Hanging with the herd

Grabbed the shedding brushes and got to work removing excess hair. Morgan needed the most work, and she napped through the process.

The kid rode his quad through the herd so I could gage their reactions. Barely an ear flicker. Good horses!

Then I spent some time just sitting with Rhulain in the shade. She nuzzled my face, blew hot air down my neck, and licked my boots. I loved every minute of it. Love my horses!

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.

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!

Quads. *rolls eyes*

35 minutes - 1.60 miles - Rhulain

 I had 30 minutes before the kid's bedtime, so fixed dinner and handed him off to Bill.  I grabbed Rhulain's halter and headed out for our favorite 1.5 mile path.  There were quads running amok on the street, and I hoped they wouldn't go down our path.  I seriously contemplated putting up a sign letting them know we are on that path and please be cautious.

10 minutes into our walk, I heard the quads running around the sand dunes we had just passed.  We waited a few minutes to see if they would follow the wash we were on, but they crossed over to the next sand dunes.  While we were waiting, Rhu and I practiced our selfies ... she keeps trying to take the picture herself, or shove me out of the way.  Ah well, it's a work in progress.

Four Horses Got Cuddle Time

31 minutes - Morgan, Bill & Majesty - 1.59 miles
23 minutes - Rhulain - 0.90 miles
10 minutes - Wasabi - ground work

 

Rhu was inspecting Bill's hoof cleaning technique

She seemed to approve (really, she was begging to go too)

Morgan and I heading out & waiting on the boys

It was such a lovely ride ... no stress, no fuss, no worries ... weather just right and the clouds were amazing

Once we got back, I put a halter on Rhu and went for a walk down the street to the sand dunes

She got a bit nervous, then I realized she had spotted the quad coming down the road.  We stepped off the road and let them pass.  She watched it for a few seconds, then we continued on 

We climbed a dune, let her survey the area (and snack a bit) before we headed down the dune at a walk.  We took a different path home, crossing the open desert with jackrabbits bounding about

Great walk ... The only thing is, she doesn't hold still for pictures!

Wasabi wanted some attention too.  So, I tossed the halter on and took her for a walk around the monorail.  She pressed her nose to the glass, then stepped back and nodded.  I'd swear that horse was admiring her reflection.  Oh Bill, you have one spoiled horse.

I put Wasabi back, then started to walk back to the house when I heard Rhu call out.  I turned to see all four mares standing there watching me.  I sighed with contentment ... I get to live out childhood dreams every day.

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!

Odd Situation.

Tuesday, October 28th  20 minute ride 
Solo

I decided to take a quick ride with the remaining 20-30 minutes of fading light.  As I saddled up, I heard quads going by but I didn't pay much attention to where they were.

Heading out for a nice quiet ride

Morg and I dashed out the gate and headed on our "normal" route up to the sand dune within sight of our house.  She seemed to want to be riding, because she took off in a trot and never slowed down ... until we went up the sand dune and cut right ... then she completely stopped.  

A blur of motion as Morg and I cruised down familiar pathways

I looked up to see three men standing around and two quads.  Odd.  I asked if we could pass through, because I wasn't sure what the proper etiquette was for situations such as this. I mean, what does one say?  "Hello, pardon our intrusion on your ... um ... suspicious gathering"?  And really, why were they hiding on the back side of a sand dune?  Wives looking for you or something?  One of the men said we were real quiet. What is an appropriate response? Apologize or say thank you?  I merely nodded and that seemed sufficient.

Sometimes her trotting makes for the most interesting pictures ... love the swirling motion of this one

I said we'd be out of their way in a moment and Morgan and I were off again clambering down the far side of the dune when she spotted another quad in our way.  Hmmm. This must belong to the guy that was standing on the sand dune, but why was it parked at the bottom of the tallest sand dune. Odd and odder.

The light was fading fast, so we had to hustle ... no time to wait for the camera to focus

We skirted around the quad (with Ms. Morgan snorting challenges at it the whole time) and went on our way.  Once we got to the salt flats, I asked Morg to head around another sand dune ... I figured she was making good time and we needed the extra mileage.  Once we were on the backside of the dune, one of the quads fired up and started heading our way. I decided to cut the ride short and head home on a path parallel to the quad.  Once we entered our gate, the other two quads came down the road right behind us. Great, now they know where I live. Guess Bill will have to accompany Morg and I for a while to be on the safe side.

Safely in our front yard, we stopped by Morgan's favorite snacking area

Majesty vs. The Log, Round 1

Monday, July 28th  Left at 6:41 pm  Home at 7:20 pm  85°
Rode with Bill & Majesty

Morgan waiting patiently for the ride to begin

We got home from work early and decided to see if we could find any puddles in the sand dunes to practice water crossings.  We dashed outside and tacked up ... I even put a breast collar on my darling Morgan in case we had to climb dunes to get to the puddles.

Majesty stares down the horse eating log

We started off by turning right out of the north driveway. Morgan was still acting a bit tender on her front hooves, so I moved her off the street and played in the desert next to the road. We came across the downed log and invited Bill and Majesty to join us in stepping over the obstacle.  Majesty took a long, hard look at the log before committing to going over.  Bill's quiet words of encouragement rather than pressure paid off in no time, and Majesty was stepping over it in both directions in a matter of moments.

Me, caught off guard and looking very messy ... Nice to see Morgan's head lowered

We continued down the road and turned North towards the salt flats.  Basically, we just reversed the path Morgan and I had taken on our last solo adventure. Not a drop of water to be seen anywhere ... you'd never know it had rained on and off for the last two days.

Headed to the salt flats

We ambled peacefully through the paths, crossing the salt flats, over sand dunes, and around bushes.

Top of the ridge

The sky was a glorious blue and Majesty kept a nice, easy pace.  Made for some relaxing riding.

Two wary horses eyeing the distance

Love that Majesty's muzzle and eye area become darker in the Summer

We turned towards the sand dunes where we had last seen puddles, but saw smoke rising up from someone's quad.  We heard another quad racing about, so we decided to skip our normal dunes and cruise on home.

Horrible photo, but I loved that it looks like Wasabi is whispering in Morgan's ear ... 

It also looks like Morgan is listening to her evil plans!