Finally, A Break!

It's been another very, very busy several seasons for Bill and I, so we were quite wistful for a break.  Since this October was our 30th anniversary, we decided we deserved a weekend off and now that we have two horses that are "rideable", I chose Canyon Trails Ranch for a horse camping getaway.  If any of you get Horse & Rider magazine, you might have seen the article in the Sept. 2017 issue about the Canyons of the Ancients, located on BLM land adjoining Mesa Verde in CO.  Perfect.  We needed to stay within our own state until we get legal title for Alloy, our newest Mustang.  It was a 9 hour drive from us and the weather people said they were expecting better weather than here.

This was the sunrise here at the lodge the morning we pulled out.  What a beautiful omen.

We had taken Ranger to visit 'the cousins' (GunDiva's horses) the night before.  The drive was uneventful, horses traveled well and sunny. We pulled into Cortez a few minutes before 5:00 p.m., phoned the ranch for specific directions, and 25 minutes later saw the 'face' of the ranch.

We were led to the campsite (of which there were only 4 for horses) and were delighted to learn we would be the only ones there for the weekend.  It also had an electrical hookup, a water hydrant per campsite close to the 15' x 15' pipe corral, and a short walk to a bathroom with a shower and flushing toilet.  Such luxuries.

Just hangin' with the horses.  What a way to end the day.
On Friday, we just kicked about the campsites, enjoying the main campground with the tent sites, an eating area and complete with a chuckwagon kitchen.

Complete with chairs to hang out with a good book or enjoy the colors still in abundance.
Alloy had the hives - again - when we left home, so we weren't sure if he would tolerate being ridden.  However, he was good when Bill saddled him up for a short walk around the campsite.

This was a male hogan that was in the camp.  Reba explored it like it might be a dog house.  These small ones were often used as sweat lodges; less space to get hot.

This was the 'outhouse'.  Doesn't look like much from the outside, but was very warm and clean inside, with a real hot water shower and a flushing toilet.

Whatch' doin'?

Washoe and Alloy behaved like perfect gentlemen, sharing their pen.  We put them in separate pens for a short time so they could have more space, but they hollered back and forth until we put them back together.  We spent a considerable amount of time sitting next to their pen reading, and saw a lot of this.

Saturday we decided to take a trail to the closest Anasazi ruin that was on a trail that left right from the campsite.  However it was on permitted BLM property, so not wanting to get the owners in trouble by riding the horses there, we opted to hike.  Reba dog thought this a good idea because than she could go (she does not like being with the horses, so it is either her or horses with us).  She did a LOT of free running on this trip.  For a house dog, her feet held up really well, but she did get pretty tired on the hike; I would guess about 4 miles.

The trail ran along stone walls and cliffsides, and past small log buildings like hogans, eventually getting to some of the smaller ruins.

Coming back down we got a good view of the back of the ranch itself, where their horses grazed in pastures.

... and a view of our own campsite.

Later in the afternoon, we again saddled up the horses and rode all the little twisty trails throughout the site and part of the way down the road to the other trail heads, just to see how Alloy would handle the hives in the heat - it was sunny and 69 degrees.  He did great.  The horses found the trail we had hiked in the morning and were rearing to go.  It made our decision to take them onto the main site the next morning.

Sunday dawned sunny and warm with a very slight breeze; perfect to hit the trail.  After a lazy breakfast we headed out with the horses.  It was about a 1/2 mile ride down a county dirt road, then a bit down a paved road to get to the Canyon of the Ancients Monument.

There were two loop trails and one that traversed across the entire area, which we decided would be too long for this first trip, so we started off on one of the shorter loops.

Lots of different kinds of cactus encroaching on the trails.  Washoe is an old hand at this, but we didn't know how Alloy would do.  Should not have worried; he just followed Washoe's lead.

We had a lesson in map reading 101 and saw lots of great views.

One of the best views I had though, was of this very happy rider and his very good horse.

We did not complete the loop, only doing about 2 hours in the heat, but we did see some ruins from across a canyon.

