July 30 2008

Temperature has been delightful this week. High today of 79°!! (Our average high for this time of year is 92°) I went out to the barn about 6:30 pm or so and pulled Sinwaan out of his paddock. He still looked pretty clean from his power wash at Ernie's so a light grooming was all that was needed. I tacked up and we headed down the driveway.

I saw a big truck coming off of Elliot Road so I reconsidered our usual route, I needed a change anyway. We took Stateline Road today instead. It turns to gravel not far from the Elliot. We crossed the railroad tracks and as we did I looked over to my right (the direction of the grain elevator) and saw train headlights! What!? Oh crap, better get some wings and get the heck away from there...we proceeded up Stateline road at a trot. When we were about 1/4 mi from the tracks I stopped and let Sinwaan munch on the roadside wheat heads. I could hear the train coming...chug chug chug and a wooo wooo at the Elliot Road crossing. This train was not moving very fast at all chug chug chug and then it got to the Stateline intersection and we watched it wooooo wooooo wo wooooo as it crossed over. It was loud and we were not very close to it. Sinwaan did awesome, kept an eye on it but was happy with the wheat distraction as well. Ok well that threat is past, on up the road we go.

I didn't have a plan tonight at all, and Stateline road didn't look very long. (It is actually 1.6 mi) We walked past a road sign on our right that said Buchanan Lane. I thought about riding down it but then I saw two signs "Keep Out" and "Private Drive." Well darn. So up to the stop sign we went. Here Stateline road intersects and ends at Powerline Road. The traffic on Powerline moves along at a pretty fast rate, so I didn't want to attempt that on the shoulder. The field to our right had been plowed and the footing looked good so I decided to ride in it and stay to the edge. We hadn't been in the field long when I looked back and there was a semi-truck just hauling up Stateline like he had some place to be, and quick. I was really glad we were not sharing a road with him at that moment. The dust was pretty thick and billowed out behind him.

We were about 3 horse widths into the field and we walked and trotted as long as we could. Eventually the field ended and I was not sure what to do. Initially I had thought perhaps I could make it over to Birch Creek Road and that would take me to Elliot and then on home the usual way (this round trip would have been 6.4 mi according to Google maps, which I am not sure that I believe). But there was no shoulder on the right side of the road, hilly with fast traffic just seemed like an accident waiting to happen. I saw what looked like a farm road across the street but wasn't sure if going on it would be considered trespassing and I didn't want any trouble. I decided to turn around and go back the way I came.

Sinwaan wanted to GO, even with all that working going along in the plowed field, he always knows the way home. He started jogging, which was good for me since he finally was doing something faster than a walk that I didn't have to post. It was pretty cool, even if he was misbehaving a little. His head was sky high and he kept asking for more. A couple of times he got real pushy and tossed his head and acted up and I turned him around and made him trot back the other direction. This helped a lot and he settled in and behaved after that.

Back on Stateline road there was a slight hill at the intersection and we walked down that but then I let him go and we trotted fast until I saw a car headed towards us. We got really lucky this ride with traffic, always missing it until now. The car was courteous and slowed down as it passed us. Sinwaan didn't mind it and we went onward. I could tell he wanted to run and had been behaving himself this stretch so I asked for the canter and off we went, soon a gallop. Sinwaan thought he saw something (likely a shadow from the graded road, or some trash on the edge) and jumped to the other side and then threatened to buck but I got a handle on him and kept him going and we had no trouble. We were back to the pavement in no time and we walked the rest of the way home.

I untacked and went looking for Darold's clippers. He said he had some and I could borrow them. Ah ha, there they are! I put Sinwaan in the cross-ties and got to work. He was a bit agitated (for some reason baby flies swarmed his back just then) and didn't love the clippers but I was able to get his bridlepath done, fetlock hairs and jawline done before dark. I figured that was enough for the evening and I put him away and threw him a flake of hay.

Another boarder was there, she owns the "pony" Garreth who is taller than Sinwaan. She asked me if I was going somewhere. I said 'no, we are done here for the evening.' And then I thought about it and said "oh you mean because I clipped him?" She grinned and said yes...I told her I had entered him in the open show at the Fair and she said she had entered Garreth also, but it sounds like they are doing pretty much everything, english and driving as well as halter. Sinwaan won't be in the same class as him because he is four years old and that is the cut off for the younger class. I told her she would be showing against a little Arab filly that I know and she said "oh, we only entered halter because we paid for all day, he won't do anything, he isn't a halter horse." I guess she had been away last week at a breed show and he didn't do so well there either.

