What season is this, anyway???

It's really been hard to tell that this is autumn, as we never really had summer. Seemed like winter all summer long, and now that the leaves are starting to fall, we are getting sunshine and temps in the 100s. The horses are really confused as they started growing winter coats early, and now they are wishing they hadn't.

After the last post, with the chilly foggy weather, we took another try at Pt Reyes, this time on a Friday, which meant we could ride on the Bear Valley trail (closed to horses on weekends and holidays). After several years of cautious riding, we are finally getting a teensy bit bolder and are pushing the horses more. Not that they are breaking much of a sweat. But we got a fabulously beautiful day, and decided to try Glen Trail, a trail we hadn't ridden before as it starts out a bit steep. But in our new brave frame of mind, we headed up it anyway, and it turned out to be a gorgeous trail that wasn't all that steep after the first stretch. Cowboy always loves exploring new territory so he was ecstatic even though it was certainly more strenuous than our usual routes. We passed Glen Camp and got to the beach side of Stewart's Trail, just as it drops down to Wildcat Beach. It really does drop, too--almost a mile of steep downhill. But it ends up on a gorgeous beach, especially when you get a fabulous day like we had. I think this was 3 weeks ago.



Wildcat Beach

Cowboy looking none too pleased about his beach experience, with Dexter in the background.

Of course, what goes down must go back up, and that steep downhill turned into an even steeper uphill on the way back. We took mercy on the horses and led them up the really steep part. It was steep enough that we climbed for 5 minute stretches, then took a 1 or 2 minute break to catch our breath.

The next Wednesday, Dexter got a trip to Davis to check on his "clicky" hip. He has had a definite click in his hip or stifle, hard to tell which, and frequently has a sort of skipping gait that he often warms up out of. It seems to be getting more pronounced, so Laura decided to try to get to the bottom of it and see if there was some treatment he should be getting, or if he should be on restricted activity.


Dex was a real champ and took his exam and all the waiting in stride. He got poked, prodded and trotted around. Of course he seemed perfectly sound for quite a while, and then finally he did a little skipping for the head of orthopedics, who had apparently never seen a horse move quite like that. Very reassuring. So Dexter earned a hip x-ray, which meant that he got his right hip shaved. Also that he got sedated, so he is probably still wondering why the right side of his butt is cooler than the left. The x-ray didn't show much according to the reading, and after a full day of hanging out at Davis during a heat wave, they concluded that it was more of a gait abnormality than a lameness issue, and that the best treatment was to get him really fit, so more strenuous work was the answer. Dexter wants a second opinion.




We got back out on the trail the following weekend after the fog rolled back in, and instead of being hot, we were back in our winter garb. The higher we climbed on Horse Trail, the colder and damper it got, until we were finally in the cloud bank. As we headed for Sky Trail, a stiff breeze came up and that was the final straw. We headed back down the mountain to Bear Valley where it was at least dry, and took a short ride down Rift Zone trail.

So this weekend we headed to Five Brooks and we are now back to summer again, with temps in the 90s inland. Fortunately, it was only in the 80s at Pt Reyes. We've been wanting to ride Alamea Trail as it looks like a good alternative to Stewart's Trail if you want to go to the beach, so we took that trail just past Firtop. Turns out to be a beautiful trail, not too steep, but it is single track and hugs the side of a steep mountain. It's fine if you can focus on what's ahead of you and not on the steep drop-off to your left! Just keep that horse moving forward, no spooking allowed on this one. We made it to Old Out Road, which is another nice trail, and rode that a bit until it, too, dropped steeply toward the coast. Apparently it meets with Coast Trail and from there you can go to Wildcat Lake and Wildcat Beach but we didn't have time to go that far. Coming back, we went back to Stewart's Trail instead of Alamea, but that was such a steep climb that we'll just brave the cliffs of Alamea next time.

View from Stewart's Trail.

We were running later than usual by the time we headed back and came down Greenpicker trail instead of Stewart's, saving ourselves about a mile and a half. Greenpicker has some really steep and rocky stretches and we usually avoid it, but it was dry and like I said, we were feeling brave, and it was really a kick. The horses were anxious to get back to the trailer and just charged down that trail, never putting a foot wrong, and we made great time.

