Observation Deck Pictures

These are a little belated, but I have some photos from the trail ride in Henry Cowell Redwood State Park from a few weekends ago. At the top of the hill that we rode up is a clearing and an observation deck. There was a little automatic waterer for the horses as well as a place to tie them off while riders go up to look at the view. I went up and took some pictures. The view was amazing and you could see forever, but I wasn’t really able to capture that in the photos.

Woot!

I couldn’t get my camera to focus properly, but you get the idea.

The Flying Tortelli Brothers

Apache and I have been working on simple lead changes for a looong time now (over a year), both when I hack him alone and with my trainer. This week, we started working on flying lead changes. We had done one or two lessons a while back trying to get some out of him, but with little to no success, and then it just sort of fell off the radar due to other things we were working on. Now that Apache is more familiar with and confident at jumping, it’s a little easier to lay some poles down and get him to move up over the pole and actually jump over it, in order to ask for the lead change when his feet are off the air. On Tuesday, we asked for him to switch from his right lead to his left lead, which is his better one as we jumped a pole on the diagonal. He gave it to me twice, even if it was accompanied with a lot of big bucking, out of the four or five tries. We worked on it again tonight, this time going from his good lead to his bad one (left to right) and he did just as well. On the second try he gave it to me right over the pole when I asked after one big buck. The other three times, I had to circle him up and keep asking until he finally swapped, but he gave it to me easier each time. Considering it was the hard swap and that he’s pretty new to all of this, I was entirely thrilled that I got an immediate swap on one of the tries. I am excited to be working on flying changes finally and can’t wait to see the progress. My trainer says I can expect bucking for the first year or so, although it should become less violent.

Blazin’ Saddles

On October 27th, my friends, the Foxes, who board at my barn, were kind enough to haul Apache and I up to Felton for a trail ride. Our friend Libby has her Spotted Saddle Horse, Ice, in training there with Nicole Schoppe (of Hidden Gait Ranch) at the stables by the Felton Covered Bridge. The Foxes also have their Walking Horse, Gunner, in training there. We stopped by the barn for a little bit to visit with Ice and Gunner and some other clients of Nicole’s that I know (both equine and human). Mick and I then left and drove Apache and Twister, one of the Foxes’ other horses, over to Henry Cowell Redwood State Park. Nicole, Libby, and Linda hopped on their mounts and rode over to meet us there. We then went on a two and half hour trail ride through the forest on the hills. It was so amazing. The grades were pretty steep both up and down and Apache was so good. He rocked back and took all the descents nice and slow, being careful about where he stepped. On the uphills, we let them canter up a lot of the steeper parts where there were support beams built into the trails to help people up. Apache jumped them all! There was one part where there was a wide part of the trail that was uphill, but not super steep and the footing was nice and even with no roots, holes, or undergrowth. We let them gallop all the way up that section of the trail, about 1/4 mile, maybe more. Apache looooooved that part. It was quite a blast. I’m just glad we didn’t come around any corners to find hikers in the middle of the path. That would not have been pretty. I cannot wait until we go again. The Foxes go semi-regularly to check on Gunner’s progress, so it shouldn’t be too long!

Libby got a few pictures of Apache and Twister playing in the river and then Apache prancing back up the embankment. When we got to the top, he gave a big excited buck and my water bottle went flying out of my saddle bag. A friendly hiker was standing there and handed it back up to me.