I rode Lily last night. I hadn’t ridden her since May 1st, when she was very lame on a trail ride. It’s been paddock rest and numerous vet visits since then. The last ultrasound on Friday looked very good and my vet does not think that she has DSLD/ESPA. Yay! Since her healing had gone so well these last two months, he gave me the go ahead to take her out on short, flat, walking rides.

One of our fist rides in the Black Forest back in May

Riding in the FreeForm SB last November

So now, with these walking rides, I will have a chance to break in my new Black Forest saddle and decide if it will work out for us. I do think that it puts me in a much better spot than the FreeForm did, so that’s a good start. I do wish that I could find a sheepskin seat for it. I suppose that it will get more comfortable with time, but for now, there are a couple of creases that would not do well on a longer ride.

I flipped the photo from last November for a good comparison of where the saddles sit on Lily. I checked her today and she free lunged sound! I’ve been treating her legs with Sore No More and doing some massage on her back and haunches. This seems to help her comfort level. I hope that this first month of walking rides continues to go as well as the first one.

I’ve traded Vinnie for Dove Tree’s Marcha de la Luna. Luna is an eight year old Spanish Mustang mare. She is well bred by Azul’s el Milagro el Asad and out of Unpa Kimimila Sanka Tanka, a Chato’s Shadow daughter. She had a foal by Paisano last summer and is now ready to move on to a new career as a riding horse. I’ve told Lily that she needs to help me train her. Lily’s quite good at working on my training projects in my absence.

Vinnie is in a superb home at Tired Dog Ranch as Amy Jo’s riding horse. I know that they will do great things together!

This is just what I need to keep me from being tempted to do anything with Lily right now. She needs the rest and I need a project. Luna and Lily know each other from a couple of summers ago when Luna was down to be bred to Paisano. The mares shared a paddock during that time. They became quite good friends. The also were together for a few months last summer at Tired Dog Ranch with their foals. Today, there was the normal squealing and posturing, mostly bluff though.

I’ll be posting about her progress as the summer goes on. She has had some basic training as a youngster, but not much has been done with her in the past few years, so I’ll be starting from scratch. There is a possibility that she may be for sale in the future, but I’m also open the idea that she might be my next riding horse.

The mares being mares

Lily at 3 years old

I went back and forth about putting shoes on Lily. I used boots for a couple of rides after the last vet visit. She didn’t move much in her paddock and when I ran Vinnie around to take his movement video, I could really see the contrast when she moved. She was in pain. It was subtle, but I could really see it in comparison to him. So I went ahead and ordered Ground Control plastic shoes and had my trimmer put them on her front feet. The do not have the concussion that metal shoes do and they leave room for her heels to flex. She was slightly better with them, but still not 100%. I wanted to see if they made her move any better. It was only very slightly better.

Since then, she turned up very lame in her left hind while out on a trail ride. I had to hand walk her back the last 3 miles or so, stopping to rest frequently and massaging her rump to help the spasms relax. Two massage therapists looked at her and we all thought that the most pain was in the muscles around her hip joint. When I went to load her to go home, she winced every time she tried to lift that left hind. I gave her some Banamine and that made it easier for her to load.

Lily last weekend. See how she is standing differently?

Dr. Camp found that her hind tendons were both sore. DSLD/ESPA usually shows up bilaterally, so that could be a reason that she trots off evenly. Both legs hurt equally. She was still slightly off in the right front as well. We are going back to the clinic on the 17th for ultrasound of her right front foot and hind suspensories. He will also x-ray her hocks. He felt that she should have shown more improvement with shoes than she did. He thought that she may have a soft tissue injury low in her right front, possibly the insertion of the deep digital flexor tendon, or possibly hock problems, and he also admitted that she could be showing early signs of DSLD/ESPA.

So she is on stall/paddock rest, no riding…

She’s currently getting Thyro-L, MSM, Mag Ox, flax, whole psyllium and Equerry Plus supplements in a bit of Triple Crown Low Starch and I’ll be adding the herbs that are being used experimentally with D/E horses as soon as they come in the mail. I’ve been learning about D/E for the last year or so, as I had the suspicion in the back of my mind about it. This yahoogroup is a wealth of information. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DSLD-equine/

I certainly hope that it is something other than D/E. Something that is treatable would be really nice. If it is D/E, then I will be on a search to find out the source in her pedigree. I hope that research will soon produce a genetic test to see if a horse is a carrier or not. If our breed does have D/E in it, it should be discussed.