We chatted more about showing and I finally got home about 9 pm.

Looking at the map below, I was surprised when it said we had done exactly 6 miles this evening. It was a good ride!

Info on the Sr. Rookie Horse of the Year/PNER

We are currently in the running for ...

Sr. Rookie Horse of the Year Award
This award is for the new horse and senior rider team, neither of which has previously completed more than 100 miles of endurance or LD. This award targets people who are new to the sport and encourages completions over the long run. Initiated by Anne and Larry Eades, more than 25 years ago, this award supports the individual who can ride moderately, bring on a beginning younger (or older) horse, and produce a safe and consistent performance (completion). The award goes to the sr. rider/horse team with the most consecutive completions of PNER rides under 50 miles (LD). If you're pulled on an LD, the count goes back to zero and you start over.

We have three consecutive completions. Don't know if we will get one more ride in this year or not but we have completed 75 mi for 2008.

Halter training

Tonight I took my two new Arab halters out to the barn to try them on Sinwaan. Why two? I made a post on a messageboard that I was looking for an Arab halter and in the meantime found one on eBay and bid on it. A day or two after the bid I had a lady contact me with a nice looking halter at a decent price. It was the size I needed, so I bought both of them. They are quite different from each other. The one pictured at left was made by Pat Dangel of WA and is more of the native style halter. It is a rust color and quite pretty on Sinwaan with his rust colored fleabites. Pat added a throat-latch for me when she found out I would need it for a halter class. (Photo taken from eBay ad, the bay horse has done some endurance himself!)

The other one (the one I used tonight to start training) is black and complete with chain and lead. I was hoping I could just disconnect the chain and lead on this one and use it on the other one but it doesn't look like that will be possible. This one came from a woman named Michelle.

Well my first challenge was figuring out how to put the darn thing on. There is only one buckle and that is at the poll. The throat-latch does not come off (or maybe it does and I don't know how) and there is no way to undo the chain for the chin. Sinwaan was very patient with me, although I am sure he wondered what I was doing at the barn AFTER dinner tonight as the sun was setting. It was super tight and for a minute I didn't think it would go on all the way. I loosened it a hole to the end and then managed to get it on his big head. The chain was really tight but seemed like it might work, at least for today.

I found a whip in the tack room and took my bag of dried-out baby carrots with me out to the gravel driveway. There we practiced standing, moving feet, staying and getting his head up and slightly out. Thanks to the training we have done for endurance, he has no trouble at all with the trotting in hand. By the end of it we had made a little progress but I still don't know what the heck I am doing so I am hoping to get a clue here pretty soon.

Ride with Ernie

Friday I asked Ruth about getting together this weekend to ride out somewhere. She was game so we tried to think of where to go. She was a little tired of Bennington Lake and thought we could try a location near where Sinwaan is boarded. It sounded good to me but then I remembered that Ernie Schrader had invited me out there to ride sometime, so I dropped him an email to see if he was home.

Ernie called and left me a message this morning saying that he was in town and planning to do a ride this evening and we were welcome to come along if we had a way to get there. So I called Ruth but she didn't answer so we headed over to Matt's grandma's for lunch. The craziest thing, on the drive over there I realized Ruth's truck was ahead of us. So we got along side her and I motioned that she should check her phone because I had left her a message. We ate lunch and came back towards home, I stopped by her place and she said "let's do it!" and I said "great!" so I came home and called Ernie to verify. He said he wouldn't be ready to ride out until 5 pm so Ruth and I decided she would pick me up at 4 pm.

I got changed into my riding clothes - jodhpurs and my HOTR t-shirt, and took the dogs out. While outside I realized I felt warm - too warm for a t-shirt - so I came back in and changed into a tank top.

Ruth pulled up with Topper in the trailer and we headed out to pick up Sinwaan. (I noticed she had her HOTR t-shirt on and was glad I had changed. How goofy would that look if we showed up dressed alike!?) We loaded him up and grabbed my tack in a flash. We were on our way! I had asked Ernie how long it would take to get out to his place from College Place and he said a half an hour. I put his address into Google maps and sure enough it said 30 min exactly (16 mi). We arrived at Ernies just about 5 pm. He had told me on the phone to drive past his place, use the school bus turnaround and then come back and park out front. So we did that and then walked up the driveway to meet Ernie and figure out what to do from there.

