Long Time Away

OK. I know I've been a major slacker, but believe me, I've had good reason. Yes, I've still been riding my girl, but time has been short for a lot of reasons. I have started a business called Equine Solutions: Sports Massage Therapy. (Look for me here: http://www.facebook.com/EquineSolutionsESMT ) I am massaging horses here and there as well as trimming 12 to 15 horses a week as well as teaching three riding students each week. Of course I still have my part time job at the school. So. Ahem. I have good reasons for not writing!

I will try to post on a regular schedule again. My riding time has been challenged, but I still manage to get Jetta out on a good ride 2-3 times each week. (Not enough really, but enough for now.) Keno gets out, too, but he needs more.

Today I took Jetta to my trimming appointment, and after trimming three horses, the owner and I headed out for a ride. We've had incredibly nice weather for December and it was wonderful today. Jetta was good and it was wonderful therapy for me. Here is the one picture I took:

I have some video from my crazy ride on Monday. I'll try to catch up on my blogging this weekend and post some photos and report on other rides.

Last Ride In The Canyon?

My friend Gail and I had a glorious ride in the canyon last Monday. Unfortunately, I think it may have been our last chance to ride up there unless we want to ride in the snow! The first photo below is from Monday, the next photo was my yard this morning! A big contrast to say the least!

Personally, I prefer the first photo! However, we do have an indoor arena close by, so this morning I headed down there to teach a lesson. I found eight horses already there, so Olivia had her first lesson with other riders and lots of activity around. She and Keno did great! Afterwards I took Keno home, and brought Jetta down for a taste of the action. This was our first ride in a "crowded" arena. There was a farrier working, kids running around, more kids practicing their saddle-bronc skills, and a guy working a green colt, and of course more horses tied to the railings. Jetta definitely got an eye full, but I'm happy to say that after the initial "whoohoo," she remained sane and calm. We worked in the "scary" corners and carried on with our ride in the midst of a noisy, busy place. I was very happy with her! We even made some progress with bending and softening. I was especially relieved she didn't freak out when the snow went sliding off the roof making a big crash--a lot of horses do! 

Canyon Ride

Nothing lifts my spirits like riding through the woods on a forward, enthusiastic mare on a glorious fall afternoon. Yesterday was such a day. Jetta and I missed our dream of riding at the Moab Canyons endurance ride this year due to various unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances, but we met our fitness and readiness goals. So today we celebrated that fact by taking a "leisurely" stroll around the Ponderosa Trail. "Leisurely" is a very relative term when it comes to Jetta. Yes, I asked her to stay at a walk for most of the ride, but she "power-walked" up the mountain, around and down the other side with enthusiasm.

The deer hunt is over and the deer must have known it; we saw several deer out and about, and we saw six elk--the first I've seen all year! One bull had good sized antlers, too. Jetta's head went up and she stared, but that was her less-than-dramatic reaction to her first elk sighting! We also saw a sage hen, and lots of wild turkeys. The woods were beautiful even though the leaves have fallen. Check out the pictures:

It's kind of hard to feel sorry for yourself on a ride like this, so I didn't. We missed Moab, but we'll still get to Jetta's first endurance ride. In the meantime, we'll continue training and work on getting her saddle fit issues sorted out. And we'll keep enjoying rides like this one!

Boo Hoo.

Boo hoo hoo!! Waaa waaaa! I want to go to Moab! No fair! Sniff.

Ok. I got that out of my system. Maybe. I have been planning to go to the Moab Canyons ride all summer with Jetta. She's ready. But life gets in the way sometimes.

Other than questioning my saddle fit, Jetta is ready to do 25 miles, I think. She's had two weeks off because I went to San Diego to the Equissage course, which I'm happy to report, I PASSED! (It was an intense, study filled, brain stretching week, but it was truly wonderful, and I am ready to launch a new business--more about that later.) Saddle fit issues are huge in this sport obviously since riding long distances in an ill-fitting saddle would certainly be damaging. But I think the new saddle is a good match, and I'd be willing to give it a shot since we'd be doing a "slow" 25-miler if that was the only thing conspiring against me.  But I had truck trouble this week (think $$$) and in addition, today I had the distressing news that my beloved English pointer, Duke, likely has lymphoma. The vet is running some tests (also $$$) and I'll have the results by Monday. If it is cancer, I'm going to be really devastated. I've had this dog 11 years and he's a good friend. Apparently, this is just not my week. I think financially as well as for Duke's sake, I'd better stay close to home. I will miss the fun of riding Jetta in Moab, and she will have to have her debut into endurance in the spring. I'll miss seeing my endurance friends, but they've probably forgotten all about me by now anyway. Oh, well. There will be other rides.

The new business will be called Equine Solutions: Sports Massage Therapy and Natural Barefoot Hoof Care. Solutions will hopefully become my full time job within the next six months. I am putting my plan into place and taking the steps to make that happen. Jetta was my first paying client (OK, fine---she paid me by nuzzling me on the chin....not every client will get away with that!) I gave her a full massage last night and I'm happy to note her back issues seem much better since Kylie worked on her three weeks ago. Sports massage therapy is amazingly effective. I am very excited to know that I have the knowledge and ability to help horses heal in a very concrete way.

I have a lesson to teach tomorrow morning, then I am going to take Jetta for a long ride somewhere. I will mope about missing all the fun in Moab, but I'm sure she'll cheer me up within the first few miles!

Freight Train!

I just totally love the fall! Nice temps, gorgeous colors, and beautiful blue skies! Jetta and I met Tammy up in the canyon to ride around the Ponderosa Loop trail. Actually Tammy was there before we were; Jetta and I headed up the trail to chase her and Joker down! They had a 15 minute head start, but Jetta thundered up the trail like she was on a vital mission. She just ate up the mountain like it was nothing! I actually love riding the freight train. I am able to rate her, but if I let her choose the pace, it's FAST!

We caught up to Tammy and Joker and settled into a more relaxed, sociable pace! It truly was a glorious day to be out there. I found I was quite comfortable in the new (albeit squeaky!) Ortho-flex saddle, and Jetta seemed comfortable as well. She offered to canter several times and showed no attitude, pinned ears or anything undesirable! We trotted and walked the rest of the loop, enjoying the day.

