July 31 2007

The last day of July...I was not feeling very motivated to ride (again) this evening, however I knew hotter weather was in store so I had best make the most of the cooler temps. Sinwaan was waiting for me at the gate when I arrived.

I took the time tonight to desensitize him to the clippers and was able to do his bridlepath without too much trouble. I guess the hardest part about that was getting it to look even! I spent a little more time grooming him tonight than I have lately. Still need to take the time to shampoo him however and get that tail white before the ride!

We tacked up and went on our way to Cache Hollow. Tonight I decided to take the dirt trail up into the pea field, which had been harvested about a week ago. At the base of the climb I was suprised to see a small shallow creek, maybe two feet wide and a few inches deep. Sinwaan had to thoroughly investigate this and balk a little but I did finally urge him through. Just a little time is all he needs. We climbed on up the hill and it was quite steep indeed. Looking down into the ravine between Cache Hollow and the field road there was a buck, maybe 3 points. Never would have seen him from the gravel road. There was also a metal post at the top, with a falcon sitting upon it. He didn't move as we rode by. I wished for a camera. We rode around a little at the top but the sun met us and was blinding so I decided to turn around and go back down to do our usual ride. This time as we rode past the falcon, he took flight and floated down into the ravine. It was breathtaking.

Sinwaan wanted to trot down the mountainside but I held him back and got a very slight attitude tonight. I verbally scolded him and it seemed that was all it took for him to behave again. This time the mini creek was no trouble, I think he was able to stride right over and not even get his feet wet.

We reached the gravel and he seemed a little miffed that I was turning him right (up) instead of left (home). We did a fair amount of trotting uphill this time. We reached our 2 mi mark and turned for home. Going home we did an incredible amount of trotting, with a propulsion so fast it was impossible to post with any sort of form. We also did a fair amount of cantering, with one little spook which thrust me into my pommel and onto his neck. With a "UG!" we proceeded and there was no other trouble.

I guess we did about 4 1/2 miles tonight and in 1 hour 5 min! That includes the 1/2 mi walking to warm up/cool down.

As I pulled back into the farm I saw Dale and Kittee talking with a man I did not recognize. Kittee later came up to the barn and told me that he was one of the last original owners of their homestead. He reported seeing two cougars in the area. One was enormous, although I am not sure exactly what that means (other than I don't want to see it up close). One has attacked a horse, the horse ran itself into a fence and broke its neck. Some sheep in the area have also been killed by the cougars. The house up Lincton Mtn Rd with the Appaloosas reported looking out their bedroom window and seeing one of them right there! That is only about 3 miles from McKuster Ranch! So Kittee asked me to PLEASE not ride out alone, or at least carry a gun. Since I don't own a gun, and wouldn't know how to use one, I will opt for riding out with someone else from now on.

I talked with Dale about the possibility of riding with him Thursday after work, and then we talked about maybe riding Friday instead at South Fork. I am waiting to hear back on what he would like to do. He is still recovering from his cracked rib.

Wahoo!

Today my Napoleon Dynamite shirt arrived in the mail. I bought one off eBay to wear in the endurance ride. How perfect is this? The only problem ~ the "large" is a lot larger than I expected. Well hopefully it will shrink!

July 29 2007

Today Lara picked me up about 7:30 am and we went out to pick up Sinwaan and trailered him out to Bennington Lake. Lara rode Rocker as she is trying to get her conditioned for our LD ride. Lara used the heart rate monitor on Rocker today to see how her recovery was. Since she is not an Arab we wanted to be sure she could handle the extra stress of harder riding.

We started out walking down a gravel road along the creek today to warm up and it was more of a mosey than a warm up, with the horses stopping often for tall grasses. We saw a matching pair of Lippett Morgans coming the other direction ("his" and "hers") and we had a short chat with the riders. The woman said Sinwaan was a "very pretty little horse."

After that we decided to take a side trail that winds through the woods. It was very close quarters and all sorts of twists and turns. We trotted to get the horses going and Sinwaan was a little nervy. Coming around a bend he saw a rabbit and did a little spook and as a result stumbled and for a minute I thought I might capult through the air. I kept my seat and we pressed on.

