A Pony Adventure

Cricket

After nearly a week of holiday busyness and not having any "me" time, it was time to get out in the woods on my horse. And it was time for the dogs to get out for some serious exercise as well. I decided to take Kelso, Killian, and Cricket with me.  

Getting the boys ready

I know from previous experience that getting myself mounted while holding a second horse can be a bit tricky.  Everyone involved behaved themselves impeccably, and we set off in good order with the dogs leading the way and Cricket ponying along like a good boy.  Rhio is my best pony horse - he doesn't mind the rope touching his flanks, rump, or legs and doesn't get too upset if it gets under his tail, either. And he has always been very gentlemanly to the pony-ee, never giving off the "stay back" vibe that can make one feel much like Gumby while ponying.  He is also easy to control one-handed, leaving my other hand free to deal with the pony-ee's leadrope.  

Setting off - Kelso is the tiny dark speck in the lead. 

We walked through the deep snow out to the hayfield, made a loop around it, and meandered our way back via the back pasture route.  All of us reveled in the sparkling day, sighting a bald eagle in the tall pines and generally just soaking it all in.  The snow was knee-deep on my boys, and the dogs flopped down in the middle of the trail to chew ice balls out of their feet numerous times.  My finger tips were beginning to tingle with cold when we got back to the barn - just the right amount of effort for old man Cricket on his first outing in the snow this winter, and just enough time for me to find my center again. 

Catching our breath out in the hayfield.

Cricket: "Hey, man - thanks for carrying her around so I didn't have to!"
Rhio: "Dude, if you want, we could go again, and RUN this time?!?!" 

Mr. Snorty

I love it when my horse looks up from his hay, sees me at the gate with his bridle in hand, and comes right to me.  Red usually meets me at the gate unless he's way out grazing, or the times I catch him napping.  I hustled him into the barn for a quick once-over (a-ok) then threw the bareback pad on and slipped his bit in (nice and toasty warm from being snuggled in the front pocket of my Carhartts, under my "Nanook" parka).  Was I ever glad I did that last thing - putting his bit in!  I knew right away from the way he was softly snorting & blowing at familiar objects while tacking up what kind of mood he was in - pent up and ready to run.

And run we did, with his ears going every which way like radar gone haywire.  We walked (a little), jigged (a lot), trotted, cantered, and boogied along through the deep snow & tractor ruts out in the back woods. We took a lap around the hayfield (at a gait which I can only describe as "bounding"), and I did make an unplanned dismount at one point where he 'geed' and I 'hawed,' but luckily I am getting pretty familiar with all the just-tall-enough stumps, trees, etc that serve as mounting blocks.

I decided his energy level might benefit from some lunging in the arena, so when we came around the loop into the courtyard at Rhio's barn, we slipped into the indoor and spent a few minutes working in nice footing.  It was good to see him move, as I really can't tell how he's moving at all when we're in the snow.  Even though I haven't worked on his neck since August, he looked great!

We then headed back to his barn, and he was happy to comply with all my requests to walk, and we had a second joyful bounding lap around the hayfield before making our way home.  Kelso got pretty bogged down in the snow trying to follow us around the field, so he ended up just sitting in the middle and watching us.  When we came to our exit point, I couldn't see him as his red-and-white markings blended perfectly into the snow and background of trees.

I usually find a mental escape from the daily grind every time I ride, but sometimes I spend my ride pondering life issues.  Not a on ride like today's, though!  This kind of ride puts me entirely in the moment with my horse as I have to concentrate utterly on him to make sure I stay in the driver's seat. I have no concept of time passing, and really couldn't tell you how long we were out there, but I can remember the exact timber of every snort, the wild way his forelock stuck up between his fuzzy ears, the tiny snowflakes that fell and didn't melt on his mane on our way home, and the feel of his muscles working beneath me.  It is exhilarating and peaceful at the same time.

Winter Wonderland

Snowy apple tree

Yes, it is technically still autumn according to the calendar, but when you live in northern Minnesota winter comes early!  We have had snow on the ground since the end of October at the farm.  Seriously.  That's early even for us.  We have been lucky, however, to have calm winds and for the snow to have stayed where it fell - including gracing every nook, cranny, and tree branch with its sparkly splendor.  It is truly a winter wonderland, and what better way to enjoy it but to get out there and ride!

Jack, a.k.a Mr. Intense (he had dropped a stick at Red's feet hoping he or I would throw it for him)

Last Saturday (yep, bit behind on posting!) Gesa came over to ride with me.  I went over to get Red before she came.  We set off through the woods to the farm, only to be delayed by never-before-seen-horse-eating-monsters!  Jack had come to greet us at the barn, and so the four of us (Red, me, Kelso, & Jack) set off down the straightaway (actually a former runway for small planes) to the woods.

