Ode to Grey Horses

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous - nearly 80 on October 8 - and as we all said, "The Last Really Nice Day for Many Months."  We were lining up to use the hose for dog baths, horse baths, sheath cleaning, etc and enjoying a few cold brews and good conversation while we were at it.  Earlier in the day, Christine and I had taken the boys up to Boulder Lake for a quick 7 mile loop and they had both finished absolutely dripping wet with sweat (already got those winter coats well on their way to plushness).

Tomas looking good!

Rhio shiny & clean post-hosing

Uh-oh

The mere seconds it takes for him to make himself completely filthy again are a bit depressing!

New Ground Beneath Our Hooves

Ah, new trails to explore!

Gesa, Paco, Rhio, and I had a weekend of fun planned, starting with more exploring at the Mother Bear Ski Trail, which we rode once earlier in the year.  Upland bird hunters, and archery deer hunters, are in the woods now, so we adorned ourselves appropriately with some blaze orange bedazzlements, and Rhio wore his rhythm beads (I sure hope most deer don't tinkle with jingle bells - Santa's reindeer excluded, of course).  We began our ride traversing the top of a glacial esker, common in this area and affording us plenty of stunning views of the boreal forest in its fall finery.

Overlooking a spruce bog fringed with aspen, birch, and pines.

Doing our best to NOT look like something to shoot at!

We came upon several interesting discoveries throughout the day, including this cute resting place (tea and crumpets, anyone?) and the Cloquet River with a good spot to ford and miles of trail on the other side! 

the Cloquet River

Gesa & Paco crossing the river

The trails we followed varied from old logging road (well packed, somewhat rocky, a few overhanging branches to dodge or duck) to wide, sandy ATV/snowmobile trail (perfect for cantering) to narrow, winding ski trails and spots where ATVs have just blazed their own routes through clear cuts and dense trees - these have to be travelled with caution on horseback because we are much taller than the ATVers and eyeball-poking branches abound.   The terrain is quite hilly (those glacial eskers) and gave the boys a good mix of technical trail and long trotting.  We eventually met a gravel road and turned around to retrace our steps.  We met a couple of nice fellows on ATVs who were able to tell us which road it was, so we hope to be able to trailer back there for more exploring and hopefully some spring riding when our home trails are all deep muck.  We completed about 16 miles, although the batteries on my GPS went dead about halfway through. 

Trotting down the snowmobile trail

Rhio sporting a festive red maple leaf in his mane (I braided it the wrong direction so it's upside down, showing the pink underside). 

Paco sporting his handsome new cooler

Back at the trailer, we relaxed a little and let the boys cool out a bit before loading.  We were using a 2-horse straight-load trailer, and I believe it was the first time I'd hauled Rhio in such a trailer.  He did not load well, to put it mildly!  It took about 30 minutes to get him in the trailer, and he appeared to be very anxious/afraid.  Paco was awesome, walking right on the trailer and standing there patiently the entire time, contentedly munching his hay.  Rhio would half-load, putting his front feet in, then suddenly panic, fling his head up, and rush back out of the trailer.  He would repeat this over and over again.  Once he did load, he stood quietly, ate his hay, and trailered just fine, so he didn't appear to be anxious of the trailer itself, just loading onto it.  I really couldn't figure it out, except that the following day I tried loading him on the left side instead of the right side, and it went much better (after trying for 30 minutes on the right side) and the second loading of the day he went in the left side after only 8 minutes.  I can't figure this out, and I wish I could practice at home with that trailer.  Was it really the side of the trailer that made a difference?  

We headed up the road to a lake home owned by relations of Gesa's, which is an old Finnish homestead.  What a great old place!  It has been shut up for several months, since the last visitors used it, so we had a little work to do getting the water turned on, etc.  We set the boys up with a pen for daylight hours and a high line for the night, and Gesa got a fire going in the wood stove in the sauna for later.  I threw some venison stew in the crock pot, and we enjoyed some wine, bread, and cheese while waiting for dinner and the sauna to heat up.  We got the boys settled on the high line in their winter blankets just after dark, as the forecast was for temps well below freezing overnight.  Rhio was acting much more stressed than is his normal, eating and drinking but less than normal.  He also stocked up severely in all four legs.  The sauna was lovely and relaxing after our day of riding, and we crawled into our comfortable beds ready for sleep.  

I slept on the second floor, beneath a beautiful quilt and with a window overlooking the high line and another overlooking the lake with a small deck.  

The view from my window of the boys. Paco is quite the macho gelding, sporting a pink blanket and hay bay! Gesa reported she peeked at them during the night and Rhio was laying down taking a snooze - that is good, since it is his normal routine.

The house is a lovely mix of modern conveniences (central heating, shower, laundry) and family heirlooms, including several photo albums full of old photographs and paintings on the walls done by one of the original owners.  The original part of the house is hand-hewn square logs and hardwood floors; you can tell it did not originally have central heating because every room has a door.  The kitchen is dominated by a combination wood-electric cook stove, which is fully functional.

