Musings of a mustang lover and trainer.
Showing posts with label River. Show all posts
Showing posts with label River. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Capri's Day Out
It was March of last year that Rick and I started ponying River on the trails. She has become a very solid riding horse, both in the arena and on the trails, and we're very happy with her. Here we are looking at spring again, and now it's Capri's turn to learn to be a trail horse. The weatherman promised us a nice day, and while he wasn't entirely correct (hey, what else is new?), it was a decent day for riding, so we loaded Capri in the trailer with April and Buddy.
Our usual trail-riding place surprised us with snow on the ground, but it wasn't very cold out, and the snow just added to the fun.
Capri was terrific for the entire two-hour ride, and Rick and I were very proud of her. We've had a lot of wet weather recently, so the trails that weren't snowy were very muddy.
We sloshed through puddles and ponds, forded the high, raging stream, stepped over big logs, pushed through tight brush, stopped to cut branches and fallen trees, went up and down steep hillsides, and crossed four bridges without so much as a blink from Capri.
Capri was so good, you'd think she'd been out in the wilderness before...oh, wait, she's a mustang! She has been out in the wilderness before! Except, where Capri is from, the terrain is sagebrush, scrub pine and sand. Here in western Washington State, we have fir and cedars, fern, moss, and mud, so for her to be happy and comfortable in the deep woods made us very happy too.
Rick and I always ride in big loops, never riding the same trail twice in the same day, and we finished today's ride by riding on a short stretch of road.
There weren't any cars, but one of the neighborhood horses decided to play a little prank on us by galloping towards his fence, then spinning and galloping away. The sight of this blanketed beast bearing down on us nearly gave us all heart failure, but Capri pleased us again by cozying up to Rick and April for comfort, instead of trying to bolt away or do something foolish.
Isn't she just amazing? We'll pony Capri a few more times, and keep riding her in the arena until she's rock-solid, and then she'll get to make her big trail debut under saddle. We have a hunch she's going to be awesome!
Our usual trail-riding place surprised us with snow on the ground, but it wasn't very cold out, and the snow just added to the fun.
Capri was terrific for the entire two-hour ride, and Rick and I were very proud of her. We've had a lot of wet weather recently, so the trails that weren't snowy were very muddy.
We sloshed through puddles and ponds, forded the high, raging stream, stepped over big logs, pushed through tight brush, stopped to cut branches and fallen trees, went up and down steep hillsides, and crossed four bridges without so much as a blink from Capri.
Capri was so good, you'd think she'd been out in the wilderness before...oh, wait, she's a mustang! She has been out in the wilderness before! Except, where Capri is from, the terrain is sagebrush, scrub pine and sand. Here in western Washington State, we have fir and cedars, fern, moss, and mud, so for her to be happy and comfortable in the deep woods made us very happy too.
Rick and I always ride in big loops, never riding the same trail twice in the same day, and we finished today's ride by riding on a short stretch of road.
There weren't any cars, but one of the neighborhood horses decided to play a little prank on us by galloping towards his fence, then spinning and galloping away. The sight of this blanketed beast bearing down on us nearly gave us all heart failure, but Capri pleased us again by cozying up to Rick and April for comfort, instead of trying to bolt away or do something foolish.
Isn't she just amazing? We'll pony Capri a few more times, and keep riding her in the arena until she's rock-solid, and then she'll get to make her big trail debut under saddle. We have a hunch she's going to be awesome!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A Spot of Snow
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year!
It's been a wonderful year for me, full of blessings and lessons learned from these wonderful, beautiful, amazing mustangs. I hope that your year was wonderful, too, and that the year ahead is even better. All the best--Tricia & The Gentle Mustangs
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Horrible Humans
Wild mustang that she is, Capri is naturally suspicious of me. She takes it a step further, though, and expresses great horror when things happen between the two of us for the first time. The first time I touched her neck while scratching her back with a lunge whip was horrible. The first time she accidentally touched my hand with her lips while taking a bouquet of alfalfa from me was horrible. When I picked up her rope and practiced pressure and release with her? That wasn't so bad. But when she saw me saddle River and climb on her back and ride her around the arena in front of her? That was horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE! Luckily, Capri is able to overcome her horror when these scary things happen for the second or third time. She is actually coming along nicely, with new accomplishments every day. Her wild days are numbered...
