RE: Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In keeping with Halloween and the equestrian theme, here's the Headless Horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving:

For more information, click HERE.

Back in the Game (or I'm Really Sore!)

Well, Sunday was good for Max and I and we spent about three hours in the saddle with no ill effects to his back. We also did our lesson (it was a mixed private and group lesson) and Max did very well and followed my cues with no resistance.

It was definately warm and I felt that I was back in the middle of August. I also rode Max up and down the wash some and got him used to going up and down the various trails leading out of the wash. Overall, it was a good weekend and Max earned his bucket!

Back in the Saddle - More

Well, after giving Max some time off due to the lingering smoke from the various fires going on around the area, I decided that it was time to get back in the game.

Saturday was started off cloudy and somewhat cool with a couple attempts at drizzling. Later, the sun came out and it warmed up considerably. I started Max off with the usual warming-up process and then proceeded to a combination of trot and canter transitions. It was like riding concrete and Max was definately being lazy (OK, granted he's got his winter coat and was getting warm).

Eventually Max got the proper motivation and we proceeded to do various arena work to iclude leg yields, transitions, etc. Max was even did some nice side-passing. He really amazed me there! I ended with some two-point stance work that really made me sore.

Later, my wife came out to the stable to ride Max so I wound up riding another horse named "Kisses". She's a Standardbred, ex-race horse so she doesn't have a lot of riding training under her but it worked out OK. Her gaits take some getting used to and she has a strange sort of canter. Not quite as polished as Blondie.

Everything ended on a good note and Max was definately sweaty. :-)

Back In The Saddle...Again

With the fierce Santa Ana winds and all the stuff in the atmosphere because of the fires, I've haven't been riding much. Tonight the wind finally died down to a gentle breeze so I decided to work Max for about an hour. Boy was he ever the pokey horse! It was pretty warm and in view of all the crap in the air, I didn't push him too hard.

We wound up riding over to the California Polo Club to check out what was going on and then headed back and did some arena work. Nothing too strenuous but I did make him canter some. Hopefully things will begin to cool down soon so we can start getting back into shape.

It's Windy (or Look, Max is Flying!)

Well, it appears that the Santa Ana winds have shown up with a vengeance again. As I got up this morning, I noticed it was blowing pretty fierce and there was the usual pile of leaves and tree branched in the backyard. As I stepped out of the house, I felt the wind- warm. This isn't going to be good...when I got to the stables, the wind was blowing full force to include large clouds of dust. Naturally, none of this bothered Max one bit- he had his head buried in the feeder as usual and was enjoying his early morning alfalfa cubes.

Normally I take a lesson on Sundays but with the wind I was beginning to have doubts. After a call to my trainer, I confirmed that the lesson was off. Good thing- I wasn't really in the mood to ride in the wind and it's just no fun (not to mention the potential for spooking). It's been a dry fall and the weather just can't seem to make the transition to Fall around here.

Looks like Max got himself a day off!

Back In The Saddle!

Well, today was the big moment of truth- was Max healed up enough so I could ride him without inflicting further injury?

I tacked up with my English saddle (it's a Thorowgood), making sure that the girth was snug and proceeded to warm Max up with some basic exercises. I next started mixing in some trotting, working up to cantering, first with the right lead (his better lead) and then the left lead. Finally, I also worked in some leg yields. My plan was to ride him for about an hour and then check his back.

After about 45 minutes, I checked Max's back and everything looked fine. There's still the bare spot but it looks like it's filling in with hair and there doesn't appear to be any direct rubbing. I then rode max for about another hour and a half- a little cantering but mostly walking and trotting. Once again I checked Max and his back was stil fine.

I'm not going to do any long-duration riding for awhile so I can build up his back. Also, I'm slowly going to start conditioning him again. His time off does not seem to have affected him in any way and he was the same horse he's always been- he knew all the moves perfectly and it's like we never stopped. Thank god! Maybe all the groundwork I've been doing for the part three weeks has helped out...