I’ve had three rides in this new saddle so far, two on Lily and one on Vinnie. I think that, with some tweaking, it can work. It needs some breaking in and more trials before I can give a full review.

I like the Grandeur pad that I bought with it. I am looking forward to trying a Skito with laminated shims though, as I would like a bit more twist. And it seems to restrict Lily’s shoulders a little more than the Barefoot I tried. I did ride that other saddle with the Skito, so it’s not a fair comparison, until I try it with that pad. The choice of pad is extremely important with most treeless saddles. I’m seeing that more and more.

Amy Jo came down to ride and brought two Barefoot Cheyenne saddles that she got recently. The brown saddle is a size 1 with VPS. The black saddle is a size 2, older and without VPS. I had heard about the Vertebrae Protection System, but didn’t quite understand what the difference really was. Looking at these two saddles and handling them made it very obvious. The black saddle was quite floppy. I could fold the cantle up the pommel easily, while the brown saddle had much more body to it.

Along with the saddles, Amy Jo also had 3 different Skito pads, hard and soft cantle inserts and 3 sizes of hard pommel inserts and a soft pommel insert. After trying a couple of pommels on Lily bare, I chose the medium width (pictured), as it gave her the best wither clearance. I wanted to try this before going to the soft pommel. The Barefoot London that I had tried previously had the soft pommel and it felt really wide to me. I used a Skito with wool felt bottom, 1/2″ firm foam with another layer laminated on. I also swapped out the fiberglass cantle for a soft foam one.

Amy Jo rode Vinnie in the brown size 1. It looked great on him and he went just fine. He has let me know right away when he didn’t like the feel of a new saddle in the past.

We took off to Pisgah and rode for 3.5 hours, mostly walking, but we also trotted and cantered and did some hills. Being young, Vinnie got tired doing hill work, so we didn’t ride on the mountain that much. He also needs a tiny pair of boots for his feet on gravel. He managed, but it was obvious that he would have done better with some foot protection. Coming out of the wet winter in a pretty gravel free paddock, there is just no way that he feet are tough enough.

I found the Cheyenne suited me better than the London. It didn’t feel too wide at all. Lily moved out well in it. I didn’t feel as far up on her withers as I do in my FreeForm. Though we didn’t get any photos of me sitting in it, I felt balanced and comfortable. I tested wither and shoulder clearance when moving. It was excellent. And the sweat patten showed a clear, dry strip down her spine. It was pretty even everywhere else with no hair roughed up.

I could mount from the ground, using a modified mounting technique. I reach across Lily’s back and hold the offside stirrup leather. Then I get my weight across her back as soon as possible, before I swing my leg over. This would be more difficult on a taller horse. Another reason that she is the Perfect size.

While this might not be my first choice in a saddle, I am on the lookout for a used one to ride in for the time being. I would like to try out a Barefoot Atlanta. I like the look a bit better then the Cheyenne. One step closer to a new saddle for Lily!

Spring!

Lily is feeling much better. I don’t know if it is the MSM, the change to her own paddock and only my hay or her just being happy that I now know what’s going on with her, but she is in great spirits! She’s perky, walks off evenly and is a bit more settled.

I’ve been easing into riding since last Friday’s vet visit. We started off with a short walking ride. The next time out, I let her move into some extended trot. Today, we were out for an hour and a half and she wanted to do more. We did quite a bit of her big trot, on and off and some canter in there too. I am working on sustaining her trot, as it’s faster than her regular canter and pretty smooth to ride. I actually want to get it on video, as I wonder quite what it is. She gets into a speed that’s actually hard to post to, so I wonder if it really is a trot. Lily was feeling very strong and willing to go!

The size 0 Renegades that I traded my size 1s for needed the cables replaced. Now that’s done, they seem to be working well. Today’s ride was a pretty good test, as we went through mud, water, up and down a few small hills at all gaits. Lily was comfortable and moved nicely. I do want to get her booted on all fours eventually. I’m also considering trying some thin pads to stimulate her sole and frog while riding.

