Day 5 - too windy again

So, weather defeats me again.  Another howling Santa Ana means I didn't ride G today.  I didn't have time anyway since report cards are due tomorrow.

As soon as my "contractual hours" were over at 3:15 I rushed over to the ranch.  I took G out and groomed him.  Then I turned him out in the arena.  He rolled a few times and shook like a big goofy dog.  So much for my grooming.  Now he's all sandy.  Other than rolling, he just kind of stood around.  Most horses I've seen kick up their heels and run about when turned out. (rhyme!)  I went into the arena with him and walked around. He followed me, but really that's not much exercise.  On the other hand, it's more exercise than he would have had if I didn't go.

I went back to school and worked on report cards after I put G away.

Now I'm home and looking online at how to lunge a horse.  (report cards are not done) If I lunge him, he'll get some good exercise on days I can't ride.  I'm thinking I might ask Michelle for a lunging lesson.  Or maybe one of my riding buddies would come over and help me out.

More and more I want to spend this much time with Danny.  G is ok, and he needs me (or someone), but Danny is much more the horse I want.  My fantasy at this point is to buy Danny and move him to this nearby ranch.  I wonder how he'd do in a stall rather than a pasture.  When I say pasture, I don't mean a grassy pasture.  It's a large pen with many horses - no grass, only dirt.

Day 4 - it's my birthday

Yesterday was my 47th birthday.  The family came out from Riverside, so it was  busy weekend.  On Saturday I had my lesson on Danny at Don E Brooks.  Afterwards I went on a trail ride with Gayle, Autumn, Rene, and the twins, Charlotte and Ramona.  It was fun, and the girls got to do a little trotting.  On the way home we stopped to see G.  It wasn't my day to ride him, so they just looked at him and I gave him cookies.

Sunday we had a big brunch, without the traditional champagne.  We had too much to do, so post champagne sleepiness was not on the menu.  After eating too much, I had to go run 1.2 miles at the marathon with some of my students.  Blahh, I was glad I kept my breakfast down.  It was a close thing!

When I got home the family went with me to see G again.  Elsa didn't see him the day before, and Caitlin had never seen him either.  After they left, I got down to business.



I took G into the arena and we walked several laps in each direction.  Then we trotted, and then I finally loped him.  His lope is kind of rough.  I hope it smooths out as he gains muscle tone.  We loped a couple laps in each direction, then walked, and then loped a bit again.  G doesn't really neck reign too well.  He goes off leg pressure.  I need to learn to direct him that way, but I also want him to learn to neck reign.

After the arena, I rode him around the outer perimeter of the ranch twice.  There are two steep, but short hills that are good for muscle building.  He seems pretty nervous when we are out on the "trail".  Hopefully he will calm down with experience.

Just as I put him away it started to rain again.  The tin roof shelters amplify the sound, making it seem like a bigger storm.  By the time I got home, it was hailing.  That must have been deafening at the ranch!

Day 3 - giant dog?

So is G just a giant dog?  I wasn't able to get to the ranch before sunset, and what a beautiful sunset!  It had rained off and on all day and the clouds were the perfect canvas.

Anyway, with the Riversidians on their way I had no time to ride.  Plus it was getting dark and very cold.  So I put G's new halter on him and turned him out in the arena.  First he just wandered around nose to the ground, sniffing.  Then he went to a corner and started rolling.  Finally he got up and followed me around.  I just walked all around with this huge critter close behind.  A couple times I just suddenly stopped to see what he would do.  He kind of nosed into me and then just stood there waiting for me to go again.  Next time I'll take the long lunging whip in and see if he will actually run around.  Obviously I'm not going to whip him.  It's just kind of a prop.

Lunge, lounge, longe and many other spellings I've seen.  I think it's regional as well as misspellings.
The ranch owner had G's teeth checked.  He needs them floated.  She'll have it done next time the guy is there.  I say"the guy" because I don't know if he's the vet or what.  I wonder if she had his feet looked at.  I think he's going to need shoes.  $$
I feel like G is bonding with me a little.  Of course I've only seen him 5 times over the last 2 weeks, but it's a start.  I just shouldn't bond with him too much.  He isn't mine, and he isn't the horse I want to own.

Today is my riding lesson at the other ranch.  Now Danny is closer to the horse I want to own, but not yet.  After my lesson many of the family are going on a trail ride.  C & R have never done a real ride on horses, only pony rides.  This is the grandma I want to be.  The one with animals, especially horses.  6 people on the ride, I hope they send a good guide.  I better get some tip money ready.

Day 2 - too windy

It's day two of my lease with Geronimo.  What that really means is that it's Wednesday, Sunday being day one.  The Santa Anas have been howling since last evening.  We had indoor recess and lunch at school because the wind was so strong.  All day I was thinking about G and how much I could ride him in the wind.

When I got to the ranch it was gusting.  No one else was around.  I took G out of his stall and groomed him.  He was calm, so I decided to tack him up.  Nancy, a boarder, warned me that the wind might make him spooky.  He still was calm so I took him into the arena.  We only rode about 20 minutes.

