Good rides this week

Good rides this week.
Wednesday I went on one of my favorite single track trails that goes up and down and around hills.  It also has many trails that branch off of it.  This day I decided to take each of the branching off trails to the right.  Yup, it was a loopy ride.  The first loop Zoe thought she was going home...but it didn't work out that way.  I think she just resigned herself to the task at hand and figured she'd get home sometime.  So she was great the rest of the ride.  If I skipped a turn to the right I'd take the next one and try to figure out how to get on the trail I skipped and ride it back to the "main" trail.  It was fun.  One of the loops were hard to find because it is not a trail that is used very often therefore it wasn't very noticeable.  We went 6.23 miles of loops.  Towards the end I just went to Dottie's Hill and headed towards home.

           Last weeks ride to the top of Dottie's Hill.  Notice there is no "island" showing

          This weeks ride to the top of Dottie's Hill.  Notice that the "island" is starting to show.
This is Zoe.  Mom finally figured out how to get home.  Somedays it takes her longer than other days.  


Thursday Zoe and Sky met a friend, Barkley, and rode to Granite Bay.  It was a fun ride.  Barkley split off on the way back to ride to his house while Sky and Zoe rode home.

           "Another picture, okay I'll stand still and look good." 

           "Another picture, okay this is my good side."

          "Another picture, okay I'll give mom a hug."

          "What's up?  Another picture?" 


It was nice to go on these rides.  This weekend I get to watch Zeke while his parents go backpacking.  So no riding.  Okay I will be taking him out to see the horses one of the days and maybe ride in the arena for a few minutes.  One of the days we will be going to the Folsom Zoo and ride the train.  It will be fun.  Blog next week.

Rattlesnake and good horses

Sunday Jim and I went for a short ride, trying to beat the heat.  On our way back we took the trail towards FLEC.  It was on this trail we heard the rattlesnake.  Actually Skippy heard it first-she was in front, she stopped on a dime and scooted backwards.  I love it when a horse does that-she knew it was dangerous.  I've ridden her before and have experienced that.  Zoe does that too.  Once I was out with C and Dune and we ran into a rattlesnake on the way to Rattlesnake.  Zoe stopped and backed up without me telling her to.  Anyway this time we backed some, I got off and found a good throwing stick, Jim threw it and the rattlesnake slithered off.  We waited until it was gone and Jim rode past and I walked past.  I'm always thankful for my half-chaps.  They are ugly but are really thick, hang over my boots and good protection.

Success at the scary pole and lost horse (not Zoe)

The last time we tried to go past the metal fence post on the way to Granite Bay was June 24th.  I posted that we worked on that area (with friends) and was eventually able to go first past the post.  So today I decided to try it again-only this time it's just Zoe and me.  And....we did it!!!  I still think she's not very happy about it, but that's just the way it is.  I think the more we do it, the easier it will get for her.  We went to the big flat rocks by Beeks Bight and took a picture.  Then we went home.  Again she went past the curve with the metal pole in the rock...not completely at ease but it's a start.  I was happy with her.

On our way out to Granite Bay we rode past a 3 man crew that was using a chain saw to saw up an already downed pine tree.  Zoe didn't mind the chain saw.  They also had a wood chipper there too, but it wasn't on.  I was hoping they wouldn't turn it on until I was way past them...my hopes were realized...no wood chipper, yay!
On the way back we went to the top of Dottie's Hill and took another picture.

We took trails to avoid the chain saw and the now running wood chipper (I could hear them working) and as we dropped down into the meadows I met a rider.  Only this rider had no horse.  She had her helmet on, spurs on, riding pants on, chaps on, but no horse.  It seems Flo had lost Leroy.  Leroy decided to spook at a few deer, coyote but the thing that got to him was "noise of something being eaten".  He took off,  Flo bailed-not wanting to stay on with big branches coming towards her body.  Leroy stopped to look at her and took off.  Now I just came from the area she described where this happened, but we didn't see or hear anything.  Flo wanted to walk back to her trailer by FLEC and see if he went there.  I went with her, but no horse.  Her plan was to go back home, get another horse, and go back out to look for him.  I said I would go back to the barn, get another horse and do the same.  Skippy was my next horse to ride.  We entered the trails where her trailer was parked but no horse.  I made a loop around, talked to the guys chopping the tree and headed back.  Just as I was dropping into the meadows, Flo called.  Said she found him.  She had brought her other horse and just as she was heading out on the trail, there Leroy was-standing by some trees, in the shade, eating grass.  Phew!  I had headed out on the trails there, but didn't see him.  It's hard to find a moving object.  Made me think about putting some ID on my horse, just in case.  It's one of those things that I've been meaning to do, but now I'll get on it.  