Once we got to the turn we picked up a trot and moved out until we saw people with a dog walking towards us. We slowed to a walk and eventually stopped because I did not like the dogs posture. It looked like he was getting ready to hunt some horse. The woman walking with him stated "Sorry, I don't have a leash, but he should be fine...once we get past you..." As they went around Lara said the dog dove back at the heels of her horse. Thankfully they moved on and no harm was done but we were a little peeved. The dog had a collar, she could have held it as they walked by! It was not a short dog!

We reached the "spillway" (So DH tells me its called, its a concrete empty opening for overflow water into the lake) and Lara asked me if I was ready to pick up the trot and keep on trotting all the way around the whole lake this time. Sure! How hard could that be?!

Sinwaan was ready to go, he was warmed up and eager and tossing his head a little. I told Lara to lead the way but we quickly passed her as Sinwaan lengthened his stride. This lasted a little while until Rocker passed us, we played leapfrog a little. I was doing just fine until about 1/2 way around and then I started to feel it in my thighs and abdomen, all that posting for an extended period is hard work! Our trot varied in speed every so often, which gave me a bit of a rest at times. We came to a large hill and walked down it but picked up the trot again soon after on an extra loop that I didn't know exsisted. That was a fun loop, a section of wide open spaces bordering a treeline to the right, then entering the trees with a sharp turn right, then more twisting and turning, rights and lefts, Rocker went ahead of us out of sight, man that mare can boogie! Sinwaan got a little concerned so I gave him his head and he safely darted us through all the turns and when Rocker could be seen again he went into a canter with a few turns left and I could feel him switching leads through the turns, it was so cool, it felt like dancing.

We rode back up a large hill, at a walk at first, but soon a sweaty shirtless jogger threatened to overtake us and Sinwaan was doing a fast sidepass up the hill to keep an eye on him so we soon took up the trot again and got away from him.

Reaching the Lake, Rocker went right on in up to her belly to cool off and played in the water. Sinwaan doesn't care for any of that nonsense so I borrowed Lara's sponge and gave him a good soaking once I figured out how to plunge the sponge in the water from the shoreline. Ha!

All told we figure we trotted 3 1/2 miles on that first loop.

We had a very nice rest of the ride around the Lake and on some other trails, all told about 2 1/2 hours of riding. A couple times we were trotting along and Rocker did a jump sideways upon seeing a cyclist coming at us. We also had an incident with a fellow horsewoman, we came up behind two riders, slowed, and went into the other lane to pass. We were scolded on passing too closely as her horse kicks. The other rider told us we had done nothing wrong and all was fine. So that was kind of a strange occurance.

I am happy to report that Rocker was pulsed down after our ride within 3 minutes. Her starting resting HR was only 33. So I don't think we will have any trouble with this mare being able to complete. She and Sinwaan get along really well and seem to be well matched, I don't anticipate any problems for our LD ride.

July 28 2007

Today I drove with Matt and Levi up Lincton Mtn Road to show them where I ride, and also to check the mileage. ALAS it is only 11.7 miles to the Tollgate Chalet. The rock quarry is about 2/3 of the way there at 7.9 mi.

We also drove the Kinnear road over to Cache Hollow and on the way down Cache Hollow at the 2 mi mark from the barn, we spotted some heads in the field. Was it a moose? A cow? I had to get out of the truck to investigate. As I did, the animals jumped up and we could see it was two Elk mommas with their young. They were huge, prob. 600 lbs animals. It was an awesome sight as they ran parallel to the road, and then came down and crossed the road in front of us and ran up the other side.

I just love all the wildlife in the hills.

July 27 2007

This afternoon I got off work at three and headed home. Matt wanted to work out so I figured it would make more sense if he went right away and I waited to ride until he got back. I made dinner (a new recipe that was so-so) and after eating still didn't feel much like riding. It had been in the mid-90s and was still pretty warm at six. So I waited a bit longer.

