It's almost June and I'm still blogging about April. Oh my.
Two days after our Stokes adventure, I met up with Sam to babysit her baby mustang on her first off property trail ride since she came home from the trainer. Then, Sandy reached out to me and I joined her for a sunset ride from the airport on her mares. It was a glorious day.
I mentioned in my April recap that Mike and I photographed No Frills, and that it wasn't the greatest trip we've ever had. I had Sunday afternoon free after we got home, but it was Easter so most people weren't available*.
I was just saying how I need to do more solo rides away from home, so that's just what I ended up doing. Since I was alone, with nobody to potentially disappoint, I decided to scope out Baldpate Mountain.
Long time readers may remember that Baldpate was one of my regular stomping grounds back in the day. Unfortunately, a tornado went through in 2021. After that, I went back to Baldpate several times to find that the storm damage was still blocking many of my favorite trails. The last time I went was in the fall of 2023, and the trails were so impassable that we put Baldpate on the do-not-ride list.
On Easter, the weather was beautiful, but my energy was low. I figured that I could at least ride to the view and back if nothing else was cleared. I grabbed Lucy out of the pasture and away we went.
*It turns out Terra was actually free and wound up riding at Baldpate right before I did!
It turned out to be a gorgeous ride, and spring was in full bloom!
Three weekends ago, Eryca and I were looking for someplace local to take the horses. In the end, we decided to give Baldpate Mountain one more try. We hadn't been since February. At that time, we had sort of given up on going there. As usual, I mostly blocked the reasons why from memory. It's a popular park, so I was hoping the trails would be cleaned up a bit. Long story short: they weren't. In the end, we were only able to get five and a half miles in. I have taken Baldpate off the riding list for the foreseeable future. It hurts me to do this since it is a trail that has been near and dear to me for a long time. Eryca and I joked that the theme for the weekend was Obstacles.
Mud season continues here in NJ. Eryca and I did manage to get out on the home trails a few weekends ago and they were even worse than I expected. The ash trees are coming down in literal piles and we were barely able to push through the Jungle Trail. The ride was not worth its own post, but I'll share photos in my February post.
Last weekend we had a rare combination of nice weather and free time. I've been focusing on Booger a lot lately, but I really wanted to get both mares out if possible. As a result, Eryca and I did back to back field trips with the horses. On Saturday we did ten miles with Booger and Lilly at Horseshoe Bend. On Sunday we took Lucy and Lilly to Baldpate and rode down to Washington's Crossing for a six mile loop.
Last weekend was a good horse weekend. Eryca and I spent the entire afternoon at the barn on Saturday. We played musical horses and we both rode everyone but Gunner. I rode Maddie once in the spring, but other than that I haven't ridden anyone but the horses at home. In fact, I rode Lilly twice and Felix once this year. That is the smallest number of horses I've ridden in a year in as long as I can remember. I'm weirdly not complaining.
On Sunday, Eryca and I planned a trip to Baldpate Mountain.
At the beginning of the month, I reached out to Julie and told her that I missed her and that we should get together to ride. Julie was immediately on board, replying that she owed Amira some good trail miles. It has been almost a year since I last saw them. Amira has been doing well with Julie and they've done some dressage shows and horse trials, but the gray mare is happiest on the trail. It just so happened that Julie was off during the week and I ended up with a free Tuesday. We marked our calendars and the plan was for Julie to trailer down to Fran's and ride the Amwell Valley with me.
Eryca and I got super lucky two weeks in a row. Once again, our schedules and Fran's lined up for an off-farm adventure last Friday. This time, we headed to my old stomping grounds at Baldpate Mountain.
Hunting season ended last weekend and all my favorite trails are open to riding again, including Baldpate Mountain. In celebration, Jess invited me to come on a trail ride with her after our lesson yesterday. She wrote, "We can use any combination of Gunner, Nick, and Grady." When I found out that we'd have three horses at our disposal, I asked if I could drag Mike along. I asked Mike if he had any interest in taking a trail ride with us, and he replied, "Aw, that could be our Valentine's Day ride!" Long time readers may know that Mike and I never formally celebrate V-Day on the 14th, so that was perfect! We figured we'd put Mike on Gunner, the biggest horse. I would ride Nick and Jess would take Grady.
Gunner started his lesson off by being extremely frisky. When we put him on the lunge line, he did some degree of his normal flailing. The downside of increasing his muscle, fitness, and coordination, is that he can now buck for real. I am figuring out how to use my smartphone and was playing with the camera while Jess lunged. I missed the big bucks, but still got a few good shots.
Jess said, "I hope Mike's not watching this."
I replied, "He doesn't scare easily."
My birthday was on Monday. My wonderful friends pooled together to buy me a new camera. It's not so much that I needed a new camera. The T2i still works fine (and Mike is excited to steal it from me now that I have a new toy).
We were having some image quality issues, but it turned out they were because of the worn out UV filter on the lens, not because of the camera itself. In the meantime, however, we went to my favorite local camera store, where I totally fell in love with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000. It's classified as a hybrid camera, which means it's basically a point and shoot on steroids. While it's technically a downgrade from DSLR, it has a ton of fun features that I could totally see myself using.
After we left the store, I couldn't get the camera off my mind. The whole time we were hiking at Merrill Creek, I kept coming up with times that I would have loved to have the new camera on hand. I couldn't really justify replacing a perfectly good camera, but Mike took matters into his own hands and decided I was getting an upgrade.
The list of features includes:
In camera-HDR, multiple exposure, stop motion animation, time lapse photography, tilt shift photography, macro capabilities, 400mm super zoom, a 25-400 lens, fun filters, in-camera panorama, high quality video, slow motion video, etc, etc...
I figured I'd never use half of it, but boy was it tempting!
And the whole thing for only (ha, only!) $900.
Seriously, my friends are the most generous people in the world and they spoil me on a regular basis.I even pretended to be surprised when they told me to. Haha.
ANYWAY.
So I'm totally loving the new toy, and last weekend, Mike and I finally had a chance to go out specifically to go play with it. Mike sold my entire jump course that morning. (I was sad to see it go, but this means he has to build me exciting new jumps when the time comes. Plus the extra cash was good going into winter, and I hated to see them sitting around, gathering dust.) Since we were already in Pennington, we decided to go to Baldpate Mountain for our photo walk.
There were a shocking amount of people there, but we didn't mind, especially since we'd left the dogs at home.
