Life With Horses: Trail Riding

Yee haw! SADDLE UP! It’s time to get your entries in for the June Ride! Entries MUST BE POSTMARKED by tomorrow, May 25th!!! We NEED more people who’re RIDING. Send me a personal message w/ your email & I can email you an entry. (Sorry, we do NOT supply the horses.)

What is it that pulls at the soul to saddle up and ride in the hills on a good horse? There is a universal peacefulness that appeals to those who ride. We all know that old quote from Churchill, “There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man,” or in many cases, a woman.

AdaMae Rege was one of the founding members of the Redwood Empire Trail Riders which has been around since 1978. The club was founded by former members of the Cloverdale Riding Club, who disbanded when they lost access to their club arena (on private land.) RETR’s annual June trail ride is now dedicated to her memory in honor of all enthusiasm she had for trail riding, and for her work to support the club. She truly loved trail riding. I think we all remember her riding her bay quarter horse, Tonto.

Let’s honor AdaMae again by turning out for this 34^th annual June ride, the weekend of the 8^th through the 10^th. She’ll be smiling down on us.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Blue

Sebastopol Wranglers

We’re on a mission here. As members of the Redwood Empire Trail Riders horse club, we’re out to help promote other horse clubs in our area.

Today we offer the link to the Sebastopol Wranglers, also here in Northern California. Like the Redwood Riders, that I featured yesterday, The SEBASTOPOL WRANGLERS have been around a long time. Yes, I rode at their arena too when I was a kid. Here’s the link to their website: http://www.sebastopolwranglers.com/Wranglers/home.html  And here is their link on FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/SebWrang

Speaking of “kids,” I may take Gracie to the Sebastopol Wranglers schooling show on June 2nd. No, we’re not entering any classes–we just plan to hang out for the day with them. I think it’ll be a good experience for her, as a three-year-old, to just absorb the day’s energy and cheer the others on.

Redwood Riders

Howdy Y’all,

Just found this website for Redwood Riders horse club in Mendocino County. I know this club has been around for a looooong time, since I went to some of their events and trail rides when I was a kid. (Everyone knows I’m old as dirt! Ha!) So check them out on the web. They have some gymkhanas and horse shows coming up for spring/summer 2012. http://redwoodriders.webs.com/

I recall going on at least two trail rides with the REDWOOD RIDERS when I was a kid living in Mendocino County. My sisters and I also rode in some of their gymkhanas, although the games were never much of our thing. It was still fun though.

Speaking of gymkhana fun, the REDWOOD RIDERS do have a gymkhana scheduled for June 2nd at their arena in Redwood Valley. I hope some of our Redwood Empire Trail Riders will be able to attend and enjoy the day’s fun.  Here’s their FaceBook  link: http://www.facebook.com/groups/383840284977850/#!/redwoodridershorse

 

Horseback on Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day! We spent time enjoying a couple hours  trailriding in preparation for our June ride at the McCutchan Ranch.

Left to Right: Patty on Rusty (Foxtrotter), Phil on Vinny (Thoroughbred), Barb on Zuni (Mustang) and Melissa on Joe (American Paint Horse).  Gracie’s ear’s are in the photo too, so here is a picture of me on Gracie (Quarter Horse.)

Here’s another photo of Barb on Zuni.

Life With Horses

Gracie chases motorcycles. Yes, you read that right, she chases motorcycles and four-wheelers. Which leads to another interesting aspect of life with horses. I knew about the four-wheeler gig. Kevin and I would go over onto the neighbor’s 200+ acres to check on the horses in the wintertime. They learned to come running when they saw us. You know, the old carrots in the bucket trick. For fun, Gracie would run along after the four-wheeler just like she was running with another horse. Willa would join the run. We’d all stop at the flat spot not too far up the hill.

Loren came home from classes today on his Buell 750. Gracie picked up the pursuit and ran up the driveway until he parked the bike in the garage. Next time he goes out I’ll have to be ready with the camera or video to catch her in action. It is my guess that being young, energetic and of cutting horse bloodlines, she thinks “Oh boy, let’s chase the cow.” (Her cohort in crime, Willa, also taught her to herd wild turkeys.)

“Who, me? I didn’t step in the pumpkins!” Gracie’s look of innocence.

So, come noontime today I go out to hand water the tomato plants and the pumpkin starts. What do I find? Two hoof prints in the started pumpkins tray! Here they are:

The evidence is probably stuck in the front shoes of one of the horses. I wonder which one carries the remains of squished pumpkin starts. This also reminds me that after trail riding season (summer) maybe Gracie and I will be pursuing cow-horse training. Or possibly we’ll take up motorcycle racing–after all quarter horses are known for their sprinter’s speed. Although pumpkin rolling might be interesting.

Bees for Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, here are some of the wild bees on our ranch.