the end of the lane and onto the other trails. The place I mentioned begs for a nice lope is right at the start of those trails, so we had a nice stretch there and back and then called it a day since it was starting to get dark.

The coolest thing happened though, right when we started to lope a herd of deer bounded out of the woods. Chase didn’t spook, instead he got very focused and tried to catch up to them [emoji23]. They were much faster then us so we didn’t get too close, but it was really cool to just run with them down the lane like that. 

The rest of the ride back was uneventful, but I was so proud of him for getting over his sticky spot and heading out alone! Total ride was approx 2 miles (though I forgot to turn my app off when we got back to the barn so the totals and times are all off)


























Total 2018 miles~ 35.09


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## phantomhorse13

ChasingDreams said:


> right when we started to lope a herd of deer bounded out of the woods. Chase didn’t spook, instead he got very focused and tried to catch up to them. They were much faster then us so we didn’t get too close, but it was really cool to just run with them down the lane like that.


I have always encouraged this game in my horses (where appropriate of course), in the hopes that suddenly-appearing wildlife is then seen as a game versus a scary, spook-worthy situation. 

I bet you and Chase had a blast, though you have to wonder what the deer thought! :gallop:


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## ChasingDreams

There are deer all around our area, so I think most of them are used to seeing cows and horses and even share pastures with them from time to time. But, having one charge after them with a human passenger might have been a bit of a shock [emoji848][emoji23]


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## phantomhorse13

Another day, another heat record broken. :dance-smiley05: The whole story is in my journal.

Iggy was up first.





























Then a bareback mosey on Sultan.



















2018 mileage
...
5/3 iggy 10.33 miles 1037 ft climb 5.6 mph 90F 665.59 total miles
5/3 sultan 3.42 miles 305 ft climb 3.5 mph 93F *669.01 total miles*


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## ChasingDreams

@phantomhorse13 that stream/creek is beautiful! You have such awesome areas to ride 🤩


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## phantomhorse13

ChasingDreams said:


> that stream/creek is beautiful!


I agree it looks very pretty, but it's actually a sulfur creek (meaning runoff from old mines), so nothing can live in it and it often smells bad! Whenever I see people boating on it, I always wonder how they get the stink off..


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## Zexious

Love the pictures as always, @phantomhorse13 ! 
What are those red things in the last photo? (And yes, that stream does look gorgeous <3 Take me with you!)


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> What are those red things in the last photo?


Those are some of the driveway reflectors I use to mark holes in the winter. Since we are (hopefully) done with snow for the season, I pulled them out as we moseyed around.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got George out between storms. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
5/4 george 12.01 miles 1491 ft climb 5.6 mph 86F *681.02 total miles*


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## Zexious

Gotta take advantage of whatever clear weather you have! Love the wonderful shots, as per usual <3<3 They never fail to brighten my day.


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## Change

No riding for me since the Hodges Hootenany. 

April total: 29.66
Cally: 2.4
Tango: 27.26

2018 total: 78.19
Cally: 7.68
Tango: 70.51

Tango is officially a 100 mile horse now, with 123.62 total miles under saddle! It's amazing how much better he is when we're out on unfamiliar trails with strange horses than he is at home, going solo on boring cotton fields.


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## Celeste

DH and I rode both yesterday and today. Due to the problems that we had with the horses about losing their minds trying to race last weekend, we decided that we would keep them slow and show them that life does not always have to be a panic. My horse gets to agitated in certain spots if Blackhawk is in front of her. She goes insane and upsets him. It wasn't him being bad; it was her being mad that he was in the lead. So this weekend, before coming to the panic spots, I let my girl lead and we walked. Problem solved.

We passed by another snake. They acted like it was nothing. There was part of a deer skeleton that something had dragged into our path. My horse was afraid it might eat her and didn't want to pass it. Blackhawk thought it might be something good to eat and didn't want to pass it. It was just a momentary stop. I guess he saw it wasn't tasty after all and he went on and she followed.

Total for weekend 5.8 miles
Total for year 74.73 miles


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## Change

@Celeste - Blackhawk looks like he's getting adequate spoilage time along with all that saddle time. I see a happy horse! I'm so glad I found you for him! And - does your mare have a real name or is it really Psycho? LOL! I can't remember!


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## ChasingDreams

Ended up taking an impromptu ride this morning. My farrier was supposed to meet me early to give my guy a trim...but with his recent tying issues I went a little early thinking I’d do some groundwork and get the edge off. Got a text that they were running late so figured I’d squeeze a quick ride in as well, though not sure how much time I’d have.

Well, a little late ended up being a lot late...so I took advantage and hit the trails. I didn’t anticipate riding as long as I did, so I didn’t have my app running. But I’d guess we did about 2.5 miles.


























Chase did pretty well. There was one spooky area. There are cow pastures along the lane, and usually they are pretty far out in the fields when we pass by. This time, a group of older calves were hanging out right by the gate... which happens to be a “confined” area by horse standards, as theirs is perpendicular to a gate we pass through on our way. So, curious calves coming right up to us as we passed through an area with no shoulder to skirt around them [emoji23]

Chase was jumpy and jittery, and I could feel the urge to bolt through that gate...but, he didn’t. He kept himself *mostly* composed and we made it through without issue. I was super proud of him!

Besides that, it was a nice ride; and he was dozing on my chest while the farrier was working away - so I’d say it did the trick!

Total 2018 miles~ 37.59


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## phantomhorse13

ChasingDreams said:


> Chase was jumpy and jittery, and I could feel the urge to bolt through that gate...but, he didn’t. He kept himself *mostly* composed and we made it through without issue.


This is fantastic!! Very good self control for a greenie - no wonder you are proud.


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## Celeste

Change said:


> @Celeste - Blackhawk looks like he's getting adequate spoilage time along with all that saddle time. I see a happy horse! I'm so glad I found you for him! And - does your mare have a real name or is it really Psycho? LOL! I can't remember!


Yes, Blackhawk gets plenty of attention and love and treats (his favorite).
It is interesting that the only saddle that DH likes fits Blackhawk perfectly. I think they were meant to be together.

My mare's registered name is AD Sshabecka. Sometimes I call her Sshabecka. Sometimes Psycho Princess. Sometimes other things that the forum's filters would reject. I let a friend ride her years ago and she named her "The Scud Missile". She knows "Sshabecka" and "Becka" and "Buddy". I hated her registered name for so long that I never used it, but I never really came up with a good call name. I finally got used to the name. I am afraid that I told her name to several people that really liked it and they said they were going to name their baby girl after her. Poor baby.

I am very bad at naming pets.


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## mmshiro

Fun ride with Hamlet today. Standard stuff, except for two deer adventures.

(1) We are coming along a field at a leisurely pace as it was bumpy and muddy. A deer was watching us from the far end approaching.

Me: Oh, look, that deer is just watching us and isn't even worried about us!
...

Me: Oh my, look how close we are now!
Hamlet: (*spooks*) Holy crap! DEER!


(2) We are cantering along the tree line of a field - loose rein, moderate pace. Suddenly the afterburner kicks in, Hamlet takes off while also making a wide berth. The canter had turned into a bolt. A split second later, a young deer jumps out _in front of us_ and turns into the direction of our travel, so we are behind it. Game on!! It finally hopped back into the woods, but we stayed with it, and with not too much distance, for almost the remainder of the field.

Oh yah, and he also spooked over a chickadee in a bush next to us. Still beats invisible trail monsters, I guess...


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## egrogan

We had a nice easy ride through the woods yesterday after not riding for a week. 









Trails are still really muddy, and unfortunately we lost a hoof boot in one of the deep, sucking puddles.









I went back on foot after our ride to rescue it, and took my older mare Isabel on a trail walk with me to get it. She had great fun grazing her way along the trail.









*Total 2018 miles: 53.2
*Fizz- 49.5
Isabel- 3.7


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, DH and I got Sultan and Iggy out. The whole story, with more pics, is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
5/5 iggy 8.72 miles 1513 ft climb 5.1 mph 78F *689.74 total miles*


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## ChasingDreams

Iggy is so cute! I love the picture of him laying down with you in your journal. My guy isn’t a fan of being visited when he’s napping [emoji23]


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## mmshiro

Dita time! Marion was working hard with tourists yesterday, whereas Dita only got a gratuitous brushing after I was done with Hamlet. So, the weather holding nicely, I took her out. Today we saw - Gasp! - _people_!

First time was right at the start of the dirt road that tends to mark the first high-speed stretch - if she's been a good girl up to then. (Otherwise she only gets to trot it on contact.) Today she was a good girl, but around the bend on the way down came a riding couple! You know how sometimes you really want to laugh, but it's utterly inappropriate, so you hold it in, trying to keep a straight face? That was Dita and I, passing them, being both on our best behavior. Dita didn't even dance and bounce...walked just like the big draft we were passing. Once we were safely past, though, I let her go. If those horses have any brains, they won't be spooked by something moving away from them, and if so - they need more miles anyway. Hubby had his Kevlar vest on, so he was definitely fine. 

Second time was when we stepped into a field, already on the cool-down portion of the ride. A woman had taken her three little ankle biters (doggies no bigger than a hare), and they all came over to say Hi! to Dita. Since we just stepped out from the bushes, that surprised her, so we had a bit of a bolt. I let her run a few steps, then slowed her down. The dogs were still coming, so I turned her around, facing them. That surprised the dogs and they dashed back to their owner. I followed (at a walk), there was some more playfulness and even one mutual sniff, then I let her take off up the field so she could leave the little yappers behind instead of being paranoid about them following. It was a good thing that it was Dita's day today and not Marion's - she does not have patience for little s**ts like that and would probably have flung the nearest one across the field. (There is precedence for that, too.)

Anyway, I think Dita had a good ride again: by the time I was done with the cross ties, with the saddle still on, she already had one foot cocked.


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## Zexious

I wish I could get my man interested in horses, @phantomhorse13 ! Great pics! Thanks for indulging us <3


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## carshon

Rode at the Prairie restoration site again yesterday. Daughter has finals coming up and wanted a shorter ride so we stayed close to home. Hips were really bothering me - the tightness is almost unbearable some days. Looking for more Yoga stretches but I am so stiff that I can't do a lot of them. I cannot even sit indian style because my hips are so tight my legs will not drop down. (sorry for the pity party)

That being said I drug my leg over Tillie (literally) and we mounted up and headed out. Gorgeous 75F day bright blue sky with big fluffy clouds. Tillie was all about walking out - I let her have her head and we just moved off. I love that feeling and she is slowly learning to rate her speed. I am trying to use my hips more to rate her but I am so darn stiff if I try too hard I have a back spasm. But the movement does help loosen me up. Funny thing happened though. The conservation area spans quite a few miles and the horse trails have to cross a country road and along the outer edges of the conservation property are various parking areas for people to stop in and hike or just enjoy the view of the marshes and grass lands and the rolling prairie. We are approaching one of the road crossings and Tillie's head goes up but she keeps walking we round the bend and she stops - a car was in the parking area speaker out of the car on the ground playing a rather loud rock band version of "Dixie" (look away down South in Dixie!) the dog tied to the car barked at us - his owner was sitting in a lawn chair with his back to us looking at the road. he jumped up - his chair got wedged on his behind - he did a little jig to get his chair off and not drop his beer and try to get to his dog - and Daughter and I are just sitting there watching trying not to laugh. He got to his dog and held it - the dog was not doing anything but we appreciated that he was being careful and we rode by and thanked him. He held up his beer can in a salute and we rode on.

Once we crossed the road DH and I laughed and laughed! The things you see when riding on public land! We finished our ride uneventfully - saw a few deer and did gait a little. Tillie was a good girl and is getting better at not racing the other horse when gaiting so it was smooth and fun to ride.


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## knightrider

This morning was an Isabeau solo ride. It was perhaps the best Isabeau solo ride EVER. She was so lovely. Everything was ideal--57 degrees, nice breeze, sun shining, comfortable saddle, terrific horse. I came so close to free leasing her, and every time I ride her, I am glad I didn't. It's hard to believe she has come so far in 5 years.

Isabeau was the horse that could not be ridden more than 15 minutes or she would rear up and come over on the rider. She would not take ONE step solo, and often had to be ponied to go at all, even with other horses, even headed home. I spent so many hours and years working with her in tiny baby steps, and they have paid off so fabulously. Love that cute lil' mare!

I rode her 2 hours and 7 miles.


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## ChasingDreams

Unexpected ride today! It was sunny, 72 and absolutely gorgeous. A little humid, but let’s not nit-pick.

We actually rode around 3 miles, but app malfunction cut off the first half mile or so. Like usual, me and technology don’t get along.










We walked for most of the ride, it was a little warm with the humidity and Chase was actually relaxed and loose rein in his walk so I just went with it. 

There was one mental-block at the gate where the cows were last time. The cows weren’t even out, but it just wasn’t happening. I got a few strides forward so that I “won”...and then detoured around it. If I had more time I would have sat it out, but unfortunately I was on a little bit of a schedule today.

Good points of the ride: he went right through the stream that he balked at before and played at the edge of the lake so I was happy about that! And the rest of the ride was really pleasant. He came out of it with a nice soaked pad and a good attitude 

And I got some new pictures











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## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Iggy out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
5/7 iggy 15.86 miles 1742 ft climb 6.2 mph 72F *705.60 total miles*


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## Zexious

^Love those Iggy ears <3
(And what an adorable name!)

I hope everyone is enjoying nice weather--things here are starting to get hot and balmy. Ugh.


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## charrorider

Suddenly everything's green. And I finally got the first 100 miles for 2018.


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## mmshiro

Marion was a _naughty girl_ today! I jumped her over two logs before going up a hill. I wanted to do a right turn, she wanted to go straight. I thought I almost had her persuaded, when she made a last-ditch lurch in the direction she wanted to go (which is towards the barn, in case you were wondering). I almost lost it there because I was all balanced and mentally prepared for the turn! And no, I am not sorry for using the outside rein to keep myself balanced - consider it instant karma for being a sneaky b*tch!

So we had two issues here: anticipation and insubordination. I addressed the latter first with some (3-4) tight circles in each direction, not fast, but rein*force*d by leg aids. Then we used the trees to further practice listening to my leg. The first issue I addressed when we were almost back home at the end of the ride: We played, "Keep the mare on her toes". Close to the barn, she's absolutely sure which way is the direct way home, so that's the path we *didn't* take. For about 20 minutes. Oh, she was not happy about that, but we did end on a relaxed note: the last stretch to the barn, about 200 yards, took place on the buckle.

The ride in between was pretty good: we saw deer, a lot - one was really funny! I saw a doe head peaking out from behind a fat tree, and after we passed, the head peaked out from the other side - no more than 20-30 yards away. They started running, though, when I started laughing about peek-a-boo doe. 

After the ride, I got full horsey spa: First, Marion gave be a back rub - some people don't like being "scratching posts", but I love it. I brace myself against the stall wall, and she rubs the side of her face flat against my back. That feels awesome! Sitting with Hamlet a little later, he gave me a hair and facial treatment: thorough grooming and everything, with almost no teeth. There was some teeth action (probably to get all the mud out of my hair), but he stopped when I said, "Ouch!", and it was never more painful than a cat playing with me using claws and teeth. One of those, "Don't try this at home, kids!" things, I guess.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Sultan and George out. The whole story, with more pics, is in my journal.

First up was Sultan!



















Next up was George! 




















Today, I got Iggy out. The whole story, with more pics and a video, is in my journal.



















2018 mileage
...
5/8 sultan 11.82 miles 2265 ft climb 6.0 mph 74F 717.42 total miles
5/8 george 10.68 miles 2117 ft climb 5.3 mph 84F 728.10 total miles
5/9 iggy 19.16 miles 2113 ft climb 6.3 mph 80F *747.26 total miles*


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## egrogan

Spring has finally come to New England and is here to stay. This week has been so lovely I've been making as much time as I can for rides before work gets hectic.




























*Total 2018 miles: 60.1
*Fizz-56.4
Isabel-3.7


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## Zexious

That first shot is beautiful, @egrogan ! The weather looks absolutely perfect--what's the temp like?


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## egrogan

Zexious said:


> That first shot is beautiful, @*egrogan* ! The weather looks absolutely perfect--what's the temp like?


Thanks @Zexious! It really couldn't be any nicer- it's been about 65-70*F in the mornings when I've been out riding. The sky is such an intense shade of blue this time of year.


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## phantomhorse13

Today I got Sultan and George out between storms. The whole story, with more pics, is in my journal.



















Then I hopped on Iggy bareback for a quick mosey.










2018 mileage
...
5/10 sultan w/george 16.61 miles 1722 ft climb 6.5 mph 80F 763.87 total miles
5/10 iggy 1.26 miles 76 ft climb 2.9 mph 80F *765.13 total miles*


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## Zexious

That really is perfect, @egrogan ! How long will it stay that beautiful?

Do you pony them often, @phantomhorse13 ?


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## Change

And I see I'm going to have to find a way to get more riding in - *Phantom *only needs 30 more miles and she'll have caught up with me (move the decimal over, Sam!)!! 

I'm still trying to imagine 15 miles at 6+ mph!! Cally will do about 4 mph (not bad for a QH!!) and Tango is getting where he can cruise a little faster than that, but we're not even close to 6!

I rode Cally after work on Monday, but only for 1/2 hour.

5/7 Cally 1.76 miles - my total: 79.95 miles

And it's supposed to be 90ish and muggy today and tomorrow. Better than rain, though.


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## ChasingDreams

@Change my rides usually hangout around 2.5-3mph [emoji23]...but in our defense my boy is still green and out of shape so I don’t push him too hard. By the end of the summer hopefully he will be ready to up our game a bit.
@phantomhorse13 looks like a lovely day for a ride. Is that a big lilac bush in the bottom pic? So pretty! 


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## ChasingDreams

Had an...interesting...ride this morning.

PSA - check your tack kids!

So, my BM and I thought we would get out for an early ride before impending thunderstorms (by the way, it’s almost 3pm now and sunny as can be..) Anyway, we saddled the boys up quickly and headed down the lane. A little into the woods, I noticed Chase acting really silly with the bit. Kind of tossing it around. I went to tip his head to the inside to tell him to knock it off...and the entire headstall slid off his face. Apparently, one of the screws had worked itself loose and fell out, and he was carrying the bit in his mouth without it actually being fully attached [emoji15]

I quickly hopped off and unhooked the throat latch before he could freak out and get himself tangled. So he was safe, but now the bridle was in pieces and he was loose.

I remembered that I had baling twine wrapped above my stirrups (it keeps the extra stirrup leather from flopping around) Thank goodness I did, I could use the twine to fix the headstall and reattach the bit. Except Chase, being pleasantly surprised at his sudden freedom, didn’t want to be taken away from the plush grass along the trail...and so a fun game of ring-around-the-horsey ensued, as I tried to get him to stand still long enough to untie the baling twine from my stirrup. Luckily, once he realized I wasn’t actually trying to catch him he stood happily munching on grass while I undid it.

Once the bridle was put back together, I did have to catch him. I snatched a handful of grass and tricked him into accepting a “treat”, and he allowed me to catch him and put it back on. At that point, BM asked if I wanted to keep going or head back... and I was like “well, after all that effort getting ourselves back together we might as well finish our ride” [emoji23]

We did have a pretty nice ride after that, but Chase was a little more worked up than normal and kept tossing his nose around. I think he thought that if he shook the bit around enough, he might get himself loose again. Clever boy. But, he didn’t... and besides him being a little headstrong we finished our ride without further incident.

I circled the blob on our map, where we played ring around the horsey [emoji23][emoji23]










Total 2018 miles~ 43.61


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## Celeste

DH and I have ridden for the last three days. All of the rides have been pleasant. They were having some issues last week, and we finally realized that they are getting competitive with each other. My horse is by far the worse, so we kept her in front for most of the rides and she was happy and Blackhawk had no objections. Yesterday I actually got my horse into a slow canter (9.3 mph) with no buck or tantrum. I also have her actually jogging rather than trotting so hard that I fear for the fillings in my teeth. 

Part of the improvement is consistent riding. DH has ridden over 60 miles this year and all were 3 miles or less. I consider frequent rides to be great training even if they are short. 

Friday 2.9 miles (We work short days on Fridays thank goodness)
Saturday 3.1 miles
Sunday 2.9 miles (This is the first Sunday I have had off in ages)

The third pictures is what happened when a fly tried to bite through the Swat. As I snapped the picture, her head shook the fly loose.

*Total for year: 83.63*


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## mmshiro

I went out with Dita today, and it was a pretty interesting ride, but I don't feel like writing about it - at all. Maybe later this week.

I had my last cuddle today with Bibi, the filly with the radial nerve paralysis. When I tried to bring her in today for the night (as she's completely helpless), she wouldn't move at all, even though habit would tell her that "sunset" means "grain in my stall". Not even a carrot would induce her to move. After a while, her buddy Lance (the big Percheron who watches over her when she's lying down in the pasture during the day) came back out to check on her. I thought the combined force of creating a draw with Lance and carrots would to the trick, but no.

Finally BO came out and made her go in. You could see (and hear from her grinding teeth) that she was in a lot of pain. In her stall, BO gave her a pain killer, and she decided that Bibi will be euthanized on Tuesday. The deal between them was that BO would not allow her to suffer.

As I won't be back before then, I lied down with her in her stall for an hour or so. When I got up, she looked up at me. I gave her a hug and a kiss and left...

Rest in peace, little girl. I'm glad I got to know you and spend time with you. You taught me a lot about enjoying life, especially the simple things, regardless... :apple:


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## Celeste

@mmshiro I am so sorry about Bibi. It is so hard to lose them. I have lost three 30+ year olds over the past year. One just died suddenly. The other two had to be put down. It is just too hard to even talk about. I know how you feel. I've outlived a lot of them over the years. It is the best thing for Bibi. My thoughts are with you. I think you are wise to just stay away a few days. Wish I could help. :hug:


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## gunslinger

Just heart breaking MMshiro....sorry......kind of takes the wind out of my weekend ride.

GF and I rode 13.4 miles Saturday....I rode Mr. Jack....and I'm delight to say he's improving and we had no issues.

On another note:

DW's health is not so good now.....her COPD has progressed to a prolonged hard cough........she just can't seem to kick the tobacco habit....and sneaks a "puff" every now and then....... every time I catch her it just breaks my heart as the nicotine addiction is killing her. Needless to say, her riding days may well be over.


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## knightrider

So much sad news, so sorry @gunslinger and @mmshiro. That's so hard. I hardly ever get to ride with my main riding buddy anymore as his wife is struggling with major health issues. Dialysis and doctor's appts. take precedence. On the other hand, all my horses are getting really good at riding solo.

I trailered to our local park to ride with @4horses, who is experienced in fitting saddles. She pronounced my new Barefoot Cheyenne treeless that I got from @AnitaAnne a decent fit for Chorro. I am so pleased. It's comfortable and light, and hopefully fits Chorro. It arrived just in time too, for the MRI I had done shows 4 tears in my rotator cuff in my shoulder and I am not to use that arm at all. Putting that light saddle on a horse with one arm is do-able. Boy, I'm glad I have that saddle!

I rode 8.3 miles with 4horses and we went for 2 hours and 50 minutes. We stopped a couple of times. I got to ride her Paso Fino (which I love), and she got to try out the Barefoot treeless (which she loved). She had forgotten how much fun Chorro is to ride. Since I only ride him solo, and not that often, because the kids all clamor to ride him, I also forget what a joy he is. My back used to get tired on him after about 1 1/2 hours, but not with the new Barefoot treeless! That ride we did was pure pleasure.


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## egrogan

Thinking of you both @mmshiro and @gunslinger!


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## mmshiro

gunslinger said:


> On another note: ...


I don't know what to say that wouldn't amount to a platitude... I'm so sorry!


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## mmshiro

I'm really happy Bibi got to sun bathe and taste spring grass one more time, and that BO gave her those few years that she's had despite her injury, so I could get to know her and play with her. She won't be "in a better place", but she will take a short cut through a process that would have the same outcome, only with much more suffering.

Now, as for Dita... It might be that I didn't put on her boots snugly enough, or they got soggy and loose during a few stream crossings, but they did slide down and over her hooves, and she was NOT HAPPY about that. The final straw came after jumping a log and running up a small ravine into an open field. I did get to calm her down so I could hop off safely and take her over to a sapling to tie her up, so I could tend to her equipment issues. (I chose a sapling because she doesn't get tied up routinely on the trail, and I wanted some "give" in case she pulls back hard - like nature's Aussie Tie Ring.)

She pulled back anyway - I guess there wasn't that much resistance - and off she went, leaving me with nothing but a soggy boot in my hands and the prospect of the "walk of shame" back home. But someone Up There was watching out for me and she stepped over the reins with both her front legs, causing her to trot as though her pants were around her ankles. She made it all the way across the field when she also faced a rock wall and hedges, at which point she decided that it would be better to wait for me and have a mouthful of grass.

I caught up with her, gave her a spank...uhm, I mean...petting, took her to a spot where I could get back on (I need a little boost with her because it's hard to mount from the ground when your knee is next to your ears, yet your foot doesn't reach the stirrup yet), and we continued our ride as planned - with securely fastened front boots and discarded hind boots.

So, just a little equipment related adventure - otherwise she was a good sport and it was a fun ride. I suppose I could use some rides over summer to keep a halter on her and practice "rider is getting off" does not mean "rider wishes to walk home".


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## ChasingDreams

I’m sorry @mmshiro and @gunslinger, prayers for you both.

My parents both smoke like chimneys and my dad’s health isn’t as great as it was a few years ago. I was just giving my mom flack about it, as he refuses to go to the dr. and get checked out. I told her she needs to drag him there, tell him they are going somewhere else, whatever it takes. So, I feel your pain. It’s hard to watch your loved ones not take proper care of themselves...

No Mother’s Day riding for me, we had rain, mud, and thunderstorms from dawn til dusk. The next few days look like thunderstorms off and on as well...so hopefully I can find some time to squeeze in a ride and the trails aren’t slop...


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## carshon

Going to send my sincerest sympathies to you both as well @mmshiro and @gunslinger


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## Spanish Rider

I sincerely hope not to offend anyone by posting this, but getting a smoker to quit is unfortunately not going to impede the final outcome of COPD once the damage is done. My father quit cold turkey when I was pregnant with his first grandchild, 19 years ago when he was at stage 1, and he recently passed away from end-stage COPD a few months ago.

While I am sure that proper management by his pulmonologist helped him live longer than he would have without treatment, the last 7 years of his life were spent on oxygen and in a wheelchair, the last 3 openly stating that he wanted to die and that his was "no way to live".

I may sound cold and harsh, @gunslinger and @ChasingDreams , and I do not mean to add to your pain. However, the choices that your loved ones made were theirs to make, and you are not responsable for their decisions. I say this because my mother lived through many years of anger and frustration to see my father in such a state, which ate away at her and aged her immensely. Even now, I know she still thinks that if only she had said or done the right thing, things would have turned out differently.

Hold the ones you love close and accept them for who they are, all the while supporting them whether it is by helping them to quit or managing their disease, which is not an easy task. I wish you strength!


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## ChasingDreams

Does anyone have a spare Ark? [emoji30]










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## QueenofFrance08

Got in an 8.32 mile ride yesterday at our local park! Chico and Stitch were ready to go! Finally got organized to get all the correct colored tack on each horse and I tried using my Ameriflex saddle on Stitch for the first time. Happy to note there were perfect sweatmarks! Ignore mare face and cranky pants, they ran out of hay and wanted to get back on the trail at the rest stop.


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## Celeste

I had the opportunity to ride DH's horse (formerly Rapper, then MyHorse, now Blackhawk that still answers pretty well to Rapper). I had a blast. I wish I had a helmet camera. I tried to take video when getting him into his gaits. I got one of him just going into the running walk. At one point, I got him into a 12 mph rocking chair canter. He is awesome! The 60+ miles DH has put on him has helped him a lot. He still was a bit hesitant at the vulture nest, but only jumped slightly when they flew out because he was expecting it.

2.9 miles 

*Total 86.53 *

If it would quit raining, I could get past 100 this week, but dang it, we need an ark for sure.


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## mmshiro

Time to ask the audience for a few hints on horse tune-up. I'll tell you what happened, what I tried, and if you can, I'd really love some additional insights, uncovering blind spots of mine, etc.

I took Hamlet out today, and as you are probably aware, he is usually a blast to ride. Usually, I come back with a smile. Today, however, there was no relaxation to be had. He listened to aids (CA: to occupy and distract his mind we changed directions a lot, but at the walk), he didn't get "strong" (except at the very end when we were almost home), but even on a loose rein, as he walked without intention of speeding up, he always felt like he was late to a meeting. If you can imagine a horse that's looking at its wrist watch every 30 seconds and visibly strains to have patience with you, that was Hamlet today for much of the ride. 

He did not have too much energy to burn - you know I make sure of that. By the time we got to Tommy Hahn's field, he opted for a smooth canter whether I was sitting in the saddle or in two point (which usually is the invitation for the horse to determine what speed it wants to go). When we were walking, I made an extra effort to tune down my own energy - loose rein, deep breathing, humming, "Good-boy"-ing, stroking neck, etc. 

Even with tired legs and (hopefully) calming influence from me, his head was up, he was looking left and right, and his steps were rushed and without much attention to were he was going. A few times I had to save him from walking right into a tree because his eyes were everywhere but where he was going. Still, other than a big blue tarp with an orange cone on it to weigh it down, we did not have any "Oh my god, we're going to die!" moments. Okay, maybe one more instance - a low flying lifeline helicopter. But we were in the middle of the field, so I just let him deal with it however he felt suitable, and we did not even have a bolt. 

So, having a horse that is (a) not going "strong" on me, (b) not fearful or anxious, (c) definitely had all the running he desired out of his system, _but_ (d) acts like he's been hitting Starbucks hard before the ride, anything I can do to tell him to chill the _____ out? I mean, I stopped him in a hay field, with juicy delicacies up to his knees, and he didn't even take a bite! He strains to stand for 3 seconds. Even Marion took me up on the invitation to snack for a while when I stopped her, and even Dita, after the loose boots ate her hooves, snacked while waiting for me to catch up. 

Why can't all horses be as mellow as Thoroughbreds??


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## phantomhorse13

Over the weekend, I went up to New Hampshire for the Bare Bones ride. I rode a mare named Promise. The whole story is in my journal.


































2018 mileage
...
5/12 promise 3.48 miles 366 ft climb 4.1 mph 52F 768.61 total miles
5/13 promise 41.17 miles 3965 ft climb 7.2 mph 60F *809.78 total miles*


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## Celeste

@mmshiro All I can suggest is that you spend the next three years riding him daily and get a few thousand miles on him. :racing:
Is he an Arab?

My Arab has been quite the handful all of her life. She is actually starting to come together to be a pretty nice horse. Today I had just about given up on riding due to the rain when DH looked outside and noticed that the sun had come out. We had just enough time to saddle up and go for a little ride. Due to the thick mud, most of our ride was confined to walking. We did move a little faster in a few key places. (Running walk for DH, jog for me). It is really amazing to me to finally get my mare to figure out that she can jog rather than try to trot a two minute mile. She walked most of the ride on a loose rein.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro All I can suggest is that you spend the next three years riding him daily and get a few thousand miles on him. :racing:
> Is he an Arab?


Ha, ha...Arabian...nope! QH/Paint cross. But he used to be a race track pacing pony, so maybe that's where he got the bounce-off-the-walls trained into him.

Funny thing is that he's nowhere near excited when I tack him up. I brushed him outside the barn - no stall, no cross ties. I put the bridle on him there as well (because I like to see the horse's honest opinion about riding out with me), and he stuck his nose right through the nose band.

Miles it is, I guess. Once he gets tired enough, hopefully he'll figure out how to relax to conserve energy...


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## ChasingDreams

@mmshiro Chase can be like this too. Maybe not as “looky”, he’s usually pretty focused on what’s ahead. But, he doesn’t like walking slowly and will keep walking faster and faster until he tries to break into a trot. I have to keep much more contact than I’d like just to keep him steady. And lots of circles and yields, etc when he starts to rush. 

He only rushes on the trail, the minute we start to head back home he starts dragging his feet [emoji23] The girl I bought him from calls him “Chase the trail boss” because he just LOVES blazing through the trails. 

Maybe it’s a paint thing... I’ve always thought paints to be very much QH temperament. But, I’ve met more than a few that have a serious motor on them. 


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## phantomhorse13

On Tuesday, I got some saddle time before the storms rolled in. The whole story is in my journal.

First up was George.




























Iggy was up next. 



























2018 mileage
...
5/15 george 11.07 miles 1959 ft climb 5.3 mph 93F 820.85 total miles
5/15 iggy 8.19 miles 1289 ft climb 5.5 mph 93F *829.04 total miles*


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## Celeste

I guess it seems crazy to ride the same little woods trail over and over, but in those woods, the temperature seems to be at least 10 degrees cooler. The beauty of the woods is unbelievable and there is nobody there but us and nature. Pictures don't do it justice. We rode it again today.

Total for year: *92.33 miles*


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## ChasingDreams

@Celeste I don’t think I would ever get tired of riding in the woods ❤ Even if it’s the same trails. It’s my absolute favorite place to be. The nice thing about where I am now...it’s not like full day riding, but I can definitely ride for a few hours and not ride the same trail twice. And there’s lots of little trails between the “main” trails so it’s easy to switch up your routes so you aren’t doing the same one every time. I still haven’t even learned half of all the little in-between trails.

If I am going to be stuck without a trailer to haul for a while, I could be in worse places 

I did ride up the lane and back in the rain today. I couldn’t take it anymore, I’d visited Chase Monday night but hadn’t ridden since Saturday. It’s been raining more often than not since Saturday night, and is supposed to continue straight through the weekend.

I eyeballed the trail entrances while we were out, and it’s a complete swamp. It might be a while before it dries out enough to get a “real” ride in [emoji30]

My kids are enjoying the puddles though...










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## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> I guess it seems crazy to ride the same little woods trail over and over


Yet more evidence I am crazy then, as I ride the same trails over and over, sometimes on more than one horse in the same day. I get to see all the subtle changes (and sometimes not-so-subtle ones) momma nature provides.

I figure if a rider whines about using the same trail, then they are missing the point and perhaps need another hobby..


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## Change

I won't whine about the same trails except to say there aren't enough of them, and the rotating scenery of dirt, growing cotton, blooming cotton, harvested cotton, dirt is a bit dull. And no shade. Yeah. I will complain about that part. ;-) I'll also complain about the weekend rain, the 90F days and the usual too-much-to-do-around-this-place syndrome. I haven't gotten to ride in what feels like forever!! And *Phantom *has left me behind!! *Celeste*, too!!


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## ChasingDreams

@Change they’ve left me in the dust too lol I do try to ride a couple times a week, but my rides are usually pretty short and slow compared to everyone else. But, Chase is still young and my kids are young so it is what it is. I’m happy to have this thread for motivation...it definitely makes me want to get to the barn more!


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## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> I figure if a rider whines about using the same trail, then they are missing the point and perhaps need another hobby..


It's not so much whining about the same trail, but the excitement of, "Where the hell are we?" or "I wonder where this one goes..."

Also, I hate micromanaging, so going on the same trail leads to me letting the horse do her thing, which leads to anticipating, which leads to unexpected decision making on the part of the horse, especially at speed. I have to keep the horse guessing about what's next, and familiar paths make it extra difficult for me (mentally) to do that.


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## Change

Riding the same trails means the horse knows the way home. That leads to disagreements when I want to ride longer, or long walks if the horse and I part company. I don't mind the disagreements too much, but I really dislike hiking! If I wanted to walk, I wouldn't have a horse!!


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## phantomhorse13

I would whine about no shade too, even without living in the broiling hot south!!

My horses know which way is home just about any time I am in the saddle. I guess I figure that hassle is worth not having to browbeat my DH for the truck, hook up the trailer, then haul out. And my horses are also happy to make unplanned decisions, regardless of where we happen to be. :dance-smiley05:


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## Spanish Rider

> And no shade. Yeah. I will complain about that part.


Ditto!


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## mmshiro

No trail riding yet - torrential rain yesterday, arena lesson with Hamlet today. We were working on going on a loose rein, under supervision of BO. My wife brought the minis to the arena - I always like it when the little ******s are running around. As they like Hamlet, there is never any drama, just cuteness.

In order to take a break from the drills, I had Hamlet herd the minis a little. (They weren't exercising, just eating, so they were asking for it.) The first half hour or so I was without stirrup, so my intention was it to "guide" the minis, working with Hamlet, using only legs and seat, a little rein when necessary, at the walk and trot. We did some tight circles to keep up with them, but there being a purpose, Hamlet didn't mind and did not regard it punitively.

Later on, I picked up my stirrups and we were working on the "dropped rein" stuff at faster gaits. Another break, another game with the minis, with me much more cocky and secure is the saddle. Suddenly, one of the minis made a break for it, and Hamlet said, "I got him!" and he went after him like a real little cutting horse! He totally picked up on the game, and he took more and more responsibility to keep the minis in line! It was so frickin' awesome to work with him keeping "the herd" together, and he showed no mercy! Hamlet stayed on their little heinies no matter how they were dodging and weaving. My task was primarily to stay out of his way and on the horse. BO and wife got an awesome Western show (and all in English tack)!

So, as soon as I got home, I looked up a Western barn (40 miles away) and inquired about the possibility of taking some reining lessons over summer. Hamlet had a blast with the game, the minis need exercise, and BO says he already knows neck reining, so all that's needed is me getting a clue.

Together with Toni, whose BO also teaches me to ride her on a loose rein, and whom I'll hopefully be able to introduce to trail riding, this will be the best horse summer camp ever! Yay for having a pay check and the summer off (well, working from home on scheduling)!!


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## ChasingDreams

That sounds like fun @mmshiro! It’s so neat seeing a horse with a passion for something. I hear this about reining horses a lot, the good ones really chase their charges down and get excited about it  You can tell they enjoy it.


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## carshon

Another ride at the prairie restoration area yesterday. Our local parks are hit and miss open because of off and on rain. DD did not get off of work until almost 1 so we had to stay closer to home. We have been limited to 1 ride per week which is horrible considering we normally ride 2-3 times per week. Our mowing business is super busy this time of year so we just have not had time. And my Piriformis Syndrome is kicking my hiney. Mounting and dismounting is not pretty and Tillie is earning extra cookies for standing as still as she can while I drag my leg over her rump and slide off on my tummy. I guess some riding is better than no riding! Supposed to get near 90 this week with change of storms 2-3 days so it will be hot and humid. Where did Spring go?


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## knightrider

Today was Isabeau's turn and we got to do a long 2 1/4 hour ride and 8.32 miles. Super fun. I tried her in her "water bridle" for the first time and she acted like it was nothing. We'll be leaving for Ocala National Forest on Wednesday to camp at Doe Lake for 6 days. I am taking Isabeau and Acicate for the first time ever. Neither one have ever swum in the lake, so it will be fun to teach them to take us out swimming.

Doe Lake is just the greatest camping trip ever for me. We ride for a couple of hours in the morning, then come back and swim the horses for a while, then put them away and swim ourselves until we get tired, then have a snack and read or laze in the shade. After supper, another fun ride. There is a freezer, refrigerator, and microwave in the clubhouse so we don't have to cook on a fire or camp stove. No electricity, but hey, we're camping! (sort of).


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## ChasingDreams

@knightrider I am sooo jealous! I want to come!!!


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## knightrider

@ChasingDreams, I wish you could come. I think (hope) @LoriF and @4horses are joining us there. The more the merrier!


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## ChasingDreams

I’d love to if I could! Florida is pretty far from me, especially considering I don’t have my own trailer yet. Maybe some day! For now I’ll just live vicariously through your tales...take lots of pictures please! 🤩


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## Spanish Rider

@carshon , sorry but I need to ask: what does prairie restoration entail?

@knightrider , can we just appreciate the fact that you are riding sleeveless and basking in the lake with Isabeau, while I am here sitting under a blanket with wool socks on?

Seems like great fun!


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## carshon

@spanishrider I live in NW IL. There are a lot of state owned lands that they are trying to revert back to their natural state - in this case prairie with some scrub trees and low wet land areas. In this case it is state owned land of a few hundred acres that is now reverted back to native prairie grasses and only native specie trees etc. It is quite beautiful in the summer to watch the grass blow in waves and the birds and wildlife that call it home are wonderful to see.


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## Spanish Rider

> It is quite beautiful in the summer to watch the grass blow in waves


Sounds beautiful! We have native grasses here, too. When they were little, my boys used to call it their "ocean" (they don't often get to see the ocean).


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, Nicole asked me over to ride. I rode Polo. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
5/21 polo 11.01 miles 850 ft climb 4.4 mph 75F *840.05 total miles*


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## PoptartShop

Took Promise around the property (soon she will be ready to venture out & go to Fair Hill, but for now!). Sooo good!  Was a gorgeous day yesterday.


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## QueenofFrance08

Boy have I been forgetting to update here. We did our 2nd Distance Ride this weekend, a 10.5 mile intro at Border Battle Boogie. 

Disclaimer: I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES ALL WEEKEND!!!! ARGH! My phone didn't work where we were so I left it in the trailer all weekend.... So mad. On top of that the ride photographer didn't come because his wife's horse has a respiratory infection so there are no pictures other than one my friend took of us at the campfire.

We got to camp at 9:30pm Friday night and had no idea where to go. Thankfully the ride manager was still awake and out so she gave us directions and asked if I could be back there at 5:30 the next morning to help volunteer. We settled into our site and got the horses out and crawled into bed at 11:00. My alarm got me up at 5:15 and I stumbled over to the center of camp to learn how to help. I spent the day scribing for the vets until 1:30. There was a 6 year old who rode a 50 and that girl is already a better rider than I could dream of being. The ride manager's mom was there and made us amazing food all day! At 1:30 I thought my feet were going to fall off and I went back to get a jacket (Saturday was cloudy and in the 50s with a pretty decent breeze) and our campsite neighbor said she would go take my spot for me. At that point our other friend had arrived and we decided to get the horses ready and go out for awhile to check out the trails. Another girl we met at our first ride came with us so the 5 of us went out for about an hour to get the horses a little warmed up and to see what the trails were like since none of us had been out there before. We went to the awards (I got to eat first for volunteering!) and then had a campfire before bed and a whole group of people joined us.

