# Sticky  2022 share your trail



## phantomhorse13

I got lucky to get Phin out for his rehab walk today before the rain. The whole story is in my journal.









Happy New Year - here's to 2022!

2022 mileage
phin 2.06 miles, 102 ft climb, 3.3 mph, 50F real feel, *2.06 total miles*


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## knightrider

Today I got to ride at San Felasco with the Santa Fe Riding Club. I brought Aci for @4horses to ride and I rode Windy. Windy is actually my daughter's horse, but I keep trailering her places to ride to get her trained and keep her fit. She keeps improving with every ride.

We had a super fun ride, although it turned out to be fairly hot. Our horses have their winter coats on and they got pretty sweaty. Our club president got tied up helping some novice riders, so we had a nice man leading the ride . . . he has a rambunctious fractious Arab who didn't want to walk, so it ended up being a fairly fast ride with a lot of gaiting. My neighbor has a spotted saddle horse, Windy is a TN Walker, and Aci is a Paso Fino, so we all enjoyed the gaiting, although I believe some people in the group enjoy a more sedate ride. There were no complaints.

Partway through the ride, an ATV came behind the horses doing work on the trail. Unfortunately Windy just happened to be the last horse in the group, and she started to get agitated about this weird vehicle behind her. The ATV would come up behind the horses, then stop to do some work, then come up behind the horses again after a bit. The 4th time the ATV came up behind Windy, she had had enough of that and started bucking.

I hate being the person whose horse misbehaves. 4horses called out, "Everybody hold up! We have a horse bucking back here." SO embarrassing. I like my horses to be all well-behaved and quiet. That part of the ride was not something I'd like to repeat. Fortunately, the ATV went off to a different trail to do work, and the rest of the ride was great fun and quite lovely.

We washed our horses and sat in the shade to enjoy our picnic lunches. It was a super time.


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## whisperbaby22

I don't know when I'll be able to get out on the trail, it's been so wet here, and since I ride in a riverbottom I will give it plenty of time to dry out. But I want to be able to see all the great photos everybody puts up. Thanks


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## phantomhorse13

@knightrider : I doubt anybody blamed Windy for being upset about the stalking ATV. Phin would have been fussing long before the 4th approach!


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## phantomhorse13

I got Phin out for his rehab ride today. We got more rain overnight, so the ground is a disaster. 








We slogged over to the ring to do most of his ride, which is not my favorite but at least safe.








The temp has been dropping all day and will continue to fall into the 20s.. which means tomorrow everything will be ice. 😖 

2022 mileage

1/1phin2.06 miles112 ft climb3.3 mph50F2.06 total miles1/2phin2.06 miles115 ft climb3.3 mph42F*4.12 total miles*


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## Saigold

Happy new year everybody! Let’s have a great 2022! It’s nice to be back in the saddle. 

I was able to get out for a quick solo ride today. It was too much fresh snow to pass up. We went from no snow to 3-4” overnight. Duke was pretty full of himself and played a game of chase me across the pasture 3 times. He’s not usually like that. After that we saddled up and went through the back forest and fields. He was quite forward moving the whole ride. And we did a good amount of trot and canter. The dog ran with us too. It was -6 with a bit of breeze but it didn’t feel cold while riding. It was so nice and peaceful and we caught the late sunset through the clouds.
































Happy trails!


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## PoptartShop

Lucky...haven't been able to even get on my horse lately because it's either raining, or too wet! Hoping to hit the trails soon.

Love the rides!


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## phantomhorse13

@Saigold - your horse wanted to make sure you got to experience playing in the snow too by being hard to catch 

@PoptartShop : after today's storm, you too can be riding in the snow!


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## Saigold

@phantomhorse13 that he did. He’d wait until I’d walk almost to him and the take off around the horse trailer at a canter with his tail up in the air. Show off lol


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time today despite the frigid temps. The whole story is in my journal.

First was Phin's rehab ride:









Then I got George out to walk Kestrel:
















2022 mileage
...

1/3phin2.16 miles138 ft climb4.1 mph11F 🥶6.28 total miles1/3george3.04 miles354 ft climb4.4 mph14F ⛄*9.32 total miles*


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## RMH

Rode at Tuckahoe State Park yesterday with a group from the Tuckahoe Equestrian Center. For the curious there are a few pictures on the TEC FB page but I took none of my own. After the rain stopped mid morning it was cloudy with the temperature in the mid 60's. By comparison the daytime high today is 30 with 10" of snow on the ground and winds gusting to 20 mph. If you don't like the Maryland weather just wait a day. Back to the ride there were a dozen or so riders and we covered 10 miles in 3 1/2 hours. A few wet spots but not too bad. TSP offers the closest thing we have to hills on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Best thing is there are no rocks so shoes are not required. Of the dozen +/- horses 4 of them were Rocky Mountain Horses which is unusual.


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time today. The whole story is in my journal.

I started with Phin:

















Next was George:

















Then, I rode Copper:

















2022 mileage
...

1/4phin2.2 miles171 ft climb3.9 mph19F11.52 total miles1/4george6.29 miles876 ft climb4.5 mph25F17.81 total miles1/4copper1.74 miles33 ft climb3.4 mph28F*19.55 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

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

Phin's rehab rides:

























Amish:

















George:






















2022 mileage
...

1/5phin2.26 miles167 ft climb4.2 mph21F21.81 total miles1/5amish5.26 miles771 ft climb4.3 mph34F27.07 total miles1/6phin2.18 miles197 ft climb4.4 mph19F29.25 total miles1/7phin2.18 miles161 ft climb4.7 mph18F31.43 total miles1/7george4.51 miles502 ft climb5.1 mph9F*35.94 total miles*


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## lb27312

First ride of the year was a great one! Took Captain… I think this is his 7th trail ride maybe? The first this time was riding away from the property and his brothers…. he did pretty good! A little surprised as I thought he would keep trying to turn around but he didn’t…. he did look back a few times but the others didn’t call to him too much.

It was cold but I was bundled up, felt like the stay puff man  .

I love the loop we did! My neighbor only has her horses here during the winter… they summer in the mountains. So I’m enjoying her here. Went by an old cemetery, going to hike back there and check out the dates. Pics!


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time yesterday, and a good thing as we had an ice storm today so I have no idea when the ground may be rideable next. 😖 The whole story is in my journal.

First was Phin:

















Then George:

























Then Honey:

























2022
...

1/8phin2.41 miles144 ft climb4.7 mph14F38.35 total miles1/8george4.02 miles463 ft climb5.1 mph21F42.37 total miles1/8honey3.04 miles312 ft climb2.7 mph30F*45.41 total miles*


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## PoptartShop

FINALLLLLLLY had my first ride of 2022 on Saturday. It rained yesterday, so couldn't ride. Ground is now a mushy, slushy mess...yay...

It had snowed the night before, not a crazy amount, but certain areas it was deeper! I just hopped on bareback in just a neck rope & we plodded along. It was fun!


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## QueenofFrance08

We finally got our first ride of 2022! I was beginning to worry it had been so long that I wouldn't even remember how to get on! It has been below 0 for weeks.... Saturday we finally had a 20 degree day so DH and I got the boys out to the small park half an hour away. I had hoped to go to the state forest an hour away for a longer ride but DH wanted to check the trailer tires before we go farther so we compromised. It ended up being good because we found out while tacking up that I didn't have the right size girth for my new saddle so DH had to ride bareback. He wants me to ride Comet more and refused to let me ride Chico so it was odd being on each other's horses!
























Keep your fingers crossed that we have a few warm days this weekend and can get out again!


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## RMH

Wow, I stop riding at around 40 degrees and only do what I have to outside at 20 degrees. At 0 degrees I'd have frozen water lines and equipment that wouldn't start. I guess it's all about what you are used to and the conditions you prepare for.


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## Saigold

Then Honey:
View attachment 1123105





@PhantomRider where did you buy then orange rumpsheet and ear bonnets? I’ve been looking for something similar with a reasonable price for a while now. But the only ones I found are from England and shipping is not cheap. Thanks


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## phantomhorse13

After a couple days of warmer than expected temperatures, the ice melted enough I was able to get some saddle time. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:

































George:

























Honey:









2022 mileage
...

1/12george2.9 miles351 ft climb4.8 mph21F48.31 total miles1/12phin4.65 miles472 ft climb4.3 mph24F52.96 total miles1/13phin4.34 miles489 ft climb4.1 mph21F57.30 total miles1/13george2.19 miles164 ft climb4.7 mph30F59.49 total miles1/13honey1.06 miles69 ft climb2.8 mph40F*60.55 total miles*


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## baysfordays

phantomhorse13 said:


> I got Phin out for his rehab ride today. We got more rain overnight, so the ground is a disaster.
> View attachment 1122642
> 
> We slogged over to the ring to do most of his ride, which is not my favorite but at least safe.
> View attachment 1122643
> 
> The temp has been dropping all day and will continue to fall into the 20s.. which means tomorrow everything will be ice. 😖
> 
> 2022 mileage
> 
> 1/1phin2.06 miles112 ft climb3.3 mph50F2.06 total miles1/2phin2.06 miles115 ft climb3.3 mph42F*4.12 total miles*


What type of “string” is that between the poles for the riding arena and what type of sand? Building a riding arena and don’t wanna spend thousands lol.


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## phantomhorse13

Nadiya said:


> What type of “string” is that between the poles for the riding arena and what type of sand? Building a riding arena and don’t wanna spend thousands lol.


The string is rope meant to be clothesline.. eventually the ring will be surrounded by panels, but meanwhile the clothes line is a visual aid, if not much of a barrier if a horse really tested it. I believe the top layer of footing is crushed bluestone, but I will ask next time I see my SIL (it's her ring and I am just lucky to live close enough to be able to hack over and use it).


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## gunslinger

Got Miss Lacy out for the first ride of 2022....9 miles........it was a little chilly, cloudy and 50 degrees.......yet, when I think of my northern friends, ya'll probably wish for a 50 degree day.....Springs not far away.....or at least, that's what I keep telling myself....


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## knightrider

gunslinger said:


> ..Springs not far away..


Yes, it was exciting to see that my Chorro started shedding a tiny bit today for the first time this winter.


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## phantomhorse13

I got a bit of saddle time before the big Nor'Easter came. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:


























George:

























2022 mileage
..

1/14george1.12 miles53 ft climb3.9 mph26F61.67 total miles1/14honey0.42 miles34 ft climb3.8 mph24F62.09 total miles1/14phin2.03 miles194 ft climb3.1 mph14F64.12 total miles1/16george4.92 miles614 ft climb3.8 mph21F69.04 total miles1/16phin4.72 miles525 ft climb3.9 mph15F*73.76 total miles*


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## weeedlady

Hi all and Happy 2022. I've managed only 2 short rides so far this year. Tucker and I went out for 1.08 miles on New Years Day just so that I could say we did, lol. It was 14 degrees F so I didn't last long.
Raven and I went out for 1.6 miles on the 14th to celebrate my 66th birthday. It was warmer at 18F. 
Snow is up to the horses knees. The road is pretty icy under the snow so we've been sticking to the trails in our backyard.

@knightrider and @egrogan I know that you both enjoyed the Virtual Tevis with me. I thought you might be interested in the Warhorse Endurance Challenges also. It basically works the same way as the Virtual Tevis and in fact uses the same platform to record your progress. No Tshirts, though  You get patches and medals. There is a FB group and you can get more info at www.warhorseendurance.com. I signed up for 3 different challenges! I find having a challenge to complete really gives me the motivation I need to get out and ride






.













And here is Haute Couture for cleaning stalls at -20F real temp!


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## knightrider

Thanks! I will look into that. Unfortunately, I have too much motivation to ride. Everyone else seems to hope to ride more. I am trying to make myself ride a bit less. It's complicated. But the challenges are definitely fun, and I'd like to do it.


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## egrogan

Thanks for that link @weeedlady. I have a few friends who I know are participating in various War Horse challenges. I'm not riding much at the moment as I lost one of my retired mares right before Christmas, and without her my other mare is inconsolable if I take Fizz out to ride. Plus, until we finally got a good snow this week, the ground has been icy since right after Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to spring and living vicariously through all of you until then! But I will check out the challenges and see what I can sign up for as I get back into condition in a couple of months 😁 Love to see your photos!


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## weeedlady

@egrogan so sorry to hear of your loss  
My rides will also be few and far between for awhile. Wind is nasty here!


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## egrogan

weeedlady said:


> @egrogan so sorry to hear of your loss
> My rides will also be few and far between for awhile. Wind is nasty here!


Thank you, we all miss her!
Here’s to better weather soon!


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## PoptartShop

Same here, no rides for a bit...either raining or snowing/sleeting here lately, ugh.


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## phantomhorse13

I was able to sneak in a ride Wednesday when it warmed enough to soften the mess on the ground!






















2022 mileage
...

1/19phin4.05 miles492 ft climb3.4 mph36F77.81 total miles


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## MeditativeRider

We went on a paid trail ride as a family yesterday. It was a 2 h ride, appaloosas, western saddles. All on a station of 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres). Obviously we only rode on a small fraction of that. Lots of walk and trot, and about four nice canters. My husband's first ride ever and he enjoyed it and had fun. Even did a couple of canters. My 8 year old was loving riding Western style and looked very relaxed and very into the neck reining and holding her reins in one hand. Her horse was a total babysitter and looked after her well. A bit slower, so she only got her into canter 3 times, but that was great considering she has not ridden canter outside the arena before. 

My horse, I actually rode her with the same outfit (but in a different location) in 2017. The outfit used to be in a different location but moved when it got too busy and popular. I love their new location. They have a small bit of land next to the station with their house and that is where they keep the horses too. Then they are allowed to ride over a lot of the station.

It is all very dry land. In one part they are experimenting with growing saltbush as a potential commercial crop. It seemed to be growing pretty well. I had never seen it or tried eating the leaves before. So salty, but kind of nice.

I was super loving riding in a Western saddle. I have nothing against English as that is what I have ridden for so long. But oh my gosh, just so comfortable and secure in a Western. I felt so relaxed and happy the entire ride. Not that I feel super anxious in my regular rides but they are lessons and there is an element of pressure and concentration. This ride was just fun all around! Now I just want to ride Western. Although, really I just want to fulfill my childhood dream of riding horses for work round a ranch. Maybe I will come to the US and do a ranch holiday with someone like @Knave in the future  I think it probably helped that I was riding with my three favourite people and the horses were super well behaved, so even though I could have ridden them independently if I wanted, they also just followed along if I felt like being a passenger.

I was at the back, so most my photos are of horse butts. But I have some that the lady running the trail ride took.

I will upload pictures later as they are being slow and I need to do things like laundry and dinner after getting home from our weekend away.


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## MeditativeRider

Photos from our trek. I am the one in the purple top. The other thing I liked about riding Western, apart from the super comfy saddle, was riding without so much contact. It was actually really refreshingly relaxing to have very little to no contact but the horse still responded really well to direction neck reining for turns and to slow and halt.

I have ridden in quite a few different English saddles (general purpose, jumping, dressage, treeless, endurance) and a stock saddle, but I think this Western saddle was my favourite.


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## MeditativeRider

A photo of the same horse when I rode her previously (checked back and it was actually 2018 not 2018).


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## phantomhorse13

I have gotten some saddle time as momma nature (and the footing) allows. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:

































George:

































Amish:

















2022 mileage
...

1/22phin5.81 miles840 ft climb3.7 mph21F83.62 total miles1/22george3.43 miles390 ft climb4.3 mph20F87.05 total miles1/23phin2.13 miles276 ft climb3.1 mph21F89.18 total miles1/24george3.71 miles417 ft climb3.9 mph24F92.89 total miles1/24amish3.64 miles307 ft climb3.8 mph19F96.53 total miles1/25phin5.91 miles1165 ft climb3.5 mph18F*102.44 total miles*


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## weeedlady

I finally rode a bit today. We are kind of stuck just riding around inside the pasture until I get the energy to shovel out around our gates, so today we went around and around 6 times. That gave us 1.15 miles and with snow up to the horses' knees I think that's good enough for one day. I know things could have gone very wrong with Raven running loose with us while we rode, but everyone did just fine and we all had fun. I couldn't have been happier with the way Tucker behaved. Such a good boy!


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## knightrider

Today I am very happy with Windy. She doesn't ride all that well solo. I have been working with her riding solo for 2 years. This past summer, she was doing so great--I was riding her out for 2 hours solo with no problems at all. I thought our Windy/solo worries were over.

But then it got to be winter and the horses moved into the sacrifice pen to save our pastures. Windy has always been a bit of a handful when kept in the sacrifice pen. When my daughter was a teenager and training Windy, I always let the horses out on pasture the night before my daughter planned to ride. I'd rather save my daughter than my grass . . . and that worked well. But I ride Windy a lot more than my daughter did, and I can't be letting the horses out 3 nights a week on our brown dead grass.

Since Windy did so great all summer, I figured that we'd be fine this winter. That was wrong. I mustn't figure things like that. I started riding Windy out solo and soon discovered in winter, in the sacrifice pen, Windy is back to her old behaviors. With no notice of any kind, she suddenly bounces on her hind legs, throws up her head, and bounces to the left, right, left, right. Three times she almost broke my nose. And the worst part is that it erodes my trust in her. All spring, summer, fall I was taking her camping and riding her for many days, having a great time with her. When we trailer off, I always took her, and loved every minute of our rides. I had really come to enjoy her and look forward to the times it was her turn to go out.

But with a sore nose for two weeks, I wasn't sure anymore. I did all the things that people suggested (and I knew to do) to train a horse to go solo. I took her for long walks. I rode her in the sacrifice pen with the other horses for 45 minutes. I took her for short rides, letting her eat grass. I rode her out (she rarely misbehaves heading out. It's coming home when she wants to running walk all the way home that she explodes) and led her home.

Today I rode her out for 30 minutes, let her eat grass for 10 minutes, rode her partway home until she started getting agitated, and led her the rest of the way home. She did great. I was so proud of her. And so pleased that it looks like we are going to succeed with the solo riding. Oh yes, and while I was riding her, someone shot off a loud gun . . . and she did fine. Deer season is over, but we have a lot of poachers in this remote part of Florida. Of course, here in Florida, spring is just a month away, so it won't be long before they are out on grass and I can just ride her. Can hardly wait! But I am so pleased that I think I've found a way to train Windy to go out solo. By the way, she is just lovely when with other horses, especially her own horses, even in winter.


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time last week. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:














































George:

























2022 mileage
...

1/26george3.6 miles433 ft climb4.1 mph12F106.04 total miles1/27phin4.47 miles568 ft climb4.3 mph18F110.51 total miles1/28phin7.07 miles1332 ft climb4.0 mph21F117.58 total miles1/31phin6.08 miles1312 ft climb3.6 mph27F123.66 total miles1/31george5.33 miles620 ft climb3.6 mph22F128.99 total miles2/1phin3.17 miles384 ft climb3.4 mph24F132.16 total miles2/1george4.85 miles590 ft climb3.8 mph21F137.01 total miles2/2phin10.04 miles1683 ft climb3.9 mph36F*147.05 total miles*

Not sure when I may be back in the saddle, as the most recent nor'easter was a big mess. We got 2" of rain on top of the snow, then it changed to freezing rain this morning. Temps will continue to fall so all the currently ponding water will also be ice.. I am so over winter!


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## knightrider

@phantomhorse13 , so sorry about your rotten weather. It sounds perfectly awful.

Today I had some closure about an adventure that happened in December. Here is the story I wrote about it back then. 

Had an upsetting misadventure today. I have wondered why I have so many misadventures on the trail. Probably because I ride 2 hours every day and go far out and long. And have been doing so for 60 years.

My daughter's teen friends came out to ride this afternoon. I asked them which direction they'd like to head. My daughter wanted to go a way I hadn't planned on riding, but I went that way to please her. I don't know if I'm glad I did or sorry I did.

We got to a house decorated with tinsel and swinging things from the trees near the road. The horses didn't like going past them at all. This was "their" road and it didn't ever have swinging shiny things on it. I'm sure we didn't notice the yard in the next house (the houses are quite far apart) because of dealing with snorting and spooking.

On the way home, my daughter wondered why our much-liked neighbor was lying out in his yard. This man isn't exactly a friend, but he always greets us riders and has a word or two with us. He sold my neighbor his horse trailer. He had a dandy two wheeled horse cart that he couldn't sell, so he gave it to @4horses. He sold his set of panels to our riding friend for $100, when each panel was worth $70. He's a generous and kind man that we interact with regularly.

When we rode up to the gate, it didn't look good at all. I dismounted, handed the reins to my daughter, and went to see if I could help him. On close inspection, he looked very dead. I told my daughter to call 911--she had a phone--I'm so old fashioned, I still often don't carry a phone--no pockets.

The 911 operator asked if he lived alone. I knew he had lived alone, but didn't know if someone had moved in. They asked me to check at the house and see if I could rouse anyone. No one answered my knock, the door was unlocked, so I went a little way in, calling to see if I could get anyone to answer. The man's little fluffy white dog came to snarl and growl at me, so I didn't go in any further. He has a dachshund too, but I didn't see that dog.

I asked my daughter's friend to call her daddy to come wait with us. I felt so creeped out waiting for the ambulance. My daughter wanted me to feel for a pulse or try to revive the man, but I wouldn't do it. Part of it was reading too many mysteries. I didn't want my fingerprints on a dead person. Part of it was that I was 99 44/100% certain he couldn't be revived. He looked pretty bad.

Finally, the emergency vehicle arrived and confirmed that he was dead. They began by covering the body, and we headed home on the horses. The sheriff stopped us about halfway home and asked us some questions, which we answered, and then put the horses away.

This incident bothered me much more than it did the girls. I think because I had a relationship with this kind man, much more than the girls did. I had been to his house several times, we often chatted. I had his phone number. Partly because the girls are young and death doesn't affect young people as much as people who are closer to death ourselves. Partly because I made them wait on the other side of the gate, a good ways from the man lying in his large yard. I think of him living alone, having a heart attack or stroke, and falling, dying alone. I am so sad for the situation. I also am so very tired of people dying. We have lost so many people in the last year and a half.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have worried about finding a body on the trail. My riding friend and I came very close to finding a murdered woman on a trail where we rode every Saturday morning, but fortunately for me, we rode right past the body, not knowing it was there, and someone else found it about an hour after we rode through that area.

When I was a teenager, I was riding in a very deserted secluded area of gravel pits. A car passed me with a man and a woman in the car. I thought it was odd because the road didn't go anywhere, except where they dug up the gravel, and there were no houses anywhere near there. About an hour later, the car passed me going the other way, but only the man was in the car. I always wondered what happened to the woman. Chilling.

If anyone else wants to share a misadventure, I would like to read about it. I wish this had not happened to me. 

So . . . that was then. Today I was riding past the house where I found the man who died, and it was full of vehicles and people bustling about with a sign for an auction tomorrow. It looked like his family was clearing his things out.

I had a super fun ride on Aci. Deer season is over and I went out on some deer hunting trails where I normally am not allowed to ride. During deer season this year, the people who hunt there did a whole bunch of bush hogging and made a slew of new super fun beautiful trails. With these new trails, I have about an hour of beautiful riding through the woods (if I don't get caught). I always go there when I am by 
myself, rain is predicted later, and it is not a typical day when folks might be around.

On my way back home, when I rode past the house where the man died, a woman came to the gate and asked me if I was the person who found her dad. I said I was, and how sorry I was because I liked him very much. It was quite a blow to me. She was so kind and nice, and we got to talking. She loves horses and riding and had a horse of her own when she lived in Washington State, and as a teenager, she had a TN Walker. I said that I have 4 horses and look for people to come ride them. I invited her to come ride, and she will ride with me on Sunday. I am so excited. And she is excited too. I wish very much that her family might move into the house, but they have a life in Ohio, so they most likely won't do that. It would be so grand. At least I have Sunday to look forward to. Spending that time talking with the daughter helped me feel better about my neighbor's death.

On the sad side (super sad for me--prayers please for those of you who pray)--my regular riding buddy got a preliminary diagnosis of colon cancer today. It could be a false positive . . . but he hasn't been riding with me for a month because his stomach is upset and he feels lousy all the time. So there's something going on there. I hope it is something that can be corrected with medication. He and his wife were one reason why we bought this place--I was told that they rode all the time--and they did. We have had such great adventures together. His wife died last January, and he misses her so much. I miss her too. And now a possible cancer diagnosis.


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## Saigold

@knightrider you have quite a track record lol. Luckily I have never come across anything like that while riding. 

I have ridden a few times in the last while. We have quite a bit of snow so it was a blow going at times. Both rides it was around -10c out but with almost no wind. It was almost too warm with all the winter getup. 
Love riding in the snow. And the areas that are normally gravel were covered by a ton of snow. So that made for a fun canter


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## weeedlady

I am still stuck riding in circles in my pasture . This is boring to me and I think it's just encouraging Raven and Tucker to be even more buddy sour when we do get out. 
Today I tried to take Tucker out. I was hoping to ride down the road a bit. Just to change things up a little. We went to the end of the driveway and about 3 strides on the road before his back foot slipped out from under him. Not fun! So we turned around and went back into the pasture to do our same old, same old 6 laps  But hey, it's one more mile, right?

No picture today. I tried to catch a pic of Raven running through the snow like a two year old, but of course by the time I got my phone out, she was done.

Ok, I admit it. I am now ready for Spring.


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## Woodhaven

I have moved my horse and my niece's horse over to a friend\s place, she has an indoor arena so we can ride indoors if we like and she also has a nice woods nearby so we can get out for a little hack (nothing like what Phantom does) but great for a pair of old ladies.


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## lb27312

I went camping last weekend…. great time! Captain did much better this time with horses around and leaving. He’ll get there…. People ask why I’ve started him so late…. whatev… he’s been started since I’ve had him… ponied him all over just didn’t think he was mentally ready till he got older. The person that asked that was riding a seven year old that was spooking at stumps… Captain spooked once and it was a really easy spook, I know they won’t be all like that but it was good.

First day 6 miles second day I was trying for 9 which would have been his longest ride so far but got a little over 7.


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## knightrider

@lb27312 , where is that beautiful campsite? It looks like so much fun!


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## lb27312

knightrider said:


> @lb27312 , where is that beautiful campsite? It looks like so much fun!


@knightrider - it's H Cooper Black in South Carolina... it's a really nice place with great trails BUT they do a lot of field trials there so there's lots of dogs, whistles and gun fire. My guys don't mind gun fire as some person in my neighborhood tends to shoot. We tend to steer away from the ponds they are practicing at and don't usually go when there is a big Trial competition going on. 

It was packed this past weekend so I was pretty happy with how Captain handled all the things going on.


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## Celeste

I did not fall off of the planet. I had three knee surgeries last year. The first was just a scope. When they did that, they decided that I needed a total replacement and 8 weeks a total replacement on my other knee. I am still working on getting better. My doctor did say that I could ride starting a few months ago. When I first got on, my husband actually pushed my backside because I couldn't mount from the three step mounting block. Then I rode a few times around the arena.

Now I am riding several times a week, usually 2 or 3 miles at a time. My dear horse Princess has prevented me from totally going insane. My year to date total is 48 miles. Considering that I couldn't walk without a cane just 3 months ago, that's not so bad.

I read all the posts on this thread. I have not come close to catching up on the other threads that I used to follow. I was just to discouraged to read the forum while I was in such a mess.

I hope to keep posting and reading at least on this thread. Trail riding is my passion. It is really all that I do. I haven't had an interest in showing in years.


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## weeedlady

Welcome back @Celeste. Glad you are still on the planet and that you are recovering from your surgeries.


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## phantomhorse13

Momma nature had me stuck inside for a while, then stuck in the ring. But I have gotten some saddle time out on trail as well. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:

































Copper:








George:

















Amish:

















2022 mileage
...

2/10phin3.59 miles148 ft climb4.0 mph34F150.64 total miles2/11phin3.51 miles144 ft climb3.7 mph45F154.15 total miles2/12phin3.15 miles120 ft climb3.5 mph30F157.30 total miles2/12copper1.08 miles115 ft climb3.3 mph28F160.34 total miles2/13phin3.04 miles115 ft climb3.7 mph18F163.98 total miles2/13george3.64 miles125 ft climb3.7 mph17F167.00 total miles2/15george3.02 miles325 ft climb4.6 mph18F172.79 total miles2/15phin5.79 miles617 ft climb5.3 mph21F176.18 total miles2/15amish3.39 miles308 ft climb4.0 mph19F*185.68 total miles*


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## gunslinger

Glad to see you posting some Celeste...I was starting to worry about you......I know two different people who had both knees replaced at the same time.......both did exceptionally well.


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## Celeste

gunslinger said:


> Glad to see you posting some Celeste...I was starting to worry about you......I know two different people who had both knees replaced at the same time.......both did exceptionally well.


Thank you. It has been a really hard ride getting over these knees. I am still not where I hope I will be soon. I have to limit my riding and my knees prefer slower speeds.


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## Celeste

weeedlady said:


> Welcome back @Celeste. Glad you are still on the planet and that you are recovering from your surgeries.


Thank you!


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## Celeste

I rode a few miles this week. I am up to 52 miles for the year. I have pushed myself to get there for sure.


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## Celeste




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## phantomhorse13

I got a bit more saddle time at the end of the week. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:

























Amish:









2022 mileage
...

2/16phin9.5 miles938 ft climb5.6 mph31F187.76 total miles2/16amish2.08 miles148 ft climb4.5 mph40F190.29 total miles2/17phin2.53 miles187 ft climb3.7 mph45F*190.29 total miles*


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## knightrider

On Friday @4horses and I went for a nice long fun ride at Oleno State Park. We had an unseasonably warm day that brought out the rattlesnakes. First we saw a 4 or 5 foot rattlesnake that stretched completely across the trail . . . and the trails are made wide so that people can drive their horses and carts on them. The next snake was smaller--probably about 3 feet. We gave both snakes a wide berth. It was a great ride, in spite of the rattlesnakes.


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## Celeste

@knightrider We have had some warm days, but not enough to bring out snakes. 

I did two fairly short rides this week. I have a new riding student. He is a 24 year old young man (I keep wanting to say kid, but it would insult him). I taught him biology in the past. He just graduated from the University of Georgia with a double major in Microbiology and Psychology. I think of him as my kid. I have known him and his family for years.

He had never ridden before. He did so well in the arena that I took him for a trail ride. I will post a picture of him riding in front of me. I also rode today by myself. Picture 1 (if I get this right, is our ride together. Picture 2 is today. Picture 3 is yesterday. I have terrible helmet hair, but my dog is so cute in the picture. Going with us on rides is her life.


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## carshon

@Celeste I am happy to see you in the saddle again.


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## phantomhorse13

I have gotten a bit of saddle time before the next ice storm arrived. The whole story is in my journal.

Phin:

































Amish:

















George:

















2022 mileage
...

2/20phin7.5 miles1217 ft climb4.3 mph22F203.51 total miles2/20amish5.72 miles932 ft climb3.9 mph35F210.37 total miles2/21phin6.86 miles961 ft climb3.7 mph50F213.73 total miles2/24george3.36 miles374 ft climb4.6 mph35F*213.73 total miles*


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## Celeste

I rode 3.3 miles yesterday and 2 miles today. Both were beautiful days. I will have to admit that today hurt my knees less than yesterday.

I have started 2 young men on riding lessons. I think that their goal is to get some pictures of themselves on a horse and to experience something new. Because they have absolutely no preconceived ideas if how to ride, they actually listen and therefore seem to be learning quickly. One of them came last week and he brought his friend this week. They really can't afford to pay what riding lessons cost. But they want to trade some work for lessons. Today, they cleaned my horse trailer which was very molded. I hope that we can get it under shelter soon.

My total miles for the year come to 65. Today was the least amount of pain I have had while riding. I am going back to my surgeon soon. I think that he will be happy about the miles. Some of his patients just sit in a chair and watch their legs swell. I also am walking a bit. (I have dogs.)


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## weeedlady

@Celeste glad to hear you are healing and getting some riding time. As far as miles- you've got me beat. I am a whopping 9.3 for the year . 
All of this snow can melt anytime now!


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## knightrider

We had a super fun Horse Forum reunion last weekend at Shangri La in Ocala National Forest. The best part of the whole camping trip was that @LoriF brought her young mare Novia again and everything went perfectly. Last time we went camping together, Novia bucked Lori off and broke her rib. Some broken ribs are more painful than others, and this time, it was super super painful for Lori. And it happened on the first day!

But THIS trip, nothing went wrong at all, and the riding was just spectacular. @4horses and I went swimming twice at Rainbow Springs, and I am including a picture of that place, because it is so beautiful.

We had the pleasure of sharing our camping trip with some other friends, who all got along perfectly. A friend of a friend is a young mom from Syria. I have never had the opportunity to meet anyone from Syria before. If people from Syria are half as warm, generous, friendly, and fun as this lady was, they are quite special people. I love kids and we had a camp full of them. That made it extra nice.

One interesting event happened that was not fun for me, but OK for whom it happened. One of the moms took 3 inexperienced girls on two horses on the tough sandy up-and-down trails. As she left, she said, "We won't be long." It was 86 degrees and breathlessly hot. We had ridden 3 1/2 hours already in the morning. Now it was the heat of the afternoon and she was walking along with one of the children. The children were trading off on the horses.

4horses and I were thinking about going swimming again, but I hated to leave with those 4 people out on the trails. The time got later and later. I got more and more worried. The mom did not answer her cell phone. A hundred things could have gone wrong with children, heat, heavy sand, hills, and horses. At 3 hours, I notified the park ranger. 4horses and I volunteered to go search for them, but the trails at Shangri La are HUGE and there was little chance of us finding them. The park ranger said they'd get the dogs out at 4 hours. We tried texting her at 3 1/2 hours, and she answered our text! Turns out her cell phone wasn't working right. They were having a wonderful time. Not a thing went wrong. They were just having so much fun, they didn't want to turn back. Biiiigggg WHEW. That mom has an iron constitution! She rode 3 1/2 hours in the morning and hiked 3 1/2 hours in the sand, heat, and hills. And she said she wasn't really tired! I would have been! I was tired after the 3 1/2 hour ride in the morning!

It was one of the best camping trips ever, and I can hardly wait to head back out for another camping trip.








Here are @4horses on my horse Aci, one of our friends on her mule, and @LoriF on Novia










Me and 4horses at Rainbow Springs
























My daughter's TN Walker Windy and me


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## weeedlady

What a fun weekend @knightrider! Florida looks pretty good to me right now (spoken from the UP where it was 3 degrees this morning and we have at least 4 foot of snow on the ground).
Your story about the "missing" hikers reminds me of an adventure I had many years ago. I was camping with friends and their kids and took the kids hiking.
I always hate to backtrack, and thought I knew where I was going. I got us turned around- not quite lost -in the woods! We were gone for 4 hours! The kids were of course whining and tired and cranky. So was I, lol.

When we finally made it back to camp I asked the parents why oh why they had not come looking for us? Their thoughts were that they were beginning to get a bit concerned, but hey, they're with Martha, she knows what she's doing!!! They must be fine!!


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## knightrider

@4horses, my neighbor,
and I just got back from a super fun 2 night, 3 day camping trip with horses. We tried a new place we had never been and were delighted with it. Looking forward to going back there many times!

I brought Windy, my daughter's horse, for me to ride and Aci for 4horses to ride because she has plenty of horses, but none that would be good for the long trail rides we did. We had 9 inches of rain a few days ago and 4 inches of rain the day after that. We wondered how wet the trails would be. Turns out they were VERY WET. After spending several rides mostly riding through water, we stuck to the roads, which had drainage, and were shady with almost no traffic.

My neighbor brought his new horse (he just about always has a new horse), who was a shining star, especially about going through the water. Windy just gets better and better with each camping trip. This time, Windy learned to do a slow canter, and she was so delighted with herself that she started doing her slow canter each time I would urge her to move out a little. It was ever so fun, and I was so happy with her.

@4horses loves riding Aci, and I really should give him to her, but he is possibly the best horse I have ever ridden, so it is hard to give him up. He is just such a pleasure to ride.

On Friday night, a huge contingent of 4-wheelers arrived playing loud music until 2 a.m. and starting back up at 4:00 a.m. Thanks to the tact of 4horses, we got that straightened out.

The pluses about the new place: it is free to camp there. The stalls were nice and each stall came with a grassy paddock for each horse. It is close to home so doesn't take much gas. If we go during the week, it is not busy, with few other campers. When not under water, the trails are lovely, and there are miles and miles of trails. Each campsite had a picnic table and fire ring. We had pleasant weather and no bugs yet!

The minuses: it is loved by 4-wheelers, but only on weekends. It is flat with unvaried terrain. There is a 5 mile dirt road to get to it.

Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures, but we sure had a marvelous time!
Here is a picture of similar terrain and ride, because everyone loves pictures.


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## Celeste

@knightrider It sounds like you had a blast! I love your pictures.


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## Celeste

I have ridden as much as my knees will allow. 3 to 4 times a week. Those rides are usually either 2 or 3 miles. It is the best that I can do. I hope that I will get stronger and be able to do more as time goes by. I do not recommend knee replacement surgery as an entertainment plan.

In the second picture, if you look way up in the trees, you can see some yellow flowers.


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## weeedlady

Weather cooperated today and I was able to get Tucker out on our dirt roads for a 6 mile ride. The puddles that I thought might present a problem were nothing. The sticks they stand up along the roads to give the plows a guide in the winter were enough to cause spinning and bolting for home 3 times before I figured out what was spooking him. We worked through it. no pictures of our ride because I had my hand full. He tries so hard to be a good boy.


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## gunslinger

We did an Easter trip to Big South Fork last week, stayed at East Fork Campground and rode Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Trails were extremely wet, slick and muddy....as it had rained several days prior to our arrival and then stormed overnight Wednesday night and Friday night....the wind blew hard....and.it was so muddy....and as a result me and Miss Lacy both wound up face down in a mud hole. As it happened, while we were headed down the trail, we come to another normal looking mud bog when Miss Lacy stepped into the bog and she just kept going down.....she tripped and would up with mud caked in her nostrils and all the way up to her big blue eyes......I rolled off while she was still down in the mud....so it was only a foot or so to free fall........nothing hurt but mine and Miss Lacy's pride......we were both a sight to see....It shook her up a bit....she was trembling when she got up but a couple of apple treats made it better........nothing like finishing the last five or so miles wet and muddy but hey, a bad day riding is better than a good day not riding right? Funny the group shamed me for taking a shower before dinner......I figured after the mud hole I deserved one.....

Both the truck and the trailer made it through the winter without developing any problems. Didn't need new batteries, tires, or etc.....Yeah! Had a site in the A camp ground with sewer hookups so the wife could enjoy a good long shower....and as it worked out, I needed a longer than normal shower too after the mud hole....

Miss Lacy's 23 now. She's still a lot of horse with a big motor but her top line is starting to go. I'm thinking I'm going to get another gaited mare and give her a break from the long rides, kind of semi-retire her. I've still got the two quarter horses but they seldom get ridden. I'm going to try out a gaited mare in about 3 weeks when we go to Land between the lakes. If I like her I'm going to bring her home.

Haven't rode much this spring as the weather in the Chattanooga area hasn't been much good for riding.....rainy and windy.....80.2 miles for spring so far....


