Amber Encounters a Cactus

34 minutes - 1.42 miles - Rhulain

Majesty looked like he wanted to go for a walk today ... but I took Rhu instead.  No Luppy today.  I wanted some alone time with my girl.

Rhu's eyes were full of expression today ... at least they were when they weren't covered by her long, beautiful bangs!

One little incident ... I brushed my leg against a cactus and had to remove a few spines. Painful.  Just saying.  Wish I'd had a saddle on Rhu, because I would have ridden home. 

Morgan Spooked Herself

32 minutes - 1.42 miles - Morgan & Luppy

The sun was just barely peeking over the mountain when I went out this morning ... which meant Morgan stayed as close to me as possible.  She's not a fan of darkness.

The sun continued to rise and she was snuggled right at my shoulder.  She had one giant spook today ... Morgan was so intent on checking my pockets for snacks that she didn't hear Luppy running towards us.  Once she saw a flash of yellow fur crest the ridge, she snorted and did a huge leap sideways.  She nearly pulled the lead rope out of my hand.

Morgan was really embarrassed by the incident, and came over for reassurance.  I probably shouldn't have been giggling while offering comfort, but her face was so adorable.  She did her "marbles in the nostrils" for the whole rest of the walk.  Funny, funny girl.

Happy 6th Birthday Luppy!

She was done eating before we were done singing ... and she didn't share with the other dogs. :)
Love my Luppy-sauce.

Round and Round the House We Go

31 minutes - 1.07 miles - Rhulain

So, the plan was to go out the gate on a walk for 0.8 miles, then ride back.  Only the horse in my head wasn't the horse I had in front of me.  She was wild-eyed and downright nutters.  Back up plan?  Ride in the yard, work on figure 8s and downward transitions.

Glad I went with the back up plan.  We walked the first circuit around the yard and through the cones. Then I asked her to stand for mounting.  She had difficulty standing still, so we worked through it by flexing her neck to both sides until she calmed.  Once mounted, we walk/trotted the pattern twice with no issues.  

Our next pass by the front gate found the neighbor and two dogs taking the trash out.  The combination of rattling black bags and two barking dogs sent Rhu's head straight up and elevated her breathing.  I ignored the distractions and asked her go around bushes until I felt her breathing return to normal.  We completed the circuit and did four laps around the cones.  By that time she was calm and collected.

I untacked then asked her to load into the trailer, closed the door, and then exit the trailer.  Then I had her stand next to the trailer and I slid onto her back and asked her to walk around the trailer.  Great ending to a lesson!

Wasabi is NOT a morning person

24 minutes - 1.11 mile (approx) - Wasabi & Luppy

Wasabi was the only one to meet me at the gate this morning.  I assumed she wanted to go on a walk so I took her out of the turn out area.  She was fine until I asked her to leave the snacks and head towards the gate ... then I got the "this is not fun anymore" face.  Ha!

She was generally well behaved.  She got a little worried about Luppy being away from us so long so I stopped her and called Luppy to join us.  I snapped a picture of Wasabi with the sun, then she lifted her nose and blocked the sun so I snapped another picture.  Amazing how different the pictures are for just a fraction of inches.

Luppy came running back to join us and we headed home.  Unfortunately, I must have paused the app that records our walk while taking pictures, because it only recorded our walk from the house to the turn around point.  Ah well, I just doubled the time and distance and called it a day.  

Rhythm Beads

17 minutes - 0.40 miles - Rhulain

Rhulain has been jumping sideways at rabbits on our rides lately.  I thought the rhythm beads might help in alerting the rabbits of our approach and thereby keeping her calmer.

So I tossed the rhythm beads on and spent a few minutes walking, trotting, and lunging so she could get used to the sound. We'll incorporate them into our next few walks and rides. Should help alleviate any drastic side steps :)

Morgan Moonpie Makes Me Happy!

37 minutes - 2.0 miles - Morgan

Took Morgan for a walk with the intention of riding.  Took me 14 minutes to walk next to her for half a mile ... took her 23 minutes to carry me back 1.5 miles.  Hmmm.  Perhaps I need to pick up my pace a bit (or let her snack less during our walks).

She seemed to be having a good time until we heard a plane flying overhead.  She can't stand ATVs/quads and the plane engine sure sounded like a quad at first.  She danced in place, snorted, and then calmed down in a matter of seconds.  The sun broke out of the clouds on the way home, so we were able to warm up a bit.  Love spending time with my Morgie girl!

Hoof Trim Day!

Lots of horse related activity, yet not one ounce of saddle time!

The fence line had to be fixed because our horses broke through it Thursday night.  We found them in the neighbor's yard patiently waiting for dinner. Sigh.  Bill had to temporarily fix the fence in the rain, in the dark, at 10:00 pm ... not our best evening.  So, we hired two gentlemen to fix the fencing.  On a good note, we redesigned the yard and eliminated the guest driveway which means more yard for us!

