In Which a "Blog Hop" Restarts My Writing Pastime

Okay, then. Long time no see! The ease of FaceBook has stolen me away from blog-land, but Aarene at Haiku Farm has started a "blog hop"--which I am taking as a personal challenge to re-activate Mountain Trail Music! This will also serve to update some of you that don't "do" FaceBook.

If you want to play along, I'll leave a clean copy of the questions in the comments.

Here's the directions:

• Answer the questions (below) on your own blog, and leave a link to that post in the comments here.
• In your post, invite readers to answer the questions on THEIR blogs, and link those blogs to yours AND to here.
• Let's see how far this can travel!
• Pictures!  Let's see lots of pictures of people and horses!

*  Introduce yourself!

HI! I'm Laurie and I consider myself "horsaii." Been addicted to horses for 55 years or so, doing everything from dude strings in the Sierras, to grooming for an Olympic eventer, to managing a 60-stall show barn, to breeding family/4H Paints, and most recently, offering retirement board for show and family horses. And just about everything in between!

My first horse, Shadow, 1969

"Holy Smokes," approximately 1975, Doylestown, PA

*  Introduce your horse(s)!

Kate (APHA "Canticle") was foaled in 2005, our fourth year of breeding Paints.

Raised here on the farm, I have done all of her training.

We've ridden all over the Eastern Washington Cascades.

She's a grandkid horse:

And sometimes she even fills in as a therapy horse:

Of the ten babies we bred, Kate is the one that still remains at EvenSong Farm.

She is my "heart horse" and will stay here as long as I am able to care for her.

(If she outlives me, she will go to my daughter's home.)

*  What's your favorite horse sport?

Since Kate was four, we have been competing in mountain trail events.

It's not your mama's arena trail class!

 

 

*Do you cross train in other activities?

Kate and I (and my other mare, Maddie, now in a new home)

have been dabbling in western and cowboy dressage for the last year or two.  

 I've also been know to hang out with a few endurance folks.

*  Who else in your family rides?

My grandkids all ride...unfortunately, it's only during the couple of weeks that they visit "Grandma's farm" each summer. My one Paint broodmare, Misty was who the older boys started out on, but Kate came up through the ranks to take more and more responsibility for the youngest one, as Misty's navicular started limiting her activities.

Mikey & Misty, 2005 (Maddie in tow)

Delaney & Brenden, on Kate (with Mom and Grandma), 2009

Mike on Kate, 2010

Delaney on Kate & Brenden on Misty, 2016

  My daughter rides with friends when she can.

Hubby Allan used to ride with me on occasion, but hasn't since this anniversary get-away in 2010.

*  What's your proudest equestrian accomplishment?

In spite of the fact that 90% of the photos in this post are of Kate and I (and I'm super proud of our partnership), I think I'm even more proud of the progress I made with Maddie over the last 15 months or so. 

Five years ago, after three years of successful green horse experiences, Maddie and I had a wreck, right in our own back yard arena. She bolted, and in the ensuing "unscheduled dismount" I wrenched my back, not to mention pummeled my confidence. 

For the four years following that, I was afraid of her, and she knew it. Every time I tried to start back up with her, all she had to do was pull a green horse stunt, and I would get off and not try again, sometimes for months.  I finally sent her to a trainer for spring and summer of 2015. He taught her lots, and never got any hint of a bolt, but he never did "click" with her--partly, I think, because he demanded things of her, and Maddie is the kind of mare than needs to be asked, with a good explanation of how and why. When I got her back home last fall, my goal was to ride, to quell the queasiness in the pit of my stomach and establish a partnership again. Then I would decide if I would keep her, or put her on the market. (I wouldn't sell her until I knew she was past all her issues.) 

We did several clinics, with moderate success. She was still flighty, but I was riding her through it. We didn't even try a lope until spring of this year, at another clinic, but when we did it with no fuss, no muss...I knew we were on the home stretch.  I actually took her to the Cowboy Mountain Trail Challenge, in Walla Walla in June. She did every obstacle I asked her to (I think I skipped two or three over the three day event)--she did them waaay too fast, and waaay not pretty, but she did what I asked. And I never once felt any butterflies about being on her.

