End of the year rides

Wednesday and Thursday I didn't have much time for a long trail ride so they were both short but interesting.  On Wednesday I got an early start cleaning the barn and the paddocks...so I was done by 8am and was on the trail by 8:30.  It was a summer time schedule at the end of December.  Anyway when I usually leave to ride on Wednesdays about 9:30 I run into a group of walkers leaving the trails as I'm getting on the trails.  It is a group of older men, there used to be just 3 of them (I called them the Tres Amigos) but now it is up to 5 I'm told.  So today there were just 2.  They were on the trail ahead of me (about 1/2 the cow pasture ahead) and we ended up going on the same trails the whole time we were out there.  Zoe noticed them, was curious-not sure but we kept going and we ended up right behind them on the way out.  Once she realized it was just people they were pretty boring.
Thursday I headed out about 1:30-kind of a late start for me.  On this ride we kept meeting other horses.  2 at the beginning and 2 on the way home in the cow pasture.  On this second meeting Zoe got a little barn sour and called, had a little too much energy going home.  So we decided to go home but work at the same time.  Sidepassing, collecting, figure 8's.  Soon she was calmer and we just walked home nicely.
One nice thing about both of these rides was a collected canter.  The first day I asked for a lope going up the racetrack.  Zoe collected right away.  She tossed her head a bit and I asked her to push thru that emotion and do it calmly.  She did.  I've never felt her so smooth, calm and collected.  It was like we were flowing together.  Wow.  I've never had that before.   Thursday I asked again and she did it again.  Not sure if this will happen with other horses around but it was nice these times.

3 Vista Ride

It was a great day for a ride.  We have been very spoiled with the weather lately.  Clear and sunny, cool, no mud-awesome.  So today I went for a ride with 2 friends.  Zoe rode with Sky and Dune.  I've been thinking of doing this ride for about a week.  I wanted to go to 3 vista points along Folsom Lake-Dottie's Hill,  Lookout Rock, Inspiration Pt.  Today we did it.  We all took turns leading or being in the middle or being last.

                     At the top of Dotties Hill

 At the top of Lookout Rock.  We took the back way to get there.  No rain has kept the trail in good condition.  Once it starts raining heavily this trail can get dicey.  There were three 4-wheelers parked on the rock and one came while we were talking to the drivers.  They were very nice and understood our horses need to have some space on the trails.  So no great picture at this spot, just one over the top of Zoe's back.  They said they'd watch out for us but we never saw them again.  I think I heard them on top of "the rock" on the way back but we went around that area on our way home.

                        At the top of Inspiration Pt.

The only potentially scary part of our ride was on Lomida.  They are building a back fence on the road.  There were workers, skill saws, cones, trucks, music, piles of lumber and a fence.  Everything looked different.  Zoe was in the lead on the way out and gave it the "ear".  At this point in the ride we were on the opposite side of the road.  On the way back Sky was in front and neither horse cared about it.  

Update on switching rein hands, scary fence building on Lomida

It is getting easier to ride with my reins in my right hand.  It felt very awkward at first.  I've only been at it for a week.  Still not second nature yet.  Yet Jim said my seat was better today, I stayed centered.  I'm trying to use both hands or if I use one - to mostly use my right hand to hold the reins.

Today Skippy was in front on the way to Inspiration Pt. starting at the green gate on Lomida.   Zoe was fine with being the last horse.  She could keep up with Skippy, altho Skippy was not going her fastest.   It was a hazy day, I was surprised that the water could be seen in these pictures.  I was afraid that the sky and the water would blend together.

We did come across something interesting.  The first house on Lomida on the left is putting up a fence.  They have cones, boards, yellow caution tape, and posts in the ground.  Zoe was in the lead and gave it "the ear" as we went past.  She also slowed down "should I be worried?" she said.  On the way back she was in the lead and she did a bit better-still gave it "the ear".

Cold morning

So I went riding this morning before work.  I knew it was cold but didn't realize it was this cold until I went to work and saw this.  Someone at work left the sprinkler on the round pen fence all night.  Nice icicles.

Hand position affecting seat, picture of Kristy's igloo

Today's ride was nice.  We did alot of trails in the reverse direction that we usually go.  It was interesting to see these trails in a different way.  I like doing that.

Today I purposely put Zoe 2nd in the trail order (or last since there was only the 2 of us).  I wanted to see how she was going to do with a faster horse in front.  Skippy, the other horse, is usually faster.  Today she had her fast moments but mostly went along at a "medium" speed.  Zoe did fine being in the back no matter what speed Skippy was at.

