Marehaven Farm
Longmont, CO
Turning 40
August 29 / 2007 08:49 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
What a nice way to
spend my 40th birthday! A friend and I went up to
Caribou Ranch and rode nearly all day. I rode Belle
and she was super. We got to do some cantering along
an old road way, which is just about the perfect
spot. And we stopped for lunch at a picnic table and
let the horses graze. I added a photo to
Belle's photos
page.
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My first solo ride on Kelton
August 26 / 2007 09:37 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
I wanted to ride Kelton
today but didn't feel like working in the arena, so
rode her up and down my driveway and then out through
my neighbor's pasture. I can't easily get through to
the ponds right now because the pasture I ride
through has cows on it, so I'd have to open and close
two gates. And I don't know how I'd get back on
Kelton after that!
She was a little worried about walking away from the herd, and as we got pretty far out she asked me a few times if maybe we shouldn't go back and check on everyone, but she listened to me when I told her we needed to go a little further before we'd turn back. She is such a good girl!
She was a little worried about walking away from the herd, and as we got pretty far out she asked me a few times if maybe we shouldn't go back and check on everyone, but she listened to me when I told her we needed to go a little further before we'd turn back. She is such a good girl!
Are they twins?
August 26 / 2007 08:16 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
On Saturday my friend
Jane and I rode at Sawhill/Walden Ponds east of
Boulder. She rode Belle and I rode Ivy. This was the
first time I'd been out with two Fjords at the same
time, since I usually ride Kelton when I ride with
Jane. It was funny how many people asked us if the
horses were twins! I really wish we could've gotten
someone to take a photo of us together. That would've
been cute.
The trails are flat and wind around a series of ponds, with lots of trees for shade. We rode for about two hours but with the various loops you could make a longer ride.
At one point we stopped to use the restroom and when we went to mount again, Jane wanted to find something to stand on. So she positioned Belle next to a park bench and then turned to me and said "If I can't get on Belle from here, then I've got real problems!" (Belle is 14h). Then Jane proceeded to slip off of the bench! Somehow her left foot just slid off the edge and she ended up sitting on the bench, unhurt but practically doubled over in laughter. I laughed so hard I nearly had to pee again.
So then I positioned Ivy next to the same bench and said the same thing, that I better not have any trouble getting on her from there, but then I very nearly threw myself over the other side. It took a fair amount of effort not to just fall off. I guess I misjudged how much energy it would take to get on a 14h horse from a park bench!
When necessary, we can each mount the Fjords without anything to stand on, but it's nice when you don't have to put all that weight into one of the stirrups.
I added a photo of me on Ivy to her photos page.
The trails are flat and wind around a series of ponds, with lots of trees for shade. We rode for about two hours but with the various loops you could make a longer ride.
At one point we stopped to use the restroom and when we went to mount again, Jane wanted to find something to stand on. So she positioned Belle next to a park bench and then turned to me and said "If I can't get on Belle from here, then I've got real problems!" (Belle is 14h). Then Jane proceeded to slip off of the bench! Somehow her left foot just slid off the edge and she ended up sitting on the bench, unhurt but practically doubled over in laughter. I laughed so hard I nearly had to pee again.
So then I positioned Ivy next to the same bench and said the same thing, that I better not have any trouble getting on her from there, but then I very nearly threw myself over the other side. It took a fair amount of effort not to just fall off. I guess I misjudged how much energy it would take to get on a 14h horse from a park bench!
When necessary, we can each mount the Fjords without anything to stand on, but it's nice when you don't have to put all that weight into one of the stirrups.
I added a photo of me on Ivy to her photos page.
Another nice ride
August 22 / 2007 02:14 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
I rode part of the
South Boulder Trail today with Donna, who rode her
gorgeous draft cross gelding. I rode Kelton and even
did a little trotting and cantering with her, which
I've never done with her on the trail before. It was
fun! We also played around a little in the creek.
Kelton had no trouble going in, walking around, and
having a sip, but she also likes to splash a lot
(which I hope doesn't mean she'll try to roll!)
The trail has lots of bridges and lots of joggers and bikers. Kelton doesn't blink an eye at the people or bikes, but she had to give some of the bridges a good sniffing. Then she'd go across (in the lead). She was also a little cautious about going through a highway underpass, but did just fine. For a horse that hasn't been out on trails in over two years, she's doing great!
I put photos of Kelton in the parking lot and by the creek on her photos page.
The trail has lots of bridges and lots of joggers and bikers. Kelton doesn't blink an eye at the people or bikes, but she had to give some of the bridges a good sniffing. Then she'd go across (in the lead). She was also a little cautious about going through a highway underpass, but did just fine. For a horse that hasn't been out on trails in over two years, she's doing great!
