Adjusting

I just got back from a pretty amazing vacation to San Francisco and Napa Valley so I am adjusting to hitting the ground running and getting back into the swing of things back home again.  I have never been to SF and this was our first real vacation in over two years that didn't have something to do with horseback archery or endurance so it was a real treat.

Our original plan was to go for a Charcuterie class (that is a whole other chapter or blog) in Napa  but we decided to  make it a week since we were going. The class was great . Learned a ton and got to sample and make some pretty amazing salty pig bits.

The first day we arrived we drove from San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge and did the walk across it.  Somehow, we managed to not get run over by the many bicyclists that also share the walkway, which seemed like a small miracle. Most  looked like they had not been on a bike in years but decided it would be cool to rent a bike and ride the bridge, putting themselves and many others at risk. From there, we mozied onto the town of Saucilito where we had lunch at The Barrell Room .  I had the most amazing Kale and Stone Fruit salad, while enjoying a view of the bay. I did have one small mishap here when we were first seated. A pigeon attacked me and just about knocked my sunglasses out of my hands and into the bay. Apparenly, he needed some shades. We were seated on the stools overlooking the bay which was really nice. I miss the ocean so anytime I can soak up sights and sounds of the ocean, this is a happy girl. We did have some additional moments of entertainment  while waiting for the food, (if the Pigeon incident wasn't enough) Apparently, an odd looking boat with no identifying stickers and painted dark green had entered the bay and was being escorted in by the Navy. It looked like some Russian war ship..  and it definitely got the attention of the authorities.. Not sure what happened but it was fun to imagine what might be going on. It must have been nothing too major because I never saw anything in the news about it. Probably some guy who decided to build his own boat and lost on a dare with some buddies to drive it into the bay just to see what happens..

After lunch, we walked around Saucilito  and saw what there was to see, We again, had to dodge more unbalanced bikers and witnessed two wrecks. Can't people ride bikes at home?? What is the draw to do it in strange , narrow roads?

We eventually made our way to our hotel in Vallejo. I was bummed to find out their pool was  in the midst of deconstruction for a future update. So much for lounging by a pool for this trip.

We spent the next day taking the Baylink Ferry to SF, doing the Fishermans Wharf  and seeing all the typical touristy type attactions like Lombard Street , the Pink Ladies and the Trolley. I really really really wanted to see Alcatraz but had been trying to get a ticket for months with no luck. Apparently, you have to buy tickets 4-6 months ahead of time. Nonetheless there was enough sights to take in . By the end of the day, we were exhausted because we walked ALL day along all the Piers and the streets of SF . We planned to take the trolley car back to the ferry building but they were all full so , we had to walk .. again.. from Pier 39 to the ferry building, only to wait in line for 45 minutes for the ferry. By the time the we made it back, my lower back and feet were pretty well done for.

We spent the remaining time going into Napa Valley  and visited three wineries. Castello Di Amorosa, Mondavi and Sutter Home. We did the Castle tour and it was totally worth it. I highly recommend it but be forewarned, the other wineries will pale in comparison so do this one last if you have several you are planning to tour and visit.  My favorite town in the Napa Valley had to be Yountville, (I must clarify, pronounced YONTVILLE, not YOONTVILLE) mostly because of the Bouchon Bakery (OMG is all I can say) but partly because it was just buzzing with excitement and fun shops, even if everything was ridiculously overpriced. Lots of money floating around that Napa Valley area and attitudes to go with it but it was fun just the same.
One of the other highlights of the trip was getting to see Jack Londons (author most widely known from the book White Fang) estate, It is his old home/farmstead that has been turned into a State Park.  We spent the majority of the day here, hiking around the ruins, reading the history, seeing the sites, staring at Eucalyptus trees  and realizing Jack London was  far more  interesting man than most people probably realize.  He was way ahead of his time when it came to farming, animal husbandry and machinery. I really had no idea. If your ever near Sonoma, it's worth the extra drive to hunt this place out . Sonoma was not at all what I expected..Not much going on there at all except a few Spa Hotels and one the day we came through,  the fundraising 5K race.  Oh, and it did have a Whole Foods market so that was a nice treat if your on the hunt for something to eat. It is a sleepy little town but it did have more of a commerce feel than Napa.I am not sure what someone would do there if they were staying for any length of time. I would have gone mad myself.

