Louie May 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Louie Bowing
Louie looked great this morning. He came right up to greet me at the gate so I guess he's not holding any grudge against me for riding him 30 miles yesterday. Here is a video of him bowing today. Also a couple picture of Louie and Marie out in the paddock.
Crooked River 30 mile CTR May 28th 2011
Cindy on Louie
It was a slightly crazy week at work so I did not get very much sleep the day before heading to the ride. So, I decided not to go up first thing in the morning and opted for sleeping instead. I got up just a little bit before noon time, quickly packed and headed out around 2:00 pm. My friend Barbara was riding Marie in the competition but was not able to get the day off work. So, she was riding up to Waterford with Susie who also had to work.
It was a hot day in the high 80's and quite humid. Blah! When I arrived at the Waterford fairgrounds I checked in with the ride manager, Janet Brunjes, on where to park. We have had a LOT of rain this spring so the grounds were wet and parking was limited. Janet told me I could try parking in the pulling arena. One trailer was
already in there and he warned me the sand was softer then it looked. He was right, I did get temporarily stuck when trying to back into where I wanted to be. I unloaded Louie and Marie and a couple kind ladies offered to hold them while I worked on getting my rig out. I did get it out and eventually parked though not quite where I originally planned. Once I was parked, I then got Louie and Marie settled into stalls. The stalls are in cattle barns. They are open sided with quite low walls. This was only Louie's second camp out in his life. So, I was sure hoping he would be a good boy as he could easily jump out of that stall. I really didn't think he would try to go anywhere without Marie though. Louie seemed fine. He was alert and very curious but calm. Marie was the perfect babysitter for Louie as she's done this so many s. I settled them both in with full hay bags and water and both seemed content.
My friend Margaret was coming up to work the ride. She had asked if she could bunk with me in my trailer. I had not seen her all winter and was thrilled to have her company. I walked down to Melby's store/restaurant to get some drinks. When I got back, Margaret offered to help me get Louie and Marie vetted in so I wouldn't have to wait for Barbara and Susie to arrive. Louie was such a good boy. He remembered the vetting process from last weekend at the Acadia ride and was very calm about it. His trot out was pretty good though he did look a little bit.....uneven. Not lame in any one leg but just a slightly uneven stride. Hummmmmm. He did get new shoes the previous day. The farrier and I had decided to put a slightly rolled toe on him so maybe he was just getting used to the new shoes. The vet noticed and started him with a grade 2 lameness on his score card but was not worried. Marie vetted in just fine. Margaret and I settled them both back into their stalls. I had Janet set up a stall next to Louie for Susie's horse. When Susie arrived, she did manage to get her rig parked next to mine with a bit of cautious advise on driving in the soft wet arena sand.
Vet judge Peg Sheivly, Ride managers Louise Lester and Janet Brunjes, ride secretary Jane Graffam
When Susie was was done getting Spark settled into his stall, we were told the judges had gone down to Tut's for supper. We decided to go to supper also. If we waited for the judges to come back, it would be getting kind of late to eat. It was a little after 6:30 pm when we got to Tut's and we found out that the riders meeting was at 7:00 pm. Usually the riders meeting for this ride is held in the morning. Susie was very anxious about missing the riders meeting and was going to take her supper to go. I was not really worried as I knew we could get the information from someone when we got back to camp. Susie did stay and eat with us though she worried.
When we did get back to camp, the riders meeting was just over but I did get the map and directions we might need from Bill and Stephanie Rice. We took the horses and mule out to let them walk and graze and get in a good roll in the arena sand. Louie was still very calm and very interested in all that was going on. I was so happy to see he was not nervous or worried about anything. He was like a kid at his first slumber party. Once we settled the horses and mule back into their stalls for the night, I packed my hold bag and we all headed for bed. Scattered thundershowers had been predicted. We didn't get any where we were but we got a very impressive light light show from storms circling all around us.
I woke up quite a few times during the night. It was still hot when we went to bed but at one point I woke up chilly and had to pull a blanket over me. I was up by 5:30 am. Ride time was 7:00 am. I fed Louie and Marie and Louie still seemed very calm and happy. I then went to get breakfast that was provided by the ride. I was a bit early so sat and had coffee and visited with other early risers until breakfast was ready. Breakfast was French toast with strawberries and bacon. It was much cooler this morning and overcast. It was still slightly humid but a pretty good riding day for the equines.
Waiting to start Barbara on Marie, Susie on Spark setting her watch and Cindy on Louie
And We're OFF! Susie on Spark, Cindy on Louie and Barbara on Marie
We brought Louie, Marie and Spark to the trailers to tack them up. We didn't want to lug all our gear up to the barn. Louie was on high alert and did paw a bit when tied to the trailer if I walked away from him. But, when I mounted up, he stood still and was very good. We walked around for a little to warm them up. Louie was still alert but calm. And then we were called to start and we were off. We had started on Louie's first official CTR!!! Louie was quite excited and was trotting fast. I needed to rate him back this time because this would be the longest ride he's ever done but he didn't know this. Susie was struggling to hold back her horse Spark to a pace I thought was good for Louie. Susie has been having trouble with her hip and knees and I hated to see her struggling with her horse that was causing her pain just to stay with me. So, after a few miles, I told Susie to just go ahead of Barbara and I and she did. This was a good decision for everyone though Marie got very upset at first. She hates it when her "herd" splits up. She pulled Barbara for 15 or 20 minutes but then resigned herself to her fate and settled down. Louie too wanted to keep up with Susie and Spark but didn't pull or fuss and allowed me to rate him back.
Cindy on Louie out on trail
Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Louie out on trail
Because of all the rain the woods trails usually used for this ride were very muddy. So, the ride was kept to dirt roads and some tar roads. No one minded as none of us wanted to slop through mud. We got to the hold in very good time. This was Louie's very first experience with a hold. He did great. There is SOOOOOO much confusion at a hold and though Louie did get a bit anxious about keeping glued to Marie, he didn't loose his head. We took the full 10 minutes allowed to call for P&R. Marie needs the time as she is heavy muscled horse and pulses down slow. Louie's pulse was 44, Marie just squeaked in at 64. Louie ate the beet pulp slurry offered. He didn't drink anything. Neither did Marie. Louie didn't want to trot away from Marie for the vetting but thought about dragging me when going towards her! Louie did make an attempt to roll with his saddle on that I loudly and vigorously discouraged. We were a bit late leaving the hold but still were doing well on time.
At the 20 minute hold feeding while waiting in vetting line
Louie was wonderful on the 2nd half of the ride. He was now doing more miles and moving faster then he ever had in his life. He did get to the point were he didn't want to do so much fast trotting but was more then happy to canter and was still eager to go. I did not argue with him. He knew what was most comfortable for him and so we cantered a lot of the 2nd half of the ride. About 4 miles from the finish Marie suddenly put her nose to the ground and started sniffing. She then went into power walk mode. She never walks fast so we wondered what had gotten into her. She then started nickering and withing a few minutes we saw Susie and Spark up ahead! So that is what she was so excited about. We caught up with Susie so we were able to finish the ride together which was nice.
Barbara on Marie, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark about 4 miles from finish
Janet Brunjes, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark
Cindy on Louie
Barbara on Marie
We finished 10 minutes too fast so we stopped in a field just outside of camp and let the equines graze. Then we crossed the finish line right on time at 5 hrs. Louie was still bright and eager. We took them straight to our trailer to untack. We then took them right up to the barn to sponge them off and wait our 20 minutes for our final P&R's. Marie and Louie both pulsed at 48. Normal for Marie. I expected Louie to be a bit lower but it was not high enough to worry about. We then went for our trot out. Louie put on quite a show. He decided to do a "canter out" with a few bucks thrown in! Vet's said maybe he needed to do another 30 miles. Silly mule. AND, so far there is no indication that Louie's tack is not fitting well. Marie looked just a little off on her final trot on the circles. Once done with vetting, we settled them into their stalls with lots of hay and water to wait for the hands on part of the vetting. I gave them both some more wet beet pulp. Marie was happy to have it but Louie turned up his nose and didn't want it. But he did FINALLY drink some water! We went down to the snack shack for some lunch. We weren't quite done eating when they called the 30 mile riders for the hands on so we huffed down our lunch and hurried to get our equines. Louie stood nicely for the hands on. When the judges were done, I asked him to thank the judges and he did a lovely bow. They got such a kick out of that. We were done!!! And I knew both Louie and Marie had gotten a completion!! The vet commented that she thought Louie looked great for his first CTR and hardest ride he'd ever done. What a great feeling to have both my "kids" finish this ride after all I'd been through with injuries with them last year!!! I felt like a winner no matter what our final placing turned out to be. We packed up what we could and then hung out and visited with friends while waiting for awards. We checked on Louie and Marie several times while waiting. Marie snoozed. Louie was relaxed, munching hay and looked very good.
Coming into the finish, Susie on Spark, Cindy on Louie and Barbara on Marie
Susie on Spark, Cindy on Little Louie and Barbara on Marie
Cindy on Little Louie
Barbara on Marie
Susie on Spark
Cindy on Little Louie
Marie placed last with a score of 89.5. Louie tied for 2nd with a score of 98. They broke the tie in favor of the other rider so we were officially 3rd place. I was so pleased with Louie's score. He finished 100% sound. He lost 1/2 point for a scrape on his face, 1/2 point for slight filling in 2 of his legs and 1 point for his final pulse. The on trail comments on his score card were "calm and cool" and "forward and willing". And that was exactly so. Louie was very willing the whole ride and seemed very happy the whole way. I could not have been more pleased with how he did. Once again I underestimated my little brown mule.
