This morning

Ruby and I had a very close call this morning.  I haven't ridden her much this week, due to all of the rain we've been having but we've had two whole days (TWO WHOLE DAYS) without rain as of this morning, so I saddled her up for a ride down the road.

Heather wasn't interested in going so it was just me and Ruby.  The plan was to see if her feet were up to trotting a few stretches right on the edge of the road.  I didn't have much hope for this, since everything has been so wet.  You folks in California don't know how good you have it with the hot, dry summers with no humidity.  But then, you probably have much bigger arm muscles than I do, for all of the trimming you do on your horses' rock-hard hooves.  Anyways, we started off walking as usual because Ruby was being a little looky.  I mounted up right after the first curve and we went on our merry way.

We were able to trot a few stretches, though they were very short due to mailboxes, drive ways, etc. Things were going very well when we approached the black/white dog's yard.  I veered Ruby off into the grass a bit and let her start munching while I scanned the yard for the dog.  He was maybe 10 feet from the fence, snoozing in the grass when he heard us and alerted his BFF, the old Labrador.  Ruby was unconcerned.

Black/white dog in front of large oak on left, Labrador is easier to spot.

She's deathly afraid of barking dogs, obviously.

I sat there for a few minutes, letting Ruby graze, watching the dogs surreptitiously, hoping they would get bored and find a shady spot to lay down.  No such luck, so I decided to get on with it and ride by.  The dog's side of the street has a 10-12 foot shoulder while the other has none, so we stayed on the side with the dogs.  We were walking along when we came to a hole under the fence that has been blocked with a cinder block, when Archie (black and white dog, short for Arch Nemesis) slid under the fence not 8 feet from us.  I was watching the dogs from the corner of my eye, and saw this and yelled 'Hey!' at him.  He stopped, tucked his tail and trotted off a bit.  Damn.  The dog is loose on the street and his Lab buddy is still raising hell on our right.  I didn't want to turn Ruby around because most dogs take that as an invitation to chase - instead, I decided to back Ruby past the fence and then reassess.  When I looked back over my shoulder, I saw a van coming our way from down the street.  I turned Ruby so she could see the van, waved at them to slow down and turned back to the dog.  He had used my distraction to creep closer to us, maybe twenty feet away.  I honestly thought we might die.  The Lab was right behind us, barking for all that he was worth trying to drive us away from the fence, Archie was creeping closer every time I looked away, and now this van was coming towards us and still picking up speed.  I waved and yelled, 'Slow down!' but he kept his foot on the gas pedal.  While I was busy freaking out, Ruby was still calm. The van blew by us (she didn't even flinch) and suddenly Archie was no longer interested.  I guess that last yell at the driver made him decide that we weren't worth it?  Once past the fence, I let Ruby graze again so I could take a breather.  Archie was busy marking everyone's mailbox and heading the other way.  I took the opportunity to loosen my muscles - I was so tense that my whole body was aching.

We trotted once more on the way home, and Ruby did her usual 'we're flying' trot, but mostly we moseyed.  My nerves couldn't take much more drama.  Ruby did get a little nervous when we rode by a home who's yard had a dog that had never had one before, so I think she was possibly more bothered than she let on.   We stopped at one point so I could save a baby soft-shelled turtle from the road.  I would have taken a picture but Ruby is more nervous when I'm not mounted and the new dog was still going nuts barking at us.  I took the little turtle to a ditch full of water which flows into Tenoroc.  We were almost home, so I walked the rest of the way.

We both have freckles :D

Phew, I'm so grateful for this freckle-faced mare who charged into my life last November.  I'm also so glad that Heather didn't want to ride this morning - I don't think Candy would have handled the drama well.  So, what to do about next time?

I'm resisting the urge to carry rocks in my pockets - if I'd had one this morning, I'd probably be in jail right now.  I wear a highlighter yellow safety vest during these rides, but I think I'll order one of these: equestrian road-riding vest.  I like the fact that it has a message across the back, for those drivers who have no horse sense.  I may also order some of their reflective boots for Ruby's legs.  Still, I don't think the guy didn't see me, I think he just didn't care.  I do know he didn't see the dog.  I don't have anything against Archie and I'm glad he didn't get hit either. 

In other news: I hate the gaiters on the Easyboots. The velcro sucks (already falling apart), and when they get wet, they stay wet. And let's face it, in Florida the grass is almost always wet except for a few hours a day.  I've been totally slacking on contacting Mel regarding purchasing used Renegade boots.  For now, I will probably continue to use the Easyboots for trails which have gravel but I won't be buying them again. 

