Well the weather looks like utter crap for ROM this weekend, so as of now I have the go-ahead from the ride manager and a spot in a truck and trailer for Desire and I to go down to the Cuyama Oaks 3 day XP ride next weekend!! I can’t frickin’ wait, to be honest! ROM forecast is calling for rain, wind, and snow, and even if we could get over the pass to the Reno area–brrrrr! I was so excited to get to a ride I figured I’d tough it out if possible, but this option of a 3 day XP experience down South just cannot be ignored! A gal we camped next to at last year’s Cache Creek Ridge Ride–and fellow redhead, look out!–mentioned she was going earlier in the month but I was planning on ROM. She mentioned it again this morning when I was whining about the forecast on Facebook and viola, a plan is in the works! My husband J is all for skipping the snowy/rainy Nevada adventure and getting to stay home and tend the critters–and fish!

Speaking of, J and I went on another impromptu fishing/riding afternoon at the lake trails, but this time I brought Desire–and a saddle pad! I wanted to take her up Sycamore Hill since I hadn’t gotten to yet;  I don’t park near that trail anymore after my truck got broken into on that end, so I’m always approaching Sycamore Hill from way over the ridge and just hadn’t gotten that far yet. Today I was only a few miles away from the Hill so we headed for it straightaway.

We cruised nicely along the flat water-side dirt road for the most part, but the second time Desire went from a 9 mph trot to a dead stop because of a rock alongside the trail I broke a stick off a tree. A warning little smack on her rump when she started to get googly at the next rock kept her going forward nicely. Brat. Two kids on dirt bikes were tearing around the trails right before Sycamore Hill, which is of course completely not allowed and really irritating, but they quickly disappeared and we got to the base of Sycamore Hill without further issue. We power trotted up the steep hill full of switchbacks and to my surprise Desire jogged right past the green grass at the summit and wanted to continue on down the other side without pause! Last time I did Sycamore Hill was on Blaze and let’s just say he was A-okay with stopping for a breather at the summit! Desire was certainly puffing but she just kept on trucking, and when the bike we passed on the way up passed us on the way down she got extra peppy and competitive to get after that bike.

Since it was already afternoon and the skies were darkening and wind picking up, I decided to loop right back to the trailer after the hill work. It was only 7 miles all told but it only took about an hour and with Sycamore Hill included it felt like a great little adrenaline-rush ride, and in truth was a good little speed/hill work session.

Sweat marks from the saddle looked great today and I had my new cantle pack on and it rode nicely and didn’t both me or Desire at all.

My husband took a couple of cool pics of us again, including the one at the top of the post, which I love!

I LOVE this wine colored vest I’m wearing in the pic below. N was kind enough to pass it on to me when we rode the other day. It’s a true down vest and soo comfy, and *ahem* matches, so yeah, my new favorite article of clothing!!

Rain and wind forecast for most of the rest of the week, skinny Joey and old man Blaze are happy spoiled stall neighbors 🙂

Today’s weather was totally weird, sort of humid/hot/cold/weird before-the-storm sort of weather. When the sun went behind the clouds you wanted to be inside but when it flashed back out it was too beautiful out to resist. I spent the morning cleaning out my trailer and washing Desire’s tack, getting ready to leave Friday for Rides of March. I washed her pommel pack, bridle, reins, and breast collar in the washing machine (hey, I rinsed it after..) and sprayed down her mohair girth and saddle pad; after they dried out the hair scraped right off so that worked surprisingly well.

One of her front Gloves had lost the screw that holds the gaiter on at the back and the washer part on the inside was crammed halfway through the screw hole. I was a little worried it had stretched the hole too much and would make repair a PITA but a new screw, washer, and the other inside screw-y end–careful, scientific terms here–all went together smoothly and the boot is good to go! I also took the Power Strap off the spare size 0 Glove I got from N. I’ve asked her to look for a used size 1 Glove at the AERC convention this weekend and I’m so hoping she finds one, but if not I do have an old-style clamp Easyboot in size 1 that I will carry for now. Rides of March is supposed to be mostly sandy, friendly footing but I just have to know that I have some sort of spares at my disposal.