Their place is surrounded by four-plank brown wood fencing, a huge entry sign that said Schraders with Candy's name on one side and Ernie's on the other. A beautiful large home nestled on a hill at the edge of the trees. The driveway splits and to the left the drive goes to the horse barn, framed by more brown fencing. At the end is a 4-stall barn with paddocks, a grassy field where they park their horse trailers and a full dressage arena. Candy waved at us from the other building between the house and the barn and motioned to come on up that way. Ernie met us half way up the lane, pushing a wheelbarrow of manure. "I didn't get my chores done earlier so I am doing it now" he grinned and I introduced him to Ruth. He said since we had a small trailer we could go ahead and pull in the driveway and park next to his trailers. He didn't know what to expect and the larger trailers have a hard time turning around once they get back there. So we followed him back down the drive and got back in the truck and pulled in.

There is a creek running along the edge of their property so we crossed a wooden bridge (with no sides) pulling in. I wondered how the horses would do with that if we had to cross it. Once we had parked Candy and two people visiting her came over to say hello. It was then we realized the 'visitor's' were Kathy Tatro and her husband Steve. Kathy works with Ruth and I. Small town! Steve talked to me a little bit about how he knew my mom from school. Small world!

We unloaded the horses and quickly groomed and tacked up. Just as I was putting on Sinwaan's bridle Ernie rode around the corner. He was on Captain Calypso tonight, aka "Spot." He said Spot had just completed a 100 mile ride last weekend (and placed 3rd, ridden by Australian Melissa Longhurst) and usually he would give him two weeks off but since we should be riding pretty easy he should do fine. Once we were mounted up Ernie asked "do you want to do 10 miles tonight or 15?" And I replied "Uh, we should probably stick with 10." And I could hear Ruth behind me say "Yes, 10 please." (We had to be back home before dark).

Ernie grinned and said "ok!" and off we went at a trot down the driveway. I noticed when I was alongside him that Spot's color is also red. Good choice. (grin) Across the wooden bridge and had no trouble. Ernie said he would keep it to an easy trot and we should holler at him if we needed to slow down. Ok! We made a right turn onto Blue Creek Road and rode along the shoulder until we reached a fork and we took it to the left. This road was gravel and we could ride down the center. Ernie turned back to me and said "We're going to go up a hill pretty soon that will really get your horses' rear in condition." I said OK! He asked me if we rode with a Heart Rate Monitor. I told him I always do on competitive rides but haven't been lately because I usually just do an easy ride around the barn. He said he wished he would have known, he could have lent us BOTH a HR monitor for the day. Darn!

I wasn't sure if we would be turning off the road for this hill, but soon realized this road WAS the hill. At first it was gradual, but it got steeper as we went along and Sinwaan's trot got slower and slower and then he was walking. He was huffing a little so I let him go at his own pace and Ruth even got ahead of us. I told her to holler up to Ernie that we had slowed down. Ernie stopped for a minute and then said he would go on up and wait for us at the top. By now Sinwaan was stopping and breathing and then he would walk up a little more and then stop and breath and then walk a little more. Poor guy is in worse shape than I thought! At the same time I look up and see Spot pick up a canter and just float on up the hill.

I want to take a minute to talk about Spot. What an amazing animal. He is 1/2 Arab and 1/2 Saddlebred and is a pinto with one blue eye. His movement is truly a beauty to behold. He just FLOATS along. His trot is effortless and Ernie tells me when he moves out he can trot 16 mph. He is incredibly fit and it was a honor to ride alongside of him.

At the top we turned left again onto Spring Creek Road. This was a mostly gravel road with wheat fields all around. The views were incredible. Ernie told us another ride he likes to do is a 25 mile round-trip on up the mountain to his cabin. After being on this road for a short distance I asked Ruth if she would like a photo. The scenery was breathtaking, hills and mountains and fields of all colors. Ernie offered to take a photo of the two of us. So we posed as best we could and Ernie took a couple. He didn't give us any warning so I don't know what kind of an expression I will have.



At one point we came to a downhill and without hesitation Ernie hopped off and started jogging downhill along side Spot. I decided to do the same thing since Sinwaan had a hard time coming up I figured he could use any extra energy I could give him. He trotted along next to me quite nicely. Ruth stayed aboard and walked part of the way down so Ernie and I let the horses graze along the roadside and chatted while we waited for her to catch back up. We talked a lot about endurance and a little about Dean Hoalst also.

