It’s been another busy few weeks at RHE.

Our Valley Fire tack drive wrapped up with great success; support poured in from horse folks near and far, including donations from Virginia and endurance rides in both California and Nevada.  Our final donation tally was 21 saddles and a 2 horse trailer load of gear and supplies which I delivered to a wonderful gal in the directly affected area, who lost her barn and gear and tools but immediately turned her attention to helping others. Reports are that the donations are being dispensed and enjoyed, thank you again everyone that participated!

I’ve been on the road doing lots of hoof work and boot fittings, and then one day had a flat tire on my plastic wonder Saturn..

But then more Blazey miles, so things were better

Beautiful evenings and stellar autumn sunsets are a treat

As are the shady trails, with hints of seasonal color. I even wore a vest one day.

  But it’s been pretty hot overall, some 10-15 degrees above normal

Late September roses didn’t mind a bit

But critters in thickening coats had to behave as the temperature demanded

In strategy news, Blaze has been getting a salty mash (alfalfa pellets+dash of Safechoice Original) with ABCPlus gut supplement in it before every ride in his last few weeks of rides, and he’s eating and drinking brilliantly on trail, with solid hydrated poops and pretty reliable snacking for him. He has previously been a picky eater and drinker with runny poops, but bumping him to a mash before the ride has really seemed to make a difference.

He still inspires the Zen Eeyore march in all compadres 🙂

It came about that Scrappy needed to come home from his coastal summer off, so last weekend when I had a few days I ran over to the coast.

Or started to.

Then a tire fell off my trailer. (if you’re counting, that’s 2 tire failures in 1 week) Basically, I had the trailer worked on in spring and hauled extensively all summer..various interpretations aside, lugnuts were either too loose or too tight and the actual tire studs sheared off, leaving me inches from having a tire fall off in traffic, if I hadn’t heard the noise by a convenient giant Chevron pull out, directly across the street from an open tire shop. On an unloaded trip. Phew!!!

I made it coastal, had a great turbo visit with all my family members, and even squeezed in a ride with my brother and his girlfriend! Truly an occasion to remember as he has always been a rather non horsey fellow.

Scrappy and his mare friend, my brother and I!

A little taste of beautiful coastal riding. Miss it sometimes

Scrappy and I had a rather epic drive home, including 5 sets of construction and 2 hours waiting in accident traffic..but we had a shady patch in the road, and we were just waiting, while other’s lives were going very much worse. Also, I felt very much better about things after sneaking between truck and trailer to pee while in the traffic line! #shamelessendurancepeer

Eventually we made it home and Scrappy and Apache and the mini are rocking a triumvirate of tiny man power for now. Scrappy is for sale to a loving light use/family home, so please send any appropriate inquiries or interest regarding him my way! auroragrohman@yahoo.com

Meanwhile, mares share a pan only by the grace of a redhead’s glare    And with some more fittings in the books, another pile of ponies are stepping out happily on trail in their new Renegade hoof boots! Here’s a client from the other day, who’s mare was free and forward for the first time on trail with her hooves protected.

Happy (hot) autumn trails everyone!

first of all–it rained! REAL rain, as demonstrated by the shed: 3 mares deep and no squealing. REAL rain. (and look at the size of 2 yr old Rory in front..)

I am a better and happier person when I ride, and riding I have been! My good ole LD buddy Blaze, approximately 20 this year, has stepped back up to into his riding Renegades (he’s going great in Vipers as well as Originals, by the way). He’s done about 15 steady miles in the last 8 days after months off due to no fault of his own, and he’s been peppier after each ride.

you’re never too old to stare down sticks in the trail

I also got both my greenies out this past weekend, getting in a solid round pen session with Apache and great arena ride with Sheza.

out and about with Apache

¿carrots?

Sheza time..she used to fit in the tack room better

yeeep, that’s my girl!

Expressing herself 😉 

hey look, some brain! 

pretty pretty brain

k I’ll ride that. And block investigation, ho hum

*grin*

recently Rory mysteriously tore up her face, coz she’s RC like that..and likes corn

and our bantam hens grew up and went to work! 

Meanwhile, the donations for our Valley Fire drive have been pouring in. This is less than half of what I’ll end up with, and a truck load has already been delivered to our Lake County friends from our coastal end!

Thank you so much everyone for your efforts, we pulled together tack from Nevada to Sacramento to Eureka and riders from across the country have also mailed boxes of tack and kindly donated gift certificates. This is such a great display of heart by the horse community near and far and I am proud to know you all.

Keep riding, keep grinning, keep dreaming everyone!

Hey all,

Since my last post, northern California has continued to be eaten up by wildfires. There is at this moment an 800+ acre fire about 5 miles as the crow flies from my house, but it’s weirdly become the norm this summer and my focus has turned to those directly in the path and already devastated by the Valley Fire in Lake County.

view from our driveway from just one of the multiple fires close by this year

the start of the latest fire, from my driveway

I have organized a tack and equipment drive to benefit these folks. We’re talking anything from hoof picks to saddles, these folks have lost it all. Yes, there are many many other things that many folks will need, but I cannot personally handle and organize all of it SO, this is a *horse tack and equipment* drive only.

