# 2017 Rides-share your trail



## evilamc

Looks like I get to start our 2017 thread!

Had a great New Years day ride with my friend and her daughter and my mom. My mom is a rank beginner pretty much...I got her a lesson last time she was here to help her because I'm a terrible teacher...and she said this time when she visited she wanted to go on a "real" trail ride...Ya no. So I took her to the rail trail, a very SAFE first ride lol!










Picture of us together. Lol I was trying to help her get Orianna positioned and trying to keep Jax positioned at the same time...I failed. This was taken at the entrance to the first tunnel!






















































Cool bridge you go over at beginning/end of ride 









Then we decided to grab lunch at McDonalds before getting off  We rode through the drive through









Jax ended up being a bit nervous about the strange guy in the window so I ended up having to hop off to pay  Oh well!

We had a great ride and Orianna was a SAINT for my mom. Lol my mom was barely holding the reins and just had her hands resting on the pommel pretty much the whole time. Orianna just follows Jax and every now and then gaits to keep up. Shes the best guest horse EVER. Jax actually did quite great too! He wasn't rushy back at all which was surprising. I did have trouble getting him to gait though...but wasn't really in the best situation to work on it with three people following behind me so I just let him trot and posted it.

10.4 Miles! Starting the year off right!


----------



## evilamc

Forgot to post my video!


----------



## kklenk

*First 2017 Ride*

Wow, @evilamc what a great ride you had. Very interesting and long trail. I've just been lurking these last couple months. I did a lot of riding in October but then it dropped off dramatically in November and December so I thought I'd just wait until now to start posting regularly. I also feel I have a lot to learn about this site.
My New Years day ride was on Ramsy. My favorite riding horse, well, most the time. I just moved him to a new stable Friday but he seems to be settling in well. I'm excited because there are trails right there, first time I've had trails without having to trailer. Its a beautiful place. I'm not sure you all would even consider it a trail ride it was so short but it was raining and to be honest I was going to just hand walk him since I don't know the property at all yet but then he was all tacked up and the mounting block was right there so I couldn't help myself. He was jiggy but I LOVE how he did not hesitate or balk for a second walking right off away from the barn and other horses. He is so independent and brave I love love love that about him.
Below was the only picture I could get. I guess I have a new goal, to get my horses to stand still long enough to get pictures. LOl. The other was just a blur.
My Goal is to do 100 miles on each of my 3 horses. I know that's awfully ambitious but why not.
Ramsy ytd 1.9
Boomer ytd .5


----------



## phantomhorse13

Woohoo for the 2017 thread! Glad to see people have already gotten some saddle time. 

I am on the road home from a great weekend in Florida. I got to ride not once but twice yesterday to start the year off right. I will update my journal and mileage totals when I am home.


----------



## Woodhaven

I have enjoyed reading about everyone's rides in 2016 and will do so for 2017, I haven't ridden since the end of Oct. as I suffered a knee injury (torn meniscus) and am still on crutches so that put an end to my riding for a while. My riding friends had a great ride yesterday and a pot luck after. We try to do this every year.

Looking forward to reading about your rides.


----------



## evilamc

@kklenk Any goal set is a good goal! Its good to start small and build up too. I was WAY off my goal in 2016. I moved, opened a business and just have had so many projects going on I didn't get much saddle time. I finished 2016 with only 318 miles between both my horses  Hoping to do closer to 500 this year. Most my big projects are finally coming to an end and we're doing some logging so I may finally have some trails through my woods and not have to trailer to ride! Thats so great that your new barn has trails you don't have to trailer to. Nothing is better then having a brave horse too!


----------



## horseboy1

My daughter and I went on a ride around our place. It got up to 50F. My neighbor and his friend was cutting and moving wood on our place, the horses didn't mind all the noise as we rode by.


----------



## Drifting

Yay 2017!

I haven't set a goal out for myself this year just yet. I'd like to reach 100 on Stryder, if not more. A lot of that will depend on if I get a truck and trailer this year too. 

I rang in the new year Yesterday (the 1st) with a two mile trail ride. This time I brought my long lead rope with me so I could work with Stryder over some of his obstacle difficulties. He really doesn't like puddles.. or ditches and trying to push him over them in the saddle was just making him angry. So I got down and we'd walk over them on foot, then I'd get back up and ride him over them. Until I start going out with other horses more, this will probably be the way we build up his confidence.










We trail blazed today and decided to just wander through the woods and see where we ended up.



















Ended up at the hay field we sometimes ride in, though it took going through a huge thorn bush to do it.. Ouch. 










So, 2 miles for Stryder so far!


----------



## Zexious

Love all the ear pictures!

I just had another surgery on the 21st (that makes an average of two a year for the past three... I bet this is getting old to all of you; it definitely is to me!), so still no riding for me.

But this is one of my favorite threads, and I'll live vicariously through you all <3<3

Happy New Year!


----------



## egrogan

It was so satisfying to add a brand new 2017 tab to my Excel mileage tracker today! 

It was a pretty gloomy day to get started, and the footing in the woods wasn't great. It was the first time this winter that there was an icy crust on top, so it was slow going as we broke our way through. 









We looped back up to the road, where things were a little better, but still icy spots. 









Overall, a slow, short start to the year at less than 2 miles.

I'm going to set my 2017 goal at 175 miles, which may or may not be realistic. I'm still not completely sure of the full trail system at the barn we moved to this fall, since we got there during hunting season and it's just finally wrapping up. So hopefully we'll have more room to roam soon, as I don't have a trailer so I'm sort of left with what we can ride to!

Sending healing vibes to everyone who's recovering and looking forward to some saddle time later this year.

*Total 2017 miles: 1.71*


----------



## gunslinger

Zexious said:


> Love all the ear pictures!
> 
> I just had another surgery on the 21st (that makes an average of two a year for the past three... I bet this is getting old to all of you; it definitely is to me!), so still no riding for me.
> 
> But this is one of my favorite threads, and I'll live vicariously through you all <3<3
> 
> Happy New Year!


I know you're going to be able to ride real soon....its good to see you posting again!


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

So dum dum me posted in the 2016 thread, oh well! 

Had my first ride of the year today, and the first ride since my accident. Went the same route, but with my sister walking to keep me company. Trouble was a butt, but it's most likely because he was feeling my nervousness. 
We tried out a new saddle today too. 

We did some work in the pliers driveway, working on circles (we have horribly terrible circles) body control, "whoa" and backing up. He finally has backing up down pat!! His whoa is a little rusty through my seat, I still have to tug on the reins to whoa him but we're coming along. But backing up, my god we've got it! Back story, Ive been working on getting him to back up through my seat alone, but we didn't really get anywhere for six months. He would still require me to pull the reins. Today he backed on a loose rein only through my seat! 

So after our schooling in the driveway we went for our walk, only had two minor starts, saw two trucks and skiers! He was very confused at the cross country skiers, and his heart was beating so hard I could feel it, but he stayed calm and went by easily! 

My 2017 goal is 50miles or 100km. 
*Total 2017 kilometres: 1.2*


----------



## phantomhorse13

I finally got the story of my weekend adventure up in my journal. Lots more pics and videos there.

I rode twice on New Year's day.




















I am now back home, so my saddle time is dependent on the weather. It poured all day today.. so will have to see how bad the ground is tomorrow. Then the next arctic cold front comes in tomorrow night. Ugh.

2017 mileage
1/1 bunny 8.60 miles 39 ft climb 7.7 mph 83F 8.60 total miles
1/1 brim w/cow 4.17 miles 27 ft climb 5.5 mph 85F *12.77 total miles*


----------



## elkdog

I found the share your ride 2016 thread a week before 2017. So I only put up one of the trips. I really like all the effort people put in to riding their horses and all of the mileage totals were commendable. Are there any rules to this? Do sleigh miles count? I just bought a sleigh and have to do a little work on it first. It's 4 miles to my mailbox so I am going to rack up all kinds of miles before the snow melts just getting the mail. 

I have a three year old gelding named "Witko" (it means crazy in Lakota). I'm going to ride this year. He will be 4 in May. He did great packing last year and I'm excited about riding the shoes off him this year. His sister is now 5 and she has been a tough little mountain horse. She is a lot more mellow than Witko, he earned his name.

I want to post my favorite ride of 2016. I know this is 2017 but what the heck. Pyramid lake in the Idaho panhandle.


----------



## gunslinger

I don't think they're any real rules....and I think a few don't count miles but choose to count hours.....

I think I have a few OCD tendencies, and like to think one of the reasons I keep track is to figure out which horse needs to be ridden. I will admit my gaited walking mare Miss Lacy gets a lot more miles than my two quarters...

To quote Shakespeare "Unto thy own self, be true"....

Love the pictures......


----------



## phantomhorse13

I don't see why driving miles/hours wouldn't count.. trying to motivate us all to spend time with our horses and share photos of the adventure was the point of these threads. I know I would love to see that!


----------



## egrogan

I agree, I think you should count whatever feels relevant to you. In the winter, I will sometimes count just riding around the farm property where the ground is safe- not really a "trail" but an opportunity to be outside vs. riding in the indoor arena. I love seeing your pictures too.


----------



## whisperbaby22

Here's to a great 2017, keep those photos coming.


----------



## Zexious

elkdog--Totally agree with everyone else; I don't see why that wouldn't count! 
For what it's worth, there are also driving threads--give you two places to post about it ^^

Love the photos!


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got Phin out yesterday. The whole story is in my journal. 
@gunslinger I thought you might appreciate my hunting season finery. :mrgreen:




















2017 mileage
...
1/1 brim w/cow 4.17 miles 27 ft climb 5.5 mph 85F 12.77 total miles
1/4 phin 8.07 miles 1526 ft climb 4.4 mph 18F *20.84 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Lol Phantom....you'd fit right in with the rest of the Vol fans here in Tennessee....

Where were the pictures taken? It's cold here in Dixie and you don't look to be to bundled up....

Big game season here in Tennessee ends this weekend....with a juvenile hunt next weekend....

That helps me a lot...as I have permission to ride some private property that's close by, the only rule being to stay off it during deer season.... with the short days, having to only trailer 8 miles means not having to get ready before daylight when it's freezing outside!

We have an enormous amount of places to ride here in East Tennessee, but most of the time I trailer at least an hour....


----------



## phantomhorse13

gunslinger said:


> Where were the pictures taken? It's cold here in Dixie and you don't look to be to bundled up....


Those were taken here at home (that being NE Pa) at the start of my ride. It was pretty warm then, about 42F with little wind. But the front came through while I was out, making the wind rage and the temps plummet. By the end of the ride, my windbreaker was zipped up to my nose and my gloves were on!

Today I hoped to ride. However, the real feel is a balmy 11F, so I weenied out. At least we didn't get more than a couple inches of snow, so maybe I can get out tomorrow.. I am already over winter.


I hope those of you down South in the path of the oncoming storm don't have any issues. Crazy to think it's going to be snowing in South Carolina and sunny here!


----------



## Celeste

So far all we have is a miserable light rain and 40 degree temp. I was really glad we got a round bale put out between showers.


----------



## Painted Horse

For the last few years, I've made up a DVD of my trail rides for the year. Partially to make a memory of where I rode, but also to show friends some of the beauty that I see while trail riding.

I know it's like watching somebody else's home movies. But if any of you are interested in seeing some of Utah's terrain you can watch it on Youtube. Since I rode over 1000 miles in 2016, The video is an hour long. Don't watch it all, but jump to the parts you want to see. It's in Chronological order. January 1st December last. So if you want to see desert rides, look in the spring and late fall, Alpine vistas will be in June - Sept 

This year I took photos with my camera and my GoPro and stole some photos my friends took me with their phones. I need to learn how to combine all those different formats into one video and keep the screen sizes and resolution more consistent. But thats for next year.


It's located here


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> So far all we have is a miserable light rain and 40 degree temp. I was really glad we got a round bale put out between showers.



Here in this part of Dixie we got a dusting of snow over night....Glad I got out a roll of hay last night! Sonny, Jack and Miss Lacy are even more glad!


----------



## kklenk

Atlanta GA area we got ice. Still icy, unfortunately driveway is too steep to try to get out. Miss my boys. :-(


----------



## Celeste

We are a bit south of Atlanta. We didn't get anything but cold. The dog water had a thin layer of ice this morning. The horse water had no ice. 

The dog (the border collie) had severe cabin fever, so I got out the 4-wheeler and took her on a run. It was 35 degrees.

I put on longjohns and two pairs of pants. Three shirts, a goosedown vest, a goose down jacket. I put one of those balaclava things, a cap, and a sock hat. Polar tech gloves. Just my regular socks and shoes.

*I almost froze to death.* I have no idea how you guys up north stand the cold.......


----------



## Fellpony

Well i am back they sorted my account back to fell pony sorry for the confusion. I have ridden twice since the new year began first time for 45 mins at the farm in walk an trot. The 2nd was my riding lesson not a bad start for January but it has been unusally mild here so far this winter.

Melody and me need to ride as many days as possible as i have my first endurance pleasure ride of this year coming up on the 29th of Jan


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> I got out the 4-wheeler and took her on a run. It was 35 degrees.
> 
> I put on longjohns and two pairs of pants. Three shirts, a goosedown vest, a goose down jacket. I put one of those balaclava things, a cap, and a sock hat. Polar tech gloves. Just my regular socks and shoes.


How on earth could you move enough to get ON the 4 wheeler?!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


----------



## gunslinger

Well Phantom, to be frank with you....it's hard to move with all that stuff on.....

I keep telling GF, who doesn't ride if it's below 50, that a 40 degree day is balmy up north.....doesn't help though.....

It's 16 here this morning...with a 15mph wind...so, base layer, then sweats, then carhardtt insulated bibs.....then goose down vest, and a carhardtt artic coat over that.....balcalava, plus watch cap, with the hood up.....

Did I say it was cold here in Dixie?


----------



## kiltsrhott

Wow. I never really followed any of the trail ride threads, but I think I'm going to start. What great adventures you guys are having! I'd love to ride in some of those places! I've never really been much of a hard core trail rider, just because I don't have many opportunities to travel. I don't have my own trailer, and it's tough for me to hitch rides. I love trail riding, and the horse I have now is great for it. She seems to really enjoy it. The stable I'm at now is about 50 acres, many of which are wooded, and a few of the neighboring farms have given us permission to ride their properties as well. This gives us several miles of trails with somewhat interesting terrain and creek crossings to ride on. It may not seem like much to you guys, but I've been having a blast! My horse had never crossed more than small streams, and her first time down to the creek, she got right in! Yesterday we went on a short trail ride around the property. It was about 20 degrees and had been snowing all morning. It was a great ride, though a bit icy. To get back to the barn we had to go down a steep hill that was quite slick. I dismounted to help my horse find the path with the best traction. That's when I took this picture.


----------



## Zexious

^My favorite mare <3
So glad to see you participate!


----------



## Celeste

phantomhorse13 said:


> How on earth could you move enough to get ON the 4 wheeler?!
> 
> :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Do you remember the little kid in "A Christmas Story" that got so dressed up by his mom that he couldn't move? That is probably what I looked like.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Got Phin out today. The whole story is here.











2017 mileage
...
1/4 phin 8.07 1526 ft climb 4.4 mph 18F 20.84 total miles
1/9 phin 3.43 223 ft climb 3.3 mph 6f *24.27 total miles*


----------



## Woodhaven

Kiltsrhott, you were wise to get off for that slippery hill. A few years ago, my mare went down with me on a steep slippery hill. Her feet just went out from under her and she is a very sure footed horse.

When I was riding in Jan 2016 on trails and by myself, I came to a steep slippery hill and I decided to get off and lead her down as I was way back in some trails and all by myself. Extra cautious maybe but better safe than sorry.


----------



## EquineBovine

It's too hot here to do much. 31 degrees (Celsius) and climbing. 
Martha and I don't do well in the heat so we're not setting a goal just yet. 
Loving all the photos!


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

Loving all the photos!! 

I haven't even been able to ride in 2017. After our ride on the 31st, we got something called "The Atmospheric River" and have been inundated ever since. It's a lot worse in NorCal and CenCal from what I hear (and SoCal is pretty bad too). The part of CA I'm in usually gets bypassed by a lot of storms because of our location (we're right on the edge of where CA starts to curve heading south) so storms go around us, usually. But we're getting slammed for now. Everything looks like The Swamp of Sadness, muddy, wet ... I'd haul out to ride, but the pony is a mess, and feeling fresh.

Just gotta sit tight, wait it out and live vicariously through the thread until I can get my bum in the saddle b


----------



## Zexious

Can't wait to read your horse, phantomhorse!


----------



## Painted Horse

CaliforniaDreaming Those same storms are blowing across Utah. At least they turned warm and it's raining in the valleys and snow up high. So it has melted off a lot of the snow in my yard. If it had not warmed up. We'd be buried in deep snow.

But like you, It's not fun to load up a muddy horse and go slip around a muddy icy trail. So I'm doing other things until cabin fever sets in so bad I can't stand it.


----------



## phantomhorse13

We set a record high temperature today. Cajoled DH into coming home early, so we got out for a bareback slog around Alimar.




















2017 mileage
...
1/9 phin 3.43 miles 223 ft climb 3.3 mph 6F 24.27 total miles
1/12 george 3.04 miles 184 ft climb 2.8 mph 50F *27.31 total miles*


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

I'm itching to ride  four feet of snow here. The horses sink to their bellies and it's been raining with a high of plus 10 so everything's A glare sheet of ice. 
Slowly ticking the days off until spring!


----------



## egrogan

I've decided to come clean with you all about how dangerous it is where I ride...








...that's right...BIGFOOT COUNTRY. I have not yet encountered Bigfoot on my rides, but I've been assured he's out here. I promise to be vigilant. And if I _do _see him, you'll all be the first to know! 

hehehe....

It was bitter cold today (22*F) but after our warm week, everything had melted and there wasn't ice on the road anymore. So, we did a couple of miles riding the back roads. The footing was super hard, even on the dirt road segments, so we took it slow. But it sure felt nice to be out in the open again, and the sun was shining.

Down there in the clearing between Isabel's ears is a big pond, which is supposedly a part of our trail system.








I haven't figured out how to get back there yet through the woods, but one of my riding buddies has promised to show me in the spring. Looking forward to it- then we should be able to do a loop through the woods and back up to the road to go home. 

*Total 2017 miles: 3.72*


----------



## Celeste

I am pretty sure that my horse thinks Bigfoot is somewhere near here..............


----------



## gunslinger

Wow, what a difference a week makes! It was beautiful here in Dixie yesterday....highs in the mid 60's.....not blue bird weather, but partly cloudy.....changing from bright and sunny to dull and gray several time through out the day....

Miss Lacy got a workout yesterday....GF and I trailered down to Sumac Creek just west of the Cohutta Wilderness area and got in a 13 mile ride....

We last rode that trail back in April.....and scars from the fire were very apparent.....now, in January, the scars are still there....but not as vivid...and the forest is starting to recover...

Miss Lacy, in her winter coat, lathered up in the warm spring like air.

We don't get many days like this in January.....what a blessing...


----------



## Zexious

^What a great day for a ride! <3

egrogan -- You be careful out there ;D


----------



## Fellpony

Well today did a ten mile charity ride to raise money for the air ambulance there were 9 of us on the ride and we made approx£80....it was raining hard as we set of but it was dry most of the ride till the last half hour. Melody loved being out in company she was great x


----------



## Zexious

^What a great cause! Every bit helps! <3


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I was supposed to meet a friend and ride one of her horses on some new-to-me trails. However, momma nature had other ideas as she got ice where we just got a bit of snow (she is about 45 min south of me).. so there went that plan.

Instead, I again cajoled DH into getting Sultan and George out this afternoon. 





























2017 mileage
...
1/12 george 3.04 miles 184 ft climb 2.8 mph 50F 27.31 total miles
1/15 george 3.58 miles 306 ft climb 3.1 mph 24F *30.89 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

It has been beautiful this weekend! Mid 70's and sunshine. I can't believe that this happened on a week that I have off. 

DH rode with me Friday and today. The girls were very good and we had a great time.

Jan 13 -- 2.9 miles
Jan 15 -- 1.8 miles

*Total -- 4.7 miles*. I guess it is a start.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got George out today, as I couldn't resist the nice weather.










got elk?



















2017 mileage
...
1/15 george 3.58 miles 306 ft climb 3.1 mph 24F 30.89 total miles
1/16 george 5.33 miles 401 ft climb 3.8 mph 34F *36.22 total miles*


----------



## kklenk

Its so encouraging to be on this forum. I am off to a slower start then I hoped but the weather is great this week so can still get some riding in. Seeing #Egrogan ride in 22 degrees and #Phantomhorse13 ride when there is still snow on the ground, too motivating! BTW, am I doing that right, hashtag then user name?

Anyway, rode further on the new trails at Ramsys new place. I love exploring new trails. He did great again, did not want to stay in arena any longer, only 2 laps and out the gate he went, even though it was dinner time. I want to get pictures of the obstacles that we encounter on the way to the trails and the huge blue heron that is there all the time. He doesn't even flinch. 
We got on a little more of the trail, it was warm, almost too warm but nice. Very hilly. Stilll working on the whole standing still while I take the picture. 
I can't see how to rotate the pictures, sorry.


----------



## phantomhorse13

kklenk said:


> BTW, am I doing that right, hashtag then user name?


Instead of a # (guess I show my age as, to me, that is the number symbol :hide, use the @ symbol then the name with no space between them.

Glad you are getting motivated to hit the trails. I am jealous of your temps and what looks to be dry footing. You may wonder how we can ride when its cold, but I wonder how you can even survive - forget ride - when its summer there!


----------



## Zexious

kklenk -- Lovely ear photo <3
Glad you got to do some more exploring!


----------



## Oreos Girl

I am getting riding but no real trails. I have once again joined the Northwood Horsemanship challenge which is 30 rides, 40 hours, in 12 weeks on 1 horse. So with hopes of getting my rides in (I failed miserably last year), I rode Friday, Saturday, and Monday but only about 0.5 miles apiece. I am working on doing some training things with Fiddler that I just never bother to spend the time on. So far we have got to him picking me up off the mounting block. This is where he has to line himself up so I can get into the saddle. I taught that last year but we are refining it this year. I am also working on stopping on my seat instead of reins and yesterday we started by turning on the forequarter. I just keep them short and sweet. So in my challenge I have all of 3 rides and 2 hours and 27 minutes. For those of you that want your time instead of your miles, the Northwood Farm app (both for iphones and android) will allow you to track your time and you can have more than 1 horse too.


----------



## Celeste

@Oreos Girl  It sounds like you should put 0.5 X 3 = 1.5 miles into your spreadsheet. Everything counts.


----------



## egrogan

Rode a lot this weekend since I was off for the MLK holiday. I did a lot of road riding since it was generally clear of ice. I was a little disappointed that the shoulders of the road were icier than they looked from the car, and the dirt road footing was very hard, almost pavement like. Given that, we took it easy and just ambled through the neighborhood near the barn a bit. But it was still wonderful to be able to "go somewhere"- Isabel was definitely perkier and more interested to get out to a few spots we haven't been to in awhile.









We rode to the "gnome cave," which we haven't been to since the summer. There was just one lonely gnome still there, he looked very tiny in his huge abode!









This road is closed to vehicle traffic during the winter, and offers up a nice 5 mile dirt track... 









...but because it runs through the woods (almost always in the shade), it was still pretty icy, and rock hard. So I was a little disappointed about the conditions and didn't go as far as I had intended- I'm a little leery of riding 5 miles on pavement-type conditions. I'm hoping that as spring gets closer, the footing will be more forgiving. 

You can see that despite the hard footing, there _has _been considerable melting- the little stream was really rushing!









I intended to get out to the woods trail yesterday, but the trail head is in a very shady area and the ground was very icy to get to it from the barn. I didn't trust the footing, so we had to turn back and just looped around the grounds of the barn and the outdoor ring where the footing was clear. 









So yes, ice was pretty much the theme of my weekend, despite the pretty blue skies.

We're looking at anywhere between 3-7 inches of new snow tonight, though it could also be sleet & ice instead depending on how the storm moves. I'd actually like to have a good layer of snow to cover the ground, as it would make the footing a little more forgiving than it is right now. Just no more ice please!!!

*Total 2017 miles: 8.66*


----------



## PoptartShop

Lovely trails out there!  I am hoping to go on another trail soon. It's just been so muddy & yucky here lately, I haven't been.  Last resort lately is just the arena. Blah! 

Can't wait for spring!


----------



## Fellpony

It was cold and foggy today at the farm but not freezing.....so we went for a hack we were out for about an hour todaý Sophie on Savannah the Welsh Cob and me on Melody. The farmer was lifting the sugar beet with a huge machine that made the tractor look tiny. Melody had a little look but walked right on by.


----------



## Celeste

I have ridden twice since I posted. The first was a solo ride and the old Psycho Princess actually did pretty good. She even cantered a bit without bucking.

Today DH rode our old Abby and we went on a short ride. I don't think that we are going to be able to ride her much though. She is so swaybacked that it has become a problem. We use a thick swayback pad, and today I added a thick folded towel between the pad and the saddle. She was perfectly happy the entire ride, but she had a little bit of hair worn off from the back of the saddle rubbing her.

She is 30 years old. She reminds me of me. She doesn't notice that she is old. We are really missing Shadow.

January 16: 1.8 miles
January 20: 2.4 miles

Total: 8.9 miles.

My girl always wants to look at the camera when I get it out so it seems that her ears are always cocked back when I snap a picture.


----------



## falling

Super excited to say I think this year I'll definitely be able to do some decent rides! We moved onto a 890 hectare/2200 acre farm. I haven't got a way to keep track of km's yet, but when I get a new phone I will. For now just enjoy the dry, dry scenery of NZ summer with me and Hercules


----------



## egrogan

Those blue skies are beautiful @falling! And thanks for the reminder of what a horse looks like when it's not a wooly mammoth :wink:

We got about 2 inches of sleet last night that's quickly freezing as it gets colder. No more 40*F days in the long term forecast, so looks like we're going to be stuck inside for awhile.


----------



## Oreos Girl

I am jealous Falling. If you need a ranch hand, I will work for cost of living. Of course I live across the world from you but small problems I am sure.


----------



## Zexious

egrogan -- Look at those pretty ladies! ;D
Thanks for sharing!


----------



## phantomhorse13

I was in Florida for the weekend, so got lots of saddle time. The whole story with lots more pics and a video is in my journal.














































I got George out when I got home yesterday:










2017 mileage
...
1/20 bunny 25.99 miles 95 ft climb 8.1 mph 84F 62.21 total miles
1/21 duroc 17.58 miles 61 ft climb 7.9 mph 82F 79.79 total miles
1/21 brim 10.09 miles 121 ft climb 8.0 mph 84F 89.88 total miles
1/21 bunny 1.40 miles 0 ft climb 5.2 mph 84F 91.28 total miles
1/23 george 5.22 miles 489 ft climb 4.7 mph 16F *96.50 total miles*


----------



## Msail

cloudy day out in the moors


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

Phantom, that second picture is GORGEOUS. I don't know what it is that speaks to me, but it's screaming! You two look stunning together!


----------



## Oreos Girl

@phantomhorse13, How is Phin doing with rest?


----------



## phantomhorse13

Oreos Girl said:


> How is Phin doing with rest?


He seems perfectly fine. The vet was out this morning to draw another multiplex. Hopefully this one will shed better light on the situation. Thanks for asking and keep your fingers crossed for us!!


----------



## Roman

Yay first post! I have been riding these past few weeks but just never posted anything here. Star and I started conditioning yesterday as it's finally dry enough we can walk/trot through fields without slipping in the mud! We rode around some of the neighbor's fields and did a lot of trotting and some cantering. I had her trot up some steepish hills instead of cantering. Cantering just seems easy! And we cantered some large circles both directions in a big hay field which was good. 

I've also found I love splint reins. Used to hate them! I'm glad I rode in them yesterday because I could lengthen them when we were walking so she could stretch her head down, and shorten them when we were trotting or cantering. She did good and we worked a lot of not being so speedy. We ended up riding 3.06mi in 45 minutes!! I did expect that but that was great. 

Total Miles: 11.84
Total Hours: 4:27:01

















Beautiful sunset


----------



## Celeste

DH and I went on a short, cold ride today. I had on so much clothes that I almost couldn't get on the horse. It was 43 degrees, wind 12 mph, humidity 52% with a real feel of 37. Just too dang cold for horse or human. 

Since we lost his main riding horse, DH has been riding my old girl, Abby. She is so swayback that his saddle rubbed her last week even with the swayback pad. Today I put on the swayback pad. On top of that I put a folded towel and a folded saddle blanket on it. (All this was in the middle between withers and hunters bumb.) Put the saddle on top of the whole thing. It actually worked great. Happy horse and no sore back.

She has a figure like a camel in reverse. I guess that's what happens when you are a 30 year old horse......

I forgot my camera. Oh well.

Today: 1.8 miles
Total: 11 miles


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got George out today. It was spitting snow when we left the barn, but you could see the clouds trying to break up in the distance. It was quite windy, so George was pretty cranked up. I look forward to his getting shoes on next week, so we can start climbing hills!
























2017 mileage
...
1/23 george 5.22 miles 489 ft climb 4.7 mph 16F 96.50 total miles
1/27 george 6.65 miles 632 ft climb 5.2 mph 23F *103.15 total miles*



I heard back from the vet today about Phin's second multiplex - he does have Lyme disease. :eek_color: Shiitake. The vet will be out to start treatment in the morning. I am trying to stay positive that I caught it in the acute phase.. but it still sucks.


----------



## Celeste

@phantomhorse13 I can't like your post because of Phin being sick. I love your "haunted forest" singing video though.


----------



## phantomhorse13

The vet came this morning to start Phin's Lyme treatment. He is not a big fan of being poked, so I wasn't sure how the slow IV injection of oxytetracycline was going to go. I am happy to report that while he was hardly happy about it, he stood like a good boy (and a few cookies didn't hurt either).

I was feeling fairly unmotivated today, so just hopped on George bareback to take the dogs for a walk around Alimar. George was also feeling unmotivated, which was actually a good thing as I was able to do some trot work without bouncing right off. It's amazing how out of shape I am in terms of posting without stirrups. I could only do maybe 1-2 minutes at a stretch before my legs simply refused to work. I think I trotted about 1/3 of the mileage we did.. will be interesting to see if I can walk in the morning. :icon_rolleyes:



















It spit snow off and on all ride, which my face didn't appreciate but didn't phase the dogs in the slightest. The ground is in the process of freezing, so I hope tomorrow will have decent footing.

2017 mileage
...
1/27 george 6.65 miles 632 ft climb 5.2 mph 23F 103.15 total miles
1/28 george 2.28 miles 217 ft climb 3.5 mph 21F *105.43 total miles*


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

FINALLY got to ride today! Didn't leave the yard but we did some schooling in the driveway! We worked on trotting, shoulder control and our circles. I have a video that I'll upload in a bit!








I also worked on myself a bit, sitting the trot and keeping my hands steady. Also tried out our bell boots!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Despite a surprise dusting of snow overnight, I got George out. I had been planning on a nice and easy mosey around, but George was feeling mighty fine - nothing like a cold wind to bring out the crazies! :dance-smiley05:











While the wind never abated, the sun actually came out!! That made things seem so much nicer.











Because George was a bit of a ding dong, he was sweated up when we finished the ride I had intended for today. I had planned to get Sultan out and hack around with the dogs, but figured I would take George out a second time to reinforce that getting home does not mean the work is done. He was quite perplexed when the cooler came off and I hopped on bareback instead of turning him out. 










George was much less enthused leaving the barn for the second time - imagine that. :wink:

2017 mileage
...
1/28 george 2.28 miles 217 ft climb 3.5 mph 21F 105.43 total miles
1/29 george 10.27 miles 952 ft climb 5.0 mph 22F *115.70 total miles*


----------



## evilamc

I've gotten in a few rides, nothing too fun or crazy though...just enough to keep me sane lol!

Got both horses out one at a time today bareback, man do they feel COMPLETELY different. Both are still comfortable but DIFFERENT. 

Im up to 20.49 miles.


----------



## Roman

@phantomhorse13 It's so pretty where you ride!

My sister and I rode both horses on Friday which was fun. I didn't get to do a whole lot of trotting with Star because my sister is still learning and I have to stay with her. But we did do some because I make my sister trot every now and then to get practice. xD We rode for about 50 minutes and 2.42 miles.

I took Star for a ride today. Beautiful 40*, slightly windy day! Again we were working a lot on conditioning and trotting for long periods of time. Rode for about 45 minutes and 3.15 miles!! It honestly used to take us over an hour to hit 3mi but it seems like we just cover it so quickly. Haha. She did great though! Need to work on not leaping into a canter - she gets very excited about cantering - and not becoming a train engine _FULL STEAM AHEAD_ when we do canter. :rofl: Rode through one of my neighbor's hay fields that's perfect for cantering/galloping through. We were heading home and I decided to just let Star run. Boy did she. I thought I was going to lose my helmet or possibly my horse. :lol: She really does enjoy running and might actually have been born to be a racehorse and not a barrel horse. :lol: We almost hit 30mph during that gallop! 

Before that we stopped at another neighbor's who has several horses. About four of them came running up to the gate and we stopped to say hi. One gelding, gorgeous sorrel!, and Star started sniffing each other and were getting along great. I moved Star over to greet another horse and the gelding got in between them and squealed. Haha Star has an admirer. :lol: Overall a really great ride. Hoping I can get permission to ride on some other land. It'd be nice to explore new places and it gets boring riding the same route every time. 


















Star - 1/29 - 45:41 - 3.15 - 28.7mph max
*TOTAL TIME: 6hrs*
*TOTAL MILES: 17.41*


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

Roman said:


> @phantomhorse13 It's so pretty where you ride!
> 
> My sister and I rode both horses on Friday which was fun. I didn't get to do a whole lot of trotting with Star because my sister is still learning and I have to stay with her. But we did do some because I make my sister trot every now and then to get practice. xD We rode for about 50 minutes and 2.42 miles.
> 
> I took Star for a ride today. Beautiful 40*, slightly windy day! Again we were working a lot on conditioning and trotting for long periods of time. Rode for about 45 minutes and 3.15 miles!! It honestly used to take us over an hour to hit 3mi but it seems like we just cover it so quickly. Haha. She did great though! Need to work on not leaping into a canter - she gets very excited about cantering - and not becoming a train engine _FULL STEAM AHEAD_ when we do canter. :rofl: Rode through one of my neighbor's hay fields that's perfect for cantering/galloping through. We were heading home and I decided to just let Star run. Boy did she. I thought I was going to lose my helmet or possibly my horse. :lol: She really does enjoy running and might actually have been born to be a racehorse and not a barrel horse. :lol: We almost hit 30mph during that gallop!
> 
> Before that we stopped at another neighbor's who has several horses. About four of them came running up to the gate and we stopped to say hi. One gelding, gorgeous sorrel!, and Star started sniffing each other and were getting along great. I moved Star over to greet another horse and the gelding got in between them and squealed. Haha Star has an admirer. :lol: Overall a really great ride. Hoping I can get permission to ride on some other land. It'd be nice to explore new places and it gets boring riding the same route every time.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Star - 1/29 - 45:41 - 3.15 - 28.7mph max
> *TOTAL TIME: 6hrs*
> *TOTAL MILES: 17.41*


Sounds like a great ride! What do you use to track your ride!? It looks great!


----------



## egrogan

We've been mostly stuck in the indoor because everything is still ice. But, Saturday we were able to cool off with a short walk down the driveway and road. The ground is really hard, so it's just walking for us while we're outside, but the fresh air feels nice!










*Total 2017 miles: 9.4*


----------



## PoptartShop

Loving all the trail shots!  I need to get on the trail like ASAP. The weather lately hasn't been very good though.


----------



## Zexious

egrogan -- My favorite ears 
Glad you were able to get out of the indoor!


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

I had a GREAT ride today. I think it was the most fun I've had on horseback in years. 

This is the first time I ever rode Trouble two days in a row. He was a little cranky when I took him out of the pasture, so I did a couple laps on the lunge line to test him out. He was fine. 

We rode for 45 minutes again today, half trotting work and half working on being supple in steering and responding to my leg. This is the longest I've ever trotted on him! He was a saint while I collected myself and got my seat in check, and he's really not that rough. He did speed up into a forward trot a few times, so I think he's ready to try out the lope. I have to get myself ready before we try that though. He's such a good boy, it makes my heart swell. 

He's a bit rusty on body control, but we had a few "lightbulb!" Moments about moving his shoulders, and I ended the day with a piece of bread to keep it interesting and a nice long wait tied to the hitching post to let the lesson sink in. I love this fella, and I realized today that compared to last year, my confidence has improved tenfold. Im not afraid to fall off at the trot anymore! When I lose my balance I can keep my head and adjust myself as necessary. Woo hoo! 

We even stopped at the end of the driveway to meet the kids getting off the bus!

I think I really want to get into distance riding or endurance. I'm falling in love with long trots throughout the countryside. Maybe not competitively, but we have a great endurance group around here that I might join.


----------



## kklenk

I have some excuses and some reasons for not getting a lot of riding in. Thrush has taken over, Theres been some mild lameness in both Boomer and Flurry and Ramsy got moved into the 'big herd' last week and two weekends ago when it was so beautiful I was out of town. But.... Finally on Saturday I got Boomer out and rode about 1/2 mile then Ramsy on Saturday for a couple miles and then Boomer again yesterday and got in 2 miles solid. Ramsy is getting his feet done this afternoon and I hope to get a couple miles in on him afterwards. The weather is finally dry and warm so it'll be great riding this week. I can do cold and dry, can't do cold and wet and we've had some of that on and off, plus I was out of town so slow start to the new year but I don't mind being a turtle. 
Pictures and mileage are still on the phone. I'll post them later.


