My old riding buddy

As of the the month of August, the Local managed forest lands have been closed. It has not happened in years..but this year we have had some long stretches of hot weather. Normally, here in Oregon, we get rain at least every other week, if not some every week. Even if it's the overnight showers, that so nicely clear the air and make it smell fresh again. Not this summer!

I was NOT riding much at all in August, due to my crash and it bothered me not that the lands were closed. Recently, I have wanted to ride the lands again, so I rang up the local land manager . He was not really willing to budge...even for a barefooted horse. Though he said that they could not enforce it and many would still be going through the trails. It is already illegal for motorized vehicles and shooting, hunting and campfires. All it leaves is us Equestrians and the hikers and mountain bikers.

While out on the trail with my Friend last Friday, the horse started to neigh...not ours but my phone's ringer! It was an old riding buddy.

I normally do not catch any calls-on purpose while riding- but this was a friend I had not heard from in a long while. He wanted to schedule a ride..we did for the next day, at my place. I called around some more and found that BLM land banked up to all the Port Blakely lands around us. They have NOT closed thier lands. I made sure to pass through the P.B. lands that had no signs up(less guilt) and we rode to the BLM lands.


His neato horse Quincy is now 6. He spotted him in a field one day and drove up the driveway and asked if he were forsale. He was. He bought him within weeks, and started his groundwork training. He had had 3 horses before Quincy and they had some training issues(like Mine...(wrongly mishandled and now sour to work) He desired to train his own horse, instead of buying others problems. We met through the Christain Trailriders Fellowship almost 4 years ago and have been riding together ever since.
Sometimes I ride Jag, His QH. While I was in a barn that had trails my second year of horse ownership, he'd come every weekend with me. My Wa mare loved to lead and his 4year old Quincy would not...perfect match till Quicny got bolder and my friend would then take off on us...made for a crappy ride and after a few rides like that...I vowed not to ride my mare with him again.


I still keep the vow...I rode Danny!





Okay..he is really a nice looking man but...he took his helmet off saying, "So I won't look like a dork" he explained...then he looks like a DORK anyway! Weirdo face!!!
Sometime...I will tell some of the really fun stories of our riding heyday back when I was a bit more fearless. I found out he nicknamed me "Wildwoman". Tee hehe!

Nice times...are soon to come to an end though. He just took a Job in Rockwall Texas and is to move the 27th of September. We have a few more rides scheduled, then He's off!

On the Horse Again

Let me tell ya friends-it is soooo nice to be back in the saddle again! In fact, I have had a run-on-riding, since Friday last.


My "Must Ride Monday's"partner and her Mustang Cazi, came to pick me up last Friday. The weather was partly cloudy and perfectly mild. We set out for a new place-Oxbow Park.

This is the "Blocker Tie Ring" configuration I use...it is handy...you can move it anywhere there is a tie ring, including inside the trailer.
My friend sends her horses inside the trailer and they stand, untied, and never even rush to get out when the door or divider is opened.

I found out though----this was NOT always the case. This very Mustang that calmly gets into the trailer now and stands calmly by, used to take up to 45 minutes and tears to get in. She has worked and worked with him and he trusts her judgment now. Both of her horses do. I really like not having to tie the horse, but Wa mare and I are not there. She, being the anticipatory mare she is- would turn around lickity split!


We began the ride high above the river, traversing down and down.

High above the Sandy River Delta.Cazi and his partner take in the sights.

The view was quite a beaut! You walk down quite a decline trail with large rails that border it for safety sake. I walked the mare by hand, as she hates the pressure of the downhill on her back and shoulders. In fact, there are some white hairs for the downhill pressure because we do it so much. I am not anymore, she is too sensitive for it, I have discerned...and am treating the area with "Calm coat" it soothes and grows normal hair back. We arrived down at the river's edge and the horses enjoyed the cool water while walking to the bigger flow of things. And ya'll know what happened after we got into the river...Wa decided to"Go-with-the-Flow!"

It was a wonderful new outing and Washashe was very excited about it all, from the start. She kept an eye on me the entire time I was getting ready, that morning...even though she had her grain and hay..she'd stop surprizingly, and come to the stall door,peer over it to make sure I was not leaving with out her! I loved that! So, I have learned...give her tons of time off, and she really wants to go with me anywhere!

The trail head had a large barrier to keep out motorized bikes and normal bikes with a 6 ft wide 30 inch tall wood boudary. ...She jumped it at my request and off we went! The only part of the trip she disliked were the rather large round river rocks. She would stop and turn around and ask again..."really, must we keep on this way?!"


NOTE TO EILEEN DEAR! Next time you come from Africa to Oregon...You will be going on a riding adventure with us! Better start to plan...I am!

The running water effect

While riding in the Sandy River last Friday, the mare who has never relieved herself while with me atop, had an unusual response to the water flowing under her hooves.

