Skeptic

Gesa & I planned to ride together this morning, as our schedules coincided, and the weather & footing conditions would determine venue & type of ride.  So, when she arrived with Paco in tow, I proposed a quick trailer ride over to the snowmobile trail so we could put some miles on.  She was very skeptical that the footing would be good, but I had the ace in my pocket of having ridden out to the "closed" portion of a local road yesterday - it is frequently traversed by snowmobiles though it is not a groomed trail.  It was in fabulous condition and Rhio & I were able to trot/canter the whole length of the snow-covered portion of the road.  She tried to talk me out of it, but I prevailed - and boy were we happy we'd made that decision! It was not icy, but rather slightly too slushy/soft in a few spots and worn down to mud in several areas.  Overall, though, it was great footing for horses and we merrily trotted and cantered along enjoying the day.

Miles of open trail stretching ahead of us - the only thing limiting our ride is time and energy.  This feels like a real luxury to me because this trail crosses numerous swampy/boggy areas, as all our local snowmobile trails do, and the length of our rides here in the summer are correspondingly shortened. In the winter, when all is frozen, we have access to all of it!  This trail in particular is great because it is very hilly; I can tell Rhio is out of shape because he wanted to canter up the hills instead of trot.  

I should be completely truthful here, and mention the fact that it rained (yes, you read that correctly - I said rained) the entire ride.  March 17th, it was 43 degrees and raining, and we did 10 miles of the snowmobile trail, with happiness exuding out our pores & those of our horses (or was that sweat? hard to tell because we were all drenched with the steady light rain by the time we returned to the trailer).  For whatever reason, Gesa & I seem to have a proclivity for rainy rides.  Mind you, this is not our intent - we would prefer to ride on a sunny, calm, lovely weather day, of course.  But we are distance riders!  Once I'm in the saddle, and especially if I have the opportunity to be out on a trail & not just riding at home, there's not much in the weather department that's going to stop me.

It does help to be properly attired for whatever inclement weather is being offered up. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my lightly insulated gloves are indeed waterproof, and I was riding in my muck boots anyway because they're a little warmer than my Blundstones, so my extremities were toasty & dry.  I had my polarfleece beanie (completion award from our 50 miler last Oct) under my helmet, so my head stayed warm.  My jacket was water-resistant, and held up pretty well since we weren't getting drenched, but I was glad to have a polarfleece layer on beneath it.  I wore my Kerrits Windpro insulated winter tights, which shed rain for a while and are also polarfleece lined.  By the time we returned to the trailer, my legs were cold and if we slowed to a walk, I started to feel the chill creeping in - but, really, for not actually planning to be riding in the rain, I was pretty pleased!  I had also thrown a light polarfleece rump rug on Rhio, and was glad of that decision as well.  The boys were steaming pretty good when we stopped!

We saw two particularly interesting wildlife-related things, one of which I snapped a photo of & one of which I didn't.  The one I didn't get a shot of was a large dead pine that had been extensively remodeled by a woodpecker (or several), so that it looked like the beginnings of a totem pole.  The excavated tree bits littered the snow around the tree in quite an impressive circle.  I have been noting a lot of activity from Pileated woodpeckers recently; I hear them calling a lot and see them flying around.  I presume it is the beginning of mating/nesting season for these native, year-round residents and that one had an enthusiastic plan for this particular dead tree.

See the next photo for the one I did get a picture of:

Moose poo!  Pretty fresh looking, too :) 

There is a very small window of opportunity to ride the snowmobile trails in the spring.  Try to go too early and you run the risk of encounters with the snow machines.  Try to go too late and the poor horses will be slogging through fetlock-deep slush or mud or some nasty combination of the two.  Most years I get one day of perfect snowmobile trail riding - this year I've already had two days!

"Zhhh-shoop!"

Red in his home pasture

"Zhhh-shoop" is the phonetic spelling for the terrifying noise made by snow sliding down the fabric roof of the indoor arena.  Here we were enjoying the sunshine with a nice little mosey down the road, and I had to ruin a perfectly good thing by locking poor Red inside the belly of a huge beast intermittently & unpredictably roaring out in anger.