Waiting a few minutes to cross the finish line as we were a little early
Barbara on Marie, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark
It was a slightly crazy week at work so I did not get very much sleep the day before heading to the ride. So, I decided not to go up first thing in the morning and opted for sleeping instead. I got up just a little bit before noon time, quickly packed and headed out around 2:00 pm. My friend Barbara was riding Marie in the competition but was not able to get the day off work. So, she was riding up to Waterford with Susie who also had to work.
It was a hot day in the high 80's and quite humid. Blah! When I arrived at the Waterford fairgrounds I checked in with the ride manager, Janet Brunjes, on where to park. We have had a LOT of rain this spring so the grounds were wet and parking was limited. Janet told me I could try parking in the pulling arena. One trailer was
already in there and he warned me the sand was softer then it looked. He was right, I did get temporarily stuck when trying to back into where I wanted to be. I unloaded Louie and Marie and a couple kind ladies offered to hold them while I worked on getting my rig out. I did get it out and eventually parked though not quite where I originally planned. Once I was parked, I then got Louie and Marie settled into stalls. The stalls are in cattle barns. They are open sided with quite low walls. This was only Louie's second camp out in his life. So, I was sure hoping he would be a good boy as he could easily jump out of that stall. I really didn't think he would try to go anywhere without Marie though. Louie seemed fine. He was alert and very curious but calm. Marie was the perfect babysitter for Louie as she's done this so many s. I settled them both in with full hay bags and water and both seemed content.
My friend Margaret was coming up to work the ride. She had asked if she could bunk with me in my trailer. I had not seen her all winter and was thrilled to have her company. I walked down to Melby's store/restaurant to get some drinks. When I got back, Margaret offered to help me get Louie and Marie vetted in so I wouldn't have to wait for Barbara and Susie to arrive. Louie was such a good boy. He remembered the vetting process from last weekend at the Acadia ride and was very calm about it. His trot out was pretty good though he did look a little bit.....uneven. Not lame in any one leg but just a slightly uneven stride. Hummmmmm. He did get new shoes the previous day. The farrier and I had decided to put a slightly rolled toe on him so maybe he was just getting used to the new shoes. The vet noticed and started him with a grade 2 lameness on his score card but was not worried. Marie vetted in just fine. Margaret and I settled them both back into their stalls. I had Janet set up a stall next to Louie for Susie's horse. When Susie arrived, she did manage to get her rig parked next to mine with a bit of cautious advise on driving in the soft wet arena sand.
Vet judge Peg Sheivly, Ride managers Louise Lester and Janet Brunjes, ride secretary Jane Graffam
When Susie was was done getting Spark settled into his stall, we were told the judges had gone down to Tut's for supper. We decided to go to supper also. If we waited for the judges to come back, it would be getting kind of late to eat. It was a little after 6:30 pm when we got to Tut's and we found out that the riders meeting was at 7:00 pm. Usually the riders meeting for this ride is held in the morning. Susie was very anxious about missing the riders meeting and was going to take her supper to go. I was not really worried as I knew we could get the information from someone when we got back to camp. Susie did stay and eat with us though she worried.
When we did get back to camp, the riders meeting was just over but I did get the map and directions we might need from Bill and Stephanie Rice. We took the horses and mule out to let them walk and graze and get in a good roll in the arena sand. Louie was still very calm and very interested in all that was going on. I was so happy to see he was not nervous or worried about anything. He was like a kid at his first slumber party. Once we settled the horses and mule back into their stalls for the night, I packed my hold bag and we all headed for bed. Scattered thundershowers had been predicted. We didn't get any where we were but we got a very impressive light light show from storms circling all around us.
I woke up quite a few times during the night. It was still hot when we went to bed but at one point I woke up chilly and had to pull a blanket over me. I was up by 5:30 am. Ride time was 7:00 am. I fed Louie and Marie and Louie still seemed very calm and happy. I then went to get breakfast that was provided by the ride. I was a bit early so sat and had coffee and visited with other early risers until breakfast was ready. Breakfast was French toast with strawberries and bacon. It was much cooler this morning and overcast. It was still slightly humid but a pretty good riding day for the equines.
Waiting to start Barbara on Marie, Susie on Spark setting her watch and Cindy on Louie
And We're OFF! Susie on Spark, Cindy on Louie and Barbara on Marie
We brought Louie, Marie and Spark to the trailers to tack them up. We didn't want to lug all our gear up to the barn. Louie was on high alert and did paw a bit when tied to the trailer if I walked away from him. But, when I mounted up, he stood still and was very good. We walked around for a little to warm them up. Louie was still alert but calm. And then we were called to start and we were off. We had started on Louie's first official CTR!!! Louie was quite excited and was trotting fast. I needed to rate him back this time because this would be the longest ride he's ever done but he didn't know this. Susie was struggling to hold back her horse Spark to a pace I thought was good for Louie. Susie has been having trouble with her hip and knees and I hated to see her struggling with her horse that was causing her pain just to stay with me. So, after a few miles, I told Susie to just go ahead of Barbara and I and she did. This was a good decision for everyone though Marie got very upset at first. She hates it when her "herd" splits up. She pulled Barbara for 15 or 20 minutes but then resigned herself to her fate and settled down. Louie too wanted to keep up with Susie and Spark but didn't pull or fuss and allowed me to rate him back.
Cindy on Louie out on trail
Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Louie out on trail
Because of all the rain the woods trails usually used for this ride were very muddy. So, the ride was kept to dirt roads and some tar roads. No one minded as none of us wanted to slop through mud. We got to the hold in very good time. This was Louie's very first experience with a hold. He did great. There is SOOOOOO much confusion at a hold and though Louie did get a bit anxious about keeping glued to Marie, he didn't loose his head. We took the full 10 minutes allowed to call for P&R. Marie needs the time as she is heavy muscled horse and pulses down slow. Louie's pulse was 44, Marie just squeaked in at 64. Louie ate the beet pulp slurry offered. He didn't drink anything. Neither did Marie. Louie didn't want to trot away from Marie for the vetting but thought about dragging me when going towards her! Louie did make an attempt to roll with his saddle on that I loudly and vigorously discouraged. We were a bit late leaving the hold but still were doing well on time.
At the 20 minute hold feeding while waiting in vetting line
Louie was wonderful on the 2nd half of the ride. He was now doing more miles and moving faster then he ever had in his life. He did get to the point were he didn't want to do so much fast trotting but was more then happy to canter and was still eager to go. I did not argue with him. He knew what was most comfortable for him and so we cantered a lot of the 2nd half of the ride. About 4 miles from the finish Marie suddenly put her nose to the ground and started sniffing. She then went into power walk mode. She never walks fast so we wondered what had gotten into her. She then started nickering and withing a few minutes we saw Susie and Spark up ahead! So that is what she was so excited about. We caught up with Susie so we were able to finish the ride together which was nice.
Barbara on Marie, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark about 4 miles from finish
Janet Brunjes, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark
Cindy on Louie
Barbara on Marie
We finished 10 minutes too fast so we stopped in a field just outside of camp and let the equines graze. Then we crossed the finish line right on time at 5 hrs. Louie was still bright and eager. We took them straight to our trailer to untack. We then took them right up to the barn to sponge them off and wait our 20 minutes for our final P&R's. Marie and Louie both pulsed at 48. Normal for Marie. I expected Louie to be a bit lower but it was not high enough to worry about. We then went for our trot out. Louie put on quite a show. He decided to do a "canter out" with a few bucks thrown in! Vet's said maybe he needed to do another 30 miles. Silly mule. AND, so far there is no indication that Louie's tack is not fitting well. Marie looked just a little off on her final trot on the circles. Once done with vetting, we settled them into their stalls with lots of hay and water to wait for the hands on part of the vetting. I gave them both some more wet beet pulp. Marie was happy to have it but Louie turned up his nose and didn't want it. But he did FINALLY drink some water! We went down to the snack shack for some lunch. We weren't quite done eating when they called the 30 mile riders for the hands on so we huffed down our lunch and hurried to get our equines. Louie stood nicely for the hands on. When the judges were done, I asked him to thank the judges and he did a lovely bow. They got such a kick out of that. We were done!!! And I knew both Louie and Marie had gotten a completion!! The vet commented that she thought Louie looked great for his first CTR and hardest ride he'd ever done. What a great feeling to have both my "kids" finish this ride after all I'd been through with injuries with them last year!!! I felt like a winner no matter what our final placing turned out to be. We packed up what we could and then hung out and visited with friends while waiting for awards. We checked on Louie and Marie several times while waiting. Marie snoozed. Louie was relaxed, munching hay and looked very good.
Coming into the finish, Susie on Spark, Cindy on Louie and Barbara on Marie
Susie on Spark, Cindy on Little Louie and Barbara on Marie
Cindy on Little Louie
Barbara on Marie
Susie on Spark
Cindy on Little Louie
Marie placed last with a score of 89.5. Louie tied for 2nd with a score of 98. They broke the tie in favor of the other rider so we were officially 3rd place. I was so pleased with Louie's score. He finished 100% sound. He lost 1/2 point for a scrape on his face, 1/2 point for slight filling in 2 of his legs and 1 point for his final pulse. The on trail comments on his score card were "calm and cool" and "forward and willing". And that was exactly so. Louie was very willing the whole ride and seemed very happy the whole way. I could not have been more pleased with how he did. Once again I underestimated my little brown mule.