For now, I am not going to shoe her. As long as she’s comfortable in the paddock and doing well booted for rides, I don’t feel shoes are needed. I picked up a bottle of Durasole and am treating her feet with that most days. It’s pretty much the same formula that my vet said he uses to toughen feet. I’ll likely use up this small bottle and then reassess.

I should hear about her selenium test by the end of the week. And I am planning to stop by the vet’s office this week to get some Thyro-L and start her on that too. My plan is to treat her as highly prone to laminitis, for as long as I need to. It may be for the rest of her life.

Back in Wyoming, where Lily was born, she would likely be just fine eating dry land prairie grass. Here in lush, western Oregon, most pastures will be too rich for her. So, it’s time for me to start talking with my hay supplier to find out when they will start cutting. I will then get a batch to test for sugar/starch content. The mixed grass I still have from last year was nice and under 11%. More about the intricacies of hay can be found at safergrass.org, an excellent resource. I want to keep her off of any lush pasture and stick with free choice hay though the summer.

So that’s it for today. I have more to say about saddles, but I’ll leave that for another day.

I saw the sun yesterday afternoon from my office window. I finished up, hoping that it would stay long enough for me to get in a ride. Lily looked pretty good when I got to the barn, so I took her out to groom and try the Sensation on.

I’m not used to using Skito pads. The foam was really stiff from being in the tackroom, so I put the saddle on first, then went to do boots, comb her mane and brush her head. By the time I was done, it had warmed up somewhat, so that I could adjust the girth.

For consist testing of saddles, I’m developing a list of things to check. It’s mostly so that I don’t forget something and then wonder about it after I’ve shipped the saddle on.

General

Rider

Horse

Is there anything else that you would add? Please let me know in the comments.

Here’s how the Sensation rated after a short ride. We mostly walked on local roads, no real hills and only a bit of trot and canter that Lily offered. I was just glad that she was feeling good!

General

Rider

Horse

I am going to try the saddle on a longer ride with Vinnie this weekend, so the jury is out at this point.

Here are a few more photos. The rest are on Flickr here.

I love the pear trees in the background. Not planned, at least by me! Rachel took the photo.

I would like to be able to bring my feet back under me more, if I wanted to.

I am on the hunt for a new saddle. I’ve been riding in a FreeForm Classic SB (I bought it when they first came out and this was the only version) and a Wintec AP 2000. The Wintec fits both my horses moderately well, but it’s a tad small for me. I also don’t think that it’s quite comfortable enough for the long rides needed for endurance conditioning.

The FreeForm Classic is way too large for Vinnie. I would have to get a girth that was so short as to be ineffective. I already have two custom Montana Cincha dressage girths, 18″ and 20″. I really don’t think that I want to go any smaller than that. Lily became uncomfortable in it over the last month or so and I think that it’s been putting pressure on her withers. I swapped out to a Barefoot London on our last ride and she did much better. She’s currently laid up with some soundness issues, but more on that in another post… Needless to say, I can’t try any saddles out on her now, which limits my demo horse to Vinnie.

So the search is on…

I am pretty sure I will end up with a treeless saddle, as they are more able to accommodate changing condition and different horses. I realize that no one saddle will fit all horses. And I’m not closed to the idea of a treed saddle, if it fits and isn’t too heavy. Treeless saddles have come far in the last few years with many new models and options out there. I am looking forward to exploring some of them.

E-Z Fit

I tried one last month. I went with a medium and should have ordered a small. It was HUGE on my horses. It didn’t give me the close contact feel that I want, as there was too much leather between my thigh and the horse. A few of us tried it out one weekend. This particular one was not a fit for any of us. It turned out that Eli Beiler had tried out a new material to stiffen the seat. It created a ridge down the middle, not so comfortable for the rider. He was just great about it and refunded my demo fee and shipping. I am sure that the next one will be an improvement on this. This is an interesting saddle design and one to watch. It’s just not a fit for me.

Sensation Western

I received my demo yesterday! It was pouring down rain, so I only got to put it on my horses in their stalls. Lily let me know that it was NOT okay for me to even try to sit in it. This had nothing to do with the saddle, unfortunately. I did get on Vinnie and rode him up and down the barn aisle a couple of times.