 Overall, the vacation was great but I was ready to get home. 6 days is enough to be gone. I think one of  the best parts about going on vacation is the renewed appreciation of what we have here at home. We really have a great home and get to live in a great place. Sometimes I forget. The royal welcome from the puppies is always my favorite part!

So while I adjust back to "real " life, I am  also adjusting to other things as well. It's been several weeks since Maggie has left Acer Farm..No actual "main riding horse"  here for me anymore.   It's weird. But Maggie is doing well in her new home. She is now called Archer by  her new owner and if your interested you can read all about their adventures here on their new blog. They have a couple of Lippitt Morgans now and a rescue mare they are working with named Thistle. Its pretty cool to read what they have been able to accomplish with her.

 I am trying to add  their blog address  to my blog roll but Google isn't liking the address. I will try to resolve that issue when I have more time. 

I am not completely horseless however.  I still have my old boy Rebel and ofcourse there is JB. Both  are being worked routinely by Tom for horseback archery. Thank goodness. I am so happy that both have a purpose that they seem to enjoy. I have ridden only a couple of times, once on the trail with Rebel and once with JB around the place here.

A hobby and passion that has defined who I am for the better part of my entire 38 years ,  now just doesn't seem all that much of a priority. It's somewhat alarming because I can't make logical sense of it but I am trying to just go with it. Tom is being patient with me, encouraging me to ride when it seems right, but never pushing. I can't explain what this all is. It might pass. It might not. Either way, it's fine. There are other interests to pursue that I have never wholly committed to because the horses always came first. Possibly, I just need to dabble in some of those other things for a while, test other waters. See what else is out there. Somehow, learn not to put so much pressure on me or my horses . The horses will always be there.

That all being said, being down to four head and back to all geldings again is not without it's perks. We  were able to run everyone together for a few days, until Brego started being a jerk again and walloped poor Rebel in the ribs , leaving a nice swollen hematoma brand in the shape of a hoof. Thankfully Brego is barefoot in the back.
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Brego and Maggie worked perfectly together. For now, Brego is back to isolation in the north pasture and not happy about it. Too bad .. I can't have him beating up on the senior citizens around here.We will try again in a couple weeks.

With JB and Rebel getting worked regularly for the upcoming archery competition in August, I don't have any stress placed on me to get them exercised. I have to admit, it's kind of nice.

Both have been used in the past for horseback archery but it's been a few years. JB is hilarious to watch. He is so weak in the hind quarters that he really canters funny. Funnier than normal. He has never had a good canter because no mater what , he insists on pulling himself instead of driving with his hind end. It was only exacerbated after his accident but he manages. Tom has been doing some concerted work to help him get in touch with his hind end. It seems to be helping. Before we left for vacation, JB had some canters that looked like he was actually reaching with the front end , and his tail was no longer twirling in a circle with every stride.  He looked way more comfortable for Tom to ride and shoot from. He looked way more comfortable with the canter all around so I think he just needs more time to built more strength and he will be just fine.

As for Rebel , as old as he is, about 26 now, still goes through his shenanigans. He still likes to get up and run and even let out the occasional buck. His lethargy , poor body condition and tripping from last year seems to have all but resolved themselves with a different saddle , senior feed and MSM. He is still going strong and continues to turn in some pretty fast times on the track. He is my old man who will have a home here as long as he wants to stick around.

Everything seems to be falling in place and humming along. I might not be posting much about endurance in the months to come,  but I will still be following along all of your blogs. I will say ,  in all honesty, that if someone asked me if I wanted to ride their conditioned experienced endurance horse in a 50, they probably wouldn't have to twist my arm too much for a yes..

Just sayin....

The Next Chapter for Maggie

This spring was looking promising to allow me more time to get Maggie ready for the Spokane ride coming up in late summer. I had started taking her out on some conditioning rides and we were doing several arena sessions working on her canter (which was getting awesome by the way!) Things were coming along and I was enjoying the progress she was making.

