It's Deer Fly Season

Today I totally overslept. Well, I didn't have anything I had to get up early for so really I just got some much needed sleep. I hadn't been up long when Brooke called to see if we were riding today. No reason not to though we'd have a short time window. I quickly fed Luke and Marie and cleaned Marie's stall. And no, I didn't clean Luke's stall...... I don't have to as he's courteous enough to step outside to do his business. Brooke arrived just as I was done cleaning. We got Luke and Marie and tied them on the trailer. Luke was filthy! Marie not so much. Today it was only in the high 70's but still fairly humid. Not like it's been the past few weeks but still............

First I couldn't find Marie's boots, then I couldn't find a pull strap for the boots, then I had to dig around for the right fly mask.......it's a wonder we ever got going! But, we did thanks to Brooke saddling up Luke for me. We rode the alpaca farm loop. We moved along as quickly as we could though the trail is rocky enough to limit the overall speed you can go. The deer fly were horrible! Another reason to move along as quickly as possible. Luke and Marie did their best to eat every piece of greenery they could. It sometimes amazes me there is any thing green left for them to grab along this trail that I ride quite often. It seems it should be stripped clean of vegetation from Luke and Marie's efforts. Neither Luke or Marie were over ambitious today but they were good and we had a very nice ride. Once back we hosed them both down and checked their pulses and they were both in good shape. And we got home just in time because I had no sooner gone in the house when it started pouring out!! The sun was still shining but it poured hard for a short time.

Tomorrow will be a tack cleaning and packing day and I think we are ready for the CTR and CDR this weekend!

A Two Mule Day!

Today Bonnie and I finally had our schedules work out so we could ride together! I did have to work in the afternoon but had the morning off. So, I contacted Cierra to see if she could ride and she was free after 9:30 am. That would work! So, I picked up Cierra and her horse, Tinkerbell at 9:30. The hoof boots I recommended for Cierra to order came in so we got them out to see if they fit. We would need them today anyway. We ordered them for her front feet. And..........ACK, they were a bit too small. DANG! But, the DID fit her hind feet so that was fine as the one's she was borrowing from me were working on her front feet just fine. So, we were good! Phew! I unloaded Luke and had Cierra load Tink in the front spot. That seems to be working very well for Tink. And Luke is such a good sport about getting in and out... and in and out.... and in and out of the trailer.

We met Bonnie over at  Triple J Farm to ride. Bonnie boards her mule there. So, today was going to be a two mule day! We got tacked up and knowing the flies would be bad, I loaned Marie's riding fly mask to Cierra for Tink. She'd never worn one while riding but Tink take everything new we throw at her in stride. She's such a good sensible mare, especially considering her young age and inexperience with many things. When we first tied Tink and Luke to the trailer, Luke was reaching into the trailer and grabbing mouthfuls of hay from the hay bag. Tink couldn't reach it so she was grabbing the hay out of Luke's mouth. And he was happily letting her. It was funny watching them. I did pull the hay bag out the window so they could both reach it. Soon, we headed out, me on Luke in the lead as bait for the deer fly. UGH! We rode right down through a mulch/fertilizer operation to start out. They were working with big equipment running. They are used to the horses going though so they don't mind. we wanted to see how Tink would handle it since it would be a fairly controlled situation. Tink didn't even batt an eye at any of it. Luke was highly suspicious of some dark colored footing but got up the courage to walk over it.......silly mule.....then, before we got onto the woods trail, a big dump truck came by us. We stopped to let it pass and Tink never batted an eye at it.

We did a bit of walking at first. Once out on the Cody loop, we did some trotting and a little cantering where we could. Tink and the mules were very good and got along well. Tink walks a bit slow but she has a nice strong trot and is very good and under control at the canter. On the way back, there was a tractor trailer in the middle of the trail/tote road that was running and there was a big loader operating behind it loading something into it. To get by it we had to skirt around it pretty closely. Again, I wondered how Cierra's Tink would handle it. Well, SHE was not the one to worry about. Luke was not at all sure it was a good idea to go by. He tried to turn once but let me pull him back around to face it. Then he started inching up to the truck...... when Bonnie passed by me on Dolly mule. Luke sucked right up to her and followed her by the tractor trailer. Once again, Tink never batted an eye at the tractor trailer, or the loader. Luke didn't care about the loader either, I'll give him credit for that. I have to say that at least what he lacks in pure boldness, he make up in not reacting in any way that is in any way hard to handle. Actually, he usually just freezes when he is unsure of something. At my age, I appreciate this reaction to fear. He's a good boy!