----------



## kklenk

*Boomer hitting the trail*

What I forgot to mention was how much better Boomer was yesterday. He is the most herd bound horse I've ever owned, a Tennessee Walker. The arabs I can take out and they are perfectly fine but Boomer wants to get back to trailer and FAST. I don't mind that so much, its the balking on the way out that makes me crazy. We start out really good, he has a nice walk then about 1/2 mile out he starts to stop every 3 or 4 steps for no reason. The last time we were out on the trail I let him go pretty fast on the way back to the trailer just because it was so much fun for me, yesterday I decided to make him walk/gait, no cantering or fast walking. He did really well, he even stopped and smelled the poop and took some nibbles of grass on the way back. If I could get him to stop balking on the way out I could ride him for hours but the stopping so much gets so tiring. I've had to resort to little 1/2 inch english spurs which helps alot but still... Anyway, because I want to get better at posting photos heres a boring one from yesterday. I also need to stop using 3 different apps to record mileage. LOL.

I've tried different browsers and I've even rotated the photo prior to attaching it. What am I doing wrong where my photos are always sideways? 

YTD
Boomer 4.3
Ramsy 4.3
Flurry 0


----------



## Roman

WhattaTroublemaker said:


> Sounds like a great ride! What do you use to track your ride!? It looks great!


I use Sports Tracker!


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

Switched it up a bit today and rode Spirit, giving Trouble a day off. Had a great ride! Did some groundwork too and she had a wonderful, wonderful day. I'm very surprised. She didn't kick out when I threw her pad and saddle on, no nasty faces today, attentive, listening to me, not distracted. It's great! I think we're making some headway. In the saddle we did fifteen minutes of doddling around the yard, getting her to stop off my seat and working on slowing her power walk down a bit. Three days in a row in the saddle and I'm loving this! It's like my love for riding has been rekindled!

On another note, she's built much differently than Trouble. She's more narrow, but wider at the bottom, if that makes sense. She's very uphill feeling too, just an overall different feeling. 

We did have some trouble at the mounting block, but we took ten minutes to re-learn that "no, you cannot walk around me while I'm trying to mount off the block." She got it eventually!
I also switched her to a simple D ring snaffle instead of her usual curb bit. She responded very well! 

Such a pretty girl.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have ridden twice in the past 2 days! The whole story is in my journal.

Yesterday, I got George out for a bit bareback.











Today, I rode Sultan and ponied George. 



















Once we got back, George was dry and cool, so I put him back out. Sultan needed some cooling time, so I hopped on him bareback and took the dogs for a walk around Alimar. The sun peeked out briefly between snow showers, which was fun.










2017 mileage
...
1/30 george 2.52 miles 249 ft climb 3.8 mph 22F 118.22 total miles
1/31 sultan w/g 10.17 miles 1702 ft climb 4.6 mph 18F 128.39 total miles
1/31 sultan 2.22 miles 169 ft climb 3.2 mph 18F *130.61 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Love the snow pictures......as when the weather gets below about 50 here in Dixie, GF seems to think it's to cold to ride.

I keep telling her 50 is a balmy winter day up north but to no avail....

Hi Saturday is shown to be 53.....I sure hope to get out and ride!:cowboy:


----------



## kklenk

Great ride on Ramsy yesterday. Hills and green grass for him to munch on. I think I'm going to stick with the bitless bridle on him. We had same conversation as #whattalotoftrouble and Spirit at mounting block ?But I'm used to it. Just 2.25 miles but it was relaxing and refreshing. Using phone app so much easier then computer.


----------



## egrogan

So jealous of the green grass!!


----------



## kklenk

*Beautiful Trails*

I have my mileage goals but in reading through a lot more posts on this site I was thinking maybe another goal of conditioning one of my horses well enough to do an amazing trail would be fun too.
I don't care where it is in the country. My idea of an amazing trail is a combination of technical and fast and as wooded as possible. Now where I am here in Georgia I have pretty quick access to some amazing Tennessee and N. Carolina trails but I was wondering from where you all have ridden, what and why has been some of your favorite trails? I saw something about a Hells' Canyon in Idaho for example, the river , technically challenging might be something I'd like. What are your favorites?


----------



## secuono

Camera failed to record the whole ride. These are video stills of the first few minutes. Our first trail ride together, I lead him once before and he was a spooky looky lou after my dogs moved behind some trees, lol. On the ride, he spooked a tiny bit at a log/gate, but was fine the rest of the way. 
It was fun.


----------



## Celeste

DH and I have gotten in a couple of rides this week. We did a 2.9 mile ride and a 1.9 mile ride. Our total is up to 15.5. I guess it is a start. 
The weather has been great and we have flowers blooming.


----------



## falling

I've covered over 50 km's in the past week, but just over 15 on horseback which was yesterdays ride. Beautiful day, not too hot, mid 20's (Celsius) with a nice light breeze. I went riding with the neighbour, and she always rides FAST. I was a bit worried about Hercule at some stages but he recovered really well and was still forward and happy to walk/trot/canter. It was a three hour ride with an average speed of 4.9 km/h, with the max speed at 37 km/h. I am using endomondo, do people find this accurate? I had a ball, but on my own I prefer to do less gallops and more consistent trotting. To the experienced endurance/trail people, how sweaty do you let your horses get?


----------



## Celeste

I did a short (1.8 mile) solo ride today. It is getting a lot colder. I saw two deer, but I was spending so much time worrying whether they were going to spook my horse that I forgot to take a picture of them. 

These little short rides might be easier on my body..........

*Total 17.3 miles*


----------



## kklenk

Ramsy was so good today. I just love him. No hesitation just going up and down some pretty serious hills. Got to see yet more new trails. Pretty excited. I got to the barn late and the farrier was going to be there in an hour so I didn't have much time to ride. Riding Boomer was a bust yesterday. Something as simple as a chin strap. argh. I have tried multiple types of s hooks to hold it and it kept coming off and swatting him in the face when his head got to nodding too much. Suffice it to say he was none to happy about a chain hitting him in the cheek. The good news is Flurry is fully sound and got his shoes today so he'll be added to the mix this week.


YTD Miles Total 7.8


----------



## phantomhorse13

kklenk said:


> I was wondering from where you all have ridden, what and why has been some of your favorite trails? What are your favorites?


In terms of in the US, I have ridden in PA (which is currently home), NJ, VA, NY, VT, ME, RI, SC, GA, FL, WA, CA, and OR. Personally, I like a technical trail with climbs, so the places with mountains (like VA and VT) are my favorites.




falling said:


> I had a ball, but on my own I prefer to do less gallops and more consistent trotting. To the experienced endurance/trail people, how sweaty do you let your horses get?


In the winter, I try not to let the horses get too sweaty because then it takes forever to cool and dry them. Otherwise, they generally sweat quite a bit during rides. I just hose them off afterwards.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I am home from a whirlwind trip to Florida. The whole story is in my journal. I got a lot of saddle time and the weather was to die for.





































2017 mileage
...
2/2 bunny 5.91 miles 33 ft climb 5.6 mph 78F 136.52 total miles
2/2 flo 5.66 miles 33 ft climb 5.6 mph 76F 142.18 total miles 
2/3 brim w/fluffy 13.9 miles 49 ft climb 4.3 mph 80F 156.08 total miles 
2/3 bunny 6.67 miles 37 ft climb 7.0 mph 81F 162.75 total miles 
2/3 flo 8.14 miles 59 ft climb  5.0 mph 80F 170.89 total miles 
2/4 brim 0.48 miles 1 ft climb 5.1 mph 61F *171.37 total miles*


----------



## Roman

Star and I took a short ride Saturday just around the usual fields. Rode for about 30m and 1.8 miles. I just wanted to do a short ride so I rode bareback. 

Yesterday was so nice so I couldn't pass up riding! I rode Star again and tacked her up, including putting on her SMBs. Wanted to do another longer ride because we hadn't done any 3mi rides in about a week. We ended up riding down this road that went by several houses. On the way back home, we were walking in front of this one house (it sat a little ways off the road) and I noticed two dogs standing right inside the door. They had the door open but the...second door? glass door? whatever it's called shut. Anyways, the dogs managed to get the door open and came tearing after us. They looked like big dogs. I was like "i'm outta here." So there was a field on the other side of the road so I turned Star that way. Well there was a ditch that literally went straight down and straight back up. Star didn't skip a beat, jumped it, and then took off. 

Stupid dogs kept chasing after us until we ran over the hill and I didn't seem them anymore. I've had dogs come out into the road barking at us but I didn't want to stick around to see what these two would do. Never been so scared and honestly was swearing a bit. :lol: After that fright, we took it easy the rest of the way home but I am DEFINITELY not going back up that road again. But I was surprised to see we rode 4.11 miles! This is probably the first time I've ridden 4 miles. Did it in an hour too so that's good. 

TOTAL MILES: 27.98 miles
TOTAL TIME: 9hrs


----------



## egrogan

@phantomhorse13- you've surpassed what I did in all of 2016 in about 5 weeks. You are my hero!! 
@Roman- that incident with the dogs is something I really fear. The barn's neighbors often have 2-3 dogs loose on their porch with just a chair or something blocking the steps, and I'm waiting for the day when they get out and chase us. They make a ton of noise just with us riding by, something tells me they wouldn't be particularly friendly to meet up close...

So jealous of the other pictures with warm looking grassy rides. @Celeste, those flowers are amazing!

We, on the other hand, are stuck putzing around the indoor. 








February is shaping up to be a mild month here, so _hopefully_ March will see us back outside again once the ice recedes and we can get to the woods trails.


----------



## Roman

egrogan said:


> @Roman- that incident with the dogs is something I really fear. The barn's neighbors often have 2-3 dogs loose on their porch with just a chair or something blocking the steps, and I'm waiting for the day when they get out and chase us. They make a ton of noise just with us riding by, something tells me they wouldn't be particularly friendly to meet up close..


Ugh yes! There another how with two dogs that'll come out into the road when we ride by, which isnt too often. They never attack but they give me a heart attack. XD


----------



## secuono

Went on a ride today, mostly the same path. No detours of funny business this time and I had the right memory card in. =)


----------



## kklenk

Really do not recommend this but I was in a bind. 
I did such a rookie thing yesterday, I got distracted and didn't check my tack situation. I trailered Flurry over to trail and oops, no bridle. He's been a tad unpredictable just lunging and being around him so I wasn't too excited about only riding with a halter but I had ridden him bitless with no problem in the past so I thought I'd go for it and make it short and slow.
We were doing well, he was very slow as usual at the walk but I've decided to just accept that about him. After we turned around and were heading back to the trailer an unfortunate event.... high schoolers were running behind us and catching up fast. I stopped flurry and turned him, he was so so after the first two went by. Unlike adults who will slow and walk by these folks kept on with the laughing and loud talking and music playing. well... I could only ask so much of Flurry and he started hopping around a little too much so I let him go and he blasted past them. There was still a group behind running towards him and it just wasn't worth me trying to hold him , using a halter. He did fine, feet moving is his best medicine when he is nervous.
All ended well but I immediately grabbed a spare bridle that will STAY in trailer for next time, IF there is a next time.
Back to using spreadsheet and AllTrails only.
Today I'm going to go see Ramsy but just walk him in hand and pamper him. 

YTD
Boomer 4.9
Flurry 2.1
Ramsy 7.9


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got both boys out! The whole story is in my journal. 





































Today has been rainy. Tomorrow was supposed to rain, but now the forecast is for the dreaded s-word. Fingers and toes crossed they are just blowing everything out of proportion.. but we are way overdue..

2017 mileage
...
2/6 sultan 12.1 miles 1312 ft climb 6.9 mph 36F 183.47 total miles
2/6 george 13.83 miles 1408 ft climb 5.7 mph 42F *197.30 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today it was 50F!! The sun was doing it's best to peak out from the light scrim of clouds and the breeze was actually lukewarm, making the real feel 48. Despite a less-than-ideal visit to the doctor this morning, I was determined to ride.

I could hardly believe the temps - I rode in just a TEE SHIRT in February!! (Our normal high for today is 26F.) The whole story is in my journal. 



















Tomorrow the snow comes. We are in the 6-10" range, supposedly. I am hoping it will just go elsewhere!!

2017 mileage
...
2/6 george 13.83 miles 1408 ft climb 5.7 mph 42F 197.30 total miles
2/8 george 15.35 miles 1878 ft climb 6.1 mph 48F *212.65 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Lol Phantom....if it's colder than 50 we seldom ride! I keep telling GF that a 50 degree day is balmy up north, but she just won't buy into the idea....


----------



## Zexious

^Haha, too funny, gunslinger!
If we didn't ride when it was colder than 50, we wouldn't get much riding done five months of the year! (Well... normally. The weather has been insanely hot, this year!)

phantomhorse -- Gorgeous shots, as always!
Take me with you


----------



## jamesqf

egrogan said:


> The barn's neighbors often have 2-3 dogs loose on their porch with just a chair or something blocking the steps, and I'm waiting for the day when they get out and chase us. They make a ton of noise just with us riding by, something tells me they wouldn't be particularly friendly to meet up close..


Not necessarily. It's quite usual for dogs to bark, snarl, growl, and generally act like super-macho-killer dog, as long as there's a good, stout fence between them and whatever they're barking at. 

Like my dog: if you or the neighbor dogs are on the other side of the chain-link fence, he acts like he's going to chew his way through it. But it's all show: et on the same side, and it's nothing but tail wagging.


----------



## Woodhaven

Kklenk. My mare had a wolf tooth pulled so I didn't ride her for a few days and when I did want to ride I was worried about her still having a sore mouth and decided to ride her with the halter but as a precaution I also put a chain lead on and just kept it there loose in case of a problem.
She was fine and we went out for a nice ride, no problems, but we did not encounter what you did for which I am grateful as she was feeling good and just might have acted up.
Happy riding everyone, I will be sure to post when I am able to ride again. Enjoy your reading your posts.


----------



## Celeste

Good horse. Good company. Perfect weather. February can't get better than this.

2.9 miles

*Total 20.2*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, DH and I got Sultan and George out. There was only a light breeze and the sun even came out! The footing wasn't too bad to start with, though it was quite mushy by the time we got done.




























2017 mileage
...
2/8 george 15.35 miles 1878 ft climb 6.1 mph 48F 212.65 total miles
2/11 george 13.6 miles 2030 ft climb 4.7 mph 42F *226.25 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Wow Phantom....looks cold!

The good news from here....DW rode Sunny Boy yesterday!

Yes, it was a quarter horse day.....and I rode Mr. Jack....who was pretty good actually.....stopped in a mud hole and pawed.....then bucked when I smacked him with the crop to get him to move on.....this horse....well, he still refuses me from time to time.....and I'm at a loss for what to do to correct this....the crop certainly helps, but not so much yesterday....

He'll be eight this year, but still has a lot of adolescent attitude.....

It was a short ride....8.2 miles....hope DW can move this morning.....DW had two knee surgeries and back surgery in 2016.....and only rode twice last year....so, this is truly a blessing to see her back in the saddle....thank you lord.


----------



## kklenk

Ditto what @Celeste said. Weather couldn't be better although snow looks so pretty. 
Ramsy didn't get his pamper day until Friday due to Rain and other commitments during week. We had a nice stroll with my dog and he got to graze a lot and I got to see new trails to check out next time I ride him.
I Rode Flurry yesterday at a new park and ended up riding with someone. Her horses name is Happy, I thought that was great. I don't have pictures because I was on hyper alert riding with someone I didn't know and knowing there were going to be mountain bikers. We did well, a lot of fun. I actually wanted to stay out longer but my husband came along to shoot photos and was on a different trail and although we had kind of coordinated we had thought we could text to confirm but no signal, argh. Got 4 miles in anyway.
This morning got Boomer out, we had a blast. He did great and below are pictures of him, very close to 4, but only 3.98.


----------



## Zexious

Loving everyone's ear shots!
Keep'um coming!


----------



## kklenk

Georgia green with Ramsy yesterday then my husband came out on Sunday and got better shots of Beautiful Boomer and me so I've included some 'real' photos.


YTD
Boomer 8.8
Ramsy 10.5
Flurry 6.1


----------



## egrogan

Love that middle picture of you two moving out! Looks like a fun ride!


----------



## Zexious

kklenk -- Love the pics!
Take me with you, next time


----------



## carshon

@kklenk Boomer looks so much like my mare Tillie Mae! I am so jealous of the green and the riding! You look fantastic and I love the family pic!


----------



## Oreos Girl

KKlenk, where in Georgia are you riding? 

I am excited tomorrow night I am doing my first night ride. It was supposed to be under the almost full moon but it doesn't rise until 11 and we are both working girls and that is too late for us. So it will be just the stars lighting our way.


----------



## kklenk

@Oreos Girl I'm expanding my riding circle. I stay pretty much in Cobb County for the most part. I think I remember you saying you ride down at 1099? Do you ever venture north and west?
I plan on doing a ride down there one of these days, its been a while. I like staying within an hour. I've hit Boundary Waters, Clinton, Cochran Mill, Kennesaw and Silver comet in the last 6 months. I want to get up to Garland Mountain next as I've heard its a great place to ride.
That one picture was just strangers walking their dog on the trail, Boomer didn't care, it was pretty great. I still don't trust to take him where there are mountain bikers but other then that so far so good. @carshon I went over to the gaited horse forum and saw your picture of Tillie Mae. You are right, they do look alike, beautiful. Thanks for the compliments.


----------



## Oreos Girl

I have been north and west but it isn't often. I have ridden over at McIntosh Reserve once.


----------



## gunslinger

Oreos Girl said:


> KKlenk, where in Georgia are you riding?
> 
> I am excited tomorrow night I am doing my first night ride. It was supposed to be under the almost full moon but it doesn't rise until 11 and we are both working girls and that is too late for us. So it will be just the stars lighting our way.


I've never rode at night.....I'd love to hear how it goes....


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have journeyed back to Florida yet again. Been in the saddle a lot of the time I have been here. The whole story is in my journal.

Brim & Cowbboy:









Brim & Duroc:









Fluffy:









Flo:









Bunny:









Today, I got a couple rides in before the storms came.

Duroc:









Brim & Fluffy:









Tomorrow, we head to ridecamp!

2017 mileage
...
2/14 brim w/cow 6.24 miles 38 ft climb 6.3 mph 75F 232.49 total miles
2/14 brim w/dur 3.4 miles 29 ft climb 3.3 mph 75F 235.89 total miles 
2/14 fluffy 6.14 miles 35 ft climb 6.6 mph 76F 242.03 total miles 
2/14 flo 6.13 miles 35 ft climb 6.4 mph 76F 248.16 total miles 
2/14 bunny 6.18 miles 35 ft climb 6.3 mph 72F 254.34 total miles 
2/15 duroc 2.12 miles 29 ft climb 3.2 mph 70F 256.46 total miles 
2/15 brim w/fluffy 4.18 miles 36 ft climb 4.9 mph 70F *260.64 total miles*


----------



## Oreos Girl

Wow PH, that is a lot of riding in just a few days.

So I survived my night ride. Next time, I will make sure we schedule it when there will be a moon up. It was really really dark. You could see the trees as dark areas so you figured the road was in the middle of that. Couldn't see the road at all. The thing is to trust the horse can see better than you can. I was impressed, Fiddler wasn't overly spooky. My friend brought her dog and she had a lighted collar on. Fiddler didn't like that moving red light at first then he was fine with it and then a few minutes later was scared of it all over again. By the middle of the trip he had had enough of the dog and tried to kick her not once but twice. Not a pick up a leg and kick but a double barrel. So the dog (which is small) got to ride back on the saddle with my friend. Also really realized that Fiddler is not the horse to get you back if you get lost. He was convinced that he had to go left when the trailer was straight ahead. At one point we drifted so far left we were in the ditch which I didn't realize until we climbed out of it. It was a beautiful but chilly night. You could see lots of stars and we saw many planes. The really bad part is we have no evidence of this ride, neither one of us thought to take a picture even when we got back to the trailer. We ended up doing 3.22 miles last night.


----------



## Oreos Girl

PH, your link isn't working. It wants to go to page 42 instead of 22.


----------



## falling

I've had two decent trail rides since I last posted, and unfortunately haven't done all that much riding other then that. Popped Herc over some jumps a few times, but things have been hectic. The property we live on (and SO works on) had a grass fire last Friday. It went back up on Saturday, then Sunday, and Monday, and finally died down on Tuesday. It took over 200 hectares. The ride before the fire was 5,01 Km, with an average speed of 5.9km/h, just around the farm. The other one was on Tuesday, 10.63 KM with an average speed of 5.4 km/h, bareback. He felt really funny, like his back end was clunky, so not sure what to think about that. He's looking pretty good though! Loving hearing about everyone's rides.


----------



## Zexious

^What a fun looking ride!
Take me with you


----------



## Celeste

I think I have ridden a couple of times since I posted here. Today was incredibly beautiful and the girls were good. I hope we don't get any hard freezes because the fruit trees are in full bloom. 

Today 2.9 miles. *Total 26 miles* which is 1/4 of what I rode the entire last year. It's a good start for me.


----------



## kiltsrhott

Beautiful photos everyone! I haven't been riding at all lately. I sprained my ankle pretty badly. I'm off crutches now but still need my ankle to heal a bit more before I attempt to ride again. I'm hoping another 3 weeks will be all I need to be well enough to get back in the saddle. Ursula and I are both going to be so out of shape! It's going to take a lot of work to make up for lost time and get back into our groove!


----------



## Zexious

^Wishing you a speedy recovery, kiltsrhott!

Celeste -- Gorgeous photos! Fingers crossed for more nice rides and continued nice weather!


----------



## Celeste

It rained all morning, but the weather cleared up. My friend came over and we had a nice ride. 
Today: 3 miles
*Total: 29 miles*


----------



## kklenk

@Celeste you were the smart one, I thought rain was going to move in in the afternoon so I tried getting a ride in in the morning. Suffice it to say Ramsy and I rode in the rain. It was just a misty/rainy rain to start but then it ended up fairly steady. We got a couple miles in. He'd just be standing in the pasture in the rain anyway so I figured he didn't mind so much. Only a short ride on Boomer yesterday. 
Flurry is lame. So frustrating. About a month ago he was 'off' here and there so I thought it was just his flat footedness and it was time to get shoes back on him. He was doing well for a few days then came up very very lame at walk after our long ride last Saturday. Had the vet out and he thought it was a nail and pulled the nail. No change. I've texted two farriers but I guess they were off for holiday weekend. I read soaking a foot can really soften a hoof wall and cause more trouble. Since at this point I don't know for a fact its the sole I have not soaked it. Thinking on taking him to a different vet to get images taken of some sort. I know its right front. I can put pressure all up and down leg no sensitivity, I can clean hoof and sole and frog 'roughly' and no sensitivity. Poop. Poor guy, I'm so ignorant on what to do. If anyone has any suggestions or if there is a better forum I should post please just let me know. Would you wait on farrier who put shoes on? Go back to vet that thought it was only a nail? Go to farrier with more experience? I don't see any abscess or bruising. IF it was an abscess don't they show fairly quickly? I mean it wouldn't be a month would it?


----------



## Celeste

I had my old horse, Abby, barefoot for a year because she wasn't being ridden. I could find no source of the lameness. The farrier trimmed her and we put hoof testers to her feet with no results. 6 weeks later when he came back for another trim, both feet had deep bruising of the soles that had grown out. He was able to trim it off. He put shoes on her and she hasn't been lame since.

I didn't take her to get x-rayed because the lameness was minimal. I would either get x-rays done or at least get a second opinion from an experienced farrier.


----------



## kklenk

Thanks @Celeste that sounds like a good plan. I got in touch with farrier and he thinks he can come out today.


----------



## egrogan

We finally got out of the arena for the first time in a few weeks! We did our regular ride inside, and then 3/4 of a mile to cool out just walking up and down the road near the barn. This time of year, I'll count it :wink:









I'm hoping this melt is going to be the last of the season. We had back-to-back blizzards that left us with 20+ inches of snow in one week, and got a good bit of it melted at the end of last week with temps that were in the 40*F range- should be even warmer later this week. Just waiting for the layer of thick ice to go, and then we'll have access to our trails again. 









The snow banks along the road are taking up the whole shoulder, so it's not safe to go too far on the roads, but again, if we get good melting and the shoulders reappear, we'll have a lot more options soon. 

*Total 2017 miles: 10.11*


----------



## Oreos Girl

So I rode on Sunday. I was supposed to meet a friend over there at 11. At 10:15, she called and said she couldn't catch her horse. By that time I was half way there so I kept going. At noon she gave up trying to catch the horse but I was there with 2 horses and 2 dogs and it is an hour and half drive to get there. So there were some people hanging out in camp. Mingo is a membership club that you pay yearly dues and belong to the club and they come and camp and ride. I don't belong but pay $10 to ride there occasionally. So there was a group that was beginning to saddle up but I had brought both horses to pony Oreo. I thought about it and decided I didn't want to try riding with a group of strange horses and pony Oreo at the same time. So I told the one person I knew there which trail I was taking and how long I was going to be gone and headed out. Can't tell hubby because I am not supposed to ride by myself. We had a blast though. I even got a short video from my phone. We rode 3.3 miles. I have to find my 2017 file to enter my rides.


----------



## gingerscout

I got my first ride of the year in.. 70 degrees in February.. awesome, on a friends Belgian too.. which was another great plus.. I found out that riding Belgian's is super fun.. super comfy, and even his trot was nice, not used to ducking for hitting trees though, and even had to duck under a bridge on the trail as I would have hit my head on the beams..LOL

3 hrs 30 min total 10.06 miles covered for me.. I haven't ridden that long in a few months, and the horse was a bit wider than my usual mount.. so I may actually feel it in the morning..LOL


----------



## kklenk

Thanks for the video @Oreos Girl I've wondered about the Mingo trails. They look nice. You make ponying look so easy. I tried once and it was a nightmare, your horses must be very well trained.
I'm kind of bummed, I had had high hopes for this weekend being a long weekend and the weather being so good. I had hoped to get 10 miles in and didn't even come close. Oh well, its still early in the year. The farrier found the abscess on Flurrys toe. He said with pressure off he will be fine by end of week. I'm not so sure. It was small but he still seemed just as lame after the abscess was cleaned and packed.


----------



## carshon

Was able to ride twice this long weekend. Rode 4 1/2 miles on Friday and 5 1/2 on Monday. We do not have any local land to ride on (it is all crop land and even when fallow for winter farmers do not appreciate riders in their fields) so we are limited to 1 park that is open year round. Tillie Mae was "on" and I have some serious work to do. I purchased her in mid Aug of last year. She has always been anxious at mounting time and too forward when you mount. I chalked it up to her and I getting to know each other and she had sat for over 1 1/2 yrs before I met her. On Friday she refused to stand near the mounting block. Once I did get on she wanted to bolt forward and when I held her back she felt light in the front. Then it was a race between Tillie Mae and hubbies horse - I was really fighting her to not take off. On Monday we worked more with mounting block. Once one she was worse than Friday really really light in the front end. I did endless circles to get her to focus on me. Once on the trail we were walking out at an incredible speed (about 9mph per daughters phone) and that was not gaiting! once out for about 2 miles her head came down and she slowed down. Not sure if at some time in her life she was taught get on and rocket down the trail - but I don't like it and will be working on it. I like a forward horse but phew my arms were tired. About 10 miles this weekend. A first for me in Feb in NW IL!


----------



## Oreos Girl

@kklenk
Mingo is a nice place. I don't belong because it is $100 (or was) per year (single or family) and I don't go that often. I would rather pay the $10 per ride fee. If you like camping and riding it is a great place with water and electricity at the spots and they have a bathroom with a shower in it. Most of the trails are plenty wide.

My horses are pretty good about ponying. Fiddler is old hat at it. This is only the second time I have tried it with Oreo. He has cushing so I very rarely ride him anymore so this gets him some exercise without having to carry the rider. That video was on the way out. Way back was a little tougher as they wanted to race each other so I had to shorten Oreo's lead. The first time was through woods where Oreo had to follow behind most of the way.


----------



## Zexious

egrogan -- Totally counts 

Thanks for sharing, everyone


----------



## Celeste

DH and I went for a ride today. We actually got too hot. It is in the upper 70's. We should have worn tee-shirts. I don't think I have ever seen the sky so blue. There is water in the creek that had about dried up.

2.9 miles today. 31.9 total


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

Went out and got four km down yesterday, plus two in the arena. First time I rode since I was bucked off, thanks to being sick. 

No photos, but it was gorgeous. Plus ten celcius, sunny, just a slight breeze. We went up an old dirt road, stopped for a chat and a smoke and headed it back home. 

The horses were incredibly well behaved. Trouble was extra lovey and cuddly before saddling and must have really wanted to go, but remembered what happened the last time that happened. He was bright but not excited, alert and ready for the adventure ahead. We worked on picking up the pace at the walk, not running after Spirit, trotting whithout bucking :lol: he was a real doll. I noticed he gets stiff in the neck sometimes so we'll have to work on suppling exercises. 

Spirit was an absolute Queen. She kept pace with slowpoke and I, let my mother mount on the trail with no fuss after a pee break, rode on a loose rein with no spooks. Didn't sweat a drop! 

After the ride we put the kids on and went for a walk for about 3km. 

The road was very icy, so we took it slow, the ride took about two hours, but it was gorgeous out. Very pleased with the two of them!


----------



## PoptartShop

I didn't have my phone with me (I usually keep it in my pockets, but my pants I wore the other day didn't have pockets) but Tuesday I did go on a trail for the first time in probably months?!
It went kinda messy though. Basically, too many kids & there was a dog, the kids were yelling, they couldn't keep up with us adults, etc. Redz got a bit antsy then so did my friend's 4-year old horse. Just was too much commotion & so much going on. Redz hadn't been on a trail in awhile either, so it was just not such a good time. Me & my friend originally planned to go by ourselves, but the kids that were at the barn on their lesson horses were like WE WANNA COME so  LOL.
I plan on going on another trail soon, just...no kids! :lol:


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have ridden tons since last having the time to post, including twice in competitions. The whole story is in my journal. 





























__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content





































2017 mileage
...
2/16 bunny 2.38 miles 1 ft climb 3.3 mph 75F 263.02 total miles
2/17 bunny 47.95 miles 142 ft climb 8.4 mph 78F 310.97 total miles
2/18 flo 25.05 miles 59 ft climb 6.8 mph 70F 336.02 total miles
2/19 duroc 2.61 miles 21 ft climb 3.1 mph 82F 338.63 total miles
2/21 duroc 2.82 miles 49 ft climb 3.3 mph 76F 341.45 total miles
2/21 flo 3.46 miles 40 ft climb 5.0 mph 76F 344.91 total miles
2/21 brim 5.84 miles 27 ft climb 5.7 mph 77F 350.75 total miles
2/23 george 11.01 miles 1846 ft climb 5.3 mph 67F 361.76 total miles
2/24 moxie 13.57 miles 1389 ft climb 5.0 mph 75F *375.33 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

My friend came out and we went on a nice ride. The wind was blowing like crazy, which caused one minor spook, but it was no problem to settle them down. 

Today: 2.9
Total: 34.8

If I ride tomorrow, my mileage will be similar to Phantom's except for one decimal place.............. :grin:

:cowboy:


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got both boys out on Saturday and again today. The whole story is in my journal. 






































2017 mileage
...
2/25 sultan 11.95 miles 1563 ft climb 6.3 mph 63F 387.28 total miles
2/25 george 10.66 miles 1012 ft climb 6.3 mph 66F 397.94 total miles 
2/27 george 20.26 miles 2379 ft climb 6.5 mph 39F 418.20 total miles 
2/27 sultan 20.03 miles 2384 ft climb 6.9 mph 42F *438.23 total miles*


----------



## kklenk

I finally got out to Garland Mountain on Sunday. First time Ramsy has been trailered since he was moved. I think he enjoyed the adventure. The parking lot was packed with nothing but horse trailers, pretty neat. No hikers, bikers, dogs, nothing other then horses. Even then I only passed a few people out on the trail, I was pretty surprised.
I also had gotten Flurry out yesterday to see how he was doing. At the trot a bit gimpy but much better. It is hard for me to believe abscess with only a drop of liquid can cause that much lameness, but Farrier was right, he was definitely better by end of week. The problem is Flurry walks less then 3 mph so doing anything other then trotting is slow and fairly miserable. Ramsy is still thin, I think the stress of moving and negotiating a Big new herd has taken a toll so I only walk him to try to build him back up without stress and strain. so I'm still less then 5 miles per ride but enjoying them anyway.
Heres Ramsy at Garland and Flurrys ears for a change, not sure if I've ever posted any of him.
Well, cancel that, I keep getting timeout error trying to add .jpg attachments.

YTD Mileage
42.52 B- 14.00	F- 9.58	R- 18.77


----------



## Zexious

^You could upload the photo to an image sharing site then use the URL to post it 

Can't wait to go read your latest update, Phantomhorse~


----------



## kklenk

Great idea Zexious! Here it is. https://flic.kr/s/aHskRPLyS7
https://flic.kr/s/aHskRPLyS7


----------



## Celeste

DH and I had a nice quiet ride through the woods trail today.
Today: 2.9 miles
Total: 37.7 miles


----------



## carshon

Daughter and I got our 3rd ride in of the year! Unusual for early March in NW IL. It was a gorgeous day and the horses were full of pep. Tillie Mae has some issues with anxiety when mounting and heading out on the trail - a project we will tackle this year. She settled down nicely and we had a lovely ride.

5 miles (really 4.98) 1 hour 6 min. 

Total for 2017 14.73 miles


----------



## Celeste

@carshon Your trail looks like mine!


----------



## Woodhaven

I'm absolutely green with envy.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I was back down to Florida for the FITS ride. The whole story, with lots more pics and videos, is in my journal. 

I rode Bunny in the 50 on Thursday:





























And I rode Flo in the 50 on Friday:




























2017 mileage
...
3/1 bunny 0.77 miles 14 ft climb 2.8 mph 84F 439.00 total miles
3/2 bunny 49.82 miles 283 ft climb 8.1 mph 71F 488.82 total miles
3/3 flo 49.98 miles 284 ft climb 7.7 mph 72F *538.80 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

On Saturday, I got Brimstone out for a conditioning ride:




















On Monday, I got back on Phin!




















And then I got George out with DH & Sultan in the afternoon:



















2017 mileage
...
3/4 brim 9.81 miles 65 ft climb 8.0 mph 65F 548.61 total miles
3/6 phin 9.05 miles 821 ft climb 4.8 mph 39F 557.66 total miles
3/6 george 12.8 miles 2474 ft climb 4.7 mph 44F *570.46 total miles*


----------



## LoriF

My niece and I riding Laela and Star in Princess Place Preserve. It was a beautiful, sunny, 72 degree day


----------



## LoriF

...and a video too


----------



## LoriF

LoriF said:


> ...and a video too


Boo Hoo I can't get the video to load


----------



## PoptartShop

Can't get enough of these lovely trail photos! :smile:


----------



## NavigatorsMom

Ahh, I'm so jealous of all of you with access to nice trails! All we have around here is a bike path and road shoulders, and one small woods loop behind the barn


----------



## whisperbaby22

The river did not come up very high this year, we got rain but it mostly was smaller amounts that just sunk into the ground. But the trails this year will be spectacular. This is a shot I go yesterday of some sage and the river in the backround.


----------



## Celeste

I have done two rides since I last posted. Today I rode solo, and my girl was great! I think about Phantom talking about waiting for her horse to find his brain. Well today, my horse seemed to remember to bring her brain with her! She was a doll.

Today gets me up to 42.7 miles for the year.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Got some saddle time yesterday and today, despite momma nature. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:










Sultan:










George:










2017 mileage
...
3/9 phin 1.46 miles 144 ft climb 2.9 mph 54F 571.92 total miles
3/10 sultan 10.18 miles 1630 ft climb 5.8 mph 22F 582.10 total miles 
3/10 george 10.41 miles 1909 ft climb 5.7 mph 14F *592.51 total miles*


----------



## kklenk

I've been out a few times. Flurry is 100% sound after abscess. Got to ride with my brother and his walking horse yesterday, new trails to me, got a figure 8 in.
Picture is of Ramsy and me. 
Boomer 18.3	
Flurry 10.68	
Ramsy 18.77


----------



## carshon

KKLENK what a lovely picture! No riding for us. Temps plummeted and now we have snow! But waiting on 50 degree temps this weekend


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I went over to a friend's and got to ride her Peruvian Paso, Hombre. First time on that type of gaited horse for me!




























Riding a gaited horse was certainly different from my arabs. Hombre was very comfortable, but I didn't know what to do with myself not having to post! :wink:


And then today, this happened:










*TWO FEET* of snow!!! :eek_color: :sad:  :dance-smiley05: 










Winds are now raging and supposed to be that way for days.. who wanted to ride anyway?!


2017 mileage
...
3/10 george 10.41 miles 1909 ft climb 5.7 mph 14F 592.51 total miles
3/13 hombre 8.73 miles 406 ft climb 5.0 mph 24F *601.24 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Well Phantom.....I call a trot the devils gate.....

While I love my quarters, there's nothing like that Cadillac ride.....

I hate a trot, did I say that? Rather bump the quarters into a slow cantor....

So, you hooked yet?


----------



## phantomhorse13

gunslinger said:


> Well Phantom.....I call a trot the devils gate.....
> 
> So, you hooked yet?


For me, the jury is still out on gaited vs not. While I appreciated the smooth ride of that Peruvian and I loved his Brio, the horse seemed to be exerting a lot of effort just to move down the trail. Seems like my arabs going at the same speed are working a lot less. I guess since I am so used to posting, I don't see it as the work it can be.

I also wonder if something with a longer stride - like a walker or a foxtrotter? - might be what converts me.

Certainly would be fun to try!


----------



## carshon

@PhantomHorse I think trying the other gaited breeds would amaze you and possibly convert you.

We have just recently (within the last 12 months) converted to all gaited horses. We have a Foxtrotter and 2 TWH. They all gait so differently. My new TWH is just the smoothest thing to ride - and she can rack as well. Not as smooth but very fast. Hubbies TWH gait is just a tad more bouncy that my mare. And daughters MFT has more of a rocking motion -not side to side like a pace - it is hard to explain. But she is not fast in her gait but will canter (lope) if hubby and I get too fast. 

