Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

Wow!  I didn't realize it had been over a year since my last blog post.  A lot has happened since then!

This year I decided to step out of my comfort zone and start competing again.  I took Cat to her first trail challenge (ITREC) in June hoping to just stay on.  You can imagine my shock when we ended up taking 2nd place on the first day.  The second day we placed 5th.  This was enough to earn the Intermediate High Point buckle.

Trail riding this year has been pretty limited as we have had a lot of rain.  We did manage to get out a few times this year, although we were only able to have one overnight trail ride.

Playing in the water at Brushy Creek

More fun in the water

Duke got saddled for the first time this year.  He still has a lot of growing to do before a rider is added but he took it well.  More than likely he will become my winter project.

I decided to push my comfort zone even more by taking Cat to an AQHA Trail Challenge in August.  We ended up placing 3rd in the training level.

The pinwheel

In September we did another ITREC challenge.  Cat took 1st place on Saturday and 2nd on Sunday, earning another buckle.  

Last year after looking at some photos of the Black Hill on Horse Trails and Camping Across America I decided I to book a trip to SD.  For years MIL and I have said we were going to go  'next year' but always found a reason to not go.  This time there would be no excuses.

Two weeks before the trip Lucy got hurt.  I was hoping she'd heal up in time to go but decided at the last minute not to chance it and took Cat instead.

We stayed at Broken Arrow Horse Camp in Custer, SD.  The camp was nice and the people were great.  The trails were quite a bit different from the ones we are used to at home.  Lots of hills and lots of rocks!  I had decided not to put shoes on Cat and worried I'd made a huge mistake but she ended up fairing well barefoot.

Broken Arrow Horse Camp

The stalls at Broken Arrow

Lots of steep hills (trail behind Broken Arrow)

Mines outside of Broken Arrow

The Man From Snowy River?  I think I'll pass

On top of "Heaven" (7000 ft)

Some of the old mines

 

Rocky trail to Beecher Rock

The horses getting a much needed rest (Beecher Rock)

The view from Beecher Rock

I told him not to fall off!

Coming down from Beecher Rock

Rushmore Ride - TONS of rocks

The ride to Rushmore

Rushmore!

Blackberry Trail from Rushmore

We had a FABULOUS time!  This ride to Rushmore really challenged our horses and our horsemanship skills.  There was a lot of rock, a lot of steep hills and lots of downed trees.  The boys learned that you can use a leatherman to cut a tree off of the trail - it just takes a lot of work!  We were very patient while they cut away. :)

We had a great time and next year we are planning on doing it again (going out of state, not necessarily to SD).

I have another AQHA competition in a week and then I'm debating on doing the ITREC ride in October.  I'll be moving myself up to the "Advanced" level.  Not because I think we are ready for it but because I think I need to once again challenge myself.

I'm also toying with the idea of going to a trail challenge at the Nebraska Horse Expo.  Money and weather are two of the main reasons I can't make up my mind on this one.  It would be held inside a pavilion which would be a new experience for Cat.

Next year I would like to ride:

Kanopolis State Park and Calamus Lake & Recreation Area

Now that I've written a novel................I think it is time to hit the post button before I go on anymore.

Ridin, Ridin, Ridin by the River!

The weather was perfect last weekend for a ride so a small group of "trail sisters" met up at Walnut Woods for a ride along the Raccoon River.

Some of the trails were still covered in snow.

Some more then others.

Some trails had no snow and were perfect for riding!

She must' have been listening to me as her ears were perked forward most of the ride.

Sporting her new CA headstall.

And her new saddle! (she looks embarrassed. lol)

 We only rode for an hour but it was a great hour spent in the saddle.  I think Lucy enjoyed getting out and about and the work Trish has been doing on her seemed to make her move better.

New Year - New Goals

The New Year always seems to bring new goals.  This year my goal is to ride at least once every month.  I know that doesn't sound like much but in my sometimes hectic world that can be a lofty goal.

I was able to get Lucy out for a New Years Eve ride.

Lu and I pulled the kids around on the sled for a while and then headed down the road.

The wind was brisk and I was ready to be done by the time we returned to the barn.

New Years day it was Cat's turn.

I didn't take her out in the road but instead played in the snow drifts in the pasture.

I asked Shari to come down and get some pictures and video for me since someone *cough* John *cough* is always complaining but this is what I found on the camera.

Myofascial Release

My-o-what?  Yep, that is what I was saying too.  A while back Duke got caught up in the temporary fence so I decided to call a chiropractor to take a look at him.  I have used chiropractors in the past however lately when I've heard people talking about them the name Trish kept coming up.  After talking to some friends I finally got a number for Trish and scheduled an appointment.

Trish isn't your typical "crack'em" chiropractor.  She works more on soft tissue manipulations and what she calls myofascial release or MFR.  I must say when she was working on Duke I wasn't overly impressed as it looked like she was just touching Duke softly and not really manipulating anything.  Oh how I was wrong!

Prior to the fence incident Duke's back legs were nice and straight but after the incident his back right had started to toe out.  He seemed lethargic and just wasn't Duke.  I mentioned the leg to Trish and before she left it was straight again!  Trish worked on Duke 3 times and he's back to his normal ornery self.

I now have Trish working on Lucy.  I've always had issues w/Lucy's back right leg but since she isn't blatantly lame the vets don't seem to think it is a big deal.  Within the first session Lucy was walking better, more freely in the back end then I've ever seen her walk.  I'm so excited to see how Lucy will perform next year now that she is feeling better.

Here is some information about MFR.