The darker areas are snow on the roof, poised to slide down at any second

This is the time when my original plans for the ride go flying out the window, and I improvise.  I employed multiple tactics today to attempt to salvage a worthwhile ride out of the horrifically scary (to Red) situation we were in:

1. turning on classical MPR and BLASTING it,

Kelso supervising

2. covering the arena in a plethora of poles, cavalettis, and other devices to hold his attention,

Red hides in the corner furthest from the sliding snow while I get all our stuff set up

3. lunging him over, around, and through said devices to get him to focus on something other than the scary monster
4. riding him over, around, and through said devices to get him to focus on me
5. giving up and retreating back outside, and taking a leisurely walk back to his barn to cool him out

Back home post ride, ready for a few treats and a great big hug

Really, though, it was a good ride because he didn't come completely unglued and he was able to work & think for short periods of time despite the distractions.  When I think back to the rides we had together when I first bought him, I realize how far we've come and how much we trust each other.  I knew he wasn't going to explode and do something stupid, like run us into the wall or take off bucking.  And he knew that whatever that scary noise was, it wasn't really going to eat us because I obviously wasn't concerned about it.  I didn't find myself getting worked up or frustrated with him, but enjoying the challenge of working with him in this less-than-ideal situation.  Did I accomplish what I'd set out to do on today's ride?  No.  Did I enjoy my horse and did we both get a little sweaty in body and mind? Yes.

A Love-Hate Relationship

Mental age: 3
Actual age: 16 in April

Oh, my boy Red.  It was one of those days, wasn't it?  All I desired was a happy little ride, just to enjoy the day and the amazing weather in the 50s on February 16 in Duluth! I didn't think that was asking too much. Apparently I was wrong...

I knew as soon as Red & Rusty "The Instigator" wheeled and took off after coming to me & receiving their baby carrots that I was in for it today.  There are approximately 3 days every year when I cannot catch my horse.  I usually have no idea they're coming, and there hasn't been a pattern or trigger that I can tell.  Today was Day 1 for 2011.  The snow is still over hock-deep in their pasture, and its pristine expanse attests to the fact that they have been sticking to the compacted areas and not wandering around much.  I guess if you're not going to let me catch you, you can get a nice workout by trotting & cantering & galloping through that deep snow.  It was a great theory which I presumed would lead to efficiently obtaining control of my pony.  Not so much...  He and Rusty managed to cavort, kick up their heels, show me the whites of their eyes, froth & sweat, and generally flip me the bird for at least 15 minutes, at which point they were both breathing through hugely flared nostrils, sounding like monstrous bellows.  Red took one last half-hearted romp into the pasture from the paddock, realized Rusty wasn't following him, and then turned and walked right up to me.  Yep, that's my boy.  Ridiculous, really - and, I admit, kind of fun to watch them run.  Of course I had left my camera in the car at this point.

Once I had my sweaty horse in hand, I thought I might have a nice ride, since he'd already expended so much energy.  Oh, was I wrong!  I saddled (yep, SADDLED, BRIDLED, and used his MARTINGALE), walked to the end of the driveway, checked the girth, and hopped up (oh! what a stretch!  one side effect of riding in the bareback pad all winter, with which I require an elevated mounting device to get on, is that my legs aren't used to the  s_t_r_e_t_c_h  to get up to that stirrup.) We set off down the paved road, as it was mostly clear, and I wondered how the ride would go, given that Red has issues with "splashing" noises, as from cars driving through the melted snow puddles.  Well, splashing didn't even register on his radar today... but seeing a horse in the distance sure did!  Mind you, this is the same horse that has lived in the same pasture the entire 7 years that Red has lived at this barn.  Today, however, he slammed to a stiff halt, threw his head up as high as it will go, and snorted for all he was worth.  Alarm-snorted, over, and over, and over again.  He refused to budge.  Those hooves were absolutely glued to the ground.  I quickly realized that asking, telling, and demanding that he go forward was utterly pointless, so I dismounted, unclipped the martingale and reins so I could use the reins as a lead, and lunged him right there on the stinking road.  Useless exercise in this case, but it vented a little of my frustration with him so that I could proceed to hand-walk him the mile to my farm.

Here we are frozen as if by an alien ray-beam as he alarm-snorts and stares fixedly at a horse in the distance. Yes, a horse. In fact, the same horse that is ALWAYS here! The same road, pond, & pasture which we traverse countless times every year, for the past 7 years.  Really.  

