I Hardly Remember the Sun

Despite the title of this post, this pic from the end of our ride shows it cloudy again!

We've been back in Duluth since early June, and it seems we have only seen the sun for a few moments.  In one of those moments, Rhio and I were finally able to sneak in a conditioning ride.  He traveled back from Colorado to Minnesota at the end of March, and was then stranded at a friend's house in southern Minnesota until the first week of May.  He's been back at his former boarding barn in Duluth for almost 2 months now, and settled right back into the herd and the routine.  In all that time, he has been "resting" - or, at least, we were not actively conditioning, nor were we even riding except for a quickie here and there amongst my short visits to Minnesota this spring and the hectic first few weeks of being back.  It doesn't look like we have any competitions on our schedule until August, so I haven't felt much pressure to get him back to work.  Also, luckily for me, being a horse, he actually hasn't lost very much condition in the time he has been off.  All our mountain riding in Colorado is still with him, and it won't take much at all to have him ready for our first 50 miler of 2014. 

We took the only available route at the moment - down the long driveway to Skyline Parkway (which is still mostly closed to motor vehicles due to unfixed flood damage from 2012).  We then do an out-and-back along the road.  It's not the most exciting of rides, but it is quite scenic.  We currently have no other options, except hauling out, because it has been so incredibly wet here.  All the soils are completely saturated, the streams are running high, and the trails are way too wet to ride.  I am thankful just to have access to this quiet road full of scenic overlooks, and a set of shoes on my horse.

As usual, he was fussy and slow to leave the barn, even with Kelso's company, but at about 2 miles from home, he'd given up trying to convince me to turn around and head home, and, of his own accord, picked up the pace, hit his stride, and it was smooth cruising the rest of the ride. 

I am certainly not the only one to have discovered the pleasures of this quiet stretch of road, and we saw a few other folks out and about on this weekday, mostly bikers and runners.  Rhio isn't bothered by either of these, and keeps right on trotting.  The bikers, however, are mostly surprised to see us and often seem a bit confused as to what to do.  Some slow down, some stop, some speak to me and some don't - Rhio really doesn't care, but many horses will be nervous and uncertain around bikes. The trail etiquette is that bikers and hikers yield to horses - almost everyone in Colorado knows this, and there are signs reminding users of this on every shared-use trail I rode out there - but Minnesota folks are much less used to seeing horses on their trails and there seems to be a need to educate other trail users not only about proper etiquette, but also about horse psychology.  For example, if you, on foot or on a bike, approach a rider on horseback, please speak to the rider.  This simple act lets the horse know that you are a human being, and not a scary horse-eating monster.  Also, step off the trail if room is needed to pass, but don't hide behind a bush, a tree, or a rock.  Predators try to conceal themselves before they jump out to eat you, and horses know this very well.  Horses' prey instincts remain strong and intact, despite several centuries of domestication, and this is most often the root cause of spooking or shying in horses.  Non-horse people can have positive interactions when encountering riders just by remembering that horses will always err on the side of thinking something unfamiliar will eat them, and therefore by making yourself known as a human being,  usually all will be well.

Rhio comes to the car before I've even parked it (the horses are loose on grass around the barn, as it is all fenced).

We often practice eating on the trail, an essential skill for endurance horses.  

Kelso cools off in a puddle.

A natural water obstacle.

Hey, if the treats are in here, I'm coming in!

Free At Last

Friday January 31 was the day Rhio got to join the pasture herd and live like a horse again!  He's spent two months in his run, and has done really great.  He is happy, relaxed, eating well, enjoying his neighbors - but he has always been a horse that has lived with a herd on pasture, with freedom to roam at will.  He certainly likes his creature comforts - shelter, "catered" meals, warm blankets - but the best of both worlds for him is all the pasture turn out he wants, plus pampering.  So, now he will get that life again! 

I know that this is the very best way to keep him happy and healthy, but any change with horses can be stressful, and the social dynamics can lead to trouble.  So, I worry.  Happily, his buddy Leo lives in the herd, so E. came over and we had the boys eat their beet pulp together, then took them out to the paddock area (where the pasture herd has a large shelter and their automatic waterer) and showed Rhio the water.  We then turned them loose.  The rest of the herd was way out in the hay field, where hay had been spread on top of the snow for breakfast, and most seemed to be having a midday doze.  Rhio led the way across the paddock (we ride out through the paddock and hay field to get to the trail, so he is somewhat familiar with the surroundings) and then decided to go no further.  Leo wandered off across the small stream to take a nap in a little secluded corner, but Rhio retreated to the safe zone in the paddock. 