I’ve never used a cantle pack before so it was entertaining putting the snazzy new blue cantle pack on my saddle. I got it to where I think I want it and filled it with the spare Easyboots, my med kit, leather strings for random repairs, spare snaps, and a roll of vet wrap. It has two water bottles on it and I have 2 water bottles in my pommel pack and usually wear my CamelBak for my water. I ordered some E-Lyte human electrolytes that i’ll be adding to my drinking water to help in my quest to avoid heat stroke and such-like ill feelings at endurance rides.

I’ve decided I’ll pack Desire’s fleece cooler and winter blanket but also Blaze’s cooler and winter blanket for spares in case the weather is really shitty. Right now NOAA.gov says Reno weather will be: Friday: Rain likely. Cloudy and breezy, with a high near 57 and Saturday: A chance of snow. Cloudy and breezy, with a high near 45. So not very encouraging on the weather front, but could definitely be worse! Our forecast for the next week here calls for rain, starting tonight, but there is no actual front headed our way on the radar so far, so who knows. 

My mare has officially gone springtime cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Or cuckoo for something she ain’t gonna get around here, anyway! As much as Blaze *thinks* he is a studly man (and yes he had been known to mount mares in pasture, despite his gelding status) he isn’t one! But if you judged by the way Desire is acting, he is the sexiest beast around and the father of her future babies. Yesterday she ran herself into a lather screaming for Blaze when he wandered down the hill to the other end of his pasture. I mean dripping, lathered sweat! At mealtime, generally Desire’s favorite time of day, she didn’t even eat her mash at first because she was too busy parking her rear end against Blaze’s gate. Good ole Blaze is blissfully smelling the proffered rear end any time it’s available, of course. I have no doubt if they were in the same pasture right now he would get some big ideas in his head, and that is why I’m grateful to have multiple paddocks to keep the madness at a minimum. 

Okay, it just shows how ignorant I am of bloodlines, and by ignorant I mean *mostly* not very interested in the whole bloodline thing. BUT since acquiring Desire, and then going through the whole Sweepstakes/registry process with Sheza, I have had my eyes opened a little by bloodline-saavy friends. Still, somehow I didn’t realize until Dian from Global pointed out last night that our new little Joey is a Haat horse! See his registered name is DF Touch of Mojo, because at time of naming, early on, my friend L (the breeder) thought her other little stallion Mojo had snuck in there and was the daddy. But when they went to register and did the DNA, Joey’s dad was in fact the intended stallion, their other stallion: barn name Maverick, registered name RS Haat Flash. Son of Pico Haat Shaat! Desire is daughter of Blitzen of Pico, who’s dad is Pico Haat Shaat–and therefor, they have the same darn grandpa! The Global folks LOVE Pico horses and were so excited that our new addition just so happens to be a Pico Haat horse, despite not having it in his name. He certainly has the luxurious forelock, mane, and tail that Desire, Sheza, and the Global Pico horses all exhibit! Of course this means that Joey’s Grandpa is Sheza’s great-Grandpa, so she might have to keep dreaming on him being her boyfriend 😉

Joey’s dad, RS Haat Flash, turns 20 this year and still lives in all his glory at L’s. He is a BEAUTIFUL animal. I’ll have to get her to send me a photo of him to share on here.

Joey was in position in the shed this morning, ready for his warm beet pulp mash. He had eaten some hay but got 2 mashes yesterday and all the grass in the paddock to himself so I think he just can’t eat fast enough to get through it all, lol. He is really very cool, he just isn’t spooky and that characteristic never fails to warm my heart, especially in an Arab, especially after dealing with Desire and Sheza–hah! If I spend too much time around the ladies I start seeing creatures hiding in the shadows and behind all the stumps, maybe questioning my sanity a little–then I go hang with Blaze, and now Joey, and things just don’t seem to be so scary 😉

Welcome to the family Joey–but you were already part of it! 🙂

Luxurious Pico hair genes!