My World with a horse part 2

Yesterday we had some fun riding the nearby tree forest lands that the neighbor has offered to my PBO. I really did not give it too much thought when I was told I may venture on over and ride there.

Lately, in search of some dryer areas to ride while some of the well-used-by-me- trails dry out,
I tried the tree lined area again.
I had gone over once during a rain storm and my mare really did NOT want to be there...and neighed and acted nervous.
Yesterday was an attempt to reclaim the area, as it does have a perfect "hacking Track" along the outside that is varied in hills and flats.


As well as a perfectly footed track along the outer edges...I found the rows to be a good in between ride as well! The trees are small yet, so Washashe did not get nervous with being hedged in at all. We worked on canter mostly as the last time we went there....she practically cantered in place as we headed homeward to get rain reprieve! It felt so lovely, I thought to try for it on purpose.

Wow, she gave me some nice work. Our departs will take some work and not having a wall, it may take longer but- if any of you out there would like to describe your techniques for aides for canter...I am interested.
I may try inside the rows for a wall like place...but I basically leg yielded left then right, and as her inside leg came back towards me I cued the left lead...three strides in a row. If I were to be trotting, I would be giving aide on the sit phase of the same side lead. I do have to be careful of my outside leg being overly strong...she has kicked out in past. I tend to use the inside on girth and also inside hand raised slightly. My hips in position do make my outside leg slightly back already, without my over asserting that part!

I was in the middle of this lovely training ride when I got a call from my husband. He had been stranded by -SNOW- in an airport in Wisconsin. I had to rescue him from Seattle, Washington State, when he got there apparently. A short ride, darn. I had wanted to discover the rest of the offered properties"behind the gate" in adventures.
I untacked quickly, it was only one property over so, that was fast.
Unfortunately I was not looking forward to a 3 hour drive and 3 more again home. OH..the phone again....he did NOT need me! good for him, he got a flight!

Then, I decided to resume our quest in halter and with training stick. The Wa and I set out for the neighbor's gate to the unknown!

This was our view! More perfectly footed roads

This rather large tree log is right inside the gate appropriately for remounting.
I thought of my friend Jenn over at Green Slobber on my shirt's neat-o- mounting pedestal & Lisa's need for a mounting ramp soon..this size was perfect for that..though...

She is soo funny, my mare...whenever she does not want to do as I wish..she will turn her head the way she'd like to go or just plain ignore me by putting it down to the ground in avoidance altogether!
I was trying to show how high the tree log was here for Lisa and she would not cooperate with a straight horse body!

An attempt to show you some great big older growth trees...head down view makes that tough!

So...we walked quite far down the road like paths, till we spied a pond and many creeks and also some very stinky Skunk cabbage and an awesome barn. The paths went on and on to my delight...but my ankle and the creeks kept me from going further.....then, there WAS the ordeal of walking all the ways back. Hummm...should I try....do I dare?
I have never ridden my mare outside bareback. And in a halter, never. I do ride in sometimes a" bitless bridle" ; that is about the equivalence of a halter for my mare , according to "Horse Journals" latest issue. At least I know she will respond to that...but the bareback...?...
Okay...I kinda have to try since my ankle was yelling some fierce names at me by now.

I did take the lash off my training/carrot stick and tied it firmly around her neck for some holding on power for myself. Then I placed my left hand firmly in place around it with the rope rein's bridged too!

I kept taking large deeps breaths of air to keep myself relaxed...she was fine..me well...pensive some.

She did...well, you'll see here!


So, This is what we did yesterday, after opening up the wonderful package from FIVEOCLOCKSOMWHERE. . . . .as seen in post below!

My World with a horse

Yesterday was an amazing day for the mare and I.... will be telling you all soon about this....but, before I even left the house to have any horsey adventures, I heard familiar footfalls upon the porch. A package I had been waiting for finally had arrived!!!
I had given into a desire for something from an artisan I follow online. Tara, from FIVEOCLCKSOMWHERE blog( See my sidebar and click upon the above picture!) has always created such wonderful pieces of art. Ofttimes with antique Equestrian bobbles involved...hence my attraction to her wares. I love jewelery, and jewelry with horses...OH!

I finally gave in and ordered something....it came and is not seen on this page, but something else IS.
My NECKLACE...It is of my Wonder Washashe mare on our first outing to emancipate ourselves from the constricting former barn and complete our desires to JUMP!

Tara, you out did yourself and really made me cry for the sheer pleasure of having this wonderful memory to wear. And the earrings...they too, are from Tara as a surprise treat!

