Winding Down The Year

Instead of doing my usual weekly riding lesson on Sunday, I decided to take it tonight. While it was somewhat cold, riding tends to warm me up and I was dressed plenty warm for the occassion.

We did more work on transitions with special emphasis on halting and not having the horse wiggle around after you have come to a complete stop- the key is to know when to relax your body and not "ride" the horse- it's a key moment and you have to have an intuitive feel for when to "shut off". It's kind of tricky and I've been getting mixed the results. It seems that the one key thing is to completely go slack with the reins and not put pressure on the horse. Transitions play an important role in that they allow the rider to alter the horse's speed in an orderly, calm manner while at the same time maintaining the horse's balance. Sure, you can stop by pulling hard on the reins (most of the time) but horse will probably NOT like it and it will certainly throw off his balance thus making him useless for any serious riding activity.

The key is less hands, more pelvis and breath control. In fact, the hands should be completely quiet and if you have to use them, their motion should be subtle and very low key.

We also worked on collection at the trot- a VERY slow trot. It was difficult getting Max to trot and a very slow pace- I'd either let him drop into a walk or speed up the trot. This is something I'm going to have to work on more although I did begin to get an idea of what must be done and what to look and feel for.

With the weather looking clear for the next several days, I have a feeling that I will have a lot of time to practice these new moves.

Boxing Day

After a cold and rainy Christmas Day, I was ready to get back on the trail and today was almost perfect: sunny with a few white puffy clouds. The only downside was that it was a bit windy and this intensified the cold. Unfortunately, it also made the horses a bit more lively than usual...:-)

I started out early- about 8:30 am and after spending close to 30 minutes combing all the mud off of Max, I was ready to hit the trail. I decided to ride down to the arena at Gabriellano Park and do some flatwork. It took a little doing to get Max to wake up (probably the Chirstmas horsey eggnogg :-)) but after about 30 minutes, he was working just fine. After about an hour or so, I called a friend of mine to see if he was interested in hitting the trail, to which he said yes.

By the time all was said and done, we had assembled a small riding party and so we decided to take a long ride around the lake and behind Hansen Dam. The wind definately had all the horses buzzed up and at several moments, Max tried to buck. Some of the other horses were doing the same thing so I attributed it to the weather- the horses were definately feeling fresh! Fortunately, no accidents occurred and we were soon moving out down the trail.

At several points we trotted the horses out (more like the Arab horses belonging to my companions were walking fast and Max was trotting to keep up. Things actually worked out better than I would have thought- the trail behind the dam can sometimes be a little dicey for Max- don't know why but he tends to get a bit nervious there (or maybe it was just me). My friend and I brought up the rear and we both trotted along- it was probably two miles or so. When I finally returned to the stables, I made Max canter a few laps around the track- he was so eager to get home so it's best to work off the energy.

Overall, it was a beautiful day to ride although the wind did present it's challenges. Still, it was great to get out and so that's how I celebrated Boxing Day.

Merry Christmas!!

Well, it's Christmas day here in not-so-sunny Southern California and it's raining cats and dogs. So much for my customary Christmas Day ride.

So with that decided, I sat down with a cup of coffee and did my usual reflection on the holiday moment (I usually reserve this for when I'm riding but oh well!). Strange, the older I get, I really don't want anything much for Christmas (OK, maybe a ranch in Arizona or a Fijord Pony or a period saddle... :-)). I've accumulated WAY too much stuff over the years so I'm doing OK. The only things I really want for Christmas is to be able to enjoy life, be able to ride my horse, and for all my friends to remain helathy and safe, especially the ones currently overseas in places like Afghnistan or Iraq (places not conducive to good health). Not much to ask for!

And while we're at it, would it be too much for people to take a break from killing one another? Try something peaceful and constructive for a change, you might like it! Jeeze.

Anyway, I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy (insert religious holiday here), etc.! Finally, here's a little something that's traditional and captures the essence of the season, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Mosaic of Jesus as Christo Sole (Christ the Sun) in Mausoleum M in the pre-fourth-century necropolis under St Peter's Basilica in Rome.[12] Christians consider Jesus to be the "sun of righteousness" prophesied in Malachi 4:2.