We walked until it got dark out. In that time, we barely made a dent in the trail. I practically didn't look up from my camera the entire time. I was having a blast! There's a lot of learning that I still have to do, but I'm loving features that I didn't even think I'd touch. The macro is taking some getting used to, but I foresee great things with it in the future. This camera has seriously put the fun back in photography for me, which is totally awesome. It has been a long time since I just played with a camera.
Any-hoodle. Enough rambling. Have a million experimental photos from our walk :)
The other week, I spent more time than usual with the dogs. I spent a lot of time at the Horse Park with them, letting them run themselves ragged on the cross country course.
Julio kisses Herbie at the Horse Park.
That Wednesday, Bryce had new windows put in the house. The company he used was not dog-friendly and I had to spend the whole day out of the house with the dogs in tow. It just so happened that I only had one lesson that day, so we had a lot of down time.
We managed to get to the shiny, brand new dog park down the street before everyone came along with their labs, corgis, and golden retrievers. For a long laundry list of reasons, I don't ever take my dogs to dog parks, but we took advantage of the empty space for a good hour before anyone else showed up. We played fetch, jumped over obstacles, and sniff sniff sniffed absolutely everything.
I spent that afternoon hiking Baldpate Mountain with the dogs. It was a pretty dreary day, and aside from one determined mountain biker, we had the whole park to ourselves. One of my favorite things about being self-employed is that I get to enjoy a lot of popular places while the majority of the public is at work. We took the power line trail. It's one of the steeper trails in the park, and also one of the most secluded, even on busy weekends. I let the dogs off leash and they ran back and forth, checking in with me, playing with each other, and running until they couldn't run any more. They both slept like rocks that night. My only regret was not having my camera with me. The fall colors were at their peak, and the dogs looked great against the foliage.
Of course, the funniest story from that week wasn't nearly as enjoyable. On one of the days that I took the dogs to the Horse Park, Erin met me there so we could catch up while the dogs played. At the end of our romp, Erin and I walked back to our cars. I threw the dogs in the back seat while we said our goodbyes.
In the time it took me to walk around to the other side of the car, Julio jumped in the front seat, landing squarely on my key fob. I heard an ominous click, and knew it was too late. Julio had locked himself and Herbie in my car.
My spare keys were at home, but Mike was at work and Bryce wouldn't be home for another 20 minutes. We live half an hour from the Horse Park and that seemed like an eternity to wait. Thankfully, Erin had AAA and we were able to call to have someone come unlock me.
"We've notified a tech. They'll be there in an hour to an hour and a half."
"My dogs are in the car..."
"He'll be there in twenty minutes."
"My... baby?... is in the car...?"
The tech made good time, didn't ask any questions, and quickly unlocked my car without much ado. Julio was trying to help the tech by grabbing his tool every time it entered the car, and Herbie was staring at him like, "Just use the handle, you moron."
Moral of the story: start wearing clothes with pockets!
As I alluded to earlier this week, there was a hunter pace scheduled for yesterday. It rained all week and the pace got rescheduled. Bummer. Due to the rain, Mike ended up having to work all day. Double bummer. However, it all turned out swell (yes, swell) and Tor and I had a fun-filled day.
We decided to go trail riding despite the fact that we didn't have an official event to go to. I had taken Ozzy out for two short rides prior to this weekend. The first was with Margaret and JR in the rain and he'd been fussy to say the least. The second time I went out with C and JR and Ozzy was distinctly better behaved, at least until we turned for home at which point his started dancing around and getting all hot and forward for no reason. I was determined to put him on a trailer, take him away from the farm, and work him nice and hard to get his head back in the game. Tor brought Cola down and we took the horses over to Baldpate Mountain.
Matching neon ponies.
Despite the fact that he hasn't been on a trailer in six months, Ozzy self-loaded. In fact, he was on his very best behavior all day. He seemed delighted to be back in work and content to just wander the trails all day long. He knows his job and he's very good at it. That is something I will always have a deep appreciation for.
Before long, Tor and I were mounted up in our matching neon gear. We started out by taking the main trail up the mountain, taking the time to detour briefly onto the blue trail, which I've never actually explored. Unfortunately, much of the park is still blocked off by trees that fell during Hurricane Sandy. The trails are passable on foot, but definitely not on horseback.
At one point, we came around a turn at a trot. I could see people a good way ahead of us, but didn't realize they had an off leash dog with them until she started barking, just a few feet from Ozzy's face. My heart nearly jumped out my ears, but Ozzy didn't even flinch. The dog's owners immediately called her off, and she had a good recall. They were very apologetic, but I assured them that both horses were very used to dogs and that we were not upset by the encounter. After all, the park allows off leash dogs and the poor thing was obviously startled and frightened by the horses much more than they were by her.
After visiting the top of the mountain to enjoy the view (and a nice canter), we headed off down the power line trail. Of course we couldn't resist a good gallop. After all, that's all I do when I ride Ozzy; gallop him up power lines, that is.
It was right around that time that Brenda, my old boss from the breeding farm, called to find out if I'd be up for joining them for a ride at Baldpate. I informed her that we were already there and would be happy to meet up with the ladies of Bluestone for a second loop around the mountain.
We took twenty minutes or so to let the horses rest, grazing them in the shade and offering them soaked alfalfa and water.
Before long, I heard the rumble of the Bluestone rig coming up the driveway to the park. Brenda had brought both the girls with her. Brenda was riding her bay Arabian mare, Dreamer. Brianna was on her gray Arabian mare, Hanna, and Kelly was on Crimmer, a 12 year old chestnut standardbred mare who she just started under saddle in February. After nearly a decade of Brenda and me knowing each other, we were finally going to ride together!
Ozzy was more than happy to play tour guide for the second time out. We wound our way back up to the view, taking the long way through the shady woods and giving the horses a 'good butt work out' up the big hill by the stone quarry. Despite the fact that my horse is the one just coming back into work (officially), he was fitter than everyone else. After just an hour, the three mares were pretty tuckered out. Even Cola, who is in regular work, was hot and tired. To be fair, I think that had to do more with bugs and rocks than it did with his actual fitness level. But Ozzy just marched happily along, grunting his standie song with his ears pricked and his head swinging.
"Guys, I've been running laps around the pasture every night in preparation for this day..."
We loaded the horses back up without any ado and drove back to the barn, where we hosed them off and stuffed them full of cookies. Cola, who is used to drinking out of regular old water buckets, was delighted to discover the water trough and promptly tried to climb in for a swim. We decided to let him rest up for a couple hours in the front pasture with the other throroughbreds (and JR) while we went out for lunch. After all, we'd been out on the trails for about four hours. (I am proud to report that my leg held up great.)
