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!