The wood-burning side is on the left; the electric range is on the right.

The lake side of the house.

There are several original wood outbuildings, including a barn and a wood shed, which are filled with the various accumulated items typical of a family homestead passed down through the generations.  It is a beautiful, secluded spot and rich in so much family history.

One of the barn doors

Barn walls

Wood shed

Old rotten wooden rowboat

The lake

The boys seemed quite happy in the pen after a handwalk down to the public access picnic area/boat ramp where Rhio took a big drink out of the lake and both of them walked out onto the pier.  I figure, why not use every opportunity for training?  The pier was wide, wooden, and very sturdy - so count it as bridge-training and trust-building.  (Yes, I want you to follow me out onto this bridge that clearly goes nowhere.)  Rhio layed down to munch his hay and seemed totally at ease, despite his mild stress indicators from the day before.  

Ah, this is the life!

Waiting for us to finish packing up.

We took our time making breakfast, cleaning everything up, shutting the house back down, and heading out to another trail for an afternoon ride before heading home.  We tried the North Shore State Trail (snowmobile trail, so no guarantee that it's passable during non-frozen months due to frequent crossing of swampy areas) north of Two Harbors, and had a very successful 8 miles.  Our boys handled the terrain well, flying along at a pretty quick clip for the most part, feeling fired up and coping with the uneven ground and squishy areas with no complaints.  We crossed a couple of challenging bridges that looked scary due to extra boards running length-wise in addition to the cross boards and some with steep approach ramps.  We flushed up about a dozen grouse over the course of the ride.  

State Trail

I did land unexpectedly on the ground once, and have the bruises to show for it.  We were taking a break, I had dropped my reins on his neck and was drinking out of my water bottle when something behind us in the woods startled both of them, and Rhio just scooted out from under me.  I was so hoping to have an entire season without an unplanned dismount!  Alas, it was not meant to be :(  We found more trail in the area to explore, but had to cut our ride short in the hopes that Rhio would load and we could get home before dark. 

I rode most of the weekend in 4 boots - our usual setup of Renegades on the fronts and Gloves on the hinds.  We covered various terrain, including some mud and a river crossing, and the boots stayed in place and he didn't seem to have any trouble on the rough ground with tripping or otherwise having boot interference.  He does wear hind fetlock boots when booted, as he will knock himself.  Also, I discovered on Monday a small rub on his left hind from the gaiter, so I will have to try something to alleviate that.  I am hoping to ride a 50 miler on Friday and a 30 miler on Sunday in 3 weeks, our last ride of the year in Minnesota, and know I will have to use boots for some or all of that, just due to the distance.  I want to make sure I have any rubbing issues (or other issues!) dealt with before that. 

The end of a beautiful weekend

Avenue of Trees

It's the last day of September, and the weather is fine.  I'd originally planned on a longer ride, but got waylaid by other things.  So, in my limited time, Red, Kelso, & I meandered over to the gravel pit for a look-see at the ever-changing fall foliage.  There have been plenty of geese heading south in their lopsided, cacophonous Vs, but the sand hill cranes were still making their eerie racket in the cow pasture while we tacked up in the barn.  The odd, long-legged birds come back every year to nest in the area, and this year raised 3 young cranes.  They frequented Red's pasture often, but still he must stand at attention in the barn when they are visible, every fiber of him focused on them out the back door.

It was a day of bird sightings, as we had a mature bald eagle soaring over the farm when we left, and flushed up two grouse which my bird dog soundly ignored, as usual.  Yellow-rumped warblers are plentiful right now, flitting through the low branches.  We just enjoyed drinking in the day.

Fall Color Tour #2

Fall is such a brief season, at least here, and it is the best time to ride.  The cool, crisp air makes the horses fresh and eager.  The annoying insects of summer are gone, leaving us to ride in peace.  The vibrant colors of the leaves contrasting with the still-green grass and blue skies are a feast for the eyes.

Christine & I took our boys out for a short ride down the road just to enjoy the day and the weather, savoring another beautiful ride and storing it in our memories against the bitter cold, early dark, and deep snows which we know are coming.

Someday

This past weekend I was at the Run for the Ridge endurance ride at Fort Ridgely State Park in southwestern Minnesota.  I wasn't riding and didn't have a horse with me;  I was filling in at the last minute for a vet who couldn't make it. This scenario is bound to make me a little grumpy, as I much prefer to ride than to vet, but it turned out to be a very interesting weekend for me.  This ride offered a 100 mile ride and was the first time I'd really been involved in a 100 in any capacity.  Four riders ended up starting the 100 at 5:15 am Saturday (in the rain and pitch dark), and watching them, their horses, & their crew throughout the day & night to follow encouraged me to consider making my vague notion of doing a 100 someday a real, honest-to-goodness goal.

I was impressed with the riders' and crews' cheerfulness throughout the hours, as the dark & wet predawn turned into a soggy morning, then a lovely afternoon, and finally into a clear, cold, and moonlit night.  They took the adversity of iffy trail conditions, many miles of boring gravel road, and missed turns in stride, somehow making it seem like fun.  I never heard a word of complaint from any of them!  The horses just kept on trotting, clearly well prepared for the job at hand.

