Happy New Year!

It's the start of a new year and let's all hope for some improvement over 2011! Although I personally can't really complain too much. Everyone is healthy, business is pretty good, and I'm getting to ride. I know we need rain desperately, but I sure do love the dry weather for riding! It makes poop-scooping a lot more agreeable, too. 

With the way the holidays have been falling, we have been able to get to Pt Reyes on weekdays that are not holidays, and that means that we have gotten to ride the Bear Valley Trail 3 times--day after Thanksgiving, day after Christmas, and today, the day after New Year's Day. This is just such a great trail, it's really a treat to have a chance to use it.  Last week, we took Bear Valley Trail to Glen Trail, and took that one up the mountain and headed to Glen Camp, which we have never been to, so a change of scenery. We do so much riding at Pt Reyes that there aren't many trails we haven't hit--although there are a few of the more challenging ones that we have yet to try.

Today we took Old Pine Trail up from Bear Valley Trail to Sky Trail, another new adventure for us. Nice trail, 2 mile with a good climb up the hill but not too scary for us timid types! Then down Sky Trail to the meadow where it meets with Woodward Valley Trail. Good lunch spot! The boys think so, too. Then up Sky Trail to Horse Trail and back to the parking lot using our usual route. We spotted a big bobcat just before we got to the Morgan Horse Farm--those are fun to observe, and we're glad they aren't a larger feline species!

Seems like folks are starting to recognize us on the trails--apparently we are the crazy women who ride with halters and let our horses eat grass on the trail. We think there are worse reputations we could have!

Got home pretty early, as this route was shorter than the usual one we take. Since we use Laura's trailer, all my stuff has to be schlepped back to my place. Cowboy has to do his part by carrying his saddle, and I've started asking more of him by hanging his hay bag on the saddle. Being a good little Parelli horse, he is not concerned about this, and in fact has discovered that it makes quite a handy little "take-out" container.

I signed up for a lesson with Ellen Eckstein, a dressage instructor who used to work with Tom Dorrance, at the end of January. Laura will be away at a conference, so I will actually be hitching up my idle horse trailer, loading my horse in it, and hauling him myself. That almost never happens! Laura and I usually go riding together, and she has a much nicer rig than mine. So mine has sat unused for a good long time. I had to wash the moss off of it, and it needs to go in for service as some of the lights don't work and I'd like to have the wheel bearings checked. I also need to work with Cowboy as he does not like my trailer. He doesn't mind going in it but he does NOT like the divider being closed, so that's what we'll be working on for the next few weeks. He knows he will be going alone in that trailer and he much prefers the buddy system for trailering. This will be a good opportunity to address the problem, which I've been conveniently able to avoid for a good long time.

Happy New Year to all, and be sure to work on making those dreams come true in 2012!