Yep, the filly went outside for the first time this afternoon! After I got home and tended Blaze and scrubbed out the trailer it was officially time for filly’s first outing! Josh led the mare and I haltered and butt roped the baby and just sort of cradled her in my arms and walked with her that way to the pasture. She was surprisingly iffy about the whole thing and let mom walk on away from her without moving an inch away from the stall! I suppose it is the only place she has ever been though. I clicked to her and helped her with a little pressure from behind and then she unlocked and started trotting after mom! So I was kind of running alongside still cradling but letting her do it. We got to the paddock and it was time to let them go. They actually stood still for a few minutes just sort of getting bearings and mom was pinning her ears and telling the geldings to go far far away. The mini was absolutely pressed against the fence trying to smell the baby and Blaze seemed much less impressed. Blaze was surprisingly cool about the situation, actually. I know he heard the baby from the pasture outside the stall since she was born so I don’t think he was hugely surprising to see her..maybe? I dunno, he stayed pretty mellow though. The mini was fascinated, maybe he thinks the filly is another mini, maybe his long lost lover from his last residence. Sheza finally started running around and mom was right on her heels. They had a great run and I was snapping photos and Josh videoing.
WOOHOO! Loving my horses

Had a nice 13 mile ride at Lake Oroville today. Blaze did well especially since there were two horses tacked and heading out as I was just getting tacked up so he had to stay all aloney on his owney at the trailer as they headed off and left him. Poor chap. I put the snaffle on him today anticipating a bit of silliness as he had a few days off and saw those horses leave the opposite direction but he was a total doll and I could have easily stuck with the new S Hackamore (bought @ Whiskeytown Chaser, used it on 2 rides, so far so good). We trotted and cantered quite a bit and he was well tired by the time we got back to the trailer, though we walked most of the way back. The way back is, however, a BIG gradual ascent so I thought walking up it was still pretty quality on the workout front. I walked the last mile to the trailer–he was tired but even when not he walks SO.SLOWLY. For a fun, fast little Arab he has the slowest, most dead-headed walk in the world. I have to admit it drives me slightly insane, I love a good brisk walk on a horse. If anyone ends up reading this and has any suggestion about speeding up the walk (other than constant clicking, heel pressure, oh, been there done that 239048775231 times) I would love to hear it! I think I should ride him over poles in the arena as well to help him lift his clodhoppers, he can be down right sloppy with them sometimes. OH, and he didn’t drink a darn drop. I thought after his extremely awesome drinking performance at Whiskeytown he had magically turned it around but not so much. I do know he only likes crystal clear water and the two troughs along the Oroville trails are dead gross, I wouldn’t drink it myself. However I offered him a clean bucket of clean water at the trailer and he wasn’t interested. He also didn’t eat hay when we got back to the trailer. He ate like a damnable hog at the race…I don’t get it! His name isn’t Whoa Damn It, it is Drink Damn It! So is he just not impressed by training rides? He came home and had a warm bath, a good roll, a pan of rice bran & beet pulp with his supplement, peed and pooped..he just seems to suck it up and wait to get home to take care of himself. I’m glad he chose to kick it into gear on that front at the race but it sort of worries me..will he just magically do that at every race?? Here is hoping! We have about 2 1/2 weeks til Cache Creek 25..
Oh, the Cell Phone part. I was trotting along the trail listening to NPR on my ipod (haha!) and I heard my phone ringing. Happened to be a good friend I haven’t talked to in ages so that was a nice 10 minute interlude getting to chat with her!
Big development on filly front, going for a different post for that though!

I have started reading other folk’s blogs about endurance and it strikes me its a very good idea to keep one..I already write down my daily mileage etc on my desk calendar, so why not put it up on a blog for posterity (and in case said desk calendar disappears). Also since I am embarking on training my first foal from scratch, I will surely want to track her progress; it will be an experience to remember!
All that said, I’m off to Lake Oroville for a trail ride! More later..