Finally I got it together. I have been wanting to go Geocaching with my husband and his sister and Baasha on the riding trails. I also wanted to get pictures of the unbelievably horrible mud that my horse lives in, and Sonja obliged with my camera.
But first, she caught the prettiest pictures ever of me and my horse. When I looked at these last night, I couldn't believe it. They look like, professional! Thank you Sonja! Who cares about the mud on his neck and the fact that he's chewing a carrot obviously in one of them. These pictures made my week!
Then she got some lovely photos of the mud. Don't you just want to roll your wheelbarrow through this to clean up poop? Bah, that's not even possible at this point, so the poop just mixes into the slop. It's physically impossible to clean up the paddock lately. Meaning, nasty germs++. It hasn't rained all week; it can be worse.
When I think of my good friend Aarene's comment about Baasha's "glorious retirement" I cringe. This is far from glorious, living in mud. But better than living in a stall. I think. Sheesh. (Very soon my horse will be at home, living on gravel, mats, and grass. Not mud. Can't wait.)
This is the feeder, showing that finally my horse is being allowed to eat hay. It took a while, but I'm delighted to see this sight, all 5 eating together.
Sonja and Baasha. Everytime she rolled a cigarette (she can do this as she walks along), he thought, "It's a treat, for me!" and begged her for it. She assured him he would not like it, but the crinkly paper just sounded too good!
My horse looks like a sullen pony in this photo! Bad photographer (me)!
I don't know what Baasha's problem was yesterday, but he was keen on all of us, as if we had pocketfulls of goodies we didn't have. My man's Garmin, Baasha wanted it! He never even looks at the thing when I tie it to his saddle. But Joerg holding it made it interesting. Hrm.
I sprayed off the mud, turning the driveway into a big icerink a few hours later (I hate it that the "wash rack" is the shared driveway).
We didn't really go far at all, but I was happy to recognize what some of the clues were. Joerg read one of the clues: "Count the rings near the restaurant" and I knew what it meant - the "Horse Parking" rail with rings for tying horses (never seen anyone actually use this, but maybe someday!). This is the pretty little restaurant in the middle of the wooded valley. I like the way it's always whimsically decorated, but now, now it has christmas decorations! You can see the Santa Claus on the right side of the building, climbing up. For some reason, it's popular in Germany to tie a Santa on the wall of your home, as if he's climbing up. I think this must be because the roofs are all too steep, and he has nowhere to land his reindeer. Anyone from Europe who knows the answer to this, please tell!
Baasha says, "Why do you always tie me up and leave me standing here while you go digging around at the base of trees? It's boring and I feel so unimportant here!" He would cock his leg up and paw the air, and sometimes try to figure out how to "unwind" himself from the tree. He's very very bad. Orienteering never taught him to tie properly. I never know when he's gonna decide to try to get away. He doesn't pull back or try to break anything, he just tries to walk around the tree in hopes of, I dunno, getting a better perspective or something. Usually if he can, he'll walk around the tree (like a dog without the burden of an excess of intelligence) until he's tied up much shorter than before, and then he'll just stand there pouting, wondering what went wrong.
Look at these gloves. I know they're silly looking, but they're so warm: ) They're wool with thinsulate inside. I got them for 5 Euros at Aldi! Woo!: ) I'm wearing two pairs of breeches, the outer ones fleece, and many shirts. My helmet is attached to the saddle. Doesn't his mane look wacky when you use a flash to take a pic!?
Sonja found most of the clues and caches yesterday - she was on it! I was a bit distracted by having Baasha there, and probably not as helpful as I could have been.
Sonja found the cache I'd looked for at least twice before. I'm sure Baasha thought, "Oh great, we're down here again, where I get tied up, and you just wander around looking at things, for no reason." Later it got really rough, the trail was blocked by a downed power line, and I was afraid to walk my horse over it. Cuz there were two, and I didn't want him to get stuck between them. So I led him up this embankment, and halway up, I couldn't get a good purchase, and I was slipping, and I thought for sure Baasha would lose his balance too and trip on me (as he's done in the past), and I said out loud, "I'm scared" but we made it. I looked behind me and saw him dig his bare little toes into the slick hillside, and use his back toes simultaneously to not fall down. With shoes, he would have been scrambling. Whew! That was the roughest part. Since trees had fallen over the path, we had to bushwhack. It was a mix of low blackberries, mostly knee-high, and fallen branches with snow on them, so you couldn't quite see where they ended. Baasha and I somehow navigated it. It was tricky but I don't worry about him because if he's good at any one thing, it's being a trail horse. Sonja said, "I can't believe how SAFE your horse is in here. He's not scared." Sonja got bit by many brambles, but I guess my double pants kept me safe. Later Joerg told me that she told him I was a little crazy to bring a horse through there. My first reaction was to blame all the orienteering - it's mostly done offtrail, and the horses have to get very patient at navigating almost impassable terrain. But then I realized that we've always bushwhacked with Baasha, as long as we've owned him. The trails in Washington state are too vast to be maintained. I'm proud of my baby: )
After all my failed solo searches here, this time there was Joy! She found it. Baasha says, "But isn't there something yummy to be had?"