Just before dropping down to the gate near the creek at the end of the loop, Jetta and I said good-bye to our friends and turned around to retrace our steps the way we had come. Jetta thought about arguing with me about leaving her buddy, but got over it very quickly and set off like a freight train again. She climbed like a machine nearly all the way to the top of the loop. Finally I slowed her and we continued more reasonably. Halfway down the other side we ran into another trail rider coming up the trail. We said hello and carried on our way back to the river and our trailer.

Jetta did those eleven or so miles with no real challenge. She is fit and ready (at least physically!) to go to Moab at the end of the month to try her hoof at a 25 mile ride. We've got another couple of days to ride, then I'm heading off to Equissage California to do a course in equine sports massage therapy while she rests up a bit. I'll be gone a week, then have a day or two to do a couple of easy rides with Jetta, then head for ride camp four hours away. Whew. After that, I think I'll rest.

New Saddle Report

I'm not quite sure what to make of the new saddle; neither was Jetta, I'm sure! This is a used Ortho-flex I purchased on the weekend---much cheaper than you'd normally find one. I made a couple of modifications this afternoon and took Jetta out to Dog Valley to see how she took to it.

I removed the stirrup leathers that came with it; I think they are quite nice dressage leathers with half inch holes and super supple leather, but they aren't original to this saddle. I added my wider endurance leathers with sheepskin covers and endurance stirrups. Then I added a sheepskin seat cover. That definitely helped me feel like the saddle isn't quite so big. (I think I could be happier with a slightly smaller seat.) I also used my usual Wintec dressage girth which was a better fit on Jetta.

Now you must remember, I am used to a treeless saddle---either the Black Forest Shasta I ride Keno in, or the Bandos Trail saddle I usually ride Jetta in. The Bandos is cushy, cushy, cushy, so my tushy was in for quite a shock in this Ortho-flex even with its padded stitch-down seat! I felt like I was riding on one of those plastic horses you can put a quarter in at Walmart. That's how stiff and hard this saddle felt. And it is extremely squeaky! Quiet if I two-point, but noisy if I'm sitting in it! After a couple of miles I started to get accustomed to the feel and I was not uncomfortable at all. It just felt very hard under me. I'm used to feeling my horse's every move with the treeless.

Jetta also had a little learning curve with this saddle. She was unhappy for the first couple of miles and at one point when I asked her to canter, she actually offered to BUCK! She finally went cantering along with pinned ears and a hollow back. Hmmmm. Not what I expected! We continued at the trot for a couple more miles and did a few transitions. She began to blow and relax a little and then she began to lower her head and use her topline a bit. And a bit more. That was a wow moment. Jetta was really forward and fast like always, but she was actually reaching forward for the contact (in the bitless bridle, no less) and she rounded her back voluntarily. She has just had three sessions of bodywork, so maybe her back is just feeling better. OR maybe she was getting used to the feel of this almighty squeaky saddle and perhaps she found it not uncomfortable after all.

We continued down the trail for another few miles. Jetta traveled easily downhill at the walk, too. We did some more trot work, even working on some leg-yielding at the trot. That was a new thing for her and she accepted it easily. I asked her to canter again and she was smooth and easy.

So. The conclusion: only time will tell. Jetta and I will use this saddle again on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and see what happens. I hope it works for us. I need to know she can do 25 miles comfortably so I can take her to Moab at the end of the month! Check out the video I took somewhere in the last mile or so of our ride.

Finally--The Red Rock Pasture Trail!

Well, I've been waiting all summer to take Jetta to the Red Rock Pasture, and I finally did! This is a technical trail. The trail starts high on the Nebo Loop Road and drops 1600 feet in four miles. There are multiple creek crossings, ledges, drop-offs, dead fall, and boulders. Tammy and I had a fabulous ride on a glorious sunny fall day; mountain riding doesn't get better than this!

Jetta lead out the whole way; she was forward and brave, only hesitated once or twice when faced with a tough spot on the trail. She was absolutely stellar--I couldn't be happier with her! She really ate up the trail. Going down we mostly walked as it's steep and rocky. On the way back up we did trot a lot of the first three miles. Even though it's a rough trail, it's my very favorite because it is so beautiful.

The cabin was built by the CCC worker in the 1930's. For years people have signed their names on the walls when they've visited. I've been riding this trail for ten years and I never get tired of it! Enjoy the videos!

Jetta has had three visits to the massage therapist this week; he has helped her a lot, but I am not convinced my saddle is not hurting her. So yesterday I happened to see an ad for a used Ortho-flex stitch-down endurance saddle for sale by a lady an hour away from here. She was asking $375 for the saddle, leathers, booties, two high quality dressage girths, and a new Toklat trail pad with pockets. Now I recognize a good deal when I see one, and this was one! So I went and picked it up. I tried it on Jetta in the arena and it seems a good fit. It may however be too big for me, but I'm going to add a fleece seat cover and see if that helps. My only personal experience with an Ortho-flex was when I rode a borrowed horse in a 50-mile endurance ride in Florida. I rode in that saddle for seven hours and it didn't make me sore! I'm hoping this will work for us and help Jetta's back. If not, I'll sell it on, but I'll be asking a lot more than $375!

Massage Therapy

Jetta's anxiety about cantering has been a concern for me ever since I've been riding her. It's difficult to know if it's a training issue or a saddle fit issue or just general discomfort, but she gets tense when asked to canter. Of course, I have wondered if it was bad memories from her race training days (i.e. anticipating someone using a whip at the canter or gallop) or if she just didn't like the arena. Out on trail she has improved her attitude somewhat; at least she is offering to canter once in awhile. Anyway, since the massage therapist has helped Keno SO dramatically, I though I'd give him a chance to work on Jetta to see what he could find.

(I am actually going to Equissage California next month to get my own certification in equine sports massage therapy, but I don't have the knowledge to work on her myself yet. I've enjoyed the benefits of having Kylie work on my gelding, and since Jetta seems uncomfortable I don't want to wait another month until I can work on her myself.)