We passed a house and there was pavement again so we kept to the right on the shoulder. Apparently it was only paved a short stretch in front of the house and then we were back to gravel again. That house had some pretty aggressive Boxers and I was glad for the fence between us.

After that it seems we turned onto Meiners Road and it was another climb. Ernie jumped off again and started tailing Spot on up. I told Ruth I was going to try it. She asked me if my reins were long enough...well no, but with my extra popper it should work. Sinwaan was last in line here and I was hoping seeing the other horses leaving him would be enough to pull him along but that didn't work. I told him to trot and he took off but he didn't like me hanging onto his tail so he swung around fast in a big circle and I realized I needed more training before doing this, I didn't want to lose my horse out in the middle of nowhere. So I got up near his head and took a chunk of mane in one hand and started running alongside him. We jogged up about half of that hill and then I had to slow down. I was breathing hard. At the top Ernie was showing Ruth how well Spot knew voice commands, but I didn't know that so I asked for them to wait up so I could mount up. Ernie pointed Spot at the wheat and said "head down" and Spot happily munched. I put Sinwaan in the gutter between the road and the wheat field and hopped on easily with the foot or more of a boost. Then we stood around and let the horses eat for a couple minutes before resuming our ride.

The weather was perfect, we even got some light cloud cover. As I rode along I thought of my poor aunt Kim trying to condition two horses in Virginia with a heat index of 110. How lucky am I to have these glorious trails and comfortable weather!? (SORRY KIM!!)

As we trotted along, Ernie put Spot along the edge and told him "head down," and Spot, never breaking his stride, dropped his head and started grabbing at stray wheat strands. Amazing! There were a couple of times that Ernie said he was going to move Spot out and he would wait at the turn or come back for us, which was fine. I found riding with him to be quite educational and he is a kind and courteous rider.



Coming down another knoll we saw a pickup on the side of the road and some guys tinkering with an ATV. Getting closer I noticed a track in the road where they had peeled out and spread the gravel out in a half circle. They had all their vehicles turned off and a dirt bike as well as a 4-wheeler. Spot acted up a little going past them and once we were far enough away Ernie commented "I bet there is a warrant out for their arrest. Spot doesn't care about dirt bikes, but he knows bad people!"

Here we got back on Mill Creek Road and trotted along the shoulder a couple of miles. Sinwaan needs more work in this area, he kept wanting to pull to the left back onto the pavement. Ernie told me to lead so he wouldn't be pulling us along the whole ride. I was content to follow him but it is always good for horses to take turns leading. With Sinwaan pulling and Ernie in the rear pushing, Ruth reported that Topper did really well and seemed to like that arrangement the best. I kept the pace to a trot, probably 6 mph or so. Before I knew it I could sense we were almost back. Just when I thought we would see his house on the right, there was the turn (left again) for Blue Creek Road. Ah, another mile or so yet. Ernie got back in the lead when we crossed over the road to the opposite should in one tight spot.

On Blue Creek Road I saw a dead possum. I don't recall which road it was on but close to home Ernie took a right turn into an archery spot that led up to the creek. He said the horses could have a drink here. Sinwaan stood in the water but wasn't interested in drinking. None of them really were. We stood there about five minutes and then headed back out to the road.

Once back at the Schrader's place we untacked and Ernie offered to let us use his hose and magic wand to get the sweat and grime off the horses. He asked me if I wanted warm or cold water. Options!? I asked him what he thought and he replied the horses would probably appreciate the cool water, so cold it was. I think he was right, Sinwaan didn't jump or balk at all when I turned that cold water on him. He stood there and seemed to enjoy it (a first!)

Then Ernie asked us if we would like a wine cooler or soda or anything to drink. I said I was fine, I had my water still. Ruth said she was ok too. So then he asked if we would like a cold water. Well I couldn't turn that down so I thanked him and said that would be great. Off he went to the building in the center of their property. He came back with two gatorades and two wine coolers. Said there wasn't any water in the fridge. He asked if we were sure we didn't want a wine cooler? I asked him if he didn't like them and was trying to get rid of them. He said no, and opened one and drank it down. So then he went in the LQ part of his horse trailer to look for more drinks. He found a root beer (which sounded really good to Ruth) and an "ice-cold" water. Well the water was mostly ice but there was some water around the edges. (grin)

Then Ernie put ice boots on Spot. He asked me if I knew what they were. I guessed correctly and told him I had never used them. He said that normally he would not use them after an easy ride like the one we just did, but that since he just got done with the 100 last weekend, it was more of a precautionary measure. He said it wouldn't hurt any to put them on, and just might help. He said they were the best kind to have and could be used on people also.

