Monthly Total

July 2014
870 minutes = 14.5 hours on Morgan

300 minutes = 5 hours - Bill and Majesty
120 minutes = 2 hours - Bill and Wasabi (7 hrs in 2014)

Just curious how much I ride and wanted to track Wasabi's saddle time ... figured this would be the easiest place to keep track.

I get some very strange pictures sometimes ... this is Morgan asking to have her neck scratched and old man Traveller in the background

Sunsets are the Best!

Wednesday, July 30th  Left at 7:22 pm  Home at 8:12 pm  97°
Rode with Bill & Majesty

Lovely sunset to the west ... storm clouds to the east

Storms are moving in and the wind really picked up today, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to ride.  I managed to sweet talk Bill into joining us just as the sun was starting to slip down behind the mountains.

Morgan's mane just cracked me up in this photo

Morgan spies Bill's free hand and moves in for an ear rub

Morgan was an absolute pleasure to ride, even with the wind, crackling lightening off in the distance, and the sky growing darker.  She has learned to listen for the saddle bags to open and the distinct chime of the camera when it turns on ... then she stops moving and stands perfectly still. Apparently, I've been taking enough pictures lately that she's trained herself  :)

My absolute favorite picture of these two!

We wandered through the sand dunes, in the salt flats, and started down the path to our street. When we reached the corner, neither of us wanted to turn towards home just yet, so we extended our ride to include the streets we had taken yesterday with Wasabi.

Caught in the act of petting my beloved Morgan

We talked very little, but we shared some great moments.  I absolutely love spending time with my husband and my horse!  It was one of those days where I was just living in the moment ... the beautiful, splendid moments that can only be found in the saddle.

Picking up the pace as the sunlight was fading

Silly Faces and Scary Objects

Tuesday, July 29th  Left at 6:28 pm  Home at 7:21 pm  85°
Rode with Bill & Wasabi
Stayed on the road ... about 3 miles total

We borrowed Bill's new rope halter and lead rope.  When asked how she felt about the blue color, these are the faces I got:

Guessing Morgan is not a fan of the blue.  I, however, thought it was dashing. Oh well.

Weather has been unusually lovely, so we have been taking advantage of it to squeeze in as many rides as possible.  Tonight Bill decided it was Wasabi's turn for an adventure.  She hadn't been out since July 10th, but she seemed to be in the mood for a ride.

First thing to tackle, some dirt piles on the side of the road

She marched up and down the dirt piles without so much as a twitch today.  Even when the sand started shifting under her feet, she calmly strode on as if she'd been doing this forever.  Far cry from her first sand dune experience a few weeks ago.

Before the scary balloon ... the terrifying Elmo lurking in the bushes ... 

flex the neck ... and then pass by the balloon as if they didn't exist.  Success!

We stuck to the road, but still encountered some strange objects.  First there was scary balloons stuck in the bushes that moved mysteriously ... it's called a breeze Wasabi, it's not mysterious at all.  Bill took advantage of the situation to flex her neck and readjust her focus.  A mere 30 seconds after sighting the balloons, she marched by them as if she'd lived with them all her life.

We continued on the road for two "blocks" (about 1/2 a mile) before starting towards home. Morgan and I were paralleling them because she was still showing slight discomfort in the rocks. Whenever we got a bit ahead of them, Wasabi tried to retake the lead.  Bill didn't seem to think we were funny, so we settled down to a slow walk.

Mailboxes? Car? No issues ... just keep strolling on Wasabi girl

We took the main road home to see how Wasabi would react with cars going by.  She didn't even glance over at the cars coming or going.  She was doing so well we decided to pass our house and go play with the fallen tree. Unfortunately, my batteries died, so there are no pictures of the "action."  She stepped over the log the first time Bill asked with no hesitation.  The second and third times required a little more patience and cajoling, but she and Bill worked out a cue on when to pick up her front lets and all was well by the fourth and fifth attempt.  Morgan actually jumped the log after my third request to go over it.  Oh happy day!

