Mare Love

46 minutes - 1.36 miles - Morgan

So, Morgan and I took a leisurely stroll through the desert. She stared daggers at a plasric bag stuck in a bush, so we walked over to face it, but it didn't move so she got bored.  We ambled, she snacked, we stopped and watched the sun set.  The perfect ending to a day.

Rhulain vs Trash Cans

28 minutes - 1.25 miles - Rhulain

The sun was dropping fast, but I figured Rhulain and I could squeeze in a walk.  We hustled for the first half mile, then goofed off and she snacked for a bit before we started home.  The wind bothered her and she was amped, but she never crowded me so I let her be.

When we got home, I had her "help" me bring in the trash can. She hated every second. So, we went out and grabbed the second one as well. She was not entertained by my actions. Ah, well.

I put her in the turn out so she could kick up her heels and race around a bit. She did not disappoint! Always a pleasure to watch her antics 😃

Walking with Rhu

19 minutes - 1.03 miles - Rhulain

Snuck in a not-so-quick mile with Rhulain tonight. I could have made better time, but I would have had less fun. The trade off was well worth it ... She seemed to think so too!

Rhulain's Cranky Face is Still Kissable

1.26 miles - 21 minutes - Rhulain

Uh oh, someone is not happy about leaving her herd. 

A month between walks is far too long.

 She started to perk up once we got on a familiar path ... The one that leads to the snacking spot.

 Ah yes, Rhulain never misses an opportunity to munch down on fresh grass shoots, dead leaves, and brush. Her motto is ... Try everything once!

 At the halfway point, we got in some good snuggle time. Lots of her snacking and me drinking in her essence. I had forgotten her smell.

She still takes my breath away. So gorgeous! She might have slowed me down on the walk today, but I needed the time with her. The occasional morning snuggles are no substitute for real horse time.

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.

Walking In The Dark

21 minutes - 0.63 miles - Rhulain

I miss Rhu.  So much so, that even though it was pitch black, I asked her to go for a walk with me.  I promised to stay in the yard and she seemed amiable.  She scooted ahead of me as we went through some trees. I saw the branch on the ground.  It must have touched her legs and spooked her a bit.  We'll need to work on that!  She stopped and asked Bill for snuggles at the half way point, and he obliged. Funny girl.

Luppy Smiles

36 minutes - 1.04 miles - Rhulain and Luppy

Luppy and I decided to take Rhulain for a walk.  I took the fly mask off Rhu and found she had a scrape on her forehead. She gets more scrapes and bumps than any of my other horses combined.

 Luppy had a great time.  Rhulain had snacking time.

I had a quiet jaunt.  I'm so glad we went out ... I needed their company.

Birthday Walk

21 minutes - 1.00 miles - Luppy

Luppy wanted to go for a walk this morning.  Sounded like a splendid way to start the morning so I grabbed a leash and off we went.  Saw lots of snake tracks today, even a sidewinder track.  Fortunately, none of the tracks were near the house and we didn't see any live ones. 

Night Moves

27 minutes - 1.06 miles - Wasabi
17 minutes - 1.07 miles - Rhulain

I put the kid to bed at 9:00 pm and then took the trash outside.  It was a lovely 85 degrees and light enough to take a walk.  I grabbed Morgan's halter and headed to the turn out, but she hid behind Sundance.   

Wasabi put her muzzle on my shoulder, so I opted to see how she would do.  Fabulously well it turns out.

The first few minutes she kept her muzzle low to the ground, but then she was walking along as if this were broad daylight and she did this all the time.  I was really proud of her effort! 

 Figuring I had a few more minutes, I switched horses and headed back out the gate with Rhulain in tow.  She drug along behind me for the first quarter mile but then picked up pace and we jogged on an off for the rest of the mile.

I asked her if we could slow down and she stuck her tongue out at me ... She stayed that way until I took a picture of her ... silly mare!

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.

Morgie time

37 minutes - 1.0 miles - Morgan

Although it may not look like it, Morgan's wound is getting better.  Morgie joined me for a walk today. There were carrots in my pocket and she spent most of the time nuzzling me trying to get at them.  Guess she didn't miss our walk time as much as I did ... she just missed the snacks.

Family Time

36 minutes - 0.76 miles - Rhulain, Bill & A

Love this picture of Morgan's eye ... Love the sunset's reflection

Asked Bill to hold Rhu for a second and then realized how cute they were together ... her ears were all perked up and she was snuggly.