HDR of a local barn.
Tor and I grabbed lunch at my favorite local deli, then took a drive to see the carriage house that Mike and I are looking at on Sunday (no spoilers!) After that, we sort of toured the area, looking at scenery and enjoying the a/c in my car.
Somewhere along the way, Tor suggested that she could get on Jay Jay for an evaluation ride, since neither one of us had anything better to do for the afternoon. Jay Jay has been sitting for the last month, jobless. He needed a week of pasture rest following his injury as it was, but his owner kept hinting that the horse is ready to go back to work. He generously offered to let me use Jay in lessons, but I refuse to put any of my students on horses I haven't at the very least seen ridden.
Jay Jay came with a bit of a reputation. He was reportedly very good to flat with comfortable gaits, but rushes fences. As a result, he has shattered the confidence on quite a few riders, including Lisa. I had seen photos on Facebook of Jay Jay with his head tied down and an elevator bit on, and I had heard tales about him galloping away and bucking. Despite all that, he has been a rather successful jumper. I wasn't really sure what to expect.
Jay Jay came to me eagerly in the field and happily followed me to the barn, where I gave him a bit of a spa treatment before tacking him up. He's on pasture board so he basically gets checked twice daily and fed cookies on occasion. Not much else. He was a little suspicious at first, but definitely enjoyed the attention.
Tor hopped on him just a short time later and it was as if he'd never missed a beat.
I immediately took back all the mean things I'd said about his looks. I have yet to meet an Azteca that successfully combines the good traits of the quarter horse and Andalusion breeds. They seem to come out sort of funny looking. Jay, for example, has a Roman nose, a big neck and butt, and sort of short legs with a long back. He's black with a lot of tail hair, which fools people into thinking he's gorgeous, but he's definitely not going to win any awards for his conformation.
Still, what the horse lacks in the looks department, he makes up for in willingness and work ethic. He went right to work, giving Tor a delightful school on the flat. His canter is more lateral than most standardbreds I've met and wouldn't gain him any points in the dressage ring, but he is soft, forward, and comfortable. He's calm, level-headed and just generally pleasant.
After a good warm up, I had Tor aim Jay Jay at a cross rail just to see what would happen. He barely lifted his feet.
As it turns out, Jay Jay's problem isn't rushing fences per se. It's that he's really not a very talented jumper. He's honest and loves to jump, but he just sort of heaves himself over the fences. Since the jumpers don't care about form as long as the horse goes fast and jumps high, nobody ever focused on teaching him any different. At 19 years old, he's sort of set in his ways. What he lacks in style, he compensates for with momentum, which I imagine feels like rushing. I was worried watching him jump two feet. I can't imagine him in 4'+!!! Yikes. I do think he could make a turn around with some concentrated proper schooling and LOTS of gymnastics, but I don't imagine his owners will want to pump a ton of money into a 19 year old horse who has already had a successful career. All the same, I can definitely see how he has given people confidence issues in the past.
Tor did have a good time riding him, and Jay Jay seemed pleased with himself at the end of the ride. We were careful not to over do it on his first try back and he didn't even break a sweat. I bathed him anyway just because he hasn't had a bath since he moved in. He was excellent for that. So while I certainly won't be having any of my students jump him, I do think Jay Jay would be great for flat lessons. In fact, I would even put Mike on him :)
Once Jay Jay was settled back in his pasture with his BFF, Rue, Tor retrieved Cola, loaded him uneventfully into the trailer, and made the long drive home. I went back to the house and enjoyed a much-needed nap. It was a great day, but I am definitely not back up to my full energy reserves yet!!!
Here's hoping for more weekends like this in the future.
Tor pumped a lot of money into her barn owner's truck and trailer to get them fit for hauling. After our hunter pace in October Cola blew an abscess. Then the holiday season was upon us and Tor was so busy that her horse mostly just sat. Her barn owner has been asking her when she was going to get around to using the rig, so we planned a get together for this past Sunday. The trailer is a two horse, but Baldpate is only a mile and a half from the barn, so we discussed logistics and invited Christine to join us for a year end ride.
Despite the fact that the three of us have known each other for 20 years (!) and that we are all horse lovers, we've never all gone riding together. Can you believe it? It was high time to change that, and what better way to do it than a trail ride with our own horses?
Christine had to work and wouldn't be able to join us until noon, but Tor brought Cola down early so he could get settled in and have some play time before our ride. She beat us to the barn by two minutes (I suck at getting out of bed on Sundays), and got Cola situated in a stall with a second helping of breakfast.
In the mean time, Mike got to work mounting the gates he built to replace the one that Ozzy broke back in April. That's right, Mike had to build replacement gates for the indoor. Why not just pick up new ones at the store? Allow me to explain!
Gates come in several standard sizes... eight feet, ten feet, twelve feet... even numbers. The gates on the indoor were 11'4". I wish I was kidding. We searched high and low and couldn't find anything even CLOSE to that. I would have happily settled for an eleven foot stock gate, but they don't exist. I even contacted the company that built the indoor. They agreed to search their records, but were left scratching their heads about where the gates came from and why the door opening was a random eleven and a half feet wide. The only way to buy a replacement gate would be to order a custom wood one, and Mike's more than qualified to just build them himself for a fraction of the cost.
So Mike built two gates for the indoor. We wanted them to match, and the other gate was on its way out anyway. We called one of them a replacement and one a Christmas present for Carolyn.
I think they look classy:
As it turns out, our timing was just perfect. We got the gates mounted while Cola ran around the outdoor ring, playing with the other horses over the fence. Then we had just enough time to bring Ozzy and JR in and get them cleaned up before Christine pulled in the driveway.
We brought the horses over to Baldpate in shifts. We took JR first because he's the quietest, and left him with Mike and C in the parking lot while we went back for Ozzy and Cola. Cola has been giving Tor a hard time with the trailer so I gave him a refresher course. Ozzy, who hasn't been on a trailer since October, hopped right on board despite Cola rocking the rig, and stole Cola's hay net with a squeal.
The two minute drive went uneventfully and we had the horses bridled and ready to go in no time. As we mounted, I asked Mike if he would mind driving over to the top of the mountain to take some pictures of the three of us together. There are three main parking lots from which you can access the trails. One is at the bottom of the mountain in Washington's Crossing. One is halfway up the mountain, where we parked on Sunday, and one is at the top of the mountain by the visitor center. The top parking lot has handicapped parking so people can see the views even if they're not up to hiking the trails. To access the top parking lot, you have to drive around the mountain and follow a winding gravel road up a steep hill. Emily and I ride her horses up the gravel road for extra conditioning. It's a steep climb. I told Mike about the parking situation and warned him that he'd still have to climb a small hill to get to the top to meet us. He agreed.
