Bill's First 5K!

3.11 miles - Bill, me, and the kid

Ready, set, run away with the circus! Wearing my lucky Solmate Socks, because life is too short for matching socks

The kid and I spend 3 to 4 days a week jogging so we can compete in the local 5K events.  Bill decided to join in the fun and accompany us for the Cirque du Soliel run.

He did very well and I am proud to say we finished in the top 2/3rds of the pack.

There were over 750 runners for this event, plus there were walkers, all on the same trail. Some of the Cirque performers joined in the run while others rode bikes and offered encouragement as we jogged by.

After the race, there was a trapeze class for all the kids who participated, face painting, and pictures with the performers.  I am pretty proud of my little running troupe.  Can't wait for the 8K event in April!

5K Marathon!

3.19 miles - 38 minutes

 We asked the kid what prize he would like for getting "greens" all month in January.  He said he wanted to run a marathon.  Wait, what?!  

So, we trained all month long and joined the "Super Run, Heroes vs Villains" 5K marathon.  All runners got a cape and everyone who finished got a medal.  We went dressed as Batman and Batgirl (of course) and he wore the cape the whole race.  I wore my Solmate Socks, because life is too short to wear matching socks (their slogan).

The kid jogged right with me for the full race at a steady 5mph pace. I was so impressed with him!  He wore the cape the rest of the day and was absolutely adorable.  He's already picking out which 5K we will be doing next.

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!

First Trail Riding Lesson for the Kid

60 minutes - Kid's first trail riding lesson
25 minutes - 1.21 miles - Morgan
21 minutes - 0.11 miles - Rhulain - groundwork

The kid has his first trail riding lesson with the trainer today.  They were gone an hour, which is the longest time he's ever spent on horseback.  The trainer she said he did pretty well, but sometimes he daydreamed and forgot to watch where the horse was going. :)

While we were gone, the other side of the mare motel got graded.  Now we can begin working on the turn out and the goat pen.

 The light was fading fast, so Morgan and I only got in a short ride.  She was fine up until we headed towards the gate ... then the neighbor's dogs rushed at us in full force, yapping and running underfoot.  I hopped off and shooed all six of them away while she stood still waiting for me.  

I had a few minutes before it became too dark to see, so I grabbed Rhulain.  She was clingy and seemed really nervous in the dark. So we worked on holding still while I mounted, and then flexing her neck to both sides.  It was a good session. 

Playing in the Dunes

62 minutes - 2.50 miles - Rhulain & the Kid

The kid and I took a three mile hike in the morning.  We climbed sand dunes and selected paths at whims. We scampered down inclines that were too steep or narrow for me to take a horse safely.  It was fun!

 So much fun, that we decided to go out in the afternoon for another few miles.  Only this time we took Rhulain.  She did well for most of the walk ... only one little spook that was easily managed.  

Had a great time with both of my "kids"! 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

It was our kid's first experience with pumpkin carving ... he LOVED the "guts."  We fed pumpkin chunks to Rhulain (she loved them) and to the goat (she warmed up to them).  

All in all, a great day!

Mondays with Morgan ... and Sundance

23 minutes - 0.53 miles - Morgan & Kid, Sundance

 Bill asked me to pick the kid up today because he needed to purchase a new water heater.  No worries.  I picked him up and he asked if he could go for a horse ride.  Wait, what?! Of course we can go for a ride!  I decided to take Sundance since we wouldn't be going off property and she needed to stretch her legs a bit.

Morgan has the patience of a saint, I swear.  Look at him brings those reins all the way to his chin although she had already stopped.  I will give him credit, he dropped those reins like they were on fire when I asked him to put them down.  We worked on turning right and left with rein aids and he was able to keep Morgan from dropping her muzzle in the feed bins as we passed by.  Not bad!

After untacking everyone, I hopped on Morgan and had her walk me to the mare motel because, yes, I am that lazy.  Plus it's nice to see where her brain is after he rides.  She's in heat and partially grouchy, but quick to listen to leg aids.  Good girl Morgie.

I fed everyone and then headed to the goat pen to check on Lips' wound.  She came right over for snuggles.  She's funny ... I held the camera and said "who's a pretty goat?" ... she promptly mugged for a picture.  Cleaned out her wound and gave her some raspberries with her dinner.  She's going to be ok, but she's certainly nervous about the dogs now, which is sad.

