Trying to find Baasha's hoofprints

I woke up this morning with a clear goal. I want to learn the trails below the Icelandic farm, specifically, I want to see if I could find the village of Huettchen. Huettchen is a staging area for events (geocaching, etc) and has a permanent shelter, grill, and kiddie playland. I did not intend to be there, 5 years ago.

I was lost on Baasha, but of course, being lost on Baasha was never tragic, he loved being on trails and didn't have to know where we were to enjoy himself. I mean, map-wise. Horses always know where they are.

I remember going up to a house and asking someone for help finding my way home. But I'd gone so far, people in that neighborhood didn't recognize the name of mine! And I was too new to start mentioning other town names, hoping they would be recognized. I remember feeling despair, that I'd never make it home.

Today I just had to retrace Baasha's hoofprints with my new horse. I opened up Google Maps on this laptop and left it open on Huettchen for my husband, in case I didn't make it home tonight, so he'd know where to start the search and rescue.

Since we're having confidence issues lately, I ground drove her the entire way to the Icelandic farm in Lindscheid, which is the beginning of that trail system at that part of the watershed. Nevermind what neighbors think of me, "There's that weird smily lady with ineloquent German who never sits on her horse." I turned on my ipod and Mara walked confidently ahead of me, staring at things but for the most part, keeping her head down at a reasonable height.

Three ladies on Icelandics crossed our path and one of them complimented my white tack. I stupidly said, "Yes, good, thank you!" Man I'm an idiot. In America I would have said something like "Thanks, no copying me!" or "Really, no one else thinks so!"

Mara did look great, in her dark coat, friendly expression ("Hello diminutive furry horses of the North!"), and veins all over her body standing up (except for her rump - no veins there). I really wish someday that I'll be able to ride with some of those Icelandic horse people. They seem to stick to themselves though. No other breed is allowed to board there. Hm!

I drove her all the way down to the stream and walked right into it after her. I asked her to stand in the middle as we both got our shoes soaked through (her Gloves, my Keens). There were a couple of ladies photographing the stream with its historic stone archway. I hurried to move out of their photos but they were smiling at me like I was something to photograph. "Smily lady follows horse through 20 foot wide stream, soaking feet", I was sure they documented.

Mara was good. At a picnic table I studied the map and decided to follow my instincts to find Huettchen.  On my topographic map, I couldn't distinguish trail nor stream, just town names and elevation. I gave Mara a couple snacks to bribe her into thinking this adventuring is a good thing.

Finally, I got on her.

Almost immediately we had to enter another stream, new to us. Lineffe, I think it's called. I thought we might have an issue, so I was prepared to just sit on her and politely request forward every few minutes, no matter how long she refused. However, she surprised me. She went in! First time ever, entering a strange stream with me on her back, and no other horse leading her. Woo! It got deeper and deeper and I got concerned when it passed her knees, but she kept going and climbed out the other side, both Easyboots still on.

But then we came to a  narrow bit of single track with what looks like Devil's Club on both sides, as tall as I am, with a little trickle of water passing over the trail. She refused and started backing up very purposefully, and trying to turn. I didn't let her turn around, and got her forward again, and she backed up again, and this went on for a while until I just looked at my watch and decided to time how long this would take. After a few minutes she realized standing there wasn't as much fun as she thought, so she went forward. That's better. I really hope she's done with that balking for over an hour thing.

Halfway up the hills to Huettchen, we found a wooden hut, common in Germany for hikers to rest and lunch in. Mara was having a bad time of it and peed directly in the middle of the hut as I sat there. An older couple walked by, but thankfully they did not see my horse defile this place.

I was feeling right about it. The intersections looked good to me. I should say, I'm pretty good with orienting myself in the woods. I can remember a particular trail intersection years later if I've only been there once.

I was convinced Huettchen was just up the hill. Mara was unenthusiastic, worried about an older couple hiking - could they present a danger to us? The look on her face as she studied them, I wish I'd had my camera today.

Although she only had 2 Easyboots on  I asked her to trot up that last rocky hill to the Huettchen staging area. I was so thrilled to see it again, and apparently there was an event going on, people wandering around, I jumped off Mara and let her stand and observe a bit.

Actually, I wanted to leave right away, since I'd reached my goal. I was in Huettchen with my 2nd horse! But Mara was transfixed by the goings-on.

I let her watch a while and then I said, "Hey Mara, we did it, let's go home now!"

I started running down the hill, tugging on her to follow. I'd forgotten my rope halter/NH line so I only had a short little 8 foot biothane rein to lead her with, ugh. I ran down that hill anyway. She followed, trying not to slip in the mud.

I wanted to reward her with me leading her home most of the way, so she could let her guard down. She certainly did, enjoying jogging behind me, but when I got to the stream, I jumped on her again and said, "Let's go home."

She went back into that deep water and then I rode her all the way back up that hill to Lindscheid on a long rein. She was quite hesitant, even though she's been there a few times, but I had turned on Seabound on my ipod and was determined to let her mosey up that hill at her own pace, and just breathe and relax.

Every turn in the trail was a great stress to her, even though it was on the way home, and she'd done it how many times? I just sat back and imagined my horse would not spook and dump me.

I praised her a lot.

When we got to the top, at the Icelandic farm, she about had a heart attack when there were Icelandic horses on the side of the trail, just like on our way down.

Finally I got off, and started leading her again, with much praise for getting us that last 15 minutes without an incident.

Suddenly there was an Icelandic mare being led down the road with her 3-4 month old baby following loose behind her. Mara flipped out.

The foal was white with a black face and black "saddle" mark on its back. The baby spooked at Mara spooking at it!

But the mother didn't mind, and the baby bounced along. Mara's head was in giraffe mode, and her knee and hock action out of the normal range. I wondered if Mara had a childhood, or as I suspect, she was cloned as an adult or beamed down from another M-class planet.

They let the baby and its mother loose in a field, and they whinnied and ran around. We made our way around that field, observing them.

I was becoming tired, from all that walking, so as soon as we were on trails again, I climbed up on Mara, stuffing treats into her mouth as she stood stock still, yet again, for me. This was the 4th time today, and she never shifted a foot after I started mounting, and she politely waited for me to ask her to proceed, each time.

Although I was tired from all that walking/running down hills I walked her in areas I knew are a problem for her. She especially hates fields that appear after being in the forest.

When I got on her, she started balking, but I remembered my tool - to do lateral movements with each hesitation to go forward. It worked, yay, and my horse was bending side to side, and leg yielding across the trail side to side, and slowing letting these exercises release the tension in her rock-hard neck.

Each time we met an uphill climb after that, I asked for a jog. She was surely thinking "You've mistaken me for a fit horse!" as she panted her way up each one. Sadly, unlike home, we don't have long stretches of up. So, we made use of the tiny little inclines when we could. Mara thinks she's gonna die on each one, even though it's less than a minute of trotting up a hill. I so wish I were back home, where I could put Mara at the base of Taylor Mountain and say, "Go up" and she'd have no energy left to spook at things within the first few hundred meters. At least, until she became fit, or the bears or elk show up.

The shepherd's wife saw us near the end, almost home. Her house is where I always jump off and loosen the saddle, cuz that is the last bit of trail. She said, "Your horse is so much better now." I told her thank you and we made it the rest of the way.

I only got bitten by one horsefly, and Mara too, but she showed me in her way, tossing her head until I slapped it off of her.


I wish I could have ridden more of that outing today, but I am so pleased that we made our goal, I cannot complain.