Winter Wonderland!

Dave has been gathering firewood with the tractor, so we had a cleared path to follow.  Red was happy & relaxed, having met me at the gate with a whinny, eager to do something.  Merrily we ride along the path, me ducking snow-laden branches to avoid the icy slide of wetness down the back of my neck.  All of a sudden, sheer panic!  What is that?  We must flee - NOW!  Red spun & bolted, which he hasn't done in a very, very long time.  Somehow I managed to stay on (thank you, sticky velcro suede bareback pad!) and get him to stop, reconsider his flight for the safety of the barn, and haltingly, nervously make our way back to confront the terrifying horse-eating monster on the trail.... The Tractor.

Terrifying Tractor blocking our way

Finally Red did approach the tractor (which he sees around the barnyard all the time) and Dave (who feeds him) and realized he was familiar with both objects.  Silly boy.  His heart beat finally became imperceptible again, and he came back into his right mind.  The tractor was disabled right over a wet, marshy area of the trail which has a culvert, meaning there was no good way around the tractor except to dismount and lead him past it on about 16" of snowy trail beside the drop-off to the marsh and the edge of the culvert.  I have seen too many legs sliced up by stepping into the edges of culverts to count.  Here's to hoping Red would be his normal self and follow my lead exactly, trusting me to keep him safe while asking him to shimmy along the side of the tractor when the expanse of white snow looked perfectly passable (though I knew the marshy ground beneath was not frozen solid - we got too much snow too early to freeze these soggy areas as they are being insulated by the blanket of snow instead - the northern conundrum of cold snow keeping the ground warm).  Success!  Red is a good boy and does exactly what I ask.  And luckily, not too far down the trail, there is a convenient tree stump to use for remounting.  I find mounting the bareback pad very difficult unless I have something quite tall to stand on, as it is so sticky that I can't slide a leg across it - the same quality which gives me such a secure ride once I'm mounted.  Everything comes with a compromise, I suppose!

Kelso leading the way

Jack stays with Dave, and Kelso, Red, and I make our way over to the farm, riding into the courtyard just as Gesa drives in.  I quickly get Rhio ready to ride, transferring the bareback pad over so that Gesa can ride in my saddle.  Partly this is trying to give her the best gear for riding (saddle vs. bareback pad) since she is riding a horse she is not used to riding and a saddle is more secure, but partly this is selfish since I know how much warmer I'll be sharing Rhio's body heat through the pad.

Gesa and Red out in the hayfield

We set off with Kelso in attendance, retracing Red's & my steps from his barn and again having to dismount to lead around the still-disabled tractor.  The boys are happy and easily directed around downed trees and into the woods to bushwhack around otherwise-impassable blockades of tangled, snowy trees.  The downside to all the gymnastic moves we & the horses make to maneuver through this snowy landscape is melting snow everywhere - the horse's faces, manes, necks, & rumps, as well as our thighs, become quickly moist then damp then outright wet with the melting snow.  We get brain freeze from the cold snow on our necks and faces.  And we grin, laugh, and quietly relish every moment spent out there in the beauty of the north woods.

Gesa, Red, and Kelso on the trails across the road

We finally admit we are getting a little cold, and head back to the barn.  Red & Rhio have worked hard trudging through the deep snow for several hours, and are dripping with melted snow, so they get covered in coolers with piles of hay to munch in stalls while we head inside to steaming mugs of tea and continued conversation.  After we all get dry, warm, and fed, Red & I head back to his barn and discover our way is now clear as Dave has evidently fixed the tractor, so we joyfully trot and canter along the tractor trail as the light fades.  Red is eagerly anticipating his dinner, and I am just plain old happy.

Looping around the back pasture

The Best Kind of Therapy

By this afternoon, I was crabby and out-of-sorts, for no big reason, and many small ones, all of which will look inconsequential in hindsight but at the time were looming large and irritating.  It was also the warmest, most pleasant day we've had since October, so despite the quickly waning daylight, I tacked Rhio up quickly (bareback pad, not saddle) and we headed down the lane between pastures toward the woods & freedom.  Kelso & Killian tagged along, and Rhio seemed eager.

