Rest Easy Sweet Girl

I have not updated for a few reasons, first and fore most my family decided that it was time to eauth. our fourteen year old Pesky dog and we said goodbye to her yesterday the 19th. She was an awesome dog, but it was her time to go and she was ready.

As I picked her out of the wiggling mass of black and brown bodies, she came right up to me and knocked me in the mud, while my five year old self was wearing her favorite shorts! She earned her name right then and there. Pesky.

While we lived in Idaho, she became an escape artist, not that I remember much except we always joked about her being a farm dog, it seemed that we could always find her down the road with the sheep herd. On that small urban lot we had a lot of fruit trees and in the fall it was my brother's and mine job to pick up the fallen fruit and place it in five gallon buckets. Pesky was soon doing the same.

Once we moved out to the country Pesky was very happy, she ended up with an Opps litter of fourteen puppies, of which we kept the one lug known as Patches. When we got horses, there was no keeping her home if we were out on the trial, and the last ride she went on was up Twin Canyons for a moonlight ride.

I know that one day she, Frosty and I will one day roam through the sage again and spend an endless day by the banks of the river. We will swim, sleep and never hurt again, I look forward to that day even more knowing that she is full and once again young in body as well as her mind.

Rest Easy Sweet Girl

December 10th 2008

I finally got my butt out of the house to work the mare today, I did not ride but we got a better understanding of what exactly Crickett is supposed to do when I go out to catch her.

Crickett has always been easy to catch whistle her over and slip the halter on her, but not today. Today she thought that it might be fun to avoid me and swing her but at me. I popped her on the butt with my lead rope and of course she trotted off to the end of the field so I whistle her back in and the shit does it again. This went on for a few minutes before I threw the lead rope around her neck and got her caught.

We then spent an hour learning how to be haltered and how to keep her big butt out of my face. At the end of our workout she was spinning pretty fast to keep her front end facing me. Hopefully it sticks and I do not have to worry about her trying to kick out at me.

Christmas Parade.

December 7, 2008.

Last night was the Yakima Lighted Parade, and I of course went with the 4-H group I have been involved with for the past 9 years. What a blast. I of course did not haul myself, I got picked up by Les, who grew up in the group and who's parents are still involved in the program. We loaded Crickett up in his 4 horse slant with his three charges for that night.

Drove through Yakima and ended up parking on a hill above my moms work, I helped the other kids get ready, chatted with the Barrel Racers club (and the girl who beat me out of a rodeo queen, because she was riding a judges horse) then ended up having to scramble to get Crickett ready to go.

I am sorry but I do not have any good pictures, but I attached battery Christmas lights to Crickett's bridle, breast collar, along the top of her mane, draped around her hind end and tinsel every where and had sleigh bells one about every limb. (I told the judge from the Queen competition that it looked like they needed more bling, (the supposed reason I lost the queen LOL). They were a little put off but I made them laugh so it was all good.

In the 4-H club there were six of us riding, Les and his daughter Kay, who rides a cute grumpy appaloosa that looks and acts exactly like Frosty, Les's ex-step daughter Ser who's birthday was yesterday, Les had this huge TWH/Paint/Arab gorgous hunk of bay goodness. Our leaders young daugther and her mom's walkaloosa, then our leaders boss.

We waited for about a half hour before the parade was supposed to start on the door step of my mothers work (Sorry for the yellow stains Mom!) right along side of a Coca-Cola truck, a hand full of carolers, three big floats and a tractor that had an air horn. All the horses were great, not one of them were spooked by anything.

I was pretty surprised with Crickett, this was only her third parade and first one at night and she was awesome, even the sleigh bells on her legs were perfectly fine and the blaring lights wrapped around her head. The parade finally stated and we had to fight our way into our spot and then deal with a couple of antsy horses who were ready to get going.

Kays poor old appy did not want to go, so I ended up having to pretty much lead her by her headstall and get her going every few steps. Finally I switched with Les who was leading our leaders daughter so he could lead his daughter.

This whole entire time Crickett is just fine and dandy, she has a low head set perked ears and just happy as a clam. I was so proud of her, no a single spook at all, with the kids coming up to pet her on the sidewalks, and the occasional candy that hit her nose she was PERFECT.

I really think that parades are now her thing that she just loves, it was so amazing I have never seen her so well adjusted to her surroundings. This was not a short parade, defiantly the longest and loudest we have gone through.

