Out & About On Max

Last night I was finally able to get out to the stables to check up on Max. I needn't have worried... :-) Max was covered in mud and greeted me with a nicker that seemed to indicate "about time you showed up- where's my treat?!"

Since the ground had dried out (somewhat) and things weren't too swampy, I decided to saddle up and ride. What was interesting was that although nights have been running pretty cold where I am, it wasn't that cold although there was plenty of cloud cover.

We didnt' do anything remarkable, mostly walking and trotting around the track with a friend of mine. We basically did the sitting trot with some intermittant walking. It was good exercise- not too much where Max was going to be sweaty (and taken more time to cool down) and just enough to engage all the leg muscles. Also, mentally Max needs to be more attuned to working at the sustained trot in avariety of speeds so this is good training- life isn't all about cantering everywhere we go (plus the footing was probably a bit too muddy).

It's funny but when riding with someone else, it seems that the time flies by. By the time we were done, an hour and a half had passed by. INteresting...:-) We ended with the usual and customary special mix bucket and I made sure that Max had his rain blanket on- more rains was on the way.

Hopefully the rains won't mess up the weekend riding schedule too bad. Oh well, it could be worse- we could have snow! :-)

Bits! Bits! And...More Bits!

For the past several months I have been taking a number of equine classes at Pierce College and one of them has been Beginning Horse Training. Now, I have no intention of becoming a trainer nor do I have the experience (no Pat Pirelli here!) but it's been a real eye-opener in terms of all the equipment, methods et al. In fact, it's a bit overwhelming (pardon the pun :-)).

Last week we went into bits in great detail and the instructor showed us a variety of bits of varous types and configurations. I really havn't given much thought to bits except to know that I have been using a snaffle bit on Max.

Well, I've really have had to do a re-think on this. Basically, it seems that bits break down into two basic categories: direct rpessure and leverage. Within each, there are a variety of mouthpiece configuations and work with varying degrees of severity.

So how does this all tie into Max?

Well, with the sorts of riding I've been doing lately, it's become apparent that a curb bit would be more useful in helping Max collect up better and hold a better frame. Also. I'd like to eventually train up to using the double bridal.

Naturally, I'm going to have to approach this in a systematic manner. Early on, I attempted to used a curb bit on Max (because I didn't know any better) but my hands were too rough and Max made it very clear that he wasn't happy about it. I think that this time, it will be different but it's going to be a gradual process.

Perhaps I'll start with a Kimberwicke bit, which is sort of a hybrid where I can use direct pressure or leverage, depending on where the reins are set.

I'm going to have to do some more study on this but I think it's time to move forward in this area.

Ugh! There's a lot to consider.

HMS Prince of Wales

68 years ago today, the battleship HMS Prince of Wales met its deimse when it was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft off the coat of Malaya, along with the HMS Repulse. RIP.

Angeles National Forest - Closed Areas

Since the Station Fire in late August, much of the Angeles National Forest has been closed to include riding. For a map of the closed areas, click HERE.

68 Years Ago Today

Today is the 68th Anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. While to many, this may seem like ancient history, it will always remain etched in this nation's history and served as a wake-up call that things in the world that needed dealing with.

Although there are those conspiracy theorists who will argue that President Roosevelt purposely ochestrated events so as to provoke a Japanese attack and cause America's entry into the way, I really don't think so. We were on a collision course iwth the Japanese Empire for some time and if the attack on Pearl Harbor hadn't occurred, then it would have happened somewhere else.

At any rate, below is the usual picture I post on December 7, the USS Arizona in better days because that's the way she should be remembered.

Max & I Hit the Trail into the Mountains

You might think that I haven't done much riding of late but that's not the case...actually, with a pretty full schedule (and some unexpected plumbing issues around the house), I've been struggling to keep up my training with Max.