Tor, C, and I rode off into the woods, leaving Mike and Herbie behind. The horses were all relaxed and on their best behavior, and Cola took the early lead. We took it easy while Cola adjusted to the rocky footing and JR got his joints warmed up.
In what seemed like no time at all, we reached the ridge at the top of the mountain. I spotted a mountain biker in the distance, but there was no sign of Mike. Concerned, I picked up my phone and called him.
"I'm coming!" he answered the phone. He sounded out of breath. "I see you guys!"
I scanned the parking lot and spotted a tall figure in a Carhartt coming toward us.
While we waited for Mike to catch up, we made small talk with the biker. He asked if we belonged to the same riding club as Lucia, and I laughed. I'm not in a riding club, but I boarded Ozzy at Lucia's when I first got him in 2007. Small world! If I'm not mistaken, I actually met this same gentleman at a trail riders meeting when I was first thinking of getting a horse. He had offered me his young Trakehner gelding, and I had turned him down in favor of Ozzy. I told him to take a picture of Ozzy and send my horse's regards to Lucia.
Before long, Mike reached the top of the hill. He was visibly tired. More surprisingly, so was Herbie. I raised my eyebrows and asked what took so long. It turns out that Mike didn't realize there was a parking lot at the TOP of the gravel road, so he parked in the first available spot... at the bottom of the mountain. He had just sprinted up the entire mountain to meet us.
...but wait, it gets worse...
After all that effort, it turns out that I had left my memory card in my laptop so he couldn't use my camera to take photos. Worse still, I had put my point and shoot in my car and left it there. Thankfully, his point and shoot has on camera memory and he was able to get a few snapshots.
Ooops.
I'm pretty sure this is not what he had in mind when he said he wants to start working out again.
We had a lot of fun posing for photos. I even made Herbie sit on Ozzy, which she hasn't done since she was a puppy.
Ozzy says, "I liked dogs better before you got one."
Of course we couldn't resist the urge to make fun of JR for being short. We lined Ozzy and Cola up side by side and had C ride JR in the middle, like pulling into a parking space. When C nudged the pony forward, he flattened his ears and gave me this you-have-got-to-be-kidding look, but he's too obedient to refuse. We high-five'd over C's head and laughed at how witty we are.
See the parking area by the fence? That's where Mike was supposed to park. See where the tree line drops off? Way down THERE is where Mike DID park.
We hung out at the top of the mountain for a bit, taking in the sights and having a good time. Mike caught his breath and the horses started to ask to get going again, so we said our goodbyes and agreed to meet up later.
Tor, C, and I decided to do as much of the trails as possible in two hours and rode off the far side of the ridge, towards the quarry. As we came down the steep hill on the other side, I pointed out the sights in the distance.
"That's Trenton, that's the power plant, and that's the prison," I gestured at various landmarks.
"Welcome to trail riding in New Jersey," C replied dryly.
Right on cue, a man came around the bend, pushing an empty baby stroller. Not creepy at all. We said hello and the guy made small talk. He was very concerned about the horses and I couldn't help rolling my eyes.
"Have you ridden this trail before?" he asked.
"Yes, countless times."
"But with a horse?"
"Yes."
"So you know that it's steep and rocky ahead?"
"Yes."
"And the horses will be ok doing that?"
I assured him that they would be fine.
He changed topics, "I left some corn in bags at the bottom of the hill."
"Ok."
"It's in white bags."
"Ok."
"I just wanted to give you a heads up."
"Thank you."
"In case it scares the horses..."
"They won't mind."
"...because the bags aren't normally there."
I really wanted to say, "We've got the horses under control, can you get your creepy empty stroller off the trail so we can carry on?"
The horses then made their way safely down the steep, rocky hill, and walked past the corn bags without fuss. Who woulda thunk it?
And then Tor and Cola had a moment that had me hating myself for not bringing my helmet cam. I seriously have to start riding with it at all times and just deleting boring videos.
We were heading down a trail that was new to me and came upon a large, muddy puddle. Ozzy stopped to get a drink, like the good endurance horse he is. Cola marched right in and started pawing at the water, which is standard for Cola in the presence of puddles. We were laughing pretty hard because Ozzy would try to get a drink and wind up with a face full of mud, toss his head in protest, try to get a drink again, and get more mud on his face. Meanwhile, JR decided he's much too old to put up with this crap and marched right past both the bigger horses with a look of disdain on his face.
Eventually, Tor cut Cola off and made him move forward. They crossed the puddle. At the end, Cola turned around. Tor thought he was opting for a drink after all, and let him have his head, but it turns out he was actually circling so he could LAY DOWN!!! He plopped suddenly into the puddle and rolled over!!! Tor managed to get off of him quickly, but she couldn't get him up until he had already coated one side completely with muddy water. Her saddle was dripping and he was looking smug.
Ozzy watched in horror, clearly thinking, "OMG, that puddle killed Cola!"
JR cocked his head as if to say, "Hmmm... never thought of doing that one..."
And me? I was laughing so hard I had to hold on to the front of my saddle.
To add insult to injury, the trail turned out to be a dead end so we had to double back. As we approached the puddle, Ozzy gave it the worry ear. Cola got excited and started to splash into the water. "O no you don't!" Tor shouted, pulling up the reins and booting him forward.
The trails still have a good bit of storm damage that hasn't been cleared and we had to take some detours and do some bush whacking. We wound up back on the main trail and had to take a brief detour to get to the power lines, but I think everyone had a good time in the process. Great weather, good company, and lots of laughs. It was very Saddle Club, and we finished the ride with an exhilarating gallop up the power line trail, which made everyone's day.
Mike had decided to stick around despite the abuse I put him through, and was napping in the parking lot when we arrived. He stayed with C and JR while Tor and I took Ozzy home. Cola had lost his getting-off-the-trailer privileges, although I think he would have liked to stay with his buddies at Carolyn's.
I think we need to make this a regular thing... minus the whole rolling over on our riders thing.
My schedule and Emily's finally lined up after a few weeks of trying. We went trail riding at Baldpate on Saturday morning. She rode Pekoe and I took Chotori. I left the camera at home and silenced the cell phone, determined to just enjoy a weekend ride in the woods. I've been doing a lot of jumping and dressage and not nearly enough trail riding. Chotori, who was a good horse to begin with, has gotten nothing, but nicer since our trip to Hawk Mountain. She is fitter, quieter, and just great in general. It was refreshing to just ride rather than training.
