Monthly Totals

September 2015

Morgan - 261 minutes - 11.55 miles
Rhulain - 407 minutes - 16.04 miles 
  

Wasabi Saddle Time:
2014:     12.25 hours

2015:  
Jan: 0
Feb: 0
Mar: 1.5 hours
Apr: 0
May: 40 min/10 min ground
June: 1.9 hours
July: 30 minutes (no saddle time)
August: 0
September: 31 minutes (no saddle time)





2015 totals
Morgan - 2259 minutes (Jan - Sept) - 67.17 miles (March - Sept)
Rhulain - 1521 minutes - 52.54 miles (May - Sept)

Morgie's Morning

26 minutes - 0.91 miles - Morgan

Morgan "helped" me fill feed buckets this morning.  She insisted she was helpful; I disagreed.  She said she was "breaking up cubes for the goat," which is actually helpful, so she might have won that discussion.

Noticed a bite mark on her back this morning.  I medicated it and put her in the large stall after our walk so no one can bug her for a few days.  That wound needs a chance to heal and she likes being in the stall because no one can shove her away from her food.

Have I mentioned that Morgie loves food?  

Could her neck stretch any further? Seriously.

 We ambled along peacefully until we heard talking behind us ... we turned to see 3 school kids walking to the bus stop. Morgie tucked her tail and picked up her pace.  I don't know why she doesn't like kids, but I don't push the issue.  We cut our walk short and headed home.

Full Moon and Scary Objects Discounted

50 minutes - 2.05 miles - Rhulain

The breakfast club ... Rhulain and Morgan snacking while I do chores.  No halters, no lead lines, no fuss.  Love my mares.

When Morgie heard the gate open, she came running to ask if she could come along.  I told her to go eat, I'd walk her later.  Rhu is doing her "neener neener" face because she's going for a walk.

Lots of calling out today.  Pause, look back, call out, I count to 5 out loud, then we moved forward.  I found in interesting that the moon was in everyone of Rhu's looking backwards photos.  After the first 10 minutes, she settled and we had a nice walk.  

I was playing music on my phone as we walked, and as soon as Phantom of the Opera came on, Rhu's head lowered, matched my pace (rather than sulking behind me), and she relaxed. Coincidence? Maybe she just has great taste in music.

Items that were scary on Sunday, were a total non-issue today.  That mattress? Pffft, not even worth a second look.  That ball of twine and chicken wire?  Sniff, push it around, and move on.

One relaxed Rhulain following me around the yard after she checked her reflection out in the monorail. 

Our longest walk yet.  I can't imagine a better way to watch the sun rise.

Sunday Saddle Time - Longest Ride Yet For Rhulain!

60 minutes - 3.27 miles - Rhulain, Bill and Morgan

Me: Rhu, you feel like a ride?
Rhu: *snuggles*

Me: Morgie, are you OK with me riding Rhu and Bill taking you out today?
Morgie: Sticks her tongue out at me, then grins.
Me: Guess that means she's fine.

Bill and Morgie led most of the time, which was just fine with Rhu and I.  The temperature was rising so we kept to mostly flat routes and an easy pace. Blissfully, we had the area to ourselves.

Bill called a halt because he noticed a tortoise ahead of us ... upon closer inspection, we saw two baby tortoises on the path.  We grabbed a few pictures then adjusted our path so we wouldn't disturb them.  First time we've seen them in this area and it was nice to see two of them soaking up the sun.

Morgie did her usual "I don't want to stand in one spot" jigging, but Bill told her firmly to knock it off.  She stopped moving her feet and brought her nose around to his leg to apologize.  It was really adorable.

Morgie wanted to trot, so we let them have their heads for a bit.  Rhu decided lope was her preferred speed, but she wouldn't transition to a trot or walk when asked.  So, Bill had Morgie speed up for a count of five, then walk for a count of five.  With Morgie ahead of us, Rhu had no choice but to slow down when asked.  It turned out to be a great learning tool for Rhu.

After 2.5 miles, Rhu started to get tired and tried to head home.  We lope/trot/walked for another 0.25 miles to reinforce the lesson then turned towards home.  Rhu had one big spook when she saw a mattress so old it was just rusted springs off to the side of the road. We took the opportunity to walk around it on the left side, then turned and walked around it on the right side until it was a non-issue.

Rhu and Morgie were sweaty when we got home, so we groomed them and turned them out for a good roll in the soft sand.  Both of them did really well today.  Bill said though it had been two years since he last rode her, she remembered his style of riding and his cues and responded perfectly.  Love that they respect each other so well.

As for Rhu, I'm still amazed we've only been riding together for four months.  Sometimes it feels like we've been partners forever, then I remember she's still "green" when she doesn't transition.  It's a wonderful experience being with her and establishing our communication pattern.

Snakes in the Hen House, Mice in the Bathroom. Again.