Christmas cica 1890

A little Hoiday humor:


“Halt! Who goes there?”

“Christmas Tree!”

“Whose Christmas Tree?”

“Regiment’s Christmas Tree!”

“Pass Christmas Tree!”

Plate by British illustrator Harry Payne, c. 1890.

"Faintheart" - The Ultimate Reenactor Nerd Movie :-)

Here's a trailer for an "interesting" movie. It's pretty scary in a way...

Christmas is Cancelled!

NOT! But here's a little holiday humor:

Happy Holidays!!!!

Libations for the Holidays

Given the holiday season, I've unearthed some interesting punch recipes from my library:

First Artillery Punch

Prepare a pint of triple strength black tea and a pint of triple strength green tea; then blend the two together.

Place in a suitable large container, either glass or crockery, 1/4 pound of loaf sugar. Grate upon it the rinds of three lemons; then add their juice and the juice of two oranges. Pour over this the boiling tea mixture. Stir well, cover, and set aside to cool.

When cool, add in this order, stirring slowly, 1 quart of Jamaica (NOT Puerto Rican) rum, 1 quart of good bodied sherry, and I quart of
brandy. Mix well, cover, and let stand for several days, preferably a week, in a cool place (such as a refrigerator).

When ready for use, pour the mixture over a block of ice in a large punch bowl and then add 3 or 4 quarts of champagne which greatly improves the taste of the punch and gives it life.

The quantities given above are suitable for small groups such as were found on one or two company posts — about 15 to 20 people. It is alleged that when other branches of the service were entertained it was sometimes necessary to dilute the punch with an equal amount of mineral water, but this was a degradation of a good punch. If you must have a red punch, use cherry brandy and half as much sugar.

Chatham Artillery Punch

Add 1/4 pound of green tea to 2 quarts of cold water; then add the juice of 9 lemons. Mix and let stand overnight; then strain.

To this mixture add 1 pound of brown sugar, 1 pint of cherries, 3 quarts of pink Catawba wine, 1 quart of rum, 1 quart of brandy, 1 quart of rye whiskey, and 1 quart of good dry gin to smooth out the mixture. Let this stock sit for a week or two, covered, preferably in glass bottles. This aging period is quite important. (Some versions of this recipe call for the juice of nine oranges in addition to the nine lemons and aging in a stone crock or cedar tub.)

When ready to serve, stir well, pour over a block of ice in a large punch bowl, and then add 3 quarts of champagne.

These quantities will make about 3 gallons of punch, usually sufficient for about 20 people.

When time and availability of ingredients (by local acquisition) permitted, the 3d Armored Field Artillery Battalion, while on occupation duty after WWII occasionally passed a few uncommonly pleasant hours consuming their traditional combat beverage of equal parts of Cointreau, cognac, and champagne (C3) which soon became known as Gunner's Punch. The 3d FA veterans heartily recommend it for serious consideration and consumption by today's gunners.

Gunner's Punch

To 1 quart of triple strength black (or green) tea add the juice of 12 lemons and then sweeten to taste with sugar. Add 1/2 pint of curacao, 1/2 pint of brandy, and 1 quart of Jamaica rum; then let stand for several hours, perferably overnight, in a cool place — refrigerator, potato cellar, snowbank, etc.

Over a block of ice in a punch bowl, pour approximately equal parts of the above base, burgundy wine, and carbonated water.

The above should quench the thirst of about 12 to 15 people.

Knights Dueling

Herels an interesting picture entitled "Knights Dueling", by Eugène Delacroix:


Pretty graphic and I'd hate to be the one to get hit by the mace!