I miss the stockiness of my Appy - and my mare is very fluid and sometimes it catches me off guard (hard to explain she can literally bend in half she can get so under herself)


----------



## kklenk

@*PhantomHorse* Not that you asked..... but I will say that as much as I love my twh Boomer and he is Smooth I do love the arabs also. My joints sometimes hurt after Not moving at all on Boomer and for mine anyway I Never have to worry about my arabs endurance whereas on Boomer I really feel I need to get him legged up to do any type of long trail ride. Long for me mind you is over an hour and since I have 3 I don't ride any single one of them much. That is the benefit of the arabs. They will Always be in better condition then me. Also, the lightness of arabs will keep me an arab lover whereas I feel I have to 'battle' with Boomer sometimes. He just is not as sensitive. Since I'm not a trainer I like having a naturally sensitive horse. By battle I mean I just have to use stronger cues.


----------



## phantomhorse13

kklenk said:


> My joints sometimes hurt after Not moving at all on Boomer


I always wondered about this part too. I have back issues and the movement of posting seems to keep everything limber. Whereas if I do a lot of walking (in other words, 'just sitting there'), I find my body revolts badly. I was never sure if the small movements the rider makes on a good gaited horse would be enough to keep me limber or not.

Guess I need to find someone who has gaited horses and rides a decent amount of time & distance and beg a ride from them!


----------



## gunslinger

If you ever get the chance, there are a few racking horse races held around Big South Fork.....I went to one last year and the winner racked 34 MPH....

I still think 2 miles on my walking horse equals 1 mile on my quarter horse....I can ride 20 miles on Miss Lacy and not feel it to bad.....10 miles on my quarters and I hurt the next day.....

Getting old ain't for wimps.....


----------



## kklenk

@gunslinger has a point in that once your older, , I'm post 50, riding a gaited horse doesn't use up any energy. I don't feel like ive ridden at all after my joints loosen backup and can just go about my day. Sometimes after a longer ride posting I'm pretty beat after and just want to veg.


----------



## gunslinger

DW loves her Sonny Boy....Zippo bread quarter horse.....she, for years, followed me on Miss Lacy, a TWH/SSH who walks with a purpose and averages around 4 mph.......

Many of the loops we've ridden in the Great Smoky Mountains are 18+ miles. Miss Lacy easily and quickly gets out of sight of Sonny Boy.....and usually, will stop and wait on him to catch up.....

So, do the math.....18 miles at 4 mph......on Lacy....

Now, 18 miles at 2 mph on Sonny.....for him to average 4 mph he has to trot.....for me, that's a very, very long day....

After DW got sick and I started riding her quarters I gained a huge insight into what she did.....and how hard it was to do it.....


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, momma nature was in a slightly better mood with only 8mph winds instead of 20+. The snow hadn't magically disappeared overnight (though I had sure hoped!), but I tacked up Phin and figured plodding around was better than nothing at all. The snow was as deep as I feared it would be: 

































[Those lumps in the snow are my ******* jumps, which are between 2' and 2'6" high]
















DH got home from work a bit early and we took the older boys out, too.




























[deer tracks on the left and Phin's on the right]


















2017 mileage
...
3/17 phin 4.12 miles 326 ft climb 2.8 mph 26F 605.36 total miles
3/17 george 2.95 miles 230 ft climb 3.2 mph 30F *608.31 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

DH and I rode for a short while yesterday and today. We were worried about rain today. It was on and off as far as rain went, but we managed to stay dry.
Yesterday: 3.0
Today: 1.8

Total: 47.5

I keep trying to stay one decimal place behind Phantom, but just can't seem to make it.


----------



## Celeste

We saw signs of spring.


----------



## Celeste

And the surest sign that spring is about here:


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> I keep trying to stay one decimal place behind Phantom, but just can't seem to make it.


Oh jeez.  :hide: :dance-smiley05:


I got Phin out today! The whole story is in my journal.




























2017 mileage
...
3/17 george 2.95 miles 230 ft climb 3.2 mph 30F 608.31 total miles
3/19 phin 8.48 miles 1444 ft climb 3.2 mph 36F *616.79 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Got to ride both Saturday and Sunday....got out late both days....Saturday morning we had rain but that cleared by mid morning....we rode our gaited horses....11.7 miles.

Sunday, it was bumpities....Mr. Jack was perfect...except....we stopped in a creek.....danged horse wants to paw the water....which is sure cold this time of year! 

DW rode with us again this Sunday....another short ride, 8.7 miles....that's three trips for her this year!

70 miles so far...spring is here...officially....as of 3:29 am! Yeah!


----------



## carshon

Rode yesterday. It sure feels good to be able to ride at least once a week! Working on some things to make Tillie Mae a little less anxious when we head out on the trail. On March 23 it will be 1 yr since I lost my beloved gelding. I was having issues bonding with Tillie but was making a concentrated effort to make her "my" horse. Yesterday was the best ride I have ever had on her. I really felt good and just let her be her. We gaited a lot and tested out her speed. I am truly beginning to appreciate her level headedness - she is anxious when we first start out but once settled it pretty solid on the trails. She can gait really fast and come back down - so many things my gelding could not do - 

Yesterdays ride 4.9 miles 1 hr 8 min. 5th ride of the year (1 month until our local state parks open!)


----------



## WhattaTroublemaker

So I don't know if this counts, but my mother took Trouble out the day before yesterday with her hubby on Spirit and went for a nice ride. She said he was wonderful and even went with my decision to take him in his bitless bridle(something she doesn't but agree with) they put six more km on the horses, went down to the store on the main road. They hit something hiccups but I guess the horses were great! 

They were a bit timid of the manholes in the road, but I haven't had a horse that didn't dance a bit when going over them hollow-horse eating monster holes. 

A stray dog also spooked Trouble hard, but he calmed down nicely. 

Happy with them!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I finally got my SIL out for a ride - she hasn't ridden in months! We weren't sure how Amish and Giselle were going to behave, but we figured the deep snow would keep them from being but so silly since they are out of shape. The snow was a bit mushy as things are starting to melt, but the footing wasn't too bad.





























2017 mileage
...
3/19 phin 8.48 miles 1444 ft climb 3.2 mph 36F 616.79 total miles
3/20 amish 4.53 miles 535 ft climb 3.3 mph 43F *621.32 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

One of these days I'm going to ride in the snow.....we don't get the opportunity very often here in Dixie.....

Still, it's on my bucket list....


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> One of these days I'm going to ride in the snow.....we don't get the opportunity very often here in Dixie.....
> 
> Still, it's on my bucket list....


Don't you remember back when when we were kids? We had winter occasionally and even a few snows.............


----------



## whisperbaby22

The weather cooled off yesterday, and I got these shots on my ride.


----------



## phantomhorse13

gunslinger said:


> One of these days I'm going to ride in the snow.....we don't get the opportunity very often here in Dixie.....


Wish you had been here today! Also wish I had thought to bring my GoPro..


Got Phin out today and we had a blast in the snow, including a lovely run. The whole story is in my journal (including some very shaky video of some of the run).

























2017 mileage
...
3/20 amish 4.53 miles 535 ft climb 3.3 mph 43F 621.32 total miles
3/21 phin 11.72 miles 1545 ft climb 4.5 mph 48F *633.04 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> Don't you remember back when when we were kids? We had winter occasionally and even a few snows.............


Yes, as a kid in the 60's I do remember more snow and colder weather....still, it wasn't frequent.

We had a 10 inch snow in 2012......


----------



## Celeste

This is the first three day weekend I have had in ages. I rode each of the days. 
Friday 3.1 miles with my friend from work.
Saturday 3.1 miles with my DIL
Sunday 2.5 with the DH
It was hot as the dickens today. 81 degrees with 41% humidity. I shouldn't complain. I will be begging for weather this cool soon.

My total is now 56.2 miles.


----------



## gunslinger

Well, it happened....again.....got dumped.....

We rode bumpities saturday......I new it was going to be a tough day as the wind was blowing around 30 mph.....Mr. Jack spooked....spun in his tracks and like Wile E. Coyote....left me hanging.....bang flop.....

Surprisingly, no major issues....but seemed to have pulled a right hamstring a bit....

I fought with Mr. Jack through the first 5 miles.....he finally settled out and the last 5 miles he as perfect.....

I guess that's what happens when you start bragging on a horse....He's been a joy to ride the past few times I've had him out......

So, 10.8 miles....and 80 miles for the year....


----------



## Celeste

@gunslinger I like your resilience, but I don't think I like Jack. I think I would find someone who can ride him for short rides daily, sell him, or just train Miss Lacy to go slower when with "bumpities". 

I'm glad you weren't hurt badly.


----------



## carshon

@gunslinger - Ouch! sorry to hear that Mr Jack was not on his best behavior! That is one of the reasons we do not ride when it is too windy! The horses are unpredictable. No riding here this weekend. Rained all weekend. Waiting patiently for April 15 when local state parks will open for the season. Of course if it rains no one will open!


----------



## phantomhorse13

@gunslinger : sorry to hear you and Jack parted ways. fingers crossed it will be a one-time-only thing. hope you don't feel too crunchy today.


This weekend was the first ride of the season for us here at home. The whole story, with lots more pics and video, is in my journal.






































2017 mileage
...
3/21 phin 11.72 miles 1545 ft climb 4.5 mph 48F 633.04 total miles
3/25 george 51.63 miles 361 ft climb 8.2 mph 76F *684.67 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> @*gunslinger* I like your resilience, but I don't think I like Jack. I think I would find someone who can ride him for short rides daily, sell him, or just train Miss Lacy to go slower when with "bumpities".
> 
> I'm glad you weren't hurt badly.


Actually, part of that was my fault......he stopped and I whacked him pretty good with the crop......I don't think he liked that......and he caught me with one hand on the reins.......got me off balance.....

So, the problem...is he refuses me from time to time........which is why I ride him with a crop....other times, he'll take the front and move on....

One of his good points is he can walk with a purpose....something I don't see many quarter horses do.....and something that just plain tries my patience.....a diddy bopping dead headed horse....it seems, it's either peanut rolling or trotting....and you know what I think of trotting.....

So, I'm glad you offered..... when you coming up to ride him daily?

Phantom....I'm not hurting at all today....but I feel the hamstring when I stoop down......and guess what....had to work on the danged lawn mower today.....oh the joys of home ownership!

Carshon.....I was surprised when GF decided she wanted to ride her old quarter horse.....Sunny Boy has many more miles on him...and DW rode again Saturday....so, Mr. Jack got to go....


----------



## Celeste

@gunslinger I suspect that you are a better rider than I am. I'll leave him with you. 

If you whack me with a crop, I'll probably whirl around too. Sometimes you just have to though. Whack him I mean. Not me.


----------



## evilamc

So sorry to hear you got dumped Gunslinger  

HA I started this thread then haven't even been updating my miles. Probably because I'm so sad at where I'm at. Any day its beautiful out I'm working.....any day I have off its RAINING!




























Got Jax out yesterday at my friends  Was fun till we got rained on at the end!

Yesterdays ride was 3.36 miles. I'm only up to 49.55 for the year so far  Hoping for better weather soon!


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> @*gunslinger* I suspect that you are a better rider than I am. I'll leave him with you.
> 
> If you whack me with a crop, I'll probably whirl around too. Sometimes you just have to though. Whack him I mean. Not me.


Actually, Mr. Jack is really starting to make a pretty good horse....I'm trying to build his confidence and get him more independent....and take the front more often, as he can move out a little faster at a walk than most quarter horses....

What's so strange is, he'd been the perfect horse....stood still to saddle....lowered his head for his head stall.....and just did everything right.....and I was bragging on him....how much better he'd gotten every ride.....

Miss Lacy never refuses to try for me.....and I don't have to ask multiple times for the most part.....and her cues are not much more than lifting a rein...or gently laying a heal on her...

Mr. Jack just stops.....while he's much improved, I find a refusal very annoying.....he thinks to much....

I had made an adjustment on his curb chain as well, and he was throwing his head a bit.....and I think I'd went just a little to far on the adjustment and had it a little to tight.....I did re-adjust it about half way through the ride....and that's when he settled down for the most part....

In this case, all three horses stopped and were looking at something...what, we have no clue as we didn't see anything....so I asked him to go....he refused.....I gave him the crop on his right hip...he still refused.....so I asked a little more forcefully....still refused.....so, I laid into him with it......he took a step forward.....the literally did a hard 90 degree bolt.....right as I was about to whack him again.....

So I was caught.....weight back....arm in the air....and one hand on the reins........out of balance, and out of position.....

Maybe I just need a little more patience with him on this?


----------



## Celeste

Have you tried whacking his neck instead? Then you won't be off balance.


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> Have you tried whacking his neck instead? Then you won't be off balance.


No I haven't....but that's a good idea.

I have to take part of the blame......patience is something I work hard at....but sometimes....still struggle with....


----------



## evilamc

gunslinger said:


> No I haven't....but that's a good idea.
> 
> I have to take part of the blame......patience is something I work hard at....but sometimes....still struggle with....


I think patience is something EVERY human struggles with. As a dog groomer I HAVE to keep my patience even when dogs are trying to literally tear my face off. If I lose it, I could hurt the dog. After time, dogs usually get better when they realize acting a fool gets them no where. Same with a lot of horses. I agree with whacking on the neck or can you do like an over under slap with the reins?

Its hard when you've been so spoiled by Lacy then have to work with Jack  At least he is making progress, hopefully this isn't a big setback for you!


----------



## gunslinger

evilamc said:


> Its hard when you've been so spoiled by Lacy then have to work with Jack  At least he is making progress, hopefully this isn't a big setback for you!


You've nailed it evilamc.....Miss Lacy has had the bulk of my attention.....and thousands of trail miles.....not a perfect horse, but again, not a perfect rider either....we've ridden in parades, done trail challenges etc.....very confident and loves the front.

Mr. Jack has made a huge amount of progress....I don't think this is a setback...just a bad day.....Frankly, I have them from time to time.....and "Oh well,Tomorrow's another day"....


----------



## evilamc

Good way to look at it! 

Jax is somewhat like Miss Lacy, he isn't PERFECT by any means but I know I can trust him and he'll pretty much do anything for me. Even when hes being "stupid" hes really not that stupid. I get on other horses and its just an unknown to me!


----------



## gunslinger

evilamc said:


> Good way to look at it!
> 
> Jax is somewhat like Miss Lacy, he isn't PERFECT by any means but I know I can trust him and he'll pretty much do anything for me. Even when hes being "stupid" hes really not that stupid. I get on other horses and its just an unknown to me!


I don't expect a horse to be able to do everything....but, I do expect them to try when I ask them.....

I guess that's what bugs me about Mr. Jack.....when he doesn't know what to do, he just stands there....the crop has helped with this and frankly, there's times when I seldom need it....

I think there may be some mule genes hiding in his DNA....because sometimes he's just hard headed....when he has a day like that....it's a long one....


----------



## evilamc

LOL!!!!! I wonder if something like clicker training would work for him. Does he like treats? Could he be motivated to "touch" or "inspect" things for them? Maybe he just doesn't like the way you're asking haha! They really do love to test our patience. 

I almost gave up on Jax in the first few months of owning him, I was having so much trouble teaching him to stand still for mounting. Everywhere I looked for advice it basically said "if he wants to move then move those feet"...that just mad him HOT. Finally I introduced the clicker. He LOVED it! He would calmly walk up to the mounting block *click* then stand as I'm getting on *click* then he waits to move because I haven't asked him to yet and sometimes he gets another click! Figuring out that that kind of training worked for him though has helped us so much.


----------



## kklenk

Glad to hear you are OK @gunslinger
Phantom, the trails on that last ride look so fun. I love pine trails. They looked fairly flat too so nice and fast I imagine.


No pictures but I've been riding. 
Why is it as soon as you get to thinking, I really am not 'clicking' with this horse, I should probably not keep him, he becomes the best horse you could ever imagine? It still amazes me how much personality they each have, each day can be different it seems.


Anyway, I got a couple rides in, made a day of it on my birthday last week. 


Roughly....
YTD Mileage 51

B- 18.00	
F- 9.58	
R- 24


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got Phin out yesterday with a friend. The whole story is in my journal.




























Notice his opinion of all the photo stops!! :rofl:

2017 mileage
...
3/25 george 51.63 miles 361 ft climb 8.2 mph 76F 684.67 total miles
3/29 phin 11.3 miles 1654 ft climb 4.8 mph 52F *695.97 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

We rode 3 miles today. The amount of green from last week to this week is unreal. Spring has sprung! *59.2 total*


----------



## egrogan

Stop @Celeste! We're getting a foot of snow overnight!!!


----------



## Celeste

@egrogan You will have your revenge this August when it is 100 degrees with 90% humidity. :icon_frown:


----------



## Celeste

I took my girl out for a solo ride today. She was really good! We spooked out 5 deer. I heard something slithering in the bushes; either a snake or a lizard. She looked at the scary stuff, but did not spook or balk.

We mostly walked, but we did trot some of the way and we did two nice canters. She did the sweetest rocking chair lope I have ridden since my old TWH died years ago. Slow, controlled, 10.3 mph. I am really excited about our progress.

It was getting pretty hot by the end of the ride. 83 degrees. I hosed her down and she looked all nice and clean for about 30 seconds. 

*Total 62.1 miles*


----------



## egrogan

@Celeste, glad you had such a great solo ride- sounds fun!

So we did have our nasty snow storm this weekend, and hopefully that is truly the LAST of the winter. Spring is trying to come back today. It was gorgeous- almost 50*F and pretty blue skies. We got out on the road since the woods are not yet accessible.






*Total 2016 miles: 16.3*


----------



## gunslinger

GF and I rode Saturday.....10.4 miles.....

Gaited horses.......ah....heaven....what a ride is supposed to be like....no fuss, no fight, just a nice, pleasant, relaxing day.

Thank you Miss Lacy!

90 miles on the year so far.....Headed to Big South Fork for the Easter Weekend.....


----------



## Celeste

I rode The Psycho Princess for another solo ride today. I think that she may be outgrowing her insanity. She did very well for me. We mostly walked, but did trot some and did a lovely canter. You may all be tired of seeing black ears over dirt roads, but that is the scenery that I have.
3 miles today.
65.1 total.


----------



## phantomhorse13

This past weekend, DH and I went down to Fair Hill, MD for a competition. The whole story, with lots more pics and another video, are in my journal.

On Saturday, I took Phin out for his first experience of the Fair Hill trail system.


































On Sunday, I took Flo in the 25 mile CTR.





























2017 mileage
...
4/1 phin 12.07 miles 972 ft climb 7.2 mph 48F 708.04 total miles
4/2 flo 24.46 miles 1809 ft climb 6.7 mph 52F *732.50 total miles*


----------



## whisperbaby22

The weather here in So Cal has been great. A shot from our ride today.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got Phin out for a long ride yesterday. The whole story is in my journal. 




























2017 mileage
...
4/2 flo 24.46 miles 1809 ft climb 6.7 mph 52F 732.50 total miles
4/5 phin 23.86 miles 2785 ft climb 6.4 mph 60F *756.36 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

My friend came out and we rode three miles. This brings me up to 68.1 miles. If I didn't have to work so much I might be able to get up to my goal of being within one decimal place of Phantom.  Forgot to take pictures. The weather was beautiful and the girls were good.


----------



## gunslinger

GF and I got in our longest ride of the year so far.....

We rode Gee Creek, 21 miles....

112 miles so far this year.


----------



## egrogan

Today was the kind of wonderful day when you think "_this _is why I have a horse!" 60*F, not a cloud in the sky. And, I met a new riding buddy at the barn. Our horses were a great pair, similar temperaments and pace, and happy to ride side-by-side or take turns leading and following. We went down a road I had not been on before and passed a beautiful beaver pond. We were too busy chatting to snap many pictures, but I remembered to grab one as we were heading home.










*Total 2017 miles: 18.73*


----------



## phantomhorse13

egrogan said:


>


Look at all that not-white ground. Yay!!


----------



## PoptartShop

FINALLY GOT TO TRAIL! LOL.
Yesterday I took my friend's new lease horse Record to Fair Hill.  He did just fine, a bit anxious at first but he was fine.
Only problem was trailering him. He needs work on that. :lol: 

I wanna take Redz to FH soon though! <3


----------



## phantomhorse13

Like @PoptartShop , I was also at Fair Hill again weekend, though on Friday & Saturday for an endurance ride! The whole story is in my journal, with lots more pics and the ride video.







































2017 mileage
...
4/7 flo 3.12 miles 226 ft climb 3.7 mph 43F 759.48 total miles
4/8 flo 52.31 miles 4158 ft climb 7.5 mph 50F *811.79 total miles*


----------



## carshon

Got a ride in and it was an adventurous one. The weather was quite warm (72 F) but it was also very windy (15-25mph) our state parks are still closed so we rode again in the prairie restoration area. I took @PhantomHorse 's advise and tried treats after mounting. And I am happy to say that Turbo Tillie was the most relaxed after mounting than she has ever been! Still a tad forward but not so much that I had to do continuous circles. It was so windy daughter and I could not talk so we just rode. A couple of miles in a low flying hawk flew over us with a live snake in his talons. I was so happy he did not drop it on me! We get to the back of the park and hear very close and loud gunshots - the horses were alert but were still OK to move down the trail. Then we hear motor cross bikes a lot of them - the roar was deafening! We could catch glimpses of something across the fence and a bit way but the horses did not like the noise. Tillie was alert but fine - daughters horse was trying to spin the other way and was lathered quickly. Thankfully the prairie had been burned so we left the trail and cut across some ground to get away from the noise. We ride couple more miles and hear race cars - a lot of race cars! Daughters horse is instantly lathered again and very nervous. Of course about this time we scare up 2 deer and now Tillie is at Def Con 1 level. We ride forward thinking the cars were on the highway that is at the front of the park and then we them! There is a stock car dirt track that borders the park - we had never seen cars there so forgot about it. Guess what it was race day! The horses were having none of the revving engines - so we cut across the prairie again - and we are moving along and I look down and a snake is an inch from Tillies foot! We do not have many poisonous snakes up here so I was not worried but I personally have a snake aversion! So we got back on the trail! My daughters horse was prancing and jigging and just out of sorts and then of course what do we see? A guy in a side by side racing on toward us on one of the trails! This park prohibits motorized vehicles and dogs but one of the neighbors cut a hole in the fence and I assume he was driving to the race track. Gracie is about done now - I have never seen her that nervous and "up" The guy veered off the trail when he saw us but did not stop. So we stopped to let the horses watch him move off. We finished the last couple of miles riding tense horses. Total: 7.3 miles


----------



## egrogan

@carshon- that sounds like a horrible ride! I guess good for the horses to see new things, but geez!


----------



## Celeste

@carshon If your horses didn't dump you off on that ride, I believe they will ride anywhere!


----------



## phantomhorse13

@carshon : that was one h#ll of a ride.. hope you never have another like it!!


On Sunday, DH and I got George and Sultan out. The whole story, with more pics, is in my journal.




















Yesterday, I went over to Nicole's and got to ride Polo for the first time! 



















2017 mileage
...
4/9 sultan 15.01 miles 1617 ft climb 6.1 mph 63F 826.80 total miles
4/10 polo 7.46 miles 711 ft climb 4.9 mph 73F *834.26 total miles*


----------



## Zanachic07

Took my lovely norwegian draft trotter mare out for her first real ride, since her serious tendon injury in january last year. Rode to a hilltop in the woods, where we get a beautiful view  Nice weather and happy horse!


----------



## kklenk

I've been riding some. Not long mileage, right around 5 miles at a time.
Flurry, the grey, finally got a little sweaty. We did a lot of trotting. I'm actually going to go to the endurance ride in Sylvester GA over Memorial day weekend. I'm thinking if I can get in 2 to 3 rides on him per week we could be ready for a very slow 25 mile LD. Wish me luck! ANY and all advice is appreciated.
Ramsy, horse who hates stopping once he starts, actually stopped for a millisecond for me to get a photo of the "Illinois Monument" at the local Kennesaw Mountain battlefield park. Nothing too eventful, just enjoying this amazing Ga spring, thunderstorms and all!


----------



## egrogan

I snuck in a quick ride before work this morning. We were able to get back onto the woods trail, yay! It was a muddy, mucky mess though, so we only went about a mile. The trail needs some serious clean up because there are big branches and even small trees down everywhere, and I didn't love the idea of my mare scrambling over that stuff in sucking mud up to her ankles- she's not the most surefooted. I think I'll plan a couple of hours this weekend to do a little cleanup. Still, was great to be out there with the birds singing!









Don't let the leaves fool you, it's a bog under all that!

*TOTAL 2017 miles: 19.9*


----------



## LoriF

Not exactly wooded trails but trail riding none the less. My niece and I were going to head out to our old standby Princess Place but by the time we got to the end of our road we changed our minds and decided to go for a nice beach ride. The day was a perfect sunny and 78F.

This was Stars first beach excursion so she was a little afraid of the crouching predators (sunbathing beach goers) and the tide chasing her. My niece and I had to swap horses because Star was making her a little nervous. Star finally calmed down and we swapped back and the rest of the two hour ride was so peaceful and we had such a wonderful time. Laela was her usual awesome self.


----------



## egrogan

@LoriF- anytime you want to trade horses and ride our woods trail, I'll be happy to jump on that gorgeous mare of yours on the beach! :wink:


----------



## PoptartShop

Great rides!  Wow, I'd love to ride on the beach. That's on my bucket list, actually. :lol: So jealous. Looks beautiful!


----------



## LoriF

@egrogan @PoptartShop Well, if you all ever make it down this way, you can look me up.


----------



## gunslinger

LoriF said:


> @*egrogan* @*PoptartShop* Well, if you all ever make it down this way, you can look me up.



Oh....I'm jealous now....


----------



## LoriF

gunslinger said:


> Oh....I'm jealous now....


ok, you too


----------



## Oreos Girl

I have ridden the same place the last 2 weekends. The major difference is that it was dry the first weekend and very wet the second. So we did 8.9 miles the first weekend and 7.75 miles the second weekend. We got a lot of rain between the 2 and the river was really up. In fact there is a beach that you can ride the horses into the river and there was no beach, it was under water. The pictures are from the first weekend. I have a pathetic 29.4 miles for the year and that is counting my 11 or so 0.5 miles I did in January.
The one picture of the trees there is a dogwood in full bloom it didn't stand out as much as I wished it had. And the screenshot is of a new program I am trying on my phone called Backcountry Navigator. I was very happy that it was true to my normal GPS unlike Endomondo that is so far off.


----------



## phantomhorse13

@LoriF : I, too, would happily trade you some wooded trails for a ride on the beach! Be careful with the invite though, as I may take you up on it if I get back to Florida next winter. :grin:


Yesterday, I got lots of saddle time, first with Phin and then a brief jaunt on Polo. Phin and I had quite the adventure. The whole story and more pics are in my journal.






































2017 mileage
...
4/12 phin 11.98 miles 1537 ft climb 4.4 mph 66F 846.24 total miles
4/12 polo 1.93 miles 101 ft climb 3.5 mph 68F *848.17 total miles*


----------



## jcraig10

Just came across this thread...haven't been on the forum in quite some time!
@phantomhorse13 just saw your Fair Hill rides - hope you enjoyed! The barn where I ride has direct walk on access to Fair Hill so I get to go over there quite a bit. Always an adventure! Hope you had a blast for the endurance ride -- I'm heading over to your journal now to read about it


----------



## LoriF

phantomhorse13 said:


> @LoriF : I, too, would happily trade you some wooded trails for a ride on the beach! Be careful with the invite though, as I may take you up on it if I get back to Florida next winter. :grin:




We do have plenty of woods trails to ride here. Or is it jungle? It's nice to be able to break it up with the beach, we're so lucky to have it open to us equestrians down here. The beaches near me are open for riding all winter so come on over. What part of Florida do you come to?


----------



## phantomhorse13

jcraig10 said:


> The barn where I ride has direct walk on access to Fair Hill so I get to go over there quite a bit. Always an adventure!


Fair Hill is an amazing facility. I would love to have access to it on a regular basis as its such a nice mix of nice trails and potential challenges. Not sure where else you could desensitize a horse to so many different things in the same place.




LoriF said:


> What part of Florida do you come to?


Friends keep their horses at a farm in Morriston for the winter (backing up to the Goethe forest), which I suspect is at least a couple hours from you.


----------



## egrogan

A beautiful sunny morning for a ride!









Today I faced one of my big riding fears- a loose dog. This one was a good one to face down, as it seemed to be an ancient, toothless little schnauzer :wink: We first encountered him on the road, and Isabel was definitely alert, but not worried. He seemed to have no interest in getting anywhere near us. He stayed on his side, we stayed on ours. We did a loop along the neighborhood street and doubled back to the woods, and we ran into him again in the woods. I know I tensed up thinking Isabel would be more alarmed at him in the woods, and he did go scampering loudly through the underbrush, but she wasn't concerned. This was a good first experience since it was so low key- of course a more aggressive dog would be a different story but I always appreciate building confidence through accumulating good experiences.

Izzy got a bonus peppermint for not freaking out when a big branch got stuck in my stirrup and dragged along behind us. She stood nicely while I got it untangled. More incentive to do a little trail cleaning this weekend!

*Total 2017 miles: 21.9*


----------



## LoriF

phantomhorse13 said:


> Friends keep their horses at a farm in Morriston for the winter (backing up to the Goethe forest), which I suspect is at least a couple hours from you.


Morriston is an hour and a half strait west from me


----------



## phantomhorse13

On Thursday, I got George out and yesterday I got Sultan out. The whole story is in my journal.






































2017 mileage
...
4/13 george 10.26 miles 1024 ft climb 6.7 mph 52F 858.43 total miles
4/14 sultan 10.19 miles 1076 ft climb 7.0 mph 60F *868.62 total miles*


----------



## LoriF

I had wanted to post this video with the original beach ride post but I hadn't been logged into youtube in forever. So here is the edited version of it. I had to put music to it first so no one could here our ridiculous conversation. lol 


And it doesn't seem to want to load still. Sigh


----------



## LoriF

ok, I figured out what the problem is so here's the video.


----------



## Celeste

@LoriF I LOVE the video!!


----------



## Celeste

I have had a great weekend. DH rode with me Friday and Sunday. I took The Princess out by myself on Saturday. She does fine alone, but she is much more alert and "looky" for spooks. Each ride was 2.9 miles. Total: 76.8 miles


----------



## Celeste

Here is my attempt at a video:


----------



## carshon

Was able to ride on Easter Sunday. Hubby works weekends so no big family plans. As predicted our local parks did not open due to the 2 1/2" of rain we received. But another prairie restoration area did open this weekend so daughter and I headed there. Much quieter location and not near any stock car tracks. 6.47 miles - top speed 13MPH. Tillie was impossible to mount. Daughter had to hold her - not sure if it was because of the new park or what. But once mounted she was as steady as ever. She even sported a pink bonnet for Easter. Saw a lot of ducks, geese and deer. This park is located in a wetlands area and some of the trails were an inch or two deep in water and boggy. Daugther wanted to race but to be honest Tillie is hard to stop once she gets going and she is not the most graceful gazelle! So we topped out at 13mph with more to add.


----------



## Celeste

@carshon I love the Easter bonnet! I wish my mare would tolerate one. Anything that touches her ears makes her crazy. She feels certain that something is going to bite her.


----------



## PoptartShop

I'm loving all the beautiful rides!!!!


----------



## kklenk

I had a great weekend also. Took Flurry camping. I love the variety of trails. We only saw one turtle and a few deer. Flurry was a trooper stuck being all alone in the barn for 2 nights. Boomer, my TWH would have broke down the stall door probably and try jumping the fence if he was alone!


----------



## egrogan

Took an early morning ride in the woods today. We headed to the beaver pond and I remembered to get a couple of pictures- it's a beautiful place and the picture doesn't really do it justice. You can just see the lodge in the top right corner, in front of the white birch tree.


















*Total 2017 miles: 28.2*


----------



## phoenix

I haven't been on the forums in ages but i have been riding  Here's just a few photos from a couple of rides i've taken recently, just in the local reserve. (sorry if the photos are huge)





































and here's Phoenix, looking decidedly out of shape and fat :/ Definitely need to do more work getting him back in shape.


----------



## PoptartShop

Love the rides.  Aww, Phoenix looks cute! More to love LOL.


----------



## phoenix

PoptartShop said:


> Love the rides.  Aww, Phoenix looks cute! More to love LOL.


Thanks! He's a cutie pie.


----------



## Celeste

I had a friend over today. We went for a short trail ride. 2.6 miles. 
I should have ridden yesterday, but I didn't want this lady seeing my house look so bad. I went on an all day cleaning rampage. What a horrible way to spend a day!

Total: 79.4 miles


----------



## kklenk

Got a ride in on Friday, no pictures because I was riding with a new person. He has a walker also so it was nice. Got our typical loop in of 5 miles. It was kind of humid so a little sweaty. 
The storms had made some obstacles. Its very humbling when a horse is willing to go anywhere I point him. Of course nothing extreme or dangerous but still.
Also rode Ramsy. He is too thin still, I think I'm going to have vet look at him. He eats and drinks and poops a couple times even on a short ride so I'm hoping its just a matter of time on good pasture.
I got my spreadsheet all caught up. I'm at just about 90 miles for the year. When I account for only the weeks I've ridden that's 6.4 miles per week. I'm hoping to improve on that even when it means adding a little more time in the arena and pasture for stretching and improving on communication.
YTD
Boomer 23.4	Flurry 40.13	Ramsy 26.4


----------



## egrogan

I had an exciting adventure this weekend. My husband and I were on vacation, and I was able to fit in a beautiful beach ride on Jekyll Island (Georgia coast).










This was my ride for the morning:









I hadn't ridden Western in decades, so wasn't totally sure how that would go, and it did feel really odd. Hard to fight the desire to get into two-point when you're cantering out in the open!

This ride was a little bit wooded trail:









And a bit of time on the beach:


























I thought the horses were in nice shape and seemed to have a reasonable work schedule for being part of a tour company, though my horse was awfully hard mouthed and a bit grumpy when she wasn't allowed to lead. Since it was just the guide and I, we were able to let my horse lead and that made her much happier. 

I don't have many opportunities to ride on the beach, so this was a fun way to start a vacation morning.

*Total 2017 miles: 30.7*


----------



## PoptartShop

Sadly, I didn't get to take any pictures because my phone was in my friend's saddlebag.

BUT, went to Fair Hill yesterday.  Did the blue/yellow trail. Was a few hours. So fun!!!  HOWEVER...I am super sore. LOL!


----------



## carshon

Like @PoptartShop ride yesterday but no camera. It was a gorgeous day! Most parks are still closed but this one is old logging trails so they were open. 6 mile ride with quite a bit of gaiting. Tillie is relapsed and did not stand to be mounted and bolted off down the trail. Lots of circling until she decided it was OK to walk at a semi normal speed. Supposed to get up to 5 inches of rain Wed - Sunday so that means all of the parks will be closed a bit longer.


----------



## Celeste

I took the Psycho Princess for a solo ride today. We spooked out a deer and a big tom turkey. All she did was stop and look to be sure of what they were. They ran too fast for me to even come close to getting a picture. 

It was still muddy from the 4 inches of rain that we got on Thursday. I was off yesterday, but there was a lake over the road and there was no way to tell whether the bridge was still there or not. Due to the mud, we kept it slow. 

We only did 3 miles. The deerflies would have killed us except for the "Swat" that I put on her ears and head. 

Picture 1 - The Swat that really keeps the deerflies off of her ears.
Picture 2 - Her disgust at having goopy stuff on her ears.
Picture 3 - Happy, forward ears, free of flies.


----------



## Celeste

I forgot to add my total. 3 miles today makes 82.4 total.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Phin and I went down to Virginia for a 55 miler last weekend. The whole story is in my journal.






































2017 mileage
...
4/14 sultan 10.19 miles 1076 ft climb 7.0 mph 60F 868.62 total miles
4/21 phin 54.75 miles 7328 ft climb 5.5 mph 84F *923.37 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Sultan out. Spring has sprung here and things are blooming all over!










It's apparently turkey season. Sultan was not impressed with the decoys










The lilac in the yard is in full bloom beside the hay field - love that smell!











Once we got home, I let Sultan do a bit of ******* weedeating before I untacked him.










2017 mileage
...
4/21 phin 54.75 miles 7328 ft climb 5.5 mph 84F 923.37 total miles
5/1 sultan 10.11 miles 1714 ft climb 5.8 mph 72F *933.48 total miles*


----------



## Oreos Girl

I was supposed to ride on Sat but had a bad tire on the trailer. So I hauled that to town to get it plugged. So we rode on Sunday instead. It is getting almost too warm to ride already. I haul Oreo to pony him along. I didn't get any pictures as I had my hands full with 2 horses. My friend and I went 5 miles. Everyone was hot and tired by the time we got back to the trailer. Celeste, it must not have rained in Toomsboro, because it was surprisingly dry there. I only have 34.7 for the year.


----------



## csimkunas6

Just a few pics of some of the trails Ive ridden on so far this year.....West Virginia


----------



## gunslinger

We didn't ride last Saturday.....but went to Jamestown and watched the Big Guns rack at East Fork Stables....

Entries included horses from several states.....Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia....and of course....Tennessee.....probably missed a few...but, the competition was fierce!


----------



## carshon

Had 2 wonderful rides this weekend. I have to say Tillie is getting much much better letting me mount - it takes a bit for her to stand still but @phantomhorse13 advice to give a treat once mounted has really helped. I try not to give a treat each time I mount but she always turns her head and looks to see if I have one. 

Rode a little over 5 miles on Friday night easy logging trails - did quite a bit of slow gaiting 

Rode 7.75 miles on Sunday on harder trails met mountain bikers, hikers and folks with strollers. Had my saddle slide WAYYY back after going up a steep hill and then had my breast collar come unbuckled while going up another steep hill. Tillie did well with both! 

I have to say - after questioning whether she was the horse for me or not I have really fallen in love with her this spring. It was a conscious effort on my part. I really tried to think about all of the positives about her each time I rode - she epitomizes everything about the TWH breed that I never cared for (looks wise) long plain face, very narrow front end, pointy shoulders And her lack of any chrome is not my style. But she has a wonderful quirky personality, she is truly rock steady on the trail, her desire to please is unmatched and she has the silliest homliest horsie face ever. here she is after our ride on Friday


----------



## ChieTheRider

Rode about 8-9 miles in March with my Arab/Appy, Tess. It was one of those benefit rides for the horse rescue. I don't have pictures, but it was a memorable ride. 