After several  attempts to find Maggie a new home,with someone who had the time to dedicate to just her, I had finally resigned to the fact that she was probably going to be mine for the long haul and would have to just be ridden less than I would like, that  a  buyer came along that was a fit. Go figure.. 

So, Maggie is moving on. I sent in the transfer of ownership papers today with AMHA.  It's bittersweet. I am happy for the new owner and what adventures they will have together. Maggie's new mom  is a lovely young lady who has big plans for her and plenty of time to spend with her. I am really thankful for that. it's exactly what I had hoped for . Maggie deserves someone with more time to spend.  She craves that attention and time. 

At the same time,  it's also so very hard to see her go. I am not good at selling horses and this one seems to be the toughest.

I  have more time, energy , training and work put into Maggie than any other horse I have ever owned. We accomplished things I never thought we would.  A Lippitt Morgan who can be competitive against Arabians ? Who would have thought? I just wish I could have gotten her to the 50 mile race ready state. I know with enough conditioning she would have done it just fine. It's just that darn thing called time.. I never seem to have enough.(maybe a time management class might be in order for me?)

Truth be known , Maggie tested my skills as a rider and horsewoman and in the process,  taught me so much. I am a better horsewoman for it. For that I am grateful. 

Later this week, Maggie will be loading up on a trailer bound for Colorado.

That will be tough to load her up in that trailer.

So long my sweet Morgan mare! We had a good run.  You will be missed and never forgotten! 

In case your wondering what is next for me. I am just planning to enjoy JB for the summer. He's been put on the back burner too long. He's only fit for pleasure riding but that is just fine.  He recently came through a nasty bought of colic and I almost thought we were going to lose him. I just want to enjoy him.

Random Discussions with Mags

Brego got hurt, Tom was out of town. The weather was crummy and I needed to get a ride in on Maggie this weekend. I had to work most of the day on Saturday and by the time I got around to getting out to think about a ride on Mags, it was late. Probably too late to haul over the trails.

I think I mentioned that last fall we sold the old truck and steel Goodneck trailer and got ourselves a new rig. The trailer was new right out of the factory and the truck is a 2005 model. It's sure alot nicer set up in many ways but I am still adjusting. That includes driving it. I have not pulled a bumper pull since my early 20's and frankly, I don't really like it. Makes me nervous as heck! Goodnecks pull sooooo much easier.. much less worry about fishtailing and losing control! The truck is HUGE. Its a full length bed so driving this get-up feels like your on a land Yacht. . I am not used to it and certainly not comfortable with it.. 

So, when I considered the time , the hassle, the weather and my apparent fear of driving this thing, I decided to stay home and ride around the place, cruise a few nearby fields and just stay close to home. I guess I'll have to get over it at some point... 

Kinda pretty set up, isnt' she?

Maggie : We have to stay home? But I hate the arena ... 

J: Yes, we are staying home, besides, I can't take you out in public looking the way you do right now. You look like you have mange. 

Maggie: Well if you haven't noticed ,it was snowing just this morning. I need all the hair I can keep but the daylight hours are really creating problems for me. 

J:You still look like you  have Mange.

Maggie: I thought the braids were supposed to help with that?

J: No the braids are to keep your wild hairdo from getting caught up in my hands whenever I ride you. You seriously need some conditioner in that hair-do/

Maggie:Will that help with the mange?

J: you don't have mange

Maggie: I thought you said I look like I do.. 

J: I did

Maggie: so what is Mange?

J: I will get you a mirror and you can have a look for yourself

Maggie: That would be nice, I could admire myself. 

 Maggie: See this is my sexy look

J: It's not working for you

Maggie: My girth feels awfully tight...

J: That's because you blow yourself up like a puffer fish everytime I try to saddle you. As it is , I have it on the very last hole. It doesn't go any bigger and I am not buying another girth for you. 

Maggie: But I can't breathe

J: If you couldn't breathe, you would turn blue and pass out.

Maggie: I am feeling lightheaded

J: that's because  your holding your breathe,  just let you air out and the girth won't feel so tight. 

Maggie: Look, there's a lady running down the road in pink tights. Why don't you wear pink tights?