Rhu and Foster Kid; Rhu and Bill; Rhu and Me

25 minutes - 0.93 miles - Rhulain

Rhulain went for a walk and entertained the whole family.  She encouraged the foster kid, then took Bill for a nice stroll, and then took me for a bareback ride through the yard.

All in all, a good day with a great family and awesome horse.

Lesson Horse?

23 minutes - 1.05 miles - Morgan & Foster

Who knew Morgan would turn out to be a lesson horse?  Gone are the days of me swearing no one else would ever ride her, and I only partially curse under my breath when she gives the kid a ride.

It seemed like the right time to pop him in the saddle and take him for a walk off property. I attached reins to her halter just so he would get used to holding them rather than the horn.  Showed him how to mount properly, and off we went.

We went up and down some mild washes so he could learn to balance as she stepped up or down, she stepped lightly over the fallen log, and he learned how to get her to back up using the "reins." 

Morgan was really well behaved, and only slightly mugged me for the carrots she knew where hidden in my front pocket.  Good girl Morgie.  

As we approached the gate, I looped the lead rope over the saddle horn and let the two of them walk "alone."  He thought he was big stuff and she was a model of good behavior.

Oh how I love this horse!

Rhulain Takes Some Time to Herself

43 minutes - 1.18 miles - Rhulain & Foster

 Initially Rhu was cuddly, but once we got outside the gate she became aloof.

She was disinterested in anything I had to say and could care less about the foster kid.  She was in her own little happy bubble.  I rather liked her independent attitude.

Family Affair

31 minutes - 1.06 miles - Morgan, Bill & Majesty, Foster Kid

 Hey Morgie girl ... I miss you ... wanna go for a walk?

Well, hey ... looks like everyone wants to go with us!  

I realized how much I missed being with my husband.  I miss riding with him and our dynamic duo.  Maybe we can squeeze a ride in soon.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy the moments we get together.

Lessons from a "Wild" Mustang

37 minutes - 1.02 miles - Wasabi & Foster Kid

 Wasabi met me at the rail as soon as she saw the halter ... well then, you get to go girl!  On the way to the front gate, we invited the foster child to join us.  He was dubious, but I told him we would climb sand dunes and he jumped in our conga line.

 I explained about Wasabi's itchy spots and showed him how her lips twitch when you hit just the right spot.  He laughed at her expressions.  

Then she stopped to go to the bathroom, and he was fascinated ... he's been with us six months and this is the first time he realized they poop.  This time I laughed out loud.

We climbed a few sand dunes and Wasabi would grab him by the shirt if he got too far away in her opinion.  He would laugh and step towards her which seemed to please her greatly.

Wasabi did stop twice on the way down the sand dune and rolled in the soft, warm sand.  I've never had a horse do that before and we all found it entertaining.  I was glad I had these two on the walk today.  Lots of laughter and joy, which was much needed.

Hoof Trim & Horse Time

16 minutes - 0.5 miles - Morgan & A
25 minutes - 1.02 miles - Rhulain

While holding the lead rope waiting for hooves to be trimmed, I have the opportunity for oodles of odd pictures.  Today's random shots are proof that I have entirely too much time on my hands.

Sundance (Red Heads unite!)

Morgan (cuddly and best behaved)

Wasabi (licking the farrier's stand. sigh)

Rhulain (filthy after last night's rain)

Majesty (slept with his head on my shoulder)

After getting a trim and some breakfast, we went for a walk.  It was almost 90 degrees, so we kept it slow and short.

Morgie seemed quite puzzled by the neighbor's stallion taking an interest in her ... in fact, she seemed quite worried about his studdish antics and hid behind me on the way home. 

Dropped off Morgan and the kid and grabbed Rhulain.  We did a mile at what I thought was a mellow pace, but we actually walked at 3.0 mph pace ... which shows me our hard work has paid off.

Exploring New Dunes

67 minutes - 2.52 miles - Rhulain

Our foster child joined us for the walk today ... and Rhu didn't seem to care.  She sniffed him a few times then basically ignored him.