Rhio leads the way after they drank.

Soon, a Paint mare who is near the top of the hierarchy came in to drink, and check him out.  Rhio introduced himself across the paddock fence (a technique often employed by humans introducing new horses - but I haven't seen a horse do it himself before!) and she seemed to decide he was not much of a threat as there was no drama. Rhio followed her back out of the paddock at a canter, but stopped short of the gate to the hay field and turned to come back to safety.

Meeting across the fence.

Whee! This is fun! 

Never mind - scary out there.  I'm coming back!

After the Paint, a little bay Morgan gelding came up and did the same thing, but was more interested in hanging with E. and I, leaving Rhio to watch from the safe zone. 

Chatting with the Morgan.

Eventually, with Rhio showing no signs of wanting to leave the paddock on his own, I went to reassure him and let him follow me out of the paddock and across the stream to where Leo was chilling.  They hung out for a bit, and Rhio started looking for something to munch beneath the snow.  At this point, E and I retreated and watched from the barnyard a bit longer, then went on our way.

Going to hang with Leo in the secluded corner.

Checking for munchies beneath the snow.

I returned about 3 hours later to check on his progress and upon first glance, saw Leo out pawing through the snow to get at the grass in the hay field, along with the rest of the herd scattered about.  Granted, a gray horse against the snow is pretty hard to spot, but I couldn't immediately get my eye on Rhio.  I was fumbling with the gate, when suddenly Rhio appeared in front of me; he had been hanging out in the shed by himself.  After loving him up a bit, I started walking out to the pasture and he followed.  We went all the way out to Leo, who was eating with a little gray Arab mare, and Rhio started eating, too.  Quickly, the one other gray Arabian in the herd came over, and all four grays were hanging together. 

All four grays: foreground on the left, the youngster, then the little mare.  Leo has his rump to me, and Rhio is in the far back.

This seems cute, but I have seen it happen over, and over, and over again.  Horses of similar coloring have a tendency to group together.  Often, with only one gray or light colored horse in a group, that horse is "shunned" and stays somewhat apart from the group.  I wonder if it is because the light colored horse stand out from the crown, so to speak, and could potentially attract the attention of a predator.  But, with multiple grays, there is safety in numbers when they form a group. 

Shortly after  I'd settled Rhio out in the pasture, it was feeding time.  The herd went in to the paddock and milled around, with Rhio following them in but staying just outside the paddock and out of the commotion.  Soon, the hay truck came through the gate and made its way out to the field, where they would spread the hay out in a long trail, allowing all the horses plenty of space to eat.  The herd followed the truck, probably generally in about the order of standing in the social hierarchy.  Rhio was dead last, until he overtook the donkey and took the second-to-last spot.  He settled in to eating with the gray mare and a couple of the young horses, and everyone seemed content.  The herd continued to follow the truck, many of them coming all the way back to the paddock with it.  Rhio moseyed along the trail of hay, selecting his favorite spot, and started eating.  I didn't stay long enough to see what happened when the rest of the herd went back out to the hay, as it was getting dark.

Saturday morning I went to check on him, and the whole herd was eating peacefully along their morning arc of hay.  There wasn't a mark on him, so clearly he passed the night without trouble.  K. said he and Leo had been hanging out together, as E. and I had hoped, and that the big bully horse hadn't seemed to even notice him and certainly wasn't chasing him.  Some of the boarders think the bully horse out there is only savage to mares (and a young mare that is injured is the reason Rhio gets a slot in the 15-equine pasture herd.) 

The whole herd eats - Rhio is on the far right.

Saturday afternoon I went with his beet pulp, and to blanket him for the night.  I left him naked Friday night because if there had been trouble and he was in a blanket, I didn't want the possibility the blanket could have gotten torn up and entrapped him somehow.  But, I did promise pasture + pampering, so he'll be cozy in his blanket for the next week, as we have a long stretch of cold temperatures (lows in single digits or below zero many nights, and highs in the low teens).  When I arrived, he was not with Leo, but up in another section of the pasture with the majority of the herd.  I was very surprised to see him wearing a blanket, which is not mine!  There is a young girl who sometimes blankets the gray mare for her owner, and I think she must of not been able to tell them apart.  To me, it is obvious - the mare is, for one, a girl, and also is flea-bitten, meaning her gray is covered in red "freckles," plus she is a lot shorter than Rhio.  I switched blankets while Rhio ate his beet pulp, and trekked out through the snow to blanket the gray mare, too. 

