Youth Day

Today being Youth Day ~ as in kids hunting deer ~, Alijah and I donned our red and orange (and flannel lined jeans and wool socks!) and headed up the road to Back Street to try out his brand spankin' new Easyboot Gloves. I am in love with these boots, and I'm pretty sure Al is, too.
Back Street is still really beautiful, full of deep yellows, with the strong fall sun casting long shadows. Al kept wondering why we were sticking to the road instead of taking some of the many trails that lead into the woods. He willingly trotted and even cantered up the side of the road. The wind was blowing a gale, but Al never spooked once, which is very typical of him. Steady Eddy.
This maple was spectacular against a clear blue sky.
I think this is my favorite picture of today. You can see what a good attitude Al has now that his front feet are protected. He also had more vroom in his step, even when we first started out and were heading away from his bossy buddy AhD. He walked at a nice fast "We're headed home!!" pace right up the road, not the pokey, "Oh, jeez, are you REALLY going to make me WORK??!" pace. His trots had more energy, less tripping, and were way more rhythmic, making it much easier to post. Ian is going to love it!
I meant to stay on the road, but this wide open field beckoned me for a canter. We got in several good ones, and not even a hint of a buck!
Hmm....now I am re-thinking that "favorite picture" statement I made earlier. This shot is pretty nice and reflects the flavor of the ride. We went all the way to where Back Street meets up with Route 119. I toyed with the idea of making a big loop and taking 119 home, but then two trucks went by at about 55 mph, and I very quickly changed my mind. I think we went about six miles today.
Here we have returned home, and Ian took our picture in the yard. I told Ian all about the changes in Al with his new boots, and how he trotted farther and cantered nicely, and then turned Al into the first pasture to actually show Ian the difference. Al picked up the canter after only three strides of trot! TA DA! No hunting on Sundays, so back on the trails we'll be. It will be Ian's turn to experience Al with his new boots while I will be on my sweet but finky AhD.

Fall Riding

I have done a lot of fall riding this year, but it is never enough. Here are some pictures from some of my bestest rides. :)
Last weekend, Ashley and I loaded up Al and Didder and headed out to Ulla's house in Poland. We tooled around her back roads and woods until she arrived home from church, and then we all went out on a long trail ride.

I've been for some very nice rides on Alijah, too. He is comfy and dependable, and he never spooks, even when it is windy. The dogs love to come with me, and I love having them.

This was taken on Horse Hill in Norway. I have always wanted to get Didder up there for a ride against this view! We also rode in the woods, along trails that Doris and Grace discovered.

Here is Ashley riding Al in the ring at Ulla's. Love the color in this picture! We had such a good time.

Riding along the back roads in Poland.

This doesn't even include any of the pictures from Acadia! They deserve a whole blog to themselves.

We’ve been on some nice low-key rides along the roadsides and in a field or two lately, still avoiding the dratted deer flies. In a week or two, AhD and I should be back on the trails. We have been meandering up and around Back Street, admiring the view and trotting here and there. We have also been across the road on our neighbor’s property, wandering among the planted Christmas trees and cantering up the road through his mown field. One day, we stopped at the end of our ride and let AhD and Alijah (Fat Albert) enjoy a green apple treat. Sunday was our longest ride. We trailered our horses over to Poland and rode along the back roads over there.

The highlight of that ride (other than the great company!) was when AhD departed from a walk right into a light springy canter that was like riding on air! It’s so nice that AhD now has more collection and balance to his gaits! I would say that the low part of my ride was the good sized buck and kick he let out just as Ulla’s Gabby started trotting away up ahead of us…but I can’t really say that was the low point at all. The buck/kick didn’t unseat me at all, and AhD stopped his misbehavior immediately as I pulled him in and told him, “No!” in a firm tone. Ian didn’t have nearly as much fun as I did on this ride because he developed a saddle sore – ouch! Fat Albert the Tank is build for strength, not speed, so he had to trot considerably more than we did to keep up. We all dismounted and walked for a while. Back at Ulla’s house, we enjoyed an incredibly tasty pasta salad and then headed for home.
Yesterday, I was at Ulla’s house for “lunch” – a horse lover’s idea of lunch, which is all riding and no eating. Dozie gave me her usual high energy dances, which included high speed side passing and an incredibly extended trot, not to mention a good dose of parking out. Of course, I did not specifically ask for any of these gaits, which makes them an extraordinarily special gift. Thank you, Dozie!