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## lb27312

@gunslinger - yikes! sounds like a rough ride! I love East Fork though…. but have been on their muddy trails and almost had the same thing happen…. thought for sure I was coming off but luckily didn’t.

Went riding Saturday…. wasn’t too long but it was some tough trails and on a green horse it always seems longer! Captain had to learn to step down steep embankments, at first he wasn’t dropping his butt, made for wonky moments. Then a big herd of deer decided to make a ruckus going one way then another making lots of noise. Crossed bridges and handled those well, he did pretty good. It was a beautiful day.


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## weeedlady

I'm still stuck riding on the road. Took Raven out on Sunday and Tucker today. As often happens, I had no hands available to take pics with Tucker, so here he is enjoying refreshments after the ride. Wishing for warmer weather.


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## charrorider

I'm finally able to contribute something. The rain has let up a bit in the last several days. I was able to take Ibn out for a short 5.8 mile (9.3 km), to test how he is responding to the treatment for DLSD, day before yesterday. He did well. Although, it was all walking, except at the very end when we trotted a bit. In the photo, we are going down an old logging road. Then yesterday I took Chance for 7 miles (11.3 km). It took him 2 miles (3.2 km) to focus and settle down. After that he was as good as gold. Chance. Chance. Chance. I know why your previous owner dropped you at the horse auction without as much as a glance back. 

On another note, the annual endurance ride scheduled last weekend, April 23-24, was cancelled on account of wet trails, two days before they race was to be run. It was a blow to the ride manager who tried her best to change the National Forest mind. But after having been out on the trails the last two days, I don't blame the National Forest. Last year when we had similar wet trails, the trails were left in horrible shape after the race. It took months for the trails to recover. The staging ground, the trailhead, hasn't fully recovered, yet. The ride manager was so disappointed, she said she was never coming back. I'm hoping that she can trade dates with another race and hold this one sometime in early May. It would be a shame if endurance races were to disappear from Cole Creek for another 22 years.


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## egrogan

@charrorider , it seems that a lot of rides have been cancelled this year because of weather conditions. We have one scheduled for next weekend in my area; I'm planning to volunteer but just saw it may be called off because of low entries. I'm honestly surprised a 30/50 mile ride in this area is scheduled so early in the season. I know the ride calendar is difficult to juggle, but for people who live here (and don't go south to continue training for the winter), it really just doesn't seem like much time to be ready for that many miles so soon. That ride is primarily on roads, so conditions aren't as much of an issue, but I'm sure the trail spots are still very wet. I've never managed a ride so it's easy for me to be skeptical, but I don't think I'd want to plan one so early in the year in this area.

I've ridden a total of 2 miles all year. It was snowing here this morning, and now we have icy 40 mile/hour wind gusts. This weekend finally looks calm and warm, so I will be in the saddle!

Our inaugural 2 miles last weekend:









*Total 2022 miles: 2.0 miles*


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## Celeste

I am slowly but surely getting over these knee replacements. I am riding a good bit, If the weather allows, I ride most every day. The rides are rarely over 3 miles long, but I don't think that I am doing so bad for an old gal with 2 new knees. 



















*Total miles this year: 162*


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## charrorider

egrogan said:


> @charrorider , it seems that a lot of rides have been cancelled this year because of weather conditions. We have one scheduled for next weekend in my area; I'm planning to volunteer but just saw it may be called off because of low entries. I'm honestly surprised a 30/50 mile ride in this area is scheduled so early in the season. I know the ride calendar is difficult to juggle, but for people who live here (and don't go south to continue training for the winter), it really just doesn't seem like much time to be ready for that many miles so soon. That ride is primarily on roads, so conditions aren't as much of an issue, but I'm sure the trail spots are still very wet. I've never managed a ride so it's easy for me to be skeptical, but I don't think I'd want to plan one so early in the year in this area.
> 
> I've ridden a total of 2 miles all year. It was snowing here this morning, and now we have icy 40 mile/hour wind gusts. This weekend finally looks calm and warm, so I will be in the saddle!
> 
> Our inaugural 2 miles last weekend:
> View attachment 1128114
> 
> 
> *Total 2022 miles: 2.0 miles*


Congratulations. Your first ride is history. 

The races scheduled were 25, 35, and 50 miles. I don't know in what AERC region Missouri fits into. But I would think it would include Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas, besides Missouri. The winters are mild enough that dedicated endurance riders can keep their mounts in shape to do 25s and 35s. 50s, this early in the year, may only be for those who live in southern Oklahoma and Arkansas.
My wife and I belong to the local BCH chapter. A few of us always help clearing the trails from fallen trees in preparation for the endurance ride and after the race with taking down the ribbons that mark the race course. But the ride managers do the bulk of the work, organizing the logistics and marking the trail. It is somewhat comical to see them going out, covered in ribbons from head to toe to mark the trails, as if they were wearing some sort of carnival costume. Cancelling the ride a day before the riders arrived was brutal. I can completely understand the disappointment and even anger. But it really was the best for the trails, and the trailhead, which is all turf.


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## QueenofFrance08

Had our first ride of the season this weekend so I rode my most mileage every (which I am currently regretting, ouch!)

Saturday Comet and I rode his first 50. I had been debating back and forth whether or not we were ready for it and even changed our entry down to an LD but he was full of energy all day and I am very thankful we gave it a shot! He even had all A's and A-'s on his final vet out. It rained all day but we had a great group of 5 ladies (2 doing their first 50 ever, 4 of the horses were doing their first 50 and one who was doing her and her horse's 2nd 50!) that made riding all day in the rain worth it! 

Sunday DH and I rode Chico and Jake in the LD. It was another cold and rainy day and they changed the trail on us to avoid the muddy loop but that resulted in turning the 25 into closer to a 30 mile ride! The boys didn't recover quiet as well as Comet did on Saturday but they were pretty tired and cold and wet. DH got his first 1st place (heavy weight) and we were 3rd and 4th overall!


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## knightrider

Wowser, @QueenofFrance08 , you are amazing! I can hardly imagine riding 50 miles in one day, and then riding the next day again! My hat is off to you. And in t hat cold sloggy rain! Congratulations on your wins also!!!!

Where is @phantomhorse13 ? I miss her. She would be so pleased and proud, as all of us on Horse Forum are! Yay! Yay! Yay!


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## QueenofFrance08

Thank you @knightrider 

Usually riding the second day actually helps except I did it the wrong way and rode my smooth comfortable horse the first day and the rough one the second day so it had the opposite effect!

I talk to @phantomhorse13 most days so she got a message with his final vet card right after we finished!


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## egrogan

@QueenofFrance08 - congrats! I love all the pictures.


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## QueenofFrance08

Forgot, I was going to comment on @egrogan 's above comment about early season rides.

We didn't have a great winter and so far pretty much 0 spring and our turnout this weekend was a little low but I think that was due to the 2 solid days of rain that we had because a lot of people cancelled last minute.

We had about 15 entries in the 50 and 15 in the LD for Saturday and 2 entries in the 75 as well as 10 CTR riders. Sunday was about 10 LD's and 15 novices. I know there was a few people from the northern part of the state that had not sat on their horses at all since the fall rides. 

We were lucky to not get as much snow and ice so we got out most Sunday's and did 10 or so miles a week all winter just walking through the snow which kept everyone in fairly decent shape. The thing really is that once they have a couple years under their belt they don't lose conditioning as quickly and even with minimal riding in the winter can bounce back pretty quickly. The horses that I know had not been ridden since fall are 100 milers and did 2 LD's this weekend finished in pretty good time looking really good.

Our first ride is also one of the easiest trails we have which gives us a little help as well. Fairly flat and good footing so nothing too challenging for anyone.

I think most of the humans are suffering more after this weekend than the horses from lack of fitness! I think there was only one pull all weekend that I know of!

Oh and I think I'm somewhere near 170.5 miles for the year. I should really keep track better!


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## egrogan

@QueenofFrance08 - I'm supposed to be volunteering on Sunday at a 30/50, and I think as of this past Sunday there were 6 entries for the LD and 4 for the 50, or something along those lines. It sounds like they are close to cancelling unless they double the entries today or tomorrow.


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## knightrider

QueenofFrance08 said:


> I talk to @phantomhorse13 most days so she got a message with his final vet card right after we finished!


Can you tell her that we miss her on Horse Forum? She was an important Horse Forum member for me.


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## weeedlady

knightrider said:


> Wowser, @QueenofFrance08 , you are amazing! I can hardly imagine riding 50 miles in one day, and then riding the next day again! My hat is off to you. And in t hat cold sloggy rain! Congratulations on your wins also!!!!
> 
> Where is @phantomhorse13 ? I miss her. She would be so pleased and proud, as all of us on Horse Forum are! Yay! Yay! Yay!


I echo what @knightrider said!


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## Woodhaven

For the first time in many years I have been out on some rugged trail rides. I don't know the miles but riding through some of our Conservation areas. Nice sandy ground so no slugging through mud. The trails are a lot of up and down hills and I haven't ridden on trails like this, some pretty steep hills and rugged brush for a long time.
I am riding a Rocky Mountain gaited horse that belongs to a friend. I am leasing this horse for the summer and plan on going on some overnight riding trips with her.
the way I look at it, I don't have a lot of years left to ride these types of trails and I can enjoy myself on an experienced horse that is sooo good at this rather than try to work with my gelding who does not shine in this area which means more work for me.
I will still ride my gelding on the easy trails around home and do Dressage shows with him.
I guess I could call it the best of both worlds.


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## Woodhaven




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## Woodhaven




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## Celeste

I have been riding most every day. Most of the rides have been on my Arabian, Princess. I know that she will not deliberately throw me in the dirt. 
My Tennessee Walking Horse, Dillon, tried his best to throw me off a month or so ago. That comes from him not being ridden during my recuperation. I rode him Monday, and he was a perfect gentleman. I had a very fun ride.

That cold and rain sounds very nice to me. I became so hot and dehydrated both Monday and Tuesday that I really felt bad. These rides were only about 3 miles each, in the shade. It is just that 80+ degrees is really hot when you have high humidity. If I get up and ride early, the flies are horrible no matter how much spray I use. If I wait until 11:00, there are no flies. But it is hot. I may try this evening.

First picture is Dillon with his wild mane.

The second is Princess. You can also see my dog who is always by my side no matter how far I go.

She runs all the horse eating squirrels out of the path so that we won't have a spook. Anything bigger, she stays very close by. To protect us maybe? And if there is a person on the road to the trail, she attacks them with hugs and kisses. She almost drowns them with slobber. My very "not" brave guard dog.

My total so far this year is 177 miles. I don't think that is so bad for a crippled up old woman. Gotta keep going.


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## weeedlady

Our weather is finally getting better. I've been getting out with Raven and Tucker a bit more. I mentioned before that I've signed up for several of the Warhorse Endurance Challenges. I didn't plan to do the Virtual Tevis this year thinking I have enough going on. 
I've been waiting for results from a PET scan of a suspicious spot on my lung and so that was kind of putting everything on hold. But Monday I found out that my spot is not cancerous so I celebrated by signing up for the Virtual Tevis also! We are getting a late start, but Tucker and I are heading out to do our first miles today. Meanwhile, here are a couple pics from last week.


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## carshon

@weedlady so thankful the spot is not cancerous!


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## egrogan

Great news @weeedlady ! Happy trails this year. I signed up for Virtual Tevis too, but haven't entered any miles yet. I'm only at ~7 miles for the year so far.


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## lb27312

Great news @weeedlady! So happy to hear that!


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## knightrider

I am signing up for the Tevis too, but I still haven't decided which horse to enter. I am signing up without getting the shirt as the long sleeved ones are not available in my size and I already have a million tee shirts. I had so many Girl Scout tee shirts, I made a quilt from them.


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## weeedlady

Thanks everyone, I'm pretty relieved myself.
I know what you mean about too many Tshirts. Me too. Your quilt is a great idea and a great way to hold those memories. I have a few special shirts that I've thought about making throw pillows out of. It's on my list of things to do. some day.

Tucker and I logged our first 7 miles for the Virtual Tevis. We would have done more, but poor Tucker lost his mind when we had to pass a pickup towing a 20ish foot boat. What fool keeps driving when a horse spins, jumps into the road and takes off running away in front of you? So basically we were being chased by a big, rattling banging scary thing that he has never seen before! I got him stopped and turned around. The guy is still driving. Tucker bolted for home again and the guy is STILL driving. I had to yell at him to please stop. Once he was stopped we were able to make it past him and I apologized for my horse. As soon as they were safely out of sight I turned around and headed home. I felt like poor Tucker had done enough for one day. He was just a mess 
Here's a picture from before the boat encounter:


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## knightrider

I registered Aci finally and so far have 9.9 miles. I had a really good ride this morning on Aci. I wasn't going to use Aci this time because I had offered him to @4horses to ride while her mare was pregnant and now nursing the foal. But she got a free lease on a neighbor's horse, so she isn't going to take him. I probably ride Windy more than any of my other horses, and I was going to pick Windy for the Tevis, but I keep saying I am going to ride Windy less . . . so I decided not to register Windy for the Tevis.

@weeedlady, what a horrible ordeal! I can't imagine how stupid that truck driver was to keep on going. I guess he watched so many cowboy movies, he thinks that's how horses ride--spinning and bolting. I would have been truly terrified!

@weeedlady , what made you decide to pick Tucker for the Tevis? Do you ride your other horse for the War Horse challenge? Do you have to think about who you will pick? I wanted to pick Chorro this time for the Tevis, but I always let other people ride Chorro when I take folks riding, and I always ride Aci (because he doesn't behave sometimes when others ride him). I was afraid it might make me stop taking folks riding because I'd want to be riding Chorro.


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## weeedlady

I registered Tucker for the Tevis this year because I used Raven for it last year. It's his turn, lol. Also because he has been a real handful this spring, I need motivation to ride him. He just needs miles away from Raven and he can do it, but to be honest he scares me sometimes. He has a very big motor. So having the challenge gets me out there with him.

I'm using both Raven and Tucker for Warhorse challenges. I am signed up for so many challenges we will be riding until I'm the Queen's age (not my line but I really liked it so I'm stealing it). Warhorse has no timeframe so no problem there. One thing nice about the Warhorse challenges is that you don't have to stick to one horse. You can if you want, or you could ride two, or all three and count all the miles. oh and the bling is not a Tshirt so that part is nice also, lol.


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , can you tell me more about Warhorse challenge? I've been wanting to do that for a while. Their website is confusing. How much does it cost? Do you have to join their Facebook group to do it? I'm not a fan of Facebook. I think I need a little help. Thank you!


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## weeedlady

You do not have to join the FB group. You can go to www.warhorseendurance.com to learn more. There are several different challenges and they cost different amounts. When you sign up you will be taken to the same place that we enter Tevis miles. You can track your miles there, or you can keep track any way you want.
I am signed up for the Warhorse Challenge and Valkyrie- both of those are 100 mile challenges. I also signed up for the Pony Express Challenge 1900 miles! and........ Mustang Discover which is 5000 miles!!!!! See what I mean? I will be riding forever. The lady who runs the show is very pleasant and seems to be well organized and responsive. 
Hope that helps to answer your questions? Come ride with me, lol.


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## weeedlady

My good girl and I had a glorious day today. We crossed the highway and headed to the State Forest land at the end of our road. I was able to find a trail into the waterfowl refuge that I searched for last summer without success. So we got to explore a new area and we saw SWANS. How cool is that?
Raven has become a brave and confident trail horse even when we go out alone. I am so proud of her.


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## knightrider

Thank you, @weeedlady ! That site answered all my questions. Now, I have to decide which one or ones I want to sign up for. I like the fact that you can ride more than one horse on them because I ride mine in . . . (trust a librarian to do this) . . . alphabetical order. I figured out to do this because I can readily remember which horse I rode yesterday, but I cannot remember which horse I rode 4 days ago. But I always know the alphabet, so I can figure out whose turn it is each day. Is there anyone else who would like to do this with us? @CaliforniaDreaming ? @egrogan ? Anyone else?


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## weeedlady

I only have two horses and sometimes I have to look at my spreadsheet to remember who's turn it is. lol.


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## egrogan

@knightrider, I will take a look at the website. I think I glanced at it over the winter but since I wasn't riding then didn't seriously investigate. I'll see what might make sense for us. I have a couple of friends doing the Pony Express option. I have to remember to start entering my miles in Virtual Tevis too. The timing was so different last year, it started right in the heart of our riding season so I was done before a lot of people were able to start. This year is the opposite, there are already a bunch of people with over 100 miles and I haven't entered anything yet!

We're doing a lot of slow hacking around the neighborhood. Thought you all might enjoy the sounds of the rushing spring brook we rode along today.




*Total 2022 miles: 12.6*


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## weeedlady

Thanks for sharing that pretty creek @egrogan. Here is the creek Tucker crossed for me today. Not nearly as pretty, but he went without hesitation. We had a good 10 mile ride today with no BIG spooks. The boat hauler actually drove past us again today but without the boat, thank goodness! This time he stopped and as we passed him he apologized for trying to kill us the other day.  I graciously accepted his apology and we rode on.


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## knightrider

weeedlady said:


> This time he stopped and as we passed him he apologized for trying to kill us the other day



@weeedlady , did he explain WHY he didn't slow down or stop???


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## weeedlady

knightrider said:


> @weeedlady , did he explain WHY he didn't slow down or stop???


Yes. He said he was trying to stop but he couldn't because the boat was too big for his little truck. He has no brakes on the trailer! I was proud of myself for just keeping my mouth shut! There is sooooo much I would have liked to say!


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## QueenofFrance08

We had our mock ride this weekend for new riders interested in distance riding. I spent most of Friday evening using the side by side to mark the trail. We did an 8 mile loop on the outside of the park which took everyone through a lot of woods, some grassy areas, and a few hills.

Saturday I went out with a friend's group because I wanted to ride. It ended up working out really well because we had a rider fall off within the first mile and I had to help catch the horse and help the rider get back on. For the rest of the ride I hung up at the front of the group with the faster riders and she held up the back end with the slower riders. 

After everything was over a few friends and I went out again and did the loop again before we left so I did 16 miles this weekend.

(Not sure why I look so weird in the pictures, but Chico looked great)


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## weeedlady

On Saturday I got to ride a different horse! A friend has two young horses that are both very new to trail riding. The couple who rode with us were on seasoned horses, but they are both very new and timid riders. It was a very green group! I was invited to ride one of the green horses and to help keep an eye on the green people. 💙 It was a very short ride, only 1.59 miles but it was fun getting out with people. I'd forgotten what it's like to ride a non-gaited horse...I need a bit of trotting practice, lol.


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## Woodhaven

I had a lovely ride this morning, at my friend's riding her KMH, she is such a good horse for trail riding, I don't know how many miles and we did do a lot of walking and then through some woods trails, one VERY steep hill to ride down, I was cautious as it was still wet and a little slippery but the two horses managed it, I had my feet out of the stirrups in case of a quick dismount if the horse slipped.
Coming back we had to ride into almost a gale wind but both mares were great with it, some horses are at their worst in winds like this. Riding side by side we couldn't even chat as we couldn't hear above the wind.
Invited back tomorrow for a ride and Sis is invited as well, it's such good weather right now might as well take advantage of it. Sis will ride the horse I was riding today and I will ride friend's husband's horse.
I am also riding my gelding getting ready for the first show of the season.


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , I signed up for the Pony Express. I think it will be fun. How far along are you? I am looking forward to doing this. Thank you for reminding me to do it.

I just arrived at Watson's Monument for the Tevis ride. I really enjoyed @egrogan's pictures when she arrived at different parts of the ride. I'm not so good at that, but I value and appreciate when others do it. Just makes it more fun.


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## weeedlady

@knightrider I am using my miles for both Raven and Tucker for the Pony Express and we are at 88.77 miles.
Tucker and I did some Tevis Miles today. I passed Lyon Ridge and Cougar Rock. Here is my "Cougar Rock" lol. This is the steepest climb I could find today and it's not much. Things are pretty flat here.








My original plan for today was to head over in the direction of the scary boat incident. Luckily, I drove that way yesterday and saw this not 20 feet from where the boat tried to kill us!






I decided that poor Tucker should not have to face down a giant plastic thing flapping in the wind. I think if I tried that he would never get over it and would never be willing to go on that road again. So I gave him a break and we went elsewhere.


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## egrogan

@weeedlady , last year we had a piece of plastic sheeting like that get stuck in the underbrush in a field we have to cross to go on one of our longer routes. It was there in the early spring when there wasn't much new plant growth, and the horses always gave it the hairy eyeball passing it. As the grass and bushes grew up in the summer, it was mostly hidden but in a strong wind it would still flap a little and catch their eye. And then in the fall, it was exposed again as everything died back. As I'm typing this, I realize one of us probably should have gotten off and just gone to get it and bring it up to the road to come back for it later and throw it away. Oops. Hopefully it won't still be there this year; I haven't been that way yet!

I managed to get my virtual Tevis miles entered this morning- we're in 279th place and have passed High Camp and Watson's Monument, approaching Lyon Ridge. The "camps" along Vermont Virtual Tevis look pretty cozy 😉















*Total 2022 miles: 19.4*


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## charrorider

egrogan said:


> @QueenofFrance08 - I'm supposed to be volunteering on Sunday at a 30/50, and I think as of this past Sunday there were 6 entries for the LD and 4 for the 50, or something along those lines. It sounds like they are close to cancelling unless they double the entries today or tomorrow.


We don't have that problem at "God's Country" endurance race. In fact, it is the opposite.


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## knightrider

Just got back from a "shakedown cruise" camping trip. My neighbor next door bought himself a living quarters trailer and wanted to take it for a quick trip before our long trip on May 26 to Doe Lake. So my neighbor next door, my neighbor behind him, and I went to McCulley Farm for 2 days and 1 night, just to see how the trailer performed, what he still needed to do, what he might forget.

We had a super fun time. The two men's horses did not behave very well. I decided to take my daughter's horse Windy because she gets better with every camping trip. She is really turning into a fabulous mare. She never did a thing wrong the whole time.

While we were camping, the neighbor next door asked me to take some pictures. I hate taking my phone and rarely take any pictures, but since I had my phone, and I knew I was going to virtually go up Cougar Rock in the Tevis Virtual Challenge, I took a picture of "my" cougar rock.


















Here are my two neighbors









Actually, I cannot use the miles on which I ride Windy for the Tevis Cup Challenge. I signed up Aci for that. I rode Aci 6.8 miles this morning, so we virtually went up Cougar Rock, although Windy virtually went up it for him, we can't count her miles. Is this too confusing?

I also signed up for the WarHorse Pony Express Virtual Ride, (thanks, @weeedlady!), which is 1900 miles. I can use any horse for that challenge, in fact, they encourage you to ride different horses because the pony express riders used different ones. I am 22.5 miles into that challenge, and currently I am dead last, but we are chugging along. I logged a lot of miles on Windy on the camping trip.

I also am signed up for Pasos for Pleasure, on which I can log Chorro, Isabeau, and Acicate. Pasos for Pleasure requires the ride horses to be registered Paso Finos. On the big long camping trip on May 26, I am taking Chorro, so he can't bring along the Tevis ride miles, but his miles count for Pasos for Pleasure, and of course, the Pony Express ride. One of the rides we plan to do on the May 26 camping trip is ride to a restaurant called The Dam Diner, have lunch, and ride home, which is 18 miles. So much fun!

Just because everyone likes pictures and I so rarely take them, here is one of the beautiful Withalacoochie River, where we rode when we were camping.


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## weeedlady

Sounds like a great trip! Glad you had fun and thanks for the pictures! We love pictures!


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## Celeste

I have ridden Princess a lot more than I have Dillon. He is much smoother and even more willing to go. After he played rodeo see if I can buck you off games, I spent a little time being nervous of him. He is really doing great. He seems like he has decided that he will go just about anywhere. I would have ridden him again today, but the farrier put shoes on Princess; then he went home from a migraine. He is supposed to come back Tuesday. 

My titanium knees give me less and less trouble as time goes by.

I am up to* 207 miles* for this year. Part of it is because my husband keeps encouraging me. Actually, he says that I am grumpy if I don't ride. Surely I'm not grumpy???

Dillon is the way with the 2 way mane and crazy hair. Princess is the Arab. And we always have my border collie, Prissy along. She is a good girl.


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## gunslinger

Very nice Celeste!
We just got back from Land Between the Lakes having spent 4 nights. Rode 15 miles on Thursday, 11 miles on Friday and 14 miles on Saturday.....

In a previous post, I talked about trying out a mare while there. I rode her all three days.....and I liked her so much I bought her. She's a really smooth racking mare with a great attitude. I dropped her in the pasture this afternoon and Miss Lacy isn't being very lady like with her. Moved her to her own paddock tonight but plan to move her back with the other 3 again tomorrow.
I'm at 135 miles so far this year. O yea....paid $5.39 for diesel....these trips seem to be getting more and more expensive.


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## egrogan

We've now gone up and over virtual Cougar Rock and passed through the vet check at Red Star Ridge. Aside from being rated "fleshy" at the vet check, Fizz is doing great. We almost got blown off Cougar Rock though- it's gusty out there today!!























*Total 2022 miles: 32.6*


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## charrorider

After seeing egrogan's pics I feel mine should be titled, "Riding in the Thicket."  I took Ibn out for his second ride since being diagnosed with DSLD last month. It was only a 4.64 mile (7.5 km) but we covered the distance in 1:21, or about 3.4 mph (5.5 km). Ibn was feeling pretty good, not showing any reluctance to move out. So far, he seems to be responding well to the treatment. True, I kept him on the easier sections of the trails. But I was encouraged.


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## knightrider

Yesterday I did something really fun that I had been longing to do for a long time. I often take my 4 grandchildren on the horses, but it is just pony rides, being led around. When my own children were the ages of my grandchildren, they were already somewhat experienced riders, having logged hundreds of hours on the trail.

But I have 4 grandchildren very close in age, and I cannot leave 3 of them to take 1 for a trail ride. I am not even all that comfortable leaving 3 of them to roam my yard and house while I take 1 for a pasture ride. As a consequence, they really cannot ride yet. At age 8, my son was galloping his horse. My grandson at age 8 is just barely brave enough to climb on a horse.

So, I had this dream of trailering 2 horses to a local horse park which incidentally has a whole lot of sand, putting several buckets of interesting sand toys, some of them brand new, to pique their interest, and taking them one at a time around and around the shady parking lot for a "real" trail ride.

To my amazement, everything went perfectly. I chose Isabeau, who is gentle, quiet, and loves to take care of timid riders, for the kids to ride, and Aci, who loves Isabeau and ponies her beautifully. Isabeau kicked badly in the trailer for years, and I hadn't been taking her anywhere for a while because Windy needed the experience and miles. I wondered if Isabeau might kick and hurt Aci in the trailer. Nope. The horses loaded up perfectly, unloaded calmly, and waited calmly. Isabeau really hates the trailer, and usually is nervous and agitated when tied to the trailer (or made to wait near the trailer), but she stayed tied there just fine.

The children loved playing in the sand with the new and old toys. The most eager riders are the two younger grandkids. The girl was champing at the bit to get on, so I took her first. About 3 months ago, I told her about my dream, to take her on a "real" trail ride, and she wanted to do it then. I said she'd get too tired to go 2 hours, and she replied, "No I wouldn't."

She proved me wrong and herself right. She rode 40 minutes before she was ready to get down. Then the youngest little guy was eager for his turn. He managed 30 minutes and did great. I was so pleased that Isabeau and Aci were happy to ride round and round the parking area without fussing. It was wonderful to have @4horses join us with her horse Harmony. Harmony is struggling with pssm 2 issues and cannot do long hot rides, so 4horses was pleased to have short quiet rides and nice people (us), to enjoy it with.

Then it was the second to oldest child's turn. He was eager to go until it was time to get on. He used to be the boldest one. He was the first child to ride and regularly did our pony rides, but the "trail ride" in the park was daunting to him. Or maybe it was the people camping with the 3 marvelous dogs who would chase balls endlessly. Or maybe it was the toy tank, dump truck, and sand sifters. But he decided he wasn't up for it today. I never pressure the kids to ride, so I just suggested we get a picture with him next to the horses.

The oldest one likes to pretend he is a cowboy, and was looking forward to the ride, but not that day. Again, perhaps the lure of the sand toys was too fun. He had no interest in getting a picture, and I could have made him, but decided not to.

So, here they are, making my dream come true.










That's our very own 4horses in the background
























After the boys had had a chance to ride, the little girl wanted another ride and lasted another 40 minutes, so in all, she rode an hour and 20 minutes! Yes, I would say she is ready to go out on the trail with grandma.

We tied the horses to the trailer and went down to the river for some fishing and exploring. Then we built a fire and roasted smoked sausages (we all dislike hotdogs) and made s'mores over the fire. A great time was had by all. A complete success.


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## Celeste

@gunslinger We *need* pictures of your new horse!


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## Celeste

I have been riding about 5 days a week. My knee replacements are starting to settle down so that I am not in so much pain, thank goodness.

The new battle is deer flies and horse flies. Nothing totally repels them. They land on Dillon's thick mane and sit. That gives me the opportunity to grab and squish. (I wear a riding glove so I don't get bug juice all over my hands.)

First catch of the season!

*Total miles for the year -- 213.38*


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## egrogan

Fly!? Looks like a dragon to me!


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## Celeste

It feels like a flying dragon when it bites you.


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## knightrider

On the Tevis virtual ride, I am at Robinson Flat, doing my nice hour hold of rest. How about the rest of you? I enjoy sharing with others and seeing how they are doing. Aci is riding beautifully.

Yesterday we did something fun and interesting. My neighbor 2 places down from us decided to sell her appaloosa gelding. She didn't want people coming to her house because she has 11 dogs, so she offered @4horses to ride him a while (he hadn't been ridden in many months) and then sell him for her.

I have ridden a bunch with this friend and knew the horse was rock solid. I parked my trailer along our sort-of-busy road (the cars come fast anyway--the speed limit is 60). My neighbor had surgery on Wednesday, so I got the horse and loaded him easily in my trailer in spite of some cars zooming by. @4horses was excited about him because he looks really nice--perfect size and conformation for an elderly chunky lady to doodle around on the trails.

He rode beautifully too. It was fun to see how well everything went. I took my daughter's horse Windy, who improves with every ride. We jumped a good sized log in the trail and did a lot of running walk. Windy gets smoother and improves her transitions every ride. She also has learned to do a really sweet slow canter and she showed me all of it yesterday. A good time was had by all. A win-win for 4horses who currently has nothing to ride, and my sweet neighbor, who needs to get her horse sold.


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## egrogan

Hey, @knightrider, I’m just getting to virtual Robinson Flat too! Wait for me and I’ll tell you about the fun ride we had today with a new riding buddy! On another black Morgan gelding 😉


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## knightrider

egrogan said:


> Hey, @knightrider, I’m just getting to virtual Robinson Flat too! Wait for me and I’ll tell you about the fun ride we had today with a new riding buddy! On another black Morgan gelding 😉


OK, meet me where our horses are eating and tell me all about it!


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## egrogan

Hi @knightrider! Today Fizz and I got to ride with a new pair- K and her 6-yr-old gelding Sailor. It was his first away from home trail ride, and he did great! We went up and down hills, over culverts and ditches, past loud dogs, and he even saw his first biker. He made some adorable little snorty snort sounds when he would get nervous, but he was a trooper and marched right along. It was an interesting ride because when we left the house, we were enveloped in a thick, soupy fog...by the time we got home, the fog had lifted and it felt like Florida in the hills of Vermont. The sun was beating down hard and temps were in the upper 80's. Not my kind of weather, but fortunately most of the ride was more bearable with the fog and clouds, and I didn't get too sunburned this time
















Fog finishing its lift over the mountain...








*Total 2022 miles: 39.1*


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## weeedlady

I've been trying to ride everyday, but real life keeps getting in my way!
Tucker and I did 8.29 Tevis miles on Tuesday 5/17. That puts us at 38.68 miles with just about 2 months to finish. We also just passed Robinson Flat! We are going to try to make it to Last Chance tomorrow. We'll probably see @knightrider and @egrogan on the trail.













On Thursday is was Raven's turn. 5.67miles that will count for our other challenges. It was just a nice, calm, happy ride. Raven was perfectly relaxed and willing the entire time and she walked home on a completely loose rein. Echo even got to go for a loop around our woods and a little canter on what we call the "fairway".

























Grand total YTD- 127.9


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## knightrider

That wave is for @egrogan and me! We say "hi" back.


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## AliceCT

I took my 4 year old gelding out on his first and second trail rides this weekend. He has like 15 rides on him in total, so I wasn't expecting much. But he seemed rather excited about going on the trail and I had done enough desensitization in the arena to know he's a pretty confident horse that doesn't spook easily and recovers quickly. The first day he did the entire trail at a quick walk. I had a hard time getting him to stop and stand still for any amount of time. He also was looking around a lot, but not like he was looking to spook, but rather to see the sights. The other rider did have to go first on the first water crossing, but after that he was fine crossing them. It was way too hot outside on Saturday, so we only did a short trail ride. Sunday was beautiful, so we rode for longer. He was more relaxed on Sunday, but ended up being the lead horse because that is his personality I guess. We even explored a little while waiting for my riding partner to catch up and he didn't seem phased at all by being away from his buddy. We trotted a little, but not a lot. I wanted to see if he would listen to me on the trail at a higher speed and he did. The only time he wanted to turn around and hesitated is when we were going back to the barn, haha.

My mare tolerated trail riding because I wanted to do it, but this guy really seems to enjoy it. He is like the opposite of barn sour. I've never done any serious trail riding because my mare wasn't made for it and I didn't have the time or money until recently, but I definitely think I'm going to research it more now that I have him. So far he's shown a lot of aptitude for it and it is what I've always wanted to do.

Anyways, here is a pic of our first trail ride. We are posing by a very old cabin but it was a little hard getting him to stand still. Ignore how awkward I look, lol.


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## charrorider

After a wet April the cancelled the God's Country Endurance Race, May has been no better. In the first 20 days of the month, we have gotten 10" of rain, which would average out to 1" of rain every other day. So the riding has been spotty. Riding the Mark Twain National Forest isn't like riding in a state, or national park, where riders have to stay on the trail and are forbidden to wander even one foot off the trail under penalty of death. In the National Forest, one can ride wherever our hearts take us. The NF only asks that we stay off the trails when the trails are muddy. But one can ride the trails that have more gravel and don't get as muddy. So I took Ibn out today on one of those trails for further testing on how he's coming along with the treatment for DSLD. Again, we rode where the terrain is easier. But he did well, keeping up a 3.3 mph pace of mostly walk.


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## Celeste

@AliceCT It sounds to me like your gelding has the makings of a fantastic horse! I would take him out as much as possible now that he has such a good start.


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## RMH

This was my ride last week checking a wheat field that was damaged by hail. At the time my interest was mostly on the wheat so there is only a sliver of horse in the photo. I shared the picture with a county agent friend of mine who agreed with me that it looks bad. That's farming, you don't always get to harvest every crop you plant. I do take my horse out on crop scouting trips as he can cover more ground than I can and it's much more relaxing and less damaging than an atv. This particular farm is by itself along a 4 lane highway but I do have 4 farms at another location where I can ride from farm to farm which makes a nice trail ride.


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## QueenofFrance08

We had our second ride of the year this weekend. Typically this ride is known for being a rainy nightmare but we actually had decent weather and just got a little sprinkle during the first loop Saturday.

DH and his horse Jake did their first 50! Comet and I did our second together (my 6th 50 mile finish). He struggled a little after the first loop (which was 24 miles) and was tempted to give up but went back out for the second loop. On our 2nd hold Jake wasn't very interested in eating which worried us but I was able to find him some decent grass in camp and he started chowing down. It was really sandy and got progressively worse as the day went on (we were the last 50 milers) so we took it really slow. There were a lot of pulls (5/11 75 milers finished, 20/27 50s finished, also several pulls in the LD) so we were thankful that although we went very slow we had sound horses at the end. 

We also had a few mishaps, our friend C who was riding with us got bucked off on the first loop and Jake dropped with no warning and rolled on DH the 2nd loop. I also twisted my ankle tripping out of the trailer on Friday night so after a few sideways leaps from spooking that landed me hard on my bad ankle on the 3rd loop from Comet I was struggling too. Thankfully some friends showed up at the vet check when we came in and trotted out our horses for us!

I was also there when our good friends came in from their final 75 loop and was able to help my friend clean up her horse and trot him out for Best Conditioned which he won! 

I didn't ride Chico Sunday since my ankle was a little sore but he had a great time eating in camp all weekend.

247.5? Miles for the year


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## weeedlady

Tucker and I did the 12 miles I had hoped for on Monday to put us past the 1/2 way mark on the Virtual Tevis. I think he wants to be an endurance horse. He gaited at least 10 of those 12 miles and was still going strong when we got home. He sure isn't one to stop and smell the roses. I myself prefer a brisk walk, so we have some work to do still.
We went down an unfamiliar trail and found a pretty pond complete with a beaver lodge.
Watching for @knightrider and @egrogan on the trail.......


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## weeedlady

And today was Raven's turn. Just 4.55 miles for her today because she did so well going past the COWS. It was just about a year ago that she had a complete melt down because of COWS so the fact that she made it past them today is huge. So what if it took us 20 minutes to get by them going 2 or 3 steps and then have to stop and stare and think. She stayed calm and I didn't push her. I'm proud of both of us.


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## Celeste

Raven knows that cows eat horses. Sometimes people can't get such obvious things.


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## egrogan

Celeste said:


> Raven knows that cows eat horses. Sometimes people can't get such obvious things.


Oh yes- Fizz very strongly believes this as well. That said, we had a very close encounter riding past a cow- in a pond, of all places- over the weekend, and she handled it surprisingly well. Last time we rode by that pasture, I did an emergency dismount into a ditch while she spun like a reiner. Though I assume reiners would spin _towards _a cow, not away from it  🐄  🐄

@weeedlady, we haven't ridden past our beaver pond at all this year, but last year when we did we had a beaver slap his tail on the water to tell us to get lost! It was a really cool experience. We do have at least three separate beaver ponds on our property. The pictures below are from a few weeks ago, walking through the woods with my dog. We saw a spot where the beavers were hard at work building a new pond. The top picture shows their "workshop" where they were working on whittling down new trees to add to the dam they're building. I thought it was so cool how the trees in the middle look like it could have been people with axes taking them down- but nope, beavers! The bottom picture is a different view of the dam they're building from below the pond they're creating. No lodge on this one yet. I'm not sure how deep the pond has to get before they move in? There are lodges in a couple of other ponds nearby. We must have a very healthy beaver population!
















We had a nice ride yesterday. It was a comfortable 60*F with no humidity. I had to ride in the afternoon so we had some bugs and a little traffic to contend with, but all in all it was a great ride.
















*Total 2022 miles: 48.4
Total # of large bugs swallowed whole while riding: 5*


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## Celeste

It looks like I have a lot of gear on Princess, but it is necessary. The fly mask is there because our trail has a million deer flies and horse flies. The zebra pattern thing is something off of an old torn up fly sheet. On the other side of the saddle, I have a crop. It is not to cue the horse. It is to drive flies away with. The saddle horn bag has water, dog calling device, and other stuff that you need. The breast plate is a new thing. This new trail has a really steep climb and the saddle will move back without it. Oh, and I have a bag of horse cookies to ease the pain of having to walk by trolls. 