Even though we had a long day and a pretty strenuous ride, Cowboy had a burst of energy at the end and decided that everything was scary. He has some abnormal fear of logs and ferns, and every log and fern along the way was cause for snorting and sidestepping. Forget the fauna, my horse is terrified of flora. It's a little disconcerting to be bopping down the trail at a good clip and suddenly find yourself 10 feet to one side because there is a fern alongside the trail.

Dexter and his previous owner, Terri, are the subject of my latest story just published in the Sonoma County Horse Journal, so check it out. It's free at local tack and feed stores, and it will eventually get posted on the Horse Council's website at www.sonomacountyhorsecouncil.org.

Heading into Autumn

Sure seems like it was a short summer and now it's supposed to rain tomorrow. So we planned our ride for today rather than our usual Sunday ride. Dexter got to stay home and Laura rode Lady instead. It was humid and overcast at home, but less humid and not too cold in spite of the heavy fog at Pt Reyes. The fog got thicker and the forest got darker as we approached Sky Trail.

Sky Trail. Spooky.

Laura and Lady on the way up the hill.

We rode to our usual turnaround spot on Sky Trail at a meadow where Sky Trail meets Woodward Valley Trail. The horses usually get to graze a bit there (and everywhere else for that matter), and Cowboy is partial to the thistles that grow there--the kind with the purple flowers that looks so vicious. He has the knack of wrapping his lips delicately around the flower head and nipping it off without getting stabbed by the spines.Cowboy getting his thistle fix.

We're getting photos on our rides now because I finally bought an iPhone a few weeks ago. If I had known that a phone could be this much fun, I'd have bought one a long time ago. I've hardly used the phone feature at all, but the camera is handy and the e-mail feature is great. I've also downloaded the Audubon Bird Guid App so we can identify the birds we hear on the trail. This earned me the title of Geekiest Rider on the Trail by our fellow riders last week.

Laura, Debbi, Rhoda and Diane at our Pt Reyes Rift Zone trail ride last week.

Nevertheless, I will probably be downloading the Wildflower Guide next. I also have the Handy Level and the Time Tracker. Hey, I also have Facebook and Youtube, I'm not a completely lost cause. No games yet.

I need to change the ring tone, though, because it is currently set to bark at me. I actually got a call today while we were out on the trail and got a little freaked out, fearing a wolf invasion at Pt Reyes, before I figured out it was the phone. Then the call was coming through Google Voice, which I have set for screening calls which means that I have to press "1" to accept the call, and I couldn't get the number pad to come up on the phone, so I missed that call. Note to self: change that setting on Google Voice to just let the call come through.

Side note: I just read "The Fifth Agreement" and highly recommend it to those on the path to self-enlightenment and authenticity.

Ciao for now.....

Just a few notes

Just a few thoughts...

Got to ride Cowboy today at home. Usually I just let the boys out to graze in the afternoon while I tend to other responsibilities, but I had time to ride, so I tied Cowboy up to saddle him. Dexter had a conniption fit (sp? I used to use this phrase all the time but that doesn't look right), pawing at the gate, neighing and then resorting to the flehmen response repeatedly. We have decided that he is not giving us lip so much as giving us the finger...the flehmen response is basically a sexual response, and in a way, so is the finger..so there you have it. Message received.

Dexter got his photo in the Press Democrat yesterday! On the weather page, having a nice gallop.

Favorite song--just about 5 years ago, right after I got Cowboy, I went to a clinic led by a Parelli clinician who played great music at his clinics, including a song by Rob Wasserman/Jennifer Warnes titled "Ballad of a Runaway Horse" that was so haunting that it stuck with me all this time. Finally got I-Tunes on my computer and the first thing I did was download this song (along with the greatest hits of Roy Orbison). And I'm in love with it all over again. Theoretically about a cowgirl and a runaway horse but there are a whole bunch of metaphors going on. and how can you not love lyrics like "he touches the moon when he paws at the sky", and "he longs to be lost, she longs for the same..." "My darling, my darling, just let it go by, that old silhouette on the wide western sky"... All about love and letting go...an area where I've had some experience. Anyway, highly recommended.

