Team Work

I will never cease to be amazed by the miracle of the partnership that horse and rider create. I read once that it's the sum of "two nervous systems" coordinating efforts. When you have a true partnership with a horse that "effort" is almost seamless and nothing is more exciting than to have that "flow" with an equine partner.

Riding should be fun, not a battle of wills. Having owned my Fox Trotter for 4 years now, I can attest that each year gets better and the partnership stronger. That is why when I read of the death of a rider's beloved horse on a website, I could not hold back the tears because I understood what had gone into developing that bond.

Each day I am grateful for the beauty of the relationship I share with my horse. I hope that you have had that experience as well.

Grateful to be on trail, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net

No Gap Here

As I've trail ridden with several different groups, and several different women, it has occurred to me that on any given day the ages of the riders can span 3 generations. I find this to be both empowering and encouraging.

In a culture that typically emphasizes differences in generations and that does not value aging, especially in women, I find that riding with women of all ages to be a wonderful bonding experience. Caring for and riding horses is for certain an anti aging activity. The physical and the mental activity it takes to ride regularly is what keeps us well, balanced and happy.

I've often thought of my trail rides as my therapy, and the on trail discussions with other women as an important component. Being on trail close to the beauty of nature and close to the power of the horse make for a perfect day. There are no generation gaps on trail.

Happy Trails, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net

How it Drips

A good friend of mine introduced my horses to the luxury of watermelon at the end of a long hot trail. At first my Fox Trotter turned up her nose and curled her lip as only horses can do. My Haflinger gobbled it up, with great streams of juice dripping down each side of his mouth. He knew a good thing the minute he tasted it. The Trotter soon followed his lead.

It turns out that watermelon is a great way for both riders and horses to rehydrate in the summer. Watermelon is known to reduce inflammation that occurs with asthma, arteriosclerosis and arthritis. Watermelon is full of antioxidant vitamins, particularly vitamin A and Vitamin C. Antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals that can cause damage to tissue.

Watermelon is also high in lycopene which can lower the risk of several types of cancers. It's low in calories; one cup of watermelon is 48 calories and without fat. It's rich in vitamin K, Magnesium. What's not to like?

My granddaughter and I sing the watermelon song as we feed the horses. "Watermelon, watermelon, how it drips, how it drips, up and down the elbow, up and down the elbow, spit the pits ,spit the pits" (to the tune of Are You Sleeping?).

Of course feed the melon only, not the rind. Your horses will be singing for more.

Happy Trails, Kathy, Horsedrivensite.net

Sand Trap

This past weekend I traveled to a park outside of Toledo Ohio for a competitive trail ride. Having participated in only a few of these competitions I am getting accustomed to some of the strategies involved. My horse is in good condition, and is getting ridden on trail regularly. What partially tripped us up in this event was sand.

Ohio has wide variations in topography, from rugged hills, to caves to farmland,to what I experienced this weekend, sand. Who knew? When I heard about sandy trails I never envisioned portions that were as deep as any sandy beach. Remember how hard it can be to run in sand? My horse did well, but she was little sore afterward, my friend's horse had pulled a muscle.

Riders from Michigan where sandy trails are supposedly common told us that riding in sand is as tough as the mountains we climb here in the Cuyahoga Valley and that horses trained in sand are very well conditioned by the effort.

All I know is that it was fun and that after a days rest my horse will be fine and I've learned many new things about competitive trail riding.

Happy Trail, 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