The landowner here has a new snow toy to play with, and has been plowing tracks all over the place.  Each of the pastures has a big loop, which is great to spread the hay out very sparsely (a flake here, a flake there) and make the horses "graze" their way through their hay ration rather than standing in one place with a heaping pile of hay in front of them.  He's also plowed the trail out to the hay field in back, and the untouched snow is about mid-cannon deep so definitely still passable (and it's still soft) - so we went merrily around the field and through the trees until we reached Red's barn's land, where they've been gathering down trees for firewood with the tractor.  Tractor tire ruts are well-packed and just the right width for trotting!  Yay! We had to skip a few of our favorite little loops due to down trees, but had a grand time motoring around the woods.  On our way home, I followed another of the plowed tracks, and discovered it'd been cleared in a loop all the way around two pastures - and the footing was perfect for cantering!  So, I asked Rhio to move out and off we went, flying around the corners and scooting along the fenceline (oh, did we get everyone all riled up!).  It was so much fun, we just had to do it twice more - and I had a grin plastered to my face worthy of a denture commercial.  The sun was setting behind the bare trees, painting the sky pink, purple, and orange, as we cantered up to the barn along the last straightaway and I slipped off Rhio's back to give him a big hug and a huge "Thank you!" The twinkle in his eye let me know that he had had as much fun as I had had, and magically my bad mood had simply evaporated.

He was wet & steaming from his exertions, and my legs were quivering with the effort of riding fast bareback, so I threw his cooler on him and we walked into the twilight with the dogs until he was dry and my legs were loose.  I can think of nothing I'd rather do than this.  Ride.  Be.  Breathe.

Use Those Lurching Muscles, Ladies!

I rode today with friends & fellow endurance riders Jodi & Rhonda.  Jodi is starting a new horse, a coming 5 year old Arabian mare Rana.  Rhonda rides a cute gaited, spotted something, Snickers.  We met at Jodi's house and loaded the three horses (I rode Cameo, an Arab mare Jodi & I bought together several years ago in hopes of having a foal from her - that didn't work out, but she's a nice extra horse to have around for trail riding) in Jodi's little trailer for the quick jaunt to her in-laws property, about 5 miles away.

Rhonda performing the snowbank mounting feat we needed today.

Heading across the hayfield / runway  with dogs Cooter (cattle dog) & Ripley (hound) in tow

We set off through hock deep (on the Arabs - belly deep on Snickers!) crusty snow, with the horses frequently stopping and looking back to the trailer while clearly exchanging glances indicating how ridiculous us humans were for asking them to struggle though this snow.  

Heading into the woods on slightly firmer footing - a few snowmobiles had run over this area & slightly packed it, although the horses still broke through unexpectedly. Rhonda & Snickers in the lead and Jodi & Rana following.

Crossing the hayfield / runway (Jodi's father-in-law flies planes) was the most difficult portion because the horses couldn't really count on consistent footing, and traded off breaking trail several times.  The fact that you don't really see deer tracks in this snow at all tells you something - it's really deep & difficult going!  The deer stick to the roads, driveways, and snowmobile trails to get around.  We are all riding bareback (Rhonda & I with bareback pads, Jodi truly bareback) - which gives us nice toasty warm buns, but also requires quite a lot of balance & flexibility to stay with the horses as they lurch & lunge through the deep snow.  It is a workout for both parties for sure.

The trails in the woods are more passable, which allowed us a little trotting and even a spot of cantering.  Whee!

Turn-around spot

Making our way back to the trailer, coming around the far end of the runway, with tired & sweaty horses, though we only rode for about 1/2 hour

The horses sure got their cardio workout for the weekend!  Lots of strength (resistance) training, too.  We're already looking ahead to our endurance season & starting to get everyone in shape.

After returning to Jodi's, we each grabbed another horse to head out for a quick jaunt on the road so I could test Jodi's FreeForm Classic treeless saddle.

Shilo modeling the FreeForm Classic treeless saddle over a Skito Dryback pad.

I rode Shilo, an Arab mare & endurance mount, to try the FreeForm saddle.  I was very comfortable in this saddle!  It felt like a "real" treed saddle in terms of the support I felt for my seat & position, but was also very close contact and I could really feel the horse moving, too.  It was a very brief trial, but I liked this saddle.  I will continue to look into a FreeForm and keep it on my list of potential saddles.

Jodi rode her other young horse, Kiya

Rhonda rode another spotted horse, Gypsy - but this one's a lot taller than little Snickers!

After our two rides, I changed Rhio's bandage and started to think about other options to help him heal.  I plan to start acupuncture treatments tomorrow, and also to discuss shoeing with my farrier at our appointment on Wednesday.  I wonder if unloading the hoof wall below the injury will allow the coronary band to come back down into a more normal position.  The injury is no longer draining and looks quite healthy, but the coronary band is not resuming a more normal location and that is worrying.  I did let him run around the indoor for a little bit today, to blow off some steam, and he is perfectly sound again in all gaits.  Yeah! 