My husband says that I just like to buy new toys.

Miles for the year: *231.4*
Number of horseflies crushed by hand: *14*
Number of deerflies that stung me: *3*


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## Celeste

I had a friend come out and ride with me on Sunday. She rode Dillon, and he was a gentleman. She was mostly a passenger. He knew which trail we were going on and he led the way!


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## carshon

I come without pictures. But I have been riding. My daughter brought two horses up from KS where she attends Vet School. Her school is HUGE in rescue and encourages all students to do their part. She found two gaited horses on Craigslist near her and found them to be pretty thin and in need of a "rescue" as the other interested parties seemed to be horse traders. The couple was elderly and could no longer afford the horses and they were quite thin. They weren't free and honestly weren't all that cheap (thanks to the offer from one of the other parties) but we shipped them up in mid-March and I have been fattening up, worming them etc since then. When my daughter came home from school 3 weeks ago she started working in earnest to asses their riding skills. After some rushing on the trails and a lot of ground work we have found both girls to be pretty steady trail mounts. Now to find them both good homes and to get her money back out of them! She spent her savings for the fall semester to bring them up and feed them so we have to get that back! So I have been riding our own horses as companion/emotional support as she rides her new horses. We rode twice this weekend and had great rides both times. Did not ride Monday as it was 90 degrees with high winds. So, if you know anyone near NW IL looking for a new horse send them my way


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## egrogan

The weather cooperated perfectly for us to get some good rides in this weekend. My horses had their spring shots on Friday, so we took Saturday off. Sadly we had to miss the Memorial Day Pleasure ride in our town, but as often happens on pleasure rides, I heard there were some fireworks from loose horses, people being separated from their horses on trail, and people riding their unfit horses way too hard and expecting that the horse ambulance would come and get them out in the middle of the woods because "they were too tired to ride back to the horse park"  So maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to miss it after all!

Even though we didn't do the pleasure ride, we met up with friends on both Sunday and Monday and rode around the neighborhood. Technically etiquette here is to stay off the trails until Memorial Day, but since it's been a fairly dry spring, we figured we'd be ok venturing off into the woods this weekend. We hardly saw anyone else, except my neighbor on his ATV. I was surprised there was so little traffic.

My current riding buddies each have young, black Morgan geldings who are in love with Fizz. I've started thinking of them as Black Beauty #1 (Sailor) and Black Beauty #2 (Coalie). Fizz is pretty oblivious to them. It's nice to have people to ride with though, especially when we get out on longer rides on the weekends.
































*Total 2022 miles: 69.5*


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## weeedlady

I've not been keeping up with but I've added a few miles since my last post. Raven is up to 75.7 miles for the year, Tucker is at 85.3 and 59.9 of those are Virtual Tevis miles.
Most excitement is that my son was here visiting for 4 days. We did lots of hiking and he wanted to ride the horses so we did! This is a first. He's never ridden before, nor has he wanted to! I expected him to want off right away because he's always been a bit scared of them. But no, we rode for 3.51 miles and he would have done more but his butt was starting to hurt. He did really well, as did both Raven and Tucker. No one misbehaved. 
1st pic is Son and Raven, 2nd is a part of one of the trails we hiked It was really steep and not an easy climb, 3rd is the reward for making it to the top- views for miles. Lake Superior in the distance.


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## knightrider

Just got home from an amazing super fun 6 day camping trip with @4horses and @LoriF and a bunch of other friends. Doe Lake is in the Ocala National Forest and has been closed to us for the past 3 years. We may not get to go back because the parks service has discovered that Doe Lake is a lot more lucrative for hosting weddings than hosting horseback riders. Apparently a contract fluke from before covid allowed us one more visit.

Our schedule goes something like this: we ride in the mornings when it is cool. Around 11:00 or 12:00, we return to camp and swim our horses in the lake until around lunchtime. We eat lunch, then swim ourselves in the lake until we are wrinkly and cold. Then a nice snack, shower, and nap. Then supper, an evening ride, and sitting around the campfire swapping stories until bed. It is SO MUCH FUN!


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## weeedlady

@knightrider that sounds like a perfect way to spend 6 lovely days-with good horses and good friends. I really enjoy sitting around the campfire with friends and I haven't done that in a long time (mostly because my friends now live 650 miles away). I guess it's time to find some UP friends.

I had a very disappointing little ride yesterday with Tucker. We rode the 2 miles to "MY" State Forest land at the end of our road, only to find out they are logging there  This makes me very sad. I know they won't be in there forever, but there is no way it will look like it did before. The main trails are now gravel roads and most -if not all -the shade and tree cover will be gone. I was starting to think of that as my personal playground because I rarely saw anyone else in there. 

Trying to look on the bright side. I am blessed to have plenty of other places to ride (but that was my favorite, darn it!). Perhaps the logging will create new trails to explore or open up some of the old ones that were too grown up to ride.
And Tucker and I did add 4.27 miles to our Tevis total and that puts us past Chickenhawk and heading toward the next milestone, which is Forest Hill. 
No ride pictures, so here are some of my flowers.


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## knightrider

weeedlady said:


> I was starting to think of that as my personal playground because I rarely saw anyone else in there.


When I was a kid, growing up in Beltsville, MD, I had piles of trails on which to ride. They were all private property, but like you, nobody else ever came on them, and I felt like they were "my" trails. As Washington DC began to encroach on our area, more and more of that land got bought up and developed. It was a regular occurrence, as I got older, to hear, "Don't you know this is private property? You can't bring your horse on my land." It made me so sad. I thought about Native Americans, who were told, "We bought this land and you can't come here any more" when they had been there for many generations.


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , I just passed Chickenhawk this morning! It was great to meet up with you and ride together for awhile. Tucker is quite healthy and beautiful, and I enjoyed our ride.


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## charrorider

Just took Chance out for a ride for only the third time in 2022 and only the second time in five weeks. You can imagine how eager this 10 year old Arabian was at the idea of going out solo after spending so much time with his buddies out on the pasture. We rode from home to the Cole Creek trailhead and back home, 6.77 miles (11 km).


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## knightrider

My daughter's friend is visiting Florida after moving away and sorely missed our pleasant rides. She only had time for a night ride last night, so off we went. She brought her novice husband with her, so I put him on Isabeau. It was a lovely ride. We don't have many fireflies in Florida, but last night, we saw quite a lot of them. It made me a little nervous to have these two riders on my horses behind me whom I couldn't see, hoping they were doing OK.

I was riding Aci through the woods when we came upon a baby skunk, much closer than I would have liked, because it was dark. The skunk froze and looked at us, and Aci froze and looked at the skunk. I thought, "Oh no, here it comes," because we were easily in range. After a tense stare-down, while I was turning Aci to head away from the skunk, it scuttled into the woods. I have never seen a skunk skuttle before. They usually waddle extremely slowly, taking their good sweet time, and they do not move away from horses. I was so relieved not to get sprayed!


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## weeedlady

Wow! @knightrider you got lucky!

I added 13.52 miles to our Tevis total today. We are only .310 miles short of Cal 2! I wish I had known. We would have gone around the yard one time!
Here are some pics. Since loggers don't work on Sunday I decided to ride "my" state land while I can. I kind of got called out for complaining about the logging on the Book of Faces. I need to remember that this is how many people put food on the table up here. So no more whining. I'll enjoy what I can of it while I can (on Sundays).


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## carshon

@weedlady the logging would make me sad too.... We rode this weekend - the weather was gorgeous. Hot Humid weather is coming so I am enjoying it while I can! We rode yesterday morning (11 miles) and then baled hay in the afternoon (450 bales) its not going to be the "best" hay it has been way too cool here for it to cure well (its not wet just some are damp) but the grass in the hay was almost up to my shoulders and it had to be baled. Stemmy hay won't hurt my horses - they will appreciate it in the winter!


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## egrogan

So many great pictures posted here. Nice to see everyone getting to enjoy the nicer weather.

@carshon, it must be so satisfying to have that much hay made already! I think you also sell some of it (?), but being able to restock your own barn already has to feel great.

@weeedlady , lots of logging happens around here, and it can be jarring when it happens in a place you're used to riding. We actually have a forestry management plan on our property, and had a 75 acre section due for logging last year. It's been disappointing to see the condition of what the loggers left behind, which was _not _how they had "promised" to leave it at the beginning of the project. Our forester keeps telling us we are on the list for them to come back for cleaning up all the mess they left behind, but it hasn't happened yet. I trust in the forester's long-term plan to remove the less desirable trees and give the forest a chance to come back stronger, but there's no way around the fact that it looks just plain destructive in the immediate aftermath. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that they will deliver on their promise to give us a couple of miles of usable trail before the snow comes this year.

I rode with our two Black Beauties this weekend, and we did about 20 miles between Saturday and Sunday. The weather was my absolute ideal- around 65*F, very low humidity and pretty blue skies. The bugs were "moderate" level- I have added to my collection of bites for sure, but it could have been worse. This was the first weekend we spent at least as much time in the woods as we did on the roads, and it's so nice to get back on the trails. We saw a little bit of wildlife, including some deer that went bounding in front of us, but so far no bears this year.

Saturday I did lose a boot in a muddy section, but I took my dog back out on the same trail later in the day and we found it! Saturday trail:
































Sunday trail:
















I think we'll be done with virtual Tevis by the end of the weekend. We're doing our first intro endurance ride of the season. I'm planning to hack over to the horse park (10 miles), and the intro ride is 10 miles. Unfortunately our nice weather is supposed to be interrupted by rain mid-week, but I'm still hoping to get at least two short rides in during the week. So that will take us over the 100 mile mark. As of this weekend, we've passed Francisco's and are at the river crossing. Here was one of our bridge crossings from the weekend...not quite the same type of "river" as they cross on the real Tevis trail 😉 Ours involved going over a concrete bridge above a fast moving brook, and staring down a whole bunch of scary stuff at this house which is undergoing a top-to-bottom renovation. I am guessing horses don't have to worry about a whizzing table saw on the real Tevis!








*Total 2022 miles: 93.4*


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## knightrider

egrogan said:


> It's been disappointing to see the condition of what the loggers left behind, which was _not _how they had "promised" to leave it at the beginning of the project. Our forester keeps telling us we are on the list for them to come back for cleaning up all the mess they left behind, but it hasn't happened yet.


We are surrounded by planted pines, many of them belonging to a paper company called Loncala. After they log a section, they burn it. The area close to my house burned underground for almost 7 months before it stopped. I have read that the debris under the ground in limestone caverns is what continues to burn for months. They usually wait about another year, sometimes two, and then bulldoze it and then plant more pines. It takes about 1 to 3 years before it is back in growing pines.

I imagine they do things quite differently in the northeast, but originally, I was surprised at how long they let the logged out (ugly) area sit.


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## QueenofFrance08

I'm sure it seems like my only riding is at rides which is sadly been true. Memorial weekend we had planned to ride but had terrible severe thunderstorms and accompanied high winds which kept us home. Last week we attempted our first trip to our normal park (which is crazy, usually we are riding there in April but due to the late winter they opened late and then had to close again due to storm damage) and after walking 3/4 a mile down the trail I asked Chico to trot and realized he was pretty lame. I hopped off and noticed his fly boots had gotten wet with all of the rain and rubbed a sore in his heel. So we turned around and went back home 

This weekend was our Maplewood West ride in Minnesota. We haven't had this ride since 2019 due to COVID. The park has only 20 official campsites but they are all big enough to fit at least 3 rigs in (well for endurance riders who are used to squeezing together!) but we can't hold the ride unless they allow us to share sites which they weren't allowing last year. Thankfully this year they lifted the restriction and let us come! We had a wedding on Friday and DH was a groomsman so I drove 7 hours to and from the wedding on Friday and then left for the ride Saturday morning. I knew I wouldn't be able to ride Saturday but I figured I could at least get an LD (25 miles) in on Sunday. 

I volunteered in the vet check on Saturday which turned pretty eventful as one of the two vets was kicked in the knee by a horse pretty seriously (a freak accident, we think the horse was stung by a bee). After a stressful day of volunteering one of my fellow volunteers asked if I wanted to go out for a ride. I had gotten new stirrups after Comet rolled with his saddle on at the last ride so I wanted to check the length and I wanted to have some fun so we hit the trails along with a new rider who helped all day and was planning to do the intro ride on Sunday. We ended up riding 9 miles which was great because Comet was a little wound up to start off with and it took the edge off! It's such a beautiful park with rolling hills and tons of lakes so it was nice to enjoy it at a slightly slower pace. We got back just in time for potluck!

Sunday I regretted my decision to ride LD when I had to get up at 5 am to get ready but my fabulous friends got up with me and helped me get him ready. They also crewed for me all day, I can't tell you how spoiled I felt having a crew for an LD! I rode with my friend K and her mare Patches (who Chico and I used to ride 50's with) and kept a nice steady pace the whole day. The ride ended up being 27 miles due to wet trails from last week's storms causing some re-routing. We ended up finishing first! (We both won first place since we are in different weight classes) I was also able to stand for Best Conditioned for the first time and thanks to my very experienced crew we won! 

So proud of Comet! He didn't look like he had even been ridden when we got home!

2022 Miles: 285? (at least)


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## knightrider

Congratulations on first place! That is wonderful! And best conditioned as well!


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## Celeste

Yes, congratulations on first place.

No competing for me. I am much better from my knee replacements. I will not be getting over the myasthenia gravis that makes my lower legs be so weak. I can mount with a block, and I can stay on with my upper legs. I have a mounting block way out in the woods, just in case. And my horses are fairly small. 

The bad news is that we are not getting any rain. I don't ever remember having to feed hay in June, but we are. The good news is, that means that I have been able to ride most every day!! I usually do about 3 miles. I try to swap horses so they both get ridden.

Total miles for the year: 258
Total number of horseflies that I have squished: 34
Total number of horseflies that have bitten me: 3

Also, how do you rate a husband that loves you even if he has to stop at intimate moments to help pull ticks off of you? #1 the best ever. 

I am post a picture of Princess and my dog, Prissy. I am also post a picture of some of our Four O'clocks flowers.


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## SueC

First trail ride since last August. My long-time horse Sunsmart sadly didn't live as long as I would have hoped, and died two days short of his 25th birthday in late November last year. I spent a long time wondering if I wanted to ride again at all. I still have two horses - one that might get to 29 later this year, and Sunsmart's paternal half-brother, whom I adopted a few years ago after his racing retirement - he'd spent 17 years of his life in a sand run by himself, no grass, no socialising with other horses, double electric lines to the next harness racing horse. I brought him here to free range and enjoy grazing and a social group - horses, donkeys, cattle. He's loved life here and he has long shown an interest in working with me - so we took him for long lead-line walks around the countryside, and I did the saddle preliminaries with him, but focused on Sunsmart for actual riding because I didn't know how long I'd have him. No regrets there.

Anyway...I continued his saddle education in dribs and drabs starting in February. Got on his back for the first time a couple of weeks ago and a week ago, we took him walking and I got on and off him three times for a few short dinks. No issues, so yesterday I had an off-lead ride on him, just a small one around our valley floor, but I think it qualifies as a trail...

This is Julian...








First between-the-ears photo:








...and off the lead we go...








I've not ridden since last August, so I'm a little rusty. Won't take long to recover those autopilots though, I'm sure.
































Still working on communicating, obviously...








He's a nice horse, though. Here's a little clip of us. By the way, one of my foibles is to comment on camera settings when I am being filmed. One of Brett's foibles is to come up with interesting ideas, such as, on the swamp track on the second leg of the ride, "I can run ahead, hide behind some bushes, and then leap out unexpectedly if you'd like me to!" 😋






We have a ton more photos of this ride (and preliminaries, and jokes) here but that's only for people with deep cups of coffee... 

I don't expect there's going to be tons of photos in the future, it was just his first proper ride.


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## knightrider

So proud and happy for you, @SueC, for getting Julian saddle broke! Good job!


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## weeedlady

Hey @SueC good to hear from you. I've missed you. I am sorry about your Sunsmart. I know how much you loved him. Julian looks like a good boy and your first ride looks like fun!


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## knightrider

@weeedlady, where are you in the Tevis? I just passed the Peachstone and wonder if we are still riding together. I really did like the way they describe doing the switchbacks in the dark (chilling) and how tired you are and how dark it is. It must be very lonely too.

Also, I received my "medal" for the Pony Express Warhorse challenge. Wow! They sent a whole raft of things, not just the "medal". And the medal is a lovely belt buckle, very elegant. I really didn't have any interest in getting things--I am disposing of things as I age--but the belt buckle is super nice. I am in Nebraska in the Pony Express. Where are you? I am not asking in a competitive way, more like when someone you care about is reading a book you love, you say, "Where are you in the book? What do you think of *_* character? How did you find *____* incident?" Because you loved it and enjoy someone else loving it.


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## weeedlady

Hi @knightrider We are still riding together! I will pass through Peachstone today. And Tucker likes to move, so I'm sure I can catch up and ride with you!.
We are at 190 miles on the Pony Express trail so I think we are also in Nebraska! 
I really like the Bling. Do I need more stuff? NO! lol. But I need the bling more than I need Tshirts, lol.
See ya on the trai!


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## weeedlady

Hey @knightrider. Where are you on the Tevis trail now? Tucker and I are at 84.11 miles. I had a thought that since we've been riding together it might be fun to finish together? I think I I will need two more rides. When do you plan to finish?
My ride yesterday ended up being a bit shorter than I had planned because Dear Husband and I went for a drive (in the car) together. We hardly ever do anything fun together, so I couldn't turn him down.


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## knightrider

We are still riding together. It was exciting to cross the American River in the dark and follow the glowsticks under water. Didn't you hate having to trot in the dark on those narrow switchbacks! But at least we know we will complete on time. I am at mile 83. I would love to finish together. I rode Aci 9 miles yesterday on a trailered ride in San Felasco. I can ride him pretty much whenever we decide. Hopefully, I will ride him tomorrow when I take some people riding before church. Not everybody gets along with Aci, so when I take other people, I rarely let them ride him. It's usually me riding him. If the people can't go, then I will ride Isabeau, who can't do the Tevis. But Isabeau won't mind if she doesn't go. 

I ride about 1 1/2 to 2 hours every day, so let me know when you are riding and we can coordinate. @egrogran, did you finish already? Want to finish together with us? That would be super fun. Yay! I love this!


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## egrogan

Hi @knightrider & @weeedlady - I think we ended up slightly ahead, with just 2 miles to go. We're hacking off to the horsepark in a couple of hours so we will finish on the way over!

Yesterday we tried out our new horse hoodies bug survival gear. Looks silly, works pretty well!
















*Total 2022 miles: 98.0*


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## weeedlady

@egrogan Love the fly gear. As long as it works, that's what matters. And it's orange to match the rest of your stuff! I might have to find us one of those! Congratulation on your almost finish. You are coming in just ahead of us. Can you have a Diet Coke waiting for me when I show up, please?

I shouldn't even say it, but our flies have not been bad yet! Now I'll pay for that statement, I know it.

@knightrider. Tucker and I have 16 miles to go to finish. I will need at least two rides to do that. I plan to ride him tomorrow. Since it's Sunday I'll be able to go to the logging area so I can get at least 1/2, but I won't get all done tomorrow. After that it looks like Tuesday would be my next opportunity. I can also do pretty much whatever works for you.
See you on the trail tomorrow!


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## knightrider

OK, I'll ride Aci tomorrow and Tuesday so we can ride together and we'll finish together. @egrogan, I'll take a nice cold bottle of water at the finish line. I think Coke tastes like cough medicine. See you at the finish line! Thanks for waiting for us!!!

Thanks for riding with me, @weeedlady . I'm super tired after almost 100 miles, but this year has been fun riding with you and egrogan.


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## egrogan

@weeedlady and @knightrider, I’m going to be sitting here with a cold seltzer for awhile after 20 miles up and down the hills this weekend! 
































*Total 2022 miles: TBD *


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## weeedlady

Tucker and I did 11.70 more miles of the Virtual Tevis today. It was an absolutely beautiful day here, and we had a good ride. We passed Francisco's, the River Crossing, and made it through Lower Quarry. Only 4.19 miles to finish.
Wouldn't it be fun to actually finish up this ride in the dark, just like the real Tevis does? I'm not gonna do it- Tucker and I aren't ready for that I don't think. Maybe next year. Besides, I have a date with @knightrider on Tuesday.
See you on the trail for our big finish.

Oh, and @egrogan hang out for awhile and enjoy your seltzer. We'll be there soon! Congratulations on your finish!


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## QueenofFrance08

We actually rode this weekend at home. Only one day because we spent Sunday at our friends house with them giving us lessons on how to do pads for our shoes in preparation for our ride next weekend at a park with all limestone trails. 

This was sadly the first time we were able to make it to "our park" this year, normally we would have been there several times since April but with the late spring they didn't open until May and then had to close a few weeks later due downed trees from severe storms we had come through. Since then we've been gone a lot and the few weekends we've been home have had bad storms. We attempted a trip after work a week and a half ago but half a mile down the trail I realized Chico was lame (thankfully just a rub from his fly boots, he's back to normal now!).

The bugs weren't as bad as I was expecting and the weather was beautiful. We took Stitch and Chico on the 6 mile loop and they had a great time enjoying all of the grass on the trail.


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## weeedlady

Beautiful trails @QueenofFrance08


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , I am not going to finish tomorrow. Aci is the one who is signed up for the Tevis and he managed to injure his eye last night. I don't think he needs a vet. I think he got an insect bite near his eye and has scratched that area raw. I put Alluspray on it, and then a fly mask, which he is not bothering. I believe in a few days he will be OK and I can make the last 11 miles to complete. In the meantime, you can go ahead and complete and wait for me with @egrogan at the finish line, OK? I don't want to hold you back. I am certain we will finish, but I don't want to stress Aci with his eye swollen and itchy.

It's all pretend anyway, but I didn't want to lie and pretend I had finished. We'll get there, and soon. Only 11 miles to go!


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## Celeste

I am glad that I found my way back to the forum! It is nice to read about everyone's adventures. 

I am still riding almost every day. Today, I cut it very short. I was riding in a different saddle and the stirrups were adjusted way too short. They seemed ok for a short while. Then my knees and ankles started feeling very strained. I turned around and rode back without stirrups. 

*Highlights of riding!

1. I swallowed a fairly large bug. On a good note, it didn't sting on the way down.
2. My horseflies that I have caught by hand and squished this year are numbered at 62.
3*. *I usually alternate between my two ridable horses. I have various friends that promise to come ride. Then they don't.
4. I have a new neighbor that has a horse and she rides! She has gone on several trail rides with me.
5. Total miles for the year: 275

The last picture in this set is me and my friend Sally (short for Salmonella). I have had her since she was a tiny hatchling. The picture is not all that focused. Sally didn't want her picture taken.* 










*
















*


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## weeedlady

Wow @Celeste You are the queen fly killer! I am impressed.

@knightrider I am sorry about Aci's eye. Hope that it's ok and ends up healing quickly. I will go ahead and finish tomorrow if you don't mind (unless it's pouring rain which is a possibility). Egrogan and I will hang around the finish line and have that cold water waiting for you.


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## knightrider

A Disappointing Ride

I was on Chorro riding with my neighbor, whom I'll call B, on Rocky. Everything was super fine and fun. B said that the horses were mopey and he wanted to perk them up. I started cortoing on Chorro and Rocky wasn't too keen on doing his shuffle. But Chorro was tooling along beautifully. The horses woke up.

We got to a part in the trail where Chorro was terrified. He spooked really big and tried to bolt, but I stopped him easily. Rocky already is a bit of a spooker--that is why our friend E gave him to B--so he spooked a bit too, but nothing as bad as Chorro. We rode on.

B suggested we turn around and go back to see what it was that Chorro was so nervous about. That sounded like good horse training so I agreed. When we got close to that area, neither Chorro nor Rocky would approach. They wanted nothing to do with going forward. They backed up, went sideways, got whacked, refused.

Then Chorro said, "Oh, OK, I'll go . . . but you'll be sorry." And I WAS. Chorro took a couple of steps and spin bolted BIG. I was almost unseated.

Rocky spin bolted BIGGER and B was unseated. Off he came and Rocky took only a few steps away. It took me a bit to get Chorro stopped, and I am deeply ashamed (I deserve it) to say I yelled, "WHOA, WHOA" . I was very scared. The one thing I can't tolerate is being run off with. Chorro did whoa (thank goodness) while I was kind of cattywhompus in the saddle. Rocky was pretty close and I thought I could ride up to him and get his rein, but Chorro was being a total idiot, spinning, jumping about, and danger snorting. Rocky was certain Chorro knew something he didn't know, so he wouldn't let Chorro near him.

I felt like each leap was going to get me off. I was very scared. I jumped off Chorro, hoping that he would calm down so I could lead him up to Rocky. Chorro was being a total idiot, making Rocky more and more nervous.

Rocky stopped munching the wire grass. It was obvious to Rocky that Chorro knew the area was totally dangerous and they needed to leave immediately. In the meantime, I had no idea how B was, lying in the dirt. My neighbor B is very frail. He can barely walk. I have to help him mount and dismount. He has been riding since before he could walk, but at 77 with the loss of his beloved wife, his health is declining badly.

I could not approach Rocky with Chorro. It was just making things worse, so I led Chorro back to where I thought B was. You must know that my sense of direction is horrible. We were out in the middle of privately maintained hunting land, miles away from anything, and I had been following Rocky even further away. I hoped I was heading towards B, and finally I found him.

His shoe came off when he fell. He cannot get up unassisted, so first I helped him get up. He said he wasn't hurt, although very sore. I searched all around and found his shoe. Then it was hard to help him put it on because he can't bend down easily. And we were in knee high palmettos and scrub--very hard place to walk or even stand.

Rocky had worked his way back to about where he originally was. I hoped he would just come up to us, but Chorro continued to be an idiot, spinning, snuffing, chuffing, and shaking with fear.

B and I threw out many ideas for how to solve our problem. J, our good neighbor and the former foreman of the hunting land, is in the hospital in intensive care, so he couldn't help. B had sold his golf cart. The last time an incident of this kind happened, I rode back to his house, got the golf cart, and picked him up.

We didn't want anyone in the hunting land to know there was a problem because the foreman, S, doesn't really like us riding there. He tolerates it begrudgingly. An incident like this is just the thing to send him over the edge and say, "You can't ride here anymore." Some of the most beautiful trails in Florida right outside my back gate.

I led Chorro over to a sturdy tree where B could keep his balance and then I tried catching Rocky while B held Chorro (who continued to spin and chuff and sweat and shake, poor B, who is shaky on his legs without holding on to an obstreperous horse).

Rocky watched me with interest as I tried every horse catching skill I had (and I have had a lot of success catching horses over the years). But not this time. When I would get close, Rocky would trot (shuffle, amble?) a few strides away and look at me. I talked to him steadily, but finally, after we had tried for about 45 minutes, Rocky decided the whole thing was stupid, and cantered away (not towards home, yikes).

So I made my way back through the thick Florida scrub to B and stupid Chorro. We finally decided to call one of the hunting land employees to see if he would drive over and get B home. But there was no answer because he was likely mowing and wouldn't hear his phone.

Next thing to try was I would ride Chorro home, hoping to catch Rocky from horseback on the way, and bring my truck to pick up B.

This solution was fraught with problems. Remember my horrible sense of direction? I didn't know the way home. Rocky wasn't headed towards home. Chorro won't take me home. Chorro and I have been lost and wandering various woods at least 6 times in our 16 years of adventures. And once I got my truck, (if I ever managed to ride a bouncy chuffing spooking crazy animal home), I wasn't sure how to get back to where B was waiting. And furthermore, we weren't sure the truck could get through on the trails. Anxiety in spades!!!!

We couldn't think of a better plan, so I climbed on Chorro and headed out, bouncing and lurching. I tangled both my hands in his luxurious mane. I was so so so so scared. When Chorro "loses it", as he does on rare occasions, I have been known to walk him home. When he and I were young, a long time ago, I would keep riding him, but my nerve is not what it used to be. I DID NOT want to be up there on him.

The worst was that I did not know how to get home from where we were. I was mad at S for forbidding me to ride solo in the hunting land. If I had been allowed to ride solo there, I would have known all the trails. Except that we were near "the big house" and I always ALWAYS stayed away from the proprietors, even when I was allowed to ride solo there. So I was not at all familiar with that trail.

B (who had worked there for 23 years) had told me which way to start out and which way I should head to get home, but Chorro wanted none of the first turn. He insisted he wasn't going to go that way, and when I tried to make him, the chuffing and hopping increased dramatically. I decided to let him go the way he wanted to go, even if it was the long way or the wrong way. Sooner or later, we would finally come across a trail I recognized and we would eventually get home. I always do. After all, we were only lost in 8,000 acres. But poor B, standing by a lone pine tree waiting.

Chorro began to calm down some, still spooking big regularly, but at least walking, albeit extremely animatedly. I began to think about my two sets of complete beginners that I have started training this summer. That made me bluer than ever. They have been riding Chorro. They shouldn't be riding Chorro. Nope. Nah. Awwww, what was I going to do.

Finally we got to a trail I recognized and knew how to get home. I think we went round Robin Hood's barn to get there, but at least that worry was solved. We were on the way home.

I prayed that Rocky would be home when I got to B's house. He wasn't. Most smart horses know to go back to the trailer after just one or two rides. B has had Rocky for 2 weeks. Surely he knew to go home! But he didn't.

I got to our house and untacked Chorro. When I went inside (of course I didn't have my cell phone. I have no pockets and hate carrying a pouch on hot summer rides), my daughter had left a note that B's friend and hunting land employee had finally returned B's call, went and picked B up, notified D, another employee, that Rocky was out in Chinquapin somewhere. D found Rocky out on our road, which is somewhat busy, but worse is that it is hilly and the speed limit is 60. D had no problem catching Rocky and led him as he drove his truck. Why Rocky went to the main road instead of going in the open back gate is a mystery to me.

I went over to B's house on foot, helped him untack Rocky and washed him. I felt so terrible because Chorro had created this whole mess, although it is true that Rocky was free because he spooked big with our friend E, who is battling cancer and didn't want to take a chance with a horse that might spook. Rocky had not spooked big since B got him. Chorro has always spooked big, but he has gotten so much better in the last 5 years. But, yeah, only last year Chorro dumped me by spooking when a lost hunting dog came trotting over a hill. It still happens.

So . . . my new riders, just learning. I don't know what to do. I am so sad. And I am so sad and disappointed that Chorro was so awful. It's been a long while since Chorro has been so awful. He's usually wonderful.

So B is home, a little sore, but OK. I never did come off, and I am fine, just sad.


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## egrogan

That is a really difficult ride @knightrider. My heart was pounding for you. I hope B will be ok. And I hope you don't get any trouble from the landowners.


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## weeedlady

Wow @knightrider To call your ride "disappointing" would be an understatement. I was scared for all of you. Every horse has his idiot days I guess. You were dealing with two of them. I'm sorry you had to go through that and I sure hope your neighbor B is really ok.
I used to occasionally ride with a very older gentleman with a very hot horse. This man had also ridden forever but he did not accept the fact that he was no longer the rider he used to be. First I got to the point where I would no longer ride out with just the two of us. Then I just quit riding if he was going to be there. Certainly not comparing this man and B but it's something to think about.
I'm certainly glad you stayed on and I sure hope there are no repercussions from the landowners. 

*The other thing is you NEED to start carrying your phone!!! *I have a motorcycle rider's pouch that clips to my belt loops. Nothing goes around my waist to make me hot or uncomfortable. I really like it and don't even know it's there until I need something out of it. I carry a pocket knife, my phone, an extra pair of glasses (good thing cuz I broke mine the other day on the trail). I'd have room for a pistol if I carried. I don't even have phone service most of the time but I never go without my phone. ER personnel would be able to "ping" my phone and find me I think, if it should come to that.

I like to think I have a good sense of direction but I don't! I can get turned around and confused very easily. That is the other reason for my phone. I use an app called Avenza and it saved me from being lost at least 3 times last year. The app is free (there is a paid version of course, but you don't need it). You can download maps directly into your phone so it will work without internet or even without phone service. It uses GPS to show you where you are on the map. You can also have it mark your trail so you can follow it back. You can save trails, plot trails, measure distances, mark boundaries and add markers. I use it all the time. Sometimes I need it, sometimes it's just fun.

ok, coming off the soap box now. Glad everything actually turned out ok for you!


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## weeedlady

And on a lighter note, Tucker and I finished the Virtual Tevis yesterday. This was my third completion and Tucker's second one. I used Raven last year.
I wore my 2020 T shirt for good luck and we had a really good ride. Since @egrogan and I are hanging out until @knightrider finishes and I don't have to drive, I had a margarita instead of a Diet Coke. Salud!


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## Celeste

@knightrider Sometimes rides don't go well. Dillon did his best to throw me in the dirt several months ago. If he hadn't have been so fat, I doubt that a rodeo rider could have stayed on. I hung on because I was too scared to fall off. He has been perfectly well behaved since then.

*I think that your friend pushed you to go too fast for the situation**.* When out in a strange place, it may be just as well to walk. 

I wish that he had not fallen off. Have you heard from him?

I am glad that you did not fall off. You still have it. *Good riding*. What is it they say?* "What doesn't kill you makes you strong."* I think that you did great.
* And also, Take Your Phone!*

I have not been able to stand the heat to get out and ride for the last three days. It is getting close to 100 every day. The horses just stand in the barn under the fans and make messes. 

I really hope that tomorrow is better. 

*Also, think about how great it is that your 77 year old friend went though all that and didn't break!*


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## knightrider

This morning I took Chorro out for a solo ride, just to see if I had lost my partner of 17 years. He was back to his old reliable dependable self this morning. Not a single spook. Go figure. I made this slideshow years ago. It still is appropriate.






My friend, B, is doing OK. We went this morning and picked up a horse and delivered her to @4horses. We also had fun looking at saddles at E's barn. She has A LOT of saddles! Someone who has bred, trained, and showed horses all her life! I will take @weeedlady 's advice and put that Avenza on my phone. Thanks, everyone for your concern.


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## weeedlady

@knightrider I'm so glad to hear Chorro was his reliable self again. I wonder what was spooking him so badly? 
I almost came off Raven today because she spooked at a deer. Sometimes she spooks at deer, sometimes she doesn't.

Love your video.

@Celeste I don't know how you can live with such high temps! It was 80 here yesterday and that is too much for me! Hope things cool off for you soon.


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , I rode Aci for the first time since he injured his eye. The area around his eye looked really good, and I thought he'd be OK. He fought me getting the bridle past his eye and opened it back up. If I wasn't meeting B at a certain time, I would have put him back in the pasture and ridden Isabeau instead. But I was in a time crunch, so I figured Aci would be OK. And he was fine. It was probably just fine. We rode 7 miles. We passed the Lower Quarry and now have 6 more miles to go. Thanks to you and @egrogan for waiting to celebrate my finish.

I am going to let Aci heal a bit more before trying to ride him again.

I rode with B again, and we went past the place where the horses bolted. I wondered if Rocky would act nervous, but neither horse reacted in the slightest. We could see the deep hoofprints where the horses took off, and the churned up underbrush around the tree where B waited trying to hold a crazy spinning Chorro.

I have been riding with B for 15 years and he said he had never seen Chorro act like that, even when Chorro was young and doing field trials. Chorro put on some fancy footwork and wild behavior back then, but nothing like what he did two days ago. We'll never know what was going on in his head. Definitely NOT any PTSD because I got Chorro as a yearling, and he has had nothing but solid care and love.


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## Celeste

@knightrider I suspect that there really was something scary that they heard, saw, or smelled. Coyotes, wild hogs, creepy crawly things, or goblins. 
I am so glad that he is ok. And that B and his horse are ok.


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## weeedlady

Me too. I'm glad everyone is ok. I think I would have been hesitant to return to the same spot so soon, but it was the right thing to do- for Rocky, for B and for you.

also very glad ACI's eye is getting better. I've got your ice cold water waiting for you at the finish. It won't be long now!


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## QueenofFrance08

Did 40 miles this weekend. Had our furthest MN ride down in the SE part of the state. It's a beautiful park with a lot of hills and water crossings and riding through forest. DH and I did the 25 mile LD on Saturday because we were a little worried it might get hot in the afternoon and his horse Jake has been having some saddle fit issues and we wanted to test out a different saddle. We were shocked to find out we finished first (we are usually in the back half of the pack). DH beat me pulsing down so he officially took first place and we both stood for best conditioned where he beat me again by 4 points! 

Sunday I led a novice competitive trail ride (15 miles) which was a really fun time. The group of ladies were really amazing and it was fun getting to enjoy the park some more. The vets said Comet looked like he hadn't been ridden at all Saturday when I went to vet in and they said it didn't look like he had done anything at the end of the ride either!!! (He spooked at the timer tent coming in the second day, for sure not tired). 

Wont be riding for a few days here, it's in the 100s and humid so spending my time hanging out in front of the AC.


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## lb27312

Hi All! So glad to hear how everyone did/is doing on the Tevis! Exciting!

Went Camping this weekend, was supposed to go Friday to Saturday but it was way hot! So went Sunday night and came back today… I like this place as it’s close that it doesn’t cost a fortune to get there! And the weather was beautiful!

Took Captain… he turned 5 earlier this month…. Wow 4 years already! But this is his year…. This firsts was first time with a breast collar and this was the most technical trail and way more difficult than he’s been on. He was one tired pony at the end! A few pics as these trails you pretty much had to hold on… at one point after I tried to guide him through a bad part and that went all wrong, the next time I just dropped the reins and said you got this… lol 

Camping buddies!









Captain did not like these bricks! There was another part of the trail that was on the side of a ravine going down…. It was on both sides…. He didn’t like the holes.. that part was not in pics as it was a steep down on these bricks and not let him jump the creek at the bottom and it went up the other side the same way!


















The next was a long climb up


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## charrorider

The weather and life just aren't






















cooperating this year. It has gone from the trails being swampy from all the rain, to high heat and humidity. Rode Chance today from home to the Cole Creek Trailhead and back home with a small detour to check on a creek. 7.75 miles (12.5 km).


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## knightrider

@weeedlady and @egrogan, Aci's eye had healed enough to go riding, so I finished the Tevis ride today! It was kind of anticlimactic because I actually had 3/4 of a mile yet to go, but they awarded it to me anyway. Since I opted out of the tee shirt, it really doesn't make any difference, but I would have liked to actually complete the thing and finished my last 3/4 mile. They did the same thing last year. I think I still had 1/2 mile to complete but they gave me the award. I'll be riding Aci again in a few days, and I'll pretend to finish then.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying the nice cold bottle of water you had waiting for me. I can only imagine how exhausted and exhilarated a rider must feel if we actually completed the Tevis.


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## weeedlady

Yay @knightrider Congratulations. Glad we waited for you! I can't even begin to imagine what it would feel like to ride all those miles at one time and on such a demanding trail. I will have to stick to the challenges that I can do in bits and pieces!

We are still working on some Warhorse challenges. We are at 231 miles for Pony Express - that's counting both Raven and Tucker's rides. My goal with Raven this year is to ride to our post office, so I think Pony Express is appropriate!
If I take the car to the post office it's less than 3 miles, but riding is going to be a lot longer because I won't ride on M67. It's our main paved road right here and while we don't have a lot of traffic we do have logging trucks and garbage trucks and dump trucks and I just can't do it! I have to meander around on dirt roads and snowmobile tracks. I'm taking Raven a little further each time because there is a lot of new stuff to see. I should have taken a picture of Mutt, by friends long horn steer. Thank goodness he was not out in the pasture when we had to ride by! Raven has gotten pretty good about cows now, but I'm not sure how well Mutt will go over. I'm sure I'll get to find out eventually.