Majesty vs. The Log, Round 1

Monday, July 28th  Left at 6:41 pm  Home at 7:20 pm  85°
Rode with Bill & Majesty

Morgan waiting patiently for the ride to begin

We got home from work early and decided to see if we could find any puddles in the sand dunes to practice water crossings.  We dashed outside and tacked up ... I even put a breast collar on my darling Morgan in case we had to climb dunes to get to the puddles.

Majesty stares down the horse eating log

We started off by turning right out of the north driveway. Morgan was still acting a bit tender on her front hooves, so I moved her off the street and played in the desert next to the road. We came across the downed log and invited Bill and Majesty to join us in stepping over the obstacle.  Majesty took a long, hard look at the log before committing to going over.  Bill's quiet words of encouragement rather than pressure paid off in no time, and Majesty was stepping over it in both directions in a matter of moments.

Me, caught off guard and looking very messy ... Nice to see Morgan's head lowered

We continued down the road and turned North towards the salt flats.  Basically, we just reversed the path Morgan and I had taken on our last solo adventure. Not a drop of water to be seen anywhere ... you'd never know it had rained on and off for the last two days.

Headed to the salt flats

We ambled peacefully through the paths, crossing the salt flats, over sand dunes, and around bushes.

Top of the ridge

The sky was a glorious blue and Majesty kept a nice, easy pace.  Made for some relaxing riding.

Two wary horses eyeing the distance

Love that Majesty's muzzle and eye area become darker in the Summer

We turned towards the sand dunes where we had last seen puddles, but saw smoke rising up from someone's quad.  We heard another quad racing about, so we decided to skip our normal dunes and cruise on home.

Horrible photo, but I loved that it looks like Wasabi is whispering in Morgan's ear ... 

It also looks like Morgan is listening to her evil plans!

Outrunning The Rain

Sunday, July 27th  Left at 7:26 pm  Arrived at 8:04 pm  82°
Rode with Bill & Majesty

Someone got rained on and then had a good time rolling in the sand

It had not dropped under 100° until after 9:30 pm all week.  Way too hot to ride, so poor Morgan had to just hang around in the turn out for most of the week.  Had a rain shower earlier in the afternoon, but it was still over 100°.  

Storm clouds looming just over the mountains

 About 6:00 pm it started dropping in temperature and by 7:10 pm it was nice enough to ride.  We decided to grab saddles and our besties and head out before the next wave of water hit.

The sun was setting as we started to climb the sand dunes

 It was interesting to see blue skies to the west of our property and sheets of rain moving in from the east.  We wanted to go play in the puddles, but there was a car parked in the dunes near the path.  As we got closer we saw there was a family letting the kids run around the dunes.  We decided to head farther North and let them continue their fun. 

Lovely Morgan neck :)

We were busy climbing dunes when we started seeing lightening and rain coming closer than we'd like.  To be caught in the sand dunes during a flash flood would have been stupid, so we turned towards the utility access road and took a direct route home.

Majesty enjoying a good neck rub after the ride

We made it home, untacked, and groomed the horses before the rain started up again.  We even got in some snuggle time before having to head in.  Though reports from our neighbors came in that the road in/out of town was flooded enough to need four wheel drive, we didn't get that much rain on our side of the valley.  Thank goodness!

"New" Saddle Arrives

Wednesday, July 23rd.  112+
Not riding in this obnoxious heat

So, my replacement Bona Allen saddle arrived today.  It's too small in the gullet.

When I put it on without a saddle pad it looks like a Barbie saddle.

Also, I can't adjust the stirrups because of the fender ... I could only reach the stirrup with my tippy toes when I sat in the saddle. *sigh*

Way too much gap between the saddle and her back ... it sat about an inch above the saddle pad.

So bummed.

Before Work Ride

Tuesday, July 22nd  Left at 7:47 am  Arrived at 8:15 am  73°
Solo with Morgan

Flexing before we ride ...nice soft eye

Was able to go in late this morning, so I decided to sneak in a morning ride while it was still "cool."  Saddled up, and flexed her neck as I got in to the saddle.  She stood perfectly still and flexed both sides!  Nicely done Morg!

