Monthly Totals

January 2015

Morgan - 510 minutes - 8.5 hours
Bill & Majesty - 105 minutes - 1.75 hours
Wasabi - 0

Morgan's mane from our evening walks

Out for a stroll

60 Minutes Total
Walking for 25 minutes - Trotting for 20 minutes - Walking for 15 minutes 
Distance: 3.6 miles

Majesty stepping over our favorite log ... oh, and Morgan's ear

Morg and I getting ready for our 20 minute walk. We look so little from Bill's viewpoint :)

And we're off!  Bill says I'm a bit confused ... I'm supposed to ride my horse and walk the dog.  Ah well.  The walk does us both some good.  

But I must say, all this walking and only down 2 pounds. Ah well, getting in shape is always harder than putting on the weight.  A bonus is that I'm spending a lot more time with my favorite Morgan!

Surprise!

This has been a week of surprises ... first Bill brought home a 66 Mustang for me and has been working on it every chance he gets to get it up and running.  Yes, I cried when I saw it in the driveway.  It makes my heart sing!

Horrible picture, but I couldn't get her face out of mine to get a good shot

Then Bill called me last night to say a long lost friend ... Smokem Mochem, also known as Red ... was in need of a home.  She is always welcome here, so I told Bill to have her brought home.

One filthy, hungry, in need of a farrier quarter horse

Last night when I went out to feed my herd and share the good news Bill's truck came rumbling down the driveway with the horse trailer in tow.

I'd forgotten how much I missed her curly locks and sweet eyes

Out stepped my red-headed beauty.  She brought her muzzle down to my cheek and breathed in quietly, then sighed.  Yes, you're home now.

Morgan looked on, but seemed uninterested

She's in need of a few groceries, a hoof trim, and a bath, but those can be remedied in no time. She was greeted warmly by Sundance ... they have known each other for 6 years.  Morgan used to follow her everywhere, but Morgie was stand-offish last night.  This morning, she was trying to lean over the rails to touch noses, so I'm sure it will be fine.

Uninterested until you say "food"

Wasabi established her position as lead mare in the herd, and Red accepted the role.  Majesty squealed and stomped and fussed on two stalls away.  This morning brought the realization that Red is in heat, which could account for Majesty's attitude.

Red will stay stalled until we can get her back up to proper weight, but it's good to look out and see her again.  Didn't realize how much I missed her until I laid eyes on her again.  Welcome home! 

Getting Back to Normal

20 Minutes Total
Walking for 12 minutes - Trotting for 3 minutes - Walking for 5 minutes - Flexing for 2 min
Distance: 1.26 miles

Morgan grabbed a quick snack while I tried to capture the sunrise through the mist

Because of the rain, there was a lovely layer of mist over the mountains

Snack finished, Morgan was ready to move on to the trotting portion of our work out 

Had to cut our walk time short today because Bill said there was fog in the pass and I should leave early in order to make it to work on time. 

Escapees ...

40 Minutes Total
Walking for 25 minutes - Trotting for 8 minutes - Walking for 5 minutes - Flexing for 2 min

This morning I decided to take Morgan for a walk, but I failed to wrap a chain around the turn out exit.  Before I had even made it to the tack shed, Wasabi used those ever busy mustang lips of hers to flip open the latch and lead the other three horses on a merry outing around the yard.

Of course, once Morgan saw the other three running free, she joined in. *sigh*  She told everyone to follow her and she headed towards the open gate.  NOOOOOO!  I started running and barely managed to get the gate shut before they whirled around and ran towards the other gate.  Nice try, but  that one was shut.

So after 20 minutes of chasing them from one side of the yard to the other, I bent over to try and catch my breath.  I saw Wasabi peek around the bush and watch me carefully.  When I managed to stand up, she stood still and let me lead her back to her stall.  Sundance and Morgan didn't want to be left alone, so they followed along.  

Majesty took another 5 minutes to catch. *rolls eyes*

Once that was done, I saddled Morgan and we trotted off down the road, stopped at the end of the street and let her grab a snack, before turning and trotting almost all the way home.  We walked the last 5 minutes and then I returned her to the turn out so she could eat breakfast.

According to the app on my phone, I walked 1.77 miles and burned 129 calories chasing those dorks this morning.  So, um, good for me?

