CLICK!!

As you can see from the clear skies, it was an absolutely gorgeous day today!! Temps were in the low 20's (C) and it was Tshirt weather! Since my saddle now has official Owen approval, I took full advantage of such a beautiful day! I decided to do some pasture work with Linus and give him a break from our separation work. I wanted to video how good he is about going through the live electric gate but I can't video, hold the gate handle and hold Linus at the same time so I will save that one for a day that I have a helper! I did take a video of Linus on my way to his corral, but it was way too shaky to post! Which is too bad, because in it he was looking at me all alert and then I ask "Do you want to do some work today" then he turns and walks towards the gate to meet me. 

These pictures are of our bush (forest for Susan, lol) Last week when I posted the pictures, it was so full of bright and vibrant colour. Now the only trees left with much colour are the poplars. That's where I decided I wanted to take Linus; to the poplar grove in the northeast corner of the pasture. 

He was very forward today but very light too and was a complete joy to be on. He negotiated the ditch bravely and he surprised me when crossed a ridge. There is about a 2 foot step up and I expected him to just step up like he has every other time I rode him over it, but today he leaped it!! Holy kamolees there is a lot of power in that big back end! 

We trotted around the poplar grove. He kept looking further off to the northeast, I found out later it was because Bernie and Lucas were off that way!! She hadn't planned on it, their meandering took them that way too. 

You can't really see it but off in the distance is a fallen log - which we jumped!! Linus approached it like he was looking forward to jumping it! He seemed to enjoy it and I had fun too! What a thrill! On the way back the ditch seemed bigger than when we first crossed it. I think because it was rougher footing on the North side of it. I found myself thinking of Harold and Susan and saying "trust your horse" and in poor footing or sticky spots I just give Linus his head and hold on! Sure enough, he picked the spot that looked best and leaped across. We had so much fun today!

 Now, the reason for my title! On the way back up through the pasture Linus was moving out well and seemed to be loving a faster pace so I gave him more rein and "kissed" and he gave me a forward trot, I kept him loose on the rein and I could feel he was thinking about cantering. I haven't pushed the canter with him. We've done it a few times but mostly just for enough steps for points or when he isn't really noticing it. In wide open pasture though I haven't felt he was ready. Today felt right though so I let him decide and he went for it. I could really feel it click for him that he can comfortably canter with me on him. He throws in the odd little frolic, not quite a buck. At one point I lost my stirrups and I thought I was done for but he came to a complete stop until I was settled again!! Boy do I love this horse!! That would have been a perfect opportunity for him to throw in a buck, be rid of his rider and go! And it would have been my own fault too!

After a couple of very freakin' awesome canters I let him head towards the cows. As you can see, Donald the bull was not at all bothered by Linus and didn't even get up from enjoying the afternoon sun!

So we moved on to one of the yearlings and worked her for a bit instead!

When we came back up I got off and undid  Linus' breast collar so he could eat some grass. While I was at it I loosened his girth too. There wasn't much point in mounting up to ride him 200m! But, when I did walk him back to his corral he stopped suddenly. I was a bit ahead of him and figured he was just trying to stop for more grass but when I turned around he was standing there with an unimpressed look on his face and the saddle was hanging completely off his side!! Poor Linus, he just stood there and waited for me to fix it. I laughed at him and removed the saddle. Then I felt bad and let him have some more clover!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend from Canada!!!

Tack Tester!

‎So, I wasn't all that happy with the barrel saddle I last posted about. To quote Marjolein; "it wasn't a good fit for my ass" or my horse! So, I took to the same guy I got my previous saddle from and he sent me home with 2 others to try out. I really liked the one pictured here so kept it! It's actually the same brand (western rawhide) as my original saddle too. 

So, when we got to the farm today Owen informed me that he needed to try out the new saddle on Linus. My saddle met Owen approval so it must be a keeper! : )

After Owen had his ride, he told me I could have a turn - thanks Buddy!! I love that you let me ride my horse! At first all Linus wanted to do was enjoy some green grass! I think he knows it's coming to an end. However, his arse is big enough so our ride ended up turning more toward some schooling reminders. It went really well and in no time Linus was moving smoothly and very in tune with me. We ended on a good note and I'm hoping to go out for a ride this weekend. I'm trying to stay on top of separation. I'd like to try bringing my dog along since Linus used to love it when Essa (poor girl has now passed on) came with us. I'm kind of interested to see how he likes Tess coming along.