So far this week

Note: Multi-day posts are written on the day referenced, so will say today, tomorrow, etc. even if posted days later. 

Sunday: I trimmed Ruby's hooves and measured her front feet for boots.  They are 4.75" long and 4.75" wide.  I've put up an ad or two looking for used boots, either Renegades or Easyboot Gloves.  I would like to try out both types to see which fit Ruby best before spending the money for new.  Buying the wrong boots would be an expensive mistake. 

Monday: I finally got to see why there were so many road maintenance vehicles parked on the barn road - they were getting set up to re-pave it this morning.  I debated riding along the road today but I had one last hope for finding a back way into the park, so I saddled up.  I had to walk between some parked vehicles and the 'crazy horse' pasture - there was just enough room.  Ruby was much more concerned about the horses than the moving, beeping, steaming equipment a few feet away on the road.  I walked her down to the first corner before mounting up and rode to the area in question.  It looks like it needs to be explored on foot before asking a horse to follow - I might do that tomorrow.  On the way back, during one of Ruby's 'we're not going fast enough' episodes, I heard the distinct clink-clink of glass.  Luckily she didn't get cut, or even seem to notice but I'll feel much better when we've got boots! I dismounted after the next curve and walked her back home with no issues.  Oh, and my Evolution bridle from Rock Moss Endurance came in the mail! 

Tuesday: I got to try out my new bridle from Moss Rock.  I was very worried going into this - the last bitless bridle that I tried was horribly designed and has been sent back.  I should have trusted though; Lisa knows her stuff and designed this bridle herself.  First, I went to fit it as a halter:

I ended up taking the throat latch up a hole or two after this picture; but it fits!  Ruby is trying not to fall asleep.

So far, so good.  I finished tacking up and decided to try it as a side pull first.  I took her for a spin around the barnyard and she was doing very well - a huge improvement over the last bridle, in which she acted like she had no idea when I was asking for a stop.  Now I was really starting to look forward to trying it as a cross-under bitless bridle.  Ruby was fantastic while I finagled my way through getting the reins on properly.  I decided to stay in the barnyard while she got used to it.  Again, she was very responsive; barely a squeeze of my fingers was enough to get a turn or stop.  I was very happy to see that this particular bitless does not have the release issue that some have.  She was doing so well that I decided to put it through the ultimate on-property test: riding in the larger arena with the gate open.  Ruby has two main bad habits. The first is that, in this arena in particular, she will try to go towards the gate.  She doesn't head towards the gate, she will turn her head in the direction you are asking, but she will bend her body towards it and before you know it, you're doing a half pass towards the gate.  Her second bad habit is that walking is not always fast enough in her eyes - she wants to trot All. The. Time.  Generally speaking she was respectful of the side pull, but there were times that I had to be much harsher than I wanted.  Occasionally at the end of a trail ride, she would have a small rubbed spot on her nose from the rawhide nose band.  I was very happy to see that she cannot blow through this bridle.  Whereas it would sometimes take me 6-7 strides of trot to bring her back to a walk, I was able to do it in 1-2.  She was also unable to blow through my cues and drift towards the gate.   I am more than pleased with this bridle, I'm ecstatic! 

'Cookie?'

Things I like about the design: the part of the reins that cross under the jaw are a thinner width, which seems to ensure that there are no hang-ups when giving the horse their release.  The throat latch lays flat (does it bug anyone else when they twist awkwardly?).  There is only one piece of beta over the poll, so there is no chance that the horse's skin will be pinched or mane/forelock will be pulled.  The browband is long enough that the cheek pieces aren't too close to the eyes, and there will be no pinching near the ears.  Lisa really did a great job designing this bridle.  Heather is going to try it out on Candy tomorrow; she may be putting in an order of her own soon. 

And a quick little side note - Ruby threw in two strides of canter on Tuesday when we were supposed to be trotting.  This is the first time we've done anything over a trot as I wanted to get some other issues straightened out first (including my own!).  She was very balanced but I brought her back down to a trot immediately because I hadn't asked for a canter.  Soon, my dear!

Wednesday: Ruby got a day off while Heather tried out the new bitless on Candy.  Not sure yet that this bridle will work on a more stubborn, less sensitive horse.  She only had a few minutes to try it out so wasn't able to get a good feel for it.