J: Because I would look hideous in pink tights

Maggie: Maybe I need a pink saddle pad

J: Your not that kinda girl

Maggie; What kinda girl?

J: the kinda girl that wears pink anything

Maggie: What's wrong with pink?

J: Your not a princess

Maggie: I think I want to be so I can have a pink saddle pad

J: Well your going to have to start by not insisting on covering yourself in 1" thick mud everytime it rains. Princess horses stay clean

Maggie: Maybe your right, I am not that kinda girl. I really like Mud. 

J: I am always right, remember?

Maggie: Not usually, I am pretty sure your ideas aren't good ones most of the time and it irritates me

J: My way is the easy way, you just insist on making things more difficult for yourself

Maggie:I just like to keep you guessing. 

J:The view from up here isn't any better. Your a mess. I just braided your mane last night. It looks like 4 rats got in there and tried to make a nest

Maggie: I tried to rub it out, it itched

J: But you looked so pretty, why must you make such a mess of yourself all the time?

Maggie: Because, remember?

J: NO , what?

Maggie: Because I am not that kinda girl

J: Lets just got for a nice ride, shall we?

Maggie: I suppose, do I have a choice? Your on my back , aren't you?

J: You really could lose the attitude?

Maggie:Well, this is boring. I would rather be out on the trail

J: Finally, something we can agree on..! AMEN

Maggie: My  post ride snack.. my favorite !

J: You still look like you have mange. 

Kicked Through the Wall

I went out this morning to feed and Brego and Maggie were rather spooky. (I forgot to mention we brought him home from the jumping  barn a couple of weeks ago) For Brego , he tends to be a bit spooky so that isn't out of the norm for him, but not Maggie. Both horses were tense looking and were at the far corner of the corral. Brego would not approach the fence like he usually does for feeding. Maggie hesitantly came up to greet me. Both horses kept looking in the direction of their shed.  I looked over there , thinking it was just Xena behind the spruce trees snuffling around looking for the neighbors cats but quickly noticed the stack of pallets that we once had leaning up against the outside of the shed wall were now laid over on the ground. Then I saw this  lovely redesign of the wall of the barn .

From the outside wall

From the inside looking out

It appeared that the kick went completely through, knocked over the pallets due to how hard the wall got hit, and then whoever did it, jerked their foot back through. I cringed thinking of what waited me for an injury. Both horses were upright when I came out so that was a good sign.. At first I assumed it was Maggie  since she is constantly getting chased away by Brego and she will often kick at him. When I checked her legs, there were no signs of any issues..

Surprisingly I found this on Brego. Not one leg...both legs . Badly banged up. It must have happened not too long before I found him because the swelling has not set in too bad. It doe not appear there is any damage beyond some health scrapes and alot of lost hide.

Closer look

Not sure how he managed to get both legs cut up..He either got cast and got a leg through , which would explain why his right hing has cuts up high , or he got one leg and then struggled to get his leg back through and dinged up the other one in the process.  Looking at the dirt in the barn, it looks like he was struggling and was down but I have never seem him lay down in that barn so I really can't say.

Doctoring on Brego is never a  party either, especially his back legs. Tom is out of town for the weekend of couse so any doctoring is on me. Brego has managed to cut his back legs a couple of time in the past and it's always when Tom is not around so your truly ends up wrestling with Brego to get his wounds cleaned and  ointment administered. Its no wonder this horse and I  have a love-hate (probably more hate) relationship. I am always the one causing him discomfort and doing stuff to him he doesn't like. He's not a good patient at all.

Good times....

 I won't bother wrapping him because without a second set of hands, it will be impossible.  I will just have to try to keep it clean with a betadine scrub it and antibiotic ointment and hope it doesn't get infected.

Meanwhile, we are getting torrential downpours..

Spring Conditioning efforts for the Wildebeast

In between various goings-on , mostly traveling for work, family stuff and whatever else that seems to always creep into my schedule keeping me from riding as much as I want, I have managed to sneak in a few rides on my furry Wilde-beast of a mare over the last few weeks.