Waiting a few minutes to cross the finish line as we were a little early
Barbara on Marie, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Getting Ready for CTR
I'm getting excited! Tomorrow I'll be headed off to the Crooked River CTR. This will be Louie's first "real" CTR as we are going to attempt the one day 30 mile distance. His last ride at Acadia was a conditioning distance ride so only counted for lifetime mileage, not towards any awards. I've done all I can to get him ready Now I guess we'll see....
My friend Barbara will be riding Marie in the 30 mile CTR also. My farrier, Scott, was out today and put new shoes on both Louie and Marie. Marie was at 6 weeks with her shoes so she was due. It's barely been 4 weeks for Louie but his feet have grown quite a lot and his shoes were quite worn. He's also been tripping occasionally in front since he's had shoes put on. He never did when he was barefoot. When I called Scott and told him I thought Louie would need new shoes, he was a bit skeptical. I was not going to be home when he came but I told him to do what he thought best and I trust him to do that. I did get home just as Scott was finishing up and getting ready to leave. He told me he was quite amazed at both the amount of growth Louie had on his feet and how worn his shoes were. So, Louie got new shoes all around. Scott put a slight rock on the toe to see if this helped with the tripping. Louie has had a big hole in his left rear hoof from....... well I'm not totally sure what from but I suspect he got stepped on by my boarders mule when she had borium shoes on. The hole has been growing down the hoof wall and it's just a little off the the left of the front. The hole has now grown right to the bottom of the hoof wall and looks awful. It's quite a big hole. It doesn't seem to bother Louie at all. Scott put shoes with clips on the back thinking this would aid in keeping the shoe secure.
So, I guess Louie and I are as ready as we can be. It's been a long hard road to this day (biting nails......)
My friend Barbara will be riding Marie in the 30 mile CTR also. My farrier, Scott, was out today and put new shoes on both Louie and Marie. Marie was at 6 weeks with her shoes so she was due. It's barely been 4 weeks for Louie but his feet have grown quite a lot and his shoes were quite worn. He's also been tripping occasionally in front since he's had shoes put on. He never did when he was barefoot. When I called Scott and told him I thought Louie would need new shoes, he was a bit skeptical. I was not going to be home when he came but I told him to do what he thought best and I trust him to do that. I did get home just as Scott was finishing up and getting ready to leave. He told me he was quite amazed at both the amount of growth Louie had on his feet and how worn his shoes were. So, Louie got new shoes all around. Scott put a slight rock on the toe to see if this helped with the tripping. Louie has had a big hole in his left rear hoof from....... well I'm not totally sure what from but I suspect he got stepped on by my boarders mule when she had borium shoes on. The hole has been growing down the hoof wall and it's just a little off the the left of the front. The hole has now grown right to the bottom of the hoof wall and looks awful. It's quite a big hole. It doesn't seem to bother Louie at all. Scott put shoes with clips on the back thinking this would aid in keeping the shoe secure.
So, I guess Louie and I are as ready as we can be. It's been a long hard road to this day (biting nails......)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Riding with Tracy
Tracy's new mule Ellie Mae
Finally we have good weather!! Today is an absolutely lovely day. Sunny, in the 70's with low humidity, just perfect. Tracy and I had originally planned to ride yesterday. But, it was just a miserable, cloudy, foggy day so we rescheduled for today. Glad we did. Our plan was to meet at her place at 9:30 am. I did not work last night but was up by 6:00 am. I went out and fed, cleaned stalls and did a few other chores. I was not sure who I wanted to bring to ride. This being Tracy's first time on Ellie Mae, I though Marie might be the better choice as she is just so steady and experienced. I really wanted to take Louie so we could ride our mule together but I didn't want Louie, who is still figuring life out, to cause any problems for Tracy and Ellie Mae. Tracy was not anticipating any trouble with Ellie Mae and didn't care who I brought so I decided to ride Louie. After doing my chores I went in, had breakfast then sat in my recliner to check my email. Sitting in the recliner was a bad move. Next think I know I.... wake up..... look at the clock and see it is 8:50 am!!! AGH!!! I jumped up, made a quick cup of coffee, quickly dressed and rushed out. Louie loaded quickly and I left my house at about 9:15 am. Of course there was road work being done on my road to slow me down. Tracy is not that far from me so I was not too late. I think I pulled into her place at 9:40 or 9:45 am. I unloaded Louie and he was pretty quiet being tacked up.
Cindy on Louie and Tracy on Ellie Mae getting ready to ride
Today was the first time Tracy has ridden Ellie Mae. She fidgeted just a little about standing at the mounting block but not much and soon stood nicely for Tracy to mount. Tracy's husband took a few pictures of us before we headed out. After all, who knows what condition we'd be in upon returning.......Then we headed out with Louie in the lead. Right off we came across a road grader. Louie passed with no concern. Ellie gave it as wide a berth as she could but certainly made no fuss about it. GOOD MULES! We rode for a couple hours exploring some trails. Louie kept the lead for most of the ride as he is the faster walker. We kept mostly to a walk with just a little trotting. I didn't want to tire Louie out with his first 30 mile CTR coming up in a few days. All in all it was just a very fun and uneventful (in a good way) ride. We passed the grader a second time on the way back. Once again Louie did not care and Ellie just scooted forward a little. Once again, no big deal. Louie did have one moment when he got quite rattled over a dog on a cable runner. The cable runner was making a noise that frightened him as the dog ran back and forth. The dog's owner was in the yard and Tracy asked the owner if they would mind holding the dog so I could get by. They did and all was well.
When we got back, Louie wanted to stay with Ellie Mae and pawed a little while tied to the trailer. Before loading him in the trailer I had him bow for Tracy. Once again I underestimated Louie as he was as good as gold today. And Ellie Mae was great. She seems like a wonderful mule! It was a very nice ride on two very nice mules.
Louie bowing for Tracy
Finally we have good weather!! Today is an absolutely lovely day. Sunny, in the 70's with low humidity, just perfect. Tracy and I had originally planned to ride yesterday. But, it was just a miserable, cloudy, foggy day so we rescheduled for today. Glad we did. Our plan was to meet at her place at 9:30 am. I did not work last night but was up by 6:00 am. I went out and fed, cleaned stalls and did a few other chores. I was not sure who I wanted to bring to ride. This being Tracy's first time on Ellie Mae, I though Marie might be the better choice as she is just so steady and experienced. I really wanted to take Louie so we could ride our mule together but I didn't want Louie, who is still figuring life out, to cause any problems for Tracy and Ellie Mae. Tracy was not anticipating any trouble with Ellie Mae and didn't care who I brought so I decided to ride Louie. After doing my chores I went in, had breakfast then sat in my recliner to check my email. Sitting in the recliner was a bad move. Next think I know I.... wake up..... look at the clock and see it is 8:50 am!!! AGH!!! I jumped up, made a quick cup of coffee, quickly dressed and rushed out. Louie loaded quickly and I left my house at about 9:15 am. Of course there was road work being done on my road to slow me down. Tracy is not that far from me so I was not too late. I think I pulled into her place at 9:40 or 9:45 am. I unloaded Louie and he was pretty quiet being tacked up.
Cindy on Louie and Tracy on Ellie Mae getting ready to ride
Today was the first time Tracy has ridden Ellie Mae. She fidgeted just a little about standing at the mounting block but not much and soon stood nicely for Tracy to mount. Tracy's husband took a few pictures of us before we headed out. After all, who knows what condition we'd be in upon returning.......Then we headed out with Louie in the lead. Right off we came across a road grader. Louie passed with no concern. Ellie gave it as wide a berth as she could but certainly made no fuss about it. GOOD MULES! We rode for a couple hours exploring some trails. Louie kept the lead for most of the ride as he is the faster walker. We kept mostly to a walk with just a little trotting. I didn't want to tire Louie out with his first 30 mile CTR coming up in a few days. All in all it was just a very fun and uneventful (in a good way) ride. We passed the grader a second time on the way back. Once again Louie did not care and Ellie just scooted forward a little. Once again, no big deal. Louie did have one moment when he got quite rattled over a dog on a cable runner. The cable runner was making a noise that frightened him as the dog ran back and forth. The dog's owner was in the yard and Tracy asked the owner if they would mind holding the dog so I could get by. They did and all was well.
When we got back, Louie wanted to stay with Ellie Mae and pawed a little while tied to the trailer. Before loading him in the trailer I had him bow for Tracy. Once again I underestimated Louie as he was as good as gold today. And Ellie Mae was great. She seems like a wonderful mule! It was a very nice ride on two very nice mules.
Louie bowing for Tracy
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Morning After........