The Hazards of Jousting

Just as there are extreme sports today, there were extreme sports in past times and one of the most prominent during the Middle Ages and Renaissance was jousting. It is said that jousting originally developed as a means of mounted soliders/primarily knights to learn and practice the skills and techniques necessary for combat. Essentially, the primary fighting methods used by heavily armored knights involved charging at the enemy with a heavy lance and once closing into close-quarters combat, dropping the lance and fighting with sword, axe or mace. Over time, these practice sessions also evolved into a way for knights to demonstrate their fighting skills and thus jousting became a more formal contest with detailed rules and etiquitte.

Unlike going into "real" combat, jousters used lances with blunt tips and often the secondary weapons were also blunted- the whole idea was to defeat your opponent but not kill him. Also, the main event in a formal joust usually consisted of three passes (or "tilts" or "lances") between two opponents and the results scored thereof. Unfortunately for Henry II, he insisted on going for a fourth "lance" and the result was his death due to a splinter from a shattered lance penetrating the eye slit in the visor of his his helmet and penetrating his brain.

Jousts could also include combat with other weapons, either mounted or dismounted and these contests were also run on a three-round system and scored.

For more information go HERE.

Depiction of a late 13th century joust in the Codex Manesse

King Henry II (or Henri II) of France- Killed while jousting when a splinter from a lance penetrated the eye slit on his helmet, penetrating his eye and driving into the brain, subsequently killing him.

To give an idea of the potential of shattering lances, here's an illustration. Those splinters fly with some force and it's not to hard to imaging what could happen if it penetrates an exposed portion of the body.

Here's an example of the knight's typical heavy armor and barding for the horse found typical of the 16th Century. This set is a bit more ornate than what would be be typically encountered in the tiltyard (most of the time, anyway).

Leader of the Day: Charles V

Today's leader of the day is Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor during the first half of the 16th Century. Charles V ruled over a large empire composed of many disperate pieces and had to constantly deal with threats on many fronts: the Ottoman Turks in the Mediterranean, France to the west, rebellious German princes, and the threat of the Protestant movement. In some cases, it was like herding cats.

Here's a brief overview, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556. On the eve of his death in 1558, his realm, which has been described as one in which the sun never sets, spanned almost 4 million square kilometers.

As the heir of four of Europe's leading dynasties – the Habsburgs of Austria, the Valois of Burgundy, the Trastamara of Castile and the House of Aragon – he ruled over extensive domains in Central, Western and Southern Europe, as well as the various Castilian (Spanish) colonies in the Americas.

He was the son of Philip I of Castile (Philip the Handsome) and Juana of Castile (Joanna the Mad of Castile). His paternal grandparents were the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy, whose daughter Margaret raised him. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, whose marriage had first united their territories into what is now modern Spain, and whose daughter Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII. His cousin was Mary I of England, who married his son Philip.

Charles' reign constitutes the pinnacle of Habsburg power, when all the family's far flung holdings were united in one hand. After his reign, the realms were split between his descendants, who received the Spanish possession and the Netherlands, and those of his younger brother, who received Austria, Bohemia and Hungary.

Aside from this, Charles is best known for his role in the Protestant Reformation[1] and the convocation of the Council of Trent.

A Christmas Carol

One of my favorite Christmas stories is a A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It's the classic tale of redemption and while it may ring just a tad too sentimental for today's tastes, it still seems as relevant today as it was when it was first written in 1843.

From a social perspective, it captures many of the economic and social dislocations brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Britain and it raises issued that are as relevant today as they were then. Fortunately, things are not as stark as they were then but we've still got a way to go.

Scrooge is a classic character and it's interesting to see how he wound up the way he did. I always try to catch one of the many film versions of the book during the Christmas season and my favorite is the version with Patrick Stewart.

For more on the book, go HERE.

Vasco Da Gama

On this day in 1497, Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama sailed past the mouth of the Great Fish River in, what is today, Natal, South Africa. This is further than any European had previously done. Here's a portrait of the intrepid navigator:

From Wikipedia:

The expedition set sail from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, following the route pioneered by earlier explorers along the coast of Africa via Tenerife and the Cape Verde Islands. After reaching the coast of present day Sierra Leone, Gama took a course south into the open ocean, crossing the Equator and seeking the South Atlantic westerlies that Bartolomeu Dias had discovered in 1487. This course proved successful and on November 4, 1497, the expedition made landfall on the African coast. For over three months the ships had sailed more than 6,000 miles of open ocean, by far the longest journey out of sight of land made by the time.

