February 29 2008

Today I got out the barn about 3:30 which was later than I had planned. I had to stop on the way to ask about An-Apple-A-Day at the feed store, and they didn't carry it. When I got to the barn the wind was roaring. I could not hear Dale talking to me 10 feet away. I would guess it was blowing about 40 mph. At that point I was not sure I wanted to ride. Kittee was having a day in court so I would be riding alone. But since Dale was around I figured it would be ok for me to go out. He also thought that once I got onto Cache Hollow the wind would not be as bad since I would have the mountain as a buffer. Not wanting to waste a day of riding (I already did drive out there after all) and knowing the endurance ride is coming up I figured I better not be chicken and just do it.

Dale was right, once we got to Cache Hollow the wind ceased, at least in most parts. Sinwaan was pretty good, not jumpy like I had anticipated. He tried to stop and turn around a few times but that is just his usual barn-sour self. We put in a solid 4 miles, with some additional time spent turning him around on the way home when he got too antsy to get home.

All in all a good ride today. The weather, aside from the wind, was awesome. I checked him carefully when we got home and he is not having any trouble with interference either. At this point I am very pleased with his new shoes.

Every day that I can ride is a tremendous blessing. This day was special being the 29th day of February in a Leap Year.

February 26 2008

Today I had Chad Henry come out to put some shoes on Sinwaan for the ride season.

Yet another day with gorgeous weather (mid 50s) and it made me wish I was out riding instead of having to get back to work.

February 23 2008

Today was a gorgeous day. The temp at the house when we left was 69 degrees! The temp at the barn is always a little cooler and usually with a breeze. I got Sinwaan groomed and tacked up and put on his red boots today as I was hoping to put in some mileage. His leg wound from yesterday looked better, seemed to be healing up well so I didn't worry about it.

Matt and Levi accompanied me today in the pickup truck, as Matt was wanting to test out his new tripod. He got some nice footage of us on the trail (See below). As I was leaving the ranch I could hear gun shots and I knew right then that it would be a short ride today. Most people do target practice at the top of Cache Hollow after the HILL. I would have to pass them to continue to Kinnear and I didn't want to risk it. Sinwaan is ok from a distance but doesn't care for guns up close, and frankly, neither do I. Especially riding alone.



Sinwaan did well for me heading away from the barn, better than last season when he wanted to test me by stopping every so often. He kept a good pace, alternating between walking and trotting. When it was easier footing we cantered or galloped. We went up to our usual turn around point for a short ride, about 2 mi.

Heading home Sinwaan fought for his head as usual and I turned him around and made him trot back uphill when he would really test me. Otherwise he was well behaved and a joy to ride. What a day!

I could not believe all the traffic on the road today. Cache Hollow is closed this time of year so there shouldn't have been anyone at all (including me?) but I had at least 8-10 vehicles (mostly trucks) pass us. A few I had to remind to slow down and all but one were polite. I also passed two guys hiking uphill. That was an oddity because they didn't seem like they belonged out there. They appeared to be teen stoner-types. Walking?

Well we had a good ride and put in an easy 4 miles. I forgot my HR monitor today but plan on taking it out my next long ride. I need to start keeping track of his recovery time since March is right around the corner. I fed him his grain and got a look at the new stallion on the ranch upon our return.

February 22 2008

Today I went out to get Sinwaan from the pasture and noticed he had blood all down his inner right leg. I found that to be strange. I haltered him and led him out to the hitching rail to get a better look. I trimmed some of the hair away from the site so I could see. It did not look deep. It seemed to be a very recent injury, as the blood was still bright red and moist on his leg. I got my baby wipes out and cleaned his leg as best I could. The wound looked clean so I left it alone except to put some ointment on it. Sinwaan started stamping his foot and tried to touch the area with his muzzle. Then he raised his head to the sky and turned up his lip. The excitement was short lived. I trimmed his bridle-path and gave him a good through grooming, although he seemed really clean for a change. I fed him some grain and then took him to an area outside the pasture with a nice amount of grass and let him graze for about an hour. It was very peaceful and fun to watch him select and trim the grass. No riding hours to log for me today. But it was a nice relaxing day with my horse.

February 20 2008

Today's report brought to you by Lara

Sinwaan and I went on a little ride up Cache Hollow yesterday. The weather was wonderful for this time of year, only about 50 degrees! He was very good boy while I groomed him and fiddled with his tack till everything was just right. Then we headed up the trail. He walked out really nice alternating between walking and troting on the way up. Then on the way back we took our time walking and switching up the direction to settle him down a little; he was in quite a hurry to get back to his barn buddies!

All in all we were gone for 1 1/2 hours and probably put in about 5 easy miles. When we got back to the barn I groomed him out again and gave him a little pan of grain for his efforts.

Thanks for the loan Shana we had a good ride! ~Lara~

* * * *

Lara and I spoke after her ride and discussed his change in gait. On Saturday I thought it was because of his boots, but Lara didn't use the boots and also noticed him coming down heavy on one side. To me his hooves look good, no chips or cracks, smooth edges. But Lara noticed that his one hoof, his 'club foot' has been growing out at a different angle. So now we think that is why he is moving differently, he is no longer balanced. I am going to call the farrier in the next week and make an appointment to put his shoes back on for the ride season.