When I went out to feed this morning, Louie was hanging out by the hay feeder and didn't come right down to the gate to greet me. He usually does but not always so this was really nothing to worry about. Nor did he come right into the barn to get his grain. This too is not unusual as he is not nearly as food motivated as Marie. None the less, I went on high alert wondering if he is ok. He looks bright and alert. When he finally decided to come in to eat, he is moving slowly and I am now all worried that he is lame. I watch like a hawk. Nope, no signs of favoring any leg but now I worry that maybe he is sore, stiff, too tired from the ride.....worry, worry, worry........ I palpate his muscles and he shows no signs of irritation which he should if he is sore. You know, tail swishing, moving away or ear pinning. Nothing.........I had to go to work so I go and worry some more.
I only worked 4 hrs. but had a bunch of errands to run after work. When I finally got home I rushed right out to check on Louie. He was hanging out in the run in shed and when he saw me came right out to the gate to say hi. He looked ok. So, I decided to let him out on the pasture to graze. I can't let my mare on grass so it took a few minutes to get her away from the gate and Louie through it. But, when I did he went NUTS! He ran, and bucked, and jumped and ran and farted and did the big moose trot and ran a bit more.
HA! Poor tired sore mule my a$$ (pun intended)............... I have GOT to stop worrying about him so much!
I only worked 4 hrs. but had a bunch of errands to run after work. When I finally got home I rushed right out to check on Louie. He was hanging out in the run in shed and when he saw me came right out to the gate to say hi. He looked ok. So, I decided to let him out on the pasture to graze. I can't let my mare on grass so it took a few minutes to get her away from the gate and Louie through it. But, when I did he went NUTS! He ran, and bucked, and jumped and ran and farted and did the big moose trot and ran a bit more.
HA! Poor tired sore mule my a$$ (pun intended)............... I have GOT to stop worrying about him so much!
Acadia 15 mile CDR
Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Little Louie (Bubble Pond trail)
The moment had finally arrived! Louie did his first official ride today. My friend Barbara rode my horse Marie. Another friend Susie rode up with us to work the ride. We only did the 15 mile CDR (conditioning distance ride) and there are no awards for this distance. But, as both of Marie and Louie had injuries last year, I thought this would be a good distance for them both. The ride was at Acadia National Park which is a 2 1/2 hr. drive. Acadia is a lovely place right on the coast and the the trails are groomed carriage roads that were originally built by the Rockefeller's. It's such a beautiful and unique place to ride with beautiful stone work bridges and many sweeping views of the ocean.
The day was overcast and quite chilly. It had rained every day for a week so we just prayed it would stay dry today. We made good time and arrived at about 7:45 am. Our ride out time was 9:00 am so I was in no rush. But, we had no sooner unloaded Louie and Marie when we were urgently called to vet in. So,Susie grabbed a brush and we did a speed grooming. Meanwhile the 2 day 50 mile riders on their eager and excited horses were all milling around and just starting to be sent out on trail. This was a new atmosphere that Louie has never been exposed to. After our speed grooming, we rushed up to get them vetted in. There were 5 or 6 volunteers as well as vet and lay judge suddenly grouped around Louie he had a temporary mental overload. When the vet approached him Louie said "Nope, no one is touching me, no sireee!!!" This took me by surprise as Louie is dog gentle and loves people. But, we were rushing him and giving him no chance to process all this new stuff. The judges were great though and left him alone and vetted my horse first. When they came back to Louie, he'd gotten his head back together and was once again the sweet mule we all know and love.
Louie did a great trot out throwing in a couple bucks for good measure. On his score card he got the comment "playful". Marie vetted in fine. She is such an old pro at this I think she could vet herself in. After vetting in we had lots of time to finish grooming and saddle up. By the time I mounted up, there were few horses on the grounds and Louie was pretty calm. But boy oh boy did he hit the trail like a ball of fire! He was excited and very forward but well under control.
Just out of the stable we met up with Kyle Nielsen and Louise Townsend coming off the Day Mountain trail. Barbara and I settled in just behind them and we started out towards Bubble Pond. Kyle and Louise were setting a pretty quick pace and Louie was pretty determined to keep them in sight. We did the loop by Bubble Pond. The first water stop was where the trail crossed the Park Loop Road just before Eagle Lake. This was 3.1 miles out. Louie didn't want to drink. Marie only sipped little so we pushed right on. We then went around by Jordan Pond passing the landslide, onto the 7 bridges trail (that I love) and on down to Seal Harbor where the 2nd water stop was at about 10 miles. We had kept up a steady trot and canter and did this in 1 hour. And I was checking Louie back the whole time. Marie was fabulous and totally in "the zone". Barbara was holding her back also. Once again Louie didn't drink but Marie did. We were well ahead of our time and had to slow way down for the last 5 miles. Louie did slow down on his own and we trotted and cantered a couple more miles but on a loose rein.
The moment had finally arrived! Louie did his first official ride today. My friend Barbara rode my horse Marie. Another friend Susie rode up with us to work the ride. We only did the 15 mile CDR (conditioning distance ride) and there are no awards for this distance. But, as both of Marie and Louie had injuries last year, I thought this would be a good distance for them both. The ride was at Acadia National Park which is a 2 1/2 hr. drive. Acadia is a lovely place right on the coast and the the trails are groomed carriage roads that were originally built by the Rockefeller's. It's such a beautiful and unique place to ride with beautiful stone work bridges and many sweeping views of the ocean.
The day was overcast and quite chilly. It had rained every day for a week so we just prayed it would stay dry today. We made good time and arrived at about 7:45 am. Our ride out time was 9:00 am so I was in no rush. But, we had no sooner unloaded Louie and Marie when we were urgently called to vet in. So,Susie grabbed a brush and we did a speed grooming. Meanwhile the 2 day 50 mile riders on their eager and excited horses were all milling around and just starting to be sent out on trail. This was a new atmosphere that Louie has never been exposed to. After our speed grooming, we rushed up to get them vetted in. There were 5 or 6 volunteers as well as vet and lay judge suddenly grouped around Louie he had a temporary mental overload. When the vet approached him Louie said "Nope, no one is touching me, no sireee!!!" This took me by surprise as Louie is dog gentle and loves people. But, we were rushing him and giving him no chance to process all this new stuff. The judges were great though and left him alone and vetted my horse first. When they came back to Louie, he'd gotten his head back together and was once again the sweet mule we all know and love.
Louie did a great trot out throwing in a couple bucks for good measure. On his score card he got the comment "playful". Marie vetted in fine. She is such an old pro at this I think she could vet herself in. After vetting in we had lots of time to finish grooming and saddle up. By the time I mounted up, there were few horses on the grounds and Louie was pretty calm. But boy oh boy did he hit the trail like a ball of fire! He was excited and very forward but well under control.
Just out of the stable we met up with Kyle Nielsen and Louise Townsend coming off the Day Mountain trail. Barbara and I settled in just behind them and we started out towards Bubble Pond. Kyle and Louise were setting a pretty quick pace and Louie was pretty determined to keep them in sight. We did the loop by Bubble Pond. The first water stop was where the trail crossed the Park Loop Road just before Eagle Lake. This was 3.1 miles out. Louie didn't want to drink. Marie only sipped little so we pushed right on. We then went around by Jordan Pond passing the landslide, onto the 7 bridges trail (that I love) and on down to Seal Harbor where the 2nd water stop was at about 10 miles. We had kept up a steady trot and canter and did this in 1 hour. And I was checking Louie back the whole time. Marie was fabulous and totally in "the zone". Barbara was holding her back also. Once again Louie didn't drink but Marie did. We were well ahead of our time and had to slow way down for the last 5 miles. Louie did slow down on his own and we trotted and cantered a couple more miles but on a loose rein.
Cindy on Little Louie (Bubble Pond trail)
Barbara on Marie (Bubble Pond trail)
Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Little Louie (Bubble Pond trail)
There were bikers, hikers and carriages on trail and I was very pleased to find that Louie wasn't the least bothered by them. He did spook at a couple ROCKS....... but nothing to speak of. We had to slow down to a walk for the last few miles and we still came in too early. We waited on trail by the barn letting Marie and Louie graze for 10 minutes. I thought we were then good on our time but as we approached the finish line, the timer was yelling at us we were still 20 minutes early sent us back out. So, we went back up by the barn and let Marie and Louie graze for another 20 minutes so we wouldn't be disqualified. Though there were no awards for the 15 mile distance, the miles do count towards life time mileage and I wanted to get that for sure.
There were bikers, hikers and carriages on trail and I was very pleased to find that Louie wasn't the least bothered by them. He did spook at a couple ROCKS....... but nothing to speak of. We had to slow down to a walk for the last few miles and we still came in too early. We waited on trail by the barn letting Marie and Louie graze for 10 minutes. I thought we were then good on our time but as we approached the finish line, the timer was yelling at us we were still 20 minutes early sent us back out. So, we went back up by the barn and let Marie and Louie graze for another 20 minutes so we wouldn't be disqualified. Though there were no awards for the 15 mile distance, the miles do count towards life time mileage and I wanted to get that for sure.
Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Little Louie (Seal Harbor)
Little Louie (Seal Harbor trail)
Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Louie (Seven Bridges trail)
When it was time, we joyfully crossed the finish line. We went to the trailer to wait for our final P&R. Marie had a big drink at this time. Louie only sipped a little but was quite and relaxed yet still bright eyed and looked good. Louie's final P&R was 34/12 and Marie was 44/8. We had a little short wait for hand on and final trot out. When we went up for our hands on, Louie was more then happy this time to "play" with the judges. He was schmoozing with them shamelessly. At the final trot out he was reluctant to trot away from Maire and when I got after him to go he threw in a little attitude buck in protest and was a little silly about his circles. But still trotted quite well....silly mule.