On the drive over I stopped at the new Triangle L since I noticed they were open even though it was almost 7 pm. I bought a red riding crop for $8.99. Dave was behind the counter but I don't think he remembered me. We had bought our '59 flatbed from him.

Continuing on my way I suddenly felt like I needed to pee really bad which I thought was weird since I went right before I left the house. I pulled up at the barn and noticed three new horses in the front pasture and two more rigs with their trailers parked in the drive. Then I remembered that Dale & Kittee were doing their ride to Minam Lodge this weekend and those must be friends attending with them. I ran some stuff into the house for Kittee and then Dale came out and chatted with me for about 10 min. Then I felt an urgency indeed to use a restroom, so I hightailed it for the barn (port-a-potty). I made it just in time. Perhaps this is too much information for a blog LOL I was in there about 10-15 minutes but it felt like forever, esp since it had been such a hot day, it was like a sauna in that toilet. So by this time I am wondering if I am even up to riding since I am now all weak and sweaty. I thought about just doing an easy grooming and then tending to Ollokot too.

Well I went out to get Sinwaan and he actually came up to greet me. Maybe he had noticed my arrival and wondered what took me so long to come get him. It was pretty cute, he was ready to go.

I groomed him and decided what the heck, I had made it that far, I might as well ride. So I go to get my saddle and notice...yep...I forgot my darn saddle pad at the house again! I take it home to wash it and there it sits for a week until I can remember to return it to the barn again. So once again I had to steal one of moms for my ride.

No HR monitor tonight, just my single water bottle holder, and new accessory, the red crop to match his red bridle. :)

We headed out and he did pretty well but I was glad I had the crop the first mile. I hardly had to use it, maybe a few taps to keep him going away from the barn. We did some walking and then some trotting and about 1/2 in we are trotting along and I am encouraging him to speed it up and I hear a funny noise and then my left stirrup is lower than my right one! What the heck!? I look down and realize it has come completely detatched. So we pull over to the side of the road and thankfully for the cage I didn't loose it entirely and have to dismount, I was able to put it back on after a brief struggle. In the meantime a truck comes up the road and passes us and as it drives on by I see two dogs in the back that start barking at us, and not in a kind way. So I was glad to have a distraction as to not follow them up too closely.

We made it 1 mile and I was feeling ok by then so decided to go ahead and do two. We did more trotting the second mile and made it to our turn around point with no trouble. We took a short rest and I took a drink of water. Then we turned around and here he goes, wanting to trot all the way home. I again had to slow him to a walk a few times for rocky or steeper parts of the trail. He really only lost his hind end once today which was nice. Well shortly after we started down we came across a truck headed up. He was going pretty slow as he had four dogs following that he was "exercising." I stopped and waited and one of the first dogs (a little shaggy black one) came over and started growling at Sinwaan. That made me uncomfortable and I wasn't sure what to do. As the truck passed us the dogs moved on and I was relieved. However there was one dog at the back, who upon seeing us, turned tail and ran the other direction. He was obviously scared of the horse. Well now what do I do? We started on down the mountain again at a walk. Then the dog disappeared so I let Sinwaan pick it up to a trot, thinking at some point the dog could always jump out of the bushes and cause an accident :-P

Well then I came across two ladies walking. I thought maybe the dog was with them and followed the truck up because of the other canines. They said to me "What a beautiful horse, what do you call that pattern?" I stopped and told them he was a flea-bitten grey, an Arabian. They had a little chat with me and I asked about the dog. They said they were all together, the truck and the dogs and them, and the dog would be ok. They called her and I could see her ("Ginger") and she stood and listened and wanted to obey but was just too scared. Ginger took off running and again went out of sight. Not wanting to chase her all the way down and out into the road, I told the ladies I would go back up the mountain the other direction so they could get her. Sinwaan by this time was getting impatient. He started pawing a hoof and tossing his head, wanting to GO. I was not sure how he would handle going away from home yet again. Not to mention back UPhill. He went into a fast trot and then a canter and I just let him go, we ran along the trail probably half a mile. He was letting off steam and it was a good time for me. Coming around a bend we almost ran into the man in the truck. By this time he had his dogs up in the cab. I let him know Ginger was afraid and that the ladies were hoping he would come back down. He said ok and drove onward. I took Sinwaan up just a bit further at the trot and he didn't even seem winded.