Ride on Horse Trail, Pt Reyes

Sunday we headed to Pt Reyes to try Horse Trail, which we haven't ridden this year. It was a perfect day--we were worried about it being too cold (not something you usually worry about in August but this is a weird year!), but it turned out to be just right, although I kept my fleece jacket on most of the ride. Started off lively with Cowboy having the vapors for the first hour or so--everything was scary. We're trying to convince him that we're riding through the happy forest with the friendly fairies but he's pretty sure there are flying monkeys out there somewhere! After a few climbs he finally decided to conserve his energy and settled down.

One exciting note--we are always the slowest riders on the trail, but we PASSED a family on horseback! Very exciting! And we are not making any allowances for the fact that one of the horses was actually a Shetland pony being ridden by a girl probably under ten years old. We are still faster than SOMEBODY!

At lunch, Dexter is begging for Laura's apple. Don't worry, he got it at the end. Cowboy got mine, too.

After lunch, we headed for Sky Trail. Usually there are great views from this trail but the fog was so thick that the big vistas were obscured. Luckily, the fog makes for some nice scenery in it's own way.

Sky Trail.

We rode out to a meadow that always makes a good turnaround spot.

Cowboy at the meadow, wondering why we can't just stay there while he grazes.

Had an uneventful ride back, but we like uneventful rides. The "eventful" rides are often bad news! Dull is good, that's our motto.

Foggy scene from Sky Trail. Usually you can see the ocean from here.

Back home, we finally got a picture of Dexter giving us his opinion of backing out of the trailer. Dexter exhibits the flehmen response when he doesn't like something. If you don't know what the flehmen response is, see below! Guess it's time for a horse-y toothbrush from the look of things...

Dexter gives us a little lip while backing out of the trailer.

This coming weekend we will be heading to Fresno for a Parelli event, so no riding. The week after that we are planning to check out Tolay Lake outside of Petaluma. We went to the required orientation back in January but this will be the first time we'll actually visit the park.

A Hike at Pomo Canyon

Every month or so I like to get in a blog post. Far cry from my goal of every night!

I can't even remember what's been happening in the last few weeks so I'll just recap the last week or so. I'm trying to get in some hiking, so my friend Chris and I set out on Friday for Pomo Canyon, south of Jenner. This used to be one of my favorite hikes back when I actually did some hiking, so it was good to get out there again. The day started out with dense fog, so at least we weren't dealing with heat. Good thing, since this hike starts out with a killer climb, from the parking lot at Shell Beach straight up the hill across the highway. The fog was blowing around in whisps with hints of sunshine, making for a mystical setting.

I'm just going to share photos and they will tell the story of what a great hike this is. I'm not sure about the distance. We weren't in a hurry, and we ate a leisurely lunch at the campground that's at the far end of the trail, then went back more or less the way we came. It's an out and back with some variations available. We were probably out for about 3 hours on the trail

Oh Deer!

Scene from my yard

I know it's been a while since I last posted, but I was surprised to see that it's been over 2 months. Nothing dramatic has been happening, but I've been busy--work, home and family have been keeping me on my toes. More work is the good part--I do love billable hours! Keeps the horses in carrots and cookies.

The "home" part has me close to frantic due to the prolonged spring we've been experiencing, which has been keeping the grass and weeds multiplying like this is the Little Shop of Horrors. Not only is this messy and a fire hazard, but the neighborhood deer have been emboldened by the plentiful chow. Although with all this grass, I don't know why they think they must eat my roses and tomatoes. It's now July and I should be surrounded by roses, but all I see are little stubs where the flowers should be. I never promised those deer a rose garden, but they are helping themselves anyway. My tomato plants have bird netting over them but they are eating any part of the plants that have the audacity to venture beyond the netting. All those years I spent defending the deer from my dad's hunting hobby, and this is the thanks I get.