While the guys were here, they also installed my hitching post!  Woo hoo!

 Then it was time for hoof trims ... started out the morning with Majesty.  He fell asleep and I watched the clouds move over his head.  Not a bad way to start the morning.

Next came Sundance.  She had her nose on my shoulder most of the time but she was content to let me move as long as I was massaging her neck.  She presented her nose for kissing.

 Next up was Morgan. She was practically in my lap and wouldn't let me move more than an inch from her side.  Her lips were clenched the whole time.  She's a funny mare.

 Next up was Rhulain.  She was fascinated with the farrier and kept craning her neck around to see what he was doing.  Her attention returned to me once I whispered the word treat.  She did much better with her back hooves ... only tried to pull one away then relaxed.

Last but certainly not least was Wasabi.  She was unconcerned about the farrier, but was fixated on where Bill was at all times.  She came in for a quick snuggle and treat when it was all over.

Though the view was incredibly inviting, I dumped and scrubbed all of their water buckets. I find the most interesting things in the buckets ... today was no exception. Found half of a bird skeleton and six rocks in one bucket.  No idea how that stuff gets in there.

Eggs again!

The chickens have started laying eggs again!  The brown eggs are speckled now, sort of like Ms. Cinnamon and Ms. Pepper's feathers.  Rather adorable.  Ms. Lemon has not seen fit to grace us with an egg yet, but it's only a matter of time :)

Misty Morning

27 minutes - 1.36 miles - Rhulain and Luppy

Overcast, misty, and almost too dark to see without a flashlight.  Sounds like an optimal time to go for a walk, right?

Rhulain grabbed a few snacks, called "her" dog over, and off we went!

We had walked nearly a mile before I realized the side of Rhu's halter was funky. Poor thing, I bet that twist bugged her and she's such a patient mare she didn't let me know.

She let me un-halter and re-halter her while she stood still in the open desert.  I'm fairly certain she didn't even notice what I was doing ... she was looking for Luppy. That's OK, still a win in my book.

Breathtaking Sky and Good Music

21 minutes - 1.06 miles - Rhulain

The sky was absolutely brilliant this morning!  The top picture was taken from my front porch, and the bottom picture was a mere 8 minutes later as Rhu and I started our walk.

Rhu's beautiful neck ... I couldn't resist.

Rhu and I jogged quite a bit today, I think we were both feeling good.  However, a mere 20 minutes later we arrived back at the house.  

Great music today, Marilyn Monroe, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson.  Made for a calm, wonderful morning.

Mondays with Morgan

25 minutes - 1.18 miles - Morgan & Luppy

 I take it you want to join us for our walk Luppy?

Morgan doesn't look like she cares, so come on ... we'll all go for a walk.

Love the laser eyeballs of Wasabi and Rhulain in the background.

We took a different path today, and Morgan didn't seem to mind as long as the alfalfa cubes kept coming.  Luppy was a bit confused by the change in our route, but stuck close by and didn't get lost.

It was a nice smooth path.  I will use it again because it could easily extend it to 1.25 or even 1.5 miles with minimal effort and offered areas to walk, trot, and canter.

Riding with Bill, Day 2!

44 minutes - 2.22 miles - Rhulain, Bill & Majesty

We had so much fun yesterday, we decided to ride again ... only this time with different horses.  Rhu grabbed a few snacks for the road and we headed off snuggled up to Majesty.

These two are a nice match.  Rhulain was bug-eyed and full of nervous energy for the first 20 minutes; she definitely needs to be worked 3 to 5 times a week to keep her brain steady.  Having Majesty's calm, steadfast demeanor around really helps build her confidence.

It started to get cloudy and dark, so we headed towards home after 2 miles.  Rhulain and I worked on trailer loading again after the ride.  She's really getting the hang of it!  Next step? Trailer load her to an arena or other area of the Valley for a ride.  Woo hoo!

Annual New Year's Day Ride!

38 minutes - 2.0 miles - Morgan, Bill & Wasabi

Starting the new year by making cheesy faces with my besties!

Fortunately for me, Morgan and Rhulain put up with my silliness and they completely ignore my stegosaurus hat.

Bill and Wasabi look like they feel asleep waiting to go.

Morgan stood patiently waiting for me to hop in the saddle.

Wasabi navigated her own trail and surprised Bill by deciding to jump over a tiny wash rather than step over it.  He's a damn good rider, so he stayed in the saddle.  :)

After the ride I untacked Morgan and rode her around the yard for a bit.  No better way to start the year than with your best horse and best friend (who also happens to be my husband).