jerk

I had other words for my horse last ride, but this is a family blog…oh wait, no it's not, but I've calmed myself a bit.

new tights, I'm in love with houndstooth!

Heading out for a little lake loop, just wanted a short, quick ride so I could get back and watch some football. I didn't boot because the footing is great. I naively thought "He's been so good, we can trot and canter the whole loop, be done in a hour, I'll be home by 1:00."

dreaming of a lake at normal level, even though we lose this trail

Not to be. I missed almost the whole first half of the game. Oh, but this is a horse blog. Ok, we headed out, down Barking Dog hill, my poor mistreated horse (who hadn't been ridden in four days) trudging along. He heard some hikers ahead and got a little perkier, stepping out. We passed them, and down onto the lake trail. Nice trotting, passed a friend heading the opposite way, still good behavior.

Then there were some horses standing next to the trail. We passed them, and Major thought the race was on. Even if they were still just standing there, facing the other direction. An argument ensued between me (trot like a normal horse) and Major (I must race everywhere at all times) idiot.

Then his tiny pea brain saw tiny horses in the distance. Obviously those horses were winning the endurance race. And our earlier argument escalated into full-out war. There was no forward movement that was not him being a rushy idiot. So we kept going, and going. Passed the turn for home, where he normally will begin to think twice about misbehavior: no reaction. Take the tough rocky upper trail (barefoot): no reaction. Haul him into a circle: momentaty ceasing of naughtiness, then back to old bahavior. I was getting pissed off, which is not good or useful.

walking hill

walking road

So we walked. There would be no fun cantering. There would be no trotting, not a single trot step. There would be no jigging. Any behavior other than walking received either circling, backing many feet, turning around, sidepassing, or other not fun behavior.

It didn't help.

actually standing at the pond, momentarily

walking by alligator rock

We did manage to stop at the pond momentarily and stand still, where he wouldn't drink (but I saw a  bobcat, that was awesome). Four miles later we crossed the road close to home, still trying to jig, and I offered my jerk horse to the endurance riders heading out. He could stand to be ponied for a bit, right?

still trying to jig home

He does behave better when we go at speed for 15+ miles. But I do not want to put more miles on, as he just gets fitter and fitter and I think it's too much to not have time off, etc. He behaves nicely in the arena, so I can't fix this there.

So what to do? I guess some walking rides, listening rides, to see if he gets it. Though I think he will. It's when we add in the speed combined with seeing other horses. He isn't herd bound, just way too competitive. He will be 11 this year. Shouldn't he be over some of this crap?

Of course after the ride he was a hot, sweaty mess. He tried to drink his sponge water. His feet looked awesome (glad to know he can do it barefoot if needed). I still gave him carrots.

Sure I love him, but I don't like him much sometimes. Jerk.

…cannot reach the carrot, trying to strangle myself…(he was supervised of course)

naughty

an almost-a-buck naughtiness (directed at me, though I'm up the hill and behind a fence!)

Last week I was dealing with a bit of attitude. Cool weather, not many trail miles, all adding up to one amped pony.

let me in, let me in my pasture!

I let him into the arena. But he wanted to be in his pasture. So he lunged himself around for awhile, getting himself all hot and blowy, throwing in a few pitiful bucks and leaps (seriously, he's like Elaine from Seinfeld dancing, it's so sad but I laugh).

So my plan for that excess energy was a good ride to Auburn. It isn't that far, 14 miles, but has some super tough footing and good elevation gain (2,300 feet). C and Friday joined in our adventure, as long as I promised not to kill her. Hey, I haven't yet!

Rattlesnake Bar with a receding lake

should be lake, now just the river

Avery pond still looks nice, with turtles on the log

We actually had very well behaved horses as we trotted towards Rattlesnake Bar. There is no water to access, we just continued on, throwing in some super nice canters (and one ridiculous unasked-for gallop). Before Avery Pond you can look down at the lake, except it isn't there! All you now see is the river and lots of exposed rock. But the trees are lovely, and at the pond the turtles were sun bathing.

The creek and lake are often as high as the base of the tree on the right

Mormon Ravine creek, normally a full rushing bridge-of-death, was totally calm, and the rest of the trail was dry, dry, dry. But lovely and rocky and Major was completely behaving himself. Here is always my training dilemma: I know my horse is hot and raring to go, but even on a ride where I'd let him go, he just ambles along (unless we turn for home, then the afterburners kick in).

lots of exposed rock down the cliff, no big boats will coming this way!