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
River Saves the Day
My neighbor, Rick, whom I work for and ride with, and I took River on her second trail ride last Saturday. It was a gorgeous day, with beautiful clear skies and real summer-like heat. Our favorite place to ride in the summer has amazing views of Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Mountains, and the North Cascades. The trails are fun but not too challenging, and are enjoyed by as many mountain bikers as horseback riders. There is a huge, glorious, grassy meadow that we love to canter the horses through. The meadow is on a gradual slope, so when we get to the top the horses are too tired to be silly. Rick and River followed me on Buddy through the meadow, and she did really well. Cantering under saddle is still kind of new to her, so having a big space to practice in was perfect. For most of the rest of the ride, River led while Buddy followed. She took each new trail eagerly, and really enjoyed all of the ups and downs and twisty turns.
It was a three-hour ride, and our plan was to make a big loop and return to the parking lot via a trail that we fondly refer to as "Bear Boulevard," because last year we encountered a bear there (no harm done, funny story, tell ya another time) and we often see fresh, steamy bear sign. Just before Bear Boulevard there are a couple of itty-bitty bridges to cross. River is not afraid of bridges. Not big ones, not medium sized ones, and certainly not teensy ones. But on this day there was no way, and I mean NO WAY, that River was going to cross that first little bridge. We even tried to bypass the bridge and ford the itty-bitty creek. Nope. The obvious conclusion was that there was a big, nasty mama bear up ahead and River was saving our silly hides. Or maybe I'm being generous and she really is afraid of itty-bitty bridges. I guess we'll find out next time!
It was a three-hour ride, and our plan was to make a big loop and return to the parking lot via a trail that we fondly refer to as "Bear Boulevard," because last year we encountered a bear there (no harm done, funny story, tell ya another time) and we often see fresh, steamy bear sign. Just before Bear Boulevard there are a couple of itty-bitty bridges to cross. River is not afraid of bridges. Not big ones, not medium sized ones, and certainly not teensy ones. But on this day there was no way, and I mean NO WAY, that River was going to cross that first little bridge. We even tried to bypass the bridge and ford the itty-bitty creek. Nope. The obvious conclusion was that there was a big, nasty mama bear up ahead and River was saving our silly hides. Or maybe I'm being generous and she really is afraid of itty-bitty bridges. I guess we'll find out next time!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
River's Day Out
River, the big beautiful bay from McCullough Peaks HMA in Wyoming, and the supermodel at the top of the blog, got to go ponying out on the trail today. The sun was out for the first time in a million years, and it was warm, so naturally we hit the trails. I don't mean to imply that we only ride when the sun is shining, because, believe me, we ride in all kinds of weather, all year 'round. But it sure does feel good to be horseback in the woods when the sun is pouring it's warmth down and making the earth all steamy and luscious.
This was River's second time being ponied, and each time has been behind a different horse, with different horses bringing up the rear as well. She did great on both rides, with no spooky silliness, and we threw everything at her that we could. We crossed the creek, went through huge mud bogs, up and down slippery clay slopes, across fat logs, through thick brush, across bridges, under the high-tensile power lines, and even past the scary horse-eating culvert and she never even blinked. The only thing that got her attention was a pair of deer behind us as we were heading back to the trailer. She let out a couple of big, loud snorts, which spooked the saddle horses, but it was nothing very eventful.
Next time we go out we'll saddle River and ride her. She does great in the arena, so we don't anticipate any problems. We happened to bump into her previous owner today, who was riding with a group of his pals. He was happy to see River and said that she looks great. Which of course she does!
This was River's second time being ponied, and each time has been behind a different horse, with different horses bringing up the rear as well. She did great on both rides, with no spooky silliness, and we threw everything at her that we could. We crossed the creek, went through huge mud bogs, up and down slippery clay slopes, across fat logs, through thick brush, across bridges, under the high-tensile power lines, and even past the scary horse-eating culvert and she never even blinked. The only thing that got her attention was a pair of deer behind us as we were heading back to the trailer. She let out a couple of big, loud snorts, which spooked the saddle horses, but it was nothing very eventful.