 We were way off our normal course, back in the sand dunes where I hadn't been for over a year.  Fortunately, we didn't get lost, didn't see any snakes, and made it home before it was too dark.  I was impressed with our speed and Rhu's calmness in the new area.

Good day all around!

Nice long walk with my buddies

56 minutes - 2.26 miles - Rhulain

 Today the goal was to walk 2.25 miles in an hour and add some light dune work.  Our foster child decided to join us and kept up pretty well.  He and Rhu liked climbing the dunes, me not so much (knee hurting). 

This was may favorite picture from the whole walk.  They were both adorable today!

Next goal, 2.5 miles in an hour ... totally achievable.

So EXCITED!

19 minutes - 0.68 miles - Morgan
18 minutes - 0.72 miles - Rhulain

Morgan, the foster child, and I took a walk this evening to the end of the street.  On the way back to the house, I thought about riding Morgan for the quarter mile home.  But, I only had a halter and a lead rope, and I'd never ridden bareback off our property ... do I dare?

I did!

I clambered up a dirt embankment and lined her up.  As I started to slide across her back, the dirt caved, and I smacked my lip with my phone (I'll have a fat lip for sure).  She was an absolute dream.  She kept a beautiful, even walk.  It was so dreamy that we extended our walk beyond the gate.  Absolutely magical ... thank you Morgie!

Still glowing, I asked Rhulain if she wanted to go for a walk.  She left her food willingly and joined me for a walk, even though the sun had set and the darkness was deepening.  We crossed the street with no trepidation, faced down oncoming traffic, and sauntered home.

Even though my horses were filthy from rolling in the rain, I couldn't imagine a more perfect experience!

A Family Walk

65 minutes - 2.30 miles - Rhulain
1.0 mile - Wasabi & Bill
1.0 mile - Majesty & Bill

I talked Bill into joining us for our evening walk. He grabbed Wasabi, our foster child, and headed toward the gate.  Rhu was excited to have company ... she even tolerated the child's presence.

After a mile, we returned home and Bill headed inside the gate.  Rhu, the child, and I continued walking for an additional mile.  We did some mild dune work to stretch our legs and to allow the child to run amok.

On our way back home I saw some foot prints that looked like Bill and a horse.  I figured he tried to find us, but as we had gone off the beaten path he went home.  Later we saw Majesty down the road.  Our foster child ran ahead to join Bill while Rhu and I worked a little in the open desert before following them home.  

Much to my surprise, Bill had placed the child on Majesty's back ... wait, what?  No one gets to ride Majesty!!

First Lesson

We signed our foster child up for horse riding lessons and he had his first one this morning before church.  He got to select any horse in the stable and chose a large sorrel gelding named Winder.  He learned how to put on the halter, lead a horse, how to be safe around horses, grooming, and then got to spend a few minutes riding bareback with his eyes closed.

He spent most of the first 10 minutes looking to us for reassurance and wasn't listening to the instructor.  So, Bill and I left and had breakfast at the local restaurant ... the first time we got to eat a meal together alone in four months.  It was delightful!

His instructor said he did well, gave us some homework assignments, and had him thank the horse before leaving.  I like an instructor that appreciates their horse :)  

He will be taking lessons every Sunday, and Bill and I are contemplating taking our horses to the next lesson.  That way we can squeeze in a ride together for the first time since New Year's Day!

Mud can be fun!

57 minutes - 1.09 miles - Rhulain

We got home late, but enough time for a quick ride.  I let Morgan out of the turn out to feed herself, gave the foster child a bucket and explained the concept of playing with mud, and saddled up Rhulain.  We only rode around the yard, but we got a mile in while the foster child made mounds out of mud and set up cones for us to walk through.  He had a good time playing in mud, I got to work Rhu through some interesting footing, and Morgan got to eat in peace.  All around great evening!

Three Days In A Row!

36 minutes - 0.96 miles - Morgan
63 minutes - 1.17 miles - Rhulain

 Our foster child joined Morgan and I for a walk today.  She was completely focused on him ... she couldn't get close enough.  If he stopped cycling, she would nudge him.  I'm both jealous and glad she cares so much about him.

Rhulain and I went for our own walk after I dropped them off.  Rhu's bangs were in her eyes, so I gave it a quick braid and we headed out for a walk.  She was so fabulous, that I couldn't resist riding her back home.

Wonderful day!