Elbe Hills Challenge 2011

I finally made it to an endurance ride! What a wonderful time-the ride was tough, beautiful and fun. The weather was perfect...I was actually warm enough at night!   Great people and I sort of felt like I had a handle on the process. Jango was a star! We completed 25 miles in 4 hours and finished 3rd. We also got 2nd in Best Condition. I'm so proud of that little horse!

Happy July !

It's been a busy month with work, birthdays,extra time in the garden and general summertime activities. I even got a camping trip in!!
  I went with 2 friends to Timothy Lake near Mt.Hood, Oregon and we had a great time. The weather was gorgeous and the campsite was nice. We had 3 horses , two corrals- the third horse was highlined. We got plenty of good riding in.  One added expense and sort of a hassel was having to buy and use certified weed free hay, at $15.00 per bale it is no bargain. I believe this is a requirement for horses on any federal land. On state or county land  weed free is not required. We figured feeding cubes or pellets would be neater (no loose hay to transport) cheaper and easier to locate/purchase. So that's the way I'll go next time.

  By the way we ate quite well.  One night was wild caught Alaskan salmon with roasted tomatoes stuffed with  pesto cream cheese , we had apple pies for dessert (made on the open fire) and one morning was omelets.

June

  Was doing lot's of thinking and going through my finances. Thought for a while there ( 2 weeks or so) that if I put the money aside from the rides I missed...this is entry fees, diesel, food etc due to having to stay home that it really added up. I even started to toy with the idea of adding a nice young filly to my family! I was rationalizing it by telling myself I'm in the arena about 9 months out of the year and perhaps I could start a young one all myself. Plus she was well bred, pretty and I could afford her. I lined up a stall and a visit to the breeder.
  As the date drew closer to go see her I got cold feet and admitted that I have a full blown project right now(in Jango) and truly do not need another. So I made a different decision. I'm going to put all that missed ride money into lessons and training. I'm taking a weekly  riding lesson  and have Jango in training 2 days a week.
  It seems like my preplanned endurance season took a wayward turn , I've been spending a lot of time in the arena but the neat thing is I like it! I've been introduced to  nuances in horsemanship & riding  I didn't know existed. I'm still going to some endurance rides but I'm starting to feel a very strong pull towards
 dressage.

Slowing Down

So here we are in the midst of the EHV virus, our barn has a self-imposed quarantine which means no one trailers their horses in or out until our barn owner gives the o.k.
  This is not unusual as it seems many facilities and organizations are canceling or closing use.
My Mt.Adams ride was canceled by my own decision. The Flying M Ranch Poker ride was canceled-the ranch itself has decided to close it's grounds.  The Klickitat trek ride is canceled because the ride camp is based at property owned by a rodeo association that doesn't want horses on the property right now.
  So there are three of my big weekends ...
I was really bummed about it because I bought a wonderful trailer earlier this spring and my horse has been in it exactly ONCE!
I planned, packed and saved to do these events.
  But here is the good part.....
I've slowed down. I'm riding now and just enjoying the experience, I don't have to trot for a certain amount of time nor do I need to keep track of heart rate. Instead of counting the number of minutes or loops I do I'm noticing how many shades of green a 40 acre of hay has in it. I see the hawks, herons, coyotes and deer. I'm not scaring them either because I'm moving slow not racing through their space.
  I'm focusing on my arena time and seeing it as what is needed right now for my own development as well as for my horse.
 I'm happy that no one I know has a horse affected by the virus and if it means staying put for a few weeks then  so be it.
 

Trail Ride

Horse owners are all buzzing about the EHV virus, some reports say there is very little risk of contracting it and other reports are a little more scary with facilities closing travel and canceling events. I think I made the right choice in staying home.

So when I got a call this morning asking if I wanted to join in on a local island ride I said I'd love to.  It was a nice way to spend a Saturday.
  Just a word of warning- do not try to identify plants by sniffing from the back of an antsy Arabian.  Some of us were curious about the identity of a tall plant along the trail....it was growing everywhere. I thought it looked like a member of the mint family. I picked a leaf,held it up to smell it and my dear Jango did a move,the leaf brushed up against my nose.
  It was stinging nettle.

EHV-1

I finished packing my trailer, organized my camping equipment, aired out the sleeping bag even gave Jango a bath, but sadly have decided to cancel my ride to Mt.Adams due to the EHV outbreak.
  I'm reading reports from state vets throughout the PNW and it seems as if the exposed horses in Oregon have all been accounted for and quarantined but this ride is in Washington and I would be in contact with an unknown number of horses from various states. My local vet says the risk of contracting the disease is minimal-considering the discipline and setting but after much thought I decided to play it safe and stay home. Worst case scenario is that Jango got exposed and we bring it back to our barn....I don't want that on my conscience.
  Another beautiful day so I'll head out this morning unpack the trailer and do more conditioning!

Spring Grass

Jango's reward for a job well done in the arena.

Waiting for the Sun

  I'm preparing for my first 25 mile ride of the season regardless of the weather. Packing takes me a good week (off and on) .  When I read an article that mentioned the 2011 ride season was almost half over I thought- what??  It's been too dang wet and muddy to do any serious anything. So here goes. 25 miles at Mt.Adams,Washington.  I hear it is one of the prettiest rides in the PNW.