The flies were bad but mostly for me as I lead most of the ride. But, with the fly mask on Luke and a fly swisher, it was certainly tolerable. Tinkerbell's new boots worked great! We had a really nice ride and it was so good to finally ride with Bonnie! It's been too long! We sponged Tink and Luke back at the trailer. Tink loaded right up like a good girl. And I never heard her do any pawing in the trailer today either. I dropped Cierra and Tink off at  Upper Pond Stable , then headed home, settled Luke back into his pasture, gave him and Marie extra hay, just because........ and then headed to work.

Hot and Buggy Days

We have been having such a long spell of hot humid weather. So unusual for Maine. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were spend putting hay in my barn. It doesn't matter how hot it is, when the hay guy calls, you go get the hay. Fred put in a load of hay for me on Monday. I soooo appreciated him doing that for me. I picked up a load on Tueaday and thought I could get it put up by myself after working at Upper Pond. HA! Well, I could have done it eventually but I had to have the hay wagon back before it got too late. So, I called Pam to see if Cierra could come help me. And wonderful young lady that she is, she did come. And Pam brought some cold water and cold water never tasted so good! I had have the wagon done when Cierra arrived but I swear the bales were getting heavier and heavier. The problem with putting up the hay alone is that you can only send 3 bales up the elevator then you have to climb up the ladder into the hay loft, stack the 3 bales, climb back down, climb up into the hay wagon, send 3 more bales up the elevator.......that gets old pretty quick. once Cierra arrived, the last of the bales went up quick and I got the wagon back to Charlie.

I had the night off so I took Cierra over to Upper Pond. She got her horse, Tinkerbell, and brought her into the arena. She rode her a little bareback and then I hopped on her bareback and took a spin around the arena. Tink like Cierra better than she likes me. Later that evening I picked up another wagon of hay and Fred helped me put it up when he got home from work.

Wednesday, Brooke came over after she finished work at Upper Pond and helped me put up the 4th and final wagon of hay! It was yet another hot humid day but the hay was up and I was doing a happy dance. I was hoping to hear the humidity was going to break soon but that was not to be. It was only going to get hotter and more humid as the week went on. Cierran and were going to ride on Friday but that was now going to be the hottest and most humid day of the week. So, Brooke, Cierra and I rode today when Brooke and I were done working at Upper Pond. Cierra went with me back to my house. I hooked up the trailer, loaded up Luke and Marie and went back to Upper Pond. We were riding from there. Today I was riding Marie and Brooke was riding Luke. I forgot Marie's boots at home but thought she would be ok barefoot on the trails around Upper Pond. And for 99% of it she was. Brooke tried her western saddle on Luke but it was too wide. So, I put my mule saddle on him for her. We headed out and right away the flies started to carry us off. Deer fly and big horse flies. We did a circuit around the trails behind Upper Pond. Someone was out mowing the paths. Tinkerbell did one small spook over the mower but it was pretty minor. We then rode out to the road and went to the trail that is 3 houses down from the stable. This is a very grassy trail and would be easy on Marie's feet. The flies were even worse out here so we kind of took turns leading as the lead horse (or mule) always get the most flies. The flies were making Tinkerbell grumpy. Being new to trail riding and a young horse, she is not used to have to dealing with them. Marie hates them too but just deals with it. Luke handles them the best. Not that he likes them either but  he seems more tolerant overall. I broke a leafy branch off a tree for Brooke to use as a fly swatter. Luke was making great efforts to eat it! It was so funny watching him as he was bending his head this way and that way and sticking his lips way out trying to catch it. We did some exploring of some trails and I found the trail that loops back to Upper Pond stable! We were happy to have found the trail and it was a pretty nice trail. A little water on it but nothing muddy. We did do a little bit of trotting and one canter so Brooke could get the feel of Luke at all 3 gaits. Luke was a good boy for her. We didn't dare do too much over a walk because it was just so hot and humid. Once back to the stable we did one last loop around the pond offering Luke and the horses a chance to drink. Brooke had to feed her horses and bring some in the barn so I took Luke and ponied him from Marie around the jump course while Cierra took Tinkerbell over a few jumps. I rode Marie over a few small ones and Luke followed behind and walked over them too. I then had to head for home to get ready for work.