Sunday we got up and went to ride meeting for our Intro ride where they decided to split us into groups so we wouldn't all be leaving at the same time. I was happy to be doing an intro which is treated like an LD in the rules instead of a competitive trail event. I was surprised when the ride manager put most of the brand newbies with me and told them DH and I were leading their group. We went out at 10:00am and were told our optimum time was 2 hours because the footing was very deep and sandy. We quickly found out one of the girls riding with us wasn't really great at controlling her horse and my mare kicked her horse when she ran him right into her behind for the second time. She spent the rest of the ride asking us to slow down and "off roading" on her horse because "he likes it better". We also rode with a girl who did the entire ride on a bareback pad (she is my hero) and our friend who rides a 5 year old TWH who is a little naughty. We got back into camp at 12:02 and our horses pulsed down quickly. Stitch was still on fire and wanted to trot the whole way back in and was not thrilled with our walk pace. She vetted in well (only a B on back, I think I need to try a different pad with the saddle I'm using) and the vet told us she looked great and she could tell she was ready to go right back out. We finished packing up our campsite and had to help the guy across from us jump his battery before we left at 3. We got home around 6 and the horses trotted all the way to their pasture (clearly unfazed from the ride) had dinner and went right to bed.

I'm thinking about doing an LD at the next ride in 2 weeks....

I finally am over 100 miles! I'm at 103.69


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## gunslinger

Well I'm still well behind previous years as far as mileage goes...but GF and I did manage a ride sunday....

The sky grew gray, the thunder popped around close, and the bottom dropped out about a mile or so from the truck.....

Soaked, through and through.....top to bottom, head to tail.....

We also rode bumpities.....10.2 miles....that puts me at 78 miles for the year.

We're headed to Big South Fork over memorial day weekend....guess what the weather forecast is? I hope someone brings a Monopoly game or something.....


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## phantomhorse13

On Wednesday, I got George out. We had 3" of rain the day before, so there was plenty of water! The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
5/23 george 13.55 miles 1804 ft climb 5.7 mph 85F *853.60 total miles*


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## mmshiro

Well, as some of you have read elsewhere, Dita and Marion are not part of my life anymore, and Hamlet and the minis have transferred to their new barn. As Dita had lost a shoe, I had taken Marion this past Monday - she was a good girl, but considering, I don't remember much about the ride at all.

Last Wednesday, I went to hug the girls one more time... :sad:

At the new barn, I engaged in some equine-assisted therapy. One of the mares there had a foal that's now a little under a month old - a little filly. I visited them in their pasture. Ignoring them completely, it took about 5 mins for the little one to come over to check me out, closely supervised by mom, who also vetted me. I gave her a little scratching, knowing she'd still be skittish; she chewed on my shirt.

The second day I visited them, when they came over, I crouched down to be at eye level with the filly, and she started to climb all over me. She basically ended up in front of me, standing sideways so I could scratch her, but to get there, she literally climbed over my knees... Mom was eating grass alongside.

Yesterday was my third visit with them. Filly came over, mom glanced at me from where she was and kept grazing. Filly is rubbing against me, walking around me, like a kitten; I scratch her and pet whatever she puts in reach of my hands. I can lean over her back and put both arms around her girth - all she does is put her head around and pulls on my pant leg. She followed me when I stepped back, and in turn I put some playful pressure on to make her yield a little (nudged my shoulder against her chest). 

Seems like in mom's and filly's books I'm now an approved baby sitter, and playing with her definitely helps with the rebound.

I hope I'll still get Tony to half-lease (whom I brushed in pasture yesterday), so there will be new "trail" postings in the near future.


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## ChasingDreams

@phantomhorse13 your trails look like mine, except my boy is clumsy...unlike your fine-tuned endurance equines lol I don’t trust him not to faceplant both of us into the mud quite yet  

We are riding tomorrow regardless, so I’m happy to see the sun shining today. Hopefully, we will have better footing by then 


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## AnitaAnne

mmshiro said:


> Well, as some of you have read elsewhere, Dita and Marion are not part of my life anymore, and Hamlet and the minis have transferred to their new barn. As Dita had lost a shoe, I had taken Marion this past Monday - she was a good girl, but considering, I don't remember much about the ride at all.
> 
> Last Wednesday, I went to hug the girls one more time... :sad:
> 
> .


Sorry to hear you the girls are no longer in your life :frown_color:

Last I remember the BO was moving to a different location but I thought you were still going to be riding them at the new location...did I miss something?


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## mmshiro

AnitaAnne said:


> Sorry to hear you the girls are no longer in your life :frown_color:
> 
> Last I remember the BO was moving to a different location but I thought you were still going to be riding them at the new location...did I miss something?


Yeah, while I was out with Marion, BO's son, who has impulse control issues due to traumatic brain injury, flew in a rage because Maverick didn't want to be haltered by him, cornered him, and physically tackled him to the ground - while my wife was telling him to lay it off and that she'd handle it.

BO blamed my wife's lack of training and the minis for the incident, absolving her son from any culpability. Being caught between blood relations and a reliable income stream with compassionate horse people, she chose the former.

In a related note, I haltered both minis today, and I caught and haltered Hamlet twice in a huge pasture - once to handwalk him because he's a bit buddy sour, once for a riding lesson to show new BO and trainer how he goes.

There seem to have been cracks developing that ultimately led to catastrophic failure. 

Ultimately, it seems to be rooted in something that happened to all of us (son who would benefit from psychiatric supervision), but ultimately cannot become our problem. I personally wouldn't want to lose my teeth because I challenge his authority...


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## AnitaAnne

mmshiro said:


> Yeah, while I was out with Marion, BO's son, who has impulse control issues due to traumatic brain injury, flew in a rage because Maverick didn't want to be haltered by him, cornered him, and physically tackled him to the ground - while my wife was telling him to lay it off and that she'd handle it.
> 
> BO blamed my wife's lack of training and the minis for the incident, absolving her son from any culpability. Being caught between blood relations and a reliable income stream with compassionate horse people, she chose the former.
> 
> In a related note, I haltered both minis today, and I caught and haltered Hamlet twice in a huge pasture - once to handwalk him because he's a bit buddy sour, once for a riding lesson to show new BO and trainer how he goes.
> 
> There seem to have been cracks developing that ultimately led to catastrophic failure.
> 
> Ultimately, it seems to be rooted in something that happened to all of us (son who would benefit from psychiatric supervision), but ultimately cannot become our problem. I personally wouldn't want to lose my teeth because I challenge his authority...


Can't like this post :frown_color: 

If someone tackled my ponies to the ground they would have more than broken friendship and broken teeth to worry about... 

Can't imagine how they have any boarders with that person around.


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## Celeste

I would be afraid of being personally attacked. I'm so sorry about the barn thing. I wish there was something I could say to make it better.

For the price you had to pay to lease, you could probably own your own horse and board.


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## mmshiro

First ride out today with Hamlet! The entrance to the trails is 200-300m down the road, and he was a bit of a basket case. 2-3mins into the woods, after some nervous trotting which I let him do on a loose rein, he settled down. He walked with cadence, his head dropped significantly, and the only thing I did on the reins is a little tuck left or a little tuck right to show him that I'm still there, paying attention, when he got too lookie. It seemed that the environment - woods and trail - comforted him through their familiarity, even though he'd never been on THAT trail.

Four issues cut our ride a bit shorter than normal: bugs (and no Deet on me); spider webs in the face; in my excitement I forgot my half chaps so the stirrup leathers where a bit of an issue; and I didn't want to get lost, so I didn't want to pass too many intersections and forks. 

Turns out that if you go home the same way you came (I have no idea how to make a loop, of course), you won't have to worry about getting lost. He remembered a left turn on the way home that I almost missed...

I had to correct a little bit of jigging due to impatience, so just in case, I rode him past the farm entrance a little while the other direction. That caused a bit of consternation at first, but as soon as he relaxed, he got to go home for sure. 

I didn't know I'd be riding him on a real trail today, so I didn't bring the camera to commemorate the event. Hopefully, I'll be able to record my first ride on Tony...


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## mmshiro

mmshiro said:


> At the new barn, I engaged in some equine-assisted therapy.


No trail video, but I want you to meet my therapist. The horse in the last shot is mom, quite clearly delighted to have found a free babysitter...

(This is my first time ever to interact with a foal this closely, so I hope the more experienced amongst you will forgive my giddiness! :happydance


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## ChasingDreams

Got some ride time in this weekend. Full account is in my journal :
http://www.horseforum.com/showthread.php?p=1970544769#/topics/783978?page=6

Friday was just Chase and I. 










We did a short ride through the woods, and then went to the Quarry to let off some steam. Had a great long run, although at one point I had to stop Chase from running off through the field after a deer 🦌. He’s starting to take the “chase the deer” game a little too literally. But, he was good and minded me  And, we even made another bareback attempt when we got back to the barn!

Saturday, I rode with BM and Chase was very well behaved. No rushing or fussing about Thunder being in front or behind. We even met a herd of cows, and he did great!



















Like usual, forgot to stop the app when I got back to the barn so the numbers are a bit off lol. 

Total 2018 miles~ 51.33



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## mmshiro

All righty - I did decide to take out Hamlet one more time. We had a good ride yesterday - considering - and I wanted to build on that. Tomorrow he'll get the day off for sure! The video is mainly to document the event - my life was never even once in danger. I miss Dita...no ride on Tony yet.


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## ChasingDreams

Rode again today, and Chase was really well behaved. Even with everything being a bit soggy from light rain this morning. Mostly took to the trails at a brisk walk, nothing too out of the ordinary. It was nice!










Total 2018 miles~ 54.66


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## knightrider

I'm back from 6 days of camping at Doe Lake. Every day the weather was predicted to be stormy and ugly, and every day was fine. I brought my two project horses to Doe Lake for the first time and was delighted with how well they did. Both of them had been camping before, and they handled being in the electric pen just fine. Isabeau could care less when horses from her herd leave her, so I wasn't worried about leaving her back to ride Acicate, but Aci goes inside out when he gets left, and I was concerned about that, since I have learned from experience that horses tend to be more anxious when left alone on camping trips than they do at home. But Acicate was lovely being left, and that was no problem.

Neither Aci nor Isabeau did very well with being in the lake. Neither one of them handle crossing water well, and I had high hopes that 6 days of going in the lake would change their minds. It did not. I did manage to get Aci in the lake every day, but it was long and slow. Isabeau went in twice, and then announced that she had been there, done that, and not gonna do it again, thank you.

The first day @LoriF joined me for a super fun ride, after a weird unreasonable incident with our club president. We put that behind us and first rode for 2 1/2 hours and then swam the horses. Laela loves the water!

Then @4horses arrived and we went exploring and rode morning and evening. Since we each brought 2 horses, we took turns riding each other's horses so that buddies could stay together and not be so miserable being left screaming and pacing for hours. 4horses horses both do great in the water, so that was fun. It was a little frustrating for me, coaxing mine to get in the lake, but those two horses have never been exactly easy to ride, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

I'm not very good about taking pictures, but here are a few.


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## mmshiro

@knightrider: (Last picture) "If you come to a fork in the road, take it!"


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## gunslinger

Wouldn't you like to have a job like a weatherman's? 

We spent Memorial day weekend at East Fork Stables.....the weather forecast was 80% chance of rain Friday,Saturday, Sunday and Monday.....well, we got two showers that lasted maybe 30 minutes....

I rode Miss Lacy 3 days in a row, with no back issues.....the new saddle seems to have solved that issue....

I'm now at 105 miles for the year.....having rode 8 on Friday, 12 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday.....

We thought about canceling due to the forecast.....but thankfully we didn't.

Weathermen and baseball players....hit 333 and you're a superstar.....


----------



## phantomhorse13

This weekend, DH and I went to central NY for a competition. The whole story is in my journal. I rode Iggy in the 30 miler.

The weatherman had given up trying to predict what would happen ahead of time, finally setting on 50% chance of storms. We got just plain rain all day.


































2018 mileage
...
 5/27 iggy 30.85 miles 3116 ft climb 8.2 mph 71F *884.45 total miles*


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## Spanish Rider

fftopic: Sorry!

I really need advice on a *legal property issue* (rights of way), so I have opened a thread: http://www.horseforum.com/trail-rid...ils-786173/page74/general-of...t-sign-790655/

I have to present our case in writing by this afternoon (Thursday EST). 


Any help/advice/wording would be greatly appreciated.


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## Zexious

@PhantomHorse 13 - I love, love, love that second photo! You both look like you're having the time of your lives <3 I'll head over to check out your thread!

Sending you good vibes, @Spanish Rider ):


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## PoptartShop

@phantomhorse13 the picture of you smiling says it all!  Love it!!


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## charrorider

We went from a record setting cold April to a record setting hot May. The temps we have had for May are more the norm for July, in the low 90s. I'm afraid the horses have not had a chance to get in shape to work in this heat. So I went for a short 7.5 mile ride yesterday. It was much cooler in the woods.


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## ChasingDreams

@charrorider you say short 7.5 miles...that sounds pretty long to me [emoji23] Beautiful picture!


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## charrorider

ChasingDreams. At 68 years of age, sometimes they do feel pretty long. lol. I took a 10 minute break at about 4 miles. But most of the time I go for 9-10 miles.


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## Zexious

@charrorider - What a gorgeous pic. I love how the chestnut ears contrast so beautifully against the rich greens. Stay cool!


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## charrorider

Zexious. Thanks.


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## knightrider

Time for May monthly totals. Thanks again, @Celeste for the nice Excell chart.
Chorro yearly 58 hours
Acicate yearly 119.75 hours
Isabeau yearly 119.5 hours
Total riding hours for 2018 297.25 hours
980.925 miles
Chorro month of May 11.75 hours

Acicate month 28 hours

Isabeau month 21.75 hours

Total for May 61.5 hours, 206.25 miles
May has a lot of riding because of my 6 day camping trip to Doe Lake where I ride about 4 hours a day. Riding with 4horses (she likes to go fast) put on a few extra hours and miles.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got George out. The whole story is in my journal.




























5/30 george 24.63 miles 2888 ft climb 6.1 mph 88F *909.08 total miles
*
May - 284.53 miles:
sultan: 42.11
george: 82.18
polo: 11.01
iggy: 104.58 
promise: 44.65


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## Change

May total - 0

Bleah.


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## Zexious

Such beautiful colors, @phantomhorse13 !


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> Such beautiful colors, @*phantomhorse13* !


Things have really greened up and are growing like mad. Very pretty to look at.. but omg the BUGS. I think George would have put the dreaded fly bonnet on himself and I certainly was wishing for whole body netting..


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got double saddle time. The whole story is in my journal.

First, I went over to ride with Nicole.





























In the evening, I went to test ride a mare for a friend. Mara, a Foxtrotter, was a lot of fun.



















2018 mileage
...
6/1 hombre 8.18 miles 540 ft climb 5.4 mph 94F 917.26 total miles
6/1 mara 3.94 miles 217 ft climb 4.5 mph 96F *921.20 total miles*


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## AnitaAnne

Change said:


> May total - 0
> 
> Bleah.


Ditto. Every time I am off it is raining; beautiful weather I am at work before dawn and home after dark :icon_rolleyes:


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## LoriF

That sounds just like my schedule rain when I'm off. Except, wait! It hasn't stopped raining at all. One of the reasons that I don't really like to ride in the summer, always raining. And then there's the hot, muggy, buggy, and muddy.


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## Celeste

*May total: 26.3
2018 total so far: 100.53*

I think I have ridden three times since posting. I am way overworked lately and I just haven't been getting on line. Last weekend I rode with a friend on Saturday. Then yesterday, DH and I did our normal route. In spite of all the bug spray, the horseflies were pretty wicked. I crunched 5 of them by hand. I just hope the ones that got on the swat and flew off die. June 1st always seems to bring out the horseflies. 

Yesterday it was noneventful except horseflies and mud. We had to keep the pace slow due to slipping and sliding. Today, we were riding and the bottom fell out of the clouds. I was very surprised that DH was game to keep riding. He said, "We are already in the pool. We might as well swim." It was amazing how pleasant the horses were riding in the pouring rain. I think they loved it because it kept them cool. We changed up our route a bit due to the horseflies.

The first picture is from last weekend with my friend. My 31 year old Abby seemed very glad to get to go out for a ride.

The next pictures will be from this weekend. Can anyone notice any mud puddles? We also had a few trees in the path. DH was kind enough to go out and move some before the ride yesterday so we could use the pathways.


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## ChasingDreams

I rode Chase Friday night. It was miserable hot and humid, so I hand-walked him on the lane and kept it short. He worked his butt off considering.









Today, it was miserable hot again with threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon so I just went for a visit, did some grooming and hand-grazing and a little light groundwork. I might try to sneak in a ride tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

2018 Total miles~ 57.32


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## Zexious

What a great little trek, @ChasingDreams ! 
@phantomhorse13 - I hear you about the bugs! Obviously this pales in comparison, but I just got a new puppy (that I'm taking out every hour on the hour because we don't have a yard) and I'm getting destroyed by mosquitos x.x

Everyone stay cool out there! When is fall getting here, again?


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## ChasingDreams

I tried to sneak a ride in...and failed. Started raining about 15 mins in. We did a little loop in the top trails and called it a day. 

























I wanted to work on his legs anyway, all this rain caused a scratches outbreak in our barn; so Chase’s, which had JUST cleared up, came back with a vengeance. I put a call in to the vet to get the heavy-duty treatment cream this time. So annoying, and painful for him. Poor guy...

So, he got some pampering instead and seemed appreciative 








Total 2018 miles- 59.04

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## SwissMiss

We seem to have fallen in the "terribly hot, humid and buggy" hole here as well  And at a weekend like that I chose to ride twice :rofl:


BO and I needed some horse therapy and hopped on our horses yesterday evening for a leisurely stroll around the property. However, the leisurely stroll was replaced by a high-speed race as soon as the horseflies descended on us and our poor mounts  Apparently, at a certain speed (aka gaiting at canter speed) the flies couldn't keep up and our horses chose to move like that whenever possible. And despite all the bugs, the horses seemed to enjoy the ride and trying to figure out who is faster.:gallop:


Today I met my riding buddy early morning at the trailhead and - surprise- the horse flies were out there as well :evil:.
But today I was nice and was wearing my black riding tights, which worked as a pretty effective fly trap. They settled on my legs and got promptly squished. Raya was first startled by the slapping motion "you want me to go faster? OK", but eventually she realized that it had nothing to do with speed control...
Despite the heat and mugginess she was eager to go, go, go and was powering up the hills as if they weren't even there... One time she got very looky and snorty and that area of the woods smelled very strong like pig but we didn't encounter anybody there and the smell was gone on the way back :wonder:


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## mmshiro

Last week, I had an arena lesson about relaxing and trusting the rider with Hamlet, then I went out on him with BO and her little Arabian stallion Sonic for a short ride, and today it was perfect for an exploratory ride: 70s and low humidity, sunny and a bit windy. Given that we are exploring new territory, it was one of those "Oh, I wonder where that goes...-... oh crap, where are we?" kind of rides. While Hamlet still needs some advancement in the "relax" department, he proved himself to be an excellent navigator. Once I was ready to head home, he got to pick the path at intersections three separate times, and he nailed it every single time. Do you think he sensed that I trusted and relied him at those moments? 

Due to the length of the ride, he also settled into a more comfortable body position, so his ears weren't in my face anymore, and his steps focused more on covering ground rather than imitating a sewing machine. A few times he even asked to stretch down - which is huge for a little horsey that thinks he's responsible for our safety!

Anyway, I definitely want to retrace today's trail next time. Once I got a nice baseline trail and start to remember landmarks along it (so I can recognize it), I'll be more comfortable exploring other trails that branch off here and there.


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro I'm glad you are finding the new trails! I am a bit jealous of your 70 degree days, especially the low humidity.


----------



## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I'm glad you are finding the new trails! I am a bit jealous of your 70 degree days, especially the low humidity.


Yeah, I knew there'd be some trails. I'm mostly missing Dita... I think she'd love those, too. We just had graduation at my school, and it occurred to me that it was harder for me to say Good bye! to her than to any of the kids, some of whom I had known for four years.


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## carshon

Finally got DH out on a trail ride. Our humidity was set to break on Friday afternoon. We headed out to the local state park at 4 - it was 87 F and still humid. We saddled up and headed out to ride. Horses were eager to go but we found the trails to be slippery in the deeper ravines and had to do some bushwacking when we came upon some trees on the trail. At about mile 3 we decided to cut the ride a little short. The bugs were horrendous, the trails were quite slippery and it was still so humid we were all sweating buckets. We take the trail to head back toward the trailer and Tillie is acting like a fool. Super forward and not minding her feet, going down a small hill she slid then tripped hard and I knew instantly I was going off over her shoulder - when she went down to her knees she pulled me forward out of the saddle and I was seeing the ground over her left shoulder. Fortunately/unfortunately for me when she pushed herself back up we knocked heads and the momentum pushed me back into the saddle. We had to stand for a moment so I could gather my wits about me. After that I was rather strict with Miss Tillie about speed and hills - and she was none too happy and spent the remainder of the ride with ears pinned firmly flat as I constantly rated her speed. Thank goodness no black eye just a mark on my cheek bone.

Yesterday (Sunday) the weather had finally broken - but it brought strong winds. Daughter and I decided to ride anyway and headed back to the same park as Fridays ride. Tillie was still full of herself and we led out at a ground breaking speed. After about mile 5 she decided it was better to slow down and wait for daughter to ride with us. We again were working on getting our butt underneath for the steeper hills. She was doing quite well at listening and going down the hill slowly 
We scared up a few deer who were bedded down out of the 30mph wind gusts but the horses stayed calm. Daughter and her horse Gracie had the unfortunately luck to step in a deep hole and Gracie struggled to keep herself upright. All I heard was the very scary sound of a horse scrambling and daughter gasping. We stopped and checked Gracie - just a small scrape and some grass stains where she went down on her chest. Daughter stayed on but was a little shaken. It has been so hot and humid here and we have had lots of rain the trails have not been mowed at the park yet this year. Grass over most of the open trails was chest high and the nettles on the wooded trails chest high as well. So roots, holes and slick spots were harder to see. We headed out again and the girls knew the trailer was close and had picked up the pace again - we got to gait on some great flat trails and were thankful they had dried out since Friday. Tillie had forgotten her hills lesson from earlier in the ride and we side passed down the last 2 large hills - she was near the trailer and she knew it. After some conversations with her - she decided it was better to walk at a fairly civilized pace rather than have me half halt and leg yield her for the last 2 miles. All in all it was a good weekend of riding. My hips are incredibly stiff today but not as painful as they have been in the past. 

totals for the weekend 14.3 miles


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Yeah, I knew there'd be some trails. I'm mostly missing Dita... I think she'd love those, too. We just had graduation at my school, and it occurred to me that it was harder for me to say Good bye! to her than to any of the kids, some of whom I had known for four years.


Of course it was! Is there any chance you could buy her?

What do you teach?


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## egrogan

Yikes @*carshon* , can't really "like" your post. I know firsthand how easy it is to get unseated when your horse stumbles hard and unexpectedly! Knocking heads sure doesn't sound fun!

We too had a humid, uncomfortable start to the weekend but a very nice end. I got to ride both days- and had someone to ride with each day, which was welcome!

The bugs were too bad to ride in the woods on Saturday, so we stuck to the roads.









Yesterday we had a good breeze so the woods were more tolerable. A usually blocked trail was open so we were able to connect from the main woods trail to the dirt road, and finish our ride with a nice trot.









*Total 2018 miles: 70.9*
Fizz-67.2
Isabel-3.7


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## Zexious

Looks like an overall great ride, @egrogan ! (Can I come, next time!  )


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> Of course it was! Is there any chance you could buy her?
> 
> What do you teach?


I teach math at a New England private school.

Buying her... If my wife was actively engaged in riding Hamlet and I needed a horse, that would probably be a reasonable plan. However, as it stands now, I'll be responsible for riding Hamlet, and unless I have time off (like in summer), I wouldn't be able to give Dita as much time as she deserves. 

I mentioned elsewhere that, as long as I'm Hamlet's rider, I'd discontinue the lease on Dita and ride her "by the hour". The next best feasible thing would be to ask for an off-site lease over summer, but that's selfish, because it'd require taking Dita out of her familiar surroundings twice within a short period of time.

If the old BO didn't have a nice place to put her (which she does) and it'd be a matter of finding a home for her or else, that'd be a different conversation. But I've seen the new property, and she'll have a good home, just nobody to put some love on her.


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## QueenofFrance08

Stitch and I did our first 25 mile LD ride Sunday! We had a great time and finished with only 5 minutes to spare due to a rolling incident at a water stop complete with a deployment from my air vest. The whole story is in the Horse talk for 40's group if anyone is interested!


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## Zexious

Looking great, @QueenofFrance08 ! You and Stitch look like you're having an amazing time!


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## PoptartShop

Took Promise around the property yesterday.  Was a relaxing night! Hoping to take her to Fair Hill for the first time this weekend, if the weather cooperates.


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## Change

Change said:


> May total - 0


I lied. Checked my stats and I did ride once in May, for a whopping 1.7 miles. :|



AnitaAnne said:


> Ditto. Every time I am off it is raining; beautiful weather I am at work before dawn and home after dark :icon_rolleyes:


Same here. Only, I'm at work by 6 a.m. and home as the sun is setting. Just enough time to feed and wish I had the time or energy to do more.

I took today off, though, and managed to get in a nice ride on Cally. Had hoped to ride Tango as well, but by 10 it was already too hot and muggy to consider going out again. Tango didn't mind. :-/ 

Today - Cally - 4.93 miles. Me, YTD: 84.88.

I still have a few miles to go to catch up (one decimal removed) with *Phantom*!


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## Change

Oh - and *Queen*! Congrats on completing the 25 LD. I won't get my chance until fall. Checked the schedule, and there's nothing in the area now until September.


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## Spanish Rider

> I won't get my chance until fall.


Ah! But you WILL get a chance. That's great!


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## Zexious

Look at the manicured lawn, @PoptartShop ! Gorgeous!


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## QueenofFrance08

@Change You guys will be more than ready this fall! We didn't even get to do the multi day intros like you were doing this Spring before our 25.


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## egrogan

Change said:


> Oh - and *Queen*! Congrats on completing the 25 LD. I won't get my chance until fall. Checked the schedule, and there's nothing in the area now until September.



Yes, congrats @QueenofFrance! It is very inspiring to see your pictures.

@Change, I am hoping that the fall will be my first too. There's actually a 25 here this weekend, but I have lost so much conditioning time because of my move (just moved from NH to VT a couple of weeks ago) and we're not ready. So, I'm volunteering as a vet scribe Friday night and will be looking forward to hopefully being out there with Fizz in October!


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## Spanish Rider

Great news, @egrogan !


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## QueenofFrance08

@egrogan I volunteered as a vet scribe at the last 2 rides (volunteered Saturday and rode Sunday) and I loved it! Have you scribed before? You learn so much!


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## egrogan

QueenofFrance08 said:


> @*egrogan* I volunteered as a vet scribe at the last 2 rides (volunteered Saturday and rode Sunday) and I loved it! Have you scribed before? You learn so much!


Nope, first timer!


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## QueenofFrance08

@egrogan I know you had volunteered before. I still need to get pulses down (or buy one of those wand thingys) BRING EXTRA PENS! Mine kept dying last week due to the rain and it was super embarrassing.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Sultan out. The whole story is in my journal. 



















Today, I got Sultan and George out.




































2018 mileage
...
6/5 sultan 6.44 miles 735 ft climb 4.9 mph 70F 927.64 total miles
6/6 sultan 6.35 miles 1075 ft climb 4.7 mph 65F 933.99 total miles
6/6 george 6.45 miles 723 ft climb 4.9 mph 68F *940.44 total miles*


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## Change

@egrogan, @QueenofFrance08, @AnitaAnne - it's all *Phantom's *fault! She's infected us all with endurance cooties!


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## egrogan

Change said:


> @*egrogan* , @*QueenofFrance08* , @*AnitaAnne* - it's all *Phantom's *fault! She's infected us all with endurance cooties!



Hehehe-that is quite literally true for me. The first ride I ever volunteered at, I got to crew for Iggy and his mom with @phantomhorse13 showing me the ropes. It was like walking around ride camp with a celebrity :grin: I felt so welcome, was in awe of the riders and their horses, and knew I needed more!!!


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## QueenofFrance08

Change said:


> @egrogan, @QueenofFrance08, @AnitaAnne - it's all *Phantom's *fault! She's infected us all with endurance cooties!


It's true.... I didn't even know endurance existed (other than a passing mention that the woman we bought our house from used to do it) until I started reading her journal. I read the whole thing in a week..... Then I found a few endurance blogs online because I needed to read more..... Then I signed up for Green Beans and asked a million questions to my group (I have 2 ladies in my group who have 300-500 miles already) and well here I am!


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Give Sultan and George my love! Looks like you had a nice ride!


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## charrorider

Amal and I went out for an 11 mile ride. It was hot and muggy and Amal did not take a single sip of water while on the trail. One can lead a horse to water, but one cannot make him/her drink. I wish Amal were more like my wife's horse, who NEVER turns down the opportunity to have a drink. It would make me feel better. Oh, yeah, and I'm up to a whopping 145 miles for 2018.


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## Zexious

@charrorider - That looks like a pretty neat ride! You'll double your mile count in no time!


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## charrorider

Zexious. Yes, and it's all on NF land. Except for the very western edge (on left of pic), which is where I live. Over 30 miles of primitive trails.


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## Celeste

DH and I rode 2.2 miles today before the horseflies drove us back in the house. In the deep, shady woods where we can take the heat, the horseflies bite! They bite through spray and they bite us.

*Total: 102.73 miles for year*


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## EquineBovine

*Miles this year - 0*
But miles traveled through your photos and stories - Who can count? <3


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## knightrider

Today I decided to ride my daughter's horse on the trails with my neighbor. Since my daughter is not allowed on the private hunting land (only me when I am with my neighbor--this rule changed after 10 years of being allowed to ride there--boo), Windy is not used to riding in this area. She kept lagging behind and had to catch up about 40 times. I was pleased that she did a lovely smooth running walk for 39 of those times. I kept telling my daughter that Windy's dam did not gait until she was 6, and not to worry about Windy's lack of gait until she was 6. She will be 6 in August, so she is right on schedule for getting the gait. It was a fun ride. We went 90 minutes and about 4 miles.


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## LoriF

knightrider said:


> Today I decided to ride my daughter's horse on the trails with my neighbor. Since my daughter is not allowed on the private hunting land (only me when I am with my neighbor--this rule changed after 10 years of being allowed to ride there--boo), Windy is not used to riding in this area. She kept lagging behind and had to catch up about 40 times. I was pleased that she did a lovely smooth running walk for 39 of those times. I kept telling my daughter that Windy's dam did not gait until she was 6, and not to worry about Windy's lack of gait until she was 6. She will be 6 in August, so she is right on schedule for getting the gait. It was a fun ride. We went 90 minutes and about 4 miles.


Yay for Windy's running walk, Boo for not being able to ride on the property without an escort. If I ever hit the lotto jackpot, I'll buy that doggon property for you.


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## Zexious

@knightrider - Great news about her gait developing! She's a lovely looking mare <3


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## ChasingDreams

Took Chase out for a ride last night. To save re-typing everything here, the full story and bonus birthday pics are in my journal:
http://www.horseforum.com/showthread.php?p=1970551799#/topics/783978?page=7


















Total 2018 miles~ 62.48


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## egrogan

@knightrider, Windy is stunning!

Friday afternoon I volunteered at GMHA's "Spring" CTR/Endurance ride (ha, yes, June is still spring in Vermont. It's been about 40*F overnight for the past couple of weeks!). I was scheduled to be there to vet scribe at 4, but most of the riders arrived much earlier in the afternoon, and the vets were there, so they started vetting in early- all but 3 horses had been through the vet check by the time I got there. So, I didn't actually end up scribing, just helping with checking in the last few. No big deal though, it was nice to get to talk with the riders and hear more about their plans for their horses. When I was introduced as a newer volunteer, everyone was so kind- I can't wait to get out there as a volunteer _and_ rider later in the summer! My mentor was there riding the 25s on both Saturday and Sunday, so I hung out with her back at the stalls for a bit, and met some of the people she usually rides with. Always nice to catch up and meet new people!

I got out for a nice trail ride with some friends on Sunday. It was pretty buggy in the woods, but we still had an enjoyable ride.



























*Total 2018 miles: 73*
Fizz-69.3
Isabel-3.7


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## Zexious

Sounds like a really awesome organization, @egrogan ! I can't wait to hear more about your adventures as the spring/summer/fall (  ) progress. 
Ps, can you send some of that glorious weather my way? :')


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## QueenofFrance08

Sunday morning we headed out early because I had volunteered to help with the mock ride for the MN Distance Riding Association. I offered to lead the intro riders with Stitch and another lady who wanted to try the mock ride couldn't get her horse there so I offered to let her ride Chico. We got there at a little after 9 (I drove separately because I was staying with a friend in the area for a work conference the next day) and tacked up Chico and Stitch and got them "vetted in" (other riders were pretending to be vets for the day). We had a ride meeting and I met the other people who were doing the intro mock ride. There were also people doing the CTR judged mock rides who were going out after us. Two of the other people riding the intro have been at a few rides this year so planned on riding on their own, the lady who was borrowing Chico wanted to ride with me, and another lady dressed all in orange asked if she could tail behind us because she had a green horse. We finished tacking up and rode around the parking lot a little. When we got over by the timer stand the woman in orange appeared and her horse out of nowhere wheeled and tried to kick at Stitch. Stitch jumped and spun around and thankfully I was able to get her calmed down pretty quickly. That was more than enough for the woman riding Chico and she said she couldn't ride with the orange woman because she was too nervous on a new horse. I said that we would stay back and let her ride with the other group and she agreed. Trails opened at 11 and we got about 10 feet down until we heard a thud behind us and saw that the orange woman's horse had dumped her on the ground. We all asked if she was alright and she seemed more upset than anything so we continued down the trail to try to get some distance between her. My friend riding Chico (I will call her T) was terrified by this point by the woman's horses behavior and I knew we had to get some distance or she wasn't going to do well. We got another 50 feet down the trail and picked up a little trot when we heard cantering hooves running up to us. We both were confused as to who would be trying to take off this fast at the beginning at a mock ride and as soon as we started to wonder the orange womans horse came charging down the trail riderless. Chico and Stitch jumped into the ditch to try to get out of the way and T lost it. She was so terrified. I stopped Stitch and jumped down and was able to catch the loose horse. The woman in orange came stomping up and looked at me and said "you better hold her" to which I asked.... "huh?" She replied that the horse had gotten loose because no one would hold it while she was trying to mount so I had to hold it for her so she could mount. I didn't know what to say so I held the horse (who was trying to bite Stitch) while she climbed on. She pointed at one of the other riders and said "You! Ride here next to me!" and the woman obliged. They got to the first hill where the woman's horse refused to go down and suddenly the ride organizer came cantering up because she had heard about all of the incidents. Thankfully the orange woman admitted she should probably head back with the ride organizer and not continue. We continued on our way fairly uneventfully and finished the 6.5 mile loop. We did a lot of walking but it was still a nice leg stretcher for Stitch and Chico who will hopefully be doing 25's this weekend. There was a nice potluck at the end and I was very proud of T for finishing even though she was very nervous. 

7 miles Stitch

I've lost count.... Best guess I can come up with is 153.69


----------



## egrogan

Well that sounds...interesting.. @QueenofFrance08! I guess it's good that Orange Lady decided to try her hand at a mock ride, but I can only imagine the FB posts if/when she shows up at an actual ride! How nice of you to be a calm, helpful mentor to T.


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## QueenofFrance08

@egrogan Believe me I'm all for new people joining! Plus, I know stuff happens. Jake got loose on DH from our trailer last weekend, my friends horse drug her on the ground during vet in a few weeks ago... There's at least 7 embarrassing mishaps at every ride but I just hope she can learn how to control her horse a little better before she tries another ride because that was dangerous for everyone. :frown_color:


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## carshon

Wow - just WOW! @Queenoffrance what a horrible experience for T. And I feel for the woman in orange. it sounds like it was not much fun for her either.


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## phantomhorse13

This past weekend, I went down to Virginia for the Old Dominion. The whole story is in my journal.









































 

2018 mileage
...
6/7 flo 3.28 miles 231 ft climb 5.6 mph 82F 943.72 total miles
6/8 flo 51.58 miles 6982 ft climb 6.1 mph 85F *995.30 total miles*


----------



## charrorider

Temps were supposed to be in the mid-80s with 70% chance of thunderstorm. So I thought, "That doesn't sound too badly. And I always get caught in one drenching storm every summer. So might as well get it over with." Rode almost 12 miles and 4 hrs and 15 min. The sun shone all the time and the heat index was 98! The pic is riding on an ancient logging road.


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## Zexious

That's a little hot for me, @charrorider , but a beautiful picture none the less! Sounds like you made the right choice <3


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## charrorider

Zexious. Thanks.


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## ChasingDreams

I got out Tuesday night, maybe a mile and a half or so only because it turned into a cow-desensitize/training event... but we made it through and had progress so I’ll take it 

Story in my journal:
http://www.horseforum.com/showthread.php?p=1970554643




















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## ChasingDreams

@phantomhorse13 stunning photos as usual! I’ll have to catch up on your ride when I get some quiet time later.
@charrorider I hope this doesn’t come off wrong, but I’m glad to see that Chase isn’t the only one who gets the bridle equivalent of “hat hair” out on the trails [emoji23] 











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## Celeste

I'm afraid that I don't worry about "hat hair", "bridle hair", or anything else to do with fashion. Everything I wear or use is for a purpose, not for fashion.

DH and I had a great ride today. We first drove up the dirt road to see if our neighbor with the giant pit bull cross dogs that she lets loose was home. She and her dogs were gone for the day so we went down the dirt road so that we could try to avoid some of the horseflies. 

We had a lovely ride! We were not attacked by dogs, nobody was shooting high powered rifles, and we didn't even see any vehicles. Once you get a couple of miles out, you have the road to yourself except on the weekends during hunting season. There is no hunting going down at all right now which is really nice.

One bad note, my girl threw a back shoe. I have the farrier coming out Sunday, but unless I nab DH's horse, I won't be riding. Her feet get really dinged up without shoes. 

We rode 3.6 miles. I would have gone further, but DH thought that it was long enough. By the time we got back, I was the one about to die from the heat. It was only 82, but the humidity was 76%.

I am proud of my girl because she will now do a nice, smooth jog. She had to figure that out to keep up with a gaited horse. 

We still have work to do on the canter. She goes right into it, usually on the correct lead. She was only going 11.5 mph, but she puts too much upward umph into the gait. It is more like leap, crash land, leap, crash land. DH said that the gait actually looked lovely. It just felt rough. 

*3.6 miles today
106.33 for the year so far.*

We saw a fawn!

For the pictures that look like my girl is annoyed. She is not pinning her ears in anger. She is trying to see the camera.


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## ChasingDreams

@Celeste I agree, I just wonder if people look at my pictures and think “Does she ever brush that mane?” 

I actually saw two fawns Tuesday as well, you just reminded me about that. They were bedded down right where I turn into the first set of trails. The first one got up and ran first, and Chase flinched. Then we walked right by the second one, until he decided to follow his buddy just as we were almost past him. Chase flinched again. He’s not upset about the deer, he just doesn’t like them popping out on him like that lol

They were little, spotted, and ridiculously adorable.

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## Celeste

I wish I could have gotten a better picture of the little guy, but he ran off.


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## charrorider

ChasingDreams. I wasn't even aware there was a name for mane that splits like that. It's just Amal, to me.


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## Celeste

charrorider said:


> ChasingDreams. I wasn't even aware there was a name for mane that splits like that. It's just Amal, to me.


Is there a name for it?


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## charrorider

Celeste. "Hat hair"? "Bridle hair"? I don't know.


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## Change

I do know that @Celeste's DH's painted walking horse with many names and none has a mane that refuses to go to one side or the other. It's so thick that it parts itself in the middle. I tried so hard to make him presentable when Celeste came to test ride him, but that mane has a mind of its own!! Cally has one 3" section that always seems to be on the left side with the rest on the right; Tango always seems to have at least 1/3 of his mane going to the right, with the rest on the left. I brush it all on one side then let it flop wherever it wants.

So far no riding for me this weekend. Hot, miserable, muggy weather here. I'd ride if there was any sort of shade, but there's none to be found around the cotton fields, and hauling somewhere to ride alone just doesn't hold any appeal.


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## phantomhorse13

First thing Tuesday morning, I had Sultan out. The whole story is in my journal.




















Then I rode with my SIL on her horse Amish in the afternoon.



















2018 mileage
...
6/12 sultan 6.35 miles 809 ft climb 5.8 mph 72F 1001.65 total miles
6/12 amish 5.63 miles 947 ft climb 3.4 mph 76F *1007.28 total miles*


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## Zexious

That second picture looks like part of a storybook, @phantomhorse13 ! Beautiful <3


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## SwissMiss

Change said:


> Hot, miserable, muggy weather here. I'd ride if there was any sort of shade, but there's none to be found around the cotton fields, and hauling somewhere to ride alone just doesn't hold any appeal.


And if you do find some shade to ride in the horse flies are so bad that you rather ride in the sun :frown_color:

Wish we lived a little closer! With the current weather hauling longer than 1 hr doesn't hold any appeal :sad:


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## phantomhorse13

Thursday, Gina and I got Amish and Giselle out again. The whole story is in my journal.





















Friday, I went over to meet and ride a horse I was asked to ride him in a CTR next weekend. Mateo is a mustang gelding.




















Yesterday, I got Amish out with Gina and Giselle again.



















2018 mileage
...
6/14 amish 6.46 miles 658 ft climb 3.5 mph 85F 1013.74 total miles
6/15 mateo 4.60 miles 682 ft climb 3.0 mph 84F 1018.34 total miles
6/16 amish 9.13 miles 1218 ft climb 3.4 mph 88F *1027.47 total miles*


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## Celeste

Change said:


> I do know that @Celeste's DH's painted walking horse with many names and none has a mane that refuses to go to one side or the other. It's so thick that it parts itself in the middle. I tried so hard to make him presentable when Celeste came to test ride him, but that mane has a mind of its own!!



