Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

OK, if we're telling stories. Yep, I had exactly that kind of day.  It 
started by finding out my greenie had managed to pull off a shoe for 
the second time this shoeing (and the second time in his life) and I 
couldn't find it.  Next I tried my mare's Easy Boot since they wear the 
same size shoe.  Nope, just a little too big.  Then my riding buddy 
thought she had a smaller one at her house.  Untacked her mare, threw 
her in my mare's pen (while Ember's away getting preggers in AZ), drove 
to her house.  Same size. <sigh>  What to do?  Why eat lunch, of 
course, and go shopping.  The local store had the right size, and it 
was the new kind with the precut back, hurrah, and it fit.  My greenie 
could have cared less about the whole fitting procedure.  Another buddy 
couldn't wait for us and had already left.

The goal was to ride the heavily-under-construction hills.  For those 
that have done the Norco Riverdance Ride, you wouldn't recognize vet 
check one.  All of that acreage is turning into houses, looks like a 
moonscape now.  We left the bridle paths and started climbing the new 
road to the radio towers.  Made the left before the top and made our 
way to the sand hill (1st year of Norco, riders climbed it).  My 
greenie did a first class job of carefully negotiating the downhill in 
front, and the tricky technical trail that took us to the Hidden Valley 
golf course.  Our "running road" through this valley was gutted several 
years ago to put this golf course in.  Around it we go, trotting up the 
new road they're putting in, still dirt for now.  More construction. Q 
sees his first golf carts and golfers.  We explain to him what a silly 
game it is, and what a waste of land.  He wanted to know if that green 
stuff was edible, and I told him it was too much work, mowed so 
closely.  Through the fence they've thankfully finally opened for 
access again, and more steeps.  My greenie likes to lead, and he's very 
attuned to me, I'm gaining more confidence in  him all the time.  We 
stood at the top of the highest hill, and surveyed the mountains in 3 
directions, with around 50 mile visibility.  It's a place we come in 
the summer because it can be 15 or more degrees cooler in the wind on 
top.  His mane is blowing in the breeze, and the horses quickly cool.  
His heart rate doesn't exceed 144 for the whole ride.

I decide to get off for the steep downhill, bad mistake on my part.  
Slippery decomposed granite from all of the rain, I'm slipping, he's 
being careful and heartily *pissed* at me for being off of him and 
slowing us down.  Dances on the end of the loose lead, while at a safe 
distance from me.  Waits for me to remount, and prepares to charge the 
hill ahead of us, was he surprised to be instantly doubled (I didn't 
have my off stirrup yet).  This is a horse on whom I now use 10% of the 
rein I used to, because he will respond quicker to voice than rein, and 
I get a whole lot less tired.  We navigate the construction around 
Ingalls Park, where they've built a new arena besides the covered 
arena, my kid hasn't seen any of this part of the trail.   Off again 
for some slippery asphalt with no trail next to the street, this time 
he understands and walks quietly next to me.  Down to California 
Street, where there is even MORE construction.

Then it was like the finale at a fireworks show--what more stimulus 
could there be to test the boy?  Why, lots--streaming construction and 
hazard ribbon in a stiff breeze, fluttering huge real estate flags, 
ditches, sandbags, dogs, cars and trucks with trailers (all on a 
secondary road), guy holding a real estate pointer sign, huge phone 
poles lying along the trail, dozers, etc.--he stays calm for all of 
that, and then my buddy's horse went straight, and I ask him to cross 
the street and go home by ourselves.  For the first time.  The briefest 
of "can I run home?" questions, and he walks home calmly between my 
seat, legs and hands, no spooks, just lovely forward movement.

And yep, the Easy Boot was still on.  He stood still as I wrestled it 
off, keeping his leg on my knee for quite a while to do so--the money 
spent for the B was totally worth it to have this kind of day.  He's 
been on the trail for almost a year, and unfortunately hasn't done much 
in the New Year since I've gotten sick a lot--it's apparent that  he's 
done a lot of thinking about it, because he's a whole lot more 
dependable now than he was last year.  This is "Rubberband", of last 
year's stories on ridecamp, and we're going to his first ride the end 
of this month.  I still call him "green", but he handles a whole heap 
of stuff with aplomb that would startle or challenge seasoned horses.  
I always call Norco "graduate school" for trail training, but it's even 
worse/better now with construction everywhere.  100 dump truck loads a 
day, for instance.  C'mon down! <g>

Lynne
Rem-member Me and Celesteele (Q)



On Sunday, May 11, 2003, at 05:43 PM, Suzanne wrote:

>  was ripping
> the reins out of my hands. For some reason that moment made me realize 
> how
> good life is, how good I have it, and how much I LOVE this mare! The 
> view
> from the top of that ridge was unbelievable. I felt all my troubles and
> stress of the week just slip away in that instance on that mare, on 
> that
> ridge. Guess it's true that the outside of a horse is good for the 
> inside of
> a woman! The rest of my ride was just as exhilarating. Got back to 
> camp and
> laid in the grass, letting my girl munch away. Got my entire backside 
> soaked
> and muddy, but who cares? These clothes are going straight into the 
> wash. As
> soon as I'm done writing this story. Here's hoping that everyone here 
> had
> the good fortune that I did today. To be enjoying life from the back 
> of a
> good horse. I guess there's not much wrong that a good horse can't 
> fix. And
> if you weren't lucky enough to be able to ride today, at least go out 
> and
> hug your horses. Sometimes they're the best "people" we have in our 
> lives.
>
> Suzanne(and I never even got rained on!!! Not that I would have 
> cared.) 


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