Tanquary

Today I was riding with Mary-Jo. We had no solid plan on when or where we would ride. We were both free all day so I told Mary-Jo to just call me when she was ready. It was a lovely day today with a 2nd day with low humidity. We decided to ride around 3:30 pm so I had such a nice relaxing morning and early afternoon taking my time doing my barn chores and house work interspersed with a few short naps. Mary-Jo arrived at my house around 3:15 pm. This was Luke 4th day of riding right in a row. But, when he saw me come into the barn, he came right in and offered me his head to put his halter on. He really loves trail riding. We took our time grooming and getting ready and headed out on trail around 4:15 pm. Mary-Jo was riding her lovely mare Tanquary. She was using Easyboot gloves on Tanquary's front feet and she was tripping a little with them on. So, we kept the pace mostly to a walk. Tanquary was such a good girl about everything and we had a very nice ride. 

Conditioning Ride in West Bowdoin

We finally got a break from the humidity today so I really wanted to get in a good conditioning ride. My friend Susie wanted to ride but originally planned to ride earlier in the day. Neither Brooke or Cierra could go until around 2:00. After a few phone calls, Susie decided she could ride later so we would be able to trailer out and do a really good ride. Our plan to ride at 2:00 didn't go quite as planned as Brooks vet appointment ended up later than planned. But, Susie was patient and waited for us. I took Luke and went over to Upper Pond to pick up Tinkerbell. Susie was picking up Marie from my house and we were meeting over in West Bowdoin. When everyone was finally ready, Tinkerbell loaded into my trailer like a champ. Though it's unloading that causes her the most anxiety. Once over in West Bowdoin, we were very pleased that Tink unloaded with no problem. She was nervous as she got a bit sweaty in the trailer. But she was a good as can be and backed out nice and quiet. We got tacked up and headed out. We took the easy access trail to the pipe line as Cierra didn't feel quite ready to take the steep descent to do the stream crossing on the pipeline. Tinkerbell is still new to this whole trail riding thing but she had been getting quite an education recently and she has been doing fantastic. She is a wonderful, level headed mare despite only being 6 years old. We did one loop trail to warm them all up and then picked up a trot. Luke and the horses did great. They all settled into a good working trot and all of them went very nicely together. We kept up as steady a trot as we could for 45 minutes. We had to slow down a few times but kept the pace pretty steady overall. We did all the loops close to the pipe line than headed out through the gravel pit. We'd done one canter but Susie and I were in the lead and we were doing a very collected slow canter. Neither Tinkerbell or Marie can collect and canter that slow so they only trotted faster. So, once in the gravel pit, we let Cierra and Brooke take the lead so they could get a little canter in. The were going along well with Brooke in the lead and just as we were coming to the end of the gravel pit, I see Marie start to hesitate and suddenly a dirt bike popped out of the trail ahead into the gravel pit. He was not traveling all that fast so we had not heard him coming. It startled Marie, who was not happy about being in the lead to begin with and she did a quick 90 degree spin. Brooke would have been fine but Marie's saddle slipped. So, there was no chance for her to save it and she had to let herself drop to the ground. She did keep a death grip on the reins and kept control of Marie. I was torn between watching so see if Brooke was ok and watching to see if Cierra and Tinkerbell were ok. Tinkerbell didn't react to any of it. She just stopped and watched quietly. GOOD GIRL! The dirt bike rider stopped immediately and was very worried. He apologized many times but he had not done anything wrong and we told him so. And if Marie's saddle had not slipped, it would not have been an issue. Brooke was ok as we were in sand. She tightened her girth, hopped back on and we continued our ride. 