Kylie is a farrier/cowboy/massage therapist, and he does a good job. I took Jetta to his place, about five miles from where I live. Lo and behold, he quickly determined Jetta has a very sore back, mostly (90%) on the left side. He worked her over really well and she tolerated it, but was quite irritated about the sore spots. It was very obvious where the sore spots were: high on her back just in front of her loin, left ham string muscles, and a couple of spots on the left side of her neck/shoulder. She was a little sore on the right side back area, but not as bad as the left side.

We talked about saddle fit. I ride in two different treeless saddles, but have mostly used the Bandos trail saddle and a Suber pad. After looking at the saddle, Kylie thought that the soreness could have "come with the horse." In other words, Jetta may have had this problem since before I got her in March. I tend to agree since she has acted the same way all along. I've been riding her for four and a half months now, and she is always forward and fun, but occasionally I see a little tension popping up. I have consistently seen the anxiety/attitude with canter work in the arena. So we'll see if Kylie can fix the problem; he'll work on her again on Wednesday. If the soreness returns in a few days or weeks, I'll have to think about a saddle change.

I was considering taking Jetta to Cedar City for the Quichipa Lake endurance ride this weekend. Now I'm not so sure. Kylie says she'll be good by then, but I'd like to know for sure it's NOT the saddle before I ask her to do 25-30 miles. And Saturday's ride is 30 miles instead of just 25. That extra five is a pretty big extra for a horse's first competition, even if I am going to go slow. Bears thinking about, for sure. Sigh.

I'm Back!

I've had a long break from writing my blog due to other exciting events such as my youngest daughter's wedding, my oldest daughter's having a baby, and my mother coming out for a wonderful visit. But now I'm back! I got Jetta out on three rides this week, and the two weeks off work didn't seem to hurt her at all--she's fit and full of it! She has made so much progress since I acquired her in March--she's growing up! (And looking good, too!) Jetta is forward and willing with just enough attitude to make riding her exciting.

Check out our video from yesterday:

I'm thinking that Jetta is ready for her first 25-mile debut into the sport of endurance riding. That may be happening in the very near future! More on that later, though.....

On Top Of The World

What a beautiful morning in the mountains! I took Jetta up in the canyon to ride the corral road, which is a 3-4 mile climb to the top, complete with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. Jetta made short work of the climb---powered right up there with plenty of power! On the way back down we worked on softening, bending, lateral and vertical flexion, and leg yielding. What a great girl she is!

Birthday Ride

Friday morning (since I was NOT at work, having been granted permission to try out a four-day work week at the school!) I went for a ride with a few friends to celebrate Judy's birthday. We rode the Ponderosa Loop with Jetta leading most of the way since they all declared they didn't want to have their butts videoed with the helmet cam! OK by me---Jetta likes being out in front!

It was a beautiful day for a ride, even a hint of fall in the air. The footing was perfect most of the way due to recent rains. It was great to ride "dust free" but when we came down the steep hill from the frog pond it was like trying to get traction on Crisco! Jetta got anxious and had a hard time keeping her feet under her. I got off and hiked down, leading her. That worked pretty well, and I got back on to finish the ride when we got to drier footing. The other horses (all older, experienced horses) handled it OK. Going up that hill may have been totally impossible! Slicker than slick!

Other than the slippery footing, the rest of the ride was great--Jetta powered up the mountain like a machine, and she went past the gates, boulders, etc. like any good trail horse would do. I'd have to say she's not really green anymore! Yes, she still needs some education, but it's mostly down to the dressage type training now. I continue to work on that on trail, but come winter, she'll get a lot of it in the arena, too.

Check out the latest video:

Pete Winward Loop Trail

 Fall is (almost) in the air! The maple leaves are beginning to change up on the mountain, so my friend Sharon and I headed up to check it out. We rode a loop near the Pete Winward reservoir. The trail we rode is not an official forestry service trail so they don't maintain it which makes it fun to ride because of all the dead fall! Jetta led the way and trotted easily over the fallen logs and she actually jumped a couple of them! What a fun ride she is! I may end up having to take her over to Zephyr Ranch to play on the cross country course one day. She might just like jumping! We've got lots of basic schooling left to do first, but eventually we may get around to doing some grid work and cross rails; she is forward and gaining confidence and is certainly athletic enough to jump.

She went well today and trotted up some big hills. She seems to be energy efficient and when we come back down to a walk, she recovers quickly. I need to get out my stethoscope and actually find out her resting heart rate and do some real P&R's. She seems to be pretty fit. Fit enough to be showing a little feisty attitude once in a while!

I had fun playing with the helmet cam again today. I'll post a couple of clips when they are uploaded. It's a great trail winding through the quakies and pines with good footing and lots of logs to pop over. Riding such an enthusiastic horse on a trail like this is a blast!

This evening I logged onto the EasyCare blog to read the daily post, and low and behold, there was Jetta's hoof! (Yes, even though I trim almost 50 horses each month, I still recognize her hooves!) Actually one of the customer care consultants wrote a post about my boot fitting dilemmas with Jetta a few months ago. I am very happy to report that her boots are still performing perfectly which I credit to a proper fit, power straps to fine-tune the fit, and a correctly and regularly maintained hoof. Zero boot failures and NOT counting! Gotta love it! See their August 27 post at:

 http://blog.easycareinc.com/

Cruising!

Dirt bikes! 

And what goes up, must come down...

Canyon Fun With The Girl

Jetta and I headed out alone again this morning to get a hill climbing workout. This time we headed onto the Ponderosa Trail loop in a counter-clockwise direction--going up the way we usually come down. This gave us an entirely different view and Jetta was taking in that new view with caution! She looked at logs, stumps, and rocks like they might come after us! She got over the spookiness quickly, though, and got to work. She climbed steadily and quickly, and she recovered quickly also. She's in pretty good shape I think and should be ready to try a 25-miler in October.

I used the helmet cam again and got several good clips! No problems with filming today. I'm still figuring out the editing software, but I'll get there eventually. I'm super-excited to be able to show off some of my favorite trails especially as fall is just around the corner; I have already seen red maples up here in the canyon!