He seems good!  I will continue to worry, gently.  The first two days went well, so I think it is likely to continue in this vein.  His weight is good, and I used the weight tape on him yesterday so I can monitor him to make sure he's not losing any.  He'll be getting his beet pulp every day, and plenty of self-exercise, which is awesome. 

Out in the hay field, where yummies can be found under the snow.

Someone Pinch Me

Heading out in the late afternoon, as the sun starts to sink behind the ridge.

Rhio's already sweating through his dense winter coat and I'm in summer tights and a t-shirt!

Checking out some other trail users on a different segment of trail.  Without trees, you can see little dots of color and movement all over the ridge as people move along the trail.  Rhio is fascinated.

Saturday January 18, 2014.  66 degrees, sunny, with just a light breeze.  I am definitely not in Minnesota anymore!  Rhio and I trekked around our "home" loop of about 5 miles up and down the ridge, just enjoying the weather.  Of course, we shared the trail with umpteen other users, but Rhio seemed to find all the activity thrilling.  He was very forward 99% of the time, and trying to turn around to go home the other 1% of the time.  This loop is excellent muscle building, as it's a steep, switchbacked trail up to the top, which we then have to trace back down to the bottom.  Unfortunately, it is very rough, rocky, and technical, so we have to walk almost all of it, but I think that Rhio's dexterity with his foot placement, attention to the trail, and just general balance and coordination has noticeably improved since we've been doing this trail regularly.  It is certainly entirely unlike anything we ride in Minnesota! 

On the way down, a small girl riding on her dad's shoulders was thrilled to see Rhio and asked if she could pet him.  Of course the answer was yes!  However, we were on an upper part of a switchback, and they were on the lower, so even though we weren't that far apart, she had to wait for us to come along the switchback and meet up with them.  Her eyes lit up with joy, and on her dad's shoulders, she was just the right height to pet Rhio's face and neck.  The family's chocolate lab was a little concerned about what this large creature was, so we didn't linger too long.  As we walked off down the trail, I heard the girl declare: "That's a baby horse!"  Despite her dad's opinion that Rhio was not a baby horse, she insisted.  Little interactions like this are so nice - hopefully the girl and her parents will remember horses and riders with a positive opinion and be on our side when things like trail use access, etc come up.  I have always felt that it is my job to have very friendly, positive interactions with members of the public; every time I'm out there with my horse, I'm on a public relations assignment, so to speak.

Our trotting lane on the flat.

We finished up the ride trotting home along the flat as the sky lit up with an amazing array of color at sunset.  Bliss!

Zoomies

It's been incredibly windy (as C. says - welcome to living on the east side of the Rockies) - gusts over 50 mph for multiple days now.  We even attempted to go running this morning (out of sheer desperation to get out of the house), and there were portions where I could barely stand upright, much less move forward.  Yikes.  Obviously I haven't been able to ride in this weather, either, and both Rhio and I are suffering for it.  He still lives in his run at the new place (no one has moved their horse out of the pasture herd yet, so we are still waiting for a spot to open up for him) and he is doing incredibly well with it - better than I could have predicted.  Every day I head over in the afternoon to get him out of the run to "do something" - it is not a ride nearly often enough, but handwalking along the road, a quick roundpen session, or free time in the outdoor arena is our usual when we can't ride, plus of course a nice grooming session, a roll in the sand of the round pen, and a big tub of beet pulp mash.  (Side note: today he did not get to finish his beet pulp, as the wind picked up his heavy rubber tub and flung it willy-nilly across the barnyard!)  He loves his neighbors - Hunter the Thoroughbred (good for playing bite-your-face games) and Lady the pinto (good for a nice mutual withers scratching) - and has his own shed and automatic waterer.  He's figured out how to keep his run relatively orderly, mostly pooping in one spot (good boy!), and clearly lays down to rest (one of his favorite activities) regularly, judging by the mud on his coat and the scrapes on his hocks from lying on the bare dirt (this isn't the best feature of his run, admittedly).  Being such a social and active horse, I am surprised and very pleased with how content he is with his confinement.