Tomorrow I'm trailering out with Tucker and another friend and her horse. We are going to ride some new to us trails about 40 minutes south of here. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope that Riley's (the other horse) behavior rubs off on Tucker a bit. 

Glad to see everyone getting some saddle time!


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , I am at 282 miles at Pony Express, so we are not that far apart. Maybe we will catch up to each other and ride together with that. Probably not  though, because I have 4 horses and ride every morning. I could only use Aci for the Tevis, but we can use every horse we ride for the Pony Express. I plan to ride Chorro this morning for 2 hours.

I installed the Avenza on my phone, but haven't had a lot of success learning to use it. I am going to work on that. I do like that it gives elevation and Pony Express asks for elevation. Of course, in Florida, elevation is something like 14 feet, ha ha.


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## weeedlady

Tucker and I trailered out on Friday with our friends Meaghan and Riley. It was a really nice ride until the very end and then it wasn’t.
We were sitting on the horses just chatting back at the trail head. Tucker got spooked when I took off my helmet







and took off through a bunch of trees. I lost my reins and I should have bailed sooner but all ended well. This is the first time I've come off Tucker and hitting the ground was the easy part. Hitting pine branches at a gallop is just NOT fun. But I'm fine and Tucker is fine so all is well. Nobody got broken. Nobody needed medical attention. Just a little stiff.
Don't know why my last pic is not suitable for children, lol. It's just my bruised arm.


























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







It was still a really good ride!


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## gunslinger

I knew there was a reason I don't wear a helmet....sounds pretty scary, glad you're all right.


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## egrogan

Ouch @weeedlady - that sounds rough! Hope you're feeling a little better.

Can't remember last time I posted in this thread, but we had some good riding last week, with the usual caveats that the bugs are miserable and temps were hot and steamy, so we made sure to ride early in the morning. Sunday we did a longer (9 mile) ride with our usual riding buddies.

Everything here is electric green. The dirt roads are very hard because we haven't had much rain, so we're trying to ride in the woods more, if we can stand the deer flies.








































Looking at my ride tracker, despite getting back in the saddle fully two months later than we usually do, we're just ~15 miles short of the total mileage we had at the end of June last year, and ahead of the total miles we had in June 2020. I have ridden more days this June than in previous Junes. My goal is at least 500 total miles for the year. As of right now, we're on track for that. August, September, and October tend to be our best months of riding. Last year July was a washout. Wonder what's in store for us this year?

*Total 2022 miles: 157.3*


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## carshon

I had Friday off of work and was able to ride with my daughter and husband, not just on Friday but yesterday too. I can't load pictures from my computer, but it is getting crispy here. Drought is in our future (just like last year) and the gnats and bugs are out en-force. We did get some much needed rain on Sunday so that left most parks closed- so we rode a local park this is all old logging trails. We had a blast and gaited a lot. My husbands horse (who was chronically foundered before we got her 6 years ago) is doing better than she ever has and gaited even on the gravel roads there. Her scoot boots saver her but I think I have finally managed a diet and trim routine that keeps her sound and happy. We had a great time! Now the 90's and humidity are slated to come back this week.


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## QueenofFrance08

Got our Joe-Raffe out for his first summer trail ride. He's been going through growth spurts and we were trying to get some more weight on him before we got him out so he's finally looking better and our friends were willing to help us baby-horse sit so he did a 7 mile trail ride yesterday! We went to the park where our next ride is going to be held to check out the trails, glad we did it seems more rocky there than usual! Had a great time, Comet and the other 2 endurance horses enjoyed their walking snack ride and Joe behaved VERY well! 

I'm at 352.1 (ish) miles for the year.

Joe-Raffe is our 4 year old Saddlebred gelding we picked up over the winter. He's over 16 hands already and a very sweet giant!


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , that is such a shame. I am sorry that happened to you. Glad you are basically OK, but wow! Your face and arm look really sore. Take care and get well soon!


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## Celeste

@weeedlady That hurt! I'm glad that you are ok. That bruising is going to take a while to clear up. It looks like you had a close call on getting really heart.
Any horse can spook at any time. It just happens,


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## SueC

*MONDAY MORNING RIDE*

Brett has the 10.00 to late shift at the surgery Mondays, meaning we have a bit of leisure on Monday mornings. Incredibly, Brett said I should go riding this morning, what after the weekend of toil finishing the plastering of our attic, and he volunteered to come along taking photos. This is still possible because Julian is in the early stages of his saddle training, where we are mostly walking; but we are fast approaching the time when we will be working at faster paces.

We had a gorgeous sunny morning - but as I type this, the rain is pouring down! Brett took photos to show the general circus that riding Julian early in the morning entails. We didn't have the camera along last time, which was last Sunday - remember how I had all these plans for setting up a horse playground so I could start doing some riding while alone on the property that didn't create unnecessary risk with a green horse? Well, what I actually ended up doing is working feverishly at the attic and the preparations for the weekend - Thursday was hiking day. So maybe that will happen this week...

When ever I have Julian on the tie rail, all the rest of the clan turn up to hobnob. Chasseur AKA Mr Buzzy likes to get up close and personal for some cuddles and scratchies, and maybe to cadge a proper brushing (we will film one soon because he is so funny when I do that).


He's just the friendliest horse and much-loved by guests getting some close-up time with large animals. He's never even dreamt of nipping or kicking a human, is not very spooky, and the chief danger you have to watch with him is that he doesn't tread on your feet in his Golden-Retriever-like attempts to snuggle up to you - or in his very horse-like attempts to show you his itchy tail. 

I mentioned a while back that last summer was the first time this horse dropped weight - he turned 28 just before Christmas and inherited his sire's tendency to err on the lean side no matter how much roughage he eats. I quadrupled his horse kibbles this summer, half of them a special senior formula - and thankfully he is doing well on that. You can see his ribs are now covered and he's got a bit more muscle than he did in summer - in part because he's galloping around with Julian now that he's got 4L of concentrate feed a day. Thankfully he doesn't need anything soaked or mushed up.

More good news - when Brett asked Greg our farrier friend the other day if he knew anyone who still did manual-tool horse dentistry, he told us he did! Oh if only I'd known that before...anyway, problem solved, this means I can attend to this matter again after an unsatisfactory and incredibly expensive experience with power tool dentistry two and a bit years ago. These two horses really do need a bit of attention there - Buzzy is surely losing molars already. And maybe Greg can have a go at the donkeys too...(although none of them have ANY issues with their carrots no matter how thick, even though they are mostly in their late 20s, apart from Ben who is younger and his mother Nelly who is probably our oldest equine but nobody knows the age of those two adoptees).

Speaking of: Ben, Mary Lou half-hidden, Sparkle peeping out through the gap, and Don Quixote with his slimming aid. (Nelly also has one but is not in this photo - you'll see her later.)

And this is the typical procession that happens if I take Julian walking or riding in the morning and open the gate to the "common"...


It used to be that the donkeys all followed the horse, but Ben and Nelly know the drill by now!


...and this is the lumpen posture one ends up with immediately after mounting after a weekend spent plastering and hauling 250kg of plaster through the house and up a flight of stairs by hand (because the trolley only goes as far as the door and we don't have an exterior scaffold set up for this). See previous post. This is not the time to critique a person's riding position, especially while they are still warming up. But do please note -
*1.* The crazy dog and her _woo-hoo_ antics - which you will see again and again on today's photos...
*2.* Mary Lou and Sparkle in tow. (The other three donkeys had run ahead playing chasey. Buzzy decided to stay in the meadow to graze clover.)

So this is independent ride number four - and the fifth time I've ridden this horse (first ride was clambering on and off him at frequent intervals while Brett led him around the valley floor - and that was exactly four weeks ago).

This time we rode up the ridge to our western boundary, up through the forest. The donkeys all decided to continue on through the forest track that leads to the north-western edge of our conservation bushland, so we said goodbye to them at the intersection, and it was Brett, Jess, Julian and myself from then on. I've included a series of photos that look similar, but watch the dog! 



That last photo in particular - zoom in on the dog! 🤣

I was practicing steering Julian to various parts of the path where there weren't so many rocks. While I have a perfectly good pair of Renegades in the shed, sadly they don't fit him. When and if the exchange rate gets better, I may get him a set. The ridges are rocky, and I'm not sure we want to confine ourselves to valley floor riding.


We shortcut the western ridge/valley loop slightly this morning to follow a kangaroo track down the ridge. The wattles are starting to bloom and it's spectacular. This is _Acacia myrtifolia_...




I'm off the horse because I still get on and off a fair bit to normalise mounting and dismounting for him, and because this section is really rocky. He can't see all the footing on this overgrown track and I really don't want to stone bruise him by putting another 75kg on his back while he's not in boots. The bauxite rocks here are jagged and not very nice on horse hooves, especially when the hooves are soft in the rainy season. We have other kangaroo tracks I can ride him on in the sandy valley floor. This is "bush-bashing" practice - the second time he's done this and this time around he said, "Old hat!"

This is the same track we take farmstay guests to show them the vegetation changes from the heathland in the valley floor to the eucalytpus woodland and forest up the ridges - and to give them an immersive nature experience, which you can't have on vehicle tracks or fire breaks.

Speaking of - the kangaroo track intersects our central sand track, which is how we went back home.




I still haven't been able to stop the helmet tilting to the right and I'm beginning to think it's my actual head! 🤪

Forgot to say - today I had my first faster gait than a walk on Julian. It was supposed to be a trot, but he offered a pace - old habits from harness days; he rarely paces in the paddock. This was up on the sandy first section of our western boundary track. Brett ran ahead and I cued him to transition up (as practiced umpteen times on the ground). He's got a smooth pace - you ride it sitting at slow to moderate speed, and instead of getting bumped vertically as happens at the trot, you sway sideways a little. Many people actually find that more comfortable than trotting; I'm OK with either but trotting is the better gait for rough footing. I don't expect Julian's trot will be very bumpy - he's built much like Sunsmart, who had a lovely floaty trot to ride. Like Sunsmart, he will discover that he is free to trot when ridden, so I expect he will favour that gait very soon. And of course, you can establish different cues, so you can ask for trot versus asking for pace - I do that chiefly by influencing the head position before the transition (more on the bit for trot-on, head more upwards for pacing - in accordance with the natural posture difference in the paddock).

Riding Julian is feeling really normal to me now - which is a nice contrast to the first couple of rides I had on him. We're getting comfortable with each other.

It's quite an unusual amount of "external" photography at present, instead of between-the-ears - owing to having a dog and an ostler on our rides with us presently. 😀


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## SueC

OK, so the above was a slightly altered version of what I put on my journal. That's because I feel like I've been run over by a steamroller and just wanted to post something to this thread again after not getting back to it since I updated re new situation. It's been work work work except the weekend before last when we deliberately stopped so we could manage to work through the weekend just gone by, and the Thursday morning when we went on a hike. And yesterday both of us had to work too so now I've gone splat! Anyone ever have days when they can't get off the sofa except for total essentials? I see it as inevitable payment for burning the candle at both ends to get something major done. So I've got an interesting novel and have been catching up on people's stories here. I'll be off the sofa again tomorrow. And temporarily, in an hour or so to go feed animals.



knightrider said:


> So proud and happy for you, @SueC, for getting Julian saddle broke! Good job!


We-elll, we're only at the kindergarten level so far really, but we haven't come to any harm in the process of starting riding, which is a good thing, and thank you very much for your well-wishes and enthusiasm! 

He is a nice horse, and despite of myself I'm enjoying working with him! 



weeedlady said:


> Hey @SueC good to hear from you. I've missed you. I am sorry about your Sunsmart. I know how much you loved him. Julian looks like a good boy and your first ride looks like fun!


I've missed you guys too, @weeedlady. Sunsmart going downhill last year didn't help and I just did not want to talk about horses. Plus I don't like barn witches, which thankfully don't hang out on these social threads, to the best of my knowledge.

So your move to Michigan went OK then? How's your house, have you had to make alterations/been renovating? How did you cope with the first winter? Are you enjoying the neighbourhood? How is it socially?

I really love the golden mane on your reddish chestnut, Tucker. I rode a horse with a colour like that for years when he and I were young. You're looking well too. (I'm not talking about your recent colourful souvenirs from riding, but before and in general! )




Celeste said:


> I am glad that I found my way back to the forum! It is nice to read about everyone's adventures.
> 
> I am still riding almost every day. Today, I cut it very short. I was riding in a different saddle and the stirrups were adjusted way too short. They seemed ok for a short while. Then my knees and ankles started feeling very strained. I turned around and rode back without stirrups.
> 
> *Highlights of riding!
> 
> 1. I swallowed a fairly large bug. On a good note, it didn't sting on the way down.
> 2. My horseflies that I have caught by hand and squished this year are numbered at 62.
> 3*. *I usually alternate between my two ridable horses. I have various friends that promise to come ride. Then they don't.
> 4. I have a new neighbor that has a horse and she rides! She has gone on several trail rides with me.
> 5. Total miles for the year: 275
> 
> The last picture in this set is me and my friend Sally (short for Salmonella). I have had her since she was a tiny hatchling. The picture is not all that focused. Sally didn't want her picture taken.*
> 
> View attachment 1130623
> 
> 
> *
> View attachment 1130624
> 
> 
> View attachment 1130625
> *


I quite agree with your opening statement, and have to say, your posts have often made me smile, because of their humour and because of your photographs of beautiful things. Sally for Salmonella bwahahaha. I was expecting a bird. Then I looked at the face and thought, "What funny nest is this bird in?" My husband said, "Look again, Sue, it's not a bird, hahahaha!" I have a relevant science degree _and_ was wearing glasses, so that was an extra funny misperception! 

Congratulations on your bug-catching exploits. I can get quite a bit of extra protein if I ride around with my mouth open - we mainly have little midges, of a non-stinging variety, at the moment. We do get horseflies in autumn but now it's too cold for them.



Celeste said:


> @knightrider I suspect that there really was something scary that they heard, saw, or smelled. Coyotes, wild hogs, creepy crawly things, or goblins.
> I am so glad that he is ok. And that B and his horse are ok.


Seconded. Sorry about that horrible day, @knightrider - we've all had disastrous days. The older I get, the more convinced I become that as horses are prey animals, and see more bogeymen than we do (both real and imagined), that when there's a situation like this with a horse you know well, and it's out of character, that I back off a bit. For me it's enough that we continue the ride. I don't know that I'd go back to the scene of the bogeyman immediately afterwards - the next day, fine. The horse's alarm system is already activated and his brain is already going round and round so I think it works against their instincts too much to force them back to the scene of fear immediately, even if some people think that's good horse education - or to hit them when they are already afraid. And then it's fight or flight, and an equine body full of adrenaline and stress hormones which won't go away for hours. Like when a person has a panic attack.

If I absolutely had to go back to some "space alien alert" place like this immediately, I'd do it leading my horse, between the horse and the direction it's suspicious of, like a mare with a foal, and not push it too much, and remain calm, and if I couldn't do that I wouldn't even try. I think it's like when a child has nightmares and doesn't want to go back to sleep in the dark scary room again. It doesn't matter how much you reason and say nothing real is hurting you and I'm going to turn the light off now. You're dealing with emotion and deep instincts of survival and that's when your horse, in my view, needs to see you as on his side, and as protecting him.

The late Australian horse trainer I learnt the most from always said, "A horse has to be calm to learn. It won't learn very well if it is worried about something." And that we have to be calm, to be able to teach constructively. He was working with other people's trouble horses, and actually was educating horses and teaching people to ride in the army from age 16. So he was always trying to keep horses calm, and kind of play chess with them a bit. It's an awful situation if you end up with a horse who's afraid and a rider who's afraid.

And the guilt afterwards when you realise you might have done that differently and you love your horse. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, so I consciously do many things differently than at first, and am still changing things if I need to, like with a different horse, as no two are the same. But we all have bad days too (and so do our horses). Never any point beating yourself up about that - just accepting that we get it wrong sometimes, making amends, and doing it better next time. Thankfully our horses are quite forgiving - when that's not been the usual pattern of how we treat them, anyway. There's a difference between making a few mistakes, and always making the same ones because we can't admit it to ourselves. (Like a certain post you saw on the main forum recently! )




Celeste said:


> *I think that your friend pushed you to go too fast for the situation**.* When out in a strange place, it may be just as well to walk.
> 
> *Also, think about how great it is that your 77 year old friend went though all that and didn't break!*


I agree with all of that. And about peer pressure. When you ride alone it's actually easier to have good judgement, when you're already a good horseperson, which you are, @knightrider, than when you're with other people who are pushing you to do things that are perhaps ill-considered. Sunsmart was a hydrophobe. The first group ride I took him on when he was still new to saddle work, with a dozen other riders, some of them not very competent on trails, there was a deep bog I would never have taken a horse through myself (we have quicksand in this area) and people were hitting their horses to make them go through, and encouraging me to hit mine - and then saying to me, "Give him to me, I'll show you how to get him through that!" - well, I said to them, "You go ahead, I'll catch up with you." They were mostly on plodders anyway. And I waited until they had all gone and my horse had calmed down, and then we worked our way around the edge of the bog - and not through the middle of it. I wasn't hitting or scaring my horse or fighting with him, I just encouraged and persisted and did it calmly. Took us maybe three minutes to catch the group after we crossed and was a nice change to be trotting, since this lot seemed to want to go everywhere at slower than human walking pace, which my ex-racer didn't think was amazing.

Sometimes you have to believe in yourself and your relationship with a horse, and listen to yourself and your horse, not to anyone else there who wants to back-seat drive your horse for you.




knightrider said:


> I rode with B again, and we went past the place where the horses bolted. I wondered if Rocky would act nervous, but neither horse reacted in the slightest. We could see the deep hoofprints where the horses took off, and the churned up underbrush around the tree where B waited trying to hold a crazy spinning Chorro.
> 
> I have been riding with B for 15 years and he said he had never seen Chorro act like that, even when Chorro was young and doing field trials. Chorro put on some fancy footwork and wild behavior back then, but nothing like what he did two days ago. We'll never know what was going on in his head. Definitely NOT any PTSD because I got Chorro as a yearling, and he has had nothing but solid care and love.


When the horses went back to that place later, their fight-and-flight response hadn't been triggered yet - unlike the time that you went back to the E.T. place after they initially spooked! 

And whatever alarmed Chorro last time - real or imagined - didn't alarm him this time. It's great that he holds no bad associations with the place itself after that experience. You're a team and you know each other well. And we all have off days - horses and humans. ❤


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## gottatrot

I like what @SueC said about @knightrider's wild ride. 
Oh, the guilt! We as horse people need to stop feeling so guilty. It's just a fact that when we have a bad day with a nearly 1,000 lb prey animal, whether it is us or the horse, it might get very hairy. 

We're not responsible for everything that happens to us, our horses, or those riding with us. We take risk, they take risk, sometimes I think it is only the horses who understand that. 

But I love the honesty here, and the sharing. I'm really sorry when people have a bad ride, but it sure makes me feel a whole lot better knowing such good horse people have wild rides too.


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## SueC

To give an analogy, @gottatrot - even marriage counsellors don't have perfect relationships...

And to extend the analogy - the difference between a healthy relationship with inevitable hiccups and an unhealthy relationship is whether the problems come as patterns that are always the same and don't get addressed effectively. So you can make mistakes and still be a good-enough parent or spouse, so long as you're open about the process and admit your flaws and mis-steps and make amends with people, and above all, that you work seriously on getting rid of behaviour in yourself that's disrespectful or otherwise harmful to other people (and that you expect them to do the same: We teach people how we can be treated).


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## Celeste

I have squashed 75 horseflies while riding. Quite a few have bitten me. Ouch. 
The only good horsefly is a dead horsefly. Fly number 75 will be pictured below. (I wore gloves when I swashed him.)

Summer in Georgia reminds me of Dante, as he begins his journey into H33L. 
*Dante’s Inferno; Canto III *
All hope abandon, ye who enter in! You enter into the city of woes
They were* stung exceedingly by horseflies* and by hornets that were there.





























*Isn't he lovely?*


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## weeedlady

@Celeste lovely is not a word I would use to describe horseflies. I wonder if you would share your fly killing technique please. I have plenty of potential victims, but I must be doing something wrong. So far this season I have only killed 2! Maybe I'm just too old and my reflexes are slow.

I've had Raven out twice since my last post. Sunday is my day to go to the logging area to check progress there. It's not all horrible. They opened up 2 old trails that were impassable before so that's kind of fun. Everything looks different, so it's like exploring a whole new area. I'm trying to stay positive about it. Please note that I have my helmet on, even though it had to sit crooked to fit on my swollen head!




















Yesterday Raven and I added to our Pony Express Challenge by riding into town to go to the post office. It's a 13 mile round trip because I'm not ready to ride on the big road. Please note that I am once again wearing my helmet and that it sits straight on my head now without causing pain. Almost back to normal. It was fun riding with a specific destination. I tied Raven to the flag pole, ran in, got my mail, came out and headed back home. Raven acted like we go to town every day.






































We are at 310 miles total for the year so far. I may be able to revise my 500 mile goal for the year.


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## charrorider

Celeste said:


> I have squashed 75 horseflies while riding. Quite a few have bitten me. Ouch.
> The only good horsefly is a dead horsefly. Fly number 75 will be pictured below. (I wore gloves when I swashed him.)
> 
> Summer in Georgia reminds me of Dante, as he begins his journey into H33L.
> *Dante’s Inferno; Canto III *
> All hope abandon, ye who enter in! You enter into the city of woes
> They were* stung exceedingly by horseflies* and by hornets that were there.
> 
> View attachment 1131389
> 
> 
> View attachment 1131390
> 
> 
> View attachment 1131391
> 
> 
> 
> *Isn't he lovely?*


Surely you don't mean 75 flies during one ride! I had to drive down to Miami last week and stopped at a rest stop just coming into the state of Georgia. Beautiful rest stop. There was a lake and all. But the gnats were the biggest I've ever seen and they were pests, literally. The horseflies haven't made their appearance here, yet. But they will soon.


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## egrogan

charrorider said:


> The horseflies haven't made their appearance here, yet. But they will soon.


They're all here @charrorider! We have more than enough to share!


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## Celeste

@charrorider No, it was 75 for the year. I am now up to 79.
@weeedlady My technique for catching them is this. I wear black riding gloves. Both my horses have black manes. I let the horsefly settle on the mane. Then I slowly put my glove near the fly. When I get about 5 inches out, I strike like a snake with my hand and catch them. Then I crunch them.

We had way less flies today! I hope that they have all died of heat strokes.


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## Celeste

I have been riding as often as possible. We actually have had some rain! My two antique horses have been having a hard time with this drought. I have been pouring the feed to them and praying they don't founder. They seem to be doing great. It is a generic senior ration. I soak it with water and they slurp it right down. One is 33. The other is old. No way of knowing with her teeth. 

My riding horses are enjoying getting a little bite of the feed as well as hay. 

I am up to 308 miles. I haven't been riding this much in an entire year. After going so long without riding and realizing what I had been missing, I am ready to go. Sometimes my knees still hurt. I ride anyway.


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## newtrailriders

I met this lady last weekend. She's 80 years old and has over 24,000 miles logged in the saddle. She's still riding. I want to be her some day.


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## weeedlady

Tucker and I returned to the scene of our wreck today. This time I kept my helmet on my head! Same park. Different trail. This one was very twisty with some challenging ups and downs. It was a great, fun ride that restored my confidence in myself and my boy.


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## Celeste

*I want to be just like that lady when I get to be 80 years old! Keep on keeping on.*

I added a few miles on Dillon. *I saw a coyote*, or part of one. He was slinking along in the bushes to my right. He had black/silver hair just like my dog. I called her, and she came bounding up from the left side. So there are two of them. I never did see the entire coyote. Just his back and butt. He ran off and I called Prissy right before she gave him chase. By the way, Dillon didn't care. 

I am SOOOOO glad that she is current on her rabies/parvo/distemper and all vaccines as well as heartworm prevention. I have seen dogs that had not been near any domestic dogs that came down with parvo. It is too much of a risk with her to skip out on shots.

Dillon has the best canter that I have ever ridden. He is fantastic. Princess, my mare, has a rough canter, but she is so much more chill on the trail that she is really more fun most of the time. You have to really ride Dillon. I can pretty much put Princess on autopilot for the most part.

We only saw a few flies today!!

*Pics from today:

Dillon and Prissy (she is way out in front over to the right)*











*And one of my indoor plants. It is called and Episcia. It is a relative of the African Violet.








*


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## AliceCT

Didn't get pictures of him, but my gelding and I went trail riding alone yesterday for about 1.5 hours. He did really well. We usually ride in fields, but we went on one trail into the trees, and a couple that were up-and-down. We saw three deer run across our path really close and he didn't care. There were also some large birds at one point that you could tell startled him, but he didn't even move his feet. We also tried a new water crossing that we had never tried before and after a little hesitation he crossed it like a champ. More than just him building confidence, I feel like I am building a lot more confidence in what he can do and what I'm comfortable with. I haven't been on any challenging trails in years and have always been nervous with steep inclines, but I'm willing to let him try some narrow, steeper ones now if he thinks he can do it. These trails on the property have a lot of open, easy spaces, but a few narrower or hilly spaces to work on too. It's actually a giant longhorn cow pasture, so here is a pic of the cow babysitter and her daycare, lol. The new calves are super cute. My gelding isn't super cow-y, but he's very confident in just walking right through them. I don't know if that is a good thing or not, lol. The cows don't seem bothered though and I've gotten to get pretty close to the babies. (I'm a city girl, so cattle behavior is pretty new to me. I find it really cool that they babysit!)


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## knightrider

Can longhorn cattle be dangerous? They raise them here in Florida, and my neighbors have told me longhorns have killed horses before. I don't personally know of any incidents. We had cattle on our farm for 5 years and rode with them almost every day. One was a longhorn. But our cows lived with our horses, never had a problem.


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## Celeste

We used to raise longhorns. We bought a small herd of very young animals. They were very gentle at first. We somewhat made them into pets. Several of them became very aggressive. I guess that we weren't getting the feed put out fast enough or something. It is probably not the best idea to make a pet out of an animal that will grow to be huge and will never be trained. 

My daughter was a small child. I'm thinking she was about 10. We had a nice pony that she rode and I rode my horse. We always rode through the cow pasture. It was just what we did. We had ridden with cows forever. One of the longhorn cows had a new baby. We apparently got too close to it. She charged us. It was pretty easy to get the horses to turn and run. The only struggle I had was keeping my horse behind my daughter's pony. If one of us got killed, I didn't want it to be her. 

That crazy cow chased us for almost half a mile. Fortunately, the horses were faster. We got to the gate. I jumped off my horse, opened the gate, and led her pony and my horse through, and then shut the gate. 

She caught up to us right as I slammed the gate. She just stood and looked at us like she was bored and walked back to the baby. I don't know what her intentions were, but we quit riding that way and shortly thereafter sold all the cows. 

It was an exciting ride for sure. We actually went into laughing fits as the cow just started at us looking confused. 

That baby sitter cow and those babies are no doubt fine. If the entire pasture is full of adults with babies, I would worry. You might be fine, but that is my experience.


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## newtrailriders

I know a few people who seriously regretted getting too close to baby cows.....


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## weeedlady

One of my new friends has a huge longhorn steer as a pet. His name is Mutt. He lives with her horses. I will try to get a picture of him next time I ride that direction. Neither Raven or Tucker have actually noticed him as of yet- he's always been way out in the back pasture. I'm not sure how they will react. Did I mention he is huge? He is HUGE. lol.

I chose not to ride this weekend at all. July 4th is a big deal around here. There are too many ORVs, too many tourists out and about, too many firecrackers, and too much beer. I prefer not to run into any of them so I worked on my flower beds instead. Things should calm down by Tuesday.


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## RMH

I don't think longhorn cattle are any more dangerous than any other breed except that they come with sharp spears most other breeds don't have. Cows with calves and bulls are dangerous. Any bovine raised as a pet with no fear of humans can be dangerous. Horns have been largely bred out of modern day cattle as in most places they are no longer needed for protection from predators. In modern confinement facilities where most cattle spend the last half of their lives horns are dangerous to the people caring for them and their herdmates. On the rare occasion I buy a feeder calf with horns the horns are removed.


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## AliceCT

I try to be very careful to notice the cows body language when I am around them and won't get too close. They are on substantial acreage which I think makes them feel less trapped when we come near, but if one starts moving towards us or stares for too long I definitely move away. We were out today and didn't even see any of them because they had moved to a different part of the pasture. They also eat hay near my gelding's pasture and he hangs out near them, so they are somewhat familiar with him, but they still retain some caution around humans. The barn owner does have one pet steer in the smaller front pasture and he is HUGE and very friendly. I refuse to be in the same pasture as him when on foot though because he's too big. Longhorn have a reputation for being a gentler cattle breed, but I know accidents can still happen so I'll be careful. Here is the steer last winter. I'm behind the gate, lol.











My gelding did well today. We rode early this morning with his former owner and she seemed pretty happy with how far he has come in such a short time. He was on his best behavior: exhibiting great ground manners, being calm under saddle while still walking at a good pace... just being a dream pony. I feel like I'm always really positive about him, but he's proving to be a gem. I think he enjoys himself, and its a lot easier to work with a horse that wants to work. We'll see what happens when I start asking for speed, but its too hot for that kind of work right now.


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## Celeste

My new neighbor came and rode with me on July 3rd and 4th. Both rides were very nice. It was really hot, but the horseflies were scarce. By the way, my horsefly kill count is up to 80 for the year. I hope that my count will remain the same because I hoped that they have finished their life cycle and gone away.

I rode Princess with my neighbor because she is more chill around new horses than Dillon is.











Then on the evening of the 4th, our lovely neighbors had what sounded like a wild party. They used professional grade fireworks. And they used a LOT of them. The horses were nervous to start with. Then Dillon went totally postal and crashed through a gate. I have no idea how he wasn't seriously injured. He has a few bruises on his chest and underside. There are no cuts. His legs, head, and neck all are solid. I am glad that he is a solid little horse or he probably would have broken a leg. We had another gate that we were able to use. The horses were all accounted for and everything is fine. I was NOT happy at that mess. It took until this morning for them to start acting normal again. I too Princess out for a solo ride. (My new friend had to work a 12 hour shift today.)
























*And the results?*
























*This was terrifying as I could not find him to start with. He finally came to me and let me check him over and put him up. What a mess.
The dogs were terrified as well. *











*And today, all was back to normal except that Dillon is bruised up. So I rode Princess again. The dog was around there somewhere.*


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## LoriF

Celeste said:


> @charrorider No, it was 75 for the year. I am now up to 79.
> @weeedlady My technique for catching them is this. I wear black riding gloves. Both my horses have black manes. I let the horsefly settle on the mane. Then I slowly put my glove near the fly. When I get about 5 inches out, I strike like a snake with my hand and catch them. Then I crunch them.
> 
> We had way less flies today! I hope that they have all died of heat strokes.


I always swat them but have discovered that if I only do that then they revive. So now I swat them and when they hit the ground I step on them and squish. I hate those things almost as much as I hate ticks.


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## LoriF

I WAS going to go on a trail ride a couple of Mondays ago with Novia until she bucked me off AGAIN. This time, I didn't get hurt. I don't know what her problem was exactly, but I think it was either a deer blind that she was a suspicious of and I wouldn't let her scoot away fast enough from it, or horse flies bugging her, or both. Thank goodness the ground was soft. Anyway, I got back on and we rode around the pasture a bit more and then called it a day. Since then, it's been the arena but it's gets boring sometimes. She really is a mellow horse but her go-to when something is bothering her is to buck. I'm thinking miles and miles will make her grow out of it. She really does know how to buck though. It isn't just a flick of the butt up in the air, she crow hops with intention of getting me off.


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## weeedlady

@Celeste I'm sorry your family and your animals had to go through that and I'm sorry your neighbors are so inconsiderate.


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## knightrider

Yuck for both @Celeste and @LoriF ! I am so sorry. Windy also did a bucking/rearing thing at about that age. Katie was good about getting back on and keeping on keeping on. Just about 3 weeks ago, I finally decided to let beginners start riding Windy--she will be 10 in August, so it took me a long time to start trusting her . . . but so far, she's been lovely for my novices. I'm sure Novia will come around too.

On another post, I wrote about how young horses go through a "testing" phase. I think every colt I ever started did. B says he's had colts that didn't. I hope Novia's testing phase is short and you never have that again.


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## LoriF

knightrider said:


> Yuck for both @Celeste and @LoriF ! I am so sorry. Windy also did a bucking/rearing thing at about that age. Katie was good about getting back on and keeping on keeping on. Just about 3 weeks ago, I finally decided to let beginners start riding Windy--she will be 10 in August, so it took me a long time to start trusting her . . . but so far, she's been lovely for my novices. I'm sure Novia will come around too.
> 
> On another post, I wrote about how young horses go through a "testing" phase. I think every colt I ever started did. B says he's had colts that didn't. I hope Novia's testing phase is short and you never have that again.


Yes, I'm sure she will be fine. It's just a matter how how broken I get. The last incident felt like the good O'le days, come off and get right back on. Unlike the last two times when I broke.


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## egrogan

@Celeste, I thought of you after my ride yesterday...when I pulled the saddle off, there was a dime sized bloody stain on the underside of my saddle pad, right near the withers. I had a moment of panic, wondering how she had gotten bloodied up. But then I looked closer, and there was a flattened deer fly embedded in the underside of the pad. So now I can count my horse Fizz among the fly killers 

I've had this past week off from work, and today is the first day all month that I haven't ridden (we had the farrier here this morning). So far we've done 40+ miles in July. Looking back to last year, we only rode 55 miles the whole month because it rained almost every day. I think we're on track to do better this year!

Here's a selection of the rides we've had so far in July- a mix of rides with friends and solo rides.

































































This weekend we're off to the local horse park for a couple of days of pleasure rides.

*Total 2022 miles: 205.0*


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## Celeste

Halfway through my ride, my Princess started acting not quite right. Semi-lame. Because of my disability, I can't walk back to the house. She wasn't that bad, so we just walked home slowly. She seemed to get better as we rode. When I got back, I examined her legs and feet. It looks like she probably got a slight stone bruise and will be ok. Fingers crossed. She does wear shoes.

Most of the flies are gone! It probably got too hot for them. 










*Total miles: 326*


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## weeedlady

@Celeste I hope Princess is ok. It sucks when our horses are hurting.


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## weeedlady

I try to keep Raven and Tucker fairly even as far a mileage goes. If I ride one too much the other one gets neglected and I tend to develop a favorite. Raven had some catching up to do so I took her out twice.
On Wednesday we returned once again to the southern end of the Grand Island Bay de Noc Trail. I call it the 40 mile trail because that is easier to say, lol.
We did another of the extra loops that were recently added. 8.65 miles. Sometimes it was hard to follow the trail because it's not yet had a lot of traffic. I managed to not get lost and it was fun to feel like I was really in the middle of nowhere.



















Today I rode around our "neighborhood" with a new friend and her Kentucky Mountain Horse. What a fun ride. She showed me some new trails I did not know existed AND she gave me permission to ride her 80 anytime I want! (they don't live here, her property is an old family farm and they only visit occasionally). I continue to be amazed every day at the beautiful places to ride that are right out my back door.


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## charrorider

Celeste said:


> Halfway through my ride, my Princess started acting not quite right. Semi-lame. Because of my disability, I can't walk back to the house. She wasn't that bad, so we just walked home slowly. She seemed to get better as we rode. When I got back, I examined her legs and feet. It looks like she probably got a slight stone bruise and will be ok. Fingers crossed. She does wear shoes.
> 
> Most of the flies are gone! It probably got too hot for them.
> 
> View attachment 1131825
> 
> 
> *Total miles: 326*


Flies are gone? Here I was feeling sorry for you, having killed 70+ and all.


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## charrorider

Rode 9 miles (14.6 km) today. The trails were all full of spider webs. Kinda early this year. Normally, that starts around mid August. The heat sure doesn't bother Arabians.


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## weeedlady

I rode with my new riding friend again today. I took Tucker this time. We rode a new to me trail and we played in the water. It was great great fun. 9.7 miles. We are now just over 300 for the year.
@Celeste your flies are here with me. You can have them back.


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## Celeste

@charrorider We had a few horseflies today. I think that they are seasonal. We are still using fly spray. I have only killed 79 horseflies this year. I was hoping for 80. I am more hoping that they are all gone!


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## egrogan

I just saw an interesting study, conducted by the British Horse Society and a university team in Scotland, showing early evidence that horses can detect electric vehicles coming up behind them much sooner than a human hears the vehicle coming. The study was really small and preliminary, but I thought it was interesting evidence that horses are more aware than we are. We do encounter a lot of EVs here, Teslas are really popular and seem to be proliferating. I have definitely been caught by surprise a few times when a car came up behind us without me hearing it. Fortunately we have fairly horse-savvy drivers around and these cars have never caused me any problems (_knock on wood_). I don't think we have a lot of the electric bikes on the roads and trails here, as I don't recall even seeing one.
New report reveals horses sensitivity levels to electric vehicles | British Horse Society (there's a link to a PDF of the full study at the bottom of the article)
Anyone else have experiences with EVs or eBikes? The article did make me think about how much I rely on hearing vehicles and bikes approaching to prepare to be passed.

We had a wonderful weekend of pleasure riding, doing almost 20 miles between Saturday and Sunday. We are still bundling up in our bug protection, though I think the deer flies are relenting just a tiny bit. Horse flies seem more numerous, and the infuriating little gnats are swarming in the mornings and evenings, though not too bad at times I'm typically riding. Here are a few photos from our weekend rides.
















































*Total 2022 miles: 225.2*


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## weeedlady

@egrogan where did get your horsehoodie? I think that will be next on my shopping list. Our deer flies have come out in force. I hate deer flies the most!


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## Celeste

I am still trying to ride most every day. I only ride about 3 miles. That is far enough for my body right now. We got rained on today and it was fantastic. It was just a little dribble but it felt great! The temperature was still over 80, but it didn't feel so bad. There were very few flies today. I think that my horse and dog both had as much fun as I did.










*Miles for the year so far: 336*


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## egrogan

weeedlady said:


> @egrogan where did get your horsehoodie? I think that will be next on my shopping list. Our deer flies have come out in force. I hate deer flies the most!


It really does make a huge difference in their comfort level! I’ve had a dozen deer flies land on her head at once, and somehow they don’t seem to be able to bite through it (even though they bite me through my riding tights?!). I bought it directly from the Horse Hoodies maker: 








Horsehoodies | Horsehoodies LLC


Full fly mask from nose to wither. Soft, yet durable mesh with fleece trim for comfort. Your horse will stay bug free! The size you need is based on the size of the halter or bridle that you put on your horse. (measurements in FAQ's) Our hoodies are designed for riding and/or driving...




www.horsehoodies.org




Even though Fizz is a 15 hand Morgan and I typically buy her cob/Arab sized gear, I opted for “horse” size to accommodate her big head  It fits her well, though as you can see her ears look a little like Batman because they are too big.