By December 16, the fleet had passed the Great Fish River - where Dias had turned back - and sailed into waters previously unknown to Europeans. With Christmas pending, Gama and his crew gave the coast they were passing the name Natal, which carried the connotation of "birth of Christ" in Portuguese.

For more information, go HERE.

Wintertime...

Well, it definately feels like winter and no doubt Max is feeling it. Time to order up some more Glucousime mix for the legs! When I left the house for work today, I could definately feel a chill wind and I'm not looking forward to riding Max tonight, even with layers of sweatshirts et al.

Well, I wanted cold weather and now I've got it! :-)

Winter is Upon Us!

Well, it appears that Winter managed to arrive along with rain! With all the warm weather, Santa Ana winds, and brush fires, you would think that we were in the middle of some new "hot age"...maybe there's something to the whole global warming thing...

There's actually a chill wind and I had to run the heat. The dogs did the smart thing, burrowing into bed with me and using me for warmth (or did I use them for warmth?). I was a mutually agreeable thing for all of us and I really didn't want to get out of bed this morning.

I had to take the dogs out into the rain so they could do their morning constitutional and I don't think they were too happy with it but they were prompt!

Now I think I can better get into the Christmas spirit! :-)

Putting Those Muscles to Work...

After a late party the night before, I was up bright and early taking up Max for our weekly lesson. After warming up with some trotting and cantering, I worked on roll-backs and coming to a complete halt from a canter. I also engaged in various exercises to loosen up the pelvis, shoulder and neck muscles. Pretty sore business.

Then the lesson started...today we worked on transitions. But this was more than simply going from a halt to a canter or from trot to canter to walk and back again. It was about RIDING the horse, no matter what you're doing. All too often, I'd pretty much ease up on Max after making a transition or a complete halt and this tends to result in Max losing energy. Then, when I start up again, I have to go through the entire process of building up the energy and, more importantly, re-engaging his attention (Hey, buddy, we're going back to work!).

The key, as a I learned, is to maintain leg contact, minimal bit contact, and keep my profile vertical- no learning forward, no matter how subtle. This is especially important in going into a trot or canter from a complete halt- you have to stay off the horse's fore-end so the horse can be free to work his front legs and be able to launch off of his haunches. Otherwise, you're acting like a weight on the front end, blocking the horse from moving effectively (he more "stumbles" into the gait/movement- kind of like me tripping forward into a run).

Also, at the same time, it's essential to use pressure from pelvis along with a half-halt to build up the energy and then letting the horse move forward. It sounds easy but there's a series of actions that have to performed simultaneously and you have to be organized in executing them (i.e. not in a hurry). Also key, is staying off the bit and letting the horse have his head. If everything is done right, the horse will drop his hindquarters and leap up and forward into the motion. This is most dramatic going into a canter from a dead halt.

By the time the lesson was through, we were executing them pretty well and especially on the canters. He was execurting left-lead canters from a dead halt with little urging from me- it used to take a lot of kicking and motion to do this. I'll have to keep practicing this until it becomes second nature and I think it will go a long way towards helping keeping him organized in drill team practice and charges.

The other aspect of the transitions was shifting down from either a canter or trot to either a walk or a complete halt. The transition to the walk was especially tricky because it's easy to apply too much pressure through the pelvis, thus bringing the horse to an abrupt halt. It's a combination of breath/pelvis pressure combined with keeping your leg on and even kicking just a bit (a small bit) to keep him moving foward while slowing him down. It's like applying gas and the clutch and takes a bit of practice.

It appears that I have new things to study and practice on. It never seems to end! :-)

Anniversary - Married 16 Years!

OK, it's Friday, December 12, 2008 and for me, that means I've been married for 16 years. Jeeze, has it been that long?! I've known plenty of people who've gotten married, divorced, and re-married in that span of time. Pretty strange stuff!