In the sand dunes, surrounded on two sides by Mesquite bushes

Headed out down a wash until it connected with a pathway we knew.  Anytime she stopped, I flexed her neck to both sides and waited until her feet stopped moving until releasing the rein.  We only had to do this three times before we settled in to our ride.

Lots of open spaces to play in the bushes and washes

She was very nervous about heading up the sand dune, so we flexed again, and once her head was straight we went up the sand dune and down a back road to the salt flats.  She was doing so well that we pushed on to the next salt flat before turning south and taking a nice flat path to the road.  

Heading home ... look at those perky ears!

The road was rocky, so we paralleled it in the desert and found some natural obstacles to play with ... in and out of the bushes, through the washes with uneven footing, and over some fallen logs that were in our path.  It was a pleasurable way to conclude our ride!  Practiced flexing before dismounting and then bathed my darling Morgan before putting her back in the turn out and feeding everyone breakfast.  

Fallen trees mean time to practice stepping and jumping

What a wonderful way to start my day!  Thank you Morgie girl!

Worked hard enough to make a few veins rise to the surface 

Working on Flexing the Neck & New Barn Cat

Monday, July 22nd  Evening, About an hour  93°
Solo, Ground Work

This is not Morgan ... This is Elmer. He just started showing up and has decided he lives with us now.

Bill was in house working on the air conditioner, so I went outside to feed.  I couldn't resist working with Morgan, so I tossed on a halter and worked on flexing her neck.  She was much better on the left side, but she seemed to be stiff on her right side.  After about 20 tries on each side, I decided to try it from the saddle.

Hello Elmer.  Thank you for guarding the front porch and eating bugs

I tossed on her bitless bridle, but she really stiffened her neck and she resisted turning to either side.  I thought maybe that might not be the best tool, so I switched to her bit.  This seemed to work better, but she kept trying to move her feet before giving to the bit and receiving release.

Um Elmer ...You don't really look big and brave when you're begging to be picked up

We kept working at it until I could get two flexes on each side while at a stand still.  Then I moved her over to the mounting stool.  I worked on bringing her head to the left, sliding in to the saddle, then flexing to the right and releasing before dismounting.  When we did this 10 times successfully, I just let her wander around the yard in any direction and speed she wanted for a few minutes.  Then we flexed one more time before untacking and feeding all the horses.  Not a great session, but a good one!

Clinton Anderson Clinic

Saturday and Sunday, July 19 & 20, 2014

Demonstrating flexing at the poll

Bill and I were able to obtain tickets to the Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tour in Las Vegas this weekend.  We arrived an hour late each day (I am so not a morning person), but according to the schedule we didn't miss much.  On Saturday, I learned the value of backing the horse and the riding demonstration showed me I need to work on flexibility.

After the show, we got a chance to chat with Ian Francis

My favorite part was when Ian Francis came out to demonstrate and discuss flying lead changes ... he made it look so easy!  I was able to spend two minutes discussing reins with Ian.  I was curious as to why he chose thin reins while Clinton espouses thick, heavy reins and he shared his wisdom with my husband and I.

After clinic party ... my arm is the 2nd one touching the table. 

Sunday was a better day in my opinion.  I enjoyed the trailer loading demonstration and the in depth backing demonstration and discussion.  They gave away many prizes (about 200), but I didn't win a darn thing.  On the other hand, I did get my book signed by both Ian and Clinton and I learned a few things and reinforced some things I had forgotten.  Came home with a renewed interest in working with my adorable Morgan.

All in all, a fairly good experience.

