Ride 2 of 4th of July weekend

Today just Jim and I went out.  He didn't want to go as far as yesterday so we did some trail exploring.  At the top of enchanted valley we took the trail to the right...down the other side of  the rocks.  It was doable...met up with some poison oak, but it wasn't too bad.  We worked our way over to the same trail we were on yesterday...the road with the downed trees on it....but we didn't take that road.  There is a small trail to the right that winds thru some marshy areas in the winter.  The summer time is ok but due to the late rains this year I wasn't sure how it was.  It was ok, the trail isn't very visible and we lost it once, but found it again.  The ground was only a little mushy, but passable.  On the way home we decided to go thru the middle of the cow pasture and that was passable too...a little mushy in some spots but doable.  Zoe and I took the lead on the way out and half way thru we switched...Skippy in front and Zoe in back.  Skippy was having fun with her big trot and Zoe was able to keep up without breaking into a lope and she had good manners!  Phew!

Nice hot 4th of July weekend-ride 1

Nice ride today...done before it got too hot.  3 of us met a friend that just moved her horse.  2 of them weren't sure if they could find bread rock...they did it the day before but it seemed strange to them.  So today they rode in front  and found it.  I love it when people find their way around.  From there I was to show them a different way into Enchanted Valley...which we did.  In the valley, trees have fallen so we had to go around to the right, then were able to go up the hill.  At the top it was nice to see that people have ridden the trail so much that it is pretty well established and easy to stay off the rock Zoe and I slipped on earlier this year.  I was out this way a few days ago and found that a 4-wheeler had found their way to one of my favorite spots and I said this outloud...so we had to ride that way.  It was a nice loop.  The trail is called the "I don't know trail"  because one day last year we were on that trail and the other riders with me wanted to know where it came out.  I knew where it came out but to tell them....it wouldn't have made any sense.  It comes out in a place Jim and I call Deer Valley.  Anyway it  was just easier to say "I don't know" and hence it got the name "I Don't Know".  Anyway the 4-wheelers had found a way to get up there...they haven't destroyed anything yet, but you can see their tire tracks.  From there we went into Deer Valley, then followed the road to the KBB Hills.  They wanted to go futher, so we did a few loops in the KBB Hills.   We headed back home on the road that goes next to the trotting trail--the one that we can't go on anymore :(  Anyway I was on the big road last week and it is passable!  So I wanted to show Jim that we could do it, because about 4 weeks ago we tried but we were unable to use it.
My friend wanted us to ride with her to her new barn so we did.  I wanted to ride Zoe in the lead up Prospector until we got past the green gate.  In the past she really doesn't like going up to the green gate.  She used to stop in her tracks and won't go forward..... so we had to resort to sidepassing up the hill, or backing up the hill....there's no way I'm going to let her get out of it.   Anyway today she just walked up the hill to the gate.  She looked really funny at the rock next to the gate, almost stopped, walked sideways a few steps, but was able to continue forward and make it past the gate.  I was sooooo happy she did this.  It's a big deal for her.   Maybe next time --if she looks funny at the rock---I might let her go up and sniff the rock.  Maybe it will help.
I looked up all my data today on Endomondo and I really like the web site.  It tells me alot about all of my rides.  I just need to remember to use it all the time.  So I will...starting today.

Zoe and Little Foot..another story

So I finished riding Zoe early one morning....and the cat, Little Foot, jumps up on the barrel.  She wants attention and Zoe wants to rub her muzzle on that soft fur.  So we ride over to the barrel.  The two of them are nose to nose when suddenly Little Foot gets this idea.  I guess she wanted even more attention so she jumped on Zoe's neck and started walking the crest of her neck towards me.  Mind you I'm in the saddle...hoping that Zoe doesn't blow up.  Little Foot starts to loose her footing and Zoe said "that's enough" and tosses her head and neck to get the cat off.  Zoe doesn't panic or blow up, she just decided that she had had enough and the cat needed to leave.  The cat tried to stay on and had her claws in Zoe's mane.  I was really hoping at this point that Little Foot didn't have her  claws in Zoe's neck....but apparently not...no claw marks afterwards.  Little Foot decides that this is not working the way she planned and releases her claws and lands on the ground and runs for the grandstand...hiding underneath.  Zoe just stands there quietly watching her friend run away.  Phew!  Good pony!  Silly cat!  So we walk around a little while and I get off and coax Little Foot out from under the grandstand.  Zoe and Little Foot touch noses again then we started walking for the barn.  Little Foot runs ahead of us and Zoe calmly follows.