Throughout the long cold hours after the rest of ridecamp was snug in their beds, several people opted to keep me company waiting for the last riders to return, and shared their own stories, advice, and encouragement of their 100 mile rides in the past, how to condition & prepare for them, how to choose a "good" first 100, etc.  The last two riders emerged from the dark at 2 am, on their ghostly grey horses faintly luminescent in the moonlight, and, although relieved to be done, were still cheerful and appreciative of our efforts in camp to allow them the privilege of 100+ miles (plus due to a few instances when they got off course) over 21 hours.

I was really impressed.  I want to do a 100 someday.

And now I need another nap!

Fall Color Tour #1

Sunday afternoon proved to be tailor-made for a romp in the woods.  Jodi & Rana, Gesa & Paco, and me & Rhio gathered at the new trail to enjoy the day and put some miles on our ponies.  Mostly Rana led the pack, giving Rhio the snarky mare face to keep him in his place, and Paco brought up the rear.  We travelled along easily together, letting the horses move out and talking horse talk as we went.  We crossed the bridge this time and continued on, hoping to be able to do at least 10 miles, but were foiled by a swampy section and turned back.  Gesa & Paco were now in the lead, and they jumped a small (8" or so) downed tree handily, so I let Rhio continue toward it at a canter just to see if he would jump it, too.  He did!  Oh, that was fun!

We decided to continue across the gravel road that we parked the trailer on and see how much trail we had going in the other direction before running into swamp - and got a little hill workout in that direction!  Nice!  The trail goes through residential areas for this section, and has been kept mowed and manicured by the locals - so the footing was awesome.

The "manicured" section of trail.  The top of this hill sounded hollow beneath the horses' hooves. 

Looking out over the fields where the trail turns and follows a fenceline - right into a swamp! So this was our turn-around point.

Heading back down the hill toward the trailer - the drivers in the cars zooming past seemed completely oblivious to our presence.  

Oops!  Gesa & Paco had a little saddle malfunction, which was quickly remedied and no one was hurt. 

Relaxing at the trailer post-ride (and wishing we'd brought some adult beverages with us!).

We ended up doing about 10 miles in an hour and 20 minutes, seeing a little new terrain, and thoroughly enjoying the fall colors.  Unfortunately, most of my attempts to photograph the beauty of this trail didn't really capture it at all!  I think part of the appeal of fall is not only the actual colors of the leaves changing, especially as they're accented by the dark green of pines and the white of the birch trunks, but the feel of the light filtered through and bouncing off those colors, and the smell of the leaves being crushed underfoot (under hoof!), and the sound of the breeze rattling in the dried foliage.  So I am rarely satisfied with my photos of fall - it is a sensory experience more than just visual.  

Rhio was a sweaty, frothy, muddy mess after this ride, and I decided it was a good day for his once-a-year bath with shampoo.  His nickname is "Pig Pen" for a reason, and I often bemoan the fact that I own a grey horse.  But on bath day, when his underlying magnificence is revealed (briefly) - he is gorgeous.  I like to gaze at him for awhile before I put him back in the pasture, since I know the first thing he'll do is roll.  

Brilliant, shining Rhio

In The Nick of Time

Rhio wonders where we are

It's been at least 3 weeks since Gesa & I have been able to get out to ride together.  And it's been longer than that since Rhio's last fast ride.  Luckily, the weather & our schedules aligned to allow us a quick evening jaunt on some new trail tonight.

We're always thrilled to see new trail!

This is state snowmobile trail, and has been recently mowed in preparation for winter.  Yes, I realize it is only the middle of September, but snow flies sooner than we would like to admit here in northern Minnesota!  Gesa had the opportunity to explore this trail a bit previously and determined that it is high ground and suitable for riding.  Many (most?) of the snowmobile trails around here cross swampy, low areas which are fine in the frozen months but impassable in the summer.  It is always exciting to find new trail that is high ground!  

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were almost an hour later getting mounted than we had hoped, but just decided that meant our pace would be fast and we'd just see how far we could get before dark.  Rhio was revved up and ready to rock-n-roll as soon as we picked our way around the gate ("No motorized vehicles except snowmobiles") and took off cantering up the first long hill.  I could have whooped and hollered with glee I was so thrilled to be out there!  

It's really too dark for picture taking, but here we are crossing the bridge and heading back to the trailer.

With Kelso tagging along, we made it nearly 4 miles and just crossed a bridge (for practice - both boys walked across and back again without hesitation) in about 35 minutes, then decided our light was fading fast and we'd best head back to the trailer.  Well, those ponies seemed to know exactly what we were thinking, and we were off like rockets!  We did the return trip in 25 minutes, if that tells you anything about our pace :)  It was a blast to be flying along in the gathering dusk - and it felt like we were going faster the darker it got, though I know we weren't actually speeding up.  It was just light enough to load up when we got back, and both horses were steaming in the chill night air.