His mane is like his name. Can't make up his mind. He does seem to answer to "Jack" which goes along with the name "Cracker Jack". 

About the mane; it comes in handy with all the horseflies around.


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## QueenofFrance08

Saturday DH and I rode a 25 mile LD at the SE Minnesota ride. 20 people started the LD, 12 finished, and 9 received completions for being in the time parameters. We were 8th (DH) and 9th (Me) finishing with 5 minutes remaining. It was 92 degrees with such high humidity the water crossings had fog over them until well into the afternoon. The full story is in the 40's group but here are our awesome pictures.


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## AnitaAnne

WOOT @QueenofFrance you got the turtle award!!!! Congratulations on your completions. You and your horses look great too! I see lots more PINK  


I can't like your post however, because the like button is not working for me tonight...maybe tomorrow it will...


meanwhile LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE


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## QueenofFrance08

@AnitaAnne I need my turtle t-shirt!


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## Zexious

@QueenofFrance08 - You guys look like you're having an awesome time! Congrats on completion


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## walkinthewalk

Congratulations!

BUT ---- with the temps and humidity you describe, I'm pretty sure I would have forfeited any completions for spending enough time in that inviting water to wrinkle my skin more than it already is, lollol


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## QueenofFrance08

@walkinthewalk Trust me as soon as we got the horses settled we were tempted to go back to the water crossings and put ourselves in it but it was a few miles from camp so we settled for a cold shower.


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## knightrider

Today @4horses, @LoriF, and I went on a lovely long 3 hour trail ride in San Felasco State Park. I wanted to work on Acicate's crossing water and asked 4horses if she would bring Paris or Hamony, who both cross water perfectly. I knew that Lori's mare Laela loves water, so I had high hopes.

Acicate has crossed water about 50 times, but each time we meet water on a trail ride, he insists he can't do it. Every new ride with water is a new start getting him to cross it. 4horses said she knew trails where there would be plenty of water to cross, and she was right! I put on my bear trap barrel saddle and rubber boots because he often will cross if I lead him, and I wanted to be able to mount from the ground perhaps several times . . . or more.

It didn't take long for Aci to follow Laela and Paris through the water . . . and there was LOTS and LOTS of water, some of it up past his knees and about 100 yards long. I only had to dismount once.

We came across four resting deer, who did not move while 4horses and Lori snapped pictures of them. Next we came across a huge rattlesnake, fatter than my upper arm. Since it was hotter than two rats in a wool sock, the snake barely acknowledged us and we rode on.

Then we came to a super difficult water crossing. At one time, some clever conservationist thought it would be smart to erect railroad ties as steps leading down into the water and back out of the water. At that time, the horses had to step at least 2 feet down each step into sucking mud, and that made for unhappy horses! So I had not attempted that water crossing for several years. But Hurricane Irma, and heavy rain last year and this year had flooded the railroad ties so many times that now they were solid mud crossings, like horses are used to and willing to do, so I asked Aci to cross it. He wasn't having it, so I dismounted, thinking I could lead him across, but no, he backed up abruptly, yanking me into the mud. Lori got behind him on Laila and encouraged him forward, and then he did the crossing in two huge "Peppi le Pew" jumps, soaking me thoroughly. But since it was hotter than (see above), it just felt pretty good. The next water crossing to get to the next set of trails was even steeper, muddier, and more difficult, and I felt it wouldn't be fair to push Aci for more and harder when he had done so well, so we rode back across the mud covered railroad ties (which you cannot see or feel anymore), and (fox) trotted, cortoed, and cantered a bunch to get home.

It was a super great ride with super company and I was pleased with Acicate's water acceptance. Many thanks to LoriF and 4horses for helping us!


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## LoriF

@knightrider@4Horses;Thanks for riding with me, it was such a nice ride. That snake did acknowledged us for sure, he was coiled against the tree and rattling saying "Don't tread on me" He was huge!!. 

I got some decent shots of everyone so here they are. The pic of the deer isn't so great but it was hard to capture them with my phone camera and Laela didn't want to keep her feet still long enough for me to take it. I did get one though

Aci did great getting in the water, he wasn't so sure at first but he tried it for you.


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## NativePony

I hope it's ok for a newbie to post in here? 

I've stubled across this post, but love trail riding (or hacking as we call it in England) & getting out & about in the countryside with my wonderful horss 🙂 

I've been tracking my rides since January & so far clocked up 250 miles so far. I'm hoping for a few more before the year is out!

I've (hopefully!) attached a quick snap from tonight's ride 🙂 Everyone's riding looks & sounds lovely!


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I rode Amish with my SIL.




























2018 mileage
...
6/20 amish 11.69 miles 1234 ft climb 3.5 mph 85F *1039.16 total miles*


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## LoriF

phantomhorse13 said:


> Today, I rode Amish with my SIL.
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2018 mileage
> ...
> 6/20 amish 11.69 miles 1234 ft climb 3.5 mph 85F *1039.16 total miles*


1039 miles, you're 1/3 of the way across the US this year already!!


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## Change

I'm in Classic mode and the LIKE button doesn't work - so consider this my like for all the posts! ;-) I'd be in full mode, but then I can't see pictures or post. 
@knightrider, @LoriF, @4horses - it looks and sound like you had a really fun ride. *LoriF*, Laela is GORGEOUS!!!

I'm off work tomorrow because Son is scheduled for a colonoscopy and I'm the taxi. I may just work from home on Friday, since I only need 7.5 hours to earn my 80 for the pay-period. I just can't see driving 50 miles round trip for that.

Last weekend I bought one of those prefab sheds to use as a hay/tack room combo. Now I have to cut down a tree and a stump where I plan for it to go and haul a whole bunch of cinder blocks and caps from the back of the lower acre up to where the shed will go. Back breaking work! But it'll be worth it to get out of the garage and have more room to lay in enough hay for winter. Pictures of before/during/after will be posted - if HF cooperates.


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## ChasingDreams

@phantomhorse13 you ride so many nice horses, I’m so jealous! I’d love to see a picture of Mateo, those bay ears are the cutest. 
@QueenofFrance08 congratulations on your ride, love the water pictures!

I’m jealous of all of you who are close enough to meet up for rides lol, looks like a lot of fun!
@NativePony welcome! New ear pictures are always accepted here  250 miles is a heck of a good start to the year...to get that much saddle time....a girl can dream 

I was able to get out with BM Friday evening for a ride. Chase was in a mood and spooked at monsters the entire time. We had a particularly fun mini-bolt when a deer popped out just as we started to lope up a hill. It wasn’t the most relaxing ride, but it certainly wasn’t boring 

Since it was an all-hands-on-deck kind of day I didn’t manage any pictures but I did have my tracking app running.









Total 2018 miles~ 67.58





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## Zexious

@ChasingDreams - Those dang monsters


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## Oreos Girl

Welcome Native Pony, we were all newbies at some point. I don't usually get 250 miles a year so I am impressed (almost 45 right now). What part of England are you from? I have a friend that hubby is stationed at a base about an hour north of London. I keep saying she needs to get back to riding but she is afraid it will make her miss her babies too much.


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## LoriF

Change said:


> @knightrider, @LoriF, @4horses - it looks and sound like you had a really fun ride. *LoriF*, Laela is GORGEOUS!!!



@Change Thanks for the compliment on Laela. I love her so much and she can be quite the character. Knightrider and 4horses are just a couple of great ladies to ride with. It's always fun with them.

Man, if I had the opportunity to work from home, I would never go in.


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## NativePony

Thanks for the welcomes! 

Oreo Girl - I'm about an hour or so South of London so midway between the city & coast but on the edge of fantastic riding in the countryside. We can go straight onto countryside & forests from our stable and field . Which is a huge bonus & makes riding so much easier! 

I've another 4.5 miles to add tonight. It was a beautiful evening, it was well worth skipping post work drinks for!


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## phantomhorse13

NativePony said:


> I'm about an hour or so South of London so midway between the city & coast but on the edge of fantastic riding in the countryside.



A million years ago, I lived in Surrey and can remember some fantastic riding there. I can't wait to see more of the places you ride!


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## Spanish Rider

*phantom*, I had no idea that you used to live on this side of the pond!


*native*, would love to see your pics of Surrey! I am in Spain, although I don't get out much (if ever).


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## phantomhorse13

Spanish Rider said:


> *phantom*, I had no idea that you used to live on this side of the pond!



I did, for a couple years as a young teenager. So I have all these pictures of me standing in front of various famous places scowling, as what teen wants to be seen (and photographed!) in public with their family?! :rofl:


Amazing riding though - even my grumpy teen self couldn't resist the call of that.


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## knightrider

Usually I don't post my rides because rarely does something exciting happen on them . . . including today. But I got my computer repaired and it is working so nicely, and it is nice to have it back!

This morning I rode Isabeau solo for 2 hours, about 7 miles, and she was wonderful. I still marvel at times about how far she has come . . . and the fact that it was me who got her there--an ordinary rider with no skills. Just to find out what lead she prefers, I cantered her a couple of times--she likes the right lead best. I told her maybe we'd better work on taking the lead I ask for, and she said, "Not on your life! Leads, schmeads, I'll do what I want when I want. Don't you dare think you can tell me what to do!" That's Isabeau, all right.


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## Celeste

I was able to get a couple of rides in this week. I rode with a friend of mine and we rode down the dirt road. We mostly rode side by side and caught up on all the news. I actually forgot to take pictures. 
(4.9 miles)

Then DH and I did a woods ride. We cut it short due to the horrendous horse flies and deer flies. As we got deeper and deeper into the "jungle", it became obvious that the horses weren't going to continue to have fun if we got into thicker stuff. The more dense the woods and wet the ground, the more flies. 
(2.2 miles)

I finally have my girl doing a really nice jog. For ages, all she would do was a way too fast trot that about jarred out my teeth. 

Now I need to work on the canter. It was hard to keep her below 20 miles per hour when she was allowed to canter on the trails. I have her slowed down to about 11 miles per hour. The only thing is, I think she puts the same amount of energy into the canter. The result is a very rough ride. Today I didn't even try to sit it; I just got into 2 point and rode. She didn't seem to notice one way or the other. I guess I am making progress, but I really would like to have a nice, easy, rideable lope. Suggestions are welcome. Hey, at least she is willing!

A couple of picture of our new "rain forest biome". Georgia didn't used to be this way in June.

Total for year: 113.43


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## Zexious

@Celeste - Goodness, the mud is real D;


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## Spanish Rider

@Celeste , I can't see your photos (no worries - not a complaint; just thought you should know).

That's amazing that her trot and canter have improved so much! You should be proud of your hard work!

Have you tried one of those bug/fly mesh head covers? Don't know what they're called, but I have seen them used a lot in Maine in the woods.


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## SwissMiss

Spanish Rider said:


> Have you tried one of those bug/fly mesh head covers? Don't know what they're called, but I have seen them used a lot in Maine in the woods.


If the Georgia horse and deer flies are any as the Mississippi ones, the only thing that would work is make a gigantic hamster ball out of netting and have the horse run in there :evil: My shirt and riding tights are at least no hindrance for them to bite.:frown_color:

Tried to beat the heat and humidity this morning and failed miserably  Apparently 8 is waaaay too late! Rode along the fence line on the shaded trails and thanks to a breeze the flies were not as bad as excepted. Could also be that they all concentrated on the black gelding and left my mare alone... We kept mostly to a walk and really just moseyed along. But the horses were still sweaty when we got back to the barn... Summer in the South :wink:


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## NativePony

Hope everyone has had good hacks this weekend! 

5.8 miles to add tonight ... I rode this evening to escape the mini heatwave the UK is currently having & the horse-flies! 

It was lovely getting back at 8.45pm & it was still hot & sunny 🙂


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## Celeste

Spanish Rider said:


> @Celeste , I can't see your photos (no worries - not a complaint; just thought you should know).
> 
> That's amazing that her trot and canter have improved so much! You should be proud of your hard work!
> 
> Have you tried one of those bug/fly mesh head covers? Don't know what they're called, but I have seen them used a lot in Maine in the woods.


I am proud of my girl for improving so much. 

I do have some of those horsey head nets. My horse hates them. 

I can see the pictures. Is anyone else not seeing my pics?


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## NativePony

Does she tolerate a nose net? Or a fly fringe to fix to the browband? X


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## SwissMiss

@Celeste, I can see your pics


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## Zexious

@NativePony - What a gorgeous horse! They look so content in that second pic <3


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## Spanish Rider

@Celeste , must be me. I can't see yours or NativePony's. In fact, the "Attached Thumbnails" link isn't even a link - just bold text.

Can I just vent and add that I am SO OVER technie updates, problems, crappy quality devices, etc. My laptop is less than 2 years old and it has crashed twice, requiring repairs, the battery died after only 1 year, and now the fans are shot so I have to use an external fan. Total piece of schnitzel. :beatup:


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## carshon

like @Celeste we had to cut our ride short. First time to get out in 2 weeks and we rode about 3 miles. I will not attempt to upload the 1 photo I took. We have has 8 inches of rain in 2 weeks - most state parks are closed so we rode the prairie restoration park. I am happy to say that hips and back still felt good and I mounted easier than I have in months (I am sure Tillie appreciated that) We left the parking area and headed to the grass lands - only to find that they had not been mowed! So we were riding in belly deep prairie - the flowers were amazing but the ground was mushy and marshy underneath. The horses were stirring up swarms of mosquitoes - we braved the bugs hoping higher ground would help - alas no. My jeans (dark blue) had large brown patches on them from the mosquitoes and my daughter who had on a black tank top had brown patches on her. Tillie is black and her face was literally covered in mosquitoes! Even after I had liberally applied fly spray. We just could not tough it out. we turned around at a little over a mile and headed back to the trailer. 2 happy horses gaited as fast as they could through the mushy ground - we arrived at the trailer mud splattered and itchy.

We are expected to get another 2 inches of rain tomorrow - not sure what the riding will look like in the coming week.


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## mmshiro

I've been absent from the thread for a while, but not absent from trail riding. The truth is, Hamlet is getting more and more solid, so I don't really have a lot of interesting stories to tell. With Dita or Marion, it was always 90% like a Hamlet ride, and it was the 10% "crazy" I told you about. Apart from being a bit lookie for the first portion of the ride, Hamlet doesn't have a crazy bone in his body.

Finally, though, a small story to tell! On Saturday morning, I got a text from BO telling me that there was a trailer space open for a hunter pace in the area - if I wanted it. Usually I consider these kinds of events insufficient fun for the necessary logistical overhead, from paperwork to transportation etc., but I was kind of flattered she thought of me to substitute for the rider that had cancelled. After all, I'd be riding with two instructors and a trainer. Well, not only did we get 3rd, Hamlet was also declared the best-behaved pony in the team! 

It doesn't end there, though. Maybe you remember that I had planned on leasing TB show mare Toni for the summer? It turns out that she's too busy with shows, so I won't get her (this summer). Instead, I'm leasing her 7 year-old OTTB gelding Key ("Qui C'est Moi"). I already had a lesson on him, and today I rode him by myself for the first time - mostly arena, and not very far afterwards for a cool-down walk, as he just had his feet done and the frogs on his hind feet are still a bit close to the ground. I'll definitely get our inaugural trail ride on camera!

The funny part is that BO's first offer for a summer lease was a rock-solid ex reining horse. I told her that my summer lease shouldn't just be "Hamlet in a different color", and I think it surprised her quite a bit that I was asking for a young, green(er) horse. I think we're going to have fun!


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## Change

Alas, no riding for me. Rain, rain, mud and more rain and intense sunshine giving us heat indexes in the high 90s and low 100s. Ain't it something when, at 8 a.m., it's already 84F with a feels-like of 96??? Poor Tango hasn't been ridden in 2 months now. And oy! the flies! I broke down and bought both horses fly sheets - and guess what? The doggone deer flies get up under them driving the horses crazy! Or they bite through ... and when I take them off, the horses are solid sweat. So... sheets retired. And the full face masks? Cally rubs hers off and both have raw spots around the noseband area from rubbing their faces against their legs. About the only thing that seems to work at all is SWAT, so the horses have pink lines under their eyes, behind their ears, and down their legs.


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## ChasingDreams

Saturday was my birthday, and as much as I would have loved to squeeze in a birthday ride... uncooperative weather and the very rare date night with my beau kept me away from the barn. So, first thing Sunday morning I met BM for a trail ride.

It was sunny, 75 and a bit humid but other than drowning in fly spray to keep the bugs at bay...it was SUCH a nice ride. As much as Chase and I had a “two-handed” ride last time, it was like a completely different horse this ride. My phone/app died halfway through so I didn’t get it recorded unfortunately, but it was Chase and my longest ride to date for sure. At least 4-4.5 miles. He was fantastic, no rushing on hills, no spooky jumpy stuff, he led and followed calmly, had a nice lope,etc. It was just so relaxing, a perfect post-birthday ride.

As I gushed to my H about how awesome Chase was, he commented that maybe it was ME being that much more relaxed after getting a night out to let my hair down...and he might be right. It had been so long since the two of us had some good adult fun together, so it was definitely well-needed! 

Total 2018 miles~ 72.08


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, Gina asked if I wanted to ride. Of course the answer was yes! The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
6/26 amish 13.18 miles 1590 ft climb 3.5 mph 82F *1052.34 total miles*


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## Zexious

Beautiful pictures as always, @phantomhorse13 . You live in such a picturesque place <3


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## AnitaAnne

Change said:


> Alas, no riding for me. Rain, rain, mud and more rain and intense sunshine giving us heat indexes in the high 90s and low 100s. Ain't it something when, at 8 a.m., it's already 84F with a feels-like of 96??? Poor Tango hasn't been ridden in 2 months now. And oy! the flies! I broke down and bought both horses fly sheets - and guess what? The doggone deer flies get up under them driving the horses crazy! Or they bite through ... and when I take them off, the horses are solid sweat. So... sheets retired. And the full face masks? Cally rubs hers off and both have raw spots around the noseband area from rubbing their faces against their legs. About the only thing that seems to work at all is SWAT, so the horses have pink lines under their eyes, behind their ears, and down their legs.


I ditto the weather part of this! Horrible hot muggy and daily thunderstorms (at least on my days off) added to working 44 hours in three days again and it just isn't happening right now. 

My fly sheets though work great except when one gets under them, which is coincidently how I discovered what is making Kahlua buck so much...flies LOVE her and she HATES them! Not enough fly spray even with the fly sheet on her to keep them off and keep her anger under control. Flies must love black horses :evil:


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## QueenofFrance08

@AnitaAnne Nacho (who is black) has at least 5 times more flies on him at any given time than any of the other horses (2 chestnut, 3 bay, one champagne) I wonder why????


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## PoptartShop

Loving all these trail photos.  I am working on trailer training with Promise later this week, hoping to head out to Fair Hill within the next few weeks.


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## AnitaAnne

QueenofFrance08 said:


> @AnitaAnne Nacho (who is black) has at least 5 times more flies on him at any given time than any of the other horses (2 chestnut, 3 bay, one champagne) I wonder why????


I have no idea! Maybe they are trying to hid out on the black ones? 


When I had some mostly white dogs they got twice as many flea and tick bites, but never noticed a big fly problem with my black or mostly black dogs...it is very odd!


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## carshon

We have the same issue that black horses attract more flies and mosquitoes!


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## Celeste

Our flies are equal opportunity flies. They bite all the horses. My poor old 30 year old arab X is gray but she really has turned white. The horseflies bite her and her white coats lets you see the blood running down her legs. I spray her, but it still happens.


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## QueenofFrance08

Got my first trail ride in on Jake yesterday! We bought him with no experience other than arena work (as an 8 year old) and he is loving the trails! DH has been riding him for me (crash test dummy) but I finally was brave enough to hop on myself last night! He did great! I'm bringing him and Stitch for my girls camping/riding weekend with my endurance buddy this weekend and she's bringing her 25 mile horse (who is buddies with Stitch since they always ride together) and her new arab (who is 15 and hopefully will be a good babysitter for Jake).


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## charrorider

My ride a couple of days ago. There was a good chance of thunderstorms, but that was better (IMO) than the next few days with heat index in the triple digits. So Amal and I did get caught in a storm, which we waited out in a low spot between two hills because I didn't want us to be on high ground with all the lighting going on.


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## Zexious

@charrorider - Wow, wow! How many miles was that??


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## mmshiro

I went out with Hamlet in the morning. At first, I thought it'd be a short ride because of the summery weather, but in the shade in the woods it was nice, and we were both bug-sprayed, so we went on a standard length ride - a little over an hour.

But really I'd like you to meet my summer lease - 7 year-old OTTB "Key". He's still getting PT from a leg injury (self inflicted - "horse v. fence"), so today we did 15 mins of raised pole walking, followed by 10 mins of grass snacking. He was such a good boy - you can see that figuring out where and how to move his feet over the four poles was taxing his little mind, but he stuck with it.


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## charrorider

Zexious. That was 8.75 miles. Better yet, that and another 22 miles or so are right across the road from my mailbox.

mmshiro. That's one thing about these primitive, unkept trails: horses learn to watch where they step.


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## Zexious

@mmshiro - Is the photo Hamlet or Key? c:


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## mmshiro

Zexious said:


> @mmshiro - Is the photo Hamlet or Key? c:


Avatar = Hamlet; Attached photo = Key. Here we are side-by-side:


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## Zexious

@mmshiro - Adorable! Y'all look like quite the little trio <3


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## ChasingDreams

Double ride time this weekend. Full accounts in my journal:
Adventures with Chase
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh....com/showthread.php?p=1970563089&share_type=t









With BM Saturday morning









And solo this morning:
































Despite being out early, we both ended up very sweaty.

Total 2018 miles~ 78.72


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## Zexious

Way to go, @ChasingDreams !


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## knightrider

Equus magazine reported on a study done on white horses vs. black horses and flies and concluded that yes, black horses get more flies on them than white horses. On the other hand, my private personal study, owning black, white, and brown horses, is that they get equal number of flies on them. I never noticed my white horse having fewer flies, neither riding or grazing in the pasture.


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## Change

I have a buckskin and a smoky black. They both attract a ton of flies. 

I haven't ridden since early June - my June total was 4.93 miles. Too hot and muggy or rainy and muddy. Take your choice.

Year total to date: 84.88 miles


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## charrorider

Darn hot today. Temps in the high 90s; heat index in the triple digits. So Ibn and I went for a slow 7.6 mile ride. We stayed in the woods for a little shade. Closing in on 200 miles for 2018.


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## Zexious

@charrorider - Ugh, yikes!
Everyone stay cool out there!


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## ChasingDreams

We are in a bit of a heat wave here too. I went riding very early this morning, was at the barn by 6am. It was already 75F and very humid. 

I tried the quarry, but immediately after crossing the road we were swarmed by those biting, triangle-flies and I decided with the heat it wasn’t worth it. So, I doubled back and looped around the top woods instead. 









It was a short ride, but better than fighting swarms of insects. 










By the time I left, around 8am, it was over 80F with a “real feel” of 95. I think the high today is in the 90s with a real feel much higher. Luckily tomorrow we are due for storms and then a bit cooler temps for the weekend!

Total 2018 miles ~ 81.5


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## charrorider

Zexious. If I could leave my dogs, riding somewhere like the Rocky Mountains National Park sounds very cool right about now.


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## Zexious

@ChasingDreams - I feel like, in the heat of the summer (depending on where you live, anyway!) that's totally the way to do it.
I briefly lessoned with a trainer in Texas who taught almost exclusively between 3:00 and 5:00 in the evening. That's perfect in the winter... not so much when the heat index reaches over 100!

charro - ugh, I hear you! Definitely missing those beautiful Colorado summers


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## carshon

We went for a ride yesterday. We left early trying to beat the heat and …… failed. When we left the house at 7 it was already 79 F and very humid. We decided to ride anyway since none of us have had much riding time because of the weather. Saddled up and took off for the woods. The bugs were absolutely a nightmare! We had already drenched the horses in EcoVet and ourselves with Cutter and I brought extra with us - we had to keep reapplying. The mosquitoes formed swarms around every horse and rider. Tillie started off at a very forward pace but soon figured out that it was too hot - so we slowed down. By the time our ride ended (about 8 miles) all horses were walking with heads low and sweat dripping from bellies. Riders were wet and sweaty as well. Temp at the trailer was 90F by 10AM and you could see the humidity just hanging in the air. We were surprised to see the number of trailers that had come in while we were riding. We hosed the horses off and loaded up and came home. 

More hot and humid weather is forecast for the next week. Mother nature seems determined to not let me ride this year.


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## egrogan

@carshon- that sounds perfectly miserable! We are having that same weather- and swarming bugs- here. But, yesterday morning actually felt a little better than it has all week. It was around 70*F and the humidity had cut way back to only about 50%. I was able to get out for my first ride since we moved to our new house! The horses have only been here about 10 days, so I have been mostly letting them get acclimated and taking them out for walks in hand. The awful weather the past week hadn't left me very motivated to ride, but with the change yesterday morning I couldn't pass up the opportunity.


We barely went a mile, but it was a very satisfying mile! I have never had the experience of getting on my horse in my backyard and heading out to ride, but it's something I've dreamed of since I was a little kid :grin:


























*Total 2018 miles: 75.75
*
Fizz-72.1
Izzy-3.7


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## egrogan

*Sorry, double post*


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## charrorider

Knightrider. It may be different in different parts of the country. But in these parts, the Equus study holds up, based on my observations. The darkest horse we ever had was an adopted mustang who was a dark brown (black in the winter). He most definitely got more horse flies than the others. A lot more. Now we have two bays, two grays (one is 30 yrs old and almost all white) and one chestnut. The two bays get the most flies.


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## mmshiro

Finally, my first trail ride with my summer OTTB! He's not going to be wild and crazy, as I have taken on the role of physical therapist after his leg injury. His feet aren't used to trails, he's a bit undermuscled, so it'll be a lot of hills and a lot of walking, staying away from the rockiest terrain for now. He'll get some hoof boots for the front, though, and the hooves are growing out in the back so the frogs aren't that close to the ground anymore.

In true TB fashion, he balked at a dry stream bed because of the change in color. Can't wait for our first water crossing!!


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## Celeste

@mmshiro I had to go to the link at the top to watch the video. Something about it doesn't seemed to be embedded. As always, I love your creativity in making your videos. Very nice.

I just noticed that you have a "." in the middle of "youtube". 
It says youtu.be or something like that.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I had to go to the link at the top to watch the video. Something about it doesn't seemed to be embedded. As always, I love your creativity in making your videos. Very nice.
> 
> I just noticed that you have a "." in the middle of "youtube".
> It says youtu.be or something like that.


Yeah, that's a shortened URL. Google gave it to me like this when the upload finished. The video starts for me when I click on it. A gremlin, perhaps?


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Yeah, that's a shortened URL. Google gave it to me like this when the upload finished. The video starts for me when I click on it. A gremlin, perhaps?


It could be the same gremlin that spooked our horses today I suppose.


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## knightrider

Monthly totals for June

Acicate 20.75 hours, 68.475 miles
Chorro 12.5 hours 41.25 miles
Isabeau 18.5 hours 61.95 miles
Windy 4.5 hours 14.85 miles

Monthly total 56.25 hours, 185.625 miles
Yearly totals 353.5 hours, 1166 miles


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## Zexious

@egrogan - That's so wonderful!
I think a lot of us have shared that dream at some point in our lives!


----------



## gunslinger

It's finally happened....Hamilton County, and the city of Chattanooga, finally opened the much anticipated horse trail at Enterprise South, otherwise known as the Volkswagen facility.....


17 miles of new trails, and only 10 minutes from the house.....we're planning on riding bumpties there tomorrow.


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## AnitaAnne

gunslinger said:


> It's finally happened....Hamilton County, and the city of Chattanooga, finally opened the much anticipated horse trail at Enterprise South, otherwise known as the Volkswagen facility.....
> 
> 
> 17 miles of new trails, and only 10 minutes from the house.....we're planning on riding bumpties there tomorrow.


WOOHOO!! Would love to see some pictures


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## Celeste

@gunslinger That is totally awesome!! 

DH and I did our little routine short ride today. 

I actually took most of this past week off to ride only to find out that was the week my daughter's surgery was scheduled. Helping her out obviously took precedence over most other things. 

It is hot. 

I took my mare's running martingale off of her. At first her trot was hollow and she had her nose stuck out. I kept pulling her in and then quietly asking her again and she got better. Then I asked for a canter. It was the best canter that she ever did. 

Sometime earlier in the week: 2.9 miles
Today: 2.9 miles
Yearly total so far: 119.23

I can imagine that @gunslinger is going to start doing a lot more miles soon!

Did I mention that it is hot?


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## egrogan

We finally got a break from the heat here- it was downright cool this morning, below 50*F. Without a cloud in the sky, I couldn't wait to saddle up and actually start recording miles again.

Dirt roads in Vermont...


















We only did a couple of miles today. After about a month off Fizz is pretty out of shape and these hills just don't stop!

*Total 2018 miles: 77.5*
Fizz-73.8
Isabel-3.7


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## ChasingDreams

Heat wave broke here too! We had a BEAUTIFUL weekend of mid-seventies/low eighties which was awesome for the family camping trip we had planned. We had a great time.. but a small, selfish part of me was bummed about the missed riding.

So, we packed up quickly this morning and got back before lunchtime. And I was able to unpack, cook an early dinner, and sneak in a short ride 










Stayed away from the quarry for bugs-sake, but had a fun little solo ride.


















Here you can get a little glimpse of the round bales that held us up for a bit the last time we rode with BM. He’s not concerned about them anymore lol 









Total 2018 miles~ 83.5


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## egrogan

Another short ride yesterday under beautiful blue skies. We got cut short because the deer flies are unbearable! After I sucked in a mouthful of them, I had to admit defeat and we turned around to go home. 

































*Total 2018 miles: 78.96*
Fizz-75.29
Isabel- 3.67


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## carshon

Our heat wave also broke long enough for a couple of gorgeous days. We rode yesterday and it was fantastic. I did not turn my Endomondo on but we rode for about 2 hours - lots of hills and ravines. My hips and back felt better than they have in almost a year. I am slightly sore today but will take it. Humidity and hot temps are back in the forecast for this week so probably no riding. Mother nature seems bound and determined to keep me off of my horse this year!


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## phantomhorse13

I have had a few rides since I last updated. The whole story is in my journal. 

Polo:



















Amish:



















Today, I got George out. That whole story is also in my journal.


















June breakdown:
sultan: 19.14
george: 6.45
flo: 54.86
hombre: 8.18
polo: 9.10
 amish: 46.09 
mara: 3.94 
mateo: 4.60 
june miles: 152.36 





2018 mileage
...
6/29 polo 9.1 miles 637 ft climb 4.0 mph 90F 1061.44 total miles
7/7 amish 5.36 miles 755 ft climb 3.5 mph 76F 1066.80 total miles
7/9 george 10.74 miles 1883 ft climb 4.6 mph 94F 1077.54 total miles


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## mmshiro

Aaand - I did it! My first solo trail ride with Key!! While both he and Dita are OTTB around 10 years old (7 and 11), having won near $110k each in their career, and even sharing a set of great-grand parents, the difference couldn't be starker.

With Key, I'm riding a mellow horse who's just coming back from a leg injury, which means I'm his physical therapist. He's undermuscled, has soft feet, and almost no trail experience. That means that my rides with him are walk/trot, with almost fanatic attention to proper balance and whisper soft posting, so he comes back from those rides with a positive impression, building strength and confidence. I have to sense when he's getting tired so I don't bring him back sore and strung out. It's a new challenge, much different from "staying alive at Mach 2", but it's a welcome one. You don't get experience by doing the same thing every day for 10 years, you get experience by doing something different every day.

I think the boy is fond of me, too. Yesterday, when I picked him up from his pasture, I was greeted by four butts. When I said, "Hey Key!", he was the only one looking up from his grass; he came over, and while I was sorting out the halter, he stuck his nose in it.

I'll only have him until the end of August (for half lease), but I'm hoping he'll have more of a Dita-like butt on him by then, and that I'll be able to continue working with him. He belongs to BO, and his main job will be to be a show horse, so I'm thinking involving he in his compensatory training will be an excellent win-win situation.


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Those babies! I cry :')


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## PoptartShop

FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I can post Promise on a trail. LOL.
Took her to Fair Hill on her first EVER trail, & she did amazing.   So fun & such a good girl!! Went with my friend and her huge draft Brutus.


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## Oreos Girl

So Fiddler has changed shape and the saddle I have been riding in for years no longer fits him. And it turns out he is still between 2 tree sizes so we went wide and are going to add a small shim to the front.


Headed home so walking much faster.












The sunset, it was prettier a few minutes earlier but I was fighting a horse that wanted to turn around.











It was too dark by the time I got home to take a picture of the saddle on the horse so this it for now. An internet grab of the saddle.












About 1.5 miles last night.


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I went over to ride Hombre and Polo as Nicole is away. The whole story is in my journal.

I started out with Hombre.



















Next up was Polo. 




















2018 mileage
...
7/10 hombre 8.91 miles 516 ft climb 6.9 mph 93F 1086.45 total miles
7/10 polo 8.91 miles 516 ft climb 7.4 mph 98F *1095.36 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - How nice of you to ride Nicole's horses! I hope you had a wonderful time <3


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> How nice of you to ride Nicole's horses!


Oh yes, twist my arm to have horses to ride! :wink:


Today, I got George out. The humidity had finally dropped, so even though the temperature wasn't that much lower, it felt SO much nicer.




























2018 mileage
...
7/11 george 10.46 miles 1116 ft climb 5.8 mph 86F *1105.82 total miles*


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## Change

I consider it too hot and muggy here to ride, but for some reason I don't think it's too hot and muggy to work myself to a sodden mess. Take a look at 40s, 50s or 60s to see what I've been up to!

I may have to just suck it up and take Tango out for a ride. He's getting antsy being stuck out in the pasture without a job. For no reason whatsoever, he decided, during the hottest part of Sunday to suddenly race around his field at top speed, bucking and farting the whole way. He raced around for about 3 loops, and seemed very disappointed when Cally only joined him for about half a loop before turning off to relax and graze in the shade of one of the trees. I'm pretty sure she thinks he's crazy.


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## SwissMiss

Hot,humid and buggy say's it all :shock: So instead of hauling out to ride, we ride around the property. There are woods all around and the BO made trails all over, including a jumping course with fallen trees; so it's far from boring. And we can check on how the pastures are growing (chest high by now). Raya was not amused that she wasn't allowed to snack while riding :rofl:


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## ChasingDreams

Got out for a ride last night and it was a doozy. I ate dirt for the first time with Chase.

Didn’t start my app because my phone battery was low, but probably rode 2.5 miles or so. Magnum is new at our barn, but his owner is actually the person I used to board with at my previous barn. The landlord suddenly gave him and his boarders 30 days, and long story short, Magnum ended up at our barn with a new leasee riding him. Last night she was at the barn at the same time as me, so I invited her to ride with me and I could show her some of the trails.

The ride started out just fine, Chase was in a bit of a mood but we were doing ok. In the woods he paused to sniff a small fallen branch with leaves, and then picked it up and started shaking it like a flag which gave us both a good laugh. We had a nice ride around the top trails and I debated going to the quarry with how bad the bugs have been over there. Finally, I decided to take her just to show her where the trails were, and we could lope the long stretch then turn back before we were swarmed too badly.

Well, that plan backfired because as soon as we’d crossed the road we were thoroughly swarmed and Chase started stomping and shaking his head like crazy. I tried to keep him going anyway, which in hind-site was where I went wrong. We got to the stretch to lope and took off, and about halfway across he came to a dead stop and threw a couple of bucks.

I sat the stop...and the first buck, but the next one put me off balance just a little too far and I had one of those slow-motion falls where I kind of slipped over his neck. When I left the saddle he was kind enough to leap to the side and out of my way- so besides a bruise where my calf bumped the saddle horn I’m no worse for it. A little humbled maybe.

He didn’t run off either, just ate grass while he waited for me to dust myself off and hop back on. I can’t imagine what Magnum’s rider was thinking at this point, but she seemed to have fun anyway and at least the ride wasn’t boring 

The little stinker himself:









Total 2018 miles~ 86


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## Zexious

@ChasingDreams - Glad to hear you're ultimately alright after your little spill! It happens to the best of us


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I went over to ride Hombre and Polo again. The whole story is in my journal.







































2018 mileage
...
7/12 hombre 10.10 miles 925 ft climb 6.1 mph 85F 1115.92 total miles
7/12 polo 10.34 miles 927 ft climb 6.7 mph 91F *1126.26 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Loving those bay ears!

Hope everyone is staying cool <3!


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## mmshiro

Okay, there is a first time for everything, and yesterday for me it was – the first aborted trail ride. I did Key's strengthening exercises in the arena for 20 mins, then I took him out on the trail for some uneven terrain and hills. Despite bonnet and fly spray, the poor boy got attacked savagely! He couldn't find a moment of serenity. Plus, having ridden Hamlet on the same trail the day before, I realized just how much stronger a bug attractor he is. He was shaking his head, stopping to itch his face on his foot, swishing his tail, kicking his hind leg to his flank - I can ride a horse doing a spook a minute no problem, but I can't ride one that's this miserable. And I know he wasn't playing me, because when we came back to the road (with lighter bug load) and I turned him "the wrong way", he still calmed down immediately.  I still turned him around and took him home, though. 

Does anyone have any favorite brand of bug repellant that would help with this? We are mostly talking about deer flies.


----------



## Celeste

Pyranha may be the strongest that you can buy as is. 


We actually use DuMor. It does not work well on its own. 

We spike the gallon of DuMor with two of the squeeze chambers full of Permethrin concentrate. 

This combo formulation is sprayed pretty much everywhere but the face.

On top of that, I use Swat. I use gloves when I apply it. I put it on their ears, poll, dock of the tail, external sheath, a little on the belly, and then I touch the back of each hoof (above the hairline) on it. I wear gloves while applying the swat.

When we are done riding, we hose off most of the fly spray, but the swat stays at least on their ears.

It takes me at least 10 minutes per horse. 

I live in the deep woods. The tropical rain forest that middle Georgia has become. I have tried everything out there. This rather complex procedure is the only thing that works.

I mentioned putting on the outside of the sheath. I have actually had horseflies get on the tip of a gelding's sheath, stick his head in, and bite the real deal. That will make any horse buck.


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## Celeste

DH and I went on our short woods ride again today. This is the only day I have had off since last Saturday. Dangit. So I had to ride. It was hot and humid. She did well without the martingale again. I was glad about that. 
@mmshiro You may often notice how pretty and shiny my horse's ears look. Well....... it is the Swat.

Over time, I have somehow misplaced the browband and the throatlatch on my headstall. I finally figured out where to find them. StateLineTack. I just ordered a new trail headstall. I almost lost my entire bridle do to the lack of them last weekend.

First, my girl showing off her new bridle. (Yes I always leave a halter on when I ride trails in case I need to tie.) The next ones are just pictures of the ride.

Today: 2.9 miles
Year to date: 122.13


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## Celeste

The silly looking braid on my mare is because if her forelock touches her ears and she thinks it is a deerfly, she gets upset. So @mmshiro, we feel your pain. Try my previously mentioned method. 
You'll need to buy a spray bottle and a funnel too.


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## mmshiro

Right now we only have the pink SWAT at the barn...gonna get some of the white one, or he'll look really girly with SWAT applied liberally... For ears, he had his bonnet, but I think his chest gets attacked a lot as he brings down his head a lot (even on pasture), and the sheath is definitely a good idea. For the heavier stuff, I need to ask BO as it's her horse...


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## egrogan

mmshiro said:


> Okay, there is a first time for everything, and yesterday for me it was – the first aborted trail ride. I did Key's strengthening exercises in the arena for 20 mins, then I took him out on the trail for some uneven terrain and hills. Despite bonnet and fly spray, the poor boy got attacked savagely! He couldn't find a moment of serenity.


I can commiserate...I was so excited to squeeze in a mid-day ride on Thursday that it was really disappointing to have to give up after only about 0.5 mile and turn for home because my poor Fizz just couldn't stand the cloud of deer flies. She does this thing with her left ear when she's really overloaded and having trouble dealing with the situation she's in- I like to think of it as her "ear cringe," but it's the sort of expression you see someone make if they are suddenly hit by a really unpleasant sight or sound. Anyway, I was trying to ride her through a swarm of deer flies, and she gave me her "ear cringe" and started rushing backwards. I wasn't having any fun either and my arms were already sporting multiple new welts from my own bites, so we just went home.

Here's a little video of when we got home- the first few seconds are just our other horses excited that she was back, but you can also see towards the end how bad the bugs swarming her were- she couldn't take a step without shaking her head violently.




Don't worry, I didn't fall off at the end, was just trying to help her out with swishing away a cluster of flies on her neck :wink:


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## Zexious

@Celeste - Someone's looking pretty in their new bridle!


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## SwissMiss

@Celeste, that is quite the procedure! But yeah, if you want to ride, bug repellent is a must here as well.
Luckily my mare is happy to wear a long-nose quiet ride mask - gone are the days with blood running down her face from all the horse flies feasting on her and the constant head shaking and tossing...


Got a little ride in this morning - veeeery hot and humid, so we kept a very leisurely pace. In addition the grass is well chest high and with the recent heavy rains (extra humidity, lol) the ground is pretty treacherous... Once a little bird flew up just inches in front of our faces, but none of the horses batted an eyelid. A snake got some suspicious looks and a fawn bleating less than a yard besides us got both horses to jump sideways :icon_rolleyes: Priorities :rofl: A massive horse fly just at the base of the tail resulted in a buck. That was something new, lol. But my mare was very polite about it and it seemed like a call for help "I get the fly closer up to you so you can smash it" :rofl:
All in all a very relaxing and great ride. Happy riders, but also happy ponies.


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## Celeste

@SwissMiss That is why I put swat at the base of the tail.


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## SwissMiss

Celeste said:


> @*SwissMiss* That is why I put swat at the base of the tail.


Will need to do that next time :cowboy:


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## mmshiro

I really didn't want to go riding today - warm and humid as well here - but when I went to the pasture to hang up a new fly trap, I suddenly felt a little nose in my back. I turned around, and it was Key looking for some attention, with his two pasture buddies (one of whom Hamlet) nowhere to be seen.