We decided to stay for the awards so we could hang out for a while and visit with friends. We tied up Marie and Louie at the trailer with hay and water and we had our lunch. There were some wonderful soups, sandwiches and home made deserts. After eating we walked Louie and Marie letting them graze. I led Louie up to the lay judge and told him to thank the judge for being so nice and cued him to bow. I didn't know if he would do this in public with so many distractions. But, much to my delight he did a beautiful bow. The lay judge had to call the vet over and Louie bowed for her also. They got such a kick out of that and had to see Louie bow several more times. Louie was a wonderful mule ambassador today. Marie was amazing too for a 20 year old girl. They were both ready for more miles and I was so pleased with how they both did. We did get score sheets though there weren't awards for the 15 mile CDR. Louie had a perfect score. Most important to me is he started with a "0" for lameness and ended with a "0"!!! Yeeehaaaaa!! His on trail comments were, "bright and eager", and "Interested and watching but quiet and alert". And he finally took a pretty good drink before we headed home. Marie's score was 98. We headed right out after the awards. It was a great day and so nice to see riding friends not seen all winter.
Barbara with Marie at the final vetting
When it was time, we joyfully crossed the finish line. We went to the trailer to wait for our final P&R. Marie had a big drink at this time. Louie only sipped a little but was quite and relaxed yet still bright eyed and looked good. Louie's final P&R was 34/12 and Marie was 44/8. We had a little short wait for hand on and final trot out. When we went up for our hands on, Louie was more then happy this time to "play" with the judges. He was schmoozing with them shamelessly. At the final trot out he was reluctant to trot away from Maire and when I got after him to go he threw in a little attitude buck in protest and was a little silly about his circles. But still trotted quite well....silly mule.
We decided to stay for the awards so we could hang out for a while and visit with friends. We tied up Marie and Louie at the trailer with hay and water and we had our lunch. There were some wonderful soups, sandwiches and home made deserts. After eating we walked Louie and Marie letting them graze. I led Louie up to the lay judge and told him to thank the judge for being so nice and cued him to bow. I didn't know if he would do this in public with so many distractions. But, much to my delight he did a beautiful bow. The lay judge had to call the vet over and Louie bowed for her also. They got such a kick out of that and had to see Louie bow several more times. Louie was a wonderful mule ambassador today. Marie was amazing too for a 20 year old girl. They were both ready for more miles and I was so pleased with how they both did. We did get score sheets though there weren't awards for the 15 mile CDR. Louie had a perfect score. Most important to me is he started with a "0" for lameness and ended with a "0"!!! Yeeehaaaaa!! His on trail comments were, "bright and eager", and "Interested and watching but quiet and alert". And he finally took a pretty good drink before we headed home. Marie's score was 98. We headed right out after the awards. It was a great day and so nice to see riding friends not seen all winter.
Barbara with Marie at the final vetting
Cindy and Little Louie waiting for final vetting
Cindy and Little Louie doing the final trot out
Little Louie schmoozing with the vet at the final vetting
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Showing off for Bonnie
It rained Sunday, and it rained Monday, and it rained Tuesday and it rained today and it is going to rain tomorrow!! AGH! Enough already! Sigh
My friend Bonnie came over this afternoon. I had gone outside to groom Louie and Marie just before she arrived. Louie was feeling a bit fractious today. Not in a bad mood sort of way though. He was feeling quite full of himself actually. I was just grooming them out in the paddock loose and Louie was just barely tolerating this. He doesn't mind being groomed, he just didn't want to stand still, he wanted to do something. So, when Bonnie showed up, that was the end of it, he was looking for some action and to heck with getting groomed. I did walk him down and finish the grooming which he finally submitted to standing for. I didn't linger about this task. I put Louie through his paces today for Bonnie's entertainment. I started with having Marie bow. She is so close to doing it on her own now without physical assistance from me. She starts out good with lifting her foot but at the last minute will throw the lifted foot out in front of her with the other and bow her head between her legs that way. Looks funny! So, I still have to hold her lifted leg in the correct position but with very little pressure on the hold. I had thrown the rope bone in the feeder and Louie and picked it out of there and was working his way around to get my attention and give me the bone. But then he decided to offer it to Bonnie instead. I tossed the rope bone nearly into the barn and went back to working with Marie. I had dropped a whip over by the bridge. Louie went to get the rope bone, saw the whip and went over and sniffed that and considered picking that up instead. After a moments though, he decided on fetching the rope bone after all and brought that back to me.
I then had Louie do a few bows which he did very nicely. Then I asked him to come over to the overturned water tub to step up on. He was having nothing to do with that today. He ran off bucking and jumping. Marie came right over and she stepped up for me nicely. Usually that will bring Louie right over in an instant. He hates to see Marie getting all the attention. He stopped running around to watch but he did not offer to come over. I went into the barn and got his halter. Louie started to walk off but I tossed it out and asked him to fetch it and he did. I put his halter on him and then he went to the water tub with me. I did not have a lead rope on him but just putting on his halter was enough for him to submit to what I wanted him to do. He first bypassed the tub and stepped up on the bridge even though he knew I wanted him to step up on the tub. So, I went with that at first. I had him then put all four feet on the bridge and stop then off. Then back to the tub. He came over and stepped up for me finally. Good boy! He picked up my whip for me and then we finished off with a few more bows.
I then quickly poop scooped the run-in while Louie soaked up some loving from Bonnie. He is SUCH a love bug. Bonnie commented on how good he is looking now. He has really filled out and grown into himself nicely.
My friend Bonnie came over this afternoon. I had gone outside to groom Louie and Marie just before she arrived. Louie was feeling a bit fractious today. Not in a bad mood sort of way though. He was feeling quite full of himself actually. I was just grooming them out in the paddock loose and Louie was just barely tolerating this. He doesn't mind being groomed, he just didn't want to stand still, he wanted to do something. So, when Bonnie showed up, that was the end of it, he was looking for some action and to heck with getting groomed. I did walk him down and finish the grooming which he finally submitted to standing for. I didn't linger about this task. I put Louie through his paces today for Bonnie's entertainment. I started with having Marie bow. She is so close to doing it on her own now without physical assistance from me. She starts out good with lifting her foot but at the last minute will throw the lifted foot out in front of her with the other and bow her head between her legs that way. Looks funny! So, I still have to hold her lifted leg in the correct position but with very little pressure on the hold. I had thrown the rope bone in the feeder and Louie and picked it out of there and was working his way around to get my attention and give me the bone. But then he decided to offer it to Bonnie instead. I tossed the rope bone nearly into the barn and went back to working with Marie. I had dropped a whip over by the bridge. Louie went to get the rope bone, saw the whip and went over and sniffed that and considered picking that up instead. After a moments though, he decided on fetching the rope bone after all and brought that back to me.
I then had Louie do a few bows which he did very nicely. Then I asked him to come over to the overturned water tub to step up on. He was having nothing to do with that today. He ran off bucking and jumping. Marie came right over and she stepped up for me nicely. Usually that will bring Louie right over in an instant. He hates to see Marie getting all the attention. He stopped running around to watch but he did not offer to come over. I went into the barn and got his halter. Louie started to walk off but I tossed it out and asked him to fetch it and he did. I put his halter on him and then he went to the water tub with me. I did not have a lead rope on him but just putting on his halter was enough for him to submit to what I wanted him to do. He first bypassed the tub and stepped up on the bridge even though he knew I wanted him to step up on the tub. So, I went with that at first. I had him then put all four feet on the bridge and stop then off. Then back to the tub. He came over and stepped up for me finally. Good boy! He picked up my whip for me and then we finished off with a few more bows.
I then quickly poop scooped the run-in while Louie soaked up some loving from Bonnie. He is SUCH a love bug. Bonnie commented on how good he is looking now. He has really filled out and grown into himself nicely.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Ride to Litchfield Fairgrounds
Today both Barbara and I had things to do so we decided to ride right from my house instead of trailering out. Fred, Madison and I went down first thing in the morning to see my dad. He looked so much better today. He was awake when we arrived and looked rested and like himself. It was such a relief to see him feeling better. He will be in the hospital a few more days.
Barbara and I headed out just after 11:00 am. I decided to try riding to the Litchfield Fairgrounds. The trail had been blocked quite a few years ago but I'd noticed this winter the snowmobiles had been going through so figured the trail had been cleared. We headed out and after a while, I realized I had taken a wrong trail. It was ok though, we were going in the right direction. We would just have to ride a little bit on tar road to get the trail I was looking for. Louie was in the lead today and was going very nicely. We easily found the trail to the fairgrounds. The start of it was lovely. But, we came to a snowmobile bridge that was not safe for a horse to cross. It was over a swampy area and we could not go down around the bridge. Off a little side trail was a second older bridge. I dismounted and walked down to look this bridge over. I was leaning slightly to the left but was wide, had good support under it and very thick slab planks as decking. It was solid. But, the approach onto the bridge was not good and the spacing between some of the planks was too far apart to be safe. DARN!!!! There was not way to get around on the left side of the bridge but the right side looked possible. the stream was narrow enough here for me to easily hop over. It was muddy looking on both sides but was holding me up fine. I know they equines wouldn't like it but thought they could cross. I tied up Louie and had Barbara lead Marie to the stream. I was on the other side and had her hand me Marie's reins. I encouraged Marie from the front and Barbara encouraged from behind. Marie did NOT like the look of it but after a few minutes, she made the leap. And I was quickly wishing she hadn't. When she hit the far side the mud did not hold up 1000 lbs of leaping horse and she sunk in pretty far with her back legs. She kept moving though and managed to scramble out but it was scary for a moment. Once out I looked her over and she seemed to be fine.