First, JayR went lame because of an overreaching issue I hadn't noticed so we couldn't take him. My sis was going so we had to go pick up friend's horse for her to ride. Second, once we loaded the horses at my trainer's place, her cat got in the tack area of her trailer and we had to drive her back home. Next, on the way there, we look back and the trailer tire is on fire. We had to stop and unload some people and horses and get them to the trails before the ride started. That was it of the getting there part. Everything else went pretty smoothly, but here's one thing that made me really proud of Tess. My sister's horse was an old Rock Mountain and apparently doesn't like water. We came to a creek we needed to cross. Well, Tess absolutely hates water too. I manages to get her across, but my sister's mare refused to move. I have to go back over the water with my horse that hates water and pony the other horse that hates water across the creek. Tess crossed the creek three times and was a real trooper. She didn't like it, but she put up with it and listened to me. 

Here's her on a different ride.


----------



## Oreos Girl

I got a ride in on Sunday. Saturday was graduation and I had to attend but I was glad to get to ride on probably our last spring day as we have already hit 90+ several days. Fiddler actually led most of the ride which was a big surprise. 6.9 miles Sunday, 41.6 for the year.


----------



## bellagris

First 2 trail rides were a bit of a gong show...I don't ride tons over winter, if I have a more broke older horse I will...but this year my oldest was just 4. Couple rides with a buddy and he's now riding out alone with a pretty solid attitude. We live at the top of a valley and here's a section of our ravine and some other areas. It's my husband's parents land not mine, but the riding is great especially for starting young horses.


----------



## gunslinger

We had rain this weekend....so, no riding for me....I haven't rode sense Easter! I'm suffering withdrawals! That said....got another cabin booked at Big South Fork over Memorial day weekend....


----------



## egrogan

I'm with you @gunslinger, I've had all kinds of work and family related travel the past few weeks and haven't seen my horse in days. Really needing things to calm down in my life a bit, but I do enjoy keep up with folks here!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Both DH and I contracted a respiratory plague that hit last week. I spent all weekend trying to cough up both lungs. The weather was miserable, so I wouldn't have been able to ride anyway. Today, I felt almost like a human again and momma nature was in a much better mood, so Nicole came over with Hombre and I got Phin out.

I was expecting him to be a bit silly as he's not been ridden in over 2 weeks and the weather is still cool, but he was a very good boy. He was fairly disgusted over the casual pace, but he behaved himself all the same. We just moseyed around the Sugarloaf, then went home via the outdoor ring.




















When we got to the outdoor, Phin eyeballed the jumps like they were going to eat him, so I decided to circle around and pop him over one of the smaller ones. As we circled around, Phin went right over a turkey that I assume was sitting on a nest (neither of us saw it in the tall grass). It didn't fly until we were literally right on top of it. Phin leapt straight up and got enough air time that I had time to think "oh this is gonna suck." I expected him to hit the ground bucking and we were not too far from the rocky place the creek crosses (and I expected him to go that way as it was towards home).

I was thrilled beyond words that he hit the ground and promptly came right back to me, with not even a hint of a buck. We made a small circle and then went back to the jumps. While he was def agitated, I was pretty pleased with the result! Turns out Nicole had been filming, but she stopped paying attention to where she was filming once the turkey flew up as she was expecting me to hit the ground. Here you can see the (very blurry due to cropping) slowed down version, then the jumping. Never a dull minute!!







The rest of the ride was uneventful, thank goodness.

2017 mileage
...
5/1 sultan 10.11 miles 1714 ft climb 5.8 mph 72F 933.48 total miles
5/9 phin 7.42 miles 1111 ft climb 4.1 mph 60F *940.90 total miles*


----------



## PoptartShop

Love love loving all the trails. So beautiful!  I can't wait to go on one again!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got George out.





























2017 mileage
...
5/9 phin 7.42 miles 1111 ft cimb 4.1 mph 60F 940.90 total miles
5/10 george 10.67 miles 1087 ft climb 5.8 mph 58F *951.57 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

DH and I went out for an evening ride yesterday. It was still light, but almost dark when we got home. Things went smoothly except one little glitch. There were some vines in the path. DH and Abby went over them easily. The Princess was hesitant and finally jumped over the whole mess on the way out. 

On the way home, the light wasn't the greatest and animals were moving around. Scary armadillos and such; the kind that eat horses. She actually did very well with those. On the way back, rather than jump the vines that were on the ground, the Princess tried to plow through them like Abby did. She felt those things touch her leg and was very jumpy.

Two seconds after we got past that monster, a big deer jumped and ran. She pretty much lost it. She went into rolling bronco mode. She did three pretty hard bucks and .............. I STAYED ON!! 

Woo hoo! I am so glad. I give at least half the credit to my full seat pants.

Picture 1: DH and I on the ride.
Picture 2: The sunset over the house as we get home.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Sultan out. 




























2017 mileage
...
5/10 george 10.67 miles 1087 ft climb 5.8 mph 58F 951.57 total miles
5/12 sultan 10.13 miles 1608 ft climb 5.5 mph 61F *961.70 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

After the little bucking fit due to debris on the trail, DH and I spent a couple of hours doing trail cleaning. Then we went for a ride. Today, the girls were angelic. 

While we were working on the trail, the dog found a turtle. We took it away from her and turned him loose. She went back and found him and brought him home. We put him in a bucket for safe keeping and plan to take him to a creek several miles from here so she won't get him again. He is unharmed as of now, but I don't think he wants to be a chew toy.

Yesterday: 2.9 miles
Today: 2.9 miles
*Total: 88.2 miles*


----------



## seabiscuit91

So many beautiful pics in here!

I was just wondering, does anyone use anything specific to track their rides for distance etc. 
Or is it mostly just an estimation of the length or trails?

Very curious! I would love to track my rides more!


----------



## Celeste

I use a Garmin eTrex 20 X.


----------



## gunslinger

seabiscuit91 said:


> So many beautiful pics in here!
> 
> I was just wondering, does anyone use anything specific to track their rides for distance etc.
> Or is it mostly just an estimation of the length or trails?
> 
> Very curious! I would love to track my rides more!


I carry two garmin handhelds.....a 60Csx, and an etrex legend Hcx.....

There's several smart phone apps that people have mentioned in the past as well....


----------



## phantomhorse13

seabiscuit91 said:


> I was just wondering, does anyone use anything specific to track their rides for distance etc.
> Or is it mostly just an estimation of the length or trails?


I use a Garmin 310xt. If for some reason I don't have it, I use the Endomondo app (but I find that app reads short compared to the Garmin, which already has a 5-10% error depending on the terrain and tree cover).


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, DH and I got George and Phin out. The whole story is in my journal.





























2017 mileage
...
5/12 sultan 10.13 miles 1608 ft climb 5.5 mph 61F 961.70 total miles
5/14 phin 10.05 miles 1409 ft climb 4.8 mph 58F *971.75 total miles*


----------



## Woodhaven

As far as mileage I just guesstimate, our farms are about 7/8 mile long and 1/4 mile wide so if I go around five or six hundred acres it gives me a rough idea.
I have finally started to ride again after being on crutches for about 4 1/2 mon this winter. My mare was pretty fresh and since my ability is somewhat limited I didn't go far, but on Fri I went out for a longer ride around 8 farms (back and forth on some of them) and through some of the woods probably 5 mi. We did it in one hr and 15 min and that was walking all through the woods. The mare was pretty fresh so I let her move along and she came home as fresh as when we left. A good ride but my leg was sure aching after but worth it.

Today I rode again, not so far, did some schooling and then out for a ride around the farm. It was cold and very windy but she came home into that strong wind at the trot and was very good for me.


----------



## mmshiro

Spring Break ride: 



A goofy little video: 




This is in Upstate New York.


----------



## phantomhorse13

mmshiro said:


> Spring Break ride


Looks like you have some great places to ride. I loved the "meet you at the top" comment!


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> Looks like you have some great places to ride. I loved the "meet you at the top" comment!


He's a young OTTB with ADHD, at this point in time about two sizes beyond me in terms of riding and control skills. (I'm currently working on/with a 9 year-old *sane* OTTB mare on the trail. Same speed, but a lot more patience.) 

In this video, I'm on a 20 year-old Hanoverian... Coincidentally, we had washed out on that same road two weeks prior, because the knucklehead decided it was more fun to canter on the thin ice strip than on the wide dirt strip. I took away his "trust your horse" steering privileges for this run.

Coco is also a late-20s OTTB. (My instructor likes horses with "big engines".) Unfortunately I don't have a video of us cantering that muddy, narrow forest trail with him motorcycling around the turns like a barrel racer. Now *that* was something else!


----------



## PoptartShop

So, I ended up FINALLY taking Redz on a trail ride yesterday. Just by myself, and I haven't had a chance to take him out in months on a trail but he did just fine.  It was so relaxing! He was so chill.
I am sad I didn't bring my phone (no pockets) I swear I will next time. Ugh! Times like those are when I need a GoPro attached to my helmet. LOL. Lovely rides, everyone!


----------



## phantomhorse13

PoptartShop said:


> I am sad I didn't bring my phone (no pockets) I swear I will next time.


You should always take your phone with you when you ride!! Even if you don't use it for pictures, it can be so important to have it on you if something unexpected happens.

I use a running belt case for my phone as most of my tights do not have pockets. I have this one from amazon which so far has held up amazingly well despite the cheap price. It also stays put without having to tighten it to the point I can't breathe.


----------



## PoptartShop

I know, I usually do bring it, I realized I didn't have it when I was already on the trail. :sad: Yeah I need one of those!!!


----------



## xXSweetBreezeXx

Well, I'm a little late to the game but my little mini wasn't quite ready to be heading out on the trail till now. Hope no one minds me posting here with the mini and cart but it is trail riding(driving) kind of? She's done a good bit of hitching to the cart in the arena and has ground driven on the trail so at this point she just needs miles and experience on her, and we definitely want to start tracking all of our adventures this summer! So I'd like to introduce Hazel who did her first big (as in over our 1km driveway) trail drive yesterday. We went down our 12 acre hayfield then did a little ways down a trail on our property. Unfortunately we had to turn around pretty quick because of a newly downed tree in our way, but I plan to head out again today with a saw and practice our starting and stopping and waiting while I take care of the trees.
Drive Total: 2.8km
Year to Date: 2.8km


----------



## egrogan

Very cool! Welcome to you and Hazel. I would LOVE to have access to a nice open field like that to have a good canter across


----------



## Celeste

Hazel is adorable!!


----------



## mmshiro

Today was a good day. My instructor test-rode out on a horse she is about to train for a client, and she took me along in case something went sideways. I got to ride her young OTTB mare, who demonstrated to me that I had absolutely no idea yet what "fast horse" means, even though I had galloped (more mature) Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds before. We cantered on curvy trails through the woods, jumped a few logs, and hauled, uhm, "donkey", across a few open fields. After I had calmed her down, she walked the last mile or so of the ride "on the buckle".

When we came back to the barn, my instructor told me that she'd been looking for 4 years for someone to ride that mare – she has her plate full with her training assignments and can't possibly ride all her regular horses. In addition, she doesn't let tourists ride her on the trail because...well...despite being a sweetheart in terms of being controllable, she does have the engine of a Ferrari. Long story short, not only did I get today unlimited unsupervised riding privileges with her, I was also _tasked_ to come out as often as I can over summer to learn all the trails. It's going to be a great summer!


----------



## phantomhorse13

@xXSweetBreezeXx : driving out and about most certainly counts! Hazel is doing great. can't wait to see more of your adventures.

@mmshiro : sounds like not only a great ride, but the start of something fantastic! we need pictures of your new friend!



Yesterday, I got to ride Hombre with Nicole and a new friend at Blue Marsh Lake. Momma nature has decided to make it summer. We set a record high yesterday and the truck said it was 88 when we tacked up and 94 when we got done!! (Normal high is 72F). We kept the pace pretty casual because of the heat.





































2017 mileage
...
5/14 phin 10.05 miles 1409 ft climb 4.8 mph 58F 971.75 total miles
5/17 hombre 7.82 miles 729 ft climb 4.5 mph 93F *979.57 total miles*


----------



## PoptartShop

Took Redz on a nice trail last night, since it was 90F...needed some shade.  Took some pictures, finally LOL brought my phone this time.:grin::grin::grin:


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today was heat training day. The whole story is in my journal. I got Phin out first:




















Then it was George's turn:



















2017 mileage
...
5/18 phin 5.69 miles 923 ft climb 3.3 mph 93F 985.26 total miles
5/18 george 4.83 miles 871 ft climb 4.5 mph 102F *990.09 total miles*


----------



## xXSweetBreezeXx

Took Hazel out for a drive with the saw and pruning shears yesterday to take down the offending tree on our trail. Ended up doing 4.7kms out of the trip. Then again today we went up part of the trail-just past the offending tree-and then went down around our hayfield taking us up to 4.4kms today. Plus after her drive today we went for a walk up our busy street to start getting confidence back in traffic after a previous incident with a ********* of a motorcyclist. Some neighbors up the way were unloading an excavator onto the road so that made for some great opportunities for the little miss to see some scary flashing lights and awful sounds-which she handled like a champ. We've taken a lot of video clips the last couple days so I figured I would throw them all together to share.
So our previous total was 2.8kms + yesterdays 4.7kms + todays 4.4kms = *11.9kms* total so far!


----------



## xXSweetBreezeXx

Took Hazel out for a drive with the saw and pruning shears yesterday to take down the offending tree on our trail. Ended up doing 4.7kms out of the trip. Then again today we went up part of the trail-just past the offending tree-and then went down around our hayfield taking us up to 4.4kms today. Plus after her drive today we went for a walk up our busy street to start getting confidence back in traffic after a previous incident with a ********* of a motorcyclist. Some neighbors up the way were unloading an excavator onto the road so that made for some great opportunities for the little miss to see some scary flashing lights and awful sounds-which she handled like a champ. We've taken a lot of video clips the last couple days so I figured I would throw them all together to share.
So our previous total was 2.8kms + yesterdays 4.7kms + todays 4.4kms = *11.9kms* total so far!


----------



## Celeste

I tried out my new "Shoulder Relief Cinch" today. I bought it because the dear Princess always resents being cinched up and sometimes acts insane when changing gaits. In the picture that I will put up, her leg was standing somewhat forward of square, but you can see that it did get the cinch off of her elbow and shoulder. 

She was very happy today, but since she has the tendency to be bipolar, the jury is still out on whether it was the cinch is feeling better rather than her just having a good day. I hope that she will be more comfortable and therefore less insane. She was very sweet on this ride.

Today: 2.9 miles
*Total: 91.1 miles*.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Sultan out. Momma nature wasn't quite done with summer yet, though there was at least a bit of a breeze.

































2017 mileage
...
5/18 george 4.83 miles 871 ft climb 4.5 mph 102F 990.09 total miles
5/19 sultan 10.02 miles 1604 ft climb 6.0 mph 96F *1000.11 total miles*


----------



## egrogan

I've been riding a bit but not really tracking miles- I've mostly been sticking to the arena due to a very cold, rainy spring. Either it's been raining when I'm riding, or the trail is submerged or a mud bog. We've finally had a few warm, sunny days in a row, and things are a little better. Except of course the warmth brought the bugs out!

It was beautiful today-we rode a couple of miles and that felt like enough to add to my mileage tracker!



















*Total 2017 miles: 32.5*


----------



## Woodhaven

Sis and I have gotten out for a few rides over the last week, may be the last time for some fields as they are rapidly getting planted but we still have some that we are allowed to ride around the edges on.
We got into the woods, it's been so wet here they were pretty muddy but drying up now.

We have had some fierce winds here, worse than I can remember for some time and trees have come down in the woods, had to get off a couple of times to try to move some or figure out a detour through heavy bush. The horses have been pretty good about the winds, sometimes gusting up to 70 Km and trotting into this is a real breeze but they handled it (and so did we).
I don't actually measure but probably 4 - 5 m each ride.

Love the video of the mini in harness, she handled the muddy trail very well, hard work I'm sure pulling a cart through that.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I went for a ride with my SIL. I rode her gelding Amish.




























2017 mileage
...
5/19 sultan 10.02 miles 1604 ft climb 6.0 mph 96F 1000.11 total miles
5/21 amish 6.58 miles 639 ft climb 3.8 mph 61F *1006.69 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

I seem to be riding more and more with people who have back problems....

Thus....shorter rides....

DW went with GF and I, along with another couple....the lady, recently had a nerve block on her back....

They rode gaited.....we rode bumpities.....How do you figure that worked?

Mr. Jack had been stood up for about 6 weeks...due to rainy weekends......he was actually a pretty good ride....all things considered.....

Again, a short ride of 7.2 miles.....puts me at 148 for the year.....next weekend.....Big South Fork with Miss Lacy.....


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Sultan out. It was supposed to rain by mid-morning, so I was out of the barn by 8:30, decked out in my blaze orange just in case anybody was silly enough to be out hunting turkeys where they didn't belong.



















2017 mileage
...
5/21 amish 6.58 miles 639 ft climb 3.8 mph 61F 1006.69 total miles
5/22 sultan 10.51 miles 1816 ft climb 5.5 mph 52F *1017.20 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> *mmshiro*: sounds like not only a great ride, but the start of something fantastic! we need pictures of your new friend!


This Sunday I took Dita, the 9 year-old OTTB mare, for a 2-hour solo trail ride. After one arena lesson and one ride with my instructor, this was my third ride on her. 

The camera is angled a bit high. I usually like videos where the head is in view at all times, but somehow the camera moved in its mounting. The video is also longer than the 5 min YouTube recommends to attract viewers; I realize that this video is a bit like a snow globe you bring from vacation: it's special because it conjures up memories, not because it's so impressive in its own right. I hope the little captions provide some context about what's going on.


----------



## PoptartShop

Great rides everyone!!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

mmshiro said:


> The camera is angled a bit high. I usually like videos where the head is in view at all times, but somehow the camera moved in its mounting.


I think the angle is perfect, as it lets you see the trail in a similar manner to being on the horse yourself. For me, the ones that show mostly head and neck focus on the ground - I want to see the scenery!

Looks like it was an adventure.


----------



## ChasenT

Great video! When you live in the desert, this is quite refreshing


----------



## egrogan

@mmshiro- Dita looks like a ton of fun. Even though she clearly loved the "go" part of the ride, she seemed to come back to you pretty well when you asked. 

Our woods trails also have those "quick-duck!" shoulder height saplings down every now and then- hence why we're typically walking and not cantering (or posting!) through there, you're braver than me! 









I am supremely jealous of your gorgeous open fields though- we had that at my last boarding barn but not my current one, and I really miss a good canter across an open field.


----------



## mmshiro

egrogan said:


> @mmshiro- Dita looks like a ton of fun. Even though she clearly loved the "go" part of the ride, she seemed to come back to you pretty well when you asked.
> 
> Our woods trails also have those "quick-duck!" shoulder height saplings down every now and then- hence why we're typically walking and not cantering (or posting!) through there, you're braver than me!
> 
> I am supremely jealous of your gorgeous open fields though- we had that at my last boarding barn but not my current one, and I really miss a good canter across an open field.


It is my instructor's philosophy, a philosophy backed up by Buck Brannaman, that the horse must have a say in how a ride like this (for pleasure, not business) is conducted. As she would say, "You are partners out there, and you got to have each other's back!" So involving the horse in the decision-making process (how fast to go, where to go, whenever I'm indifferent) makes it much less of a compromise for her to listen to me when it _is_ important to me that she slow down or take a certain turn. 

When I came to that road with the cross traffic, she had already had more or less the ride that she had in mind, so to stop her, all I needed was to sit my butt down in the saddle and give a few half halts. (I have seen a woman blow through that intersection on a TB and gallop 50 yards down the road before regaining a semblance of control, and that horse is 30 years old and by all accounts a sweet boy!) 

If the type of ride she enjoys isn't the ride I enjoy, I got no right to put my butt on her to begin with - that's a basic rider-horse compatibility question. To illustrate that point: 




As for the sapling: I had about four seconds to assess how high it was and whether to slow or to duck. Because of the camera lens, I creeps up much faster in the video than it did in real life.


----------



## egrogan

Oy, that video was hard to watch. Surprised he stayed on as long as he did. Makes my blood pressure rise watching a runaway. The rider's a good sport though.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I rode with Nicole at Jacobsburg Park. I had never been there before and Nicole had only been there once, so we knew it would be something of an adventure. We thought we got lucky that there were trail maps at the parking lot.. but we soon figured out the map was just a suggestion at best! :wink:















































Today, I got Sultan out for an easy work. He thought having to mostly walk was insulting, but he did it. We went up the Sugarloaf and then moseyed back home.




























2017 mileage
...
5/23 hombre 10.49 miles 793 ft climb 4.8 mph 62F 1027.69 total miles
5/24 sultan 6.06 miles 1027 ft climb 4.1 mph 65F *1033.75 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


>


Awww...he didn't get to tear up that field? I'd watch my behind next time I bend down to pick his hooves, if I were you!


----------



## gunslinger

Scratch Big South Fork.....rain in the forecast most of the weekend....:-(


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> Scratch Big South Fork.....rain in the forecast most of the weekend....:-(


The rain is good for growing grass, but it is starting to get old.


----------



## egrogan

^^I agree! We had a washout week....raw, rainy days with temps in the 50s. Yuck.

Today though, the skies finally cleared, 65*F. The trails are muddy and buggy, so we took a stroll down the road.




















*Total 2017 miles: 34.4*


----------



## Celeste

I have ridden at least a couple of times since I posted. I am now up to 96.9 miles. I am hoping it won't rain tomorrow. Maybe I'll pass 100!


----------



## Caledonian

Love to see everyone’s horses and the beautiful landscapes and buildings on trails that I’ll never get to ride. It’s fun to see what’s around the next corner or where the path goes on the videos.


----------



## egrogan

I love 3-day weekends! Got in about 3 miles today before more rain came. We rode up on a mama turkey who was trailing 6 or 7 poults behind her. She wasn't too bothered by us, but it was sweet to hear her cooing softly to them to keep them following her off the path and into the woods as we went by. If you squint, you can just make her out in the distance towards the end of this path- babies were just tiny blond things waving the tall grass as they walked-I never would have seen them if I wasn't looking for them.









*Total 2017 miles: 37.0*


----------



## Celeste

DH and I rode today and I finally passed the 100 mile mark!
3.1 miles today.
*100 miles total!*


----------



## egrogan

Woohoo! Go @Celeste go!


----------



## Zexious

Congratulations, @Celeste! 
What a huge accomplishment!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Great job @Celeste !

Like others, the weather definitely impacted my weekend. DH and I went to central New York for an endurance ride. The whole story, with lots more pics and videos, is in my journal.














































2017 mileage
...
5/24 sultan 6.06 miles 1027 ft climb 4.1 mph 65F 1033.75 total miles
5/28 phin 50.52 miles 5281 ft climb 6.2 mph 60F *1084.27 total miles*


----------



## carshon

No real riding pics - but we got to ride on Monday! Woo Hoo! Mowing is all caught up - daughter graduated from HS on Sunday afternoon so Monday was riding day!

Rode 6.5 miles and just had a blast. The temps were mid 70's with a great breeze. Rain expected again this afternoon and again later this week. So we will be behind on mowing (again)


----------



## egrogan

Congrats to your daughter @carshon :smile:


----------



## phoenix

I haven't posted in a while but me and the trail buddies had a few good rides over the holiday weekend! It was lovely both days but we've had a lot of rain recently so the trails were a little boggy in places. Good riding though :cowboy:


----------



## mmshiro

Every time my instructor takes me out to ride, I know there will be a "lesson", so I always bring my camera. For today's adventure, taking into consideration that my mare is in heat, she brought her stallion along. Let the games begin!


----------



## Celeste

It is a beautiful day today. 83 degrees. 62% humidity. Not too bad for June in Georgia. DH and I went on our regular little trail. That brings me up to *102.9 miles* for the year. I took a few pictures.


----------



## Celeste

I should have added that the girls were awesome. Thank goodness for tons of fly spray and "Swat". The horseflies were bad.

I think my new cinch has really made my girl happier. It is one of those "Shoulder Relief Cinches". She has stopped resenting being cinched up and her attitude has improved. I wrote the guy who made it and told him it might not be the end all cure for the Psycho Princess, but it certainly did take one pea out from under her mattress.

https://totalsaddlefit.com/cinch/


----------



## kklenk

Hey, I haven't been on for a while. I am riding. First time ever I rode 50 miles in one month in May. I was pretty happy about that. 

I have a question, maybe for a different forum though, just let me know.
I have an adult, healthy gelding. I want to trailer him to a new trail but it is 4 hours away. I'd like honest opinions since I really have no idea.
Is it 'unfair' and/or downright detrimental to my horse to haul him for 4 hours, ride for 2 then haul another 4 hours all in the same day? Assume I give him time before and after the ride to relax and eat and drink and I take it slow on the trail. what is the longest day you've had hauling/riding/hauling?


----------



## Celeste

@kklenk I would want to rest. I don't know about the horse.


----------



## egrogan

Sorry I can't help @kklenk- I only ride where we can get to on our own 4 feet since I don't have a trailer.

Had a lovely 3.5 mile ride today around a big neighborhood loop with my trail buddies. Our older riding buddy (she's in her mid-80s) has been a little hesitant to ride on the road- the sort of thing where she _really_ wanted to be able to get out and explore but was understandably worried about the things that could go wrong. Her little mare is a saint, so my other riding buddy and I sandwiched the two of them in between us, and off we went. The horses were great, these three ride so well together. 

They went past tons of scary things and barely worried about any of it: too many cars to count, motorcycles, a person in a motorized wheel chair, neighboring horses charging the fence line, chickens, a pasture of ducks, wild turkeys, a trampoline with kids on it, crying kids, too many barking dogs to count, and a cemetery full of flags waving in the breeze. The only spook was at a chipmunk :wink: 

My mare has gotten really worked up when asked to ride past the neighbors' horses on her own, so it was so helpful to have other horses with us to push past them. All in all, a really fun ride, and it makes me so happy when we can get our older friend out on the kind of ride she really wants to do!


















*Total 2017 miles: 40.1*


----------



## mmshiro

No pictures today, but I went on two rides today.

In the morning I went out with my instructor and a tourist couple. Hubby wasn't terribly solid and held on to the saddle horn for dear life, wifey quickly rediscovered all her muscle memory from childhood, and - not even halfway through the ride - managed quite comfortably to put away her camera into her fanny pack in mid-trot. So I took wifey on a somewhat faster ride with Dita, even though I kept the running mostly to the straights. I took her galloping up a grassy, half-mile hill, and you'll never see a bigger grin on anyone's face than on hers. Call me trail guide!! 

In the afternoon, I went out again with Dita, but this time with my instructor and a very experienced couple - three race horses and a crazy Appy. We basically went along the same trail...just a smidgen faster. Almost towards the end, Dita lost her footing in a tight turn and went down, but - granting myself bragging rights - because I kept balanced on her she recovered without getting entirely off her feet. She's just a little sore now in her hips and will have to take it easy for a week or so.

Tomorrow I'll take my camera, as I was promised a ride on a super cute mule. Everyone riding her says she rides like a sofa. Stay tuned for a cute face and big ears!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

@kklenk : is it possible to overnight at the place you want to ride? that seems like a very full day to me, and I would not only worry about the horse but also about you traveling home after all that.


We finally got a bit of a break in the constant rain on Friday, so I took advantage and rode twice!

To start with, I rode Beauty (a percheron mare) as the babysitter for a couple friends with green horses.





























Then, I got to join my SIL on Amish for a mosey around the farm in the evening.




























2017 mileage
...
6/1 beauty 7.06 miles 285 ft climb 3.3 mph 72F 1091.33 total miles
6/1 amish 3.24 miles 226 ft climb 3.3 mph 70F *1094.57 total miles*


----------



## ChieTheRider

Went riding today a bit. And I took Tess English because frankly, my English saddle is more comfortable and easier to cinch up. I was lazy XD. Anyway we rode in our field and the only indecent was when she was cantering and did a major spook at some egrets and cows. The egrets flew up and freaked her out and then she saw the cows and did a shying thing. I only lost a stirrup and she was fine once she figured out that bigfoot wasn't hiding behind the trees. Tess is a good girl.


----------



## Celeste

DH and I rode today. We saw some interesting mushrooms/toadstools and a bullfrog.
*Total: 105.8 miles *


----------



## egrogan

Send that beautiful weather east @phantomhorse13! 

Today was supposed to be a washout, but we actually got away with just an overcast morning. The woods trails are still way too wet (I'm starting to think the ideal time to ride back there is early December when it's all fresh powdery snow :wink, so we only got about 1/4 mile before turning around and coming back across the farm and just meandering up and down the road. Pretty boring ride, but I can't really complain since I didn't think we'd get out at all today!










*Total 2017 miles: 43.7*


----------



## mmshiro

While Dita is recovering (I took her for a hand walk today, and she has no more weight bearing issues with her right hip), I asked if I could take the mule Dusty for the ride. She's been at the barn for only six weeks and is not yet well versed in the Way of the Trail. But she's a good girl and utterly adorable.


----------



## carshon

@mmsiro Dusty is lovely! My daughter is adamant that she is getting a mule when her horse retires and Dusty would only convince her to own one!

We rode yesterday on some pretty intense trails. I am really happy to report that hubby's horse Belle did not jump a single ravine! He really concentrated on keeping her focused on forward. She did so well - even in a boggy mess up to her knees! Daughters 14.2H horse struggled with the deep mud but made her way out. She was no longer white however. Tillie was a rockstar until the end of the ride and daughter passed us to take the lead. Daughter and her horse started gaiting and Tillie got anxious when I made her walk - so she reared straight up - I turned my head just in time to miss my nose being smashed. Scared hubby who was right next to me and scared daughter. Lesson learned for daughter on why you do not canter away from other riders. This is something I need to work on as I do not want a horse who has to race to keep up with horses that pass us. Other than that one thing we had a super ride. Photos will not seem to load. Sorry


----------



## PoptartShop

Glad to hear everyone is having some great trail rides!  I've been going on the local trails in the neighborhood where the barn is, and it's been super relaxing. :smile: 

Not as exciting as some of the trails you guys are posting though, the scenery is just amazing!


----------



## weeedlady

I finally feel qualified to contribute to this thread. Raven and I have 60.7 miles under our belts for the year and we are loving it. We are working on the "Emerald Necklace End to End 100 mile Challenge". The idea is to ride from one end of the Cleveland Metro Parks Bridle Trails to the other- that will be more than 100 miles. We have all of 2017 to complete the challenge, so I feel we are off to a good start. I'll try to add some pictures, but I'm sure they will show up sideways, as always.















yep, sideways, as always


----------



## PoptartShop

Went on a nice trail yesterday.  90 degree weather called for some shade. LOL.


----------



## Oreos Girl

Mother Nature (and me not paying attention) tried to kill me yesterday. We had several days of low humidity and nice cool mornings so I assumed that Sunday was going to be the same. I had a friend come out to ride. It was sooooo humid and warm. I couldn't see because of all the sweat. But I put her on Fiddler and I rode Oreo down my road and back. She isn't used to riding and nervous about the horse running off so I ponied her instead of her really riding. I have never ponied Fiddler (alpha) from Oreo so they had to work on that but other than that it was a good trip. We did 3.23 miles. Got back and hosed off the horses and me.

I am sadly only at 44.8 miles for the year.


----------



## mmshiro

Crazy day today - no video. 

Because a thunderstorm cell had moved through the area last night, a lot of repair crews were out today fixing downed trees and branches. I tried to stay away from the commotion by turning in the opposite direction, but all the noise and activity had made the horses somewhat edgy. When Dita, with whom I usually chase down deer across fields spooks over a squirrel crossing the road, you know she's more alert than usual. Still, we had a more-or-less eventless ride until we crossed a field on the way home. I didn't want her to damage the baby corn growing there, so I tried to push her towards the edge with my leg while guiding her head with the reins. Mind you, this is in mid-canter on an OTTB; in other words, at speed. Alas, a pile of mulch (as in "dead wood shavings) about 6 feet across and 6 inches (!!) high startled her, and she initiated evasive maneuvers, mostly laterally. That wasn't great for me because I had one leg on and one leg loose...so off I roll. The fall was minor - it took me a while to lose balance and I hit the ground no harder than rolling over and off the couch on the floor.

I looked up, proud of my girl who didn't take off...for about 10 seconds. Exploiting my effort to get up slowly and calmly, she high-tailed it out of there. I followed, called, to no avail. Oh well, it was just a 10 minute walk from the barn...I took my helmet off and started to get going. Suddenly, the world seemed rather bright! I touched my face, and there were no glasses anymore. I had lost track of where exactly I came down, so after looking only briefly, I resigned myself to my fate and continued heading home. I'm a bit nearsighted, but not handicapped without spectacles.

Remember those utility crews, though? As I walked down the street, two guys came up with a horse that looked a lot like mine - all tacked up and no one to ride! I thanked the kind gentlemen for their assistance, gave Dita a severe beating, no, uhm, _glance_, right then and there, remounted, and told her that she'd just earned herself an _extra long_ ride for not waiting. 

So we went out some more. She was still nervous, but you better believe that both of my thighs were locked onto that saddle when we went faster than I can walk. No more steering the little beast at breakneck speed - it's "point-and-shoot": point her nose in the right direction and let 'er rip! 

Coming back to the barn, I tell my instructor the whole story. (She gave me a high-five for coming off because she'd never seen me come of a horse on the trail.) There was another woman there who was ready to go on a ride, so she said, "Let's go look for your glasses!" So we saddle up Dusty (the mule) for me, who is much better suited for a search-and-recovery mission than a TB, and out I go a second time. Not only did we find my glasses, I'm the one who actually found them! Yay!

However, now I was in the middle of another trail ride. Oh, and even the mules were a bit on edge today. Dusty was extremely bouncy and concerned. 

In any case, I got to the barn at 9:15 am, and by the time the second shift of horses was showered and taken care of, it was 3:00 p.m. I think I'll be sleeping like a baby tonight!


----------



## Smilie

Well, besides riding down the road around home, which I do several times a week< I have managed to go on three mountain hauls this year so far-thus slow start
Rivers are up, dirty and fast, so I don't cross them until I can see bottom.
That restricts rides to being more int he foothills. Went up an area called Bull Hill with my son and his girl friend. We saw a lot of feral horses, and quite a few foals in those herds. Of course, always the numerous deer pooping in and out.
I then went on a ride in the Klein lake area, with hubby, which is in the Panther area,, but keeping on the haul in side of the Panther River . Just had hoof boots on the horses at that point, and decided to have them shod again, after that ride, for the mountain riding season, LOL! 
We took the horse trail from the camp site, to the Klein lake access. Obviously, no one had been up it yet this year! Lots of deadfall, thus needed to go through some boggy area. That was when we took boots first off hubby, s horse, as one had been sucked off, held on only by the gator, flopping in front, setting up a real tripping issue!
At Klein lake, we found ahorse trail I had not been on for many years, that has lots of steep places. Apparently, no one else has been on it for along time either!
On one climb through thick trees, My horse introduced my left knee to a sharp tree branch I had failed to notice.! At least the injury was below my knee replacement scar.
tHIS PAST sUNDAY, I got hubby out again for a ride. The haul in was rather tricky, as it had rained lots, even snowed in the mountains.. 
We tried to find atrail we had never ridden before. Our dog found a cow elk, he insisted in chasing, but must have decided it was too big of a deer, and came back promptly when called
Monday was a sunny day, so I finally got out for a ride with my friend, who lives quite a bit east from me, and has a large cattle operation. They were done with calving and branding,so she could get away
Again, avoiding rivers, which were still up, we rode up Teepee Creek, where you can still get a great mountain view. Unfortunately, the forestry road in there had been re claimed, thus deep cat cuts in the road, with many being quite abrupt and steep, with water int he bottom the hroses felt they might need to jump. A few cuts were not enough, apparently, as I think we went through more then a doszen
Saw lots of wolf and grizzly tracks, plus some feral horses.
My dog always find s bone on any ride, and then carries it along, behind the horses, sometimes coming close to running an end of that bone into a leg.
|Drop it', falls on deaf ears, but he then does decide to travel further apart from us, just in case he really,really has to give up that bone
OOPs, guess that makes 4 2017 rides out west!
I have a few pictures that I have up loaded from my camera. Need to get a smart phone, I guess !


----------



## Smilie

Hubby and Rubix at Klein lake,which has really gone down, since the flood and when the natural dam was washed out



Wigwam



bear track



Nice easy stretch of that horse trail


----------



## Celeste

DH and I rode both yesterday and today. The horseflies were worse yesterday, but it was hotter today. I guess you know it's hot when the flies won't fly.

Yesterday: 3.2 miles
Today: 3.1 miles

*Total 112.1*

Picture 1 was yesterday.

Picture 2 and 3 were today.

2 we were passing by a creek.

3 The Princess was leading the way and very alert.


----------



## carshon

Finally got to ride (its been 2 weeks) the hot humid weather left and we had a gorgeous day! 4 inches of rain in our are from Thurs - Sat left most parks closed. we rode the "easy" park - had to cross a downed tree. I dismounted and cleared away what I could - the trail is between a ravine and the Rock River so steep banks on both sides. The tree had multiple forks so the horses had to step over various trunks. Tille was a rock star and walked over trunks knee high. Daugthers horse is 14.2H and the trunks were chest high. That horse will do anything for my daughter - with some encouragement daughter led her over the tree - not bad for a 20 yr old horse with an eye defect! and to make the experience even better Tillie let me lead her to the tree and mount from one of the trunks! That is HUGE for Turbo Tillie who would never stand to be mounted. Ended the ride gaiting the last 2 miles - just a great day. 6.4 miles and I have lost track of this years total.


----------



## PoptartShop

Went to Fair Hill on Saturday on my friend's horse.  She also walked her other horse (he is not rider-ready yet) because it was his second time out there. He was great!

Such a nice relaxing ride.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Two weekends ago, DH and I went down to Virginia for a ride. The whole story is in my journal.