So I decided to go out for a bit after all and try the liberally applied SWAT plus another spray ("for horse and rider" it says) I had picked up. Things went well on the road towards the trail, but as soon as we hit the woods, the nightmare started. Deerflies aren't intimidated by anything it seems!

Well, I had Plan B prepared, turned around, and went down the (dirt) road alongside the woods instead. A bit windy, no deerflies, and the chemicals kept the rest in check rather nicely - there was minimal whirring about our heads and Key was so much more relaxed. Plus, with no rocks on the tire tracks and the ground a bit mushy after the rain, it kept his feet happy, too. We even passed a big scary flatbed truck coming the other way!

So, while not as fun as strolling trough the shady woods, it was still a good ride. He was relaxed, walked on some hills to build strength, got some desensitizing done - good enough. At this point in his trail career, my focus is on giving him rides so he'll sign up for another down the road. We'll hit the woods when it's 40s again...


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## Celeste

@mmshiro Flies tend to have a rather short life span. 

Here is our Georgia schedule:

April -- 10 million gnats
May -- gnats gone; stable flies abound but only near the stables
June -- 50 million horse flies; some deer flies; stable flies
July -- horseflies gone, deer flies still around; stable flies (forever)

I can't remember what time the deer flies are gone. They don't last all summer. 

I still have some fly issues except for about 2 weeks in February.........

But the flies will settle down. They won't be forever.

I can't really remember who comes next..........

Are you using a head net with ears for him? My horse won't tolerate one. She did until a fly got under it...........


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro
> Are you using a head net with ears for him? My horse won't tolerate one. She did until a fly got under it...........


Yeah, he's wearing a bonnet, so at least the ears are safe. But I can't find peace with a horse that has clouds of bugs whirring around his head and neck - and neither can he. BO said she tried several times of day and didn't find a good time to go out herself, and she said many of her friends aren't (talking about) riding out.

Oh well...the barn is rurally located enough so that a ride along the road isn't too horrible. I can ride down along the forest preserve and see if I can enter elsewhere. Maybe it's a local patch near a wetland or something, and it's better farther down the road.


----------



## charrorider

Took advantage of a day when the heat index wasn't going to be in triple digits for 7-8 hours and rode Ibn for 8 miles. One of the last few miles is a stretch that will get a horse in good shape if he isn't already. Ibn had no problems, even with the heat. Finally got to 200 miles for the year.


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## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> Yeah, he's wearing a bonnet, so at least the ears are safe. But I can't find peace with a horse that has clouds of bugs whirring around his head and neck - and neither can he. BO said she tried several times of day and didn't find a good time to go out herself, and she said many of her friends aren't (talking about) riding out.
> 
> Oh well...the barn is rurally located enough so that a ride along the road isn't too horrible. I can ride down along the forest preserve and see if I can enter elsewhere. Maybe it's a local patch near a wetland or something, and it's better farther down the road.


I don't know how it is up there, but down here, close to water is bad about having more bugs.
The bugs seem to be a bit less obnoxious around 11:00 a.m. than they are at 7:00 a.m.
Dirt roads are better than deep woods.

This is one reason that I don't mind working in the summer.
I guess winter has unridable times for you.


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## ChasingDreams

@mmshiro are they deer flies or yellow biting flies? They look similar, except deer flies have a bright green head.

We have the yellow biting flies...they have dark edges on their wings that makes them look like little triangles (which is why I’ve always called them triangle flies) They are vicious! That’s what caused Chase’s little blow-up that unseated me this week.

They do live around water (we have a small lake and a quarry in the area that they are really awful) and need a “blood meal” to reproduce, so close proximity to livestock boosts their populations as well. They are hard as hell to deter. 

I rode twice this weekend and both mornings we went through the bug “war zone”. I didn’t do anything foolish like ask him to lope through them this time, and I SLATHERED him with Pyranha spray-and-wipe before going out which is the only spray that seems to do anything at all around here. I’ve never tried swat around the ears but I’m tempted to add that to my arsenal as well since they seem to love buzzing around the ears and poll regardless of how much fly spray I use.

Anyway, bugs and all we made it through both rides without another fall so that’s good. We did have some areas of swarming, but I was happy to realize they don’t stay with us through the entire trail on that side, just certain areas. If we kept moving we could get through them and have some respite. I was worried we would be limited to riding only the top trails until fall.

Saturday, I rode with BM and Thunder for about 3 miles I’d say. Sunday, we rode with BM again, as well as Magnum and his rider. It was fun having another rider in the mix, and Chase was happy as can be for the extra horsey company. It was fun switching around leading and following, although Thunder was happy to stay in the back for most of the ride since he’s much more “leisurely” than Chase and Magnum lol. We rode 3.8 miles.


















And as a fun bonus, when I went to fetch Chase Saturday morning all the boys were lined up grazing which I thought was too cute and had to snap a picture. Left to right: Liam, Treo, Chase, and Magnum.








Total 2018 miles ~ 86.3


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## mmshiro

ChasingDreams said:


> @mmshiro are they deer flies or yellow biting flies? They look similar, except deer flies have a bright green head.


I must admit I haven't looked too closely at their eyes, but they are characterized by banded wings that stick out about 45º at rest. They are pretty slow once they sit, so where I can brush them off from the neck they are easy pickings. Also, they aren't super strong fliers, so Hamlet can easily outrun them (and even be bug free) at a trot. Even at the walk, though, he seems to be less pestered by them than Key, and Key isn't strong enough yet to get rid of them through speed.


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## phantomhorse13

Here, we have both greenheads:









and deer flies:









I suspect @mmshiro has similar pests as we are in the same basic climate. I have yet to find anything that deer flies don't just laugh at in terms of chemical repellent, so use an ear bonnet and carry a swish to help brush away the ones I can't reach to smash. Agree that outpacing them works best of all..


This weekend was Nicole's riding party. The whole story is in my journal. Polo and I took around a group.




























2018 mileage
...
7/14 polo 12.62 miles 1036 ft climb 4.6 mph 92F *1138.88 total miles*


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## ChasingDreams

@PhantomHorse you are right, the bottom deer flies are definitely the same that plague us here near our quarry. We have some green heads and big horseflies too, but these ones come at you in swarms [emoji31]


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## egrogan

I am jealous of your bug "freer" roads @mmshiro, the roads here are awful, I guess because they're really just extra wide dirt paths through the woods! No amount of bug spray, swooshing away, fly bonnets, or swat applied around the muzzle seems to be helping Fizz. 

I actually may take a break from riding for a few days until bugs die down a bit, as I think I am teaching Fizz the bad habit that after half a mile or so, we just turn around (she is starting to "decide" for us that we're turning around so now we have to work through that...). She _is_ right though, when the huge cloud of deer flies swarms us, I am left with huge welts from bites through my riding pants, and I know she's getting bites on her ears through the bonnet too. It's just not fun!

At least our short rides are hilly, so we are getting a _little _exercise!


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## mmshiro

egrogan said:


> I am jealous of your bug "freer" roads @mmshiro, the roads here are awful, I guess because they're really just extra wide dirt paths *through* the woods!


Yes, that's gotta be it. The road I was on runs on the periphery of the forest preserve, with open fields on the opposite side. That was the great thing about the previous area: You could go for a ride just along the periphery of some fields without hitting the woods and satisfy the need for speed...


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## carshon

I am glad that I am not the only one finding that the bugs are horrible. Hubby and I went for an early morning ride on Friday (I had the day off of work) we went from deluges of rain to no rain and hot and super humid. We were on the horses by 8 a.m and had them slathered in SWAT and EcoVet as well as wearing ear bonnets. We headed for the trails and the feast began. There was a breeze so it helped with the mosquitoes some but the deer flies were horrid. We powered through the first part of the park which is low and by a creek - thinking the bugs would be better when we hit the higher side of the park. We gaited some and even cantered in a few places. Tillie was shaking her head so violently I thought we would fall over going down one of the ravines. Seems the ravines are deer fly heaven and they were just waiting for a feast. I carry a small spray bottle of EcoVet as well as Cutter when we ride. We doused the horses again with Eco Vet and it helped keep them at bay for a bit . But as the humidity built the spray wore off. Belle's neck was read with blood where hubby was squashing deer flies. We were hot and sweaty and riding anxious miserable horses. We cut out the final lake loop of our ride and headed back to the trailer. Liberally reapplying Eco Vet and Cutter for hubby and I. We finished our ride with 7 and 5/8 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes. We had some really fast paces at some of the miles. Averaging 5-6 mph and that is up and down hills and ravines.

We sprayed the horses off and loaded up for home. The temp raised 15 degrees while we were riding - by mid afternoon it was 94F and hot and humid.

I will be so glad when the bugs die down.
@mmshiro we have really good luck with EcoVet fly spray it helps with the small gnats and deer flies (usually) in past years I have not had to carry it with me riding. Bugs just seems way more aggressive and plentiful this year.


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## QueenofFrance08

Got 39 miles of riding in this weekend! 4 mile warm up/trail exploration with Jake, 25 mile LD with Stitch and 10 mile Novice with Jake on Sunday! Everyone did well, I wrote a whole novel on it at https://www.horseforum.com/endurance-riding/mosquito-run-2018-ld-novice-ctr-792425/ if anyone is interested! 

As far as bugs go this ride is name Mosquito Run and it did not disappoint. I attract mosquitoes in swarms (got over 150 bites in the last 2 weekends) so I tried a whole new method that worked really well for us. For myself I bought 98.12% DEET from Menards and I think I only had 3 mosquitoes on me the whole time. Stitch and Jake were sprayed with Endure and had Swat on their ears and below their eyes. For Stitch I had a Thermocell device strapped to our saddle (I didn't with Jake because I worried another thing hanging off of him might freak him out). Results: Saturday-(Stitch) no bugs on me or her for the most part. When we walked we would get a few occasionally (if next to water) but barely any problems. Sunday-Jake (no Thermocell) bugs on him when walking but none on me. No bugs when trotting. 

Moral of the story: get yourself 98% DEET and it'll help you and your horse! Might melt your skin off or turn you radioactive, not sure about that yet but it sure does work for bugs! As an added bonus, it doesn't smell!


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## PoptartShop

Took Promise on her 3rd trail Saturday. Went to FH again, this time we did the Yellow trail, to the Red, then back Yellow. Over 6.5mi.

We went in the water. A bigger area this time, lots more water...she LOVED IT. It's safe to say she loves the water. :lol: She had fun splashing in it & playing, she's so bold!

Pictures in the water.  (tried not to drop my phone, LOL)


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## QueenofFrance08

Oops forgot to mention I'm at 235.69 +/- for this year.


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## Zexious

@PoptartShop - So glad you and Promise had a wonderful time!


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## mmshiro

QueenofFrance08 said:


> Moral of the story: get yourself 98% DEET and it'll help you and your horse! Might melt your skin off or turn you radioactive, not sure about that yet but it sure does work for bugs! As an added bonus, it doesn't smell!


It may not melt your skin, but it does melt (certain?) plastics, as I found out by holding plastic items with the hand with which I applied DEET to my face. Camera, phone, GPS...careful with those!


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## knightrider

Encouraging ride today. Last week I was riding my daughter's mare Windy and DD was riding Acicate. Windy will turn 6 on August 20. She is a quiet gentle mare most of the time, but being young, she can get rambunctious when the mood strikes her. She only acts up on the way home, though. She's always great going out on the trail. She had started this annoying thing of freaking out the last quarter of a mile from home when a big noisy truck passed her. I don't believe she is scared because she doesn't flinch when noisy vehicles pass her going out to the trail, and not when we are 3 miles from home. It's only the last quarter of a mile when she suddenly launches herself.

So last week, after a nice ride, a little quiet pick-up passed her and she began to bounce and bound and I said to her, "Really?" and she immediately gave it up. But she was looking for something to flip out over. Just at our gate, a little pick-up carrying a load of cows went past--the quietest truck and trailer I think I have ever seen--no noise at all. "Ah, here's my chance!" she cried, reared up, launched into a bolt, stopped and began bucking. I whacked her good for misbehaving, and then she started bucking because she didn't like being whacked. So I whacked her some more for bucking . . . until she stopped. My daughter was furious, insisting Windy was scared. Hey, I was on her. She WASN'T scared. But my daughter said I was dead wrong and forbid me to ride her any more.

On Sunday's ride, my daughter had a miserable time on Windy. She just didn't want to go along and tried to eat everything in sight along the trail. I was on Aci, having the time of my life. So when I suggested today that I might ride Windy and she ride Aci (promising that no matter what, I wouldn't hit her), my daughter agreed. Of course I was rude and said, "I'll just spoil her and ruin her and let her buck and play up."

So I got Windy this morning, and I don't know if she was "on the rag" last week (she never winks or squirts so we never know), but she was moving out nicely, great running walk, and didn't try to snatch anything, even when the weeds were up near her mouth. Nothing even remotely noisy drove past us this morning, and she was excellent the whole ride. I was really happy with her. And I earned my privilege back riding her!

I have no idea why, but the flies are LESS bothersome this year where I live. Even in Chinquapin, where normally the flies are HORRIBLE, they are not too bad. I guess they left N. Central Florida and headed up to GA and PA and all points in-between.

We rode about an hour and a half today and went a little over 5 miles, which is typical for my rides every day. Yesterday I rode Isabeau 2 1/4 hours and about 8 miles.


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## Celeste

Don't you just love the feeling of the crunch when you successfully kill a horsefly or a deerfly?

I put Swat so thick on their ears that the bugs can't land. I use several hundred dollars worth every summer.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got George out. It was like I was down South, it was so hot and humid. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
7/16 george 10.07 miles 2126 ft climb 4.1 mph 107F *1148.95 total miles*


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## Oreos Girl

I am being pushed out of my I don't ride during the summer. My friends wanted to ride to the "beach" that we have in our national forest land. The beach is a pebble beach that goes into the river. It is flat and easy to access. So 4 of us made the journey. I wanted to ride in my saddle too. 



Started out a young girl that is into barrel racing and here for 2 weeks between 2 large events was very excited.









We have several downed tree trunks to keep our trails interesting.










We went over a bridge to see how the newbie horses would handle it. The pinto in the above picture is a former dressage horse with not much trail experience.








Unfortunately because I got my camera ready to go so early that morning the battery gave out before we got to the beach.



Fiddler now has a new name. It is glue it would have been glue factory if my phone got destroyed but it didn't. We had waded in and out of the river several times when Fiddler decided he needed to cool off more and laid down and rolled at the edge of the river. I was very very wet (I fell as he went to roll) and very unhappy. Luckily I had broken the #1 rule and had taken my phone off me and put in my saddle bags earlier that day because the strap wasn't secure. Because of that it was in the "up" side as Fiddler rolled and didn't get submerged. If I had had it on like I normally do, it probably would have died.


I am going back with a new group next week. Fiddler has lost his wading in the river privileges.


3.76 miles 50 miles for the year.


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## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> Don't you just love the feeling of the crunch when you successfully kill a horsefly or a deerfly?
> 
> I put Swat so thick on their ears that the bugs can't land. I use several hundred dollars worth every summer.



I do about the same thing....In addition, a bug mask, and also, a deet wipe, wrapped around the head stall, between the ears....sometimes tie one on each cheek.....


Oreo's girl.....was the water cold? Lol.....sorry, glad you (or you cell phone) wasn't hurt!


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## Change

@Oreos Girl - Fiddler and Tango must be related! My boy has a hard time resisting going down for a roll in water. I'm thinking of taking him to one of the local lakes and letting him play in the water while in hand, then riding him through it (bareback) with a crop to let him know it is NOT okay to go down when I'm aboard. Last time I had to take a dive it was only 55F! And the water was COLD. My boots were still damp the next morning.


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## Zexious

@Oreos Girl - So glad your phone ultimately emerged unscathed!!


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## Oreos Girl

The water wasn't too cold. If I do ride him in, I will have a whip in hand for sure (and I will make sure to take off all electronics too)


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## PoptartShop

Loving all the trails. 

Tonight my friend & I are going to explore a new area nearby, not FH but another place that's only like 5mins away from us, who knew? :lol: Apparently you can even ride on the beach.  I'm confident Promise will do well, even though it's a completely new area. We are just going to walk it of course since it's the first time there.

Will post about how it goes tomorrow if we go tonight!


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I went over to ride with Nicole. I rode Hombre. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
7/18 hombre 9.8 miles 1180 ft climb 5.8 mph 84F *1158.75 total miles*


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## Change

I really hope it cools off a little this weekend; I need 20 miles just to catch up to (one decimal removed) *Phantom*! I see *Celeste *is managing to stay fairly close, though.


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## egrogan

We got a respite from the heat and humidity yesterday- it finally broke, leaving us with a beautiful summer afternoon of around 70*F and hardly any humidity. Even the bugs seemed to take a break. It's hard to fit in a ride after work with all the other late day chores, but it was too nice to pass up the chance!

I was tired from a long day, so took it easy. We headed out to hack through the fields for awhile. Then my curiosity finally got the best of me and we went bushwhacking through the raspberry prickers down an overgrown path through the woods that I know is the beginning of a logging road. We both got scratched up with prickers so we didn't go too far, but it was fun to get back in the woods a little bit. We have a lot of work to do to clear out the trails, but that's going to be a fall/winter project.


















*Total 2018 miles: 81.1*
Fizz-77.5
Isabel-3.7


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## carshon

@egrogan I love trail blazing! You are going to have so much fun this fall when some of the vegetation dies back!


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## Zexious

Wow, wow! Please send some of that beautiful weather my way, @egrogan !


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## egrogan

Zexious said:


> Wow, wow! Please send some of that beautiful weather my way, @*egrogan* !



Not sure it's going to last, but we're enjoying it while we can! 



I agree @carshon, I know there are going to be some really fun trails back there, once we can get to them.


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## mmshiro

Two rides to report on: Hamlet yesterday, Key today. We had a cold front moving through, so the morning temps stayed below 80, and the dew point was way down. There was still bug activity, especially deer flies, but - I went shopping! The Piranha Fly Spray in the blue bottle contains permethrin, which one of you use to spike a regular fly spray. So here's how it goes: deer flies whirring, deer flies landing, deer flies saying, "Nope - too rich for me!", deer flies departing. Head shaking on both horses WAY down. No kicking and diving down to his feet for Key. Two good rides in a row - I still watched their necks to help them out if necessary, but the horses where much calmer, and so was I. Not really a huge problem with Hamlet - if the trail allows it, I'll just let him speed up, but the walking portions with him, and for Key overall, were so much more serene! I went out around 10 a.m. - after the mosquitoes and before the heat.

Key is still a bit ouchy when he has to walk over rocks. I wonder if BO will buy him the clip-on shoes that were mentioned in some other thread. I'd buy them for him, but unless I know I'll be riding him after August (the initially agreed-upon lease period), I'm not going to, of course. Can't wait for him to build up some conditioning and get better footwear, so I can let him run a bit, too!


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## Celeste

I actually have a 2 day weekend, so I hope that we get some nice weather. It is storming like crazy right now. I just got home from work.


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## phantomhorse13

Today, I got George out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
7/19 george 13.57 miles 1734 ft climb 6.0 mph 84F *1172.32 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - George('s ears) are looking as handsome as ever!


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## ChasingDreams

I was supposed to ride with BM early this morning, but we decided to move up our puppy appointment to last night so we could have our new boy a day early. 

Meet Titan 









Anyway, since we had a bit of a drive to the breeder... we were up well past midnight getting everyone to bed and the puppy settled, so a 6am ride just didn’t happen.

Luckily, the rain forecast was pushed back so I was still able to ride alone. BM was just leaving when I arrived, so she snapped a quick picture of us:









We rode nearly 4 miles, and it was for the most part uneventful. We did get swarmed by deer flies again at the top part of he quarry but since it was cooler and they were not as bad as usual. Chase did well.









There was one point where we were following the neighbors and their dog, and he was interested in them but was still being good.

















Total 2018 miles~ 90.3



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## trailhorserider

mmshiro said:


> Two rides to report on: Hamlet yesterday, Key today. We had a cold front moving through, so the morning temps stayed below 80, and the dew point was way down. There was still bug activity, especially deer flies, but - I went shopping! The Piranha Fly Spray in the blue bottle contains permethrin, which one of you use to spike a regular fly spray. So here's how it goes: deer flies whirring, deer flies landing, deer flies saying, "Nope - too rich for me!", deer flies departing. Head shaking on both horses WAY down. No kicking and diving down to his feet for Key. Two good rides in a row - I still watched their necks to help them out if necessary, but the horses where much calmer, and so was I. Not really a huge problem with Hamlet - if the trail allows it, I'll just let him speed up, but the walking portions with him, and for Key overall, were so much more serene! I went out around 10 a.m. - after the mosquitoes and before the heat.



I tried the water based Pyranha in the blue bottle for the first time this season and I really, really like it. I thought the Pyranha in the yellow bottle was the best stuff ever, but I like the blue stuff now just as much, maybe even better. That stuff is awesome. :smile:


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## knightrider

Two sort of interesting rides yesterday and today. Yesterday I had my new(ish) little 11 year old rider. I'll call her A. We were just tacking up when my 11 year old next door neighbor showed up, ready to ride! I'll call her B. She hadn't ridden with me all summer, and I had given up on her and gotten this new child. Well, I was delighted to take B as well as A. But B has always been afraid to ride Chorro and if she can't ride Isabeau, she usually won't ride. I warned her that she is a better rider than A, so A was going to be on Isabeau, and she could ride Chorro. Every time in the past I've encouraged her to ride Chorro, she has declined. She's plenty skilled enough to handle Chorro (who isn't hard to ride at all, but big and black and full of energy, so, you know . . .)

B agreed to ride Chorro, loved him (of course--I knew she would), and it turns out that A and B knew each other, so they had a wonderful time . . . and I did too, seeing them laughing and talking together. Near the end of the ride, B said, "I'd forgotten how much fun it is to ride. I wish I had been riding all summer." And I thought, "Me too, dear B, me too."

Today, both of my invited kiddos texted me saying they weren't coming. My daughter won't ride if friends don't ride too, so I knew I was on my own. I decided that today was the day to take Windy, my daughter's filly, out solo. The last time I tried to ride Windy solo was about a year and a half ago, and I've never been so scared on a horse in my whole life, and that's sixty years of riding horses. When I was out solo on Windy a year and a half ago, I made the mistake of letting her do running walk. Now, back in those days, Windy never did running walk. She trotted; she paced; she was horrible and rough. But on this solo ride, as we were heading home that day, she gave me the most beautiful smooth glorious running walk EVER. She kept wanting to "walk on" and I kept letting her, grinning from ear to ear. BIG mistake!!! I had forgotten (or back then, maybe I didn't know) that Windy ONLY misbehaves on the way home. She's always lovely going out the trail. But, on the rare occasions, she can really buck, rear, and bolt when headed home. So, on that awful day, when we were about a mile from home, I knew she needed to walk the last mile in. No, nah, not gonna happen, she said. She bucked, bolted, and reared about a hundred times on that last mile. She did every combination of those three vices, never once just walking calmly. I was scared spitless. I had her in an Abetta trail saddle which is NOT particularly secure. I really wondered if I was going to make it home alive. There was no way I could get off her because she never stopped for one second either bucking, bolting, or rearing. She likes to rear up high and launch herself into a run. 

I finally made it home in one piece and rode her for 45 minutes in our sacrifice pen, which is fairly large. Then I woke up my daughter, made her saddle her old pony, and ride with me out on the trail for another 45 minutes. Windy was antsy, but fine. But I never ever EVER wanted to do that again! My daughter won't ride unless her friends go along, so there is really no need to teach Windy to ride solo. I've thought about it from time to time, but it was too scary, and really, why bother? It's not my horse. My daughter doesn't ride solo. And I'm scared to try it again.

On the other hand, I've been thinking about riding Windy solo in my neighbor's planted pines. We wouldn't have to cross any roads. If Windy got me off, she could safely run home without being hit, and I could easily walk home because it's not far. Windy's too fat, and Chorro and Isabeau both acted like their backs were a little ouchy. I've ridden Acicate 3 times in 3 days. And I could put my bear trap barrel saddle on Windy, which fits her beautifully. Why not give it another try?

So I did, and Windy didn't give me a moment's problem! Big WHEW!!! She did want to give me a beautiful running walk (which she does regularly now days), but I pulled her down and made her walk the whole ride. Not gonna take a chance with our first successful solo ride. Boy, was I proud of myself! And proud of Windy too!


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## phantomhorse13

This weekend, DH and I went north for the Moonlight in Vermont endurance ride. The whole story is in my journal.

Friday, I got to pre-ride on a friend's horse as he was being the parking attendant:



















Saturday, Flo and I did the 75 miler.


































2018 mileage
...
7/20 sarge 1.3 miles 33 ft climb 3.3 mph 81F 1173.62 total miles
7/21 flo 74.78 miles 8818 ft climb 6.0 mph 84F *1248.40 total miles*


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## carshon

I didn't ride this weekend as DD had to work and I had gotten behind on my mowing. So 7 hours of mowing later and a day to clean to house took up my weekend. DD and I decided to ride Monday after I got off of work. Our local state park was open again after the rains last week so we headed out. Since we ride this park a lot we decided to ride it backwards. We tend to be creatures of habit and take the same path each time so this was an attempt to make the park more interesting. The horses sure thought so! Tillie was turkey walking the first couple of miles before she settled down - and then she was walking like a turtle. the bugs were less horrendous (but still out in force) than they have been - we met a boom sprayer in one of the fields in the middle of the park. We had heard what sounded like tractor noise and had hoped they were not mowing the trails (as that gets scary) and came around a bend and a break in the trees to see the boom not 10 feet from the trail. Tillie stood like a rock and DD horse was equally as brave. Driver did not even stop - just waved and kept driving. Other than a horrible taste in our mouths we survived that encounter. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful other than being sprinkled on by a passing shower. 

DD leaves for college in 3 weeks. We are trying to get in as much riding as possible before she leaves. She is my main riding partner so I will miss her terribly.


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## Zexious

Wishing your daughter all the best in her adventures, @carshon !


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## Spanish Rider

> DD leaves for college in 3 weeks.


My DS, too. It's going to be a tough year!


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## Change

I won't count it as actual riding, but I got on Tango bareback for the first time this evening. I just rode him around in the pasture for 20 minutes or so, but he did great! I was kind of proud of myself, too, until I dismounted and my thighs reminded me why stirrups are a Good Thing. ;-) It has been a LOOOOONG time since this old lady has done any serious bareback riding.


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## Celeste

@Change The first time I ever saw you in person, you were sitting bareback on *M&M/Eminem/Rapper/NotRapper/MyHorse/BlackHawk/Patches/I-don't-think-I-like-that-name/MyHorse/Horse-with-no-name.*


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## Change

@Celeste - it was cold that day and *HWNN *was warm! Especially when I buried my poor frozen fingers under that thick mane of his! I still can't believe we rode out in 28F weather. We are some crazy old ladies! LOL.

Maybe we should just call him *Horse*. :faceshot:


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday momma nature took a break from the rain (we had over 7 inches of rain in the last 3 days, and got lucky as some places got over 15!). Knowing we were only getting a 24 hour reprieve, I knew I needed to get George out. The whole story is in my journal. 




























2018 mileage
...
7/26 george 14.59 miles 1924 ft climb 4.9 mph 93F *1262.99 total miles*


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## knightrider

*Pigs and Deer*

Today @4horses and I got out to ride Oleno for 2 3/4 hours. I brought Isabeau and 4horses brought Harmony. My sweet neighbor was supposed to ride with us, but his wife got sick, so he couldn't come. It was a lovely ride. We saw lots of deer, including a doe with twin fawns. The wild pigs are getting prolific. We saw a bunch of wild pigs and lots of areas where they are digging and eating. The bugs weren't bad, it wasn't too hot, and we had a great ride. We rode about 8.75 miles.


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## Change

Finally! I got a slight break in the weather and saddled up Tango for a much needed ride. Heading out, he was being an idiot and refused to walk up our road, so I dismounted and walked him past the (not!) scary items he was so looky about. Once he figured out we weren't going to quit and go home, he settled in and we had a nice ride.









Tango - 5.04 miles / my 2018 miles - 89.92


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## Celeste

I have ridden twice since last posting. We had great rides. I'll write more later when I get off this cleaning rampage that I have been on for two days. I usually don't clean up for company............

Total for year is 128. If my house weren't so clean it would be more. Dangit.


----------



## mmshiro

Back-to-back rides with Hamlet (yesterday) and Key (today). With Hamlet, I kept to the (dirt) road for the warm-up walk portion, then turned into a long driveway to a farm which leads through the conservation area, ultimately turning into the woods trails to return home. Hamlet can outrun the flies, no sweat. They were swarming, but not too many were landing - I kept an eye on his neck to eliminate the bravest ones. I think he had a better time than me: There wasn't a lot of head shaking because of the fly spray and my intervention, and he got to pick the speed almost all the way home. The constant whirring and buzzing, around his head and mine, drove me nuts, and it was hard to keep my cool for the horse.

My first solo w/t/c ride on the trail with Key today. His feet are getting stronger, so a smooth dirt road, somewhat soaked my rains, posed no hardship. He's not conditioned enough to make a run for home in the woods, so it was a U-turn for him, back along the road that was exposed to a breeze, and thus almost bug free (by comparison). He was a doll - no spook, no fuss, no arguments. It's been a while since I hand-walked him down the trail and had to convince him to cross a dried, white-colored stream bed, and today he acted like he's been riding out solo all his life. He's just getting a little out of breath still on the uphills, and I need to see how he'll do with uneven, debris-strewn forest trails. I am so ready for cooler weather! Maybe he'll get more frisky, too, then!!

Fate had me suddenly switch from riding two mares to riding two geldings...still having a blast, still getting schooled by TBs how varied in personality, but overall awesome, they are.


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## Zexious

So glad to hear you ultimately had a good ride, @Change !


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## charrorider

Have been able to go riding six times in July and add 40 miles to my total. So now I have 225 miles for 2018. Getting there. Actually, the weather hasn't been too miserable in the last ten days, or so. We do need rain, though.


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## Zexious

Way to go, @charrorider !


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## egrogan

It feels it's been raining here forever-ok, at least nonstop since last weekend-but managed to get in a couple of good rides this weekend.

Friday afternoon we just barely beat the thunderstorms, but we made it! Skies were rumbling and clouds were threatening, but I got untacked just as the first drops were starting.









This morning, we got a bit of a break from the 98% humidity that's been with us all week, and blue summer skies go with it. 


















Lots of up and down hills on this route!

*Total 2018 miles*: 86.7


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## mmshiro

Ride-out with Key, and lesson with Hamlet. Because the terrain still poses enough of a challenge for Key so I won't have to worry about his brakes, I picked a flatter piece for his canter and let him go. I think he's slowly catching on to the idea that there is no U-turn, and he took advantage of that. I think if he could do the same thing in a field he'd speed up a little more, but he had a good time stretching his legs. He really worked hard today, so I pinched some high-cal feed for him to snack on after the ride. I really hope I'll be still able to ride him once my lease runs out (for a half lease I can ride him three times a week, way too much for the school year AND Hamlet), but since nobody else is riding him (he's not a lesson horse, and BO hardly has time to ride her stallion), I'm keeping my fingers crossed. On the other hand, Hamlet is making such good progress that there's no way I'll drop him to ride Key "full time", and my wife isn't ready by a long shot to take on Hamlet by herself.


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## charrorider

Zexious. Thanks. Actually, I miscounted the miles. It was 48 for the month. lol.


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## Zexious

@egrogan - Oh my gosh, noooo
We're experiencing similar weather. Until I moved to Texas, I didn't even know there was such a thing as 98% humidity--at least not without actual precipitation xD!


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## carshon

Got 2 more rides in this week. Hubby, DD and I rode on Friday ( I had the day off) we had a really nice ride. The bugs were almost non-existent at this park compared to the others we ride. The park was fairly crowded for a Friday afternoon but we only passed 1 person on the trails. 

And then rode again yesterday with DD and her boyfriend. We rode at our local park yesterday - as we were getting tacked up an older man and his wife moseyed over to talk to us (they were real characters) looked over all of our tack, horses hooves, truck, trailer you name it they had a comment (not bad just odd) and the man warned us we were going to get wet. Which made us all laugh as it is extremely dry here and we really really need some rain. There is a small chance for rain almost every day this week but so small the weather man just mentions a passing shower. So we tacked up - bid our friends farewell and hit the trails. About 2 miles in it started to sprinkle and we all laughed - the skies were bright and sunny and it was sprinkling. Then the drops were HUGE and in no time we were all soaked. We kept riding and just laughed and said how our new friend must have jinxed us. We made it half way around the park (it is a little over 8 miles) and got wet again! By now the trails are getting slippery and the horses are sliding their butts down the steep hills - we make it back to the trailer and have a good laugh. Funny thing is - when we hit the road for home (we live 11 miles from the park) the roads were completely dry!

Pics below of hubby and DD from Friday's ride. Tillie is feeling much better after her choke episode but has lost some weight (she tends to be a hard keeper anyway)


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I dragged DH over to ride at Nicole's with me. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
7/29 polo 13.92 miles 1267 ft climb 6.1 mph 91F *1276.91 total miles*


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## egrogan

@carshon-your story cracked me up! Makes you wonder if some people are living on a different plane than the rest of us  I must have missed reading that Tillie had choked, scary stuff, Izzy did a few years ago now and I am still pretty obsessive about soaking food (in Maggie’s opinion, TOO worried about it! She does not enjoy her food soaked)
@Zexious-this is the part of the summer when I longingly begin dreaming about fall! :wink:


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## Celeste

DH had a nice ride this weekend. We do a teamwork saddling job. I bring his horse our, brush him off and spray him down for flies, then DH puts on the heavy saddle, we get everything else all organized, and then I go tie his horse. Then I get out mine and we do it again. 

Today when we were saddling, one of the barn cats was pestering DH for attention. I didn't really notice that he had walked over for the saddling process. Just as I was about to lead his horse to the tie place, the cat decided to affectionately rub on the horse's legs. That did not go over well. The horse bolted forward, the saddle hit my arm and just barely bruised it, the cat did not get stomped thankfully, and then everything just went back to normal. This type of thing (a perfectly well mannered animal spooking) is the reason that I always make a huge deal with people about never, never wrapping a lead-rope around your hands. 

Anyway, we had a nice ride. Nothing really new. They saw something that was quiet and stealthy that we never saw. They waited in "alert" mode, and then calmly went on. 

DH is getting his horse's running walk really smoothed out. 

I am still working on the smooth trot and especially the smooth canter. We have a ways to go, but progress is being made. She will go into a canter without leaping into it now. Today she changed gait to a trot without slowing down a couple of times. That was not the most fun thing.

My miles are up to: 131 for the year.
DH just passed 100 miles for the year! He has never stuck with riding like this before. I'm so happy he has a horse he loves now. (The horse with no name........ )


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> Just as I was about to lead his horse to the tie place, the cat decided to affectionately rub on the horse's legs. That did not go over well. The horse bolted forward, the saddle hit my arm and just barely bruised it, the cat did not get stomped


Cats deserve everything that's coming to them. 

The light switch in our viewing room (with the sink) is iffy - the light turns of spontaneously because the contact is loose. I went in there to wash my hands, light goes off. I think, "Who cares - I know where the sink is!", and the barn cat also "decided to affectionately rub on" my leg. As you said, that did not go over well, and yes, the cat did get stomped on; and no, I didn't bolt. 

See, the reasoning goes like so: If I step on the cat, it *will* move. If I hop around in the dark trying to avoid a cat I can't see, the furniture will *not* move for me. From the cat's point of view, there is no conceivable benefit to running between my moving feet, so yes, she had it coming.


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## Celeste

So @mmshiro , are you saying that you are meaner than a horse? 

Kitty just loves you.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> So @mmshiro , are you saying that you are meaner than a horse?
> Kitty just loves you.


I too love my horse, but when *I'm* around him, :idea: my peripheral vision keeps an eye on whether, and where, his feet move.


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## Celeste

@mmshiro I was just picking on you because you were mean talking about the cat. Certainly not accusing you of not loving your horse. I feel pretty sure that you are a true horse lover. 

And yes, I should have paid more attention to where the cat was. Fortunately, I doubt he is stupid enough to try that again.


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## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I was just picking on you because you were mean talking about the cat. Certainly not accusing you of not loving your horse. I feel pretty sure that you are a true horse lover.
> 
> And yes, I should have paid more attention to where the cat was. Fortunately, I doubt he is stupid enough to try that again.


Actually, I didn't want to allude to that at all. The line of reasoning was: small animal, even though it loves big animal, always watches where big animal steps - it's the smart thing to do.


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## Change

@mmshiro - didn't you know? Cats are (in their minds) the largest animal out there. That they would deign to rub against us thus showing us lowly, small creatures we are worthy of their attention ought to be appreciated! ;-) You and Horse obviously do not honor Bast!

I got lucky with the weather again on Sunday so Cally got to go for a jaunt. We decided to cross a road that I think is still probably beyond Tango's skill while solo, and explored a cotton field we haven't ever ridden around before. About halfway around, my steady-eddy handle anything trail mare saw a wash-out that was perhaps 2' deep and 18" wide. Uh-uh. No way. I am not stepping over or jumping that. Ain't gonna happen! Complete with shaking her head no. So we went between the cotton rows until the wash panned out to something she agreed was reasonable. I had to laugh at her very adamant refusal. First time she's ever said no so emphatically.

Cally - 3.49 miles
My July miles = 8.53
My 2018 miles = 93.41

I'm only about 30 miles behind @PhantomHorse (one decimal removed, of course).

On the upside - compared to last year, it was Dec 28th when I hit 93 miles, so thank you *Phantom*, for helping put my butt in the saddle more often. I'm loving every second of trying to catch/keep up!


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Looks like a great right!
Can your hubby give Boyfriend some lessons? xD


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> Can your hubby give Boyfriend some lessons?



I am so lucky my DH rides, too!


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## mmshiro

We are looking at a week of humidity, showers, and assorted misery - chief among which a predicted dew point higher than 70ºF. So I went out with Key just now - in fact, I'm still sweaty from the ride and getting ready for a shower. Between the fly spray, the bonnet, and his now long, split mane we already had a good head start on the bugs. Add to that the crop I brought which I used to disrupt their landings up to his head and the fact that he's gotten in good shape, I took the plunge and we went home through the woods. Yes, there may have been elevated speeds as well, but it was a wide, soft, grassy path with just a few turns here and there, so he had fun. At least I think he had fun judging from the fact that he sped up in his canter once he realized nobody is holding him back, and nobody's driving him on either. Since he's still somewhat in rehab, I did the nice thing, stayed off his back, and rode everything faster than walk in two-point. Steering and brakes all worked great, no spooks, no refusals - I'm now completely comfortable on him.


----------



## knightrider

@Celeste, I had our cat on my lap when I clicked on the video of the hissing snarling cat. My cat got super agitated and started growling. 

Totals for the month of July:

Acicate 26 hours 94 miles

Chorro 12 hours 39.6 miles

Isabeau 21.25 hours 70.125 miles

Windy 2.5 hours 8.25 miles

Monthly total: 61.25 hours 202.925 miles

Yearly total to date: 897.975 miles

Right now I am tallying my Pasos for Pleasure hours to send in for the year. They go from Sept. 1 of last year to Sept. 1 of this year. Last year I won first place in Pasos for Pleasure. Not allowed to win first place again, but I wouldn't anyway. Last year was a fluke--normally the first place winner has about 700 hours and I only had 594 hours. The people that normally ride more hours than I do either got sick or horses got sick. I usually get around 3rd or 4th place. I will have a little bit fewer miles this year, I think because of riding Windy and helping my neighbor ride some of his unruly horses. I can only count rides on registered Paso Finos for the contest.


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## egrogan

mmshiro said:


> We are looking at a week of humidity, showers, and assorted misery - chief among which a predicted dew point higher than 70ºF. So I went out with Key just now - in fact, I'm still sweaty from the ride and getting ready for a shower. Between the fly spray, the bonnet, and his now long, split mane we already had a good head start on the bugs. Add to that the crop I brought which I used to disrupt their landings up to his head and the fact that he's gotten in good shape, I took the plunge and we went home through the woods. Yes, there may have been elevated speeds as well, but it was a wide, soft, grassy path with just a few turns here and there, so he had fun. At least I think he had fun judging from the fact that he sped up in his canter once he realized nobody is holding him back, and nobody's driving him on either. Since he's still somewhat in rehab, I did the nice thing, stayed off his back, and rode everything faster than walk in two-point. Steering and brakes all worked great, no spooks, no refusals - I'm now completely comfortable on him.


I think we had basically the same ride earlier today...except I stayed on the road technically, but it's just like being in the woods. At one point I fought with a particularly determined deer fly clinging on to Fizz's eyelashes with all its might. Lucky for me she didn't freak out when I shoved the handle of my crop basically into her eye to chase it away! 









We navigated down to some paved road for the first time in our new neighborhood. This is necessary to take advantage of some good loops and hook up with a great trail system. We made sure to obey all the traffic sings!








And Fizz was told she is a beautiful by a very nice lady who drove past us very cautiously inkunicorn:

Right now we're generally only doing 2-3 miles at a time, so we'll need to build up to doing 7-8 easily to do the loops vs. going straight out and back. It's so hilly that it will take a while to build that fitness I think, but if I ever take her anywhere flat she'll be golden!

*Total 2018 miles*: 88.9


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## Zexious

@egrogan - I can't get over what a pretty profile Fizz has <3 She's just lovely!
And it's so great to hear of a positive vehicle/horse experience. Too often we hear of inconsiderate bikers/pedestrians/dog owners... to find one that is both kind and courteous is a real treat!


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## egrogan

Zexious said:


> @*egrogan* - I can't get over what a pretty profile Fizz has <3 She's just lovely!
> And it's so great to hear of a positive vehicle/horse experience. Too often we hear of inconsiderate bikers/pedestrians/dog owners... to find one that is both kind and courteous is a real treat!



I have been fortunate over the past few years that I have encountered nearly all considerate drivers. Last week Fizz was "having a moment" on the side of the road and a younger guy in a huge souped up pickup was heading towards us- the kind of person you might stereotype as not likely to be courteous. Instead he slowed down and asked if we were ok, saying "we're horse people too." I am definitely fortunate! Even ATV riders who rode trails around our old barn would slow way down or even turn off their engines to let the horses pass.