Now we had one equine on each side and I did not want to ask Marie to cross back over. I was pretty sure I'd have a very had time trying to get Louie to cross and didn't really want to anyway. What to do....... I started looking around and noticed there were some solid planks laying around I gathered them up and laid they over the gaps in the planks on the bridge. When that looked pretty good, there was just the problem of the approach onto the bridge. This was made up of boards that were spaced far to wide for mule feet and I could not do anything about it. So, I decided to see if I could lead Louie up along the side of the bridge and get him to jump up on over the side. It was not too high to be unsafe at about 2 feet if he was willing. So, I untied him, led him up along the side, hopped up myself. He hopped up behind me without a second thought and walking nice and easy across the bridge! GOOD MULE!
The rest of the trail was fine. A few muddy spots but nothing that was too bad. I took a few wrong turns but always got back to the right trail. Thankfully Barbara is such a good sport and is always up for an adventure. It was sprinkling very lightly on an off while we rode but that was all it did. We did not want to go back home the same way as we did not want to cross the bridge again. So, we rode home by way of the Black Crow Bakery and then back onto the trails from Rt. 197. Louie was wonderful today but when Marie passed me one time at the trot, I had a brief repeat of yesterday's lack of whoa. Apparently he is getting a little competitive with the faster speeds I've been riding and he want's to stay in the lead. I'll have to work on this and nip it in the bud. I love that Louie is turning out to be forward and eager to go but it's got to stay under control. We had a great ride.
Barbara and I headed out just after 11:00 am. I decided to try riding to the Litchfield Fairgrounds. The trail had been blocked quite a few years ago but I'd noticed this winter the snowmobiles had been going through so figured the trail had been cleared. We headed out and after a while, I realized I had taken a wrong trail. It was ok though, we were going in the right direction. We would just have to ride a little bit on tar road to get the trail I was looking for. Louie was in the lead today and was going very nicely. We easily found the trail to the fairgrounds. The start of it was lovely. But, we came to a snowmobile bridge that was not safe for a horse to cross. It was over a swampy area and we could not go down around the bridge. Off a little side trail was a second older bridge. I dismounted and walked down to look this bridge over. I was leaning slightly to the left but was wide, had good support under it and very thick slab planks as decking. It was solid. But, the approach onto the bridge was not good and the spacing between some of the planks was too far apart to be safe. DARN!!!! There was not way to get around on the left side of the bridge but the right side looked possible. the stream was narrow enough here for me to easily hop over. It was muddy looking on both sides but was holding me up fine. I know they equines wouldn't like it but thought they could cross. I tied up Louie and had Barbara lead Marie to the stream. I was on the other side and had her hand me Marie's reins. I encouraged Marie from the front and Barbara encouraged from behind. Marie did NOT like the look of it but after a few minutes, she made the leap. And I was quickly wishing she hadn't. When she hit the far side the mud did not hold up 1000 lbs of leaping horse and she sunk in pretty far with her back legs. She kept moving though and managed to scramble out but it was scary for a moment. Once out I looked her over and she seemed to be fine.
Now we had one equine on each side and I did not want to ask Marie to cross back over. I was pretty sure I'd have a very had time trying to get Louie to cross and didn't really want to anyway. What to do....... I started looking around and noticed there were some solid planks laying around I gathered them up and laid they over the gaps in the planks on the bridge. When that looked pretty good, there was just the problem of the approach onto the bridge. This was made up of boards that were spaced far to wide for mule feet and I could not do anything about it. So, I decided to see if I could lead Louie up along the side of the bridge and get him to jump up on over the side. It was not too high to be unsafe at about 2 feet if he was willing. So, I untied him, led him up along the side, hopped up myself. He hopped up behind me without a second thought and walking nice and easy across the bridge! GOOD MULE!
The rest of the trail was fine. A few muddy spots but nothing that was too bad. I took a few wrong turns but always got back to the right trail. Thankfully Barbara is such a good sport and is always up for an adventure. It was sprinkling very lightly on an off while we rode but that was all it did. We did not want to go back home the same way as we did not want to cross the bridge again. So, we rode home by way of the Black Crow Bakery and then back onto the trails from Rt. 197. Louie was wonderful today but when Marie passed me one time at the trot, I had a brief repeat of yesterday's lack of whoa. Apparently he is getting a little competitive with the faster speeds I've been riding and he want's to stay in the lead. I'll have to work on this and nip it in the bud. I love that Louie is turning out to be forward and eager to go but it's got to stay under control. We had a great ride.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Ride with Amy and Judy
Cindy on Louie enjoying the blackflies
Wile at work Thursday night, I checked the weather forecast and it was looking pretty gloomy for quite a long spell. Ran predicted from Saturday afternoon to the following Saturday! ACK! But, Friday was looking lovely so I wanted to get out for a decent ride. I emailed Amy Beem to see if she could go riding.
Judy on Lily
Amy on Washburn
It turned out she could ride and I headed up to her place around 9:00 am. It's just a little over an hour drive to Amy's. When I got there, she loaded her horse, Washburn, into my trailer. Washburn is an 8 year old Morgan gelding. We went over to her friend Judy's house which is not far from Amy. Judy has a real nice 7 year old Morgan mare named Lily. The blackflies were HORRIBLE! I did not put Louie's fly mask on him as I thought once we got moving the blackflies would not be a problem. But, I did have Amy put his mask in her saddle bag just in case I decided I did need it. And it was a good thing I did take it as I did end up putting it on him. It was a warm day. Sunny and in the 70's. Louie got quite sweaty today as he still has a lot of winter hair. The first part of the ride was on the tar road to get to the trails. No problem as all are good on the road. Though for some reason Louie was really fired up. Once we got out on the trails Louie settled down a bit but he was traveling strong, in a good way. At one point on a dirt road, he even stretched his legs out into a nice extended trot. I didn't think he was capable of that. We came upon a couple cows near the trail at one point and Washburn did and extremely impressive 180 spin. Amy managed to stick with him. I'm pretty sure I'd have hit the deck. Louie just did a little dance in place. He was not concerned about the cows but was wondering what Washburn spooked at. While out on the trail, I got a phone call from my sister-in-law to let me know that my dad had been admitted into the hospital. He has pneumonia. On the way back when we were on the road once again, Louie got really fired up again and I was feeling like I didn't any whoa. I was able to keep him in a trot but just barely. He is getting fit now. And that is great but I did not like him pulling on me and this is something new for him. Nonetheless, it was a fun ride in great company.
I dropped Amy off at her house, then as soon as I got home, I headed to the hospital to see my dad. He sure was not feeling well and looked exhausted.
Wile at work Thursday night, I checked the weather forecast and it was looking pretty gloomy for quite a long spell. Ran predicted from Saturday afternoon to the following Saturday! ACK! But, Friday was looking lovely so I wanted to get out for a decent ride. I emailed Amy Beem to see if she could go riding.
Judy on Lily
Amy on Washburn
It turned out she could ride and I headed up to her place around 9:00 am. It's just a little over an hour drive to Amy's. When I got there, she loaded her horse, Washburn, into my trailer. Washburn is an 8 year old Morgan gelding. We went over to her friend Judy's house which is not far from Amy. Judy has a real nice 7 year old Morgan mare named Lily. The blackflies were HORRIBLE! I did not put Louie's fly mask on him as I thought once we got moving the blackflies would not be a problem. But, I did have Amy put his mask in her saddle bag just in case I decided I did need it. And it was a good thing I did take it as I did end up putting it on him. It was a warm day. Sunny and in the 70's. Louie got quite sweaty today as he still has a lot of winter hair. The first part of the ride was on the tar road to get to the trails. No problem as all are good on the road. Though for some reason Louie was really fired up. Once we got out on the trails Louie settled down a bit but he was traveling strong, in a good way. At one point on a dirt road, he even stretched his legs out into a nice extended trot. I didn't think he was capable of that. We came upon a couple cows near the trail at one point and Washburn did and extremely impressive 180 spin. Amy managed to stick with him. I'm pretty sure I'd have hit the deck. Louie just did a little dance in place. He was not concerned about the cows but was wondering what Washburn spooked at. While out on the trail, I got a phone call from my sister-in-law to let me know that my dad had been admitted into the hospital. He has pneumonia. On the way back when we were on the road once again, Louie got really fired up again and I was feeling like I didn't any whoa. I was able to keep him in a trot but just barely. He is getting fit now. And that is great but I did not like him pulling on me and this is something new for him. Nonetheless, it was a fun ride in great company.
I dropped Amy off at her house, then as soon as I got home, I headed to the hospital to see my dad. He sure was not feeling well and looked exhausted.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
My Mule is too Smart for Me
Louie has become a trick training junkie as have I thanks to the MulesOnly trainers challenge. Anyway, this morning I went out to feed and spend my usual few minutes working with Louie and Marie. I've been concentrating a lot lately on polishing off Louie's bowing. And he's been doing nicely. Well, this morning he seemed eager to work with me but was a bit fussy about doing a good bow. I've been getting him to just put his head down with nose to the ground and putting one knee to the ground. If he puts his head between his legs, he tends to try standing on his head.