I got to take Duroc out for a pre-ride:










During the competition itself:




























Last week, I got to ride Polo again.




























2017 mileage
...
6/8 duroc 3.05 miles 236 ft climb 4.3 mph 72F 1097.62 total miles
6/9 phin 16.79 miles 2229 ft climb 6.0 mph 68F 1114.41 total miles
6/15 polo 7.77 miles 732 ft climb 3.7 mph 86F *1122.18 total miles*


----------



## LoriF

I need to hurry up and retire so me and my horses can spend our summers up north. Glad you all are having so much fun though, love seeing all of the beautiful trails and countryside.


----------



## mmshiro

Summer time is stay-cation time in the teaching profession. I took Dita out for a little ride. Unfortunately, the trails were in bad shape after a number of strong storms had moved through the area. Except for one unscheduled dismount, it was a good ride, though. Hopefully, they'll clean up the woods so those parts of the ride get a bit more peaceful again!


----------



## Celeste

Ouch............


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I rode Sultan and ponied Phin. The whole story is in my journal.



















2017 mileage
...
6/15 polo 7.77 miles 732 ft climb 3.7 mph 86F 1122.18 total miles
6/22 sultan w/p 7.79 miles 1317 ft climb 5.5 mph 90F *1129.97 total miles*


----------



## tinyliny

where I ride, there are very few places that are straight enough for a long canter, let alone a canter even. we get short canters, but the undergrowth prevents one from see what's coming up on each side., and there are many walkers and joggers on the trails, so you just can't go all out.

Will Dita do anything resembling a nice trot? or is either a walk . . . . and rocket blasts.?


----------



## mmshiro

tinyliny said:


> where I ride, there are very few places that are straight enough for a long canter, let alone a canter even. we get short canters, but the undergrowth prevents one from see what's coming up on each side., and there are many walkers and joggers on the trails, so you just can't go all out.
> 
> Will Dita do anything resembling a nice trot? or is either a walk . . . . and rocket blasts.?


She does trot for me, but it's not her favorite gait. Trotting requires a bit of work on my part - lots of half halts when I feel her slipping into a canter, and I need to focus on keeping her together by slowing my posting, otherwise I'll get one of those annoying running trots. I trot her when I assess that the trail ahead is too iffy traction-wise (rocks, mud), or if I go through high grass where I can't look for holes in the ground. 

Gershwin, the Hanoverian I started riding on, is the other way around: Trotting is his absolute favorite. Instead of walking, he'll do one of those very slow trots like you'd see military horses do in a parade. I always feel like a General on him!


----------



## tinyliny

you are very lucky to have areas with places for such runs. where I ride, if someone goes blasting down the trail, that fast, they may easily cause an accident for another rider, since they can hear the clatter of hooves and get out of control excited, or a fast horse can come around the corner and meet another. I ride in an equestrian park, but there are so many people, over all, that we have to pick and choose the limited places to gallop. we do, however, trot all over the place. it's the only way to get any real excersize for our city horses.

this is what I saw the other day when my two friend were cantering ahead of me, around a corner. she fell due to a saddle slip, not any kind of sudden encounter with a walker or other rider, though. she was fine, and we laughed it off.


----------



## mmshiro

tinyliny said:


> you are very lucky to have areas with places for such runs.


Two reasons I'm so lucky: (1) It's not a park, but an area in the countryside with a boatload of horse farms, so there is a Trail Association that created a trail system running along the edges of hay fields and through wooded areas, and (2) since I started riding there, there were two occasions on which I saw other riders, nay! _people_, using those trails. No hikers, no bikers, no runners. 

Yes, it's a rarity - which is why my instructor (who also owns the horse I lease) attracts tourists from as far as New York City for guided trail rides. I don't even want to know how much she pays for her insurance!


----------



## egrogan

Have been out on a few rides of a couple of miles at a time, but it's been fairly boring to be honest because the woods trails seem unbearable right now with the amount of mud and bloodsucking insects out there. So we pretty much just do short loops out on the road, trying to go at times when the summer traffic isn't too bad. I am pining for the wide open fields we use to ride at the barn I left last year.

But this is what my view looks like these days:









And the awful deer flies come out of the woods to attack even when we're on the road. Grrrrr


----------



## Smilie

tinyliny said:


> where I ride, there are very few places that are straight enough for a long canter, let alone a canter even. we get short canters, but the undergrowth prevents one from see what's coming up on each side., and there are many walkers and joggers on the trails, so you just can't go all out.
> 
> Will Dita do anything resembling a nice trot? or is either a walk . . . . and rocket blasts.?


See for me, there is trail riding, and then there is just riding out. Thus, just riding out, sure, there are places I canter, as down the road, in forestry, across empty crop fields, but trail riding for me is mountains, and that very last thing you wish to teach your horse is to try and canter on those trails!
Sure, I have often long trotting, in stretches where it was safe to do so, making time, getting back to camp or out of the mountains by night fall 
For me that video of after the storm is nothing, but just an extremely mild example of what our horses negotiate, and if you have an idoit horse, that you have taught to canter on trials, that then decides to rush, where he has to watch each foot fall-good luck!

Not going to canter here, but what a view!



This, for me is trail riding, versus riding out









I realize not everyone can ride in these areas, but just pointing out that if you have a horse that you canter a lot of trails, because where you ride allows that, I don't want that horse as a true trail horse


----------



## Smilie

Not saying that if you can RIDE OUT, where it is okay to canter, and you enjoy doing so, that is fine, but here it is considered negative training for a really good trail horse


----------



## Celeste

@Smilie Beautiful pictures!


----------



## Celeste

My friend came out and we went on a short trail ride. It was too muddy to do much except walk along. The horseflies were terrible on the way out but not so bad on the way back. I don't see how they bite through all the stuff we spray on them. The swat really saves my mare's ears.

Today: 3.1 miles
*Total for year: 115.2 miles*


----------



## Smilie

Yes, those big horse flies are a major problem this time of year.
They are a double concern to me, as they get bad in the lower parts of the mountains this time of year, and where feral horses live, that are reservoirs of EIA
Those big horse flies, take enough of a bite, taht they are implicated in the transfer of the EIA virus, versus mosquitoes
One vet her suggests using something like bOSS, on horse you ride out west esp. Have not done so, but have found that high levels of DEET in some human bug sprays, also work best on horses


----------



## Celeste

Fortunately, there haven't been any reported cases of EIA in my area in years. That is a scary thought though. The horseflies really are worse after a rain. They seem to settle down once it got hotter.

I don't think they were actually biting through the spray; just annoying the horses.


----------



## mmshiro

Smilie said:


> See for me, there is trail riding, and then there is just riding out.
> 
> . . .
> 
> I realize not everyone can ride in these areas, but just pointing out that if you have a horse that you canter a lot of trails, because where you ride allows that, I don't want that horse as a true trail horse


Other than your attempt to define what a True Trail Ride (TM) is, I don't disagree with you. This thread (correct me if I'm wrong) is for people sharing having fun with their horses outside the arena, not to set standards of trail riding that others must follow. I really enjoy your pictures, and if you had put up a video I'd watch it, but your defining what a True Trail Ride (TM) is comes across as a bit prissy. 

If I "ride out" (your words) on a horse, it's my responsibility to give that horse the kind of ride it wants to do again. I happen to sit on an ex race horse - I didn't teach her to canter, she was _bred_ to canter. She was tossed aside by a racing stable and given to the stable where she now lives. Now I'm leasing her so she can have a nice retirement - unlike the OTTBs that are in the jumping show circuit, running tiny circles all day an crashing down on their front feet. I worked hard on my riding to be able to ride her in the field so we can have fun together. I'm not sure why you believe that my way of having fun with my horse has to compete with your way of having fun with yours, especially since I can perfectly understand how your rides are a blast, too.


----------



## evilamc

Heyyyyyy! Glad to see everyone riding!!! I'm slowly getting more ride time in.

My parents visited this weekend so I took mom riding at Lake Snowden and took her in the water. I rode bareback because I got an awesome new bareback pad and LOVE it! BOTh horses laid down in the water though!!! brats. Jax neverrrr has laid down before, guess it felt good! 

My purdy new pad!









From a ride last week


















Orianna having fun in the water with my mom  My mom thought it was the coolest thing ever. Shes only ridden Ori 3x now I think? And besides that only riding shes ever done is on like the little hour long guided trail rides.


















Today rode at Strouds run with friends. I FINALLY had a good ride at this place. This is place I got kicked at badly last year  I caved and bought a da brim....I totally recommend!









Also bought this cool cashel neck thing for flies! Jax approved! I accidently put it on too tightly at first though and he couldn't get his head down. Once I loosened it it was great. It helped so much, also recommend! Only thing I hated is I couldn't really grab mane 









A lot of the trail was up big rocky hills...so I like to grab mane!









I have a ton of pics from last few rides but I wont bore you with alllll of them! LOL!

According to my spreedsheet I'm up to 149 miles. My GPS is dead though I may be missing a ride or two. Its finally stopped raining every day I have off though...so if I don't get caught up in barn chores/work hopefully that number will go up a good bit!

Happy trails everyone!


----------



## carshon

@evilamc can I ask where you got the neck net? My daugthers horse HATES and I mean HATES the bugs when we ride. We douse her in spray she wears an ear bonnet and boots to keep them off of her legs but this may be the next best thing for her. My daughter rides English - do you think it would be OK with an English saddle?

Planning to ride tonight - supposed to rain the rest of the week.


----------



## PoptartShop

@evilamc sooo beautiful!  Love it!I love the colors too all that blue looks awesome.


----------



## evilamc

I got it here!
Cashel Quiet Ride Horse Hood Fly Neck Guard
If you wait a few days though they will probably have 15-20% off for 4th of July  I'd say it would work fine with an english saddle, you'd just tie it to the D rings still. 

Hopped on bareback tonight for a little stroll. 3 days in a row I got to ride! Yay!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got to ride Amish with my SIL.




























2017 miles
...
6/22 sultan w/p 7.79 miles 1317 ft climb 5.5 mph 90F 1129.97 total miles
6/28 amish 11.34 miles 1179 ft climb 3.7 mph 80F *1141.31 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

One of my riding buddies came out and we rode 5.6 miles. My horse even obediently went through a mud puddle up to her knees! I was very proud of her.

I am up to 120.8 miles for the year.


----------



## mmshiro

The wife and I went on a weekend trip to Plymouth, MA. We looked for a trail ride outfit and found a rescue farm that offered trail rides. Something to do and an excuse to throw some hay money at a rescue farm? Sign me up.

I got a 10 year-old horse that was repeatedly passed around and returned to the farm. I was warned that I'd have to "control" him...and control I did - either with a loose rein or with my seat and my ring fingers. After watching me ride him for an hour, the barn owner and trail guide inquired if there was any chance if I could adopt him, because we were "a team". I wish...but with a lease and two more horses my instructor made available to me for exercising them, I just can't, no matter how much of a man crush I have on the little guy.

Here's a short 2-min video of the farm and the ride. There's no drama in this one, neither with the ride nor with the scenery; just serenity.


----------



## Celeste

DH and I went out on a short (2.9) mile ride this morning. It was hot as hades. We were all soaked even though we kept the pace slow. 

I am now up to 123.7 miles for the year. I think these frequent but short rides are really starting to pay off. My horse is starting to act like a regular horse for the most part. She has been very fun to ride lately.


----------



## egrogan

We've had a string of beautiful days so I have enjoyed several hacks out. I've been riding with a quiet ride mask and some new fly spray (and bug spray for me) and it's made everything so much better! My horse is happy again :grin:

*Total 2017 miles: 56.5*


----------



## phantomhorse13

This weekend, DH and I were at an endurance ride here in PA. The whole story is in my journal.

The heat was supposed to break but momma nature didn't get that memo, but at least it didn't storm on ride day.





































2017 mileage
...
6/28 amish 11.34 miles 1179 ft climb 3.7 mph 80F 1141.31 total miles
7/2 phin 49.44 miles 5823 ft climb 6.4 mph 92F *1190.75 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

@phantomhorse13 I am only one decimal place behind you...............


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> @*phantomhorse13* I am only one decimal place behind you...............


You are actually ahead of me! I don't have 1208 miles yet.


----------



## Celeste

DH woke me up at 7:30 a.m. on my day off. Geez. It was actually just going to be such a hot day and he knew I wanted to ride.

He and I rode 3.1 miles on one of the trails on our place. My naughty little dog escaped her incarceration and followed us on the ride. I have never let her go before because I was afraid she couldn't keep up or that she would get hurt. She actually stayed ahead of us most of the way. We went really slow for her. She is a 15 pound mutt.

Yearly total is up to 126.8.


----------



## Oreos Girl

Celeste, you are braver than me. At 7:30 it is still too hot to ride for me right now.


----------



## SilverMaple

Avatar pic is from my ride the other day. 7 miles on the roads around where I keep my new horse.


----------



## Oreos Girl

Welcome to the group Silver. You will have to start posting more pictures of your rides now.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got out with Gina earlier in the week, riding Amish. The bugs were awful but the weather was lovely.




























2017 mileage
...
7/2 phin 49.44 miles 5823 ft climb 6.4 mph 92F 1190.75 total miles
7/4 amish 10.05 miles 1064 ft climb 3.6 mph 82F *1200.80 total miles*

@Celeste , you are still ahead! :wink:


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


>


Power lines - bad for the forest, good for riding everywhere! :grin:


----------



## mmshiro

Another perfect ride - and a different horse! One of the advantages of having an instructor too busy to ride all her horses regularly is that you get to help out with exercising them. This is Hamlet, QH x American Paint, ex track pacing pony. My instructor is on OTTB Red, a.k.a "Hot Rod", a.k.a "Solar Panel" in his former career.


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro My horse would have left a nice little pile of fertilizer on that neighbor's drive......

Looks like you guys had fun. It is so hot here that I wimped out on riding this morning.


----------



## carshon

@mmshiro Love your videos!


----------



## Celeste

One of my friends brought her horse out and we had a very nice dirt road to nowhere ride. We started out fairly early due to the heat. It was too wet to do much but let the horses walk, but we had a great time having a relaxing ride and talking about everything under the sun. 

Today: 5.6

*Total for year: 132.4*


----------



## carshon

Have had the best week of riding all summer. We rode Tuesday (4th of July) rode again on Friday (July 7) and then again on Sunday. It has been hot and humid here but we have braved the weather and ridden 3 different state parks this week. The deer flies were killing us! So we sprayed horses and people with Eco Vet and kept riding.

Tille is a rock star on the trail. I am starting to really love my new saddle (after some doubt) and we are racking up the trail miles. We are trying to gait, flat walk and canter each ride - hubbies green horse Belle had her best rides ever this week. No pics because of the photo bucket issue - but happy riders and probably not as happy sweaty horses.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today I got back on George!! Because he is barefoot, I wanted to stay as much in the fields as possible. The nice footing, however, meant we would be fair game for all the bugs!

I tried to stick to the field roads I knew had been mowed, but that wasn't possible all the time.



















The grass and weeds in this part of the "trail" was actually as tall as George!! I dumped a ton of grass seed out of my shoes when I got home.










2017 mileage
...
7/4 amish 10.05 miles 1064 ft climb 3.6 mph 82F 1200.80 total miles
7/10 george 8.43 miles 991 ft climb 5.7 mph 92F *1209.23 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Rode the Cadillac Saturday (Miss Lacy) and the bumpities on Sunday.....

Mr. Jack was perfect this ride...no rodeo! DW rode her Sunnyboy! That's seven times she's ridden this year! OMG!!!!

Anyway, 214.5 so far this year.....that's about 80 miles behind last year but it's been raining quite a bit on the weekends....

Oh yea....it's darn hot out.....not sure I'll get much more before September but we'll see....I'm ready for fall!


----------



## weeedlady

We rode on Saturday with MOHC at Cleveland Metro Parks Bedford Reservation. 14.4 miles. That gives me 76.3 for the year. Not a lot compared to most, but an all time high for this rookie, so I'm quite pleased.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have gotten some saddle time a couple days this week. The whole story is in my journal.






































2017 mileage
...
7/11 hombre 4.01 miles 171 ft climb 3.5 mph 85F 1213.24 total miles
7/13 george 9.28 miles 992 ft climb 5.8 mph 96F *1222.52 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

weedlady said:


> We rode on Saturday with MOHC at Cleveland Metro Parks Bedford Reservation.


I used to live in Twinsburg until 2007...I know the reservation well, but never saw horses there. How is the old Mistake By The Lake? I heard it's making quite the come-back!


----------



## LoriF

@knightrider her riding neighbor, a couple of other friends and myself met up in Shangri La on the south west side of Ocala Florida for some trail riding. It was the first time me and Laela have been there and it was a blast. Unfortunately I didn't take the opportunity to take photos except for on the land bridge going over I-75 but it is one of the prettiest trail systems that I have seen in Florida so far. I also got to ride Miss Diva Isabeau and she didn't like it at all but I thought she was pretty neat. 

We took a quick ride through the woods on Tuesday in the evening and of course Knightrider and I had no idea where we were but Laela knew the short cut back to camp. On Wednesday all of us rode to the land bridge which was about a two hour ride away. We had a picnic lunch and then headed back. It was a little more than Leala and I have been used to lately but it was such a beautiful ride that was mostly in the shade so it didn't seem so hot at all. Another thing that I loved was that there were no bugs to speak of. Now that was really nice. 

Anyway here we are on the land bridge. Not really good photos to show such a nice trail system but it's all that I took that day.

Sorry about the sideways photos


----------



## weeedlady

mmshiro said:


> I used to live in Twinsburg until 2007...I know the reservation well, but never saw horses there. How is the old Mistake By The Lake? I heard it's making quite the come-back!


 @mmshiro do you miss NE Ohio? :rofl: I live in Copley and I usually do my best to avoid Cleveland at all costs. I can't really say much about it one way or the other-except that it is too big a town for me! lol. 

I will say that the parks and trails are very nice and very well maintained. And lots of people seem to be using them. 

The Bridle Trails now actually go from one end of the MetroParks to the other.

The only reason I'm riding in the Cleveland MetroParks is because they are celebrating their 100 year anniversary. We are riding the "Emerald Necklace" end to end (in pieces and parts). If I complete the challenge by the end of December, I get dinner and an award. woo hoo!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got saddle time twice despite the insane temps (with real feels in the triple digits for most of the day :eek_color. 

First up was George:




























When DH finally got home from work, we got Sultan and Phin out:



























I don't know how those of you in the South survive.. :eek_color:

2017 mileage
...
7/18 george 10.19 miles 1805 ft climb 5.1 mph 103F 1232.71 total miles
7/18 phin 6.31 miles 1056 ft climb 4.6 mph 98F 1239.02 total miles


----------



## gunslinger

Phantom.....It's hot here for sure.....frankly, If I don't get out very early Saturday I probably won't ride....seems like it's going to be dangerously hot and to me and there's just no reason to do it as it seems more like a survival test than an enjoyable ride in the woods...

Weed lady......3 of my 6 grandchildren live in Burton Ohio....about 45 minutes SE of Cleveland.....


----------



## LoriF

phantomhorse13 said:


> I don't know how those of you in the South survive.. :eek_color:



We stay in the air conditioning as much as possible just like you guys stay in the warm indoors in the winter. Honestly, I don't do a whole lot of riding in the summer.

Right now I'm doing lath and plaster walls in the air and paying someone to mow my lawn. I work outside in this heat, by the time I get home I'm over it.


----------



## phantomhorse13

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




























2017 mileage
...
7/18 phin 6.31 miles 1056 ft climb 4.6 mph 98F 1239.02 total miles
7/20 george 6.73 miles 1068 ft climb 4.8 mph 96F *1245.75 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

One of my friends came out today to ride. I forgot to take pictures. We got a later start than we had planned, but we still had fun. I think that I have not posted several of my rides lately. Today was 5.6 miles. We saw 2 deer and a snake. We actually almost stepped on the snake because it was hidden in the grass. It was a harmless black snake.

We had a great ride in spite of the crazy heat. It was 93 with 55% humidity by the time we got back. The "real feel" was 103. I certainly enjoyed my nice cold shower after getting my girl bathed and put away.

My total for the year is up to *143.8 miles*.


----------



## egrogan

Haven't posted in this thread in a few weeks as I've been dealing with some issues with my horse. We've been riding, but mostly in the arena or just around the perimeter of the property. But I finally got back out on the woods trail today and got in a couple of miles while dive-bombed by deer flies. 

Western folks generally have the market cornered on livestock wrangling, but I'd like to propose that no one should underestimate a New England Morgan in a dressage saddle when it comes to herding wild turkeys off the trail :wink:









*Total 2017 miles: 60.6*


----------



## weeedlady

Raven and I rode with my cousin today at Malabar Farm and Pleasant Hill. A nice 3 hour ride. No idea of miles. I NEED to get an app!


----------



## egrogan

^^ Love that blue bonnet on your horse @weedlady!

PS-I use the "ViewRanger" app and it works fine for what I need. I do often feel like a dumb American though because it tracks in kilometers instead of miles. I can basically do the conversion in my head but also have the formula built into my excel spreadsheet tracking miles :wink:


----------



## carshon

@weedlady we use the Endomondo app. It is free and it has helped us get out of being lost as you can see a map of where you have been.


----------



## phantomhorse13

This weekend, DS and I went down to Virginia for the Ride and Tie World Championships. The whole story is in my journal. 

George and I had a blast riding the Equathon.


































2017 mileage
...
7/20 george 6.73 miles 1068 ft climb 4.8 mph 96F 1245.75 total miles
7/22 george 21.28 miles 2676 ft climb 5.6 mph 86F *1267.03 total miles*


----------



## weeedlady

That sounds good ^^^ I seem to get lost a lot. Well not really lost, I just end up on the following the wrong trails sometimes, lol.


----------



## PoptartShop

Wow that's a lot of mileage! That is great!  I LOVE the 2nd photo- you guys are matching!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Last week, DH and I hauled up to Maine for a multiday ride. Phin and I attempted back-to-back 50s for the first time. The whole story, with lots more pics and another video, is in my journal.



















































2017 mileage
...
8/1 phin 49.25 miles 1014 ft climb 6.9 mph 92F 1316.28 total miles
8/2 phin 54.57 miles 1371 ft climb 6.5 mph 95F *1370.85 total miles*


----------



## weeedlady

last Sunday (7/30) Raven and I rode with COHC at Cleveland Metroparks Bedford Reservation. I used the Endomondo App (thanks @carshon) to track the 9.47 miles in 2:33. I like this app. Its fun and simple! Here is a picture of Raven and I on that ride. Can you tell we are having fun?








I'm heading UP North and will be without my horse until the 20th, so that's it for me for awhile.


----------



## gunslinger

GF and I got a ride in this weekend....took the cadillacs and rode the bottom portion of the Sylco Creek trail in the Cherokee National Forest....

The weather was quite nice....67 when we left the house and with the full canopy and shade that goes with it, well, it was comfortable....who'd a thought that the first week of August would be so nice....

Looking forward to Labor day at Big South Fork....

238 miles this year....about 80 miles behind last year....


----------



## egrogan

Our trail mileage this summer has been limited as my mare just hasn't been herself for the last month or two. Finally got some answers last week- she was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease :frown: 

Luckily my vet is great and has actually gone through this with her own horse, so we have a good game plan. We start treatment today. 

We've been okay'd for light riding during treatment as long as my mare is feeling up to it. It was very cool here yesterday, only about 65*F, and she had a real spring in her step, so we went for a walk in the woods.










Mileage this year is going to be fairly minimal, but in the grand scheme of things, all I care about is having a healthy horse!

*Total 2017 miles: 67.2*


----------



## weeedlady

@egrogan Sorry to hear this, but at least you now have an answer and can treat her. Mileage is not so important in the grand scheme of things, is it?


----------



## carshon

@egrogan so sorry to hear about the Lyme's diagnosis


----------



## PoptartShop

Sorry again about her Lyme again @*egrogan* :sad: I am glad you got an answer though so now you know what is wrong.

Thursday, I took Camden on his first trail around the property at the rescue.  He's a 7yr old OTTB...HE WAS SO GOOD! He got a little hesitant around some big logs, but got over them easily. Such a good boy. His temperament is amazing.

Then I went and rode Cat on Friday night, with her cute fly bonnet LOL.  Was a nice weekend!
Cat is the first pic.


----------



## Celeste

I think that I have ridden 4 times since I posted. All of the rides were terribly hot except today. It was 80 degrees today, but the humidity was over 80%. The other rides were 90 degrees or so.

July 28 -- 2 miles, our ride was cut short by a copperhead laying in the trail. He wasn't going to move, and I wasn't going to argue.
July 4, 5, and 9th -- 3 miles each ride. 

The girls have been acting like regular ladies. (Princess did jump once today when a leaf hit her in the eye. I think it looked like a monster.)

Total for the year so far -- *154.7 miles*.


----------



## mmshiro

It's still warm in CT, but the humidity dropped. For this ride, my instructor brought her favorite "Hot Rod" along and took me on a "fun ride". When someone who's been riding for 50 years puts on her helmet and takes you for a ride that's fun for her, you know it'll be an adventure. I would not have had the confidence to go on that same ride all by myself. In that sense, it's more appropriate to talk about a "field lesson" than a "trail ride".

In any case, this is a kind of graduation video for me, because I am able to do anything I ever care to do with my horse. Just as with my motorcycle, I like things exciting, but I'm too risk averse to push the envelope and test my limits. I can now spend time to go back and really get solid at the basics, which is probably what helps my horse the most. However, I don't need any more advanced exercises on the flat, and I don't need any higher jumps, to spend quality time with that mare.

The entire ride was about 2 hours. I don't keep track of miles - it's about quality *time*, after all.


----------



## Celeste

I had the day off and nobody but me has been home. I thought about housework, paperwork that needs doing, etc. Then decided, nah...........

I went on a solo ride. It has take a long time for my horse to feel confident on the trail without another horse, but today she did great. It was too muddy to do much except walk and trot in a few safe places, but we did get out and ride before "heat stroke time" got here. 

Today: 2.9 miles.
Total: 157.6 miles

I was really proud of my girl. She was willing even in scary places. We heard a strange sound in the woods. I just patted her neck and told her it was ok, and she actually believed me.

Picture 1 is right as we were arriving home.

Picture 2 is the track. I could not get mapsource to see google earth for anything. So I opened google earth and got it to see mapsource. I just hope I remember what I did next time.


----------



## carshon

Finally got 2 ride after almost 2 weeks with no truck. The weather has been fantastic. We had too much rain in July and now in August have had no rain! So the trails were dusty - my horse was spooky and flighty for some reason. She jumped forward, backward, sideways and I think even straight up into the air for no apparent reason. My thighs are screaming at me today! Even with Tillie being a bit of a nit wit we had a good ride. Daughter was mad at her BF so I did most of the talking (teen age lover's spat!) we gaited, cantered and ACK even trotted! rode about 7 miles on my silly Torpedo of a horse - she even shied when we got back to the trailer and the mules 2 trailers down brayed! Silly Tillie!


----------



## gunslinger

I don't know what it is with August, but Miss Lacy, who's normally rock solid, was jumping around like a school girl on my last ride.

There were fresh hog signs, ruts, etc and I think they pigs must have been just out of sight in front of us....Miss Lacy hates wild pigs....bears, Elk, and deer don't bother her, but for some reason she really gets spun up about pigs...


----------



## Zexious

^Hopefully Miss Lacey will pipe down a little! 

Celeste -- I do love the photo :')
Glad to hear you had such a productive ride!

Thanks everyone for sharing!
As you all know, I live vicariously through you!


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> I don't know what it is with August, but Miss Lacy, who's normally rock solid, was jumping around like a school girl on my last ride.
> 
> There were fresh hog signs, ruts, etc and I think they pigs must have been just out of sight in front of us....Miss Lacy hates wild pigs....bears, Elk, and deer don't bother her, but for some reason she really gets spun up about pigs...


I don't blame Miss Lacy for her fear of pigs. When I was in veterinary school I learned that there are three types of terrifying animals that are much too scary to work on because they bite and make scary noises.

1. Pigs
2. Non-human primates (specifically orangutans - but I suspect the others are as bad.
3. Hamsters -- those devils have an extreme "bite the veterinarian" instinct


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I went over to Nicole's to ride a new-to-us trail. The whole story is in my journal.






































2017 mileage
...
8/2 phin 54.57 miles 1371 ft climb 6.5 mph 95F 1370.85 total miles
8/14 hombre/prada 9.29 miles 926 ft climb 3.7 mph 80F *1380.14 total miles*


----------



## Zexious

^Gorgeous!
And that tack, though! Always the trend setter!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Zexious said:


> ^Gorgeous!
> And that tack, though! Always the trend setter!!


How ironic.. people used to think my red tack was bright and eye catching.. then I started riding with Nicole (who makes tack, so the sky's the limit in terms of colors and bling!) :rofl:


----------



## Zexious

^I'm definitely one of those people! :')
Anything that's not the traditional chestnut/havana/black gets my heart all aflutter <3


----------



## Hang on Fi

Took my youngster on her first trail ride last weekend. I forgot her bridle, she's broke to ride/drive with a hackamore, so I lucked out that my halter had rings . She was phenomenal, so brave and did incredibly well. Lead more than she followed. I suffered a pretty significant fracture on my left humerus earlier this year from my main riding horse. So to return to this place for the first time on a green horse was a little nerve wracking  

Whip is purely for guidance as I use it to move her body from the ground. Just helps with the transition.


----------



## phantomhorse13

On Tuesday, I got George out. The whole story is in my journal.




























2017 mileage
...
8/14 hombre/prada 9.29 miles 926 ft climb 3.7 mph 80F 1380.14 total miles
8/15 george 11.87 miles 1928 ft climb 5.5 mph 86F *1392.01 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I went over to Nicole's to do some more exploring on the new trails in between sets of storms. I started out on Polo with Nicole on Hombre. Halfway, we swapped horses.























































We got back to the barn just as the first rain started falling, so the timing couldn't have been better!

2017 mileage
...
8/15 george 11.87 miles 1928 ft climb 5.5 mph 86F 1392.01 total miles
8/18 polo/hombre 11.86 miles 1160 ft climb 5.8 mph 91F *1403.87 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

I went on a solo ride today. When we first started out, there were some limbs that had fallen out of a dead tree. They had monsters hiding behind them. With a little bit of reassurance, she went on by and we had a nice ride. She really was not too nervous after we conquered the monsters.

I saw a deer running; by the time I aimed my camera, he was long gone. 

I was able to actually work on smoothing up her trot a bit. We cantered some. I wanted to do a nice, western lope but ----- that is going to take a bit more work. At least she wasn't trying to be a contender for the Kentucky Derby and she stopped as soon as I asked. 

It was a nice little ride. The temperature didn't get above 80 until we were through.

Today: 2.9 miles
Total: 160.5 miles


----------



## Hang on Fi

Hubby and I took another ride out to Nokesville this afternoon. Given this was Willow's second outing with a rider, the ride was incredibly short, but VERY satisfying. Her confidence level was totally different and whilst she was still concerned about the noises behind her, she did her best to remain brave. We went a little further than we did last time and boy is this girl sharp. She realized where we had stopped before (where the picture is taken) and when asked to move on, even with the threat of being left, she wasn't so sure of herself. Five minutes or so past our last "check-point" on the first trail we turned back since she was doing so well.

Our workout routine generally consists of at least a little bit of lunging, however, the arena at this trail was being occupied so I vouched for just getting on. No problem at all. Crossed the creek twice beautifully and even seemed a smidgen disappointed she didn't get to cross the bridge lol. Considering she goes out of her way to walk on the bridge at home, she must enjoy the "sound" eh? We headed to the bridge, but it was still damp and quite green so we vouched to turn back to avoid any slippage. 

I thought I was tilted, but the whole picture is tilted a little bit 

Aforementioned in my last post (but the pic poofed) the whip is strictly used for guiding her hips. We are improving the transition from whip/hip to leg, but this cue is clear and percise and has worked favorably under-saddle, limiting her miscommunication.

Probably was .75 a mile, but little late in the game for me to be logging her lol.


----------



## Celeste

Hang on Fi said:


> Probably was .75 a mile, but little late in the game for me to be logging her lol.


If you want to keep up with your miles, you should. You will be surprised how fast they will add up. Most of my rides are just little 3 mile rides. If you want me to make you an excel spreadsheet that will let you log your miles and add them up, send me a p.m.


----------



## Celeste

My friend came over and we too the girls out for a 2.9 mile ride. They were very well behaved. It was starting to get really hot by the time we got back. I will be so happy when fall arrives!

Total: 163.5 miles for year


----------



## mmshiro

Adventure today! My instructor took me out on a cross-country ride, so there was some jumping involved. While she knows that my goal is to take about 2-2.5 ft comfortably on my own, and maybe 3ft if I can just be a passenger on the horse (following the horse jumping before us), she thought I'd be ready for a 4ft fence - into an open field. Problem was, my horse was too eager to follow hers, didn't quite get under herself, and came in a bit flat, clipping the top of the jump with her hind feet. (The bruise was about 1 in above the coronary band, but below her boot.) 

Owing to that she came down heavy on the front and almost went down. While she caught herself, I lost my stirrups and went down on her neck. She recovered quickly and took off at a gallop while I was beginning to hug her neck, so I could get my butt centered in the saddle as quickly as possible. About halfway down the field, I made the decision to push myself up, as body surfing a horse did not seem such a good idea. (We are still galloping at that point.) I covered the second half of the field and stopped her, contemplating that I could really have bitten the dust (or grass) quite literally here.

So, I'll have to be a little bit clearer with my instructor about my risk tolerance. I want to be able to ride anything that is "normal" for a horse to do: all gaits, most spooks, jumping logs or fallen trees (not fences). I have neither the need nor the desire to push either of our limits to the point where the margin of error becomes dangerously small. 

Anyway, no footage...I didn't see that one coming.


----------



## egrogan

Well I had a much more sedate ride yesterday than @mmshiro! Another boarder did some trail clearing on Saturday so I got to take advantage of his handiwork Sunday afternoon.

This wicked looking downed tree was not safe for my little old girl to go over- to the left of it is a pond, and the right a rock incline with lots of roots. (That's my riding buddy trying to lead her horse over it a couple of weeks ago)









Other folks at the barn with more agile horses have jumped it, but that just wasn't safe for us, so it was essentially a dead end.

But, fellow boarder brought his chainsaw out and cleaned it all up, removing all the spikes and taking out half the trunk, so it's still a jump for those who want it but the rest of us terrestrial beings can just go around now. Lovely!









That opened up a nice trail around the pond. We got some pretty views of the pond before looping back. 


















*Total 2017 miles: 72.1*


----------



## carshon

Hubby daughter and I rode on Saturday - we had a lovely ride! As we were tacking up a fairly large group or riders passed by and asked my daughter to take their picture - I asked if they were a trail riding club and they are! Actually they are a part of a Facebook Group called Old Cowgirls Never Die - they just keep riding. They were joking with my daughter who mentioned that her birthday was the next day - so they sang happy birthday to her. It was so much fun and just something memorable. Hubbies horse was a gem - he has been working hard at his lessons on side passing and body control and she did it! He was just so proud of her. Tillie started out at her normal speed demon pace and then for whatever reason (only known to Tille) she became super spooky on the trail. Literally spooking at nothing. Even spinning into hubbies horse when we passed a downed log. It was enough to send me over her shoulder where I grabbed onto hubbies horse and righted myself - nice bruise now to. So hubby led the rest of the park - which made Tillie mad because she does not like to be in the back. Made hubby even prouder because his horse would never lead. 

We rode the park in record time 1 hour 43 minutes and 7.86 miles. Overall - it was a great ride. Tillie's spookiness was probably caused by lots of deer moving around in the woods and tons of people on the trails. 

I have not been tracking yearly miles but the last month has been slow for riding at about 1 ride per week. Ready for fall and more riding time!


----------



## carshon

Hubby daughter and I rode on Saturday - we had a lovely ride! As we were tacking up a fairly large group or riders passed by and asked my daughter to take their picture - I asked if they were a trail riding club and they are! Actually they are a part of a Facebook Group called Old Cowgirls Never Die - they just keep riding. They were joking with my daughter who mentioned that her birthday was the next day - so they sang happy birthday to her. It was so much fun and just something memorable. Hubbies horse was a gem - he has been working hard at his lessons on side passing and body control and she did it! He was just so proud of her. Tillie started out at her normal speed demon pace and then for whatever reason (only known to Tille) she became super spooky on the trail. Literally spooking at nothing. Even spinning into hubbies horse when we passed a downed log. It was enough to send me over her shoulder where I grabbed onto hubbies horse and righted myself - nice bruise now to. So hubby led the rest of the park - which made Tillie mad because she does not like to be in the back. Made hubby even prouder because his horse would never lead. 

We rode the park in record time 1 hour 43 minutes and 7.86 miles. Overall - it was a great ride. Tillie's spookiness was probably caused by lots of deer moving around in the woods and tons of people on the trails. 

I have not been tracking yearly miles but the last month has been slow for riding at about 1 ride per week. Ready for fall and more riding time!


----------



## phantomhorse13

On Monday, I got both George and Sultan out. It was the only day this week I had available to ride, so I had to brave possible blindness from the eclipse. :wink: The whole story is in my journal. 














































2017 mileage
...
8/21 george 11.08 miles 1178 ft climb 6.2 mph 91F 1414.95 total miles
8/21 sultan 12.04 miles 1842 ft climb 5.4 mph 89F *1426.99 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

I took my horse out for a solo ride today. She was better than ever. She had absolutely no resistance to leaving her buddy at home. She was pleasant and confident. (We did get one little spook in place at a noise.)

I have been trying to get her so that she can canter without thinking she is trying out for the Kentucky Derby. According to the GPS, her canter was 9.7 mph today. I have never gotten her to slow it down that much before. She did put a bit too much energy into it so that it was not as smooth as a nice little western lope, but I am tickled to death at how well she did do. We maintained the canter for 0.2 miles at a steady constant speed and then she slowed to a walk nicely when asked. That may not sound like much of an accomplishment to most of you, but to me it is huge.