The secret? None really, I suppose. I guess I got lucky and married someone who puts up with my various moods I guess. :-)

Truely amazing, my wife and I both have strong personalities and our friends predicted that we'd kill each other withing a year. Proved them wrong! :-)

Breed of the Day: The Icelandic Pony

Today's horse is the Icelandic. I'm a sucker for these guys and they're amazing to watch. From Wikipedia:

The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse that has lived in Iceland since the mid-800s AD, having been brought to the island by Viking settlers. The Icelandic Horse originated from breeds taken from Scandinavian and European countries to Iceland during the original and subsequent settlements but has now been bred for centuries without the addition of outside bloodstock. Because they are often pony-sized, they are by some referred to as "Icelandic ponies". However, in most places, the breed is considered a "horse" and to call it a "pony" is likely to offend many breeders. mtDNA studies link them to other European pony breeds.[1]
Regardless of size or horse/pony designation, Icelandic horses can easily carry the weight of a large grown adult.

Probably the most beloved trait of the Icelandic horse is its unique character. FEIF's breeding aim for spirit describes a horse that is very willing, brave, happy, forward, cheerful, confident, and offers its best with very little encourangement. A horse that tries to please the rider, is sensible, easy to ride, and easy to handle.

Iceland has never had any predators large enough to be any threat to a horse. Instead it is a country with tremendous environmental dangers, such as harsh extremes in weather, volcanic activity, extremely varied and treacherous terrain, quicksand, rock slides, rivers with changing currents, etc. Therefore, the ability to assess a situation rather than the instinct to flee has been central in the survival of the horse. Even today Icelandics seem to lack the "spookiness" of most other breeds and are more inclined to think through a situation before making the decision to run. They also seem to have a much higher pain tolerance than other breeds and have a strong will to survive even the toughest conditions. There are many old Icelandic tales of horses that overcame tremendous obstacles to carry their riders safely to their destination, and where the sense of the horse was instrumental in gaining safe haven and avoiding death and danger.

Traditionally in Iceland, young horses and those not under saddle were allowed to run free, in large herds in the highlands. Because of environmental concerns, this practice is only continued in parts of Northern Iceland today. Even in other parts of Iceland the horses are often left in vast pastures, largely on their own, for long periods of time. All horses in Iceland are given an annual vacation in late fall of each year, where they can be in herds left alone. The Icelanders feel that it is important that the horse grows up learning how to be an independent thinker, to take care of itself, and to not be too dependent on humans. The Icelanders want their horses to be thinking partners to their riders. They also believe that horses allowed to run free at least part of the year grow stronger, become more sure footed and are more self-confident.

In general, Icelandics are trained to be spirited under saddle. Almost all Icelandics tend to be very calm and easy going on the ground, but most will be surprisingly forward when ridden, when trained that way. Icelanders call this spirit "willingness" or "forwardness". And a willing horse, by Icelandic standards, is a forward horse indeed. A willing horse will always offer more energy to the rider. However as in all other breeds, the amount of willingness varies from individual to individual, some being very willing, others not. Some Icelandics even seem to have the talent to adapt to the skill level of the rider.

In the early days, the rugged Icelandic climate meant that keeping only the best horses was worthwhile. Cramped quarters meant that people, horses and other animals would often share tight spaces. Therefore, any horses that showed faults in character were quickly culled and used for meat. This practice continues today in Iceland and horsemeat is exported regularly to mainland Europe and Japan. This is probably the strongest reason that, today, you will rarely find an Icelandic that would ever kick, bite or even lay its ears back at a human for any reason. Additionally, growing up in a herd may mean that such attributes are tempered when the antics of youngsters are not tolerated by their elders.

Although some Icelandics are more friendly than others, the majority still enjoy the company of people. And most Icelandics are known to form very close bonds with their owners.

Icelandics are considered quite intelligent. As such they often learn new things very quickly. However, as they are bright they usually do not like to be drilled and they must constantly be challenged with new and different tasks to stay interested and willing. Although Icelandics are sometimes schooled in a ring or on an oval track, most like to be trained out on the trail enjoying nature.