Walking Partner

Walking for 20 minutes
Jogging for 5 minutes

Psst, Morgie, guess who wants to join us for our walk today?

That's right!  Bill and Majesty!

Sunrise Walk

Ground work/walking for 30 minutes

I get some funny faces in the morning ... especially when I'm carrying a halter instead of feed buckets.  Wasabi was afraid the halter was for her, Majesty tried to shove his nose in my jacket (in case there were treats hidden in there), and Morgan, well, she seemed eager for our morning walk.  She looks absolutely lovely in the morning light!

After walking over the boards, we headed down our familiar road and chatted a bit.  She really didn't hold up her end of the conversation, but she did offer to share her "snack" with me.  Thanks Morgan, that looks tasty, but you need the protein more than I.  :)

The nice part of walking beside her is that I get to clean up the road we normally ride on ... this way I can be sure there is no debris or large rocks in our way when we are trotting later on.  Today we  removed a woman's high heel, three bottles, two cans, and a Christmas tree stand.  On our walk we stepped over our favorite log a few times. Always a good time!

I timed our adventure and discovered it takes us exactly 10 minutes to walk 1 mile (the end of the street).  So, we can walk down the street and back in 20 minutes, then I can hop in the saddle for a 5 minute trot to the end of the street, and then walk back to the house in 10 minutes for a cool down.

Sounds like we just set our morning routine for next week!

Morning Work Out

30 minutes 

Ground work 20 minutes & Riding 10 minutes

Since it's so bright at 6:30 am, I decided to switch to a morning work out instead of in the dark.  She looked like she was falling asleep as I tacked her this morning.  I think I may have heard her snore :)

We walked over the boards for 10 minutes, then walked out the front gate and into the desert for 10 minutes before I climbed up in the saddle and had her trot back to the house.  She didn't want to trot ... she really wanted to move out much faster so it was a bit of tussle to keep her at a trot.  Then we rode at a walk through the yard and over the boards for a cool down.

Since she's not a fan of the sand dunes, I think I'll alter our path and head down the street for our next walk.

More exercising

Ground work, 30 minutes

Morg and I put in 20 minutes of brisk walking tonight, followed by 2 minutes of jogging.  To change things up a bit, we wandered through trees and added a walk to the front driveway in addition to stepping over boards.  Then we worked on flexing her neck to both sides while standing still for a bit.  I love hanging out with my Morgie girl and getting in shape!  She's a great partner :)

Topline Exercises

Ground work for 30 minutes

Sticking to the plan!  Morgan and I getting ready to start our 20 minute walking exercise

To add some fun and to work on rebuilding her topline, I set up some planks for us to step over.  I was hoping this would encourage her to stretch out her neck and lift her back.  Plus, it gave us something to do for 20 minutes in the pitch black.

Making shadows and burning calories

This is the best shot I got of Morgan stretching and stepping over the planks ... we'll continue to work on it until we're both back in shape

After 20 minutes of walk/plank work, we spent an additional 10 minutes on flexing her neck on both sides.  Just wanted a refresher course for our upcoming mounting lesson.

Morgan and I hanging out

Trying Some New Things

80 minutes - 76 degrees!

Solo Ride

1) New rhythm beads

2) New "old" saddle

3) Walked beside her for the first 20 minutes of our ride

4) New commitment to 2 days work, 1 day off

4) Need to work on standing still for mounting

5) New saddle needs more flexibility

I made Morgan a new set of rhythm beads ... they're a bit too long, but that's an easy fix

I pulled out my Bona Allen saddle that I bought last year.  The right fender got a small tear near the stirrup, so I put the saddle away while I decided what to do with it.  I took it to a saddle shop yesterday to see about repairing it, and he said it could be ridden as is. So I did.

I walked beside Morgan for the first 20 minutes for three reasons. 1) I need to get in shape if I really plan to do endurance riding. 2) It seems to help her leave the rest of the herd. 3) I read that she should walk 20 minutes, then trot for 5 minutes, add a 20 minute walk as a cool down to help her get back into shape.

Also, no more riding once a week.  Her topline is losing definition.  Need to work on building that back up. 

I noticed we stopped jingling somewhere in the dunes, so I had to turn Morgan around and try to find them.  Took us 10 minutes, but here there they were.  