On the way down we did mostly trotting and then at the quarter mile from home I made him walk the rest of the way. What a great ride, and even more than I bargained for. We probably went 5 mi today and I don't know the time but I would guess not much over an hour.

The sun was setting as we pulled back into to the barnyard. I grained Sinwaan, checked his feet, brushed him a little and put on his flyspray and mask. I was glad I went ahead and rode afterall.

**Sidenote, I missed my Wednesday ride because Tues. night I had some horrible cramping that really knocked me down. I still wasn't feeling 100% so canceled my mid-week ride.**

2nd ride up the mountain

Well today we (Kittee, Dale and I) had planned to RIDE OUT at 8 am but unfortunately somehow I fell back to sleep after getting up with Levi at 6 am so when I woke up again and noticed it was 7:30 I called out there to let them know I was running a little behind. When I got there only one horse was tacked up, their paint mare Misty. Kittee told me Dale wasn't going today since he had a bit of a bucking bronc incident with Derby and fell off, possibly cracking a rib again so he wasn't really feeling up to a long ride. Can't say I blame him!

I put on the heart rate monitor today and was thrilled to see Sinwaan's resting HR at 33. (In all fairness he did seem half asleep) I also put on a Cashel tie-on but decided I didn't like it and took it off and hope I can return or exchange it.

I am not sure what time we rode out but I would guess in the neighborhood of 8:30 - 9 am. Both horses were exhibiting a fine degree of home sickness right from the start but we pressed them onward. Between Misty's short stride and Sinwaan's attempt at a "rest break" every three strides it was some slow going those first few miles.

There were a few cows in a pen, and six horses at the first farm, but otherwise we did not see any wildlife or excitment like we did on our last ride up the mountain. No sheep or other people on horseback, not even much traffic. Maybe a half dozen cars/trucks and one dirt bike. One truck had a hound in the back that was just baying up a storm once he saw us, and it made Misty edgy so we both dismounted and waited for the truck to pass. Then we decided to walk a short while to air out our pants.

Apparently I forgot to put on sunscreen and just baked like a chicken. The temps were decent (80s?) but hot enough for sweat to crystalize on my face. The breeze every so often was quite welcome!

Here's a shot of my knarly wrist burn around my HR monitor.

It seemed to take us forever to get to the quarry. Sinwaan was content to follow along behind Misty but refused to pass her. We would trot up next to her but once they got eye to eye Sinwaan would put on the brakes and just STOP.

Dale drove up and stopped to chat with us for a moment. Kittee suggested loading the horses then and getting a ride to the top. Dale scolded us and said that we hadn't completed our ride yet, and that he would be quite happy waiting for us with a cold beer. So he drove away and onward we rode.

After awhile, Sinwaan took the lead and was eager and willing to trot when I asked him for it. As his stride was much longer, even at the walk, that helped to speed up our little convey a little. We were on the lookout for mile marker 3 (a three painted on a tree that tells us we are 3 miles from the Tollgate Chalet) but it never came. When we then came across "1.5" there was much rejoicing, but then it seemed to take forever to reach "1."

I think Sinwaan did much better this time, and it was nice to compare his mental state with the HR reading. Granted, we walked more this time than last but his recoveries seemed very good. When we made it to the trailer he again refused water but I used a lot of it on his back to help cool him down and wash off the saddle-edge crusties. He ate a little hay but mostly just wanted to nap. Misty was very tired. He gave me no trouble at all loading today, walked right up and on.