Some Truths About Horses

This was relayed to me by a friend:

33 Truths about Horses

1. People who don't take care of their own horses will be the first
ones to tell you how to care for yours.

2. You should never buy a cheap girth!

3. A handsome horse who's badly behaved will become a lot less
attractive in about 15 min.

4. People who think they have nothing more to learn about riding,
hit the ground the hardest.

5. Children and ponies are natural allies and often have identical
dispositions.

6. The richest horse people often look the poorest.

7. The closeness of a horse is one of the sweetest smells in the
world.

8. A solitary ride through the woods is more beneficial than six
months with the best psychiatrist.

9. The worse a person rides the more likely they are going to
blame it on the horse.

10. The best thing about going to the barn first thing in the
morning is that horses don't care how you look.

11. If a dealer insists a horse is worth twice what he's asking he's
usually worth half that much.

12. The best way to appreciate how another person rides is to get on
their horse.

13. I can recognize another horse person no matter what town, city,
state, county or country I visit.

14. You can never have too many hoof picks.

15. It is not always wise to argue with something that outweighs you
by 1,000 pounds.

16. I'd rather have a horse with a perfect mind then a perfect head.

17. Eight hours is not too long to be in the saddle!

18. If you think you have left the water on in the barn you have, if
you think you have closed the pasture gate you haven't.

19. When someone asks you if you like their horse always say yes

20. The happiest people I know own horses, dogs, cats and at least
one deranged goat.

21. If you're looking for the perfect horse you will never own one.

22. Owning a horse can either make a marriage or break it.

23. I'd rather lose my Chap Stick than my curb chain.

24. You shouldn't talk about your first place ribbon to someone that
came in second.

25. If someone says that horse has a little buck, it has a BIG buck.

26. If we need rain, schedule a show.

27. I've never warmed up to someone that didn't want to walk down to
the stables.

28. A clean stable and a sparkling horse are among life's great
pleasures.

29. A FREE horse is not a cheap horse.

30. No matter how badly behaved you are, your horse always gives
you a second chance.

31. A expensive horse doesn't make a better horse.

32. I can't stand to have an empty stable.

33. Losing a horse can break your heart, but it will have been worth it.

Some Amazing Horsemanship

Here's another video I came accross on You Tube showing some amazing horsemanship- one wrong move and the horse and/or rider are going to get gored bad. It's amazing to watch a horse doing a sidepass at a canter. That's what Lusitanos and Andalusions were bred to do- fight bulls and come out on top. When people see Lusitanos and Andalusians today, all they see are flighty, hard-to-manage animals, isolated from the context that they were bred to exist in. When you see them in action in a bullfight, it all begins to make sense.

Mounted Orienteering

I managed to find a site for mounted orienteering although there doensn't appear to be any events in California. Here's the site:

http://www.nacmo.org/

Riding at Night

Due to schedule conflicts, I decided to take my weekly lesson on Monday night. My trainer's arena is fully lighted and with a full moon out, there were definately no issues. However, it was cold. Very cold.

Max and I got a very good workout and we concentrated mostly on leg position and especially the two-point stance. My legs and upper thigh muscles were screaming for mercy by the end of the evening! It's good training though and I've been progressing pretty well- it's really a matter of building up muscle strength, especially since these are areas that normally don't get a lot of work in everyday life.

I also worked on controlling the legs by riding with one leg on, one leg off and alternating sides. I also practiced removing both legs and finding the balance point. This is faily simple without using stirrups but a bit more tricky with them since you don't want to put any weight on the stirrups or use them as a crutch and thereby thow off your seat.

I also practiced roll-backs and cantering from the halt with Max and I think we're getting better at it and I'm better able to get Max to use his haunches and rear legs to launch off. It's a bit intimidating because it feels like the horse is rearing but in reality, he's getting himself ready to spring forward, much like a coiled spring. I was also successful in bringing him to a full halt from the canter and keeping him from dancing about at the halt (for the most part); it's a lot better than when I first started doing this some four months ago.