But, I digress - today I had my phone in my pocket when we trekked out to the outdoor arena for some free exercise (it's out in the pasture).  Along with the video above, taken after he'd settled in quite a bit and quit the rearing, bucking, and kicking he'd started his "zoomies" with, here are the following still shots reflecting not only his boundless energy, good spirits, athleticism, and presence (everyone thinks he's a much bigger horse than he is!), but the degree of windiness (check out the flying mane and tail).  I am so blessed to be partnered with this incredible horse - he is truly a gift.  He never fails to bring a smile to my face and lift my spirits - the power of a horse!

"Super-Spikes"

Getting ready to ride off into the sunset.

With our measly, impermanent snowfalls here in Fort Collins, its surprising how slippery the riding can be.  We get chilly weather and a few inches of dry snow, which compacts into a very slick surface, especially on roads, then the sun shines and melts the top layers, which refreeze each night, until we have a patchwork of ice, slush, compacted snow, mud, and bare rock.  So, yes, I do get to ride.  But gearing up for and planning each ride is part guess, part luck, and perhaps a bit of knowledge.  Bare hooves?  Boots?  Studded boots? Stick to the flats?  Ok to do some hills? Walk? Trot?   At least for winter riding in northern Minnesota, you know you'll be walking through deep snow (great muscle and cardiovascular conditioning) when the weather allows, if you're riding outside.  Here, it could be anything on any given day. 

Today, after having hand-walked along our road to the trailhead yesterday, I booted Rhio's fronts with the studded boots.  He got a tiny bit of experience using them last year, but we haven't ridden in them much.  With 6 studs per boot, they give him great traction and grip.  Unfortunately, I have only a set of front boots rigged up with his "super-spikes," so my best option when using them is to leave his hinds bare.  This has been working out ok so far, but since I like him working off his hind end for impulsion, it would be nice to have the security of sure traction back there.  I wonder how it will be doing the ridge trail - up, up, up and then down, down, down?  Perhaps we will give a try tomorrow, weather dependent.

Profile shot of the bottom of one of his "super spiked" boots - they really aren't very big, when you consider they are lending traction to a 900+ lb critter carrying weight.

What the bottom of the boot looks like.  I put 6 studs into each boot.

For this evening's ride, we merely did our 2.5 mile loop starting and ending at the farm.  We walk 1/2 mile along the road (paved, with narrow gravel shoulders, and currently mostly packed snow), then the rest is trail along the flats before the ridge begins.  We come back into the farm through the back gate, around the hay field.  The footing is really good for this loop, sans snow, and Rhio likes to fly home.  He certainly knows when he has the security of his "super-spikes" and wanted to fly tonight! We kept it to a trot, and were both happy and rosy-cheeked (ok, not really - being furred, I'm pretty sure horses don't get rosy cheeks) upon our return. 

Waiting for his beet pulp after our ride.  If you look closely, you'll see that he's doing his wiggly-lips, squirmy-tongue silliness (it doesn't lend itself all that well to still photography.)

The best view through the cutest ears ever. 

Windblown!

Mane blowing, heading out on the 1 mile flat trail.

You are an endurance rider if...you decide 20-25 mph sustained winds with gusts to 40 mph is decent enough weather to ride, because, hey, the sun is shining, the trail is dry, and the nasty winter weather is coming in tomorrow!

E. and Leo were brave enough to join us on an adventure, exploring new trail.  We set off the usual way, crossing the pasture and out the back gate directly onto the trail.  This lets us have about a mile of perfect trotting (or cantering) along the flat, until we reach the base of the ridge.  Today we ran into C. on his run, and he took a quick picture before heading back to the trailhead (the wind was at his back, but in our faces at this point - he was making better time than we were!).  Once we reached the rocky ascent, Rhio happily led the way, albeit at a very sedate walking pace.  The trail is rough - though in comparison to the rest of the ride, it seems almost smooth!  The wind was ferocious, and a few gusts threatened to knock me off my pony.  I was very happy to have a nice snug chin strap keeping my helmet on my head, a bandana beneath it to cover my ears, and a windproof jacket.  It was 56 degrees with a bright blue sky and warm sun, but that wind made it feel 10 -15 degrees colder than that.  Several fellow trail users warned us against cresting the ridge, as we were actually slightly protected on the eastern side of the ridge, once we were on our way up, since the mighty wind was blowing from the northwest. 

In case the subtle differences between our rhyming boys deceive you - E. and Leo are on the left, and me and Rhio are on the right.