I walked him 2 laps in each direction, the jogged 2 each way.  His jog is very slow and very smooth.  Kinda boring.  We did figure eights, circles, and halts followed by backing.  He did well, but it wasn't very satisfying.  I stopped while he was still behaving well.  I was afraid the wind might cause a problem, and I wanted to stop while I was ahead.

Before I went home I stopped at Fox Feed and spent $25 on a larger halter.  He has a big head and the halter he came with is an average size.  I bought a green one.  It was actually a hard choice.  What color goes with a red horse with a white face and a blue eye?  Wait!  I just realized how patriotic his coloring is!

Day 1 - on my own

Yesterday was the first day of my lease on G.  I also, as usual, had work in my classroom.  I decided to eat my meat before the pudding, and I worked first.  I was really excited to go to the ranch, but also had serious butterflies.

When I finally got to the ranch, I met more nice people.  Funny how many are teachers.  They all seemed pleased that someone was going to be giving G attention.  I took him out of his stall and spent a long time grooming him.  He has "rain rot" which I need to research.

Tacking him up was awkward.  His saddle has more straps than I'm used to.  His bridle was a little tricky too.  I felt pretty pleased with myself when I finally figured it all out on my own.  Then we were off.

I took the same route as we took on my test-trail ride.  It was fine until we got to the spot he spooked before.  Then he started backing and trying to turn back.  I didn't realize at first that it was the same spot.  I thought he was just testing me, but it was also that he was afraid.  I turned him in circles and then tried to go forward.  He would start backing and sidestepping.  I turned him in circles again.  This went on for years, or maybe five minutes.  Finally, with some firm kicks I got him past the spot and we rode along ok again.

After a while a truck approached us from behind.  It was a narrow road so I rode to the side and stopped.  G lunged up a narrow berm of dirt and then stumbled down it.  It was pretty terrifying to me since I'm so afraid that a horse I'm riding may fall.  We both stayed upright and so then it was just embarrassing.  The people in the truck waved as they passed and I waved back.  At that point I realized my pants had caught on a barbwire fence and ripped from knee to ankle.

So lessons learned:

1. Be prepared for trouble if you've had trouble in that spot before
2. Ride to a wide spot or a driveway where you can get all the way off the road
3. I am capable of dealing with challenges
4. G has more energy than I thought

I went home after cooling G and grooming him again.  After changing pants Gary and I went to Fox Feed for fly spray and something for rain rot.  We went back to the ranch and I rode for a little while in the arena.  A quiet end to an eventful first day.

After two test rides I signed the papers to lease Geronimo.  It's month-to-month so as long as I can remain somewhat detached, I can stop or switch to another horse with no penalty.

So here's what I know about him so far.  He is a registered paint, approximately 16 hands, and has one blue eye.  He is a cribber, which is not curable.  Because of that he is very thin.  He is also very out of shape.  According to the ranch owner (not G's owner) he is ridden only about once a month.  A girl at the ranch occasionally turns him out because she feels badly for him.

The first I rode him in the arena and he walked following my commands pretty well.  It was very difficult to get him to trot and nearly impossible to get him to maintain a trot.  I didn't try to get him to lope.  A few days later, yesterday, I rode him on trail with the ranch owner.

He was well behaved on trail, but obviously not in the same shape as the other horses.  He spooked and did a little spin when some minis ran up to a fence we passed.  I was easily able to get him under control and calmed down.  He was a little spooky when a loose dog barked at us from a distance. but this time I was ready and we had no spinning.  I was actually glad to see he had the energy to move so quickly.  We went over some long low inclines which was hard work for him, but he did it.

Geronimo is easy to groom and he picks up his feet to have them cleaned.  He's barefoot right now.  His coat is flaky and shedding, but regular grooming will help.

All in all I think I will gain confidence riding on my own 3 days a week.  G will gain muscle and become more responsive with regular riding.  I'm guessing I'll be ready to "move up" to a better horse in several months.  I just hope at that point I'm not too attached to G.  I also hope if he's in better shape, they will find someone else to lease him when I move on.

My new horse schedule is ride Geronimo Wednesday and Friday after work, Saturday a lesson at another ranch on Danny, and then Sunday back to Geronimo.  G is at a ranch only 8-10 minutes from home.  Danny's ranch is 20 minutes away.

What my dog ate and how much I care

Menchi ate the old hardcover version of Star Surgeon by Alan Nourse.  It was originally from an Orange County library.  Either Gary as a child never returned it or he bought it from them at a book sale.

How much do I care from 1-10, 10 being care deeply:

2

Menchi only ate the cover of the hardcover version of Moon Mutiny by Lester Del Rey.  This came from Villa Park High School.  Again whether it was never returned or bought from the school, I don't know.

How much do I care:

2

He also took my paperback copy of Eating an Artichoke: A Mother's Perspective on Asperger Syndrome by Echo Spring.  He didn't damage it at all.

How much would I have cared if he ate it:

7

We have learned over the years that old hardcovers are his favorite.  All early editions are on a top shelf in the closet where he can't get them.  We are a house of books though and he is bound to eat them from time to time.