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## charrorider

egrogan said:


> I just saw an interesting study, conducted by the British Horse Society and a university team in Scotland, showing early evidence that horses can detect electric vehicles coming up behind them much sooner than a human hears the vehicle coming. The study was really small and preliminary, but I thought it was interesting evidence that horses are more aware than we are. We do encounter a lot of EVs here, Teslas are really popular and seem to be proliferating. I have definitely been caught by surprise a few times when a car came up behind us without me hearing it. Fortunately we have fairly horse-savvy drivers around and these cars have never caused me any problems (_knock on wood_). I don't think we have a lot of the electric bikes on the roads and trails here, as I don't recall even seeing one.
> New report reveals horses sensitivity levels to electric vehicles | British Horse Society (there's a link to a PDF of the full study at the bottom of the article)
> Anyone else have experiences with EVs or eBikes? The article did make me think about how much I rely on hearing vehicles and bikes approaching to prepare to be passed.
> 
> We had a wonderful weekend of pleasure riding, doing almost 20 miles between Saturday and Sunday. We are still bundling up in our bug protection, though I think the deer flies are relenting just a tiny bit. Horse flies seem more numerous, and the infuriating little gnats are swarming in the mornings and evenings, though not too bad at times I'm typically riding. Here are a few photos from our weekend rides.
> View attachment 1132046
> 
> View attachment 1132048
> 
> View attachment 1132047
> 
> View attachment 1132050
> 
> View attachment 1132049
> 
> View attachment 1132045
> 
> *Total 2022 miles: 225.2*


I'm slightly confused as to the benefits of the study, (i.e. horses sensing an approaching vehicle before a human is aware). Professor Njuguna, "The number of horses and electrical vehicles accidents and incidents ...are on the rise..." It appears, horses being aware of approaching electric vehicles before their humans hasn't provided benefits.


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## egrogan

@charrorider, I think the motivation for the study was to begin to understand how EVs will interact with people riding. My guess would be that some of the rise in incidents is that people are caught unaware, even if their horses might be sensing the cars coming; obviously this study can’t address that, but maybe it’s a reminder that we should always be tuned in to our horses’ body language and where they are directing their attention. It was a small study, just 3 horses, and at the end the authors suggest future studies to understand more about how horses will respond to these kinds of vehicles. Overall, I think this is part of the educational campaigns BHS conducts to help people share the road better with horses, though I agree with you that it’s not exactly clear what drivers or riders should do differently with this information.

Just made me reflect personally on how much I’m aware of the sound of vehicles approaching and react to the sound to make sure we’re prepared for someone passing. I ride on the roads a lot.


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## Celeste

@egrogan You see a lot of electric vehicles? I see jacked up pickup trucks with the muffler being bypassed to make the noise louder. And log trucks. I live 25 miles from Jeff Foxworthy's home town. Thus the giant pickup trucks. 

I am so fortunate to have my little trail through the woods with no vehicles at all. We do occasionally get spooked by a deer or a coyote. They don't usually pay them much attention unless they appear suddenly.


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## egrogan

@Celeste, yes, we have a lot of EVs. And logging trucks. And huge jacked up pickups pulling rattling trailers loaded up with ATVs. We pretty much see it all! To get to the trails we ride a couple of miles on dirt roads. Really though, for all the different kinds of people driving, most people here are respectful of horses on the road, thankfully!


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## weeedlady

No EVs here in the UP yet (at least I haven't encountered any). We have lots of logging trucks, and loud pickups and ORVs and trucks pulling boats and those huge 5th wheel campers. A lot of our riding is on dirt roads. Drivers are usually pretty good if you ask them to slow down. There are just a few places where I ride for short bits on paved roads- those people don't like to slow down much.


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## Celeste

@egrogan I see from your picture that you use boots. Do you mind saying what kind and how well they work?

Does anybody else use boots? 

This farrier that I have been using really messed up this time. I am going to have to do something different. I have thought about pulling the shoes and trying boots.


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## egrogan

@Celeste , I have been using the Scoot boots since 2018, and they work very well for my horse. I have not used other brands, so can't compare to other options. My understanding is that the shape of the hoof is the most important factor in selecting the proper boot. Scoots don't work well for horses with long toes or more upright hoof conformation. Fortunately my mare has a pretty well conformed foot, and they work for her. The fit for her varies a little bit depending on where she is in a trim cycle- when she's within about a week, week and a half of being freshly trimmed, I use a size 3 on her front feet, and for the rest of a trim cycle, I use a size 4, so there was the initial investment of buying two different pairs in the different sizes. I consistently use a size 4 slim on her hind feet. I know plenty of people that only need 1 size regardless of where the horse is in the trim cycle, so I don't think my experience is the norm. Also, I got nearly 1,000 miles of riding on my first pair, so they seem to last well, even with the amount of riding we do on gravel roads.

As far as using them...I find them very easy to get on/take off. Unlike some of other brands, there are no cables or other complicated fasteners. There are a few different options for padding along the back of the foot to prevent rubs. I can count on one hand the number of times I've lost a boot in the years that I've used them, and I think all of those times the boot came off, it was because either the foot was freshly trimmed and I should have used the smaller size, or because the foot was ready to be trimmed and the boot was too tight. And I was lucky that I was always able to backtrack on the trail and find the lost boot.

Probably the hardest part of switching to boots is deciding which brand and size is right for your horse. I was lucky that I had a barefoot trimmer who carried "fitting kits" for all the major brands on his truck, so I was able to try them on right after a trim to confirm they would fit, and select the correct size to order from a dealer. Also, all the brands seem to have representatives who will help you with virtual fittings if you send them a series of photos with measurements. If you're considering Scoots but don't have someone in person to help with fit, I'd highly recommend Stacy Pratt of the Heartland Scoot Boots for a virtual fitting. If you're new to boots though, it would be great if you could find someone local who will let you try different brands and sizes, just to see if you like how they fit and what it takes to get them on and off. I haven't ridden a horse with shoes in so long I forget sometimes that putting boots on _does _add more time to the tacking up process. It doesn't add hours, but it takes at least a few minutes to clean all the feet and get the boots on.

There have been a lot of threads on HF about boots in the recent past if you wanted to search them and read through. There are definitely people here who have tried Scoots and didn't like them for their horses. I ended up getting a great deal on an almost new pair of Scoots from @gottatrot because they didn't work for her horse 😉 Renegades seem to be another really popular, easy to use brand. 

Hope that helps! If you have specific questions, please let me know.


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## gunslinger

Celeste, I've been using Renegades for well over 10 years. Never put a shoe on my horses....


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## charrorider

egrogan said:


> @charrorider, I think the motivation for the study was to begin to understand how EVs will interact with people riding. My guess would be that some of the rise in incidents is that people are caught unaware, even if their horses might be sensing the cars coming; obviously this study can’t address that, but maybe it’s a reminder that we should always be tuned in to our horses’ body language and where they are directing their attention. It was a small study, just 3 horses, and at the end the authors suggest future studies to understand more about how horses will respond to these kinds of vehicles. Overall, I think this is part of the educational campaigns BHS conducts to help people share the road better with horses, though I agree with you that it’s not exactly clear what drivers or riders should do differently with this information.
> 
> Just made me reflect personally on how much I’m aware of the sound of vehicles approaching and react to the sound to make sure we’re prepared for someone passing. I ride on the roads a lot.


Excuse my super sensitivity to BS. We already know that horses have better hearing than humans. I ride mostly wooded trails. Have never encountered an EV. My horses' ears are always tilting this way and that. Unless we find that they do something different or additional when the noise they hear is coming from an electric vehicle, I fear the accidents and incidents between horses and EVs will continue to rise.


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## charrorider

Celeste said:


> @egrogan I see from your picture that you use boots. Do you mind saying what kind and how well they work?
> 
> Does anybody else use boots?
> 
> This farrier that I have been using really messed up this time. I am going to have to do something different. I have thought about pulling the shoes and trying boots.


I have been using Renegades for quite some time. I prefer the Viper line over the Classic. But I'm not opposed to having one line on the front feet and the other on the back. It all depends on what comes closest to my horse's size. The one element I've found is that the more points of adjustment a hoof boot has, the bigger the learning curve. In other words, if you have the kind of boot that is slipped on and closed, there isn't much to learn and adjust. But if you have the kind of boot that has adjustment for the heel, that may take a little longer to figure out. And no matter which make you buy, you will have to do some rasping to keep the feet at whatever length you need.


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## egrogan

charrorider said:


> Excuse my super sensitivity to BS. We already know that horses have better hearing than humans. I ride mostly wooded trails. Have never encountered an EV. My horses' ears are always tilting this way and that. Unless we find that they do something different or additional when the noise they hear is coming from an electric vehicle, I fear the accidents and incidents between horses and EVs will continue to rise.


That’s all fine. I didn’t do the study 🤷‍♀️ BHS has done a lot more than any American agencies to educate drivers about sharing the road with horses, so whether this is the most groundbreaking research or not, I’m happy to hear of an organization that cares about learning how riders and horses interact on the road safely. I ride hundreds of miles on the roads every year, so I found it an interesting question to consider.


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## weeedlady

@Celeste have you considered composite shoes? We are going to try them on Raven. My new farrier came and measured her to determine what size she needs. The shoes are ordered and we will put them on at her next trim. 

I've never used composite shoes and I don't personally know anyone who has, but I like the idea. I know Raven can't wear regular shoes in the summer because her feet just crumble around the nails. We've been barefoot for 2 years, but I'm riding a lot this year and she's a bit ouchy on gravel.

I'm looking forward to seeing how well they work.


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## QueenofFrance08

Had our closest (and one of my favorite) rides last weekend. It's called Mosquito Run and it usually lives up to its name. This year was no exception.

Saturday Comet and I rode the 50 with our friend C and sponsored a junior R. Due to many footwear problems (C lost both front shoes, R's boots twisted/rubbed/broke) we were out a lot longer than usual but managed to finish in the turtle position. It was pretty warm so I was thankful that Comet being a bigger bodied dark horse didn't have any issues with the heat.

Sunday I was planning to ride Chico in the LD with my friend C and her other horse but when C went to get on in the morning she found her mare had gone lame overnight. I knew that either meant that Chico and I had to go out on our own or we could pull ourselves from the ride. After realizing there was only 2 heavyweights entered so finishing guaranteed us a 2nd place I figured we might as well give it a shot. I expected to have to fight with Chico the whole ride to convince him to go out on his own (he prefers to ride with other horses) but 2 miles in we were passed by another rider and the race-brained young punk inside of him woke up. I had my reins triple wrapped around my hands pulling back with all of my might for the rest of the 15 mile loop. We came back well before DH expected us and he vetted through looking pretty good despite his antics and polished off a big pan of grain (oh how I've missed having a horse that eats everything in sight at a hold). I figured the 2nd loop would be a struggle after he wore himself out on the first and I was not surprised to have to do a lot of begging the first 3 miles out. Thankfully a novice group caught up to us and so we hung out with them for another 5 or so miles and he happily put himself in second place and trotted along with his new friends. We separated when they wanted to take a trip to the lake but he realized he was close to home and perked up to finish the ride. He vetted out again with almost all A's and happily returned to Comet and his grain, not too shabby for turning 21 next month!

This weekend (and another 6 mile ride at home prior to it) puts me at 433.1 miles for the year.


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## Celeste

I had another nice ride today. I always do a little woods trail that is about 3 miles. I like to avoid traffic. Just me, my horse, and my dog. And (drum roll) the horseflies are about gone!!










*Total for year so far -- 344 miles.*


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## weeedlady

well @Celeste I'm glad your horse flies are easing up. We now have deer flies. ALL the deer flies must be here! thousands and thousands. I had to cut my ride short today because it was just miserable. But hey, a miserable ride is better than no ride, right?


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## charrorider

Celeste. You call that wooded trail? 
I took Ibn out today. Since being diagnosed with that suspensory ligament deterioration condition, I'm afraid to push him, even though he seems to be responding well to the treatment. We went a little over 7.5 miles. But every time we ride up a hill, canter, or trot, I'm anxious. Is he going to be ok with this? Anyways, the biting flies were pretty much absent, which is a big plus. But don't come down to ride the Mark Twain National Forest if you're not fond of spiders and their webs. The forests trails are full of their webs. Maybe that's why the biting flies are not around.


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## knightrider

Here is a suggestion for riders who are miserable with flies. I discovered this last year working with Windy solo, trying to teach her to ride out nicely by herself. I discovered that if you keep riding the same area, back and forth, you will experience fewer and fewer flies with each pass.

Last year I kept a record of flies heading out the trail, flies coming back on the same trail, and flies in a circle trail. I felt I proved fairly conclusively that if you ride the same trail coming back, you will have fewer flies on the way home. If you ride in a circle, you will have the same number of flies heading out and heading home.

We have some pretty horrendous flies here in Florida, so I have lots of opportunities to practice. This year I started riding the same half mile, or sometimes one third mile, depending on which trail I choose, back and forth. Some people would just hate riding a half mile over and over, but I just hate the flies. With each pass, there are fewer flies, until on my last pass, sometimes I am not even using my fly swish at all.

My riding buddy neighbor likes riding in circles. He hates flies too, but he really likes riding in circles. This summer we devised a good sized circle, about a half mile, that we ride 4 times, and with each succeeding circle, there are fewer flies.


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## weeedlady

I remember you research last year @knightrider. I'm going to give your theory a try. In fact- I think I'll do it tomorrow.


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## walkinthewalk

@weeedlady I don’t follow this thread too often since I don’t ride anymore — did you put the composite shoes on Raven?

Joker wore a composite shoe package for the last 2-3 years of his life and they worked fantastic for him. They do a bang-up job of reducing concussion which was a wonderful for not only his residual founder issues but the low Ringbone he had developed. He had actually started to get back enough sole concavity that he was able to go barefoot the last three months of his life❤❤

P.S. I saw the fly on Raven’s neck— I guess you are invaded by deer flies😳🤯😳🤯


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## weeedlady

@walkinthewalk Raven's farrier appointment is Wednesday, August 3. We will put the composites on then. I will be using a new farrier as my current one only does "real" shoes.
The new girl used composites on her own horse with great results.

Raven's only issue is that she has really thin hoof wall and in the summer she just can't hold a shoe. The hoof just crumbles away around the nails. I much prefer that my horses go barefoot, but she's started to be a bit ouchie on the gravel. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing how she does in her new "horse sneakers". I'm not looking forward to the $.

yep, deer flies everywhere. They even attack the car if you are driving slowly. I hate hate hate them. Always have. I tried to ride Tucker yesterday evening. I thought it was windy enough to keep the flies away. We made it to the end of the road before I couldn't stand it anymore. I actually encouraged Tucker to hurry home!


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## knightrider

An Eventful Ride

Most everybody on here knows I ride every morning. Mostly I just have lots of fun rides. This morning I trailered Windy with my nice neighbor, B, and @4horses to ride at Oleno State Park, which is only a 17 minute drive away. Just a regular fun ride.

We took a slightly different trail, one we hadn't ridden in a while, and came across a heavy cluster of grapevines. It didn't look as if horses could get through it. B's horse, Rocky, is a spooker, but B agreed to try to break the vines apart and see if we could get through. Probably would have been better if we had just turned back.

I ride Windy in the back because she has a slower walk, and I do a lot of running walk and canter to catch up. In the last 4 months, Windy has started giving me a lovely soft slow rocking horse canter, which I love, and I am helping her learn to transition smoothly into her running walk. Her transitions used to be a perfectly dreadful rough mess, and with each ride, I see an improvement that is super fun to witness.

So, I was in the back. @4horses and B got through the tangle of vines, but Windy got a big fat huge one around her neck, which quickly ended up around her chest. I got her to stop without panicking, and slowly back up while I flipped the vine over her head. We thought it was all good, and I was proud of Windy. Except B somehow ripped open his elbow with copious blood running down his arm. Yikes.

So we rode on. We had forgotten that this certain trail wound past a pack of Great Pyrenees dogs behind a wire fence. Boy, they bark so loudly! AND -- someone on that property was chainsawing really loudly as well. Rocky, the spooky guy, was in the lead, and he went nicely past the barking dogs and the chainsaw guy. Then 4horses' horse April went. Windy doesn't spook hardly ever. She's so reliable. I wasn't worried.

Then the dogs began galloping on a piece of corrugated metal alongside the fence, making a huge bongo bango sound. Windy found that slightly alarming, but kept on riding. For about 5 years or more, we had problems with a set of Anatolian shepherds biting our horses' fetlocks, and Windy got bit probably about 6 times. The last time she got bitten, she bucked high, I fell off, the dogs corralled her into the road, she slipped and fell and got all skinned up. So, Windy has no love for big white dogs. I figured she'd be a bit nervous, but we'd get on past.

The closer we got to the dogs, the louder their footfalls were on the corrugated metal, the more anxious Windy got, until she lost her mind. She headed into the woods, and I figured we would just swing wide around the dogs through the woods and meet up with our riding buddies. But Windy was in a blind panic, and threw herself into another set of thick grapevines, getting totally trapped. I didn't realize how trapped she was until she reared up, lost her balance, and came over on me.

Fortunately, the park service had just plowed the trails into firebreaks, so the trail was about 5 inches deep soft sand. When Windy landed on me, she didn't crush my leg or foot. Somehow in the fall, she detached herself from her tangle of vines, so we both got up.

Here's the funny part. My two friends were all concerned, "Are you OK?" I immediately caught Windy and went looking for my fly swish, which had broken in the fall. I just walked away, scouting the underbrush, searching for the other half of my very favorite fly swish. Then I re-mounted. Both Windy and I were fine, and we rode on.




































On the way home, Windy wanted to pee, and left the trail for the underbrush. We rode smack into a huge banana spider web and it glommed onto my cheek, including a huge banana spider. Those sticky yellow webs are like glue. Ahhhhh, yuuuuuckkk!!!

The rest of the ride was super fun and uneventful. Windy was doing her smooth fun running walk and sweet slow canter, lots and lots of fun. I'm so glad they plowed the firebreak a day ago!


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## weeedlady

Wow @knightrider that was an adventurous ride! Very glad no human or horse is seriously injured.


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## egrogan

@knightrider, I think you're due for some boring rides after all this excitement!!

This week has been so hot and humid. We've had a few thunderstorms around but unfortunately that just ramps up the humidity rather than freshening things up. The deer flies seem to have double or tripled in quantity with the added humidity. I got excited because the dragonflies have appeared, but they don't seem to have made a dent in the deerflies yet. Embarrassing confession: today I was taking a pitstop behind the barn before my ride (I can't stand to get in the saddle without one last pee) and a deerfly bit me right on the bare behind!! That felt like a new low point in the fight against the flies this year.

Poor Fizz was miserable for the first half of our ride. Her whole body was quivering shaking off flies. For awhile, I just had my reins in my left hand while swishing furiously at flies on her sides, belly, and butt with my right hand. We trotted and cantered to try to get rid of them, but we couldn't escape. @knightrider, we did an out and back ride, but unfortunately the flies were just as bad on the second time we passed through their territory. This is from the last mile home- in desperation I was trying to wave the reins around her head and neck to give her some relief. Even the Horse Hoodie couldn't stand up to the flies today.








Miserable flies







youtube.com




Made me feel a little despondent- between being soaked through with sweat from the heat and humidity and not getting any relief from the flies, I almost don't even want to bother riding. I signed us up for back-to-back 15 mile intro competitive trail rides the weekend of Aug 6/7, so we do need to get out there and add some miles between now and then, but it's not very much fun in these conditions. I'm starting to look longingly at the September and October pages of the calendar!

*Total 2022 miles: 243.3*


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## knightrider

Ah, my theory did not hold up. Typical of true science. B and I were talking about it today. A place where we rode which had few flies suddenly had bad flies. Why is that? I have heard that flies don't like shade. I have heard that flies don't like sunshine. I would guess it probably depends on the fly.

In Florida, we have very few deerflies. I remember how wretched they were from my years living in Maryland and riding frequently in PA. On the other hand, the person who originally taught me about returning on the same trail we rode out on was from PA, and she proved it by taking me on a 2 hour ride up a mountain in PA. And those were deer flies.

Although we don't have many deer flies in Florida, we certainly have nasty painful biting horseflies. Lots and lots of them. And they start in April and last until October.

@egrogan , did the deer flies bite through Fizz's headgear? Our flies like to take rides on our fly masks. My theory on that is that they know there's a horse in there somewhere and they are trying to figure out how to get in there and bite it. Our awful horseflies bite right through shirts and even blue jeans. I once got eaten alive by mosquitos right through my blue jeans while attending pony penning day in Chincoteague. I probably had 30 bites where my blue jeans covered me.

Anyone have any theories to add to my fly experiment failure?


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## rambo99

@knightrider the riding same trail out an back sometimes works. I'm rehabbing ice currently so doing some short rides. 

Ride yesterday morning headed out at 9 am deer flies were out not to bad. Got to dirt road an we were bombarded with swarms of them. Only went 1/2 mile out then rode back same trail. Had fewer deer flies on the way back.

We got to power line an again bombarded by swarms of deer flies. I find that kinda odd because usually deer flies aren't ever swarming there. Had to break off a tree branch to fend them off. Ice was getting a bit panicky flipping his head an starting to jig going sideways an acting like he was going to come unglued.. I got off an lead him home at that point safer to be on the ground, it helped ice to calm down.

Today by 7:30 am deer flies were swarming out in our yard an barnyard. So opted out on riding figured if there horrible out here at home, won't be any better out on trail. 

Hot humid equals lots of deer flies was hot and humid today. It's so nice to be riding again. A few pictures from yesterday.


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## weeedlady

Raven and I went out yesterday evening. We covered some more of the "40 mile trail".
As I unloaded Raven and started tacking up the horseflies were horrible. I killed 8 before I even had the saddle on. I considered just going back home, but it's a 30mile drive one way, so I figured I'd better at least make an attempt.

We started south on the main trail This part of the trail is wooded and I was shocked that we had almost no bugs. No horse flies, no deer flies, no mosquitoes! We went just over 1/2 mile to the spot where Tucker and I stopped last week. Then we turned around and headed north on the same trail.

@knightrider I am sorry but your theory failed. In that half mile we were suddenly swarmed with deer flies. Maybe Michigan flies are just different, lol.

Anyway, we made good progress heading north on the trail and covered about 6 more miles. We crossed a nice creek with no issue. That got us to the connector trail to our next parking spot. Turned around to head back and saw the markers for a brand new loop that would take us right back to our trailer so decided to give that a try. It was mostly nice. Old logging roads and two tracks, well marked. The two tracks eventually ended and it got pretty rough-just pretty much plowing through the forest and undergrowth. This part was not fun, but my trusty Avenza app told me we were heading back toward some forest roads so we soldiered on. Until we came to a little tiny creek with barely any water and Raven was very adamant about NOT GOING ACROSS THAT! In her defense, the banks were pretty steep, it looked pretty muddy, and both sides were deeply overgrown with ferns making it hard to see exactly what we were getting in to. I didn't like the looks of it either and we were running out of daylight. I didn't want to take the time to coax her through and I certainly did not want to get caught in those woods after dark. So I gave in and we turned around 
That added almost a hour to our ride but with my app I was able to create a shortcut using forest roads and we made it back to the trailer just before dark. I was relieved to say the least. 
Anyway, we did 11.55 miles and I was proud of the way Raven handled the big creek all alone, so I'm calling it a good ride- even though we were swarmed with deer flies off and on for most of the time.


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## Celeste

@charrorider The picture you asked about was taken on the dirt road that leads to the trail. 
@knightrider You may be the bravest person that I know of.

Our horseflies are still gone. I rode my gelding today. It is bad when a deerfly gets on his privates. 

*Today on Dillon









A few days ago on Princess







*










*Total for year 356*


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## egrogan

Back on July 16th, I volunteered at the Vermont 100 Endurance Ride/Ultramarathon. I wrote about it in my journal but I don't think I shared anything in this thread. Since the title of the thread is "Share Your Trail," I thought you might appreciate this video that was made by one of the ultramarathon runners. Mostly the video takes you along the trail from the perspective of the runners, though there are some cameo appearances from riders (particularly towards the beginning of the video). It's a little long to watch, but it gives you a great perspective on what it's like to be "on trail" around here- lots of dirt roads, meadows, and woods trails. And always going up or down. I've ridden a lot of this course (in much smaller segments!) over the years, so I really get a kick out of seeing such familiar territory through someone else's eyes. But I especially loved between minute 9:30 and 12:00 of the video, where you see where I ride 3-4x a week.




Here is my dog previewing the course for you- my neighbors host a runners aid station and vet check, so the signs point the way:








And Fizz and I prerode the trail for you; this is the same area that you see around minute 10:30 of the video.








And at 11:45, you see them doing them big climb up the hill to the overlook. Same view from a ride last week:








I'm not sure what the completion rate for runners was, but as for the horses: 9 out of 11 100-milers completed; 10 out of 12 50-mile riders completed, and 12 out of 12 25-milers completed. It was a pretty easy day as a vet scribe because we had 5 vets at most vet checks, and horses were fairly spread out so there wasn't ever a line or a rush to get people through. Spirits stayed high, though we got a little bit silly as day turned into night and the first 100 milers started to trickle in after midnight...The final 100 milers completed around 4:30am, just shy of their allotted 24 hours. Here is my view of the 50 and 100 mile horses throughout ride day.

Pre-ride vetting on Friday evening:








100 milers at hold 1:
















100 milers at hold 2:
















50 miler at hold 4:








Me helping crew a crewless 50 miler at hold 5 (her crew bag got lost but everyone pitched in to make sure her horse was happy eating and she had the right gear to finish in the dark)- she went on to tie for 1st place of the 50s.








It's really a festive weekend with so many people from all over the world in town and doing something as crazy as riding or running 100 miles. I love being part of it 😁 Hope you can pick up a little of that excitement from the video.


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## knightrider

@egrogan, looks like so much fun, I may volunteer pretty soon to help with one!



Celeste said:


> @knightrider You may be the bravest person that I know of.


@Celeste, I am not brave at all. I am kind of a chicken rider. I wasn't nearly as brave as some of the teens I used to ride with 100 years ago. And our barrel racing club has a division called the "Gracie Allens", and you would hardly believe how those 60+ aged riders fly around those barrels. I don't. I'm not nearly as brave as @phantomhorse13 , or @4horses , or @LoriF or @Knave or a whole bunch more people on Horse Forum. I wish I was brave. It would be a lot easier.

Our foxhunting club had one 4 foot jump in one of the places where we regularly hunted. There was a certain trail that led to that jump, and one turn-off on that trail. When we'd get on that trail, I'd start hoping and hoping we wouldn't come up on that jump. I so dreaded it. My horse always went over it, but I'd be so nervous about having to do that jump. It never got any better, either. I had a horse Red Pepper who would jump 5 feet, and I saw his former owner do it several times, but I never wanted to do it, even though I knew Red Pepper would do it.


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## weeedlady

Wow @egrogan Thanks for sharing that. What fun. If I thought the endurance riders were crazy, I don't even know what to begin to think of a human who runs 100 miles. It's honestly beyond my comprehension. It reminds me of one of my favorite short books. THE LONG WALK by Richard Bachman (Stephen King's pen name before he was famous). A good story, but dark.

We've also mentioned before how much Vermont looks like the UP when it comes to the roads and trails that we ride. We don't have those longview vistas and hills are few and far between here, but other than that it's much the same. Who would guess?


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## weeedlady

@knightrider I think you are braver than you realize. Brave does not necessarily mean fool hardy, lol.
In fact, I think every one of us who spends time on the back of a horse is brave. Strong and brave.


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## egrogan

Glad you liked it @weeedlady . The runners on the 100 mile course definitely make it a really different kind of endurance ride! @phantomhorse13 has some funny stories about delirious runners she's encountered in the middle of the night while riding. I have seen some pretty sad looking runners hobbling along or puking their guts out on the side of the road. Unfortunately some of them do cross the line from looking a bit pathetic to seriously harming their bodies, but there are medical teams around to intervene when needed. The final vet check after the finish was in a tent next to the runners medical treatment tent, and we did see a few people wrapped in blankets passed out on cots or receiving treatment. I really hate running as a form of exercise, so I would never imagine participating in something like this. But it is pretty incredible to see people who are fit enough to try!

It's funny, I had never been to Michigan when I moved there for grad school, but for some reason in my mind I was prepared for it to look just like where I grew up in upstate NY/New England. For the most part, it really did. Though as you say, the hills and mountains of the Northeast don't really exist there in Michigan. I guess the commonality is that there is a lot of wild forested space that is pretty easy to access without having to drive too far from populated areas, and our seasons are really similar.

We've had some short, pleasant rides the last couple of days, and bugs are getting better.
















We had a little bit of a surprise today when the road we use a lot was closed for tree work - at first Fizz was very suspicious, but after a _very_ thorough investigation we were able to continue a different way. 😉








*Total 2022 miles: 257.6*


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## charrorider

Took Ibn out. Still very hot and humid. We took it easy. This is K pond.


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## Celeste

@knightrider You are brave because you get back up and ride. I am cautious about what horse I put myself on. My own horses can have horrible days, but at least I know what to expect.

Someone once told me that I was very brave. I think that I am more stubborn and stupid. And I am mostly afraid that if I ever stop riding, I won't be able to do it again.

Sorry for the bad quality video, buy you can see Dillon pretending to be a chill character. He is actually 6 gaited.
1. Walk
2. Running Walk
3. Canter so smooth it will amaze you
4. Run like a bat out of he#%l.
5. Buck
6. The Michael Jackson -- 

This is a unique dance that is done when there are flies on his belly. It goes
2 steps forward kick belly
2 moonwalk steps backwards kick belly
4 hops forward stop kick belly
Repeat









Walking through the woods in the heat.







youtube.com


----------



## Celeste

Since I don't get around to posting all that often, I decided to put up another picture. You can see the enthusiasm that my dog has for going with me. I worry about her getting hot, but I try to ride early and there are several creeks that she gets in.


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## charrorider

Wow! Two rides in three days. I'm on a roll. Took Chance out today. I have to say, I love my horses. They always give me 100% out on the trail. Chance is a good example. He learned his name quicker than any other horse I've had. Not because he's smarter than my other Arabians, present and past. Truth be told, it is because he hears his name more often than any other horse I've ever had. "Chance, what are you up to?" "Chance, get out of there." "Chance quit annoying the dogs." "Chance, what did I just tell you a minute ago?" Chance. Chance. Chance. He's a pain in the rear. But out on the trail he's an All-Star.


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## knightrider

I am still creating theories about flies. I am wondering what other trail riders experience.

Do you think there are more flies in the woods? How about meadows? Hay fields? Roads?

I think the worst flies seem to be in the woods. We seem to do better on roads and mowed fields. Hay fields are better than woods but worse than roads. Roads through the woods are pretty bad.

Here is a mystery I cannot figure out. For 10 years, I had permission to ride in someone's planted pines. I rode there about 3 times a week and had such lovely times, almost no flies, even in the worst of fly season. The planted pines east of my house are horrible with flies, can't ride there in fly season, and when I ride on the road past those pines, the flies are pretty bad. But the planted pines west of my house, where I had permission to ride, were great. I am thinking, underbrush? There is more underbrush on the fly side pines.

Anyone else have any opinions?


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## weeedlady

I thing the undergrowth and/or tall grass is a contributing factor. Also water-wet areas are bad here. Woods are better than dirt roads in the sun. 
the worst is when a dirt road in the sun crosses a low, wet area. yikes!


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## Celeste

The only area I am having problems with is a trail through the woods. I rarely take pictures through the thickest part because the horses are always dancing around kicking themselves. I'm not sure what is biting them now.

We are hopefully mostly through with horseflies and deerflies. 

Where I am, deerflies are horrible near creeks. Horseflies are horrible near horses. No matter where they go.


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## Celeste

I let some kids ride Princess in the arena for a little while a week ago. They seemed to do fine. She has been annoyed with life every since then. She really does not like just anybody riding her. I don't think that I will share her again. They didn't beg to come this weekend because I asked them to plan to be ready to clean the barn on the next visit. 

She will probably be happier tomorrow because my friend is coming to ride tomorrow and bringing her new friend, "Summer". Summer is a lovely paint mare. She is very chilled out and helps calm an Arabs nerves. 

*Princess today. She was watching Prissy tree a squirrel.*











*Total miles for the year so far: 369*


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## phantomhorse13

I have been away for a long while now, but played catch-up in my journal. The short version is I now have no rideable horses of my own, so am relying on the kindness of friends for my saddle time.

Willow:









Copper:

















Booger:

















Hombre:
























7-20-22 Hombre & me swimming







youtube.com





Polo:

















Amish:









2002 mileage
...

7/17willow8.61 miles1339 ft climb3.6 mph89F723.77 total miles7/19copper5.84 miles873 ft climb5.0 mph92F729.61 total miles7/20hombre6.26 miles688 ft climb4.7 mph95F735.87 total miles7/22booger9.84 miles695 ft climb4.7 mph90F745.71 total miles7/23copper2.49 miles292 ft climb3.5 mph82F748.20 total miles7/26polo9.48 miles610 ft climb5.5 mph76F757.68 total miles7/26hombre9.27 miles699 ft climb5.4 mph80F766.95 total miles7/27amish1.97 miles210 ft climb3.6 mph88F768.92 total miles7/27amish5.43 miles886 ft climb4.1 mph93F*774.35 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

knightrider said:


> Do you think there are more flies in the woods? How about meadows? Hay fields? Roads?


Around here, there is something that will bite you everywhere.. just what is doing the biting varies. In the woods, we have deer flies and bomber flies. In the fields, we have green heads and black flies and gnats. What is being grown in the fields doesn't seem to matter. We are in the middle of a pretty bad drought, so water is getting hard to find, but places near water seem to have every biting thing imaginable. Horse horses are all wearing bonnets or mesh hoodies, I carry the fly swish constantly, and I have considered getting one of those mesh hat covers for myself, as the gnats flying up my nose and into my ears makes me bonkers.

I have noticed in the couple places I ride both out and back, there are less flies the second time (which I know you have mentioned before). I am still not sure if I think that is because I have actually killed some or if it's because they have already fed so are somewhere sleeping it off..


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## Celeste

My neighbor brought her horse over and we went for a ride. There were way less flies today! Princess is going to have to change her name back to Psycho Princess if she doesn't stop refusing this muddy crossing in the woods. She rode over it all summer. Then last Saturday, I made the mistake of letting some boys ride her in the arena, under supervision. I could not see any reason that she would have objected to what she did. She was mad about anybody except me riding her. (They were just a bit past beginner level. She would probably love all of you.) This was the third time I have ridden her on that trail this week. Even with the other horse along, she refused to go. I had to dismount. It was so bad before she got over thinking it was spooky that I actually have a mounting block in the woods there. (I can't mount without something to help.)

*This is us going by the deer blind. It was apparently filled with ghosts, but they seem to have gone away now. *










*372 miles so far this year.*


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## rambo99

Been riding only 4 days this past week been having issues with my knee. So unless I take pain meds daily riding is just not fun. Having my foot in stirrup causing my knee to really hurt. 

Had some good rides Weds,Thurs, Friday an Saturday. Beautiful weather but still buggy deer flies are still swarming. Have to have a tree branch to keep them away. 

Miles so far this year are pretty pathetic at 67 miles. But I'm rehabbing ice so it's slow going. Most of the miles are walking an very short stretches of trotting. We are lucky to still have blood left. Early morning is best time for are walking rides like 5 am. 

Evenings tend to be well buggy an keeping ice sane is at best difficult. Ride out is worst for bugs less bugs on the way home. When bugs die down I'll go to riding bareback.


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## weeedlady

The last time I posted here, I wrote about being out with Raven and being a bit worried about getting caught on the trail after dark. That's what happened to Tucker and I yesterday! It wasn't bad, in fact it was kind of fun, but I'm glad we were on a trail I am somewhat familiar with, and that it's an "out and back" so no worries about making a wrong turn. Tucker would get us back to the trailer, but he sometimes thinks he is a bulldozer and will take the shortest route, regardless of what's in the way. 
We would have gotten back to the trailer sooner, but yesterday was the day Tucker was willing to WALK back. I've been working on this for months and I wasn't about to change the rules just because it was getting dark. I was really pleased with him!
Since I last posted, Raven and Tucker and I have finished two more of those 100 mile challenges and yes....we did....we signed up for two more! We are at a total of 403 miles YTD so I think I can revise my 500 mile goal. I wonder if I can do 1000? I'm going to try!
Here's some pics from our recent rides. By the way, our fly situation is getting better for the most part. It's no longer horror movie scary.


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time time week! The whole story is in my journal.

Biscuit:

















Amish:
















8-1-22 Kestrel clearing geese







www.youtube.com













Polo:

















Hombre:

















Copper:

















2022 mileage
...

8/1biscuit4.16 miles535 ft climb3.5 mph86F778.51 total miles8/1amish7.52 miles1089 ft climb4.8 mph88F786.03 total miles8/2hombre8.28 miles586 ft climb5.4 mph87F794.31 total miles8/2polo8.26 miles585 ft climb5.4 mph90F802.57 total miles8/4polo7.72 miles505 ft climb5.3 mph80F810.29 total miles8/4hombre7.72 miles513 ft climb5.3 mph87F818.01 total miles8/5copper5.45 miles866 ft climb4.8 mph90F*823.46 total miles*


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## knightrider

Who do you enjoy riding the most and why? Who do you enjoy the least and why?


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## SueC

knightrider said:


> I am still creating theories about flies. I am wondering what other trail riders experience.
> 
> Do you think there are more flies in the woods? How about meadows? Hay fields? Roads?
> 
> I think the worst flies seem to be in the woods. We seem to do better on roads and mowed fields. Hay fields are better than woods but worse than roads. Roads through the woods are pretty bad.
> 
> Here is a mystery I cannot figure out. For 10 years, I had permission to ride in someone's planted pines. I rode there about 3 times a week and had such lovely times, almost no flies, even in the worst of fly season. The planted pines east of my house are horrible with flies, can't ride there in fly season, and when I ride on the road past those pines, the flies are pretty bad. But the planted pines west of my house, where I had permission to ride, were great. I am thinking, underbrush? There is more underbrush on the fly side pines.
> 
> Anyone else have any opinions?


Totally different here - where I live in Western Australia, by late spring we get bush flies which are like small house flies in size but love crawling into eyes, nostrils, your mouth etc - they are after body fluids, but not blood. Still they are really annoying and there can be large amounts around the faces of cattle, horses etc. They do transmit eye diseases like pinkeye in cattle. Our horses get fly veils on for that time of year - the bush flies mostly clear by mid-summer, when it's warm enough for the dung beetles to breed up. Bush flies like breeding in animals droppings, and the dung beetles break those up.






We get two sorts of biting flies - the first are stable flies, which we don't get many of where we live because we don't have buildings with animals in them - ours are free-range and the horses have rugs and a WIWO shelter. Our stable flies are like bush flies in size and appearance, but they draw blood. The major type of biting fly we have are several species of March fly, which come out in late summer and are around until the weather gets cold in autumn. They tend to prefer the pasture areas. The horses successfully use their shelter to hide from these biting flies in the heat of the day. When I ride, I will ride into the bushland where there aren't many March flies - we get the odd "passenger" which I squish, and also, if you trot into the bushland from the pasture, you can leave those passengers mostly behind.