Ernie had told me I could come out and ride sometime if I wanted to go along with him on one of his horses (so he could really move out, no doubt) and that sounded good to me. I think it will be helpful to ride a different horse before I head east for that ride and hop aboard Red Dog Dan. So Ernie pulled Marquis out and took him to the dressage arena and put him through his paces for me. He showed me the voice commands he knows (walk, trot, canter, turn, stand, stay, follow me) and even crawled under him to show how quiet he is. He is a beautiful bay Arab gelding with a blaze and some white feet. He said he was 11 and they had gelded him about 6 years because they just weren't set up for stallions. He said "think you could handle this horse?" and I said it would be pretty sad if I couldn't.

By now the sun is setting so we loaded up and headed home after many thanks to Ernie for sharing his place and trails with us. He invited us out to ride any time, even if he wasn't home and said he would like to show us the other trails sometime also. Said we need to come out and do the 25 mi one before winter ("although with you two that one would take all day" - said thoughtfully, it didn't feel degrading)

We were trying to figure out on the way home how long the ride had taken us. Since Ruth picked me up at 4 and we were heading home at 8, minus an hour of driving time, and minus an hour of tacking up/down and talking with Ernie we figured we were probably on the trail about 2-2 1/2 hours. Not bad for out of shape horses.

What a great day. Ruth said she had a blast also and we were glad we went. Thanks Ernie!! And thanks Ruth for the ride and the photos!!

Arab Halters

Hoo-rah, my Arabian halters both arrived on the same day! I have one rust-colored native Arabian-type with beads and the other one is a nice black with very little bling. I can't wait to take them out and try them on him. Now we get to start halter training for the Open show the end of August.

July 23 2008

Today the weather is just marvelous for riding.
78°-80° with a breeze from the SW at 10 mph gusting up to 20 mph.
22% Humidity.

No excuses.

I headed out at about 6:30 pm or a little after. Sinwaan seemed happy to see me, and eager to have his halter put on so he could go for a ride. A light grooming was all he needed and we were tacked up and riding off down the driveway.

The weather was great. All the wheat was gone except for a few stragglers on the far edge that the machines had missed. There were sprinklers on in the alfalfa field, and as one came around it hit a metal part of the spayer and made the shhhhhh shhhh shhh noise which sent Sinwaan up into the wheat field at a quick bolt. Good thing I had been paying attention and thinking about my seat just then, disaster averted!

Once we got past that little blip we had a nice jaunt up Elliot Rd. We had two trucks come past us headed the other direction but both were very courteous and slowed down as they passed. On the stretch past the homestead Sinwaan pulled his usual stop-and-go, or weave from one edge of the road to the other, but I kept him going and we worked through it.

I noticed something new this evening. On the railroad tracks were some grain cars, all waiting to be filled at the big silo at the end of Elliot. I thought about heading to the intersection but Sinwaan started acting a little goofy as we got next to the rail cars and I decided not to risk it. There were various grain trucks coming and going from the silo, some of them semi-trucks and I didn't need and accident. So we turned around and Sinwaan was only mildy displeased when I turned him left onto our dirt path.

The footing tonight was better than it has been, the light rain we got last week seems to have helped a great deal. I was bound and determined to make it to the junkyard this evening since we hadn't been able to the past two rides. Most of the stretch I kept Sinwaan to a trot, although the sun was setting and glaring directly into our eyes, I am sure that did not help things and Sinwaan acted a little jumpy, spooking at birds and the sound of a sprinkler the next field over.

Once there, I halted him and encouraged him to take a bite of the straggler wheat I could see along the edge. He happily obliged, but was eager to turn home again. Coming back I kept him to a trot, not wanting to repeat the bucking incident of last time. He wanted to go faster, but I made him mind. Once he was settled into a nice groove and listening to me, I told him to canter. He tried to take off but I got him to semi-collect and keep his pace nice and easy. Ahh, that's the ticket!

