Heading Out to Bear Valley Springs

Well, this weekend will find Max and I on the road again and this time, we're going to Bear Valley Springs. Located just west of Tehachapi, Bear Valley Springs is a gated community that's about 4,000 to 5,000 in elevation with a mix of pine forest and grasslands. There are various trails suitable for riding and the weather should be in mid-70s during the day and in the mid-40s at night. There's more information HERE.

We'll be leaving mid-day Friday and should be back on Sunday. This is the perfect opportunity to try out my Western saddle and really put it through it's paces. I had to borrow a breast collar since my Civil War one doesn't fit with the Western saddle.

We'll be staying at the Bear Valley Equestrian Center and there will be pipe corrals available for boarding (no worries about having to tie up to the trailer). The weather promises to be clear but it would still be a good idea to bring a horseblanket.

This trip has some personal meaning for me because a good friend of mine, Jerry Gold, used to live here before he died in 2001. I wasn't into horses then but I'm sure Jerry would approve and probably get a chuckle from my antics. He had a horse and small wagon that he'd use to get around the valley and he used to take it out to Civil War events. I first met Jerry at a Civil War event at Ft. Tejon back in 1994. In a way I want this trip to be a small tribute to him- at least on a very personal level. I was last up this way in 2001 for his funeral. His last request was to have his ashes scattered at several high points overlooking Bear Valley.

Anyway, this ought to be interesting and I'm looking forward to going on a new adventure with Max. Jerry, this one's for you!!!

Sunday & The Sun's Out!

After receiving a ton of rain on Saturday, Sunday dawned nice and sunny with a slight warm breeze. My usual Sunday lesson had been cancelled due to the arena turning into a lake so I was on my own.

I decided to put in some more time with my new/used Western saddle so I decided to do some general riding with a little training thrown in.

I spent about a hour doing various manuevers, galloping, cantering, trotting, leg yielding, et al. in the driven dressage area. I also managed to do some laps with my trail riding partner (he had to leave early so we weren't going on the trail) and it was nice to see Max get perked up following his "girlfriend" Chenault (she's the other horse in the picture of the bathtub).

After my partner had left, I would up going on a short trail ride with another friend who was beginning to train her Rocky Mountain horse (named Pudding). She's a real sweet horse and eager to learn the trail. It helped that Max was in the lead and she worked off him. What was really nice was that Max was ver calm and sedate and in fact, it looked like he was falling asleep walking the trail.

My riding partner noted that with the new/used saddle Max appeared to be very relaxed. While I attribute some of this to the nice 70s-ish weather and it being sunny, it was revealing that coming back to the barn, Max was just as relaxed and his pace was exactly that going out. Who knows, maybe he was hurting from being in the English saddle so long that he wanted to get home and get it off his back.

I then rode over to the Orcas Arena by myself and to do some cantering. Once again, Max was pretty relaxed and we did some nice cantering. Returning home- same story- very relaxed.

Maybe it was the nice weather or me not being in a hurry but I do believe that buying the Western saddle, as opposed to a 1904 reproduction McClellan saddle was the right choice.

Definately a good riding day!

It's Raining!!!

Well, in an unseasonal turn of the weather (with all this talk of global warming, seasons seem to lack meaning...) we wound up getting hit with a major rainstorm out of Canada. Originally this was billed as "there will be some rain but it will pass quickly..." but in reality it was like turning on a firehose in a number of passes.

Friday night, the storm front rolled into the San Fernando Valley and it was soon discharging at full blast. When I got up the next morning, it appeared that it had come and gone so I proceeded to the stables (I didn't get there until about 10:30 am). I proceeded to tack up and decided to just ride around the property (after looking at another front of dark clouds rolling in from the northwest).

I managed to get in a nice ride for about 45 minutes but then...wham! Someone turned on the firehose again! I can do some riding in the rain but this was too much so Max and I beat a hasty retreat to the barn (I was more concerned about my new/used trail saddle than anything else).

I got everything put away and Max cooled off but boy, the rain started getting worse. Oh, and did I mention the thunder and lightning? Finally after making sure Max was OK, I went home.

Jeeze I hate winter! We were having a real nice ride too...oh well, maybe tommorow.