All those types of flies I found worse in previous places I had horses, which were closer to urban areas. Out here there is good control of all types of flies by the abundant bird populations in the natural bushland - enough to also reduce their prevalence significantly in the pasture, but it's the pasture areas where most of these abound. The fly that's most likely to be in the bush with you is the bush fly (which likes to sit in your eyes, nose, mouth but you can use veils for people and horses).

One trick that probably works everywhere on the planet for riding with less flies is to ride early in the morning before the heat of the day. Flies are ectotherms and need a certain temperature to be able to fly and be generally active. If you have cool nights you can be in luck - but if you have warm nights, not so much.


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## SueC

I've not posted a ride since late June, because we're doing much the same. I just noticed some of you playing "You call _that_ a woodland trail?" and thought I'd post a photo from real, never-before-cleared woodland bursting with biodiversity, which will never be cleared while we have anything to do with it - we've got 50 hectares of this we are guarding with our lives.










It's been really wet and mushy here over the past fortnight so there has been limited riding. I've decided I'm going to ride loops of the bushland trails and start working on trotting extensively just in those loops, so I can get something done in this horse's education. All our grassed areas are too waterlogged to do any kind of arena type stuff there, so when you have lemons etc.

I can however offer you this ride from early July, for which we have photos and also some fun clips and which I wrote up for my journal. Here's a copy.

*WEEKEND MORNING RIDE*

Today is mostly a work day for Brett and me - tons to do around house and farm - but we did get a quick morning ride in, so here's a telegram report. I've still not had a chance to set up a playground, so we're still just riding trails and doing steering, halting, direction-change, about-turns etc, and a careful bit of transition-up from walk to the next gear, which I'm sitting very quietly so I don't upset him at this early stage. This is Julian's fifth ride.

Heading out:


You can see half the donkey entourage again, and Chasseur AKA Buzzy opting to graze. In these photos I'm encouraging the horse to stretch forward - don't ask me how, I use seat and body cues and they just work by association when you apply them consistently.

We rode the other way around today - so here we are heading south on the Swamp Track (and later on we did a transition-up and I rode him pacing/trotting for a little while, just quietly for now).



Julian is an athletic sort of chappy and he's very good at flexing in every which direction with whatever body part - and adapting that to riding. He's more like my Arabian mare in this respect, which is why I want to set up a playground and do some gymkhana exercises to set up better steering and communication. You can see he's readily and correctly flexing left in the second photo there - and back again immediately, with the merest hint of the reins and mostly via subtle cues from my seat and weight (on ride five, I'm really impressed).

I took a riding crop today just for extra cueing. Usually I do that from Ride 1 with ex-harness re-training (and after a few weeks, don't use it when not teaching anything new), but Julian is a bit nervous about weird things suddenly happening, so I left it in the shed until he was "old hat" with the idea of my riding him.

We were talking on various other journals about improving our riding and symmetry, and @Knave made a wonderful clip to help us be aware of our hips and sidedness, and of an exercise to influence lateral and circle work with horses by being aware of how we position our seat bones/hips/weight. I want to start adapting that when I get around to setting up a playground, but meanwhile I'm keeping it in mind on the trail. In the flex-left photo above you can see my weight is more on the inner seatbone - and that's standard for me - what I need to improve is my symmetry when riding straight.

However: I have noticed that I'm often critiquing my own riding position in still photographs with, "How come you're not straight here etc etc" (and my posture generally needs improvement through my shoulders), but then when I watch actual films of me riding, which I haven't had many of to date, it gives me a much better impression of my riding because I can see that many of the "off-kilter" things are just momentary reactions to what I'm doing with the horse and overall it looks quite smooth and fluid and has a lot of "give" - which is what I aim for, but the stills just don't seem to show it.

While I do want to get better posture through my back, I think that's mainly an off-horse endeavour (more Pilates) - it would be really easy to make the mistake of trying to force it more straight and upright but then my riding would suffer, because you can't be fluid when you're sitting in a forced position. On the horse, I can remind myself to gently stretch upright while maintaining fluidity, and I can do some of the posture exercises with my arms that @egrogan described recently.

Anyway, some films from this morning. The first one is funny - at the end!  In this clip I was starting for the first time to move my arms around in unusual ways to get Julian to the point where I can do those posture-influencing exercises with my arms without spooking my horse (he is that kind of horse).






The second film is blurry at the start but there's a joke at the end when we come into focus...






In the third, I'm pretending I am going to run over Brett but of course we don't...






And in the fourth, I'm demonstrating a halt that is cued mainly from the seat, like we were discussing elsewhere recently. The reins come into it only minimally.






I tried to deconstruct what I do for you guys by paying attention to it - it's just autopilot communication for me after over four decades on various non-plodding horses where you have to ride instead of use them like a travelling sofa. So when I paid attention to it - to ask for the halt, I make my seat "resist" the motion rather than encourage it, which means a not-extreme squeeze through the knees to be able to provide that resistance - while very subtly half-halting with the reins, and the horse immediately stops. He's not sure after that one whether I want a rein-back or a held halt, so there's a bit of movement - but I think this is excellent stuff, five rides in and never ever in any kind of enclosed area.

The seat basically resists motion to slow down, goes with the movement to keep it steady, pushes more when I want an up-transition or a faster walk (as you would on a swing) - and then there's increasing/decreasing stride length, which is done via requisite gentle pushing or resisting with the seat, half-halts, neck-stretching-forward for the stride length increase, and a change in the tempo I'm suggesting from the seat for quicker versus slower steps (like the timing in music that you are travelling to - think walking songs, versus energetic songs for more-steps-per-minute). All this goes way back to starting in a dressage-leaning riding school in Europe, before the rather extreme and artificial forms of competitive dressage became fashionable (we were more classically based, more like how Spanish people ride) - and then training my Arabian mare in all of that stuff, via Tom Roberts' _The Young Horse_ / _The Rider_ books, which talk about exactly this kind of thing.

The horses pick all this up really quickly. I think it's just that they learn which bits they do go with which bits I do, and it's actually a process that's partly subconscious. You just adapt to each other.


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## SueC

rambo99 said:


> Been riding only 4 days this past week been having issues with my knee. So unless I take pain meds daily riding is just not fun. Having my foot in stirrup causing my knee to really hurt.


How's your knee? Do you know what's wrong?

I had some knee issues for a while and it was for a really ridiculous reason. We have compost toilets which are up on a platform and when we finished the house while living in it, the staircase guy was really busy and we didn't get the stairs to the platform for a year. So we used a paint drum as an intermediate step to get on and off the metre-high platform. And because I'm female, I use the loo more than my husband and therefore had to climb up and down via the paint drum about twice as much as him. So I think I made that up-down climb about 2,000 times until we finally got the stairs, and because it was hyperflexing the joints under load each time, it damaged the cartilage and started me on painful knees.

We're now five years later and my knees are mostly fine, unless I try to hyperflex them under load, so I don't do that. It took a good 18 months for the pain to stop after we got the stairs. Cartilage can heal up a bit so that's probably what it did. What helped me a lot also was having an electric blanket during winter, and generally keeping my legs really warm. I still do that; it keeps the peripheral circulation open and this assists healing etc.

When riding - can you go with a longer stirrup maybe while your knee is recovering? The straighter your knee under load, the less it's likely to have trouble, either from cartilage damage or soft tissue injuries around it. I used to get terrible ankle pain when riding, and solved that completely by dropping my stirrup leathers two holes. Good luck and get better soon.


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## Celeste

I have not ridden much lately. I went on a trip to North Georgia to visit with family and friends. We had a wonderful visit. Riding that far in a small car with painful knees made them worse. Oh well, they are a bit better now.

On the way home from my trip, I stopped off in Rome, Georgia and visited Berry College. I did my undergraduate work at Berry. It was a very good college and I learned a lot and had some fun as well. 

I did ride today. I rode Dillon. He saw two giant Pterodactyls that were about to eat us alive. It was difficult to convince him that they were only little black vultures just hanging around. He tried to advise me against it, but we did eventually go on past them. Unfortunately, we are getting a few horseflies back. I don't know what is biting them on their bellies, but is seems to be bad. It is only in the deep woods trail that it happens. (That is a place that I rarely take pictures because I am having to actually ride.) I suppose that I am going to have to go to an in and out trail and leave the circle loop off for a while. Whatever is biting them goes through very strong fly spray and tons of swat. 










*This is part of the Ford building complex at Berry College. My sister and I got yelled at for taking a swim in that reflection pool when we were in college. *










*Dillon is on the alert for flying dinosaurs. 

Total miles for the year: 384
*


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## charrorider

Took Ibn out today. Rather than post the same photos, I thought of taking a peek at the elevation shot and what the terrain is like around here. Happy Trails.


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## SueC

Celeste said:


> I have not ridden much lately. I went on a trip to North Georgia to visit with family and friends. We had a wonderful visit. Riding that far in a small car with painful knees made them worse. Oh well, they are a bit better now.
> 
> On the way home from my trip, I stopped off in Rome, Georgia and visited Berry College. I did my undergraduate work at Berry. It was a very good college and I learned a lot and had some fun as well.
> 
> I did ride today. I rode Dillon. He saw two giant Pterodactyls that were about to eat us alive. It was difficult to convince him that they were only little black vultures just hanging around. He tried to advise me against it, but we did eventually go on past them. Unfortunately, we are getting a few horseflies back. I don't know what is biting them on their bellies, but is seems to be bad. It is only in the deep woods trail that it happens. (That is a place that I rarely take pictures because I am having to actually ride.) I suppose that I am going to have to go to an in and out trail and leave the circle loop off for a while. Whatever is biting them goes through very strong fly spray and tons of swat.
> 
> View attachment 1133534
> 
> 
> *This is part of the Ford building complex at Berry College. My sister and I got yelled at for taking a swim in that reflection pool when we were in college. *
> 
> View attachment 1133535
> 
> 
> *Dillon is on the alert for flying dinosaurs.
> 
> Total miles for the year: 384*


Pterodactyls hee hee. Your post made me laugh.  We can always rely on you to produce lovely prose, humorous comments, interesting information and great photos. You know what, that dip in the pool seems to have been worth it!  Best wishes for your knees etc.


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## rambo99

SueC said:


> How's your knee? Do you know what's wrong?
> 
> I had some knee issues for a while and it was for a really ridiculous reason. We have compost toilets which are up on a platform and when we finished the house while living in it, the staircase guy was really busy and we didn't get the stairs to the platform for a year. So we used a paint drum as an intermediate step to get on and off the metre-high platform. And because I'm female, I use the loo more than my husband and therefore had to climb up and down via the paint drum about twice as much as him. So I think I made that up-down climb about 2,000 times until we finally got the stairs, and because it was hyperflexing the joints under load each time, it damaged the cartilage and started me on painful knees.
> 
> We're now five years later and my knees are mostly fine, unless I try to hyperflex them under load, so I don't do that. It took a good 18 months for the pain to stop after we got the stairs. Cartilage can heal up a bit so that's probably what it did. What helped me a lot also was having an electric blanket during winter, and generally keeping my legs really warm. I still do that; it keeps the peripheral circulation open and this assists healing etc.
> 
> When riding - can you go with a longer stirrup maybe while your knee is recovering? The straighter your knee under load, the less it's likely to have trouble, either from cartilage damage or soft tissue injuries around it. I used to get terrible ankle pain when riding, and solved that completely by dropping my stirrup leathers two holes. Good luck and get better soon.


I have an appointment to get my knee looked at but it's not till October. Appointments are booked out that far. Don't know what's causing the pain some days on a scale of 1 to 10 one being not painful to 10 being extremely painful. I'm about an 9 on the pain department a lot of days. Yes heat seems to help. 

Currently not in much pain but been taking pain med consistently every day now for 3 days today being the 4th day.

On the trail riding part went out Monday evening for a nice ride. Did 3.5 miles some short bits of trotting mostly walking. Ice walks really fast so can cover some miles fairly fast. Also got out Tuesday evening did a shorter ride. Being careful goal is to keep ice sound an not re injure his tendon. 

Daughter is being super good about our slow mostly walk rides. She does get out ahead of ice an trots an canters up the trail for a ways then comes back. Good for both horses to be ok being left behind. An being ok leaving buddy to ride out ahead. 

Ice sometimes get a little antsy but I just talk to him, an pet his neck telling him he's ok cinder will come back. Been doing this every ride now an he's totally chill about cinder going out ahead an getting out of sight.

Bugs are still out some evening are worse then others. Deer flies haven't gone away yet seems to be less of them though. Brought my phone so I could take pictures got a few pictures. 

@Celeste I find doing a circle when riding trails bugs seem worse. Going out then turning around to come home bugs are pretty much gone for ride home. 

It's the going out part that's super buggy deer flies won't leave us alone. I break off a good leafy tree branch to keep them away. Or I should say to keep them from landing on me or getting under my helmet. Second picture from top not sure what ride that was. As you can see Ice has on his fly mask. No fly mask an he's head flipping like a wild man.


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## Celeste

I have only ridden twice this week. I am not really all that rested up from my trip to North Georgia. 

I rode Princess today. My loop that I like to ride so much has bugs that bite their bellies until they are really upset. They bite through anything. I have been spraying and putting swat on them and they bite anyway. They are tiny black bugs that I have not seen before. I decided to do an in and out ride and avoid the loop with the bugs today. It was such a pleasant ride! My girl was a rock star.

All that white stuff on her is Swat. 











*Total miles so far this year: 387*


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## charrorider

Took Chance out today. From the start, I could hear the buzzing of horse flies. I went out and retraced my route on the way back, to see if it made a difference. Can't say it did. The flies were buzzing all around, but not one landed. Can't say I heard any less buzzing on the way back than I did going out. But it worked perfectly for the matter of spiders and their webs. We didn't run into one single spider web on the return trip. Of course, we ran into every single one on the way out.


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## Celeste

I forgot to even mention spider webs. They love to build in the trail. I hope that the spider web is made out of digestible protein because I think that I have eaten some. I have a crop tied to the saddle and I use it to clear out webs. IF I see them before they hit me in the face.


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## SueC

Well, @Celeste - if it's protein you're after, you need to aim for the spider next time you're riding through a web! But if you fail to score a goal with that, then yes, the web itself is also high in protein, though not as weighty a morsel for a trail snack. A newly spun web also apparently makes a really good wound dressing - wadded up, according to Indigenous tradition and Australian colonial lore.

As to protein digestibility - yeah, good point! I don't know offhand if the spider silk is on the more indigestible end like keratin, or on the more useful end. But to get maximum digestible protein out of a spider, we have to remember that, like a lobster, it has an exoskeleton and it's the contents of the tin you really want. So you have to chew spiders well, not just swallow them whole. Which various Indigenous peoples do, after roasting them over a fire - I've heard roasted tarantulas described as nutty in flavour, crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside.


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## SueC

rambo99 said:


> I have an appointment to get my knee looked at but it's not till October. Appointments are booked out that far. Don't know what's causing the pain some days on a scale of 1 to 10 one being not painful to 10 being extremely painful. I'm about an 9 on the pain department a lot of days. Yes heat seems to help.
> 
> Currently not in much pain but been taking pain med consistently every day now for 3 days today being the 4th day.


Oh, that really sounds awful - bones and joints make a special sort of pain... do you know how it started? Is it painful all the time, more or less painful after rest, more or less painful after exercise, and are there particular movements or positions it's most painful in? Also do you have a good support brace? That's a heck of a wait for a professional to look at you. It's easier to get horses seen by veterinarians when there is a problem.


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## rambo99

Got in a ride yesterday did an actual loop of trail. Had not been on that loop since last year. Wind storm end of May took down a lot of trees most had been cut off trail. One was still over trail so had to brush cut to get around it. 

Ride was longer then I had planned fortunately ice wasn't any worse for wear after. Made sure I cold hosed his leg then used the BOT wraps after his legs were dry. Rode again today but only a 40 minute ride.

@SueC yes long wait to get seen. Heck I can get vet out for horses within a day or two for none emergency calls. 

Knee has been hurting on an off since early March. It's been several weeks now of constant pain. Bending it walking going up or down stairs is a struggle. Pain is mostly on the outside of knee. Yes I use a knee brace helps but not a cure. I use icey hot on it at night helps relieve the pain for a while.

Not real sure what I did to hurt it could of been when I slipped an fell in March. All I know is it's highly annoying if I don't take pain meds ,daily it keeps me awake at night. 

Here are some pictures from rides.


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## SueC

Just on that knee, @rambo99 - I hope you've not done a meniscus or something else that gets worse if you don't rest it before it's professionally repaired (if it needs surgery). Often pain says to us, "Stop doing this, it's damaging" - and if we ignore that it becomes a worse problem. Take good care of yourself and it's a crying shame that we can often get more prompt attention for our animals than for us when we've got a problem. If you were your own horse you'd probably not push such an injury even a tenth of what we often end up pushing ourselves when we're hurt.

And that's such a lovely photo:








Looks like you're in a very scenic and still very natural area! ❤


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## charrorider

Celeste said:


> I forgot to even mention spider webs. They love to build in the trail. I hope that the spider web is made out of digestible protein because I think that I have eaten some. I have a crop tied to the saddle and I use it to clear out webs. IF I see them before they hit me in the face.


They haven't hurt me...so far.


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## rambo99

There is a trail on the other side just to the right of tree that's in front of me. That trail makes a big loop around trail I took this picture on takes us to dirt road. Then it a mile an half home from dirt road. 

If I remember right we were told that loop is 3 miles to dirt road. Deer flies are finally dieing off only had a few entire ride. Mosquitoes though in some places on trail are literally swarming. Had to do some trotting when we got into bad mosquitoes. 

Ice was all for trotting, had to hold him back was wanting to go a lot faster then just trotting. It was just a short stretch of trail where there's swamp on both sides mosquitoe land. 

There is a trail that is really pretty 4 wheelers don't know about it. Will have to ride it very wooded. No dirt roads just woods an some places can hardly tell where trail is. One part is wild raspberry bushes trail is lined with them on both sides. 

We have miles an miles of trails can ride for hours an never have to back track. Some trails we avoid this time of year because of ground hornets. We've run into the ground hornets an makes for a rodeo ride. Horses go absolutely nutty getting stung repeatedly. I've been dumped off because of those nasty ground hornets.


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## knightrider

Today turned out to be a solo ride, and I chose Windy, since she needs the experience riding solo. I was looking for the trail with the fewest flies. I still haven't figured out what terrain has the worst flies and what has the fewest flies. If anyone else has some input, I would love to know your experiences.

We started out in the hayfield across the street, which was pretty good about flies . . . but not real fun to ride in . . . kind of boring, but hey, it's riding, so not too bad . . . at least I'm riding. Then we headed into the woods to see how that went. Flies were pretty bad, but we made a pass or two. In a meadow, the flies were not too bad, but not as good as the hayfield.

We rode in the woods until we got to the powerline--nicely mowed open space, like a meadow or hayfield, right? Wrong! Flies were horrendous! Like a horror movie. We went from 6 flies to 30 flies in two seconds. We went about 10 steps and we both said, "We're not doing this!" Headed back to the woods, which were not great.

Windy is difficult only on the way home, so I decided to minimize any anxiety, and go back to the hayfield. Not the most exciting ride or visually delightful ride, but hardly any flies as we rode around and around 13 acres. I had hoped to ride 2 hours this morning, but @newtrailriders taught me that less is more, so while Windy was still riding relatively sedately, we headed for home.

Anyone have any ideas on what attracts flies and the best places to ride to avoid them?


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## RMH

My daughter was asked to attend the Tuckahoe Equestrian Center meeting Wednesday to accept a scholarship for college. Thanks TEC if any of you are on here. I've never been to Tuckahoe without horses so I convinced her to go a couple hours early for a ride. We headed off on a wooded trail intending to come out by the lake and return along the road. I got turned around and went much further out than I had planned. I finally had to turn on the GPS on my phone to get us back but unfortunately the GPS thought were were in a car and would want to return via the roads. This ride also showed the vast difference in riders and their horses. My horse and I love the up and down of Tuckahoe, the stream crossings, and the bridges. My daughter and her horse prefer a flat sandy arena. I thought we were going to have to turn completely around when her horse balked at a 6" wide stream. Coming back we had to pick up the pace and my horse and I enjoyed 2.5 miles of a nice smooth rack. My daughter and her horse did not enjoy 2.5 miles of trotting. You should have seen my 18 year old daughter and her 6 year old quarter horse trying to keep up with her 50+ year old father on a nearly 30 year old horse. In case you think I'm abusing my child I've driven many miles taking her to barrel races so it's a give and take. I just don't see the attraction of driving for hours for an 18 second ride and she doesn't see the attraction of riding around in the woods for hours.


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## Celeste

I am afraid that what attracts flies is living in the south. But then the people up north complain as well. I rode Dillon yesterday yesterday and Princess today. We took the same little circle loop we have been taking. Unfortunately, the deepest place in the woods had the bad flies. They were some tiny little flies that attacked their undersides. I put high powered spray and swat on them. It didn't seem to work. So we did the dance of the flies. Skip, hop, kick the belly shake your head. 

I will be glad when it gets cold. 










*Total miles for year: 403 miles*


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## charrorider

knightrider said:


> Today turned out to be a solo ride, and I chose Windy, since she needs the experience riding solo. I was looking for the trail with the fewest flies. I still haven't figured out what terrain has the worst flies and what has the fewest flies. If anyone else has some input, I would love to know your experiences.
> 
> We started out in the hayfield across the street, which was pretty good about flies . . . but not real fun to ride in . . . kind of boring, but hey, it's riding, so not too bad . . . at least I'm riding. Then we headed into the woods to see how that went. Flies were pretty bad, but we made a pass or two. In a meadow, the flies were not too bad, but not as good as the hayfield.
> 
> We rode in the woods until we got to the powerline--nicely mowed open space, like a meadow or hayfield, right? Wrong! Flies were horrendous! Like a horror movie. We went from 6 flies to 30 flies in two seconds. We went about 10 steps and we both said, "We're not doing this!" Headed back to the woods, which were not great.
> 
> Windy is difficult only on the way home, so I decided to minimize any anxiety, and go back to the hayfield. Not the most exciting ride or visually delightful ride, but hardly any flies as we rode around and around 13 acres. I had hoped to ride 2 hours this morning, but @newtrailriders taught me that less is more, so while Windy was still riding relatively sedately, we headed for home.
> 
> Anyone have any ideas on what attracts flies and the best places to ride to avoid them?


I know what attracts flies... we do! I took Chance out yesterday. We rode our driveway out to the road. The driveway is in National Forest land. During horsefly season, there'll be half a dozen flies hovering around the car as we drive in or out. For some reason, when Chance and I went out yesterday, we didn't see or hear a single one. It does seem that late in the afternoon is when they are most active. I had sprayed Chance with the fly spray I normally use. We could hear the buzzing all around us once we were on the trail. When one landed on his rump, I gave him a little spray of this new fly spray called Fly Bye. We didn't have another fly bother us the rest of the way. Then again, maybe it was the time of day.


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## weeedlady

I





















woke up this morning with a big headache. By the time I felt better I didn't have much time left to ride so I decided to just putter around the back yard a bit. I let Raven and Echo tag along to make things interesting.
I thought Raven would just follow along behind Tucker and me, but NO. She had to be in the lead and she was feeling pretty perky. I think she thought she was getting away with something. The first half of our ride involved Raven running ahead, turning where I didn't want to turn, then racing up from behind and charging ahead again. That made for a fun ride because of course Tucker thought he should run too.
He actually did surprisingly well (for Tucker, lol) and I was able to keep him under control and keep him from bolting out from under me when Raven would head toward home.
Raven calmed down for the second half of our ride and that was much more relaxed. All of us just wandering around the yard.
Echo didn't know what to think, but she knew she was worn out by the time we stopped.
A short, but fun 2.62 miles.


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## weeedlady

@knightrider here is an interesting fly phenomenon (sp?). I sprayed both Raven and Tucker before we went for our ride. I could see the flies swarming around Raven, but they were not swarming Tucker! I killed on or two on his neck, but that was it. 
My conclusion is that there is no rhyme or reason to who, what, when, or why you will attract flies.


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## charrorider

weeedlady said:


> @knightrider here is an interesting fly phenomenon (sp?). I sprayed both Raven and Tucker before we went for our ride. I could see the flies swarming around Raven, but they were not swarming Tucker! I killed on or two on his neck, but that was it.
> My conclusion is that there is no rhyme or reason to who, what, when, or why you will attract flies.


In my humble opinion, flies, like mosquitos, definitely have their preferences. I don't know if it is blood, coat color, sex, or what. But preferences they have.


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## weeedlady

Since we all had such a good time yesterday, I thought we should do it again today, only this time it was Raven's turn to be ridden. And why not make it even more interesting by riding bareback?
Why not? I have not ridden bareback in forever and my thighs and my butt reminded me that I am old and my horse is flighty.
Tucker and Echo went off the trails on their own little adventure through the woods because Tucker likes to play bulldozer. He was having a wonderful time. Raven thought they were leaving us forever so of course she got a bit wound up. Flies were bad and I lasted 20 minutes before admitting to myself that I was being stupid and heading back to the barn.
No pictures of my ride cuz I was busy holding on. Echo thought this short ride was great fun!
1.12 miles.


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time this week. The whole story is in my journal:

Monday, I rode Nicole's horses.. and then brought Hombre home with me!
Polo:
















Hombre:

















Wednesday, I rode Hombre with Nik & Copper:

















Thursday, I rode Polo with Nicole & someone trying out a saddle she was selling:

















Friday, I rode Hombre with Nik & Copper:

















2022 mileage
...

8/15polo7.18 miles499 ft climb5.9 mph85F830.64 total miles8/15hombre7.17 miles481 ft climb5.2 mph92F837.81 total miles8/17hombre6.83 miles958 ft climb4.2 mph84F844.64 total miles8/18polo8.14 miles416 ft climb4.2 mph87F852.78 total miles8/19hombre9.21 miles1667 ft climb4.3 mph90F*861.99 total miles*


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## egrogan

I've been following all of the great rides in this thread, but can't quite recall the last time I posted here. I've been riding as much as I can around the steamy hot days. Last year, my riding dipped way below average in July because we got tons and tons of rain. This year, we've gotten hardly any rain, and I rode the most in July that I've ever ridden in one month, but not so much in August because it's been almost unbearably hot. I was supposed to do back-to-back 15 mile competitive trail rides a couple of weekends ago, but my husband had Covid so I wasn't able to go (he's fine, and thanfully actually really wasn't sick at all despite testing positive). I hated to miss the rides, but in some ways it wasn't the worst thing because the temps that weekend were close to 90*F, with 70-80% humidity. Definitely not ideal conditions for my horse or me!

So most of my riding this month has been short hacks of 2-3 miles, riding in the woods or around the fields because our dirt roads are as hard as concrete. I've been meeting up one day every weekend with my friend who lives down the street, and we've been trying to do between 10-12 miles. Though when it's been very hot, we've gone pretty slow since we both have heavier built Morgans who don't exactly thrive in the heat and humidity. Still, we've had some really nice rides, and been on trails that we don't ride all that often. It's nice to have adventurous weekends when weekday rides are a little boring (I hesitate to say that because I can't really complain about having lots of options for where to ride).

A few pictures from some of our rides from this month:
































































*Total 2022 miles: 315.3. *We seem to be on track for getting to at least 500 miles for the year. In a typical year, September and October are the months when we ride the most, and I've taken a week off in each month so should be able to ride quite a bit, weather permitting. 🤞


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## phantomhorse13

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

Monday:
















8-22-22 Hombre bareback







www.youtube.com













Yesterday:

















Today:





















2022 mileage
...

8/22hombre3.01 miles390 ft climb4.2 mph80F865.00 total miles8/23hombre6.60 miles997 ft climb4.0 mph85F871.60 total miles8/24hombre10.71 miles1984 ft climb4.3 mph92F882.31 total miles


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## weeedlady

Tucker and I did a really nice 12 mile ride at a new to us trail. The trail is all on 2 tracks and old logging roads in the Hiawatha National Forest. We encountered some ATVs and ORVs and even a car on the trail! Tucker handled it all like a champ. Happy, relaxed ride with 3 flies (I killed 2 of them).


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## weeedlady

The ride above puts me at 452 miles for the year. My original goal was 500 miles but I guess I need to change that. For now, I'm going to aim for 500 by Labor Day. That might be a bit ambitious, but it's doable if the weather cooperates. Today the weather it's raining and cold, but tomorrow looks perfect.


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## egrogan

That trail looks really ideal @weeedlady! What a pretty day you had.


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## SueC

@Celeste, it just occurred to me I might have stolen your Pterodactyls!


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## Celeste

@SueC Please feel free to keep the Pterodactyls. We have plenty more.


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## Celeste

I have been riding a lot. I have read everyone's threads. I have not really written much. I think that story is the same every day. I ride about three miles. I fight spider webs that try to attack. Get whacked on the helmet with limbs. Splash through the mud. And do it again. There are still flies, but most of them seem to be settling down. I put the oversized fly mask back on Dillon. Otherwise, he shakes his head and tries to rub his ears on his legs and on my legs. As always, Prissy comes along. She keeps most of the Pterodactyls at bay.

We mostly see deer running away, a few birds, and turtles. And spiders. I did see a coyote a few weeks ago. I thought that I saw Prissy running off to the right side of the trail. I called her. She came barreling towards us from the left and the other animals was just running away. Prissy has a lot of white on her tail and chest. But her butt is coyote looking. I will be getting out the orange vests soon. She was a light gray type of blue merle colored when she was younger. The gray is still there, but she has a lot more black than she did.



















*I am up to 420 miles for the year. *


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## SueC

Celeste said:


> @SueC Please feel free to keep the Pterodactyls. We have plenty more.


Well - I kind of stole your Pterodactyls the same way I stole @phantomhorse13's shiitake. They were so glittery I just had to adopt them. So you might be able to see your literary influence on this piece - which I wrote yesterday to procrastinate getting out of bed when it was raining - about my first ride "home alone" on Julian. I wrote it up on my journal and it's so long you need several cups of tea to get through, so here's a two-cups-of-tea excerpt for anyone who has leisure and doesn't mind reading reams of stuff without photos. I think you will enjoy it - also as one of the prime participants in our old "falling off" thread, since it plays with similar principles, so here goes:


When I got home from town I decided on the spur of the moment to ride, and to do it straight after lunch, before a whole bunch of other chores needed doing. I guess I could have planted potatoes instead, but it was too hot to dig and we've decided to have a gardening weekend anyway. Julian was in the upper garden while I had lunch, and afterwards helped me chase cattle out of the garden's lower tier on our way to the tie rail. He just has to look at them and they run. He was antsy from being in the garden by himself longer than he'd wanted to stay, so once I had him tacked up I walked him around the back of the house and a little down the track until I felt he was settled.

Then I got on him and had a pretty uneventful ride. I was thinking, "Wow, this feels comfortable and quite established, despite the 10-day hiatus!" There was only one little thing - at one point he was acting like he had an insect on his muzzle. This does actually happen, in the paddock and while riding - he was flicking his nose and snorty - and then I got it in my head, "What if it's a bee?"

I immediately had a minor mental conniption at the idea, accompanied by a feeling like I was being dangled over the edge of a dangerous cliff. @Knave apparently knows all about this. It is nearly spring here, and our horses occasionally get attacked by bees when they're going about their business during the day. You'd not want to ride what happens next, and I've never had the misfortune to. But Julian is in a class of his own there. Chasseur just runs off at a gallop like he's got a horde of pterodactyls after him. And so does Julian, but he was a sprinting specialist on the track. Chasseur AKA Buzzy is a French Trotter cross - that breed are the endurance, long-race specialists of the trotting breeds, traditionally doing 2500 - 3200 metre races instead of 1609 - 2150s, and he took after that line, as did Sunsmart.

Julian, however... he's a rocket-liftoff sprinter, with enormous turbocharge. He goes from nothing to flat out in an instant and was clocked doing 400m sprints in 26 seconds - that was his special ability, the sudden _whoosh_ that left others wondering what had just happened. And I've never ridden a horse quite like him before. Romeo too was a sprinter, super-fast, same speed over 400m and even faster than Julian doing 800m - and Romeo was Julian's uncle - but because he was a big, lanky horse it took him longer to get from zero to flat out than it takes Julian, who's small and muscular and has a proverbial bee up his posterior.

With Romeo you had a tiny bit of warning; with Julian you don't. My Arabian mare was of similar build and proclivities, an excellent gymkhana horse, and she too could therefore literally explode from zero to flat out - but she did not have quite the amount of gunpowder with which Julian seems to be hypercharged. I witnessed him doing things in the paddock that made me wary about starting to ride him in the first place. When he suddenly takes off after standing companionably with you in a field, it's viscerally frightening - and I'm used to racehorses and hot heads, and have been known to enjoy a wild ride on a horse turned loose to go at its own pace when it wants to fly, especially when I didn't feel quite so mortal earlier in my life.

I'll give you an idea of what I mean. Several years ago, Julian had an incident with a rug. I was taking off the maroon rug he was wearing in those days, when a wind gust flapped the neckpiece I'd just undone the first catch on and he went into instant blast-off from a standstill, thundering off into the middle of the field. The leg and belly straps were undone but the chest strap and lower neck strap were still done up. Because he was running, the rug blew up like a spinnaker and flapped around after him, which frightened him even more. The rug then turned around the neck so it was like an oversized bib, which he was running on. He shredded that rug into pieces while I looked on gobsmacked from a distance. I collected him half an hour later, when he'd calmed down enough to allow himself to be approached, to undo the little remnant fabric collar he was still wearing around his neck.

It then took two years before I could rug and unrug him again without having him first on a tie rail, and later just on a lead rope. He decided rugs were sentient beings with intermittent evil intentions. To this day I can't pull a rug straight off him like I can every other horse I've ever had. I have to fold the neck piece backwards and the back part forwards so the rug is lying folded over his middle, then slide it off like a saddle. With that arrangement, he is happy. Also I now always undo all the neck and chest straps before I go near the leg and belly straps.

About a week ago, we had an encore performance of "flying carpet ride" - I had just undone all the neck and chest straps when something suddenly bugged Julian, and _zoom_. Not again! Aaargh! He'd been normal for so long, nothing had been flapping in the breeze, but there was something that suddenly went _click_ in his brain even though a moment before he had been 100% calm and engaged in friendly small talk with me. And then, just like that - _BOOM_, a 500kg cannonball was getting fired right next to where I was standing. The ground shook and a massive object went hurtling past me like I was standing at the very edge of a platform with the Intercity speed train rushing by unexpectedly because it didn't stop at this station and I'd not seen it coming because I had my back to it and was plugged into an iPod. Out of the blue, this rushing of air right beside you while the ground shakes under your feet, and you go a bit pale and queasy thinking about what just happened.

This time the nice new rug survived with just one tear in the lining - very lucky. And he's OK again already with rugging and unrugging. But I am sure you can now understand why it is that I had a little mental conniption when I was riding Julian yesterday and contemplating whether he might have an insect in his ear or a bee beginning to take exception to him.

Well, it wasn't those things and I live to tell the tale - probably just a midge or a beetle or something else less of an invitation to cataclysm. Apart from that occasional nose-fling and snort, he did relaxed ground-covering walking, enjoyed having his shoulders rubbed while riding along, and we had several wonderful extended stretches of trotting - at the speed offered, which was, "Hey monkey, this is fun, let's go!" - the high end of a pacework speed trot, around 30km/h, so the wind really does rush by you and I'm thinking maybe I need aviation glasses for riding this horse. Jess, of course, is also delighted at the sudden development of faster rides, and I have to watch her so she doesn't get run over while she comes to terms with the fact that this horse is a faster sprinter than she is these days.

It is fun to ride like this, and Julian is in many ways safer when going at speed than when walking along. First of all, he never stacked it in his harness training or racing - even with emus on the training track with him as a young horse. Now that gets most horses, but it never got him - he decided instantly that he has to race them, and would pelt after them if they were going in the same direction. Thankfully, if they were racing around in the opposite direction, he'd continue his own programme unbothered and avoid collisions. Emus are like very fast, oversized racing chickens, except in the breeding season, when the males decide they have to attack things. On the track, they enjoyed parity with horses doing pacework.

So it's not that Julian is at all timid, especially when he knows what exactly is there. It's just that he's very reactive and explosive about noises or movements when he doesn't know why they are happening. Most noises and movements, he does understand the source of, but like everyone else in this world who's not turned off their brains yet, he's still learning. He does learn rapidly, and when he's not got a flapping pterodactyl attached to him, he reins his own explosions in again within a second or two.

This brings me to the main reason going at speed is often safer than walking, particularly on an explosive horse like Julian who is also a seasoned sprint specialist - because when you're already going at 30km/h, he can't accelerate as rapidly and unpredictably as when he's at a standstill, having already reached half his terminal velocity. Granted, when you reach these speeds you also have to take sudden decelerations and direction changes into account - but those are less likely than rocket lift-offs, in part because a horse feels safer during an alien invasion when it's already running than when it is standing still. Also - I think most of us who have been riding (as opposed to plodding) for decades have by now developed rather serviceable sticking-to-a-horse-when-anticipating-rapid-braking autopilots.

So I'm happy to ride Julian at a flying trot, and indeed, when Sunsmart was just starting on trails, I deliberately put him into a trot if I felt he was getting too looky or I thought there was something in the environment he might take exception to if we hung around for long enough. The nice thing about these fast trots, compared to galloping, is that they are beautifully balanced and stable to ride, and make the horse steadier with direction changes if startled than if you were riding the same speed at a canter or gallop.

Further into the session I began to encourage Julian to try out some more moderate trotting speeds, and he happily obliged. I walked him up the ridge and noticed then that he was out of breath from his efforts, but not nearly like they are when actually race training. It's good to know I'm going to get some of his spare, ahem, rounding off him in time for spring flush. Last night I locked everyone up for the first time, into the utility paddocks and driveway. They can graze the driveway strip and snack on straw (essential for donkeys, and also nibbled by horses) - I will be restricting grazing for Julian and all donkeys for the next 6-8 weeks, by reducing pasture access and employing muzzles. Also Julian will be able to do some proper conditioning now that we are at the trotting stage.

I dismounted on the ridge because of the pointy rocks, and we walked and talked. He's learning to avoid rocks and what "watch your feet" means (@Knave won't have to do this with her mustangs, who didn't grow up on in sand yards and on manicured racetracks). I could have jumped back on when the track turned sandy, but decided to walk with Julian instead, eventually heading for the sand patch behind the house, where I untacked him and he instantly held a personal rolling party - one of the best spots on the property, deep clean sand made loose from being a cattle sunbathing area (and by some miracle they're not soiling it - it truly is a miracle if you know cattle, who do number ones and twos freely into their own hay, the farm dam, etc etc). Then I rubbed the sand off his face and paid some attention to his ears, before he sauntered back over to join his friends in the meadow.

Milestone: Julian's first ride home alone. No worries.

And now the rain has stopped just in time so we can head out into the garden. You can thank the rain for this essay du jour...


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## Knave

@SueC you might be surprised, but Cash has tender feet, to an extent. I kept him barefoot some, but he ended up bruising, and since then it just solves problems to keep shoes on his fronts. Queen has never taken a tender step! Her feet seem excellent, like Zeus’s. I have seen evidence of some bruising during trims, but I’ve never seen her show even the slightest give thus far. If she maintains such strong feet I will never intend to put a set of shoes on her, except maybe sliders on her hinds if I show her. Bones also is good barefoot. Bones and Zeus far outdo Cashman’s feet.