Things are looking good!

Searching for the Seven Cities of Cibola

Searching for the fabled "7 Cities of Cibola" (aka Seven Cities of Gold)? Here you go:

The Search for the Perfect Saddle (or the 7 Cities of Cibola)

Well, the title says it all- I thought the Circle Y Western saddle was going to be a solution but in reality it wasnt' and I have a raw spot to show for it.

At some point I'm going to try and sell this saddle (at a loss, of course), scrape up some additional cash and see about a lightweight endurance saddle. I'm considering one made by Specialized Saddles (the endurance model). A friend of mine has one and she says it's worked out great. At $1500 (approx), this is the cheapest of the "custom" saddles (I just don't have the $2500 to go get a Synergist saddle).

One other option is to look at something from the Australian Stock Saddle Company. The price for their endurance model is around $500 but I don't know if this is going to work out.

Well, until Max heals up, I'm backing off this and regrouping.

OH Perry Class FFG

This is the USS Roberts, an OH Perry Class frigate doing a fast turn. I thought this was a pretty cool picture so I thought I'd post it here.

1492 Conquest of Paradise

Although this movie got a bad rap when it was first released and it has some problems in regard to historical accuracy, it is probably one of the best Columbus films and it goes a long way to capture the flavor of the times and what happened when cultures collide.



Here's a couple more pictures:

For more, go HERE.

Happy Columbus Day!!

Happy Columbus Day!

OK, so the Native Americans might not agree and Columbus more "rediscovered" than "discovered" the New World but nevertheless it's still a major archievement in exploration and seamanship.

Of late, it's been politically correct to bash on it and rewrite history but no matter how you pretend, the event still happened. Now, granted that Columbus was a far better sailor than he was as an administrator/governor but to cast Columbus as the evil genius that unleashed great suffering upon the poor "innocent" natives is pure BS. There's enough blame to go around to everyone and in comparison to Pizarro or Cortez, Columbus was relatively mild. Hardly Adolph Hitler material.

The natives were just as nasty as any Europeans could be- the Caribs practiced cannibalism far before the Spanish showed up. As for other groups such as the Aztecs- please! The ritual slaughters of thousands to include ripping out their hearts? Like real life, things are shades of grey and we need to acknowledge them. Events happen and to try to force our own view on the past is both intellectually dishonest and just plain foolish. You have to view them within the context of the times. Leveling judgements does little to further understanding.

At any rate, for better or worse, he made the discoveries he did and it certainly opened the world up to the Western mind.

Max on Convalescent Leave

Well, after out adventure in Bear Valley, it's obvious that Max is going to need some time to heal up from the sore created by the Western saddle. The sore is on top of the withers and suggests that the top of the saddle in the front was exerting pressure- probably from the tree being too tight.

The problem is I can't even use my English saddle (which I KNOW was working fine in this area) because of the rubbing action as the saddle flexes. I tried it two days after returning home and it was definately a BAD idea.

So it looks like I'll have to give Max some time off. In the scheme of things, it's relatively minor but it needs to be done. I'll have to make arrangements to ride Blondie and I can lunge Max and walk him.

I also need to condsider walking and running more to build up my cardiovascular stamina- the Bear Valley ride really kicked my ass and revealed just how out of shape I am.

Well, Max gets a "vacation" and I'm going to have to work with Blondie and/or ride any other horse I can.

Bear Valley, After-Action Report Part III

Well, after returning from the our Saturday excusion, I noticed a raw spot developing on Max's withers, primarily on the right side. Basically, Max's hair was rubbing off and I thought it was due to the breast collar top strap rubbing against the withers. I figured that I'd keep an eye on it and maybe it was because of all the up-and-down riding on the Sycamore Canyon Trail...

