dancing horses

dancing horses

Monday, April 22, 2019

In the 100 Acre Wood

On Saturday I had a grand adventure planned for Carmen and I.

Well, not 'grand' so much as 'fun'.

Part of my process goals this year is to do things without worrying about perfection or even perfect control. So I arranged to meet up with Nancy and hack at the barn where she boards. It's the one with absolutely stunning trails.
just as magical with other characters...

I gave myself some extra time for loading, just in case. But I didn't need it, although clearly a bit tight she walked right on. At the stable we were greeted by two small goats. Nancy asked how Carmen would be with them. The truthful answer was I don't know. The other half of that answer was that I wasn't all that worried.
I grabbed a photo of the adorable goats at the end of the ride

The cute little goats were very curious and were climbing on the ramp of the trailer as I dropped it. Carmen gave them the hairy eyeball but seemed unworried. She unloaded and headed into the barn. She always seems so comfortable there. Part of me would love to leave her there for a week to get used to all the things.

You may remember the donkey too. He was not to be overshadowed by two hooligans.

love that nose
It didn't take long to get ready. I asked Carmen to line up by the rock wall (which she did like a champ) and we were off. Carmen was exactly as I expected- up and a bit tense but not melting down. I gave her a long rein, relaxed my seat and we followed Beau and Nancy. 

And we stayed on the long rein for the whole trip. A couple times I shortened the reins to prevent a potential crash but I never held her. Even when we went by a small 'sculpture' of rocks piled on top of each other. Carmen looked, said 'meh' and carried on. 

tempting to trot/canter here but the ground was still a bit soft. 

When she wanted to stop and look at things I let her.


The trails wind through woods and up to fields. There are lots of hills (big and small) which are great for conditioning.

Can you see the view behind me? 
I look at these photos and I love how solid a horse she looks this year.  She has filled out nicely, I think.

Shortly after this photo (I think) we were walking back along an open area when all of a sudden all hell broke loose. A grouse flew off in a great flap, Carmen said EEEK  and spun and I tried to say 'whoa' but am pretty sure it came out as 'ARGHHHHHH.

Even the redoubtable Beau jumped. Nancy was perfectly calm of the four of us. After her jump Carmen turned back to watch the Grouse flap off. 
Carmen: WTF?
Me: god I hate those birds. 

My heart was pounding- mostly from the bird. They get me every time (I call them heart attack birds). We both took a deep breath and I dropped the rein and we walked on. Carmen was keeping a suspicious eye out but didn't become a basket case. 

Frankly I don't blame her.

that tail! Believe it or not I've trimmed it 3 times this winter

We finished back at the barn tired and happy. I loaded Carmen and we headed home. She spent that day and the next being very relaxed and mellow. 

I think it was a great idea to head out so soon in our riding season. It's all part of the plan to mix things up and keep them interesting.


26 comments:

  1. What a great ride and experience for Carmen. I think those birds would have got me too! I don't like surprises. Carmen looks great and that tail, just gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They wait until you are almost on top and then flap off with a great amount of noise and movement. But like I say, we all lived so it was a good ride. :D

      Delete
  2. It's so beautiful there! Love the farm creatures and love how solid Carmen is these days!

    ReplyDelete
  3. All your hard work is paying off. That tail though. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My hard work and my letting go and having to be in full control. :)

      Yeah, her tail is lovely. And it takes a lot of work. It desperately needs a cleaning.

      Delete
  4. Beautiful! I love the damp smell of the forest in the spring. Soon you will see the spring flowers blooming. Do you have any lady slippers or trilliums your way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love the forest every time of year. We do have lady slippers. They are protected here. We have a white flower too that I'm not sure if it's a trillium or not.

      Delete
  5. What a pleasant outing! Carmen is such a good girl. That tail is beyond impressive!

    Heart attack bird is a very apt nickname for grouse! Of all the things in the world that can scare horses, I'm always so very impressed that my horses do no more than startle-stutter-step in place when grouse flush. They startle me more than the horses usually!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it was a good outing. I'm wanting to start asking her to lead for part of it so that she's not so dependent.

      I like grouse- they are cool birds. Just not when I'm riding!

      Delete
  6. Oh, good for you!! Yes, the birds are always lying in wait. It teaches you to keep a solid seat, even when you’re relaxed and chatting, because you never know. Your friend’s place looks spectacular. And spring rides are, by far, the prettiest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a good thing that I was spending the time working on a relaxed and following seat. :)

      Delete
  7. omg that bird tho haha.... we had a heron come flapping out of nowhere the other day, and yea i definitely almost died hahaha.... otherwise tho what a lovely perfect ride!! carmen looks fantastic (esp that tail, swoon!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That bird was something else. Keeping in mind that goldfinches have sent her bolting. :)
      I'm excited to see how she muscles up this year.

      Delete
  8. Sounds like she's really growing up! Eros hates the geese that fly around the ring all the time too. Stupid birds.
    That tail is incredible!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Geese make such a racket! And can be quite aggressive. At least the grouse is more passive aggressive: I will flee but with enough of a ruckus to send you all a heart attack. :)

      Delete
  9. What a lovely ride! I'm really jealous! We're OK with birds, it's those rabbits jumping out of no where that get us...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rabbits can be tricky too- they are so random.

      Delete
  10. Glad you got out for a nice quiet (mostly... those damn grouse are terrible!) ride! Carmen is looking great this year - and that tail... WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great experience (despite the heart attack bird). So proud of you both for all that loose rein riding <3

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a wonderful outing for the two of you and your friends. It sounds like you were in calm place and Carmen responded. Except for the grouse. And any horse would have had a reaction to that. I've always thought she is a gorgeous horse.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heart attack birds -- I love it! Sounds like real progress for you both though!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving a comment. I love the feedback.