We got to the trailers that had been parked at the bus station and I again helped all the kids get un-tacked and ready to load. Being as were were at a bus station a lot of the homeless people were there to spend the night and Crickett just lapped up all the attention she could get, I let all the little boys and girls sit on her, every one petted her.

The last people to come up to see her was a little boy in a wheel chair and his mom. The boy was probably around 5, and it was evident that he had some sort of severe health issues I want to say cancer but I am not sure. The mom was really polite and asked if Crickett would spook at the wheel chair and I said no (she had been dealing with strollers all night). So she wheels him right up, and Crickett just sticks her head into his lap, like nose between his legs and just stood there while he played with her ears. Finally the boy leans forward and started to whisper in her ear real quiet , and for 10 minutes Crickett just stood and listened to him, not moving an inch

When the boy was done, the mom had tears in her eyes and they left. I have no idea what he said, what the boy had or anything, but Crickett knew. It was just so amazing to see a horse that I knew to be a bit of a hellion do something like this. It was a prefect end to a wonderful night.

Les then took us all out for dinner, for his fathers birthday, and I of course heard the story of the wagon train yahoo's running out of camp in 110 degree weather for the 20th time, but that was just fine with me because Les Sr. is just one awesome cowpoke.

Yarg

12:20-1:12 p.m

Not the best short ride I have ever done on Crickett, we worked in the pasture and had some attitude issues. She was just reverting to a stubborn self that I have not seen for a while and it was somewhat frustrating on both of our accounts.

I wanted to really work on bending and flexing and getting her up and downward transitions down, but she was having very little of that at all. So I moved on to getting her sidepassing and other smaller cues to be quick and precise.

Crickett did really well on those and I am glad that I ended on that note, she was very light to the forequarter cue as well as the sidepassing. He haunch turns have always been really good. I think my next step with those is going to be perfecting my rollbacks and getting her to really push herself with her hind.

Why is it gray on days I am home and sunny on days that I am busy?

It is really not fair at all, yesterday I had to run around town all day and did not get to ride at all, I did not even see my ponies in the daylight. It was a gorgeous day to, no wind, bright and sunny, but today when I am home and have nothing to do it is gray and just plain cold?

I brought the horses in, Crickett got her tail re-done (Braided) and groomed up while Diamond who has gone back to his easy to catch self got groomed and ridden around the round pen bareback and halter.

Yeah exciting day I know. It just seems hard to get motivated when the weather is crappy.

The Big D

Took me another hour to catch Diamond today, I have no clue what his problem is right now, but you can be sure I am going to work it out of him by the end of the week. This has got to stop I am not going to spend an hour running around the pasture to get him caught and ride able.

I worked him hard in the round pen because he did not come willingly to me after I caught him, I hope to have him associate coming right away to me with not having to work extra hard, but when I have to chase him he is going to have to work. We shall see.

So anyway I caught him and worked him then I practiced my bareback mounting, of course I did not even put his halter on, just tied the lead rope around his neck and flopped on his back over and over. Not once did he move, such a good boy once he is caught.

For some reason I get on better on the right side of him then the left even though I am left handed, wonder why this is? I am working up to the swing mounting, so far I am at the flop on back and stay balanced state.

Black Friday

Instead of going out to brave the crazies of black Friday, my Dad and I decided that a ride would be a much better day to spend it then trying to fight the crowds. I think that we have a new tradition! Dad had talked with the man who had given me Frosty, and he gave us the o.k to ride on his land (3 sections). Needless to say Dad and I jumped on the chance to get out into some trees and see some wildlife.

So we started out in the morning and it took us and hour, an hour to catch my Dad's mustang gelding Diamond. He (Diamond) has been doing great all year about letting us catch him, but yesterday he reverted back to his old nature. The poop finally let me up to him once he was sick of the game. By the time we catch him it is starting to drizzle, it had been gray and gloomy all day, not the best day to go for a ride but I was not going to let a chance of Dad and I going out go by.

We got up to the property and I have all these memories of Frosty coming back at me, this is where we loaded her up, I rode her bareback to the trailer from there, this is the last time I saw her. It took a bit of power to keep from tearing up. So we go and see the property owner and talk with him a bit and he gives us some good trail ideas and also the key to the back sections and any other gate we may come upon.