Dogs on the other hand, I have had more issues with over the years. But fortunately there don't seem to be many loose where we ride now.


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got out on Amish with my SIL before the rain.





























*July - 221.16 miles*:
George: 59.43 
Flo: 74.78 
Hombre: 28.81 
Polo: 45.79 
Amish: 11.05 
Sarge: 1.30 


2018 mileage
...
 7/31 amish 5.69 miles 861 ft climb 3.3 mph 84F *1282.60 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Love those ears <3 I'm not sure if it's the angle, but they look so teeny tiny!


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> Love those ears. I'm not sure if it's the angle, but they look so teeny tiny!



Def the angle! While he doesn't have giant ears, they aren't tiny either. He tends to hold his head lower than the others I ride and has a very long neck, so they are farther from the camera!


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## Celeste

My friend came out for a ride today. We pretty much took it easy because it has only been about 3 weeks since she had surgery. (Her doctor didn't clear her to ride. He didn't say she couldn't and she didn't ask.) 

It was a good ride. One neighbor has some pit bulls that came out and barked at us. I will comment that they are extremely well behaved. They didn't get out of their yard and immediately returned when their owner called. The barking didn't scare the horses, but the shuffling sound of their feet in the magnolia leaves caused my horse to look that direction pretty hard.

We also saw a couple of vehicles, but nobody was rude or target shooting or any other such shenanigans. We went that direction so that we could have a long ride, but it was so hot that we kept it to 4.1 miles.

Today 4.1
For the year 135.13


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## Zexious

Glad to hear you had a wonderful ride, @Celeste ! Can I come, next time? ;D


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got George out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
8/6 george 13.3 miles 1328 ft climb 5.7 mph 101F *1295.90 total miles*


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## Zexious

^That first picture looks like something out of a fairytale


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## PoptartShop

Some beautiful trails over the weekend. 

It's crazy, never knew there were so many places to explore/trail nearby...I always just went to Fair Hill, but no, there's even better places than that!!! 
AND WATER/BEACH AREAS!!


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## egrogan

@PoptartShop- that looks incredible! How did you end up finding those new trails? Glad you're having such fun adventures with your new mare.


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## Celeste

My Princess and I enjoyed a 3 mile solo ride this morning. She was very eager, forward, but worked on a loose rein. She actually seems to do better when riding alone. I think that she makes rides with other horses into a competition. We spooked a couple of deer out; she didn't worry about them. She was pleasant at the walk, trot, and canter. She actually cantered smoothly enough so that I could sit it. Progress is being made!

Today: 3 miles
Total for year: 138.13


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## PoptartShop

@egrogan my friend & I just researched management areas w/ horse trails (& water too!) & boom there are so many places near our barns! We always just went to FH & all this time never knew about these places. :lol:

Like NOBODY we know knows about them either!!


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## Zexious

@Celeste - So glad to hear you had an awesome ride! I just can't get over how lovely your mare is <3


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## phantomhorse13

Tuesday, I went over to ride with Nicole. I rode Polo. The whole story is in my journal.





























On Thursday, I got George out. That story is also in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
8/7 polo 6.59 miles 629 ft climb 3.8 mph 91F 1302.49 total miles
8/9 george 12.05 miles 1883 ft climb 5.2 mph 94F *1314.54 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - What scary monster is that I see in the last photo? D;


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## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> @*phantomhorse13* - What scary monster is that I see in the last photo?


That is a line painting machine. Luckily George doesn't care about such things, but I insisted he keep his distance for fear the spray might blow on us. The guy driving the machine looked pretty darn surprised as he went by!


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## SwissMiss

Last week Raya and I had a rather _interesting_ ride, where everything and anything turned into a horse-eating monster and I was really glad for my silicone carrots in my riding tights. :wink: We encountered deer and more deer, the tractor bush hogging, other horses spooking and bolting, the pool and pool pump and to add insult to injury our fellow rider galloping and jumping the xcountry course mg: 

Rode the same again today and what a difference! A completely relaxed ride. A doe that jumped out of the bushes a mere yards away? Hardly a glance by my pony. The other horse (intentionally) taking off at a gallop and running/jumping the xcountry course? While Raya got a bit agitated, she was fine walking on alone and didn't even blink at the deer that crossed our path. Practiced some nice, collected paso llano in a mowed area, where we caught glimpses of our riding buddy cantering and trotting figure 8s -away from us :shock: A little more leg than usual was required to keep her smooth, but she was very compliant.

We even walked by the pool and through the vegetable garden without much reaction. :cowboy:


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## mmshiro

I've been absent from the thread for a while, not for lack of riding, but for lack of _interesting_ riding. Instead of going out having a good time, it was mostly like, "All right, let's head out while it's not too warm, stick to the road for the way out, and get back home through the woods outrunning the bugs." That was true with both Hamlet and Key.

Today I was lucky. I took out Key, and it was still early. Because the farm is in an elevated location, we were with our heads in a low hanging cloud. That was such an adventure for little Key! "Are you sure we can go there? Are you sure there aren't any predators lurking?!" I don't think you could see farther ahead than about 100 meters. While ground speed was severely limited, I did not want to push him faster than we was comfortable, as long as he continued moving forward. 

In the woods then, there was a conspicuous absence of all kinds of bugs! What a happy surprise!! Since it had just stopped raining, they were still hiding under their leaves and such, leaving us alone, so today was the first time I took Key home "the long way around" with some real trail stuff...some ravines, some rough trail, you name it. Apart from crossing a small stream (He jumped it and left me behind badly - I anticipated the jump, but not the height he'd take!) he took everything in stride.

The other thing was, with all the warmth and humidity, the forest was teeming with mushrooms. If I had a clue about identifying them, I'd have had a dinner together in no time. It also got me a flashback to my childhood, when I loved reading stories by the Soviet author Wladimir Suteev. The stories were neat, but they were also accompanied by adorable illustrations, and forest critters collecting mushrooms etc. featured prominently in them. In one story, an ant looked for shelter from the rain under a mushroom. Then a butterfly came and asked if he could share the shelter. Then a mouse came, a sparrow came, and a bunny came...and somehow they all found shelter under the mushroom - because it had grown.


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## Zexious

@mmshiro - A bugless ride? Now /that/ sounds like a fairytale! c:


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, we got an unexpected break in the weather, so I took the opportunity to get George out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
8/12 george 8.72 miles 1977 ft climb 5.2 mph 96F *1323.26 total miles*


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## Zexious

^Give George my love <3


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## PoptartShop

George is probably loving all these trails!! 

Love it!! I am hoping to take Promise out later this week or this weekend, since it's just gonna rain AGAIN tonight...so over it!


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## knightrider

I also do not write very often because my trails are fun and pleasant and my horses are fine, so what is there to say?

Today I rode my daughter's young mare Windy. She is more interesting than the others because she is still unpredictable. Today was the best ride yet on her. I got her to lead almost the entire ride. The bugs were not too bad--mostly because we have found an area to ride around and around where there are not many bugs. It takes about 45 minutes to complete one circle, so it is not too tedious. Beautiful country, and riding nice horses.

I was getting some really fine running walk from Windy and was so pleased with her. She tends to act up on the way home. She wants to hurry home, and when the rider doesn't let her, she can rear up and bound forward or buck. Not all the time, but some times. Because she is excited about heading home, she tends to give me her very best running walk, and it is hard to remind myself not to let her "walk on" because the last quarter of a mile, when she needs to walk quietly, she'll start jumping around if held back. She was getting really wound up, swinging her head and saying "I'm ready to blow," so I put her behind my riding buddy's mare for a quarter of a mile until she settled right down. After that I let her back into the lead and she was calm the rest of the way home. I am so proud and pleased with lil' Windy.


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## mmshiro

Okay, never wish for "interesting" rides. I think today I had by far the most disappointing ride in my short career on the trail. 

As I have mentioned, last time I had a big hop going over a small stream, so today I wanted to work on that a little - taking as much time as needed to get Key walking through. When I got to the stream, Key stopped way early (about 15 meters ahead), and I could not convince him to move closer. So I hopped off, the idea being that I'd lead him from the ground around the stream, inconspicuously getting closer and closer to it, so he can verify that it's actually quite safe to walk through.

I almost had him crossing at one point when he started fussing, swatting like he was being pestered by a bug. By the time I could check it out, he freaked out and I had to let him go - there is a time when you just know it's best to drop the reins. Seems like it was a wasp that stung him, but since I only saw the one and I didn't get attacked, I don't think we disturbed a nest - just a particularly grumpy one.

I set off after him, found him after a while in the woods, disoriented and with broken reins (they broke right where they are supposed to - at the buckle). I caught up with him, apologized profusely, and led him around from the ground for a bit. He seemed to be okay, so I found a stump to use as mounting block and got back on, taking him home.

I'm really upset about this as it happened in a spot where I asked him to trust me that it's safe to be there. BO says it's okay and she'll take him out tomorrow... Looking at that baby face and knowing that I led him to a spot where he'd get hurt does not help at all. :-(

I know that having ridden him home without drama will smoothen the waves, and that particular spot isn't strictly speaking unavoidable for a trail ride, but still...overall a worse ride than any where I just dropped off the horse because I wasn't paying attention.


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## Celeste

@mmshiro Stuff happens. Bees sting. Horses get scared. And some horses are afraid of creeks. Don't be down on yourself. We all have bad days.

At least he let you get back on.

"A bad day riding is better than a good day at work."


----------



## phantomhorse13

The rain finally stopped last night (we've gotten 6 inches of rain in the last 2 days, and were lucky as about 15 minutes west of here had TWELVE







), so today I got double saddle time.

First thing, I went over with Christine to ride Mateo. The whole story is in my journal.





























When I got home, I got George out. 




























2018 mileage
..
8/15 mateo 4.17 miles 576 ft climb 2.7 mph 86F 1327.43 total miles
8/15 george 12.23 miles 1434 ft climb 6.0 mph 94F *1339.66 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Update: BO took Key to the trouble point in question, I came along with Hamlet for moral support (for Key, not BO) and to see how it's done. Key stalled at the same spot, but BO "persuaded" him to go forward, despite his reservations, resulting in a leap across the 1ft-wide stream that I was quite happy not to have attempted on my own. We then went back and forth a few times, and Key finally got somewhat comfortable with the spot. The big part is that he didn't freak out over the location, just the stream, so the insect incident didn't seem to have been catastrophic. 

Hamlet, on the other hand, was quite frustrated with the whole back and forth, and when we went across for the last time, he threw a couple of bucks (and not the green kind) cantering up the incline. A world premiere for him, I might add, and other than Marion's singular happy bucks, I had never sat through a series of bucks either. It's funny, but as soon as you start focusing on "Bring the head up! Bring the head up!", you don't have any time to visualize what-ifs...unlike with Key, where I would have plenty of time to visualize "He's gonna go big!" had I attempted to strong-arm him across.

Anyway, while waiting for BO before the ride, a few girls were talking, and the subject came to my impending end of Key's lease and the prospect of another girl's leasing him. One of the girls turned to me and asked, "Awwwvw...why can't *you* take him?" So that was pretty neat...


----------



## Zexious

Glad to hear things are starting to dry up, @phantomhorse13 !
Hope everyone is enjoying their rides <3


----------



## Celeste

DH and finally had a chance to get out for a ride. The temperature was in the low 80's which was nice except that the humidity was 77%. It still was better than it has been. The horses were good. I am still working on my girl's gaits. She did a very nice 10 mph canter, but she trotted into it when I had asked for a walk to canter transition. Progress is being made anyway. I forgot to take pictures, but I have a picture of our track. 

We rode 2.9 miles today.
Total for year: 141.03


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I went over to ride with Nicole. Two local ladies also came along. Nicole got new fly bonnets for the boys and I considered myself lucky that Polo didn't buck me off..





































2018 mileage
...
8/16 polo 7.26 miles 448 ft climb 4.1 mph 91F *1346.92 total miles*


----------



## Zexious

^Those bonnets are pretty fabulous!


----------



## charrorider

First time to ride in 11 days. We got some badly needed rain 4 days ago. It was very good for the pastures and ponds. But, boy, did it bring out horse and deer flies and gnats. Lots of spiders and their webs, also. But they are perfectly harmless.


----------



## egrogan

Finally had a rain free, low humidity, barely buggy weekend- and got all three of my girls out for exercise!

Isabel has worked up to doing a couple of miles of long lining when we go out:










Fizz and Maggie both got nice sunny rides in:




































*Total 2018 miles: 98.58*
Fizz- 92.0
Isabel- 5.6
Maggie- 1.0


----------



## QueenofFrance08

I spent the weekend in Granite Falls for the Run For the Cactus ride! I made a post about it in the Endurance Ride forum (Sorry not sure exactly how to link that) that's a bazillion pages long so if you want details it's there. But here is the fun pictures!

Riding mileage: 
So apparently I haven't logged any miles since July because I forgot to update my spreadsheet. I tried to remember the big rides at least so this is a bad estimate (but underestimated definately)
306.19

Stitch-217.29
Jake-43.04
Chico-32.02
Daisy-10.84
Comet-3

Competition Miles:
155.5

Stitch:145.5
Jake:10


----------



## Zexious

Really love the post, @QueenofFrance08 - you and Stitch always look like you're having such a wonderful time! I look forward to reading the full story about your ride <3


----------



## mmshiro

Today may have been my last right with Key under my lease, as the new academic year starts (for faculty) next Monday. I couldn't have wished for a better conclusion for my summer trail work with him, forced delays due to sensitive feet and attack of the deer flies notwithstanding. He was calm, with me at all times, we had some fun runs through the woods and he turned crisply to my legs to follow the trail, and - a lifetime first for me - we saw an eagle owl! At first, I thought it was a hawk, but from the corner of my eye I noticed a very round head. When it sat down on a branch, I could see that it was a huge owl - beautiful creature!

I'm definitely returning a better horse than I found, so there's little doubt I'll continue to have the chance to work with Key - in lessons, doing arena evening homework as instructed by BO, and the one or other trail ride to shake up his work as a show horse. I started with a horse that I was supposed to leave the lead rope on in the cross ties, so he wouldn't try to get out of town. He now snoozes in the cross ties. I started with a horse that didn't know the difference between "canter" and "move over", throwing little tantrums when I tried to keep him at the wall. Now I got a horse that does side passes left and right at the walk and trot, and today I trusted him to continue cantering on a (very) slight downhill - with turns - and not run away with me. He's riding in a double-link baby snaffle, too - a bit so gentle that I was not able to make it hurt _me_ when I pulled it back in _my_ mouth for a few seconds. 

Credit where credit is due: Even though Key had zero after-track training, was probably still on all kinds of drugs at the time, and was still a stallion, BO saw all this potential when she signed on the dotted line for him. If I ever get to buy a horse, I want her on my team!


----------



## mmshiro

charrorider said:


> Lots of spiders and their webs, also. But they are perfectly harmless.


One of my favorites: quickly duck under a branch, and come back up to put your face right into a spider web.


----------



## Change

or not duck at all, blink, and find an orb weaver climbing up the remains of her web which is now draped over your face!


----------



## Change

Yay! I finally got some saddle time (1st time in August - where has the month gone?). Took Tango out and around the big cotton field and racked up another 5.24 miles. That puts me at 98.65 for the year! That's 3 miles more than I rode all year last year. One more ride and I'll hit 3 digits. So excited!


----------



## Change

I rode Tango again today - just another loop around the cotton field. He really surprised me today. After the typical balky, slow start, he was really forward and did some nice fast walks before breaking down into trots and paces. He might actually be figuring out how to work those 4 feet of his! LOL!

Today, *5.82* miles, bringing my annual total to *104.47*. Finally, I've hit 3 digits.


----------



## PoptartShop

@Change yay for you getting to ride!!  That is awesome! Sounds like he is coming along.

I am going to try to ride tomorrow morning, just around the property. I would go on a trail, but my friend will be at her lesson & she has the trailer, LOL. :lol: I will get one someday...but riding around the property will be fine. Need to do some groundwork first though.

Here's a picture from last weekend, in the water!


----------



## knightrider

Happy day for me today. I thought I was riding Windy, my daughter's mare, solo again today as my two 11 year olds both canceled. I had Windy all tacked up and ready to ride out when my 3rd 11 year old showed up! She is brand new, the little sister of the child I took riding for 6 years every week. That older teen is off to college now, and I convinced the dad to continue to get up at 5:30 and bring the younger kid. But he said he wanted a few weekends to sleep in first, and I said OK.

What a joy to see them coming up the driveway! I quickly showed the new little girl how to brush and saddle Isabeau and we headed out. I expected Isabeau to take good care of the beginner rider, and she did, perfectly. And Windy led the whole ride with panache and grace, which she often doesn't want to do. Both mares were lovely and we had a super time. My new little girl is very VERY inexperienced. She had two weeks of riding camp and I thought she'd be a bit further along than she is. But it won't take long before she handles the horses as competently as my 11 year old next door neighbor who knew NOTHING when we started. I am delighted with my new little rider and my two good mares!


----------



## Celeste

I have ridden twice since I posted. Yesterday I rode alone. DH had other things to do. He did take the time to help me saddle up. My mare was sitting there totally relaxed, and suddenly she bolted forward. DH was able to get her to go in a circle around him, but I told him just to let her go. She ran about 125 yards and then stopped. She was blowing and her nose was flaring but she had no issue with me catching her leading her back to the tack room. I don't know if something stung her or what. It reminded me of @mmshiro's story about the horse that went psycho near the creek.

Then I just mounted up and had a fairly quiet ride. She got very excited when I let her canter, but she didn't buck or get out of control. 

3.3 miles

Picture: Arriving home


----------



## Celeste

I forgot to put in the Endomondo map of the ride. I like this program. It does suck out my phone batteries.


----------



## Celeste

Today, DH and I rode together. We had one small adventure. Someone had left an empty equipment trailer (it was no doubt a horse eating monster) right beside the dirt road. My mare saw it and thought that she was a reining horse doing a 180 roll back. As soon as DH's horse saw her act, he did the same thing. They both galloped for a few strides and then easily stopped. I was so proud of DH because he stuck to his saddle like glue. (I did too, but I ride more.) We got them turned around and convinced them that the monster was dead and they went on by it.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. The morning was relatively cool and it was very nice. 

Today: 2.9 miles
Total: *147.23*

Pictures: The horses acting very innocent, pretending that they never messed up on the ride.


----------



## Spanish Rider

Glad to see everyone is getting out! I have been rideless for 3 months, and no trail ride since March. I am seriously considering moving to Florida, dressing up as an 11 yr old and showing up at @ knightrider's house at 5:30 am to see if I can get into a saddle!
@Celeste , still in love with your DH's paint.


----------



## egrogan

Beautiful weekend so was able to get out and ride every day.
































Yesterday I had been planning to get all three horses out for exercise, but was heading home from the first ride with Fizz only to ride right into the middle of a 50-mile bike race with 150+ riders. They went by the house all day, so I had to abandon my plans to take the other two out.










My yearly mileage is now right around what @phantomhorse13 did this weekend! :wink:

*Total 2018 miles: 105.03*
Fizz-98.4
Izzy-5.6
Maggie-1.0


----------



## egrogan

Spanish Rider said:


> I am seriously considering moving to Florida, dressing up as an 11 yr old and showing up at @ knightrider's house at 5:30 am to see if I can get into a saddle!



Hahahahahaha....you just made me spit out my coffee. Too funny. And not such a bad idea! :grin:


----------



## SwissMiss

Got a really nice ride in Saturday. We were running a little late and the heat/humidity kicked in, so we kept mostly to the shade and a more leisurely pace. In addition, there were so many beautiful butterflies out, we wanted to watch them too :biggrin:
At one point we startled a deer in the bushes beside the ditch, and it took a few moments/attempts for the deer to find a way to get away. Raya first just stood and snorted, but when her horse buddy spun and bolted she decided it _must_ be dangerous and followed suit - for less than 2 steps :wink: But how both horses oogled those bushes afterwards! Eyes wide, heads high and snorting like dragons :rofl: Yeah, we have the horse-eating deer variety here :rofl:


----------



## SwissMiss

egrogan said:


> My yearly mileage is now right around what @phantomhorse13 did this weekend! :wink:
> 
> *Total 2018 miles: 105.03*
> Fizz-98.4
> Izzy-5.6
> Maggie-1.0


:rofl: Look at it this way: last year I didn't even manage that :wink:


----------



## phantomhorse13

@Celeste : your house looks like something out of a fairy tale!

@Spanish Rider : I bet @knightrider would find you to be the best "inexperienced rider" to ever come up her driveway!

@egrogan : good girl Fizz to deal with winding up in a bike race :eek_color:


----------



## PoptartShop

Didn't hit the trails this weekend, as my friend who has a horse trailer (the one I always ride with) was busy, BUT!

Rode around the property.  Was a gorgeous morning!


----------



## QueenofFrance08

Got in another 30 mile ride in Wisconsin this weekend! Whole story and pictures (no ride photographer unfortunately) is at https://www.horseforum.com/endurance-riding/northern-highland-793785/ if anyone is interested. Thankfully it was much less exciting than last weekend! 

Year mileage estimate (I need to be better about this next year) 336.19
Competition Mileage: 185.5


----------



## knightrider

@Spanish Rider, I would love to have you come riding with me! I am always looking for someone to ride with!

A few years back, a lovely lady screen named Elle from Horse Forum flew out here to Florida from CA and rode with me for a week. She was looking to buy a horse, and I knew of two nice horses for sale, so I borrowed the two mares and we rode and rode and RODE that week. I took her to all the fun places to ride, and we had a blast. She ended up not buying either horse, but I told her from the start, I didn't mind if she didn't buy. I just thought it would be fun, and it WAS!!! I miss her. She doesn't get on Horse Forum any more.


----------



## egrogan

I miss hearing from Elle. Does she still have the gelding she bought? If I remember, it was a bit rocky getting him going...


----------



## knightrider

Last I heard from her she was getting Charlie out on trails and having fun with him. Whatever his hoof issues were, they seemed to have gone away. He was sound and she was enjoying him. But that was a year ago.


----------



## knightrider

Time for some monthly totals:
Acicate 23.75 hours 78.38 miles
Chorro 18.5 hours 61.05 miles
Isabeau 14.5 hours 47.85 miles
Windy 5.75 hours 18.98 miles

Monthly total 62.5 hours 206.26 miles

Yearly total 1103.835 miles

Tomorrow I turn in my hours for Pasos for Pleasure. Their year is Sept 1 to Sept 1 so I have that yearly hours to figure out.

This month I was more intentional about riding my heart horse Chorro, so his hours/miles are up. Isabeau has turned into a fantastic timid beginner horse so her hours are down, as I put the timid riders on her.

I asked my teens to take some pictures for me this morning so I could present photos as well as statistics. I love seeing everyone's trail photos but rarely take them myself.


----------



## knightrider

A few more photos


----------



## carshon

Love the photos! I have quit tracking miles this summer - it has been miserable for riding. Yesterday and today simply gorgeous - but supposed to get hot and humid again and more rain. All of our local parks have been closed for the past 2-3 weeks because of the heavy rains we have had. Tuesday we had an EF 0 tornado touch down near the park close to my home so I am sure that one will be closed for quite sometime with trees down.

DH comes home from college for the long weekend and it has a chance of T-storms every day and she is itching to ride!


----------



## Zexious

@knightrider - That sunset (sunrise?) photo is gorgeous <3


----------



## phantomhorse13

Last weekend, DH and I went up to Maine for an endurance ride. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal.

I rode Flo in her first 100 miler, and she rocked it!


__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content










































:cowboy: :loveshower:

2018 mileage
...
8/24 flo 2.59 miles 202 ft climb 3.0 mph 81F 1349.51 total miles
8/25 flo 99.52 miles 10501 ft climb 6.0 mph 88F *1449.03 total miles*


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Congratulations, Flo!


----------



## LoriF

Spanish Rider said:


> Glad to see everyone is getting out! I have been rideless for 3 months, and no trail ride since March. I am seriously considering moving to Florida, dressing up as an 11 yr old and showing up at @ knightrider's house at 5:30 am to see if I can get into a saddle!
> @Celeste , still in love with your DH's paint.


I think that might work but I don't think you have to go through ALL OF THAT, just show up. lol


----------



## LoriF

@knightrider I'm kind of jealous, I wish that I could go to my backyard, grab a horse, and ride the trails right out of the back gate. It would make it so much easier.

This is me. Drive 12 minutes to the farm, get a horse, brush all of the dried mud off, look at their feet and worry about them standing in wet, get them cleaned up some more, tack up and ride on country roads where there is nothing to look at but cabbage fields. Or, all of that and trailer to the trails which time varies depending on where I go. Everything just seems to take so much time, which I'm limited on. I really need to devise another plan to get more riding time in, I think that my job and it's commute just suck up way too much time, but hey, I have to feed my guys somehow so it is what it is right now.


----------



## SwissMiss

Haven't ridden away from the property all summer long. I am with you @LoriF, time is short and having to haul out simply cuts into riding time. Luckily, the trails on the property _are_ trails, and there is a nice mix of pasture and wooded areas. Lots of wildlife, too, to practice spooking as well :wink:
Today was a smidge cooler (only low 80ies) with a breeze and the horses were itching to move out... A wish we granted whenever possible. We even practiced Raya (slow gaiting) getting passed at the canter without losing it :biggrin: Happy horses, happy riders.


Beautiful pictures @knightrider!


Congrats to you and Flo, @phantomhorse13


@SpanishRider, I think pretending to be a kiddo to ride with @knightrider is not necessary. Just show up :wink:


----------



## knightrider

@LoriF, you are right--it is your communte that sucks up all your time. But your job is pretty neat. I think I would have liked to do your job. So, what can you do? . . . . go camping with me!!!! Lots and lots!!!!


----------



## Celeste

I have been pretty absent from the forum, not due to lack of interest, just due to being busy. I think I have ridden 3 or 4 times since writing anything. 

DH has been riding with me for most of the rides. Today, I rode solo and had a great ride. 

I finally have my mare confident enough so that she will easily go from a walk to a canter. The only issue is that her canter is rough. She has gone from about 13 miles per hour to 10 miles per hour, but there was not much difference in the gait. What ever happened to canters being easy to ride? I still have not convinced her that it is ok to do a slow lope. 

So how do I sit quietly on a very ambitious canter? I can ride DH's horse at the canter and sip a cup of tea at the same time. Any ideas?

Most of my rides are in the neighbor hood of 3 to 3 1/2 miles.

Total for year: 160 miles


----------



## LoriF

knightrider said:


> @LoriF, you are right--it is your communte that sucks up all your time. But your job is pretty neat. I think I would have liked to do your job. So, what can you do? . . . . go camping with me!!!! Lots and lots!!!!


Shangri La!!!!!


----------



## knightrider

Yeah, let's go to Shangri La! Anyone else on Horse Forum want to join us?


----------



## charrorider

I'm hoping Sept brings more opportunities to ride than two rides and 18 miles. On that, I got a good start today with 9 miles. The deer and horse flies are still bad.


----------



## SwissMiss

Oh and another perk of riding on the property? Did I mention that there are _lots_ of fruit trees/bushes? Persimmon, figs, muscadines, plums and some sort of tart cherries... Sitting on a horse saves you getting on a ladder to reach the higher fruit. We don't go hungry while riding :rofl:


----------



## LoriF

SwissMiss said:


> Oh and another perk of riding on the property? Did I mention that there are _lots_ of fruit trees/bushes? Persimmon, figs, muscadines, plums and some sort of tart cherries... Sitting on a horse saves you getting on a ladder to reach the higher fruit. We don't go hungry while riding :rofl:


Sounds Sweet


----------



## Zexious

@charrorider - Hopefully you find more time (and less bugs!) in your schedule


----------



## phantomhorse13

Thursday, I got a bit of saddle time with Gina. I rode Amish. 




























August breakdown: 172.50 miles
george 46.30
flo 102.11
polo 13.85
amish 6.07
mateo 4.17

2018 mileage
...
8/30 amish 6.07 miles 629 ft climb 3.3 mph 93F *1455.10 total miles*


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

SwissMiss said:


> Oh and another perk of riding on the property? Did I mention that there are _lots_ of fruit trees/bushes? Persimmon, figs, muscadines, plums and some sort of tart cherries... Sitting on a horse saves you getting on a ladder to reach the higher fruit. We don't go hungry while riding :rofl:



Niiiiiiiiiice!


Where I board, some of the barn trails go up into the avocado orchards. Like we could be riding along and there's an avo hanging right there. But noooooo touchie, that stuff's green gold. Sometimes the BO leaves a box of them down by the tackroom though.


I haven't left the property much. The one time I did leave for a ride, I wasn't riding Mitch, but a friend's 28yo POA/Connemara gelding who booked it down the trail faster than most of the younger horses behind us. My friend was on her other horse, and managed to tear her ACL while trying to remount, so ... we haven't hauled out at all.

I've just been cruising the barn trails. They're not really challenging or anything, but there's a couple of hills, including one that takes us to the top of the property ridge, and gives some nice views towards the ocean. Can't say I wouldn't love green rolling hills and shady trees, but it's California, and the weather's pretty darned nice. Low 70s yesterday, hint of a breeze.


----------



## egrogan

Being a weekend warrior rider is great when it's a 3-day weekend! :happydance:

Friday I was pretty wiped out from going all-out at work to be able to actually enjoy the long weekend, so we just toodled around bareback.


















There is just the _tinnnieeestt _little bit of coloring creeping into the trees...









We've had a lonely little turkey hen hanging around our property all by herself the last couple of weeks, and she joined us on our ride (you can kind of see her up in the yellow circle).










As we got closer to her, she trotted along side-by-side with us for a little ways. Very funny experience. I couldn't help but feel like she was lonely and liked the company! Being a single turkey is not a very good position to be in where I live, so I hope either she was just waiting on a late brood to hatch or she is able to get hooked back up with a flock soon. She seemed energetic and was eating fine, didn't look sick the way she was moving. Most all of the other hens seem to have teenagers with them at this point so either way, she seems a little lost. 










But our ride Saturday felt like a good way to usher in the fall, it was very pleasant riding weather.





























Today summer heat and humidity crept back in, and it was sticky, buggy, and uncomfortable. We still got in a nice ride, 5.5 miles, the longest we've gone since our move earlier this summer. Lots and lots of hills.










Definitely the kind of ride where you can't wait for a nice, long drink when you're done! 










*Total 2018 miles: 113.39*
Fizz-106.8
Isabel-5.6
Maggie-1.0


----------



## Celeste

Today I rode DH's horse. He has ridden him over 100 miles since I rode him last. I had no idea he had improved his gaits so much! His running walk was as smooth as silk. His canter was perfect, and on a totally loose rein. I asked DH about it and he said, "I don't like it when he gets rough so I pull him in and start over." I don't think he had any idea that he was training the horse and doing a great job.

We had one spook over an imaginary monster. He spooked in place. Then we heard a rattlesnake rattling in the woods. He was wary, but kept going. 

I love this horse! He is a blast to ride. His running walk is usually about 5 mph. Today I think he was a little nervous going out alone and it was 9 mph. His canter was only 10 mph. I found that interesting.

I hesitate to post a picture after all the work @Change did to try to tame his mane........

Today: 2.9 miles
Total for year: 160 miles


----------



## Zexious

@Celeste - Sounds like a great ride--aside from the imaginary monster!


----------



## SwissMiss

Celeste said:


> I hesitate to post a picture after all the work @Change did to try to tame his mane........


Blame it all on the heat and humidity! Frizz-inducing weather - nothing you can do about it! :biggrin:


----------



## PoptartShop

Rode around the property and neighborhood this weekend. HUGE field in the neighborhood and the guy allows people to ride in it, so it's pretty awesome.  Snapped a photo!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got in a ride with Nicole. 



























2018 mileage
...
9/4 polo 8.1 miles 451 ft climb 6.2 mph 93F 1463.20 total miles


----------



## gunslinger

I spent the labor day weekend at Big South Fork with DW and GF.


We left out of Timber Ridge campground and rode Darrow Ridge to Christian Cemetery and down to the O/W.....then along the river headed for the O&W bridge. Well, we didn't make the bridge and turned around at the eastern most point on the Cumberland Valley Trail.....an absolutely beautiful ride.



Longest ride ever....29 miles......Miss Lacy was a tired horse, and so was I!


I let Miss Lacy rest all day Sunday but did take her out for a short 4 mile ride late in the afternoon.


270 miles so far this year.....It probably won't be a record mileage year for me this year, but I hope to hit 400 before the new year....we'll see.


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I want to be one of the friends you ride with


----------



## AnitaAnne

@Celeste my Chivas canters when he gets tired of gaiting. It is a really slow canter, do believe he could canter in place :rofl: 

I think it is a gaited thing, the show folks really discourage any cantering. 

I can't tell what color HWNN is with that glorious mane taking up the whole screen! Maybe name him Fabio


----------



## charrorider

gunslinger. We are not that far apart. I'm at 260 miles and also hoping to make it to 400, which at 68 wouldn't be too bad. Good luck to you.


----------



## gunslinger

charrorider said:


> gunslinger. We are not that far apart. I'm at 260 miles and also hoping to make it to 400, which at 68 wouldn't be too bad. Good luck to you.



I'm confident you can make it.....68 isn't that old.....I ride with a fellow that's 82, and another that's 78.


----------



## Change

@Celeste - I only worked on taming HWNN's mane for his debut with you. I think someone would have to spend a week pulling to get it all to one side! That horse has a MANE!
@gunslinger and @charrorider - drop by the Over40s where we're discussing a HF friends gathering/riding weekend at Rock Ridge Canyon. Y'all should join us! The more the merrier!!

I'm hoping to get some riding in this weekend (after relocating 2 weeks of manure!). 

August totals:

Tango - 11.5 miles
Cally - 0 miles
Me - 11.5 miles

Miles to date:
Tango - 86.61
Cally - 7.86
Me - 104.47

(only 40 miles (one decimal removed) behind @phantomhorse13!!)


----------



## Change

Oops. Cally's annual total is 17.86.


----------



## charrorider

gunslinger. Age isn't the impediment to 400 miles, or even 1,000. It's time! Thank God, my health is pretty good.


----------



## egrogan

A very fall feeling day here today- only about 55*F with a nice breeze and NO BUGS! Went riding in a long sleeve shirt and fleece vest, and didn't have to use the fly bonnet. 










Anyone know what this type of mushroom is? Was probably about 4 feet up off the ground on the tree. It was impressive!









*Total 2018 miles: 116.4*
Fizz-109.8
Isabel-5.6
Maggie-1.0


----------



## SwissMiss

egrogan said:


> A very fall feeling day here today- only about 55*F with a nice breeze and NO BUGS! Went riding in a long sleeve shirt and fleece vest, and didn't have to use the fly bonnet.


No, I am not jealous :wink: At 6 am we had 82+ degrees and humidity that makes you question why you are taking a shower anyway :rofl:

Enjoy your rides!!!


----------



## knightrider

Once again, both my 11 year olds canceled on me, so I took Windy out solo. Windy is my daughter's young mare, and our last unpredictable horse. All the other 3 have morphed into quite lovely trail horses. Windy will too, one day, but it wasn't today. She's been doing well for me solo recently, so this time I took her out on the road that leads to some fun trails. We never made it there. She threw her head this way and that, looking at everything, being super nervous. Then, when we got to the pigs, she stopped and refused to move . . . except backwards and sideways. She's been seeing those pigs and riding past them for 2 years or more, but never solo before. She always had her herd to reassure her.

I let her bounce around and panic at the pigs for 10 minutes, and decided this ride was not fun and not going to get fun, and besides I had Girl Scouts coming to the house soon. So, I turned her for home. She stayed wound up all the way home, and when we were close to the gate, she exploded when an ordinary pick up truck went past. I was plenty annoyed with her!


----------



## egrogan

SwissMiss said:


> No, I am not jealous :wink: At 6 am we had 82+ degrees and humidity that makes you question why you are taking a shower anyway :rofl:



I lived in Louisiana for 2 years and North Carolina for 2 years. No matter how much people told me, "oh you'll get used to it, you'll adjust" I absolutely never did. I am simply not built for the heat and humidity! Winter can get dreary when March rolls around and it's still freezing cold and slushy/snowy, but I'd rather that than a Louisiana summer any day!


----------



## AnitaAnne

SwissMiss said:


> No, I am not jealous :wink: At 6 am we had 82+ degrees and humidity that makes you question why you are taking a shower anyway :rofl:
> 
> Enjoy your rides!!!


Ditto!! My mouth dropped open when I heard 55 degrees :shock:...my poor horses are growing winter coats and sweating up a storm :frown_color:


----------



## AnitaAnne

I almost was able to go on a trail ride yesterday. My boarder/friend wanted to try out her horse in her renovated trailer, a step-up straight load two horse with manger model. 

Loaded fine, traffic was light, and we arrived to find the trailhead nearly deserted. 

Then the fun began...her horse would not unload :frown_color: took over two hours to get her off the trailer after backing up to a bank. By that time her horse was a sweaty exhausted mess and it was 90+ in the shade. 

Decided to call it a training run and returned home :icon_rolleyes: 

Chivas patiently waiting at my Brenderup (with ramp!)...


----------



## knightrider

Yesterday I took my daughter's young mare solo. She has been doing so well solo, that I decided to take her out on the road which leads to some fun trails. It was not a good ride. She was jumpy and nervous all the way down the road, and when we got to the pig farm, she would not go at all, even though she has passed those pigs 3 times a week for 2 years. But never solo. I let her bounce around, back up, and jump sideways for 10 minutes, looking at the pigs. Then I looked at my watch, remembering I had a Girl Scout meeting at my house soon, and decided not to bother with leading her past the pigs. I know she would do it. My daughter had to do it about 3 times in the beginning. But I just decided to turn her around and take her home. It wasn't turning out to be a fun ride anyway. She was super antsy and goofy all the way home, but not reacting a bit to the vehicles that passed us. When we got close to the driveway for home, an ordinary pick-up truck passed her and she flipped out. This is where she likes to flip out if she hasn't found anything she could pretend was scary before that. "Gosh, my chance to act stupid is going to be over in a few more yards, I'd better have some fun now." Little brat.

Today I got to ride with my neighbor in the privately owned hunting lands. I had my tried-and-true Chorro on this ride. And we saw a majestic bald eagle on the ride! So exciting. Last year we saw the mated pair (I just learned they mate for life) in a tree in that area. This one was flying. So beautiful.

Here is a question for you trail riding people. My neighbor's new mare has the color "black" on her registration paper. I know that black horses can fade quite a lot in summer, especially Florida summers that drag on endlessly. Since her mane and tail are reddish brown, I am thinking her color is "bad a$$ brown." What do you think? What color would you call her?


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## Zexious

@egrogan - I don't know anything about mushrooms, but I have to say that sounds like an absolutely ideal ride ;O;


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## mmshiro

Trail ride with Hamlet *and *Key yesterday - concurrently! As I had mentioned, my lease of Key got taken over by a girl at the end of summer, and she asked me if I'd take her out on a trail ride with him. BO and dad green-lighted the plan, so out we went. Before we got started, she told me, "BO wants me to start doing w/t/c trail rides...", but at that point, I only gave her a nonchalant, "Oh, okay!" as answer... 

She did have ants in her pants, because as we started on a somewhat rocky and narrow trail, I kept the ride at a walk for quite some time - and she wanted to know whether there'd be any "grassy areas" because Key felt like "he wants to go". She was then okay with a little sprint up a ravine, and with a trot over some uneven terrain, so as soon as we got to a good section of the trail, I asked her if she'd be okay with it, and I took Hamlet into a little canter.

That went well, too, and I got her permission to canter without announcing it first. By that time, Hamlet was warmed up and ready to do a bit of a low-altitude terrain flight through the forest. So I let Hamlet go for a bit, and I definitely got her adrenaline going, as she announced that she'd keep Key at the walk for a while... He still wanted "to go", but apparently she was quite all right with telling him "No" by then...  I can respect that, and I kept Hamlet at walk and trot for the remainder of the ride...until the final hill. I told her that there'd be one more "mandatory canter" and to "let him go, grab some mane, and hold on with her thighs". Hamlet took the invitation to burn some rubber, and I had enough of a distance at the top to slow him down and stand him perpendicular to the trail to give some reassurance to the girl... I still remember the "And now I have to stop her!" when I started riding Dita, so I wanted to give her some reassurance by blocking Key's path. 

She said, "Oh my god! My eyes are tearing!" and to me, "That was so much fun! Whenever I ride out with the girls, they never want to do anything!"

Most important, hence, is that she returned to the farm with a big grin on her face, and she couldn't wait to tell everybody about the ride. What's neat for me is that Key got a rider who obviously enjoys going outside the arena, and that my riding with him over summer turned him into a horse that people trust their children and students with.


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## egrogan

@AnitaAnne- unwillingness to _unload _is a new problem to me, but that sounds tough. After having an awful loading experience with my mare this spring, I think _I_ have as much of a mental block to trailering as my horse does! Hope it gets better for your friend.

@mmshiro- I love that story. Good for you for helping Key's new rider build up her confidence enough to really enjoy the ride. I guess that's the teacher in you coming out :grin:


Had a very horsey weekend and got all the girls out ridden/long lined:


























*Total 2018 miles: 120.02*
Fizz-111.2
Isabel-6.8
Maggie-2.0


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## SwissMiss

@AnitaAnne, Chivas looks soooo handsome! But the unloading problem sucks. Hoping your friend can work the issue out soon!
@mmshiro, sounds like it was a successful "intro ride" 


Tried to channel @egrogan's cooler weather and squeezed in a ride between two fronts of rain/thunderstorms yesterday.
Everything was sloppy and slick, and the bugs tried to get as much blood as possible before it started to rain again, but even the horses seemed to enjoy the ride. While we were planning on walking most of it due to the conditions, the horses convinced us that trotting/gaiting were no problem and _much_ better in terms of bug management :rofl:

After about 2/3rd of the way rain set back in, but we were soaking wet anyway from ducking under dripping trees. But the rain chased the bugs away :biggrin:


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## carshon

I made my first solo ride with Tillie since I purchased her 2 years ago. With DD off to college and hubby working weekends I have to find new weekend riding partners. I have a few friends with horses but none of them ride gaited and Tillie is super forward! After the loss of my sweet little dog earlier this week I felt I just needed some time to gather my thoughts and just get away. So I decided to ride solo. Tillie loaded right up and off we went! Most parks are still closed due to the 9 inches of rain we had in the last 10 days, but it was a gorgeous 70 degrees with a light wind. 
We got to the park and there were 2 other trailers there. Tillie unloaded and dove into her haybag while I took my time tacking her up. While tacking up 2 other trailers came in and filled up the small parking lot - I mounted up and off we went. About 1/4 mile down the trail Tillie turned around to wait for her friends (this is our standard as she is so forward we outwalk even hubby and daughters gaited horses) once she realized there were no friends she became a little anxious and tried to turn around. With some gentle urging off we went - with a LOT of whinnying! After a couple of miles she stopped calling out but had slowed to a snails pace (so unlike her) but I urged her on and we had a great ride. We say some deer and turkeys and gaited quite a bit. Once back at the trailer she started calling again - I untacked her and groomed her but she was not settling down (not bad just moving around a lot) so decided to load her up and head for home.