We wound up doing a lot of cantering so by the time we were done, Max was sweating (and so was I to a lesser extent). After having him stand for about 15 minutes with the cooler, I allowed Max to roll in the arena and then put him away. It was a good workout.

Vasquez Rocks

Yesterday, me and some friends from the stable decided to check out an Orienteering event that was being held at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in an effort to see if there were aspects that could be used to do something similar on horseback. One of my friends wants to start up horse orienteering here in Southern Calfornia so we were looking for some ideas.

Vasquesz Rocks is located off the I-14 by Canyon Country and it's been used to film many different films and TV shows because of teh unique rock formations (think Start Trek alien planets and the like). The LA Orienteering Club was sponsoring the event so we registered for the novice course.

I was expecting something like what I had to do in the land navigation exercises we used to do when I was in the Army (pre-GPS days!) so I was prepared to shoot bearings, determine azimuths, work with maps and the like. Also, we were expecting to hike 5 or 6 miles. As things turned out, we needn't have worried- the course was laid out along a series of roads and trails and you really didn't need a compass except to orient the map (which wasn't that hard). You just pretty much followed the road and hit each point. You were given an electronic marking device that you inserted into a special electronic box at each point (so basically you have an electronic confirmation that you'd reached a given point).

It was bit too easy for my taste and it was more focused on physical activity than anything else, that is it seemed to be more of a race and a lot of the partcipants were running their way through the course, especially the more advanced courses. I suppose it has it's place but we really didn't learn anything that would be of much use for horseback riding.

Still it was a good way to socialize and get a bit of exercise in and we actually came in 16 out of a field of 45 (which I find amazing since we were not really moving very fast at all).

Pearl Harbor - Never Forget

While there's all sorts of images available of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Arizona always struck me the hardest. Today, I wish to commemorate her as she looked in better days:

Gone but not forgotten!!!

La Garrocha (with no hands on reins)

I came accross this on YouTube the other day. The shows Spanish-style lance work (La Garrocha) with no reins. It's amazing when he gets up into a canter.

Army Days

The other day I came accross some pictures of when I was in the Army. God, that was a long time ago! Pretty scary!


The standard basic training portrait. This was taken about two weeks after I'd arrived at Ft. Leonard Wood.


When I was NCOIC of the Ft. Lewis Animal Disease Prevention and Control Faility (ADPAC) which was a fancy name for veterinary clinic.


Reenlisting- yep, I was foolish enough to reenlist! :-)

Breed of the Day: The Fijord Horse

Today's featured breed is the Norwegian Fijord Horse. Here's a picture of a mother and foal:

Here's a bit of detail from Wikipedia:

The Fjord horse or Norwegian Fjord Horse (known in Norway as a Fjording) is a rather short but very strong breed of horse from the mountainous regions of western Norway. It ranges from 135 to 150 centimetres (approximately 13.1 to 14.3 hands)[1] in height and weighs from 400 to 550 kilograms (about 880 to 1210 lb). Though some individuals may fall under the traditional cutoff between horses and ponies, it is always considered a horse, regardless of height.

It is one of the world’s oldest breeds, and has a long recorded history of pure-breeding without crossbreeding from other sources. It is believed that the ancestors of the Fjord horse migrated to Norway and were domesticated over 3,000 years ago.[1] Archeological excavations at Viking burial sites indicate the Fjord horse has been selectively bred for 2,000 years.[1]

For more information, go HERE.

Reindeer

In keeping with the Christmas/holiday season, here's a picture of a reindeer. No red noses here, just a genuine reindeer! Well, perhaps if the reindeer lived next door to Chernobyl, it might be different...enjoy!

Night Riding in the Winter

Well, it appears that winter has finally arrived Southern California style...the nights are much cooler and we've been experiencing damp mist in the lower canyons- they're pretty foggy although you can see the sky. Very strange....