Finally I pulled out a ziplock full of carrots and Joerg handed them to Baasha, "You had carrots this whole time? Well, geez!"
Finally I got it together. I have been wanting to go Geocaching with my husband and his sister and Baasha on the riding trails. I also wanted to get pictures of the unbelievably horrible mud that my horse lives in, and Sonja obliged with my camera.
But first, she caught the prettiest pictures ever of me and my horse. When I looked at these last night, I couldn't believe it. They look like, professional! Thank you Sonja! Who cares about the mud on his neck and the fact that he's chewing a carrot obviously in one of them. These pictures made my week!
Then she got some lovely photos of the mud. Don't you just want to roll your wheelbarrow through this to clean up poop? Bah, that's not even possible at this point, so the poop just mixes into the slop. It's physically impossible to clean up the paddock lately. Meaning, nasty germs++. It hasn't rained all week; it can be worse.
When I think of my good friend Aarene's comment about Baasha's "glorious retirement" I cringe. This is far from glorious, living in mud. But better than living in a stall. I think. Sheesh. (Very soon my horse will be at home, living on gravel, mats, and grass. Not mud. Can't wait.)
This is the feeder, showing that finally my horse is being allowed to eat hay. It took a while, but I'm delighted to see this sight, all 5 eating together.
Sonja and Baasha. Everytime she rolled a cigarette (she can do this as she walks along), he thought, "It's a treat, for me!" and begged her for it. She assured him he would not like it, but the crinkly paper just sounded too good! 
My horse looks like a sullen pony in this photo! Bad photographer (me)!
I don't know what Baasha's problem was yesterday, but he was keen on all of us, as if we had pocketfulls of goodies we didn't have. My man's Garmin, Baasha wanted it! He never even looks at the thing when I tie it to his saddle. But Joerg holding it made it interesting. Hrm.
I sprayed off the mud, turning the driveway into a big icerink a few hours later (I hate it that the "wash rack" is the shared driveway). 
We didn't really go far at all, but I was happy to recognize what some of the clues were. Joerg read one of the clues: "Count the rings near the restaurant" and I knew what it meant - the "Horse Parking" rail with rings for tying horses (never seen anyone actually use this, but maybe someday!). This is the pretty little restaurant in the middle of the wooded valley. I like the way it's always whimsically decorated, but now, now it has christmas decorations! You can see the Santa Claus on the right side of the building, climbing up. For some reason, it's popular in Germany to tie a Santa on the wall of your home, as if he's climbing up. I think this must be because the roofs are all too steep, and he has nowhere to land his reindeer. Anyone from Europe who knows the answer to this, please tell!
Baasha says, "Why do you always tie me up and leave me standing here while you go digging around at the base of trees? It's boring and I feel so unimportant here!" He would cock his leg up and paw the air, and sometimes try to figure out how to "unwind" himself from the tree. He's very very bad. Orienteering never taught him to tie properly. I never know when he's gonna decide to try to get away. He doesn't pull back or try to break anything, he just tries to walk around the tree in hopes of, I dunno, getting a better perspective or something. Usually if he can, he'll walk around the tree (like a dog without the burden of an excess of intelligence) until he's tied up much shorter than before, and then he'll just stand there pouting, wondering what went wrong.
Look at these gloves. I know they're silly looking, but they're so warm: ) They're wool with thinsulate inside. I got them for 5 Euros at Aldi! Woo!: ) I'm wearing two pairs of breeches, the outer ones fleece, and many shirts. My helmet is attached to the saddle. Doesn't his mane look wacky when you use a flash to take a pic!?
Sonja found most of the clues and caches yesterday - she was on it! I was a bit distracted by having Baasha there, and probably not as helpful as I could have been.
Sonja found the cache I'd looked for at least twice before. I'm sure Baasha thought, "Oh great, we're down here again, where I get tied up, and you just wander around looking at things, for no reason." Later it got really rough, the trail was blocked by a downed power line, and I was afraid to walk my horse over it. Cuz there were two, and I didn't want him to get stuck between them. So I led him up this embankment, and halway up, I couldn't get a good purchase, and I was slipping, and I thought for sure Baasha would lose his balance too and trip on me (as he's done in the past), and I said out loud, "I'm scared" but we made it. I looked behind me and saw him dig his bare little toes into the slick hillside, and use his back toes simultaneously to not fall down. With shoes, he would have been scrambling. Whew! That was the roughest part. Since trees had fallen over the path, we had to bushwhack. It was a mix of low blackberries, mostly knee-high, and fallen branches with snow on them, so you couldn't quite see where they ended. Baasha and I somehow navigated it. It was tricky but I don't worry about him because if he's good at any one thing, it's being a trail horse. Sonja said, "I can't believe how SAFE your horse is in here. He's not scared." Sonja got bit by many brambles, but I guess my double pants kept me safe. Later Joerg told me that she told him I was a little crazy to bring a horse through there. My first reaction was to blame all the orienteering - it's mostly done offtrail, and the horses have to get very patient at navigating almost impassable terrain. But then I realized that we've always bushwhacked with Baasha, as long as we've owned him. The trails in Washington state are too vast to be maintained. I'm proud of my baby: )
After all my failed solo searches here, this time there was Joy! She found it. Baasha says, "But isn't there something yummy to be had?"