Pleased with this improvement, we turned back onto Elliot at a trot. I pulled him back down to a walk for a few paces to get his mind on me again. Then we trotted past the houses, and once the coast seemed clear of any boogie creatures I let him out. Zoom! He loves to run this stretch. He dodged around a little bit at the quail popping from the brush but overall did well. I pulled him back down to a trot and then asked for a walk and he was not obliging so I made him turn around and trot back up the road a couple of times before he got the message.

We crossed the tracks and I made him walk a bit more, stopping for some fresh alfalfa along the roadside. He appreciates the snack, I'm sure, but wants to be home even more. As long as he was acting fresh I put his mind to work, when he would settle in then I would let him speed up the pace. We had a nice ride. Only once did he hint at a buck, at the gallop on the last stretch for home. I was verbally warned him and that seemed to be all it took. I ruin all his fun. I am hoping our next ride out will be someplace new. I appreciate the roads I have locally to work him, but we need a change of scenery once in a while :-)

Friday ride

Well today I was more in the mood to ride because the temp was cooler and there was a nice breeze. I headed out to the barn about 6 pm or so. Sinwaan was a little dusty today so I brushed him off and tacked up. He was more in the mood to head out today which confirms my thoughts earlier of the heat getting to him. We went up the usual way, Elliot to the dirt road. On the way up Braden I had seen a large field truck take Elliot ahead of us. Hmmm. I also noticed the wheat had been cut in the field to our right. We rode along and moved out the first mile. The next 1/2 mile he started hesitating. He could hear the harvester in the next field over but his vision of it was blocked by the trees. There was a lot of activity out today. We could see field trucks at the end of Elliot pulling into the silo to unload.

At one point I saw one of those large field trucks barreling towards us with a huge plume of dust coming out behind him. I looked to the left and saw a barren wheat field so I had him climb the small incline up into the field so the truck could pass safely. Sinwaan usually does fine with traffic but this truck was so big and dusty I wasn't taking any chances. Sinwaan didn't care and was happy at the chance to munch on the wheat stubble. Thankfully the slight breeze today blew the dust past us without too much delay although I did get an eyeful.

Onto the dirt road and we are doing a nice medium trot. Unfortunately Sinwaan was clipping himself badly. I don't know if it was due to his speed, the dirt road being uneven or him just being plain lazy. Click click click. I decided to turn around at the junkyard today also. We hadn't quite made it there last time we rode. Well we got pretty darn close but didn't make it this time either. I saw something in the field headed our way and I didn't want to stick around to find out what it's plans were. So we turned around and headed for home.

HOME! YAY! RUN! Sinwaan started out with his big extended trot which soon turned into a canter and then a gallop. Then a BUCK! BUCK BUCK BUCK! What the heck!? We were moving and flying and I was trying very hard not to come off. Crazy horse. I AAATTTTTT and jerked his head to the side and he finally quit bucking, although one or two more of those and I would have come off over his front right shoulder. I was grabbing for mane and just having a heck of a time staying on. BAD HORSE! I gave him a smack on the shoulder and he threw up his head and after that walked on a loose rein. This is the second or third time lately that he has started this nonsense. Mulling it over the next half mile, I tried to figure out what his problem was. I know my saddle fits pretty well. I wasn't using anything extra like a breast-collar or saddle bag. Is he just feeling good (BAD!) or acting up because we are heading home or what?

Well we had some more trotting and then when it was safe (after the homestead) I let him out again to see what would happen. We galloped along with no problems for a short section and then his head came down and in to the left a little (always the same every time) and I as I pulled up on my reins I noticed they had started getting wedged in-between his shoulder and the saddle (on the left side). SOOO I am hoping I solved the mystery and he is acting out because he is uncomfortable - that is an easy fix.

The rest of our ride for home was brisk and uneventful. I made him walk the last 1/2 mile to cool him out and found when we got back to the barn that the horses hadn't been fed dinner yet so I gave Sinwaan a handful of baby carrots and some grass hay as a reward.

My back is now hurting me a little but I will rest over the weekend.

Three Points

Hooray! A quick check to the AHA site reveals that Sinwaan's third point has now been recorded. Only 72 more to go...

Look out Walla Walla Fair

Well I have now signed Sinwaan up for the Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days Open Horse Show on August 31. He has no halter experience, and I have none - aside from one schooling show I attended with my mare two years ago. So now I am on the halter hunt for something that is practical, and that I can afford.