A Scene Just For Harold

Harold, your wish is my command.  One of the many stone walls I passed on my rides this week.  Enjoy!  ~Susan and AhD (Didder) ~

Here Come the Curls!

~Susan and AhD in Maine ~

They are coming in thick and fast now, and we are definitely experiencing some cooler nights, but the beautiful, sunny, warm days are continuing.  What a fall season we are having here in Maine!  The best one I can remember.  So, I am taking advantage of this by going in early to work and leaving work early all week to maximize riding opportunity.

Last night's ride was amazing.  I took a new trail that my brother-in-law Larry made last year.  Beautiful! Nice wide trail - new - so still lots of rocks, sapling stumps, and uneven footing, but my Curly is so surefooted that this is not a problem.

This is a beautiful little field at the trail head.  I let AhD have some of this rich green grass when we passed through here on the way home.  Just after this, we started climbing up, up, up! (Well, he did...I just sat there, haha!)

Again, the forest floor is littered with dead leaves yet there are still quite a few deciduous trees with green leaves!

Ooops tipping over!  Not really because my camera was at an angle, set on a tree stump.  Look at those soft and listening ears! I am wearing red because bird hunting is in full swing.

 

It was a long climb up to get to where the trail meets the power line.

We crossed over and continued on a trail that my nephew Jason made a few years ago.  This trail also is very challenging and not for beginners.  It has some steep and rocky places, and at one point it dips down into a low point which always fills with water and there are two saplings leaning strategically across the water hazard in such a way that they are waist high to a rider on a 14.2hh Curly.  Gymnastics on horseback!  Needless to say, I did not have my camera out when negotiating that obstacle (coming or going) but we made it through safely, thanks to my responsive and responsible mount.

AhD was somewhat lazy on the way out, but he played no silly games, so I was VERY happy with him and enjoying the ride.  When we hit the point on the trail where we could maneuver through a break in the stone wall to gain access to Rod's older, more-groomed trails, we took advantage of that.  We SAILED around those  pine spill laden trails, my pony suddenly realizing that there was more than one way home from where we were, so everyplace we went was an opportunity to head home to see his buddies. Ok, yes, barn sour, but it worked for me! He was lively and quick and very forward, fox trotting a lot, cantering up hills.  FUN!  I became lost, so I let AhD choose the way, and sure enough, soon there was that spot in the woods that led to the break in the right stone wall, and we wound through the woods to get back on Jason's trail. Every time I let AhD find our way home, I think of Harold, because he told me to trust my horse in that situation.

By this time, evening was setting upon us.  The air was cooling, and good thing because AhD had worked up a sweat.  He was forward, but very responsive and light on the bit. I was in heaven!

Thanks for coming along with me on this Maine trail ride.  On Friday, I have a riding date with my friend Terry's two foreign exchange interns, Leah and Sabrina.   Should be fun!

new saddle

Last week I had an appointment with a seller of western stuff. I wanted a new saddle and now I'm super happy with a beautiful saddle billy cook! As you all know, I just made a pastern, unfortunately it was much too heavy to drive / work / train.
  at first looked the seller placed the saddle on the back off cinderella, then when it fits i had
to try if it fits my body too and ride in my pastern, but I said that was not possible. Yes, he said you have a strong horse just go on and try! So I tried and guess what ... all my worries and bad niches for nothing .... I can simply drive ... I am now three days away and we can now do everything in the pastern ...... walk, trot, canter! However, over the rail, along the sides, but now I have full confidence that the rest also will be okay. The seller loves the curly horse, the strong body, willing to please, theeasy temperament......
he has seen her before because my previous saddle came from him. He finds them beautiful and strong and asked if he could ride on cinderella ... Sure! He has given me and cinderella a few new tricks we learned a lot and can work further together and try our new tricks. My lessons I stopped temporarily due to the move and because I had no place to work but now I can go on all the suits ... such a relief for me! The wife of the seller teaches western horses and riders and seems to be really good we talked by phone and we do have a click so I will start taking her lessons. I'm totally happy again and I really liked the fact the seller was so excited about the curly! he kept saying: .... what a great horse for the Arena!                                    