We took the Witches House trail and went around to the Allen's farm. Some of this trail is rocky and Tinkerbell was uncomfortable with this as her back feet are bare. We slowed down and went easy. When we came out to the road, we decided to ride down the road to the trail by the day care center as the trail we had planned to take would have more rocky sections. The road had a nice sandy shoulder that would be more comfortable for Tinkerbell. It is a quite road so we weren't worried. We have a few cars come by us but Tinkerbell didn't care at all. Tinkerbell drank on the trail today which made Cierra very happy. Once back on the trail, we did a little more trotting then walked the last bit to let them cool down. Cierra decided to go ahead and try the steep descent and stream crossing on the pipe line. Tinkerbell handled it like a Pro. We were all so proud of them both! Once back at the trailer we sponged them all off thoroughly. Susie took their pulses with her new hand held unit. Luke was 38! Fantastic for him! Marie was 56. Not unusual for her.  Susie said Bazeyn was 44 and Tink was 51. She was a little lower when I'd checked it a few minutes previously but when Susie came over, Tink had gone on alert due to some kids making noise across the road. It was a very good ride and Tink was definitely a superstar! Tink loaded into my trailer again with no trouble and I delivered her and Cierra back to Upper Pond safe and sound. 

Stepping Up the Pace

I was happy that my new trail riders were willing to ride with me again just the day after nearly overwhelming them with our ride the previous day. Mary-Jo was not able to join us due to work but Cierra and Brooke were ready to go again. I am getting them ready to do a 15 mile CDR (conditioning distance ride) in Fryeburg at the end of July. We needed to start picking up the pace of our rides now. Our only two choices to ride were either my house or Upper Pond as we had more equines than we had trailer space. We decided on Upper Pond as the trails from my house are a bit too rocky to keep up any steady trotting. We'd have to do laps around the trails at Upper Pond but that was ok. I was working at Upper Pond that morning so took Luke and Marie with me to work that morning. Brooke was keeping her stallion in that morning so I put Luke and Marie in his pen. I don't want Marie to have grass and it was the only pen without grass. I gave them hay and they were both very happy to hang out, eat hay and groom each other.

I did a mock vetting today to show Brooke and Cierra what to expect when they got to the ride. Mary-Jo was at the barn right then and she helped us out by watching our trot outs and giving her opinion on how each equine looked. She spotted right away the stabby left hind that Marie has always had and the vets always comment on at ride. Unless it's a vet that knows Marie and knows it's not a problem. The temps were was only in the 70's but it was quite humid and felt much hotter. We tacked up and headed out. We walked them around the pond once to warm them up then picked up a trot. They all did good and I was so pleased to see what a nice steady trot Tinkerbell had. She just did great. We did several laps and on the first one Tink attempted to go back to the barn. Cierra handled it great and got her going back down the trail quickly and Tink was great after that. After a few more laps, we stopped at the pond to sponge them all off. On the next lap, Brooke got a call that she needed to come back to the barn. Her farrier had arrived to take a look at her horse as he'd been a bit lame. So, we took Brooke back to the barn, I quickly unsaddled Marie and put her back in the stallions pen (Don't worry, the stallion was still in the barn) And then Cierra and I headed out again. We went down the driveway and then down the to the trail just 3 houses down from Upper Pond. This trail has lovely footing. We trotted down to the end and back. This time as we trotted by the stable it was Luke that made the move to go back as Marie was calling for him. This too was quickly nipped in the bud and he was a good boy after that. We did several more circuits of the trails behind Upper Pond, stopped again at the pond to let them drink and sponge them off. Tinkerbell did not drink and this worried Cierra. She told me Tinkerbell doesn't drink well when they go to shows either. We walked them back to the barn from there. Just as we got back, the sky opened up and it started to pour. GOOD TIMING! We untacked in the barn and then we did a "final vetting". It was a good ride, productive ride.

Upper Pond to Still River Farm

I arranged to ride with Brooke and Mary-Jo today. We were planning to ride around 9:00 as Brooked needed to be back by 1:00 to 1:30 pm. And I had to work that afternoon. Cierra had a riding lesson for the morning so wasn't planning to join us. I hauled Marie and Luke over to Upper Pond and by the time we got organized and ready to ride, Cierra was done with her dressage lesson and we asked if she would like to join us. She definitely wanted to go with us and quickly put the hoof boots on Tinkerbell that I am letting her borrow. We were just going to ride around the trails at Upper Pond but I told them we should ride the trail that goes into the woods just 3 houses down from the stable. It's a really nice trail. They were all happy to try this trail as it would be something new to them. So, we set off and took that trail which everyone enjoyed. When we got to the end of the trail where it comes out on Rt. 197, I then asked them if they wanted to continue on to my house. Trusting soles that they are, they agreed to this as I didn't think it would take us too long to ride to my house. I've done it a number of times. Once at my house, We would just drive my car back to Upper Pond to get the trailers. So, we forged on.