Thursday: a busy day! My kids had their school orientation this morning and the hubby is taking me to a concert tonight.  I have plans (that hopefully won't need to be cancelled again!) to go trail riding tomorrow.  So, no riding for me today; Ruby's starting to look at me like I'm forgetting something :)

Girth update

My newest girth arrived yesterday afternoon and I'm ridiculously happy to report that Ruby seems to like it.  We rode for maybe 20 minutes this morning, but it was a very good ride.  She was happy and forward but not rushing. It should be fine - the only thing wrong with the other is that it's too long. Still, I'm sure to be paranoid about girth everything for the rest of my natural life, so we're going on a short trail ride tomorrow to really make sure before we start longer rides again.  Teddy at Running Bear Tack was awesome to deal with, for anyone considering ordering from him.

Ruh-roh, Raggy

You guessed it, the girth isn't going to work for us.  I hate being a pain in the vendor's ass but I'm going to ask how much it will cost me to trade this out for a 22" mohair.  Now I better understand how horse people get so stuck in 'my way is only right way' mode.  To add to this, I still have not heard a peep out of the 2-in-1 bridle vendor, though they state on their website that they will resize their products for you. 

PS. Teddy from Running Bear Tack is awesome.  In the time it took me to write this whiny post, he has already answered my email and agreed to exchange the Toklat for a 22" mohair (on a Sunday afternoon, no less!).  Maybe I'll be riding again by the end of the week. *fingers crossed*

Slacker!

At least when it comes to blogging (and homework).  Heather has been out of town, so I've been feeding the horses, turning them out and cleaning a few stalls in the morning.  I've also had no one to go trail riding with, so Ruby and I have been spending a lot of time in the arena.  I'm pleased to report that her arena-attitude is pretty much gone and she's trotting for longer periods, with some steering!  Oh, and in a snaffle bit.  Today was particularly tortuous....

First we did a few stretches.  She had no idea what I was doing, but she tried.  We started out on the lunge line in the small arena.  After she was warmed up a bit, she trotted three poles in both directions so we went back to the barn to tack up.  Now, generally speaking, when we go back to the barn that means work is over.  Ruby was very perky thinking that she was going to be diving into her hay at any moment.

Instead, I tied her up and brought the saddle out.  I could almost hear her say 'Damn' but she was a good girl and stood stock-still while I saddled her up.  Walked back to the small arena and mounted up.  Yesterday I was getting attitude when trotting to the left, but not so much today so I have no idea what was bugging her.  After a while, we walked over the poles a few times, then I decided to see how she would react to trotting over them.  Poor Ruby, she really tried for me but at the last minute lost her confidence and dropped to a walk.  That's ok, we'll just keep practicing.

After thirty minutes or so, I hopped down to open the arena gate, mounted up and rode to the larger arena.  She's never ridden in this arena alone before but she did well.  More circles, more transitions.  She's learning to leg-yield on these circles - progress!

Finally, I decided to ride her down the road a bit.  I have taken her for walks down the road, and ridden down the road with Heather, but I've never ridden her off property by herself before.  We rode down the road a bit, turned around and rode back past the gate a bit and did it again.  When riding by the gate, she would try to scoot over to it but there were no freak-outs or melt-downs.  For a first time, especially considering how little confidence she has, I think she did fabulously.  I'm going to try to make this a regular part of our routine.

Oh, and one more little tidbit.  Ruby does not like taking a bit.  The first time I tried to get her to accept a bit, it took me 45 minutes or so to get her to take it (yes, I had her teeth done before this because I'd seen Jenny try to bridle her once).  Today when I was removing the bridle, something caught it on the other side of her face.  I think the full-cheek snagged on the halter.  Anyway, Ruby went to pull her head away, then realized that she was still tied.  She got that crazy look in her eye and started to really pull back but stopped when I said 'easy'.  Made my day that she trusts me that much :D

I'm on pins and needles waiting for my Evolution bridle from Moss Rock Endurance. Hopefully it will arrive sometime next month, but I won't be surprised if it takes until August or longer.  Patience is not my strong suit!  In the meantime, I found another great blog to read: Wait for the Jump.

Head-gear and Goals

I put in an order to Moss Rock Endurance for one of her Evolution bridles.  Ruby does not like my S-hack, but goes very well in Heather's side pull so I've been looking for one of my own.  Doing a search for biothane side pulls, I came across MRE's Evolution bridle.  Basically it's a bitless halter-bridle that can also be rigged with a bit or as a side pull.  Unfortunately MRE's owner/founder is currently laid up for a while following a fall so it's going to be a while before I get it.  Here's to patience.

Moving on to the subject of goals.  I think it's reasonable to expect a sustained trot (at a steady pace!) with steering by the end of next month so that's what we'll be working on.  And I'm tentatively planning to enter an intro ride in September, followed by our first LD in December/January.