With video from that event and one other, I put her on the market.  I had a local 4H senior come out and ride her a bit, as she had never been ridden by anyone besides the trainer and me, and she did well for her.  She now has a new home, with a couple who love her dearly.  They will primarily trail ride with her.

*  What was your lowest moment as a horse owner/rider?

I retired in June of 2014 in order to spend more time readying Kate and I for a competition season that I hoped would take us to the Regional and National Mountain Trail Championships in Eugene, Oregon.  Two weeks later Kate and I got tangled in some hidden barbed wire, while bushwhacking on a trail ride. (Feel free to get the whole gory story by going one post back on the blog.) Kate severed two tendons in her left hind, at the hock. It could have been career ending, if not life ending. She spent five weeks in a cast at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Washington State University. 

From the moment of the accident, to getting her out of the back country for emergency triage in town, to driving across the state to WSU, I was running on adrenaline and sheer determination to get Kate the help she needed. But as I drove home the next morning with an empty trailer, and topped a rise to get a panoramic view of the hills where we had been riding, I lost it.

*  What's the most important small thing you ever learned in a lesson?

That one has to support with the outside rein to gain control over the shoulders.

*  Do you have any riding rituals or superstitions?

Helmet--every time, every ride! 

*  What are your short term goals for yourself/your horse?

After WSU, Kate spent three months on stall rest here at home, then started hand walking and rehab work. Cleared to start riding her gently again the April after the accident, we did a lot of walk work and basic trail obstacles. We went to Walla Walla that June, mostly to just be at my favorite competition. Dropped down a division, and got some hesitation on certain types of obstacles. We didn't place, but we did do something much more satisfying: Kate and I were back! 

Because my focus this past year has been on Maddie, Kate has not been doing much. As soon as the weather starts improving next February/March, I plan on bringing her back into competition. The Eugene championships are back on the agenda, just a few years later than I planned. 

*  Long term goals?

I'm not sure how much longer Kate and I will compete--she will be 12 1//2 and I will be 66 by the time we get to Eugene next November. I doubt we'll make it to the "century club" (horse's age plus rider's equal 100), but I suspect we'll still be moseying down the trail for a few more years.

Teanaway River, 2010

*  If time and money were no object, what is your dream equestrian vacation?

I've always wanted to ride the Grand Canyon, as well as in the Canadian Rockies, near Banff (the latter would require getting a passport, though).

*  What kind of horse activities were you doing 10 years ago?

 We were right in the middle of our Paint breeding enterprise. Maddie and Kate were yearlings, the three geldings we raised before them were in homes, and two new fillies, both "Paints-that-ain't" were running around.

(This was actually 2007, I can tell because Kate's little sister Amy is at the center right of the frame.)

*  What kind of horse activities do you think you'll be doing 10 years from now?

The retirement farm is doing well: we're at eight retired residents, with two more on a wait-list. Because Allan and I make a commitment to keep a retiree until they pass, we have decided we probably won't take on any more after those two; possibly some short term rehab horses. As our ability to maintain the farm and horses declines, the number of horses will naturally decrease as well. We'll see...  

36 year old RT (Royal Tardez), who was part of the inspiration for the retirement business, greets "youngster," Sonny, 22

Fizz, 29, Bella 23

*  What is the quirk about your horse that you like most?

 Every year, when I haul Kate's fat, fuzzy butt out to start legging her up for the riding season, she will spend about 20 minutes on the lunge line doing airs-above-the-ground.  

February, 2011

 

January, 2010

But she always settles down and decides she's ready to go to work.

*****

Spring? Farmin'--and A Windy Day in Washtucna

Spring break is here, even if spring hasn't made an appearance yet.

Finally got my garage/shop plans finished, and approved by the county!  Lumber package delivered.

Bulbs that Pat delivered in a grocery bag are starting to sprout--guess I'd better get them planted...

More baby trees! [from Plants of the Wild]

Rented tiller doing a job on the sandy end of my arena. 