I need to get out on the trail to really see how it will work out. My first impression is that I might want more twist. I think that there is a bolster to put under the seat for that. I’m also not entirely sure about how one side of the stirrup leathers hang from the bottom of the saddle flap. I understand that it is to help distribute weight, but I like to be able to move my legs as needed. Trail testing on hills is needed. Other than these two points, it was very comfortable, well made and put me in just the right spot. Vinnie moved out as well as could be expected in these limited circumstances. I really like all the choices in colors and leathers. No photos yet, but check back in a few days.

Barefoot Atlanta

This is next on my list to demo. I am being cautious about buying saddles just to try them out. I’ve done enough of that so far, so I appreciate vendors with generous demo programs. I really like the minimal look of the Atlanta, light weight and it looks like it would work for horses with forward girth grooves like mine.

Startrekk

I would also like to try a Startrekk saddle. The problem I have here is simply choosing a model. They all look nice! What I would really like is a Western in brown with border tooling and an Espaniola, maybe the simple brown model for a classic look.

Trekker

I have tried my friend, Romina’s Endurance Pro Original and really liked it. It has more structure than some treeless saddles, a built in spine channel and is quite adjustable. The only thing that I didn’t care for was the height of the pommel. A few times, I ran into it ducking to go under tree limbs. We ride in some pretty thick woods, so that’s a common occurrence even with my small horses. I rode Paisano ten miles in this saddle. We were both comfortable. I also like that it doesn’t need a special pad like some less structured treeless saddles. So this one is on the list.

I’ll have more to say after the weekend when I try the Sensation out on the trails. It’s supposed to clear up on Sunday. Keep sunny thoughts in mind for us!

Are you looking for a quality Spanish Mustang foal? I am offering an in-utero sale of a foal by Paisano and out of Choctaw Lily. The breeding would take place in the spring of 2010 for a 2011 foal, and would be performed at the clinic where Paisano’s semen was collected and frozen. This offer is available through April 2010.

Paisano SMR 3313

Paisano has proven to be an excellent riding horse. He was graded First Premium by the American Sport Pony Registry (ASPR) as a two year old, judged against dressage and eventing performance standards. He has an excellent personality to go along with his correct conformation, smooth yet animated gaits and sweet nature. He has been ridden bridleless and at Expos in front of large crowds and fully enjoys the attention. Paisano is homozygous for black, negative for LWO and also exhibits LP (appaloosa) and Sabino-1 pinto patterns. Paisano stands 13.3 hands tall, with the build to carry a full sized rider.

Choctaw Lily SMR 3150, HOA 1318, AIHR O-3887
(Choctaw Three x Irish Lassy)

Lily is a multi-gaited mare and an excellent riding and trail horse. She has been called a “confidence builder” due to her gentle and forgiving temperament. Yet, she is also sensitive to the aids and ready to pick up her pace with a confident rider. Lily shows several lateral gaits besides walk-trot-canter. These will be refined as her training continues. Lily is solid bay dun with one sock and stands an even 14 hands tall.

The foal may be black, bay, dun or grulla and may well be multi-gaited. He or she may be either solid or show LP traits and/or sabino pinto. Your foal would be halter trained, load in a trailer and be well handled prior weaning at no extra cost. The foal will be eligible for a number of registries including, but possibly not limited to SMR, HOA, AIHR. The foal’s SMR registration will be included in the sale. He or she would be a full sibling to the two horses below.

2009 filly, AR Margarita de los Prados SMR 3886

2006 gelding, AR Cirro SMR 3613

Some details about how this in utero foal sale would work

The sale of the foal would be live foal guaranteed. We would agree on a purchase price, and the deposit (50% of the purchase price) would be paid at the time of signing a contract. If the foal were to not survive to the foal’s 7th day of age, the deposit would be refunded in it’s entirety to you. The deposit on your in-utero foal is refundable only if the mare does not produce a healthy foal (in the opinion of a veterinarian) and deliver it safely to stand, nurse, and be insurable at 7 days of age.