We had a nice lunch at the Chalet, and Kittee drove us down the mountain. I hosed Sinwaan off and turned him out to pasture and he went right away and had a nice long roll. Then he went to the water tank but Bobby and Nugget were standing around blocking it so I went and shooed them off so he could have his drink. He didn't drink much and then went over and stood by Ollokot and the two did some grooming of each other. I am glad they are friends.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that I only counted three dead snakes in the road today, and Sinwaan only did two and two half body shakes with me aboard. Also coming down the mountain the truck died (but was easily restarted) and then when we got back to the barn and I hopped out to open the gate, I looked back and noticed one of the trailer tires was flat. Thankfully everyone was already home safe.

July 18 2007

I made it out to the barn about 6:30 tonight. The sky was overcast and there was talk of thunderstorms (but not until later, Kittee assured me). Sinwaan was the dirtiest horse in the pasture, apparently there had been a rain last night and he had taken the opportunity to roll and was just caked in dirt. I got a workout just grooming him! As I started tacking up I felt a few sprinkles of rain and for a fleeting moment I wished I had remembered a jacket. Sinwaan was a little on edge due to gunshots we could hear echoing through the canyon. As I walked him down the lane he blew his nose and jumped away from some straw bales that had not been there before. Silly horse. He stood nice as always for me to mount up with the mounting block and off we went! When I talked with Dale on Sunday he thought he would ride with me this evening, but he was out doing chores when I showed up and was not up to a ride and that was ok.

Sinwaan tested me quite a bit the first 1/2 mi and then I found an opportune weed which I was able to unroot and carry with me as a dressage crop. That worked wonders in keeping his mind forward. I tried to push a little harder tonight going uphill the two miles, we did more trotting and even some cantering for a smooth stretch. After the run he was breathing harder than usual and I wished I had remembered the HR monitor. We made it almost the 2 mi and decided to take a break. I had a swig of water and he had a mouthful of dried trail grasses and then we decided to turn around. Well at that point I saw a different horse. He wanted to trot all the way home. Periodically I would pull him down to a walk and he would go about three paces, as if to prove to me he could listen and slow down, and then he would sneak back into a trot. It was an exhilerating ride. The temperatures were fantastic, breezy and cool for a July evening. A few times I could feel his hindquarters slip and that worried me a bit. Once he stumbled on the forehand and that worried me a little since he tripped on a rock and I worried about him losing a shoe. We only had one spook tonight, at the canter, and it resulted in changing lanes but nothing serious. We encountered one vehicle and thankfully I heard it coming and had time to get off the road. They were going a little faster than most, but slowed as they went by us.

Needless to say, we made it back in record time. The (almost) 4 miles was completed in 1 hour, including the last 1/4 mi we also walked to cool out. Kim was right, as the weather cools down I will see a different horse; one who is eager to go! Although part of this I have to attribute to him knowing the trail well now and wanting to be home. Whatever it takes, he still is very responsive and slows when I ask, and the trotting is good for him to condition and good for me (although my back was starting to hurt a little by the end).

We had a good ride. I plan to go back out again sometime Friday. Then Sunday is another 12.5 mi ride up to Tollgate Chalet.

July 15 2007

Today I took my dad out to see Sinwaan and he really liked him. We rode for about an hour in the arena, putting him through his paces.

Yesterday I brought Kim and Grandma and mom out, Kim was happy to see her old horse and he really loved the attention.

July 10 2007

Tonight Lara picked me up at 5 pm and we went out to get Sinwaan. We trailered to Bob & Sues place, Lara tacked up their horse Rocker and we rode up to Bennington Lake and met Heather on her mustang Quincy and Ruth on her solid Paint Topper. I put on the heart rate monitor tonight and was pleased that before heading out Sinwaan's resting HR was 42. We had a very nice easy ride around the lake. We did a lot of walking with some trotting. Topper is a young horse and hasn't quite learned his speeds yet but he was content to follow the pack, albeit at his own pace (slowly). This was a good opportunity for Sinwaan to work on collecting himself although I could tell he really wanted to move out.

