Pit stop while moving barns...

The barn that I just left (we'll call "Winter Barn") was not far from some wonderful trails. They were multi-use (and boy were they used by all types) but had plenty wide gravel trails that attracted most of the bikes and stroller, and then nice dirt trails for horses. They were a good mix of hills, with packed dirt that made for good footing for trotting (not like some of our granite trails that are, literally, hard as rock!).

I managed to get the two horses out together once, but didn't have much time. In fact I got farther down the trail when I did a great picnic/hike with my fiance. Then I took Lola out a few weeks ago along, and she basically tried to kill me every step of the way! Really, mostly my fault, never try to do something with a horse if they know you're in a hurry! Plus I took her straight out of the stall, no turn out, lunging or anything, and I'm pretty sure she hadn't been worked that week! WHAT was I thinking taking a silly mare with ALL that pent up energy out ALONE????

So Sunday when I moved her out, I couldn't help but take one last try at those trails. Things went marvelously! I had FUN! Imagine that. And she only tried to kill me once. HUGE improvement, right?

From Drop Box

The view isn't as good here, but with the wind the sky was so clear! I could way more than usual.

I started things off right, let her get her bucks out running around in the arena, and then left her turned out while packing up. I took my time grooming. No sense having her feed off my energy. She was good from the get go. Only minor spooks in place, nervous snorting and such, but that's expected as she gets used to going out alone. We even passed a couple of horses, and she didn't make any fuss about them leaving her.

Then came the stream. Now this was really just rain run off crossing the trail. No big deal. A tiny trickle of water with some standing water around the rocks. Except she's not a big fan of MOVING water. I knew she'd be trouble, so I got off from the get go. She tip toed around the edge while I stood right in the middle of the scary. She stuck her nose all the way to the ground. She wasn't really being too balky so I finally got firm about her crossing and boy did she come! I expected her to leap across dramatically. She's a red mare after all! What I didn't expect was to have her charge past me and straight up the bank on my left! UP the bank between the boulders INTO the trees! This of course yanked my upper body up and to the left, while my feet were still down and to the right, with the lovely bank using its trees and rocks to keep my knees from moving at all. Thanks Lola.

I am always amazed that a person can have fully intact clothing on the outside, while the skin underneath said clothing can get scrapped and cut galore. I have a lovely long scrape and bruise where one of the rocks kept my knee from following my upper body.

I was not happy. I was also totally disgusted by her choice to hop up a bank. That doesn't even make sense! I grabbed a stick (not a beating stick, just a make shit crop) and spanked her one when she wouldn't come OUT of the brush and back to the trail. From there she know I had a spanking tool, and she followed me back to the stream. This time she jumped only one stride, she didn't leap wildly, or run off, but still not quite good enough. So crossing back she managed to put all four feet through, and even stop in the middle. Good girl!

We took our time with the whole thing, and I was so focused on her that it wasn't until I started to walk away that I realized that there were two people on horseback standing about 15 feet up the trail! I have no idea how long they had been standing there! I was a little embarrassed, mainly because I wasn't sure if they had caught me being dragged up the bank and shouting wildly at my mare! I think they only caught the end. They congratulated me on making it across, I said she had to do it several times because the first time was so wild, they reminded me that's how they learn. So true.

We continued on. The trail presented lots of fun tests, we opened and shut two gates without getting off, crossed a big wide bridge over a rushing stream, then later a little narrow bridge (we walked it first, then rode), we trotted some of the hills on the back trails, then walked the hills home on a loose rein! Seriously! Best thing about it, we rode over the little trickle stream the second time around. No big deal. She'd learned. What an amazing feeling!

From Drop Box

Overall she got a good low impact work out, ie lots of walking hills, with a little hill trotting. She got a great mental workout! I got a rather intense work out and, pathetically, will be sore tomorrow. I forced myself to ride in the jumping saddle with shorter than usual (but not quite so short as jumping) length stirrups. Plus with the ups and downs it was a little like two point.

From Drop Box

I snapped this picture on the way out to the trail. Beautiful view! That's my trailer in the front. Since getting it back after the tree incident I'm reminded how lucky I am to have a trailer. I'm so grateful to have the freedom it affords. Days like today, one on one bonding with your horse, don't happen without a trailer.