It happens to be placed upon a Scrabble letter piece that has a W4 inscribed on the back. OH!!! My mares letter and -this is something maybe Tara did not even know-this year WILL be my 4Th year in partnership with her!



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Monochrome Monday

While in Silverton Oregon last fall, we walked the towns side streets and we came upon this wonderful art Mural upon a rather large brick building.
I will have to show it in it's color glory sometime~After 2 years it still looks great, probably because it is sheilded in an alley between buildings.
We have many Murals as well, in Oregon City, that I now will take another look at for B/W.

Please do visit others Monochrome shots from around the world! Thanks so much for the fun Aileni~Monochrome Maniac

Thanks my Jane

An award was presented to me by a beautiful woman & friend over at

Jane Augenstein, My world in Pictures.

I mostly have photo's and videos related to my horse, and there is less writings but, I will accept this writing award for the very small amount of writing I do have here.

Jane you inspire me truly, and I appreciate all you are. As you know, you gave this to me a very low time, and I am here to tell you now, it made me really happy then, and still does. Thank you!

This funny little thing called "Blogging" has been a special place for me to meet some extraordinary people.

Some, like Jane, I will have to meet face to face and (((HUG))) and enjoy her, to complete this Cyberspace" jump start" on solid, endearing friendships. This has opened up in my life in ways I would have never imagined that it could.

"THE PREMIO DARDOS is given for recognition of Cultural, Ethical, Literary, and Personal Values transmitted in the form of Creative and Original writing"

I would like to pass this on to one that writes from the heart of a woman that has , I believe , lifetimes to share beyond her years. I am always creatively inspired and also morally ,to live the higher calling and look beyond myself as I travel to her home at Red Pine Mountain.

Mountain Woman You are awesome! Please accept this award and pass it on to as many of those whom you desire to honor.

Okay...wanna laugh your - - - - off?

Tracey at the Mustang Diaries posted this!

It was the perfect way to end a week- for me at least....check her out and also the link.
She was recently in the Mustang Challenge at NW Horse EXPO and adopted her wonderful Steve Holt! !

Kac out

Fearless of ever finding open land~

INTO MY OWN (1913)*Robert Frost
One of my wishes is that those dark trees,
So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,
Were not, as 'twere, the merest mask of gloom,
But stretched away unto the edge of doom.
*
I should not be witheld but that some day
Into their vastness I should steal away,
Fearless of ever finding open land,
Or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand.
*
I do not see why I should e'er turn back,
Or those should not set for upon my track
To overtake me, who should miss me here
And long to know if still I held them dear.*
They would not find me changed from him they knew-
Only more sure of all I thought was true.*

Only yesterday

SPRING POOLS (1928) Robert Frost

Those pools that,

though in forests,

still reflect

The total sky almost without defect,
And like the flowers beside them,

chill and shiver,
Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone,
And yet not out by any brook or river,

But up by roots to bring dark foliage on.
*
The trees that have it in their pent-up buds
To darken nature and be summer woods-
Let them think twice before they use their powers
To blot out and drink up and sweep away
These flowery waters and these watery flowers
From snow that melted only yesterday.
*

But wherever truth may be-

NEITHER OUT FAR NOR IN DEEP (1936)

The people along the sand

All turn and look one way.

They turn their back on the land.

They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass

A ship keeps raising its hull;

The wetter sand like glass

Reflects a standing gull.

The land may vary more;

But wherever the truth may be-

The water comes ashore,

And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far.

They cannot look in deep.

But when was that ever a bar

To any watch they keep?

Robert Frost

March 26th

B-day1874

Tis the Season

It has been almost 3 weeks since our move and I am shocked with just how long my mare has been in love(lust) for her new geldings. She pines for them and woo's them when they are near. She also would love to become closer to the rather In charge mare on the property that would most likely lay her low if she got the chance to. Panna is her name and she examples EXTREME dislike and herds the two geldings away, every chance she gets.
When I allow Wa near her, in halter in hand.....Panna opens her mouth very angrily and says, " Come closer, I WILL eat you!"
Wa is NOT in her right mind..and tries to get closer, while spread eagle. I am not allowing her closer...it would not be pretty. Danny here will bite her eventually, as she keeps looking and staring and nuzzling...very annoying ,when there is nothing you can do about it!

Moving on and outside......

The girl was standing there romancing her other gelding and what she allowed me to do, amazed me!

I purchased a rather strong bristled brush with the intention of using it for mudd removal on hooves and half chaps and such before and after rides.

I started on her hooves and continued up to her knees and hocks, lightly; it was really getting some hair off on her legs. She really liked it, mouthing the ground by Romeo. She was doing the "Hump Back" mare in season stance...I quickly had to move the groom box behind her as she was indiscriminate with her ......!