I drove us to the end of his runway and parked, and in no time we were out and riding, the mare did not want me to mount up from the trailer, even though my pants were to bulky to get me up from the ground LOL.

Off we went through the main gate which is super cool old looking, the property was a huge sheep company that the man's family has owned for generations. In fact we have a road named after his property. Right off the bat we see some bones, it was hard not to think that they might have been my mares, but there was no skull left only the back bone and some ribs so I am not sure if it was an elk or what.

The ground was pretty muddy and slick in some places so when we went down a slope the horses really had to dig in and work at not sliding, something that is very good for Crickett, someday she will be as good as a trail mount as Diamond.

Dad and I wandered this way then that way then this way again, he asked me if I wanted to go in circles now or later, I told him we might as well get it over with early so we don't have to worry about it later when we get lost. I gave him a hint that I would really like a GPS for Christmas to track my trail rides and see how ADD or "Directionally Challenged" I really am. Here is to hoping

We came upon a green dot road that just had a ton of Elk track on it, deep and clear, and after a mile of going down the road we found a recent elk camp, both Dad and I were surprised at how clean it was. Stopping for a moment we let the horses catch their breath and I tried no to show how cold my fingers or toes were getting, it was nice to be out riding with my dad and I wanted it to last as long as we could.

Setting off again we made another large circle and decided that it was getting kind of dark and I might have been a good idea to start heading back to the truck and trailer. Fortunately our plans were foiled by two or thee very large elk cows. The horses saw them first and stopped and snorted at them for a moment before they took off.

Dad and I thought it might have been a good idea to circle around them and see if they had just crested the hill or had gone down the slope to the valley. They hadn't, or if they had we did not see them again. It was pretty dusky by the time we loaded up and started down the driveway. Stopped back at the house to deposit the key and thank them for letting us ride. We have been invited back so hopefully come spring we will go up there a bit more.

I got to drive all the way home which was only 20 miles or so, but probably the most I have been allowed to haul ever. It was a pretty easy drive the speed limit is only 40 but there are some tricky spots along the lake and down the grade. It was fun though.

November 26th workout (for me not the Mare)

1:30-2:30 p.m
So I rode the Mare Mare today, just bareback and around the pasture but it was the most work I have done bareback on her since I got Crickett three years ago last Halloween.

I used to ride my old appaloosa Frosty Moose all the time bareback, the last year I had her at my house that is all I did on her and I loved it so much. With Crickett it is a bit different because

1. She is younger
2. She is rounder
3. She had more energy
4. Her gates are not as smooth
5. She is not trained as well..yet

Recently I have been trying to get on her a bit more bareback even if it is with just a halter and lead rope. Crickett has been doing much better on listening and working of more subtle clues then she has in the past.

One of our major problems bareback is that I do not have the balance that I did when I rode all the time bareback so I think Crickett is a bit more reluctant to work for me. Today we trotted the most and longest that I have been able to. I am pretty sure she is reluctant to trot because of this balance and so we will just have to work harder on that then anything else when we are bareback. I have yet to lope her although I know that it will be easier then the trot but we are not ready in the control sense either.

I also worked on side-passing, haunch and fore quarter turns. It has been a while since I have stopped to work on these things and even today I did not go as in-depth as I probably would have had I been in a saddle. The mare did not want to do her fore-quarter turns at all, she turned and tried to bite me so she got a mouthful of boot. I worked until I got one really good move each direction then quit for the day.

I just took of the bridle in the pasture and let her follow me to the gate where we stopped and I scratched her ears for a while. Crickett does this thing where she puts her head between my knees and waits for me to massage her ears. Its pretty cute and I don't try and discourage it in anyway.

This picture is of the Hell Bitch and the Frosty Moose. Frosty came to me for a few years the went back to her original owners for the rest of her life. She died early 2008.

Why she is called The Hell Bitch

1:00-3:12 p.m

Crickett is called The Hell Bitch for more reasons then one and at the beginning of the ride she really earned that title, but she did redeem herself a bit at the end.

It is bright and mostly clear today the few clouds in the sky did not spoil the view. Crickett and I started off good, she was quiet and stood mostly still for saddling and bridling. My main mistake today was putting her into the egg butt dee ring snaffle without working her in the pasture first.
With a bit more then my typical persuasion I got her off our property and into the L.T (wildlife reserve) parking lot.