When the foal reaches 7 days of age and is insurable, any remaining balance of the original purchase price will be due. Time payments may be arranged prior to the foal’s birth. There will be no charges (no board) for the care of your foal until weaning. Veterinary and farrier expenses, (as well as mortality, major medical, and surgical insurance, which will protect your investment) will be the buyer’s responsibility.

If you are interested in discussing this further or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I had planned to ride Lily three to four times per week and work Vinnie twice a week, including some arena work, both under saddle and in long lines for both of them. I was considering doing a trace clip on Lily, so we could continue conditioning towards endurance next year and the possible blanketing changes that might entail.

Well, other plans were in store for me. For those who don’t know me on FaceBook or the SM message boards, my back was tender last week after lifting some hay bales and last Sunday at the OHC trail course, it really did go out. I’ve been down resting and taking painkillers all of last week and missed quite a bit of work. I also missed writing my Thankful Thursday post, as I was in a mental fog.

“Getting old is not for sissies.” ~~ Bette Davis

After resting and a couple of chiropractic adjustments, my back is better today. I am mobile and not taking painkillers any longer. The trick for me now, will be to take it easy and come back to activity slowly. I need to start walking regularly, stretching and doing some non-horse related exercise. I am also considering taking the month off from riding. That is hard for me to think about. I’ve been pushing to spend every daylight opportunity in the saddle.

If I am not going to ride for a month, what to do with the horses? They are getting their stalls cleaned now, so I don’t even have a reason to go see them every day. All I have to do for them is make sure that their daily feed bags are made up and stocked. Other than that, they really would be fine to just hang out. But would they get bored?

Do horses get bored? Lily and Vinnie have a small paddock of about 1/3 acre to themselves. They have water, a tiny bit of grass and three trees, along with their breakfast hay out there. I can tell that they use the two smaller trees to scratch on. I found black hairs from Lily the other day, coated in ice. I wish that I had had my camera. It was quite interesting.

Anyway, I usually feel that I need to do something with them. To keep moving their training forward somehow; Lily getting back into shape and Vinnie with his basic ridden work. Then I remembered a day when my children came out and played with Vinnie. Neither of them are knowledgeable in traditional horsemanship. And they had fun and taught him things anyway. He learned quite quickly to push a barrel with his head. And they had fun playing with him and the hula hoop. It is good to remember that sometimes, it is worthwhile just exploring with the horse and not fitting him or her into a ‘program’ or a plan. They don’t make plans. Why do I?

I know that I could teach them some tricks. But then again, what about just being with them? I haven’t taken much time with that recently. And I do miss it. I think that Lily, at least, does too. I guess I will just take this month one day at a time and try having no goals. How about that? I think that I will take some toys and props out there though… and see what happens.

This weekend, the skies were positively celestial.

Fabulous blue skies in late November ... what a treat!

This video is the switchback portion of #3 through the woods, where there is the most elevation gain and also where the footing was the most slick. In the open, the sun had dried it out pretty well, aside from the portions that are little streams. Those, the midday winter sun turned into gleaming silver threads, inviting me on.

This is one of my favorite shots. That's Sky (Trakhener/Arab X), Diamond (Kiger) and my Lily.

Lily was wonderful and got past several of her issues, from ditches to water with weird, man-made footing. We can now walk, trot and canter through any of the ditches, as well as back down and up. The only thing still to work on there, is backing in without walking through forward first. We played follow the leader with Lily in front over the whole course. I practiced backing and sidepassing in all different sorts of places.

Lily helped Sky and another horse past their water issues when I ponied them. And she got several inquiries from bystanders. And, of course, a few people asked what kind of horse she was. A couple of old timer types watched her very carefully. One commented as we were leaving on what a tough horse she was. That made me smile.

Our favorite part was trying the course at speed! We did a fast run of one side of the course, cantering through ditches and jumping logs. If I can save the $$ for entry fees, I could see taking her in the speed competition next year, along with entering a division or two.

All the photos of the OHC practice are here.

I have to say that I find riding out on the trail truly sublime. Being out alone with just my mare, I can be taken to a timeless place, where human and horse are one, like so many times throughout history. Then to switch gears and try our hands and hooves at the technical challenges of a championship course … what an interesting balance.

And here are the rest of my Pisgah shots… with some more sky images, among other things.

