Bug Crazy Starry Starry Night

Cole and I went with Kevin and Starry on a ride yesterday evening.  it was a very warm evening.  All went well on the way out.  We rode to the fallen tree—lots of fast trotting and a little cantering.  Kevin wanted to see if he could clear the tree off the trail or find a way around it.  He wouldn’t take my word for it—but as soon as he saw it he agreed.  We needed professional help for this one—chainsaw and glove.  It is covered with poison…

Kevin and I had a really nice ride last night.  it was cool, and there are still no bugs—we are enjoying it while we can.  We assumed that the tree that was blocking the trail was still there, so we turned at the river crossing before it and headed back towards home.  to make it a longer ride, we planned to pass home and go the other way for a while. 

That made it a perfect day to work on trotting towards home.  we have regularly trotted towards home when we are far away, but…

Weekend Update

First off—Dante’s cough has improved quite a bit.  He is still coughing, but not even close to how bad he was when he arrived.

Friday evening found me with Dante.  Since Cole just got shoes the day before, he got the day off.  Whenever they switch from shoeless to shoes or shoes to shoeless, we like to give them some time off to get used to the change.  I spent my extra time walking Dante around.  This was the first time that I had him all to…

Dante is here, and he is lovely. More important than lovely—he is a real sweetheart. I got to the barn a couple hours after he did. Of course, Ellen was there when he arrived. The horse trailer wasn’t able to pull into the driveway due to its size and the fact that the street is all torn up…

Kevin and I took Cole and Starry out for a ride last night. It was in the 70s, so we figured they would be on the quiet side, but we were wrong. Both were feeling good. We started out with some fine trotting. They were energetic, but behaving, so I was able to talk Kevin into doing some cantering—with me in the lead. That meant I could go fast!

We have a favorite stretch for cantering that is so good that we even call it “the canter stretch.” Cole really felt like cantering, so it…

The Beginning

My sister decided that she wanted to buy another horse last fall because Ranger is getting older, and she can’t ride as fast or as far as she would like. Don’t worry, she is going to keep Ranger—and ride him as much as she can. She just wanted to ride more than he was able. I…

Finally! Springtime Weather

We hit a home run for the first weekend in March. On Saturday, it was a chilly start, but it was just so nice to be out on the trail. We took Cole and Ranger together. When we first crossed the river, we did a little trotting because the footing was good. The trail goes along a fence that has a paved trail on the other side for bikes and walkers. We made it about 5 seconds before Ranger tossed in a little buck. We brought them down to a walk for a few…

February—the Longest Month

Most years, including this year, the calendar states that there are 28 days in February. If that is the case, why does it seem like such a long month?

Here in Northeast Ohio, we can typically ride on the trail regularly through November. Once December hits, it is touch and go—for months. Things get better in early March, and by the end of the month, we are trail riding on a regular basis.

I feel that Daylight Savings—this year on March 10th,…

We Go on Our First Trail Ride of the Year

Well, my second, but my sister’s first. She had to work on the one nice weekend day during the January thaw. From then on, the river has been too high or the river, hill or driveway was too icy. The last time we rode together was some time in December. Each weekend we hoped the conditions are right, only to be disappointed.

Well, Saturday didn’t disappoint us. The river was low with no ice, and just a couple days before, the hill thawed…

I took Cruiser for his evening walk on Friday night. For the first time in a few weeks, we had to walk in the indoor arena. The driveway was a sheet of ice, and though I didn’t want him to be in the dusty arena, I didn’t want him on the ice, either.

Since he got his cough, I only hand walk him for a half hour. It had been a few weeks since he quit coughing during his walks, but his breathing is still labored—but gradually improving.

We were lucky to be sharing the arena with a…

This is Cole parking out like a Morgan. He taught himself how to do this--I just encouraged him with clicking. He learned it in his stall, and he only recently started doing it outside. I have to wonder if the desire to park out is genetic. If he was a Quarter Horse, would he have done this?…

Cole Train’s Trick of the Month

Last month, I told you about Cole Train teaching himself to bow, but that he would only do it in his stall. Well, he decided he could do it outside, too. When I ask him to bow, he parks out like a Morgan with his front legs forward and his back legs back. I click him and treat him. Then, he starts to shift his weight back to bow like a dog. I click/treat for that, too. In his stall, the bow can get quite low. I expect, in time, he will do that outside…

New Convert?

Last night, towards the end of my ride with Cole, the new boarder came out.  Her husband started leading her horse around the arena. It was the first time I saw him out of the stall.  He looked like a Thoroughbred and walked like a gentleman. 

I thought I would explain what I was doing with the clicks and treats that they saw me doing with Cole.  I gave her a brief explanation, dismounted and told Cole to do his Cole walk.  it is something he…