In non-horse related news, the speckled hens laid their first (brown) eggs on September 20th!  It's such a delight to get a variety of eggs!

Heard the cats "talking" in the master bathroom and opened the door to find them batting a terrified field mouse between them.  I got a dustpan and the mouse hopped right in and stayed perfectly still as I carried him out of the house and let him go in the desert behind our yard.

Since I was up, I went to feed the chickens.  Tipped over their water bowl and a little snake slithered out.  I yelped.  Once I realized it was a gopher snake, I explained that it was welcome to stay as long as it ate mice.  30 minutes later, the hens were harassing the poor snake so much that I grabbed the dustpan and relocated the snake.  Rural living at it's finest. 

Rhu wasn't feeling it today

20 minutes - 0.67 miles - Rhulain

I hopped in the saddle off the new mounting block today and Rhu seemed anxious to go, so I let her choose her path and pace.  She trotted for about two minutes, then turned and started walking home.   Um, no.

She came upon a debris filled sand dune that we initially encountered on June 5th.  She brought her nose around for comfort and after receiving reassurance, she stepped right in the middle, stopped and snacked, then we headed on down the road.  Nicely done Rhu Rhu Bean.

She stopped to check out her reflection in the monorail, but one glance wasn't enough, or maybe she didn't like the profile, because she had to stop and admire her full profile ...

I love this horse.

Surprise!

31 minutes - 1.10 miles - Bill and Wasabi

So, I'm driving home from work and receive a text and this picture ...

"You know you're jealous"

Bill and Wasabi out enjoying a walk. Without me. Yes, I'm jealous!

I had an early morning meeting at work so I got up an hour early to take Rhu out, but it was too dark to leave the property. Sigh. Then I had an afternoon meeting that ran over, so I didn't make it home to take either of my horses out today.

Well, at least Bill and Wasabi had a good time.

It's Getting Dark Way Too Early

19 minutes - 0.63 miles - Rhulain

Rhu and I took a walk, but it was way too short in my opinion.  The sun was already slipping behind the mountains as I closed the gate behind us on our way out.  We practiced taking pictures with a flash so quick bursts of light wouldn't be unfamiliar.

We walked to the end of the street and used the circle in the sand that a local cowboy created when he was training horses.  There's a nice buildup around the edges, hard packed sand ring, and soft sand in the middle ... perfect for lunging.  Once we got three smooth walk, trot, and turns in both directions we left the circle and headed home.  

A Quick One

19 minutes - 0.75 miles - Morgan

 

It was a rough morning.  I didn't want to get out of bed. Morgie must have caught my mood ... we took a lazy, shambling walk around the neighbor's property.  

Then movement caught her attention and I looked over to see two little girls walking down the street to the bus stop.  Morgie is not fond of children, so she hustled us home.  Love you Morgie bear.

Back on track

20 minutes - 0.86 miles - Morgie

Back to our old routine ... Monday mornings with Morgie ... cheesy pictures and lots of me chatting and Morgie snacking.

Morgan carried this branch around for quite some time.  She was waiving it like a magic wand that would make more food appear.  When it failed to supply even one mouthful of extra food, she ate it.  Love her!

26 minutes - 0.87 miles - Rhulain

In true Rhulain fashion, she had to stop at the monorail and check out her profile.  She decided my hair needed work so she rearranged it and then posed again.

You're a funny girl Rhu!

I wondered if my horses missed me while we were away on vacation, so I asked Rhu.  She immediately came over for hugs and scritches.  Guess she missed me too!

Whirlwind Vacation

Where we're going ... where we've been

We toured much of Death Valley, visited Scotty's Castle, stayed in Tecopa Hot Springs and soaked in the mineral baths then ....

  

Swooped home, picked up Einstein (the puppy), and headed out again to see the giant Sequoia trees, let Einstein play in the Kern River, and stopped in random cities to shop. Almost 1,700 miles later, we pulled in to our driveway.

Kissed my horses, dogs, chickens, and even the goat.  Discovered one of our speckled hens laid her first egg ... way to go girls!  Did laundry, caught up with friends, and now getting ready for work (and horse time!).

Glad we went, glad to be home.

Windy!

20 minutes - 0.90 miles - Morgan
 

It was so windy today that Morgie's mane stood straight up like a mohawk.  Made me giggle.  She did better than I anticipated in the wind and kept a nice, even pace.

She wore Rhu's new saddle and it fit wonderfully!  I could probably sell one or two of my saddles and get down to just one saddle per horse, but that's a thought for another time.

I was running late this morning, so we only got 20 minutes before Bill's alarm was set to go off.  At least I squeezed in a ride before the "real" vacation started!

Cloudy, with a chance of awesome!

30 minutes - 1.10 miles - Rhulain

The clouds were amazing today!  I spent so much time cloud gazing that Rhu fell asleep while I was in the process of tacking. Sorry Rhu!