This is about where we turned around.

My helpers left and I went for a ride! Lily is so game to get out that it makes riding 100% more fun. I ran into Lisa and Laura, so we swapped my camera for photos. I’m really having fun with this new point & shoot. That it takes video is an extra bonus.

Lily is out of shape, so we didn’t go to the top of Mt. Pisgah. I did dismount and lead her part way up the gravel walking trail, so we passed lots of hikers and dogs. I think that we were out for nearly three hours. We did quite a lot of wandering around. It’s quite fun to let Lily see where she wants to go. It’s usually farther away from home, instead of back to the barn.

Mohter & Son - with no time to comb manes

In the meadow, we had a nice gallop. That’s a rush while ponying another horse! Both of them seemed to enjoy it, though I did see some competitiveness showing up. Not the best thing to occur when one horse really needs to stay behind the other. We ended with some controlled slow canter. All the while, rain drops were starting to spatter down.

Window

This all was well worth missing laundry and dishes for. I’ll just stay up a bit later tonight and get that done too. Trail euphoria will carry me though…

Today’s photos are here.

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Riding in the dusk

Tomorrow Lily has an appointment with Dr. Mosier. She will have her teeth checked and likely worked on, we will talk about getting her weight back up and her general health. She’s a bit on the thin side right now. In fact, I think that she has dropped a bit of weight since Rita was weaned last Sunday. Thankfully, the swelling around her udder is mostly gone. The first night it was huge. She still doesn’t want me to mess with it (needs cleaning), so it must still be tender. Usually she loves getting scratched there. Ah, well, maybe that’s too much information about my girl … but it’s utterly true! Ha!

Monday I was counting the hours until I could leave work to go see Lily. It was just starting to get dark. I pulled her out of the paddock and hopped on. Vinnie ran around and called to her, but we rode and didn’t mind him. I took her on a tour of the neighboring paddock where they will likely expand into. Then we went down the road. Lily only called to some neighbor horses when we got a little ways from home. I think that she was still looking for Rita. Since then, she has calmed down. I think that she is happy to have her cozy stall with all the hay she can eat. She has a smorgasborg right now with four different kinds, including a small serving of alfalfa hay. I’m considering if I should buy bent grass or mixed grass hay this weekend…. The mixed grass sample bale seemed cleaner than the bent grass, so that’s what I will likely get.

So my heart is full this week with much gratitude that I have such a wonderful equine friend and partner.

How:

It was another great weekend at Tired Dog Ranch. This post will be a bit long. Even so, I am not capturing all the fun. That would be just impossible.

Saturday, I ponied Rita from Lily and took her on a short walk through the woods. Romina and Megan worked with Abby, Luna and the mini-donk sisters, Tallula & Pebbles. Since I don’t have a horn on my saddle, I had to lock my hand to my hip at times to pull, not so little, Rita along. She got the idea and did really well through the woods. Meanwhile, Sally and Megan were mushroom hunting with Pebbles and Tallula in tow.

Towards the evening, I got Luna out and took her to the round pen. I ended up getting on her bareback for a few turns and a short trot. I had tried a Wintec dressage saddle on her, but we didn’t have a short enough girth to use with it. She was fine bareback, though she did want to stay by the gate. It was getting dark and plans were made to ride again in the morning with Luna and Lily. The evening progressed with much talking and eating and enjoying of eachother’s company. I was tired from a busy day and retired to the Cowboy Cabin and a warm wood stove. I think I was in bed by the unheard of hour of 10 o’clock.

Sunday morning arrived overcast with a slight threat of possible rain. We convened at the lower pasture sometime late morning and gathered our crew of equines, Lily, Luna, Luis, Pebbles and Tallula. A different saddle was tried on Luna and a sidepull bridle. Romina tried her out in the round pen first, then I got on. She’s been a mom for a while now and could use a little tune up. She was good with both of us though, so I took her out in the meadow. Romina tried Lily and we had a good few rounds. Luna has a very nice trot, smooth and with energy. We all ended up taking the woods trail. When Romina and I got ahead of the other with Luis, Luna’s colt, she got a little anxious and called for him. She was still wiling and did as asked. It was a very fun and productive ride, even though we did get rained on.