We had such a great relaxing time just getting to hang, with no time synch, lots of napping, reading, and just being. Considering Alloy probably still does not have 50 hours worth of actual ride time, we are very pleased with his temperament and behavior.  Wet saddle blankets are the best way to get a well trained trail horse, and he is well on his way.

Bionic Cowgirl

Baby's First Ride

We have some friends who are moving away - job reasons - so we had a quick get-together planned for today.  Her parents had flown into town for a few days because ... well, there is a new baby in the family.  Since the parents are also friends of ours, they came up the mountain for a visit and brought little Reese, the 2 1/2 week old little girl.  After having lunch together I was informed that Reese needed her first ride!

Now E. knows my horses really well.  In fact, she had spent several years starting young horses and she had helped train Washoe, my gelding, so when she said Reese needed a ride, I can't say I was too surprised.  The day was beautiful; sunny and bright, just a bit breezy, and in the low 50's.  Still a little snow on the ground from our new foot just two days ago, but mostly melted.

I took a halter to the corral and called Jesse; told her she was getting brushed because she had to give a baby a ride.  She knows 'brush' and she knows 'baby'.  Boy, did the ears come up and she stood at rock solid attention to get groomed - and we were ready for a photo op.

'That's baby?  I was thinking bigger."

Better take a sniff here and check this out.

Reese just snuggled right in and fell fast asleep.  Bet she doesn't remember her first horse ride.  Wish you could see the other side.  Her little fist had latched onto a piece of mane and right after this picture she sort of stretched out and really crashed.  Must have been the warm sun and all that warm furry back.

"What do you mean, put my ears up?  There's something on my back so I can't move and Grandma's hair is tickling my nose!"

What a good day.
Bionic Cowgirl

A Visitor

This is Ranger.  The horse.

On the day before this day Waneeta did not feed me the morning food.  Beel feeded me.  He sayed Waneeta and An-dre-a had goed to Mon-tan-na.  I think that means they were bad.

At night food Beel feeded me again.  He sayed they had picked up the strange horse and his girl in Mon-tan-na and they would be home very late.

In the very dark in the night before this day Waneeta put a strange horse in the next pen.  I would have talked to him but Beel put hay in the food place.  So I eated it.  It was not night food time and it was not morning food time.  Beel made a mistake I think.  I had to eat it.  I did not want hurt Beel's feelings.

In the sun time today I meeted the new horse.  He is nice.  That Mare likes him a lot.  The Kid does not like him at all.  It is the usual.  Beel and Waneeta and An-dre-a and the girl took us for a walk after morning food.  Waneeta gave me morning food this day.  I like morning food.

It was a good walk.  Not very far. Beel and Waneeta and An-dre-a were very mean to the strange horses girl.  They would smile and say die Anna when they talked to her.  But she never did die.  That was good because she is nice.

We stopped and the peoples all barked and chirped at each other and then we wented home.  Beel sayed that the strange horse will leave on the day after now.

I hope Beel gets me food again in the very dark time.  I would be very polite and eat it for him.

Ranger the horse.

Story of a Sad Pad

Yesterday Bill and I took a break from spring cleanup chores and caught the 'boys' to head out for a ride.  I had spent some time with Jesse earlier in the day - we are working on some ground work to correct a few holes I had left in her training - so I thought leaving her behind would not be such a big deal.  Besides, I had used her for my last ride, so ... off we went.

Good horse, good pad.

Today's story is really about my bareback pad, so pay close attention to its location on Washoe's back.

About 20 minutes into the ride we spot the Clarabelle mine.  All that is left of this 1890's gold mine is this bit of a log structure on top of a dirt pile.

After passing the mine, we cross a beautiful grassy area, and ....

... as soon as I turn my head to say something to Bill, Washoe's head comes up, his back hollows out and I KNOW what is coming.  I have taken my attention off him and he just can't ignore all that luscious grass!

Bad horse!!!

He can go from a lovely trot to THIS in under a fraction of a second!  Do I know he is going to do this?  Yes.  Can I stop him?  No.  He is mucho fast; I am not.  If I tighten my rein hold, I get pulled right off over his neck. The human has learned how to stay on top of the horse; the horse has learned that if he grabs fast enough he can get a mouthful before I get him stopped.  He's worse this time of year because that spring grass is soooo good - and it had been a long time since breakfast.

