Epona and Tumbleweed, Off to School

Watching Epona’s session from Tweed’s back.

Yesterday was the first day of Epona’s training, so she accompanied us to the park and went first. It gave me time to work with, then ride, Tumbleweed. 

Epona looks so small here. The photo was taken from atop Tweed looking down. 

Epona did great for her first time, but she needs lots and lots of exposure. All the new horses, and things to see, hear, and smell, had her very distracted. No surprise there. She’s just a young horse who needs adventures and trail miles. 

It was the first time my daughter had met Katie, and she was impressed with her. They have almost exactly the same riding/working with horses styles. Since my daughter works full time and is a mama when she’s off, there isn’t enough time to bring Epona along on her own. She sent Epona off for 90 days training the last couple of years, but it’s time to do the trails here now, and Katie, like with me and Tweed, will supplement her work and keep things going. 

The big question was how would Tumbleweed do with Epona there, and well, he did great. Quite a bit better than when Leah came. There was a small hiccup when he got back to the equestrian park. Epona saw him at a distance and started to whinny out. That got him emotional and wanting to rush back. 

Poor Tweed. It’s like the goofy kid in class who gets the other, studious kid, laughing, and then when the teacher looks, it’s the hard-working kid who gets in trouble. 

Off to the arena they went. Tweed was not happy and began swinging his head around at the gate, but he went back to work for just a little bit and ended on a good note. 

When he finally got back to the trailer, he wanted nothing to do with Epona and wouldn’t even look at her. 

Back home, I put them in their stalls for their supplements, but when I went out later to release them, Epona came out, but Tweed refused and wanted to stay in. 

It appears he is developing an independence. 

Speechless Wordless Stunned

 

Trail Training Videos by Ryan Rose

I am a big fan of Ryan Rose and have subscribed to his Patreon channel for almost as long as it has been available. I love the way he explains things. 

He has made some trail training videos, which I’m sharing here today and are free to watch on YouTube. A lot of what we already do, but some new stuff, too. And some very good points that I appreciate him making. 

For example, those first training rides should be with people who understand to stop and wait for you when you need to school your horse. 

I had one ride last summer where my friend got bored and asked if she could ride off while I schooled the hill that we had all the trouble on. I was like NO, please. I have enough to deal with without adding herd bound, too. A horse who’s already emotional doesn’t need to see his trail buddy ride off. 

Another thing he brings up is that it’s okay to dismount if the issue gets too big for you to handle in the circumstances. (Something I have done and written about on this blog.) You can always get to safety, then get back on. I don’t think it should be your standard practice, and whatever the issue is, it needs to be addressed, afterward, by you or a trainer or both. 

Tweed’s misbehaviors were in places that I couldn’t safely put him in a circle, steep hills, and they required more than I was willing to risk with my abilities. I did try to do it by myself for a long time, but had to cry uncle. 

When I could bushwhack down a hill it was always much better, for him, than riding the trail straight down. (Katie has discovered the same thing.) It puts his mind to work. Unfortunately, bushwhacking is not always possible. It’s maybe 50/50 in the terrain where we ride. Where he can’t bushwhack, Katie is backing him back up the hill (I did that, too) when he rushes it, or repeating the hill until he starts paying attention to his feet. (He can get upset about repeating hills, and that’s where I felt it was better to have Katie school it. She agrees that rushing hills is unsafe to ride, and that it needs to be addressed and she had quite the long lesson doing just that last week, plus putting him to work when he got back to the trailhead and buddy.)

The last video I’ve shared of Ryan’s is specifically about buddy sour training. I’ve done a lot of it with Tumbleweed and we will continue to do a lot more. He is so much better than he was two years ago and continues to improve. One day, he will be a brave, independent lead horse. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

There’s also a video on riding out alone, something I do a lot of since it’s so hard to find someone with a solid horse that has the time, same crazy schedule, and patience to let us school. 

I’m sharing them all here for personal reference and for others who are trail training a horse and need extra tips.

I hope he puts out more. 

 

Happy Trails!

Tweed’s Rainy Wonderful Ride

Katie and Tumbleweed riding off

Yesterday was a Katie Day, as I babysat my grandson and dealt with a painful cracked tooth. The tooth had been bothering me for a few months, but they couldn’t pinpoint the issue at my last appointment. It finally made itself fully known, and hopefully will be resolved at my emergency appointment this morning. 

It was raining off and on, but Katie wanted to ride anyway. Needless to say, we had the entire park to ourselves. 

I took photos of wildflowers as I waited for them to get back. 

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Biscuitroot 

Serviceberry

When they got back to the truck, it had stopped raining and we stood and talked for a few minutes. 

Tweed, looking tired

She had ridden him down to the river and taken him in, then rode back up a set of hills we had an issue with last year, (he wanted to go up them faster, since they’re steep), but was easily checked. All and all, she said it was his best ride yet. He was fully there for her. 

We didn’t have a mare that day, which probably helped. And I’d given him his first, very small, dose of chasteberry that morning, but that shouldn’t have made a difference so quickly. Katie said he definitely wasn’t “dull.” He still looked at scary things, like some graffiti on a building by the river, and a man and dog who popped out of nowhere. He didn’t love the rainy deluge either. She said he looked back at her like, really, we’re going to do this? But trudged on with good energy. 

If I’m going to ride between now and our next Katie Day, I will have to Cowgirl up like she did and brave the rain.  

But first, I have some tooth business to attend to. 

Happy trails!

59 and Grateful

Yesterday was my birthday, and what will be the last year of my 50’s. It started out appropriately for such an occasion, I was still sick with the grandson’s cold, thus a little tired and loopy. It was the perfect excuse to do nothing. 

Nothing can, actually, be quite nice. No expectations. No rushing around. Just a blank slate of a day “to be.”

My kids and grandkids came mid-afternoon bearing more flowers. 

And my favorite Bundt cake. 

We had a laid back dinner, opened presents, and then sat and visited for a few hours. 

When I went to bed last night, it was easy to be thankful. As I’ve said before, I think gratitude is a super power. It is certainly good medicine, because today I feel almost fully back to normal.

One of my gifts was a favorite wine called, “God Only Knows” by Cayuse. I told them I’d save it and open it next year on my 60th.

“God only knows” what will happen by then, a lot can happen in a year, but I will try to remember to cling to thankfulness no matter what unfolds.

From the documentary, Path of the Horse

Small, small things:

One leaf touched by the sun,
One small smell.
When we are dying,
I promise you,
The memories you will have
In your last seconds
Are about these small things
Touching our skin:
One leaf,
One moment with your child.
Not the big things.
We will remember the small things.

These small things are added
To a fulfilled life,
Or not.

Not the big things.

Klaus Hempfling