Next time we go out we'll saddle River and ride her. She does great in the arena, so we don't anticipate any problems. We happened to bump into her previous owner today, who was riding with a group of his pals. He was happy to see River and said that she looks great. Which of course she does!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I Want a Red One
Speed. Style. Grace. Agility. Handling. Are we talking about a sports car? Nope, keep reading. Loyalty. Trainability. Easy keeper. Warm, brown eyes. Long mane and tail. Ah, a horse. Not just a horse, but an all-American Mustang. Just like sports cars, they come in lots of pretty colors and trim levels. I'd like a red one, please.
This Friday, the 18th of February, 2011, my long-postponed dream of bringing home a wild mustang is coming true. I'm a newbie in the Mustang Heritage Foundation's Trainer Incentive Program, and I'm being entrusted with the care of a beautiful young mare from the Palomino Buttes HMA in Oregon. She's mine to care for and gentle, with the goal of finding her a good home within ninety days. When successful, I'll be paid for my time and effort, but the true reward will be in forging a bond with an amazing animal that has only had limited human contact.
Her name is Siesta. She is a sorrel three-year-old with a dishy Arab-type face and a cute, floaty trot. She'll be halter-broke, huggable, touchable, lovable, and --believe it-- brushable, hoof-cleanable, and trailer-loadable (at least!) before she's ready for you to adopt. Interested? Great, there's just a little bit of paperwork I need to send you, and an adoption fee of $125, which is the same amount you would pay for a non-gentle mustang. It's a great deal for everyone involved!
Do you like the gorgeous mare in the blog header? Her name is River, and she's a seven-year-old from McCullough Peaks HMA in Wyoming. River is green-broke and has a rock-solid mind with to-die-for smooth, flashy movement. I'm thinking she wants to be a reiner, because she has a stops-on-a-dime whoa and the most amazing spin that I've ever sat. Right now she's being ridden every-other-day or so, and getting groundwork on the off days. Her groundwork, by the way, is awesome, and she has a very solid natural horsemanship foundation. The cowboy that started her did a great job, and she's just a few wet saddle blankets away from being everybody's dream horse, at which time she'll be available for purchase.
Wish me luck on Friday, and as the trotting horse says, I'll keep you posted!
This Friday, the 18th of February, 2011, my long-postponed dream of bringing home a wild mustang is coming true. I'm a newbie in the Mustang Heritage Foundation's Trainer Incentive Program, and I'm being entrusted with the care of a beautiful young mare from the Palomino Buttes HMA in Oregon. She's mine to care for and gentle, with the goal of finding her a good home within ninety days. When successful, I'll be paid for my time and effort, but the true reward will be in forging a bond with an amazing animal that has only had limited human contact.
Her name is Siesta. She is a sorrel three-year-old with a dishy Arab-type face and a cute, floaty trot. She'll be halter-broke, huggable, touchable, lovable, and --believe it-- brushable, hoof-cleanable, and trailer-loadable (at least!) before she's ready for you to adopt. Interested? Great, there's just a little bit of paperwork I need to send you, and an adoption fee of $125, which is the same amount you would pay for a non-gentle mustang. It's a great deal for everyone involved!
Do you like the gorgeous mare in the blog header? Her name is River, and she's a seven-year-old from McCullough Peaks HMA in Wyoming. River is green-broke and has a rock-solid mind with to-die-for smooth, flashy movement. I'm thinking she wants to be a reiner, because she has a stops-on-a-dime whoa and the most amazing spin that I've ever sat. Right now she's being ridden every-other-day or so, and getting groundwork on the off days. Her groundwork, by the way, is awesome, and she has a very solid natural horsemanship foundation. The cowboy that started her did a great job, and she's just a few wet saddle blankets away from being everybody's dream horse, at which time she'll be available for purchase.
Wish me luck on Friday, and as the trotting horse says, I'll keep you posted!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)