*** Be warned, this is NOT a family friendly show.  I don't know if it was just because he was in Las Vegas and he felt he needed to be more obnoxious or if he is always like that, but he cursed quite a bit and made jokes about women dancing on poles and drinking too much during breaks.  ***

In Which I Don't Ride Morgan

Thursday, July 17th  Left at 8:40 pm  Arrived at 9:00 pm (approx)  94°
Rode with Bill & Majesty, T & Morgan, Me & Sundance

T sent me a text asking if she could ride Majesty.  I asked Bill, but he said he wanted to ride as well, so I offered Morgan to T instead.  I pulled Ms. Sundance out of the stall and had some serious trouble tacking her up.  She has a pull back issue, so I can't tie her off. She held still for grooming and the saddle pad, but once she saw the saddle, she took off and headed towards the east fence line and got herself stuck between the turn out and the fence.  *sigh*  I was able to turn her around and bring her back to the saddle.  Once it was cinched up, she dropped her head and I thought everything was going to be well.

Morgan snacking under the full moon on 7/11/14

I pulled out Morgan's headstall with the bit, but Sundance threw her head straight up. T came over and tried to help by sticking her fingers in Sundance's mouth, but no luck. Bill came over and all three of us tried, but after 10 minutes we had to admit it probably wasn't going to work.  Bill reminded me that she had come from a dude string for vacationers and probably had very negative experiences with people pulling on her mouth.I switched over to the bitless bridle and she dropped her head right in and opened her mouth just as polite as could be.

Same picture without the flash ... love how the moon looks like it's resting just above her back

All three of us rode out the North driveway and down the street before turning back towards the house.  At the intersection we turned left and went to the next intersection,  Halfway to the intersection Sundance decided she wanted to be in front.  Ok.  We turned back and let them trot a bit before making them walk down the driveway to the tack shed.  

Bill and T continued riding for a bit longer while I untangled Sundance's mane and groomed her some more.  Everyone came back and untacked.  Short ride, but it was nice to see Ms. Morgan carting someone else around in the pitch black and doing so very well.

Shooters in the Sand Dunes

Wednesday, July 16th  Left at 7:42 pm  Arrived at 8:32 pm  100°
Rode with T & Red for 20 minutes, then Solo for 30

A familiar sight ... Red's rump and Morgan's green lips

Headed out the North driveway and out into the open desert.  Realized Morgan hesitates less if we go straight rather than turn left ... interesting.  Her hooves do not seem to be bothering her much any more.  We started towards the sand dunes, but heard gun fire coming from the other side of the dunes and decided it would be better to drift east and not cross the dunes.

Wait, we're going down this road by ourselves? Um, why? 

Because Morgie, it's still light and we're not done having fun!

Circled back around to the house, but I wasn't ready to call it quits.  T & Red were headed to the neighbor's house to practice jumping, so Morg and I accompanied her to the corner.  A truck with four men passed us along the way ... the shooters from the dunes.  They waved as they drove by, at least they were polite lawbreakers.

From there Morgan and I turned west and followed the main street.  A dirt bike traveled past us which made Morgie raise her head and tense, but she kept moving forward.

What is that hideous thing?

Um, we'll just call that "nature's planter box" and move on, k?

We turned down a quad path that we had followed before since it was starting to get dark.  I missed the turn and ended up facing a fenced property.  Hmmm.  We followed the property line, went between two houses and found our main road.

Thought we were going home.  Home is not in the sand dunes.

Yes Morg, but you're so awesome I bet you could climb that in less than 10 seconds.

Instead of turning towards home, I pushed it a little longer and went up one sand dune, came down the other side, then found our favorite road home.  Had a glorious exhibition of controlled speed for a quarter mile.  Then we decided to cross the open desert where we trotted, zigged, and zagged between the bushes all the way home.  Simply delightful!

We made it home!  Kiss my kissy spot ... right here!

Two kisses (and a carrot) for putting up with me tonight

A Year Ago, This Wouldn't Have Been Possible

Tuesday, July 15th  Left at 8:09 Arrived at  8:28 pm  90+°
Solo ride - Morgan

A year ago, I wouldn't have been able to ...

... have Morgan stand unfettered while I groomed and tacked her

 ... walk away from her unless she was tied off

... head out on a ride by ourselves

... climb this scary sand dune or take pictures while Morgan stands quietly 

... ride after the sun has set

... dismount over the horn of the saddle

What a difference a year and wet saddle blanket time makes!