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## SueC

@Knave, does Cash look where he's going or is he a daydreamer? I was going to bet he looks, because he grew up on a range with rocks. ...do you think his own weight adds to his susceptibility to stone bruising? Queen and Julian are smallish compact horses with relatively big feet for their size - which might be helpful in addition to whatever characteristics they have in their hoof structure. Julian is more resistant to stone bruising than Sunsmart or Romeo were - but not quite as much as the Arabian mare was. And you're dry lotting, which may reduce waterlogging of the hooves compared to our soggy winter pasture...just thinking. I might get Jules some boots, but it's expensive because of the exchange rates and postage from your part of the world - that's how I have to go if I want Renegades, which I do.

Zeus, I think they care about good hooves for that breed! Plus the fjordy ancestors probably had similar selection pressure there as your range mustangs on rocky ground...


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## Knave

He is good to know where he is going @SueC. Maybe he isn’t quite as good as Queen that way, but he doesn’t drop his foot in badger holes or feel like he doesn’t pay attention when things get a bit hairy.

I think part of the problem is that although obviously he has big feet, we keep them super short. He drags his feet, and if they are long he can tend to stumble. If we let them get a bit longer and retain more sole, I think he would do fine. It’s just a catch 22. Husband doesn’t love having to shoe him, but he is good about it since I do so many of the others.

I can’t imagine ever putting a shoe on a fjord if they are as sturdy as he is. He has the most beautiful hooves I’ve ever seen too. When I rasp them they feel like rocks against the rasp. Even a new rasp doesn’t want to cut them. The only way to get it accomplished is to soak the corral.


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## knightrider

Today is the day I send in my Pasos for Pleasure hours. They go from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31 every year. So these hours and miles are not from Jan. 1 but from Sept. 1 of 2021. Also, I don't count the hours of riding Windy because I can only use registered Paso Finos for this. So there are some Windy hours that were actually ridden but not recorded.

From Sept. 1, 2021 to Aug. 31, 2022 I rode my registered Paso Finos 602.5 hours and approximately 1747.25 miles. That's for a complete year, not since Jan. 1, when everyone else calculates their miles and hours. I could figure it up for Jan. 1, . . . but I just won't.

Today was a fun ride, so I will briefly tell about it. I have taken a Chinese refugee and her 5-year-old son under my wing and I take them riding on Wednesdays. They live in a cottage along a river where most of the residents have vacation cottages, but they live there year-round. Since my trails at home involve riding on a road where traffic goes 60 mph, I often trailer my horses to their river community where there are shady quiet dirt roads with almost no traffic and NO FLIES! We ride along a peaceful river and admire the cute little cottages that people whimsically build for fun. There are Swiss chalets, Montana ranch houses and everything in between. When people are on vacation, they tend to play with their dwellings, so there are all kinds of cute and droll additions. It's lots of fun, and my novices have a blast.


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## phantomhorse13

That is great @knightrider - does including Windy's miles put you over 2k? Very impressive either way!


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## phantomhorse13

Last weekend, I went down to Virginia for an endurance ride. The whole story is in my journal.

Friday, I rode Crown:













































Saturday, I rode Dunkin:













































2022 mileage
...

8/26crown25.1 miles3376 ft climb5.3 mph90F907.41 total miles8/27dunkin25.1 miles3375 ft climb5.3 mph93F*932.51 total miles*


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## knightrider

phantomhorse13 said:


> That is great @knightrider - does including Windy's miles put you over 2k? Very impressive either way!


I am not sure. I decided I really didn't feel like adding it all up including Windy's miles. I start writing down the official stuff in July, because it takes a pretty long time to get everything recorded. I think I'd just rather take my grandkids swimming than to fool with it. It takes long enough just doing the official one.


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## weeedlady

Wow @knightrider that's a lot of miles. You need a spreadsheet to keep track of your miles. I really enjoy putting the numbers in the little boxes in Excel every time I ride. I actually look forward to it? Guess I'm weird that way, but I am a retired accountant. I really like spreadsheets, lol.

Raven and I had a slow lazy ride yesterday. She's wearing new glue on composites (or she was!) so I purposely chose these trails knowing a lot of it is on gravel road. When we stopped to share lunch about 7 miles into our ride I realized she had lost one of those brand new shoes! Poor Raven was pretty ouchy for a lot of the way back although I did get off and walk when it was really rocky and I found a "short cut" that at least got us onto dirt where she was fine. It was a long 15.66 miles, but the first 1/2 of it was fun. Oh, and I saw bear tracks! That was exciting.


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## knightrider

weeedlady said:


> Oh, and I saw bear tracks! That was exciting.


I DO NOT like seeing bear tracks. @egrogan sees bears and bear tracks and handles it well. I get really nervous. I truly do not like associating with bears when riding horses or hiking.


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## egrogan

Yes, there are lots of black bears here. The rumor is that the Fish & Game people are relocating "nuisance bears" from more suburban areas to the wildlife preserve that's up the road from our house. The state land we ride on runs along the perimeter of the preserve. I'm not sure if that's actually true or not, but there have definitely been a lot of bear sightings this year. Maybe it's because it's been an especially good season for wild berries, which line so many of our trails. My riding buddy had a mother and two cubs run across the trail right in front of her, just a couple of horse lengths away, earlier in the summer. I've seen a few from a longer distance, and they always turn and run. We even had one walk right under our bedroom window in the middle of the night coming through the woods behind the house to cross the street. 

It's been really dry all summer so the ground hasn't been great for holding prints. These are some of my favorites I've seen around the house over the years- they're really easy to spot in the snow. My favorite is the one showing where the deer path and bear paths crossed. We're sort of in the middle of a wildlife superhighway because we're surrounded by dense forest on all sides.


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## knightrider

I thought bears hibernated. Is the bear print snow photo early winter or late winter . . . or do they come out of hibernation from time to time in the dead of winter? I wonder what bears do in Florida, where there is no winter to speak of.


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## weeedlady

good question @knightrider re: hibernation. I don't know. They must be moving around a lot here right now, maybe getting ready for winter? A bear tore down Huband's birdfeeder 3 nights ago, but none of us saw it or heard it. Even the dog didn't wake up! Great watch dog!
I wouldn't be worried about the bear if I came across one- I am sure it would run away. I would be worried about my horses' reaction, because I am sure they would also run fast in the other direction! Hopefully I would hold on and not be left behind!

I started my morning with a drive back to the horse trail where we lost a shoe on Tuesday. I found it! I had some idea where it might be because I knew when she was going well on the gravel and when she wasn't. And low and behold, there it was, laying right on the trail. Hopefully my farrier can figure out what she is doing wrong, because I really like the concept of composite shoes.


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## egrogan

@knightrider, based on how little snow there is, I think these are early spring photos. Bears do mostly stay denned up, but they will move around a little even in winter. 

@weeedlady, in the experiences I've had, the horses mostly freeze and watch, rather than run. That's probably because the bears are mostly running away too. I don't know what would happen with an aggressive bear coming towards us rather than away.


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## charrorider

Hey, I'm old (72). I thought when I became a senior rider, I was going to have lots of free time to ride. It hasn't worked out that way. If it is not one thing it's another. 2021 was the worst year as far as mileage on the trails. And the way 2022 started, I thought I wasn't going to even get to the measly distance I did last year. At the end of June 2022, I was 42 miles behind the pace of the year before. But after my ride today, I'm only 19 miles behind. If the next two months work out as well as the last two, I should be able to pull ahead of last year's pace. I hope I didn't jinx myself.


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## weeedlady

Tucker and I had a really fun ride with one of our new horse friends yesterday. I love riding with her because she shows me all the secret, unmarked trails in our National Forest. We went to an old trappers cabin on the banks of the Whitefish River and Tucker got to play in the water. I hit 500 miles for the year- Yay Me. that's the best I've ever done so I bought myself a commemorative poop fork. Yes, I am weird, but I have fun.💙


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## weeedlady

Can we talk a bit about electrolytes? Does my horse need them? My new riding friend has suggested that I should be giving Tucker electrolytes because he sweats A LOT. I have never even thought about electrolytes for my horses. We do leisurely pleasure rides- 10 or 15 miles almost always at a walk. Maybe we gait a bit, but not for long.
I try to ride every other day, but I switch horses, so each one is going out only twice, maybe 3x per week.

I know @phantomhorse13 uses electrolytes but that's an entirely different scenario. Any thoughts?


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## rambo99

@weeedlady when it been really hot an horses are sweating a lot on rides. I give them electrolytes in their pm feed. Don't give it daily just mostly when they have worked hard an getting really sweaty. 

I give electrolytes in winter when temperatures dive down way below zero. Keeps them drinking good.

I've gotten in saddle time this past week 4 days going to be 5 today. With logging going on on upper trail keeps us from riding trail during the week. Big logging trucks going in an out of trail, makes it sketchy trying to ride trail.

So road riding mostly kinda boring but at least we can ride. Dirt road is a total Rock pit get rain rocks get ground into the dirt. So road is pretty good till grader comes through to grade rocks back up to surface. 

Trail across highway isn't doable with all the rain. No rocks just dirt an grass but really muddy an lots of deep water. Ditch we have to ride to get there is under water. 

Had a nice ride yesterday evening minus a big spook from both horses. Coming home in the dark stupid deer popped out of nowhere. Ice did a 180 cinder took off licky split down power line. Stopped at dirt road that's behind our place. Daughter was totally unfazed by it said that's cinder style kind of spook. 

They deal with big noisy logging trucks no problem not much fazes them. But deer popping out of nowhere is cause to lose ones mind. Doesn't help ice has so much energy he vibrating, so any excuse to spook he'll take it. 

Here's a few pictures from yesterdays ride. September an ice still isn't shedding summer coat yet.


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## phantomhorse13

weeedlady said:


> Can we talk a bit about electrolytes? Does my horse need them? My new riding friend has suggested that I should be giving Tucker electrolytes because he sweats A LOT. I have never even thought about electrolytes for my horses. We do leisurely pleasure rides- 10 or 15 miles almost always at a walk. Maybe we gait a bit, but not for long.
> I try to ride every other day, but I switch horses, so each one is going out only twice, maybe 3x per week.


Elytes seem to be edging into the next fad supplement category.. maybe because humans are so enamored with the marketing by Gatorade, etc that they apply the same logic to their animals. 🤷‍♀️

If your horses are going home after your rides and eating and drinking normally, they will replenish their own elytes. The work you are expecting of them does not sound excessive to me. A heavy muscled (or fat) horse working in summer temperatures is going to sweat.. I suspect you may also be sweaty (I know I am after a ride).

If it makes you feel better, you can add some elytes into the horse's evening feed and hope they eat it. At worst, you have just ruined their dinner and they will turn up their noses. If they eat the supplemented dinner and their bodies don't need the elytes, they will happily pee them (and the money you spent to buy them) right out.  

Personally, I would not worry about elytes in your situation. I would actually be more inclined to teach the horses how to sponge, so you could take advantage of any water you crossed on trail to help cool them.


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## phantomhorse13

I got some saddle time this week! The whole story is in my journal.

Sunday:








Tuesday:
















Wednesday:
















Thursday:
















9-1-22 gaiting bareback







youtube.com




Yesterday:

















2022 mileage
...

8/28hombre1.87 miles262 ft climb4.4 mph89F934.38 total miles8/30hombre5.14 miles774 ft climb5.2 mph88F939.52 total miles8/31hombre7.77 miles 1171 ft climb4.5 mph80F947.29 total miles9/1hombre3.35 miles433 ft climb4.6 mph80F950.64 total miles9/2hombre12.84 miles1821 ft climb4.4 mph82F*963.48 total miles*


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## weeedlady

Thanks @phantomhorse13 That's pretty much what I thought. I very much appreciate your input.


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## rambo99

More riding Saturday afternoon riding trail no logging going on till Tuesday.

Ran into guy who runs the logging outfit that was pure luck. He said 4 to 5 trucks depending on the day. They go in load and leave trucks are spaced a 1/2 apart. Only one load a day so they are usually out of there by 2 pm most days.

Said he give his truck drivers a heads up that there are horseback riders. We'd hear them coming way before they'd know we were on the trail.

Rode to end of first trail loggers are on the south end of upper trails. Can see where they fixed the trail in places. So actually made it better. Did a fairly long ride at 3-1/2 hours. Haven't been that far up on trail all spring/summer. 

Was quite going out only ran into one 4wheeler coming back was a different story. Had 35 five wheelers we ran into on way back.

Had a good ride was a beautiful day an not to many bugs. A few deer flies an the little house like flies. Enough ice needs his mask with ears, or he shakes his head like a wild man. Of course we get stupid questions can he see through that?? Why are you blindfolding him to ride??

My daughter an I agreed we say yep we blindfold them to ride. Or no they can't see through that mask depending on the question asked. 😂

Here's some pictures of our ride.


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## charrorider

Took Chance out today. I normally rather ride a loop than an in-n-out. But the number of spiders and webs are much less if one goes over the same route twice. So I've been trying to make it interesting. Rode 8.8 miles.


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## knightrider

Last Thursday, Friday, Saturday I had planned a camping trip at a near-by riding park. The weather looked like it wasn't going to be stinking hot, and I finally had a little free time to get away. I was packing up the last of the things to head out when the rain started. I checked on the computer for a weather report, and rain was predicted all that day and all that night, all the next day, and all Saturday. Well, phooey!

Rain or not, @4horses, my neighbor and I decided to just ride in spite of light rain. It hardly rained at all and stopped raining halfway through our super fun ride. Here is my neighbor on his new fox trotter and me on Chorro.










The next day, Friday, it again was raining as I was getting ready to trailer off, but it soon quit raining. @4horses and I met up with a different neighbor and rode to a lake in the park. Although I had been on those trails, I had never been to that lake. It was a treat. However, it was a 4 hour ride. I brought Windy that day. We had a ton of fun, and it was mostly sunny. Those ol' weather predictions! I could have easily gone camping. But I did get two super great rides on my fine horses.


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## Celeste

I have not been very good about posting. I have been riding often and having fun doing it. Riding is my relief from work drama and life drama. I'll post more later. Here are a few pictures.

*Princess*




















*Dillon*



















And I am going to try to put in a YouTube of Dillon cantering. Hopefully it will work correctly. My computer will play it at low quality if I don't set it to high quality.







*Total miles for the year so far: 460*


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## tinyliny

hi there! I was just browsing the photos and it struck me that this one:










shows the rope halter tied in an incorrect position; tied above the loop, instead of over the loop. not that it affects your riding, but the way I see it tied here is a way that if the horse pulls back hard, it tightens down really , eally tight. and becomes very hard to undo.


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## Celeste

I really don't tie her with it. I keep it on so that I can lead her if I need to. She ground ties very well.
I will give it a try your way. It may look better if nothing else.


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## lb27312

Howdy All! Finally I got one of mine out on a trail ride! I took Chal as it’s been almost 3 months since I had trailered anywhere for a trail ride so wanted a steady eddy…. I like being able to pull them out after sitting and they rock! Chal did good, was doing a little babysitting as my friend‘s husband was riding a different horse as his has heaves really bad this year so he borrowed his daughter’s we weren’t sure how they would mesh but it turned out great… only went out for 2 hours but some of the terrain was difficult and all of them and us were out of shape! lol

After the ride I felt bad as Chal’s headstall was fit for Captain read too tight… sorry boy! Cap has his own now so hopefully that won’t happen again…

Beautiful place… pics don’t do it justice…


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## knightrider

@lb27312 I sent you a private message. Did you get it?


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## lb27312

Yes I did and just responded! I think I can swing it!


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## phantomhorse13

I have gotten some saddle time in the past couple weeks and I am happy to say I finally broke 1000 miles! The whole story is in my journal.

12th, Hombre bareback:








13th, Hombre bareback:








14th, Hombre:





















15th, Polo:
















Hombre bareback:








18th, Bee:

























2022 mileage
...

9/12hombre4.02 miles479 ft climb4.9 mph82F969.56 total miles9/13hombre4.12 miles656 ft climb4.8 mph80F973.68 total miles9/14hombre10.53 miles1795 ft climb4.7 mph84F984.21 total miles9/15polo5.70 miles633 ft climb5.5 mph80F989.91 total miles9/15hombre6.29 miles925 ft climb4.5 mph85F996.20 total miles9/18bee7.94 miles692 ft climb3.5 mph87F*1004.14 total miles*


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## phantomhorse13

Saddle time this week, too. The whole story (including more pics of Puck's first trail ride!) is in my journal.

Monday, Hombre:
















Tuesday, Hombre:
















Yesterday, Hombre:








Gracelyn (& Puck's first trail adventure!):













































2022 mileage
...

9/19hombre6.69 miles1102 ft climb4.4 mph83F1010.83 total miles9/20hombre8.57 miles1033 ft climb4.9 mph82F1019.40 total miles9/21hombre4.62 miles469 ft climb5.1 mph84F1024.02 total miles9/21gracelyn1.44 miles154 ft climb3.0 mph82F1025.46 total miles


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## Celeste

I have been riding quite a bit. My rides are shorter than the rides that many of you do. I have been alternating between Dillon and Princess. Both have been very good for the most part. We have a spook once in a while. We heard coyotes today.

*Princess looking like a princess in her beautiful headstall gifted to my by @phantomhorse13. *











*Princess waiting on me to put the dog up so that she can get her hosing down. She loves drinking out of the hose.*











*I am riding Dillon and Lisa is riding her horse Summer.*










*Total miles for the year: 479




*


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## rambo99

Been riding a lot lately rode a loop of trail haven't been on since last fall. Rode up to that trail last week to find it's being logged. Today we went back to check it out, trail still there but cleared out along both sides of it. 

Longest ride so far this year ice is completely healed up from his tendon injury last fall. Still being careful where we trot an canter. Nice weather cool days highs in the high 50s low 60s. 

Ice ate his way through part of the trail it's walking only due to footing an low hanging branches. Saw a cougar go across the trail today not something we see very often. On stretch of trail we canter saw 6 wolves go walking across into woods. 

We took a different loop of trail to go home. Fortunately there's a trail off to east we can ride, an totally bypass the stretch were wolves were. It added an extra 3 miles to our ride.

Here's pictures from rides.


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## charrorider

Took Chance out today. We rode by the trailhead and there were four trucks and horse trailers. Tomorrow is National Trails Day and the local chapter of BCH of Missouri will have burgers, hot dogs and side dishes. My wife's contribution will be a dish of tabouleh. Not sure how well that is going to go. But I'll out there with Chance, again. We'll most likely see other riders on the trail. That doesn't happen often.


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## lb27312

I finally got Captain out…. It was a hot summer and I’m a wimp anymore so just didn’t get out like I had in the past… it was a good ride… my poor friend, at one point we were kinda lost and I wasn’t wanting to go past a certain trailer park as theres usually barking dogs and tons of crap in the woods around there but there we were… Captain was leading at this point and I was like crap… she kept asking if I wanted her to lead… finally I yelled NO! He needs to do this! I apologized afterwards.. But Cap did good! Three dogs at the fence and barking… they were going in and through the brush and Cap was watching intently… then he realized a stump covered in moss was there and he shied BUT that was all he did… we thought he handled all that pretty good! I spent way too much on tack for him recently…. He’s been using hand me downs but I think the saddle I had was too long for his short back.

Good ride!


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## charrorider

National Public Trails Day in the USA. Although there were 8 trucks and trailers at the trailhead, we didn't see anyone out in the trails.


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## Celeste

I have been trying to get in a ride most every day. My rides are only about 3 miles long. My short rides are because of a combination of several things. One, my body is not really over having 2 knee replacements, and if it were, I have myasthenia gravis anyway. (I am not 20 anymore) More importantly is that deer season (archery) has already started. On this ride, I have wide open dirt road for 0.4 miles, and then everything is private property. Even with that short distance, I have had an interesting truck related ride.

Normally Princess has no problems with trucks. Once she got over finding out that trucks had people inside them (that is another story), she doesn't mind the people. They pet you on the head. But a few days ago, it had been raining, and this guy had his lights on. (If I have told this tale already, you have to keep in mind that I just turned 65. I have an excuse.) Princess was absolutely terrified of bright lights coming at her. I think that she thought that it was an alien spaceship coming to abduct us. @SueC , you should like this story. Maybe she thought that it was you in a Tardis. I hoped to get her to go on around the truck. Instead, we practices our spins, and spins, and spins until I got dizzy. I decided that it wasn't happening, so I turned her around with plans to trot back up the hill until that I could get back to a place wide enough to get off the road. Instead, we practiced our gallop. We got off the road and waited for the guy to come on by.

The poor man was so upset. He just knew that I was going to die. He apologized over and over. I told him that if he would turn off his lights next time, she would not be terrified. After he passed on by, we had a very nice ride.

*A wider part of the trail, but all on private land. *









*My sweet Border Collie "Prissy" waiting for me to turn her loose for our ride. (I tie her so she doesn't start without me.)*










*Wildflowers along the dirt road.*









*A map of my ride.*









*Total miles for year: 492*


----------



## SueC

Hullo, @Celeste! 😄 How did you know it was me in that TARDIS? I was wearing a Kermit the Frog disguise. Huh. 

Hope your new knees need feel better soon. I'm not riding ATM as I injured my back a couple of weeks ago - not directly, but indirectly via axillary nerve impingement from a sports bra. Imagine that - the impingement caused one-sided back spasm which then threw my back out secondarily. It's still not 100%. However - my husband says getting older is better than the alternative, being dead.

Happy riding, everyone. And don't feel sorry for me - I actually prefer hiking to horse riding and am doing plenty of that.


----------



## phantomhorse13

charrorider said:


> National Public Trails Day in the USA


What organization hosts/started this event? I have only heard of the National Trails Day started by the American Hiking Society, but that is always the first Saturday in June. I would love some more info on this September one!


----------



## phantomhorse13

More ride time! The whole story is in my journal.

Friday, Hombre:
















Saturday, Booger:
























Monday, Hombre:
















Yesterday, Hombre:

















2022 mileage
...

9/23hombre7.82 miles1289 ft climb5.1 mph50F1033.28 total miles9/24booger10.67 miles1129 ft climb5.0 mph65F1043.95 total miles9/26hombre11.29 miles1916 ft climb5.0 mph68F1055.24 total miles9/27hombre4.03 miles384 ft climb4.8 mph62F*1059.27 total miles*


----------



## Danneq

I'm devastated because my barn's annual fall foliage trail ride is scheduled for the same time as our family vacation. It's the only time I ever get to trail ride. Trail riding is one of my favorite things but it's so hard to do if you don't own a horse. Wish me luck in finding a well-paying job so I can solve that problem?


----------



## Celeste

SueC said:


> Hullo, @Celeste! 😄 *How did you know it was me in that TARDIS? I was wearing a Kermit the Frog disguise. Huh. *
> 
> Hope your new knees need feel better soon. I'm not riding ATM as I injured my back a couple of weeks ago - not directly, but indirectly via axillary nerve impingement from a *sports bra*. Imagine that - the impingement caused one-sided back spasm which then threw my back out secondarily. It's still not 100%. However - my husband says getting older is better than the alternative, being dead.
> 
> Happy riding, everyone. And don't feel sorry for me - I actually prefer hiking to horse riding and am doing plenty of that.


*I knew that bras were evil!* I would never wear a bra except that I worry about getting a black eye if I don't. My sister went on an extreme diet so that she would not have to wear one.

Didn't you burn yours all in the late 70's? I did. But now, I need them. It started in the 90's when I started gaining too much weight. I have lost a lot of weight, but the jugs still jig.


----------



## Celeste

Danneq said:


> I'm devastated because my barn's annual fall foliage trail ride is scheduled for the same time as our family vacation. It's the only time I ever get to trail ride. Trail riding is one of my favorite things but it's so hard to do if you don't own a horse. Wish me luck in finding a well-paying job so I can solve that problem?


Why don't you go to one of those places that you can rent a horse to ride? Riding weekly on someone else's horse is probably cheaper that owning your own. Good luck.


----------



## SueC

Celeste said:


> *I knew that bras were evil!* I would never wear a bra except that I worry about getting a black eye if I don't. My sister went on an extreme diet so that she would not have to wear one.
> 
> Didn't you burn yours all in the late 70's? I did. But now, I need them. It started in the 90's when I started gaining too much weight. I have lost a lot of weight, but the jugs still jig.


In the late 70s I didn't have a bra yet. 

These days I am speculating that in a decade or so I should be able to sling them over my shoulders and tie them in a knot behind my neck, thereby eliminating the need for bras. This should also eliminate interference with the axillary nerve, but might create neck issues... 

Felicitations to you; have a good weekend.


----------



## Celeste

SueC said:


> In the late 70s I didn't have a bra yet.
> 
> These days I am speculating that in a decade or so I should be able to sling them over my shoulders and tie them in a knot behind my neck, thereby eliminating the need for bras. This should also eliminate interference with the axillary nerve, but might create neck issues...
> 
> Felicitations to you; have a good weekend.


I needed a good laugh. Thanks!


----------



## charrorider

Not to change the subject of bras, but I just got back from a couple of days of horse camping at the Hillsdale State Park in Kansas. Rode half of the 40 miles of trails available there. The wooded trails don't look that much different than here in the Misouri Ozarks. Although I did notice that the thorns on their locust trees are more numerous and longer. Took a few photos of Kansas trail humor and of the obligatory campfire.


----------



## gunslinger

I've got to admit it.....I don't wear a bra either.....


----------



## egrogan

We have arrived in the most magical time of fall here in Vermont. Peak foliage was probably this weekend; the color was great and leaves are starting to come down today. There will probably be a couple more weeks before we're into true "stick season," but this was a wonderful weekend to get out and ride.

If I could only pick one weekend to share pictures of why I love riding in my "neighborhood," this is the weekend I would pick! Here are some photos, plus a little video, of some of my favorite places- roads, fields, and trails. We did 4 miles yesterday and another 11 today.

Short video:




*







































































*








*Total 2022 miles: 460.4*


----------



## Celeste

@egrogan Such a beautiful ride!!!


----------



## Celeste

I've been doing a lot of riding but I haven't posted much. Princess is getting to be in really good shape. That makes her be a handful to ride. She is my buddy though.

*Total miles for the year: 516*


----------



## knightrider

I did a double take when I saw your picture, @Celeste . I said, "Hey, why is my horse in that photo?" Then I realized it is your horse. I ride my horse Chorro in a blue bridle nowdays.


----------



## carshon

Fall colors are really glorious right now. I love this time of year! I continue to ride each weekend and have just a few more weeks until parks close for the season.


----------



## Celeste

@knightrider I have said the same thing before. Why is she riding my horse?


----------



## egrogan

Today it’s gloomy and blustery, and we’re supposed to get _two inches _of rain tonight 😮 So I am expecting most of the leaves will be gone by tomorrow.

Still, it’s been a gorgeous foliage season with a string of great weather up until today. Here are a couple more videos of the sights and sounds of leaves coming down. Yesterday was especially magical with a warm breeze swirling the leaves around us as we rode. It was like a snow storm, but golden!




And the sound of crunching along through the leaves.




If only you could smell that crisp, fall smell through the videos!

*Total 2022 miles: 469.2*


----------



## egrogan

@weeedlady - are you ok UP there? Just saw news reports of a foot of snow and crazy wind/waves off the lakes. I'm not mentally prepared for snow this early! It's a gloomy day here, but fortunately at least no snow yet. Hope you're not getting too much.

After a few days of wind and rain, our gorgeous foliage is pretty much done, and we're on to stick season. But I did ride 22 miles this weekend at the last pleasure ride of the season- 10 miles Friday and 12 on Saturday, with a different riding buddy each day. I’m the one wearing (lots of) orange 🍊 
















































*Total 2022 miles: 491.7*


----------



## weeedlady

Hi Everyone! I haven't been on here in weeks! No real reason. Nothing exciting to report I guess.
@egrogan thanks for thinking of us UP here. Yes, we are fine. My immediate area only got about 2 inches of very wet, heavy snow. And wind. It was enough to take down a lot of trees and knock the power out for awhile, but all is well.
Snow is all gone - for now! We are in the middle of 3 days of beautiful sunny 60 degree weather. Husband thinks we should be working outside while I think I need to ride. 
My truck is sick so I'm grounded for the time being- maybe the rest of the year. I've been riding the roads around home and staying out of the woods because it's bow season. As of today I'm at 651 miles. That's the most I've ever done in one year, but I'm really disappointed that I won't be hitting 1000.
Fall here in the UP is definitely the best time of year. Here are a few pics from recent rides.


----------



## weeedlady

By the way, we are still plugging away at the Pony Express 1900 mile challenge. Raven finally got me out of Nebraska today. We made it to Wyoming! An absolutely glorious day. It may be our last one for a while.


----------



## egrogan

@weeedlady , glad you weren't buried in snow already! Phew!

A couple of short rides this weekend pushed us over the 500 mile mark for the year, which feels great! We have a couple of weeks of bow hunting season left before it's "real" deer season, so hoping to get at least a couple more long rides in over the next two weekends. After that, we'll be stuck mostly on the roads and on a couple of properties where hunting isn't allowed. It was a pretty weekend, even though the leaves are mostly gone now.








































*Total 2022 miles: 500.9*


----------



## Celeste

I have enjoyed all the posts people have been putting up! I have been really slack about posting. I have been riding. We are now reaping the benefits with putting up with blazing heat and millions of bugs. The weather has been fantastic. It is usually around 70 degrees when I ride. Today, it was around 78.

I enjoyed a visit last weekend from my sister and we rode like crazy. I will try to attach a few pictures.

*For most of the ride, we were quietly walking along.*











*Then we decided to canter. Oh no! Princess realized that she was behind!










Must hurry! Can't let Dillon get ahead. Mom won't mind a wild gallop with a few bucks thrown in.*











*I think we almost got him! Woo hoo! I know that Mom is happy!*











*That was a bit much of a ride for me. Lol. But I lived to ride another day.
Total miles for year: 549*


----------



## phantomhorse13

A bit behind in posting, so playing catch-up. The whole story is in my journal.

Hombre:

























































Gracelyn:
















 10-12-22 Puck learns about rocks







www.youtube.com





















2022 mileage
...

9/27hombre4.03 miles384 ft climb4.8 mph62F1059.27 total miles9/28hombre2.41 miles381 ft climb3.6 mph60F1061.68 total miles9/29hombre8.21 miles1148 ft climb4.2 mph56F1069.89 total miles10/10hombre9.89 miles1699 ft climb4.5 mph74F1079.78 total miles10/12gracelyn1.86 miles295 ft climb2.7 mph76F1081.64 total miles10/16hombre3.01 miles335 ft climb4.7 mph60F1084.65 total miles10/17hombre3.27 miles374 ft climb4.5 mph64F*1087.92 total miles*


----------



## phantomhorse13

A bit more catch-up. The whole story is in my journal:

Hombre:
















10-18-22 Hombre yahoos a bit







www.youtube.com













Gracelyn:
























10-18-22 Puck & Asad trotting







www.youtube.com













Beauty:

















2022 mileage
...

10/18hombre6.46 miles1122 ft climb5.1 mph50F1094.38 total miles10/18gracelyn2.26 miles331 ft climb2.8 mph58F1096.64 total miles10/21beauty1.43 miles112 ft climb3.3 mph60F*1098.07 total miles*


----------



## carshon

My riding time is winding down 3 weeks until the state parks close. There are no opportunities to ride the fields near me as farmers frown on it. So my horses will get a winter vacation. The weather has been great and the foliage is gorgeous


----------



## egrogan

@carshon, sad that your riding options close down, but I kind of like the rhythm of a winter break from riding. I think this year I'm going to try to be disciplined about doing some long lining in the snow when the roads turn icy. And at some point, just keeping everyone fed and watered will be more than enough time outside 😉 It's been a mild fall here so far, and I'm hoping that like previous mild years, we'll be able to keep riding until New Year's before we have to worry about ice.


----------



## weeedlady

I hope to keep riding all winter, (hope being the operative word) but we will be relegated to our own backyard and woods.


----------



## carshon

@egrogan @weedlady when I was younger I rode all winter. Bareback with a blanket over my legs. As I've gotten older and the farm land around me has changed lands riding in the fields has resulted in a visit from the Sheriff on more than one occasion. Not all land owners are like this but many are, and I don't really blame them. it is a litigious society we live in. Plus we do not get the amount of snow we used do -and that results in more ice. I could realistically ride in our hay field but to be honest I get bored riding around the edge of our field. Since we have a late foal coming I will get my horsey time trying to make sure a winter born foal is not feral by the time the weather turns nicer in the spring!


----------



## Celeste

What is "winter"?

Isn't that a time when it is below 90 degrees?


----------



## weeedlady

hahaha @Celeste yes, in Winter it is below 90 degrees. Very much below 90 here!

We are having another few days of good weather! Almost 60degrees and sunny yesterday, today and maybe even tomorrow. Tucker and I went visiting and he had a rough time. Halloween decorations, a huge herd of sheep, campaign signs that move in the wind, a school bus, and......this guy...Tucker was not happy. He was pretty much a basket case all the way home. Poor guy. But as always- nobody died.


----------



## phantomhorse13

Got some more saddle time. The whole story is in my journal.

Hombre:
























10-23-22 canter in the colorful leaves







www.youtube.com





























Gracelyn:
















10-22-22 Puck the shark







www.youtube.com




























10-27-22 Puck trotting with attitude







www.youtube.com





















2022 mileage
...

10/22gracelyn2.21 miles279 ft climb3.3 mph72F1100.28 total miles10/23hombre13.10 miles1604 ft climb4.8 mph60F1113.38 total miles10/26hombre4.11 miles492 ft climb5.0 mph48F1117.49 total miles10/27hombre9.82 miles1680 ft climb5.2 mph55F1127.31 total miles10/27gracelyn2.48 miles394 ft climb2.9 mph65F1129.79 total miles10/28hombre6.62 miles738 ft climb4.4 mph67F*1136.41 total miles*


----------



## charrorider

Just returned from spending 3 days horse camping with Chance, just him and I. The first two days we were the only ones in the campground. On the last day another trailer arrived with two riders. Going away from home is the only way I can ride for consecutive days. At home, there's always something to do. I also love the change in scenery.


----------



## egrogan

What a beautiful spot @charrorider! Love the views of the water through the trees.

My mare would not be ok at a campsite without any other horses there. Pretty neat that Chance is happy to be there on his own (well, with you of course!)


----------



## weeedlady

@charrorider that sounds like an absolutely wonderful time. I would love to spend 3 days with just me and my horse. Like @egrogan though, I don't think my horse would like it as much as I would.


----------



## charrorider

egrogan said:


> What a beautiful spot @charrorider! Love the views of the water through the trees.
> 
> My mare would not be ok at a campsite without any other horses there. Pretty neat that Chance is happy to be there on his own (well, with you of course!)


My wife doesn't ride that much and everyone else around here rides gaited horses. So most of my rides are the solo variety. Chance and Ibn are both used to it. As far as being alone in the camp, Ibn has been diagnosed with DSLD and although he's responding well to treatment, I never know when it is going to flare up. Because of that, Chance is the one I take when horse camping. And Chance, well, as long as he has food in front of him, the world is fine.


----------



## charrorider

weeedlady said:


> @charrorider that sounds like an absolutely wonderful time. I would love to spend 3 days with just me and my horse. Like @egrogan though, I don't think my horse would like it as much as I would.


It was. Actually I was here (Big Hill Lake, KS) for the first time 13 months ago. There is a road bridge about 200' long that Chance wanted nothing to do with it. So I took this opportunity to work on that. First morning before we set out on the trail, I led Chance across the bridge. He was reluctant, but he went. I thought I let that sink into his brain and try ridding him across after we finish our 9 mile ride. After the 9 miles, he was still having none of that foolishness (from his point of view). Next morning, I led him across the bridge, again. He came along without a hitch. We went for our ride on a different 5 mile ride. When we got back from that, again, I tired riding him across the bridge and Chance went like a dream. He stopped momentarily when he came upon one of the two expansion joints. He sniffed it and went right on. Other than that momentary stop, he set one foot in front of the other and went. Funny, when he decided to do it, it was like he has been crossing bridges all his life. There have been some heated discussions lately on how to handle horses. I don't mind taking a bit of extra time. Maybe you can see the bridge out in the distance.


----------



## knightrider

Just got back from a super 5 day camping trip with @4horses, @LoriF, and @lb27312 along with my nice neighbor at Princess Place near St. Augustine and one of lb27312's friends. We spent a couple of days riding on the beach and a couple of days riding at Princess Place. We had such a great time. The weather cooperated. We had warm mild days and pleasant cool nights for sleeping. LoriF brought Novia, her young mare. Last year on this camping trip, LoriF got bucked off of Novia. This year Novia did fabulous, including some beautiful beach canters. LoriF has done a fine job of training her. Currently 4horses doesn't have a fit horse to take camping for 5 days (soon to be rectified now that Honor has been weaned), so she has Acicate.

On the last day, @4horses and I went to the beach again before going home. I had recently read that horses benefit in many ways from galloping. I don't gallop all that much, but the beach is so conductive to a fine gallop. I don't believe I have ever asked Chorro to gallop flat out as fast as he could run. When I was a teenager, I did it often, but now that I am old, I never race anymore. Chorro and Aci gave it their all. It was pretty exciting. We discovered Aci is amazingly fast for being such a little guy. I think he would have passed Chorro if we had galloped flat out longer.

Here are some pictures of our great 5 days together.

















Here is the whole Horse Forum bunch.


----------



## lb27312

Yes! Just got back from a wonderful time camping with horse forum friends! Great time and such nice people! Glad I was able to meetup with them! 

Here’s a pic of walking out to the beach…


















A few more of the group…











@LoriF taking my picture while I took hers….. lol









It was a great trip! I felt honored to meet everyone and Chorro and Aci as I’ve read so much about them… Novia is beautiful and really good!

I had a good time but something is up with Chal’s left hind…. He was carrying himself rea weird… and ended up pretty lame when he came off the trailer at home…. I don’t like South Carolina roads…. Sooo many potholes that I think it didn’t help… I’ll get it figured out. I sooo wanted to gallop with my friends on the beach! 

What a great beach… everyone was awesome and a few people came up when I was walking back with Chal and I let them pet Chal and a few said I made their day!


----------



## LoriF

And the other side of the picture from @lb27312



















I had a super time with friends old and new. Novia did great this trip, I was proud of her. She even put a foot into the ocean when I walked her in. It was worth the wet boots.























@knightrider and @4horses


----------



## egrogan

I am so jealous!!!


----------



## LoriF

When I took Novia back to the barn, I hung out a little bit and was talking to some of my barn friends. Apparently where they live, which is not too far south from where we rode on the beach, there are certain individuals that don't like seeing horses on the beach. I think it was at Hammock Beach. It has something to do with the poop.

When we get a permit, which is free, we have to take a test before we can get it. It's mostly about the rules and making us aware of the wildlife. Staying off of the dunes, don't destroy the habitat, we have to ride at low tide and stay below the high tide line. The ocean tide comes up and washes the horse poo away. The counties do not have a problem with this and know that it is not the same thing as carnivore poop. They specifically say that there is no expectation to pick up the poop as it just washes away. Makes me wonder if these certain individuals ever think about the tons of fish poop, whale poop and whatever else is in the ocean. The worst being man made pollution. After all, everything that eats also poops in some form. There are also certain times of the year that riding is not allowed. No ride time is from spring break until Nov. 1st at the beach that we rode at.