Too funny. I am glad she decided to finally do this action...I knew she had to go, and had gotten off several times already. This was one local, I would not dismount for her. She decided it was a safe spot, even with me aboard!

Some more things my mare has taught me....

....about me!
We Love Acknowledgement of honest efforts made !

Being an ultra sensitive mare, she loves and needs concise and fair communication. Through repetition of this kind of communication, she gains understanding and then can trust a request I make, to yield a consistent response she may rely upon and rest in. This normally gains her relief from an aide or a high praise or treat for being willing to try. She loves the acknowledgement of her trying to please, I love to reward her for the smallest of efforts. It is looking for the communication measure that works sometimes.

I too desire honest efforts from the people around me in mutual respect for our friendship. Give and take and easy going is great! Yet-I do require a yea to mean yea and a nay, to mean nay.

Once we have an understanding and acknowledgement of who we are, fitting into the scheme comes easy by known- set standards, we both can look on in ease, and relax~

Some things my mare has taught me

My Mare is always Happiest....when she is Chewing!

ABOUT ME!!!

Since the first part of ownership of my mare, I have kept a running tally- in- mind- of all the ways she has taught me about myself. She too, is very sensitive. She is all animal and instinct. Me being human, I have reasoning thought and intellect and free will.

I have been amazed at her language to me, specifically, as we both have been abused. My lessons are numerous and I have so grown to understand her much more and appreciate her efforts as I accept my own inabilities to cope sometimes and move forward. These are very valuable nuggets of information. I often apply them in my life, with other humans!

While I could make a list of 20 or better- of the funny ways she teaches me about me as she tells me about herself...I want to savor the lessons here..one at a time.

(Obviously..I started with one of the funniest ones..oh! I need to loose weight!)

Therapy Riding Therapy

That is what this week is all about...therapy.

My mare had her therapy session first thing Monday- finally! She has been indicating -very loudly- in horse language that certain area's of her body were sore and needing attention. She was most definitely out in her Ham strings from kicking the electric fence off her legs. There also were some Different areas of need I have not had to have homework on, in the past. I always look at it like this when it is something new...that we have moved on past what was hanging us up before. So, it is good to me that new area's need attention, we are doing new things all the time. We also did another saddle fitting with my new dressage saddle and my standby Jump saddle....and....the jump saddle is too tight for her! She has developed more in whither area and the signs of tightness are appearing, in the form of tiny white hairs. I have only used it once weeks ago, since I had it reflocked..but the downhills really made the mark on her. Time for the rubber mallet!

So, since last we met here, I came off the mare in a hurry, as we passed by a tree that is leaning into the trail. ( == NEWS FLASH==About that tree. My Barn owner investigated moving it and discovered that the thing is actually resting right on the power line!)

Maybe there was something to that explosion and not all bad horse action-?- Anywho... I have been able to stay home and around the house mostly for the past 12 days. Ice on the ankle and heals with elevation with some drugs...save the 3 times I HAD TO GO SEE WA! I brushed her and left again. I was actually able to lunge her twice by the end of the weekend. She did better than usual and seemed to really enjoy being able to do something with me.

She was very good about walking ultra slow, as I hobbled along. She'd look at me, in a kinda knowing look as she stop and wait for me to get slightly ahead again, as we went down the driveway to the open field, the first day. The second day, above, we were joined by my PBO and a friend clearing a tilled area, in prep for a round pen.

Then, my "MUST RIDE MONDAYS" adventure friend called and said, "I am bringing a horse for you to ride..let's GO!!!" I could NOT pass that up and I requested to ride Mr. Mustang Cazi man. He is lower to the ground and a solid ride. Simeon is only 4 and can present one with training issues here and there...and I just wanted to see if I could even ride, at all yet.

We went to some nearby trails in the Molalla River Corridor. They are kept up by "Oregon Equestrian Trails" group. Very well marked and groomed. As we arrived a bit later in the afternoon time, the four horse trailers that were there, left. We had the entire acreage to ourselves!

Cazi took very nice care of me, as we followed his- Bay beauty- pasture mate. He was smooth and inquisitive about things...but not spooky. I just loved the way his multi colored mane sparked in the sun, behind his adorable Carmel dipped ears!

We came upon a MOVING MOUNTAIN OF........

Mr. Simeon was not too sure about this mound of moving, living structure!!! There were soo many of them everywhere...pretty cool really..if you were UP-on-a-horse-and-NOT-on-the- ground!

I have to tell you...the surprizing thing about riding was>>> It did not hurt at all, and the absence of pressure on my heals and ankle, WAS therapy in itself!!!

THANK YOU CAZI...what a wonderful horse you are. You made me totally happy and someone is really-REALLY going to enjoy being your partner someday...wish it could be me!

As for now.................................

My mare is having a kind of time -off-therapy too....... she is LOVING her new huge field..and getting used to staying out 24-7 again.

Looking forward to walking down the trails again soon, with my Equine Venturing partner!