The reason I chose the halter class is because the only saddle I have is the Wintec endurance saddle and his red endurance bridle and I figure with his lack of collection we may be laughed right out of any English classes. In the halter class we may at least have a chance. Unfortunately this is stock horse country and the class he is entered in is "5 & Over, Other Breeds" The only breed classes listed were QH, Paint, Mini and Pony. And they are not divided by gender at all, only age. So it should be interesting!!

If all goes decently well then I may also consider entering him in the MacMurdo show in the fall. What I am really hoping for is an additional way to earn a point or two on him this year towards his "+."

I was really hoping to exhibit my chickens at the fair this year but we will be out of town (in Maryland) that week so the only thing left to do was enter the open show. We get home Saturday night, the open show is on Sunday morning. No problem.

July 15 2008

Today was warm, but cooler than other days this week so I thought I should take advantage and get a ride in. I didn't ride this past weekend at all due to my son turning 2 years old. Matt had supper ready when I got home so we could eat, get some grocery shopping done and be back home again in time for me to change and get out to the barn before feeding time.

At the house I felt exhausted and drained and just really did not feel like riding. I tried to think when my next chance to go riding would be. I knew Wednesday was out because we have dinner planned with Jenee' and Maddaly. Thursday may work but really too far out since my last ride was an entire week ago - yep better just bite the bullet and ride.

Well so much for cool weather. Looking at weather.com apparently we had a high of 91 today. I was at the barn a little before 7 pm. Sinwaan was almost out of water, so I turned him out into the larger paddock and he munched on weeds while I scrubbed and refilled his trough. I led him to it and he put his muzzle in but didn't drink.

Just a quick groom tonight - he has been incredibly clean lately. Applied some fly spray and tacked up. No problem. Hooves/shoes and pads all still look really good. I wonder when my next farrier appointment is.

I mount up and head down the driveway. He is trying to weasel over to the grass but I don't let him. He is not his usual ansty self this evening and I figure it's the heat. When we got to Elliot road I contemplated making a left and going down Stateline road but Sinwaan decides for me and we trot on up Elliot. We had a fairly good ride. When trotting, he moved out but when walking it felt like he was doing about 2 mph. I was still very tired, and even had developed a headache by the time we reached the homestead, so I told him if he behaved we would only go as far as the junkyard tonight.

The dust on the dirt road was incredible. Baby powder fine. I hope it rains a little soon to pack it back down. As long as we were moving we were able to stay ahead of the dust that hung in the air. As we got close to the junkyard I could hear a small engine and saw the dust trail of an ATV heading our direction. Tired, hot and not wanting to deal with more dust, I turned Sinwaan around a litter earlier than planned. He was delighted and took off happily at a canter which soon turned into a flat out gallop. At one point he arched his neck and turned his head around to the left and acted like he wanted to buck. My immediate reaction caused a heck of a bad cramp in my left leg but a loud "aaatttt! knock it off!" straightened him right out and we had a happy fast jaunt back to the gravel road.

Heading for home he wanted to run run run and I didn't mind so I let him. He tired out before the railroad track crossing and then I made him walk down the hill. We resumed trotting until about 1/2 mi from home, then I made him walk to cool out. I was glad to see him walking on a loose rein. He had quite a spook to the right when a woman walking on Stateline road quickly came into view, but we recovered.

I untacked him and hosed him off a little on his neck, shoulders and saddle area, gave him carrots and an apple and put him back in his paddock. His dinner was ready and waiting. I figure we did about 5 miles in an hour tonight.

Virginia Highlands Endurance Ride

My next planned endurance ride is the Virginia Highlands Endurance Challenge, August 22-23. http://www4.ncsu.edu/~cullins/VHEC/index.html

Auntie Kim (with whom I am riding) has found me a horse - Red Dog Dan, a Missouri Fox Trotter gelding. She reports that he has an incredible canter and does well on the trail - she encountered a bear yesterday while astride him.

Tuesday evening ride

Today was warm, but not as sweltering as it has been, so I took advantage of the mid 80-degree weather and went out to the barn about 6:30 PM. My goal was to get Sinwaan groomed, tacked up and out of there before feeding time. He walked over and met me at the gate, glad to see me I guess. The last time I was out was just to pick up his saddle pad for washing, and to feed him an apple.

First I put him in the round pen to work off a little steam since he hasn't been ridden in over a week. Yes, much of that was vacation time for him after our tough Renegade ride, but past experiences tell me that he can be hot to trot with too much time off. He took every opportunity to steal bites of weeds from the ground while waiting for me to open/close the gates but then was quite responsive in the round pen. I had him trot for about 5 min each direction and since he was willing and quiet I called that good enough and into the barn we went for a quick grooming session.