I put photos of Kelton in the parking lot and by the creek on her photos page.
Nice local trail
August 19 / 2007 01:10 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
This morning my friend
Jane and I explored a new trail (to us). Another
friend had told me that the trail looked kind of
boring, but I thought it was pretty nice. It's called
the Niwot Trail, and it's just a few miles south of
where I live in Longmont.
Jane rode Belle and I rode Kelton because I thought it would be a good one for her (not too hilly or rocky).
The trail is wide and follows gently rolling hills, with a few bridge crossings and a few shady spots. We only explored probably about half of what's there. The end loop winds around a subdivision with big fancy homes, so that gave Kelton some things to look at. And that's pretty much all she ever seems to do. She'll raise her head and perk her ears and really look, but she doesn't spook or spin or try to run or anything like that. At least she hasn't done anything like that so far! When Kelton's ears prick up and she starts to look, Belle will also start looking around, as if to ask "what is it? what are we worried about?" But Belle never seems to actually locate the object of concern, since it's not an object of concern to her! She does still cock her head at ditch pipes, however!
The thing that bothered Kelton the most was when we came around the subdivision and saw some kids playing volleyball in their back yard. There were several balls in play, going up and down constantly, and Kelton wasn't entirely sure what kind of horse-eating monster that might be. So she had to keep her head and ears up and her eyes on the balls until we passed them. I wonder what the heck she was thinking that might be?! After we passed that, Kelton went back to walking on a loose rein.
I added a photo of today's ride to Kelton's photos page. The photo was taken on the top loop of the ride, which looks kind of barren except for the beautiful mountain range in the background. Further down the trail is more green and has trees. I look forward to doing it again!
Jane rode Belle and I rode Kelton because I thought it would be a good one for her (not too hilly or rocky).
The trail is wide and follows gently rolling hills, with a few bridge crossings and a few shady spots. We only explored probably about half of what's there. The end loop winds around a subdivision with big fancy homes, so that gave Kelton some things to look at. And that's pretty much all she ever seems to do. She'll raise her head and perk her ears and really look, but she doesn't spook or spin or try to run or anything like that. At least she hasn't done anything like that so far! When Kelton's ears prick up and she starts to look, Belle will also start looking around, as if to ask "what is it? what are we worried about?" But Belle never seems to actually locate the object of concern, since it's not an object of concern to her! She does still cock her head at ditch pipes, however!
The thing that bothered Kelton the most was when we came around the subdivision and saw some kids playing volleyball in their back yard. There were several balls in play, going up and down constantly, and Kelton wasn't entirely sure what kind of horse-eating monster that might be. So she had to keep her head and ears up and her eyes on the balls until we passed them. I wonder what the heck she was thinking that might be?! After we passed that, Kelton went back to walking on a loose rein.
I added a photo of today's ride to Kelton's photos page. The photo was taken on the top loop of the ride, which looks kind of barren except for the beautiful mountain range in the background. Further down the trail is more green and has trees. I look forward to doing it again!
My first time ponying a horse
August 14 / 2007 01:52 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
I've never ponied a
horse before, other than for about ten minutes in an
arena, but I needed to get three horses to a trail
head today and I only have a two horse trailer. So I
decided that my friend Jane would ride Belle, and I'd
ride Kelton and pony Ivy. I figured if we got down
the road and things got hectic, we could always turn
around and call the people we were meeting at the
trail head. Or I could've gotten off and led both
Kelton and Ivy by their halters. But it all went
well! I have no idea if Kelton has ever ponied a
horse before, but I know Ivy's never been ponied, and
they both acted like old pros.
We had to ride through a cow pasture that now has cows in it, so that meant we had to open the hot wire gate on one end and a metal gate at the other. That was pretty uncomplicated on the way out because the cows were well out of the way, but on the way back the cows were crowded around the hot wire gate. So I pointed Kelton and Ivy towards them and we pushed the cows away! I'm pretty sure neither of them have ever done that before. Then, because Jane needed both hands to handle the hot wire gate, I ponied both Ivy and Belle through the gate and up the driveway a bit. I can see how ponying could go really wrong, but I'm glad everything went right today! I look forward to ponying Britta on some trails.
I put a photo of me ponying Ivy off of Kelton on Ivy's photos page. I also added a photo of Laura riding Ivy.