Once we got past the freakishly scary HORSES, the gravel road was still solid ice, so I stayed on foot for safety's sake.  Once at the farm, he got to lunge in the arena for a while, until he was sweaty and huffing yet again.  Then, we set off through the deep snow toward home.  The snow is the texture of mashed potatoes (thanks, Christine, for that analogy - it's perfect!) and quite passable, though requiring a lot of effort to do so.  He was willing to move at this point (going home attitude), but also used the thinnest of excuses to rush, bolt, spook, and punctuate it all with yet more alarm-snorting.  We did make it home, unscathed.  I wish I'd had the heart rate monitor on him to know which got his heart pumping fastest - his pretend spooking at familiar things, or surging through that deep, wet, thick snow.

Ok, I love this view between my horse's ears even on a "bad" ride day (is there really such a thing?  At least I was out there!)

I love my horse, really I do.  I trust that he's not going to misbehave in a dangerous way.  I love 54 degrees in February with the sun shining.  But I hate these spring rides with a mentally unstable horse, and often iffy footing conditions that really require obedience and attention to one's hooves.  Trying to get his head screwed on straight while keeping us both safe is not exactly fun and certainly not relaxing. I'm exhausted.

What a Treat!

Oh boy - the open trail! He was so light and animated beneath me, ready to roll. 

It's a mid-February thaw, and we took advantage to hit the local snowmobile trail.  It was above 40, sunny, and very windy.  We hoped that a Tuesday afternoon wasn't going to be a popular snowmobiling time, and we couldn't resist the prospect of open trail.  We pulled into the parking lot, only a few miles from the farm, and saddled up as the sun was getting pretty low in the sky.  We heard a few sleds buzz by on the main trail, but they were long gone before we were ready to set off.

Safety first! Just call me the queen of visibility :) 

The trails have an incredible base on them this year, what with all the snow we've received.  The conditions were perfect for horses: firm, packed snow with a slightly soft top layer for grip.  I've ridden spring snowmobile trails often, usually in late March when they aren't in good enough shape for the machines anymore, and they vary from passable to frequently either ice/snow under a layer of frigid water to so soft that the horses sink as if in sand.  Neither of the latter two are any good for moving out, and today was absolutely perfect.  

I am very, very cautious around snowmobiles.  When I did regular vet work, our practice had to euthanize a horse that had been hit by a snowmobile (on a road, not a trail) and had broken its femur.  Not good.  I really do try to only take minimal risks with my horses, despite what it may seem from the tales I tell!  I know that the snowmobile folks do not expect to see horses on "their" trails, and that they are mostly traveling quite rapidly along them.  Also, this trail is full of hills and turns, so there are not long sight distances.  We have the advantage that they are noisy, so we know they're coming usually for quite a distance, though sometimes they are speeding along enough that even hearing them way off isn't enough time to locate a safe spot to stand where they will see us.  Also, in this situation my white horse almost completely blends into the background, especially in the low light of late afternoon, so I outfitted him with his blaze rump rug just for visibility.  And, I realized today, I have never had Rhio around snowmobiles.  They make a distinctive high-pitched whine as they pass us, and I've seen several extremely road-safe/traffic-safe horses freak out over snowmobiles.  Well, despite all this, I couldn't resist the opportunity to get my boy out and TROT!  

We're all loving it! Smiling Kelso with happy "up" tail, Paco & Gesa following along, and Rhio's wild windswept tail.

So trot we did - we had about 50 minutes until sunset once we were both mounted, so I kept a close eye on my GPS for time, and we set off at a nice clip.  The boys were extremely willing, to say the least!  It is always exciting to let those hooves fly after a winter spent mostly hanging around in the boring pasture, or struggling through the snowbound farm trails.  There is nothing quite like the exhilaration of the wind whipping my horse's mane & tail while our shadow tries in vain to catch us.  

The sun is near to setting at our turn-around point.

At the 25 minute mark, we'd gone about 2 1/2 miles, and we turned around.  Now the boys wanted to race, which added a little more "spice" to the return journey.  Both boys behaved, and made their wishes to run all-out pretty clear.  Rhio's MO is head tossing - so violent that he throws us off balance and veers off the trail.  Paco's MO is bucking - luckily not major bucks, but, still, BAD HORSIES!  We heard sleds on the return trip, but did not meet up with them on trail (whew!) - and hit the parking lot at 48 minutes ride time and 4.8 miles.  Not bad for February 15 and the ever advancing dusk! 