Progress with different horses

Today Zoe and I went on the trail with new horses and riders.  I know the riders but haven't had the chance to go on the trail with them.  Gabe, a 14 year old black arab gelding, and Squiggy, a 15 year old arab gelding, were our companions.  It was interesting to see how Zoe would do with these horses.  Gabe can be a handful, he just doesn't have the trail experience and his rider is doing great but she also needs more trail experience.  Squiggy was a great trail horse, calm and just needs more exposure to these trails.  We all trades places in the "line up" and Zoe did great.  I remember a time when it used to bother her to have a squirrelly horse behind her, but today was fine.  Gabe was sometimes traveling at his own speed, not the speed the rider requested and when Gabe was disciplined sometimes he would have a fit.  Zoe didn't mind.  Squiggy had boots on and managed to get one loose going down a hill.  We stopped and his rider put it back on and it took her a while to find a mounting place to get back on her horse.  Zoe just stood there and waited.  Gabe was a bit impatient and had to "have a job to do" while waiting.  It was nice to see that my horse would stay calm.

She did remind me that she is a horse...on the way back, dropping down into the meadows, we took a small rutted rocky trail heading down a hill.  The other 2 horses took the wider trail next to us.  The distance between the horses was hardly anything, so the following wasn't an anxious separation issue.  Zoe decided to drop her head down to snatch a bit of dry grass as we were negotiating the down hill trail, just as she dropped her head a deer jumped out of the bushes on the right.  Zoe did her gazelle imitation and leapt out the the rutted trail up on the knoll on our left and just stood there.  Once she saw it was a deer-no problem.  I was glad she just decided to stop there.  There was no time to think about staying in the saddle, it's a time where you just had to be riding and not just sitting on your horse.  I stayed on no problem.  Heels down, centered riding, remaining calm - helps.  I can remember a time when both Zoe and I would not have come out of that kind of a situation with any amount of success.  So even tho my horse reminded me that she is a horse, watching out for "number one" -  I do see some progress in our riding.  I told her "see that's what happens when you try to snatch some grass."

Bear

I almost didn't want to post anything about yesterday's ride.  It was very hot, we were going slow, it was the "Mario" ride-a nice ride, but nothing remarkable about it--until the very end.  We got to see the bear!  We were almost back to the road, on a small trail going back to FLEC.  There are blackberry bushes and a small creek, mostly dried up now, that parallels this trail.  The bear must have been eating the berries and we came up on him.  He was more scared of us than we were of him, so he was busy scrambling over the rocks on the other side of the creek to get away from us.  The horses, Sky in the lead, just stopped to watch.  Zoe gave the trail in a certain area the "head tilt with cocked ears", she must have smelled it too.  Anyway they just walked on, back to business.  These horses have seen bears camping so I guess that helps.  It also helps that the "odd" animal was moving away from us.  He was fun to watch as he scrambled over the rocks, very agile.

Getting ready to go camping

We get to go horse camping next month!  I'm excited.  It's a different place - Wrights  Lake.  We used to camp at the lake and the area around there 15+ years ago.

The first day we are there it will just be Jim and I with 3 horses.  Everyone else comes the next day.  So I will pony a horse until another rider shows up.  And this place has an equestrian campground that we will have to high line the horses.  These are things that we need to practice.

Ponying a horse is something I know how to do, I just haven't done it in years.  I did help a friend with her filly a few times but nothing like I used to do.  I used to pony Zoe off her mom, Skippy, for a few years.  I remember Zoe as lagging behind alot and my right arm used to feel like it was getting stretched out-I was sure it was longer than my left arm after that experience.  I got so I would take the two of them out by myself.  I would ride Skippy out, ponying Zoe.  Then half way thru the ride I would switch them-ride Zoe and pony Skippy.  Then when I got back to the road I would switch again since Skippy had more experience on the road.  I have memories of Zoe doing the strangest things while being ponyed-okay some of the things were just plain stupid, but I guess that's all part of the learning curve.
So today I decided to see if I could still pony off both of these horses.  I saddled them up, went out with D on Sky, did the "hour loop" and found that they still knew how to pony and be ponyed.  And I found out that I still knew how to do it.  Zoe didn't lag behind as much as she used to when being ponyed.  I still hate it when she stops on the trail to poop.  No warning.  Skippy just wants to go, and Zoe suddenly stops and once again my right arm is getting longer than my left arm.  But I was pleasantly surprised that Zoe kept up with us for the most part.   It was easiest when I was riding Zoe and Skippy was being ponyed.  Skippy has a good walk on her.  We even trotted a bit while I rode each of the horses.   It worked out just fine.  It is different ponying an adult horse that has trail experience, much different than ponying a young horse or one with no trail experience.