February 16 2008

I had not planned on riding today but Matt wanted to work on his truck on Sunday so I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and ride two days in a row. Matt decided he would like to go out with me and get some footage on his video camera, and get a better idea how to tape the trails for his project he will soon take on. The thermometer at the house said 54 degrees today before we left, about 1:00, and this time I only wore a t-shirt and took along a choice of jackets.


I knew I wanted to ride up Cache Hollow Road today and I was aiming for the 10 mile loop as my goal for the day. Because I am trying to get Sinwaan conditioned, and only able to ride twice a week, I am trying to put in as many hours on him as I can in that time. I called ahead and let Kittee and Dale know that I would be out there and aiming to ride a distance and they could come along if they would like to, but that Matt would be with me if they decided not to, so I would not be alone and no worries. I decided to put on Sinwaan's ezboots today because I knew we could encounter more gravel and rock than usual and he is not shod yet. I have never used the ezboots, I got them in a trade for Dee's endurance bridle and was estactic that two (out of five) of them were red. I got lucky in that the two red ones happen to be the right size for Sinwaan and he can wear them as a pair on the front. I had a little trouble figuring them out but Kittee helped me as she has used boots before. She also brought out her rasp in case we needed to smooth out any rough edges, but his feet really look amazing considering the amount of time it has been since a trim and the rasp was not needed.

The three of us rode out together and walked for awhile to warm up the horses, with Matt driving ahead of us and stopping every so often to get some footage. At the one mile point he got himself turned around and then decided to back up the next mile in the truck. Before we got to him at mile two he had turned around again and drove straight up THE HILL. Well at the two mile point Dale and Kittee decided to turn around so I bid them farewell and at this point got off and led Sinwaan up as it is very rocky and we are both still a little out of shape. What a climb! It took him about ten minutes before he realized his buddies had turned around so then he started trying to trot a little and run circles around me. Well I got him in line and put an end to that and then he was very well behaved.


We made it up to the top and I let him take a little break and graze on some short spring grasses that had started to come up. Then I remounted and we headed off for Kinnear Road. What a view!!


Kinnear Road is probably my favorite road in the area, as it has gradual climbs and generally is a good place to let the horse out a little. We set off at a trot for a distance, with Matt following. As Matt would get closer it would make Sinwaan nervous so I had Matt go on ahead of us and asked him to clock two miles so I would know when we had gone five and then could decide if we would turn around and head home, or continue onward to finish the loop. When we got to about the 1 3/4 mi point on Kinnear there were so many mini rivers in the road that the footing was not great. I decided to turn around at that point and head for home. Of course then Sinwaan kicks into high gear and suddenly wants to GO and is not tired anymore. Go figure! I let him trot but tried to hold him back a little to keep him in control and listening to me. Once in a while he would show his aggravation with me by tossing his head and giving me attitude but I did not have trouble getting him to listen to me, although a few times it was a little battle. I let him go as long as it was safe to do so, and kept him at the trot. There were places we had to walk because of rock or boards in the road, or mud (there is still snow up there and it is melting, thus all the water in the road). His ezboots seemed to work perfectly, I did not detect any soreness, although his trot was slightly different to post, and I did notice his hind feet turning red from hitting the boots (overreaching) All in all they seemed to do their job though. They were sure hard to get off! I am glad Sinwaan is so patient with me testing all this stuff out on him. He stood quietly and waited for me to wrestle them off of him. I checked his feet and all was well, no rubs.

I figure we did about 9 1/2 miles today with elevation changes and I am thrilled with that because adding to the 4 miles on Friday we put in about a loop of a LD ride this weekend, and now I have Sunday to recover. I am already feeling stiff and sore from climbing that HILL, I got off and hiked it with him both going up and down.

February 15 2008

Today I went to work an hour early so that I could get off work early and enjoy this lovely day. When I got home Matt needed to work on a truck he had acquired so I kept Levi company for about 40 minutes so he could get that done. Then I drove out to the barn and on the way passed a bank sign that said it was 51 degrees. Perfect! I had dressed in a turtleneck, sweatshirt and my riding coat and was feeling quite warm and overdressed when I arrived, but Kittee assured me that once the sun went behind the bluff I would be glad for it.

When I arrived Kasey and Kittee were out riding in the pastures and the herd was another pasture over. They volunteered to go get Sinwaan for me and cantered off. This I had to see. They had fun attempting to herd him, and he didn't seem amused, but once he saw me he came trotting over. I tacked up and Kasey came out and untacked, she had to get to work.

Kittee and I then rode up Cache Hollow Road, we went to mile 2 today before turning around to come home. We had a lovely ride and talked about rattlesnakes, and men collecting things. Our ride was interspersed with a fair amount of trotting and some cantering today as much of the gravel has vanished from one of the flat stretches on the path.

I am guessing I put in approx. an hour of riding today. The Blue Mtn Riders women's club that I am a member of has started a tally sheet for anyone who wants to keep track of their hours, so I figured why not?