Summer of trails and new Friends!

Can any of you horsey Bloggers identify this horse and rider?

I met him for the first time last weekend riding at Mission State Park... though many of you already know him here in Blog-land, I am sure. Nice Guy, very large horse.

The riding at Mission was a bit of sensory overload for my mare...but to my great pleasure, she actually did alright; though the start was rough by getting left behind and she really was uppity about that. She made up for it later by being ultra calm for one of the new friends I met and her Gelding that was on high alert after having kicked out at another gelding for running up on him.

She did some in saddle "attention back to rider" work here, then when that did not yield the right response, we got off and did ground work, while the other 2 rider went on...which insighted some mmore response from him.

It was worth the time taken and longer ride time to do this for my new friend Carrie. She is leaving town in a few weeks or I would totally have been calling her for trail ride times too!

I really enjoyed Mission and look forward to returning there very soon to meet new Friends and their mounts.

Until then, be safe and courteous riders on those multi-use trails. I don't care for them too much myself..the bicycles have a difficult time yielding and the Whistle that my good horsewoman at-Equine mine got for me..I ride with it ready now..it is an attention getter for those bikers that want us to yield to them!

Just me being forward and by the book again! after all- it is posted on the trail head signs!

Trail Views

Sometimes I am unable to process my times in the world without getting away and into the forests...

God does meet me there and gives me His sense of calm. I relax and enjoy times of peace with my mare Washashe. She and I just wander around the woods checking out the wildlife and fluttery animals as we hoof it by. We go through the nearby "tree glen" and practice Dressage up the alley's there..watching for deer as we do half passes and leg yeilds.... trot and canter through their wooded haven.

His creation is beautiful yet, we destroy it with all sorts of trash, pollution, and also the noise...As I left tonight I could hear the motor cycles .

Lately, I am known as the "Mounted Trail Police" at my stable...tonight it was mentioned that I get a badge and some flashing lights for my mare to wear...as they laughed it up! I actually do have a flashing light on my bridle...and I wear a whistle for safety if Motor Bikers come around.. It being illegal for them to use the Port Blakley lands for that kind of use, I feel very justified in my quest for silence and beauty (and safety) out there while I ride public lands available for Non-motorised use.

It was just so lovely tonight ...riding through the wooded trails, on the buckle, with my mare snorting along as she walked with only our Shadow ahead and the sunset behind us as company. My little saddle has developed a squeaking somewhat now. After all -it is 44 years old and me being older..well, I make noises too! Be looking for you all on the trails....

Lost in Bloger-land....

Was looking all over for my BLOG....and Nora and Pantz helped me find it!!!! But in the interim,

I created another one.... short lived as it will be...cause NOW..I am unable to prove I started that one by finding it again!!!!

I AM BACK here though+++ yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Returning to the arena

This is my old arena...many distractions and very small. Horses parked on both walls either in stalls or in a pasture that connected to the arena wall. I really don't miss those kinds of distractions for my uppity Thoroughbred mare! It made staying on iffy somwtimes....night riding was the calmest usually since the tractors and blowers and horses were mostly done and in stalls.

I actually have not cantered inside for some time....since I have moved to my new place..the arena flooded somehow and the footing seems unstable for us to circle in while cantering...as you see, sometimes we fly off =in a huff for one reason or another....I apparently was using too much leg aide this day.. or it could have been the gelding standing on the side of arena. horses staring at her made her very mad!

I have enjoyed my lessons with my new trainer..but I am thinking it may be months before we even talk canter...just my long shot projection after my last lesson"keeping up" with my mare's movement in the trot. It is all we did this last lesson and it felt like running around the arena to me...I have done that unknowingly before, with out utilising half halts and direction changes like serpentine- to mark speed and regulate tempo. But, I do know i may keep up with movement now WITH OUT blocking the tempo!

Soo, one of these days I will attempt to canter again inside...she tends to tear out a bit even when I ask outside on the trail. So, I do need some advise...maybe trying the leg yield inside to outside again, then to canter. Disguise it and minimise it.

All I know is that my mare is super sensitive and I must be also!

Fourth Of July with the Horses

We had sooo much fun At Silver Creek Falls this past weekend with the horses! It took so little time to get to this amazing- "rain-forest like"- place with our equine companions behind us in the trailer. And what fun it was to be all decked out in our RedWhite and Blue attire. After all, Washashe is my ALL AMERICAN MARE!

So, it was myself and two other-adventure-seeking-equine-lovers, who took off about mid day to the Silver Creek Falls Park . When we got there , we just tacked up immediately, and took off knowingly WITHOUT THE MAP to a favorite trail I remembered to be- NOT too long a ride. Trusted me on that one, and almost 3 hours later, at the beginning of sunset, we got into camp and Bruce, my lovely husband, was there with the fire going and we just knew= we had begun a weekend to remember, one without mishap or too high an expectation= aside from FUN and LAUGHTER!

Once we were riding a high ridge area where I HAD to get off in a hurry, my mare and I really don't do craggy terrain well. Nervousness turns into- dangerous- with no where to go fast. I had just remounted her and all was well... we lead the threesome down the trail and- All of a sudden- I see what I think to be a groundhog or small rodent pop out of the bush and come directly for my mares legs...it was an aggressive mother grouse! She was trying to divert us from her nest...but had come so close to us, hat I truly did not know what my mare would do with this Puffed-Up-feathery thing! She did Nothing, she just looked at her in disbelief as we all did...thinking"Grouse takes on 3,000 pounds of animals!" Oh, man... what a laugh!

What a time we had!! Thank you Lord for all the fun and safely we enjoyed this first time out camping this summer...to many~ many more times -as such!