After one lap around the lake we parted ways and Lara and I rode back around the Lake the opposite direction. The idea was, once back on the trail and away from the other horses (there were a lot tonight in the parking area) we would do some cantering. Well we let them out and Sinwaan just flew! So it was more of a gallop. I was concentrating on watching the trail and on the lookout for bunnies, so I forgot to check the moniter but we were on the flat. We had a really nice fun run down that flat stretch. We also tried to do more trotting on this lap, at a faster rate, as the horses were warmed up and the sun was going down. We probably did walk half of it however. Siwnaan's walking HR is low 70s. Lara told me to try and get it to 160 at a canter. Well we ended up revving up to a gallop again and I was so busy watching the monitor that I didn't realize when we went up a small incline and I said Wow 186! Lara said the hill probably helped with that. He came right down within seconds.

We went home a different way tonight and ended up crossing a bridge, it was wooden planks with metal sides arching over an empty concrete canal. Rocker went right on over and Sinwaan had to think about it. He was having a little trouble so Rocker came back over and he followed her over the second time. It was a noisy bridge, very hollow sounding with little squeeks too. Walking home Sinwaan's HR was down to 64-68 so I was glad to see that also.

Back at the house we untacked and hosed the horses down, offered Sinwaan some water and he didn't want any.

Tonight he gave me a little trouble with the trailer trying to load him up to go home. It was starting to get dark out so maybe that had something to do with it, I don't know. I had Lara tap him with the lunge whip and we got him in without too much trouble. It is not one of his strengths though, that is for sure. :-P

We rode 2 1/2 hours tonight and as a (guesstimate) covered 5 1/2 miles.

July 08 2007

Had an awesome ride this evening, Lara picked us up and hauled us out to Bennington Lake again. We did a lot of trotting and had a couple of really good runs. The weather was fantastic and it even got a little cool as the sun was setting. We rode about 2 hrs 10 min and I don't know how far we went. Sinwaan had a pretty good spook twice at a bicycle coming up behind us. I think he didn't hear it and then once he saw it it was a quick run sideways to get away from it. We saw a LOT of deer. One doe was close by the fence and blowing at us pretty hard. We thought she might have had a baby there. All in all it was just fantastic. I didn't get Sinwaan back to the barn until about 9:30 and then I got home about 10 pm. So I am pretty tired. I know I was really sore this morning from all the climbing I did up that hill yesterday on my ride (when I got off and walked) so I was glad for the extra time between rides (vs going this a.m.) Sinwaan's sweat pattern looked pretty good tonight. There are two small areas where the saddle is rubbing but it is minor. I will keep an eye on it and swap out saddle pads more frequently. (Yawn) Time for bed :)

July 7 2007

Today we had a great ride on our own. I aimed to be out early but didn't make it out on the trail until 9:30 am. This is due in part to my driving the Cache Hollow/Kinnear Rd/Lincton Mtn to check the mileage since I want to ride that loop at some point. Turns out it is 10.8 mi so will have to wait and do that ride another day. I also noticed two beehives on Kinnear Rd and judging by the bees swarming the truck as I rode by, I am not crazy about trying that on a horse this time of year.

We rode up Cache Hollow and it took about a mile and half in addition to a good long canter to get Sinwaan of the mindset that we were indeed riding out alone. It was like being in stop and go traffic with him today. At the walk he was very reluctant but once I got him moving out at the trot he went straight away. We took a small break at the mile point and another break at the two mile point. This is normally where we turn around. I let Sinwaan do some grazing and heard a deer crash out of the weeds and onto the road. She was so cute and so close. I took some photos with my disposable camera that I carry with us. After the 2 mi mark I rode about 1/4 mi but then got off and walked Sinwaan at that point as the road was so rough and rocky, not to mention STEEP! We made it to the top after a few brief "breathers" and I let him get another mouthfull of wild grass and I saw a dirt road heading out along the top of the mountain so we took that. There was an old dryer out there in the middle of nowhere with many bullet holes, a target practice object no doubt. It was so beautiful up there, I could see all of the city below.

At this point I decided to head home so I got off again and walked Sinwaan back down to the 2 mi point and we took a short break there again. Mounted up and he was eager to go! We did a lot of trotting back down and even had a really good run for a fair stretch and that was great. He did a lot better today with his spooking, nothing worth mentioning, even going through the scary point with the trash was no trouble today.

