Kaaren is riding up to meet me in a field at the end of the trails from my house (to the road )
I get kizz out and groom him , saddle him up and hop on. (in between 4 B52 shots haha)
I start down the driveway and he's totally calm and fine. We get to the end and he stops. I ask him to walk out onto the side of the Road and He stops! I can tell he's wondering why we are going further alone. We never have! I ask him again and off we go! We get next door to the access road with no fuss and start up it.
My paint gelding who NEVER cares when we leave starts whinnying! Kizz whinnies back and starts taking small quick steps looking back. He never refuses to go ahead or spins around to go home so i figure we will be ok. We just take it one step at a time.
Once we get quite a ways out and can still hear Coby yelling - I start to sing. I have a song stuck in my head that I don't know the words too. But that's what I start to belt out and hum haha. "Moter'in " suits my mood .. Keep going ahead.
So I sing loudly and keeping pushing forward. Once we get through the fields and to the trails he picks up speed and I can tell he isn't as focused on going back home as he is doing some trails! So we trot off! He goes along great! I feel so much more confident!
We do fine all along the trails until we get to the ditch. The one he on kaarens very first ride refused and was led over a few times. We walk to it then he stops. We try and try everything to get over it! I even at one point have him backed into it. His back feet are IN the ditch. He won't back any further so I try to spin him around and through it. But as he turns he steps back and out of it!
I get frustrated. Do I dismount and walk him over. I'm a little nervous I could either get jumped on (he normally jumps ditches and wants to be where YOU are standing where he assumes its safe!)
Also will I be able to re-mount?! I have the endurance saddle that doesn't stay in put well and it's not easy to get kizz in a ditch or next to a stump for me to mount.
Not only am I worried about things Kizz might do, I also am nervous of the deep dark woods - coyotes , bear, moose ... Not what I want to catch me standing around lol
I call Kaaren. (As kizz is standing here at the ditch with one leg cocked relaxed) she isn't far away ,which makes me much more comfortable.
She tells me to dismount and quietly walk kizz around and try to cross. I get off and as soon as I step down I can feel kizz has given up and will cross it. I step over and he hops over (and not on me) I tighten my saddle and somehow manage to hop back on with no help (sheer frustration gives me the ooomph to get up)
We trot off and at the next Y in the trail we meet up with Kaaren and Magic her older endurance horse. She has her dog along , off we go.
We follow her and Riley- her dog stays close by where she's supposed to close to the last horses hip. Kizz keeps watching her and wondering why a dog is following us. Haha he keeps looking at her for about the next half an hour. We travel along some new trails and find a new spot with a beautiful view! We stop for some pictures and head on our way
We arrive back to the back fields behind my place and Kaaren & magic head home. Kizz and I head back to my house. I'm not sure if he thinks magic is behind us coming or if he doesn't care that magic went another way. (Hopefully the latter)
We get close enough for coby to see us and resume his whinnying and I know we're fine! We continue home with him walking nicely!!
I'm completely amazed at how we we did!!! I can't wait to try again. Although I'll be nervous at least I have an idea kizz and I can handle it!!
What a big accomplishment for us!
Next up is a ride around the "loop" Kaaren wants to have an endurance ride on. Can't wait!
Sunday July 28 we do our second trip out alone!
We head out... He refuses to enter trail from field. I turn him few times then he goes. He goes along nicely along the trail we come to a big wet spot and he refuses no matter what he will not go. I finally grab a branch and use it as a crop. He goes through eventually. We get lost and take a few new wet trails where he needs a few encouraging taps but gets better. We bounce over the ditch he hates when I tap him again. We canter along a lot of spots where it's dry. We come to the field where we are supposed to meet. I call, she says to come down the road to meet.
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about 3/4 of our ride on Map My Ride
I go down the road. I see them! Our friend Robyn on Magic and Kaaren on Odin. We ride and meet on the road then enter the logging road. We do a 20 mile loop!! It's a great ride!!! We trot lots, canter and even gallop a bit on the railway. We get in the stream a bit but its running fast. So not long.
We head up the hill towards home and at the hydro station they wait behind while I trot on home. It's a great ride! (I'm so sore though!)
next Sunday is our Judged Pleasure ride away.. I'm soo nervous!!
and just because she's so cute.. here's my daughter Ava lee riding our Paint gelding Coby on Aug 1/13 , she's 4.5 and he's 14
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