There was a lovely breeze that made it feel like we could have ridden all day.  Rhu seemed like she was up for the idea as well. 

Tomorrow starts our vacation and I knew Bill was waiting for me to go into town for last minute errands, so we cut the ride short.  
Rhu didn't seem interested in squeezing into my suitcase, so I just gave her extra hugs and told her I'd see her again on Sunday.  
Going to miss my mares.  

Chilling with my Morgie Girl

26 minutes - 1.31 miles - Morgan

A nice, simple ride today. We wandered, we chatted, we snuggled, we soaked in the sunshine.  We deviated from her normal path and she was a bit hesitant, but after a bit of encouragement she headed down the unfamiliar road.  Made it about half way to the "salt flats" before I turned her towards home.  So relaxing. It was just what I needed!

All About The Snacks. Seriously.

30 minutes - 1.0 miles - Rhulain

I don't wanna go.  Food is in here.

Come on Rhu, there's food out here too.

 Snacking, snacking ...

and more snacking.

Seriously, did you stop in the middle and grab a snack?

Yep.

 Got the camera ready?  Here it comes ....

You just stepped over it after all that set up? No jump?

Not enough food to fuel a jump. I'm starving.

 Let's get home. Home is where the food is.

Rhu, you're adorable, but life isn't always about food.

We were working on eating and moving cue this morning.  Simple "Grab and Go" techniques so we can make sure she doesn't need to come to a complete stop to eat.

She's a natural ... didn't take her long to pick up the cue.

Dead Things In The Desert

30 minutes - 1.03 miles - Rhulain

The morning started out normal ... Ryver helping me groom and saddle while Rhulain ate her morning snack

The ride started out normal ... a slight mist burning off as the sun started to rise

And then this happened ...

Rhu started acting oddly.  I turned her towards the same wash we were in last Thursday, but she started breathing heavily.  We started trotting to move away from whatever it was that had her so upset.  

Over the next crest we saw something in the distance.  Rhu's legs deadlocked and I took these pictures to figure out what it was.  Looked like a calf or goat carcass.  

It's not unusual to have a mountain lion, bobcat, or coyote pack in the area so we hustled out of the wash.  A jackrabbit sprung out of the brush just as we started trotting and Rhu took a huge step to the side, but then continued on in a controlled manner.

Are you two sharing?   Mmmm hmmm

Once she slowed down I asked her to stop, then swung out of the saddle and reached out to her ... she dropped her head into my torso and let me rub her ears and neck.  When her breathing returned to normal I hopped back in the saddle and we headed home. 

I appreciated her warning signs, her willingness to listen, and her accepting the offer of comfort when the danger passed.  It was a great bonding moment ... we listened and trusted each other fully.  She's Amazing.

My Food Hound

29 minutes - 1.10 miles - Morgan

 

We missed our Monday morning walk (it was a horrid 90 degrees by 7:30 am yesterday) so she and I headed out for a walk today.  She was very cuddly. Could have been the cubes in my pocket, or it could have been affection. Hard to say.

We started along the same path Rhu and I took last week, but Morgan wasn't impressed with the views (or the snacking selection).  We headed home where she promptly found the sweet feed.  That girl has an amazing sense for food.

So, Rhu and I got a New Saddle

33 minutes - 0.90 miles - Rhulain

Bill and I went to get Rhu's saddle fixed.  I had lost the slide for the stirrup way back in June and the replacement slides I had ordered didn't quite fit.  At the saddle shop, Bill found another Bona Allen saddle and I got excited. Then we realized the seat was too large for me, but would fit Bill perfectly. Sigh.

Bill pulled out a vintage Billy Cook saddle that was my seat size. I cringed at all the floral tooling. Once I sat in it, I started grinning ... it felt like sitting on a cloud.  The gullet size was perfect for Rhulain.

We bought it.

Rhulain was very tolerant while I adjusted stirrups, rode for a few minutes, hopped off and did more adjustments. After 3 or 4 tries, we finally got it set comfortably. Had Rhu trot and lope in the open desert so I could make sure the saddle worked for us both.  Her lope is marvelous!

When we got back, Rhu received four or five carrots as a thank you for being so understanding.  Can't wait to get in longer rides!

Wait ... There's Something Wrong With This Picture

38 minutes - 1.35 miles - Rhulain, Morgan & Bill

Rhulain, what are you staring at so intently?

Wait a minute ... That's my Morgie! 

 Bill, are you planning on riding my Morgie?  

In a bit?!

Guess so.  This is weird.  Really weird.  

I don't think I've seen Morgie's rump in over two years.

Don't get used to it you two. Seriously.

But wait, if you're riding Morgie, then you're not asking to ride Rhulain.

Hmmm.  I need to ruminate about this situation.