Is it Spring Yet?

Judy decides Flicka needs some extra attention

Work, work,work. Muck, gripe about cold, trudge around, muck some more, gripe about snow, too windy, deal with icy water hoses, put up with unwanted mouthfuls of hay when the wind blows it back in our faces while feeding. Cold hands and frozen ears, every little chore seems at least five times harder in the winter! Turnout is a must, even if only for a short time, as every horse needs a good stretch and a chance to limber up legs with a trot or gallop, plus the opportunity to have a long, vigorous roll in the sand to loosen the back. We trudge back and forth in the bitter cold from paddock to paddock, taking each horse to the turnouts and later we lead them back again to their stalls. The remorselessly chilly, gray days of winter. If we didn’t have horses we could be puttering about in our nice warm homes, or maybe getting our aerobic workout while watching TV in a comfortable climate controlled gym.

Photo taken of wild band I saw while on a mountain bike ride – note the Appy coloring on one!

And then a horse nickers softly upon seeing us arrive, another one loudly whinnies her impatience for the grain bucket, “and make it snappy, please”. Yearning brays can be heard clear across the court as the donkeys ask us to hurry over and give them a little scratch around their long, fuzzy ears, inquisitive lips nimbly searching pockets for an extra treat.
It’s our equine friends who make the winter days tolerable.

grooming – Flicka gets the works

February has been a particularly difficult month because of the inconsistent weather pattern (or maybe that should be “consistently cold weather”). Colds, flu, snow, rain, wind – you name it, we’ve had it!

Yes, the horses have been on a light training schedule (they’ve all been willing and obedient during their liberty work) and when the chores are done I’ve had plenty of time to think about the future and what we might look forward to this coming Spring and Summer. Can we incorporate some bicycling (balance, agility, fitness) along with our pursuit to become accomplished equestrians? That, along with the standard daily chores of mucking, watering and feeding, should be a decent cross-training plan for our all around fitness.
The beauty of the high desert mountains and plains, clean fresh air, healthy diet, plenty of exercise, our horses and the Tall One to help us along in our equine education – what more can we ask for? Maybe a few 70 degree days…
See you in the court, and don’t forget to halt at X!

Winter Blues

Judy on Flicka and Cherie on Tea: a little class time between storms

Flicka told me she’d like to talk a bit about what’s been going on at the Ranch the past month, so I’ll let her take the helm once again (“let” her? she’ll do it whether I give permission or not.)

Flicka, aka Lips Potter

“This has been another winter where we’ve had to face day after day of bitter cold temperatures, several snowstorms, a brief spell of dry but cold days, followed by rain, then bitter cold, snow again, and lots of cloudy, gray days. These conditions don’t help my old bones feel springy, but since I’ve been getting goodly sized meals I can’t complain much. I’ve even been keeping the shavings in my stall fairly tidy so I have a soft, dry place to stand or to lay down in. And at least with the nice, roomy paddock I don’t feel cooped up as if I’m in a prison.”

Breeze talking to Judy,’where’s the treats?’

“When I go into the turnout I have a good roll, maybe a little bucking around to kick up the heels, and then a noontime nap if the sun comes out. Will warmer days ever return? My mistress assures me they will, but I think she has her doubts. The Tall One and her students go about the daily chores, trudging around in several layers of bulky clothes and mucking out our paddocks, breaking ice in the troughs and trying not to freeze their little hands and feet. We all wish for Spring when the sun warms our backs and we feel like playing and even working in the arena. Well, that’s about all I have to say, but I do also want to remind my friends, horses and humans, how nice it is to live here with the Tall One who tends to us with so much care, compassion and kindness. It makes this lousy weather bearable”

Thanks, Flicka, for your informative report. And I do appreciate that you’re taking care to keep your shavings clean.
Yes, all the Featherettes are anxious to get back in the saddle. At least we’ve been able to keep up with some liberty work, giving every horse time in the round pens to get the kinks out, stretch out a bit for a little trot and perhaps a canter if the temperature allows it. By the time the day warms up, we barely have enough time to give everyone a bit of light exercise before the sun starts heading over the mountain and the temperature plunges back into the teens.

Why are these girls smiling?

Here we are on one lovely day in December when 3 of us got to take 3 of the horses out for a trail ride. A pleasant day, indeed. We had a short class beforehand and I’ll admit that I felt VERY rusty! I could have become frustrated by this, but patience and knowledge has taught me to look at the positive side of every session. Even in spite of the layoff from riding, our horses were agreeable and accepting of us, not grumpy or irritated about being back in a class or out on the trail. There can’t be enough said about the benefit of laying a good foundation when it comes to horses and horsemanship.
We often become so obsessed and preoccupied about obtaining a perfect move or achieving success in the show ring that we forget the most important facet of sensible, classical training; To help our horses be safe, calm, obedient, and happy partners.