Bill didn't let go of the lead rope until we were headed back home.  Hmmm.  

Bill took a few pics of Rhu and I together.  I was whispering in her ear that I loved her way more than Bill did, and she stuck her tongue out at Bill.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.

Damn Wind

25 minutes - 0.80 miles - Rhulain

The sky was fabulous ... the 25-35 mph gusts of wind were not.

I can't get a decent picture of Morgan's wound, but it's looking much better.  Another few days and I can let her out of the stall and back into the general population.  She likes not being run off at meal times, so I'm not sure she'll want to leave the big stall.

Daylight diminished rapidly and with gusty winds, I didn't figure we'd get much work done.  It was so windy I couldn't hold the camera steady.  

We went for a quick walk and got back before it was too dark. 

Rhu's definition of "too dark" was different than mine :)

She was her amazing self and stuck right with me unless asked to move ... I think the ground work is paying off!

A New Angle

67 minutes - 2.28 miles - Rhulain

 With the time change, it is really dark in the morning when I go out to feed.  Rhu was very hyped and circled me constantly. As long as my feet kept moving forward, I just let her circle until she calmed down.

It didn't take long for her to settle down and walk softly beside me.  We headed left off the main road rather than right and ventured into areas I had never been to before.

Found some bones on our walk ... guess that makes the scenery more interesting.  Lots of interesting footing today and we had to backtrack twice because I didn't know the area.

 We did find places to let her graze for a bit.  She was adorable but seems very unsure of herself lately.  We may need to institute more ground work in our routine.

Missed you Rhu!

56 minutes - 1.58 miles - Rhulain

My morning was great. Gave everyone apple slices (Rhu got two cause her face was so adorable), gave her a quick grooming, and off into the open desert today. We didn't rush today because my knee still aches, but we snuggled more than normal.  I think she missed me (not nearly as much as I missed her though)!

Time with the Herd

Walked a mile - alternating horses

Still trying to walk 5 miles each day. Some days it's harder than others.  It always seems easiest when I have good friends along.  

I took Morgan with me for a few laps around the yard, but she didn't appreciate my company as much as I did hers.  

So, I switched her out for Sundance.  She's the most laid back of any of the horses (unless you try putting a bit in her mouth or tie her to anything) and practically fell asleep during the walk. 

Wasabi kept sticking her muzzle over the rails when I walked by, so I dropped off Sundance and haltered Wasabi.  We made a few laps, she ate a few cubes, and then I dropped her off so she could take her afternoon nap.

Majesty was next up for a walk,  He tolerated it, but he's so slow I put him back after just two laps.  

Rhu was not sure why she was last in my pecking order.  I explained it was because we'd be walking the farthest together.  She seemed to forgive me ... after she ate a few treats.

My new walking buddy

 He's not the fastest walker, nor the most talkative, but he is great company.  

It might have taken us 35 minutes to go 0.79 miles, but that's time well spent in my mind.  We hunted for the perfect rock and enjoyed each other's company.

Just he and I truly being in the moment.  

Yep, it was a great morning, despite the lack of horse time.

Walking. Alone.

2.4 miles - 53 minutes - All by myself

Bill and I have signed up to do a "Walk Across Oregon" challenge.  The challenge is to walk 395 miles (the length of Oregon) between January 15th and March 15th.  We're not going to make the full mileage because we started late, but if we get tee-shirts if we manage to make half the distance.  That means we'll have to walk/run 4 - 4.25 miles daily between now and March 15, 2016.  Even though the temperature was below 20 degrees, I started my journey today.  

Alone.

It was quiet.  It was nice to have some quiet.  Studies have shown an average 4 year old asks about 300 questions a day. I relished the quiet. 

It was wonderful to come home and get kisses from the horses after having so much "alone time."  I'm fairly certain Rhulain and Wasabi were just checking me for treats, or ushering me towards the feed because their breakfast was late, but they each gave me some snuggle time!

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.

Rhu's new halter; Bill & Wasabi having a bit of fun

25 minutes - 1.08 miles - Rhulain, Bill & Wasabi

Rhulain got a new halter.  I though the olive color would look dashing on her ... of course, she would make any color would look good.  She seemed a bit embarrassed by Wasabi and Bill's snuggle fest.

Cheese!

Bill and Wasabi pretending she's a reindeer.  You two are funny!