Today: 2.91 miles
Total for year: *166.4 miles*


----------



## egrogan

My mare is starting to really improve with her Lyme treatment, so have had some pretty good rides the past few days as we start to build back up her condition. Her attitude is markedly better and she's moving more comfortably, so fingers crossed we've turned a corner!




























*Total 2017 miles: 75.9
*I think my goal at this point is to get to 100 miles this year, which should be possible. Last year I did about 135.


----------



## gunslinger

Carshon, don't know what it is about August...even Miss Lacy's been a bit spooky.....

Celeste, nothing like a nice smooth walking horse rocking chair canter....

Now....the good news....DW mounted Sunny Boy from the ground yesterday.....and rode 8 miles ....this is her and Sunny's 8th time out this year..a short ride for us...but..YEAH! Maybe the knee replacement and back surgery are finally starting to rehab effectively....

So, yesterday was a bumpity day....Mr. Jack did pretty good....no rodeo.....still, he's refusing me from time to time....which just drives me crazier than I already am....

Taking Miss Lacy and headed to Big South Fork for labor day...

264 miles for the year....


----------



## Celeste

I didn't get around to posting last night. After my morning ride, my daughter came over and wanted to ride. She was a little nervous because the last time she rode, she was on someone else's 17 hand draft cross (that she was considering buying) and that devil did a rodeo show, threw her off, broke her rib, and bruised her backside. Then he came and charged as if trying to kill her. Needless to say, that sell didn't go through.

Anyway, she did a good job but admitted that she was nervous. We only rode two miles because it was almost dark.

That puts me up to *168.4 miles.*


----------



## weeedlady

I rode on Saturday in the Cleveland Metro Parks, adding another 10 miles and 4 check points to my Emerald Necklace Challenge. Hopefully, here are a couple pictures. Despite the look on my face (what is that about?) we had a really great time.


----------



## carshon

Had another great ride on Friday. The afternoon was just perfect- the horses were well behaved - although Tillie seems to still be suffering from some sillies. Hubby is loving his mare more and more and her gait is getting better and better. I still have not found a way to post pics without photo bucket. But the scenery was gorgeous!


----------



## Celeste

carshon said:


> Had another great ride on Friday. The afternoon was just perfect- the horses were well behaved - although Tillie seems to still be suffering from some sillies. Hubby is loving his mare more and more and her gait is getting better and better. I still have not found a way to post pics without photo bucket. But the scenery was gorgeous!


I just made a detailed post about putting up pictures. It is HERE


----------



## phantomhorse13

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




























2017 mileage
...
8/21 sultan 12.04 miles 1842 ft climb 5.4 mph 89F 1426.99 total miles
8/28 george 12.01 miles 1314 ft climb 7.4 mph 73F *1439.00 total miles*


----------



## Oreos Girl

I finally got my first trial ride for the fall in on Sunday. It was a short 4 mile ride up at our favorite location of 1099. The trail hadn't been really ridden since spring so it was somewhat overgrown. I am going to try to post pictures from google photos which doesn't have an embed option so if nothing shows up that is why.

https://goo.gl/photos/kTRzL1LnTKmo8AUH9

https://goo.gl/photos/M2TANDDcir3B63Wi6

PH, how are you embedding your photos now that photobucket wants money?


----------



## phantomhorse13

Oreos Girl said:


> PH, how are you embedding your photos now that photobucket wants money?


I am using Flickr, which is still free but tends to change how stuff works every so often just to be confusing. There is another free site I found called imgbox (just in case Flickr starts charging, too), but I haven't done much experimenting with it yet.

In order to get the right link from Flickr, you have to pick the embed code, then pull the actual img code out of the mess. I tried to find a similar thing for the pics you linked, but do not see that option in the public view. Perhaps you do as the account owner?

The embed link from Flickr comes out looking like this:

<a data-flickr-embed="true" data-header="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/3TEU5R" title="8-29-17 phin"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4417/36504396010_3b12e08be7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="8-29-17 phin"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


The part I turned red is the code for the actual pic, so what you would cut and paste into the picture icon thing here on HF.

Your pics didn't come through, which is a bummer cause I was curious to see them!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Phin out. He was very.. animated. The whole story is in my journal.




























2017 mileage
...
8/28 george 12.01 miles 1314 ft climb 7.4 mph 73F 1439.00 total miles
8/29 phin 6.89 miles 1042 ft climb 4.1 mph 62F *1445.89 total miles*


----------



## gunslinger

Oreos Girl said:


> I finally got my first trial ride for the fall in on Sunday.


Fall, it's August in Georgia? Granted, we've had some September like weather this august...but still, I'm looking forward to jacket weather.


----------



## Drifting

It has been awhile since I posted in this thread. I don't even know how many miles I've ridden this year, not a ton but more than 10 I'd guess ( maybe even more than 20)! 

Anyway, the last 30 days have been busy busy for me. I got a truck a few weeks ago, and two weeks ago I hauled my butt two hours down the road and purchased a trailer. A 1998 Featherlite with a dressing room. This last weekend I took it for an inaugural run. Not only the first time that I hauled the trailer with a horse, but the first time Stryder and I have hauled out solo - and rode the trail solo. 

I only had to get off three times to lead him through a ''scary'' patch. Generally I'd rather not have to get off, but these trails are narrow, rocky, usually with steep sides and not a good place to fight a horse. I took the easy route and just dismounted, wanting to keep the ride relaxing.

The first time was a small 5" hole in the middle of the trail that Stryder swore was a giant canyon. So I got down and walked him over it. Good thing too because 2 seconds later, two mountain bikers came careening behind us and spooked him. He actually doesn't mind bikes and was fine as soon as he saw what it was, but neither one of us knew they were there till they were almost on us. Then I spent the next 5 minutes explaining to him that no, we were not going to follow the bikers (once I found a rock to climb back up on him.) 

The second time we hit a creek and I got off to walk him over it. It wasn't even a deep creek. Big baby. The third time was a PATCH OF SUNLIGHT. He swore it was another canyon ready to eat him, so I got off and walked him past - which turned out to be good timing because around the bend was another creek, ha. 

Anyway, we did about 3 miles and survived. He got a little sketchy on the way back to the trailer when we passed other horses. He did not want to leave them, but we managed. So yay for being independent on the road and able to go out without buddies, though I am looking forward to meeting up with some friends so Stryder can have a more trail savvy horse show him the ropes.


----------



## Celeste

@Drifting You were very brave to go out solo for the first time! Stryder is really pretty.


----------



## Celeste

@phantomhorse13 You said I need to think about changing the Psycho Princess's nickname. That may still be a bit premature.......

She really wasn't that bad considering. All this rain brought in tons of horseflies. She was coated down with spray, but they were biting her anyway. I went out for a solo ride. She did everything I asked for; she just was a bit rude about it. 

She kicked her belly, swished her tail, shook her mane around, and was in general really nervous. Because she was in a bit of a hurry on the way back home, we passed the normal entrance and took a slightly longer way home. Oddly enough, that didn't make her mad. 

I wish I had not sent my camera inside by DH to keep it from getting wet when I washed her up. She just had a ball drinking out of the water hose spray nozzle. She played with the water stream with her mouth and kept sticking her tongue out and licking the water. It was really cute.

Today: 3 miles
Total for year: 171.4 miles


----------



## phantomhorse13

On Thursday, I got some saddle time with my SIL and Amish.

We wandered over to the main farm and briefly watched the changing of the tires:









Then, we moseyed around the Sugarloaf:









We did some exploring on the newly mowed paths in one of the old hayfields: 









2017 mileage
...
8/29 phin 6.89 miles 1042 ft climb 4.1 mph 62F 1445.89 total miles
8/30 amish 6.39 miles 795 ft climb 3.8 mph 74F *1452.28 total miles*


----------



## csimkunas6

This was from a few weeks ago, was about a 15mi trail ride or so....love the wooden bridges! Rails to Trails. West Virginia


----------



## carshon

Lots of riding this weekend. I had Friday off of work so DH and daughter and I rode at a local park. We had tons of fun splashing each other at water crossings and gaiting in their prairie restoration area. The ride was only about 7 miles though. Tillie still has the sillies. Spooking at everything and nothing. Oddly enough I had gone to see a psychic the day before the ride and had a pic of Tillie and I for my reading and she asked if Tillie has been really spooky lately and I said Yes! She said that something or someone had gotten into her pen and scared her badly and shook her confidence so I need to baby her until she gains it back. She also told me that Tillie would live to be in her late 20's and we would ride together for many many more years. YEah!

On Sunday Daughter and her BF and I took off to another state park for a ride. This park was packed! And no matter what side trail we took we kept coming up behind a man and wife on their horses - her horse was not happy when we would ride up behind them - we kept a good distance behind but her still kept walking sideways and gave an occasional little buck. I told her we would pass them if she liked (our gaited horses were none to happy to have to actually stop on the trail and wait 5 min or so for them to ride ahead only to get right behind them again) but she declined and said her horse would just have to get over it. So at the next juncture we took the really long loop and they were headed back to their trailer. We rode that loop and headed back to the trailer only to find that we were parked next to this man and wife and her horse gave our horses the stink eye the entire time and swished his tail. Thank goodness we were parked far enough away no shenanigans took place. Rode another 7 plus miles. 

On Monday took daughter and her friends out for a ride. This friend does not get to ride much and our poor Appy mare was pooped out from trotting and loping to keep up with our gaited horse the day before. this mare also had Navicular but a shot of Osphos and Ground Control shoes has made a world of difference for her. We headed out and poor Ya Ya was really trailing behind. Daugthers horse was really not feeling it either. Tillie was her usual Turbo self and left everyone behind. We rode a couple of miles and just decided that we all had had just about enough so headed back to the trailer. Only 5.8 miles on Monday - lots of spooking on Turbo Tillie (AKA Silly Tillie) but just happy to be out on a horse.

3 state parks over 3 different rides. Weather is really dry (we are experiencing a slight drought now) but the trails are magnificent.


----------



## csimkunas6

Rode with the BO yesterday, which was great because as a BM its basically like a business meeting thats actually enjoyable :-o But anyways, got another 15mi in, that seems to be our average distance every ride. Hopefully Ill be riding my other gelding Rodeo shortly, but for now a few pics from the back of Ace 

Our ride was pretty great, found a new trail and got permission to ride on several new ones, well actually about 700acres throughout the year minus hunting season so thats pretty exciting! Pics in West Virginia, wish it was less cloudy as far as pics go but pretty perfect weather for riding lately!


----------



## egrogan

Shorter distances per ride for us as my old girl continues to recover, but we've done a couple of miles a day every day since last Friday. Today is my last day of vacation, unfortunately. I started to get pretty used to riding every day!

A few shots from the roads and woods over our long weekend:



























And just because she's so cute when she gets an apple :grin:









*Total 2017 miles: 87.5*


----------



## Celeste

Yesterday was my birthday and I was looking forward to a nice ride with DH. He went out to the barn and came back in and told me that my Princess was 3 legged lame. She had a swollen fetlock. I gave her some bute. It didn't make her feel all that much better, but it decreased the pain enough so that I could feel of the fetlock. Everything seems to be solid. Even though I am a vet, I mostly do small animals now and sold my portable x-ray machine ages ago. I decided to give her some prednisone and see how she did. It took the swelling down radically within a few hours. She is still lame, but with rest and medication, I hope she will be ok.
(I am glad I survived that without having a stroke myself.)

All that to explain why I rode my old girl - 30 years old, been there done that horse - Abby. I have wanted to see how my dog would do on a trail ride. She has that border collie herding instinct and I was afraid that she would get me thrown if I was riding my other horse. It didn't take her but a few threats from Abby to figure out that we were out for a fun ride.

I tried take a round about trail that I used to ride. It was so grown up, that I got lost. Things finally worked out when I turned the navigation over to Abby.

Yesterday: 3.4 miles
Total for year: 174.8 miles

The first picture is the track of my ride.
The second picture is what I planned to do.


----------



## egrogan

Happy birthday @Celeste! Mine was last Tuesday :grin:

Hope your mare gets feeling better soon. I loved your graphics- I have definitely been there too.


----------



## Celeste

@egrogan Happy Birthday!


----------



## gunslinger

Haven't updated in awhile now.......lots happened...

First the Big South Fork trip....a dying hurricane Harvey sat over Big South Fork all day Friday, and all day Saturday.....Saturday we drove over to Onida and visited the local tack store....I bought some jingle bells thinking I'll put them on Miss Lacy for the few Christmas parades we'll get to ride.....Now to figure out how to introduce her to them....From Onida we drove over to Muddy Pond, a local Amish community......they have marvelous fried pies...and Cinnamon rolls....We rode Sunday....17 miles on the trails south of Timber Ridge Horse camp....Monday morning Miss Lacy had a sore back.....sigh....so we packed up and came home....

Which brings me to this weekend.....GF and I loaded bumpties and headed down to the Chickamauga National Battlefield.....Mr. Jack was pretty darn good....I was quite proud of him actually..nothing phased him and only had one hard spook while he was on the front.....He's getting better....and I'm starting to enjoy riding him.....thankfully.......then came the trailer ride home.....

It was bad.....as I sat under the underpass waiting on the light to turn....the trailer started bouncing....Mr. Jack paws sometime and while this was exceptionally hard I really didn't think much about it....

I got about 10 miles, and back in the promised land....when a car pulled up beside me and started pointing to the trailer.....Not good....so I immediately pulled over on a 5 lane interstate.....only to find Mr. Jack in the other side of my two horse straight load with his head sticking out the back of the trailer.....blood above his left eye...a gash below the eye lid, and a 2 inch (or so) gash on the left center of his nose....

So here I am.....thinking how in the heck he could have possibly done that, and what to do next......5 lanes......heavy traffic as the Florida tags streamed by and I'm thinking I need to unload him and load him back in so he wouldn't jump out of the trailer....(I had the top doors off so only the fold up ramp was preventing it)... 

I was also thinking that If I dropped the ramp he might bolt and possibly wind up in the middle of the interstate and hit by a car....but I didn't think I had much choice.....so I got a lead rope on him and dropped the ramp....then lowered the butt bar....

Danged horse walker right off like nothing was happening and went straight to nibble the grass on the side of the highway.....So I just stood there and let him graze for what seemed like a few minutes..as the cars and truck streamed by at 65 mph or so......then asked him to load back up....and he just walked back in.....(All my horses load themselves...) So, at least he's back in the trailer and his head and rear are pointed the correct direction! I said a prayer thanking god for the good fortune.....as this could have been bad....

I gave him some bute when I got him home and put some blue coat on him before letting him out in the pasture.....and again when I put him up for the night....

Mr Jack looks like a war horse.....but otherwise seems okay....bloods still oozing a bit out of the gash this morning but he's eating good and when I let him out of his stall this morning he took off to the hay ring with a nice little buck and then galloped up the hill to the hay.....he's milled around all day...everything seems normal....If he's sill oozing tomorrow he's going to the vet....

So the ten dollar question is how did he manage to do this? I loaded him on the drivers side of the trailer...(yes, head first)... I think he broke the lead rope in the trailer....and dropped his head under the front butt bar....when I braked for the red light he came forward under the bar and then pulled himself under the passenger side bar and eventually wound up in the passenger side, facing to the rear....

So, GF says use some ointment on the gashes for a few days....DW says let it dry out.....I personally think he needs a dose of antibiotics along with some antibiotic ointment....

So, the weather's cooling....it's riding time, and my horses are hurting....after struggling to ride in august, I've been really looking forward to the fall....

Next long ride will be Abrams Creek in the Great Smokey Mountains in October....Miss Lacy needs a few mountain miles before that....

Celeste.....My birthday was Friday....

289 miles for the year....


----------



## gunslinger

DW took Mr. Jack to the vet this morning.....he got 7 stitches to close the gash on his nose.....

Vet said he was lucky to be alive....as he could have easily broken a leg....

The vet told her he's seen a lot of horses do stupid stuff in trailers....


----------



## carshon

@gunslinger so sorry to hear about Jack's trailer gymnastics. Horses do the oddest things sometimes. Glad he is OK though


----------



## Zexious

gunslinger -- Oh my goodness, what a scary situation!
I'm just so glad to hear he's not much worse for the wear. 

Happy birthday, Celeste!

I hope everyone had a great weekend !


----------



## Celeste

@gunslinger I know what you mean about looking forward to the nice weather and then the horses are hurting. I old Abby really can't go far or fast. And now the Princess twisted her fetlock. She is much better, but I think she will require about 2 weeks off. 

Rather than stressing out about being locked up in the barn, she is happy as can be. I had to put Abby up to keep her company. She hates to be alone.


----------



## phantomhorse13

So sorry to hear about injuries to horses.. very glad it wasn't any worse. If only both could talk to explain just what the heck happened!!


This past weekend, DH and I went up to New York state for an endurance ride. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal.










































2017 mileage
...
8/30 amish 6.39 miles 795 ft climb 3.8 mph 74F 1452.28 total miles
9/9 phin 49.84 miles 4332 ft climb 6.7 mph 63F *1502.12 total miles*


----------



## Zexious

Absolutely gorgeous, phantomhorse! The white, red, and green images are so stunning ;o;
Thank you for sharing!!


----------



## carshon

Took the day off of work yesterday to ride with friends. We normally ride just hubby, daughter and I so the opportunity to ride with other horses is always a plus. Tillie was her usual forward self and led most of the way- we were all riding gaited horses but Tillie seems to be fast even for a gaited horse. We rode about an hour and half and then took a lunch break. It was just hubby and I as DH had school. Tillie and Belle stood at the trailer and ate their hay as we chit chatted with our friends. After lunch we did more riding on some steeper trails. Belle started lagging behind and Tillie decided to keep her company. It is good for Tillie to not be the leader. Only issue was friends horse does not like horses riding behind her - lots of tail swishing and evil mare glare but no kicking. Friend just purchased this horse a month ago and said it was good for her to ride with other horses as well. Rode another hour and half and hubby and I headed to the trailer. Belle drank out of a stream for the first time ever on a ride- we were so happy - she tends to not want to urinate or eat or drink away from home - we have a ride coming up the first weekend in Oct that is a 17mile loop and the park is about 2.5 hours from our house. All of the horses will have to eat, drink and go potty away from home. Last year Belle did not pee or drink in the over 12 hours we were gone. This year we are hoping she has relaxed enough to do those things.


No mileage for this ride - daughter is the one with the smartphone and trail app/.


----------



## Zexious

Looks like a gorgeous trail and a fun day!
Fingers crossed Belle continues to make "progress!" Isn't it so funny how horses can be finicky about those types of things, just like people?


----------



## carshon

More riding yesterday. We are experiencing a moderate drought so the trails have been open at all of the parks we ride at. We were invited to ride with a group of friends at Governor Dodge State Park in WI the first weekend in Oct. The main loop is about 15 1/2 miles long. We regularly ride about 8-10 miles each ride but want to make sure the horses are conditioned for this longer ride so we are riding every chance we get. Our main concern is that the temps have been abnormally warm and the horses are growing winter coats. It was 85 here yesterday and my daughters horse was quite lathered up after 8 1/2 miles of riding. She is 20 yrs old and in great shape but we do not want to stress her overly much.

Tillie Mae is still suffering from the sillies and has shied at anything and everything - but now she shies and then prances - so I think she is just full of energy. We rode the 8 miles in 1 hour and 56 minutes - Tillie barely broke a sweat! We have plans to ride Tomorrow and again on Friday - 

Love the falling leaves but feels weird to ride on crunchy leaves in a tank top!


----------



## egrogan

The temps rocketed up into the 80s here as well @carshon and Isabel was soaked after riding just three miles - poor thing had white foamy lather between her little butt cheeks :redface:



carshon said:


> Love the falling leaves but feels weird to ride on crunchy leaves in a tank top!


I had the same experience- it _smelled _like fall, but I knew I was getting a sunburn! Weird weather.


----------



## mmshiro

It's been two weeks since I sacrificed my helmet in the pursuit of a concussion, and this last weekend was the first time I rode my girl Dita again. The weekend before I rode a more laid-back paint gelding I kind of helped training and riding, and he took good care of me as expected.

I had a lot of time and incentive to think about risk mitigation in my hobby, and I have come to an important conclusion: I prefer riding alone, and I must be judicious in choosing the people I do ride out with. Last Saturday illustrated this very vividly: Since I lost my stirrup during my brush with the fence post and the subsequent gallop, my instructor lent me a new pair for my first ride. It turned out that (a) the stirrups were too small for my feet, so I could just about support my toes in them, and (b) before riding out, I forgot to tighten her girth, which I only noticed after the ride when I wanted to loosen it for her. (Yes, I could have turned around and fixed it, but once I was on, it was important to me psychologically to at least complete an abbreviated ride, even under less than comfortable conditions.) So I took Dita solo on a short, 45min, w/t/c ride. Did anything happen? No. Did I even lose balance at any point? No. Was she a good girl, predictable and level-headed at all times? Yes! (Also, do I have fitting stirrups now? Yes! 


All bad rides I had, I had with people who can't stay calm with their horses. I have never come home from any solo ride thinking, "Wow, that horse was just a mess today!" - and I've been out on four different horses with different personalities and temperaments. It doesn't matter if it's people who are fearful, or people riding high on adrenaline and the need to prove something to themselves – if someone induces anxiety in _my_ horse because of the way they act, or cause their horse to act, I will not go out with them anymore. 

Fast forward Monday, a two-hour ride with Dita...with proper stirrups and appropriately tightened girth. How chill were we going through the woods? Two does (i.e. deer) watched us walk by at about 30m distance without so much as flinching, let alone running. I even said "Hi" to them! 

Dita still got to trot, canter, gallop, and jump, but calmly, deliberately, and - by OTTB standards - safely. There were the normal risks, but she did not act as scatter-brained as I know she can be "with the wrong crowd".

So anyway, I know there will be pouting at the farm because not everyone is comfortable going out by themselves, but this is what I took away from my first real (i.e. followed by ER visit) horseback accident: More than a helmet, boots, knee pads, or a ballistic vest, riding a calm and focused horse will keep me safe.


----------



## gunslinger

Mr. Jack went back to the vet yesterday....he said to bring him back Saturday to get his stitches removed....

Miss Lacy went too....as the result of a kick she got in the ribs over labor day....a hematoma....so she's out for at least another couple of weeks.

Sigh....


----------



## carshon

@mmshiro hard falls due tend to bring about some soul searching. And I agree with your assessment that high strung riding partners whether man or beast can make the ride more complicated. I know your barn has the Gallop hill and I am guessing that many horses have learned to anticipate this hill and some shenanigans ensue because of that anticiapation. My family has a strict rule of not cantering up every hill - because that one time I need my horse to walk up a hill they would be a chargy light in the front end mess because they are used to running up the hills.

Glad that Miss D was a good girl and that you are none the worse for wear from your fall.

@gunslinger - sorry about the vet visits- I hope all are well soon


----------



## PoptartShop

Great pictures. 

Tonight I'm going for a trail. It's like 84F here...need to get in the shade. LOL. I'll try to get some pictures!


----------



## mmshiro

carshon said:


> [MENTION=253201]My family has a strict rule of not cantering up every hill - because that one time I need my horse to walk up a hill they would be a chargy light in the front end mess because they are used to running up the hills. Glad that Miss D was a good girl and that you are none the worse for wear from your fall.


I don't think anticipating that hill is that big a deal anymore. It's been a while since we (my instructor and I) started, but we put the fast horses at the farm through some "torture" on that hill:

- walking up the entire hill
- collected trot up the entire hill
- galloping only the second half
- galloping only the first half
- ignoring it altogether when we pass at the bottom

I did notice that Dita developed some anticipatory tendencies on the trail - somewhat my fault, of course, because (a) sometimes it's really convenient to just be a passenger, and (b) if she asks me to speed up and the terrain is safe, I find it hard not to let her because it's fun for me, too. Lately, I've been forcing myself to do the unexpected more often, even if it's just walking around a few trees rather than go straight along the trail, to keep her thinking and paying attention. It's an important issue, but ultimately a separate one, because even an eager and "proactive" Dita was never a safety concern for me - I never had to fight/correct her when I had a plan different from the one she proposed, and that includes going home and right _past_ the barn entrance - the ultimate disappointment for any trail horse.

Before I leased her this past May, she was ridden by a variety of people who valued her for her speed - basically a dirt bike with hair. She didn't have a "human", which is why she was given to me. (My instructor was a not-so-subtle match-maker in this pairing.) My task is to create a horse that uses her speed when it's safe and fun for her and me, not because she feels it's expected of her. I think for a race horse with minimal after-track training, she's a real sweetheart.


----------



## PoptartShop

Went to the rescue last night, & we rode over to the orchards.  
Camden did SO well for his first time there!  It's a gorgeous ride. We even galloped!


----------



## mmshiro

A blast from the past today - July, to be exact. I went out early so I could get my ride in before the day's temperatures reached their max. Last time I had to do that was in July...

Other than that, perfect solo ride with Ms. D. today – we did it all: walk, trot, canter, gallop, jump; dirt roads, fields, woods, underbrush; grab-some-mane uphills and slide-on-your-butt downhills. I did a bit more work on her anticipation: We went to one of her favorite hills (a long field) and walked all the way up, then walked all the way down the short side beyond the top. Despite her visible impatience, she wasn't "thoroughbreddy" at all, and responded to the lightest of rein inputs to keep her speed. I turned her around and..._trotted_ her up the short side, walked her down the long side. By the time we got back to to the "start gates", she was ready to fly - and so she did! 

I didn't _always_ manage to put my foot down on the speed issue...on one woods trail she wanted to speed up, and looking at the trail I felt that it really would be fun to blast down on it, so we did. I even got a rationalization for it: Of course I want her to feel that her input is appreciated and not always shot down, right? Right? I do want her to keep thinking, not shutting off and plot along like a machine. I think it's a pretty solid argument... 

So we were out for two hours, my half chaps are sweaty from the in- and outside. A good ride.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have managed to get a couple rounds of saddle time lately, which is a nice break from the potatoes. Momma nature has decided it's summer again, so its nice to be able to take advantage of the great riding weather!

The first ride we went out the Yellow Gate trail:





































The second, we went around the Big Square:




































2017 mileage
...
9/17 amish 12.87 miles 1328 ft climb 3.7 mph 82F 1514.99 total miles
9/22 amish 7.46 miles 711 ft climb 3.5 mph 85F *1522.45 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

@phantomhorse13 I am going to have to get busy to stay a decimal place behind you. You have some serious miles this year!


----------



## evilamc

Heyyyyyyy! Long time no see guys  I've finally been getting out and getting some rides in. 

Poor Jax' confidence has taken a HUGE hit though. One ride last month, during the eclipse, it all of a sudden poured on us making the trails SUPER slick (red clay)...and a bridge we had to cross slicker then ice! We almost made it across...sliding....until his back end slid off  Somehow he managed to grab the bank (bridge was 10ft give or take) and he pulled us BOTH up to safety.

Then we went on our first camping trip to Elkins Creek in Ohio, met up with another forum member and her husband...and the poor kid slipped down slick mud and went down..and this time I went off! It was a pretty easy landing, I wasn't hurt at all, he stayed down until I got up and away from him...good boy...He was pretty shaken up after that though. The trail had a lot of caverns and the mud was slick and deeper under them. He tried to go the wrong way up the trail and when I corrected him it was too steep and he slid right down 

Soooo now I'm trying to rebuild his confidence and get him back to the fearless boy hes always been!! Been doing some easier rides!

Last weekend we did 10 miles bareback on a rail trail with friends, walk/gait/canter, had a blast. We had to cross quite a few bridges and he started to get comfortable with that again.

Today I took my little boarder to a fun park so we could take them in the water, he LOVES the water!

Heres the cute video from todays ride  She couldn't stop smiling! Took her in the water and we cantered/galloped through some of the more open spots.





Im up to 253 miles for the year. So maybe there is still hope of at least breaking 300? Weather and work has not been on my side...I shouldn't complain its GREAT making money but I miss having as much time to ride!


----------



## weeedlady

I finished my Cleveland Metro Parks End to End Challenge yesterday with a 17 mile ride. That puts me somewhere around 135 miles for the year I think (my spreadsheet is at work).
I know it's not a lot compared to most, but for us it's a huge accomplishment and I am very proud of myself and my girl.


----------



## Celeste

My girl has been under enforced rest for 2 weeks because she injured her fetlock. The swelling it totally gone, so I put both girls in a larger area Friday but it is still just a 1/4 acre lot. Friday she was still a little stiff when I led her. Today, she was running and bucking and having a blast. I think I'll be back in the saddle this weekend. I sure hope so. It will be the first weekend I have had totally off this month.


----------



## egrogan

This weekend Izzy and I finally passed the 100 mile mark. Over the past year, I've learned that some people ride 100 miles in one weekend- and the really bada*s ones ride 100 miles in 24 hours! 

It took us almost 10 months, a lot of consternation, a Lyme diagnosis, and some pretty strong antibiotics to get to 100 miles, but it feels great that she was able to do it.









The beavers on the pond have been busy- if you look between her ears straight in front of the tall tree trunk, you can see the lodge.









Now that she's feeling better, we've been doing a lot of trotting and cantering on this great long, flat path. It's the last flat spot before we turn and head up a long steep hill to go home. She's been getting a little _too _excited here, so yesterday we walked the path on a long rein and tried to relax. She's a good girl :grin:





*TOTAL 2016 MILES: 106*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> @phantomhorse13 I am going to have to get busy to stay a decimal place behind you. You have some serious miles this year!


I am pretty sure I need to catch up to you!

Had hoped to ride today after potatoes. However, it's just too [email protected] hot. Our normal high this time of year is 71. This is what our weather station said when I got home:


----------



## gunslinger

That is hot.....don't blame you for not riding....I wouldn't either....

We've been a bit above normal here too.....but saturday, a high of 77.....I'm sure looking forward to fall weather.


----------



## phantomhorse13

gunslinger said:


> but saturday, a high of 77.....I'm sure looking forward to fall weather.


Same here! Our temps are supposed to go back to normal by the end of the week.. however archery season starts Saturday. I had really been hoping to get in at least a couple rides during the week, but not worth heat stressing horses already growing winter coats (not to mention killing myself!).

Fall is my favorite time of year for riding, so I sure hope Momma Nature cooperates soon.


----------



## evilamc

We had such nice fall weather for a week or two then it got so hot again  Not only is it hot outside for you its hot INSIDE too! I'd die if it was 75 in my house lol!! I keep our house around 68 all year round.


----------



## SwissMiss

phantomhorse13 said:


> Fall is my favorite time of year for riding, so I sure hope Momma Nature cooperates soon.


Glad you live further up North, then :grin: Our "fall" lasts a couple of days :-? But our winters may be more fall-like :wink: 



evilamc said:


> We had such nice fall weather for a week or two then it got so hot again  Not only is it hot outside for you its hot INSIDE too! I'd die if it was 75 in my house lol!! I keep our house around 68 all year round.


Brr - I would live in a sweater in your house then :wink: DH and I have a compromise at 77...

But really, after a long summer of saddling up a sweaty horse, I am really looking forward to some cooler riding weather!


----------



## Celeste

I hope our winter gets cold enough to knock back some of the bugs. Last winter, I don't think I rode but half a dozen times without having to use fly spray. We had stable flies annoying the horses in January.


----------



## gunslinger

Celeste said:


> I hope our winter gets cold enough to knock back some of the bugs. Last winter, I don't think I rode but half a dozen times without having to use fly spray. We had stable flies annoying the horses in January.


Funny, this year the bugs don't seem to have been so bad.....not even a lot of spider webs on the trails.....maybe due to last years drought?

We're about 10 inches above normal on rainfall this year....it'll be interesting to see how the bugs are next year....

Oh yea.....Got Mr. Jacks stitches out Saturday....rode him on Sunday.....when I got home Monday afternoon he had re-opened the wound on his face.....

Dang it!


----------



## phantomhorse13

gunslinger said:


> Funny, this year the bugs don't seem to have been so bad.....not even a lot of spider webs on the trails.....maybe due to last years drought?


OMG, I would be thrilled to send you all of ours.. h#ll even sending _some_ of them might give us relief. This year has been simply a plague of gnats, though there are also a variety of biting flies.. and ticks are starting to put in an appearance again, too. This despite a manure management plan, fly predators and 3 different types of traps all over our property. The only place you can sit outside without swarms of gnats is within the bug torches on the porch. We assume having such a wet summer is the culprit, but it sure is miserable.

When I have to do anything outside, I have taken to wearing one of the spare fly masks. I look like an idiot, but I can function (and without many neighbors, its unlikely anybody would see me anyway).


I am sorry to hear Jack opened his wound again. Super frustrating. Can you superglue it?


----------



## egrogan

phantomhorse13 said:


> When I have to do anything outside, I have taken to wearing one of the spare fly masks.


WE DEMAND PICTURES :mrgreen:


----------



## SwissMiss

egrogan said:


> WE DEMAND PICTURES :mrgreen:


^ This


----------



## weeedlady

egrogan said:


> WE DEMAND PICTURES :mrgreen:


YES! Please! Pictures!!!!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Ah, yet another advantage to not having people around.. nobody to create evidence of my looking like a fool!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


----------



## Celeste

phantomhorse13 said:


> Ah, yet another advantage to not having people around.. nobody to create evidence of my looking like a fool!
> 
> :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Take a selfie! You may set a new fashion trend.


----------



## gunslinger

phantomhorse13 said:


> I am sorry to hear Jack opened his wound again. Super frustrating. Can you superglue it?


Never thought about that.....Not sure...


----------



## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> Never thought about that.....Not sure...


If the edges look fresh it might be ok. Be sure it is super clean if you do because you don't want to glue germs inside. That usually works out pretty badly.

Either way, I would use a water hose to clean and clean and clean and clean the wound.

Your best bet is to call your vet.


----------



## gunslinger

Talked to the vet....he said to just keep neosporin on it.....

The stitched did help in that the would is not draining like it was....but still...danged horse...


----------



## egrogan

We had a very adventurous ride today. Hadn't ridden since Sunday, and the temps plummeted to a fall-like 50*F. Izzy was feeling good and also seeing monsters under every fallen leaf.

My favorite trail loop is around our beaver pond- which is in reality probably better described as a small lake that expands and contracts with the marshy land around it. For the first time today, we saw a boat tied up at a dock I'd never even noticed. That led to some wide eyes for my horse. Can you guess which way the dock is? :wink:








I _think _the boat probably transported a hunter, because at one point Izzy planted her feet, shot up her head, and was snorting intently at something off in the woods. I shouted out "hellloooo" but didn't get a response, so we just kept moving.










We had a nice ride and were almost home when I noticed something up ahead in the middle of the trail- it looked like it might be BO's big black cat. I can't really see details at a distance very well without my glasses on, so I was a little closer than I would have liked by the time I realized it was actually a big porcupine! Izzy's head shot up again and the snorts were much louder! She spun a 180* and took a couple of quick steps away, but I got her stopped and turned her around to look at it again. It was frozen in the middle of the trail and arched up like an angry cat. Izzy spun again and I actually thought it wasn't such a bad idea to just retrace our steps and ride home a different way. :redface: But then I think she realized she didn't want that thing behind her where she couldn't see it, so she turned to face it again. At this point, it was scary but not threatening, so we just stood in the middle of the trail at a safe distance and watched it. Funny how they move- it's run was almost like a little bear cub. It decided it didn't want anything to do with us either, and took off up a tree. In just a few seconds, it was probably 10 feet up there- and boy do those claws make noise on the bark as they climb! Once it was out of the trail, Izzy wanted to get home in a hurry, and I worried for a minute that it might be plotting to dive bomb us from up there in the tree, but all ended well, we trotted past the tree and got home with no quills involved. Unfortunately no pictures of that, I kept both hands on the wheel while we worked through that :wink:

*Total 2017 miles: 108*


----------



## carshon

@egrogan I am so glad you have your horse back! and also very glad we do not have porcupines where I live!


----------



## Celeste

My horse has been out of work for a month due to her fetlock injury. DH and I got the horses out today to see how she would do since she is totally pasture sound now. We went on our usual 2.9 mile trail, and she was perfect. No lameness. She was calm and relaxed. I kept her to a walk except for a couple of times that she got behind due to stopping to go poo. Her catch up trot was perfect. I hope to ride a bit more this weekend. 

Total for year: 177.7 miles


----------



## Oreos Girl

I have gotten to ride a little. I made a video from my GoPro stills for this last ride. At 40 seconds, you see someone off trying to catch the dogs and then the next frame is holding a stick. We found about a 3 foot copperhead on the trail that the girl killed with a stick.

Add video when I get home.


----------



## mmshiro

Adventurous ride today with Dita, due to the temps dropping into the fifties (ºF) and her turning into a...Thoroughbred. What's more, about 5 min into the ride, my left stirrup break-away rubber broke, leaving me with the decision to go back home or improve my seat. I opted for the latter.

The trails through the woods were covered in leaves, and so were the exposed rocks on them. On one piece of trail where I let her canter we almost "bought it" when she tripped over a rock. (I was still with a stirrup and a half at the time.) I took her canter privileges away, and she actually calmed down and (mostly) walked on no or very light (just to remind her) contact.

Coming home, I felt a bit guilty about not letting her stretch, so I fixed her stirrup and took her out for the express purpose of letting her work up a sweat. Yup, she was on fire! I thought after half a year I'm kind of getting used to her, but her speed today was insane! It's like she threw out gears 3, 4, and 5 - going right into 6th gear. That's fine when there is at least a quarter mile of space ahead, but along the edge of a smaller field, with a downhill at the end, really not a wise use of resources. I couldn't help but laugh at her - it was not possible for me to tire her before *I* was ready for some tea and cookies.

Still, she was a good girl, and we ended with a relaxed cool-down walk with loose reins on the last stretch home. For a little maniac, she can be quite reasonable.


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro I love hearing about your rides. I think that both you and Dita may be maniacs. (In a good sort of way of course.) 

I think I would have had the tea and cookies a bit sooner. I'm a bit of a chicken hearted soul.


----------



## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I love hearing about your rides. I think that both you and Dita may be maniacs. (In a good sort of way of course.)
> 
> I think I would have had the tea and cookies a bit sooner. I'm a bit of a chicken hearted soul.