Then we tried out the high line.  My friend K showed me her high line and I took her ideas and made my own high line.  It worked just fine.  The horses just "mowed" grass while tied.  They tried to walk away but found they couldn't.  They didn't panic.  It was a good first time experience with the high line.  It would be good to practice again maybe with some more activities going on around them-not quite so peaceful, then see what they do.

Avery Pond again-2 versions

Another cool weather Thursday...so we went to Avery Pond again.  Only this time at Rattlesnake we put Zoe in the lead until the water trough at the last bridge.  It's only her second time on this section of the trail and I'm asking her to take the lead.  She did pretty good.  Sometimes had some trepidation but continued to move forward.  She did stop at one place, on the next to the last bridge we were 3/4 of the way across and she decided to stop, just for a second.  Don't know why, but it was easy to get her moving forward again.  At the water trough Zoe had to wait a few minutes before drinking, I guess she had to feel at ease to get a drink and that took time.   We stopped again at the picnic tables.  We didn't try to go to White Water today.  I figured I had asked alot of Zoe by putting her in the lead and she did so good, that was good enough for today.

We met 2 sets of hikers and a rider going out and 2 riders coming back.  Zoe didn't like one of the horses we passed on the way back.  She danced a bit on the trail.  I was thankful that I had the uphill side of the trail-there was really no place for her to go except forward and STOP being silly.

On the way back Sky led and Zoe was on his tail.  It was interesting keeping her back.  Usually people think of my horse as being incredibly slow but she has sped up especially this past year.  At Rattlesnake we decided to put her in the lead and sometimes she was slow and sometimes she was faster.  At HSB we put Sky back in the lead.  Zoe spooked at something on the easement trail, her front feet were all over the place.  Not sure what was so scary.  But we kept moving and she was fine.  We stopped to talk to Dune's owner on the way back.  She was happy with her bucket when we got home.

Another cool weather day...so mom decides to go on a long ride.  I know this because she packed food in the saddle pack.  We move along just fine, just like last time but wait...at the picnic tables where we used to stop we keep going AND I'M NOW IN FRONT.  Mom seems to know where she is going at least I hope so.  There were some places that I wanted to slow down, maybe let the other horse take the lead??? But no.  We crossed bridges but the next to last one was different.  There was something different and I wanted to stop and check it out but mom said I had to keep going...she said something about a water trough up ahead.  Said I would like it.  Sure the water was okay, but I wanted to make sure that we were going to be safe with my head down drinking water.  That other horse we went with doesn't look like he is keeping watch very well so I guess it's up to me.  We stopped again at the picnic tables and I got some carrots.  I was glad we were heading home after that.  


We met people walking and other horses with their people.  One of the horses on the way back made a funny face at me.  Mom said I had to be good and moved me forward but I wanted to stop and make funny faces back at him.  


That other white horse is slow sometimes.  I want to push him down the trail but mom says I can't do that.  So I ended up in that posture where I keep my head down, round my back-it's okay in the arena but really on the trail?  Oh well.  Finally I got to take the lead at the picnic tables, but sometimes I went slow and sometimes I went faster.  Back on the trail by the road there was a spooky noise, I was just trying to alert mom but she said I had to stop being silly.  We got to stop and visit with Dune a little bit. He got to eat grass while mom talked but I didn't get to eat any grass...but I got a nice bucket at home.  

YTD miles

I finally have an idea of my yearly milage.  I've been consistently using the same GPS for a year starting in July 2011.  The miles are 591.82.  Sometimes my GPS quit unexpectedly, sometimes my cell  phone battery ran out of "juice"... so I guess I could say 600 miles in a year is a good round figure.  This only counts my trail miles.
I do ride in the arena 2 mornings a week, those miles aren't figured into this total number.  It's easy to do 2+ miles in the arena each time I ride (I ran the GPS in the arena once).  So if I add up those miles I probably get close to 200 miles in a year just in the arena.  So all together my milage is probably close to 800 miles.
My GPS tracking does a funny thing...it says I've been riding for 8 days, 9 hours and 58 minutes to accomplish my trail miles.  Also I've traveled .025 times around the world and have made .003 trips to the moon-just trail miles.  Apparently I've burned up 48 hamburgers doing just trail.  Seems to me that it would take more than 48 burgers to do this.  Anyway it's all good and fun to know.  Wonder what next year will bring.