 

 

 

Cindy with her new saddle!

 

 

thanks for reading my story!

greetings marjolein overbosch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink Ribbon Ride! 34Km!

Sorry for the delay in posting!  The Pink Ribbon Ride was spectacular this year.  We couldn't have asked for better weather. 
As you may remember, Sunny and I live in Bourget, Ontario and our property is surrounded by the beautiful 25,000 acres of Larose Forest.  The forest has trails galore and includes a dedicated equitation trail.  It's amazing. 
We have ridden to the Trail Head parking lot before but this time was super special since we were going to include the 8km loop for the Pink Ribbon Ride which raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness. 
I had done the Ride before with my other horse Gulliver but this was Sunny's first time at a horse event!  The miles aren't really a big deal for my boy, since we do put on miles regularly but meeting all new horses, tents, trailers, loud speakers...
So, I rode to my friends house 2kms from mine and then we pinked up.  (I thought I was pretty good since I had my pink boots on and grabbed my daughters pink helmet!

But as you can see from Donna's great photo's, my friend Kelsa pinked us up some some more :-)

We met Donna as we were on our way to the ride.  People were wondering why we were doing doing the loop backwards but we had to explain that we hadn't arrived yet!  We were riding in :-)

Before I left, my husband asked me why I wasn't wearing a pink shirt but I told him that my RAC shirt was going to help identify me to Donna!  And sure enough, she spotted us!!!  As soon as she saw us, I reconized Linus from the Blog and we were able to chat and take some pictures.  Thanks Donna!  We got to the ride, signed in and after a quick drink and rest for the ponies, off we went for the 8 km loop. 

Beautiful!  The trails were gorgeous and the crowd of 150+ riders were great.

Sunny was interested in the other horses but no big fuss and everything else... the balloons, tents, trailers, etc.... yeah... I don't think he even noticed!  What a guy! 

We stayed for the BBQ after the ride, where Donna and I got to chat and I was able to talk to a few different people about Curly horses!  The man that we were riding with didn't even know it was a breed!  (he got educated :-))

And then we saddled back up and off we went back home.  We dropped off Kelsa and her gang at 10km and Sunny and I went another 2km home. 

What a SUPER day and SUPER horse.  It was a blast and I was thrilled to do it with my Curly Partner - Sunny, the super horse! 

Cyndi and Sunny in Eastern Ontario, Canada

Fantastic Fall Weather in Maine

 

Don't you sometimes

 just wish that fall would last forever?

Scattering of leaves all over the trails makes for a heady scent

This is the best time of year to ride the powerline

The autumn weather has been absolutely wonderful in Maine this year, giving me plenty of horse time.  I have had several really nice rides on my Ah-D, even fitting in an after-work ride or two.  The foliage is spectacular this year.  Some places are peak and some are gone by, but there are some places where bright red leaves are juxtaposed against bright green leaves, so there is more to come. 

Note the bite of grass, a reward for a good boy

Sumacs are a PIA, but they sure turn beautiful colors in the fall

Self-portraits of me and my pony

Even though the forest floor is littered with leaves, there is plenty of green left to turn color over the next couple of weeks!

I mentioned before that I have been putting in quite a bit of time on the Haflinger Nike who is staying at my house, and I have noticed this makes AhD crave my attention and ask to be picked when I come out to the pasture.  What a rush!  I love how he makes himself available, and I especially love how he hasn't been bratty at all, even when he has had time off.  Could it be he is growing up? 

Ah-D stood stock still for my overhead pictures.  That driving training is coming in handy on the trail! ;)

The brooks are full of floating leaves

A stand of white birch with a maple thrown in.  Lovely!

 

What a beautiful frame under this foliage! :)

I thought you might get a kick out of this short video.  I thought I was setting up the timer to take the self-portrait picture above, but as you can see, oops...it ended up being a video.  But it does capture the flavor of this ride, and also just how gentle and sweet and well-behaved Ah-D is.

