The Ramblings of an Artistic Equestrian

This morning started with a ride hauling out with Lisa and her horse Ben. I took Tru-D along since Talon went out yesterday. She did really well. There were a couple spots she needed Ben to act the part of the sacrificial gelding to be sure it was safe. She's always had a thing about going down inclines, but by the end she did quite well with the steep one dropping back into the wash.

She handled the underpasses for the road a lot better than I expected. There were quite a few people out and all but one were good and courteous. At the second underpass the horses were being slightly balky because there was still some dirt and dampness on the path from last week's rain. A bike comes up behind us and I called out to give us a second and slow down. What does he do? He ZIPS RIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO HORSES!. We weren't even four feet apart, I swear and he pelts by at 15 or more miles per hour right between us.

I yelled after him something along the lines of "That's a good way to get kicked!"

So pissed off. I'm very grateful that both horses were completely unphased by his idiocy.

We went another mile or so after that before turning around. Did a little trotting along the burm above the wash before dropping back down in for a while before the horses started feeling like they were running out of steam in the deeper footing so we took the hard path again. We were in the last half mile from the parking lot and guess who shows up again?

He is coming up behind, I call for him to slow down so we could, you know, get OUT of his way, right? Nope, I barely had time to slide my leg back and get a half step sideways out of Tru-D and he is blazing by again.

I yelled at him he needed to slow down/can't pass that close, probably called him an idiot. He yelled back "If you don't want to share the trail get off of the F*N path." I yelled back "I just don't want to aee you dead, idiot!"

UUUUUGGGGG! Had he, heaven forbid, slowed down, I would have HAPPILY gotten out of the way and so would have Lisa. He gave us no warning, I only saw him coming because I glanced back.

I'm trying not to let the interactions ruin the ride and I don't get pissed off at much, hate conflict, and don't yell at people, but there was a part of me that wanted to chase him down. He's going to get someone killed doing that and he fails to realize that it could very well be HIM.

In much more pleasant news my new clippers came in yesterday. I christened them today on Chewy. It took me about 40 minutes of active clipping to do her whole body.



She had over 1/2" of coat on her, maybe 3/4 and it hit 111°F which is terrible. Hopefully she'a not panting first thing in the morning as she was today. I think she enjoyed her bath and shave this afternoon. Especially since it consisted of hanging in the shade and food.

I ended up going for the Lister Fusions and am super pleased. My only complaint is the adjuster switch might be a little too easy to hit, but I also was wanting to hold it right over the switch so user error most likely.

I'm going to do a neck/chest maybe pseudo trace clip on Cadbury tomorrow. He's also looking like a rug and it-s just too hot for that. He's staying an extra two weeks so he'll be in work and sweating.

Oh, and a final note, finally took my rings in to get resized. I knew after having Quentan that my knuckles got a bit bigger. I had to remove my ringa the last month with all three boys, but after Quentan I knew it was tighter. A month or so ago I got a bug bite on my left ring finger and that really made it irritated and I couldn't wear my wedding ring on the correct finger. I actually weigh less than I did after having Quentan now, but my knuckles don't care.

So I went in to the jeweler who fixed my stone earlier this year and figures I might as well have my CTR ring resized too. I don't like rings on my pinky and the CTR ring only fits there now. I've had this ring since 1997 and it started out fitting my pointer finger.

My fingers feel a bit naked without either one. It'll be about a week before they're done.

Yesterday I took two students out to the San Tans for a trail ride. Part of me has been hoping that they would take my initial suggestion and call the guy that does the official guided trail rides out there. They had initially thought in September and with my schedule it hasn't worked out until now.

I know my crew and there's a reason I don't take students out on trail on a regular basis. Part ofnitnis economic, I have to dedicate at least two hours for one ride. The San Tans are close, but the footing on my side of the mountain is extremely rocky so we swing around to the South end and it takes about 20 minutes when you are hauling plus time to load everything. I personally haven't ridden any of my horses out since March because I've been busy with lessons and I don't want to take that much advantage of my in-laws ("hey, I want to go on a trail ride for two hours just because I can. You've watched my kids 20 hours already this week while I've worked, mind a couple more?").