Major thought we should go home across the bridge

We crossed a small creek, where Major thought we should then turn around and go home back across the bridge. He did the same when we stopped to view the very minimal Oregon Bar rapids. I can't quite explain to him that it is now farther to go home then just continue to our destination!

Oregon Bar, Major's ears saying let's go home, to the right!

top of the first bypass trail

huge pile (taller than a house) of either leftover mining or dam-building rocks

We decided to take the Cardiac Bypass trail, no need for the complete torture of the main Cardiac Hill trail, the bypass is tough enough. At the top you are still a few miles from Auburn, Major was pretty sure we were never going home and tried trudging along. Friday tried to bolt over the top of us after he thought a monster was behind him, Major barely even noticed, but we took a small breather after that!

trough, perfect for scratching

I don't even want to touch this dirtiness

Almost to the staging area Major remembered where we were, and picked it up a bit. We cantered the last small hill to the lovely trough, where he drank then mostly proceeded to rub his face all over the very useful rocks. I had the usual boot dilemma: wash the horse then take the muddy boot off, or deal with it first? I removed the boot, then washed the sweaty horse, who got a mash and a ride home in the waiting trailer (thanks to my great SO who took it up there that morning!)

Back home both horses trotted around the arena like nothing, and Major galloped up the hill to get more of "his" better water. A super fun ride, though I think the naughty beast is still lurking within…

rateability

Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. I had nothing that would get Major to listen yesterday. We did 10 miles, probably half of it was circling, backing, backtracking our trail, and stopping. I tried about every training tool I had.

I wanted to go out on the canal trail because it had been awhile and I know the lake level is creeping up. Also it was great weather before a series of storms rolls in, so my (awesome!) boss let me leave early, and we headed out. Through the forest he was fine, and heading towards Beeks Bight was fast but manageable. Turn around, all Hell broke loose.

the water creeps back in

I was going to head back through the forest, but with the bad attitude Major was having I thought we needed more miles in an open area. The canal is good for circling and such, more open. I was able to keep him in a trot, barely, but he wasn't listening. I'd do some form of correction (it depended on the terrain and misbehavior) but obviously wasn't truly getting his mind back focused on me.

I know we can go around, you're going through it

He even was in such a mood to spook pretty good at a tree stump and a nothing. And real spooks, not the usual Major jump-in-place spooks. Full of it and ticking me off.

So we were going home through Sterling Point, and he was still pulling (though we were walking along the road, no trotting there) so I turned away from home and went through the neighborhood. He thought warp speed was a good option, I kept it back as best I could. Walking just led to annoying prancing and jigging no matter what I did, so trotting used the forward momentum more constructively. We got to a place where we could go into the forest or back down to the lake. As much as I would have liked to do more miles, darkness was coming, and I was getting tired of fighting.

So we were back in the forest and I used to cantering road over and over until he would canter controlled and listen to whoa. Keeping him at a trot wasn't working, it was just a pulling contest he was winning. Barely won a battle, after the ride felt like I'd lost the war.

With this kind of behavior, how can I even think of doing an endurance ride next month? I can't even get him to listen when we're alone! I think the next month of riding will be all listening, not for conditioning, because he is fit (probably too much so) for a 25. Of course, now that winter arrived late all sorts of rain is coming, which makes riding that much more of a slippery slope.

Back at the barn they asked how my ride was, and instinctively I said "fine." Then I qualified that my horse had been an a**hole, I was a mess riding, it had actually been a crap ride. But, still, it was riding, which is still better than sitting at my work desk, or cleaning the house, or grocery shopping, or pretty much anything else.

Oh, and to top it off there seems to be a saddle fit issue! He was a bit sore after our 25 mile practice ride, and this time had big dry patches towards the rear panels of the saddle. Nothing else seems to have changed, so I'm also wondering if it is how he's carrying himself. One more worry!

Even after all that I did laugh at my sweaty horse: with long winter hair he gets a pretty good likeness of a David Hasslehoff chest hair thing going on. Sexy.

Sing it: I'm too sexy for this...

Arrgghh! All this is Fun? Frustrating? I can think of a few other F words I used...