We had to ride just a short distance down Rt. 197 crossing a creek and then cross the road and go right back into the woods. There is a metal guardrail as you cross the creek. We were being very careful of Cierra and Tinkerbell as Tink is new to trail riding and Cierra is under 18 and I take being responsible for her very seriously. Tink was a superstar and didn't so much as even give the guardrail a glance. More than I can say for Luke........who led the way and was good but kept an ear hard on it and maintained an arch in his body making sure the guardrail would have no chance to grab his hindquarters. Mary-Jo led her horse Arthur across and after one good look and sniff of the long shiny metal monster, was fine with it. Brooke brought up the rear with Marie. We got across the road with no issues. Once back in the woods on the trail, we came to a bridge that I'd never seen before. We'd just passed in intersection and I though maybe I'd taken the wrong turn. We rode back to the intersection and I was sure that we had not take a wrong turn and that the bridge must be new. I've not ridden this trail yet this year. I told them to wait at the intersection for a minute while I rode back to the bridge to check it out and see if we could cross. Luke was a good boy and left the group. The bridge was not safe for the horses to cross. The little stream was very narrow but a little muddy on each side. I found a spot that looked ok and asked Luke to cross. He was good and didn't really hesitate and followed me right over. It was a little soft but manageable. I called to the others to come on down to follow me across. They told me that Marie had a mini melt down at being separated from Luke. Naughty Marie! Brooke is an experienced rider and was able to handle it. Brooke rode Marie across the stream and she sank in the mud a bit deeper than Luke had. So, Mary-Jo led Arthur across in a different spot that was better. We told Cierra to get off and lead Tinkerbell across. In case she did a big leap across it, we didn't want Cierra to be on her. Cierra was definitely nervous about this crossing but she did it. Tinkerbell did fantastic and came right across. Cierra got pushed into a bush but all was well. We mounted back up and continued on our way. Some of this trail has a few small muddy spots on little hilly spots. Nothing that is any problem for the horses but not the kind of thing that the ladies with me are used to so I think it made Cierra and Mary-Jo a little nervous but both of their horse did just fine. Brooke riding Marie had the advantage of knowing that Marie has done this trail many times before. Somewhere though here, Cierra happened to mention she was riding in her very expensive dressage saddle and she didn't think her Mother was going to be very happy about this. Cierra had not expected we we were going on such an adventure! ACK! At one point Cierra gave a big ouch because she got caught by a pricker bush, we were all, "is your saddle ok". To heck with her, she would heal, we wanted to make sure the saddle wasn't scratched! Ok, of course Cierra is most important but.........

I didn't do the trail entirely as I usually do. The next section of trail I usually ride had been logged and is rough and muddy right now. Susie, Linda and I had ridden it recently and got though ok but I didn't want to drag this group though that. So, I went left once on the South Adams Rd. trail and rode out to Rt. 197. That is a nice trail and from there it's just a very short way up Rt. 197 to another trail that goes to my house. I thought we'd avoid all the logging operation this way but it was not so. But, we didn't have to ride though much of it and the footing was all good so it wasn't a problem. Once off the logging area, the trail was all fine back to my house. Once we got close to my house, Arthur got a little balky. We don't know why but Mary-Jo decided to get off and lead him as she wanted to stretch her legs anyway. Then it started to sprinkle! ACK! Cierra's saddle. Mary-Jo wasn't able to hurry down the trail so I asked Brooke to go ahead with Cierra to the barn to get her saddle under cover and I stayed back with Mary-Jo. We got back to my house safe and sound but far later than I though we would. I've never walked the entire trail so I very much underestimated how long it would take. I felt bad that I had made Brooke late. Cierra had called her mother when we were on trail to let her know we had not dissappeared off the face of the earth. We took Tinkerbell right into the barn to untack her. I put Marie in Lukes stall much to her delight as he has the big round bale of hay in his stall. I put Luke out in the pasture much to his disgust. He was mad as he was not right with all his friends and ran and bucked to show his displeasure. We put Tink in Marie stall once she was untacked and we verified that Cierra's saddle was unharmed from our adventure. Phew! Arthur was given the front paddock. We took care of the horses than Brooke, Mary-Jo and I drove over to Upper Pond. I quickly jumped in my truck and hauled my trailer back home. Brooke had some chores she quickly took care of then she drove my car back to my house and Mary-Jo came with her trailer. Luke and the horses were all quiet when we got back to my house. Tinkerbell and Arthur were loaded up and Mary-Jo hauled them back to Upper Pond Stable.