Riding Around Morro Bay

On of the things that really stuck out at Morro Bay was that except for the trails going into the mountains, the trails are very sandy. It's evident that unless your horse is very fit, they're going to get tired quickly- for Max, it didn't seem to slow him down a bit but for some of the other horses, it was a bit more rough. More importantly, one has to be careful riding through areas with deep sand and especially when trotting or cantering. Basically, you run the risk of bowed tendons and this is especially true with the canter or trot.

Along the beach, the sand is very deep except where the tide washes up on- there the sand is pretty firm. While riding, I was careful to go at a walk in most areas. On the hard sand, I was able to trot and canter.

It's kind of frustrating because there were times that I wanted to seriously run Max so he'd get a little tired and take the edge off ("working out the googles"). One nice discovery I made was that there is a wide dirt service road running at a diagonal through most of the area behind the sand dunes (they form a barrier between the beach and the land behind it). The road is surfaced in hard dirt so it makes the perfect surface for trotting and cantering. I was able to run Max up and down the service road and was able to work him using various training techniques that I use at home to train with.

On the our last day at Morro Bay, I took Max out by myself for a few hours in attempt to assert control and calm Max, away from other horses (and end on a good note). I used a combination of walk/trot/canter gaits along with leg yields, backing, various suppling exercises, and anything else I could think of. Everything ended on a good note and he was pretty much acting the same way as he does at home.

My observation is that the beach definately got Max excited but he did not become a nut job although he was not aways listening to my commands. The bad part was that he was so excited, especially around other horses, that he wouldn't stay still for long if I stopped him. I figure that if I was there for a month and rode him everyday at the beach, he'd be as bored as the rental horses we saw out there.

From a riding point of view, this trip really called for everything I had and there were many different challenges due to the changed environment (beach, other horses, etc.) but overall things were a success. Also, being in the saddle for six to eight hours daily also gave me a good workout.

I was also able to get in a long ride up in the moutains (unfortunately, the trail leading all the way to the beach was closed for maintenance so I followed an abgreviated loop). Max was definately challenged here because he was following a very fast Thoroughbred.

Overall, it was a good trip and I learned a lot about Max. It had some anxious moments but by being able to work out one-one for several hours each day, much of the anxiety and excitablity was reduced and by the end, Max was definately paying attention and acting like a partner.

The Joys of Worming...

An interesting thing happened last night when I gave Max his quarterly dose of wormer. Normally, I look upon this process with some trepidation since Max dislikes it and he is not shy about making his opinion known.

Well, last night I put a halter and lead rope on Max and the tube of wormer in my back pocket. I stood to one side next to his muzzle and as soon as I took out the worker, he began to shake his head and then try to back up. Finally, he backed up some more and then reared.

Needless to say, this was a potentially dangerious situation and I was ready to duck out of the way- quickly. In a final effort to assert control, I jerked on the lead rope and growled at Max and yelled a few obscenities followed by a "NO!".

What happened next really surprised me: he immediately calmed down and the actually bowed his head and submitted. Well, I guess all that stuff about being the alpha horse and such really works!

The next I did was to give him the wormer and I then spent some time rubbing his muzzle and mouth with the wormer tube to get him de-sensitized to it. I also praised him, gave him a pat on the neck and when everything was done, gave him a carrot.

Hopefully the lesson stuck and next time will be a bit easier. It certainly was very instructive and I learned a bit about the equine mind. Basically, he was wolfing me and I called him on it (naturally I was ready to roll out of the way if it didn't work).

Back from the Beach - Redux

Here's a couple more pictures from my Morro Bay adventure:

This one was taken as we approached the beach from one of the many access trails. Shortly after I took this picture Max decided that he'd had enough and attempted to turn around and leave. Needless to say, we still went on after a short "discussion".

This one was take a little later at about 6 PM as the sun was beginning to set.

One More From The Beach...

Here's another picture that a friend took of Max and I at Morro Bay:

A New Saddle for Max!!!

For some time now, I've been searching for a suitable trail saddle for Max that wouldn't break the bank and would provide support for his back and not mess him up. Well, I think I found it...

I was originally considering getting a new 1904 McClellan saddle but reality then reared it's ugly head and I had to ask myself the basic question: What sort of riding am I doing?