So back to the conversation with the friends. They said that just recently that a group rode on the beach only to find out that someone went up to their trailers and loosened the lug nuts on the trailer wheels. Boy, I wish someone would have spotted that and recorded it. That's just horrible. I don't know how they realized that the lugs were loosened because they didn't say anything about an accident. 

Seriously, does horse poop annoy someone so much that they are willing to kill over it?


----------



## weeedlady

Looks like a wonderful trip. I too am jealous, since my riding time will be limited now until at least May. Glad you all had so much fun.
As far a people worried about poop- We have that too. The mountain bike riders don't like us on shared trails because we leave poop and hoofprints. ???? trash, human waste, dog waste - that's all ok? but a bit of horse poop ruins their ride!


----------



## charrorider

LoriF said:


> When I took Novia back to the barn, I hung out a little bit and was talking to some of my barn friends. Apparently where they live, which is not too far south from where we rode on the beach, there are certain individuals that don't like seeing horses on the beach. I think it was at Hammock Beach. It has something to do with the poop.
> 
> When we get a permit, which is free, we have to take a test before we can get it. It's mostly about the rules and making us aware of the wildlife. Staying off of the dunes, don't destroy the habitat, we have to ride at low tide and stay below the high tide line. The ocean tide comes up and washes the horse poo away. The counties do not have a problem with this and know that it is not the same thing as carnivore poop. They specifically say that there is no expectation to pick up the poop as it just washes away. Makes me wonder if these certain individuals ever think about the tons of fish poop, whale poop and whatever else is in the ocean. The worst being man made pollution. After all, everything that eats also poops in some form. There are also certain times of the year that riding is not allowed. No ride time is from spring break until Nov. 1st at the beach that we rode at.
> 
> So back to the conversation with the friends. They said that just recently that a group rode on the beach only to find out that someone went up to their trailers and loosened the lug nuts on the trailer wheels. Boy, I wish someone would have spotted that and recorded it. That's just horrible. I don't know how they realized that the lugs were loosened because they didn't say anything about an accident.
> 
> Seriously, does horse poop annoy someone so much that they are willing to kill over it?


It is highly possible that the loose nuts on the trailer(s) is accidental and not intentional. People jump to all kinds of conclusions. At least that is the way it is around where I live, I'm sorry to say. On the other hand, there're a bunch of crazies out there.


----------



## LoriF

weeedlady said:


> Looks like a wonderful trip. I too am jealous, since my riding time will be limited now until at least May. Glad you all had so much fun.
> As far a people worried about poop- We have that too. The mountain bike riders don't like us on shared trails because we leave poop and hoofprints. ???? trash, human waste, dog waste - that's all ok? but a bit of horse poop ruins their ride!


I get jealous when I see people riding all summer long. 
Even though I rode Novia throughout the summer because now is not a good time to just let her sit, I hate it. It's just too dang hot down here in the summer. And buggy. It was mostly arena riding and for short periods at a time. If I could ride early morning like Knightrider does, that would probably be better but my schedule doesn't permit it. My preference is just to skip July, August, and September.


----------



## LoriF

charrorider said:


> It is highly possible that the loose nuts on the trailer(s) is accidental and not intentional. People jump to all kinds of conclusions. At least that is the way it is around where I live, I'm sorry to say. On the other hand, there're a bunch of crazies out there.


I suppose that is a possibility, but if they had the wherewithal to look at them in the parking lot, it seems like it would be someone that checks everything before they leave from anywhere including leaving home. I wouldn't have thought to check that kind of thing before going home from an outing. Now I will.

Anyway, to heck with the creeps. Just a word of warning to check this. 99% of the people we encountered were either taking video's of us riding or wanted to come and pet the horses and talk. Most enjoyed it.


----------



## zacknsam

LoriF said:


> When I took Novia back to the barn, I hung out a little bit and was talking to some of my barn friends. Apparently where they live, which is not too far south from where we rode on the beach, there are certain individuals that don't like seeing horses on the beach. I think it was at Hammock Beach. It has something to do with the poop.
> 
> When we get a permit, which is free, we have to take a test before we can get it. It's mostly about the rules and making us aware of the wildlife. Staying off of the dunes, don't destroy the habitat, we have to ride at low tide and stay below the high tide line. The ocean tide comes up and washes the horse poo away. The counties do not have a problem with this and know that it is not the same thing as carnivore poop. They specifically say that there is no expectation to pick up the poop as it just washes away. Makes me wonder if these certain individuals ever think about the tons of fish poop, whale poop and whatever else is in the ocean. The worst being man made pollution. After all, everything that eats also poops in some form. There are also certain times of the year that riding is not allowed. No ride time is from spring break until Nov. 1st at the beach that we rode at.
> 
> So back to the conversation with the friends. They said that just recently that a group rode on the beach only to find out that someone went up to their trailers and loosened the lug nuts on the trailer wheels. Boy, I wish someone would have spotted that and recorded it. That's just horrible. I don't know how they realized that the lugs were loosened because they didn't say anything about an accident.
> 
> Seriously, does horse poop annoy someone so much that they are willing to kill over it?


Really!? 😂


----------



## knightrider

Yay @zacknsam! You are on the Forum! Welcome! It was great having you on the trip and getting to know you. I hope we have hundreds more fun rides together. I am crazy about your Morgan, and I know @egrogan would be too. So, start a thread about him with lots of pictures and we will all enjoy it. (He is the dark horse with the bareback rider in the pictures). Wow, that picture of @lb27312 riding with the double image on the wet sand is a stunner. @LoriF , you sure know how to take a good photo.


----------



## zacknsam

Hi! Yes, it was a great get together! So enjoyed meeting all of you! Perfect beach ride for me! I will post pix later!


----------



## gottatrot

What a great group of riders! I'm jealous too. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Celeste

Wow! What a fun time you all had together. I can't understand what the issue with horse poop is. It is just green grass and water with a few bacteria added in. My dog loves it! It is fun to roll in and fun to eat. And then mean old mommy gives that poor dog a bath.


----------



## LoriF

Celeste said:


> Wow! What a fun time you all had together. I can't understand what the issue with horse poop is. It is just green grass and water with a few bacteria added in. My dog loves it! It is fun to roll in and fun to eat. And then mean old mommy gives that poor dog a bath.


About the same as what gets stuck under my lawn mower.


----------



## Celeste

My friend and I had a nice ride today. It was unseasonably warm. I will post a few pictures.


----------



## Celeste

I have ridden quite a few times without posting about them. Tuesday, I rode Dillon with no problem. Wednesday, he spooked and sent me flying. I skipped Thursday because I was trying to decide if my ankle was broken or not. Friday, it still looked really swollen. I considered going to get it x-rayed, but I rode Princess instead. I have already put up pictures from today (Sunday). I will share a few from Friday. The not x-ray day.




















*Miles for the year so far: 569*


----------



## knightrider

@Celeste , those colors are so vivid and beautiful! Lovely pictures!


----------



## LoriF

I love the pics of the beautiful fall colors.
My mother was telling that in Minnesota they are enjoying some unusually warm weather. Next week the other shoe is going to drop and it's supposed to be a snowy and cold winter for them. It's supposed to be unusually wet and cold for the southeast this winter as well.

Enjoy it while it lasts.


----------



## weeedlady

Here in the UP we have had a beautiful week. 60's and sunny. Yep, I'm sure we will pay for it. soon.


----------



## Celeste

@knightrider Thanks. It has been beautiful, but the leaves are fading fast. The winter will be interesting because we can see a long way.


----------



## AliceCT

I don't have a picture but I rode my 4 year old gelding on a solo trail ride today. I had just cleaned my bridle and forgot it at home, but I clipped reins to a halter and he did just as well with just it, tbh. He's not spooky for a young horse and we didn't go faster than a walk, so I wasn't too worried. However, it was cooler weather so I expected him to be a little peppy and instead he was very calm. I really think I have a special horse on my hands. Not a fast horse, but it is nice to go on a calm trail ride every once in a while.


----------



## egrogan

After counting up the miles from our ride yesterday, this season is officially our highest mileage season ever 😄

It's been very unseasonably warm, but I think yesterday was the last day of tshirt weather for us. Temps will be plummeting tonight and snow is forecast midweek. Deer rifle season started yesterday so we have to stick to the roads through Thanksgiving weekend anyway. But I'm hopeful that we'll keep a fairly regular riding schedule through at least New Year's.

Here are some photos of our strangely warm stick season riding so far!
















































*Total 2022 miles: 540.5* *
*A new personal best mileage total, beating 2020 by 2 miles so far!!


----------



## weeedlady

Hi @egrogan We had unseasonably warm weather recently also. Then it rained for a solid week, and now the snow has begun. 
I've been somewhat discourage because I realized I am not going to reach the personal mileage goal I set for 2022. Thanks for your post! It reminded me that even though I'm falling short of what I had hoped, I too am still well beyond the most miles I've ever done in one year.

I need less than 2 miles to finish Raven's current challenge and Tucker needs 50 to finish his. So I'm revising my goal. I will finish both of these by year end at the minimum. I feel better now, motivated again. Digging out my cold weather gear so I can saddle up today!


----------



## weeedlady

And I did it. Got up off my a$$ and rode my horse finally. I hadn't been on Raven since October 29. She was feeling mighty perky today. Have I mentioned that I got a new-to-me saddle? A friend had this one for sale and it fits Tucker much better than my Fabtron, so I bought it. I tried it out on Raven today. I think/hope it's going to work for her too because I really like it.
3.37 miles today, Finished Raven's most recent challenge. That puts me at 690 ytd.


----------



## Celeste

@weeedlady Congratulations for getting up and riding. I need to do the same now that it has finally stopped raining. 690 miles! Woohoo!

What brand of saddle is that? Do you know how much it weighs? 

At some point, I want to buy a lighter weight saddle because my arms are weak. I am afraid to go treeless because my legs are weak. At my neurologist's appointment they tested the strength of different muscle groups. My inner thighs were the best ones I have. That is because they are my stay on the horse muscles.


----------



## weeedlady

@Celeste my new saddle is from CTK Saddlery in Brazil. My friend is considering becoming a distributor and so had purchased a few for re sale to see how it goes.
This saddle weighs just about nothing, lol. 
There's not a lot of info about them online. What I did find was mixed opinions so we shall see. For me the price was right and the fit is excellent and I am very happy so far.


----------



## Celeste

Can you ask your friend if she knows the exact weight?


----------



## phantomhorse13

Finally have a bit of time to play catch-up and I keep getting server errors. Anybody else having that issue when trying to upload photos or does my account need an exorcism?

@weeedlady you are very brave to be out in the snow!!


----------



## phantomhorse13

Apparently the universe was telling me I needed to finish cleaning the house before I was allowed to post  .. so time for some catch-up! The whole story is in my journal.

Hombre:

















































Gracelyn:

















Bee:

















2022 mileage
...

10/29hombre7.48 miles525 ft climb4.2 mph63F1143.89 total miles10/30hombre14.00 miles1776 ft climb4.6 mph61F1157.89 total miles11/2hombre6.57 miles1414 ft climb4.5 mph65F1164.46 total miles11/2gracelyn2.73 miles512 ft climb2.8 mph67F1167.19 total miles11/3bee7.99 miles919 ft climb3.9 mph72F1175.18 total miles11/6hombre6.91 miles991 ft climb4.1 mph73F*1182.09 total miles*


----------



## CaliforniaDreaming

Well, we never left the property this year due to a variety of reasons, and I flunked badly at actually tracking my miles, but Mitch and I have generally gotten out pretty much daily for a spin around the ranch trails. We're having fun, just doing what we do.








​One of my ranch friends who has been at the ranch for about a year now with a pony (mini/Shetland) for her kids finally found the perfect horse for herself in July-ish, and her mom paid board for the mare down in L.A. while they got the corral set up up here and they moved her in in September, right before my friend promptly got COVID (the whole family kinda did) and I put in a couple rounds of saddle time on the mare. She's a doll. Mitch adores her, I've ponied them together a few times, and I like to say I was a huge enabler in my friend getting her because I said if I'd had the money for a third horse, _I_ would have gotten her. Now that my friend is better, we've ridden the ranch trails a few times and the horses get along swell. My October was crazy like a chicken with its head cut off due to my Star Wars costume group having 6 events at the zoo (pretty much the entire month) but we're hoping to try hauling off property this winter as long as the weather is nice.


----------



## phantomhorse13

A bit more catch-up. The rest of the story is in my journal.

Hombre: 
























































11-10-22 Hombre canters







www.youtube.com





















2022 mileage
...

11/7hombre5.0 miles571 ft climb3.9 mph70F1187.09 total miles11/8hombre6.67 miles466 ft climb3.8 mph58F1193.76 total miles11/9hombre4.01 miles630 ft climb4.7 mph52F1197.77 total miles11/10hombre6.09 miles925 ft climb4.8 mph65F1203.86 total miles


----------



## Celeste

I have been riding alone lately. The only person who rides with me on a regular basis has Covid. She was really mad about it. Not that she was sick. Not that she couldn't ride. But that she works hourly and was missing so much time. I think anybody that has horses needs money. 

I just alternate horses. I have ridden most days. I took some days off for bad weather. I will post a few pictures.

*A few with Dillon







*

























*Yes, his mane is always wild. It sure is great if you need to hang on. 

By the way, I fell off of him a couple of weeks ago. Nothing broke except my glasses. That was expensive. He spooked and turned. I didn't turn. It happens.*


----------



## Celeste

*And I will show a few pictures of the Princess. My dog is named Prissy. Why the kids would want to name a Border Collie that eats and rolls in horse manure, trees every squirrel in the woods, and generally makes a lot of messes "Prissy" is beyond my imagination. I think that my daughter had visions of her sitting on velvet pillows wearing dog dresses when she was a puppy. 

















*










*My miles for the year are up to 586. That is my personal best since I have been keeping up with mileage. 
I have ridden more miles on Princess than on Dillon. It is going to take some math to figure it out. I may change the way I keep up with it next year. 

I suspect when I rode for 5 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week back when I was in my early 20's, I did more. *


----------



## phantomhorse13

A bit more catch-up. The whole story is in my journal.

Hombre:
























11-14-22 windy day







www.youtube.com





















Asad:








































11-15-22 first snow







www.youtube.com





Gracelyn:
















11-13-22 Puck traveling uphill







www.youtube.com













2022 mileage
...

11/10asad2.64 miles351 ft climb3.2 mph58F1206.50 total miles11/12hombre6.32 miles1033 ft climb4.7 mph62F1212.82 total miles11/13gracelyn2.66 miles371 ft climb3.1 mph38F1215.48 total miles11/13hombre6.46 miles919 ft climb4.4 mph34F1221.94 total miles11/14hombre5.5 miles722 ft climb5.3 mph27F1227.44 total miles11/15hombre4.08 miles600 ft climb5.3 mph34F1231.52 total miles11/15asad2.12 miles495 ft climb3.3 mph30F*1233.64 total miles*


----------



## whisperbaby22

Weather here has been great.


----------



## egrogan

First snowy ride this weekend. Had to stick to riding around the fields, because the roads were too icy. The field loop is about 2 miles, 3 miles if we can get a little way down the road to our neighbor's hay field. We are supposed to have sunny, warm days with temps above freezing through Thanksgiving, so maybe we'll get a reset.
















One more week of rifle season here.








*Total 2022 miles: 544.8*


----------



## weeedlady

I am a slacker.


----------



## weeedlady

thank you @egrogan your snow pics (and our relatively warmer temps) prompted me to get out and ride! I took Tucker out 2 days in a row. Tuesday we did 2.90 and Wednesday 4.77. Stayed in our own backyard due to gun season and slippery roads.


----------



## egrogan

So glad to hear it @weeedlady! We've been doing the same, just around the pastures and up and down the road where the ice has melted. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, and we enjoyed a good loop in the afternoon. There's a chance I'll be able to go out for a "real" ride with my riding buddy tomorrow, if the melting continues today.
















*Total 2022 miles: 550.9*


----------



## Celeste

I rode my little loop road both Wednesday and Thursday. 2.87 miles Wednesday on Princess. 2.87 miles Thursday on Dillon.

Princess has been wearing over-reach boots for three years. I started using them when your left hind over-reached and caught her right front shoe. We were trotting along a a nice little clip when it happened. She fell on her side with me pinned under her. I remember laying there in a panic as to whether she was ok. Then I wondered if I was ok and what was going to happen when she got up. I was still in the saddle. She got up and was ok. I thought I was ok, but I suspect that event was the beginning of the end for my left knee which had to be replaced last year. 

Why I brought all that up was because Wednesday, she started pulling on her boots, trying to get them off. Because of my disability, I can't get on without a block, and I can't walk a long way through the woods. Fortunately, I have a mounting block in the middle of the ride. I rode slowly along until we got there and the boot she had been picking on was halfway off. I got off, fixed it, and got back on. By the time we got home, it was messed up again.

The need for over-reach boots is two farriers ago. The first one I fired for whacking my horse when she was behaving perfectly. The second one I fired because he showed up hung over one too many times and did a terrible job on my horses. Both were lame for a while. The latest farrier is wonderful. He has worked with my horses and has returned their angles to where they need to be. When I look at her, I don't think she really needs the over-reach boots any more. That was due to bad shoe work. I post a few pictures from Wednesday and make another post for Dillon. 

These pictures are stills from a video I made with my GoPro 10.

*This is a little creek I go by when I ride. When it is hot, Prissy can be found wading in it. *










*Prissy has run on ahead.*










*Prissy realized that she lost us and came running back to check on us. *


----------



## Celeste

The ride with Dillon on Thanksgiving was non-eventful. (That can be a good thing.) He is just too hot. I am going to have to buy some clippers and remove some of his shaggy winter hair if we keep having 65 degree days. Sorry, I know that hurt some feelings of you guys up north. Remember our 99 degree days in the summer. And today it is raining.

*This is a close-up so that you can see Dillon's cute color pattern, even if he does have a 2 way mane.*









*In the picture below, we are starting into the thicker woods trail*









*There is a mix of pines and hardwoods in this forest. The trail goes around a big wooded trail. *









*Last but not least, nobody can outdo Dillon's lovely canter. But look at that mane!!*









*This ride brought me up to 597 miles! Certainly my personal best as a tax paying adult. (I don't really count my early 20's when my dad put me through 8 years of college as an adult. He was very glad when I graduated, I'm sure!) 

And now it is pouring rain and I can't play outside. 😭 Soon.*


----------



## weeedlady

I rode my black horse for Black Friday. Much better than shopping. 3.96 miles in our backyard again. We've had temps well above freezing for several days but the road doesn't seem to want to melt. It gets packed down and just turns icy. They don't use salt on our gravel roads either, they just spread sand, so nothing to help it melt. 
Warm again today, so maybe today.


----------



## knightrider

For Black Friday, I met up with @4horses and 6 of her friends at San Felasco State Park. I brought Windy, my daughter's horse, my neighbor rode my Isabeau, and 4horses had Acicate. She is keeping him for a little while because I have too many horses and she doesn't have a horse that can ride 3 hours. BUT--she has a surprise coming up, and I hope she tells about it on Horse Forum. We had a super great fun ride. All horses were beautifully behaved and we had a lot of fun switching around and talking to people.

One of my peeves is late arrivals. We got there at 8:45 when the meet-up plan was for 9:00, ride out at 9:15. There were people still ARRIVING at 9:30. I think that is selfish. One person said, "It is hard to hitch your trailer by yourself." I said, "Then you hitch it the night before, like I do." I learned a little saying when I was a child: "Every time that you are late, someone, somewhere has to wait." I do understand that unexpected things can happen with horses, but come on, hitching your trailer is NOT unexpected. My neighbor and I arrive early in case of bad traffic or some other unexpected event. It's only courteous.


----------



## weeedlady

I agree with you @knightrider I get very frustrated when people are late and I get very upset with myself if I am late! I always leave plenty of time to account for the unexpected. As a result, I am always early for everything, lol.
Hope I didn't just jinx myself.
Glad you had fun!


----------



## knightrider

@weeedlady , I joined the Pony Express challenge on your recommendation. I started it on May 11. I finally broke 1,000 miles this morning. Since May 11, I have ridden 1003 miles. For Pony Express, I can count any horse I ride, including neighbor's horses and friend's horses. I only have 900 more miles to go! It's been fun. Thank you for telling me about it.


----------



## weeedlady

@knightrider I'm glad you are enjoying the Pony Express Challenge. I was aiming for 1000 for this year but it's not going to happen  We are still plugging away at that challenge- I count both Raven and Tucker's miles. We are at 707 miles right now. Somewhere in Wyoming. A friend of mine was out west and saw this sign. It really says 45miles, but the Warhorse Admin photoshopped it for me to read 1900 miles.


----------



## knightrider

@weeedlady , that is priceless. Thank you for sharing!


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have gotten a bit more saddle time before rifle season started. The whole story is in my journal.

Hombre:
























11-18-22 Hombre cantering







www.youtube.com




























11-23-22 cantering







www.youtube.com





















Asad:
















11-17-22 Puck on trail







www.youtube.com













Gracelyn:
















11-23-22 Puck passes







www.youtube.com

















2022 mileage
...

11/17hombre9.67 miles1437 ft climb5.2 mph24F1243.31 total miles11/17asad2.72 miles482 ft climb3.4 mph24F1246.03 total miles11/18hombre14.22 miles1991 ft climb5.5 mph26F1260.25 total miles11/23hombre10.52 miles1913 ft climb5.3 mph30F1270.77 total miles11/23gracelyn2.61 miles371 ft climb3.3 mph34F1273.38 total miles11/24hombre8.01 miles1004 ft climb5.6 mph40F1281.39 total miles


----------



## egrogan

Our yo-yo weather (snow, rain, ice, clear, repeat...) closed out November and welcomed in December. We got to meet up with our riding buddies last Sunday when we had a short break in the ice.















Then most of this week has been too raw and nasty to ride, and there’s ice back on the road. Today was chilly, but at least sunny and no howling wind, so we were able to mosey around the pastures for a few minutes and at least say we recorded a couple of miles in December. 😉 Hopefully we’ll get at least a few more good rides in before the snow is really here to stay.








It's funny, when I look at my ride tracker, I had exactly the same number of rides in October and November (13 rides each), but my mileage in November was less than half that of October: only 40.1 in November (my lowest mileage month of any month that I was able to ride) but 88.0 miles in October. That's the impact of being "stuck at home" rather than being able to get out to trails and enjoy the perfect fall weather.

*Total 2022 miles: 557.5*


----------



## weeedlady

Yep, "stuck at home" makes a huge difference! The ice is finally off our roads and I was expecting 40degrees and sunny today (according to my phone last night!) so I was really looking forward to getting some real mileage today.
I did take Tucker out, and we went down the road a bit, but it sure wasn't sunny and it sure wasn't no 40degrees. More like 35 with a wicked wind that made it feel pretty darn cold! We only managed 2.36 miles before I called it quits because neither of us was really having any fun.  No pics from today because I didn't want to take my gloves off! Heavy sigh. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.


----------



## rambo99

Haven't posted on this thread in a long time. Been getting in rides average about 4 days a week currently. Milage total to Dec 2 -2022 is 865.23 pretty decent considering had to rehab. Sept/Oct put in a lot of miles beautiful weather so did some long rides.

Footing now isn't great had snow 4 inches that pretty much melted. So now lots of ice everywhere. Can ride power line ,but dirt road is now total ice slicker then snot. Our yard drive way, corrals are solid ice. Just enough dirt in drive way to be able to ride out to power line.

Pretty sketchy crossing dirt road behind us solid ice. Ride ditch to get to that dirt road. Coming back an going down hill into ditch is at best sketchy. Ice is really careful an takes on step at a time and goes really slow. I tell him it's slippery be careful. 

Some pictures from last week.. didn't bring phone today when we rode.


----------



## knightrider

Yesterday I took my grandkids for their first "real" trail ride in the woods. Each child rode about 50 minutes in a big circle. We went to Oleno State Park. My daughter and her boyfriend watched the other 3 while the one went trail riding.

I have 3 boy grandkids and one girl. The girl is the most crazy about riding, and constantly reminded me that after our first foray in trail riding around the parking lot of Oleno (which is weaving in and out of woods), that she was ready for a "real" trail ride, going off somewhere. But after 5 minutes in the saddle, she announced that she had had enough and was ready to turn back. I wouldn't do it (very unlike me). I told her I had gone to a lot of effort and trouble to make this happen. Go pick up the kids, hitch the trailer, drive to Oleno, coerce my unwilling daughter to watch 3 kids for 3 hours, cut short another activity I was supposed to be doing, and so on. About 4 times during the ride, I heard "When are we going to be back?" I told her we wouldn't go again any time soon. At the end of it, she said she had had a lot of fun and really liked it. She is 5, by the way, soon to be 6.

Then it was my littlest grandson's turn. He is 4, soon to be 5. He was delighted to go, singing his heart out as we rode along. He was loving it. When we were close to the end, he began to say, "I so tired," and I could tell by the way he was riding, he WAS really tired. But he was happy to go.

The two older boys like to sit up there, but don't want to go anywhere.

@4horses brought her mommy horse and baby horse to ride along for company. They did fabulous, as they always do. 4horses' baby horse Honor is going to be amazing. I didn't get any pictures because everyone had their hands full. Here is a picture from back in May, the first time we tried something like this.















ng like this.


----------



## weeedlady

@knightrider you are a really good grandma! (either that or you are a saint. Perhaps a bit of both!) Your grandkids will remember this when they are old!


----------



## weeedlady

Here is a picture of my son, going on his first "real trail ride" last May also. In fact, it was his first real ride ever! He's 32, lol.


----------



## Celeste

I have ridden several times since I posted. I had a weird thing go on with Dillon. He has been riding in a simple egg butt snaffle for several years. He usually rides on a loose rein. Wednesday, he started playing with his bit. I thought is was unusual, but nothing to worry about. Then he figured out how to get the entire bit out of the side of his mouth. He had a piece of the headstall in his mouth and was chewing on it. I tried my best to get it fixed without getting off. It just didn't happen.

Some of you know that I have myasthenia gravis. It makes me very weak. The real issue is that I cannot walk long distances and I cannot mount without a mounting block. I was pretty much stuck. I got the bridle sorted out and attached the reins to the halter and tied him to a tree and I sat down by another tree. My husband was busy, but I called him and he came to get me in about 30 minutes. Dillon got impatient and left. He made it back to the house safely and Prissy and I enjoyed relaxing by a tree. 

The next day I rode Dillon again and I had to keep the reins tight to keep him from pulling the bit out again. He was also a nervous wreck as we were going home. I don't think that he liked being by himself. He has gone from perfect to not in a day. 

So last night, I ordered a full cheek snaffle. I don't think that he can get that out. If he does, I will think of something else. He is a Tennessee Walking Horse. A walking horse bit makes him buck. 

*Naughty Dillon (Sweet boy, but likes to play with stuff)*









*Me waiting and waiting









Prissy standing guard over me. 









Prissy snuggling. There is no way to get her to hold still.










The bit that I ordered and I hope will work. *


----------



## lb27312

Howdy all! It’s been a while but I think I may be on the upswing in my riding…. This has been the worst year yet… oh well I’ve had plenty of years with plenty of riding. But my most frequently riding partner was injured… walking but we are at an age that a fall can break different things. I feel really bad for her. But my neighbor is back with her horses so will be riding more. I don’t mind the cold as I do the heat so hopefully.

Anyhoo went riding at the local public lake trails… scary on the way as there were tons of hunters out, can’t hunt on Sundays but I guess you can scope it out… I mean lots.

Great ride on Captain… he did really good with not having been ridden for a while. Only one big spook… there was a woman on the trail, horse trail mind you… we come up on her and her dog goes crazy… she’s like oh no he does not like horses and then says I can’t hold him… I said you better... Dog lunged and got ferocious and Cap was like nope I’m outta here… whew. Why are you on a horse trail?? I was sooo mad… I don’t like that crap at all. When I ride I want a calm ride…. But I got off and walked a few past the dog… but that was the worse even when we came across other dogs. It was a pretty technical trail, lots of water and gulley crossings, at one Caps like let’s jump! ha ha ha And lots and lots of long trotting as the other person does ride and ties and her horse is an endurance Arabian so was moving on out! Dirty pony getting ready to load.


----------



## BarbandBadgerandPedro

[



[/QUOTE]


Celeste said:


> I had a weird thing go on with Dillon.


try also a slightly loose curb chain to keep things in the right place.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have gotten a bit of saddle time since rifle started. The whole story is in my journal.

Bee:
















Hombre:
























12-4-22 Hombre gaiting







www.youtube.com




Asad:

















2022 mileage
...

12/2bee10.48 miles1001 ft climb3.9 mph38F1291.87 total miles12/4hombre11.16 miles1657 ft climb5.5 mph30F1303.03 total miles12/4asad2.34 miles531 ft climb3.2 mph32F*1305.37 total miles*


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy

Doing some catch up. I haven’t posted in this thread this year. I’ve been out on short rides with one or another of the horses from time to time. But the goodewyfe and I took a nice long ride on Mother’s Day. We rode over the mountain, and around the other side to circle back to our place. We stopped for lunch at a little outdoor restaurant that has recently opened near our place. Our dog, Snoopy followed along.


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy

Another nice ride I took this year was to a neighbor’s property. They had just built a bahay kubo ( a small traditional shelter) on a hill overlooking the irrigation impoundment to our east. I continued on to another hilltop where we had hiked when we first bought our property. From there, we can look back over the hills and forests to our little nich on the hillside. Of course, Snoopy tagged along.



















































And, a shot of me on the same overlook, I think in 2012.


----------



## weeedlady

@Cordillera Cowboy thank you for sharing your part of the world. Beautiful views.


----------



## egrogan

Hit a funny mileage milestone on our ride today, with our 2022 total reaching: *567.8 miles *😆

We rode at the shadow casting time of day
































It was chilly. I was wishing I had grabbed gloves as my fingers were tingly. Poor Fizz had legs and a belly full of icicles when we got done from trotting through some spongy spots in the pasture. It was a really pretty afternoon, though strange to have no snow at this point in December.


----------



## egrogan

Back-to-back posts in this thread as I suspect that my ride year is winding down, given the winter wonderland outside right now. 

That said, we did get to take a nice Sunday afternoon ride. We started out with just light flurries:








Fortunately the roads were clear enough we could make it out to meet our riding buddy for our weekly ride.








We headed out through the woods on a snowmobile trail, and the footing got very slippery as the snow continued. Mostly because this trail has a lot of flat rocks, and as soon as the horses stepped on those, their legs would go sliding in all directions. I have a pretty low threshold for taking risks on icy footing.

We came back home on the road, where the footing was still fine. The snow had really picked up by the time we got home though! It always feels special to be out riding in the snow ⛄
















Today's ride brings us within ~25 miles of 600 total for the year. Can we get there?? I think it's possible, but it will be right down to the wire. The roads will be covered in snow after tonight, and there are no warm ups in the forecast, so we're sort of stuck with so-so footing after the plows go through and the car tracks freeze up- that means we probably will have to stick close to home. Riding the perimeter of our pastures can get us to a 2-2.5 mile ride, which can be a bit boring, but would be worthwhile to get to our mileage goal. So- 11 more rides of 2.5 miles each. That's the goal!! 🤞

*Total 2022 miles: 573.1*


----------



## weeedlady

Lovely pics @egrogan. I also felt special riding with the snow coming down today. It was fun. We did 5.57 miles around our backyard. I also rode on Thursday and Friday. I only need 17.50 to finish Tucker's Warhorse challenge. I'm starting to thing we might be able to do it by year end if I really try. Oh, and of course if the weather doesn't get really bad.


----------



## phantomhorse13

I have gotten a some saddle time yesterday and today. The whole story is in my journal.

Yesterday:






























Today:

















2022 mileage
...

12/10hombre10.98 miles374 ft climb5.8 mph34F1316.35 total miles12/11asad4.68 miles883 ft climb3.6 mph34F*1321.03 total miles*


----------



## knightrider

All these beautiful snow pictures! Fun to look at. Fun to ride in. By contrast, we just got home from a 3 day camping trip at Black Prong trailhead in Goethe State Forest. It was super fun and the trails were lovely. I actually got a "between the ears" shot of one of the trails.









@4horses is back riding Paris, who is completely weaned from her baby now, full of energy, and happy to be back on the trails.










My neighbor on his new Paso Fino. He's only had him 5 days.










On one of our rides, we came across a fancy carriage driving place and Paris posed on one of the obstacles. (I don't think people drive their carriages on this)
















We met a lady who travels the US with her horses. She has spent time in every single contiguous state in the US. She was volunteering to put trail markers up for an endurance ride this weekend. I am guessing that @phantomhorse13 has done that ride, probably more than once. She just completed the Great Florida Cattle Drive, and she said, indeed, "It ain't for sissies." You can imagine the interesting stories she shared with us around the campfire, certainly added to our trip.


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## weeedlady

Thanks for sharing your sunshine @knightrider


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## phantomhorse13

@knightrider Black Prong is such a nice place - there used to be an endurance ride which ran right out of that driving facility! It was really cool to be able to ride around all the driving obstacles and imagine trying to fit a cart in there. You can see the bank @4horses was on across the road:


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## knightrider

They can't use that place anymore because it went under new ownership, and they upped the price so high that us regular folks can't afford to go there. But a nice lady who lives right across the street from Black Prong trailhead volunteers her farm for everyone to camp and park and do vet checks, so they can still use the trails. Does Loni still ride there?


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## phantomhorse13

Lani and Kathy didn't make it down to that ride last year, though they did get to Gator Run (which is mid-February). Not sure what their plan is for this year.


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## knightrider

@weeedlady , we made it into Utah for the Pony Express Challenge. Slowly but surely, we are working our way to CA. Only 762.35 miles to go! Very fun!

We have ridden 1137.65 miles for the Pony Express.


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## weeedlady

Yay @knightrider You made it to Utah. I am still crawling VERY slowly through Wyoming. The last time I rode was on Dec 12  I really wanted to take a Winter Solstice ride today, but the temperature -6F for much of the day, It's now climbed to 11F but the sun has gone down and the wind is picking up. Maybe tomorrow!

Winter Solstice Blessings to all!


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## whisperbaby22

To celebrate the solstice, I went out on the sand today.


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## Jolien

Hi 
I'm back.  And still riding. Eventually I didn't buy my own horse because of the inflation and war (prices of everything are so high). But on topic again. I still love to ride trails and I still do in the woods nearby on my loyal companion Boy (horse of one of my friends.) I wish I could ride more but financially that isn't possible (Yet).


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## egrogan

Just wanted to do a final post for the year on my favorite thread. I truly appreciate all of you who share your trails here! It is inspiring to read about all the adventures people have- some so different from the kind of riding I do, and some really similar to my own. This thread is great motivation to get out and ride, to keep track of all my miles - both the easy miles and the hard miles - and share how the riding season goes. Here's a bit of my year in retrospect.

Spring 2022- Started riding late, but spring came late for everyone it seemed. The roads were in bad shape well into the spring, and the trails needed a lot of clean up before things could really get going. We met a new riding buddy and had some fun early rides as we slowly got back into shape after being off since the previous December.









Summer 2022- Even though we got a late start, the summer was amazing. We did several pleasure and intro rides, and got out on the trail with some new riding buddies who matched our pace really well. The biggest accomplishment was successfully finishing our first intro CTR. I made the decision to ride alone, so I could just worry about myself and what Fizz needed, and it was a great choice.
















^Couldn't have been more proud of my trusty partner!!!
















Fall 2022- A glorious fall. I rode as much as I could and appreciated every ride, no matter how long or short. We did a couple more organized pleasure rides, both solo and with friends. It was truly the golden season.
































Winter 2022- Winter started with early snow, then weird warm-ups and deep freezes. Not sure what the rest of it will hold, but we have enjoyed some surprise December rides so far.








With the difficult weather for the second half of December, we didn't quite meet our 600 mile goal for the year, but we came pretty close, ending the year at *582.4 miles, total.* That's the best mileage I've ever had, and I didn't start riding at all until the beginning of May. Can't wait to see what next year holds. My biggest goal for next year is to enter and complete at least one 25 mile limited distance ride. From where I sit right now, it feels attainable.

Looking forward to next year's thread starting tomorrow!! 😁


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## phantomhorse13

Time for the final update of the year! My saddle time had been a bit wonky lately due to weather (snow and rain then a flash freeze resulting in ice), but temps have warmed and the ice is melting. The whole story is in my journal.

Hombre:













































Flash:
















Asad:

















2022 mileage
...

12/21hombre7.06 miles942 ft climb5.0 mph30F1353.17 total miles12/27hombre5.18 miles617 ft climb5.1 mph20F1358.35 total miles12/27flash1.26 miles85 ft climb3.3 mph21F1359.61 total miles12/28hombre5.22 miles794 ft climb4.9 mph28F1364.83 total miles12/28flash1.29 miles56 ft climb2.9 mph34F1366.12 total miles12/28asad4.54 miles919 ft climb3.6 mph40F1370.66 total miles12/29flash2.29 miles105 ft climb4.0 mph26F1372.95 total miles12/29hombre1.04 miles56 ft climb3.4 mph30F1373.99 total miles12/30hombre9.47 miles1493 ft climb4.2 mph43F1383.46 total miles12/31hombre2.54 miles314 ft climb4.2 mph50F*1386.00 total miles*

Fun stats from my spreadsheet: I rode 242 times in 2022. My highest mileage month was August with 172.94 miles and lowest mileage was February with 85.82 miles. Longest single ride was on Bee for 50.79 miles. Top 3 horse mileage was Hombre for 437.29 miles (63 times), George for 370.61 miles (71 times), and Phin for 157.74 miles (37 times).

Here is to 2023!


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## weeedlady

I tried to squeeze out a few more miles today, but the snow is just to deep and crusty. One lap around the pasture (and one time when Tucker slipped and almost fell) was enough for me to realize it just wasn't safe. So ends 2022
Final numbers:
Raven 332.9
Tucker 398.9
Total 731.8 
Not the 1000 miles I was aiming for, but it's also our all time high for a year. Considering our short riding season I think we did pretty well. Looking forward to all the miles in 2023.


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## egrogan

Posted a 2023 thread here: 2023 Edition: Share your trail

Happy trails in the New Year!


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## Celeste

Somehow, I made it to 650.48 miles. It was a lot of short rides, which is all I can hold up to do.


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## charrorider

Chance has not worked since Nov. 1st, and Sept 30th before that. By my quick calculations that's two rides in the last 70+ days. I was ready for a busy first two miles,








at minimum. As I was saddling I told him, "Chance, I'm aware of your desert ancestry and all that. But you know, you have reached maturity. You're 11 years old now. You have to start acting like you've been there done that, no matter how many days have passed since you last worked." Holy Batmobile!! Five minutes into the ride, he settled down to business like an old pro. Did he understand what I said? We had a very relaxing first ride of 2023. We rode 7.6 miles (12.3 km). I don't mind his childish antics the first mile or two, I can ride it out. But I don't want to wake up from this dream, either.


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