We got home and I sent her out to the pasture with her mates. Had a great ride - the only issue with the evening was that Tillie had a mild choke after her dinner - vet was called and it was cleared right away - but that is the second time in 6 weeks - so soaked food it is from now on.


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## QueenofFrance08

Did 25 miles this weekend at Charity Cup (and probably 2 miles the day before riding for fun!). 

Full story is in my new journal if anyone is interested (and 3 posts full of pictures) https://www.horseforum.com/member-journals/adventures-chubby-paint-endurance-mare-few-794015/


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## PoptartShop

SO jealous guys! I won't be trail riding for a bit, sadly...for one, it's hunting season already, so can't go trailing at any of the local ones near the barn & my only other option would be Fair Hill, however I won't be able to get out there because well, my friend who I always ride with, she kinda tossed me aside. :sad: Her husband just got back into riding, & she basically said she won't be riding with me anymore. I told her we could take turns (her husband & I), but she pretty much just said no. 

Not sure what the deal is, but whatever...in 1-2yrs I'll have my own trailer so I won't have to worry about it anymore.

I can still ride around the property/neighborhood, but there's nothing like some good trails. Ugh!


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## Celeste

I am way behind on this thread and the whole forum. I have gotten several rides in since posting. My total is now 168.84 miles. Hopefully life will slow down a bit so that I can keep up with everybody.

The big news my way is that I finally got a trailer!! It is a Bee 3 horse slant load gooseneck. We got it a little ways from Dothan, Alabama. As we were going through Dothan, the transmission in the truck went out. We were able to pull off the road, but we waited 6 hours for the wrecker service to come take us home. It was 95 in the shade and there wasn't any shade. As the sun changed its angle, we were able to get some shade beside the trailer. I was very impressed with the locals. One man brought us some bottled water to drink. Another took us to a parts store (we were hoping to fix things), brought us back, and then checked on us often. He even texted to be sure that we got home safely. We did. It was 1:00 a.m.


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## AnitaAnne

WOW @Celeste what a nice trailer! It looks brand new! So happy you have such a nice trailer; you will appreciate all the room  


The truck breaking down not so good :frown_color: hopefully the truck will be fixed economically and you will soon be taking the PP and friend for rides 
@carshon so sorry to hear about the loss of your little dog. The have too short of time with us... :hug: 

The ride sounded like a good time! Horses are food for the soul 
@egrogan she was afraid to back up. She is used to traveling in my trailer with a ramp and when she couldn't feel the ground with her back feet she just planted and refused to move. 

I've seen it before and have had to physically pull horses out before :frown_color:

Love all the ears pictures! What beautiful scenery 

Nothing better than spending the weekend riding (or long-lining, lol) 
@mmshiro WOOHOO great ride for both of you. Going so fast tears run out of your eyes; no better feeling than that! 

Isn't it great to work with someone who wants to learn and is willing to take risks?


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## Change

Tango doesn't like to back out of a step-up trailer. He's used to turning around in mine, so I've started practicing loading and backing out. It just takes some coaxing and a lot of "back", "Back!" Since he knows that word very well on the ground, he tries to accommodate me until he finally figures out he's not backing off a cliff.

No riding for me again this weekend. Friday morning was nice, but I had two weeks of manure to remove, so I shoveled and Sinna the pup helped by chasing the rake, stepping on it, and generally being a fun little nuisance. She's learned to follow the lawn tractor and trailer out to the compost heap without running under the tires all on her own, although by the 3rd trip she was wanting to stop in the shade and watch me until I went out of sight, then she'd race like crazy to catch up with me. Saturday started ugly and went to brutal, so our outdoor time was minimal. Same with Sunday. Today? It was 71 as I was driving home and I came pretty close to turning on the heater. Of course it had to be threatening rain when I got home. Why can't we have cool days on the weekends?


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## QueenofFrance08

@Celeste What an awesome trailer! It's so pretty!


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## PoptartShop

@Celeste WOW! That trailer is gorgeous! Congrats!! :smile:


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## Oreos Girl

Celeste,
I am planning our rides once it is something lower than 90's freaking degrees out. I will have to show you the Oconee river trails, you can come to my house. So excited.


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## AnitaAnne

Oreos Girl said:


> Celeste,
> I am planning our rides once it is something lower than 90's freaking degrees out. I will have to show you the Oconee river trails, you can come to my house. So excited.


Can Chivas and I come too??


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## charrorider

This month is turning out to be better than last for riding. My wife and I went out for 11.5 mile ride today. No solo ride for me today. Met a rider from NE at the trail head. He said this was the third time he'd been at Cole Creek. He likes our primitive, wooded trails. I would've never guessed it.


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## phantomhorse13

Last weekend, I went down to Big South Fork for a ride. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal.

I rode 4yo Musubi in his first distance adventure on Friday:


































And then piloted Fluffy around Saturday: 

































2018 mileage
...
9/6 musubi 3.6 miles 388 ft climb 3.4 mph 87F 1466.80 total miles
9/7 musubi 32.27 miles 2740 ft climb 5.2 mph 121F 1499.07 total miles
9/7 fluffy 2.82 miles 247 ft climb 4.9 mph 121F 1501.89 total miles
9/8 fluffy 30.26 miles 2834 ft climb 6.1 mph 94F *1532.15 total miles
*


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## AnitaAnne

Thanks for taking us to Big South Fork!! I always wanted to go there! 

:loveshower: 

now to read the whole story!


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I commented on the other thread, but just wanted to reiterate how lovely those grays are. You've got such a wonderful palette of horses that you ride <3


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## knightrider

Today my pre-teens showed up to ride. What a marvelous time we had! I miss my older teens who are off to jobs and college (have 2 left), but starting over with new kids is always fun. It's such a kick to see the kids grow and become real riders. I decided to ride Windy, my daughter's young mare because, reading about @Hondo's troubles with laminitis has scared me very much. Windy is too fat. If anybody leaves anything lying in the pasture, she rips it up, so I am thinking a grazing muzzle will probably last 2 hours. And rub holes in her face because we have to really be careful about saddles and bridles rubbing her. So, the solution is to ride her more (I hope), which I am doing. Lucky me. This morning we practiced running walk for a good long bunch of riding and she just glided along. I'm so pleased. 

She hardly would do any running walk when we first started training her. Her dam trotted until she was 6, and then she sort of suddenly began to give us a glorious running walk. I kept telling my daughter, "Don't worry about Windy's gait until she is older than 6 because it will probably just come to her." Windy turned 6 in August. She's been doing running walk this past year, but it is getting more and more consistent. And when she's good, she's REALLY good!

I am such a Paso Fino fan, but man, those walking horses are really fun too.


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## phantomhorse13

AnitaAnne said:


> Thanks for taking us to Big South Fork!! I always wanted to go there!


Big South Fork is an _amazing_ place. I hope to get back there in the future and see more of the trails. The Forest Service woman who spoke briefly at one briefing said they have over 200 miles of horse trails!




Zexious said:


> wanted to reiterate how lovely those grays are. You've got such a wonderful palette of horses that you ride


I am so very lucky to be able to ride so many amazing horses. If it wasn't for Lani and Kathy, I wouldn't have ridden any competition miles this season at all!


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## charrorider

phantomhorse13. One of your pictures shows a lead line attached to your horse. Who or what is at the other end of the lead line and what's the purpose?


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## charrorider

I had a chance to go out for the second time in 4 days. Kicking butt! The horse and deer flies are still active and the spider webs are still everywhere. But the woods are full of mushrooms in all kinds of pretty shades of red, yellow and brown. I rode solo, 10.5 miles. Maybe I can reach 300 before the month is out.


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## Zexious

@charrorider - We're getting lots of mushrooms here, too. All that rain, you know? 
Here's hoping the bugs die down a bit!


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## carshon

Got another solo ride in on Tillie. It was hot (90F) and the mosquitoes were out in force. But we rode 6 miles and she was awesome! Trying to get pics to load with no success. Riding this weekend with a friend.


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## SwissMiss

@carshon, heat, humidity and mosquitoes in full force describe my ride yesterday as well!


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## charrorider

That's one flying insect I'm not seeing many of, mosquitoes. Not many gnats, either. They are probably getting caught in all the spider webs. lol.


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## phantomhorse13

charrorider said:


> phantomhorse13. One of your pictures shows a lead line attached to your horse. Who or what is at the other end of the lead line and what's the purpose?


Lani and Brimstone were at the other end of the line. That was Musubi's first distance ride and he is only green broke (and honestly, green broke is a pretty generous description), so that line was my "emergency brake." Luckily it wasn't needed, so after a few miles Mu and I were set loose. While we did get some good-natured teasing about it, I am a firm believer in better safe than sorry.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Discovered Lake Texoma, on the Oklahoma side, has the most marvelous thing!

EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUNDS at Platter Flats!

Full electric hook ups, horse pens at each station, water at every station! Lots of really cool trails with challenging terrain and lots to look at!

I don't think we got any pictures that weekend, we were too busy riding, but it was like... 110 here that weekend. It was a dry heat... for us... fortunately, but still miserable. We took the horses for swims in the lake - Had Superman and Sarge there for back up ponies in case the kids came out or if Gina or Trigger decided to act super dumb (Trigger DID that second day, so I rode Sarge instead). Had a blast letting them play in the water and graze by the lake.

Stayed three days.



About three weeks ago, B, who helps me with our horses, snagged me up... we loaded up Sarge, Gina, Trigs, Superman, and four of us went riding on a 3000 acre place about 15 miles from here with some VERY punchy kids... think lots of youngsters that are young enough to pretend to be the Tombstone Revenge Posse on mules, a TWH, and a bunch of quarter horses.

We did some serious brush popping, went down some 20 ft ravine banks to the creek, almost had to swim the horses across in some places, and back UP the banks on the opposite sides. The punchy kids were concerned when I unloaded Trigs (Think kids, both boy and girl, ranging from ages 10 to 19) and they leaned in and quietly, worriedly, asked B "Can she can keep up?".

Trigger and I shocked them. That little paint pony can get it on. We went through some muddy spots where it was just over his knees... and while the bigger heavier horses had to really put effort into it, Trigger has a very... pistony?... trot and we took that muddy quick sandy portion of the creek at a trot. He just clipped right on through.

They have very nice feed truck roads complete with low water bridges - I let Trigger off his chain and we joined the Revenge Posse a few times. Just letting him trot and gallop and slow lope helped us get along so much better. He likes to play a little with his friends, so we did that. 

Last weekend at the rodeo, those same kids were talking me up to my husband and his best friend from HS... another very punchy guy and good friends the the kids' dads. They were crazy surprised at Trigger and I. 

I was proud to have impressed them with 'that little paint horse' as they kept calling him.

And then!

Friday morning, I bought my first horse trailer. A steel 3 horse slant with LQ. I hitched up to the F250, loaded the generator, gas cans, YETI cooler, horse tack, changes of clothes and boots and spurs... and Trigger, me, and Gina rolled out alone at 3 pm that afternoon. We met a friend and her daughter, and a friend of theirs (She has the most adorable little 'show class' Welsh mare, and they're perfectly proportioned for each other) at the Caddo National Grasslands near Bonham, and we spent the weekend camping with horses. We had the place to ourselves, Friend, her daughter, and I were the only ones that camped, her friend just came out for the day... a few other equestrians came out and rode but left.

We had a loose horse incident... while we were gone Saturday morning on our first ride, Gina panicked and broke loose from her hi-line. The lead rope came apart at a knot (We use cowboy rope halters w/leads) and she tried to track us.

It was like losing your kid at the mall! The SECOND I saw she was gone, just the change in my voice caused Trigger to deteriorate emotionally. Friend noticed and was shocked at how intuitive he is. She said just the slightest bit of tension in my body, the faintest trace of worry and it was like a switch got flipped. Bless his horsey heart.

Anyway - I called and called for her. A couple of ladies who were parked at the entrance of the park and had been on seperate trails from us asked if I'd had a loose horse... then said, oh yeah, we rode past her about 30 minutes in... (Stared at them... and you didn't think to pony her out? She's obviously friendly but lost!) But at least I knew where to start looking.

I loosened Trig's saddle up, tied him to a hitching post near the trailhead... he was calling for her too, and I'd hoped if I was going the wrong direction, she'd hear him and be waiting on me when I doubled back...and I set off walking on foot up the trail they had seen her on... still calling her up like we were at home (Wooooo Gina! Woooo Gina!) And about the time I was going to give up, go back, get Trigger and friends and us all ride out in a search party - she came trotting up along a trail connection, head up, eyes wide, ears forward, soaked with worry sweat. 

MOOOMMMMMMM! I GOT LOST AND I WAS SO SCARED! I tried tracking you guys but I lost you! OH I'm so glad you found me! I was looking everywhere and those ladies didn't even HELP me!

Bless her... she's a good girl. Just didn't like being left alone in a strange place. 

Husband and son came down that evening but went home that night. Son rode her for the evening ride... regretted wearing cargo shorts (Chaffed! OMG MOM THIS HURTS! I will never do this again! You were right!) I rode Gina the next day. Trigger, for all his screwball, highly emotional personality, doesn't panic when left alone and tied. (By then my friend's fiance was there and he kept an eye on Trigger. Read that as... napped nearby, fell asleep talking to him)

All in all, it was a great weekend.

It's also been great to reconnect with this friend of mine. It's because of her I started riding back in 6th grade. We spent many hours on her pony and a borrowed, hard headed, rough old ranch horse, poking around creek bottoms and the woods and pastures. Then we hit middle school and started to grow apart, then by H.S. we were living in two different worlds it seemed. Now we're meeting once or twice a month at various horse-friendly camp grounds and events... and that's why I had to have a rig I could sleep in. Can't keep hauling two rigs everywhere (Stock trailer and F-250, 5th Wheel and 2nd Gen Dodge 12V diesel). 

Sorry so long winded. It's been a lot of fun though, and we've enjoyed this time reconnecting and rebonding with our equine buddies as the common thread between us... once again.

Pictures below. Friend was the photog, so not a lot of her unless she was taking sneaky selfies, which she then sent to me.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Here's a link to Platter Flats Campgrounds, Colbert, OK. I would advise the trails here have some... thrilling... areas in terms of views of the lake, but also in terms of challenging to ride. Lots of rugged areas with creeks (Dry in the summer) that have steep banks. After I rode the trail once, I intentionally aimed Trigger and Sarge at the more difficult and, frankly, a little alarming even for us, paths, but it was good for them and for me in terms of exercise, having to slow down and think their way through, and in terms of physicality.

There are easier options for those areas, lots of the trails have 'by pass' areas where people have taken a path of least resistance to avoid the more advanced areas and they usually run just a few feet away from the bigger, badder areas so you won't feel separated from your group. All equestrian camp sites have water, electricity, and pens but. The pens of all things, are first come, first serve. There are tie racks available and also it's quiet okay if you throw out a temporary enclosure with electric tape or even rope. Pens are large enough two horses or even three, can occupy them with no trouble. You do have to clean up their mess and they have a manure bin set well off from the camp sites, so bring a wheelbarrow or a large tub and an apple picker. Water was close enough to the pens a short hose was fine for topping off water. We washed our horses down right there at the 5th wheel. There's an inlet from Lake Texoma you can take your horses for a swim if you like.

This is the link to the Caddo National Grasslands. We rode the Bois D'arc Trailhead. I understand from the guy I bought my trailer from the LBJ trails are magnificent, but geared to intermediate to advanced riders, and whereas you can ride all the trails, individually, in a matter of a couple of hours if you don't double back or take a junction to another trail at the Bois d'arc area, the LBJ area might take a few days to actually 'see it all'. The terrain there is much more varied, as is the landscape.

Though I would argue you certainly won't get bored at Bois d'arc. There were hardwood woods, grasslands, large stands of magnificent pines, views of the water and the enormous lily pads in it, shaded dry creek beds littered with cardinal flowers, cedar woods with cedars so big they formed a canopy overhead that was so dense the lower limbs on the cedars were absolutely bare and appeared dead, and there was an area that reminded us of all the pictures of the Black Forest in Germany. Some places are dense and almost claustrophobic if you and your horses are used to big open areas or parks with a more manicured maintenance. But this is a national park, so the forestry division has regulations to ensure it remains 'wild'. We saw a lot of hog sign, coyote tracks, some very large swamp donkey (Massive whitetail buck) tracks.... and there are sooo many songbirds and squirrels, loads of swallowtail butterflies. Trails are considered beginner to the low end of intermediate. Footing is nothing but sandy loam, so bare foot ponies will love it. There were as many pull-through camping places as there were back-ins. Water was available at all stations. Vault bathrooms were clean and tidy, there are wash racks and I LOVED THIS: A handicapped ramp to mount your horse from! It is maintained by a local group: The Caddo Trail Riders Association and they do a marvelous job. It is a self-pay facility, rates are $8.00 a night. Trails are well marked and easy to navigate. There is 'free' parking a little further down the road, and there's also a handicapped ramp there and a wash rack.


The place is usually deserted in terms of overnighters, but it's very well kept. There were only two of us camping, and so long as it was 'just us' and our horses, we alternated leaving them ground tied and let them graze (under supervision and a close eye). There are no pens there, so you need to be sure your horse is okay with the hi-lines and tie racks, which are provided at each station. Grills and fire rings were also at each station.

I'll definitely be returning.

These are two larger trips, further away, that Hubs and I are considering trying: 

Ouachita National Forest/Winding Stair trails in Oklahoma This one is about 2.5 hours from us and it's part of the famous Talimena Drive (Famous for it's fall foliage, rushing creeks, large hills - we call 'em mountains - and wildlife.) This is the one my husband MOST wants to try.

This next one is a 5 hour haul from us and in Arkansas, but we know a lot of people that go and make an entire week or two week vacation of it, so we're seriously considering giving it a try. I had a h.s. buddy that takes his family and their horses and mules there about twice a year. They were there three weeks ago. He bombed my FB messenger throughout the day with pictures on one of their trail rides. Absolutely breathtaking: Falling Waters Trails/Horse camp, Arkansa

There's also the Chaparral Rail Trail in Texas we're all trying to get together and ride this autumn. It's a 35 mile trail! Obviously you don't want try to ride the entire thing! You can't. LOL but it'll be great to go give it a whirl.... keeping in mind as far 'in' as you ride, you have to go just as far to get back.


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## phantomhorse13

Last week, I got George out twice. The whole story is in my journal.






































2018 mileage
...
9/12 george 13.39 miles 1653 ft climb 6.1 mph 84F 1545.54 total miles
9/13 george 6.37 miles 1308 ft climb 3.8 mph 85F *1551.91 total miles*


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## Change

50 miles behind! AAaarggh!


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I've said it before, but I'll say it again: that red tack is so striking <3 I love it!


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## egrogan

Hadn't ridden much the last couple of weeks because of work travel and incessant rain, but this weekend it was truly fall here. After a couple of weeks off, my main riding horse (Fizz) was not particularly thrilled about going out, so we had a terrible ride Saturday but got back on track yesterday. Got one of the retired ladies (Maggie) out to stretch her legs a little too.

Fizz (not sure what's going on with her mane these days but it is a bit wild!)


















Maggie


















*Total 2018 miles: 124.3*
Fizz-114.76
Isabel-6.81
Maggie-2.74


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## knightrider

When I get to ride in the private hunting land behind my house, I have been seeing a bald eagle pair. They are so beautiful. This morning I read up on bald eagles. They mate for life, but if one dies, they find another mate. They have one set of chicks a year, from one to three chicks. It is not unusual for one of the chicks to kill the other one, and the parents just watch and allow it to happen. It is usually the female chick who kills the male chick, because the females are larger. Eagle nests, called eyries, are usually about 5 feet in diameter and can be up to 9 feet and weigh 2 tons. Their territory usually encompasses about 1 mile.

Bald eagles are really magnificent to see, both in flight and on tree limbs. Now, I am going to look really hard for their nest because I see them every couple of weeks around a pond we like to ride by. I didn't get any photos of them, but here is the pretty pond.


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## egrogan

@*knightrider* , beautiful pictures! We used to see bald eagles a lot near our house in New Hampshire, because we were just a mile or so by air from the Connecticut River. A few years ago my vet's office actually rehabbed one that had been injured! Here he was being released:















And a recent news story about them and more great photos . They really are a sight to see! 

We also had ospreys nesting along another section of the river, and in a spot where we liked to walk our dogs, you could easily see their massive nest (not my picture below, but they are impressive birds too!).









To be honest, all raptors make me nervous because of my chickens. The first chicken I ever lost was to a Cooper's Hawk.


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## QueenofFrance08

50 miles this weekend over 2 days. So proud of my mare! We had tornado warnings before the first day and slippery conditions all weekend but she did great and took care of me and herself! 

More pictures and the full story will come later in my journal but here's some of my favorite pictures...


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## carshon

Rode Tillie with some friends on Sunday. The parks are opening back up after our last round of heavy rain. Had my first absolute refusal from Tillie on this ride. We had just started out and got to the creek crossing. A crossing she has done literally 100 times. The heavy rains had washed a tree down the creed and it was across the part of the creek the horses can cross (low banks, gravel put down by ranges to help with crossins) so there was a 2 foot wide area of creek then the large tree and then the remainder of the creek (about 15 feet) the water was really rushing around the tree and making a lot of noise and it was fairly deep (2 feet is my guess) we went to cross and she sunk into some muck and backed out quickly. I switched spots but she was not having it. She was spinning away from the creek and throwing her head. Finally one of my friends says let me see if my horse will cross. With some urging her mare crossed - Tillie tried to follow but as soon as she sunk in the muck we spun out and up on the bank again. So second friend says let me try - and her mare also crosses. So now they are standing in the creek on the other side of the tree while I urge Tillie to cross. Now she is more anxious because her friends are ahead of her and she is gathering herself to jump from the bank over the tree. Well there is no way I could sit that! So we decided that she needed to go down the steep bank further up stream. So they finished crossing and we found a part of the bank that only had a couple foot drop and Tillie slid down like she does it every day and waded across the knee deep creek like nobodies business. We rode a couple of trails and decided Tillie needed to cross that part of the creek - so we went back and crossed it from the other side - she went right in - walked over the tree trunk but as soon as her back end got over the trunk and she sunk in the muck we lunged up the bank. I stayed on but Tillie was a shaking quivering mess and we were both splattered with mud. We rode some more and crossed the creek in other parts of the park with no issues. 

Total ride length 10.3 miles - 2 hrs 46min. The weather was simply gorgeous!


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## Zexious

@QueenofFrance08 - Wow, way to buckle down and ride through the weather! 
That orange is such a great color <3

Keep up the great work, everyone!


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## PoptartShop

All these rides are so beautiful!  I love it!


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## knightrider

This week @4horses, @LoriF, and I met up for a 3 day camping trip at O'Leno State Park. It was Lori's first time taking her living quarters trailer camping. She figured out her canopy set-up all on her own, and it worked perfectly. In fact, the whole time was pretty amazing. We had such a great time.

I brought Acicate and Isabeau because I wanted Isabeau to get some experience trailering with another horse and not kicking him, which she did, beautifully. She is really coming along. Neither one of my horses liked being separated, but they survived without injury.

4horses brought her Paso Fino Florian because he needed more trail experience and more experience camping. LoriF brought Leila, her Fresian/Saddlebred.

On Wednesday we went for a long morning ride, then went swimming in the afternoon at a friend's pool. After supper, we went for an evening ride in the dark. Florida does not have many fireflies, especially this far south, but we did see a few of them from time to time, which was fun. Lots of deer this time, but no wild hogs. And happily for me, Oleno has no bears. Yay!

Lori brought her two standard poodles, who certainly added to the fun.

On Thursday we set out for a loooong ride, and I invited my former teen to join us on Acicate. We rode to River Rise, a place where the Santa Fe River comes up out of the ground after flowing underground for six miles (at River Sink, of course). For supper, Lori treated me to steak and potatoes grilled on our campfire, and was it ever good!

On Friday, we swapped horses all around. I enjoyed Florian and then Leila, both tons of fun to ride. Everybody thinks Acicate is a dream, like riding on a cloud. And poor Isabeau got stuck in the stall, screaming her head off. She normally doesn't mind being left at home, but she says being left at Oleno is NO FUN.

And just as we were packing up to go home, the skies opened up and we got soaked as we loaded the horses in the trailer. But it was about as fun as a camping trip can get!!!


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## knightrider

More pictures of Oleno camping trip.


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## LoriF

I had so much fun and it was great to be able to try out my home made awning. A couple of tweaks and it will be perfect. 

The night ride was awesome and I loved seeing the fireflies out, they were almost devastated in the seventies when they were using now outlawed pesticides. I'm really happy the fireflies are making a comeback. 
Knightriders friend who lived nearby was so sweet to extend the use of her salt water pool to us. It was absolutely wonderful and refreshing.
Day two's loooong ride was fantastic. Laela and I both came back exhausted as neither of us are used to such long rides. I don't know how you endurance riders do it. I don't think I could make 15 miles let alone what you guys do.

The food was good, the weather was good, the company was great and we had our beloved horses with us. It can't get any better than that.

I got to ride Florian on the way back on our last outing. It is so neat riding the paso fino horses, they are so unique.

It started to pour down rain as soon as we were almost ready to leave. The only thing we had left was to load the horses so we went ahead and got them in the trailers in the rain. The second that I got on the road, it stopped raining and I had a very pleasant drive home. The second that I pulled up the the farm, the sky opened up again but this time, I just waited it out. Novia saw her mama coming from a mile away and whinnied to her and came charging across the field. They really do love each other, they were so happy to see each other.

@knightrider I had such a nice time and can't wait until the next time. Thanks for sharing the pics.


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## phantomhorse13

Last week, I got George out for what was supposed to be a routine ride. The whole story is in my journal.



















The next day, Gina invited me to ride Amish. 


















Yesterday, I went over to ride with Nicole. I rode Hombre. 


















2018 mileage
...
9/19 george 10.39 miles 1541 ft climb 4.7 mph 81F 1562.30 total miles
9/20 amish 9.71 miles 1002 ft climb 4.0 mph 79F 1572.01 total miles
9/26 hombre 6.88 miles 613 ft climb 4.3 mph 85F *1578.89 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - A lovely palette of horses, as always! <3
Loving everyone's photos! Y'all are making me jealous :')


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## charrorider

Best month ever as far as riding opportunities and miles. I was able to ride seven times in the month of September and rode for 66 miles.


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## knightrider

End of the month: time for monthly totals

Aciate 20.5 hours 67.65 miles
Chorro 12.25 hours 40.43 miles
Isabeau 23.5 hours 77.55 miles
Windy 5.75 hours 18.98 miles

Totals 63 hours 204.61 miles

Yearly total 1308.44 miles

And a picture because people like pictures


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## SwissMiss

We had a big putting-furniture-together project this weekend, so I was planning on only riding Sunday. 

But when a big package arrived Saturday, and it contained my new saddle - how could I not go and try it out?
So just before the pm feeding BO and I set out for a ride - walking the pasture up and down in search of a lost hoof boot. The grass is still almost hip high and the boot is black - not unexpected we had no luck :sad: 

Raya was clearly disgusted with the whole procedure, so when we gave up with the search, we rode some laps on the mowed track and my girl was gaiting beautifully and much smoother than in a long time. Coincidence or saddle related?

Sunday we set out for a "real" ride, which was much more appreciated from our mounts :rofl: The temps were a smidge cooler (aka we were not melting) and the horses were quite frisky. Or maybe they just wanted to make sure we were not going to do that boring walking all over again :rofl:


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## egrogan

September ended up being rainy and exceedingly busy at work, so I only had about 21 miles during the month.

The month wrapped up with grey skies yesterday, but at least the rain held out. The fall foliage isn't brilliant yet, we're probably a week or two away from peak colors. This weekend is supposed to be dry and mostly sunny, great for the tourists (and local businesses who count on them!)



























*Total 2018 miles: 126.7*
Fizz-117.1
Isabel-6.8
Maggie- 2.7


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## Zexious

@egrogan - Glad to hear you were able to squeeze one last ride in! We've been getting a ton of rain too, ugh!


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## knightrider

So, @SwissMiss, what is your evaluation of the saddle? It looks lovely. I really like it. What does Raya think?


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## SwissMiss

knightrider said:


> So, @SwissMiss, what is your evaluation of the saddle? It looks lovely. I really like it. What does Raya think?


I love it and Raya seems to agree with me... But we only rode about 1 hr each time. The real test will be next weekend :wink:


----------



## SwissMiss

Oh and @knightrider, if you would like to test ride it - come join us! 

It may be a bit far, though - but not everyone dislikes driving long distance as I do :wink:


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## Change

Well, my September mileage was a whopping ZERO. I didn't get a single ride in.

This past weekend, however, is another story. Tango, Sinna (my pup) and I hauled up to Rock Bridge Canyon where we met up with @SwissMiss, @anitaAnn, @greentree and two others for a HF Meet, Greet and Ride weekend. It was so much fun and felt like meeting up with old friends. 
@greentree, her friend H and I went out for a short 1 hour ride on Friday, then on Saturday all 6 of us went on a much longer (6 hours!) ride on some pretty challenging trails. It was pretty warm, and there were a few places where Tango was absolutely soaked and his saddle started slipping back. I think I'm going to have to go back to center rigging or add holes to tighten his breast collar, both... or find another saddle that stays put!

I'm bad about taking pictures on the trail, but I did get one good one from between the ears. Here's a pretty little grotto we saw at the end of a long downhill track:








Tango: 
10/5 3.26 miles
10/6 13.63 miles

Saturday's ride was Tango's longest, both in distance and time under saddle. We rode for 6 hours! He was so good!


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## Zexious

@Change - It's so cool to hear that HFers are getting together in the real world!


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## Change

@Zexious - wait 'til you see the t-shirts! @anitaAnn designed them and they're great! I think @greentree and/or AnitaAnn will post pictures. I'm bad about forgetting to take pictures!


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## charrorider

First opportunity to ride in October. About 5 miles into the ride, the radar showed rain a few miles west and coming my way. So I cut the ride short, 8 miles. Where did the rain go? Wooded trails are still full of spider webs.


----------



## Zexious

@charrorider - Eek! Steer clear of those spider webs ;-;


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## PoptartShop

This past weekend I rode around the property.  Promise would've gone in the darn lake if I let her, lol! :lol:


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## knightrider

This morning I rode my daughter's young mare Windy for 2 hours and 10 minutes. I wanted to take her for a long ride because my daughter will only ride her when her friends come along . . . no friends can come this week. Windy was super wound up because of the hurricane due in a few hours. I was pretty nervous riding her since I had a bad fall from her 2 weeks ago. She jumped and bounced around a bit, but it was good to get her a little tired. She led the ride more than half the time, which is a step up for her.

Then I braided waterproof tags in all the horses' manes in case of hurricane spawned tornadoes. I am not in the direct path of Hurricane Michael and should not have violent wind or rain . . . but there are often tornadoes that come later outside the path of the hurricane.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

ChasingDreams said:


> It's called "horse riding" lol pretty simple app, but it worked for my purposes. If someone has something a little more advanced they like to use I'm open to suggestions
> 
> The "pro" version supposedly has more statistical tracking capabilities, but I don't like paying for app subscriptions.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I was about to ask this same thing too. I need this app!


I don't get ride during the week much lately, and with the days getting shorter, that's gonna be out the window entirely. I make up for it on the weekends and now that I have my OWN trailer and truck to pull it, and now that I'm learning where all the equestrian campgrounds are in our state and some in n. Texas, it's gonna be ON. Have horse [trailer], will travel! I even have a job with most of the bank/legal holidays off, plus I get every other Friday off, and when I do work Fridays, it's not unusual for us to stick a fork in it by noon if we're all caught up (Or buried so deep working until 3, our usual knock off time on Friday, isn't going to matter).


My son had some app on his phone, btw, intended for walking and jogging, not horseback. They had some challenge going at either church in the yute group or at school, can't remember which. It wouldn't track moving in a Ranger or on a 4 wheeler, certainly not in a car/truck, but on a horse? Oh yeah. It tracked.



It was amusing... and enlightening... to see the results after a big ride.


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## Celeste

I have ridden a couple of times since posting. I am up to 175 for the year. If the storm doesn't blow us off the map, my sister plans to come down Friday and spend the weekend riding. I can't wait.


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## Celeste

The hurricane didn't blow us off the map, but it did blow my sister's husband down to take care of hurricane victims. So, she had no pet sitter and didn't get to come ride. Bummer.

I rode anyway.

Friday, DH and I rode our regular 2.9 trail.

Saturday, a friend came out and rode the same trail.

Today, I rode solo. My horse was awesome! I let her out into a nice little gallop. I had two GPS systems going. My garmin said we went 16 mph. The map on Endomondo said we went 18 miles per hour. The actual Endomondo program said that my max speed was 1692.01 mph. Lol. Either there is a glitch in that program today or we really were flying. :runninghorse2:


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## Celeste

Dang double post..........

*Total for year 183.64 miles*


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## charrorider

Celeste. My fastest horse also goes at 18 mph and that is fun, specially when you keep it up for some distance and throw a few turns in the mix. My other horse goes about 15 mph.


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## Celeste

It is fun. It was not hard to stop her after a while at that rate. Lol. She was ready to slow down.


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## AnitaAnne

As @Change posted, a group of us got together last weekend at Rock Bridge Canyon. @SwissMiss and pretty Raya, @greentree and her famous Lucy, along with her DH (not riding) and friend "H" with her lovly bay Arabian mare. @Change and her fabulous Tango and adorable pup Sinna. Also along was my friend "C" and her grade QH (appy?) mare Maxine. 


I brought along Chivas and my spoiled rotten rat terrier Lily :wink: 


We didn't ride Friday night because I got to the site much later than expected but with four brand new truck tires :icon_rolleyes: 

Saturday rode about 8 miles before having to stop due to Chivas got in some respiratory distress from his winter coat in the high temps and humidity. 

Sunday rode about 4 miles so total of 12 +/- for the weekend. 

Hers's a picture of the group in our matching shirts Saturday morning before heading out on the trail. 

Plus a picture of me trying to convince Chivas to get back up the boat ramp and out of the water!! He loves going in water :rofl: 

For the whole story and pictures follow this link for the beginning 
https://www.horseforum.com/trail-riding/2018-hf-meet-greet-ride-794105/

OR this link to jump right to the spot where we return home and the ride story begins!! 

https://www.horseforum.com/trail-riding/2018-hf-meet-greet-ride-794105/page16/

I haven't replaced my GPS yet so having a hard time tracking my miles. Maybe Santa will bring me another one for Christmas :smile:


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## waresbear

Yesterday I had a student come over for a morning lesson over & above her weekly lesson. Her mom was doing some gardening work for fellow a mile down the road. After her lesson, I asked if mom was picking her up, she said no she had to walk the mile down the road, she is too shy to ask me for a ride. I told her we could ride the mile down the road, and I would pony one of the horses back. I had never ponied off Scotty before, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't be too difficult. She had a blast riding down the road, I had her get off at the place and take off Otis' bridle and put on his halter and hand me the lead rope. The boys ponied together just fine like they've been doing it all their lives. Thanks for letting me share


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## Zexious

@anitaAnn - LOVE the matching shirts!!!! <3


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## egrogan

This weekend is the reason New Englanders don't just give up and leave when confronted with months of snow in the winter (and spring!) and nasty humid summers!! :wink:





































*Total 2018 miles: 130.38*
Fizz-120.8
Izzy-6.8
Maggie-2.7


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## phantomhorse13

The same weekend as the HF ride, I was in New jersey playing in the sand. I escorted a friend around for her horse's first distance ride. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal.


































September: 123.79 miles
George 30.15
Hombre 6.88
Polo 8.10
Amish 9.71
Musubi 35.87
Fluffy 33.08


2018 mileage
...
10/6 dee 29.23 miles 184 ft climb 7.1 mph 68F *1608.12 total miles*


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## QueenofFrance08

We went over to Wisconsin this weekend for their last ride of the season, Iron Oak! Thankfully the week long rain let up for Friday and Saturday but the puddles remained. It was a tough ride with several pulls in both the 55 and the 30 (our distance) and we barely made it through. Stitch had a hard time which I later realized was due to the farrier putting the wrong kind of pads in her shoes. We barely pulled off a finish with 20 minutes to spare but we made it! The campground was beautiful, round pen style corrals at every site for horses and electric and water hookups for every site! 

Pads are pulled out of her shoes and hopefully she'll start feeling better so we can make it to our last ride of the season next weekend!


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## PoptartShop

Gosh I am loving all the rides!!! Great pictures everyone


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## Zexious

@QueenofFrance08 - Look at all that frost! I love it!
Can you believe it's the end of the season already!? ;O;


----------



## gunslinger

We were going to ride the Connector 3 trail on Lookout Mountain last saturday but when we pulled in the parking lot we were told there was a mountain bike race scheduled, and there would be 300 mountain bikes passing us at high speeds....


Negative.....so we decided to go 30 minutes south to Pigeon Mountain....so, there was this bicycle road race....down the curvy country roads of N Georgia...took about 3 times as long to get there as it should have....anyway, we got there and there was a youth hunt and the area was closed to horse riding....


We wound up riding the Chickamauga Battle Field....but, only after driving 3 hours....


Still, it was a beautiful day.....and we rode 14.5 miles.


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## Cordillera Cowboy

Found a nice route without too many steep grades to overtax our young horse. Tried a portion of it out not long ago. 


This is the road going into our neighbor's rubber tree plantation. It foes past the caretakers house, then down a slight grade through the forest to a level path along a creek.


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## Cordillera Cowboy

Ask! Wrong photo! That one was turning into the forest belonging to another neighbor. 


Here should be the road going toward the rubber trees.


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## Zexious

@Cordillera Cowboy - Love that fluffy mane and those black tipped ears c:
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!


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## Change

No horseback riding since my last post, but I did manage to do 4730 road miles in my truck!!


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## mmshiro

Not too much to report since I last posted: Rides with Hamlet are always fun, but largely without any drama. Sometimes he likes to go fast, sometimes he likes to stroll - overall I don't interfere much with what he thinks is a fun ride. The mud and wet leafs have made the trails a bit more interesting, but Hammie is an excellent all-terrain equine. A special shout-out to him for today, though, as he handled 20mph winds and flying debris and foliage like a pro.

I'm actually writing because of the lesson I had in the evening on Toni. She hadn't been ridden in a while because her rider is out of town, and Hammie got the rest of the day off. The lesson started at 6 pm, but by the time we were done, it was dark but for the very last glimmer of sunset and a very bright moon. To cool her down, I took her down the driveway of the farm. At first, she was a bit insecure because her eyes didn't adjust as quickly, but soon she became more comfortable. Riding her under the bright moon and seeing just a bit of fiery red flecks in the western sky was just awesome - I had never ridden in the dark before. I so wanted to take her on a longer ride - not through the woods, of course, but just down the road, but I just took her about 200m to either side of the farm entrance and took her back. Anyway, a new experience for me, albeit a short one, so I thought I'd just dedicate a post to it.


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## carshon

Got a ride in yesterday. It has been about 3 weeks since I have ridden. Torrential rain and busy schedule. We had 50MPH wind gusts on Saturday and cool temps. All of the horses were "up" in the pasture. Yesterday was supposed to be less windy and warmer (50F) so I took Tillie to our closest park. There were quite a few trailers in the parking area but only 1 person and horse there when we got there. I unloaded Tillie and she settled in fine - nickered to her new horse friend at the trailer next to us. Chatted with the owner of the other horse as I tacked up and was invited to ride with she and her friend (who had just pulled in) but she noticed Tillie looked gaited and said - your horse may get frustrated as our horses aren't gaited and walk pretty slow. I thanked her for the invite and agreed that Tillie who walks fast even for a gaited horse would most likely not enjoy riding with slower horses. So I mounted up and off we went. Tillie called for her new friends and was quite agitated to be leaving them behind. We were walking at lightning speed (even for Tillie) and she had the lookie lou's. I was feeling a little nervous - the trails were slippery with leaves and lots of sticks and I was worried she would spook and I would come off. My ability to sit a hard spook has been seriously compromised as I have been battling hip and back issues for the past year. We flushed up 6 deer and Tillie spun and we were facing the way we had just come and she was anxious to go back. My back did not spasm so I felt a little more confident and turned her back down the trail and decided she needed to have her attention brought back to me. So I broke into a rather poor rendition of You are my Sunshine and some other bits of songs I know. I serpentine her on the wider parts of the trail and we played circle round the tree a couple of times. Tillie was still walking at a faster than normal pace but her head had come down a little. We finally hit some more challenging trails where she really had to concentrate to get us up and down the ravines safely so that helped refocus her energy. We gaited when we could and she was settling right down and I was starting to really enjoy our ride. At about the half way point of the park I noticed my toes and nose were starting to get cold and the winds were starting to get a little more gusty - Tillie was on high alert again but very manageable. We heard a loud noise getting closer as we made our way down the trail. We met a combine harvesting soybeans in the field next to the trail. We were so close that the chaff was hitting us and the ground around us. Bless my horse she did not bolt but started to snort and dance - so I headed off trail and into the brush until the combine passed us. I took that opportunity to gait as much as we could so that the combine was not close to use when it made it way back to that part of the field. We rode a couple more miles and by now my nose is very cold and wet and I made the decision to cut off a small loop on the ride back - we rounded a corner and heard voices and then saw 2 riders. It was the really nice lady from the trailer and her riding partner. I had made it 3/4 of the way around the park before running into them. They told me that had left the parking area shortly after I had and were surprised at how far I had come. I passed the without issue and noticed they truly were just toddling along - totally not Tillie's speed! By now my toes are fairly cold and I need a tissue so I asked Tillie to gait and it was the smoothest most beautiful running walk ever! We crossed the creek and the light bulb went on - Tillie knew we were close to the trailer. she picked up a little speed as we gaited - we slowed to let a family pass us on the trail. They were riding 3 pretty little buckskin horses, Dad leading the daughter on a gray faced older horse and Mom with a buddy seat on with a little boy. Super cute! I warned them about the combine a couple miles back and Dad said not to worry they were taking the kids to cross then creek and then turning around to head back to the trailer - the kids just really like going across the water on the horses so that is wha they were going to do. Tillie and I gaited off. We came to a rather steep hill that I always make Tillie walk up (much to her frustration) but I decided to break trail rider etiquette and let her canter up the hill. She was thrilled and gave me the smoothest canter we have ever had! She was up and gaiting most of the rest of the way back to the trailer. I dismounted and let Tillie graze as steam rolled off of her. I took her saddle off after she had cooled down some and let her eat grass as I drank my Diet Dr Pepper and let her cool down the rest of the way. 