I woke early with Mike to the sound of pouring rain. Work for him and riding for me were delayed and we caught some more snuggles and Z's, but a few hours later the sun was out and the world was feeling refreshed. The heat of August was delayed for a while at least and it felt more like fall than summer.
Emily and I met in the main parking lot on the mountain, happily catching up on news in each other's lives. I told her of our fender bender and she told me how she recently crushed an Aston Martin with her chevy dually (a reminder not to get right behind big pick-up trucks... they can't see you under the tail gate like that!) The horses stepped lightly off the trailer, eyes bright and ears pricked and we had them saddled and bridled in no time.
I swung easily onto Chotori's back, settling comfortably in Emily's expensive-but-worth-it endurance saddle, and remembering suddenly just how delicate and lady-like Chotori is. She's a solid horse who feels big for her fourteen-and-change hands, but her swan-like neck gives her away.
We rode into the woods, riding alternately in amicable conversation and enjoyable silence. I'm thrilled that fate brought Emily into my life not just for the great opportunities that she presents, but for the easy nature of our friendship. I always enjoy her company and the conversation always leaves me grinning and laughing. I feel like she has so much to teach me and I suspect there's a hero worship aspect to our relationship.
The first leg of our ride took us into the forest. The mountain was still and quiet and we only passed one other person while we were out. I rode mostly on a loose rein, letting Chotori pick her way over the rocks, which are becoming more and more exposed as the years wear on. I mused quietly about how well I've come to know the mountain since I first learned about it four years ago. It feels like my back yard to me even though my visits have become infrequent of late.
I was reminded, however, that I still have a lot of exploring to do. Emily and I rode all the way down the long, gravel driveway at the far side of the mountain, winding our way slowly past boulders and trees that I'm not familiar with. At the bottom we turned around and trotted the horses all the way back to the top, the best hill work in the area. The mares strode side by side, ears pricked and tails up, true endurance horses, and I found myself missing the sport.
We had the perfect canter along the ridge, overlooking the Delaware River in the valley below. Despite the fact that I have piles of photos of the view, I found myself longing for the camera I normally carry in my half chaps. Chotori powered along in a very controlled, distinctly three-beat rhythm and I took a deep breath, just enjoying her stride.
I led for part of the way back, through the ruins of the old estate and past new fencing that keeps me out of some of my favorite old galloping spots.
We finished our ride by doubling back down the power lines, meandering down steep hills in waist-deep grass with cicadas humming summer song in the trees. By then the sun was beating down and the moisture from the morning's rain was making the air sticky and dense. The bugs were out in force, but couldn't put a damper on my spirits.
I enjoyed the rolling view of New Jersey countryside, laughing to myself about people's pre-conceptions of the state. I don't want to spend the rest of my life here, but I can't say I remember being happier than I am these days.
I am woefully behind on blogging. So much so that I don't even really know where to start. This is good because it means business has been booming and I've been way too busy to spend much time online. Fear not, though. Ozzy has not been neglected. Ok... maybe he's not getting as much attention as he used to, but I still see him daily, stuff him full of apples, introduce him to everyone, and ride him pretty regularly.
For a while there, Ozzy, the-horse-who-hates-jumping, was on a real jumping kick. We had a series of great rides during which he flat out WANTED to jump. We conquered everything from cross rails to verticals with flower boxes. The new purple gate seems to have scared him off that streak, but I took advantage of it while it lasted.
We've also had some 'come to Jesus' rides, but I can't really complain about where he is. His training isn't really progressing at all, but he's been semi-retired since his injury in 2011. Considering how irregularly I ride him, he's been retaining things without much fuss. I really wish I had more time to spend just meandering on him, but I keep telling myself that I'll get to more of that when this endless heat finally breaks.
I did take him on a trail riding adventure fairly recently. My friend Sandy (whose horse, Doc, is now living at M's farm with Dallas and Clarence) has been wanting to see Baldpate Mountain for quite some time and I offered to give her a guided ride through if she picked me up. I decided to take Ozzy over the client ponies. I felt like I owed him a good ride off the farm. It had been a month since we'd done anything really fun.
It's like Ozzy knew that I was coming to do something exciting. He pranced right up to me and pretty much threw his head in his halter with a throaty nicker. He jumped right into the strange horse trailer and unloaded at Washington's Crossing with bright eyes and perky ears.
I had been worried that he'd be spooky or hot. After all, he's not naturally a brave horse and the only reason he was so good for so long was because I was consistently putting miles and miles and miles on him. I shouldn't have worried. Ozzy stood stock still while I tacked up and mounted, then took off with a matter of fact walk as if to say, "And this is my trail."
Ozzy really hit it off with Sandy's horse, a Belgian x TB named Snuffy. The two of them are both big goofballs with no concept of personal space. They love to snuggle and they're not fazed by much on the trail.
Sandy and I had a lovely 7 mile ride up and down the mountain. Ozzy surprised me with his level of fitness. To be fair, he DOES exercise himself in the pasture almost daily. (You should see the dirty looks the other horses give him as he canters sets up and down the small hill by the ring.) He rode like we'd been conditioning all along, as if he'd been on the trails daily, not monthly.
Honestly, it makes me miss doing endurance with him. I still toy with the idea of making a comeback. Maybe start him with some CTR then move up to LD's. Even if a 50 never happened again, it would be good for him to get back to competition. I miss spending hours in the saddle with him every week. :( I don't think it's in the cards for this year, but maybe in 2013 we'll start logging miles in earnest again.
Have a handful of photos from our trail ride with Sandy in the meantime:
I joined Emily at Baldpate Mountain for a trail ride this morning. We were originally supposed to go to Hawk Mountain, two hours away, with Pekoe and Chotori, but it appparently doesn't open to horseback riding until next weekend. I also wound up riding Tryssta because there's a potential buyer who is taking her on a hunter pace tomorrow.
It was a lovely ride. Tryssta was on her best behavior, as always, and I just enjoyed myself. It was really really hot and Emily has been away for two weeks so we took it easy, but the horses got a good work out anyway, with a good bit of trotting and lots of hills. The footing wasn't ideal because it's been raining for days on end, but we made do... and Pekoe was just plain adorable.
We were out for about two and a half hours, riding all the way from Washington's Crossing to the top of Baldpate and back. Nothing terribly exciting happened and I got some nice photos. We've agreed to try to make this a regular thing. It's a good change of pace for me.