Last night I worked Max for a little more than an hour and once I got him to wake up, it was pretty decent. Although it rained almost two weeks ago, the stables have been slow to dry out due to the heavy mist/fog presence (even during the day there's a haze) and thus, the footing on the track and elsewhere haven't been the best.

Max's arthritis doesn't appear to be an issue, at least so far so once he got warmed up, we were able to do some good cantering. We practiced roll-backs and canter charges and Max seems to be getting better and especially at staying still at the halt. Unfortunately, in the past Max has had a tendency to dance around in place- maybe anxiety due to getting buzzed up, who knows? Now put him in a group situation and it can be a real trial, especially on the trail.

One good thing about the drill team practice I've been doing eith the Warhorse Foudnation on Saturdays is that we practice the canter charges but we also mix it up by making the horses just walk and halt at unexpected moments. That way, the horses will eventually come to realize that it's not all about blindly running and that they could be called upon to do other things. In short, it's training them to pay attention to the rider. Of course this is good in theory but sometimes the reality can be different like last Saturday when the horse next to Max kept rearing and wanting to charge and Max was feeding off it it. At one point Max tried to leap forward and it was an interesting moment of riding it though. I couldn't have done that two years ago.

Any way, we did some training and I then took him on a short trail ride, checking out the California Polo Club and watching some of the polo match. The exercise was good for both of us and Max was happty to get his bucket at the end of the evening.

Everything You Wanted to Know

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Christmas holiday, courtesy of the History Channel:

http://www.history.com/minisites/christmas/

What Every Office Needs...

What every office needs:



It would certainly improve morale and attendance but I doubt if much work would get done.

Back to Blogistan...

It's been awhile since I've posted anything of substance but life, as usual, got in the way. So what's up? The usual- riding and working with Max, trying to deal with water damage in one of the bathrooms in my house, surviving Thanksgiving and the usual BS.

On the horse front, I've been trying to work with Max to improve his group dynamics- after the crap he pulled at Morro Bay on the trail, I've been working on getting his behaviour under control. It seems to be a weird variety of barnsour combined with his wanting to be "the chief".

Lately I've also been working Max with a drill team that a friend of mine heads up. It's actually worked out pretty well and Max is, for the most part, used to working in close formation with other horses and following my commands. He's even used to getting bumped and jostled in formation and that's also good. He's even responded well after getting nearly kicked and bitten on a couple occassions by other horses- we managed to work those issues though. Given some more practice, he may be even ready to participate in his first parade. Cool.

On the trail, I've been working with various patience exercises to include stopping periodically while returning the stables. I'll stop, wait a few minutes and the proceed forward if he's stayed still. If he starts dancing, we then turn around and go back about 100-300 feet back up the trail. The idea is that acting up just gets him further away from his goal of getting back to the stables while acting calm and standing still will earn him an earlier return to the stables. At least that's the theory.

I've also been working on mounted charges and keeping Max under control. This consists of roll-backs, collection, and controlled canters alternated with various transitions. Also, part of the program is making Max stand still- which is sometimes hard because he's anxious and buzzed up. The trick is that I need to stop riding him once he comes to a halt. It's kind of tricky but we seem to be making progress.

As for my house, it all started with an aging toilet that stopped working properly. I went to replace parts and then realized that things were a bit more serious when the bolts securing the tank to the toilet base fell off, completely used through. I then decided to replace the entire toilet and after completely detaching it from the sewer connection, discovered extensive water damage. So I had to strip the linoleum floor and subflooring which was a nasty job that took an entire day. I still have to figure out the finances to replace the subflooring since it's pretty poor. So now we're down to one toilet. Thankfully, the shower and sink are still functional. I'll be installing tile for flooring once everything is done- I don't want to deal with this again (at least as long as I live there). Home improvement- oh joy!

More later....

I've been Jack'd

Here's me and a couple of the kids- two Jack Russel Terriers- hanging out at the stables. :-)

The Admiral

Here's an interesting movie about a figure that is little know outside of Russia- Alexander Kolchak. He had the misfortune to be on the losing side in the Russian Civil War and while a decent military leader, he was out of his element as a poltical leader.