It was a great ride - we did 8.34 miles in 1hr and 49 minutes!


----------



## charrorider

Today was ideal weather to be out riding, sunny, slight breeze, temps in the high 60s. So Amal and I went out for 10 miles. Went by the trail head and saw three other riders there. One of them was riding a gaited Morgan which he bred. I didn't know there was so a thing as a gaited Morgan. It was his first time at Cole Creek. The other two riders were on mules. About 5-10% of riders here in MO ride mules due to the rough terrain. They were all impressed with Amal, whom I left untied and roaming freely for the half hour or so we talked, even though home is only three miles away and Amal knows exactly which way to go.


----------



## Spanish Rider

First trail ride since March, so I was thrilled to have a beautiful day. Didn't clock the mileage, but were out for two hours in slow-going hill country. Will definitely be back again, but next time I'm taking a dressage saddle!


----------



## farmpony84

I took a day off and drove out to the state park to ride. It was my first time there and Clouds 3rd time on trail. He crossed creeks and bridges, led the way and followed without any issues. We had a deer run across our path and he didn't even start. Just kind of watched it run by. We even played in the lake for a few minutes. I am hoping the leaves actually change this year so I can go for a ride in the Shenendoahs but so far it's all green. We forgot to bring the trail map with us so I had to look it up on my phone. We kind of bounced from one trail to the next so I'm not sure how many miles we rode but we were out there for about 4 hours. I had a really good time. I can't wait to do it again.


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## Zexious

@farmpony84 - What a gorgeous ride! So glad to hear you had a good time!


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Taking off today to return to Caddo National Grasslands and camp at the Coffee Mill Lake/Bois d'Arc trailhead area. I have the app! I also put sweatcoin on my phone, which is what the son uses. Going to compare notes. LOL

Last months ride at McGee Creek was fun but rough. It's so. very. rocky. and horses with steel shoes? It works their butts off because they have to pay attention and even then the most sure footed horse can slip. I saw one go to his knees. Trigger ALMOST went to his knees - it was the final leg of the trail, he knew it, they all knew it, and he wanted to try to hurry, got distracted being a lookie loo, and slipped. There was a time when I'd have gotten a HUGE adrenaline hit and then been scared... this time, adrenaline - check. Scared? No. We recovered, rolled on down the trail.

That was the first time I've ridden with gaited horses - the super serious trail riders all had Spotted Saddle Horses, and they all had either lovely trail saddles or endurance saddles. Trigger, for once, had to work to keep up. I didn't have to fight him to stay in line as much as I expected (He wants to be the lead horse) because... he had to focus and work to stay fourth horse back.

Hubs went, hated it. Gina, for all she's leggy and FAST... isn't quick. She would lag behind at her normal walking pace, which isn't super lazy slow - she clips off at a nice pace for a quarter horse - but she would then trot to keep up. All the quarter horses would.

He was sore and tired when we got home and he cried for a week about his back, butt, and shoulders (shoulders?) being so sore.

This weekend - we ride with some big, lovely quarter horses. I'll be on Trigger... we'll be sweeping the trails for spider webs YAY! Hubs is going as camp cook and camp napper/horse sitter. He doesn't want to ride. And since I'm taking The Old Man - Superman - as my back up horse, he and the Old Man can nap together.


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## phantomhorse13

Last weekend, I went down to Virginia for a ride. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal.

On Friday, I rode Mu:
























On Saturday, I rode Fluffy:
























2018 mileage
...
10/18 fluffy 1.25 miles 40 ft climb 2.8 mph 60F 1609.37 total miles
10/19 musubi 30.36 miles 4394 ft climb 5.3 mph 65F 1639.73 total miles
10/20 fluffy 31.35 miles 4395 ft climb 6.8 mph 62F *1671.08 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Love the names and the faces :')
Wishing everyone a safe and happy (upcoming) Halloween!


----------



## Celeste

This was supposed to be the month that I had tons of time to ride. First we had a hurricane. Then DH got sick. Work got hectic. I got to ride today anyway. I took tons of beautiful pictures with my camera..... except I forgot to put my memory card in it. Dang it. Oh well. 

I rode solo. My girl did great! Most of the ride was pretty chill. We had no choice but to ride slow because of all of the mud. Lots and lots of mud. I did find a couple of nice dry spots to canter and trot.

It was a beautiful day. 


Today: 3.3. miles
Year total: 186.94


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse

So, the app makes my phone ding and ding and ding, like seconds apart. I need to poke at it and see what's going on. That said:

A riding companion tracked out first ride out Saturday. We didn't pay attention to the time, but at the 3/4 done mark, we had been 6.5 miles, so, just under 10 miles. We were going to ride longer but a different companion had an unfortunate mishap and her pony reared and went over on her. She was okay, bruised up and rattled, but ready to call it a day, so we didn't tie on at the junction and take a longer route back, but instead took the shortest route back.

Rode again in the evening, just a short 2 or 3 hour ride.

Rode this morning, about 2 hours.

The trails were sloppy sloppy - SE Oklahoma and NE Texas has gotten so much rain lately and there's just no where left for it to go, so it turns into a big sloppy sponge. Some places were slick because they were red clay, others were boggy black dirt. Even the sandy parts of the trails still had water standing in places this morning.

ONE GOOD THING ABOUT IT: Trigger found his 'chill' walk. He didn't want to chance a slip and fall (We did have a near fall, and one incident of bogging to our belly) so I finally got to lookie loo on a trail ride.

In the camp pic below, I'm the one in the plaid shirt. Hubs is the ONLY dude there. LOL


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## egrogan

October snow here in Vermont. Was sleet/ice on Saturday so we didn't get to ride, but had half fall/half winter Sunday ride when it warmed up just a little.




























*Total 2018 miles: 136.5*
Fizz-126.9
Izzy-6.8
Maggie-2.7


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## Zexious

@egrogan - In love with those photos :') They remind me of the Colorado autumns v.v


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## AtokaGhosthorse

^Absolutely beautiful, erogan! That foliage, plus the wintery white is just lovely.





I dream of riding in snow, maybe even a dab of sleet - but we don't get that here. Ice. We get ice first, THEN snow, then sleet, then more ice, so its a nasty ice sandwich. It'd be lovely to ride in on that first morning when it thaws though - the trees, with the sun shining on all that ice, look like they're made of crystal.


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## QueenofFrance08

@egrogan It's hard to like a post with snow in it!

Sunday, for my birthday, we went on a 6 mile ride at our State Park. It might (fingers crossed that it's not) be our last ride there for the season as they can close the trails for the winter anytime after November 1st and the next 2 weekends are hunting season so there wont be much riding. 

DH brought Daisy for her first trail ride in over a year. We were worried about how she would do but she has been doing amazing at home so we figured it was time. Stitch seemed to know that she had a young greenie with her so she was content to walk down the trail. Near the end we did a little trotting to see how Daisy would do and she happily gaited down the trail. She did seem a little tired near the end but was happy to canter up the final hill! 

Stitch and I tried out our new saddle (my birthday present) and while I'm sure it's not adjusted perfectly I really enjoyed it. I think the only issue for Stitch was too tight of a breast collar (the English one I put on was adjusted to Jake who is much smaller) so I'll have to adjust that!


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## knightrider

Just got back from camping for 5 days with @4horses and friends at Shangri La, which is in Ocala National Forest. It was one of the best camping trips ever. The riding club who sponsored the trip had lots of fun activities as well as super rides. On Thursday we rode 5 hours to the land bride over I 75. By the way, @AtokaGhosthorse, you call a 3 hour ride a SHORT ride???? I call a half hour ride a short ride, an hour ride is pretty fun, at least I got to ride, a 2 hour ride a good sized amount . . . . and I call a 3 hour ride a long ride! And a 5 hour ride is a looooong ride. @phantomhorse13, stop laughing, we don't all have buns of steel.

I tried to get a couple of pictures to show how long and steep some of the hills are at Shangri La. It's one of the few areas that have big hills. They are man-made, of course. The Cross Florida Canal was begun in 1935, steeped in violence, unfortunately, with union organizers who tried to make sure the men digging the canal had proper safety conditions, and the rich fat cats wanted to make sure they didn't have to spend a lot of money on it. Construction turned out to be much more difficult and costly than anticipated and it fizzled out. Then it was re-started in 1964, but environmentalists proved that building it would decimate the natural growth in Florida and it was given up in 1971, when it was turned into a beautiful amazing lovely park. Photos don't do justice to the very long very steep hills created by machines piling up the sand/dirt.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

knightrider said:


> Just got back from camping for 5 days with @*4horses* and friends at Shangri La, which is in Ocala National Forest. It was one of the best camping trips ever. The riding club who sponsored the trip had lots of fun activities as well as super rides. On Thursday we rode 5 hours to the land bride over I 75. By the way, @*AtokaGhosthorse* , *you call a 3 hour ride a SHORT ride????* I call a half hour ride a short ride, an hour ride is pretty fun, at least I got to ride, a 2 hour ride a good sized amount . . . . and I call a 3 hour ride a long ride! And a 5 hour ride is a looooong ride. @*phantomhorse13* , stop laughing, we don't all have buns of steel.
> 
> I tried to get a couple of pictures to show how long and steep some of the hills are at Shangri La. It's one of the few areas that have big hills. They are man-made, of course. The Cross Florida Canal was begun in 1935, steeped in violence, unfortunately, with union organizers who tried to make sure the men digging the canal had proper safety conditions, and the rich fat cats wanted to make sure they didn't have to spend a lot of money on it. Construction turned out to be much more difficult and costly than anticipated and it fizzled out. Then it was re-started in 1964, but environmentalists proved that building it would decimate the natural growth in Florida and it was given up in 1971, when it was turned into a beautiful amazing lovely park. Photos don't do justice to the very long very steep hills created by machines piling up the sand/dirt.



We've gone on 5 hour rides before, those seemed like an all day thing, and they kinda are because by the time you're loaded up, leave the house, get there, ride, break for lunch, get back to the trailer, load, get home, get everything put up, it's been all day and it's dark before you get in the house to shower. 


But yeah, we usually go out for a 3 - 3.5 hour rides in the morning, come back to camp for lunch and a b.s. session, then ride out for another 2- 2.5 in the evening, then get in a 2 hour the last morning before breaking camp. Those are the weekend trips. The one day trips we do the 5-6 hour rides.


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## knightrider

More Shangri La photos--at the land bridge over I 75 and the costume contest on Saturday.


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## QueenofFrance08

@knightrider you forget that Phantomhorse and most of us endurance riders ride trotting horses so are constantly posting! My friend who rides a TWH in 25-30 mile rides with me has more sore buns than I do at the end because she's always sitting! I can't even go on an hour long walking ride or I start hurting but if I'm posting for 6 hours I'm just fine!


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## knightrider

Oh, @QueenofFrance08, you have knees of steel!


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## Celeste

I have nothing of steel............


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## AnitaAnne

I need knees of steel...at least one anyway...


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## AnitaAnne

The Trail safe horse and rider was my favorite costume :rofl: very original!!


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## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> I have nothing of steel............


You have nerves of steel.. you ride an ayrab! :Angel:


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## charrorider

I have been riding Arabians for over 30 years. No big deal once the rider learns to help them. Although, I don't have a world of experience with other breeds, based on observation, I believe Arabians bond to their rider like no other breed.


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## charrorider

This is a trail that I ride once in the Spring and once in the Fall and maybe one or two more times during the year. It is constant up and down hills, rocky in a place where all trails are rocky. There are no places to canter or even trot for any distance of more than 100'. So if one is not riding a gaited breed, one is not going anywhere fast. But the trail is beautiful with all its dogwood trees.


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## phantomhorse13

I did get some saddle time last week, between finishing potatoes and working on chores around here (and momma nature's blasted rain and abrupt change from summer temperatures to winter ones). The whole story is in my journal.

Monday, George:









Wednesday, George:









Thursday, George (in orange due to hunting):


















Thursday, Phin:









2018 mileage
...
10/22 george 2.23 miles 208 ft climb 3.3 mph 40F 1673.31 total miles
10/24 george 2.89 miles 343 ft climb 4.4 mph 36F 1676.20 total miles
10/25 george 11.11 miles 1955 ft climb 5.1 mph 34F 1687.31 total miles
10/26 phin 2.05 miles 181 ft climb 2.2 mph 42F *1689.36 total miles*


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## Celeste

phantomhorse13 said:


> You have nerves of steel.. you ride an ayrab! :Angel:


You could have a point.............


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## LoriF

I finally got to find time to ride on my days off. Both days I went to Princess Place to ride and took the same trail. I like this trail because it actually has hills and Laela needs to get the exercise to build her up. I think next week will be the beach as they just opened up to riding for the season.

Princess Place got hit pretty hard the last two years of hurricanes and flooding. They've worked really hard to clear the trails and it's finally dry.

Laela was not enthused in the least about getting in a trailer and going somewhere the first day but day two she was just fine. Hopefully it's because she enjoyed herself. We did all walking up and down those hills and will probably be the same until she builds herself up. The weather has been gorgeous, 55 degrees when we started and 70 by the end of our ride. I met up with another rider out on the trail coming around a curve and her horse spooked and jumped about 10 feet sideways. I'm so glad that she didn't come off.

A few photos riding along Pellicer Creek


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## CaliforniaDreaming

Somehow, I haven't been able to trailer off property (something's always come up) for any trail rides, but it hasn't stopped us from hitting the ranch trails. We've got some pretty varied terrain on the 56 acres the ranch sits on, some hills and really dry brush to the sometimes base-covered roads through the avocados (plus the really woody eucalyptus area by the creek, so many different locations)









​I tend to ride alone quite often, as my schedule seems to get me out there in the evening, but on occasion, I'll have company. My main trail riding companion is moving barns as of tomorrow, so that might be a bit of motivation to get me to haul out.


Aiming for our endurance ride in 2 weeks! Just doing a one-day intro ride of 10 miles, but I want to get one ride under our belts this year. Mitch just got his hoof boots, he's got tough lil hooves (even though they're light .. but he gets some super biotin supplements too) and we usually condition barefoot, but I've also been told there are some rocky parts on the trail for the endurance ride, so I ordered Scoot Boots for his fronts and he has Cavallo ELBs for his rears/backup for fronts. Another advantage to having some hoof boots is our ranch owner puts base (asphalt road grindings) on a lot of the roads and trails to keep them from washing out in the winter (providing of course we ever get rain here in SoCal) so the hoof boots will help keep his feet from getting too messed up by the base towards the end of his trim cycle. I am so excited to try Scoot Boots. I've wanted them for a long time.​


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## QueenofFrance08

@CaliforniaDreaming Yay endurance ride! You'll have to tell me what you think of Scoot Boots, I have a horse in Renegades right now but I do follow a Scoot Boot Facebook group. I do shoe my horse but I like to have backups/something in the winter for her and she has dinky feet that I'm not sure Renegades will work for.


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## egrogan

Loving our Scoot Boots though our typical ride distances are pretty low so can't say yet how they hold up at endurance distances.


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## charrorider

QueenofFrance08. Not sure what you mean by dinky feet. But I've used Renegades boots for several years on four horses. Based on my experience, proper adjustment of Renegades is a learning curve.


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## Change

Got our last ride of October in last Sunday. Rode Cally for a short 1.65 miles which was a great distance for Sinna's first run along. Sinna did great, although after the ride she was tired and hot. She knows how to cool off, though.








It's hard to tell how big she is in these pictures, but at 19 weeks, she's as tall as the pit bulls in the back yard, although they weigh in at around 75 lbs and she's only 40.
















October rides:
Tango - 16.89
Cally - 1.65 (and Sinna)
me - 18.54
2018: 123.01 miles. I'm still 40 miles behind @PhantomHorse! LOL!


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## LoriF

Change said:


> Got our last ride of October in last Sunday. Rode Cally for a short 1.65 miles which was a great distance for Sinna's first run along. Sinna did great, although after the ride she was tired and hot. She knows how to cool off, though.
> View attachment 973847
> 
> 
> It's hard to tell how big she is in these pictures, but at 19 weeks, she's as tall as the pit bulls in the back yard, although they weigh in at around 75 lbs and she's only 40.
> View attachment 973849
> 
> 
> View attachment 973851
> 
> 
> October rides:
> Tango - 16.89
> Cally - 1.65 (and Sinna)
> me - 18.54
> 2018: 123.01 miles. I'm still 40 miles behind @PhantomHorse! LOL!



Change, I love your pup. My first childhood pet was a German Shepherd named Midnight and he was the best dog ever. I really love them, but the hair!


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## phantomhorse13

I got some more saddle time this week, despite momma nature being all over the place. All the stories are in my journal. 

Tuesday, George:


















Wednesday, George:









Thursday, Phin:









October: 129.25 miles
Phin - 2.05
George - 35.01
Musubi - 30.36
Fluffy - 32.60
Dee - 29.23


2018 mileage
...
10/30 george 13.32 miles 1532 ft climb 5.7 mph 58F 1702.68 total miles
10/31 george 5.46 miles 1126 ft climb 3.5 mph 64F 1708.14 total miles
11/1 phin 4.08 miles 288 ft climb 3.1 mph 65F *1712.22 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Wow, wow! Look at those fall colors! :')


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## egrogan

No fall colors, or really any colors, to speak of here as it is raining pretty much around the clock. Everything is the color of mud, including the horses.

We got a break this afternoon so we had an "over the river and through the woods" trip through the mud. The ground squished under our feet with every step, but at least we got to stretch our legs for a bit!









*Total 2018 miles: 137.9 *(just passed my 2016 mileage but about 30 miles behind last year- I think I can get there)


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## LoriF

egrogan said:


> No fall colors, or really any colors, to speak of here as it is raining pretty much around the clock. Everything is the color of mud, including the horses.
> 
> We got a break this afternoon so we had an "over the river and through the woods" trip through the mud. The ground squished under our feet with every step, but at least we got to stretch our legs for a bit!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Total 2018 miles: 137.9 *(just passed my 2016 mileage but about 30 miles behind last year- I think I can get there)


It seems like a lot of areas around the U.S. have been getting too much rain preventing the really pretty colors this fall.


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## Celeste

HWNN still has some swelling from his mystery injury. When I first shaved it, there was no apparent mark that would indicate a snake bite. Now it is a draining abscess. The good news is that he feels great, eats great, takes his antibiotics without arguing, and will be fine.

My neighbor rode with me today. She rode Abby. I was really glad that I put her on a been there done that horse. A covey of quail flew in our faces. Neither horse batted an eye. No change of pace. Nothing. My mare did look their direction.

The weather was perfect. We rode 3 miles.

Year total: 189.94 I should have ridden up the drive way and back........

Can anyone see any mud?


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## Zexious

@Celeste - Oh my goodness, that mud x.x Thank goodness for sure-footed horses!


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## egrogan

LoriF said:


> It seems like a lot of areas around the U.S. have been getting too much rain preventing the really pretty colors this fall.


 It's been a really odd late summer/fall here. Way, way too much rain. And November is historically the rainiest month in our state! 

PS- Yes, it is raining right now!! :evil:


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Phin out. DH and George joined us. The whole story is in my journal.




























I think that will be it for color, as today's wind and rain has brought a lot of the leaves down and the storm isn't forecast to stop until tomorrow night..


2018 mileage
...
11/4 phin 5.78 miles 824 ft climb 3.0 mph 50F *1718.00 total miles*


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## Change

We're under tornado threat tonight due to a severe storm coming our way. Hopefully, I'll still be here tomorrow. ;-)


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I think Phin is on the way to becoming my favorite of your rides c:

Stay safe, @Change !!


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## Celeste

@Change I don't think I can like that post. Let us know you are ok when it passes.


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## gunslinger

GF and I rode the connector 3 trail on the Lula Lake Land Trust, on historic Lookout Mountain Saturday.

Upon our return to the trailer, Miss Lacy came up lame.....sigh....DW took her to the vet yesterday......stone bruise and abscess on the right front....so she's hobbling around and probably out for the next several weeks....DW's soaking her foot in epsom salt twice a day.....she's pretty sore....and also getting bute twice a day.

Wouldn't you know it, two weeks before our Thanksgiving trip to Big South Fork.....so it looks like I'll be riding one of GF horses.....

Saturday's ride was 18 miles....putting me at 337 for the year so far. Not my best year for sure.


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## Change

If there were any tornados (or warning sirens) near me I slept through them. There were more leaves than usual on the road, but I didn't see any damage on the way in to work.
@gunslinger - I'm sorry to hear Lacy is lame and won't be available for your vacation ride. Hope she heals up soon!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Tuesday night, it finally stopped raining. So I was able to get some saddle time on Wednesday. The whole story, with lots more video clips, is in my journal.

George was first.


















having a bit of fun (this is about 1/2 mile which climbs about 240 feet - my garmin said George hit 25.8 mph as max speed):






After George, it was Phin's turn! 


















2018 mileage
...
11/7 george 10.14 miles 1458 ft climb 5.1 mph 55F 1728.14 total miles
11/7 phin 6.27 miles 1079 ft climb 2.7 mph 56F *1734.41 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Thursday, I got more saddle time before the next round of rain. The whole story is in my journal.

George was first. 



















Next up was Phin. 



















2018 mileage
...
11/8 george 7.37 miles 1425 ft climb 4.8 mph 50F 1741.78 total miles
11/8 phin 4.93 miles 412 ft climb 3.8 mph 50F *1746.71 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Rain can be a real pain, but it sure is preferable to the fires on the west coast ;-; And it leaves everything looking a heck of a lot more beautiful :')


----------



## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> Rain can be a real pain, but it sure is preferable to the fires on the west coast ;And it leaves everything looking a heck of a lot more beautiful


Not so sure the people who have lost their homes due to the flooding would agree.. We are very lucky to be up on a hill and not have to worry about flooding, but many in the area are not as fortunate. And all the rain has ruined a lot of Keith's crops (as well as all the other farmers in the area) just as surely as if they had a fire. 



It seems so unfair that we are floating away while people out west burn.. and no change in sight. :frown_color:


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I was really only trying to compliment how pretty your green photos were and put a positive spin on things.  Sorry if I offended!

Hope everyone is enjoying their rides!


----------



## egrogan

Snow, snow everywhere. To state the obvious...it is only NOVEMBER! The ground should not be covered. Just my opinion of course.




























*Total 2018 miles: 139.7*
Fizz-130.1
Maggie-6.8
Isabel-2.7


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

I wish _we_ had snow. Instead, California is on fire. Again.


We need rain, man. Need it bad.


Maaaaybe next week. 



... _maybe_.


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## egrogan

Hope you're safe @CaliforniaDreaming. Seeing all the pictures on Facebook of lost horses, dogs, chickens, other pets- not to mention stories of lost homes and lives- has been so horrific. I can't imagine what it's like to live with that kind of worry.


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

egrogan said:


> Hope you're safe @*CaliforniaDreaming* . Seeing all the pictures on Facebook of lost horses, dogs, chickens, other pets- not to mention stories of lost homes and lives- has been so horrific. I can't imagine what it's like to live with that kind of worry.



Thanks. I'm safe (so far) The Wooley Fire's about an hour to the south, which should be far enough, but as we saw with the Thomas Fire last year, never discount how fast a fire can move. Camp Fire is much further north.


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## Zexious

@egrogan - I was going to ask you to send the frigid our way, but then we got lucky with some of our own! Will the snow come and go throughout the season, or once the ground's covered will it pretty much stay that way until spring?
@CaliforniaDreaming - The bulk of my family still lives in California--even if they didn't, all those photos and videos are absolutely heartbreaking. I can't imagine how frightening it must have been for those who had to evacuate, and even more so for those who lost their lives. 
Stay safe!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got some saddle time. The whole story is in my journal.

George was up first. 



















Next was Phin.


















2018 mileage 

...
11/14 george 4.47 miles 914 ft climb 3.8 mph 23F 1751.18 total miles
11/14 phin 5.13 miles 999 ft climb 3.1 mph 22F *1756.31 total miles*


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Gorgeous trails, as always!


----------



## knightrider

*Water Breaking*

This morning was a fun time. Two of my horses have camped at Doe Lake many times and do fine crossing water. My two newer horses say, "Nah, uh, not me." I took those two to Doe Lake last time, thinking surely I could get them used to going in water during a week's camping trip. It's so easy at the lake. You ride until the horses are hot and thirsty, then offer them the lake and they wade right in to get nice pleasant drinks. Not these two. They'd rather be thirsty. Not goin' in there, no nah.

We had rain all night last night so there were puddles along the dirt road where we like to ride. And luscious green grass on the other side of the puddle. I showed Acicate the puddle and the grass. He really wanted that green grass, as my horses are now in the sacrifice pen, not getting grass anymore. One foot halfway in the puddle, neck stretched way out, still can't quite reach the grass. Two feet in the puddle, stretched to nibble at the grass. Then all the way in the puddle so he could eat the grass comfortably. It didn't hurt that the two that are beautifully water broken just waded right in and started chomping down on the lovely green grass. We did that 5 times on the ride, and by the 5th time, Aci just walked right in the water and got down to eating the grass on the other side.

My teens who rode with me made me smile. Native Floridians have no concept of cold. They can't understand that if you are comfortable when you first go outside, that as you stay outside, you will get steadily colder. Especially riding Paso Finos, who don't move you in the saddle. You just sit up there gliding along. No effort (to the rider anyway). I warned the girls that they weren't really dressed warmly enough for our ride and they should re-think putting on a sweatshirt or warmer jacket. No, they insisted, they'd be fine (the kids ALWAYS insist they'll be fine). Halfway home from the ride, with the brisk breeze blowing, they were SO cold. It takes them about 3 years to figure it out. I love kids!!!!


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## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Phin out. The whole story is in my journal. 


















Today, I got Phin out again.. but things looked a bit different:


















2018 mileage
...
11/15 phin 6.13 miles 880 ft climb 3.9 mph 17F 1762.44 total miles
11/16 phin 4.49 miles 804 ft climb 2.3 mph 25F *1766.93 total miles*


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Snow!  Beautiful!!


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy

@knightrider I tend to overdoes for the cold. An old timer told me when I was young, "You can always take something off. You can't go back home to get more.''. So, I overdress, and make sure I have the means to pack the outer layer(s) if they're removed. 


Not that I worry much about the cold anymore. I took the little horse out for a short ride, mostly to work on her nice little ambling gait. Here's a shot of the ranch, as seen over a pair of horse ears.


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## Zexious

@Cordillera Cowboy - Wow! What a stunning view ;o; It looks like something from a movie or video game!!


----------



## egrogan

Lots of snow here this weekend, so we had fun breaking new tracks across the fields and through the woods.




























(Getting a peppermint as thanks for another good ride :grin









*Total 2018 miles: 142.3*
Fizz-132.7
Izzy-6.8
Maggie-2.7


----------



## Zexious

That first photo looks like a Christmas card, @egrogan ! Perfection! :')


----------



## PoptartShop

Gosh, I love all the trail pictures. Esp the snowy ones! They look beautiful.   

Not a trail...but yesterday I rode in the huge outdoor arena. Promised enjoyed it! 

Going to the FH Paperchase on Black Friday, so I will definitely have trail pictures after that, I can't wait...haven't been out in forever LOL!


----------



## Zexious

@PoptartShop - Nothing like a breath of fresh air, even if it's not on a trail! c: Promise looks like she's enjoying herself!

I hope all of our US friends have a safe and happy holiday <3


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got some saddle time. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin was up first. 



















Next, I worked with Raven in the round pen. The ground is a horrendous mess, so it wasn't a long ride.




















2018 mileage
...
11/20 phin 5.54 miles 1206 ft climb 2.9 mph 26F 1772.47 total miles
11/20 raven 0.32 miles 0 ft climb 1.8 mph 26F *1772.79 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Phin out despite the miserable weather.




























2018 mileage
...
11/21 phin 7.9 miles 1500 ft climb 3.6 mph 20F *1780.69 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Found a new trail today that I didn't know was there! There is snow on the ground, so I could see the tire tracks from the trail maintenance people, and I thought, "Wait a second - I didn't know I can go there!?" So I added another loop to my portfolio, which is great, as I like to switch things up.

Lots of standing water in the woods, and I also bought a snazzy hi-viz orange vest to wear during hunting season.

Hamlet continues to be adorable - today I noticed how sure-footed he's getting. Even with the snow cover, there was hardly a stumble. He didn't show any anxiety on the new trail, so that was nice, too. Usually he gets flustered when I take him where he hadn't been before. What am I going to do if he now goes all sane on me? 

Ah, not to worry. On a short ravine, I gave him his head so he can look for optimal balance. Halfway down, he started cantering, and he almost took my knee out as he took a left turn around a tree rather tight...

Due to the newly discovered loop, we were out for about 2 hours in 30-degree weather. No wind and a bit of snow fall made it a gorgeous ride. By keeping my core warm and having a bit of a trot now and then, I didn't even need gloves.


----------



## tinyliny

sounds wonderful!!! beyond wonderful!


----------



## Roux

I've haven't been active on HF for a long time but I've been able to actually ride this fall and have logged a few miles on my new horse! (Well I've had him two years but I still think of him as my new horse). 

I've done 46.81 miles since August. 

Here is some pics of my horse, Mickey. And some with my daughter because who doesn't love kids and horses? 

And for those who remember I still have Gus, he is about 20 and with corrective shoeing is doing really well. He is semi retired as my mom quit riding but he is still used for kids lessons and when I have my little neighbor ride with me.


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## Zexious

@Roux - Mickey is the cutest! And so is your daughter c:

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!


----------



## AGibson

Hi I'm new here! It is such a joy to find other trail riders. I love the apps that everyone is using and I have been experimenting with them. My problem is that the leather cell phone carrier I have (hooks to my waist band) has a bad habit of turning my phone off. So when I get home from my ride I have nothing. What cell phone carriers do you all have? I prefer to carry my phone on my body in case I get separated from my horse. (God forbid!) Right now that its cold I can carry it in my jacket pocket. But come summer or warmer weather, (don't judge, I'm from Southern California, 60 is cold! LOL)I would like something that is light weight. 

And on another note, I thoroughly enjoyed the thread about the HF meet and camp ride in October. I used to do that with a group of friends before my mare died. I rescued a QH from the Sunnyside feedlot in WA. He is my current trail horse. He is absolutely amazing. I look forward to some camp rides in the future. If there are HF members in So. California or even Central. I would love to join a camp ride. I'm looking forward to reading about everyone's rides. Happy Trails!


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## whisperbaby22

I don't know if this would help, but I use a small fabric purse with long handles that I cut so that it's basically a belt with the small purse connected to the belt. The fabric keeps it very light (I sometimes forget about it until I get home) and perhaps having something a bit roomier would keep your phone on.


----------



## AGibson

Thanks Whisperbaby! I work at a local high school and they were handing out fanny paks from Hollister. I grabbed one and am thinking of trying it but it is a little big. I might wander into the local Big 5 and see what they have.


----------



## Roux

@AGibson I use The Horse Holster. In fact I liked it so much I bought two.

https://thehorseholster.com

I am not sponsored or representing them I just really like mine.


----------



## Celeste

I haven't posted on here in ages. I have been riding though. My sister came and rode with me last weekend. I have also ridden some this week. With all the small rides, I am up to 211.60 miles for the year. My goal was 200, so anything more is bonus!

So much has gone on that I can't catch up, but I'll add a couple of pictures.
Unfortunately, my sister is the skinny one. We used to look just alike. Dangit.


----------



## Celeste

I wasn't going to ride today because I probably really needed some rest and it is very muddy. It warmed up a little, and I decided to get out after all. It was too wet to do anything but walk. I was glad that we have a private trail, because I heard several gunshots in the distance. I sang loudly and was wearing orange.

The leaves are pretty, but I seem to miss most of the good pictures due to a horse that doesn't want to hold still when we have places to go. Lots of out of focus stuff. I have a few.

Today: 2.9
Total: 214.5


----------



## Celeste

Did I mention mud?


----------



## charrorider

First ride in 17 days. Very nice day for a ride. But everything is muddy around here, also. Water everywhere. Every wet weather creek had water. My wife found it too slippery and chickened out after 4.5 miles. How do you like that? I kept going for another 4 miles.

Celeste. If you're taking pictures with your cell phone, there're going to be a lot of blurry photos. If you have a camera that allows you to take pics at different speeds, use it. Set it at about 400 ISA.


----------



## Celeste

Thanks. I'll see if I can get the setting right. It is a point and shoot, but it still has settings. I just have it on "auto".


----------



## Zexious

@charrorider - Hoping all that mud dries up for you soon! Yuck! ):

Love the leaves, @Celeste ! So beautiful!


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## charrorider

I meant to say ISO, not ISA.
Don't know the type of point-n-shoot you're using, but even if you're using 'auto' you should be able to select different speeds (ISO). There should be a dial, or a screen where you will see numbers like '100', '200', '400', etc. An ISO setting of 400 is good for "freezing" the action, specially on overcast days.


----------



## gunslinger

Our usual group spent Thankgiving at Timber Ridge in Big South Fork.

It was chilly! Road Friday and Saturday, for a total of 22 miles.

360 miles so far this year, with two Christmas parades next weekend.

Did i mention it was Chilly?

We did have a scary moment....one of the ladies had chest pains.....luckily while at the campground. One of the other ladies took her to the hospital in Jamestown, where she was air lifted to Cookville.

She was diagnosed with an 80% blockage....and should get out of the hospital tomorrow hopefully.

Did I mention it was chilly? Burrrrrr

It was a different trip with Miss Lacy on the sideline due to an abscess, so I rode one of GF's horses.....quite a nice ride, but still, not Miss Lacy.

Miss Lacy will be back in the game next weekend for the Christmas parades. 

Did I mention it was cold at Big Southfork?


----------



## PoptartShop

FINALLLLLLLLLLLLLY I have some trail photos.  

So, Friday it was really cold, so most people didn't go because of the weather...but I went anyway! Fair Hill Paperchase ride! 

9.88mi ride. 

I tried out Promise's new trail boots, since there were gonna be a few rocky areas on the trail. I ended up getting her the Easyboot originals, size 3. They fit her nice, but almost at the end of the trail, one of them was starting to slip...maybe I shouldn't have used them for a LONG trail like this, but...it says they can handle it, so I figured they could...I had to get off & attach them to my saddle with some twine I had. :lol: Twine comes in handy. 

They are still workable, nothing is ripped on them or anything, they still work, but I think I'll just use them for smaller trails...after all, we don't usually do 3hr trails! LOL. & there's plenty of long trails that don't have rocky areas, so no biggie. I'm glad I got them overall.

Maybe gallopping up a large hill in them wasn't the best idea...? LOL.

We went through tunnels, over bridges, huge open fields, wooded areas...it was a beautiful ride. I ended up pairing up with 2 other riders halfway through the ride, they were super nice.

Pictures!


----------



## QueenofFrance08

Got my Black Friday ride in and our last ride until Spring at our State Park (they're closing the trails after this weekend for the winter). Only got 3-4 miles in before it got dark (phone was dying and forgot to bring my GPS) and it was to slick/wet/crummy to go more than a walk but it was really fun!


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## knightrider

4 day camping trip with @4horses, and @LoriF. They have better pictures than I do, so I hope they put some up. We camped at Princess Place which is near St. Augustine. We had phenomenal weather! Rain was predicted for almost every day, but we only got one brief shower on Friday.

I was the one with the bad luck, but it turned out OK in the end. First of all, the horse I was excited about taking got a snotty nose, and so I decided not to mind too much and take my daughter's mare instead because it would be such a good training experience for her and I like getting her to do running walk . . . and her canter is thrilling, and 4horses loves to canter on the beach!

But my truck blew a gasket on Wednesday so I couldn't drive it, and I couldn't bring a horse. Luckily both Lori F and 4horses offered me extra horses. I got to ride LoriF's extra horse Star most of the time. I rode amazing wonderful Laela on the beach. I enjoyed both LoriF's horses so very much. Although I missed getting to bring one of mine, I was delighted that I got along so well with Star and Laela and also LoriF's dressage saddle was so so SO comfortable! I never got sore.

We rode about 4 or 5 hours each day, exploring the amazing trails at Princess Place. The camp sites at Princess Place are unique. I think Princess Place is the most beautiful camping area I have ever seen. Each grassy site is about a quarter acre to a half acre, with a wooden paddock, hitching post, saddle rack, water, picnic table, barbeque, and fire ring. And secluded, which makes them really private and lovely, but the horses don't like not being able to see each other. The bath house is a little primitive and the water tastes and smells like sulfur, but a small price to pay for such a lovely friendly place.

We sat around the campfire every night talking about everything. LoriF bought lots of wood at Publix and we discovered it would not burn. We joked about it being treated flame retardant wood. We found some wood lying around and kept the fire going, but it was plenty of work. I realized we were 3 generations of friends, me being the grandma, LoriF the right age to be my daughter and mom to 4horses. Such fun!

4horses joined us on Saturday at Frank Butler Beach in St. Augustine and we rode on the beach for about 2 1/4 hours. My camera got jostled in the bag and ran the battery down so I only got a few photos, but here are a few pictures. LoriF and 4horses have some nice ones of the trails on Princess Place.


----------



## Zexious

Absolutely love this, @knightrider ! It's so awesome that HFers are regularly getting together.
(Though, I'm sorry to hear about your car x.x)


----------



## knightrider

More pictures from Princess Place camping trip. These are from @4horses. She got some really nice ones of how beautiful the trails and riding areas are.


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## LoriF

Just what you guys want, more pics from our camping trip. But we had so much fun!


----------



## AnitaAnne

Love the pictures!! What a beautiful place. Y'all are fortunate to be able to get together so often.


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## knightrider

Only photo we got of the 3 of us at Princess Place.


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## carshon

Gosh I loved the pics @kbightrider and @LoriF


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## Zexious

So cool, you guys! Take me with you!


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## PoptartShop

Wow, beautiful photos. Such a gorgeous ride!!


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## phantomhorse13

Last week, DH and I trekked down to South Carolina for the last ride of the season. The whole story is in my journal.

Friday's pre-ride:









Saturday's 55 miler:
































2018 mileage
...
11/23 fluffy 4.81 miles 111 ft climb 4.5 mph 45F 1785.50 total miles
11/24 fluffy 55.6 miles 2559 ft climb 6.9 mph 43F *1841.10 total miles*


----------



## LoriF

@phantomhorse13 55 miles of trotting would kill me and then RAIN? Heck no. I commend you for your tenaciousness.

It looks like it was a beautiful ride, except for the rain that is.


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## AGibson

Such great photos! I for the life of me can't post photos. Maybe this weekend I will sit down and try to figure it out.


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## phantomhorse13

LoriF said:


> @*phantomhorse13* 55 miles of trotting would kill me and then RAIN? Heck no.


It only rained the first couple hours, so I was able to change into dry clothes after the first 30 miles. And it's not ALL trotting.. we did a bit of cantering and walking, too. :biggrin:


----------



## Change

November ended we me accruing ZERO additional miles. I hate that! And this weekend... ?

It rained from Thursday evening until late last night. We're swimming in snot-slippery clay mud. Another lost weekend.


----------



## Celeste

@Change We are covered up in mud as well. I couldn't get into our regular riding area. 

It rained so much Saturday that we almost floated away. To make things worse, about 20 deer hunters drove over my favorite dirt road with their 4-wheel drive trucks. I guess they had a deer camp party. The road is gutted.

So, the only riding that I did was in a different direction down a different dirt road. It is usually too busy with deer hunters driving, but they apparently have finally lost interest. Thankfully.

My friend D came over and rode with me Friday. She brings her own horse which is a beautiful quarter horse and a great roping horse.
It was a beautiful day. We had a nice ride and caught up on old times.

Today, my friend B rode with me. She rode Abby, so we couldn't go as far as I would have liked to have gone. Poor old Abby has to be pampered at the ripe young age of 31. She was actually perky and would have gone further if I had let her.



Friday: 5.4 miles
Sunday: 3.6 miles

*Total for the year: 223.50*


----------



## AGibson

Sometimes you have an uneventful ride and sometimes you have a ride filled with wildlife. Saw a beautiful fox, which is very rare in our area. Saw a young coyote recovering from mange eating fruit from an orchard. And we saw a bobcat. The bobcat was the only one l was able to get a photo of.


----------



## Painted Horse

With the holidays and short days and cold weather, I don't expect to get any real rides in, Nothing more than a lap around home. So I created my annual "Back of the horse 2018" video. If you want to see some of what we ride here in Utah. You can watch it on YouTube.


----------



## Zexious

@AGibson - It must be very cool to see wildlife out on the trail! I'm very jealous!!

Happy December, trail riders :')


----------



## AGibson

@Paintedhorse awesome video! Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to get my Christmas Garmin and see how many miles I log in a year.


----------



## gunslinger

Nothing but mud here too....had 2 inches this week and rain scheduled again this coming weekend....


Parades go rained out so no Christmas parades this year!


----------



## charrorider

Our wildlife here in the Ozarks must be different. A bobcat standing still while his photo is taken? Not in a million years! We do have them, but I don't recall ever having seen a bobcat, coyote or fox while on the trail. Deer, turkeys, rabbits, squirrels, vultures, yes. Plenty of those, but they're usually on the run, or flight.


