Cold Weather's Coming!

Well, it's time for bundling up for barn work again. Thermals, down jackets, hats and headbands, and especially GLOVES! Our recent rainy weather has left us some soggy horses. But I think we are more bothered by the rain than they are.

Today I finished cleaning my stalls and went out to get Rusty. Wouldn't you know he'd be lying down in the mud!! YUK! His whole right hind leg was wet mud! His belly was mud-covered, too. My friend Denise saw him and laughed. She told me that her horse, Eddie, used to love to lie in the mud, too. She said he would get so muddy, he'd look armor-plated! Mud from ears to tail! We both had a good laugh at that. I remember Eddie, who's in Heaven now, and he was quite a character! Anyway, at least the area where the saddle goes was relatively clean. At least he didn't roll! I did a "cowboy grooming" and took him out to ride.

We rode in the indoor arena. Pretty soon that will be the only place where we can ride without freezing. I'm very grateful for a big indoor arena. By springtime, though, it will be awesome to be outside again.

All the colorful leaves have dropped now for the most part. Doug and I raked the back yard after I got back from the barn today. Our big maple in the back has finally almost finished dropping its leaves. It's one of the last trees in the neighborhood to lose its leaves. So, 26 stalls cleaned today, a wonderful ride, and raking. I'll sleep well tonight!

Trail Ride!!

Today is the first time in the two years I've owned Rusty where I took him off the farm for a "real" trail ride. I'd not been able to do this before because I don't own my own trailer or a vehicle that will pull one. (I LOVE my Honda Civic but it will not pull a horse trailer.)

My friend Pam (cool name, huh?) has a trailer and she takes her horse, Jordy, out a lot. We'd decided earlier in the summer to do a ride together but her truck broke down. She told me we'd go when her truck got fixed. She e-mailed me to say her truck was fixed and we set up our ride for today.

So, today I got to the barn early and finished all my stalls before Pam arrived. We got our horses ready and loaded up and were off! Rusty loaded so well! He went right in the trailer like we do this every week. We went to Oak Ridge Forest Preserve which is about 20-30 minutes away from the barn.

What a beautiful place! Pam and I rode for almost two hours through woods, by streams, and around fields. Despite a couple of sprinkles, we had the most wonderful weather to ride in! The next time I go, I will take a camera. The scenery was lovely! We met other people out on horseback, too. Rusty was so well-behaved! No spooking or bolting. He was a little keyed up when we first unloaded at the Preserve but after I did some figure 8's at the walk and trot, he settled right down. This was an unfamiliar place to him and so doing some familiar exercises helped a lot.

Jordy is a Missouri Fox Trotter and has the neatest fox trot. It looks like so much fun to ride. The fox trot is like a running walk. It's an easy gait and Jordy can go along for quite a while without getting tired. Rusty and I trotted right along beside Pam and Jordy on the wider stretches of the trail. In the woods we went single file up and down hills, around curves and over culverts. The trail is well-maintained. There were a few muddy places, but it was mostly dry with very good footing. There is even a place where riders can cross the river into Deer Run Preserve.

I appreciate Pam taking us along today! I also have to thank God for helping me get the chores done on time and for the beautiful day we had! Now that I've been out, I'll want to go again. If not before the cold weather sets in, then next summer.

Fun in the Fall

I LOVE this time of year! Look at the beautiful trees along Baseline Rd on my way out to the stables. The colors are so bright! Sights like this greet me when I'm driving out to see Rusty.

Oh, you should see Rusty! He's getting his winter coat and he looks bushy! They say we're due for a cold winter and the horses are gearing up for it. Coats are getting thicker and, praise God, the flies are dying off. What a relief!

Now that Rusty is getting his winter coat, I can use a stronger curry on him than I can in the summer. His coat is very fine in the summer so I can only use a very light curry mitt on him then.

We've had a couple of trail rides these past weeks. Soon it will be too cold to do that and we'll be in the indoor arena for the winter. Last Dec. we had an unusually warm afternoon and Joan and I rode out in the snow! Hope we get another opportunity like that!

The babies are getting so big! They all scored very high on their inspections for the American Warmblood Assoc. Marie is weaning them now. Five out of the seven mares have been separated from their foals. What a carrying on they did! Whinnying and running back and forth along the fence line! Those babies are so beautiful. One has been sold already. They will make excellent Dressage, Hunter, or Jumper horses for the lucky persons who buy them!

Rusty Reunion!

I rode Rusty today for the first time since a week ago Thursday! He was awesome! I tried to apply some of the techniques I learned with Clyde. I rode Rusty with lighter contact on the bit and he seemed to appreciate that. Just a touch got him to stop when I asked him to. He didn't ignore the bit like he had done once before. I find that if I'm not "hanging on his mouth" he responds better. The cues are clearer for him. He appeared to have missed me while I was gone. I sure missed him!

New things at the Barn: Gary installed a new wash rack so the hose goes over the horse's back. He put in cross ties so we can secure our horses better while bathing them. Rusty and I tried out the new wash rack today after our ride. It was so easy to use! Thanks, Gary!

Marie took Stilts to a dressage show this morning. I'm looking forward to hearing how they did! He's such a beautiful mover! Good luck, Marie!

Wow! What a Horse!

Here is Clyde with his friend "Puppy". Clyde is a World Champion Clydesdale in Showmanship and under saddle. He is 18.1 hands tall and weighs 2100 lbs. He and Puppy are very friendly. Clyde especially loves attention. His trainer Sara Shalda rides him with no saddle or bridle. Using leg and seat cues she can walk, trot, canter, jump, pirouette on the forehand or hindquarters. Look Ma! No bridle!

Sara was kind enough to give me a lesson on Clyde for an hour. What a ride! I first rode him at the walk, trot, and canter with the bridle. Then Sara took the bridle off and I rode at the walk guiding him with my legs. This was quite a Workout!

This was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I learned many things and I hope to be able to apply them when working with Rusty. I learned a whole different way of communicating with my horse and that I don't always need to rely so much on the reins. You can see in the photo that my hands are centered on the front of the saddle. By the position of my legs I could get Clyde to walk, stop, back up, and turn. I learned to prevent him from turning when I didn't want him to. This was so amazing! As Obi-Wan said to Luke when he first felt the force "You've just taken your first step into a much larger world." What an experience!

You can contact Sara Shalda at www.sarashaldaperformancehorses.com. She has a great website. She writes books, makes and modifies tack for the larger breeds, trains, and gives lessons. Check her out!

Chance of a Lifetime

Guess What???? This evening I'm going to get to ride a Champion Clydesdale! His name is Clyde and his owner/trainer rides him without bridle or saddle!! He is fantastic! Sara (Clyde's owner/trainer) is giving me a lesson on him tonight. I know if I miss this opportunity that I won't get a chance like this again. I'll be back after the ride with the whole story AND pictures to back it all up!

I can't wait for this evening!

By the way, Doug and I are in Michigan on vacation and got to meet Sara and Clyde last evening. We're having a wonderful time up at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Brandie helps me at the barn

Yesterday, my good friend Brandie came out to the stables with me and helped me with Rusty and some of the barn chores. I was glad to have her come along! We Horse-crazy people should stick together. I'm glad she enjoyed the day and I hope she'll come with me again.