Tangent aside, the trail ride came and I asked Roxanne if she would ride drag with Gypsy and offer trailer space for Kitt as I didn't want to mash Charm-N into a single stall in the trailer (16 hands and 1700lbs of Percheron mare). I took Kash for myself and the girls took Kitt and Charm-N.

Charm-N was spot-on and while she walked out more than Kaylen was expecting, she was chill and relaxed in the work. Kitt was a bit tight and quick, which was surprising, but Mariah wasn't quite helping her out so I gave some instruction and reminded her of the pulley rein and asking Kitt to bend and get them both to release so they could relax. It didn't take long for Kitt to come back. Gypsy was the solid rock I had hoped she would be and Roxanne got to watch the show as I managed Kash.

Since none of mine had been out for some time I took along a bit for Kash as well as Charm-N's bitted bridle and draped them over the horn on Kash's saddle.

Kash was about as I expected. He started jigging as we hit the trail head from the parking lot. A group of riders was coming in as we were heading out. I hollered to Matt (the guy who does the official rides out there, it was his group) "Guess which one's the Arab!" Had a good laugh all around and he commented I might want to throw the bit on him as he did a nice little spin when he couldn't figure out what else to do with his energy.

Kash varied between a little jog and his slow as snot canter. In the canter he did throw his butt up and crow-hop a couple times, but not in a row and it was really easy to sit. I did a lot of going back and forth with shoulder-in on both sides and trading to some leg yields and the occasional circle. He did stay nicely rounded and on the aids and needed minimal reminders to maintain speed. I don't say gait because Kash and I have an understanding that when he gets this way he can do whatever he wants with his feet so long as he maintains the speed I dictate. Yes, you can canter, but you have to go 4 miles per hour or less so you match the walking pace of the group.

As we turned around and headed back I did get some moments of Kash walking and dropping him to the buckle.

It was a decent ride and I know if I took them out regularly they would all be fine. Kash hasn't been on a trail ride in at least two years I am pretty sure so, really, for having left the property once in that amount of time he did really well. I love my Arab knucklehead and wish I had more time to mess with him as he really is a good boy, even if he has a little too much energy the first time in a "new" place. As is he gets ridden by students a couple times a week and earns his keep, which is good in its own way. I wouldn't trust him taking a student to a show with a student, but he is good in his home arena and teaches them a lot about not overbending your horse and the importance of working off of your seat over the hand.

Also: I am gaining more and more confidence in the bitless bridles. I think had I used the bit Kash might have been worse, or at least more fussy with his head. He is a habitual bit chewer. In active work he does quiet his mouth a bit, but he does love to suck it up into his molars and chomp down on them (not in a "grab the bit and run" way, more like someone chewing gum). So with the bitless he isn't gaping his mouth ever and seems to stay more round than inverting in avoidance. This is more obvious under my students than me, but it was nice not having any adverse reactions to whatever rein contact I picked up.

I will still point my students who want to do trail rides towards Matt because I am really not set up for it and I think I probably should have charged even more to compensate, but that's okay. Live and learn. The girls did have fun, though they were late getting there so it cut into their ride time a bit and it ended up being about 40 minutes riding instead of a full hour, but that one wasn't my fault and I wasn't going to comp them more time because they couldn't keep the appointed time. I was out getting stuff ready an hour before the time I told them to get there so no skin off of my nose.

After the ride I had a new client do a meet and greet. They are starting tomorrow morning. The S family have moved to their new place and got to take their horses with them. Roxanne will still haul out here a couple weeks before I get to figure out what I should charge for a trip fee.

I have a client who is an elementary school teacher who has asked me about doing a group of art lessons the coming semester so we'll see how that works out.

Life carries on and I have another group of lessons tomorrow keeping me busy.

Yesterday Roxanne and I loaded up Gypsy and Z for a trail ride as I had a rare open morning. I had tried Suzy, but she was busy. She and Tommy have been there and done that. Gypsy is a good level horse, which makes her a good companion for a green horse and good for her rider too.

We loaded up early and headed to the San Tans. I was happy to discover that my emergency preparedness vest fits over my crash vest. The emergency vest was put together by my friend Kathryn. It has all sorts of awesome things from duct tape and vet wrap to flint and a whistle. There are far too many things to list. It also fits my phone, wallet, and my .32.