I then took the rather strong bristled brush and ran it across her very flat back as she other things on her mind...she allowed me...actually I was able to brush her all over with that brush and she just stood there. Definitely NOT in her normal mind!

Wa was soo funny, she followed me around till I took her out of the stall, she appeared to be waiting for the outing today in between rain spurts.

We only had time to trot up and back, with a 10 minute respite under a large Fir stand, as the rains hit us hard! It was a very cool trot back though..she was sooo round, as the rain was making her drop her head for reprieve!

We dried off and I finally went home. Tomorrow promises to be the better day for a ride!

This is the Raspberry plant the my friend at Green Grocer gave to me for a start the other night. I mentioned my mare having a hard season this time...just very long.

Raspberry leaves are dried and given to mares and geldings for hormonal balance. I usually give the mare "Mare Magic", but decided to lay off right when we moved...um, maybe not the best of timings, this time.

Need to get a LARGER pot for this as it runs and spreads easily...want to try to contain it ; we have a tiny yard!

We will eat the fleshy red droplets fruits and the mare may have the leaves.

For now...Washsahse is back on the store bought-"Mare magic"!

Euphoric is the feeling

I lost some good friends for riding when I was asked to leave my last facility. It was a heart break and though I talk with them, almost daily, and they may come to my facility and ride with me on our trails and on our horses; I may not visit them, pick them up for trails, beach trips or camping(I was just told this recently,by one still there).

Well today, one of my bestest friends there gave NOTICE!!! HA!

She is moving her horse to an excellent facility that I referred her to. I was on the top of the list to go there since last year, when I tried to escape my last facility... but they only had room for one horse, I had 2 at the time.

They really know how to manage propery for pasture grazing and always have grass there! Maddy mare will not only get more to eat on a regular basis, she will have all her antioxidents and Omega's too!

The husband/ wife team called me this mo, 6 days after I had moved to Gemma's, where I am now. I was in shell shock and couldn't imagine interviewing again and decided to stay put.

That is when My friend, with her little buckskin beauty mare, called me to ask me where to go, she was thinking of leaving.

I get to keep her!!! I can visit her anytime and ride with her always...In Fact, we have booked a beach date already, and Camping too!

This is her last year, while we discovered the joy of trails together. She had just started to trailer her mare and I got to help, it was a privilege.

She is the one that got me to blog in the first place, because of her love for her mare and the trials she has gone through with her..check her Equinemine blog out!

NOW-I will get some more of these fabulous" Behind the Scenes" Pics she is not so fond of!!

My World with a horse

Last week I stopped by a girlfriends stable . She had invited me to come on by and watch her ride her green mare and to talk about me trailering on over from time to time to ride trails and use the arena.
She and I met a few barns ago and have longed to ride together ever since. When she found out I was no longer at my old boarding facility and she dicovered where I am now...she just beamed with delight, saying, "You are right by me now!"
I took some "artisticly blurry" photo's of her riding that day.

So, She has offered to help me with my mare at her facility that is humble and has no desire for pretenses! My style, and hers too, apparently.
She has a very active minded mare that has presented her with many obsticles in the past, so she feels very confident in helping me with my Washsashe mare.

I got to my stable in plenty of time to clean up my dirty tack and clean up my very dirty horse...I called too late for the blanket to be left on, so she had double muddied herself today just for this occasion.

Double meaning, both sides opposed to one sided muddying, like normal.

I dolled her with these special braiders called "Sweet & Neat EZ braiders." They are white rolled plastic that allows you to appear to have braided and threaded embroidery thread knots ,like for real shows!

She looked nice.Who else do we have to get all dolled up for?

She almost hopped into the trailer..like she usually does.. but I had to tell her we were coming back...NOT MOVING!
I was so proud of her...she did well with the new environment and we got quite a few comments that we had really been doing nice work up to now. Which is awesome...I have done it all on the trails and without an arena!

You really CAN practice dressage on trails folks!!

All in all, it was fabulous and we have made some future riding times now. My Private barn owner will be joining me , I think ,in a few weeks too. We are talking schooling shows and my new riding-mentor mentioned this quite a few times as we did somethings correctly. When we did not, she mentioned what the judges would be looking for. I tucked the mare into her stall and she was contentedly munching hay as I left the drive, staring out her window on the world.

