Horseback Riding

This was the week for it...riding lesson on Wednesday, Trail Ride on Thursday, and a trail ride on Connie's Loop with Dennis on Saturday. Doc is pooped!

Trail Ride on Thursday

After 2 days of rain, wind and really cold days, we finally got a break just in time for our Trail Ride on Thursday. It was a beautiful day, cool but sunny; just right for horseback riding. We went to Laguna again, riding the Red Roost trail. The horses were perfect.

Riding Lesson

Wednesday's riding lesson was great. We've had trouble with Doc throwing a fit when asked to canter when we take our lesson in the large arena. Today we rode first in the smaller round pen and he was just great--cantered on both leads without any problem. Good boy. Later we went back to the large arena and worked on roll-backs and other stuff. He was good there, too. No cantering in the large arena though. Doc loves to do schooling work. He's so proud of doing good and always wants a pat from Betsy after he does something good. He's so much fun.

Riding in Laguna

Today's Trail Ride on Thursday took place in Laguna. We thought it would be ok because it has been two weeks since the big snow storm. Still, there was a little snow left in the shady spots. Moreover, the water was running along some of the trails. I learned something today: Doc does not like to walk in water. He never put up a fuss before when crossing water, but he does not like to walk down a trail with water running under his feet. Everything was going so well until the end when we came across a dip in the trail with running water. Doc took a drink as he normally does, but then he took a huge jump over the water to the other side. Flying is fun.

Riding on Wednesday

Wednesday is usually my day to have a riding lesson, but today Betsy, my trainer, was in Hawaii, so no lesson. Instead, I exercised Doc in the new round pen, then rode him in the new arena. It was fun, and, of course, Doc was perfect.

Trail Ride on Thursday

Now I really feel we're back on schedule. Lesson on Wednesday and Trail Ride on Thursday. That's the name we've given to our trail riding "group" of two: me and Joyce. Others may join us from time to time, too, but it's usually only Joyce and I. This was only the second time we've gone to Cuyamaca since my accident last August. Last week we also rode in Cuyamaca because the Lagunas had quite a bit of snow from the last storm. Horses can ride in the snow (Doc likes it), but ice is problemmatic. No one wants to be slipping and sliding on ice riding on horseback, not to mention falling and being crushed by a 1,000-lb. horse.

Even Cuyamaca was somewhat challenging due to all the rain from the storm. Trails we've ridden easily before the storm were running streams last week when we rode. This Thursday's ride, however, was uneventful except for the tree on the trail incident. We were almost back to the parking lot on a narrow trail with a cliff on the right when we came upon a fairly large v-shaped tree limb that the horses would have to step over twice. It was too much for Doc and he balked and started to back up toward the cliff, which was too much for me. Joyce got off her horse and tried to move the limb, but it was too heavy, so she walked her horse over the logs and I did the same. Then, because of my stupid knee and my short legs, I had to hunt down a big rock or tree stump to use as a mounting block. We found a large stump at the mounted patrol's camp so I was able to climb up and mount from there, and we were off riding again.   A good day.

Finally, a Riding Lesson

After several weeks of bad weather or absences, Betsy and I finally got together for our regular Wednesday horseback riding lesson. Doc was ready. He is such a good horse, stands like a rock for mounting and dismounting. That's very important now that my left knee (the mounting leg) has a missing ACL after the electric bike incident last August. I wear an ACL brace now when riding or doing any other exercise that might strain or tweak the knee. Riding with the brace is not excellent but I'm giving it a try and Doc is very accommodating.

The lesson went well. The wind was blowing fairly hard, but horses don't seem to mind it as much as we do. Just another day for them. Doc and I are practicing roll backs as a way to get him to use his rear legs and muscles to push him, rather than his front legs to pull him along. At least I think that's what we were doing. Of course, Doc already knows all this; I'm the one who's learning and, luckily, I have the best trainer ever to help me. :)

To do a roll back, we ride close to the rail in the arena and, as we get to a certain point, I turn my head toward the rail while applying pressure with my leg back from the girth (button 3). Turning my head causes my body to apply pressure along with my leg so that the horse turns toward the rail and pivots (if we both do it right) on his rear leg so that we are now going in the opposite direction with a push from his rear instead of a pull from his front. Ta da!

Is that right, Betsy?

We're Back

We made it! Shalla and I trailered from the barn to the mountains in little less than 40 minutes, arriving around 8:50 a.m. Joyce arrived with her horse around 9:00 and we were well down the trail by 9:15. It was a gorgeous day, blue sky and warm, but not hot. Perfect. Shalla started off a little hot, as in ready to go, but she was great all the way. A wonderful trail horse. Why did it take me 20 years to ride her? I guess I just wasn't ready. Anyway, we got back in one piece and all is well with the world. Horses are the best.

Really Catching Up

I can't believe it has been over a year since my last post in August 2007. It's almost the end of 2008! I either ran out of things to say or time to say it in.

But here I am just finishing up another Xmas Express newsletter (our 23rd) and getting ready to go for another trail ride in the mountains. I still ride with the same friend, Joyce, and normally the same horse, Doc. But today is a little different. It's cold, for one thing. The high Santa Ana winds we were having the past two days have died down so it should be a pleasant day. Today I am riding Shalla, one of our Arabian horses.