Myofascial release is a manual therapy technique that is used to elongate foreshortened connective tissue and muscle. Fascia is another term for the connective tissue of the body that forms a three-dimensional system of support, cushion, and movement. The fascial system forms a web from head to hoof surrounding every muscle, bone, organ, blood vessel, nerve, and cell. Actually, muscle is made up of 98% connective tissue with biochemicals attached that produce a shortening of the connective tissue strands (contraction). When the horse is acutely injured or sustains repeated trauma from training, the fascial system tightens as a protective response.
Over time this can lead to poor muscular biomechanics, altered structural alignment, decreased strength and endurance, and produce overuse muscular compensations. Resultant is decreased performance and functional capacity of the horse. By elongating the fascial system we can restore the efficiency of this system. Therefore, restoring the natural abilities of coordination, strength, and power to the horse. During treatment the therapist identifies areas of hardness or tenderness and applies a gentle pressure into the tissue were the restriction is felt. This is held for 90-120 seconds following the releases through the connective tissue barriers. We have had great success with this treatment approach especially when utilized with other treatment techniques such as joint mobilization, therapeutic exercise programs, and modalities. The combination of these techniques are beneficial in creating pain free movement for the horse.

Here are some before/after videos of a horse I found on youtube (I have no clue who this horse is) that received treatment using MFR.

Here is the same horse after MRF.

Lucy isn't where this horse is YET but she's sure feeling better then she did.  She's striding out further then she ever has (just not quite as much as I'd like).

I get to have Trish work on me tomorrow so I'm excited to "feel" what Lucy feels.

Stephens Forest

Monday I decided to meet up with a friend (Bobbie) and go to Stephens Forest for a ride.  Since it was the holiday weekend and Cat has been on vacation I opted to take Lu.

Bobbie doesn't live far from MIL so she stopped by and picked us up.  It has been a while since Lu was in a two horse but she went in without too much of a fuss.

Can you tell which one is Lu?

Bobbie and I were saddled up and on the trails by around 10:00.  Bobbie took me on some new trails I didn't even know existed.  They had most of my favorite trail features!

For not being out on a trail for over a year I thought Lu did very well.

After a few hours out we returned to the trailer to give the horses a quick rest while we ate our lunch.

Back out on the trail I quickly became very dissapointed in my fellow equestrians.  It was apparent some didn't believe in the "carry out what you carry in" saying as there were quite a few beer cans left on the trail and along the side of the trail.  

Up in the pines Lucy and I stopped for a rest as Bobbie rode through the pines.

Lucy was happy to stay and guard the tree while Bobbie explored.  During her exploration she found a trail I didn't know existed so we headed out to see where it would take us.

I had a nice, enjoyable ride w/Bobbie and Lu.  Lu was a pretty tuckered little pony though.

As the pastures turn!

Last week I decided to make the move and wean Duke.  He's just a little over 4 months old but he's very independent and wasn't spending a large amount of time nursing.  The drought has been hard on all of the horses and I didn't want to tax Lucy's body anymore then I needed to.

On Tuesday, MIL came over, loaded Lu up and took her to her house.  All of the while Duke was munching on his grain and never even noticed.  He's been very good about Lucy being gone and is adjusting well.

Wednesday I went over to MIL's as Black had managed to cut up her leg (we still haven't figure out what happened).  Poor Lucy!  Her bag was full and streaming onto the ground.  It must not have bothered her too much though as all she seemed concerned with was when she was going to get more food.

Duke got fitted with a new DUH halter on Thursday.  It is a bit too small so I need to check to make sure they have it tagged correctly.  It is supposed to be a weanling.  He doesn't have a big head so I can't see him needing a yearling halter already.

Shedding AGAIN!

Sunday the boys and I went to visit Lu at MIL's.  She was drying up well so I decided to go ahead and saddle her up.  Would you care to join me for a ride?

Yep, I saw Lucy's signature ears. lol  I really won't complain though.  I can't tell you when I rode her last and I'm guessing minus the bb ride a few weeks ago it was well over a year ago.  She was a pretty good girl.

After my ride Ty wanted to ride.  He loves Lucy!  So much I'm afraid I'm going to lose her to him in a few years.

I about fell down laughing when I heard him say "Lucy! Don't make me use the spanker."

After his ride he "informed" me he needed to wash "his" horse.  I'm not sure who had more water on them at the end of the bath - him or Lucy.

Oh Lucy!

I had a nice, relaxing ride on Cat last night while DH and MIL were off getting hay for MIL.  They returned just as I was finishing up my ride.  I tied Cat to the PP while MIL and DH rode around in the arena.  I'm not one to sit and watch so I decided to hop on my trusty steed to see if she was still trusty.


It felt so weird riding her again.  She isn't built that much different then Cat but she is built just enough different to make it feel really weird going from riding Cat to riding her.  Riding her reminded me why I love her so much.  She acted like she'd never had any time off and immediately started to tuck her head to the halter pressure.

Ty was sitting on the mounting block whining that he wasn't getting to ride.  After about 10 minutes I got tired of listening to him and saddled Lu up with his saddle.  He does a pretty good job with Lu and she does a pretty good job taking care of him.  If my cell card wasn't full I would've gotten a video as it looks like she's walking on eggshells when he rides her.

Duke had been over pestering Cat but decided it was time for a drink.  He wasn't sure what that "thing" on Lucy's back was so he just followed her around a bit and then went back to pestering Cat.

Welcome Duke!

He's here!  Duke arrived around 7:30 this morning.  He's got a bit of frosting on his butt so it looks like he will be a roan.

Thank you so much Danny for everything!

I love this picture -
 

Waiting to get the strength to get up

Up but not steady!


As you can see Lucy worked up an appetite.


I love this picture too.

Yep, he's already sticking his tongue out. lol


Yer doing it wrong! lol Lucy is lifting her leg for him.