I thought it was a good ride and all the horses had done very well. Luke was the good solid leader as usual. I know it was a bit more that the others were expecting. I was just hoping they would ride with me again. (They did......the very next day.....)

Riding from Home with Mary-Jo and Brooke

Today I made plans to ride with Brooke and Mary-Jo. It was going to be yet another hot humid day so we planned to head out by 9:00 am to hopefully avoid the worst of the heat. Mary-Jo wanted to take her horse Arthur on the trail that I took her on for his first "long" trail ride. It is a nice shady trail so seemed like a good choice for the day. Brooke arrived just a few minutes after 9:00. She helped me catch, groom and tack up Luke and Marie. Not that they are hard to catch especially since they have been pretty much hibernating in the barn in this heat and humidity. Mary-Jo arrived around 9:30 am. We were on trail by 10:00 am. While the ride didn't go quite as well as Mary-Jo had hoped Arthur has made some good strides with things like the water crossings. We kept the pace slow which was fine considering the heat. And it gave Luke and Marie plenty of chances to sample all the greenery much to their delight.  

Riding with Brooke, the Tarr's Mill Trail

We have been having such a hot and humid stretch of weather right now. I've wimped out on riding for the past few days due to the humidity but really wanted to get out today. Brooke agreed to go riding with me on Marie. Brooke came at 11:00. Today was another hot and humid day but the humidity was slightly lower than the past few day. Not much but a little and there was a pretty good breeze today and that helped quite a bit. I was afraid the deer fly would be bad today so decided to dig out Luke and Marie's riding fly masks. While I was in search of them, Brooke got both Luke and Marie all saddled up. That was a treat for me and much appreciated. I put Marie's new Easyboot Gloves on her hind feet. I am sure hoping they work as they are quite simple to put on and take off. I'm still using her old original style Easyboots on her front feet as I know they work and they still have more miles left in them.

We did the standard Tarr's Mill loop. We rode it pretty slow as the humidity had Marie sweating quickly. Luke wasn't having any trouble but he's in much better shape then Marie right now. It was sure hot out on the open stretch of the gas pipeline. Luke stopped once and went on alert. I looked in the direction his ears were pointing and sure enough there was a turkey down in the weeds in a gully. If ran out of the weeds, across the trail and out into the woods. Both Luke and Marie just quietly watched it go. GOOD TRAIL PONIES!

When we came to the stream I like to ride up, Luke remembered the trouble we had getting out of the stream a few days ago and was reluctant to go walk up the stream. I promised him I would NOT ask him to climb out where we had the trouble a few days ago. I guess he believed me because he did go up the stream though reluctantly. This time we exited the stream where we normally do which is a nice safe place. Well, the other spot had looked safe to me too but the normal spot I know for sure is as we have climbed out often in this spot. We had an even better breeze as we rode back home and even Marie dried off for the most part. But, we hosed them down when we got back and I think they both enjoyed it. Marie's Easyboot gloves worked very well with no signs of any rubbing from the gaiters. I was very pleased with them.

Tarr's Mill Ride with Susie and Diana

Today Susie came over to ride from my house. She brought her friend Diana with her who was riding Susie's horse, Dixie. We all had some time restrictions so didn't have time to trailer out anywhere to ride. We did the standard "Tarr's Mill" ride. We were going to make a longer loop but rode slow enough that we ran out of time to go any further. We had a nice ride and all the equines were good. We only had once scare when we walked Luke and the horses up the stream and I asked Luke to go out in a different spot then usual. He trusted me and hopped his front feet up on the bank and punched though as it was washed out underneath. His feet went down and he listed off sideways for a moment but he carefully extracted himself and got up on the trail safely with me still on top. It is amazing how a mule can handle a situation like that. A horse would have scrambled and plunged around in away I'm sure would have left me laying on the side of the trail. So, no harm done, Luke and I were fine thanks to him taking such good care of me.