At the top of the loop, I ran into Tammy and Helen as they rode the clock-wise direction. They turned around and rode the rest of the trail with Jetta and me. Jetta was very forward and seemed to really be enjoying herself today. I definitely enjoy riding her, but I'm sure that's been pretty obvious!

Crossing the creek

 

No passing room!

Trotting The Trail With The Helmet Cam

I headed up to the Ponderosa Trail this morning with Jetta to do some hill work and play with the helmet camera my husband gave me last Christmas. I know, I know, Christmas was a long time ago, but I am just now getting around to figuring out how to use it! Riding Flyboy was a full-time, two-handed operation and I didn't feel like it was worth complicating our ride by trying to video. Jetta however is so forward and fun that I need to record these times, so I read the instruction and tried it out! The unedited video is below. I thought I took several short videos instead of a long piece, but something was wrong and I only got the one clip, but hey, it's a start!

I don't normally ride this trail alone anymore because I got scared about the bears, but it's a great trail and there were no bears out today!

Around We Go Again

Jetta and I rode around the whole Ponderosa Trail loop this morning--six miles at a bit quicker pace this time. It's a great trail, not too rocky, but steep and mountainous with a few technical questions. In other words, it's a great training and conditioning trail. Jetta is getting fit and seems to really enjoy being out on the trail. She led most of the way. We had a little spook when a deer jumped out of the gully below us, and again when the wild turkeys we were chasing flew into some low trees, but nothing very exciting. She's a pretty cool cookie, that's for sure.

Our first 25 miler will hopefully be the Quichipa Lake ride near Cedar City a mere six weeks away! There a still a few things I want to work on with her training-wise, and I MUST get her back boots ordered and in place to see if they'll even work. Other than those "minor" issues, I think we'll be ready!

Just Follow The Ears

Jetta is turning into such a big girl! I took my ten-year-old riding student on a trail ride this morning--she rode Keno. Jetta and I took the lead and Jetta powered up the mountain, through the creeks, over the ledgy sections, past the wild turkeys running through the oak brush, and everywhere I pointed her. She is a hill-climbing machine! Keno had to really get his rear in gear to keep up. Olivia thought it was a lot of fun; she especially liked quick-trotting up the trail through the rabbit brush. She's been taking weekly lessons for nearly a year now, so she's getting fairly proficient. Keno is an excellent experienced trail horse and takes good care of his riders. We only rode part of the trail, but it was a good workout for Keno and a lot of fun.

Check out the photos:

Follow the ears wherever they lead....

At the Frog Pond

Keno and his girlfriend

Tomorrow Jetta and I are going back to the same to the same trail, this time to cover some territory at a quicker pace. She'll love it!

Arena Time

Today I had to teach a lesson so I decided both horses could use a good arena schooling session. I turned Jetta and Keno loose to run first, and did they ever! Jetta ran and ran and ran! Keno was valiant in his efforts to keep up. It seemed quite humid this morning, so they were sweaty within a short time. I rode Keno first. The other week I took him to an equine massage therapist to see if his stiffness/hock soreness could be addressed. I have taken him to the chiropractor and the vet already. He had his hocks injected with negligible results. This has been ongoing for nine months; he has been unable to even trot over ground poles without stumbling. Since I have been wanting to take a course and get certified as a message therapist, I decided to try it out and see if it could help my boy, and let me watch a therapist in action at the same time. He had three visits and holy cow! Keno is MUCH improved. Flexible, forward, light, bendy. We trotted over poles for the first time this year and he was fine! Yay! I have my guy back!

Keno then gave a new beginner rider a lesson--horsemanship/ground skills as well as walk/trot under saddle.   Big improvement all the way around. I was already a believer in massage therapy, but this dramatic improvement was unexpected!

Jetta waited at the trailer through all of this with no fussing. I then rode her for about 30 minutes. She started out being a little snotty actually. By this I mean making faces and pinning her ears when I asked her to bend and move off my leg. She got over it quickly though. I think this is defensive behavior she came with. I never see it on the trail, only in the arena. We went on to work on bending, turning, softening, small steps toward self-carriage, and transitions. I lost the softness at the trot, though, so we went back to working at the walk. Later things improved so we worked at the trot again. Jetta trotted through the ground poles perfectly, too. She's a fun girl. I wish I knew what they did to her in her initial training to make her so defensive, though. She'll outgrow it, I'm sure, but she's obviously afraid someone or something is going to hurt her. I asked her to back up a few times, met some resistance, but kept asking until she gave me a few good steps. Then I hopped off and told her what a good girl she is.

Out To Beat Pete

Jetta and I headed out alone this morning to do a solo journey around the seven or eight mile loop trail we call Pete Winward. Our goal was to ride the loop in an hour and a half as opposed to the two and a quarter hours we rode it in last week. Last week we were with trail riding friends and trotted some, but today we trotted everywhere the footing was good (and not too downhill!) which is almost all of the first half and some of the last half.

Jetta started out a little insecure, looking at downed trees and funny-shaped logs and acting a little silly, but it didn't take long for her to settle and move out. We had a blast! We climbed steep hills and trotted over roots and logs and cow patties. Yes, the cows were out and we even had to tell one to get out of our way! Jetta was a big girl and handled all the questions well. She didn't drink at the three or four creek crossings, but she played in the water and nibbled some grass. The Rock Springs Trail is rocky, so we mostly walked there. Her Easyboot Gloves continue to perform flawlessly. We walked the steep downhills and trotted the relatively level, good footing areas. No other riders, hikers, mountain bikers were out on this glorious morning. Unbelievable. Well they missed out, but Jetta and I didn't complain about having the trail to ourselves!

Congratulations to me for not getting us lost; that was the first time I've done that trail alone, and I didn't miss any of the turns. (OK, fine. So I had to backtrack twenty yards at one point, but at least I recognized my mistake immediately!) There are many connecting trails, and I've been on all of them--behind friends who have ridden up there for years. I felt quite pleased with myself when we arrived back at the trailer! Of course, I was even more pleased with Jetta! We did the loop in one hour and thirty-three minutes! So yeah, we beat Pete in a not too shabby way!

