He was a wild thing, claustrophobic, a little insecure on the ground, he loved to stand up on his hind legs in his pasture, but as soon as he was mounted, he became a centaur and became confident. I have never ridden a horse like that, who gets his confidence from having someone on him.
He was a 15.2 floaty trot machine, and I would ask him to please wait on his big trot because I needed to look for clues (CMO) or just warm up a bit. He was always ready to get to that big trot which was a thrill to ride. Just wait, Mac.... I'd say. I remember people saying, "Looking good!" as we went by. It felt good too. A sportscar with a working brake (sometimes).
In this photo I was on Princess and his owner insisted on riding him down that quarry. It was one of the only times I said, "Too dangerous." You can see from the rockfall below them how steep it was. I couldn't believe she took him over the side and back up. I'd almost lost Baasha to a quarry sink experience and I'll always be wary of quarries. As you can see in the photo she's calmly reading her map as Mac scales the side.
I had taken him to my 2nd NATRC ride at the gun club but he was very fit from doing endurance so I wanted to see if I could simultaneously do a CMO. I left him at my trailer and drove down to the next Capitol Forest campsite to see my CMO friends, and ask if I could have the map. I wouldn't be competing formally. Just, let me try to find a few plates while I did this silly thing called NATRC. OK then. Of course it's not legal for a ride manager to let a map slip out of his hand before ride day, so I had to leave my friends in camp immediately. They thought it was strange to see me in my truck, but with no horse trailer. I'd hoped to see them the next day. (That never happened.)
My favorite photo of Mac. He was made for this sport. He has the best stifles I've seen. I suppose at the time his left/right mane didn't bother me? : ) This was my first horse trailer, a two-horse straight load with an enormous walk-through tack area in front. It spoiled me forevermore, I will never again have a trailer without a walk-through to tack room, because I love to sit in a chair up there and just hang out with my horses on journeys, or when it rains. Visiting a horse through a window is not enough for me. I only had a Chevy 1500 truck, with no canopy, so I was tenting it. But at the time, I was happy to do so: )
So, we did the NATRC and CMO. The NATRC people thought we were odd, because we'd suddenly break off bushwhacking to follow a plate. Then after a while, we'd find our way back, making our way back to the group and their strict MPH. In NATRC there is a specific MPH you must adhere to. So Mac did a lot more miles, but made it back on trail in time to fit these boundaries. On that day I was the coolest person I knew.
...we won our ribbon in the open division, and were applauded for our venture.
Devastatingly for me, the next time I tried a NATRC with Mac, we were disqualified for cheating, even after examination of the rules showed we broke no rule. I was humiliated and went home never to do NATRC again. I can forgive, but I cannot recommend NATRC to anyone.
This picture is from Klickitat, I suppose I must have taken him there too. Oh man just looking at my purple camping chair I miss horse camping SO MUCH. Please God let me do it again someday. You might be able to see in this photo my homemade high-tie system. The lunge line over the top of the trailer, through a window, affixed inside, and the other end up in a tree. So the horse can walk a circle, they love that. It also works between two trailers. So much safer than an e-paddock (but I used e-paddocks too during daylight hours). I still have that burgundy wool cooler, but sadly I have no real need for it lately.
Hrm, wrong horse. But look how eager Baasha is! He has the R&T number on his butt, and wants to go it again. Why there is a crop attached to my saddle is beyond me. He never had to be told twice to move. In this photo he's also tied overhead.
Poor Mac, he was always headshy, and one day his owner thanked me for fixing this for the most part, (I did?) but one night I crawled out of my tent to find Mac's halter halfway off, stuck over one of his ears, as he braced against the tree he was tied to. I could not get the halter off or loosen it, it was pinning an ear down and you know how buckles work, you need a little give to release a buckle, and there was none. I ran to a cowboy and said please help, and he wrestled with Mac until the halter was back in place. Poor Mac! He didn't need that.
Mac and Baasha at Sunriver Oregon. Dusty dust-camp. I can see from their numbers Baasha was doing the 25 and Mac the 50. Sadly at this point Baasha was retired from 50s.
I like how the only clean place on my horse is the sponge zone. Oh wait, this is about Mac.
Again at the gun club, it must be a NATRC ride cuz of that stupid bib I'm wearing. I think that's vet Jen. Here Mac is clearly overconditioned: ( I remember that moment, being so confident and exhilarated to be there, at Capitol Forest which I know like the back of my hand (well, not the entire Capitol Forest...). I believe I fell off Mac that ride, but jumped back on.
I've fallen off him at least twice. I remember one time we entered a creek on a pre-ride (Joyce's ride at a boyscout camp) and Mac slipped on the mossy rocks and he went down, almost completely underwater, and I did too. I remember coming up and opening my eyes and Mac was thrashing around but couldn't find his footing. I took him over to the vets and they said to put him in the lake. The problem was, it was so hot out the lake was warm! He was fine though, but I had to ride in a wet saddle.