At this point, Maggie is so out of shape , it's pathetic. Plus she is hanging onto most of her winter coat still, which might be  good thing for her, as snow is predicted tonight. sigh.. (is spring ever going to commit?) but not good for my conditioning plans.

There is one (singular) ride in my area at the end of August that I would like to attend, Mt Spokane in Washington.

Yes,  one ride (other than the one in May that there would be no way to be ready for in time) in my area this year.. Even at that - it's still a 5 hour drive, which is closer than anything else. Sad.. isn't it??

That said, it's a  long ways off. In the meantime, I am just riding as much as I can, and slowly bring Maggie back into some sort of condition again. She is quite out of shape so this is going to take some work .She doesn't seem to come back into condition very quickly like the Arabians or TB's . It's a whole different set of plans to get this Morgan mare in shape. What she has going for her is that she is tough so even though she is out of shape, she can withstand long rides without any issues in the process of getting her into shape.  Of course, that makes it easy to override her because she just keeps going with no complaints.

Over the last few weeks we have probably done about 6 rides out on the trail and several sessions of  trotting around the perimeter of the pasture. The trails have gone through their regular progression of crappy footing to less crappy footing..At first, it was snowy footing, then it turned to rotten ice (the kind that is partially slippery and partially mushy), then mud. Now it's mostly dry with spots of hard gravel interspersed with mud and puddles depending on where we go.  Adding to that, the state land where I do most of my riding has continued with it's logging operations over the winter so lots of huge mud puddles created by heavy equipment tearing through the areas and wide skidder tracks now replace what used to be nice soft single track trails..

I didn't take my GPS for any of these first few  rides (except for this past Saturday)  but we probably averaged 5-7 miles each time . We didn't do much more than walking because of the footing. Neither horse has shoes on yet  Nonetheless, my little out of shape Morgan mare got a decent work out  on those first few rides. Never once did she act tired.. she gladly would have kept marching on.

This past Saturday I wanted to do a real concerted effort "condition" ride . Tom got shoes on both Brego and Maggie so we didn't need to worry about getting anyone foot sore.  I finally dug out my GPS. That took a good half hour of hunting. Once I found it, then I had to find batteries that actually worked which was another treasure hunt. Since I  have not bothered to use this little gadget in two years ( has it been that long?), I had to relearn how to use the darn thing.

While I waited for Tom to get ready, I took to the back yard and started pressing buttons, and wandering around aimlessly to see if I could press the right button to get to the right screen that I needed.  My GPS is a  Garmin Etrex and while it's a  pretty simple model  compared to several  other models out there  today, it has alot more functionality than I have bothered to learn about.  I just always use the trip calculator function that gives me distance, speed, stopping time, fastest speed over the course of the trip, etc.

I don't get any fancier than that..

Once I figured out how to use it again, we were in business. We loaded up Brego and Mags and got to the trail head alot later than I wanted to. It was already 3:30 in the afternoon. I knew a 2-3 hour ride was going to be the most I would want to ride.  We ended up going for 3.5 half hours. We started out really slow because Maggie was feeling her oats for sure in spite of her poor fitness level. She wanted to get out and go , so the first 2 miles, we walked. Until she gave me a relaxed walk, I never even thought about a trot.

 Eventually she did settle in and I felt like I could ask for a trot and get something that wasn't out of control. We did short spurts of trotting but she gladly would have maintained her trotting in spite of her huffing and puffing like a steam engine. Did I mention the winter coat she is packing around still?? Heat dissipation isn't exactly ideal  for her right now! It was about 58 degrees out which doesn't feel overly warm to us,  but to an overweight Morgan with half of her full winter coat still attached, it was probably like a sauna. Poor thing.. and yet she just wanted to go.

At the end of the ride, my GPS recorded is 8.63 miles in 3.5 hours.. Certainly didn't set any speed records (not that we were trying) but it gave me a good idea of where she is at physically.  In the tank.... 

We have alot of work to do which in the endurance world, means Long Slow Distance. Boring but required.

If history proves anything, getting her fit enough for a LD is going to take some effort so that her recoveries are decent. Doing endurance on  "other" breeds just take a bit longer.

