The Two Horse Rule

Since we've kept horses on our property, my husband in his wisdom and in his attempts at self protection had created and has enforced the two horse rule. I've respected that rule because he takes an active role in the care of the horses and we work well as a team. When I wanted another Haflinger to drive as a team, I had the two horse rule preventing the execution of this wish.

As many times as I've tried to buck the rule it has remained in place. And quite frankly over time I've come to appreciate the rule. I always think that I have more time and more energy than I really have. It's unfair to horses who get cheated out of quality time and training because owners are too busy. We have seen people accumulate more horses than they can possibly handle. You can see the care of the horses become less than optimal.

So the two horse rule stands unless I can bend the rule with a mini for my granddaughter.

Happy Trials, Kathy, Horsedrivensight.net

Give Me Air

For the competitive trail ride I thought that I could camp one night, but remember I'm the Marriott camper. I made a last minute decision to camp because the competition began so early in the morning. Basically a noncamper, I thought that I could get by with a cushion and memory foam on the floor of my tack room which has a screen door. There would even be room for my collapsible Japanese commode that folds nicely into a carrying bag.

My back had other ideas as I tossed and turned to get comfortable on my makeshift bed. I'd forgotten that I was 20 many years ago, and that there was a reason why I called myself the Marriott camper. A fellow rider thought that she could sleep in the back of her truck and guess how that ended up. It was fate that a Bed Bath and Beyond flyer came to my house the next day advertising an air mattress. The universe was speaking to me.

So guess where I'm headed tomorrow.

Stay trail happy, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net

Practice Deficienacy

Yesterday I completed my second Competitive Trail ride in the 15 mile category. Yes I did camp but I'll talk about that another time. It was a great weekend in the Cuyahoga Valley National Forest with many riders competing and enjoying each other's company. The anticipation of the ride is exciting and learning more about competitive riding has been both frustrating and fun for me.

My Fox Trotter mare was without her barn buddy and we had not done many events with so many horses coming and going so her herd instincts created some anxiety. We started out at 7 AM and I remembered why I came back to this experience. The strategy of pacing the horse and getting a competitive arrival time is fascinating. Knowing when to move out and knowing when to slow down is an imperfect science unless you use a monitor on your horse.

The early morning sun breaking through the Forest canopy, the rush of scaling up difficult trails, cantering along the edge of corn fields with corn cannons booming are all part of the thrill.

My one regret is that we did not practice gating with a lead line for the vet checks which is where we lost points. We still placed, but next time we will be better prepared.

Happy Trails, Kathy, horsedrivensite.net

The Good Life

As I was packing up the truck and trailer preparing to head out to a competitive trail ride, I was in and out of the barn with supplies. It was late evening and I had given the horses their last flakes and fresh water (and of course a treat). Fireflies were rising effortlessly from the grass like tiny stars they floated into the air. The sunset was changing the color of the sky every few minutes. One minute pink, the next tangerine.

I watched my horses munch on hay then turn and spend long moments looking at the horizon. It occurred to me how wise they were to take those pauses to soak in the beauty before them. The other amazing thing was that they would take time away from their beloved hay. The scene made me stop my packing to share in the quiet, colorful end to the day. I need to do that more often.

Happy Trails, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net

Hot. Hot, Hot

It seems that I'm always one step behind the changing seasons. In Ohio the joke is that we go from heat to air conditioning in the same week. In the past week we have gone from spring to the heat of summer and that always requires extra measures with horses. Trail riding becomes buggier, horses can become fatigued more quickly when they cannot cool themselves due to high humidity, and having the right supplies becomes more important.

Water is the obvious and I start to carry enough water for my horses and for myself, particularly for my Fox Trotter who doesn't want strange water. Bug repellent for myself and the horse as well as fly masks are a must; I favor the human bug repellents that also have sun screen in them (less goop to apply). I carry a small spray bottle of bug spray in my saddlebag for "touch ups".

Cooling horses after a ride with water applied to their bellies ,chests and legs helps as well. Save the hose for when other large muscle groups have cooled. Squeegee to get rid of excess water which can trap more heat according to my friend.

We've been taking more rests on trail to be sure that the horses are not getting stressed by the excessive heat. but it's all fun no matter how you slice it. Speaking of slicing, many horses love watermelon as a way to rehydrate at the end of the trail. My Fox Trotter curls up her lip at watermelon but the Haflinger loves it.

Keep your cool, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net

Marriott Camper

I'm so happy to know that I'm not alone in my lack of fondness for camping. So many of my trail buddies camp, and I do miss out on some riding opportunities, but I'm really into comfort now. I love the outdoors but give me a pillow top mattress and indoor plumbing at night.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal talked about a new trend in camping that sounds perfect for me. Some campground owners have been buying small transportable "cabins" for wannabe campers like me. Short of spending thousands of dollars for live in quarters, there's not much out there besides tents and smelling bad for a few days.

I don't need the flat screen TV that some units boast, and I can live with a fan and no air conditioning. Time saved from setting up camp can be used in ways that are much more fun. I hope that campgrounds that are close to horse trails will catch on to this trend. I'll be packing my graham crackers, my Hershey chocolate bars and the marshmallows in anticipation.

See you there, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net