On the way home I stopped by our local, privately owned, Green Grocer store. A favorite hang out of mine. The Owner is in love with a white gelding she used to brush and handle every day a few years back. The owners gave him away or sold him and she lost track of him. She tracked him down a short time ago, but is not able to have the same relationship with him as before. She pines for her horsey friend and when walked in all dirty and horsehaired up...she grinned and told me that I was super healthy because I had my heart's desire with my mare.I offered to take her out and we could groom the horses together and then take a hand walk with them too...she was sooo excited. Me too! Next Wednesday, we endeavor to take on the dirt.

This special shop owner is endearing to me and really saved me last year when I got a frantic call from my mother in heart attack mode..literally. I ended up canceling my days work to rush her to the hospital. I knew it could be a long and harrowing day so while my mom was being transferred to another hospital ,via ambulance, to put in a pace maker. I quickly called my Green Grocer gal and she cooked up an "Amy's Breakfast Burrito" for me and I did the hand off thing while I drove by...it was the only sustenance I got all day..she totally saved me!Mom has now had her year anniversary, Valentines day!

Here is her beautiful store In Oregon City.

Today was just about the best day I have had in a l o n g time!

The combination of having truly positive folks around me and meeting new ones that are seemingly cut from the same cloth.

Then the topper was to be able to inspire someone by just having the guts to show up in a public venue to shop (I am outa Coffee beans) with breaches on, bright blue polka dot socks over them and a goodly amount of horsehair, mud and desperately dirty fingernails!

Things are really coming together for the mare and I for our future riding abilities and associations for change and growth . Not only for myself but for my lovely Private Stable Owner !

Thankful to heaven ...I am going to bed tonight satisfied and even more accepting for all that

has occurred to me in the near past, for our betterment!

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Monochrome Monday

Horses in Washington DC

Reservations

One of my favorite things about Spring is:

Reservations are made in advance of the planned outings with Equines.

We now have 1 camping trip planned for Silver Creek falls. 1 trip to the Bay Ocean House my friend Gemma owns, and another camping trip for Quinn meadows in Bend, Oregon for August....

I need another horse/friend for that trip~ Any takers???

Spring Is In The Air

Ah yes, Spring with it's many joys, is upon us here in Oregon. The birds wake us in the morning with song, the weeds have popped right up in the yard next to the flowers.....

and shedding definitely is happening with the mare.

I love my Grooming Stone/or Brick for this...works very well with the MUDD too.

Washashe is able to roll in her blanketless horses body now, as my

PBO takes it off for N/C - from over nights that still are 30 degrees.

She gets to be a horse again!

The Charcoal-ish brick starts square and wears down to a round stone looking object.

So when you need an edge again...you run it across the floor once or twice and it creates an edge again.

The mare really dislikes sticky grooming gloves that pull her hair or rigid brushes...so this has turned out to be a life saver for her thin skin! She tells me it actually feels good too! She is a picky one.

These lighter/ longer times I am very much enjoying for my favorite twilight rides...Just have to get the ride-home-timing memorized in my new woods and how long things take since I may get so much farther away now.

Head lamp and breast collar lamps for the mare my be in order.

Today,we cross a rather large sounding creek...we went out 2 hours yesterday, but turned back as we came up a new ridge. We could hear the creek below.

Until we meet again~ KK and Wa out and about~

P.S.

We meet up with a fellow rider tonight that boards 3 miles away..she is going to help us in her arena starting next week. And, he is introducing me to some English folks that actually live on my mare's Stable's street that are Eventers and are building a course and arena 1 mile from us!

Watery Wednesday

While in New York we took a Harbor tour. The watery wonderland was vast and the city actually got a bit smaller.....then.....

We got closer to land again!

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My World with a horse

I really am loving the area I am now boarding my mare. it is in the foothills of our Cascade Mountain ranges and I see them as I drive to the stable. I also pass the city's first church, schoolhouse and cemetery.

Recently, I was shaken to my core with circumstances that called for much faith and resolve to rise above.

Having to move my mare hastily was the jump start to having to rely upon people with Godly character that hold firm foundations in a otherworldly faith and higher ethical practices.

Though it took me down a notch, emotionally so, I am now seeing the strengthening it has yielded.

This past Sunday, as I returned to worship in a 150 year old church; I gazed out the window from my pew at times.

There was a violent wind in the branches outside.

I was reminded that my faith can be blown about like the tree and rattled like a window pane but, what holds it together is not myself, it is God.

Though I may turn away at times, He never does leave me and is right there, facing me as I turn back.

Our one room study was about just that; " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

It was about being content in whatever state I am .

I thoroughly enjoyed worshiping in that one room church, with humble hearts around me.

When I got to my mare's stall...she was looking very content herself...with her own window on the world~

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