The sweaty ponies got to wear their fuzzy polarfleece coolers home, and after a little cool-down hand walking, Rhio spent an hour in a stall to finish drying before going out to his pasture buddies. I'd like to think he found today's ride as thrilling and wonderful as I did; if his luminous dark eyes tell me anything, it's that he loves it, too.  

Oh, yeah. 

Thin Skinned?

Ready to go, Mom! 

It is ridiculously wishful thinking to even contemplate that the current thaw is actually the beginning of spring.  I know better than that.  But I have decided to thoroughly ignore any forecast past Thursday, since between now and then every single day is above freezing!

It will come as no surprise that I spent a lot of time with horses this weekend.  Yesterday Becca & I took Rhio and Kaos out back through the deep snow, and ended up making it into a loop walking gingerly down the edge of the road.  It was definitely doable on the road - yay! The dogs, Kelso & Bowser, accompanied us and got to play with Jack when we met up with Dave doing some firewood gathering in the back woods. We chatted some, then backtracked to the hayfield to allow him to get back down the trail with the tractor & logs.  We did a loop through the deep, deep snow with the ponies huffing and puffing, then came back through the trails only for Becca to notice some blood on the snow.  In Rhio's next step, she realized it was coming from him - his right front to be exact.  When we got to the plowed part of the trail, I hopped off to assess the wound.  It was bleeding freely but wasn't painful, and was a nice clean slice.  I assume he caught the wrong side of an ice chunk.  It was on the inside heel bulb but thankfully above the coronary band.  This boy is so prone to wounds!!!  Especially on his legs.  Grrr!  

The classic mounting block - the tailgate!

Kelso, and Bowser sporting a jacket,  enjoy the hayfield

Becca & Kaos breaking trail and showing just how deep that snow really is

We finished our ride, and the bleeding had stopped by the time we got home.  I decided to close the flap, although it probably didn't really need it.  I numbed it up, then tried to suture it with standard suture material.  Unfortunately, it is Rhio's worst foot for allowing me to hold it up.  Ever since I bought him, he is terrible about holding his right front foot up and will yank it out of my hands repeatedly even when I am just picking his feet.  I have not been able to correct this behavior, so despite the fact that the skin was numb, I just couldn't get a period of stillness enough to place the needle.  As always, I did have a plan B and it was time to utilize it!  My very favorite tool - the surgical stapler.  These things are awesome!  I did have to place 3 staples to get two where I wanted them, as he was still yanking his foot away (at precisely the wrong instant, of course), but it is so quick and easy.

Fresh wound on trail (blood is SO dramatic on a white leg!)

All stapled up!  (I'm holding the hoof and you can see the shaved area & 2 staples in the middle of the photo)

Today it looks great - no swelling and no lameness.  I'm avoiding any more work in the deep snow until it is healed, so I took him and Cricket out for a mile+ hand walk this morning.  Then I went to Jodi's and rode one of her horses this afternoon, and tomorrow will be Red's turn.  We are all desperate for some freedom from this interminable winter.  (actually, I really do love winter...but this one is feeling SO long already!)

It's been MONTHS since we've been able to ride down the road! 

All the Naked Horses

Feb 5, 2011
Temp: above freezing!  Man, it's been a cold winter and this is the first thaw we've had so far.

Winter blankets all-in-a-row

This morning while feeding horses, I was so hot & sweaty that I stripped not only my polarfleece hat but my parka as well.  I was outside in a single layer of fleece plus my Carhartts, boots, & gloves.  It was nearly balmy.  If I was comfortable sans hat & jacket, the horses also would be comfortable sans their winter blankets, so I started stripping blankets on nearly everyone as I fed out grain.  Unfortunately, our horses have been pretty much locked into their blankets 24/7 since early to mid-November.  It turns out, I am "anti-blanket," despite the fact that two of my horses regularly wear them.  I don't think blankets are good for their skin, their necks & backs, or their range of motion.  I wish my horses weren't wearing them.  But, Rhio and Cricket have both been in blankets nearly continuously since November.

