Happy Birthday to Jetta!

Happy Birthday to Jetta! She turned five today and is ready to get some serious miles under her belt. I hope my new busier schedule will allow it. I need the saddle time!

I feel like things will get better. The time will change soon, so we'll have lighter evenings--not to mention warmer evenings--so we'll have those hours. Plus my Equine Solutions: Sports Massage Therapy business is going to grow--probably into weekend hours because show season is coming, but that may free up some weekday time for me. Only three more months till school is out, so then I'll have summer mornings, too! I am trying not to add more hoof trimming clients as I want time to grow the massage side of things. I'm hopeful!

For her birthday, Jetta got a full sports massage session. (Not a real birthday pressie since she was due for massage anyway, but I tried to make it extra good for her!) She was tight in her poll and base of the neck, and as soon as I got started she was stretching, yawning, and sighing big time. This was her most expressive session by far! I think her trust is growing and she is able to relax and let the tension go. Her back is much improved--no longer as tight and tender as it was a few months ago, but I am not convinced about my saddle fit, since there is still some mild tension. I just changed saddle pads last week, back to the Skito, so we'll see if that helps. Jetta was also a little sore in her hips. That surprised me. It wasn't dramatic, but it was noticeable. I'll check her tomorrow to see if I gave her the relief she needed. From her reaction with the yawning and sighing I was getting, I think I did!

Jetta also got a scoop of Safe Choice to top off her afternoon. She stood in the sun and snoozed while Keno got his bodywork. It's quite a contrast massaging the "lean/not-an-ounce-of-extra-fat" Jetta and the "way-too-many-extra-ounces" Keno! He's a bit squishy feeling and need more miles, too!

Spring Is Coming!

This was a good week for my riding; I had a good ride on both horses on Monday at the arena, got in a good trail ride out alone with Jetta on Thursday, and again on Saturday! These days that's a pretty good week for me!

Jetta was actually good in the arena with some softening and relaxing at the walk and trot. Granted, everyone else had left so there were no distractions, but it was still an improvement. We ended the ride with several soft, straight, relaxed figure eights and called it good.

Thursday's ride was out by the freeway exit. It's not an exciting trail, but hey, I can park without getting stuck in snow or mud! There are several long uphill jeep roads that offer possibilities for some aerobic work, and there are miles of sagebrush covered hills for off-road riding. Deer and jack rabbits add interest. All in all, it's not bad riding for this time of year. Jetta was happy to be out and was very well behaved. She has a TON of bottled energy, and at times I feel a bit like I'm riding on an unexploded land mine, but it's fun. The footing is wet right now, so we can only trot in a few places, one of which is a jeep road that goes gently uphill for half a mile or so before it becomes too rocky to be fun. We trotted up, walked back down, and trotted up again several times. Got a short canter in  also, but that got too exciting for her to handle and she threw in a couple of exuberant bucks. At least I think they were exuberant. Maybe they were frustrated bucks since she really wants to flat out run!

Yesterday's ride was very similar. It was great to be out in the sun and warm (50 degrees!) weather. Come on spring!!

Trail Today!

Believe it or not I got out on another trail ride this afternoon! The 10-year-old girl who takes lessons on Keno came along and rode him, while I rode Jetta. It wasn't like southern Utah, but hey, we'll take what we can get up here! It was sunny and not too muddy or cold. Jetta was well behaved minus a thwarted attempt at jigging. Keno was gentlemanly as always but got super sweaty after carrying his fat self up a few hills. Jetta didn't even break a sweat. Still, it was fun and I can tell that subtle (very subtle!) changes are coming and spring really will get here eventually! For that I am grateful!

I didn't take any pics today, after all, who wants to see mud and slushy ice? But here are a couple more pics from southern Utah. If I close my eyes and squint, I can almost imagine that's where we were today. I said, almost!

Crossing the Virgin River

Time Flies

No excuses here, but just let me say that no one knows what life will throw your way. My life has taken a very dramatic turn the last few months, and as a result I have been unable to concentrate on blog-writing. No, I do not have a terminal illness or anything of the like, but it's still been challenging.

But moving on, Jetta and I just spent a fabulous 26 short hours down in the red sand desert near St. George to get out of the snow and see the sun. I was desperate for sunshine. This has been a long, cold, dismal winter with tons of snow and  overcast skies. I needed a break and my good friend Judy invited me down. Jetta was certain we were only heading for the arena when I loaded her into the trailer. Three hours later I unloaded her in desert paradise. I'm sure she was as happy to see the sun as I was.

The indoor arena has been the only dry, ice-free place to ride this winter and I can honestly say she hasn't gained much from our work down there. Two reasons stand out: lack of consistency due to the fact that I am working most of the time due to paragraph one, and the simple fact that she is very anxious about arena work. I'm not sure where the anxiety comes from, but she's had it from day one, although I didn't do much arena time while the trails were good all summer and fall. But we get resistance, teeth gnashing, hollowing, stiffness, etc. Poor me--I was thinking my sane, fun horse was gone, but thank heavens she was still a good trail horse when I got her out on a short snow ride two weeks ago. And she was stellar on our first over-night outing this weekend! Check out the videos!

I will try to post more regularly. I hope as evenings become lighter (and warmer!) I will have more riding time. I am trimming a lot of hooves, doing sports massage therapy, teaching riding lessons on Keno, and working part-time at the school still. It's a lot, but it's good!

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!