I warmed Zetahra up on the lunge before mounting up. She was nice and attentive. We were the only trailer there, though there were aome hikers and bikers about. The ranger left his mule/gator cart by the trail head and Z gave it the hairy eyeball. I had Roxanne and Gypsy pass first to show Z it wasn't going to kill her, but she quickened as she passed it with her hip. We went past it a couple times until she relaxed and carried on.

We took Goldmine to the service road and had a good 50 minute ride. Z's "spook" at the moment consists of raising her head, hyper focusing on the object, and quickening. She is getting more responsive to the leg yield as a refocusing aid.

Gypsy kept a pretty strong walk the whole time so she would get a ways ahead and Z and I would trot past before walking again. Note: Zetahra doesn't really care about being left behind. At least not ao far as 30 yards goes. She would alow slightly after passing, but kept the trot with light encouragement until I asked her to walk. She also did well leading out for as long as Gypsy took to retake the lead.

Hopefully more trail rides are in our future!

Today I had a pair of lessons with a break between so I pulled out Cinnamon as I did last week. She was better lungeing this time, less rushy, but was a bit opinionated about the canter. I'd like to see that gone before I ask for it under saddle.

She had some really nice moments and a couple of rough ones. She and Trish didn't really get along. I think Trish came with some preconceptions and didn't give Cinnamon as much chance to give a good response as she needed. She is a little like Kitt in that if you keep asking after she starts to comply she gets recalcitrant and braces (in Cinnamon's case right now it includes a slight crow hop). Trish would keep pushing after Cinnamon would give half a try and end up inadvertently picking a fight with her. While Trish was working her I wasn't able to ride (pregnant and all that) to see if it was Cinnamon being a stink or if it was a communication issue. Having ridden her a couple times now I think it was more the latter.

And I will have to rabble more tomorrow as I am scrunched on time.

Good news: after some ungly moments I think LJ has been fixed ... hopefully.

We thought we were going to luck out and miss the last hottest week of the year. We were in Utah and it hit 110+, we came home and it was (and is) still 110+.

I'm ready for Summer to be over.

The trip went excellent by the way. We got in three rides over the three days that we were up there (five days off, but it takes a day to drive up and a day to drive back). Thursday we were able to get a ride in with Grandpa. Chris was on Charm-N, Grandpa on Sassy, and I was on Cinnamon. My preferred mount, Ebony, is apparently up in the Tetons with my Uncle Jim doing one of the Rough Rider rides. Grandpa speculates that they golf more than they ride these years (apparently they stay at a resort or something). So I rode Cinnamon and swore to be just a passenger since I'm not supposed to be pushing it. Chris reminded me "lots of Lindahls have ridden that horse and not died, you just have to ride like one of them!" Which pretty much means just being a passenger.

The first ride was a bit short in distance. Charm-N made it across the first water crossing with a little rushing jump, but was not convinced that she had to cross the second one. It doesn't help that Charm-N is not terribly herd-bound. Last trip Ebony and I would get more than 30 ft or more ahead and she wouldn't even thing of changing pace to catch up. It's actually a good trait, but when you want the horse to "just follow" lack of herd-bound behavior tends to shoot a hole through that. We even had a pair of cowboys herding a dozen or so cattle come through and make the crossing and Charm-N still wasn't convinced she had to go across.

Chris and I eventually dismounted and I climbed aboard and had a nice conversation about why she really did have to cross the water and it really was much easier to just cross it than to try and push through my hands and go back down the trail. The slightly muddy footing didn't help much and neither did the little dip in one spot on the crossing (it was pretty flat going in in one section and then a little ledge appears if you go further rather than just straight into the water). She finally started to sniff the water, which eventually lead to her actually stepping into it. After that it was as if she's been crossing water her whole life. I took her through a couple times to be sure it was confirmed before dismounting. Grandpa had thoroughly enjoyed the "show" while sitting on a nice, soft bank of grass. We all re-mounted our respective horses and continued down the trail. Charm-N did excellent with the next two crossings, even the small, narrow one, and we called it a day after encountering some rather nasty deer flies that even got Charm-N to kick out a little in annoyance.

Cinnamon took the lead heading back. She wanted to just rush and it look a little to settle her into a nice walk. She definitely knew we were heading home because usually it takes some convincing before she will lead out, but no encouragement was required there.