Sunday dawned sunny, a bit warmer, and a lot more windy. I decided that day to just go out on my own- Max's slow pace didn't seem to endear me to my companions too much so I decided to just simply take Max out of the picture. Also, I was not in the mood to ride anymore moutainous trails and decided to stick mostly to the flats.

So I decided to ride towards the central valley and at the same time locate Jerry's house. As far as I knew, his widow was still living in Bear Valley and I remembered enough of the local geography to locate it. The one thing that definately stood out as I rode into the valley was that there has been a lot of construction in the past five or six years since I'd last been to Bear Valley and everything seemed a bit more crowded.

I rode along using a combination of trotting, cantering, and walking. I also stopped frequently to let Max graze and a couple of times got off of him. The only problem I had was riding down the canyon trail from the Bear Valley Equestrian Center, where we were camping, to the main valley- on several occassions, Max tried to turn around. A quick tap with the reins put an end to that quickly and continued to the valley.

I worked my way along San Juan Road towards Cumberland Road, the main road into the valley, and while I saw a house that sort of looked like Jerry's, it was different and it appeared that the land that had been used as a pasture for his horses was now built upon with other houses. After riding back towards the trail and looking around some more, I concluded that I had ridden by where his house had been. Everything had changed and I concluded that his widow must have cashed out and sold off the property.

Even accessing the house was changed and I would have had to have ridden up several side streets. Since I was now pressed for time (we were going to be leaving about 2 PM), I had to turn around and ride back to the Equestrian Center.

Too bad- it would have been nice to have dropped in to visit (unfortunately, my wife and I had lost contact in since Jerry had passed away). I guess things always change...

When I returned to the Equestrian Center and took off the saddle, the rubbed spot was now raw and it was evident that my new Western saddle was causing back problems- after all the money I'd spent, I was no closer towards solving my trail saddle problem. Also, it dawned on me that this was a heavy saddle and that probably had a lot to do with why Max was having problems on the trail the day before.

Sometimes, you just can't win.

Bear Valley After-Action Report, Part II

Well, the next day dawned cold and overcast- perfect for riding, so long as it doesn't rain. After tacking up the horses, we proceeded to hit the trail. Things went relatively fine, even after getting lost a couple of times (no big deal there).

Max was acting up a bit because he was struggling for keep up with a Thoroughbred who could walk much faster- Max would struggle to keep up and then keep trotting and sometimes jig. Worse, I have come to the conclusion that Max likes to be the leader and it wasn't until the occassional moment that he was in the lead that Max would actually relax. It was not a very fun ride and in the future, I'm going to give more consideration to the breed of horse I'm riding with. It's just not fun and the other riders were probably ticked off. Oh well, you can only do so much with what you have.

Our party then split up and three of us proceeded to head on a trail towards the mountains (we were already an approximately 4000 foot elevation). No problem I thought, I've done this a lot of times and Max is a pretty fit horse. However, I was also using my new/used Western saddle and it weighs substantially more than what I've used in the past (why the hell I didn't think of this earlier escapes me)...

Several miles later, the trail began to climb and we went up about a 1000 feet in 2 miles- a pretty steep grade. Worse, the trail is a narrow single-track trail so if something happens, there's NOWHERE to go except down and that's a pretty steep drop-off. As we made out way, a deer popped out from behind a bush and scared the horse behind me. Before I knew it, the horse and rider to my rear had spun out and was now some 50 feet down the slope. Fortunately, at this point, we were on a piece that had about 200 feet of gentle slope before the sheer drop-off. Oh, did I also mention that there was a great view of the San Joaquin Valley?

We finally managed to get everthing sorted out but in the interest of safety, we decided to walk the horses downhill once we'd cleared the ridge. That was fun constantly having to keep Max from stepping on me as I led him. We must have walked about three more miles up some more steep trail and by this time both Max and I were getting pretty exhausted and I realized that the altitude was beginning to take its toll on us. My big fear here was that Max would tie up- tieing up basically happens when the horse doesn't get enough Oxygen so the muscles are not getting enough Oxygen and they literally "lock up". If that happens, then you're screwed because any attempt to force the horse to move will result in severe muscle damage.