You can see how nice & clean & dry it looks now (Day 8) but that coronary band certainly isn't where it's supposed to be!

For comparison, here's the injury 8 days ago when I started bandaging & treating.

Rhio playing with the "pony pacifier" treat ball while I rebandage his foot.

A Little Bit O' This, A Little Bit O' That

My friend Gesa & I planned to meet & ride today.  Since it's February, that means using the indoor arena & her coming to my barn to ride my horses.  In the summer, we tend to trade off riding each other's horses when we can't organize a trailer to borrow to go somewhere (she has a truck but no trailer - I have neither.)

Since Rhio is on the injured reserve list, that meant I had to get Red over to the barn where Rhio & Cricket live, so I would have horse for her to borrow.  Luckily, Red's barn is just a mile through the woods and the properties abut each other.  Since both property owners have had some logging work done recently, the trails are fairly passable as long as you stay in the equipment tracks.

I saddled up Red with the bareback pad & bridle (this was a handy choice - see later!) and we set off through the woods with Kelso on our heels.  It was still quite chilly, around zero, so I was happy to have my Carhartts on - my bend-ability, however, was negligible & much ducking was required to negotiate the trails while avoiding as much of the inevitable snow-down-the-back-of-the-neck as possible. Also, I wore a backpack with a few things I intended to give/show to Gesa or needed for the morning (no saddle bags on the bareback pad.)  This turned out to be a more challenging prospect than I had imagined.  Even a light backpack really changes your balance!  Also, it was quite bouncy at anything more than a walk!  I don't think I'll make a habit of riding with a backpack.

We made it to the other barn with no major mishaps, although Red was snorting & blowing like we were on Mars.  I admit, with the logging, it did look different back there - but, really, come on silly pony!  I think he was just pissed that I'd taken him away from the morning hay.

Gesa saddled up Cricket with the Barefoot treeless saddle I'm borrowing, and I put Red's Synergist on him (so we could trade horses & trade saddles throughout the morning - trying each saddle on each horse.)

We mounted up in the indoor, and Gesa immediately got the "riding Cricket" grin!  He is a fabulous ride and absolutely everyone who climbs aboard can't help but grin ear-to-ear.  She really liked the Barefoot saddle, but had never ridden Cricket before, so didn't know how much was loving the horse (he has amazing soft gaits) and how much was the saddle.  We switched saddles, trying the Barefoot on Red and putting the Synergist on Cricket.  Then, we switched horses.  Gesa has ridden Red before and is pretty familiar with him.  She put him through his paces in the Barefoot & still loved the saddle.  Cricket & I puttered around and I became convinced that I didn't particularly care for the Barefoot.  It was quite interesting to switch back & forth between the 2 saddles, and on both horses - I think it gave us a good feel for each saddle independent of the horse effects.  

Red wearing the Barefoot saddle

Christine & Tomas joined us & the three of us played leapfrog (teaching the horses to pass & be passed while maintaining a steady pace - theoretically, anyway!) for several laps around the arena both directions, and Cricket gave me a marvelous little lope.  

Christine & Tomas, and Gesa & Red - illustrating what we were REALLY doing all morning - gabbing!

Kelso - reluctantly supervising while wishing the car was here so he could go sit in it

We decided to introduce Red to the soccer ball after we were done riding.  He took to it immediately, showing the most interest of any of the horses!  

Red nuzzles the ball while I adjust stirrups preparing to mount up & play - this was less than 3 minutes after he first saw the ball.

Yes, we're in the midst of kicking the ball!

Get that ball!

Once Red had demonstrated his soccer prowess (he was elected team captain, and so far sole member, of Team Edward) he was allowed to munch some hay in a stall while Rhio got his bandage changed. Today he was a perfect pony, walked right into the tack room, and his wound is looking slightly better. So far no trouble keeping the boot & bandage on even out in the pasture!


Finally, Red & I got ready to head home, leaving the backpack & Carhartt's behind. Rhio, Cody, & Winston took our walk through the alleyway by their pasture as an invitation to run through the deep snow behind us, revving Red up & setting the tone for the entire ride home. Red transformed into a fire-breathing dragon and about dragged my arms out of their sockets! I was thrilled to have chosen bit & bridle over riding in the rope halter today! Also I was glad to have ditched the Carhartt's because I was very sweaty by the time we got back to his barn. I think I did a lot of yelling, too - but I don't think it made much of an impression on him. Needless to say, there are no photos of our return ride because I couldn't let go of the reins to grab the camera nor would they have been worth looking at if I had - too much motion for still photography! I stuck like a burr to that bareback pad & managed not to get an eye poked out - so I guess we count that as a success :) It sure felt an awful lot like the start of an endurance ride - only we're not typically plunging through several feet of snow while attempting to beat recent Kentucky Derby winners and dodge overhanging, snow-laden pine trees.