My instructor, who offered her to me for lease, said, "It's hard to find someone who appreciates her for who she is."

You don't need to be super advanced to rider her, I think; but to rider her somewhat compatible with her personality is a different matter.


----------



## Oreos Girl

Ok, trying the video again.


----------



## Celeste

@OreosGirl Where did you find the orange vest for your dog? I bought one, but it is pretty flimsy and won't stay on the dog very well.


----------



## Celeste

Yesterday DH and I rode 3 miles. We saw a deer up close, but I was so intrigued that I forgot to take a picture.

Today my friend came over and we rode 2.9 miles. The weather was perfect. 

I plan to continue to keep riding slowly for a while just to be sure my mare is really totally healed. 

Total 183.6


----------



## phantomhorse13

The weather finally broke on Thursday (back to normal fall temps!!) and I had the day off from potatoes.. so it was saddle time! The whole story is in my journal. 




























2017 miles
...
9/22 amish 7.46 miles 711 ft climb 3.5 mph 85F 1522.45 total miles
9/28 phin 13.51 miles 1528 ft climb 3.4 mph 71F *1535.96 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Are you evil enough to enjoy it and gloat when BS-ers get theirs, especially when it comes to riding? Well, today was such a day for me, and I'm not feeling apologetic. :twisted:

A guy who's (ostensibly) been riding for decades, and who's been coming to the farm for a few years, came out for a guided trail ride, and my instructor invited me to tag along with Dita. As I said, the man has a Masters degree in BS, telling everybody about his background of riding at a "Spanish Riding School" (whatever that means), and his astuteness regarding horses. So two things happened today that will no doubt contribute nothing to taking him down a peg (because he's too oblivious for that), but served to entertain me immensely regardless:

Unbeknownst to me, he had ridden Dita in the arena before, and she kicked his butt, so Dita was the one horse he proclaimed he *didn't* want to ride today (even if she were available). I think then he anticipated some entertainment from my end when, upon his inquiry, I told him I'd been riding for two years. Well, Dita, having burnt off some energy yesterday, was an absolute angel today! We had one good run (on which he chickened out), but also the most beautiful collected trots and canters; she walked for long stretches on a loose rein, and the 4 or 5 small jumps we did, she did smoothly and without refusal or avoidance. In other words, she did *everything* to make me look good today.

He, on the other hand, hat a lot of trouble with his horse. Well, if you don't let the horse go forward and keep the reins tight and at your chin, you're gonna get a horse trying to figure out what you want from him - so you'll get some shuffling, backing up, moving sideways, twirling etc. I think without my instructor to intervene, the horse would have thrown him sooner or later. 

"Who was that crazy steed, and is it not irresponsible to put a weak rider on such a hot horse?" you ask. Why, it was Scout - the one horse I trusted to remain chill and keep me safe on the trail when I rode him with a week-old sprained ankle and concussion.

:rofl:

Did I mention he showed up with formal riding attire - and spurs that my instructor made him take off before the ride?

:rofl::rofl:


----------



## Oreos Girl

Celeste,
I think I got it from Amazon. This one looks like it. http://www.amazon.com/BINGPET-Cooling-Evaporative-Reflective-Hunting/dp/B01AW0KSY0?tag=ovrw-20

When I got them, they didn't have 2 in orange so the other one is like a neon green.


----------



## Celeste

Which size did you get?


----------



## mmshiro

Another ride, another adventure. 

Yesterday, after work, I took out my wife for a little sunset ride (she does walk, trot, short spurts of canter at this point). To do so, I took out a mare, Marion, who had recently suffered a huge gash on her hind foot, has been on the farm (stall and pasture) for about 8 weeks, and is now ready for some physical-therapy trail riding. She's the consummate mare, a real alpha, who cannot resist taking a bite out of passing horses if her stall door is open. (She lives next to Dita when she's in, so quite often you can hear me say, "No mare s**t!" - inevitably followed by a squeal and a jump.) She's not scary to interact with, especially if she respects you - she actually likes a scratch and a cuddle, and she never pinned her ears at me - but she does have strong opinions, and her previous lessee more than once went for a ride that turned into a hike. (She also managed to get herself bitten.)

So my instructor let me take her out - with my wife. The first task she gave me after I was mounted was to "see if you can get her to the end of the driveway". Okay, so we walk to the end of the driveway and return - by which time my wife was mounted. We ride out, I lead... She had her head low, lollygagging, enjoying the hay field in the sunlight. I take her to a trot - nothing remarkable. After the first canter (just a few paces up a short incline), she woke up: "You mean I get to run today?"

The first thing she did was to "take charge": "Let's turn here, let's go over there, what's that?? Oh, I'm gonna spook! Aren't you glad there's at least one of us who keeps us safe?" Straight-line challenged and spooky - better keep those legs on!

While she does have a reputation for being a b**ch if she doesn't want to go somewhere, I only had one refusal to enter a trail. It went like so:

- Me: We are turning here.
- She: I don't wanna.
- But you gotta (squeeze), come on!
- Nope, I'm gonna back up.
- Go right ahead! Are you done backing up? You still gotta go on that trail! (squeeze)
- ****, all right - I'll go... (continues on the trail as though the episode never happened)

There wasn't a moment of relaxation on that horse, but no struggle either. I just had to watch her like a hawk, correct and guide her early, firmly, yet gently - and keep my thighs on the saddle _at all times_. 

We got back home, and my instructor exclaimed to her son (who is an even better rider than she): "Matt came back _with_ the mare!" Was there some betting going on, you think?

Good ride.


----------



## carshon

@mmshiro We call mares like that "smart" I owned a Morgan/Paint like that - and I loved riding her - but you had to be one step ahead of her at all times or - she would rub you off on a fencepost, passing car, the horse you were riding with and go home. Once she respected you she was the bravest, most honest horse ever. BUT you had to earn her respect. I loved that horse!

Glad your wife got to go out as well and you enjoyed a nice ride!


----------



## Oreos Girl

I got the X-Large for Freddy (the one you have met) and the Medium for Roo that is a Shepard mix.


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy

I've been waiting years to post a pic like this. Horse ears. Our horse. On our place in the Philippines. Short ride on easy ground, she's only 3. We were just out checking on the cows. 

Looking for the cows. by Paul McKee, on Flickr


----------



## Celeste

@Cordillera Cowboy Nice place! It is a good feeling to look at your own place through those ears.

My friend came over to ride today. We rode three miles. We talked so much that I forgot to take pictures. The girls were really good today. I am proud of my girl for how far she has come along in the past year.

*Total: 186.6 miles*


----------



## mmshiro

A no-fun and a fun ride today. 

In the morning, Dita and I were drafted by my instructor into helping to babysit a "dude string" - 8 newbies (actually, two dudes and 6 women, all of whom Chinese) who had never sat on a horse before. In anticipation of the event I put on my helmet camera, but it gave in 30 mins into the ride...which is a shame, because I would have had great coverage for every line of the song ("Dude String Trail"), had I chosen it as sound track. Yes, he was right: they really don't bounce when they hit the ground. 

Anyway, on the short stretch of road between the barn and the arena, what was supposed to be the beginning of the ride, it dawned on my instructor that this is going to be a catastrophe. So after a short arena session, she separated out three reasonably comfortable riders (two dudes on the mules and a woman on her appy), and she sent me out, on Dita, with the clear instructions "Flat trails, no open fields!". So I took them around through a little patch of forest for about half an hour, then we checked in on their compadres in the arena. A second attempt to hit the trails with the entire group ended again in failure as there were still two or three who had no concept of "left rein", "right rein", or "pull back". One of them hit the ground - she was riding a quarter horse who does not like to move at all, so heaven knows how she managed to do that. (I was too far away to see clearly what had happened.)

Anyway, out I go one more time with the same three people - walk only, flat ground, no open fields. They did good: there was no panicking, no screaming, and everyone kept their horses at a steady pace - really impressive for first-timers. In the meanwhile, my instructor aged a half decade or so with the others in the arena and a few more attempts to walk up and down the road.

Now, if you paid attention, you would have noticed that I said, "Dita" and "walk-only ride", and you would have thought, "Hmmm...I wonder how that worked out?" Well, I worked harder on those two rides than I ever did when the two of us agree on a speed. Some of you may know the "Thoroughbred shuffle" - well, let me tell you, it's really hard to sit! 

I now have a pretty good idea of what happens to people who get an OTTB and never let it "stretch out" - until it finally goes off on them. I swear, by the end of the second ride, she was ready to murder me in my sleep. After all the tourists were stowed away in the barn, I did take her over to her hill (being more careful with the jump between the fence posts at the beginning), and boy, was she ever ready to fly! I think it barely took the edge off, and now I really do suspect that she looks forward to trail rides to feel some wind in her mane.

In the afternoon, I helped out with another ride with four people, but I took Scout (who is still semi-green but a really sensible and thinking horse) on that one, and all seven horses and people accompanying me, were thoroughly enjoyable. What a difference! In that second group, only one woman had riding experience from decades ago, and yet we were able to do a w/t/c ride without any problem.

I think Dita forgave me for that rather strange ride I made her go on in the morning - after the first ride, waiting for the second, I hung out in her pasture for a while, and she came over and grazed with me for a bit.


----------



## gunslinger

mmshiro said:


> There wasn't a moment of relaxation on that horse, but no struggle either. I just had to watch her like a hawk, correct and guide her early, firmly, yet gently - and keep my thighs on the saddle _at all times_. Good ride.


I know exactly what you're going through...I'm going though about the same thing with Mr. Jack....

Me, DW and girlfriend rode bumpties out of Willis Springs along the Conasauga river yesterday......only thing, we wound up following two gaited horses....Sigh....did I say I hate to trot?

Anyway, I fought with Mr. Jack for the first 5 miles or so....and he finally either tired out or admitted defeat....and he was pretty nice for the last 7 miles or so....

We rode 13.4 miles....which puts me at 311 for the year.....

We're riding the Abram's Creek loop in the Great Smokey mountains next weekend...that said, we've got a dying hurricane Nate crossing the area even as I speak.....and I'm sure that's likely to make for some interesting trails....not much happening with color yet this fall.....lots of leaves dropping though....hopefully we'll have some color in them Smokey's...


----------



## phantomhorse13

Friday, I got Phin out. Momma nature thinks its summer again, but Phin was undetered in his enthusiasm. The whole story is in my journal.



















2017 miles
...
9/28 phin 13.51 miles 1528 ft climb 3.4 mph 71F 1535.96 total miles
10/6 phin 12.15 miles 1833 ft climb 5.6 mph 86F *1548.11 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Another unexpected tourist ride today - this time, a man (Brazilian) brought out his family for a trail ride. He had a horse as a youngster; wifey and two young children did not yet have the privilege of having sat on a horse. You can probably guess where this is going.

I was getting ready to take my wife out (who held down the fort during yesterday's drama and didn't get to ride). I barely hit the pasture when I heard my instructor call me from the road: turns out, wifey - riding Dusty, the *gentle* mule - not only panicked easily, but was also a screamer - which is not what you want with two small kids riding TBs on the trail.

So dad was bummed because, again, the less-than-confident were ushered into the arena for a quick getting-to-know-a-horse lesson. The point of calling me was to ask me if I'd mind taking dad out with my wife. Considering that it wouldn't change the pace of the ride (walk, trot, short canters), I agreed. 

My horse today: Scout! I'd like to think that actions speak louder than words, and considering that my instructor (a) left me unsupervised with her still impressionable, recently started horse, and (b) with a tourist, tells me that my riding and/or horse handling isn't too shabby.

The ride itself was a blast. About a third into the ride, everything going well, I decided on taking the long way home - who gives a **** that the dude just paid for an hourlong ride...I'm having fun, so he'll get some bonus time on the horse. My wife had a blast as she got more comfortable cantering, as Scout served as a natural speed limiter for her horse. (He is a very chill and cerebral horse, unlike some mares I know.)

The only mistake I made was not considering the newbie's likely level of conditioning. I think come breakfast, he'll feel the need to sprinkle some ibuprofen in his cereal. He said he had a great time, though, and that it was "not at all what he'd expected".


----------



## carshon

Got to ride yesterday. Still battling back issues so mounting has become a battle of wills between my mind and body. Tillie is being a doll and standing like a rock. Diagnosed as piriformis syndrome (darn desk job) that make my hips not want to rotate and causes all other lower back and upper leg muscles to be tense all of the time. Chiro was bust and a waste of money. Doing tons of stretches.

Rode 5.5 miles. Minimal gaiting as daughters BF does not know or want to rate his speed and it becomes a race whenever he rides with us. Lovely weather - not so fall like.


----------



## mmshiro

I finally got a new camera mount for my new helmet, and I took Dita out for a ride on Wednesday. We don't have fall colors this year that are as brilliant as last year, but it was still pretty to go out and ride. My legs are quite sore as I continue to have her trot across fields on occasion - I don't want a horse that only knows how to walk and haul a**.

I really needed that sound track to go with that video, thus I apologize for any ads that may appear alongside.


----------



## egrogan

I can't bring you all the wonderful smell of the New England woods on a warm fall day, but I figured I could give you the sound of crunching your way through fallen leaves- just watch with sound :grin: Jingle bells tinkling too so no hunters mistake us for something we're not!






*Total 2017 miles: 115.3*


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro I love the way you put that music and video together!


----------



## Celeste

I had a nice three day weekend. 
Friday, my friend came out and rode with me. She rides my old girl, Abby.
Then Saturday and Sunday (today), DH rode with me. 
We keep things pretty slow for Abby. She is not quite what she once was at the ripe old age of 30. Her legs are sound and she seems to enjoy getting out. The weather was perfect and the girls behaved beautifully.

Friday: 3 miles
Saturday: 3.2 miles
Sunday: 3.2 miles

*Total for year: 196 miles
*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got out with my SIL on Amish. Amish just had his shoes pulled and was trying out new boots, so we just moseyed up and around the Sugarloaf then home. 

We were surprised to see a bulldozer had apparently been there and widened the trail. Not real sure why, especially as that landowner doesn't let people hunt on his property. 










And even more perplexing, the newly widened path just.. stopped being widened for no apparent reason (that is not the property line).









Not much color for us this year, as many of the leaves are just down now.









The flowerpot graveyard grew:









Happy to report the boots stayed on!

2017 mileage
...
10/6 phin 12.15 miles 1833 ft climb 5.6 mph 86F 1548.11 total miles
10/15 amish 6.50 miles 909 ft climb 3.3 mph 80F *1554.61 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Ride of the Oreos!

Finally I get to show you Scout, who doesn't act like a green horse at all anymore. Alongside me is my wife on Hamlet - and she did her first sustained canter today! I wanted to set a video to this song ever since I heard it for the first time - today was the perfect opportunity.

One of the beginning scenes - my wife's graceful mounting of a moving horse - was included with her permission - so enjoy.


----------



## Drifting

I apparently don't have many horse friends who can trail ride on the weekends. I put out a call to see if anyone wanted to play but got nothin! So I took Stryder out by himself for the second time since I got the trailer ( second time I took him out, too.) Man he sweats up a storm in there. I'm hoping if we make it a weekly thing he'll calm down.

He was great. He's such a good boy. We had one little road-block where I had to get down because the entrance to a trail was all dark and shadowy and he would not walk through it. But I hand-walked him then got right back on. At least he stands still to be mounted from pretty much anything :smile::smile::smile:

We only did about 2 1/2 miles. Took us about an hour. The place we went is very hilly (and rocky in the woods). He's out of shape so got his exercise in on those hills.

I love that he just goes by himself. Yeah he can give me a bit of trouble at a water crossing or a funky looking shadow, but it's easy to get over and we just move on.

I did have one snafu. Got a bad rope burn under my elbow when I went to load him into the trailer. It's not a very big trailer so its easy for him to quickly back out. I went to tie him and he immediately hurried backwards out of the trailer, dragging the rope (which was between my elbow and the trailer wall) across my skin. It burns! But I managed to get him in and tied. Gonna have to teach him to self-load so I can just shut the door behind him and he can't escape. 






Not sure if that link is going to work. It's part of the short wood trail we did. It was really rocky and I didn't have his boots on, so we didn't stay in it for long.


----------



## Kaifyre

Well I've finally managed to remember to take some pictures so I can join the conversation! lol

We don't really have much in the way of dedicated trails out here in eastern Montana ... however we have ample open plains so that's what I've been riding on. Dreams hasn't been ridden much this year (maybe 60 rides all year - I know, I know, I'm a bad owner) since I've been so busy training other horses, but I'm finally to the point where I can spend some time on MY horse and I love it! These are a few pictures from Dreams' second and third trail rides ever (yesterday and the day before), and he was such a good boy! No spooking at the cows or the guys on dirt bikes or the trains, but there was a very scary looking rock that just scared the bejeezus out of the poor boy. In his defense, that was a pretty scary rock - I mean it was ROUND. And BROWN, omg.

**Pictures 1 and 2 were taken mid-lope, so please excuse the fuzziness - it's hard to steer and focus at the same time! Need to get myself a helmet cam ...

-- Kai


----------



## csimkunas6

Had our last public group ride on the farm yesterday, had 12 people/horses come out which was actually much better than last ride where we had 25! We were actually able to venture out and explore a bit more. I had to turn around a little earlier as my husband went with us, he usually rides the BO's TWH but he had to ride my Paint/TB instead and doesnt like nongaited lol

All in all, we got about 7mi in. Gorgeous day for it besides the smoke you can see in the pasture photo, major fire on the other side of town. Luckily we were far enough from it so the only thing we got from it was being able to see the smoke in the sky.


----------



## egrogan

Had my first trail ride with my new mare this morning before work. I handwalked her on part of the trail yesterday just to give her a feel for it. We only went a couple of miles this morning, but she did great. Really pleased she was ok going out solo the first time- it makes life so much easier that I don't need to work on that.

Trail walk yesterday:









And ride today:









*Total 2017 miles- 120.9
Isabel- 118.5
Fizz- 2.4

*


----------



## carshon

Got to ride on Friday - 80 degress in October- who can pass that up? Had a great ride. Riding can still be painful - until my muscles loosen up - and then we got some gaiting in. What a fun time. Drizzled all weekend here so no riding. it is 50 today so officially fall weather. PC went caput so no pics this time


----------



## phantomhorse13

This past weekend was my last competition of the season with Phin. I also got to ride Fluffy for the first time since winter! The whole story is in my journal.



































































2017 mileage
...
10/19 phin 49.65 miles 6708 ft climb 6.0 mph 78F 1604.26 total miles
10/20 fluffy 29.95 miles 4113 ft climb 5.5 mph 80F *1634.21 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Famous last words of the trail rider: _"Let's see where this goes!"_

I took out Scout today (having had a near-perfect ride with Dita on the weekend) to put some more miles on him. I worked on keeping a straight line and his listening to me (my legs) in changing directions and turning. He did good with stepping over obstacles and a bit of gentle "through the underbrush". When I was almost home, I had the choice between "same old" or "Let's see where this one goes!"

He took me up a small grab-some-mane incline like a boss, and after a short while we came to some downed, criss-crossed trees. I just let him walk, fully planning to take a refusal as sign to turn around. Nope, he said, "No worries - I got this!" and stepped right over/through/around the downed tree trunks. We continued a while further...when suddenly the trail (which so far had been 2-3 feet wide) ended in underbrush. I knew that there would be more trails and a field a little farther ahead, so I took him into the underbrush, dodging branches, vines, and thorns...until we were stuck. Really stuck.

So we had a problem. I had a nervous horse who did not want to stand still to let me contemplate a few options - standing still means death to a horse, after all. I tried to find a path as quickly as I could, but we did end up in some thick stuff where he got caught in a vine with this chest. He reared, and we both went down. He hopped up (he'd been on my leg, but didn't crush it), I hopped up, grabbed him, petted him, and proceeded to lead him out of the shrubbery from the ground. It made it so much easier to take a second to consider the next three or four steps!!

Well, I got both of us out into the clearing (the field I knew that was there), I found a small incline, and he let me hop right back on. It was just another 15 mins to the barn, which he spent with his neck long and low, on a loose rein. 

So, while I was very impressed that he'd take those obstacles for me (where I had contemplated turning around) without so much as a squeeze or any kind of encouragement, this'll be the last time I'll try to find out "where that one goes". Clear error in leadership on my part, but I think he's got some more confidence out of it. We learned both something today, I guess? Oh, and because of the thorns, we were both bleeding from about the same number of holes when we got to the barn... :redface:


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Phin out using the Pandora. Nicole came over and brought Drakkar. The whole story is in my journal.




























2017 mileage
...
11/2 sultan 4.81 miles 897 ft climb 3.0 mph 71F 1644.34 total miles
11/3 phin 6.47 miles 1032 ft climb 2.9 mph 63F *1650.81 total miles*


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy

We had a break in the monsoon rains this morning. I scrubbed the mud off of the little horse, and did a little driving. Then I found a big rock and climbed on bareback. We only went from one end of our place to the other and back. I was pleased that the little horse likes getting out and about, and wanted more.

We paused for a bit to admire the view. We are standing on our future home site in the foothills of the Cordillera Mountains. The Cagayan Valley opens up in front of us. Clouds bringing the afternoon rains cover the Sierra Madre Mountains on the other side of the valley. 

Cagayan Valley overlook. by Paul McKee, on Flickr


----------



## Celeste

I moved my two retired oldies into the pasture with the girls that we ride. We are down to four horses. My Princess (Becka) and three oldies. Abby and the others are 30. We did this so that the round bale would actually get completed before it goes bad.

We have lost 2 horses out of that pasture this year. My beautiful Shadow that died suddenly at age 30, and my little pony Pete that was well over 30. I wonder if losing these two pasture mates have had an effect on Becka. All she wants to do is to keep the other horses away from Abby. She has been pastured with them every winter of her life.

Despite her temporary insanity, DH and I went for a short ride. We have been pretty limited due to a logging crew coming down the 1/4 mile of public road I have to go down to access our trails and deer season being in its peak. The loggers were gone for Saturday, so we went in at 2:00. Deer hunters don't hunt at 2:00. They think that deer only move at 6:00 a.m. and again at 5:00 p.m.

The ride actually went well and the leaves were pretty.

Today 1.85 miles
*Total 197.8 miles*


----------



## Celeste

Who said there is no climate change? Can this really be November?


----------



## csimkunas6

Went on my first solo ride since I can remember, it was nice! Our trails were pretty slippery, wet leaves plus mud, isnt my idea of a fun ride with hills and rocks so I walked some of the rougher parts, but had a great ride overall! I was actually meeting a new boarder, so wasnt 100% solo but it was fun!


----------



## Celeste

@csimkunas6 Beautiful scenery and beautiful horse!


----------



## carshon

Went for a ride yesterday afternoon. I really needed it after a rough week at work. I rode in my "new to me" Tucker River Plantation saddle. I have to say it was AWESOME! for the first time in months I did not have pain when sitting in the saddle. and no back spasms when I went to dismount. I am sure the stretching and Yoga have helped but the saddle was so much more comfortable than the National Bridle Shop saddle or the Big Horn I had this year. 

The horses have not been ridden in a few weeks due to weather. It was 43 degress and a little breezy - all horses were full of "it" but we ended up having a great ride - rain today and due for more tomorrow. Most parks will be closing soon so our riding days are coming to an end.


----------



## csimkunas6

Celeste said:


> @csimkunas6 Beautiful scenery and beautiful horse!


Thanks so much!


----------



## mmshiro

An eventful weekend. 

Saturday, the BO's knees were too shot to take out her tourists: a mom and (very) young daughter with 0 hours of riding experience. They were on the mules, my wife tagged along on Hamlet, I rode Scout. There is no way I will ride Dita on a walk-only ride, especially not when the weather is cool. We were almost home when the girl bounced off Dusty, her mule. There may have been tears, and unkind vocabulary may have been on my mind, but here I was, and I had to deal with it. I got off Scout and handed him to my wife. Her horse got a bit nervous with all the uncommon activity and shuffled around a bit, causing my wife to pull on Scout's reins. He wasn't having any of it and broke free...not sticking around to see how it all would end either. Da*n rookie horses!

Dusty, in the meanwhile, saw the horse departing and started fussing about, too, so there was no way I could get the girl back on. I solicited mom's help, so she got off her mule to hold Dusty from the ground, I hoisted the girl back in the saddle, and then gave mom a leg-up. Meanwhile, my wife was unable to put sufficient draw on Scout to retrieve him for me...quite the contrary! As soon as Scout recognized where he was (not too far from the barn), he switched into high gear, with Hamlet and my wife in hot pursuit (not entirely my wife's choice). She is okay with straight-line speed, but she's not yet okay with cornering, and Hamlet corners like a barrel horse. So while he did a 90º left towards the barn, my wife continued straight...with nothing to support her but the planet below. 

Meanwhile, to give the girl some confidence, I led Dusty from the ground. Mom did fine with Jenny, her mule. I think it took us about another 15 minutes to get home. Bless the little girl who, about two minutes away from the barn, said, "I want to go again!" Well, what I said was not what I was thinking at that moment, and what I said was, "You probably should take some lessons first!"

Returning to the barn without rider is a really bad way to end the day for a horse, and there were two now. My wife contused her arm and wasn't in the mood for any more riding. A woman who leases another horse there had just arrived, and she was in the mood for a new experience. So I got back on Scout, and she took Hamlet, and together we gave the boys a good workout. Afterwards, I really wasn't in any shape to ride Dita safely (My legs were burning - Scout is fantastic, but he can suddenly move laterally at any speed for any reason, so my legs were locked into that saddle the entire ride, Part I and Part II.) 

Sunday, I come to the barn and find that Dita had been drafted for lesson duty. Dita is not a good lesson horse for beginners, let alone special needs children: all her gaits are significantly faster than most other horses, even if you "collect" her, and her upward transitions are...well, let's just say I'm not too proud to grab some mane at the start of an open field. That's her normal personality. Today, I was told that "my child" was "full of herself", so I gathered that she made some people cry in the arena. It was also upon me to take her out for some fun and decompression. 

Unlike some people, I don't longe her to tire her out. I just get on and pick a trail that I know will (a) tire her out at least a little, and (b) gets her a chance to stretch her legs. (I am under no illusion that I have the stamina or conditioning to ride this horse until she gets tired to the point where she'd voluntarily pass on a canter.) All things considered, she was a really good girl, though. There were no tantrums, no fights, just conversations: "You just slipped here! I won't let you run where you can't see the rocks under the leaves!" - "Oh, okay." 

I let her do some running with minimum contact, some, ahem, "collected" canters (i.e. "not full speed"), as well as some trots with some soft contact. Because of her powerful lift, trots for an extended time are brutal on me, but she's gotta know how to do them. It turned out to be a really fun, but really exhausting ride. I did have my camera on, but I don't have an idea for a "theme" yet, so no summary video yet.


----------



## egrogan

Deer season is here, and this weekend the gunfire was just far too close for comfort and it kept me out of the woods. Looking up hunting dates online, I discovered it was the last weekend for "muzzleloaders." I know nothing about guns, but if my rudimentary wiki-searching is accurate, that explains why it sounded like there were cannons going off all around us. I was going to take a chance and just ride the woods trail that I know is solidly on BO's property, but on Saturday morning as I approached the trailhead, there was a boom so loud- and seemingly right in front of me- I actually jumped straight up in the air from the saddle. Let's just say my horse was not impressed with that reaction! I don't know where the shooting was actually coming from, but I decided I was not interested in finding out.

Given that, I haven't been getting much mileage the past few weeks. There's a groomed path that follows the perimeter of the property, so we've been using that, and putting in some road miles. 


























But not going to lie, it's a little boring :wink: We've got another month of deer season, so the race is on to see if deer season ends or snow hits first. I'd love to get to 150 miles total, but as things stand I should be on track to beat my average from last year (last year was 133.6 total). 

*Total 2017 miles: 130.6
Isabel- 123.2
Fizz- 7.4

*


----------



## Celeste

@egrogan Deer season has put a significant squelch on my riding as well. It sounds somewhat like a war zone. On opening day of gun season, I went into the house and checked the news just to be sure we hadn't been invaded. It is slowing down somewhat as people lose interest. 

It annoys me because I am sitting almost on 200 miles. I hate being right at an easily achievable goal and waiting.......


----------



## phantomhorse13

Last weekend, I went to a CTR with Nicole in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The whole story, with lots more pics, is in my journal. I rode Polo and Nicole rode Hombre. It was unseasonably warm the first day and rained the second. We rode the 2-day 50, so it was by far the longest I have ridden a gaited horse!





























































2017 mileage
...
10/28 polo 26.31 miles 242 ft climb 6.7 mph 76F 1677.12 total miles
10/29 polo 27.97 miles 249 ft climb 7.0 mph 61F 1705.09 total miles


----------



## Celeste

How did the gaited horse ride work on your body? Easier or harder?


----------



## gunslinger

We rode along the Conasagua river Saturday.....in the Cherokee National Forest.....Saturday

The big game season is only open for about 16 days as the Cherokee is a WMA.....and if it's open in Tennesse and the Cherokee, it's usually closed in Georgia and the Chattahoocie....

That's what I love about this area, plenty of places to ride....Lookout Mountain, and the Lula Land trust property has no hunting....and of course the Chickamagua battle field doesn't allow hunting either.....so I tend to ride those places during deer season....

That said, opening morning of Deer season we're thinking about riding Sumac Creek in GA....we'll see....any way, rode 15.9 miles saturday....that puts me at 348 so far this year.

Bumpties next weekend....Mr. Jack needs to go....

Oh yea.....GF and I bought a string of "jingle bells" thinking we'd put them on for the Christmas parades.....it's been fun watching the horses as I carry them out in the pasture and shake them......it's taking some time for this......which makes me wonder if this is a good idea or not.....as I wonder how the other horses in the parade would react to them.....Frankly, I've been showing the bells to them off and on for a couple of weeks and my horses are still not nonchalant about them....Haven't ridden with them on the horse yet.....


----------



## mmshiro

Last Sunday's ride - and your moment of zen.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> How did the gaited horse ride work on your body? Easier or harder?


I felt great after the ride.. but Polo does trot as well as gait. So really, it was the best of everything for me. I could sit and appreciate his gaiting, but then I could get myself limber with posting when he trotted. Polo is very smooth even trotting, so I think my body appreciated the break from Phin's animation. Def a super fun experience for me!

@mmshiro : that ride looked like a blast! Do they hunter pace in your area? Who put up the markings you see in some of the clips? I had thought snowmobile trails.. but I wouldn't think they would be jumping! The red trees at the end were just spectacular. One of these days I am gonna track down where you are and come experience those trails for myself (and hopefully won't add to your exciting dude stories).


----------



## mmshiro

@phantomhorse13 : Yup, they groomed the trails for a hunter pace in November. No need to track me down - just get in touch with New York Horseback Riding - Misfit Farm and tell me when you're coming.


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro I love your video! The music and slow motion canter was beautifully and very artistically put together.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I got Sultan out. When I left the barn about 10am, it was in the upper 40s with a decent breeze and cloudy. 










I was really surprised to see how many leaves were off the trees in just a couple days!










As the ride went on, the temperature started dropping and the wind got stronger. 










I was quite chilled by the time we got home.. and no wonder seeing as the temp had dropped to 36F with a real feel of 30!! Guess it's time to get my winter gear out.. :neutral:

I had just finished grooming Sultan and turned him out when it started sleeting. By the time I got into the house, it was snowing!! :eek_color:

A while later, we had this:










:hide:  :hide:


2017 mileage
...
11/3 phin 6.47 miles 1032 ft climb 2.9 mph 63F 1705.09 total miles
11/7 sultan 6.10 miles 827 ft climb 3.8 mph 30F *1711.19 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

Yesterday, I got Phin out in the new-to-us saddle. The whole story is in my journal.



















On the way home, I decided to take a short detour and go see DH at work. Phin was a bit perplexed as that took us away from the normal routes home, but went without fuss.



















2017 mileage
...
11/7 sultan 6.10 miles 827 ft climb 3.8 mph 30F 1711.19 total miles
11/8 phin 9.74 miles 1286 ft climb 4.5 mph 36F *1720.93 total miles*


----------



## Celeste

My friend came out and we rode 5.7 miles down the dirt road. My horse was initially terrified because right as I started to mount, a logging truck drove by. It was also a different direction that I usually ride and with a different horse. I had to get DH to lead her for about 20 yards and then she was good to go.

It was 67 degrees, the sun was shining, and it was beautiful. It was so bright that I didn't get any good pictures due to glare.

We came across a few deer hunters. One guy was standing by the dirt road talking on his cell phone. On our way back, we rode by a deer camp and one of the guys shot a rifle. It was not right on top of us and probably not aimed at us, but it was really loud. Neither of the horses flinched. We both owe our annoying neighbors an apology for shooting at targets around our houses. They did a good job of desensitizing the horses.

I yelled "Please don't shoot us, we are over here." When I got back and mentioned it to DH, he said that is was probably kids trying to spook the horses. Fortunately, they had no luck spooking them.

It was a very nice ride. And the 5.7 miles took me past the 200 mile mark!

Today: 5.7 miles
Total: 203.5 miles


----------



## phantomhorse13

@Celeste : woohoo - you made your 200 mile goal!!


Yesterday, I got Phin out again briefly, before momma nature changed my plans. The whole story is in my journal.





































2017 mileage
...
11/8 phin 9.74 miles 1286 ft climb 4.5 mph 36F 1720.93 total miles
11/9 phin 5.21 miles 1098 ft climb 3.8 mph 40F *1726.14 total miles*


----------



## Smilie

Well< i don't keep a log of miles ridden, just enjoy some trail riding with no set agenda.
THus, I had to sneak in a ride, before snow makes hauling to mountains impossible
Unfortunately, without hauling, my riding is limited to riding down our gravel road, or across empty crop fields, before the snow gets too deep
I do envy those that can just ride out from where they live, into miles of open trails !
I live fairly close to great riding, but you do need to haul there, and once winter hits, not going to haul on those roads. 
Hung a trailer over a drop off, and only a clump of trees prevented doom ! not going to go there again!
Anyway, Hubby and I camped with the horses, just before winter hit. Had four days of good riding, and even had my riding buddy able to come out and join us for one day ride.
























Weather was exceptionally good for Alberta this time of the year, except a major wind had downed trees . We left just in time, as a major cold front came in, bringing that white stuff, and about thirty degrees of Celsius temp change-not for the good!


----------



## Smilie

Opps, last picture is from summer, same area!


----------



## mmshiro

Smilie said:


> Opps, last picture is from summer, same area!


Where I ride it's buccolic, but that scenery is spectacular!


----------



## mmshiro

First cold-weather ride of the season with Dita today. First cold-weather ride for me with her, period - I started leasing her in April. 

Almost all other barn horses where out at a Veterans' event for pony rides. I rode out with a woman who is a regular - excellent rider with a calm disposition and complete absence of fear. She took out Hamlet because her usual horse was at the carnival earning hay money. My wife is currently off the horse as she's still mending her bruised upper arm. 

It was a great ride even though Dita was a bit of a knucklehead. It was chilly, and I wasn't able to take her out between last weekend and today. She's basically on 24h turnout - I don't want to think about what a horse like this is like when she's in a box for most of the days. Trots were serious work but feasible; relaxed walks after even the briefest of canters not super easy to establish. 

Going out with another horse - who is no slouch himself by any standard - just reminded me again just how fast Dita is. At the gallop hill next to the farm, an absolute necessity on a day like today, there is no side-by-side start as it begins with a jump over a 6-foot wide log bracketed by fence. (The right fence post still has my blood (figuratively) on it.) So Hamlet had a 5 second head start up the hill - by the time Dita passed him it looked like he was merely trotting. Chalk it up to chilly weather, being excited, and having competition. While I was maybe just a teensy bit proud of her and willing to overlook some of her shenanigans of today, she still had to slow her butt down for the cool-down walk back to the barn.

Anyway, a 2-hour full-body workout for me, marginally elevated heart rate for Dita, but no "adventures". I'll take "no adventures" now and then.


----------



## AnitaAnne

:wave: Hello! Haven't posted here in a long while; but finally got a real ride in yesterday. 

Went to a farm within an hours drive that has 1000 acres with no hunting allowed. They have trails around the pastures and thru the clumps of trees. A few creek crossings and a few hills with a steep climb (that one we didn't do). 

There is a charge, but with our regular trails closed for hunting right now, it made a nice change of pace. We had tried this trail the week prior, but my riding buddy's mare wouldn't step into the creek and we were unsure of the trails. Plus there were cows :eek_color: so it was an unsuccessful ride. 

But this time, with guides, we had a good ride. 

Most of the ride was at a walk, Chivas kept pace with two lovely Arabian mares that were kind enough to guide us around. My riding buddy was in the second group that kept falling behind. With her appaloosa mare was pretty grade grey mare and a Haflinger mare. 

Yeah, my Chivas was the only gelding with five lovely mares! 

We rode for three hours plus a lunch break. Chivas did much better this time and I only had to walk through the first gate of horse-eating cows. 

Chivas near the end of the ride, stopping to study the beasties, and down the trail with the pretty bay Arabian guiding us


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I was finally able to get Phin out again. The whole story is in my journal. The sky was threatening and there was a cool, damp wind.. but nothing actually fell from the sky. Phin was very spooky, which was not much of a surprise considering the temps and the wind.



















The always-scary burn pile was even more challenging, as a tree had come down right there, too. Luckily the owner wasn't actively burning today, so we were able to sneak through without too much excitement.










2017 mileage
...
11/9 phin 5.21 miles 1098 ft climb 3.8 mph 40F 1726.14 total miles
11/14 phin 6.68 miles 1055 ft climb 4.4 mph 35F *1732.82 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

@*mmshiro* , I thought of you today as my ride was definitely an "adventure!" I would prefer to never have adventures..


Today, the sun came out! It's the first we have seen the sun in about a week, so it was very welcome. Momma nature was still having some issue though, as there was a pretty strong, cold wind. I hoped since we had been out yesterday, the wind wouldn't be an issue when I got Phin out. The whole story is in my journal. 





