So today I took action and marched to the local garden center, where I spent a heart-stopping amount on a concoction designed to repel the deer. After digging my little garden sprayer out of the garage and cleaning it up, I opened the container to measure out the recommended portion. Opening the bottle was a big mistake. The stench was unbelievable. It would make a suitable substitute for syrup of ipecac. After making a dash around the back of the house where there was still some untainted air to breathe, I girded my loins and approached the bottle again, measured the stuff into the sprayer and added water with the hose--knocking the seal for the sprayer into the sprayer tank, where it sank to the bottom of the foul mixture. The agony was prolonged as I fished it out, splashing the brew on my clothes and hands in the process.

Finally, I was ready to drench my roses in the protective solution. I swear the bushes leaned away from me as I approached. Who could blame them? They took their medicine like little soldiers and when I was done, I still had a vast amount of the solution left.

About the time I finished up, Laura walked by on her way to visit Dexter. She seemed in a pretty good mood until the wind shifted. Then, eyes watering and hand over her mouth, she mumbled an excuse and fled the scene. At least I know that it effectively repels neighbors.

When I fed the horses, I discovered that the wind was causing the odor to permeate the stable area and was wafting it over to the neighboring property, which has just sold and the new people are moving in. Welcome to the neighborhood!

I'll see how it works on the deer. If it keeps them away, I have a feeling I may have won the battle but lost the war. If my roses are now able to put on their usual splendid display, it will have to be appreciated from the distance of my living room, possibly with a bit of rose-scented Glade to set the mood. And I may have destroyed the excellent relationship I have had with my neighbors for the last 13 years. Although they have the same deer problem I do, and if this stuff works, maybe I can pawn off the leftovers on them.

The scent is clinging to my hands even after repeated scrubbings, making eating difficult. This could be a plus for the diet plan. It could even lead to bulimia.

Okay, okay, enough about the deer (guess I could have figured that out about 5 paragraphs ago). How are the horses doing? They seem to be doing fine, although the flies have been on the attack. Cowboy, who is allergic to fly bites, is now shrouded from head to toe in netting to give him some relief. And Dexter has a pink nose, so he gets the long fly mask to protect him from the sun.

Dexter, the Unknown Horse

We did do our video for our Parelli level 3 on-line audition, over a month ago in fact, but I haven't had a chance to even look at it, much less decide if it's good enough to submit. I started working on our Freestyle (riding) audition but Cowboy developed back problems and we stopped while he recovered. Fortunately, he is much better after acupuncture and massage. The fly sheeting also helps as he twists himself into the most bizarre postures while trying to scratch the itchy spots and that can't be good for his back.

Yesterday we went on a Fourth of July ride at Pt. Reyes. We've been riding the same 2 trails for ages but yesterday we actually tried a new trail--Greenpicker (you have to be careful when you say that). Not exactly new, we had come down that trail last winter, which was not a good experience as it was muddy and slippery and we had to lead them most of the way. But it's dry now and we went up the hill instead of down, and had a great ride! It was quite a bit steeper than our usual route but there were some level to gently sloping parts so they got some relief. They really enjoyed the change of scene--Cowboy led the way with ears forward and charging up the hill with relish. We really got to appreciate their trail abilities as they negotiated the switchbacks, boulders and downed branches in fine style. Now we know they can survive something a bit more strenuous, we can actually get a change of scene and try some of the more challenging trails.

I am still, surprisingly, cooking from the Cooking Light cookbook, although I have restricted the recipe list to those that can be prepared in less than an hour and a half and don't require more than 5 specialty ingredients or any ingredient that will trigger hot flashes (alcohol, hot peppers, etc). These restrictions have shortened the list of eligible recipes dramatically.

Well, I guess that's it for now. I need to go find something that will kill the smell of deer repellent that seems to have permeated the skin on my left hand, and the fragrance is getting stronger as the evening progresses. The Chanel people could take some lessons in longevity from these folks. Maybe I'll wash the dishes by hand and see if that helps. Hopefully it won't contaminate the dishes.