For the first time, the weather here has started to really cool down and today, I awoke to find it cloudy with occasional sunny patches and a brisk wind. Not that THAT was going to stop Max and I from getting out! :-)

I was supposed to have a lesson (the first after a three week hiatus) but my trainer was a bit under the weather with the flu bug so the lesson was canceled. I'd been working Max for about a hour and a half with various transitions, flexion exercises, side passing, leg yields and just plain galloping down the track at Warp speed (with Max, that's about Warp 1...) so we were both pretty limbered up.

Just about that time, a couple of friends rode by to let me know that they were planning on riding the Audry Trail. Cool!

Now, in the wake of the fires last August, the National Forest Service had pretty much closed all the National Forest area, which contains the majority of trails that I ride on. That pretty much left the Hansen Dam Basin and to be honest, that gets real OLD after awhile, espcially since it's all flat and Max has not gotten any serious hill work since early August.

I was a bit concerned since there's a stiff fine for riding in the closed area ($1500 or so) but it turns out that most of the Audry Trail is on private land so it wouldn't be an issue (it also turned out that our subsequent ride to the Sheep Pens was also on private land).

So anyway, I jumped at the opportunity- jeeze, it's been forwever since I've been on some real trails up in the hills and since my friends were going, well screw the National Forest Service. By this time, the wind was definately getting cooler and the sun had disappeared- I was dressed pretty warm but then decided to also put on my Army rain jacket (it's one of those new Gortex EWACS thingies) and that turned out to be a good decision- kept me warm all afternoon.

We soon headed out and made our way towards the trailhead with no issues. It threatened to rain but unless it actually started raining, we pretty much didn't care. One of my friends had been out on the trail the week before and indicated that there shouldn't be any issues (I haven't been on the Audry Trail since June or so).

We gardually made our way up the trail- it's amazing how much has grown back since the Marek Fire last year. This trail doesn't get a lot of equestrian use so we had to clear branches here and there.

Finally ,we got to the one tough part of the trail where you ascend on about 500 feet on a number of narrow switchbacks and then when you get to the top, you have to make a sharp right turn (the drop-off is something fierce!), go about 20 feet and make a sharp left turn. You a literally balancing on the spine of a steep, narrow peak. After that, the trail improves and there's no more mountain goat tracks, although the trail was faint in a few places and we had to adjust our course every now and then.

After about an hour or so, we wound up at the end of the trail, which borders Little Tujunga Canyon Road. We crossed the and then decided to make our way up the old cross country course, which borders the sheep pens (unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures).

After some time, we made our way up to the old cross country course (it's a course of eventing-style jumps that haven't been used in 20 years and have fallen into disrepair) and checked it out. Where we were was basically on the Western edge of the Station Fire and it was interesting to see the landscape with almost no vegetation (you can also see where hills have begun to slide and erode). Pretty interesting.

We then followed one of the trails that we had followed on a previous ride in July but we'd had to turn around because of trail erosion and thick vegetation. However, that wasn't an issue this time with all the vegetation burned off and we were easily able to pass but in retrospect, it was a wise decision- it was impossible to see the footing and it would have been easy to take a wrong step and fall off the trail (it's about a 100 foot drop). Very instructive.

We finally made our way home and throughout the entire ride, Max was well behaved and had no physical issues. I think the cool weather made him a bit more energenic (but not to the point of stupidity). Moreover, I think he actually liked getting out on a real trail for a change. Max knew my friends' horses well and they all seem to get along well and have no issues- that always makes for a pleasant trial ride.

For me, it was good to get out and spend some hours in the saddle. I can't being to tell how much it improves my mental outlook of being able to roam- I think Max and I, in our own ways, hate to be tied down. Anyway, it was an excellent ride and I promptly followed it up with a couple shots of Port and some cheese. :-)

and we were able to see where we'd turned around the last time we rode this trail (there was extreme erosion and thick vegetation which had forced us to turn back

Join the Cavalry!

Came accross this today- I thought it was pretty neat so here it is!