Anyway, he fussed and pawed and made quite a few partial attempts and seemed to be thinking awful hard about the whole thing. I was a bit mystified at all the fussing and thinking. I know he understands what I'm asking as he's done it quite a few times. Suddenly, he goes down on one knee, hesitates, not even looking at me for a treat and then proceeds to lay completely down!!!! He is then laying down and looking up at me just a pleased as can be with himself! He completely caught me off guard! I wasn't sure what to do. Laying down is something I want to teach him but it's not what I asked him to do. BUT, I sure didn't want him to think he did something wrong by laying down. ???????? So, for lack of any better idea on the spur of the moment, I praised the heck out of him, gave him a good scratching and gave him a treat.
So, now I guess I have to get him to differentiate between bowing and laying down and figure out appropriate cues working from what I am already using. ........ :-) I just hate it when my mule is one step ahead of me! LOLOL. It make me wonder who is training who.......though I have a good guess ........LOLOL.
Anyway, he fussed and pawed and made quite a few partial attempts and seemed to be thinking awful hard about the whole thing. I was a bit mystified at all the fussing and thinking. I know he understands what I'm asking as he's done it quite a few times. Suddenly, he goes down on one knee, hesitates, not even looking at me for a treat and then proceeds to lay completely down!!!! He is then laying down and looking up at me just a pleased as can be with himself! He completely caught me off guard! I wasn't sure what to do. Laying down is something I want to teach him but it's not what I asked him to do. BUT, I sure didn't want him to think he did something wrong by laying down. ???????? So, for lack of any better idea on the spur of the moment, I praised the heck out of him, gave him a good scratching and gave him a treat.
So, now I guess I have to get him to differentiate between bowing and laying down and figure out appropriate cues working from what I am already using. ........ :-) I just hate it when my mule is one step ahead of me! LOLOL. It make me wonder who is training who.......though I have a good guess ........LOLOL.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Wasp Attack
Here is was, a lovely Monday morning and I really wanted to get out and ride. It was cool and quite windy but that would just help keep the black flies from being unbearable. Mondays are not typically my best day to ride as I work nights. I don't work Saturday night so I am usually up all day Sunday, go into work and work all night and get home Monday morning more then ready to get some sleep. But, it was too nice a day to waste so I called my friend Linda to see if she was interested in riding. Turned out she was and we decided to go over and ride in Pittston.
Linda picked me up. Louie gave me just a little bit of trouble loading into Linda's trailer. He is not used to a ramp. But, it didn't take long and we were soon on our way. We had a real nice ride. Louie was a bit nervous today. I think it was because I was wearing my "noisy" coat and the wind was causing it to make flapping sounds. He did fine though. We did a lot of trotting. We worked on trotting up hills and today I finally felt Louie engaging his hindquarters when trotting uphill. He is still trotting a bit too slow for my liking but that will come with time I am sure. When we got back to the trailer and got the equines untacked, I had Louie bow a few times for Linda. He did it very nicely. He's such a ham! He loaded great for the trip home.
When we got to my house and I stepped into the side door of the trailer to get Louie's hay bag, I felt a sting on the back of my head! I immediately whacked the back of my head and then felt a second sting on my neck. I'm now out of the trailer and jumping around in my driveway, whacking myself and trying to tell Linda that I was being attacked by a bee or something. Linda is staring at me wondering if I am having some kind of fit. Well, I was having a fit but not from some medical emergency. I get several more stings on my upper back so I know "it" has gone into my clothes and I'm starting to wonder if I am being assaulted by an army of stinging devils! Now I'm starting to strip off clothing while jumping and whacking. Off came the jacket, then the vest..... I then hear Linda say, "Oh, there it goes, it was a wasp" as the dreadful creature flies off apparently unscathed by my desperate attempts to annihilate it. And Linda was thankfully spared the trauma of seeing me strip off any more clothing!
Linda picked me up. Louie gave me just a little bit of trouble loading into Linda's trailer. He is not used to a ramp. But, it didn't take long and we were soon on our way. We had a real nice ride. Louie was a bit nervous today. I think it was because I was wearing my "noisy" coat and the wind was causing it to make flapping sounds. He did fine though. We did a lot of trotting. We worked on trotting up hills and today I finally felt Louie engaging his hindquarters when trotting uphill. He is still trotting a bit too slow for my liking but that will come with time I am sure. When we got back to the trailer and got the equines untacked, I had Louie bow a few times for Linda. He did it very nicely. He's such a ham! He loaded great for the trip home.
When we got to my house and I stepped into the side door of the trailer to get Louie's hay bag, I felt a sting on the back of my head! I immediately whacked the back of my head and then felt a second sting on my neck. I'm now out of the trailer and jumping around in my driveway, whacking myself and trying to tell Linda that I was being attacked by a bee or something. Linda is staring at me wondering if I am having some kind of fit. Well, I was having a fit but not from some medical emergency. I get several more stings on my upper back so I know "it" has gone into my clothes and I'm starting to wonder if I am being assaulted by an army of stinging devils! Now I'm starting to strip off clothing while jumping and whacking. Off came the jacket, then the vest..... I then hear Linda say, "Oh, there it goes, it was a wasp" as the dreadful creature flies off apparently unscathed by my desperate attempts to annihilate it. And Linda was thankfully spared the trauma of seeing me strip off any more clothing!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Nice Ride and a Sad Goodbye
Bonnie, Linda and Barbara came over to my place to ride today. Barbara and I were originally going to go ride with Amy Beem up in Newport and Bonnie and Linda had planned to go to a Maine Trail Rider's ride in..... well somewhere in the Newport area. But, the weather was looking bad for the afternoon and the storms would hit that area before my area.
It was a lovely morning. Sunny and in the high 60's. Nothing much to write about. We rode over to West Bowdoin via the Wheeler Hill Rd. and back by the Wagg Rd. All the horses and mules were very well behaved. Bonnie is really relaxing with Dolly mule now and that is nice to see. None of our equines is a strong leader but all are fine so we just took turns leading.
I had decided that it would be in every one's (me, my husband and Lance the rescue dog) if I placed him in another home. He is such a wonderful dog but it's not really working out between Lance and my husband. I had found someone willing to take him right from the beginning and the man (my boss from work) still wanted him. And I felt it would be a great home. Lots of dog experience, another dog already in the home and two children (11 and 13 year) to give Lance all the attention he deserved.
My boss came to pick up Lance this afternoon. He brought his two children with him. Both boy and they seemed like wonderful boys. I brought them out back to meet Louie and Marie. They had never been around equines so were a bit hesitant to go into the paddock. I told them it was ok and that Louie and Marie were both gentle. It didn't take Louie long to win the boys over. As soon as we entered the paddock Louie came right over to do some serious schmoozing. There was hay in the hay feeder so Marie didn't come over right away. She hates to leave her food unless there is a REALLY good reason. I got out Louie's toy and showed them how Louie fetches. Then Louie did a couple very good bows for them. Then he came right back from more mule loving. Louie just LOVES people. When it was time for them to go, their dad asked them what they thought of Lance the dog. Both boys said they wanted to take him home. Then the younger boy said if they can't take the dog home, they should take the mule home. Smart boy!!!
I will miss Lance a lot. He is just a super nice dog. But, I am satisfied with what I've done for him. He is now a healthy, neutered, housebroken, happy dog with basic training done. I know a move can be hard on an animal but I think this is truly the best thing for Lance.
It was a lovely morning. Sunny and in the high 60's. Nothing much to write about. We rode over to West Bowdoin via the Wheeler Hill Rd. and back by the Wagg Rd. All the horses and mules were very well behaved. Bonnie is really relaxing with Dolly mule now and that is nice to see. None of our equines is a strong leader but all are fine so we just took turns leading.
I had decided that it would be in every one's (me, my husband and Lance the rescue dog) if I placed him in another home. He is such a wonderful dog but it's not really working out between Lance and my husband. I had found someone willing to take him right from the beginning and the man (my boss from work) still wanted him. And I felt it would be a great home. Lots of dog experience, another dog already in the home and two children (11 and 13 year) to give Lance all the attention he deserved.
My boss came to pick up Lance this afternoon. He brought his two children with him. Both boy and they seemed like wonderful boys. I brought them out back to meet Louie and Marie. They had never been around equines so were a bit hesitant to go into the paddock. I told them it was ok and that Louie and Marie were both gentle. It didn't take Louie long to win the boys over. As soon as we entered the paddock Louie came right over to do some serious schmoozing. There was hay in the hay feeder so Marie didn't come over right away. She hates to leave her food unless there is a REALLY good reason. I got out Louie's toy and showed them how Louie fetches. Then Louie did a couple very good bows for them. Then he came right back from more mule loving. Louie just LOVES people. When it was time for them to go, their dad asked them what they thought of Lance the dog. Both boys said they wanted to take him home. Then the younger boy said if they can't take the dog home, they should take the mule home. Smart boy!!!