UPDATE: Cinnamon, the foundered, neglected, and now rescued pony has had her forth trim. I visit her each week and work on her feet. Her back feet are looking good; new growth shows a good hoof wall attachment. Her fronts, however, are still not great. Cinnamon's front fetlock joints are still knuckled over although we are starting to see some improved flexibility. I would like to see more. The owner wanted to get x-rays, but has put that on hold due to financial reasons. Cinnamon hobbles around and once got out of the field and ran when the owner tried to catch her! She actually doesn't appear to be in pain; she's bright-eyed, feisty, and getting spoiled. So she seems to be "happily" getting along, but the question remains: will she ever be "normal?" On the top below is the photo from the July 12 post. On the bottom is today's photo.

High Mountain Trails Again

I headed up the canyon to the Pete Winward trailhead to meet a friend and her son. We did an 8 mile loop and it was a blast! Jetta led the whole way and was a BIG girl; we passed cows, other riders (one large group of ten or so horses), trail runners with dogs, etc. Busy trails today, that's for sure! But this girl handled all of it. We did a fair amount of trotting, too. She is definitely getting stronger and  is developing some good  trail savvy. She also LOVES standing in creeks. Yes, she drinks, but she just loves standing in the water. Such a kid! No pics unfortunately, but trust me on this--those mountains are gorgeous right now!

I then headed down to a barn full of dressage/jumpers where I trimmed four new horses. Jetta hung out at the trailer in the parking lot with her hay net and a bucket of water for three hours. No pawing or fretting at all. She drank the water, but man was she thirsty when we got home! She's easy to be around which makes it all so fun!

Jetta Goes Camping

Jetta and I finally got to go camping with a great bunch of my friends and their horses! They all camped two nights; I only camped for one due to other commitments, but we got some fabulous riding time--a four hour ride yesterday and another two hours this morning. And the scenery--wow! Mountains, creeks, boulders, rocks, deer, turkeys, cows, steep climbs, quaking aspen, tall pines--what more could one ask? Gorgeous mountain riding at it's most spectacular! Not to mention good friends and a great horse, too!

Camped out!

We pulled into the Blackhawk campground at 8:00 am yesterday. I drove an hour on a winding mountain road which I shared only with deer and the ever-present cows. I backed into the campsite and had Jetta unloaded and set up on the HiTie within two minutes. Literally. That includes hanging the haynet and a bucket of water. Wow! Camping is so fun with no corral to set up!

We were in the saddle an hour later--five horses headed down the trail all wearing boots except Sharon's mare, Janie, who goes through anything--no boots needed. Jetta was completely relaxed and level headed. No worries about the group ride, the camp setup or anything. She is just a chillin' kind of gal. Gotta love it!
We rode around 12-14 miles in four hours. Not a fast pace, but we did do a fair bit of trotting. We climbed some steep hills and wound our way through the mountains. Check out these photos:

Up, up,up!

Boots all around

Chinese Fire Drill????

Yesterday Jetta and I spilt from the group to trot the last mile in to camp. She showed absolutely no hesitation striking out on our own and she took off in a BIG moving out trot. Of course, when we arrived at the camp she then looked around and missed her friends! Overall, she had a great day--energetic, forward, easy going. Back in camp she drank and chowed down on her hay. She had an easy, stress-free night even though we were tucked back away from her buddies. No whinnying, pawing, or fretting. These are all signs of a horse that will handle the travel and stress of endurance really well. I'm excited. (Was that the biggest understatement of the year, or what?)

Today we broke camp and headed to another trailhead where we tacked up and rode for two hours. Everyone (well, almost everyone!) wanted to walk, so Jetta and I hung out in the back of the pack where we did some schooling-on-the-trail. Somewhere along the way, something changed for us. I'm not sure what brought about the change, but suddenly I was getting some vertical flexion and some great moments of self-carriage! This was huge. I have been working toward this all along, but it has been difficult partially due to Jetta's "race track training" as well as her lack of strength and conditioning. Her "bracey-ness" is fading, I believe!! Today I asked her to soften and she gave me glimpses of lightness and "feel." We kept playing with this and within a mile or so we could hold the self carriage as we transitioned to the trot. Wow. Uphill and down, walking and trotting. I'm talking about small moments here, not perfection, but major, major PROGRESS!

Back at the trailer she got cookies, a bath, and hay. I soon headed down to trim appointments where she had to practice her new-found camping skills at the trailer while I worked for a few hours, then we headed home. What a great training trip. And fun friends to keep us company!! I want to go again!

Freight Train!

Jetta and I covered some good miles today, but she was a bit of a freight train this time! We started out from the trailer with the Bandos saddle, but she was really wiggly and unhappy about something. Three hundred yards down the trail I turned around and headed back to switch saddles thinking she was uncomfortable with something. The only thing different was her saddle pad; I was experimenting with a Suberpad. I got back to the trailer and switched saddles--back to the Black Forest Shasta. We headed out again, this time Jetta was all over the trail, not straight, and even a little resistant to going forward. I felt perched on the saddle. The Suberpad is quite thick, but the cork granules settle a bit in the first few minutes. A hundred yards down the trail I turned around and went back to the trailer again. I switched back to the Bandos, still keeping the Suberpad in place. (That's a lot of saddle-switching!) This time I carried my dressage whip, and AH HA! That's all it took. Jetta was paying attention and going forward again! I am very comfortable in the Bandos and I think she is, too, but she just may not have been happy about going out alone again. I'm not sure but at least our third start was great.

She doesn't LOOK like a freight train!