I have a lot to blog about, but first I wanted to brag about CP. Yesterday morning, I took him on his first REAL trail ride. Jen's niece was on spring break and was riding Sunraider. Jen has always wanted to ride Ozzy (mostly to try his running walk) and I was happy to lend him to her so he could go for a trail ride too. We shipped up to the mountain where Jen's friend, Susan, joined us.
As I mounted up, I asked the pony, "If you dump me, can you do it NOT in the gravel parking lot?"
He stood rock steady for me to get on and hung around patiently while we waited for everyone else to be ready. When it came time to ride, he just walked off calmly in the middle of the pack. I parked him behind Ozzy to be safe. He seemed a little suspicious at first ("Hey, I got to do this without a rider last time!") but it wasn't long before he was completely relaxed and just plodding along.
I have to admit that the pony blew me right out of the water. We rode for about five miles, most of which was at the trot, and he didn't balk at a single thing. We crossed over a creek and worked through some mucky areas. Other than dropping his head to sniff, he didn't even hesitate. We even jumped over a pretty big log. He approached at a confident trot, picked up his knees, and landed cantering. There was no bucking or over jumping or anything. Everyone cheered.
When we came up on the big, steep hill, I dropped CP to the back of the pack so he could take his time without creating a pile up. Because his legs are so much shorter than the other horses', he fell behind a bit. I clucked, urging him to pick up the pace a little bit. He flicked an ear and I could see the wheels turning in his head.
"You didn't say I could canter... but I can POWER TROT!!!!"
He lengthened his stride and pulled out that endurance trot that I so love. He actually caught right up to the bigger horses without a problem!!! And when I asked him to walk, he just dropped his nose and plodded right along.
I had been telling Susan Ozzy's life story and she has heard tell of CP over the years. When she turned around and saw me trotting down the trail, one-handed on a loose rein, she asked for my business card. Apparently she has a horse who needs to be started back into work. Huzzah!
I was completely thrilled with CP when we got back to the barn. He was obviously a little tired, but he seemed perfectly happy with his morning work out. I think he would make a kick ass young rider's horse in endurance/CTR, but with his jumping ability, I could probably boost his value and make him into a pony jumper.
I am most likely taking him to a hunter pace in two weeks, if things keep going according to plan. Rider Launch Express to reliable trail mount in a month? This pony has talent.
Yesterday morning, Jen and I got together for what will hopefully become our regular Wednesday morning trail ride.
About an hour before we were set to meet up, I started getting the tell tale blurred vision of an oncoming migraine. I took meds, hid under a blanket, and hoped I had caught it in time. I decided to tough it out and ride anyway, but by the time I brought Ozzy in, I was experienced right side body numbness and the beginnings of aphasia.
I'm really glad I decided to go with Jen after all. As I've mentioned, Jen is a chiropractor. When I boarded with her, she adjusted me a few times. The adjustments would make me feel instantly better, but I'd screw them up less than 24 hours later (hooray riding five [crazy] horses a day and, at the time, doing all the barn chores).
As soon as I mentioned that I had a migraine, Jen said, "I can fix that you know." As soon as we got to Baldpate, she sat me down on a fence and released the base of my skull. It was one simple motion and the relief was INSTANT. Right away the blurred vision went away and the pain eased. Within ten minutes I was completely pain free. Best of all, I didn't experience the post-migraine feeling that I normally have all day even after the kindest of migraines. I may be training regular chiro for training Jen's coming two year old. God knows my poor body could use it.
ANYWAY... the ride.
Jen has a three horse trailer so we decided to take CP with us for the day. I would ride Ozzy, Jen would ride Sunraider, and we would pony CP with us. It's the best way to teach a young horse about the trails without rider interference (or the risk of falling off). It's something a lot of endurance riders do with their young horses before they ride them and it's something I would definitely do with a young horse of my own.
We started CP on a long lead rope alongside Sunraider. The pony took everything in stride and less than a mile later we let him loose. Now, when I posted pics and video on Facebook, people freaked out saying that they could never trust their horse to do that and wasn't I afraid he'd run off and blah blah blah. I'm just going to put a little disclaimer here. Horses are herd animals. MOST horses are not likely to leave a herd. With that said, this is something I would do with a YOUNG, green horse who has not been trail ridden. I would not do it with a horse like Ozzy (who doesn't feel attachment to other horses) or a horse who is already comfortable on trails or has been to this particular location. I also wouldn't let more than one horse loose at a time because they might pair off, get brave, and go gallivanting off alone.
With that said, we had a rockin' five mile ride. CP sniffed everything, crossed through mud and over logs, and even got brave enough to lead a few times. We also took him up a really big hill and he proved that he's currently fitter than my silly horse.
At one point, we had to cross a set of drainage ditchs... complete with mud, rocks, and running water. CP crossed the first one so quickly that I couldn't get any proof, but I did get video of him figuring out how to do the second one. Watch the pony use his brain:
The pony even jumped a few obstacles out on the trail. I'm REALLY excited to start him over cross rails next month.
It was a very productive ride and CP seemed to really enjoy himself. I told him that if he stops bucking for good, he can go trail ride as much as he wants to.
The only issue we had all day was with Ozzy and the trailer. It's a three horse, slant load, step up. He gets in it just fine and we've been giving him the last stall because it's the biggest. Unfortunately, dumb dumb can't figure out how to turn his butt tightly enough to back off of it, so he ends up scaring himself. Yesterday he actually managed to get the butt bar between his back legs and get STUCK. Ridiculous. On the way home, we shipped him in the middle stall, which was smaller, but gave him more room to turn. He backed off like a pro. So much for letting my horse have more space. That's what I get for being nice. Haha.
Holy hell... it has been a crazy couple of days. I seem to have horses coming out my ears!!!
Baldpate Ride On Wednesday, Mike went to work. Carolyn was working at Animal Alliance and I was going to be the only one on the farm. Call me a pansy, but I didn't feel like getting launched without anyone there to call the ambulance. Instead, Jen came to pick me up for a trail ride at Baldpate. She brought Sunraider her Arab x Saddlebred gelding. He was two the last time I saw him (when I boarded Ozzy with her). He is five or six now and is turning into quite the riding horse. Jen's 12 year old niece rides him and he has even gone on solo trail rides... bitless.
Ozzy has been a little jealous of the attention I've been giving the pony (he stands by the fence and gives me this look like, "Why are you riding HIM? I wouldn't try to launch you.") and was extremely excited when I came to get him. I hadn't put him on a trailer since August, when I took him to the clinic, but he jumped right into the step up and stood quietly on the five minute ride to the park. He does need a little bit of a refresher course on backing out of a trailer without a ramp, but that's just because he's clumsy.
