Day Light Savings Time Ride

60 minutes - 2.5 miles - Rhulain

Since we had an extra hour of daylight, I figured the best way to spend it was with Rhulain.  We walked beside each other for the first half mile, and she looked like she was sleepwalking, despite the wind kicking up.

Then I hopped in the saddle and her anxiety kicked in ... head came up, nostril's flaring, and heavy breathing.  So, I asked her to stop and we just stood until her breathing slowed and matched mine.  Then we walked on again.  Every time she started to trot, we either circled around bushes or trotted in the opposite direction until she settled into a walk.  I almost got frustrated and then I realized we needed to have a not so good ride so we can get to the great rides.

On the way home, she was absolutely wonderful.  Trotted when asked, opened and shut the gate like a pro, and stood perfectly still while I untacked and groomed.  Love this horse.

Only issue ... couldn't get the dang saddle straight.  It slid to the left; I got off and adjusted. It slid to the right and I tried to adjust from her back, but couldn't get it straight.  I gave up and rode with it shifted the whole time. Grrrr.

Wind Tunnel? No Problem.

38 minutes - 1.66 miles - Morgan

Me: Psst, Morgie ... wanna ride?

Morgan: Have carrots? 

Me: Yep, a whole pocket full.

Morgan: Let's roll!

 

No time constraints and no path in mind, just focusing on spending time with my best girl.  The wind was blowing like crazy.  At one point, we got caught in a wind tunnel that started three feet to our left.  We stopped moving, shut our eyes and waited for it to pass.  Love my Morgan!

We got home just as Bill was pulling in the front gate.  Morgan called out to him, then ran up to the window and asked for an ear rub.  Stinking adorable!

Oh how I have missed my horses

73 minutes - 1.15 miles - Rhulain

Seven days without either of my horses caused seriously withdrawal.  I snuggled Morgie this morning and checked her head wound.  She was eating, but stopped to give me some snuggle time.  Love that girl.

I missed Rhu ... she flattened her ears at me when I fed her ... which means the feeling wasn't mutual.  Ah well.  It was windy when I went out in the afternoon. Rhu was unusually high strung, she spooked and pulled back when a shovel clanged against the tack shed.  

She stopped panicking rather quickly and though she allowed me to touch and rub her, she wouldn't relax.  I let her stand there for a bit to see how she would react to the pressure on her face.  I pulled a broom out of the tack shed and "shooed" her forward a step.  Once the pressure was off, she licked her lips and leaned her head into my torso.

We spent some time doing ground work, then we rode around the yard.  We did a mile, but we were not connected.  I couldn't sit the trot today, at all.  She shied from a plastic bag, and couldn't calm down.

I hopped down, walked beside her for a bit, then got back in the saddle.  I took a deep breath and released the tension in my shoulder blades, and we both seemed to calm a bit.  We walked two more laps around the yard.  She didn't want to approach the hitching post so I hopped off and walked her over.  We spent a few more minutes together, but she was too tense to enjoy the massage. Ah well.

More ground work. Definitely more ground work.

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!

Wildly Windy Day

43 minutes - 1.27 miles - Morgan

Morgan checked out the mare motel, gave it a few sniffs, and then we headed out.

 

 The wind was blowing hard and Morgan stuck close to my shoulder.

Then Morgan's head shot up and she circled around me snorting loudly.  I looked around and spotted a discarded couch with stuffing flapping around wildly in the wind.

Once I explained that the couch could not get us, she seemed a bit embarrassed.  She tucked behind me and looked sheepish.  You are the most adorable mare, ever.

Windy!

20 minutes - 0.90 miles - Morgan
 

It was so windy today that Morgie's mane stood straight up like a mohawk.  Made me giggle.  She did better than I anticipated in the wind and kept a nice, even pace.

She wore Rhu's new saddle and it fit wonderfully!  I could probably sell one or two of my saddles and get down to just one saddle per horse, but that's a thought for another time.

I was running late this morning, so we only got 20 minutes before Bill's alarm was set to go off.  At least I squeezed in a ride before the "real" vacation started!

Cloudy, with a chance of awesome!

30 minutes - 1.10 miles - Rhulain

The clouds were amazing today!  I spent so much time cloud gazing that Rhu fell asleep while I was in the process of tacking. Sorry Rhu!

There was a lovely breeze that made it feel like we could have ridden all day.  Rhu seemed like she was up for the idea as well. 

Tomorrow starts our vacation and I knew Bill was waiting for me to go into town for last minute errands, so we cut the ride short.  
Rhu didn't seem interested in squeezing into my suitcase, so I just gave her extra hugs and told her I'd see her again on Sunday.  
Going to miss my mares.  

Blustery Day, Great Ride

30 minutes - Rhulain, Bill & Majesty - 1.14 miles

Heading out for a walk on a blustery day ... Rhu wanted Majesty to know she gets to lead the walks.  So adorable!

So, we walked for half a mile, let them snack, and then we hopped in the saddles and wandered home.  Bill said I never stopped smiling even with the wind blowing like crazy.  

We had them trot for the first time in the open desert.  This girl can certainly cover some ground and she's so smooth!  I love that she watches where the other horse is, but doesn't need to be near them.  She's solid going out alone or with others which is a huge bonus!

Note to self: Need to put Rhu back in the bitless bridle rather than the cross under.  She stops better with the bitless.  Also, fix the stirrups ... they're uneven.

When we got back, I untacked her and let her wander around the property.  When I called her, she looked up, turned around, and came right to me.  Hugs!

Majesty, Bill, and Rhu mugging for the camera

Rhulain's First Walk off the Property

15 minutes walk
Rhulain
0.43 miles

Rhu, want to take a walk with me?

Sure, but I'm going to need my fly mask.

It's too windy for the flies to bother you. I promise you'll be fine.

Promise?  It looks a bit scary out here.

I'm proud of you ... lots of stuff you haven't seen before and not one bit of spooking.

Just moments ago I was conquering the great out there.

You're an amazing horse Rhulain.  In no time you'll be exploring much more of the desert.

Windy, with a Side of Watermelons

Thursday, June 26. Evening ride, 15 minutes, temperature over 95°
Just Morgan and I
Rode around the house to the beginning of the pavement

Too hot to seriously ride, but with the wind it felt cooler. Took Morg on a quick ride within three blocks from our property.  German Shepherd came after Morg again, but she challenged him and he scurried back within his property boundaries.

Took the same path as we had been working on the past few days, but instead of turning right and heading home we turned left and rode an additional quarter of a mile. Once we reached the pavement, we turned and headed home. No issues whatsoever. Stretching her boundaries a little at a time seems to help with her anxiety of going out alone.  Thrilled with her progress!

Came home and untacked. I had slices of watermelon ready for her after ride snack.  She loves to eat the red portion and then spits the rinds on the ground.  Interestingly enough, the mustang prefers to eat the rinds.  So there was treats for both of them!