When we got back to the road Sinwaan hesitated and we could hear a loud vehicle. Not wanting to be in the middle of the road when it came around the corner we waited. And waited. Sinwaan finally decided it was safe and we went on across the road. As we were crossing I looked over and saw the loud vehicle coming up on us - it was none other than Matt in his camaro. I should have guessed! What perfect timing. He had never seen Sinwaan ever, so this was great. He had brought Levi and the camera so he took some photos of me astride and then I walked him up to the barn and hoisted Levi up and got some photos of his first time on a horse.



Then Matt and Levi sat in the shade of the barn and took more photos as I untacked and hosed Sinwaan down. I gave him some grain and carrots and turned him out in the pasture, of course he had to have his roll.

Ollokot had come over by this time so I tried to take some photos of him, got distracted by this awesome yellow butterfly so took some photos of that, and the goats, and just enjoyed some time out there.



It was a great 3 hour ride today, we went approx 6 mi.

Bennington Lake

Today Lara came and picked me up about ten to seven AM. We went out and loaded Sinwaan up in her trailer and drove him out to Bob and Sue's place near Bennington Lake. They loaned her the use of their paint mare Rocker. We groomed quickly and tacked up and Bob was kind enough to show me how to work my new heart rate monitor that Lara had gotten me. Sinwaan's HR was about 44-46 at rest if I remember right. We rode from their house up to Bennington Lake and then around the lake mostly and then doubled back and took a different trail back around. We rode for a solid 2 hours and had a great time. We did a fair amount of trotting and had a nice canter twice. Rocker, being the mare that she is, preferred to be in front and set the pace which Sinwaan had no problem with. I don't recall how high up his HR went but it was around 120. I forgot to look at it when we were cantering and there was not much hill work today, mostly easy flats and little knolls. I heard his shoes clipping a few times at the trot which concerned me but I will have Matt check them again on the 20th when he is out. They still look ok. When we were done I hosed him off and he eagerly started snatching grass and clover. I was glad to see his appetite up away from home. Rocker at the start of the ride was grabbing at high grass along the trail and he copied her and was snacking anytime we were walking along. I am considering looking into a sidepull bridle now or hackamore, something he could eat with without the bit in the way. We passed very close to a deer on the way home and that was neat. I must say this horse sure builds my confidence, never giving more than I ask and always willing and easy to control. I am so thankful and honored to call him my own. (hugs Kimba!) We had a great ride and it was nice to be able to ride with Lara again. :) She always pushes me to try new things and I need that! We trailered him back to the farm and I gave him some grain and put on his flyspray and flymask and turned him out to graze.
Then we brought in Ollokot and trimmed his bridlepath with clippers and that didn't phase him at all. Lara did some roundpen work with him and he gave her a little attitude but she got him listening pretty well and ended on a good note. We flysprayed him as well and put him back out and I was home by noon.

Topography and Maps

I have done some research today and found some topographical sites and here is where I guess the Sept. endurance ride might be. Looks like maybe 50' elevation changes so should be a nice flat ride.

First big ride

The first day of July and also the first day for a long mountain ride. Dale and Kittee had planned to ride up to Tollgate Chalet and invited me along. I was so excited. I met them at 9 am and after an hour we were all ready to ride out. Kittee told me she was packing a revolver today since when they took the truck and trailer up to the Chalet Dale had seen a cougar with a tail as big around as a baseball. So they wanted to be prepared. The 'trail' was actually Lincton Mtn Road which is 11.7 miles from their house to the Chalet. Most of that is uphill, from a 10% to 30% grade, I would guess. Some flats and some downhill but probably 2/3 of it is climbing.

The first excitement of the day came for me when we saw in a distance some other people on horseback. As we got closer we realized there was a number of them herding calves. They had gone on a roundup to find some lost ones.

We were able to do a fair amount of trotting and even some cantering today but Sinwaan was quick to declare a break when he needed one and off again we went.