I will miss Lance a lot. He is just a super nice dog. But, I am satisfied with what I've done for him. He is now a healthy, neutered, housebroken, happy dog with basic training done. I know a move can be hard on an animal but I think this is truly the best thing for Lance.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
And the Trick Training Continues
Thanks to Wendy, from the MulesOnly internet list that started the trainers challenge, Louie has turned into a trick training addict. He just loves our training sessions and so we have had to continue with them even after the trainers challenge was over. I don't work with him twice a day like I was for the challenge but most days we do a little something. I have continued expanding on the fetch training. We are working on completing his bow training. And the past few days I've been teaching him to step up on objects that I point to.
I had not planned to work with Louie today. My husband took me out to supper this evening :-) and so I ran out and fed quickly just before we headed out to supper. When we got back, I went out back to collect eggs from the chicken coop. Louie was in the shelter eating hay when I went out. He came out to the gate and nicker-grunted at me. He wanted to play. I couldn't resist his request so I grabbed some treats from the horse trailer and we went to work. We started with bowing. He did 3 great bows today with no physical aid from me. He is still a bit nervous about getting into a full bow position but he's offering quicker each time we work on it. *grin*. I pointed at a few things and asked him to step up onto them. I've had his halter on him for this previously. And I haven't pointed, I have urged him forward with the lead rope and just cued him verbally with "step up". So, he hesitated a second trying to decide just what I wanted. He then offered to bow. This is his default action when he's either not sure of what I want or isn't sure he wants to do what I'm asking. But then he put one foot on the object. When I told him "good boy" he immediately knew he'd done the right thing and he stepped right up proud as can be that he had figured it out.
I then went into the barn and got his halter as if I was going to catch him. When he saw me come out with the halter, he got the "you're not really going to ride me this late in the day are you" look and he kind of turned away. I tossed the halter out into the paddock and asked him to fetch. He's fetched the halter before but this time the lead rope was attached. He immediately went from suspicious mode to fetching mode. He walked over to the halter and looked it all over as the lead rope was trailing from it. He sniffed the halter and the lead rope trying to decide just what he should do. He chose to grab the end of the lead rope. Not that I really want to teach him to grab ropes but I did want to see how this played out. When I gave him the "good boy" cue he knew he was on the right track and he grabbed the end of the lead rope. One he picked up the lead rope he started walking towards me. In five or six steps the slack went out of the lead rope and he was now dragging the halter. This did startle him but not too bad. He dropped the lead but didn't run off, he just turned and eyeballed the halter and you could just see the wheels turning in his mulie head. I asked him to fetch again he picked the lead rope up again. This time dragged the halter too me. He kept one eye and ear on the dragging halter but he held onto it the lead rope. GOOD MULE!
Working with Louie is so much fun. And the trick training has had may side benefits I had not considered. Louie is now very in tune to my verbal cues that indicates he's done the right thing. This has definitely transferred to work in the saddle. It's also developed a level of trust that we didn't previously have. Not to mention all the time we now spend together just plain having fun and enjoying being together. (Thank you Wendy)
I had not planned to work with Louie today. My husband took me out to supper this evening :-) and so I ran out and fed quickly just before we headed out to supper. When we got back, I went out back to collect eggs from the chicken coop. Louie was in the shelter eating hay when I went out. He came out to the gate and nicker-grunted at me. He wanted to play. I couldn't resist his request so I grabbed some treats from the horse trailer and we went to work. We started with bowing. He did 3 great bows today with no physical aid from me. He is still a bit nervous about getting into a full bow position but he's offering quicker each time we work on it. *grin*. I pointed at a few things and asked him to step up onto them. I've had his halter on him for this previously. And I haven't pointed, I have urged him forward with the lead rope and just cued him verbally with "step up". So, he hesitated a second trying to decide just what I wanted. He then offered to bow. This is his default action when he's either not sure of what I want or isn't sure he wants to do what I'm asking. But then he put one foot on the object. When I told him "good boy" he immediately knew he'd done the right thing and he stepped right up proud as can be that he had figured it out.
I then went into the barn and got his halter as if I was going to catch him. When he saw me come out with the halter, he got the "you're not really going to ride me this late in the day are you" look and he kind of turned away. I tossed the halter out into the paddock and asked him to fetch. He's fetched the halter before but this time the lead rope was attached. He immediately went from suspicious mode to fetching mode. He walked over to the halter and looked it all over as the lead rope was trailing from it. He sniffed the halter and the lead rope trying to decide just what he should do. He chose to grab the end of the lead rope. Not that I really want to teach him to grab ropes but I did want to see how this played out. When I gave him the "good boy" cue he knew he was on the right track and he grabbed the end of the lead rope. One he picked up the lead rope he started walking towards me. In five or six steps the slack went out of the lead rope and he was now dragging the halter. This did startle him but not too bad. He dropped the lead but didn't run off, he just turned and eyeballed the halter and you could just see the wheels turning in his mulie head. I asked him to fetch again he picked the lead rope up again. This time dragged the halter too me. He kept one eye and ear on the dragging halter but he held onto it the lead rope. GOOD MULE!
Working with Louie is so much fun. And the trick training has had may side benefits I had not considered. Louie is now very in tune to my verbal cues that indicates he's done the right thing. This has definitely transferred to work in the saddle. It's also developed a level of trust that we didn't previously have. Not to mention all the time we now spend together just plain having fun and enjoying being together. (Thank you Wendy)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Pownal Ride with Susie and Linda
Gus, and Susie holding Louie and Cody getting ready to ride
Linda and Gus getting ready to ride
We had a beautiful weekend but I didn't get Louie out as he had no shoes and really needed them. My farrier came Sunday afternoon so on Monday Louie was ready to go. I decided to take the night off work so we could go for as long as we wanted. This particular ride brought back some mixed feelings. This was the ride where Louie went so lame a year ago and all the trouble began. And several years before I had walked home on this same ride with a lame Emma Jane, my first mule.
Cindy on Louie and Linda on Gus
Today was yet another fabulous day. Sunny and and near 70. Though the black flies are now out. Boo hiss! I met Susie and Linda at the Bowdoin Center Store and followed them to Pownal. Louie loaded very well. Once there, he was quiet and relaxed while I tacked him up even though he was alone at my trailer. Today's ride was on a lot of dirt roads. So, we could really move right along. Louie still falls behind a bit at the trot on hills but each ride he gets better and stronger. And he is trying to keep up with well conditioned Arab cross horses. He's right there with both is walk and canter and will often get right out in the lead at the walk. I'm just amazed with each ride with Louie's progress. He is starting to get fit now. And while he still needs work at the trot, he's improving with each ride.
We had a few short sections on a busy main road to ride. We had a few tractor trailers and large dump trucks go by and Louie was not bothered by that at all. Actually, the only thing he spooked at was a pine tree branch laying in the middle of a trail! Silly mule. We had to cross one scary mule eating ditch. This still scares Louie. But, he doesn't say "no", he just says "I'm scared but I want to do this for you". He is full of try and he did great. We did about 15 miles today in a little under 3 hours. Louie is really starting to get fit and at the end of our ride there was plenty of mule left and he could have done much more. Susie did a mock vetting on him for practice. Not a problem. He is just so friendly and doesn't care what you do to him. You can poke, prod and pinch all you want and he just thinks you are playing with him. And when we get to a competition, the P&R people are going to love Louie, it is SOOOO easy to get his pulse. It is so strong and loud! Susie took the pulse on all 3 equines about 15 min. after we got back and Louie's pulse was the lowest.
Linda and Gus getting ready to ride
We had a beautiful weekend but I didn't get Louie out as he had no shoes and really needed them. My farrier came Sunday afternoon so on Monday Louie was ready to go. I decided to take the night off work so we could go for as long as we wanted. This particular ride brought back some mixed feelings. This was the ride where Louie went so lame a year ago and all the trouble began. And several years before I had walked home on this same ride with a lame Emma Jane, my first mule.
Cindy on Louie and Linda on Gus
Today was yet another fabulous day. Sunny and and near 70. Though the black flies are now out. Boo hiss! I met Susie and Linda at the Bowdoin Center Store and followed them to Pownal. Louie loaded very well. Once there, he was quiet and relaxed while I tacked him up even though he was alone at my trailer. Today's ride was on a lot of dirt roads. So, we could really move right along. Louie still falls behind a bit at the trot on hills but each ride he gets better and stronger. And he is trying to keep up with well conditioned Arab cross horses. He's right there with both is walk and canter and will often get right out in the lead at the walk. I'm just amazed with each ride with Louie's progress. He is starting to get fit now. And while he still needs work at the trot, he's improving with each ride.
We had a few short sections on a busy main road to ride. We had a few tractor trailers and large dump trucks go by and Louie was not bothered by that at all. Actually, the only thing he spooked at was a pine tree branch laying in the middle of a trail! Silly mule. We had to cross one scary mule eating ditch. This still scares Louie. But, he doesn't say "no", he just says "I'm scared but I want to do this for you". He is full of try and he did great. We did about 15 miles today in a little under 3 hours. Louie is really starting to get fit and at the end of our ride there was plenty of mule left and he could have done much more. Susie did a mock vetting on him for practice. Not a problem. He is just so friendly and doesn't care what you do to him. You can poke, prod and pinch all you want and he just thinks you are playing with him. And when we get to a competition, the P&R people are going to love Louie, it is SOOOO easy to get his pulse. It is so strong and loud! Susie took the pulse on all 3 equines about 15 min. after we got back and Louie's pulse was the lowest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)