The answer- mostly trail riding for long periods, sometimes up to six hours at a time. When was the last time I did something historical with Max? 2004- basically never. So I decided to put my money in a saddle that use almost everyday.

As luck would have it, Broken Horn (aka Broken Wallet) was having its annual sale and so on Saturday I decided to go down and get some odds and ends. I also decided to check out the saddles.

I saw a variety of saddles that would work, but they were basically $1300 and up. My budget was about $900. I was about ready to leave when I spied a used Circle Y Western saddle sitting on the rack for $895. Something told me "check it out!" and I figured, "why not?". It turns out that it was one of their older trail models and it looked like it had barely been used. Better, it had a 17 inch seat and fit me perfectly.

But would it fit Max?

I bought the saddle anyway (Broken Horn has a seven-day grace period so I could return it and get a refund so long as it was in the condition it left the store). I couldn't wait to check it out so I drove back to the stable (it was about 5 pm) and put it on Max- so far it looked good. I then rigged it up with the proper cinch (what a pain- not easy, like English saddles!) and tacked up Max. I also used a 1-inch grey wool felt pad.

I rode Max around for awhile and then went over to my trainer's place to have her check it out. My trainer's initial impression was positive and she suggested that I take my Sunday lesson in the saddle and we'd check out the sweat pattern afterwards.

The next day, I took my lesson- it was pretty humourous doing dressage in a Western saddle but we're a pretty good-natured bunch and everything went fine. It's a bit weird getting used to so much saddle between me and the horse. After the lesson (including the lesson, I'd been riding for about two hours doing a mix of cantering, trotting and everything in between), I pulled off the saddle and the sweat pattern looked good.

Overall, the saddle is a heavy one- full leather and from what I was told at Broken Horn, a lady had just traded it in that day and the reason she was doing so was because she had arthritis and was unable to left the saddle (it's probably a good 50 pounds). The construction is rugged and it looks almost brand new. The total price? $871 with tax! Basically, I got a saddle that normally goes for about $1600 new for almost half-price (according to the Cicle Y representative).

This saddle is definately comfortable and I'm looking forward to doing a lot more trail riding now, especially since it will be a better fit for Max's back than the English saddle I've been using for trail riding.

Now to get used to it some more! For more information, click on the logo below:

The Doc Larsen Trail & The Bathtub

A lot of you are probably wondering just what the heck I'm talking about when I refer to riding up the Doc Larsen Trail and stopping at "the bathtub" to rest and let the horses drink. Well, here's a couple of pictures that should help explain it. These are a couple pictures of Max and his buddy Chenault taking a drink:

Cool Weekend...

This weekend was a lot more pleasant than last weekend and it showed with Max. Saturday found us doing the usual "loop around the lake"- a relatively sedate ride. The reason for the easy course was because a friend was riding with us who hadn't been riding in awhile and her horse hasn't been out much in awhile. Basically, this was meant as more of a training exercise for her horse than anything else. Everything seemed to work out and we returned to the stable before it became very hot.

Sunday was every interesting- today I began to train on the two-point seat. This is an interesting seat in that you have to really use your calve muscles and be careful to NOT put all your weight into the stirrups (or else your center of gravity gets higher and you become unstable).

We worked on this for about 20 minutes and let me tell you, my calves (and legs in general) were sore as can be! However, it was interesting in that I had to constantly force my legs back to attain the correct profile and not jam my feet in the stirrups. What was even more interesting was doing the two-point seat at the canter- you're locked on the horse and basically your whole body rises and falls with the horse's motion. It's different than the normal three-point seat at the canter. It's hard to describe but it was a comfortable ride- so long as I could hold it!

It seems this this is the basis for hunt seat riding. Very interesting stuff and I hope to develop greater proficiency in this area. I'm also told that Hussars also used this seat on the charge...

Here's some more on the hunt seat.

It's Cooler Now...

Well, it appears that the extreme hot weather has backed off some and it's dropped back down into the mid 80s (thank god!).

