Hooky with Horses...

Our steeds relaxing in the sun, taking in a bit of grass while we tended the stalls, after arrival.


Saturday last my friend and PBO and I decided to jet to the coast, since the weather was predicted to be springlike for the first time...
She owns the Bay Ocean House , a rental property on the Oregon Coast. She frequently takes little trips there, in between renters, to replenish the sundry items for the pantry and linen closet. Also , she does a once over in the yard and generally looks into the up keeping of a rental property.
This time...we were met with some very unpleasant surprises that the last renters left for us....


I have rarely seen my friend look so disdainful ...as we did 2 hours of work to removes 15- very heavy loads of straw, manure,mouldy hay and soggy, gooey sand from the four stalls.

While we were working at it, she was fuming..and even mad that her time was being taken up at all- being mad. So, I suggested that , "This WAS THE TIME to be mad...then we'd be done with it!".
Suddenly, she burst out a curdling yell...and I almost fell over! That was that...we worked till done and choose the stalls best for housing our horses and went into the house to relax till low tide came.
We were very much aware of the actual blessing of her other horse having an abcess the night before, keeping us from being able to come a day earlier. We could NOT have done that work in the dark easily.
She resolved to write them a letter, keep the security deposit and all fees and maybe even charge them further for the damages(I did not take pictures of that) the horses did to the wood rails...almost chewing them in half. Then they tared them,after the fact and they were all black and sticky.

Once we rested and I did some massage on my friend...we hand grazed the horses and the cares away!
It was a very nice temperature in Tillamook(thanks Ly) for riding and kayaking too...another friend joined us with her desire to "glide" her cares away over the weekend!

Low tide...we all set out to glide and ride!


Riding the Bay side of the Spit, kept us out of the windy conditions that existed this time in Tillamook.
Arrival home again...we hand grazed some more..it is such a relaxing thing to watch the horses much the grass to their hearts content. I decided to video a round of munching...and it seems to be 3-4 bites to one or two quick-chews!




Romeo and Washashe are so well matched for riding temperaments and energy levels, we have always said to each other.

We cut across from the Bay mid way this time, as there was a Helicopter maneuvering at the tip of the spit...we found a nice inland pond to walk through.

Romeo was taken by surprise with the white foam line this time

It was such a pleasurable time with just the two of us...we schooled in between bouts of trotting and dune chasing. The sandy footing of the dunes in between the ocean and the bay, made for some excellent passage, out of the wind.

I called my 3 clients Monday night this time and rescheduled them so we were able to ride into the sunset Tuesday, early eve, before we set off for home.

It was one of the nicest times I have had in a long time~ We did not know that the trailer lights would falter and we would be spending an hour of sit time ,with a Godsend mechanic, as he fixed our problems for us to be able to drive away home again. But we got it taken care of, very reasonably so, and with His wife's permission to save us too!

This Springtime

Spring has sprung in Oregon City and the NW. I took a wonderful outing to the beach with my girlfriend this past weekend...even played "work hooky"...called clients to skip out on Tuesdays workday...
Still so tired from all the fun (and some work) that I will have to fill you in tomorrow!
Whew, I guess I am outa shape for that much fun right now!

Critters in the camera's view

This is Boz... He is a "flee bitten gray" Arabian. My mare used to be stable mates with him, when she first came to me in 2005 .

At this moment, he was happy to be all tucked into has stall after an invigorating beach ride last fall.

For more Furry, feathery, maybe slimy or scale ridden photo's- please click on the LOGO~Above

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!



Please do click the above MY World logo, to travel and see what exciting things others are up to!

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