Cricket in his back-up winter blanket

Cricket is almost 29 (birthday next month!) and has no extra weight to speak of.  He is happy & healthy and grows a respectable winter coat, but without an extra fat layer (his body condition score is a 4 on a scale of 1 - 9) he expends too much energy to stay warm in our harsh winter weather (which we've had more than usual of this winter!) and would lose weight without extra help.  He gets help in two forms: extra calories and a winter blanket.  He also is the lowest ranking member of his herd of 4, and as such is rarely allowed in the shelter (although there is ample room for at least 6 horses in there!).  Cricket has a wardrobe of garments for different weather conditions, including a waterproof but unlined rain sheet for use during wet but warm weather (around 40 and above), a midweight blanket (also waterproof) for use during mild cool temps (his spring & fall jacket), and 2 heavyweight blankets (1 several years old with the accompanying wear & tear as a back-up, and his main blanket which is in its 2nd winter) for winter wear.

Rhio sporting his layers

Rhio is young, healthy, and the "top dog" in his pasture, but this winter he, too, has required a blanket.  I believe this is due to his athletic condition prior to winter starting and to our earlier-than-normal onset of a colder-than-typical winter.  He is also a body condition score of 4 on the 1-9 scale.  He was in top shape at the end of October for our last endurance competition, very lean & fit.  Winter pretty much started immediately after that ride, and he did not have a chance to put on a little insulating layer of fat before the cold set in.  I resisted blanketing him as long as I could; he has a history of abusing blankets severely and wiggling his way out of them unscathed if he doesn't want to be wrapped up & cozy.  In the past, he has only worn a blanket during the most severe winter weather (windchills and/or air temperatures well below zero).  Early this winter, however, I would find him nestled in the shelter while his herd was out eating their hay.  He was choosing shelter over food.  I didn't think that was a good thing, so I gave in and started blanketing him.  I knew he welcomed his "binkie" when he stood still as stone, unhaltered in the pasture, to have it put on.  I was doubly sure he liked it when it was still on and intact the following morning!

Rhio's wardrobe also consists of a waterproof sheet for wet weather, a midweight turnout blanket (all he has worn even in the coldest temperatures in the past), and now a "system" of warmer layers for the cold weather.  He wears an insulated stable blanket for warmth, plus the waterproof sheet over the top for wind & damp protection.  Recently he has developed a rub on his chest from the binding on the stable blanket, so I have also added a base layer of lycra to prevent rubbing.  My "tough" endurance horse looks like a stall baby this year (how embarassing!). But, he is warm & dry and doesn't hide in his shelter anymore.  He still looks as trim & fit as he did in October, so the blanketing is maintaining status quo.

I was thrilled to have the horses go naked today - they & their blankets both had a chance to air out a bit in the 30+ degrees.  They seemed pretty thrilled, too - especially Rhio who spent quite a lot of time cavorting and playing while unencumbered by his outerwear.  I was dismayed, however, to discover Rhio's new hue - purple!  His black lycra chest protector has dyed his white hair purple, so he is now tri-colored with a yellowish-tan head & neck (dirt/manure), purple chest & shoulders (lycra protector), and white barrel & rump (clean & protected by his blanket).  Boy it's a good thing he's not a show pony!  (Will the purple shed out with his winter fur?  Or sweat off in purple streaks running down his legs when we start seriously conditioning this spring? Or will I have to actually bathe my horse with shampoo to restore him to his natural state?)

Yep, that's my tie-dye pony! 

Leaving Belly Prints

I took Red out for a spin yesterday, and hopefully this is the start of some regular posting on my blog again. January was difficult with my old dog being very ill (he's so much better now! I can't believe I nearly euthanized him just a few weeks ago) and then going to Florida for vacation.  I have photos & stories backed up from December that never got done, so here's to a fresh start going forward.

We had about six MORE inches of fresh powder to traverse on our outing yesterday.  Slogging through the hayfield is getting to be a bit ridiculous, actually.  Our trail was a trough made by his belly dragging in the snow!  I realize he's not the tallest of horses (14.3) and he's got a bit of extra winter belly hanging there, but, geesh, leaving a belly print is a bit extreme.  We did make our way gingerly down the road for about 1/2 mile as well.  Going away from home, this worked well.  Our road hasn't been plowed yet, so the edges are untouched by vehicle traffic and the ice beneath is fairly well covered.  We walked sedately along.  Then we turned around.  And the trouble began... because of course Red hasn't seen what amounts to open ground in a long time, and he was itching to fly.  My constant admonishing to "watch your feet!" "slow down, it's slippery!" and "knock it off!" fell on completely deaf ears as we jigged toward home.  About 50% of the time I managed to get a speed walk, but as soon as a foot would slip, he'd use that as an excuse to break into a trot or veer into the center of the road which was obviously icy.  Grrrr!  I had contemplated going all the way back to his barn on the road, but decided to go back through the deep snow. I decided the danger of falling on the road was greater than the possibility of getting bogged down or injured in the deep snow.  He did try to trot (bounce-bouNCE-BOUNCE I went!)  and even canter in that deep, deep snow, but we made it safe & sound.