We had to ride through a cow pasture that now has cows in it, so that meant we had to open the hot wire gate on one end and a metal gate at the other. That was pretty uncomplicated on the way out because the cows were well out of the way, but on the way back the cows were crowded around the hot wire gate. So I pointed Kelton and Ivy towards them and we pushed the cows away! I'm pretty sure neither of them have ever done that before. Then, because Jane needed both hands to handle the hot wire gate, I ponied both Ivy and Belle through the gate and up the driveway a bit. I can see how ponying could go really wrong, but I'm glad everything went right today! I look forward to ponying Britta on some trails.
I put a photo of me ponying Ivy off of Kelton on Ivy's photos page. I also added a photo of Laura riding Ivy.
Kelton goes to the mountains
August 12 / 2007 10:02 PM Filed in: Kelton | Trail Riding
Today a friend and I
took Kelton and Belle up to Caribou Ranch, a fairly
new trail north of Nederland (which is west of
Boulder). It's a really beautiful area and a super
nice trail. The trail winds through trees and
meadows, and the footing is mostly flat, with a few
gently sloping hills, so it's good for Kelton.
We rode out to an old homestead and stopped to have some snacks while the horses grazed. We just put their lead ropes over their backs and let them munch -- they didn't go far! The weather was just perfect. What a fun day!
I put photos from the ride on Kelton's and Belle's photos pages.
We rode out to an old homestead and stopped to have some snacks while the horses grazed. We just put their lead ropes over their backs and let them munch -- they didn't go far! The weather was just perfect. What a fun day!
I put photos from the ride on Kelton's and Belle's photos pages.
My first trail ride on Ivy
August 11 / 2007 08:55 PM Filed in: Ivy | Trail Riding
I got Ivy back from the
trainer's a few days ago, so I decided to take her
out on a trail this afternoon. She was super! She's
pretty relaxed and is a lot slower than Belle. Her
steering needs some work, but I think she'll be the
type that anyone can ride, whereas Belle needs a more
confident rider who won't mind her energizer pony
outbursts.
My first ride on Britta
August 09 / 2007 05:11 PM Filed in: Britta
I just got Britta back
from "baby boot camp," where she learned about
everything up to the point of actually being ridden.
The trainer did a bunch of ground work and round pen
work, ponied her on trails, exposed her to lost of
things, and saddled and bridled her. She also sat on
her a few times, both in the saddle and bareback, to
teach her things like stepping the front end over,
stepping the hindquarters over, walking and stopping,
and bending. So when I went to pick her up, I hopped
on bareback to see what she's like. I was only up
there for about eight minutes, working on some basic
stuff, but she was so good! She feels like a drunken
pony, but she seems to think being ridden is just
another form of the attention she so loves. I'll
probably have her lightly started next summer, when
she's three, and then start doing more with her when
she turns four. But she's going to be a fun one, and
probably bigger than her mom, Belle.
Kelton goes exploring
August 07 / 2007 03:11 PM Filed in: Kelton | Trail Riding
I took Kelton to Teller
Farms today with a friend, and she was very good. The
trail is pretty wide but climbs gently upwards, which
was hopefully good for her hind end. I don't know why
I thought she wouldn't be good on trails, especially
since I trail rode her during my test ride. I think
it's just that she's so big and powerful, but it
turns out she's an awesome trail horse. Now I wish
I'd gotten her out sooner, but better late than
never! We're also still schooling low level dressage,
and I may show her at Training Level in
September.
Belle goes horse camping
August 06 / 2007 02:08 PM Filed in: Belle | Trail Riding
I spent this past
weekend up at Jack's Gulch, a "horse campground" west
of Fort Collins up in the mountains. I took Belle,
and we had a great time! I went with three other
people, and we shared a camp site that had four pipe
corrals for the horses. We rode for almost four hours
on Friday, over five hours on Saturday, and about an
hour on Sunday, and I think Belle had as much energy
at the end as she did at the beginning. She's such an
energizer pony! Some of the horses were very green,
and one rider was very green, but they all did very
well. We climbed hills, picked our way over big
rocks, navigated a variety of water crossings, and
wandered across large grassy meadows. The horses that
didn't have much trail experience before this trip
are old pros now!
I've just added a few photos from the trip to Belle's photo album.
I've just added a few photos from the trip to Belle's photo album.
Nice Labor Day trail ride
August 04 / 2007 08:53 PM Filed in: Trail Riding
I went with a group of
horse friends, some old, some new, to the Big
Bluestem trail south of Boulder and we had a lovely
ride. Jane rode Belle and I rode Ivy, and I even got
to canter Ivy for the first time, although only for a
short stretch. I look forward to doing that again. I
finally got a photo of the two Fjords together on a
trail, which I put on Ivy's photos page.