On our return, Luis and Luna were put back in the pasture. Lily came with me up to the parking area and my trailer. I’ve had loading issues with her since last year after she was leased out. I was prepared to take the rest of the day to calmly work on it. The day before, I had asked her to load. I had a bale of alfalfa hay inside that I’d just bought at the feed store. This turned out to be far too tempting and before Lily knew what had happened, she had all four feet in the trailer! Previously, she would put her front feet in, but the back feet took a lot of work. Today, she had second thoughts about loading a couple of times, but got over that pretty quickly. I took her in and out repeatedly, closing the door once too. It was a pleasure having her load well. If it takes having a bit of alfalfa in the manger, that’s fine with me for now!

As I drove out, Luna, Luis and Rita were huddled by the front gate. I felt sorry for Rita the most. She looked a little forlorn. On arriving at my barn, I put Lily out with Vin. He nickered and pranced up to her and was very happy to see her. After checking out the paddock, Lily kept watching the distance for every horse that she could see. She didn’t call once though, just watched. I brought them into their stalls to see how it was with the wall between them partially removed. It was fine. They ate dinner and then I put them out again. They both scarfed up the alfalfa crumbs I dumped from cleaning the truck out. Sarbjit and Hargobind stopped in to help. That was nice.

By the time I left, Lily was allowing Vinnie to groom her withers. She even groomed him back a little. I think that his gregariousness might just make Lily less aloof. Her udders are quite full, of course, and I’ll be watching for any sign of mastitis. She seems to understand what’s happened and is accepting it so far.

It was a very wonderful weekend and I am tired! To my friends, Romina, Megan, Amy Jo & Sally, Thank you all for being part of Lily’s departure and homecoming. It was very helpful for me to have the support of my friends, even though it might not have seemed evident. Now I get to let the dust settle on this move and get used to having my two horses again.

See all the photos on Flickr here.

Even hanging back on the lead, Rita has a killer trot and look at how big she's getting!

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Lily and I playing around in 2006.

And I will certainly be happy to have my girl back. It’s been wonderful to have her at Tired Dog Ranch and I’m thrilled that Rita will have such an excellent home. But … I will never send Lily to another person as long as I am alive and able. I really look forward to rebuilding our partnership together.

Romina, Sally, Amy Jo, me & Megan

I’ve been feeling change coming for a long time. Now there is an undercurrent flowing, and a charged atmosphere along with it. We are on the cusp of this shift. I came across this article and found it very helpful in validating quite a lot of things for me. Maybe it will for you too…

Astrologer Maurice Fernandez on the coming changes

While there will be challenges, I also see incredible opportunities. Breaking down and rebuilding give us the chance to recreate anew.

How:

Vinnie had his second and third rides this weekend. I had brought Paisano up to Tired Dog Ranch for Amanda to ride. I put Vinnie in a nearby paddock to keep Paisano company for the weekend and because I knew I wanted to work with him. He called some to his friends and relatives down below, but was nicely settled down after a night near Paisano.

Saturday was his first ride in a saddle. I used my old Simco western that I’ve been trying to sell for the last year. It seemed to fit him fairly well. I got on in the 12×24 pen. He was okay, but a bit antsy. I had Amy Jo open the gate and rode him around the orchard area for maybe 20 minutes or so. At first, Amanda helped him move forward leading him with the mecate, then we went solo. He did really well. The only sticky part was him not really knowing that leg means forward. He turned and stopped just perfectly. And he looked very smart in the brown tones of the saddle, my wool pad and bosalito with mohair mecate. All the photos are on Amanda’s camera, so I’ll have to wait to get them from her.

Sunday morning, we tacked up again. This time, he took a couple of bucks in the pen when the saddle was cinched up. His pal, Cornelius was on his way up the hill to join us. I’m not sure if that’s what set him off or that maybe I cinched it too tight at first. Either way, I took him out and lunged him for a few minutes before getting on.

We went out on the loop trail through the wood around the property. If you were at the SMR meeting, you might remember that trail. It’s narrow, windy with roots and downed trees to step over. He was a CHAMP! He followed Cornelius, slowing when I asked. The bosal had rubbed a little while lunging, so I had switched to his web halter with reins attached. Paisano and Amanda followed us.