It's not like I don't want to be flying down the trail, too.  Our days are longer, the sun is warmer, and ride season is approaching!  I started keeping a ride log for Red in 2005 and every year except one I have been able to get out on the gravel roads and do some serious conditioning miles in the first week of March.  We sure have a lot of snow this year, and it just keeps coming, so I would guess we may have to wait a few additional weeks this year.

Experiment

My first ride of the new year was January 5.  Our great winter riding conditions have been severely damaged by a day of freezing rain New Year's Eve.  Our deep snow now has a crunchy layer on top, which Kelso can mostly skim across but the horses definitely break through.  It makes riding in the snow even more difficult and a little bit dangerous, too.  The crust does not give fast enough sometimes, and Rhio really struggles to get those front legs up & out of the entrapping snow.  We had a few dramatic stumbles, but luckily he is agile enough to catch & right himself, and I was lucky enough to stay on (this time anyway).  No more trotting & cantering through the deep powder, which was so fun!  We are now stuck at a slow, lurching walk.

In anticipation of the risk of abrasion from the ice crust, I decided to try riding in polo wraps for protection. This resulted in utter failure, basically!  We lost both front wraps somewhere out there, and one hind wrap was bunched around his pastern & hoof when we got back.  Oops.  Guess I won't do that again!  Hopefully I'll be able to find the missing polos when I head out there on my snowshoes later.  Thankfully they are bright red, so they should be fairly visible - I hope.  He did acquire one tiny little scrape on a front cannon bone from the crust, but nothing significant.

Our companions for this experimental ride were Kristi & Winston.

On alert! We'd hand walked up to the house to fetch Killian so he could come along with us.  This required us to "run the gauntlet" between the goat/alpaca pen and the cow pasture. SCARY! 

The steer is actually much more afraid of Winston than Winston is of him, only Winston doesn't know it. 

The friendly white one

Letting Winston break trail and leave tail swish marks on the snow!

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.

Nanook of the North Goes Riding

You can't tell under my Nanook of the North jacket - but I am wearing my helmet! 

Heat wave!  The mercury hit 15 balmy degrees today with full sunshine and no wind, so of course after the farrier's visit, I hopped on for a quick ride.  We just walked through the woods in the deep snow, but I was so thrilled to be riding after all this intense cold we've been having.  Rhio definitely enjoyed getting out as well.

Rhio did balk at one thing today - crossing an area that is normally wet muck in the summer  to head up a trail that we don't ride except during the winter due to its wetness.  Of course the crossing is well frozen now, and I've been snowshoeing across it when I'm out with the dogs, so there is an obvious trail as well.  But Rhio absolutely refused to cross.  So, I dismounted and lead him across (he followed willingly enough - it will be interesting to take him back to that spot and ask him to cross it again and see what he does).  The only problem with this plan - what can I stand on to get back on??  I found a down tree that was about mid-thigh height on me, and was able to clear the snow off enough to climb up on it.  Rhio, however, would have to "parallel park" to get lined up next to it between a growing tree and the bushy top of the down tree.  He didn't quite get what I wanted him to do, but sort of came into the tree at an angle enough that I was able to flop on my belly across the bareback pad, then shimmy around to a seated position as he backed out of the spot and we were successfully headed back down the trail.  Sometimes I am glad that I ride alone!  Here I am telling the story, but I'm sure it would have been amusing & embarrassing if witnessed by someone other that Rhio & Kelso.

As we headed back to the barn at sunset, I noticed how riding in the flat white expanse of snow felt a lot like riding across a river - I got a little dizzy if I focused on the ground.  The ride was just long enough for my nose & toes to register a definite tingling by the time we returned, but also just long enough to soothe my need to ride for a little while longer.

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.

Free At Last!