Friday my grandparents headed back to California and Chris and I went out for another ride. Our parking spot at the trail head was a bit crowded so we parked lower and lead the horses to the trail head. As we approached Chris and Charm-N got a little ahead of me and I paused and asked "Chris, where's the saddle?" Chris was slightly confused, for a moment he wondered if he had indeed forgotten to put the saddle on. No, the saddle was technically on the horse, but it had rolled completely underneath Charm-N's belly! It definitely says she's a good horse as her stride did not change one bit as the thing slipped up under her belly.

We got the saddle straightened out (and tightened!) before mounting up and heading out. Since we didn't have Grandpa and Sassy Charm-N got to lead the whole time and she did excellent. She'd look at the water and pause slightly, but would march right across. We saw the cattle around the second water crossing, they were headed the opposite way and a bit further down Charm-N became quite aware of something and a deer appeared across the little valley we were in. She relaxed a bit after she saw what she'd been smelling. We also ran into some campers and heard an eagle or hawk.

There was one tricky spot as we came around the beaver dams. The trail isn't terribly wide, not much more than a game trail with the hill going up on one side and down about 20 feet or so to the beaver pond on the other. A little spring was coming out of the hill and created a bit of a muddy spot. Charm-N and Chris went through it fine, but Cinnamon shifted left (downhill) instead of going straight through and her hip slipped and we had a couple moments of wondering if we'd stay on the trail or not. I stayed out of her way and pushed her forward and we found our feet again.

As we neared the end Charm-N had a little spook, but came immediately back to herself (Chris said he didn't even touch the reins and from my view she had dug in quite hard so it was a little surprising that she came back so quickly). Cinnamon also startled, though I did have to take a little hold of her to keep her together, then Chris said "Oh, hello!"

I was slightly confused and then a deer bounded out from behind the bush not much more than ten feet away from Chris and Charm-N and headed back the way we had come.

Saturday's ride was pretty good, though we didn't see any deer we saw the cows again. The cows were a bit confused that we weren't herding them. They moved away from us and when they realized that we were just walking by they stopped and stared, wondering why they weren't being herded. Charm-N tried to follow a black cow and her calf (perhaps she thought they were her kind, she seems attracted to dark-colored horses at least!).

We saw a red-tailed hawk and ran into a dozen or so hikers. The horses were okay with them at first, but they got a bit nervous once the people stopped talking and the horses realized they were a bit surrounded. We had moved off the trail on the hill side to watch them pass. They all had large daypacks on and I think Cinnamon was set off by the clanging pots, Chris things Charm-N was slightly offended by their smell. It didn't help that as the horses started to get a little restless the people tried to scuttle by faster (they're moving in for the kill!). I asked them to please just stop and stand still, though it took a moment for them to realize I was talking to them and not the horses. Once they stopped moving the horses relaxed a little, and once they started talking they relaxed a bit more. They offered to stop and have us pass them, but I felt it was better if they walked by as I worried about the horses sucking their butts under once we got the hikers to our backs. So they marched by and the horses settled and we continued on our way.

We didn't do the full loop this time as we wanted to try and catch breakfast at Daniel's Summit. We did get some pictures and then headed back. The hikers actually moved out pretty well and kept ahead of us. Granted, had we kept the horses moving a bit more and not allowed for snacking we probably would have caught up.

Did I mention that the grass was up past Charm-N's chest in most places? They thoroughly enjoyed snack time along the trail.



Cinnamon and I



Chris and Charm-N

We enjoyed a really good breakfast and then went back to the ranch and got ready to head back in the morning. Chris offered to tack up Charm-N once we got back to the ranch so I could ride the good horse. It was tempting, but my seat bones were already a little sore and the draft saddle does not agree with my seat bones. That and we did need to get all the packing and such done and Charm-N had already done quite well for the trip.

Sunday we drove home. Yesterday we hid in the house. Today I taught three lessons, picked up some new panels, and have been hiding inside. I've also been working on "Fire Forged Key." The last week I managed to write a few good pages more on it and also have updated lemyes .

Last Monday Muss and I went over her manuscript and for some strange reason as I go over her stuff I get a little extra oomph and inspiration to work on my own writing. Now I just need to translate my scrawl as I did much of the writing on the drive, heh.