Horse Meets Horsepower

Took AhD out after work to try out the bareback pad, and the first thing we did was to check out our new motorcycle. AhD was pretty curious; perhaps a bit intimidated by all that horsepower?? He is always very suspicious of new vehicles in the yard. We crossed the road, and rode down to the ponds. I absolutely love this new pad, thanks Denise! It is comfy and much less slickery than AhD's shiny curly coat. We tested it in four gears, w/t/c and Curly Shuffle - but we will leave overdrive to another day! I can tell I am using new muscles to sit to AhD's very English trot. I love the way I can wrap my legs right around his barrel and feel close to him.
I said a prayer for my fellow RACer Terri's family and friends as AhD strode along. Every minute of our lives is precious.

Summer Riding

Hot and muggy, but still a beautious evening to ride! We trotted to keep ahead of the deerflies.

Dedicated to Amy

I took a ride on my devilish Curly AhD yesterday and wrote all about it for the Ride A Curly blog, but I also took a second ride on the gentleman Mister Man that I wanted to share with Amy. When I saddled Mister up, he was quite bent out of shape because he had been crying for AhD the whole time I was out. Originally, he was REALLY hoping that he and AhD were going to go out for a ride at the same time, but since there is only one of me and Ian was involved on the computer, Mister was quite disappointed. As I tacked him up, he was weaving in front of the back barn door, unhappy to be separated from AhD again...but this time the tables were turned, and AhD was the one running around outside whinnying. Nevertheless, he stood like a statue to be mounted and listened to me as we headed up the road to Back Street. Saturday is Dump Day in Hebron, so there is always a steady stream of cars. A quarter of a mile from the house, five cars/trucks in a row passed us, and one of them must have recognized me, because the driver tooted a greeting. Ignorant!! but Mister paid it no mind. We headed up Back Street, but I noticed that the saddle was hitting Misters withers, so I turned him around and headed back to the barn. His adorable ears perked right forward. Mister must have been shocked when I saddled him back up, this time with the addition of the cutaway pad, and headed down the road for the second time out. He is such a good boy on the road. I am very comfortable with him.

We went all the way to my church, and stood for a moment in the parking lot. We had a good view of the beautiful old buildings of Hebron Academy.

The sun was warm and felt wonderful! Halfway back to the house, I pulled him into a field, and we walked around. The footing was excellent, so we took a few turns around, trotting and loping, before heading back to the barn. By the way, I want to mention that I have had no problems whatsoever with Mister being cinchey or taking a bit. Ian and I have been using the hackamore on him, but I have a beautiful silvered western bridle that I tried on Mister and AhD yesterday morning, just to see how it fit. It is too big for both of them, but I plan to try to adjust the size today. When I held it out for Mister, he dropped his head and opened his mouth for the bit and looked quite happy about the whole thing! It sure was great to be spoiled by two horses on the afternoon of my birthday and the anniversary of my Dad's death. Both of these boys offered me comfort and companionship.

A Doggone Good Time!

We went sliding for our 4H meeting today. All the dogs joined us, and we had a blast! Brave Grace likes to slide, and wow, was it ever fun taking trips down the hill with her! I'd call her into the front of the sled, flip her on to her back, and hold her tight. Her little tail was wagging back and forth in joy. What a card! Usually, she wiggled and spilled me before we hit the bottom. If I had her facing me, she'd bite the rabbit fur on my bomber hat.

I have had some spectacular rides this year so far. Last weekend, I rode four times, and usually saucy AhD was just wonderful! Is he finally coming around to settling down? I took him out again today, but didn't ground work him first because I was trying to slip in a ride before dark. He was back to his old ways. He was fine until we turned around to head for home, and when he heard a snap in the woods he used it as an excuse to bolt. I turned him back around, and took him even further down the trail. I could tell he had an attitude, and when we came to this hill

...he took off again, careening down it and even throwing in a buck or two. There is a sharp turn at the bottom, and I was attempting a one-reined stop, but I had to drop the rein because I thought he was going to run right off the trail into trees and perhaps take a tumble. He is very athletic and made the turn, and then I was able to stop him in short order. Gotta love that deep snow! Back we went, up the trail, further than before...and he was done with his antics. So there, you little turd! Tomorrow, you can bet I will be doing a groundwork session before I swing into the saddle.

He looks so innocent! ;)