Just shy of the top, we took a left turn down the Foothills Trail, which neither of us had ridden before.  It luckily stays just below the top, and in parts was so protected from the wind we could even have a conversation!  Eventually, what went up must come down, and we started down the steepest, rockiest, narrowest trail I've ever ridden in my life.  No joke.  Rhio kept on leading, confident as always, and took every new challenging bit in stride like he'd been a mountain pony all his life.  I was amazed at how well he negotiated this trail, and how strong he was doing it, never losing balance or rushing down or feeling (to me) unsure of where to put his feet.  He stopped to consider a few spots, but then picked his route and my job was just to stay out of his way.  This trail, although designated for horses, was definitely not designed for horses.  The switchbacks are very narrow and very tight, as well as being ridiculously rocky - our little, flexible, sure-footed Arabs handled them, but I can't imagine riding this trail on a big, clumsy, inexperienced, or timid mount.  At one point, there was a sign warning of difficult terrain and recommending that riders dismount.  We did not and the horses handled it like the pros they are - but we laughed because we're not sure why the sign-placers singled out this particular section as opposed to the rest of it. 

One of the least technical bits - on the most technical bits, I was too busy riding to take pictures!

The view from the Foothills Trail - the green area is a wildlife research center and we were pretty sure we saw Bighorn Sheep and Elk down there.  Next to that is a water treatment plant.

We made our way all the way to the bottom of the ridge, along the bottom of the huge dam (one of the four mentioned in my previous post, holding back the massive Horsetooth Reservoir), and a little bit further along the trail, before deciding to turn around and head home.  Once again, up-up-up we went, back along the ridge, and then down-down-down again.  The wind was worse than it had been when we'd started, and our jackets were whipping around us like snapping flags.  The horses' manes and tails were streaming out horizontally, and all four of us, horses and humans alike, instinctively ducked our heads as the worst blasts of air hit us.  But those boys just kept on trucking down the trail, not balking or rushing or spooking or fussing. 
They had so many excuses to act up today, and almost nothing fazed them.  I have ridden Rhio in wind before, at home in Minnesota.  We have trees in Minnesota - lots of them.  No matter how hard the wind blows, it is always somewhat ameliorated by trees in its path.  Not so here - I have never experienced wind like this before, especially when I have willingly chosen to put myself out there in it.  As E. said, it was "OMG - this is insane!" wind.

Just happy to be riding!

Traveling back along the 1 mile flat stretch to the pasture, we allowed the horses to pick up a trot and wondered if that was a good idea (going home + insane wind + been walking a lot + horses that love to go = out of control mad dash for home?).  As we crossed beneath some high powerlines, the moaning scream emanating from them did give us a little extra boost of speed, but overall the boys were beyond stellar all day.  In just a few rides, Rhio has learned so much about negotiating these extremely technical trails.  His easy boots are a great thing out here; their traction on the sandstone is excellent and he has a lot of confidence because of it, I think.  Unfortunately, all this rock is wearing his boots out very quickly - so I doubt I will make it through our time here with just one set, as I'd hoped.  It's a small price to pay for secure footing and protection against these rocks, though.  I see why so many people out here ride in them. 

E. and Leo lead the way.

Tomorrow the winter weather sets in, going to lows below zero Wednesday and Thursday.  And so we rode, despite the wind and the challenges, and had a great day of it.  I think we all gained a lot of confidence in ourselves and each other on today's ride, and deepened our bonds.  Endurance is so much about being a team and trusting each other - we riders have to trust the horses to make good decisions about where to put their feet, and the horses have to trust us that we are going to keep them safe. 

It Was a Fine Day!

Rhio and Leo hanging at the hitching rail pre-ride.

 Rhio moved to yet another boarding facility today, this one being only 3 miles from home and with direct trail access. It is also owned by an endurance family, and my new riding buddy E. keeps her boy Leo there.  Rhio will be in an individual run with a run-in, automatic waterer, and buddies on either side until a pasture space opens up (they have a herd of 15 on 100 acres with shelter and hay - sounds pretty much like pony heaven, wouldn't you say??).  I feel so much better having him here - closer to home, I'll be able to see him every day, and the riding opportunities are so much better.  Also, I was just a little uncomfortable with his last place (he was there 2 months) - nothing I can truly put my finger on, but he wasn't happy.  He lived with a mare who pushed him around a lot - not in a mean way, but still a stress, and way too frequently I found him still in his pen after several days in a row (I was lead to believe his group would get turn out about every other day when the weather was good).  He seemed quite happy to go into his run tonight after our all-afternoon ride, and he had all the lush grass hay he could eat, all to himself!