We went on to have a VERY nice ride. It was sunny and sixty degrees and there was barely anyone out on the trails. We did a huge figure eight up the mountain. My guess would be that it was about 12 miles. We took it easy as neither horse is ramping up for competition, but we still got a lot of trotting and a little bit of cantering in. Jen took me down a trail I haven't taken and we came upon a breath taking view. I plan on going back with Mike and the dog to get pictures. There were also some big steep hills that will be great for building Ozzy's butt muscles back up.
Ozzy got more of a work out than I had originally planned and broke a good sweat because of his thick winter coat. I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and bathed him. He got filthy again almost immediately, but at least I tried.
CP Goes Through the Fence
As I've mentioned, CP and Ozzy used to live together. When we got back from our trail ride, CP finally saw that Ozzy was on the property and apparently recognized him. He got so excited trying to come say hi that he ran through the fence that was separating him from the minis. The whole property is fenced with electric tape, but this particular section wasn't electrified so it really wasn't a big deal. We were planning on turning him out with the minis by the end of the week anyway so I spent an hour or so rolling up the spare fence, and that's when I realized...
I'm over the burn out from SRF!!! If a horse had gone through a fence at SRF and I was stuck cleaning it up, I probably would have been cursing a blue streak and throwing things. Instead, I was happily rolling fence and watching my dog play in the hay, thinking to myself, "It is a gorgeous day to be outside."
Dentist
I wound up staying at Carolyn's well past dark that night. The dentist came out to float everybody's teeth. The doc had a crazy day and kept getting delayed. What was supposed to be a 3pm appointment turned into a 5:30 visit. Ozzy did his usual and practically opened his mouth on command. The minis, who had probably never been done before Carolyn got them, seemed to really appreciate having their sharp edges taken off. Even Rue behaved like a gentleman without sedation.
Lesson
Thursday dawned bright, but extremely windy. Despite the fact that the world was threatening to blow away, I had my usual afternoon lesson. Her posture still needs finesse, but she is comfortable at all three gaits and is ready to start building strength by riding extensively in two-point. She was kind enough to let me take some pictures while she rode. Please don't rip her apart. Remember, she is still very much a beginner, and was very timid when she first started.
My timid beginner trotting Art out of the ring!
Pony Ride #3
After my lesson, I grabbed CP out of his paddock and hopped on for another ride. He started off with what has become his 'usual' and bronc'ed right after I got on board. After his initial attempt to unseat me failed, he settled right down and gave me a lovely ride. I wasn't planning on cantering him until Friday, but it was clear that he was ready to offer it, so I let him. I was ready for the acrobatics in the trot-canter transition, but was pleasantly surprised when the pony simply stepped out into a lovely canter without so much as a swish of the tail.
Friday at the Barn
On Friday we got up early and went straight to the barn. I got on the pony again and Mike stood by with the camera. This time, CP only pretended he was going to buck when I got on board. Our ride was completely uneventful and I told Mike to get some video of him going nicely in both directions. Unfortunately, Mike is my perfect match and is just as easily distracted as I am. Halfway through the ride, a helicopter flew by and Mike switched the camera to photo mode to get some pictures. Afterwards, he forgot to change the camera back to video so he thought he was taping, but wasn't. Therefore, I have no video of the pony cantering. I do have some walk and trot footage though.
When I was done riding, Mike and I knocked down some more trees in the front yard. CP was staring at us like, "OMG. The humans are KNOCKING DOWN TREES. I promise I won't buck any more!!!"
Wedding
On Friday night, Mike and I drove an hour and a half up the turnpike for my friend, Joelene's, wedding. Jo and I worked together at the training center back in high school. We used to have all kinds of crazy adventures, including the time the two of us took two horses to Saratoga for the weekend and got and awesome winner's circle photo and a great story to tell out of it. Sadly, life has gotten crazy and we haven't seen each other in a few years. In that time, Jo has moved a few times, had a son, and gotten engaged to a man I had never met. It was high time for us to catch up and I was really excited when I got the invite to her wedding.
Driving to the wedding included our usual Adventures in GPS, which ended in me hopping a curb from the bank and leaving the valet staring at me and asking, "How did you get in here?"
The wedding was a blast! At first I was worried that we wouldn't know anybody there, but Jo seated us with a group of people we could have fun with and we wound up having a great time.
The wedding had everything: good food, gazebos, a magic show, ice sculptures, fire, a mentalist, a chocolate fountain, and even a photo booth! I even got picked to participate in one of the magic tricks! I don't think I was quite as jumpy as the magician had hoped, but I served my purpose. Haha. And then the mentalist picked me to participate as well (I must have a sign on my head that says, "Pick me!") I'll admit I was really skeptical, but when the blindfolded woman told me what kind of car I drive from way across the room, I was impressed. If it's some kind of trick, I'd really like to know how they do it.
Of course, Mike and I danced. It was sexy and romantic and *gush*. I really did have a hell of a time.
Trail Riding in Allaire
On Saturday I drove down to the Pine Barrens to ride with some of my favorite people. A few weeks ago, I got a call from Ival asking if I was interested in competing with her friend's horse in Maryland in April. As it turns out, the friend is Cate, the ECTRA president, and the horse is ThisSpot'sForYou, a 14 year old appaloosa gelding. Of course I said yes.
Cate was coming up for the weekend and wanted me to meet and try Spot. I would go out on Wendy's 29 year old quarter horse, Jimmy, on Saturday and ride Spot on Sunday.
I decided to run over to the barn in the morning to grab my helmet. Safety first and all that. I should have just taken my chances. It's not like Jimmy was going to throw me. Instead, I got a speeding ticket. The cop was in a big, black, unmarked Ford Expedition, driving the other way. The speed limit had just switched from 50 to 40 and I was still going 55. He clocked me, pulled a u-turn through an intersection, and pulled me over. He gave me a ticket and was really kind of a jerk about it. *sigh*
Other than that, Saturday was a lovely day. Jimmy started off sluggish, but wound up giving me a fantastic afternoon out on the trails. He's under 15hh, but I was surprised at how wide he is. He is extremely broad backed and it felt like sitting on a couch. His trot was much shorter strided than anything I ride and I definitely got a workout from posting while he tried to keep up with everyone else (he trots as fast as the other horses walk). The good news is that he's got an awesome canter and gallop. The bad news is that I didn't wear chaps and really rubbed my calves raw on the saddle flap.
