Dorks on a walk

33 minutes - 1.57 miles

Rhu, the kid, and I took a walk today.  They were making silly faces and acting strange, so I decided to document their antics.  Dorks ... I wonder where they learned it? Ahem.

Wasn't our best time, but anytime spent together is valuable!

Crazy Busy Day

19 minutes - 1.02 miles - Morgan
20 minutes - 1.11 miles - Rhulain

Workers from the local internet provider brought this monstrosity to our home Friday evening.  They worked on the "tower" in our yard all day Saturday.  

I was already up and moving when they arrived, because it was hoof trimming morning!  He trimmed everyone but Rhu ... said she was in fine shape and he'd check her again in a few weeks.

 Morgan and I headed out for a mile ride ... she was awful.  She spun in circles because there was a man fixing his gate, then she came unglued because there were trash cans on the side of the road (no spook when we walked by them the first time, but complete melt down on the way home), and panicked breathing the whole time.  I really need to spend more time with her apparently.

I took Rhulain out ... Bill was eating tic tacs and she was intrigued.  She licked them, but dropped them on the floor.  So not impressed.

Rhulain and I went for a walk/ride and as we were coming back up the road, the workers were parking their "lift" for the night.  Since it was there, and one never knows when you'll see a machine this size again, I decided to ride Rhulain around it a few times.  The lights were still flashing, the engine was ticking, and yet I made her squeeze between it and the monorail.  She did fine ... she reached out to touch it with her nose as we went by.

First Snow!

Snow fell in the pass on Christmas eve, but none fell in the Valley.  This morning, I walked out to find ... well ... crunchy, icy, snow-like stuff on the ground.  Luppy had a great time running around and rolling in the "snow."  The goat wasn't impressed by it ... neither was Sundance or Morgan.  

I wasn't all that thrilled as I had to drive in the pass.  I figured the road would be covered in real snow.  Fortunately, the county had pushed dirt on the road so I was able to make it to work only 30 minutes late.

Rhu Joins In

As predicted, it rained all day.  I needed to do my 2 mile walk/jog, but I didn't want to drag Rhu out in the rain so I headed off alone.  

I smiled as I followed my girl's hoof marks on the path.  After 20 minutes my knee started to ache and I was really wishing I'd brought Rhu so she could carry me home.

I got home with only 1.83 miles logged.  So, I walked over to Rhu's stall and asked her if she wanted to join me as I jogged around the yard.  She stayed right with me until I started to head for her stall ... then she began to drag her feet.  

Guess I should have taken her with me for the whole walk.

A Day of Many Faces

2.01 miles - 36 minutes - Rhulain, walk
0.24 miles - 14 minutes - Rhulain, groundwork
15 minutes each: Morgan, Sundance, Majesty, and Wasabi

 It snowed last night in the pass ... not enough to reach the valley floor, but it made for some spectacular views.  It rained yesterday and more rain is expected tomorrow ... so naturally I squeezed in some horse time between the storms.

First came Rhulain ... we did some ground work, then a good grooming and a saddle fitting (she is so patient).  Ryver was chasing a rabbit which darted under Rhu's belly.  The dobie dashed between her front legs and the hitching post in hot pursuit.  Rhu flicked an ear and yawned. Love that mare!

We did a two mile walk and soaked in the sunshine.  Sweet serenity!

Got back and put Rhu in the turn out.  Rhu dropped her muzzle in the sand and then chased me around trying to give me kisses ... she looked like a llama with a mustache. 

 I had the bitless in hand, and Sundance put her nose in it.  Well, ok.  I hopped on bareback and we did a few laps around the turn out.  She seemed to appreciate the time.  I rode Morgan bareback around the turn out as well.  The kid was riding his quad around the yard, but Morgan seemed less worried about it today.  Good job!

Since I was in the mood, I drug Majesty out of his comfy stall and made him carry me around the yard bareback too.  He walks on the buckle and it always surprises me for the first few moments.  He is such a good natured old man.

I thought about trying it with Wasabi, but she gave me such a cranky face I didn't think it would be wise.  Instead, I switched to a halter and we did a few laps around the yard with the kid racing us on his quad.  She wasn't finished yet, but it was time to feed so we called it a day.

Finally!

Finally!  Rhulain's registration arrived! Nearly two years after I purchased her, I can say Rhulain is officially mine!

Happy Birthday Luppy!

Luppy turned six today ... she got to celebrate with a doughnut ... and whipped creme.  Because whipped creme is an essential component to ensuring a birthday is very happy!

Gun shots too close to the house

24 minutes - 1.51 miles

After chores were done, I decided to take Rhulain out for a walk.  She is also in heat, so her head wasn't screwed on correctly.  She pranced, kicked, reared, and trotted with her head and tail held high as we went by the neighbors or whenever she heard another horse. Sigh.

 When she realized silly behavior wasn't going to get her out of work, she started to get in the game.  I asked her to trot and worked on having her pull me for a while.  She did great, my knee didn't fair as well, so we settled for a fast walk.

About half a mile from the house, we heard a quad close to our location.  We never saw the quad, but shortly after hearing him cross our path we heard shots being fired.  Rhu and I hustled home and I called the police once Rhu was safe in her stall.  It's illegal to shoot that close to the houses and dangerous for Rhu and I.   Thankfully nothing bad happened, but I sure don't want it happening again.

Morgan vs. the Quad

40 minutes - 1.81 miles - Morgan

 I decide to do a little desensitizing with Morgan today.  She wasn't happy with me.  She's in heat and hates quads, so she couldn't figure out why I would torture her like this.

I had the kid ride the quad ahead of us while I walked beside Morgan for the first 1.5 miles.  He would stop, we would walk up him, and then he would take off again to help her get used to the quad.

For the last quarter of a mile, I hopped in the saddle and rode in front of the quad.  She was really not happy about my choice of mounting block ... the quad's back tire.  Her ears were pinned the whole way home, but she relaxed once we were in the gate.

The kid parked the quad and came running over to help me untack.  As a reward for doing such a great job, he got to ride her bareback to her stall.  He grinned the entire way.  I know the feeling; I love this mare too!

First Ride of 2017!

48 minutes - 1.5 miles

The clouds were amazing today ... all fluffy and white!  No resolutions for me ... just a promise to Rhulain to work on softness.

 Rhulain and I heading out for our first ride of the year.  We spent time doing some ground work, lots of grooming, and snuggling.  We rode around the yard for a bit and then headed out the gate.

 I walked with her for the first half mile, then hopped on the saddle and rode home.  Only once did she start trotting without being asked, but she came down to a walk with a vocal command.  *happy sigh* 

Love, love, love my Morgans.

Missed riding with Bill.  We haven't ridden together since last year's new year's day ride.  I miss spending horse time with my spouse: our talks, our comfortable silences, and our alone time.