Towards the end of the ride Zoe took front.  It was a good chance to have my equitation checked by the back rider.  This can be interesting.  Today it turned out really good.  I usually lean to the right in my saddle and I seem to be constantly shifting my weight to the left and pushing down in my left stirrup to "even" myself out.  Jim's good at telling me when I'm off center.  But today I discovered something else.  When I ride with all my reins in one hand they always end up in my left hand, therefore my left shoulder is shifted ahead of my right shoulder, therefore my weight is shifted to the right side of my body, therefore I tend to lean to the right when I ride.  So when I put all the reins in my right hand and held my left hand straight out in the air to my side I was straight in my saddle.  Hmmmmm.  I didn't think about my hands affecting my seat.  It was nice having the back person there to evaluate the different things I would try.  So for the next month I need to remember if I'm going to put all the reins in one hand to use my right hand.  They say you have to practice something for 21 times to get it to be a habit.  I figure a month ought to do it.  I hope this will also help out any saddle fitting issues I might have.  Lately Zoe has had dry spots on the left side - we will see.

Also got a picture of Kristy's igloo.  I love it when rocks make shapes that look like something.  I've ridden past this rock for years and never noticed that it looked like something...until Kristy said something.

I'm tired of thinking of titles

It was a longer day at work today and I was running late for a horseback ride with some friends.  I finally made it.  The ride made the events of the morning melt away.  It was good to go riding with friends.

Going up Dottie's Hill was a bit exciting at first.  Friday first, Zoe next, and Sky last.  When we picked up a trot Sky though it was time to charge up the hill.  His rider quickly squelched that idea but not before Zoe thought "Run! Can we really run up the hill...okay".  No not okay-you have to slow down now.  Friday said "what's going on back there, should I get excited?"  He was the calmest of the bunch.  So we walked up the hill.  Sky and Zoe had to be checked back frequently, and told to "walk" many times.  At the top we stopped to talk, take pictures, then went down the same hill we just came up.  Time to try it again with some trotting and better mannners.  We only went 1/2 way down, put sensible Friday in front and tried it again.  Much better.  If we had more time I would have liked to go all the way back down to the beginning and trot it again.   We will work on that one some more.

               View at the top of Dottie's Hill


All in all it was a good ride.  We all got to lead, went many places, tried different speeds, even named a landmark after Kristy.   I'll have to take a picture of it next time.  Kristy's igloo rock.  It really looks like an igloo.
On the way back I decided to pick up the bag of leaves the gardeners had left at the side of the trail.  It had been sitting there for almost 2 months now and they haven't picked it up yet.  So I emptied the leaves and took it back home.  Nice training tool.  I handwalked the road with the bag in my hands.  Sometimes I waved it around, sometimes it dragged on the ground.  Zoe didn't seem to care.  Back at the barn she got to wear it-of course.  She probably was sighing "why?"  The barn manager just laughed at us.

Windy rides

November ended with wind and December started with wind.
Yesterday's ride was down to the canal trail by myself.  I started before the wind came up so most of the time it wasn't too windy.  Zoe did good with the "scary" rocks.  She got to lope some, but not enough for me to figure out her attitude.  We will be working on that one.  She minded me pretty well.  We started out in the cow pasture and headed towards Sterling Pt.  When we got to the rock dam it was getting windy so we opted to cut off towards the Pioneer Express Trail and took the Lake Forest Trail back to home.  Saw a buck on the way back.  By the time we got to Lomida it was pretty windy.  I got off to walk the roads back home and I noticed Dune and Friday (with riders) going out on the trail.  I hope they had a good time.  Zoe wasn't spooky about the wind.  She was very aware of things, but didn't get spooky.  Good ride.

Kerrie's rock---even more exposed 

Buck we saw on our way home 

Today's ride was different in that it started out windy and it got even more windy as the ride progressed.  We (Sky, Zoe and riders) decided to stay in the forest, maybe the trees would shelter us from some of the wind...and it did.  We even made it up to the ridge to see down town Sacramento and the coastal range.  It was a very clear day with all the wind blowing away the smog.  A great view and it wasn't too windy so we decided to try the overlook to the cow pastures (or meadows).  I've been trying to get pictures of some fall color in this place.  Today's picture was a little better, but the wind has been blowing all the leaves off the trees so I'm not sure it will get any better than this.