CHICO AREA:  There is a donation box at Chico Power Equipment until Sunday, at which point it will be collected.

REDDING AREA: Lisa Smith of Dragonfly Miniatures will be at the Splash Dogs Event at Happy Tails Barkery in Redding this Saturday. She will be the donation point and will get the items on to me.

VIRGINIA CITY 100 (Nevada) attendees: There will be a box at Check in. Fellow great riders will be getting the items back over to me

CUNEO CREEK attendees: Cyd Ross will be collecting donations for us.

All the items (with the possible exception of the Cuneo batch that may be delivered by family), I will be personally responsible for delivering the donations to the folks in need. A fellow AERC member lost her barn and gear in the Valley fire and is our contact and help point for distribution.

Please spread the word as appropriate and thank you!

It was a fun and busy last 10 days here at RHE. On the weekend my mom brought my nieces and nephew over for their annual summer visit, which always involves fishing at the river–and riding Blaze!

2011 and 2015

Aside from a number of outside boot fittings and a few trims, during the week I trimmed 3 of my herd, got both greenies seriously quality excursions, and had dinner with a friend I haven’t seen in a while. As a not very social person this was a rather full plate for me but the struggles and loss of those around me spur me ever onward to make the most of each available day. Mission complete, this week.

an evening ride on a solid Mustang after boot fittings

moments of filly impatience

some of my favorite faces, don’t miss dark bay Blaze ❤

boarder Farley went home with Mel after escorting Sheza and I on trail

sporting the wide tree Solstice I bought from my Tevis rider, I looove it

food. always. especially when mentally done!

loose rein walk back to the trailers and no hurry to catch up

wait, where did my buddy go??!?

Our Farley-escorted Sheza excursion went great. While we’ve been hiking, I hadn’t ridden her in months. I had her work the spazzies out in the arena before we left for the trail and she was a model citizen for our 3.5 mile cruise. She did get mentally tired and tried first her stop and eating anything, then a few trots I shut down, and finally a few snarls at Farley to see if that maybe got her something she wanted. If she wanted a swat on the neck then her wish was fulfilled, and onward we went, with a pretty polite solo trailer ride home for Sheza. She had a seeming bout of gas cramps when we got home, stopping in the middle of consuming her mostly-water mash  she looked suddenly pained, flattened her tail, and basically looked like someone who badly needed to fart. She walked herself in circles, stopped and looked pained, and repeat, for about 5 minutes before her brow suddenly cleared and she was and is normal ever since. It was rather alarming but interesting! Hopefully a fluke.

Apache’s west garden view

W, a new friend and boot client, she of the heavenly shade and rig at Tevis’ Foresthill this year, has the kind of horse sense that is natural, undeniable, and inspiring. I knew that Apache and I were in a bit of a rut after I came off in July and fortunately she kindly agreed to work with Apache and I yesterday morning. I hadn’t loaded him since he came home but, being a clever fellow, it actually took me longer to catch my usual pocket pony than to load him. They know things, I tell you.

W took Apache in the round pen and at liberty just had him move around, not driving him or even choosing a direction, just moving his feet, to “see what he knows and let him know I am open to communication with him,” best said in her words.  You may get tired of hearing/seeing this word but Try is the word for Apache. He wants to be a human’s horse but he’s clearly had issues in the past, and you can see the literal physical effort he puts into standing still and participating in what the human wants, even when his breath comes in short huffs and his skin literally quivers at a touch. He stands. And tries. And learns. It’s really something.

What was really exciting was that W honed in on the likely key to the bucking right away–complete discomfort bordering on panic at his barrel/lower belly/man parts being touched (as my leg/the stirrup fender would have).  It made even more sense as I remembered when I long lined him after the bucking incident he was pretty squiggly at the lines running down his sides/flanks. This time his entire hind end flinched heavily and repeatedly at a touch or intended touch and you could hear him catch his breath while she was partially mounted (note, I run my hands and the rope all over when grooming and don’t get this reaction). As he was  a breeding stallion for a time, he’s very aware of what his bits are for and some of the desire to protect that area could be from from that, though his even more defensive reaction to human feet rubbing his legs or near that area suggests some trauma as well.

oo you found my unhappy spot, ooo human

After some time going back to the ground and desensitizing his barrel area..

okay human, you haven’t done anything terrible and I kind of feel okay about this whole thing

humans are totally weird but I kinda dig it
   expressions are in microfractions with boy, his head remains high and ears a bit tense, but the hanging lower lip is the green light (she just jumped on him from the ground!)

Overall it was a very informative and exciting session, as W saw as much try and potential in Apache as I do, and she unlocked some great homework for me that will get us out of this rut and on our way to discovering the next bump in the road! Better together.

and then I woke up to cool rainy skies, ahh