Zoe and Little Foot

A while ago I wrote that Zoe and Little Foot like each other...we have a ritual we go thru in our morning rides.  Just about when we are done with our work, we get to do this.  They both seem to enjoy it.  Funny animals.

Another weekend ride

Today I was determined to get to a place I just learned was called "Dottie's Hill"  It was pretty easy to get to.  I usually go down this hill, I've never gone up it until today.  It was fun.  I don't know why I hadn't done this before.  Will be doing it again.  We met 3 hikers that were confused, they wanted to go to Auburn.  We pointed them in the direction of the Pioneer Express Trail...long walk.  I updated my roaming on my phone so the gps worked better.  A friend had told me that the trotting trail and the road next to it were impassable...we tried the road next to the trotting trail.  Yup, currently impassable, but when the mud dries I think we will be able to pick our way thru the trees on the trail.  We found our way to the trails towards the right and hoped that it wasn't too boggy down the final hill to the big road.  It wasn't boggy, the dirt was soft but you can walk on it just fine.  Another few weeks it will be rock hard.  4.99 mi, avg 3.16mph
Last weekend we (Jim, Dottie and Me) went to Inspiration Point and made it just fine.  Just this last Thursday Dottie and Cheryl tried it again but found a tree down where you turn to the left and go thru the marshy part...apparently difficult to get thru but can be done...might get scratched up some...Dottie and Cheryl can attest to that.  So next week we are going there with our tree saws and making it a better place.  Dottie says my tree saw will do it...hope so because I can't haul a chain saw in there.  The only thing that might stop me is I have my brother coming to visit on Wed-Sunday.

Fast out...slow home?

Today I had a short time to ride...had a farrier coming at 12 noon and I got off work @ 9:40.  By the time I got on the trail it was 10:30.  So I had alot of energy going out on the trail.  We trotted alot and loped more than usual.  It wasn't a very long ride.  I turned to go towards home and Zoe was still in the "hurry mode".  I asked for a trot up a hill and got a lope instead.....so turn around and go back down the hill and try it again.  She did it fine.  But she was still pretty fast walking home.  So at the end of one of our downhills we turned around and trotted back up it.  Walking down was a bit calmer, she still had a good walk on her.  I didn't mind the walk as long as the "emotion" of hurry to get home wasn't in charge.  If my gps would have been working properly I would have liked to know the milage and speed....but I forgot to update my roaming capabilities so it didn't work right.  I know I was overall moving faster than my last ride which was 3.98mph...and I was sure I went further than the 2.14 miles that it told me today.  But that was only a minor bump in the day.  What I want to remember about today's ride was the speed going out...make it fast and then asking Zoe to calm down towards home.  I want to do it again and see if she can do better over time.

GPS/ride towards Rattlesnake

So a friend found another GPS app for my phone, it works on her phone too.  I decided to try something weird, I ran the old GPS and the new GPS at the same time.  The new one: Enodomondo (E), the old one: My Tracks (MT).  Yesterday the only thing the same about both of the tracks was the time: 1:23. MT came up with 8.55 mi @ avg speed 6.18 and E came up with 4.66 mi @ 3.35mph.  Hmmmm.  E sounded more reasonable.  I tried it again today as we went towards Rattlesnake.  Now this was interesting because we had mile markers to aid us and the E GPS talks to you as you go along...telling you what mile you are on and the time it took you to get there.  E seemed to be accurate.  The MT had us going further and faster than we really went.  So now I have a new GPS.
As far as the ride went it was good.  Last time I went here was with 4 horses and it was the first time Zoe had been on this trail in about a year.  This time she was calmer, went over bridges just fine.  Balked at 2 drainage pipes on a curve in the trail.  So I got off, walked back and forth across them a few times, got back on and we led the way across them...no problem.  But the rest of the trip was great, she wasn't as excitable like last time.  Maybe fewer horses or maybe it is a more familiar place now.  Anyway we will be going again.   We did find 1 rattlesnake in the middle of the trail.  Sky was in the lead and he did great, not very excited by it.  I did get off here and found a branch to throw at it.  At first it didn't seem bothered, but then it slowly moved off the trail.  As I threw a few more branches at it, it started rattling.   We walked past that place rather quickly, got back on and away we went.  The horses didn't seem bothered by it.  2:55--8.07 mi @ avg 2.76 mph.