The weather was fine, and after E. trailered Rhio to the new place for me, we saddled up and took off across the pasture to the far gate - which lets us directly onto a trail, part of the Reservoir Ridge trail system.  This is a multi-use single track trail for horses, hikers/runners, and mountain biking.  It is steep and rocky - quite a challenging climb after a little warm-up trot across the grassy area at the base of the ridge.  Behind this ridge is a massive (over 500 billion gallons of water) reservoir (Horsetooth Reservoir) filled by a huge tunnel through the Rockies bringing water from the headwaters of the Colorado River on the Western Slope of Colorado to the eastern side, and therefore counteracting (and traveling beneath) the Continental Divide. Much as I hate to admit any admiration of a man-made body of water (I am a native Minnesotan, after all!), this thing is pretty dang impressive.  The drive around it is spectacular, particularly at sunset.

Horsetooth also forms a big barrier between the trail system we were on, and the trails at Lory State Park, which sprawls along the northwestern side of the reservoir.  Lory's trails are pretty great for trotting, and its a big treat after the long, technical climb to get to move out on them.  We work hard to get there, including some terrain I would not have thought possible to travel on horseback.  We cut down the west side of the ridge, cross the road and ride across one of the four dams that contain all that water.  This gives us access to a small parking lot, from which we can head downhill to the northern shoreline.  Now, the water level in the reservoir is fairly low and leaves this end with some exposed bottom and way to get between the cliffs and into Lory.  Large sandstone boulders and blocks lie in our way, plus a descent to an innocuous-looking dry creek bed, which we then go up to reach the Lory trails.  This whole route will be under water during higher water levels, but for now we and our trusty steeds can adventure our way to the reward that is a loop of trotting and cantering on the smooth trails of Lory in the late afternoon sun.  Ahhh!

Entering Lory from the east, after we've come up the little dry creek bed.

E. and Leo lead the way home, in the super technical middle section where we're heading cross-country around the northern end of the reservoir.

On the west side of the Reservoir Ridge trail system.

A nice mule deer buck, which we accidentally separated from his ladies, on the west side Reservoir Ridge trail. Lots of mule deer around - Rhio doesn't bother to even pause to look at them, though stopping dead and staring intently at people or bikes on the trails in the distance is a specialty of his.

We have just crested the top of Reservoir Ridge, about to begin the descent, gazing out over Fort Collins spread in front of us, with the sunset glowing upon the city. (It was really more impressive in person!)

I have been a bit dubious about multi-use trails, at least in such high-use areas.  We saw uncountable numbers of hikers, and several heaping handfulls of mountain bikers, in our 14.3 mile trek today.  For the most part, interactions go well and everyone obeys the rules of yield - all yield to horses, and bikers also must yield to hikers.  However, the nature of these trails (especially Reservoir Ridge, which is so steep and rocky) means that depending on whether the various user types are ascending or descending, their rates of speed will vary dramatically.  On horseback, we may overtake bikers going up, while coming down, they are definitely faster than we are.  Some folks seem knowledgeable about horses, and realize that its not just a matter of yielding the narrow trail so that we, or they, can pass - but also about the fact that we ride conscious beings who have their owns senses, drives, fears, and desires.  For Rhio, bikes are not an issue.  He is not afraid of them. E.'s boy Leo loves to chase the bikes and gets all excited when we see them.  But many horses are freaked out by bikes, and I worry that the directive to 'all yield to horses' does not give enough information to the inexperienced or uniformed.  So far, it hasn't happened, but I also worry about bikes coming down hill at a high rate of speed, meeting us as a corner or switchback when we haven't seen them coming.  I find riding here to be utterly exhausting - not physically, but mentally.  I am constantly looking everywhere for other trail users, so I can plan the best way to pass them, be passed by them, or otherwise interact.  At the same time, I really want to be a good "PR" person for equestrians, and have good, positive interactions with everyone we meet.  For instance, today I overhead a young girl ask her mother if she could pet the horses, as her hiking group was moving off the trail preparing to allow us to pass (we were going up, they were going down).  I stopped near them and said hello, then asked if she would like to pet the horses.  I have always been a rider that feels that anytime I am in public with my horse, it is my duty to leave a positive impression, if at all possible.  And, I was once one of those horse-crazy little girls dying to pet the pretty horsie.

It was a fine day.  It was a good ride with great trail buddies.  Rhio is all settled in and happy at his new home.  I get to see him again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the one after that, too!