Also chopped up two pastures for re-seeding.

Home-made drag--didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Added some weight and it was a little better.

Sandy, supervising.

Seeding with broadcast spreader loaned with the purchase of seed.

Adding more seed.

In amongst all this farming, I actually got in a little bit of horse time.  Pat and I hauled down to Valley View Training Center as often as possible during February.  The first time I just took Kate, and she was very good--none of the "airs above the ground" that we usually get the first time out in the new year.

The next time I took Maddie along--didn't ask much of her, just a little bit of relaxed longeing, and then asked her to stand quietly while I worked Kate.  Not only did that not work out so well, Kate also dug a hole to China while she was tied waiting for me to finish with Maddie!

So the following weekend, they both had a lesson in patience...

I have used hobbles on Kate before, but not in a while.  Once she tested them a bit, Kate was pretty good.  Not particularly happy, but good.

Maddie, on the other hand, has never had an initial session with her legs hobbled, so we went to the center of the arena, put them on, and then stepped back to let her explore the experience.  Maddie's always been very sensible when her legs get tangled in anything, so when she stood like a rock I figured that was that.  But when I mounted Kate and began a little work with her, Maddie tried to follow us.

When she tried to step forward, and couldn't, she started to lose her balance, forward towards her nose.  It took her a couple of hops to regain it, but by then she figured out that she could hop on around the space a bit.  Unfortunately, the limitations of the hobbles meant that to maintain her balance, she had to "gal-oop" forward.  She completed four circuits of the arena before deciding that was too much work.  (Pat's green little horse, Chief, handled it quite well, though his eyes got pretty big when Maddie came barreling down the side of the arena towards him; I hopped off Kate to stay out of the way.)  Once Maddie got stopped, I started working Kate again, beginning at the same end of the arena as Maddie.  But as I moved away, Maddie once more gal-ooped along--but this time less than a quarter of a lap.  Then she positioned herself in the corner, facing out, where she could keep an eye on us, but made no further effort to follow.

Once I had worked Kate a bit at the walk and a little jogging, we practiced our ponying, and called it a day.

The next weekend, both girls stood quietly without the benefit of the hobbles.

Maddie worked very nicely on the longe, with no fuss about saddling.  She also stood quietly at the mounting block while I bounced up and down, then laid across her back and stood in the stirrups.  If I'd had my helmet on I might have gone ahead and climbed on, as she showed no hint of her past issues about mounting!  But by the time I retrieved my brain bucket, I'd had enough time to over-think the prospect, and decided that it was not the day to push my luck. 

I went on to work Kate instead.  Significant thing here was that Kate and I actually got into the lope that day--off-balance and dis-jointed, but we did it! 

The following week we got it again, but Kate attitude was lousy.  I'm not sure if it is just that she feels so awkward, that I'm not sitting it well, or if the saddle is an issue with her, as we have suspected it might be with Maddie.  I really don't want to start shopping again!

Fast forward to spring break:

After last fall's mini-clinic and competition at Hooper Crossing Ranch, I had set my sights on doing a semi-private lesson with Keith Danielson again in the spring.  My hope was to get two other riders from the Kittitas Valley Trail Riders to join me, to keep the overall price down, and share gas costs.  As it turned out, we took six riders, five horses and a mule (Gracie Belle!) in two trailers, and ended up with another mini-clinic.

We started out in the arena, doing a lot of suppling work and lateral movements.

Then moved to some poles and other obstacles.

Then we headed out on the outside course!

KATE! leading a couple of greenies across the squishy board! (along with some of the other water obstacles).

 All in all, Kate had a great day!  She tried all but one of the obstacles, even getting across the astro-turf covered, horse-eating mattress!  The only one she wouldn't have anything to do with was stepping up on the stump--she couldn't see any point to that, since she could just as easily walk around.

The biggest compliments we got were when Warren (on the bay Paint "Willybegood") got all excited that Kate was able to convince the two youngsters to cross the water (it was Warren who helped me get Maddie across her first creek, three years ago), and when Michelle commented that "Kate is really getting to be a great trail horse!"

Life is good!