Vinnie with saddle sweat marks after our trail ride!

Amanda did really well with Paisano too. I think that they will make a great pair. He will likely go stay with her for a while on lease.

I was thinking of selling Vinnie, but now I am not so sure about that. I’ll do everything I can to keep this boy. He’s a really nice ride. We will need to work on standing still and not fussing and getting into everything. He’s a real busy body.

I also took Lily out for a short ride this afternoon. I haven’t ridden her in months. She was just fine leaving Rita, who is three months old now and quite independent. Rita looked concerned and called a little, but had aunts and uncles to take care of her.

Lily was SO ready to go and gaited so very nicely. Amanda and I went about 2/3 of the way I had ridden with Vinnie. It was really wonderful to feel Lily’s energy again. She is such a game mare. If all goes well, we should be able to do a couple of LD rides next year and have a blast!

It was very special to have all three of my horses out on the trail riding this weekend. It’s been a long time coming.

Well, I’ve visited Lily about once/month since she went up the hill to TDR and her foaling of a lovely little carbon copy of herself… Several times before and after she foaled, I hopped up on her sans tack (once with no neck rope at all).

This was last Sunday.

She always takes care of me well. And when I come home, I am sad that she is there and I am here. Then when I’ve ridden Paisano out on trails, I am really thinking about how it’s not the same connection and utter trust that I have with Lily. I do trust him. With Lily it is a joyful partnership in trust. Paisano it is more of a supportive feeling. I have to remind him sometimes that I am there and that he needs to take care of me as well as himself. I guess this equine angst of mine is one reason that my blog has been rather neglected of late. I didn’t quite know what to say…

I love having Paisano at Three Cedars in full care. But what I am looking forward to is having Lily there. Now I just need to make a plan to find him a home, be it permanent (selling) or temporary (leasing). Either way, I need to find him another situation. And I would like to do that by January, when Lily will be ready to wean Rita, I’m sure!

I’ve been battling with the uneasy feeling of things being “not quite right” for a while. And not really knowing quite what to do about it. I don’t really want to sell Paisano. He’s a great little guy, fun, sweet, a gentleman, kind, sensitive, etc. etc. But my heart really lies with Lily. I would love to see Paisano placed with someone who would build him into the show pony that I know he could be. And I think that he would enjoy it too, in the right hands. He likes to show off. He could be a great exhibition horse or an eventer or dressage pony. Where is his person? I need to make a plan to present him in the places where that person might be. First off will be getting someone to ride him, all spiffed up, so that I can get updated photos and maybe some video. It’s a marketing project really. And if anyone out there has any leads, I’m all ears…

After it’s all done, Lily and I will continue our journey.

She was likely born sometime in the early hours last Friday morning, June 26th. This is Paisano’s forth foal and Lily’s second. Lily will now have a long, probably permanent break from carrying any more foals. This filly is nearly a carbon copy of her dam, with the addition of a cute blaze and a front sock. She has a similar hind right sock to Lily’s. Here are a few photos from her first day. More may be found here and here.

Choctaw Lily and AR Margarita de los Prados

It's tiring being only a few hours old!

Very sweet face...

Baby whiskers

She will also be known as Margarita de los Prados (Daisy of the Grasslands)

Margarita is owned by Amy Jo Maurer & Sally Harmon of Tired Dog Ranch. Be sure to visit their blog often for updates. I will very much enjoy watching this little girl grow up.

And if you are in western Oregon looking for a great getaway, stop in, visit and stay in their lovely rentals.

I delivered Vinnie to Tired Dog Ranch on Saturday. They are both loving life there. Here is a slide show of Vin’s introduction to part of the herd. If you want to go right to Flickr and see all the photos larger, here’s the link.

Lola, the bay roany sabino mare is now in the front pasture and Larry/Lorenzo has taken her place. I hear that he and Vin have become fast friends and sparring partners. I can’t wait to visit again and sit to watch their fun. I have to thank Amy Jo and Sally for taking such great care of these two for me. It is such a treat to see them out together, fully enjoying being horses. I have to say that Lily certainly enjoys the water left from the seasonal pond. She will miss it when it dries up…