Winter wonderland

The woods are ours again, with the orange-clad hunters stuffed back into their alter-egos as regular folk once again (though you do still see quite a few pickup trucks around town with a blaze orange cap on the dashboard, or someone out clearing snow in his hunting jacket - I totally get the desire to hang on for just a little longer, refusing to believe it is over for the next 50 weeks).  Tuesday was our first bright, sunshiny day in a very long time, and Rhio, Kelso, & I were all itching to hit the trail.  It was only about 15 degrees, so bundling up was a necessity - with toe warmers in my boots and mittens instead of gloves, the only part that got cold was my nose!

We were the first to make tracks across the unbroken snow

The open areas were somewhat crusty as we'd had some freezing sleet before it switched to snow, and Rhio didn't care for trotting through the crust.  The trails in the woods were totally soft, though, as the ice seems to have formed on the trees and not really made it to the ground.  Rhio was thrilled to trot and canter where we could - though that wasn't very many places due to all the downed trees and overhanging branches & shrubs.  In fact, we got to practice our side passing many times, as small trees were laden with snow and leaning over the trail; Rhio & I sidled up to them so I could reach out & grab them, shake the snow off to lighten them, then push them up while we ducked under.  A couple of times we had to do this in quick succession, pivoting around this way and that way to reach the smaller diameter, unattached-to-the-ground tops which were actually movable.  I was very happy to have chosen to ride in my saddle (for more stability while doing all these contortions and reaching) and was extremely pleased with Rhio's responsiveness to my requests for lateral movement.  It is something we've only been seriously working on recently, but he seems to "get it."

You can see the sparkling ice in the tops of the trees

We rode all the way to Red's farm, where Thanksgiving turkeys were being distributed (yay! no more wading through that flock of gobbling, strutting birds to get my pony from his pasture! well, 'till next year at least...) and visited with some of the turkey buyers and the dogs.  I could have brought a backpack & picked up my turkey, but I hadn't thought of it - that would have been fun, though!  In the end, I got a 16 pounder, so I probably wouldn't have wanted to ride home with that much weight on my back (it really throws my balance off to wear a backpack I've found, especially a heavy one).

We got home just as dusk was falling (4:15 pm - ugh!) and in time to feed the ponies before retreating to the beauty of electric illumination and central heating for the duration of the long, dark winter night (which, yes, includes the afternoon here in northern Minnesota!).

Cookies and Cream

The horses are bundled in their blankets enjoying their hay despite the weather

Winter storm "Buck" (yep, that's right! One of our local TV stations is naming our snowstorms now, apparently) was petering out Sunday afternoon, and we just had to get outside and enjoy that expanse of fresh, clean snow.  The kids wanted a snowball fight and to build a snowman; we wanted to ride!  It's STILL deer season (the longest two weeks of the entire year if you ask me), so we were stuck with making patterns in the pristine snow of the outdoor arena.

His wind-knots always appear in this exact location and pattern - every time.  

Rhio was sporting his favorite dreadlock look, so had to unwillingly submit to having his mane detangled.  Rhio takes great pride in his appearance, keeping his dirt patterns fresh and new with frequent reapplication.  He resents being fussed over, primped, polished, washed, or generally gussied up.  So of course it is his long tresses that get routinely tangled, not Red's or Cricket's, both of whom enjoy a grooming session.

Ah - beautiful! 

Once we had the hair situation under control, we headed outside to meet the new lord of the outdoor arena - a very large, very squat snowman with tantalizing horse treats as eyes & nose.  The horses were mildly curious about him (or her - I'd say its rather gender-indeterminate), mostly in trying to assess the best angle at which to nab those tasty bits.

Giant snowman

Kaos & Rhio trying to figure out how to snatch the apple-eyes and/or carrot-nose

The three of us talked and laughed and joked while asking our horses to carry us around the outdoor arena, churning up the unbroken snow with hoof-sized chunks coated in the sandy dirt footing of the arena.  After a couple passes around, the snow-and-chunk mixture took on the exact appearance of cookies-n-cream ice cream!

Becca & Kaos and Christine & Tomas just enjoying the day

The footing was wonderful, and we all enjoyed cantering our horses through it; I really noticed how soft Rhio's footfalls were in the snow.  We played follow-the-leader a little bit, and just generally goofed off.  It's nice to know that we are all still kids at heart - enjoying a good romp in the fresh snow. Though now our hot cocoa is dressed with flavored liquor instead of marshmallows - yum!