Jetta walked out happily this time. I had the GPS on my saddle and made some interesting observations as we rode along; her easy, natural walk (not super smooth but very active!) was about 3.8-4 mph, her easy relaxed trot was about 8 mph, and the biggest trot we did today (before the GPS batteries died) was around 10-12 mph. (keep in mind we were alone today....) I am trying to do Long Slow Distance training, but there is nothing slow about it! Jetta was raring to go! We trotted most of the time except where it was too rocky or downhill. We also cantered and galloped a few stretches, and I was happy she stayed fairly relaxed. Relaxed being relative, of course! She actually went like a freight train and she even got to pulling on me. Twice I stopped and we worked on bending and doing a few circles to relax and remind her that this is just easy work, no hurry. It's a new experience for me to ride such a forward horse; I have to get used to the speed! I love it, though! And my little girl is getting fit!

Jetta looked good when we returned to the trailer. She wasn't breathing hard, and she didn't seem tired. She still had plenty of energy, that's for sure! Her boots were perfect again. Her back looked good; I'm going to experiment with the Suberpad some more and play with a few things, but I think it's a great protection pad-provides a panel-like pad under the treeless saddle.

Tomorrow morning Jetta gets to go on a short trail ride with Keno and a lesson pony named Lily--a student's first trail ride and the mom is going along, too.

Short and Sweet

Today's ride was short and very sweet!! Jetta and I trotted up a dirt road near the cattle pens in our canyon. It's a long six miles to the top; we didn't go all the way up since I had company coming for lunch. We trotted half-way up and then took a cut-off road and trotted that one, too. This was a lot of hill work, but Jetta was not working all that hard. She's forward and strong and mostly quite relaxed. She marched all the way down  in an energetic walk.

I'm going to play around with shimming the Grandeur pad since her saddle seems to be sitting pretty low; there's not a lot of room for her withers. She did seem comfortable however, and I was as well. But the boot fit--though not perfect, is certainly working for us. I did take the breakover back just a bit, but that's the only adjustment I've made and we are four-for-four now. Four successful rides with no boot issues at all--no twisting, no failures, and no rubs at all. This is good!

Things are getting busy around here with wedding preparations, my hoof trimming business growing, my school job starting up again soon, and the county fair jumper show to organize and run in a couple of weeks. Whew! But keeping Jetta's fitness program going and growing is high on my list so that we'll be ready for 25 miles by October!

Cruising Through The Miles

Jetta and I had a fabulous ride in Dog Valley this morning. The smile wrinkles on my face haven't even relaxed yet!  I took her out alone and we did a quick seven miles in an hour and a half. I realize, of course, that doesn't sound all that fast, but you must take into account the fact that my phone rang FOUR times! And I answered it! One phone call was OK. I gave Jetta a short walk break while I discussed a couple of plans for my daughter's upcoming wedding. The rest of the calls I should have let go to voice mail! In any case, about 20-25 minutes of the hour and a half was walking, but the rest was flying! I did keep Jetta to a reasonable speed since we are doing long, slow, distances (sort of), but I felt like I was flying. We also had another good canter. (See where the smile lines come from?)

Jetta did have a bit of attitude going this morning. Nothing obnoxious, just a little spit and vinegar. Her nose was in the air a bit the first couple of miles, but toward the last couple she started reaching for the (bitless) contact and relaxing her back. This made me very happy. (I tried the Kimberwick bit in the arena yesterday and it's a no-go. Mouth open, tongue sucked back, lack of forwardness, etc. Sigh.) Today she had a lot of go and was not the least bit winded or tired when we arrived back at the trailer. I, on the other hand, had rather rubbery legs due to the amount of two-point I rode! I realize Jetta is getting in shape quicker than I am. A year of green horses and no actual endurance rides (or any ride longer than 10 miles!) has made me soft. Better get my rear in gear and fix that problem!

A great day for the boots!

Jetta's boots were stellar again--lots of speed, lots of rocks, and solid boots all the way! I love it! I also rode her in a different saddle than her norm. I put Keno's Bandos Trail saddle with a Grandeur pad on her and we were both super comfy. This saddle actually fits me better than the Black Forest Shasta I've been riding her in, so I'll try it for a few weeks to determine if we are both comfortable  for longer rides before deciding if it's a permanent switch.

Booted Speed

I started the morning in the arena with Jetta doing lots of ground work--then under saddle suppling, serpentines, transitions, etc. She was good, quite soft and bendy at the walk and trot. The canter was not great, however. Pinned ears, braced body, tension everywhere. Hmmmm. It seems she is very anxious at the canter in the arena still. We worked on it for a while, then went back to more successful work before calling it good. (I've been riding her in the bitless bridle for a while now, but I still think I'll try the Kimberwick to see how she like it.)

I unsaddled, loaded her up and headed for Dog Valley to meet Tammy. We rode a six mile loop, 70% trotting, 5% cantering, and the rest walking. Jetta can really move out. Her big trot is huge! I've got to get out my GPS and clock this girl. She has lots of gears---an easy slow (slow for her!) trot, a great forward relaxed working trot, and then today for the first time I got a fabulous taste of her big extended trot. Holy cow. I could hardly post to that movement and finally just went to a two point and flew along the trail. Tammy's horse hand galloped alongside. She remained easy to rate, but her nose was up in the air more than I'd like. She never got too strong or pulling to go faster. We had a wonderful long canter up a low hill where Jetta actually stayed relatively relaxed and smooth. Her ears were twitching back and forth, and she was a little anxious about Chevy coming up behind us, but it was by far the best canter stretch we've had. We did several more shorter canters with good results so I'm thinking she just has a lot of residual race-track anxiety. She needs to canter lots and lots and just learn that it's not a race, nobody's going to whip her, or crowd her, or scare her.

The best part of the day, though, was the booting success! Just to feel the increase in Jetta's confidence is amazing. She moves out big and forward and unworried about her feet. She hasn't ever been particularly tender on the rocks, but now she isn't even thinking she needs to be so cautious. She has protection and she likes it. She had the EasyBoot Glove Wides with Power Straps on her front hooves and we had NO problems at all through the rocks, with the speed, or anything. WooHoo! I may put some bell boots over the gaiters because she does occasionally catch a the back of the boot with a hind, but it hasn't caused her to trip or anything. We are looking good for competition. I know it's early days yet, but we are most definitely on the right track. I need to order Epic 00's for her hind feet. I don't really want Epics, but according to the size chart, they are the only boots that might fit. (I'll remeasure before ordering in hopes that her hooves are changing!)