So, I dismounted and tied them back on Morgan's neck.  Then I tried to remount and Morgan was moving off before I could get sat down.  Four times.  We need to work on this, badly.  

It's totally my fault.  I need to be more consistent when I mount. Sometimes I let her move off, and sometimes I don't. Sending mixed messages doesn't do either of us favors.

This is Morgan's pissy face after our 15 minute "discussion" about standing still while I tried to mount.  Neither one of us was happy with me at this point.  I'm disappointed in myself more than anything.

I think the new schedule will really help us both. I noticed how much our rides improved in the summer when we had consistency and at least 3 days of saddle time a week.  My fault, but it's something I can remedy.

Luppy's 5th Birthday

Every year we get Luppy a birthday "cake" and sing happy birthday to her.  Whenever she hears the happy birthday song, she runs to the refrigerator and sits in front of it, fully expecting a can of whipped creme to appear.  It's rather amusing.

Nothing says happy birthday like twinkies. Just saying.

This year she was treated to her very own twinkie, because what puppyhood would be complete without that spongy goodness?  And yes, we did add whipped creme on top.

Luppy did her "give it to me now" dance, followed promptly by snarfing of the twinkie.  A good time was had by all.

70 Degrees in January. Really.

60 minutes - 68 degrees!

Solo Ride

Poor Morgan, she has to deal with the oddest things ... today it's a rooster photo-bombing, tomorrow, who knows?!

We saw our friend Red today while we were out ... she moved to a new house and has a new rider.  When Red saw us coming, she ran to the edge of her pen and started calling out.  Morgan called back once she realized it was her old pal.  Can't wait to go on a few trail rides with Red and her new owner!

This reminded me of Shel Silverstein's "Where the sidewalk ends" and I couldn't help but smile.  The pavement may have ended, but our fun was just about to begin.

Sometimes I think Morgan is smarter than I am ... we were  moving along at a nice pace, then I lost the trail.  I thought it was off to the right, but Morgan stayed straight and we came over a little rise to find our hoof prints from last week.  Either way would have taken us home, but her path let us hang out a little longer.

One tired and sweaty Morgan, but no rooster.  I let the other three horses out and let them wander around the yard with Morgan while I did chores.  

The three mares stuck close together, while Majesty dozed in the sun on the opposite side of the yard.  It was fun to sit and watch the herd dynamics for a bit ... also, it was a great  excuse not to scrub water buckets for a few more minutes.

Longest Solo Yet!

60 minutes - 62 degrees!

Solo Ride

Whispering in Morgan's ear: "Hey Morgie, today's going to be our best ride yet!

"Things will look the same at first, but then we'll push beyond our boundaries ....

we may find ourselves feeling all alone ...

and in uncharted territories ...

but together, we'll make it home safe and sound, and only a bit sweaty."

Morg and I took a path we had only done once before while following another rider.  We lost the trail twice, but only for a short while.  We found an open area that I knew was safe, so I let her speed up.  Then the saddle bag flew off.  I dismounted to grab it and turned to see her standing perfectly still just waiting for me.  

There were 11 quads in the sand dunes near our house, and one of them thought it would be amusing to chase Morg and I down the street towards our house.  Morg was uncomfortable, but she listened to cues and didn't take off in a panic.  I guided her to the open desert and we made it home safely.  She was absolutely awesome!

First Ride of the New Year

45 minutes

Rode with Bill and Majesty

* Hooves trimmed ... all 4 horses

Bill and Majesty saddled up and ready to go ... Morgan checking my pockets for treats

The boys forging new trails

Looking ahead ... 

... and looking for Bill

Morgan's "My goat senses are tingling" face

No Looking Back ... On to 2015

No butts about it with horses like these, it's going to be a great year

Thanks to Morgan, Majesty, Sundance, and Wasabi for being awesome!

December 2014
250 minutes = 4 hours riding time on Morgan
60 minutes = 1 hour riding time on Sundance

80 minutes = 1.50 hours - Bill and Majesty

150 minutes = 2.5 hours - Bill and Wasabi

Wasabi's saddle time 2014: 
Jan - Jun - 5 hrs
July - 2 hrs
Aug - 1 hr
Sept - 0 hr
Oct - 0 hr
Nov - 1.75 hrs
Dec - 2.5 hrs
--------------------
12.25 hours total

July - December: 3020 minutes saddle time with Morgan = 50 hours