----------



## Celeste

The bobcat was a very lucky picture. I have been riding in this area since 1983 and I think that I have seen two while riding. They are said to be abundant. I saw one coyote and a fox. Once. At different times. 

I do see quail, turkey, deer, armadillos, vultures, snakes, frogs, turtles, lots of species of birds, and horse eating squirrels.


----------



## gunslinger

More rain forecast for the weekend....










I do on occasion see some wildlife in the Cherokee......haven't seen any bears for some time now.....and while I see a lot of pig signs, seldom see pigs.


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## AGibson

We were very lucky to see the bobcat. I just happened to glance over and there he was. I was surprised it stuck around and let us take pictures. I usually see coyotes. Lots of evidence of deer but only one sighting. Which deer usually don't come down out of the mountains to our elevation. So its exciting but also troublesome because there must be a reason they are leaving their usual habitat. As for the fox, I am thrilled to have them around. Talking to long time residents, foxes used to be abundant in our area and then disappeared. And now it seems they are back. I am happy. We live in an old, well established area. No new construction. So maybe their habitat is coming back to support them. We did have the summer of the bear. Not fun because the horses were not a fan. Caused a lot of anxiety on the trail. The bear roamed the neighborhood, laying on peoples lawns, swimming in spas, eating trash. Then one day he disappeared. The sheriff says they relocated him, but we believe they shot him. Usually if they relocate, they make a big stink media wise and there are all sorts of wildlife folks around. But this time nothing. I hope everyone gets to have a little bit of horse time. Rain today and tomorrow, but this weekend should be ok to ride.


----------



## Marina Janelle Wenner

Did you continue to track your miles throughout the year? It would be cool to see how many you have done! :runninghorse2:


----------



## gunslinger

Marina Janelle Wenner said:


> Did you continue to track your miles throughout the year? It would be cool to see how many you have done! :runninghorse2:



If the question was directed to me....yes, I'm at 360.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I am not sure that riding around my yard really counts as a trail ride, but it's the best I have currently due to it being rifle season. Today, I finally got on Raven again. The whole story is in my journal. 










November: 133.77 miles
Phin - 50.25 miles
George - 21.98 miles
Fluffy - 60.41 miles
Raven - 1.61 miles


2018 mileage
...
11/29 raven 0.81 miles 0 ft climb 3.0 mph 28F 1841.91 total miles
12/6 raven 1.71 miles 10 ft climb 2.4 mph 30F 1843.62 total miles


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## knightrider

Speaking of wildlife sightings, we had a very fun time once with a pair of coyotes. We see and hear them regularly around here. One time I was riding with my 3 teens and a pair of coyotes began running alongside us as if they were our dogs. My own dog was with us. My dog was wary, but did not bother the coyotes and they did not bother her, running along on the other side. They stayed with us for about a quarter mile.

We see bobcats from time to time, but they disappear right quick as soon as we see them. Wild hogs are pretty common. People have told me that the wild hogs are more dangerous than bear, but bears are so scary, especially when they rise up on their hind legs. Uuuugh. Once I was fortunate enough to see a Florida panther on a ride. That was exciting.

This morning I rode my daughter's young mare Windy solo. I don't like riding her solo because she often bounces around and acts up on the way home. My other two fractious horses are always well behaved on the way home, and I like that a LOT better. Something nice about getting the scary part out of the way in the beginning and having a pleasant ride home.

But my daughter is riding in our town's Christmas parade tomorrow, and Windy hasn't been ridden in a week, so somebody needed to get her wigglies out. I promised myself that at my age I would quit riding her solo. My daughter doesn't, so why should I? But I keep doing it, why why why? Every time I ride her solo, I promise myself I will not do it again. And then I do.

This time Windy did a huge straddle spook, slipped in the frozen sand, fell to one knee, and popped up in a rear. Silly filly. Then on the way home, she did a big sideways spook and kinked my neck. She's normally not much of a spooker, more of a bounce/buck/pop up er. But it was cold this morning, she's been stuck in the sacrifice pen, and hasn't been ridden for a week. So, that's what I get. I survived. Now I am going to go ride my tried-and-true Chorro for a couple of hours in the sun!


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## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - I feel like that totally counts! c:


----------



## clippity clop

knightrider said:


> More pictures from Princess Place camping trip. These are from @4horses. She got some really nice ones of how beautiful the trails and riding areas are.


Beautiful pics. Looks like Florida. We are going there in Feb. Was it Florida? Always looking for new places to ride. We have Camelot in SC planned then Tillis Hills and Longbranch in Florida before finishing up at AH stephens in Georgia. Looking forward to it already


----------



## knightrider

@clippityclop, it is Princess Place near St. Augustine. From Princess Place, you can trailer to Frank Butler Beach and ride the horses on the beach.

You will be at some places not far from where we live. Maybe we can ride with you!


----------



## clippity clop

knightrider said:


> @clippityclop, it is Princess Place near St. Augustine. From Princess Place, you can trailer to Frank Butler Beach and ride the horses on the beach.
> 
> You will be at some places not far from where we live. Maybe we can ride with you!


Absolutely! We will be at Tillis Hills Feb 8-12 and at Longbranch from Feb 12-15. My horse is very recognizable. I will post her pic and my husband and his horse below 

Hope to meet up with you!


----------



## Zexious

@clippity clop - Look at those gorgeous Appies! Can I come, too?


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## knightrider

@Zexious, I hope you can come. Please do!
@clippityclop, I looked up Long Branch because I remembered there is another one in Suwannee Co. I was originally thinking of the one near White Springs. And when I looked it up, I discovered there is one near Orlando as well. Suwannee Co. and White Springs are do-able. Orlando is too far from us. Which Long Branch are you going to be at (hope hope hope it is not the Orlando one).


----------



## phantomhorse13

Friday, I got to play with Raven again. The whole story is in my journal.











Today, DH took George out as a babysitter for Raven's first trail ride! 



















2018 mileage
...
12/7 raven 2.34 miles 5 ft climb 3.4 mph 21F 1845.96 total miles
12/9 raven 2.26 miles 165 ft climb 3.2 mph 28F *1848.22 total miles*


----------



## AGibson

@clippty clop. Love the photos! What an amazing place to ride. Lots of smiles on everyone's face. I didn't get to ride yesterday because of some drama with our new pup and a broken leg. Long story short he will be okay. 

Sunday's are usually my day that I meet up with my friend. She is the one who helped me rescue my red headed pony. She decided to take out her latest rescue and see how he does on the trail. He was awesome! And I was excited that the Red Headed Pony got to be the stable one on the ride. LOL. He has been the project horse for so long that I was delighted and surprised how well he handled being the 'adult' in the group. I love my Red Headed Pony more and more after every ride. AND this was after not getting out for a whole week due to weather and my work schedule. He was so good. Even when we had to pass a kids party with a bouncy house! He was more concerned with the blue solo cup left on the side of the road. I said 'I know buddy, it should be a red solo cup' LOL. Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are ready for the week.


----------



## clippity clop

Zexious said:


> @clippity clop - Look at those gorgeous Appies! Can I come, too?


Thank you! I always say the more the merrier! Come on out and we will take a ride and maybe share a meal!


----------



## clippity clop

AGibson said:


> @clippty clop. Love the photos! What an amazing place to ride. Lots of smiles on everyone's face. I didn't get to ride yesterday because of some drama with our new pup and a broken leg. Long story short he will be okay.
> 
> Sunday's are usually my day that I meet up with my friend. She is the one who helped me rescue my red headed pony. She decided to take out her latest rescue and see how he does on the trail. He was awesome! And I was excited that the Red Headed Pony got to be the stable one on the ride. LOL. He has been the project horse for so long that I was delighted and surprised how well he handled being the 'adult' in the group. I love my Red Headed Pony more and more after every ride. AND this was after not getting out for a whole week due to weather and my work schedule. He was so good. Even when we had to pass a kids party with a bouncy house! He was more concerned with the blue solo cup left on the side of the road. I said 'I know buddy, it should be a red solo cup' LOL. Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are ready for the week.


There really is nothing like riding a horse you trust and love. I've had a lot of adventures on my mare. We have been thru a lot! We did a parade yesterday ahead of the snow!


----------



## AGibson

@clippity clop What fun! And what good ponies you have.


----------



## knightrider

My daughter and I did a parade too, and I didn't know where to put it. Probably trail riders do more parades than show jumpers or barrel racers so maybe here is a good place.

Our parade was in our near-by small town, and is normally quite a low-key, short easy affair . . . but not this time. My horse Chorro and I have done piles of parades and our share of Christmas parades. For some reason, this Christmas parade was busier and noisier than usual. We had to wait at form-up next to the high school marching band and flag twirlers, which set our horses off big time. Then they placed us behind the electric company's new huge float blaring music and wildly flashing lights. Usually the horses go last and we go at our own pace. This year they insisted on putting a fire engine behind us with lots of flashing lights, a diesel engine, and following the horses waaaay too closely, making them nervous. And directly in front of us was an antique car that blared the horn "aaou-gah aaou -gah" at regular intervals. My daughter and I certainly had our hands full!

But the fun part was the large crowds watching. We usually don't have that many people at parades in our small town, but this one must have been well-advertised, and the weather was perfect for being outside. There were people of all colors and races, dressed in their Christmas finery, all mingled together happily, shouting "Merry Christmas!" to everyone, so delighted with the horses and happy to be there. We must have seen 20 Cindy Lou Who hair-do's. 

Please excuse the ill fitting hackamore on Chorro. It is someone else's bridle, and I thought I had it adjusted but clearly didn't, and in the chaos of the parade, I didn't fix it. I wanted to ride in the parade with the silver hearts bridle. Chorro doesn't care--he'll go in anything, sweet boy.


----------



## clippity clop

Here where they even allow horses they have to go last so people don't have to step in poo...lol.. We are blessed with horses who are fairly bomb proof to the sirens, lights and marching. Although they did have a Drone flying and my horse saw it and it seemed to stay on her mind..lol.. She kept looking for it but she didn't spook. More like keeping it on the "watch" list. We normally have a lot more horses in this particular parade and more people too but the weather was a little rainy and the wind was cold and we got the first of a snowstorm that evening so it kept a lot of people away. Next saturday another parade that normally has a bunch of horses. If I get to go will share some pics here.

Had to laugh at your hackamore. I had been riding my horse in her bridle for probably a couple of years and had never had any issues. All of a sudden I saw a pic of her where she was playing with the bit and it was SO much too long! She just always picks it up and I hadn't noticed it needed adjustment..lol.. blessed to have a good girl. Her daughter not so much. If I don't get hers just right she will let me know about it in short order! 

Thanks for the pics!!


----------



## Zexious

@knightrider - Wow, I bet that was quite the experience! And certainly an exercise in bomb proofing for your two horses. Glad to hear they ultimately did ok--I love the bells around their neck! (And also you guys' use of glow sticks!)


----------



## QueenofFrance08

I rode Jake most of the way down the driveway yesterday. DH rode Comet and our farrier who was over hanging out with DH rode Stitch. I've never seen Jake walk so slow, he was pouting because there was nothing to eat. They had to stop and wait for me about 10 times. 

Jake did really well for not being out recently, he hates being passed though (but doesn't see that as an opportunity to move faster than snail pace). At least that's something we can work on in winter. Miss our trails already.


----------



## egrogan

Love all the parade pictures!

It's a winter wonderland here, but unfortunately the snow has an ice-crust on it and the roads are pretty slick. It's hard to safely navigate to real trails, and getting through the icy-crusted pasture to our short woods trails seems uncomfortable for my horse. So we had a little stroll up and down the road yesterday. It may be all we're able to do the rest of the winter, depending on what the weather does. Time will tell I guess.



























The snow might not be great for riding, but it is perfect for snowshoeing. Friday night, my lovely husband and I snowshoed out to the middle of one of our pastures, where there is a perfect little evergreen growing all alone, and decorated it with a strand of solar lights. They seem to be working well so far!


















*Total 2018 miles: 143.8
*


----------



## knightrider

This was another lady who rode with us in the parade. She had her horse all decked out in lights.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I rode Hombre as chaperone for Nicole's show horse's first trail ride. Repique did well over all, though was not a fan of moving water!



















2018 mileage
...
12/10 hombre 4.93 miles 320 ft climb 2.9 mph 26F *1853.15 total miles*


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Great news about his first trail ride! Love of water will come with time--hopefully!


----------



## QueenofFrance08

Ok not a trail ride but to share with everyone else's parade pictures: 

Stitch and DH in the Ugly Sweater Contest at Cattle Sorting League


----------



## charrorider

Due to a persistent eye infection, Amal has not been out on the trails since Oct. 22nd. That's 50 days. Today I saddled him up and we rode for 6.75 miles solo in the National Forest. No lunging. No riding him in an arena or around the barn. No company. Pull him away from his buddies, saddled him up and go. A saddle maker I met 3 months back told me when he found out I rode Arabians, "I feels sorry for you. I had one once." I replied, "With all due respect, I have been riding Arabians for over 30 years and have own a few. I feel sorry for you." Of course, that was a biased opinion. lol. The photo is from today's ride.


----------



## AGibson

@charrorider. What a good boy! I hope you have resolved your eye issues. Looks like you had a lovely ride and I bet Amal was happy to get out and switch things up a bit.


----------



## greentree

@charrorider I hope his eye is better! When people make those remarks about Arabians to us, we usually respond with..,”The thing with Arabians is that you have to be smarter than the horse!!”


----------



## Zexious

@charrorider - Amal sounds like such a good boy! Is his eye all healed up?
As for what that saddle maker said...People in the equine world are definitely vocal about their preferences, haha! ;-;


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Phin out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2018 mileage
...
12/11 phin 7.28 miles 1187 ft climb 4.1 mph 19F *1860.43 total miles*


----------



## QueenofFrance08

DH got to leave work early yesterday since his Dad (and boss) is in Mexico so I asked him to get some horses ready for when I got home! Since it was pitch black when I left work at 5 we decided to take Chico and Stitch since we knew we could trust them in the dark. We finally had a chance to use our LED light up breast collars too! My friend has lights that also go in the tail, I'm hoping DH might get me some of those for Christmas! 

Only went one mile and I couldn't take any pictures while we were riding because I was too busy having "we're walking not trotting because it's icy" discussions with Stitch but I got one of them having a pre ride snack with their light up gear!


----------



## charrorider

AGibson and greentree. Thanks. Under the vet's instructions, I stopped applying the medication in his eye yesterday. Let's hope the infection doesn't come back like the first time. I did find a hunting stand in the woods right next to the trail that wasn't there the last time we rode this trail. A hunting stand next to the trail sounds somewhat thoughtless, but that's the drawback to riding in the National forest.


----------



## Zexious

Fingers crossed an uneventful hunting season for everyone!


----------



## AtokaGhosthorse

We've foregone any riding until ALL THE DEER SEASONS are done. You could wrap me and my horses 100% with hunter orange, leave some eye holes and a place to breathe, and no way, no how, would you get me into the woods on the trails.

THAT SAID: Last year during archery season we packed in 100 lbs of deer corn to hubs tree stand. There was a hunter blind (That pop up tent sort?) in the woods. It was camo and the windows were open, so there's just two gaping black holes into the blind.

THE HORSES WERE NOT HAPPY.

WHAT IS THAT!? IT'S GANNAE EAT MEH!? LOOK AT THOSE BLACK STARING EYES! THEY"RE HUGE! HUGE I SAY!

What? No? It's just a tent? Oh. Okay. Maybe it's just (sniffs) Yeah. It's just a tent. We're clear, everyone. Proceed.


----------



## Celeste

I have places that I seem to be safe riding during deer season. The problem that I am having is that it seems to always rain when I have a day off. The sun will shine on Monday. It will rain on Saturday. Over and over. We are knee deep in mud..........


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got more saddle time. I started out with Phin. The whole story is in my journal.



















Next up was Raven. His super green self is still doing mostly ring work, but we did trek around the yard at the end:










2018 mileage
...
12/13 phin 8.38 miles 1499 ft climb 4.5 mph 20F 1869.77 total miles
12/13 raven 1.93 miles 9 ft climb 3.4 mph 24F *1871.70 total miles*


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## Zexious

Lovely ear shots as always, @phantomhorse13 ! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend <3


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> I have places that I seem to be safe riding during deer season. The problem that I am having is that it seems to always rain when I have a day off. The sun will shine on Monday. It will rain on Saturday. Over and over. We are knee deep in mud..........



Same here...we're 12 inches above normal for the year.....and it seems to rain every weekend.


No riding for me this weekend.


----------



## Celeste

@gunslinger That "like" was not that I like that you can't ride. I am just commiserating with you. It is not raining this minute, but it is too muddy to get down the trail. I guess I should try the dirt road the other way.....


----------



## SwissMiss

@Celeste, @gunslinger same here: mud, deep, slippery mud  And the horses are all hyped up, so no quiet ride probable... Not sure I want to chance it today either...


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> @*gunslinger* That "like" was not that I like that you can't ride. I am just commiserating with you. It is not raining this minute, but it is too muddy to get down the trail. I guess I should try the dirt road the other way.....



Fully understand.....while I'm sure most yankees would find it balmy here in Dixie.....a high of 50 is a bit chilly as well.....so, mud, gray skies, breezy and chilly.....nope....ain't going to happen today......no ride for me!


----------



## AGibson

Sunday’s I usually ride with my friend, but Christmas prep got in the way so I went out alone. The day was gorgeous. Sorry to hear about the mud. Hope you guys dry out soon.


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## Zexious

@AGibson - What a stunning view! Sometimes a scenic, solitary ride is good for the soul <3


----------



## knightrider

> THAT SAID: Last year during archery season we packed in 100 lbs of deer corn to hubs tree stand. There was a hunter blind (That pop up tent sort?) in the woods. It was camo and the windows were open, so there's just two gaping black holes into the blind.
> 
> THE HORSES WERE NOT HAPPY.
> 
> WHAT IS THAT!? IT'S GANNAE EAT MEH!? LOOK AT THOSE BLACK STARING EYES! THEY"RE HUGE! HUGE I SAY!
> 
> What? No? It's just a tent? Oh. Okay. Maybe it's just (sniffs) Yeah. It's just a tent. We're clear, everyone. Proceed.


One of the parks where we ride frequently has about 10 deer blinds in different places alongside the boundary of the park. Deer are protected inside the park, so the place is loaded with deer, and the horses are used to the deer blinds.

But not long ago, my daughter and I were gaiting along, hurrying to catch up with some friends, when suddenly, a man popped out of one of the deer blinds and began descending the ladder! BIIIIGGG spook from two horses that almost never spook.


----------



## carshon

It seems I may be one of a few that got to ride this weekend. We had a couple of warm days in a row (41 Degrees F) and daughter is home from college and itching to ride so we went to the only park that is open year round. Got there to find one gate locked but the other open and the hunting in progress sign not up. So we mounted up and off we went. The day was simply gorgeous! It felt so good to be out in the sun - and the winter sky against the prairie grass was just breath taking! Really just a glorious day. The horses were all amped up - having not been ridden in quite some time. Daughters mare had not been ridden since she left for school in Aug and was just ready to head out - not bad for soon to be 22 yr old, Daughters BF rode our Appy mare (who will be 21 this spring) and she was prancing and ready to go. And Tillie who is always very forward was a just as anxious to blow off some steam. The trails were mostly clear of snow and the horses worked up a bit of a sweat with all of the hills - we rode about 4 miles and I heard my daughter burst out laughing. One of the pitfalls of riding a forward horse is that everything happens behind you and you miss it. BF's horse had found a nice pristine show drift and had laid down to roll! This mare had never done anything like that before. BF got off and YaYa was just laying there enjoying the cool snow on her sweaty tummy - BF got her up and got back on but my daughter laughed until she cried. It seems BF thought YaYa fell into a big hole and he was begging her to not die! Poor fella - scared him but he eventually laughed it off. We scared up a lot of deer and my daughter got a great shot of Miss Tillie and I while we watched the deer bound across the prairie. We were about 1 mile from the trailer and 2 hunters popped out of the prairie grass about 20 yards in front of us. Now they were not supposed to be in the prairie and they knew it. They were speed walking to get out. But that was about enouh for Miss Tillie - I don't know what it was about them but she was a tense snorty mess as we followed far behind the hunters. I am not sure if it was the dead pheasant bouncing off of their backs as they walked but when we turned toward the trailer and the hunters kept going straight Tillie was popping up in front and spinning around. The ground was slimy there so I opted to dismount - daughter was scared for Tillie as well and jumped off to hold her head so I could get off. Poor Tillie was standing there shaking and snorting and stomping her foot as hard as she could. We walked the rest of the way back to the trailer (well I walked and Tillie side passed, pranced, jumped and jigged) once back at the trailer and at her hay bag she settled down some. The hunters disappeared into the brush and we assume parked on a side road because there were no other cars in the lot.


----------



## QueenofFrance08

45 degrees in Minnesota in December makes for a riding weekend! Unfortunately most of the trails are closed for the season but we got out Saturday for a little over a mile around the neighboring fields/our driveway and Sunday we did a little over 2 at our friend's property! Stitch was VERY happy to be back out on the trails!


----------



## Zexious

@QueenofFrance08 - 45 and sunny is pretty much my dream climate! Enjoy the beautiful riding weather!


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## egrogan

Loved your pictures @carshon! That big smile says it all. 



So frustrating when hunters are where they aren't supposed to be. Last year I was riding with my elderly riding buddy and we encountered two bow hunters on BO's private property. The horses were surprisingly good about it once the guys talked to us, but like your hunters, they sheepishly got the heck out of there because they new full well they shouldn't have been there.


No riding here for us- we had a little melting over the weekend but it basically just got rid of the snow with good traction and left the roads a total ice slick. It's a blustery 15*F/-9*C here today with 20mph winds. Horses haven't left their sheds yet as far as I can tell.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Phin out. The whole story is in my journal.




















Today, I got to ride a friend's mare, Penny.



















2018 mileage
...
 12/17 phin 6.05 miles 1162 ft climb 3.3 mph 20F 1877.75 total miles
12/18 penny 4.94 miles 457 ft climb 3.3 mph 31F *1882.69 total miles*


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## Zexious

That green on Penny is perfection! <3


----------



## charrorider

My goal for 2018 was to ride 400 miles. I finished October with 353 miles and thought it was pretty much a done deal. Well, that's what I get for counting my eggs before they hatch. Between the 30th of October and the 10th of December, I had one chance to ride. Suddenly, I'm in the middle of the second week in December and I'm 46 miles short of my goal and there's bad weather, holiday obligations and work to be done. But I was able to ride the last three days and today I made it to 402 miles. That feels much better.


----------



## greentree

I could NEVER wear that jacket.....on the carriage sign, it says “please pass. Wide and slow. Don’t have one of those on my carriage, either!!! LOL


----------



## gunslinger

charrorider said:


> My goal for 2018 was to ride 400 miles. I finished October with 353 miles and thought it was pretty much a done deal. Well, that's what I get for counting my eggs before they hatch. Between the 30th of October and the 10th of December, I had one chance to ride. Suddenly, I'm in the middle of the second week in December and I'm 46 miles short of my goal and there's bad weather, holiday obligations and work to be done. But I was able to ride the last three days and today I made it to 402 miles. That feels much better.



I'm in the same situation, not a lot of days left in the year so we'll see what happens.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Phin out first thing. The whole story is in my journal.




















Next up was Raven. 



















Today, Nicole came over to ride with me. 


















2018 mileage
...
12/19 phin 7.92 miles 1140 ft climb 4.3 mph 16F 1890.61 total miles
12/19 raven 1.53 miles 11 ft climb 3.0 mph 29F 1892.14 total miles
12/20 phin 7.93 miles 1141 ft climb 3.7 mph 26F *1900.07 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

@phantomhorse13 You are really close to 2,000. Well not close if I were riding, but close if you are riding. There is still another week.......

I stand in awe!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> @*phantomhorse13* You are really close to 2,000. Well not close if I were riding, but close if you are riding. There is still another week.......


I don't expect to hit 2000 this year. My family comes tomorrow, and it is unlikely I will be riding during their visit. So I won't make a personal best for 2018, but considering I didn't compete on our horses _at all_ this season and 2 out of 3 horses were out of commission most of the year even for training.. I am very happy with the total I have!


----------



## Celeste

I am very impressed!


----------



## Zexious

@phantomhorse13 - Wow! I'm always so enamored with the lovely pictures (I'm sure my ooo-ing and awe-ing gets old on this thread, ha), that I didn't even notice your totals. That's so impressive! Keep up the great work!


----------



## egrogan

charrorider said:


> My goal for 2018 was to ride 400 miles. I finished October with 353 miles and thought it was pretty much a done deal. Well, that's what I get for counting my eggs before they hatch. Between the 30th of October and the 10th of December, I had one chance to ride. Suddenly, I'm in the middle of the second week in December and I'm 46 miles short of my goal and there's bad weather, holiday obligations and work to be done. But I was able to ride the last three days and today I made it to 402 miles. That feels much better.





gunslinger said:


> I'm in the same situation, not a lot of days left in the year so we'll see what happens.





phantomhorse13 said:


> I don't expect to hit 2000 this year. My family comes tomorrow, and it is unlikely I will be riding during their visit. So I won't make a personal best for 2018, but considering I didn't compete on our horses _at all_ this season and 2 out of 3 horses were out of commission most of the year even for training.. I am very happy with the total I have!


I'm a bit bummed, I had hoped to at least exceed last year's total (163 miles) but was really targeting 200+ miles. But an unexpected move in the middle of the year, and unexpected trailer loading issue with my main mare, and unexpected snow the first week of November really got me off track. So, it's looking like I'm going to end the year at 143 miles. We are having torrential rain today melting the foot of snow on the ground, which will end with a flash freeze tomorrow  So I'm not really expecting much more riding.

I will say though, even when I was getting less saddle time than I wanted, I've loved being part of this thread and find it really inspiring. It's wonderful to see so many different people, horses, and beautiful places and get to vicariously experience so many different kinds of "trail riding." Thanks to everyone who's participated in the thread.


Here's to an ambitious 2019!


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## AnitaAnne

I have been following along but since my gps broke in 2017 haven't been able to record my miles. I also lost my riding buddy this fall, but really she was a "perfect conditions" rider so missed a lot of ride time. 

I will be making a goal of finding more people to ride with next year, so hopefully increase my riding time. 

Will never reach @phantomhorse13 totals, but hope to improve on my personal best of 175 +/- (been too long to remember) 

Happy trails!


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## SwissMiss

Ha, I said at the beginning of the year I will match @*phantomhorse13*'s miles and then move the decimal point 2 places (to the left, of course :rofl - I think I succeeded and rode even more than that :rofl:


Maybe I can double that next year :wink:


----------



## AnitaAnne

SwissMiss said:


> Ha, I said at the beginning of the year I will match @*phantomhorse13*'s miles and then move the decimal point 2 places (to the left, of course :rofl - I think I succeeded and rode even more than that :rofl:
> 
> 
> Maybe I can double that next year :wink:


Moving the decimal (left) is the only way to get close to her numbers! Unless you ride everyday like @knightrider


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## knightrider

Tonight I took my teen girls on a moonlight ride. The moon is full tonight and quite bright. It was a bit cold, but not too bad. I normally do not like moonlight rides that much because I do them so often, riding in the early morning every day. In the winter, the ride starts off every morning in the dark. Riding in the dark is better than not riding at all, but it certainly has its drawbacks.

But it was more fun with a group of teen girls who thought riding in the moonlight was super cool. All my horses are used to riding in the dark, and we stayed in our neighbor farmer's planted pine fields where we had permission to ride.


----------



## SwissMiss

My poor horse probably thinks I lost my mind with riding 2 days in a row :rofl:
Rode Saturday around the trails on the property - the beavers and rain are doing their best to create a water world! The little concrete bridge/crossing is now fully submerged and highly suspicious :shock: But still beats swimming through the ditch :wink:


Sunday I hauled out to the trails - it was muddy, but not as bad as it could have been. Simply a very nice, peaceful ride with some warmth and sunshine. :Angel:


----------



## Change

It has been over 2 months since my last ride! I'm hoping to get at least one more ride in this year - if it doesn't rain again! Trails are muck! But I'm happy. This thread, and chasing 1/10th of Phantom got me over 100 miles for the year. That's a real accomplishment for me and hopefully 2019 will be better!


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## Zexious

@SwissMiss - Your pretty horse practically looks like sunshine! <3 Glad you got to enjoy some good weather!

Way to go, @Change ! I have a feeling next year will be even better! <3

I still have the lofty goal of being able to contribute in a meaningful way to this thread, beyond the 'oohing' and 'awing' that I do on a daily basis. It really is good for the soul for me to live vicariously through you all when I'm unable to, myself. I hope it's not a bother! :') Merry Christmas, everyone!


----------



## AGibson

I got my new Garmin watch and I am completely geeking out on it. LOL. I have ridden twice since Christmas and have done almost 12 miles total. I hope to get out today but we are having Santa Ana winds and that makes for a not so fun ride. Its supposed to calm down this afternoon, so I will attempt to get out then. But since I read and posted on the Saddle Pad Anonymous thread, I will probably spend my time cleaning out my tack room. LOL


----------



## evilamc

Welllll my miles in 2018 are just laughable. Between working/boarding dogs/RAIN/lack of motivation I just didn't get any riding in.

Things are looking up though. I've decided to quit boarding dogs so that should open up my weekends a ton to get some riding in.....well as long as it doesn't rain.

I also have been getting my motivation/desire to ride back the last few weeks...just everytime I've planned to go ride the second I walk outside it starts to rain. THANKS. I had lasik eye surgery this Thursday so now I'm recovering from that but HOPEFULLY I'll get a ride in next weekend!

Sooooo I'm ending the year at *118* miles. Good by horrible year of riding 2018....Hope to have a much better year in 2019.

Love everyones pics!


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## Celeste

I have only ridden twice in December. Dec 2 was 3.6 miles and Dec 26 was 2.9 miles. I work tomorrow. If I don't get to ride any on Dec 31, this will be it for 2018. Ending (maybe) total: *226.40*

I need to purchase an ark. There are not many for sale right now.....
Rain, rain every day.


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

I had a great little ride on Boxing Day. And rode again yesterday. 



Didn't ride today because I stayed at home too long waiting for the mail to arrive with a full sheepskin english seat saver by JMS (which I found on a tack consignment site for $60 -- heck of a good find considering how much they usually cost and how it's in great condition). I already had one for my dressage saddle and loved it, and I think this one is an AP style, and I have been thinking about getting an AP saddle as well.



I think I need to keep track of my miles for 2019, and actually make a real effort to leave the ranch where I board. Possible changes in the works that might see that happening a lot more often in the year to come.


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## Zexious

Anyone squeezing in last minute rides at year's end? c:

Ps - stay drive, @Celeste!


----------



## Celeste

If anyone doesn't have a spreadsheet to keep up with your rides, feel free to pm me.


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## SwissMiss

Celeste said:


> I need to purchase an ark. There are not many for sale right now.....
> Rain, rain every day.


I hear you on the rain! Today's ride felt like a mix of water skiing and muddying :shock: Anything faster than a walk (or a sharp turn) and I felt Raya slipping. However, cooler temperatures and walk-only rides have changed my ploddy pony in a fire-breathing dragon - we had a few discussions about appropriate speed in the current conditions


----------



## gunslinger

The riding year is over for me....and I wound up with 360 miles.

This was a pretty average year....2012 had 345, 2013 had 394, 2014 had 346, 2015 had 363, 2016 had 488, and 2017 had 362.

My longest ride for 2018 was 29 miles on Sept 1st at Big South Fork.

I rode 32 weekends, and the average ride was 11.7 miles.

We've go more rain coming tonight and tomorrow, but hoping to start 2019 off with a new years day ride at Gee Creek.

Happy new year saddle pals! Happy Trails!


----------



## AGibson

Hoping to get out on the trail later this afternoon before 2018 ends. Since Christmas Day I have ridden 25 miles according to my Garmin. Of course once I go back to work after the New Year I will be back to riding only weekends. Have a wonderful and safe New Years!


----------



## knightrider

Thanks to @Celeste, who sent me the spreadsheet last January, I have kept track of my miles. It's been fun and I encourage others to go for it. My miles for this year: 1,720.93 miles

My last ride of the year was today, a super fun 2 hour solo ride on my beloved Chorro. I've been riding Windy, my daughter's young TN Walker mare, regularly. I'd really sorta rather not because she can play up at times, but, on the other hand, she gives me the most glorious running walk and thrilling big bounding canter, big but smooth, I can't stop riding her. Each time she bucks, rears, and acts goofy, I promise myself I'll stop riding her. But the next time she needs riding, I find I'm back on her. I rode her on Saturday, and wow, she did a lovely running walk for a good quarter mile or more, and her canter! Amazing. Then on the way home, she exploded into bucking. What a brat. Good thing I was in my bear trap barrel saddle. I've learned the hard way that I need to ride her in only that saddle. I know with time, she'll settle down and be a wonderful trail horse.

My exciting news is that Jan. 11, I am going camping for three days at The Oaks, which is Karen and David O'Connor's place. I've always wanted to ride their trails and try out their (easy) cross country course. They have hard cc courses, but I'm not up to that any more. The low jumps work best for me. On Sat., Jan 12, I get to do a trail ride with Alycia Burton. I am so looking forward to weekend after this one!


----------



## whisperbaby22

A lot of great photos this year. Windy here, but I was able to get out Sunday.


----------



## AnitaAnne

I am ending the year without even looking at my totals. December has been a washout, literally. 

If I am working the weather is sunny, if I am off work it is at least raining, sometimes severely. :icon_rolleyes: Today finally had a beautiful day but HOT! It was up to 73F at the peak, and sunny :smile: 

Perfect day for riding right? _Nope, not happening_. My poor Chivas has a thick enough coat for an Alaskan winter :frown_color: he was sweating just standing around :frown_color: I must figure out a way to divest him of much of his hair, but without electricity I am rather at a loss. Going to start a thread about it. 

In other news:
Since I have to work tomorrow, I started the 2019 HF Meet-Greet-Ride thread tonight

Here is the link!! Hope to see you all there :cowboy::loveshower:

https://www.horseforum.com/trail-riding/2019-hf-meet-greet-ride-799631/#post1970656275


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## AnitaAnne

@knightrider Alicia Burton!!! Oh wow!! How did you manage that?? I would give a lot to be able to see her in person!! 

Please take LOTS of pictures!!! 
:happydance::happydance::happydance:
:happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance:
:happydance::happydance::happydance::happydance:
:happydance:​


----------



## knightrider

> @knightrider Alicia Burton!!! Oh wow!! How did you manage that?? I would give a lot to be able to see her in person!!
> 
> Please take LOTS of pictures!!!


She is touring the United States. I got to see her at Karen and David O'Connor's fancy place called The Oaks, which is not too far from my house. If you go on her website, it will tell you which places she will be touring. Her show is two nights and is a wonderful show. It's so worth attending. And Alycia herself is an amazing person. Just spending 5 minutes in her presence, you can tell she is very gifted, both with horses and people.
https://www.freeridingnz.com/


----------



## Celeste

It cleared up yesterday, but the roads were still muddy. Real muddy.

I decided to get Kahlua out and see what she would do. Her feet seem ok for now. She would not stand still for me to mount even with DH holding her, so at the advice of @AnitaAnne, we bribed her with treats. Worked like a charm.

Since I didn't know what she would do, I worked only in the arena and only at a walk. DH led her for a bit, and then I rode her without him leading. We only walked and I quit while I was ahead. Her feet seemed ok, but we were on soft ground. We'll have to see how she does as we progress.

Next I decided to get out the Psycho Princess. I meant for her to be the Polite Princess, but the fates were on her side. It was muddy enough that I decided to ride through the neighborhood which means we had to pass 5 houses, some barns, and a church. She was nervous to start with, and then was totally ok on a loose rein until she wasn't.

At the last house, they had a mountain of trash bags piled up by the road. A little further down, they had sand bags and bales of straw stacked up. I guess their drive was washing out. 

Well my darling angel was nervous, but she agreed to try to go past the monsters. Just as she got equal distance between the two objects of terror, someone started up a high pitched, squealing circle saw. Her eyes bugged out. She spun around. But any way she spun, she confronted one of the monsters. And the saw kept squealing. She spun faster and faster. Nothing I did could calm her down. Then she went into a total rodeo bucking fit as she spun to the right. I lost my left stirrup. I started feeling like I was going to get pitched off to her right side. Somehow, I managed to regain my seat and hang on. But she kept bucking and spinning. And I was wearing out. I saw a chance to time things with her buck and spin, and did a rapid dismount. Once I was on the ground, I was able to control her a bit better.

We walked and looked at each of the terrifying objects, but they remained terrifying. I was too tired to fight any more, so I walked her a bit towards home, planning on remounting and riding past the house so at least she wouldn't think a tantrum would get her out of work.

I put her in a ditch, but my myasthenia gravis apparently has gotten worse. I could not get on her. I tried a deeper ditch. Same issue. The only ditches that were deep enough were so muddy that they were a fall risk. So I walked the dang mile home, mounted at the block, and rode the other way.

I am really mad about two things.

1. My dang body doesn't work right any more.
2. I just rode a major bucking fit without falling off, and there was nobody to see it. Not a soul. I would really have liked to have had a video of that to put on YouTube, but all I got was dirty boots.

Kahlua 0.2 miles 
Total insane beast, AKA Psycho Princess 3.04

*2018 Total: 229.64* (Most of those miles were on a very sweet calm Arab that turned into a beast just to celebrate New Year's Eve. Go figure.)


----------



## knightrider

Well, bummer about the bad ride. I'm glad Kahlua did OK. Hang in there.


----------



## SwissMiss

Celeste said:


> I just rode a major bucking fit without falling off, and there was nobody to see it. Not a soul. I would really have liked to have had a video of that to put on YouTube, but all I got was dirty boots.


:bowwdown::bowwdown::bowwdown:I am so sorry that PP had to make a point during the last ride of the year. But while reading it my first thought was "man, I would have been flying off at the first spin!":bowwdown::bowwdown::bowwdown:


----------



## Celeste

@knightrider and @SwissMiss

Thanks for the encouragement. I am nowhere near ready to give up. It was just a bad day. And SwissMiss, I bet you could hang on better than you think. I just deal with the situation and don't panic. Honestly, the fact that my disability makes it difficult to mount is what has me mad. I certainly don't blame my horse for acting on her instincts. She didn't mean to lose it. (Those people are kind of scary.....)


----------



## AnitaAnne

YAY for Kahlua first ride in Georgia!! 

Congrats on the fabulous bronc riding!! Baling sounds like it was an excellent plan; emergency dismounts save insurance companies $$$ 

I feel you for the disgust when unable to remount :frown_color: I suffer from this myself. So sad when one is unable to do a flying leap unto one's horse, or even an ungainly hoist from the edge of a ditch *sigh*

But you are still riding; so all is not lost. 

Remember our plan a few years back for a "mature" group proud to be turtles? :rofl: 

Getting older is not for sissies!


----------



## AnitaAnne

SwissMiss said:


> :bowwdown::bowwdown::bowwdown:I am so sorry that PP had to make a point during the last ride of the year. But while reading it my first thought was "man, I would have been flying off at the first spin!":bowwdown::bowwdown::bowwdown:


Well Said! Ditto for me


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste;1970656477}
I am really mad about two things.
1. My dang body doesn't work right any more.
2. I just rode a major bucking fit without falling off said:


> Well, if it really matters, could you do it again so someone can get a video?
> 
> 
> That's scary.....Mr. Jack's a lot like your Princess....just never know which horse is going to so up.....
> 
> 
> On a serious note....glad you made it okay....


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> *Well, if it really matters, could you do it again so someone can get a video?*
> 
> That's scary.....Mr. Jack's a lot like your Princess....just never know which horse is going to so up.....
> 
> On a serious note....glad you made it okay....


Probably will at the next terrifying object. She literally walked by a small bomb going off without raising her head on that same road a few weeks ago, and then flipped out at this. Go figure.....

She does well on my other trail where we don't encounter scary humans. That is where I will ride if the rain ever slows up. I'm still wondering about needing an ark..........


----------



## SwissMiss

Found this on the book of faces and it's :rofl:









However, upon closer inspection, that is simply NOT enough mud and water to depict our current conditions accurately... If all that grass would be covered by a foot of standing water, we would get closer to the truth :Angel:


----------



## AnitaAnne

I have been using strictly rainwater to water my chickens for the past month! I set out two dollar tree buckets and have water to wash off eggs and fill their water! 

Most of my horse's water is from rainwater with the addition of the leaking hose on one of the troughs...but that one has been constantly overflowing. I have not turned on the water hose since I returned from Thanksgiving vacation. 

My Ariat much boots are getting daily use! 

Link to 2019 thread


https://www.horseforum.com/trail-riding/2019-rides-happy-trails-799655/


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## phantomhorse13

Once my family left after christmas, I got in some rides. That story is in my journal.

George:









Raven: 









Phin:









Last week, I went down to Florida for the first ride of the 2019 AERC season. That whole story is in my journal.

Mu:









Duroc:









2018 mileage
...
12/26 george 5.42 miles 829 ft climb 4.7 mph 21F 1905.49 total miles
12/26 raven 1.82 miles 6 ft climb 2.5 mph 23F 1907.31 total miles 
12/27 phin 5.82 miles 1121 ft climb 4.3 mph 26F 1913.13 total miles
12/29 musubi 24.82 miles 192 ft climb 5.5 mph 79F 1937.95 total miles
12/30 duroc 2.79 miles 3 ft climb 3.4 mph 78F *1940.74 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

A bit late, but here are my totals for 2018.

1940.74 miles overall

breakdown by horse:
George: 466.99 
Flo: 335.56
Sultan: 170.07
Polo: 143.52
Phin: 140.67
Iggy: 133.51
Fluffy: 126.09
Musubi: 91.05
Hombre: 88.74
Amish: 72.92
Duroc: 35.18
Promise: 44.65
Dee: 29.23
Fugi: 24.80
Raven: 13.68
misc others (5 horses): 24.08


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## charrorider

The goal for this old guy was 400 miles in 2018. Did 410. One is never satisfied. But in all honesty, considering the rocky, hilly trails on non-gaited horses and the amount of free time available, I have to be satisfied.


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## Zexious

@PhantomRider13 - You are a true inspiration!! <3


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