I was having WAY too much fun riding to worry about taking pictures, so maybe next time!

Jetta Gets Booted!

After consulting via email and phone with the good folks at EasyCare, I got out the Power Straps and the Glove Wides size 0 boots and decided I had to give it a good effort despite the fact the the boots are not an optimum fit. (See our post from 6/14/12.) This morning I gave Jetta a somewhat creative trim, I'll admit. Now, I already know that reason says you don't trim the hoof to fit the boot, but rather fit a well-trimmed and carefully measured hoof with the proper size boot. But that said, I also already know that the well-trimmed hoof Jetta normally wears has a very short toe with a wide, round hoof that does not measure a good fit in any of the EasyCare boots. So it was time to experiment. 

A month had passed since Jetta's last trim so this morning I used the grinder to trim her front hooves. I lowered the heel back to where it needed to be. I trimmed the rest of the hoof as usual, except I didn't bring her toe back as far as it probably wants to be naturally. I did put on a good mustang roll, but I didn't bring the toe back quite to the white line. I could have brought it back another 3/16", but I am kind of hoping to  fill in the toe gap without messing with her natural breakover. I took care of the quarters and bars as usual and basically her hooves looked great. I drilled holes in the boots and screwed on the Power Straps. I decided to save the athletic tape for round two if the boots didn't stay on today, so with a couple of solid whacks with a rubber mallet, the boots were in place and we were ready to roll.

I headed out to pick up a friend and we drove to the west hills we call the Roller Coaster Hills for obvious reasons. Short, steep, ROCKY, desert hills covered with sage brush, silver cedar skeletons, and boulders. And rocks. Did I mention them already? Lots of rocks! Sharon's horse Mikey has ridden out there for years barefoot and he has the world's toughest feet. My horses, however, like their boots, and this is a great boot-testing ride.

We saddled up and headed out. Normally this time of year it's too hot out here, but with the recent rain it wasn't too bad. We power-walked up the steep hills and cruised down the downhill sides. These are "blind summit" trails, meaning you can't see down the other side till you get right up on top of each hill--great for building strength and muscle in the hindquarters! Jetta felt fabulous and it didn't take long for her to gain confidence on the rocky trail knowing her feet were protected. She stumbled once or twice at first, but seemed to get used to the fact that she had boots on within the first quarter mile or so.

We walked and trotted the two mile stretch of hills till we came to the Scum Tank. Jetta met cows for the first time at the tank and still proceeded to walk up to the water and check out the scum! She even took a sip! The cows, calves, and one big bull watched us warily.  We carried on and passed a few more stragglers on their way to water; Jetta was totally cool with the cows which was a relief to me as I used to be not so cool with them!

See why I call it the Scum Tank?

Then came the weird part of the ride. Helicopters close overhead, passing repeatedly above us on their way to who knows where, carrying something on long cables. A power plant is being built south of where we were so we assumed it had something to do with that project. My gelding, Keno, would have been jumping out of his silly spotted skin, but Jetta was not even worried. This baby girl has a good mind!

When we turned to head back we took the low road so we could get in some more serious trotting. Jetta was forward, fast, and controlled. Mikey (an old guy at 23) was working up a sweat to keep up. A few times Sharon cantered Mikey past Jetta to see how she'd handle a horse passing her. She glared at him, but let him by and didn't get upset when I asked her to stay at a trot. The hard packed gravel/rock road was easy traveling for the most part, and the boots were great. I could tell a big difference in her comfort level as well as her mental comfort. She was moving out confidently rather than cautiously. No twisting of the boots, either, which I was worried about due to her very round hoof. I did feel her catch her front boot with a hind hoof once, but it caused no trouble.

We came to another cattle tank as we neared the trailer and this time there was also a small, muddy-almost- boggy pond. I decided the ultimate test would be to ride through the slick mud to see if it would suck her boots off. Not a chance! We rode through the pond twice and the boots were tight! So maybe, just maybe, we're going to be able to boot this girl from now on. I have used Easyboots for years with great success, but Jetta has different issues than I've dealt with before. We're definitely on the right track though. I'll watch her hooves and play with her trim and make adjustments as needed, but today was a great day on our journey toward getting Jetta ready for competition!

Endurance Blog (and Other Stuff)

I know this blog is about Jetta's journey toward becoming an endurance athlete, and that of course will remain my focus. However, about six months ago (after trimming my own horses and only the occasional extra for the past seven years,) I finally went "pro-trimmer" and started taking regular clients. It's been a great learning experience and something I truly enjoy. But my newest case is the saddest thing I've seen in a long time. It's a good thing I don't know who this pony's original owner is or I'd be pushing for prosecution. Take a look at the photos below:

This is Cinnamon, a sweet soul who wants to live.

Front left hoof

Hinds

Cinnamon has recently been rescued from the severe abuse and neglect she has suffered. A veterinarian sawed 12" of over-grown "slipper-foot" off each of her hooves, and she spent a couple of weeks on bute. I have been working with her, offering oils and other plant extracts, which she has been reluctant to accept so far, although she did chose a couple of "emotional" oils the first time I was out. She is also having weekly visits from a massage therapist to address the atrophied muscles and all over braces. Cinnamon has begun to walk around (it was impossible for her to move at all for who knows how long!) and she can now lower her head to eat and drink. Her eyes are bright and she wants to live.

On Monday, I will begin her hoof care. Her hind feet are fixable, I'm not too worried about them at this point. Her fronts will be more difficult to manage. She has knuckled over at the fetlock joint and I don't know how much permanent damage there may be to the actual joint or ligaments. Her right front is bandaged to protect the sore spot created when the vet cut off the excess toe; I haven't seen the hoof yet. 

The new owner has asked for my help and I am willing to try. I have dealt with a few pathological deformities before, but nothing as bad as this. It's going to be challenging because Cinnamon can't support herself on three legs for trimming at the moment, so we are going to rig a support sling for her so that I can work on her hooves. Hopefully she will accept the grinder to make things quicker and easier on her. I will chronicle her progress in this blog along with all the endurance training for Jetta.