That night we went to Mulligan's for dinner. The appetizers were to die for and the company was great. I haven't seen Ival and Wendy since we went to Vermont last summer and it was great to catch up. They crack me up and are just so much fun to hang out with.
Yesterday I was back on the road early for a morning trail ride. This time I didn't get pulled over. I did, however, get to see this car on the highway:
That's right. It's a Prius with a wooden bumper.
I went to Ival's barn first. She was spending the day with her husband and their motorcycles, but she was letting Wendy ride Clover for the day. I had the duty of picking up the mare and bringing her over to Wendy's. In the process, I got to meet Ival's new pup, a shepherd mix whose personality mirrors Herbie's. I really think the two of them need to be friends.
Trailering over was uneventful, which is more than I can say for the start of our ride. I got on Spot and Cate got on her Arabian gelding, Poe. Wendy led the way on Clo. The plan was to ride over to the Hospital Road side of the park and cross the Manasquan River. Long time readers may remember photos of me crossing this same river last year on Rayzer. Well, apparently, they haven't crossed there since the hurricane and subsequent flooding. I guess the river bottom has changed significantly since then.
As soon as Clover stepped into the river, my heart jumped to my throat. Two steps in, Wendy had to pull her feet out of the stirrups to keep from getting soaked. I had just enough time to say, "I don't know about this, Wendy," before s**t hit the fan. Clover was in much deeper than she had expected and the current was knocking her off balance. The mare tried to leap out of the water and across the river and Wendy came unseated, landing in the icy water. Clover tried to make a run for it, but got mired in deep mud on the far bank. There were bike riders on the trail, but they weren't sure what to do or how to help. Wendy swam the rest of the way across with with help from one of the men was able to get Clover onto stable ground.
Poor Spot jumped out of his skin when the whole ordeal happened. Deciding that we didn't need more than one rider down, Cate and I dismounted and retraced our steps through the woods. Wendy found her way down the street and met us on the bridge.
Thankfully nobody was any worse for the wear. Wendy was soaking wet and freezing cold and Clover was definitely in shock, but neither one had sustained any injuries. We got back to the barn and I took care of Clover while Wendy got into dry clothes. I pulled soaking wet tack off the mare and blanketed her in a wool cooler and a medium weight sheet. Her legs appeared to be just fine and all she wanted to do was get to Poe's bucket and eat his food.
In true endurance fashion, it wasn't long before we were all back on trail. We decided that it would be best to get Clover right back out there so she wouldn't stand in the field and think about what had just happened. We took it easy for the rest of the day, but the mare seemed fine. She balked at the next water crossing, but was right back to her usual self after that.
Spot was a blast to ride. He's a tank of a horse, but very responsive to the aids. His transitions are extremely smooth. He sort of rolls from walk to jog to trot to canter to gallop. His gaits are great. He definitely has a trot that I could ride all day. He does buck at the canter sometimes, but I was warned in advance. He got really excited and threw a pretty big buck on our way back yesterday, but I kept his head up and didn't have a problem staying on. Spot is very sure footed and obviously uses his brain the whole time you're riding him. Big hills, sharp turns, and obstacles are not a problem for him. He's also a ton of fun to jump. I think the thing I like best about him is that he has so much personality. He's another horse who shouldn't hang out with Ozzy because they'd get into all sorts of shenanigans.
On the way back, Cate and I swapped horses so I'd get to try Poe. He has a delightfully springy walk and while his trot takes more work than Spot's, he's another horse I could ride all day. But the very best thing about his is his canter. It takes no effort on his part and is so very easy to ride. The first time he picked it up, I actually squealed with delight. Poe doesn't have a mean or tricky bone in his body, but I do think he's off in La La Land from time to time. He's apparently not too keen on jumping, but I hopped him over some downed trees with no problem. He's very much a sensitive red head and a very elegant horse in general. His neck goes on for miles and he's got these big, bright, sweet eyes. He definitely earned the peppermints I gave him when we were done.
We rode for three hours, covering somewhere between 15 and 20 miles. The horses didn't even break a sweat despite unseasonably warm temps. I think all three would have been happy to go out for another loop, but it was time to go our separate ways. I thanked Cate for letting me ride her horses for the weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the future. We still have to iron out the details, but I am very excited about getting to compete with Spot in the near future.
Anyway, have a ton of photos from the last week, in no particular order.
As it turns out, Jay Jay's problem isn't rushing fences per se. It's that he's really not a very talented jumper. He's honest and loves to jump, but he just sort of heaves himself over the fences. Since the jumpers don't care about form as long as the horse goes fast and jumps high, nobody ever focused on teaching him any different. At 19 years old, he's sort of set in his ways. What he lacks in style, he compensates for with momentum, which I imagine feels like rushing. I was worried watching him jump two feet. I can't imagine him in 4'+!!! Yikes. I do think he could make a turn around with some concentrated proper schooling and LOTS of gymnastics, but I don't imagine his owners will want to pump a ton of money into a 19 year old horse who has already had a successful career. All the same, I can definitely see how he has given people confidence issues in the past.
On Wednesday, Mike went to work. Carolyn was working at Animal Alliance and I was going to be the only one on the farm. Call me a pansy, but I didn't feel like getting launched without anyone there to call the ambulance. Instead, Jen came to pick me up for a trail ride at Baldpate. She brought Sunraider her Arab x Saddlebred gelding. He was two the last time I saw him (when I boarded Ozzy with her). He is five or six now and is turning into quite the riding horse. Jen's 12 year old niece rides him and he has even gone on solo trail rides... bitless.
We went on to have a VERY nice ride. It was sunny and sixty degrees and there was barely anyone out on the trails. We did a huge figure eight up the mountain. My guess would be that it was about 12 miles. We took it easy as neither horse is ramping up for competition, but we still got a lot of trotting and a little bit of cantering in. Jen took me down a trail I haven't taken and we came upon a breath taking view. I plan on going back with Mike and the dog to get pictures. There were also some big steep hills that will be great for building Ozzy's butt muscles back up.
Driving to the wedding included our usual Adventures in GPS, which ended in me hopping a curb from the bank and leaving the valet staring at me and asking, "How did you get in here?"
Thankfully nobody was any worse for the wear. Wendy was soaking wet and freezing cold and Clover was definitely in shock, but neither one had sustained any injuries. We got back to the barn and I took care of Clover while Wendy got into dry clothes. I pulled soaking wet tack off the mare and blanketed her in a wool cooler and a medium weight sheet. Her legs appeared to be just fine and all she wanted to do was get to Poe's bucket and eat his food.