With that, I took the opportunity to saddle up and ride Max for a bit last night. Max doesn't appear to have any obvious sores and the area I was concerned about doesn't appears to be allright for the moment. I'm still concerned because there might be bridging going on with the Thoroughgood English saddle that I've been using extensively for the past 5-6 months. Kind of strange- there was definately problems from either the '59 MacClellan and/or the Wintec English saddle in that are- white hairs and all, but it appeared to have have stablized when I got the Thoroughgood.

Anyway, to play safe, I broke out the antique WWII German Army saddle and saddled Mx up with that. It seems that of all my saddles, this one ACTUALLY fits Max the best, although it's a bit hard on me. The horses could definately sense it was cooler and they were all buzzed up, including Max. Fortunately, Max's idea of being buzzed up was to make himself a pain in the rear as I was grooming saddling him. He was acting more like a goofy kid than anything else (a BIG goofy kid that could cause some damage if things aren't handled carefully...).

After saddling up, I decided to do the usual trotting, cantering, transitions, leg yields, and even some side passing. It worked out pretty well and once I got Max fired up, he did very well. It was a bit difficult getting used to the German Army saddle- it's always that way when I put on a saddle I haven't used for awhile.

We worked out for about on hour and I then cooled him down. When I took the saddle off of him, there didn't appear to be any issues with the back and he did not make any response when I worked my fingers along him spine. A good sign...

Hopefully the cooling trend will continue for awhile.

Horse Breeds- The Icelandic

I've always thought the Icelandic Ponies were pretty cool so here's a picture of one:

Needless to say, snow, ice and cold don't really phase these horses much! I chose this picture because just looking at the snow makes be feel cool and the way the weather has been around here for the past week, I'll take it!

For more information, go HERE.

Hot! Hot! Hot! Or My Labor Weekend...

I'm recovering after a long, very hot Labor Day Weekend and slowly re-hydrating. The temperatures have been in excess of 100 degrees (thank god the air conditioner got fixed!) and the air conditioner at home has been struggling to keep up. I shudder to think what my electric bill will be like!

Anyway, things began to warm up last week and most of my riding has consisted of doing various exercises designed to loosen up my muscles and improve my balance and overall seat. Also, I've been taking Max through a mixed program- working on left-lead cantering, transitions, side-passes and overall conditioning.

When the weekend arrived, so did the 100-plus degree weather. I only had to work a half-day Friday so I thought I'd get in some saddle time. However, when I got home, the heat was intense and I figured it would be the same way at the stable so I decided to wait until early evening when things had cooled down. At about 6:30 I saddled up Max and we rode over to the Orcas Arena. I kept Max at a steady trot and then we did some cantering in the arena. We then made our way home at a leisurely walk. Overall, pretty decent.

Saturday found Max and I going on a trail ride following a trail that runs behind Hansen Dam, next to the golf course. Everything went pretty well and the only drama was when we were crossing a bridge and a golf cart came up on us suddenly. We managed to "vanquish the killer golf cart" and proceed with no problems. By the time we arrived back at the stables (it was 11 AM), it was beginning to really heat up so I rewarded Max with a cold shower.

Unfortunately, I also discovered that he's beginning to develop another sore spot on his back- it might have been brought on by the extreme heat combined with the saddle or just the saddle. I'm not sure so I'll be giving Max some days off to rest his back. Also, with the heat, it's just not worth riding him that much. The heat is supposed to back off soon so there' s no hurry. Also, he's had prior saddle problems in the same area so I'm going to have look into this problem in more detail.

It seems that for two years runnning, Labor Day Weekend has been a bad time for Max. It was just as hot last year and at that time I really messed up his back from a combination of a bad saddle and a neoprine saddle back. We got through it but it left some ugly marks on his shoulders and back.

Sunday and Monday found me riding my trainer's horse Blondie, a 13 year old Standardbred mare, and boy is she a contrast to Max! She definately moves out but she can get cranky about doing things, especially when I asked for the canter. I eventually got it but it was a real challenge and I have to deal with her a bit differently than with Max- apparently you can't bully mares in the same way you can with geldings. You have to use a bit of finesse but in the end, we were riding very nicely.

My trainer will pretty much let me ride Blondie anytime (unless she's being used for lessons which hasn't been happening lately) so it's a good back-up while Max rests up. Definately an interesting challenge.

More later...