We proceeded slowly, keeping the horse moving to prevent muscle cramping and trying to give Max a change to breathe more and work less. As for myself, I felt like crap and it suddenly dawned on me that I am not the same person I was at 21- I could got for more miles on foot with no problem at any altitude but that was some 20 pounds and 20 years ago when I was in the Army. Boy, did I feel like an idiot.

Fortunately, after another five miles, the trail crossed a major roadway and at that point I turned off and followed it back down into the valley and back to camp. I don't think my companions were too happy but in reality, the trail was a lot longer and harder than anyone expected and we wouldn't have gotten back until after dark (which didn't seem like a fun prospect in a forest at night on mountainous trails). I was more concerned about Max's well-being than my ego and that's just the way it went.

When I got back to camp, Max had recovered somewhat and I mixed up a special bucket of feed and electrolytes. I never saw a horse consume his feed and water so fast. I knew we were OK when he then proceeded to pass a ton of urine and manure (how do you think they make Coors beer... ). Anyway, lesson learned- I got my ass kicked because I wasn't prepared sufficiently and used the wrong saddle. Fortunately, Max is forgiving.

Bear Valley After-Action Report, Part I

Wheew, what a weekend!!!

Ever have one of those weekends where you wished you'd stayed home? I did...

Well, I got back from Bear Valley Springs with Max last night about 5 PM. While I can't say that the weekend was a disaster, I can say I've had better and it's what we call "a learning experience".

Bear Valley Springs is located some 100 miles north of Los Angeles (look for Tehachapi in the map- it's right next door). It's fairly mountainous and the elevation is about 4000-5000.

The original plan was that we were going to leave on Friday about 10 am so I took the day off from work and got over to the stable about 8 AM (I'd gotten mostly everything loaded up the night before). Unfortunately, another person in our party (who also boards where I board Max) got delayed and she didn't show up until about 1 PM. Then, to make things worse, her horses wouldn't willingly load so we spent another hour and a half struggling with two increasingly pissed-off horses. Basically, her trailer is too small and the horses just don't like confined spaces (been there, done that with Max).

After about an hour, we finally got them in but it took some heavy ropes, muscle power and many blows from a whip. Fortunately, Max loaded quite willingly and was content to munch his alfalfa and hang with his stable buddies in my friends trailer (it's a huge combination camper/horse trailer affair so it's pretty much like a limo for horses- lots of room). We finally get on the road convoy style and as a favor to another individual, I rode in her rig so if she got into trouble I'd be there to help (not that I'm a sure cure...).

Naturally the traffic is worse now because it's getting into rush hour and everything moved at a crawl until Sierra Highway.

Then, just as we're transitioning onto the 58 Freeway, we get a call informing us that the same lady's "way-too-small" horse trailer had blown out one of the tires and that they'd stopped in Mohave to buy a complete set of tires for the trailer (I had my doubts about the tires when we left the stable but was assured that everything was OK). Fortunately, it was only one and nothing major occurred.

Basically, the trailer has been sitting for almost eight months with no use and the tires' walls began to rot (you should cover them if the trailer is going to sit for a long time).

We finally arrived in Bear Valley by 6 PM but by this time, the temperature was dropping into the low 40s and it was getting dark. Also, all I had on was a light shirt so it was not fun sitting in the campsite freezing while waiting for Max and all my gear to show up (Max and the gear were back in Mojave where my friend had waited while the tires were changed).

Things finally get sorted out and we everyone's reunited but it isn't until late that we get camp organized. Much to Max's credit, he couldn't care less- I put his blanket on, threw him some alfalfa cubes and stuck him in a pen. I even saddled him up and rode him around the Equestrian Center (where we were camped)- what a boy, he couldn't care less.