Heat Wave Tuesday!

You know what I love about January?  It is almost always sunny with blue, blue skies.  Sure, the temperature is often way below zero.  But the sun does shine!  And with the blanket of white to reflect the sun's rays, it is so bright & beautiful.  As luck would have it, today hit 30!  It was sunny but also windy, so it didn’t feel as warm as it could have.  I took advantage anyway, and spent the whole afternoon with the boys.

Rhio had first dibs, and we headed out to try the trails with Kelso & Killian tagging along.  Unfortunately, after multiple failed mounting attempts (I kept choosing crumbling snow banks to climb), I was finally aboard only to discover that the lane out to the trails really wasn’t at all passable.  I had hoped that someone had been snowmobiling out there enough to pack the snow down & get rid of the 3 – 4” thick crust of ice, but that wasn’t the case.  Well, then, on to Plan B: riding on the road.

This was a bit worrisome, as the snow packed on top of the gravel can be like a skating rink, and although I have hoof boots I could use, I don’t have any studs to put in them for traction.  So, we’d have to see how it was with bare hooves.  As long as we stayed to the very edge, it was ok.  The scant inch of fluffy snow from yesterday actually improved the footing quite a bit. 

Rhio was feeling pretty feisty and wanting to trot – this was great and he’s very smooth & comfy in the bareback pad.  However, I was using the Myler bit again and he didn’t seem happy with it at all.  As long as I had only very light contact, we were ok.  If I picked up a firmer contact or asked him to half-halt, slow down, or turn, I could immediately feel his back tense and feel resistance throughout his body.  Riding in the bareback pad makes me aware of smaller changes in his body, I think, but also lowers my confidence factor just a bit (I know this horse will buck – only rarely – but often enough that I never forget it!), so makes me less likely to maintain my own level of relaxation.  Of course, any tension I have he picks up on right away.  So it makes me wonder if I should go back to riding in the saddle, at least when we’re outside.  If I’m more confident, will he be more confident, too? 

We returned to the barn having had a nice, albeit very short, ride and his tension never developed into anything.

Cricket was next – today was the day to remove the sutures from his nose.  It’s healing great, and the sutures were already nice & loose (a good sign that they’re ready to come out.)  After suture removal, we took a little walk around the farm, visiting some of the other barnyard critters – like the goats & alpacas.  Cricket had to show off for them, trotting past their pen with his tail flying, neck arched, and doing his best Arab snort-and-breathe-at-the-same-time. (I don’t think they were particularly impressed.)  It’s a treat to see him all hyped up!

After turning them both out naked for a few hours of sunshine (they’ve been in their winter blankets pretty much 24/7 for weeks now), I headed over to Red’s barn (only a mile away) to take him out for a quick spin, too.  I stopped on my way to stomp down a bit of a path through the snow bank around the gate at the gravel pit so we could get in more easily.

Red was all jazzed up as well, and came out of the snow bank at the gate already in a trot.  We compromised on a medium-slow trot down the access road to the gravel pit, and eventually slowed to a walk so we could just enjoy the day.  The two bald eagles & the large flock of crows were once again annoyed at our disruption of their feast.  

There were lots of critter tracks in the powdery snow, and I noticed that the little prey animals make tracks directly across the road at pretty much a 90 degree angle, as if they are trying to cross the open space as quickly as possible.  We saw mostly rabbit & rodent tracks doing this.  The predator animals, though, seemed to use the plowed road as a thoroughfare, and their tracks would go right down the road.  We saw fox & coyote tracks for sure, and possibly wolf.  

These tracks I think might be wolf, as they are about 4 times as big as Kelso’s, although they don't really look it in the photo.   There is only 1 set, though, which makes me think it is a lone wolf broken off from the nearby Island Lake pack.  Or maybe it’s just my wishful thinking that they are wolf tracks at all! 

And I finally got a shot of the wing-prints that the crows leave (at least I think these would be crows – they don’t seem big enough to be the eagles). 

We returned to the barn for a brief session of fetch with the new farm dog, Jack, and then Kelso & I headed back to town happy & hungry.