2017 mileage
...
11/14 phin 6.68 miles 1055 ft climb 4.4 mph 35F 1732.82 total miles
11/15 phin 8.31 miles 763 ft climb 5.1 mph 38F *1741.13 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

@phantomhorse13 : That's why I like to ride by myself or with strongly like-minded people. I can always say, "Do you mind if we stay here for a while and let him explore the little green guy?" I'd then do wide circles, have him face it, nudge him forward, and so on, until he's desensitized. Otherwise we'll deal with the same crap every time we pass because he's only learned that scooting past it quickly gets him release.

What you really need is a modest hill, about 1/4-1/2 mile long, so if he has too much energy, let him burn some, then he has no excuse for not wanting to chill. It beats endless circling on the longe line and is significantly more fun. (I did groundwork with Dita on Monday, did some tying - just threw her rope over the arena fence and rewarded her for waiting there - and longing, which she did like a boss. But after three to four rounds of following her trot, I get positively dizzy.)


----------



## phantomhorse13

mmshiro said:


> What you really need is a modest hill, about 1/4-1/2 mile long, so if he has too much energy, let him burn some, then he has no excuse for not wanting to chill.


Shiitake, I want a _steep_ hill of that distance! :mrgreen: And had I anticipated his antics today, that is exactly where we would have gone first..

Since I do most of my riding alone, I can (and do) take the time to let him investigate things. Passing that house is always fun because they have different stuff in the yard all the time, so it's a great learning opportunity for him. 

The other fun area is the housing development I cross to get to another section of trails. The audacity of people to decorate their mailboxes for each season or holiday! :lol:


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today was supposed to be rainy and windy with temps falling all day. Wasn't I surprised to wake up to a clear sky. By the time I was done my morning routine, the sun was even out. 

I grabbed Sultan, who amazingly was not filthy, and tacked up in no time. It was 48F with a light breeze when we left the barn. In a nod to "no stirrup November, " I had taken the stirrups off the saddle. I figured that I would be able to deal with the small bits of trotting I planned to do, as Sultan is fairly smooth.










It wasn't long before the wind picked up and the temp dropped..



















We were within sight of home when the rain started, so that was good timing as it was quite chilly by that point. So pleased to get some saddle time, but I did a bit more trotting than I had planned to keep ahead of the weather. Wonder if I will be able to walk tomorrow.. :hide:

2017 mileage
...
11/15 phin 8.31 miles 763 ft climb 5.1 mph 38F 1741.13 total miles
11/16 sultan 7.73 miles 1252 ft climb 4.4 mph 33F *1748.86 total miles*


----------



## carshon

We rode yesterday - it was the last day for state parks to be open to equines for the rest of 2017. I had taken the day off of work when the weatherman forecast a high of 60- well that's what I get for believing the weatherman a week out!.. It was 34 with a slight breeze. We rode at a local Forest Preserve which has about half of the trail next to the Rock River. Hubby daughter and I bundled up and hit the saddle. Tillie was her usual forward self - but according to hubby is a lot more forward with our new saddle. There were gremlins behind every tree so she Turkey necked it for the first mile. Then we met the park rangers who were posting signs for the Shotgun season. The ranger stopped his electric drill so we could pass by to the trail - and in thanks Belle (hubbies horse) blew warm horse snot all over him when he went to pet her face. That will teach the man to do his job! The trails were lovely and smelled of pine - it was a tad bit damp and the horses were snorty and skittish. We passed a few archery hunters heading to their stands and that only made the horses more bug eyed. Daughters hands turned to icicles and she was not happy - hubby passed his gloves to her and she looked like a scarecrow riding with overly large hands. We hit the river and then it got COLD! We picked up the pace a little but the horses were all too wired to gait without them jumping to the side every other step. Passed a poor dead deer in the river and that only made the horses more skittish. At about the halfway mark I mentioned that I could not feel my toes - and hubby affirmed he could not feel his nose. We hit the last part of the loop and the horses knew we were headed for the trailer. There is a lovely hill with a gradual incline that we normally gait up. The horses were ready to go. Since we were all riding with icicles for fingers we decided slow and steady was best. Hubby led and got Belle to gait collected (something they have been working in in their lessons) and I made Tillie stay behind Belle - this led to ears pinned all of the way against her neck and a lot of head shaking. But I won and Tillie stayed behind Belle - daughter brought up the rear and laughed at her silly parents as they tried to gait side by side up the hill. Made it back to the trailer in good time and a little warmer - untacked the horses and let them cool down while we sat in the truck to warm up! 1 hr 43 min 5.78 miles.


----------



## texasgal

Hey guys! After the horses having most of the hot Texas summer off, and then the aftermath of Harvey, we have just started riding again.

We trailered the boys to a local ranch for a day ride. We only rode about 5 or 6 miles but I don't know who was more tired, us or them. It was a beautiful day.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Today, I was floored when DH suggested taking the horses out for a ride, as it was a balmy 40 with 18-20 mph sustained winds and chance of snow showers all day. But DH was indeed serious - so out we went with Sultan and Phin. The whole story is in my journal.

We jogged (blew?) over to the Sugarloaf and then moseyed up and around it.










Phin's opinion of posing for pics:


















2017 mileage
...
11/16 sultan 7.73 miles 1252 ft climb 4.4 mph 33F 1748.86 total miles
11/19 phin 5.02 miles 1038 ft climb 3.1 mph 28F *1753.88 total miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Different trail ride today. I took Dita out yesterday for 2 hours (and I'm still sore from the workout), but today I went on a half-hour, walk-only, up-and-down-the-road ride.


----------



## phantomhorse13

@mmshiro : what a fun outing for the minis! Are you and your BO (or whomever was ponying the other mini) left-handed? I have never seen anybody pony just one horse from that side before.


----------



## mmshiro

phantomhorse13 said:


> @mmshiro : what a fun outing for the minis! Are you and your BO (or whomever was ponying the other mini) left-handed? I have never seen anybody pony just one horse from that side before.


This was the first time me ponying anything, so she asked me which hand I preferred. There are actually some things I prefer to do with the left, and some with the right. I write with my right, but if you ask me to slice something (like deli meat), I'll hold the knife in the left. 

I can't do Western (BO rode a horse that knows neck reining so she did have one hand free), so the trick for me was to hold the lead line steady with a mini who is not particularly disciplined yet while giving my horse soft aids or loose rein. The 15-20mph wind didn't help. Still, I think it was a good experience for all involved - we did something new, and everybody went home safely.


----------



## Celeste

If I pony horses, I do it from either side. Usually whichever side seems safest as far as traffic or ditches. I guess I never though of their being a right way to do it. Lol.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> If I pony horses, I do it from either side. Usually whichever side seems safest as far as traffic or ditches. I guess I never though of their being a right way to do it.


I don't know if its "right" or "wrong" so much as how you were taught - which happens a lot with horses it seems!

I was taught to pony on the racetrack. Those horses are barely broke in some cases, so you definitely wanted to stay on their left as it was possible they had never been led from the right before! Since I am also right-handed, it seemed to make sense to use my smarter hand (and stronger arm) to do the potentially harder work.

I have never tried to pony on a horse that doesn't neck rein - that would be super challenging!


----------



## ChasingDreams

It might be a few weeks before I get my new guy out and about, so I figured I'd share a picture from a solo ride around the farm with Magnum. 











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Celeste

Yesterday DH and I took the girls our for a little trail ride on our land. (Today, they were still blocking us out with a parade of log trucks.) 

There were a lot of nice leaves. I even got one quick picture of my girl with her ears forward. Usually when I get the camera out, she has to look back and see what it is.


Yesterday's ride -- 3.2 miles
Total -- *206.7 miles*


----------



## Celeste

DH and I rode both Tuesday and today (Thursday). The weather was perfect both days.


----------



## Celeste

A few more:
2.7 miles Tuesday
2.2 miles today

*Total for year: 211.6 miles*


----------



## mmshiro

Nothing promises a great ride like coming to the barn and the BO saying, "Can you take Dita out for a short w/t/c ride? She's going crazy!"

I didn't plan on riding her today since we were out yesterday for about 3.5 hours - the weather was gorgeous, and I really wanted her to have a chance to at least pretend to tire a little. (She humored me about halfway through the ride by deciding to walk the second half of a dirt road she usually runs in its entirety, but she was completely recovered by the end of the ride.) 

Later that afternoon, however, she developed a belly ache - lying down in her stall, not eating a handful of sweetfeed I held in front of her face, and breathing heavily. BO, who is an ER nurse with 50 years of horse experience, doesn't get stumped by little issues like this and got her up and running within half an hour - when I hand-walked her, she was already munching on grass again. Nonetheless, this horse, which is basically on 24h turn-out, got confined to her stall overnight. By morning, she was pi**ed.

So I take her out, try to keep her at a brisk pace, including the edge of the field that runs parallel to the road back to the barn, separated by a tree line from it. Usually that's where out cool-down walk takes place, but I thought I'd make an exception - I let her canter. The last piece of the mow path along the edge is like "a gentle downhill" - "a short uphill" - "another short downhill" – then we are at the end of the field, where there is a right-turn through the tree line into the street, or a left turn up a ravine following the field. 

Long story short, I tend to be pretty slow with escalating rein pressure when I slow her down from a gallop, because usually I start the shutdown process early in order to be able to be gradual. Nobody is helped by her attempting a sliding stop from a gallop. In that particular case, she gained speed on the first downhill and I did not manage the transition to walk on the short uphill, so we are coming to the end of the field rather hot. It was pretty clear that I would not be able to stop her on 50 yards on a downhill. 

Fortunately, I'm rather confident turning her at speed, so I planned on doing a leftie, up the ravine and following the edge of the field. Dita, on the other hand, knows which way is home, so when I felt her even thinking about turning right, which would have meant flying through the hedge into the road, I pressed her into the left turn and up the small, but steep hill. At the top, I backed her down to a walk, no problem.

Needless to say, before going home we did practice three or four more downwards transitions from the canter, including that very same stretch. 

Can you believe that she executed the very first trot in that ride, in an open field, on a slack rein, and that I backed her down by slowing my post? But, I tell you, once those muscles are warmed up, and the adrenaline gets going, she's a pistol. Anyway, today was the first time ever she didn't stop by the time I planned on being back at a walk, so I thought I'd share the story. Because of that last downhill, it was hard for her to slow down, too...just run down a sledding hill and see how fast you can stop. As usual when something goes sideways with her, operator inexperience, not a "bad horse", is the larger factor.

Have I heard of a one-rein stop? Yes. Have I ever used it? Yes. Would I use it on a horse going 20mph with 80% of her weight on her front legs? Well, I'd like to see a demonstration of that first... (This site needs a "popcorn" emoticon.)

Later that day my wife and I did take out the Oreos as planned originally, for a much more pastoral ride.


----------



## egrogan

@Celeste, it sure is getting pretty where you live!

We had a bright, sunny long weekend and enjoyed lots of riding time. Happy Thanksgiving to all from the New Hampshire woods...





*Total 2017 Miles- 145.9
*Isabel: 127.1
Fizz: 18.8


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro I did the one rein stop thing on a bolting, insane horse when I was in my 20's. It was quite accidental. The other rein broke. The only rein I had was the right rein. She jerked into a large right circle (I almost flew off then, but managed to hang on due to fear), and then the circles got smaller and smaller and then I think she got dizzy and stopped. 

I learned a lesson about using cheap second hand tack that day.


----------



## mmshiro

I tamed the beast! We went on a 2-hour walk/trot ride today: 80% walk, 20% trot - virtually no arguments over the speed. It was actually I who had to fight temptation to get her going at some of her favorite spots, but I really wanted to see if she'd ask to go if I don't canter her first. She didn't! She walked halfway, then I asked her to trot, and she went the rest of the way trotting on a loose rein. 

I know this is partially due to her getting it out of her system yesterday and the day before, but if we train a horse every time we interact with it, I hope she got and remembers today's lesson: The days when you are _expected_ to haul a** every time a rider gets on you are over...


----------



## Celeste

mmshiro said:


> I tamed the beast! We went on a 2-hour walk/trot ride today: 80% walk, 20% trot - virtually no arguments over the speed. It was actually I who had to fight temptation to get her going at some of her favorite spots, but I really wanted to see if she'd ask to go if I don't canter her first. She didn't! She walked halfway, then I asked her to trot, and she went the rest of the way trotting on a loose rein.
> 
> I know this is partially due to her getting it out of her system yesterday and the day before, but if we train a horse every time we interact with it, I hope she got and remembers today's lesson: The days when you are _expected_ to haul a** every time a rider gets on you are over...


It sounds like you are making serious progress!


----------



## gunslinger

While it's a fine weekend this weekend, no trail riding for me......riding in a Christmas parade both Saturday and Sunday.....375 miles so far this year for me....

Hope to break 400 before the new year.


----------



## Celeste

This is my only day off this weekend. I went out to the barn, and my main riding horse is showing mild signs of colic. I gave her some banamine and she is up and walking; following the other horses around. Not only am I worried about my girl, but what a waste of a perfect day.

I may take my old girl out for a short ride later. I'll have to see how The Princess is coming along.


----------



## egrogan

Just saw this @Celeste. Hope everything’s ok by now!!


----------



## mmshiro

Decent ride with Dita today, not quite perfect. But horse and rider returned to the barn together, so we'll call it a "good ride" anyway. 

Rather than just enjoying the scenery, I made an effort to get some training done, especially in regards to down transitions from high rates of speed. I can't always rely on natural features of the landscape to stop her, so we are working on aborting a gallop halfway down the field. You know how you teach horses to collect in the arena by taking them into a circle, wait until they relax and show nice cadence, and as release you let them go straight again? I tried that with Dita today - in a field. Apparently the circles are not enough of an inconvenience for her to modulate her speed. I swear, as I was spiraling her in to achieve the "Okay, you got me, this is hard and I'd rather not do this fast!", well, she took the circles at full speed, both directions. She almost looked like this was fun for her! I guess she gets an A+ for bending and getting her hind legs under herself, eh? I tried the same with the trot: she tries to speed up, I draw the circle in; she relaxes and maintains speed, I spiral she circle out. A little more successful, but not the drastic result I had seen with other horses (who really preferred not to do the little circles at speed).

Little "Oh sh*t" moment: Along one of the trails, there is a double jump combination; nothing major - 1.5 - 2 feet. When I went there today, a prior storm had turned it into a triple. Dita was concerned about something regarding the first jump (the fallen tree), and didn't want to take it. Whenever that happens, I take her closer so she can take a look (without urging her to take the jump), then I go back a few paces and let her take it. This time, we edged closer, she looked at it...suddenly I felt her weight shift back and she bunny-hopped right over it, taking the other two without a second thought. Needless to say, that hop, both unexpected and with a strong vertical component, gave me quite a lift - fortunately I managed to stay straight and in balance, or I would have had a really messed up day at Jump Number Two the latest.

Anyway, with the trail ride and the ancillary training in the field we were out for two hours, so I feel genuinely exercised.


----------



## Celeste

I think my horse is going to be ok. We have a new hay bale out. It is just coastal bermuda grass, but it must taste too good. I think she packed a little too much in. Once I gave her some banamine, her pain eased off enough so she could poo. I really hope that is all that is wrong. I will be keeping a close watch. 

@mmshiro I am tired just from reading your post. You must be a lot younger than I am.


----------



## mmshiro

Celeste said:


> @mmshiro I am tired just from reading your post. You must be a lot younger than I am.


49 in two weeks... :winetime:


----------



## AnitaAnne

mmshiro said:


> 49 in two weeks... :winetime:


Is that 49 in riding years or just regular years?? 

:happy-birthday8:


----------



## AnitaAnne

Celeste said:


> This is my only day off this weekend. I went out to the barn, and my main riding horse is showing mild signs of colic. I gave her some banamine and she is up and walking; following the other horses around. Not only am I worried about my girl, but what a waste of a perfect day.
> 
> I may take my old girl out for a short ride later. I'll have to see how The Princess is coming along.


Hope she gets better quickly


----------



## mmshiro

AnitaAnne said:


> Is that 49 in riding years or just regular years??
> 
> :happy-birthday8:


Regular. I'm a horsey baby - I started riding (horses) a little over two years ago. I had ridden an elephant in Indonesia before that. Nothing teaches you balance and moving your seat with your mount like a bareback trail ride 9 feet above ground, even if it's just an hour and a half.


----------



## evilamc

Copying and pasting this from my journal because some of you may enjoy it 

Oh and heres a cool pic! My husband bought me the new Garmin Vivoactive 3 smartwatch for Christmas! He got his present early (super cool Ultrawide Curved gaming monitor!) so he gave me mine  I've had a Pebble Smartwatch for a few years now but it was kind of dying and Pebbles aren't made anymore so no updates and stuff. So after a LOT of comparing watches I decided on the Garmin. The Apple Watch only has 18 hr battery life....so that was a NO for me...I'd love an Apple Watch because they're sleek looking, a little smaller and pair with iphones perfectly...but not dealing with 18 hr battery life. Theres some pretty nice android ware watches but I fear they just wont pair as well with iphones. They're supposed to be working pretty well now with the newest update...maybe I just hate android. Then of course theres the fitbits, the newest fitbit ionic was a STRONG contender! But I didn't like how it looked! The Garmin is a cuter round shape...its a bit large but not uncomfortable. Its a little more simplified too which I like. My biggest concern was lack of apps for it but I figured out how to load my rides into endomondo from it so thats a win. Main things I want from my smartwatches are the notifications and tracking my rides. Whats really neat is the watch itself has a GPS it doesn't work off my phones GPS. It has a "navigate" feature but I haven't tried that yet. I guess you can set your location before you leave then if you get lost it will help navigate back to that location with the compass? 

To test out its accuracy I used it, my Magellan handheld, Endomondo on one phone and Runtastic on my work phone. Runtastic is apparently HORRIBLE! I do NOT recommend! The other 3 all had about the same reading though!








Top left Endomondo Top right Magellan Bottom left Garmin Vivoactive 3 and Bottom right Runtastic.

So I'm pretty excited. I don't have to use my phone to track my rides or carry my handheld (I probably will still carry it on larger rides where I def have no idea where I am though...just in case!). It seems to have pretty decent battery life and its very cool to just look down at my wrist and see how far we've gone so far...time...speed.

-----------------------

I've had some fun rides since last update  A lot of bareback riding!

































Big hilllll today









I swear it never ended!









Updated my spreadsheet, I'm quite surprised I'm a lot higher in miles then I expected!

*294.05* so far this year! I doubt it will get much higher with it being December but at least I'll break 300. Not bad considering how busy I've been with farm improvements and my business.


----------



## mmshiro

Two rides today.

First one with Dita. After lesson time yesterday, it was "her day". I employed the material from yesterday (a feeble attempt to slow her down by cantering her into a circle), and instead of galloping the length of a field, I did a wide "U"-turn at the end and took her right back. I did that twice, then I was out of breath, my legs were burning, and I slowly got some concerns about staying on. I think this would be easier on the race track, but keeping her in a straight line whilst running down the field and then turning her around at the end with no visual guidelines for her to follow was like leg day at the gym. It was the longest I ever had her at full speed, and no, she didn't slow down for the U-turns on either end...

Second ride was a favor to BO who booked a trail ride for a couple, but couldn't ride because of a busted knee. I took out Hamlet, whom some of you may have seen in the "Oreos" video. The couple were two youngsters who presented themselves as "intermediate riders". Knowing who tends to show up at the "experienced" level, I feared the worst. And the worst happened. The girl rode Marion, a feisty mare but rather reliable. For some unknown reason, the dude got to ride Scout - yes, almost-still-green Scout, who never had a harsh or scared rider on him in his life.

So we are leaving, barely passing the property, when Hamlet bolts at the sight of a bright white recycling bin. I catch him gently, but by the time I turn around, I see Scout bucking - without rider, who must have flinched when Scout accelerated, ripped his mouth, and - despite rubber baby snaffle - managed to cause so much discomfort that Scout opted for not carrying him anymore. Another fond memory to recall whenever I hear, "They don't bounce much when they hit the ground - out here on the dude string trail." (Marion jumped too, according to the girl riding her, but she remained in control.)

So back we went to the barn, one of us walking the walk of shame, two of us riding. BF wants to impress GF with his manliness and agrees to go out on a different horse - an elderly TB who, for practical intents and purposes, is retired to arena duty with little girls. So out we go again. Walking was fine, anything faster than that and they were unable to keep their horses behind mine. I attempt a controlled canter across a field, and suddenly I see two TBs flying past me - with very nervous and not-in-control riders. On one juncture, I wanted to go home the scenic route rather than following the road, but BF was unable to get his horse, who knew the shortest way to the barn, to turn. She was walking, but he couldn't even get her to stop to wait for me to get in front after I decided that this wasn't worth the trouble - I told him to circle a tree until I was past him. Hey, at least he got the jeans and the snazzy cowboy boots!

So anyway, GF had a reasonably good time, even though she could benefit from a few field lessons (she had never navigated a downhill ravine and I almost caused her to give up when we went down one leading towards a river). BF will be thinking about his life choices tonight, in particular regarding dating a horse girl and attempting to impress her.

I decided I'm not going to take out tourists by myself anymore, even though I'll always be willing to be a backup. I just don't have the skills to pull the chestnuts out of the fire quickly enough with people who go to a website offering "Our trail rides are for *experienced* riders who are looking for a challenging field-riding experience..." and show up, never having been off the arena, misrepresenting their skill level. It's not my risk to take to maybe have to deal with a maimed body in the middle of the woods.

Sorry for the Wall of Text...

tl;dr: Galloped Dita today until exhaustion set in - mine, not hers; another set of rank beginners showing up for an experienced-level challenging trail ride.


----------



## gunslinger

Just re-calculated my numbers....362 for the year, not 375.....


----------



## egrogan

This weekend I passed 150 miles for the year. It's less than I'd hoped to do this year, but I should be able to keep adding to it if the long-range forecast holds. Maybe 175 is realistic? Though we are limited by hunting season and a little bit of trail sabotage on behalf of a neighbor who has blocked access to part of a trail we're supposed to be able to use.

Sorry all my pictures look the same these days- brown leaves and bare trees! :wink:


















*Total 2017 miles: 153.9
Isabel- 130.0
Fizz-23.9
*


----------



## mmshiro

My whole "Dita being impatient" adventure has disappeared - so here's a short recap:

- Dita speeding up on the trail, forcing me to adjust her speed all the time
- Dita has enormous lift, making the sudden onset of a trot a jarring event for once internal organs

What I had found out:

- Responsiveness to aids was not the issue, patience was - especially on the part of the trail that she perceives to lead back to the barn

What I did on the first ride:

- Go around a field, loose rein, walk. If you speed up, you stop. If you don't want to stop, we back up twice as far - nice and easy, but with aggravating lack of progress towards the barn nonetheless

Yesterday I went on a second ride:

She understood the "stop" part pretty nicely, so there was no backing up at all. Since she had softened up, I took her on a trail, following the same rules. I did have to stop her repeatedly, but while stopped, she either waited for my squeeze to proceed (I tried not to make her wait for too long) or she just ambled on (in which case I just stopped her again rather than backing her up). There may have been three or four cookies for her at the end of a stop and before walking on.

It was great to see the intervals without stops getting longer and longer, even when we were on the way back.

We still have to work on the faster gaits. I let her trot up a hill, where I had her on relatively firm contact, and at one point she busted into a canter. She took two steps before I turned her into the bushes - there may have been some tight turning left and right immediately afterwards. I took her back down the hill, walked it once, then let her trot again - still with more contact than I'd ultimately like, but without canter attempt.

Overall I'm pretty happy - my first venture into teaching a horse, and, at least within the scope of walking on the trail, I managed to make her do what I want her to do, I corrected her not by making her uncomfortable but by mildly inconveniencing her (standing still instead of proceeding towards home), and I managed to turn it into an overall win-win: she gets some of what she wants (putting on the cooler, chilling, watching some Netflix), and I get all that I want (a more patient horse).

Next step in the training: riding clover-leaf shaped short loops, so that she does not identify "walking towards the barn" with "the ride is ending" anymore. Then the faster gaits.


----------



## phantomhorse13

@mmshiro : I did catch your original post about the first ride with Dita (and replied with some suggestions), but sounds like you did just fine on your second ride. Keep up the good work!


Today I did not intend to ride.. but when George made the mistake of wandering into the catch paddock to beg for cookies while I was out doing stuff in the barn, I decided I was going to sneak one in after all (bareback.. on the horse who hasn't been ridden since September). The whole story is in my journal.




























2017 mileage
...
12/5 phin 1.72 miles 0 ft climb 3.8 mph 45F 1758.20 total miles
12/14 george 2.33 miles 195 ft climb 3.5 mph 13F *1760.53 total miles*


----------



## egrogan

Dashing through the snow today! 





(No, I didn't almost fall off in the middle, just ducked under some branches I saw heading towards my face at the last second. Still getting used to a horse that's 15.0 and not 14.2 :wink: It's like suddenly having your depth perception go off-kilter!)

*Total 2017 miles: 158.0
*Isabel-130.0
Fizz-28.0

ETA: For some reason the video is playing in slow motion on my computer?!? Very odd!


----------



## mmshiro

@egrogan : That looks very pretty!

Took out Dita today for some more patience training. There are two directions to leave the barn, and in each direction there are two short loops (about 15-20 mins) I can take her on before heading back to the barn. Did I say "to the barn"? I meant "*past* the barn"! :evil: She was so happy until she ran into my leg blocking off the barn entrance... Yeah well, tough luck. The whole point of the exercise is to teach her that "heading towards the barn" isn't equivalent to "put on your cooler and enjoy a snack". I'll have to do this a few more times.

She doesn't have particularly good traction (yet), so I needed to be extra careful anyway. I trotted her on a clear dirt road, and I let her sprint up a few short inclines; otherwise there was only walking. I think those are good lessons for her - first take her on a "clover leaf" walk-only, then let her work up a bit of a sweat on the very last round. She'll get some better winter shoes soon, so that'll not be as risky an endeavor anymore.


----------



## Celeste

DH and I got out for the first ride in about 3 weeks. It has either been raining, or I have had to work. We only went 2 miles because right as we were about to leave, the kids decided to visit. Oh well.

It is amazing how different the landscape looks in 3 weeks.
<img src='https://i.imgur.com/OiGwKI0.jpg' />


----------



## Celeste

I am going to try this free picture hosting site again.............

Well that didn't work.


----------



## Painted Horse

I've given up on posting photos. Unless the website itself accepts them, None of the photo hosting servers are free any more. And then if you do post a photo, Somebody steals it and uses it someplace else. It's not worth t anymore,

But I did make a YouTube Video of my rides for the year. If you have an hour to waste, You can watch it here.


----------



## Chevaux

The hour was not wasted, Painted Horse.


----------



## Painted Horse

Glad you enjoyed it. So many place to see, It's shame not to share them when I get a chance to see what can't be seen from the road,


----------



## carshon

The scenery is just breath taking!


----------



## mmshiro

That scene on the little bridge made my heart skip a beat! Awesome footage!


----------



## Painted Horse

mmshiro said:


> That scene on the little bridge made my heart skip a beat! Awesome footage!


Goes to show just how fast a normal ride can change.
Luckily my horse remained calm and let me fix the situation. other than the fidget that knowcked me off that moss covered rock I was standing on. 

Unfortunately for me I was about 2 hours away from my truck and was now soaking wet. It was during the spring snowmelt and the water had been snow an hour or two earlier. I turned the GoPro off and told the ladies in the group to go up around the corner. I pulled all my clothing and wrung them out as best I could. Had to put my underwear and pants back on. And Denim Jeans never dry out. I borrowed a dry sweatshirt from one of the other guys to warm my upper body and we continued on the ride. I think I had the heater in the truck on full blast all the way home.

The two weeks later, I had a stream bank collapse as my horse tried to climb out of the stream, Dumping me in the water again. Twice in two weeks. What are the odds?


----------



## mmshiro

After my BO's knee operation, I basically have 5 horses (besides Dita) that I am welcome to ride anytime. This is my third outing with Marion, OTTB mare in her late teens, and my first solo. Marion has a reputation for being a hardcore beetch. According to BO, her specialty is bullying and intimidating riders. Every second of every ride she thinks about how to make the ride more "_interesting_". On the flip side, she's a real people horse on the ground, and in the arena, she's a little girl's lesson horse. 

She's got two specialties: telling you where to go at each and every intersection, and spooking at random things. She backs it up with a lot of drama and bluster: snorting, shaking her head vigorously, etc. What she's not is vindictive, aggressive, or dangerous. All she needs is a rider who calls her bluff every.single.time.

Reminds me of a thread we've had before - do horses "test" us? I don't think she was testing me. She used a strategy that was successful before in getting a rider off her back. I do think she had at least a little bit of fun on the ride - though not as much as *not* having a monkey on her back. At the very least, it gave her some exercise, and it kept her mind occupied trying to play me. It got me a fun Xmas ride.


----------



## egrogan

@mmshiro-love the video, though Marion would not be my kind of ride :wink: I also love your sense of humor with her. I think I need to laugh more when my beast is snorting and blowing!!

Jealous of your bare ground-turning into a skating rink here right now...


----------



## weeedlady

@mmshiro I also love the video. Reminds me of my girl. I particularly enjoyed the music. What is it?


----------



## mmshiro

weedlady said:


> @mmshiro I also love the video. Reminds me of my girl. I particularly enjoyed the music. What is it?


It's Corelli, Concerto Grossi, Opus 6, Allegro.


----------



## weeedlady

mmshiro said:


> It's Corelli, Concerto Grossi, Opus 6, Allegro.


thank you!


----------



## Celeste

@mmshiro I have been on that type of ride so many times. I really wanted to switch her a time or two. I'm glad you put the music on so I wouldn't get mad.

She looks like a horse that has pulled those antics and had the opportunity to turn around and go home as a reward. 

Good job making her cooperate!


----------



## carshon

@mmshiro so jealous of the trails near your barn! And the video was great. My girl Tillie at times gets a stick or log phobia so I felt your pain!


----------



## Celeste

I have not posted anything about any of my rides in a while. We have done several short rides (2 - 3 miles). That puts me at *221.22 miles for the year so far.* Maybe I'll get to bring it up to 225 if the weather holds out. I have a lot of family responsibilities this week. The trees have lost their leaves and the trails are pretty brown. It is still nice though.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Merry Christmas all!


----------



## mmshiro

Went out on a little ride with Dita. It was a bit adventurous because of muddy conditions and wet leaves on the ground, but she was a really good girl. 

At night, I spent some time cuddling with Bibi (the handicapped filly) in her stall. She comes in at night as she has zero defense against predators. I was sitting in the corner of her stall next to her front legs, her head resting on my left leg, my right leg lying on her chest. My first riding instructor would have had a seizure if she could have seen this (I was not allowed into the pasture with my lesson horse without supervision, for safety reasons).


----------



## Celeste

Merry Christmas everyone!!!


----------



## gunslinger

It won't be long till the new year....and another thread......

Doesn't look like I'll get another ride in before the new year....

All in all it's been a pretty good year.

Miss Lacy has an appointment with a saddle fitter Jan 5th....


----------



## mmshiro

First casualty of my BO's knee surgery: Scout, the greenie. Naturally, he didn't get a lot of attention these past few weeks. I took him out yesterday, and he was super worried about absolutely everything, including the border between snow and road leaving the farm. It looks like he reverted a bit to a more green state. I planned to keep the ride to circumambling a few connected fields. I let him canter a few steps up a short incline, when suddenly I thought, "Well, that's a rough canter...wait! He's bucking!" Still having vertical movement in the back, but no progress along the ground, kind of gave it away...which tells you that it wasn't a super violent event. 

I pulled his head up, yelled at him to knock it off, and decided that this requires a shortcut home. He seemed to be in overload. I got the ride on video, but there isn't much to see - I just shared it with BO so she can tell me if I should have done anything differently. I'll do some groundwork desensitization with Scout tomorrow when it'll be too cold to ride anyway. 

Since that ride was only 30 mins, I tacked up Hamlet, and got some nice winter wonderland footage with snow and sunshine. I still have to think about what to do with that video...it was a fantastic ride to be there, but nothing much happened for third parties to experience excitement via A/V.


----------



## egrogan

Ha @mmshiro, nothing exciting happens on my rides except strolling through the woods. :wink:

It was a gorgeous day here yesterday, with enough snow over the icy crust that the footing was good. Challenging for the horses to get through, so even a walk was a good workout. The pictures don't do justice to how beautiful it was to see the sunlight streaming through the ice-covered trees.



















*Total 2017 miles: 163.45
*Isabel: 131.8
Fizz: 31.6


----------



## SwissMiss

@egrogan, while I _normally_ don't miss the snow, pictures like yours make me long for those quiet, snowy rides


----------



## mmshiro

Here you go. Sometimes I feel like risking my life, but other times I just want to get away, take in the scenery, immerse myself, and be with my horse.


----------



## weeedlady

@mmshiro you have excellent taste in music!


----------



## mmshiro

In case there is a competition about who will have the last ride of the year, I'm officially conceding. I took Dita out for another 2 hours today - upper teens, there was no wind, a bit of snow fall, and just enough for me to still ride without gloves and keep warm hands - but there is no way I'll be out tomorrow. So, I'm signing off from this thread - wishing you all a Happy New Year, healthy and happy horses, healthy and happy riders!


----------



## SwissMiss

Ha, I am eating my words from my last post :wink: Rode today in cold (ok, only cold for MS :rofl weather and there were some pools of cold air in the woods that actually made me feel cold - brr. So maybe I'm not cut out for (real) winter riding anymore... Rain/freezing rain is in the forecast, so I am with @mmshiro: it is highly unlikely that I will ride tomorrow :wink:


----------



## AnitaAnne

No gloves when the weather is in the teens??? Brrr. 

I am done for the year too, not enough miles to count this year, but next year going to challenge Celeste :biggrin:

Not starting until maybe next week though, because going to be in the 20's all this week; I do not ride when it is below...umm...40F :hide:

Phantomhorse13 is at a ride this weekend; she might get in the last miles for the year. 

Happy New Year to all y'all!! :winetime:


----------



## gunslinger

Happy new year friends.

I end the year with 362 miles. Down 120 miles from last year but we were in a drought last year and this year we were above average in rain fall.

I rode 32 weekends in 2017.

The longest ride was on Oct 14 on the Abrams Creek trail in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, a loop, going from the west side of the park into Cades Cove and back. 19.6 miles

The shortest ride of the year (not counting the christmas parades) was 6.3 miles riding out of Timber Ridge Horse camp at Big South Fork on April 14th. Rain shortened that ride.

Mr. Jack was out 9 times, Sonny was out 6 times, and Miss Lacy had 26 rides.......The quarter horses need to get out more....It's hard to leave the Cadillac in the garage! 

The average ride was 11.31 miles.

So, I started tracking mileage in 2012....
2012 362
2013 394
2014 346
2015 362
2016 488
2017 362

Thats 2314 miles in 6 years or an average of 385 miles per year. This seems like a pretty good number until I look at Phantom! 

Anyway, Happy Trails, and Happy New Year! God be with you all.


----------



## mmshiro

AnitaAnne said:


> No gloves when the weather is in the teens??? Brrr.


Keep your core and your head warm, throw in a little trot now and then to keep the blood flowing. It'll keep your periphery warm without problem - especially if there is no wind. I brought gloves, but took them off 20 mins into the ride.


----------



## egrogan

I had best intentions of riding yesterday, and waited patiently all day for the thermometer to hit the promised 17*F, which seemed reasonable enough to ride in. By 2pm, it was still stuck at 6*F, so I surrendered. With similar actual temps but a -20*F windchill today, I will have to accept that I too am done for the year.

It's been an interesting year for me. My older mare Isabel was treated for Lyme in the middle of the summer, which obviously put a damper on our mileage but fortunately ended with her being healthy and re-testing in the solidly negative range at her 6-month recheck. 

I also added my younger mare Fizz in October, and have ridden a few dozen trail miles with her so far. She loves hacking out, and we will spend the winter working on some basic dressage in the indoor and riding out as much as we can when the temperature and footing are reasonable. In 2018 I'm determined to get her conditioned to do at least one 25-mile ride this summer. Can't wait for the adventures!

Here are some of my favorite through-the-ears moments with both of them this year across the seasons:

_Isabel









Fizz_
_








_
*FINAL 2017 miles: 163.45
*Isabel 131.8
Fizz 31.6

Sure has been fun tracking miles with all of you again this year. Can't wait to see who's in a warm enough place tomorrow to get us started with the 2018 thread! :grin:


----------



## AnitaAnne

mmshiro said:


> Keep your core and your head warm, throw in a little trot now and then to keep the blood flowing. It'll keep your periphery warm without problem - especially if there is no wind. I brought gloves, but took them off 20 mins into the ride.


I wear gloves all year round...leftover habit from my Dressage days maybe. 

I can't bear 5 minutes without insulated gloves if it is below freezing! More used to 80F than 32F!


----------



## AnitaAnne

I plan to ride tomorrow, even if only for 5 minutes! It is a New Years Day tradition! I want to start every year on the back of my horse!!! 

See y'all in 2018!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

I got in my last ride of 2017 over the weekend in Florida. The whole story is in my journal.











__
Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content

























2017 mileage
...
12/22 phin 1.38 miles 0 ft climb 3.9 mph 22f 1761.91 total miles
12/29 flo 24.64 miles 116 ft climb 5.5 mph 42F *1786.55 total miles


*While I didn't beat my mileage from last year, I am pretty happy with how 2017 turned out. Looking forward to 2018!


----------



## Celeste

A 1.78 mile ride with @Change yesterday made me close out my ride with *226 miles total*. We had planned on a longer ride, but the cold made me pretty wimpy.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Celeste said:


> A 1.78 mile ride with @*Change* yesterday made me close out my ride with *226 miles total*. We had planned on a longer ride, but the cold made me pretty wimpy.


How fun you got to ride with someone else from HF. Where are the PICS?!


----------



## egrogan

^Ditto all that!!


----------



## Celeste

phantomhorse13 said:


> How fun you got to ride with someone else from HF. Where are the PICS?!


I think we were so frozen we forgot to take pictures.


----------



## AnitaAnne

Celeste said:


> I think we were so frozen we forgot to take pictures.


Where were you? Her place of yours?? 

Did you ride Rapper??? Do tell all


----------