Crickett is the new In-Gate Mistress 2.0 (for all your in gate needs), only when we are headed out does she act like an ijut when I go to close the gate. Nope, can't close it Mom, home is right there. My boy is right there, I must see him. That was worked with later in the day.



I decided to go in the opposite direction then yesterday, so that would have been...south west to the small cliff like area. I had forgotten that there is an old four wheel track down to the corner of the Elk Fence.



Looked down and Crickett is trying to eat a cacti (No, not really).



We made it to the bottom of the ravine that I wanted to climb to get to the small cliffs and then Crickett started to push buttons. My main problem with trail horses is eating on the trail, its a no no but Crickett was having none of this. I pulled her head to the side and grabbed what she had wrapped around her bit. She really did not like that, turned and took a bit at my pinky which is now a lovely shade of purple.

So we ran, from the bottom of the ravine to the top of the mini cliff's, Crickett was huffing and puffing but behaved the rest of the ride. This is our view from on top of the little cliffs.



I then had to go back down the cliffs to get these pictures of them:





We still had to make this climb and by the time we reached the top Crickett was starting to sweat up and get a bit damp.



The view from the top was nice.



So I put the camera away and we made our way back down to the gate which was probably a mile away. Crickett did well, no head tossing or bitchiness to be seen, until we got to the bottom of the hill and onto the trail that leads down to the river. Crickett wanted to jig, and the only way I have found to stop her is to work on counter bending because she is to concentrated on that to jig her way down.

We made it to the gate safe and sound, Crickett even did well opening and closing it a few times. I start heading for home and then see my little neighbor (a mile up the road) walking, it would have been a two mile walk for her. I trotted up and convinced her to swing up behind me (She has her own horses, Crickett rides double) and I took her home.

It was pretty fun! Crickett did awesome just walked quietly all the way up and did not even spook at the little girls many dogs as they ran around us. I am so proud of Crickett for being so good and the pride takes a small bit of pain away from my bitten pinky.

November 21st Trail Ride

1:00 to 2:45

Went on a trail ride today, Started off a little skittish and spooky. We followed the fence-line for 1/4 mile until we got to the pigs. I was actually able to walk Crickett diagonally towards them which is impressive. I did not push it to hard because I really did not want to have a bucking match. She did her usual stop and snort take a few steps and repeat.

Made it past the pigs and his neighbor another 1/8 mile down the fence had two big new Newfoundland dogs, I was able to quite them and Crickett was still a bit spooky from the pigs. Turned around and we were starring down our noses at a jack rabbit. I could have reached out and touched him he was so close.

He sat for a few moments before racing off. At first I though he might have been a domestic but once he took off his ears shot up and he was off.

I continued on heading north east to a little valley which I followed up to its top, I was just east of the big saddle. When I topped the valley I cam across a well worn trail that I have never used before.

Crickett trotted a good half mile on the trail before we came out near the base of Twin Canyons. We stopped for a moment and I let Crickett catch her breath and take a drink form the trough. I am slightly surprised that it is full this time of year but I guess the light night sprinkles that we have been getting have done its job.

We continued up the canyon a little bit, it is pretty neat to see it in the daylight, normally when we go up the canyon its for a moonlight ride with the saddle club. The trail was good and dry, someone has been clearing it of the rock that accumulate every year.

Crickett became snorty and a little skittish and I remembered when my dad and I had been at almost the exact same spot and we had moved out a family of coyotes. Sure enough once I got Crickett moving again up around the bend there were thee fluffy coyotes running up the trail to the rim of the Yakima Canyon , they popped up and over the next ridge and I lost sight of them. Once they were gone Crickett and I went back down the canyon.

Following the main road back home about half way back someone had dropped off their deer carcasses. I don't know if they had been poached or not but eight deer rib cages is pretty rare to see. About a quarter mile later I turned around to see a woman leading a cream colored horse I thought that she might be in trouble so I trotted back to see if I could do anything. Nope she did not need anything.

Turns out she trailers her horse there, goes on a nice long walk with her on foot and then goes home to ride. Her horse had only 42 days on him so I guess I can understand but it is a bit odd.

Anyway that was my adventure for the day, more exciting the usual, with the rabbit and the coyotes and the deer carcasses. I can go weeks without seeing any type of wild life. Maybe Monday I will go out past the corner and see if I can spook up any big horn sheep. They might be down at the feed station by now though.