Many times there would be four wheelers and dirt bikes coming the other direction and they were all so very courteous and slowed down to pass. There was cars and trucks and a van that passed us at times also and they too were kind and would either stop and wait for us to go by, or would crawl by at a safe speed.

Once I looked down and saw a snake in the road and I was frightened until I realized it was dead. Thus began my snake count. I counted FIVE dead snakes in the road today. They were all about a foot long and looked like babies...maybe bull snakes?

Sinwaan also did THREE full body shakes with me astride in the course of the ride. AAAAGGGGHHHH. :)

We came across another two cowboys herding cattle with their dogs but they didn't seem very bright. A calf had gotten away from the herd and it seemed like the cowboy wanted to get it back but instead was blocking its way and the dogs didn't seem trained at all either.



Riding onward and upward there was a lovely cool breeze and just awesome views, from some points we could see all of Milton-Freewater in the distance down below. The elevation changes in this ride are approx 3,100'. Starting out at about 1300 and reaching a high point of 4400 , it was quite the climb.

Later we came across a herd of sheep grazing off the road and noticed there was no fence. Then we saw another two cowboys and one came riding over to us. "Are you here to relieve us?" he asked. No...sorry!

We were thankful that our ride was quite uneventful in that none of the horses had a bad spook. A few times there were some horse-eating rocks that Sinwaan would stare at and go clear to the other side of the road but otherwise no trouble. I had put on sunblock before heading out but apparently it was old as I still got a little burnt on my shoulders.

We finally reached the Tollgate Chalet at 2 pm. 12.5 miles of riding (uphill!) in four hours. Not too bad. By about mile 10 my saddle was starting to feel pretty hard. When we reached the trailer we dismounted and offered the horses hay and water. Nugget (one of the palomino QH) dug right into his meal and happily chomped away. Derby had a little water and a little hay but not much. Sinwaan sniffed at everything and had a few bites of hay but then started acting restless, and buckling his knees like was going to lay down (and roll, I imagine) right there in the parking lot! So I started moving him around and then used a lot of the horse water on his back to help with the dirt and grime that was surely making him itch. He was soooo tired. We loaded the QH into the trailer and I tied Sinwaan outside the trailer so I could keep an eye on him while we went into the Chalet for lunch.

We all went through two glasses of water right away, even though I had carried 2 bottles with me on the ride and went through those already. The Chalet is a kind of a hamburger sit down place and they didn't have any sort of vegetarian option for a burger so I just got a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. It was really good, the fries especially, and as anyone will tell you I don't normally eat fried food. Sinwaan was good, I was watching him through the window the whole time and he stood with his foot cocked most of the time. A couple of guys walked by and one guy went over and patted him and kissed him on the nose. I thought that was kind of weird. I love horses too but I don't usually go around kissing other people's horses. Then a senior couple went out and took photos of them before they left in their car. We figured out later they must have been taking pictures of Nugget and Derby with their heads out of the trailer on the other side.

When I was done eating I went out right away to tend to Sinwaan as he looked like he was getting restless. I offered him some carrots, which he ate (half-heartedly) and a few more mouthfuls of hay. Then we loaded all three horses in the trailer and drove them back down the mountain home.

As soon as Sinwaan was unloaded he started hungrily snatching mouthfulls of grass. While I was glad to see his appetite back to normal it does concern me that he doesn't take better care of himself away from home. That could be a problem at a ride. I used a wand on him and hosed him down and then turned him out. Of course the first thing he does is roll and get all dirty again.

I will be out again to ride on Wednesday as it is a holiday and I don't have to work. Lara and I are going to trailer him out to Bennington Lake. I am looking forward to that. The last time I rode out there was the moonlight ride with Dee. It will also be nice to ride Sinwaan on a trail on the FLAT for a change and see how that changes things. All these hills are great conditioning but the Lakeview Ride we are planning to do doesn't have many elevation changes and I want to see what he can do as far as mph on the flat/dirt vs hills/gravel.

After today's ride I have now reached 25 hours of riding in the AHA incentive rider program!