Best Decision Ever

Last Spring Maggie and I never saw much of the trail. I boarded her at a nearby arena hoping to get an early start on the season but it didn't turn out that way at all. After a few weeks at the facility I realized I had more than I bargained for.Maggie had turned into an anxious nervous mess of sorts. I wasn't sure if it was the environment or something else. Nonetheless, she we had to take a step back. Given where this mare was mentally, it was pretty clear that distance rides of any kind other than a long walking trail ride were off the calendar.  If Maggie was this bothered at home, she would only be a disaster in a distance competition.

I changed her focus. Spring time was all focused arena work and obstacle course work. We spent alot of time revisiting groundwork  and spent hours back in the round pen.  I worked her consistently on the lounge line doing walk /trot /canter transitions. I rode her in a couple of cow clinics and we took a few leisurely trail rides in between. Our arena sessions were often difficult, leaving me frustrated and puzzled at why this mare seemed to be making everything more difficult for herself and me. Everything was a BIG DEAL. A leg cue , a half halt , a walk to trot transition and canter transitions were explosive.  Saddle fit, teeth and all other physical issues were ruled out. It just seemed this mare had turned into a sour unhappy girl.  July and August brought about a lot of travel for my work and I wasn't home long enough to do anything by my laundry and repack. Tom rode her a few times just to keep some fitness on her  during those weeks I was gone. I advertised her for sale. Before I knew it , fall had arrived. One day in particular stands out. I was waiting for a potential buyer to arrive  dreading the whole process because I was certain she was going to be a awful. The family that showed up fell in love with her immediately.  She quietly trotted around as I rode her prior to them taking her for a spin. I was a bit in awe, wondering who this mare was and what had she done with Maggie. The sale didn't work out. Maggie was still more horse than they needed and I turned their offer away.
I rode her a few more times before the winter conditions set in, and each time she seemed a little better and better. I was puzzled.

Maggie has come out of spring the same way she went into winter. Content and quiet to ride. I have been on vacation this past week and have ridden her several times. She has remained an absolute joy to ride, both on the trail and in the arena. Yesterday,  I took a chance and asked for a canter depart from a walk. It worked and Maggie cantered off without her big kick out, buck or head tossing maneuvers she had previously become know for.  Her canter was quieter in both directions and I even had to ask her forward to keep from breaking into a trot.

So while I can't put my finger on exactly what her issue was last year, she seems to be over it. (Fingers crossed) and she is actually a real joy to ride. She still gets cranky with certain things, like too much leg cue on her right side,  but instead of the volume of her reaction being a 10 , it's now a 4 and much less frequent.

Sometimes , I guess we have to go back a few steps in order to make leaps ahead.

First Ride on Brego - Jumping style

So Brego has been at the facility going on a couple of weeks now. SInc ehe was yanked out of the pasture where he hadn't had any work since November, Tom agreed to spend some time working him in the western saddle for me before I attempted to throw the postage stamp (as Tom refers to when he speaks of my jumping saddle)

 He was settling in and finally getting to where he wasn't deathly afraid of the one end of the arena. Below is a shot of him working on that end.. starting to look pretty good...

See the size of those jumps behind Tom and Brego??? Someday maybe...

Yesterday, after much procrastination, I decided to put that postage stamp on him and give him a whirl. What was the worse thing that could happen in an indoor arena?

It took us about 10-15 minutes to settle into and figure out what each of us wanted from one another. I have to keep reminding myself that Brego just doesn't really know much. Tom has been pretty easy on him and really hasn't asked much of him up until last fall. After a while, he did start to listen to me , all the while keeping one careful eye on the monster end of the arena.

Pre ride staring at the monster arena door.. 

I put some trot poles down and we worked over those several times. It all turned out a lot better than I anticipated. Unlike Maggie, if he isn't listening after a couple of "offers", you get after him a little and he straightens right up.With Maggie we have to negotiate. I can't get after her because then the fight is on and she doesn't let up.  So riding a gelding, albeit green, was a nice change..

He did so well I was really tempted to take him over a couple of cross rails but I stopped myself short and left things off after he trotted quietly around several times and over cross rails with a steady even cadence.. 

Mission accomplished. It's all up from here right??

Ok, where's my carrot?