Thanks for coming along on our fall rides! ~Susan and AhD

Cool, Wet Fall

Seriously Marley and I haven't fallen off the earth, we just have been keeping busy training at home, riding with friends and family, and enjoying what is now left of the rest of the year.  Since I had last posted we have worked the county fair security, ridden in several parades throughout the summer, went on several trail rides together, and have attended many trainings.  This particular one happened this past weekend at an army base camp.  We go to those trainings so we can keep sharp in our skills in case there ever is a call out where our assistance is needed.  We learn from other counties how things are done or how maybe things could be done better.  The weather really wasn't the greatest but the friendship is always the best!  To recap the day, the group is given a situation and we are to figure out how to work it and get everyone home safe.  I can't share alot of details with you because of policy but wanted to let you know what we did and you can see a few pictures.  Maybe too now that things have started to slow down I can post alot more and maybe do a few blogs with photos of what we did this summer :)

Marley is such a good boy while I try and read the compass

Our convoy or part of them, this was so cool to see!

Yep heavy tree cover, I was the only one wearing chaps, and they did come in handy.  Ducking to get through some of the trees.

Otter Creek Take 2 and Gremlin Curlies

First off I better explain the Gremlin Curlies comment in my title...I'm discovering like Grelims if you get Curlies wet they multiple...Well not really but my little herd has grown from 2 to 3!

I moved to a new barn that is less expensive so I was able to start looking for a new prospect when I see an ad for this guy. So I purchased Al from Erica as my next Eventing prospect.  I can't wait to get him started but first he needs some time to adjust and trust me.  His sire was a jumper and he already shows a nice clean jump over free jumps.  There will be plenty of updates on him.

Now on to Otter Creek.

Theo and I were on our game.  He felt the best ever felt in dressage warm up but I wasn't getting my hopes up too much I just wanted a lower score then our previous tests.  My trainer commented on how great he looked about 15 minutes before my test.  Then it started to rain, and Theo didn't like it (insert Grelim joke here).  Wow he turned into a board and would not relax.  Shaking his head and just throwing a fit but the show must go on.  The rain lightened up for our test but the damage was already done.  We got comments about not bending and tenseness through his back.  I couldn't blame him I dislike being wet as well.  Overall we still pulled off a 5th place but with our worst dressage score yet.

That actually took some pressure off and I could just focus on having a good fun time with stadium jumping.  My husband recently bought me an awesome new jump saddle and I've really been able to work on our jumping more now that I'm not struggling with my position all the time.  All the hard work paid off and we went double clear moving us up to 3rd!

Next day was Cross Country and I was just focused on time.  My trainer once again commented on how Theo was on his game (I said "please don't rain now" which it didn't) and we left the start box with loads of confidence.  Theo seemed to remember what to do and where to go on the course.  He was leaping over jumps without even blinking but then right before jump 6 the jump judge moved and we went side ways.  I stayed on and Theo picked right back up and went over the jump.  Luckily we were still far enough away it didn't count as a refusal and we went double clear.
 We ended the weekend in 2nd and I couldn't have been more happy with him... He really is a great horse!

If you saw my other post you might recognize the jump in the picture below.  It was the only picture I really wanted all weekend and the show photographer got it!!!

Here is the video of Cross Country from my helmet cam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXYewyimhjk

Here is the long video of all three events if anybody is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56qRltqjVl8

Abby has taken me on some great trail rides as well this past month I have some photos of her but I'll do a separate post with those.

Birthday Upgrades!!

‎This morning was beautiful so I took Linus out for a ride to keep up with the separation. It went really well and we went the other direction this time too. I turned around though because the saddle wasn't feeling just right - Linus has lost another hole on his girth!! Yay!! 

For my Birthday, the girls at work got me a gift card to a local tack shop. I had been thinking of a trade in on a saddle with leather in better condition and the underside in better condition too! It was such a beautiful day for the drive so off I went and made the trade to the new one shown in the picture. Well, it's gently used, not brand new. It's a Blue Ridge barrel saddle. The seat is a bit different to my previous saddle but it was very comfy when I tried it this afternoon and Linus seemed great with it. We did a bit of walk and trot. 

So, because of this I actually had 2 rides on him today : ) he had a few days off after his big trail ride on Sunday...ahem, Cyndi still waiting... : )

Hope you're all enjoying some beautiful and sunny weather like we have been : )