Sherrie C gets a lesson on a rare, not so cold day

It’s wonderful when we do get to have frequent classes because our skills (quiet seat, independent hand and leg, balance – just to name a few of the technical aspects) and comprehension increase more rapidly. However, under the watchful eye of our teacher we have been gaining the secure, solid base to build upon. Just knowing that we do have a good foundation is
a boost to our confidence. Lucky Featherettes.

Cherie says mucking is a better workout than going to the gym!

I’ve come to realize how much there is to learn from the horses when we’re spending every day caring for them, leading them to turn out, feeding, grooming. Really paying attention to what they’re saying (it helps to have our Equine Interpreter around when I don’t understand what they’re telling me), how each one reacts in a different manner to situations. Every nuance means something and it’s so easy to miss it. What fun to spend time hanging out with them, talking, listening and laughing!

Staying fit for riding can be fun, too. I’m just as rusty on my skis and mountain bike as I am on the horses, and I almost felt like the snow had a mind of it’s own when I got back on skis last week. Last month I thought my mountain bike was purposely going to send me OTB (over the bars) when I rode it down some icy singletrack. In both cases, “going forward will cure most problems”, yeah, but “fear stops training” (or biking, or skiing…). This could be a great time to review the Alphabet on the Arena page, as it applies to our horses and training it could also apply to other aspects of our lives.

Cabo’s first shoes

A banner day for our little Cabo who got his very first shoes, fronts only, last week! Thank you, Judy, for expertly handling Cabo while Randy worked on his feet.

Fellow Featherette Margie is also anxious to start working her horses, particularly her new boy Apache. From the looks of this photo it appears he will soon be going into dressage training. We’re looking forward to having Micahh, Cinnamon and their new friend Apache in class as soon as the weather warms up.

Here is our mascot Hush Puppy and one of his kitty friends. What a good boy he is, always accompanying us as we make our rounds in the paddocks, letting us know when the Wild Ones are coming over to say hello. Thank you faithful Hush Puppy.

Everyone is working so diligently to keep the horses happy and healthy, and I want to thank all of you for the effort – it’s much appreciated by our horse friends. Stay warm, think good thoughts and dream of the wonderful year ahead!

Cabo says, “Thank you, auntie Judy

Back in the Saddle, Back to Schooling

This last respite/reprieve from winter has been delightful, with above average temperatures and abundant sunshine. Thankfully the ground (aka corrals) is drying out and conditions are perfect for riding. It’s been a little over a month since I last rode and though it felt good to be back in the saddle again, I am rusty. Thanks to “muscle memory” you never really forget how to ride, but after even a short hiatus I found my position in the saddle needed tweaking, so our first ride was used getting back into form.

Surprisingly, Splash wasn’t as rusty as I was. When asked, she willingly, though not perfectly, stopped, did 10 & 20 meter circles, leg yields and turns on the haunches. From her demeanor, I really think she was as happy to be back under saddle and working again as was.

The focus of our rides has been the turn on the haunches, but Splash has a habit of walking out of her turns and through my stop aides. Yesterday, Feather had me ride Splash at gait for 6-8 strides, before stopping and backing 6-8 steps. After several repetitions Splash was much lighter and more respectful of my aides.

Unfortunately, winter is back, so riding has again been put on hold. Our down time will be spent doing liberty work and ground driving in the indoor area, but I’ll be be back in the saddle as weather and time permits.

Let the Training Begin!

Anyone who has followed our blog over the past few weeks knows that we recently moved into a new facility. What wasn’t talked about much is the fact that this move took place during the coldest time of the year! The horses had the misfortune to be stuck in their stalls for almost the entire month of December, with barely any turnout due to icy conditions in the arena.
None of us had been on our horses for a month, no lessons, no trail rides, just getting through each day as best we could.
We knew all that would change once we had the horses moved to their new address -even the weather began to turnaround for the better on the day we began hauling the horses over.

So what a treat on Sunday when the Tall One said, “I think we have time for a little work; go ahead and tack up”. Whee! Peggy got Splash saddled, while I got Flicka ready and Cherie dressed Tea for groundwork. I know I felt rusty, but Flicka and Splash seemed to take everything in stride, happily giving us trot/canter transitions. Peggy said, “I didn’t expect we’d be cantering today!”. After the short but sweet session, Peggy and I decided to explore a little of our new grounds by letting the girls take us on a trail ride. What a beautiful way to begin our new year!

Kristy and Peggy and I arrived at the barn this morning and made quick work of cleaning the stalls and runs. We’re getting a feel for the place, and a system whereby we muck each stall while that occupant is in turnout. It’s all about teamwork, and we’ve also noticed the horses have settled in agreeably well and even seem to be getting tidier in the stalls!
Peggy and Kristy saddled Splash and Flicka and puttered around the outdoor arena, just to get a little saddle time and enjoy the views that surround us at Shining Mountain Ranch.

Full sessions will be starting soon, and it appears the weather will be warming up (high 40s is pretty warm after weeks of mid-teens), and we’re all looking forward to the work ahead.