Speaking of Jetta, she has had the week off due to some medical stuff I was dealing with, but tomorrow she and Keno get to trail ride in the canyon. My son-in-law is going to ride Keno, and we'll be taking it slow since poor Keno's going to croak when he has to climb the mountain. Poor guy has been turned into an arena horse the last few months!

Ponderosa Trail

Not too worried about her buddies or the trailer up ahead!

I met up with my friend Judy and her husband yesterday morning to ride around the Ponderosa Loop. We ended up doing an "eye-of-the-needle" loop and coming back down the same way we went up due to the heat. We still rode about five miles but the McCune Canyon side of the loop would have been really hot--we should have gotten out there at 7am instead of 9am!

Jetta was ready to go, but this was a walk ride due to Glen's bad back. It doesn't do Jetta any harm to have to walk up those steep slopes--she's developing some good muscle. She was bitless again today and was perfectly fine. She got a little anxious a couple of times when Glen's horse got a little close behind her, but other than that she did great. She can walk waaaay out in front or drop waaaay behind, but she doesn't stress about her buddies. This is a great trait!

Five days ago Jetta banged her face and got a cut. It looks a lot worse now than it did at the time because she keeps bumping it. I sent the vet a text picture and he said to just keep it clean and doctor it. It is too old to stitch, but it's a bad place to stitch anyway because horses usually rub the stitches out right there. I have put Blue Yarrow essential oil and antibiotic ointment on it and have it covered with a fly mask. It really is in a difficult place. She'll have some time to heal because I'm going to be out of commission for a few days due to some minor surgery, and then I have some family coming down to visit toward the end of next week. A week off won't hurt her, but I'd rather be riding!

This Girl Can Go!

I was going to head down to the arena again today to try out one more bitting option on Jetta (a low port solid mouth Kimberwicke) but instead I headed up the canyon with a friend. It turns out I made the right choice since I had a super fun ride on Jetta.

We decided after all the rain yesterday, we'd try the Corral Road. Normally it's a rocky hard-packed dirt road which I avoid this time of year, but today the footing was great! Still rocky in places, but damp enough to give a little. The road climbs two thousand feet in about two and a half miles-so it's a pretty tough climb, but let me tell you, Jetta trotted out like it was nothing. NOTHING. She made it seem easy. My friend's quarter horse Toby told the truth, though, and the truth was it was hard. We walked when we needed to let him catch his breath! It was cool and breezy, and Jetta was loving it and felt like she could have trotted all the way! It was a great feeling to know that her conditioning is really coming along even though we are still "just" trail riding. Our trails are in the mountains and that gives her a workout!

We walked all the way back down (Tammy jogged because she is a self-punishing type! Haha!) and I did get off and walk a little, too. Jetta was relaxed and comfortable in the bitless bridle all the way! I still love this girl!

I took her home, hosed her down, turned her loose with a couple of flakes of hay, and loaded Keno to head out to Dog Valley for a short ride in the desert. He felt great--we trotted a couple of miles, galloped a long stretch, and did some "dressage-on-the-trail" training all the way back to the trailer. He is always a good boy and a fun ride!

Schooling Day

This morning I got up extra early thinking I would head to the arena before it got too hot. But nooooo, today was a rainy day. I had forgotten what rain was and certainly didn't expect it after 8 weeks without a drop! I kept thinking it would stop soon. Nope. It rained softly for several hours--great for our fires!

I finally headed to the arena at 3:00 in the afternoon; it was sunny again, but not hot. I first rode Jetta in the Dr. Cook's bitless bridle and did lots of suppling, serpentines, backing, walking and trotting. We did some leg yielding, too. She was very good even though there was lots of activity around the arena. (Rodeo horses in the pens, and the skid loader cleaning stalls.) She was distracted a few times but stuck with me pretty well for the most part.

After half an hour's work, I switched her to the loose ring snaffle I originally used on her. Not so good. She walked around with her mouth gaping, leaning on the bit with her head cocked to the side. Hmmm. Backing up was definitely not good. Jetta was no longer forward and even seemed to get "stuck," loosing her rhythm because she was so preoccupied (or uncomfortable?) with the bit. After ten minutes I switched bits to a French link snaffle. Still no good--same kind of behavior--going around with her mouth open and neck very stiff. (I had her teeth done by the equine dentist in April, so her teeth are good I assume.) I just don't get it.

I finally put the bitless bridle back on her and off we went. More suppling exercises and large and small trot circles (with trot poles!) Jetta was back to being forward and "bendy" again. Not perfect, but much better without the bit. Sigh. I am certainly not opposed to riding bitless--I always ride Keno bitless because he is so good and doesn't need a bit even for jumping in competition. But I can't figure out why Jetta seems so uncomfortable with something in her mouth. For now I will continue schooling with the bitless, but will have the dentist check her again next time she's around.

Tomorrow I may be back in the arena. Or maybe out on trail. Or maybe both! Keno is feeling left out, so he needs some work, too.

Bitless Trail Time

Jetta made her bitless trail debut yesterday as we took a turn around the Ponderosa Loop again. She was relaxed, forward, and easy to manage even when she got a little spooky about the gate up on top. That gate gave her cause to pause a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday she remembered the gate before we could even see it even though we were approaching from a different direction! All she did was get a little "looky" though, and she kept right on going. She led the way willingly the first half of the ride, then we dropped back and let Sharon and Mikey take the lead. The trail is incredibly dry and dusty and it's only fair that everyone take a turn eating dust!

I am still wondering what to do about boots for Jetta. No word from Easycare and the Glove Wides (size 0) are just too big. I will look at other boot options today, although I thing Easycare offers the only boots designed for rounder feet. Sigh. Glue-on shoes maybe the next best option.

The fires in our area have made the air smokey and nasty and quite eerie at times. We have been covered in ash for several days and yesterday I found this "ash leaf" in the corral. Scary. The canyon was closed for a few days and the bad air has made us stay inside at times. We really need some rain!

Ash leaf

Eerie light in the afternoon

Ash on Jetta's rump