So ... horse gets head yanked around on one rein (usually the right rein as I generally ride with both reins in my left hand) and trots off like nothing happened.  Hmmmm.

Remains of 1930's cabin.

After about three bouts (at least) of this, we come to 'the roof'.  Rumor has it that this was a cabin built in 1933; the same year as our lodge.  Sure glad the lodge looks in better condition!  We had to make a short stop here for a tack adjustment.  Apparently my pad cinch had come undone on the off side and was dangling down by my leg.  I probably snagged the buckle with my calf trying not to fall off the horse.  Bill was gracious enough to climb down and rebuckle it for me.  Of course, Ranger took advantage of the close grass at that time.

Mt. Meeker framed by Ranger's ears.

The views were so great and the weather perfect;  I just couldn't keep my attention on naughty horse.  This time last week Mt. Meeker was completely white with lots of snow.   There are a lot of concerns about flooding this year from all the snow melt.  You can see water in the trail to the left of Ranger's ear.  All the local lakes are over-filled and so are the ones in the valleys below us.

Speaking of lakes, this is our local one.  It currently extends about twice as far back as usual.  We do enjoy seeing it look like this!

We have now traveled around the lake, to discover this trail under water - which NEVER gets this far.  We took a different trail to avoid doing damage and ended up on a bit of a challenge trail - one that had not had much work done on it yet after last year's big flood.  After much grabbing onto the mane and dodging of trees on a very steep downhill trail, we managed to get back to a tamer area.  You notice no pictures taken on this portion!  Bill made the comment, "It wasn't that long ago we couldn't ride something like that in a saddle.  Now we are doing it bareback!"  OK, so now I feel much better about staying aboard, because he had obviously been feeling a little gut-tightening too.

My camera ran out of battery power after just five pictures (my battery is so good it lasts a long time, so I forget to check if it needs charging often enough) so Bill took this picture for me of my favorite springtime flowers up here:  the wild iris.  This means it is truly SPRING, on the first day of June.

OK, we are headed back home.  Check out my saddle pad; shifted more than just a little to the left.  After some deliberation, I decided that all my twisting down to the right, then sitting back up causes it to shift just a little each time, so on rides like this one it gets shifted a LOT.  Also, I carry a first aid kit in the back pocket of the pad, on the left side.  So maybe by relocating that to the opposite pocket, its weight won't help the shifting effect.  I've been meaning to add a breast collar to this pad, like Bill has on Ranger's, but there are no connectors which means I need to sew some D-rings on.  Time to quit procrastinating and just do it.

See, he can be a good horse when I pay attention - but look at that scenery!

The horses know I usually have treats in my pocket, which they get at the end of a ride - even the horse left behind.  Notice Jesse in the background.  Ever felt snubbed by your horse?  She is intentionally ignoring me right now.  As soon as we entered the corral she walked off and turned her back to us, standing by the fence.

Even the boys noticed, looking at Bill as I walk toward 'That Mare'.

Finally, after I hold the treat out in my hand, she looks over her shoulder at me with a 'maybe' on her face.  Sheesh, she hasn't been that irritated at me in a long, long time.  I do love that mare.

Enjoy a ride today - or at least hug your horse.


Bionic Cowgirl

First Ride of 2014

I know a lot of you have had multiple rides by now, but we were pretty pleased that we were finally able to get the horses home.  The next day was beautiful and it was obvious what was needed.  The snow is still too deep and unpredictable to be on the mountain, so we figured our 1.5 mile loop around town would suffice for a start.

Looks like somebody is pretty happy to have his best bud back.  Notice the snow on the steps of the cabin.

Is that really running water?  Yes, Washoe, the snow IS melting.