Wrong horse again, sorry. (Same old photos folder.)
At Green Mountain on the peninsula - me and Mac at the end of a successful CMO. Look at that sweet expression, check those big strong hooves and legs ......he was awesome. And I'd love to find tab-closure half-chaps again, if they even exist. This was before Salamander visors so I had the enormous duckbill from Cashel. Since I was almost always alone, I have no idea who took this photo, but I'm very grateful to have it.
At the Rose's, another CMO, my horse trailer peeking out, we head out on the course over a wobbly bridge. No worries Mac, go for it! (I was thinking, "Oh crap this bridge is MOVING!") Good memories of karaoke in the barn behind us, and campfires right there.
2003. HOTR is my favorite ride, because it was my first, and because no where else in our region looks like this that I know of. It looks somewhat flat, but the trail consists of countless drops into hidden valleys and little waterholes you had to descend and then scramble up out of.
I hope you get to experience what dewy sagebrush smells like when your horse's legs brush by in the morning. It's something many Europeans dream of experiencing. Mac seems to be looking for coyotes, but I feel safe on his back.
Foothills of the Cascades, a ride I only finished once on Baasha. This photo makes me smile, although at the time I was thinking, "I shouldn't be able to see your nostrils between your ears!"
What a privilege it was for me to ride him, and to lease Princess. I am so very grateful to their owner. A couple years ago we were talking and she admitted that being with me, she was often taking risks with her horses that she wouldn't have taken. Our mutual friend agreed, "You guys pushed me into craziness!" I said, "Wait, no, you guys pushed me!" We had to laugh. We all encouraged each other to push ourselves to fun and then bliss.
"I used to ride for pleasure. Now I ride for the bliss." - J.Kellenberger (I think?)
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7 comments:
Lytha, reading this makes my heart beat a a little faster because it makes me think of my riding days. These memories of yours are so wonderful. I can read other horse owner's accounts about their adventures, but it's not the same as reading those of an Arabian owner. It's just different. My Khanalee was basically a wuss, but when I was on his back, he was more confident. Maybe something about that Arabian blood.
KB, I love it when you talk about Khanalee. There is no other breed for me. When I was finally able to get my own horse as a teenager, I recognized that it had to be an Arabian, or else I'd regret it forever. I looked at several Arabians and rode them, but when I met Baasha, he chose me, there was no other way to describe it. He absolutely loved people his entire life, he'd even cuddle the vet, "I love you vet!" At that time I also had a German Shepherd dog and when she died, I knew I'd never have another dog, because she was perfect. I wonder if that's my problem now, that I think I can have another.
I think the problem is that your choices are so small over there. No, sadly, there will not be another Baasha, but there are possibilities for more positive relationships. Sometimes I wonder if Mara would make a good horse in a lesson program for girls who would dote on her but not demand too much outside her comfort zone. You need a horse who loves the wide open space (if they have such a thing in Germany.) :)
I'm seeing a "thing" here: you used to have fun. Now, not so much.
It's too bad that horse shopping there is so sucky. Will you consider a Traeber next time?
KB, "the wide open space (if they have such a thing in Germany)" *LOL*!!! You don't need a disaster kit here because there's no way of being cut off. There are no emergency kits because there are no natural disasters. (Chernobyl, but that wasn't natural.) You can't possibly get lost in the woods and die. Maybe in Bavaria, *shrug* We are, however, required to have orange vests in our cars so that if there's a breakdown on the Autobahn, you won't get killed. If you only knew how remote my woods back home were, you could ride all day and never see anyone. Germany is the size of Montana and has 1/3 the population of the US.
Supposedly Mara was a school horse before I got her, but they sold her because she wasn't a good school horse. I wish I knew. On one hand, her balking is not a dangerous issue. On the other, she can spook and spin pretty fast from the mounting block I just used to get on her.
Aarene, I recognized at the time that the early 2000's were the best years of my life because I was finally living my dream. That was the day I got my first horse trailer after finally getting into endurance after wanting to do it since I was a little girl. I had a good income, was living in the best place on earth, had just enough friends, and everything was perfect. I just need to say that I knew it at the time, and was able to appreciate it. I'm also thankful for what I have here. We'll see what happens.
Mac is cute!! Don't ever apologize for posting pictures of Baasha. I love seeing them. :)
Do you think if you found the perfect horse that you could have fun in Germany? Or was part of the fun also the area you were in?
What an amazing horse. NATRC sounds a lot like ECTRA, and it sounds like you dealt with a lot of the same frustrations I deal with. UGH!
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