Airborne at Trail Trials

Judging at Trail Trials yesterday turned out to be an interesting experience. We arrived promptly at 8:10 (the road in was a bit longer than anticipated) and after milling around a bit trying to figure out what we were supposed to do, finally were gathered together, given some instruction and our assignments, and our cones and clipboards, and then hung around for a long, long time. Laura was assigned to Obstacle 3, Rhoda to Obstacle 5, and I got Obstacle 9 (the last obstacle, of course). Since I had the last obstacle, I was in the last truckload of judges to be transported to the obstacle area, so it was a long wait. Finally, we loaded up and headed down the road to the next campground, where the last 4 obstacles were set up in a big parking lot. Then we hung around a bit more until the two head judges showed up and put the final tweaks on the obstacles and gave us our final judging instructions.

trying to figure out what's going on

That's a person dangling at the end of that rope!

As I was working with Sue, one of the head judges, a helicopter started buzzing around, very low. Of course we were concerned that some poor soul had gotten themselves into trouble, and about that time the ranger showed up in a big hurry, as well another trail trial person, and informed us that there was a rider down and that's what the copter was for. Since there was nothing we could do and it seemed that they already had pandemonium at the accident site, we just hovered about and worried. Eventually a second helicopter showed up, adding to the concern and confusion. Then hikers and bikers started appearing with bits of information and rumors that there was a second rider down as well, although we were also getting conflicting reports about a motorcycle accident that had brought on the second helicopter.

Obstacle 7Obstacle 8 (yes, it's an outhouse)

Obstacle 9 (my judging spot)

While all this was going on, the contestants started showing up, and we were then judging obstacles, while every so often a helicopter would buzz the area. The horses were surprisingly nonplussed about the copters buzzing overhead and they really didn't interfere with the judging very much, although sometimes we had to shout the instructions to the riders! We held all the contestants at our area, since they would have had to go past the accidents scene(s) to get back to the trailers. Finally we got the skinny. A rider's horse, fairly out of control, had reared twice while under a low-hanging branch, hitting the (helmet-less) rider's head twice. This was at Obstacle 3, which Laura was working. After the wobbly rider was removed from the horse, she informed them that she had a hereditary condition that caused occasional and transitory paralysis, and it was possible that a head injury could bring it on. It is beyond me why somebody with this kind of condition would ride without a helmet. Anyway, about that time, sure enough, paralysis kicked in and she went down, causing general panic. Although she was conscious, coherent and relatively comfortable, somebody who was understandably very concerned called for the helicopter rescue.

As this was going on, and people and horses were running amok, a young woman who was riding with her grandmother started having trouble with her horse, possibly due to the noise and commotion. She was apparently a very inexperienced rider and panicked, and was thrown, injuring her hip. The injury caused her to panic further and apparently she was on the verge of hysteria. So a second helicopter was called in.

It's possible that neither chopper was necessary and the injured parties could have been safely transported to the hospital by other means. We did get the word that both of them were in excellent condition and mostly none the worse for wear. But better safe than sorry, I guess. Those were darned expensive rides for those folks though. Check your insurance policies. Incidentally, you can join the REACH organization for a nominal amount each year ($40 for an individual, $45 for a family) and it will cover your emergency helicopter rides, so if you like to ride, especially without a helmet, that might be worth investigating.

http://www.reachair.com/membership/

So that added to an already long day. The accident happened about halfway through the riders, so we judged the first half, then had a long break while the rescue was in progress, then eventually the second half of the riders came in and were judged.

All I have to say is, thank goodness for our Parelli horses! We saw some unbelievable horsemanship and techniques during the day. Cowboy and Dexter got big hugs and kisses when we got home. We wanted to rescue about half the horses and bring them home with us. And people just need to learn to bail before they get hurt!

All that being said, we did meet some nice people who know how to have fun. We do plan on competing now that we've gotten our judging requirement out of they way. That should be interesting--we're pretty smug about our horses right now, but I suspect we will be eating humble pie once we get them out on the trail in a competitive situation! Horses do have a way of bringing your ego down a notch or two.

That's it for now. It's a beautiful day and I have lots of outdoor stuff to do.