 

The horses were happy and spunky, choosing to long trot a good deal of the distance.  As soon as they had limbered up a bit, Jesse broke into her fun version of a running walk, with Ranger dropping in right at her heels with his trot.  Normally Ranger can not be bothered to go faster than a walk unless his life is in danger, so we were more than mildly surprised with his attitude and his choice to start off at such a brisk pace.  They certainly came home in great condition this year; not over weight and very toned.  I also suspect some of the good came from Bill changing to a lighter weight saddle.

Ranger also came home looking like someone really had bleached his mane.  It's not usually quite this light!

When we got home, Jesse just had to have a good roll in the muddy part of the corral.  She had been so pretty and clean and white.

The rest of us just watched in amazement.

"Please."  You couldn't possibly tell they are all waiting for me to dig treats out of my pocket.  It's kind of a ritual between them and me; if we've had a good outing, they each get a treat just before I leave the corral; no pushing, no shoving, just a nice polite, "please".

Found one.  Enlarge the picture and you will see the treat in my hand.  Now the wait to see whose name I say to get this treat; they know they will each get one.  A happy ending for all.

As I write this, I am watching it snow outside.  We woke up to five inches already on the ground.  I would guess we have had at least eight or nine by now.  The horses were not too happy at the change of weather for this morning's feeding, but they have such phenomenal furnace systems.  They quit shivering as soon as they started munching their morning hay.  The forecast improves tomorrow, so they are probably going to live through this also.  I can certainly empathize with them; I think we are all ready for spring.
Bionic Cowgirl

We Got RAINED ON - or Trail Maintenance 101

The Ambassadors from the Estes Park Visitor's Center are doing tours this week of local lodgings, and we were scheduled for this morning; first on the list, so we made up a 'sampler' breakfast for them.  We spent some time discussing how we could get approximately 30 people in and out in the allotted 15 minute time we were allowed, while showing them our rooms and letting them sample food.  Set the stage:

A couple of cars pull in 10 minutes early, announcing they kept watch on our blog and could they please meet the horses.  Cool!  I walk over to the pen with them.  As we are discussing various blog posts, we see the bus load going down the main highway.  One of the ladies says, "There goes the bus!  They missed the turn off!"  We all snicker, thinking we have another 10 minutes before they get to the next turn off and wind their way back up the hill.  No bus.  Pretty soon another car arrives to announce the bus broke down at the other end of the business route.  Oh my, that's a 1.5 mile walk, so the cars already here headed down to pick up people.  Remember, no cell phone usage here, so someone had to get here to call for repairs.... and our dilemma was solved.  A second bus was sent out to pick up everyone and we had a most marvelous chat with about 36 wonderful purveyors of information about our lodge.

After everyone left, we changed into 'work' clothes, caught up the horses and headed out for some trail maintenance.

Ranger is much happier with Beel on his back, even though he had to have the iron bar in his mouth today, just to stay in practice.

He doesn't even mind supervising Bill at work, although I'm not sure he agrees with how the job is being done.  Check out the ears!  We were lucky; only one spot needed diverting; the rest of the trails that we traveled today were in great shape.  First rides of the season go out tomorrow.  Horses arrived last night.  Talk about good timing.

Jesse did her share by trimming bushes hanging out into the trail.  Those first leaf buds must be really tasty, because the horses won't touch theses bushes later in the season.  Since only one spot needed worked on on the one hour trail, we opted to do the two hour loop and check it; the weather was great!

Ranger must have 'auto-pilot'; I see a shovel in one hand and a camera in the other.  The reins are probably laying on Ranger's neck, where they seem to like to hang out, but he jogs along like a happy camper.

Run off is getting started really well and our streams have lots of water right now.  Both horses had fun wading in the currents.

This trail had lots - and lots - of this.  Moose poop.  A couple of times the horses stopped and watched the trees, listening, before they would continue on.  Maybe this year we will get to see the actual creatures!

We did run into a herd of four young deer; one didn't even bother getting up, they just watched us ride by.  As we rode out of the trees into the meadow we noticed it had gotten quite dark.  Jesse took one look at the sky and broke into a canter for home.  I trust that horse's weather gauge and we only got a little wet before we got home - but it was RAIN!!!!  Yeah.
Bionic Cowgirl