He was quite clean, surprisingly enough, and it didn't take much time at all for me to brush him down with a stiff brush and straighten out his mane and tail. His front hooves have the pads so no picking there and they look good. His hind feet were pretty clean also. I tacked up with my old reliable Wintec and a freshly washed saddle pad, and skipped the breastcollar tonight. He put his head down to be bridled and was very quiet. Well maybe we'll have a stellar ride, huh old boy?

Walking down the drive he hesitated a little but seemed glad to be doing something with his person (me). We had a purpose, a mission. My goal for the evening was approx. 6 mi in about 1 hour. As I was about 50' down the road from the driveway I saw a van pull in. Hmmm...feeding time? Well, we made it out just in time.

I wasn't too concerned about holding him back tonight, except while crossing the road. He wanted to trot so I encouraged it and we had a nice jaunt up Elliot road. Then he noticed there was alfalfa growing in the field to the left. So he tried to trot along the edge and snatch at weeds within his reach. I scolded him and kept him going. At the end of the lane before it turns I pulled him over and let him have a bite from some alfalfa that was growing outside the field's perimeter. Yum, he loved that. The next section of road was a bit of a battle. He was back to his old tricks of stop and go away from the barn. He used the excuse that there was a man in the field to the right and he needed to keep an eye on him, so for awhile he walked along with his head swung around clear to the right. Well at least he was moving forward.

On the dirt trail he got back on my program and we had a nice fast trot (10 mph?) and then a steady canter that was really nice, and he kept it up for awhile. We slowed down and walked through the 'junkyard' and just about then the man from the field showed up and rode his 4-wheeler down the lane ahead of us. Slowing to a walk was really an eye-opener for me to experience why you should always trot your horse in the sun and walk in the shade. Trotting and cantering along we had made our own breeze and felt quite comfortable. At the walk, however it suddenly hit me how hot it was. My arms started glistening and I could just feel the sweat taking over my body. YUK! There was a patch of green grass at that intersection, so I encouraged Sinwaan to stop and graze for awhile so the dust could settle before we proceeded down the trail. He was happy to oblige.

The dust was so thick and dry today, it was like baby powder. It hung in the air with the lack of a breeze and took quite some time to clear out so we could ride onward without breathing it all in. Just as we had started on our way again, getting back into our groove at a nice trot, Sinwaan started acting worried about something behind him, and I thought I heard a truck. So I looked back and saw nothing. A couple of minutes later a large flatbed truck appeared and was slowly approaching. He was creeping. I pulled Sinwaan to the side of the road and waved the truck on. He slowly crept past us and slowly drove up the road. I don't know if he was being polite to avoid scaring the horse, or trying to keep the dust down. Either way, he was very nice to be so considerate. Well even with him driving at a snails pace, the dust was again very thick. So I let Sinwaan eat some more.

We trotted on up the road to the tree, not quite the end of the road (the dust was still thick enough farther on that I didn't want to ride in it and the rocky section at the same time) and turned around. Sinwaan was happy to be heading back for the barn and his DINNER. We did a super big trot for about a mile and then I asked him to canter to use different muscles. We cantered about a half mile and then slowed and walked across the railroad tracks and back onto Elliot Rd. I thought Sinwaan might want to walk for awhile to cool out a little, he was started to look pretty sweaty. Nope, he wanted to get on home. So we trotted and trotted and trotted until we got to the other railroad crossing (heaven help us if a train ever comes through there) then I made him walk down the hill and then we picked up a trot again. Coming around the last corner he really stepped it up to his fast gallop up the hill but tired out at the top and we proceeded at a more reasonable speed.

A couple of places the sprinkler system for the crops had come over into the road and we timed it just right to get past those without getting wet (although that may have felt really good!) The last half mile or so I made Sinwaan walk and he wasn't thrilled about it but obeyed with no head tossing (yeah!). We got back to the barn and saw the gals doing the chores and feeding. They have been taking great care of Sinwaan in Darold's absence.

I put Sinwaan in the shower stall and hosed him down before putting him away in his paddock. He dove right into his dinner.

We had a lovely ride this evening. I was gone from the house about 2 hours tonight and figure 1 hour of it was riding. I really should start wearing my watch so I can be more accurate but for now this is a pretty good guess.