Finally I pulled out a ziplock full of carrots and Joerg handed them to Baasha, "You had carrots this whole time? Well, geez!"
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8 comments:
I can see how mud would drive you nuts having a gray horse. People use mud packs on their faces to make them more beautiful. Maybe all that mud will make Baasha more shapely legs. (Yes, I'm being silly.)
I love that feeder in the picture, especially that it is covered. I'm interested in hearing about your tack. It looks like you have a bitless bridle and endurance saddle with English rigging? I've read that endurance saddles do a better job of keeping your legs underneath you than Western saddles, where you legs and feet often end up sticking out in front and putting you off balance. What are your experiences with your tack?
NM, This saddle doesn't help your leg position! I am aware of this every time I pass a window and see my leg out front of my hipline. *sigh* This saddle doesn't help you at all - it's totally flat and many people have got on my horse and said "Soft, but insecure-feeling". I like that cuz I like freedom of movement on long rides.
But you're right, lots of traditional endurance saddles really hold you in, and set your leg right. I like that, but I love english tack. This is a Wintec Endurance Pro, with the fancy changeable gullet system, which I hardly have to ever change: )
The bridle is a Zilco - the popular one that I've just unclipped the bit hangers and decided to clip my reins onto the halter. Not really as intended, but it works: ) Those biothane reins can be slick, I don't like that. I have some other biothane reins with rubber grips but it seems after a few years of sweat, the grips start to dissolve. So I guess I can't say I've found biothane reins that work well, yet: ) The breastcollar is a Zilco too.
Since you asked, I have to talk about my stirrups. You should get some of these! These are padded endurance stirrups and they totally changed my world. I used to think endurance riders were such wimps to have padded stirrups. Then I tried them, and OMYGOSH. My knees thanked me right there. I felt like I was floating as soon as the horse trotted. Now I'm used to it, and don't notice the comfort, until I get on someone else's horse and OUCH my feet, my ankles, my knees, my everything. All that concussion I've avoided so long, I totally love my Easy Care E-Z Ride stirrups! (I prefer the plastic ones cuz the aluminum ones I seem to bang on my chest when I dismount, and that hurts.) I don't ride endurance anymore (cuz it SUCKS here in Europe), but I can't part with the tack.
I also have a set of white biothane that I used to use on my chestnut mare that would look just smashing on your Lostine, cuz of her blaze. You wouldn't believe how good white looks on a chestnut. I received so many compliments on this.
Check it out:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ztyNzrZskM8/SQNakzWia6I/AAAAAAAAAW8/RFNzVzRhric/s1600-h/canterInAirStrip2.jpg
Mud sux, no doubt. I'll send you pix by email of the "geotiles" we've been using to alleviate mud here. Now we have standing water in some places where we've used the tiles, but you can wade out there and not lose boots!
Also, the water drains a bunch faster with the tiles in place. If you're going to be laying gravel, consider putting down a layer of gravel, then a plastic geotile to hold the gravel in place, and then more gravel on top. Trust a TrailMaster, it works! -G-
Baasha's glorious retirement is ramping up, that's all. Heck, he gets to tramp around with y'all in the woods and make monkey faces until you give him stuff. That's not retirement? And glorious?
--Aarene
Oooooh, just read your note about the Wintec Endurance Pro, and you are totally correct about leg position--if your leg is correct in that dang saddle, it's because you fight long and hard to get it correct! I rode in Jim's for two 50-milers (plus winter training) and HATED IT! (but not enough to stop riding, obviously)
Then, new saddle delivered finally, and I am happyhappyhappy girl. And now I *won't* ride in the Wintec, because I don't have to anymore.
Lytha, have you tried BETA biothane reins? Textured like leather, but plastic so it doesn't get moldy. I bet Paddy at Canadian Trail House will ship to Germany, and she's got a sale right now.
--Aarene
Very nice photos!
I love your hair color and curls!
I especially like the ones with you and Baasha, Baasha in front of the restaurant, and the final one with Joerg and Baasha. Heck, they're all great!
Oh my- all that mud and muck!
Very informative post about your tack. Thanks!
It was fun to come along on your geocaching. I have recently taken up letterboxing which is very similar.
I know!!! Doesn't she have the prettiest hair color ever?! Like, one that people would love to dye, but it doesn't come in a bottle? I'm her sister, and I've had to listen to her hate it all her life. If that doesn't make you roll your eyes, nothing will. LOL
Looks like you had a fun day, even if poor Baasha didn't get the constant treats he was looking for all day...lol!!!
How cool to get some good pics of you and your horse too!
Um yes, the mud looks a bit nasty there. Is there anywhere they can get out of it?? You are lucky his scratches aren't all the way up to his kness/hocks! Good job, mom!!! :)
I love those first two pics... you can see the bond you have!
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