Southern CA trip

More photos of Tamara and me from last weekend....

http://www.rosetrace.com/Tejon/Tejon.html

Maui Photos

Maui Photos are now available - sorry for the delay - we just got DSL out here in the woods, and now everything is so much easier on the computer!

http://www.rosetrace.com/Maui/Maui.html

Desolation Wilderness - With Snow

We were poured on last weekend in Southern CA, this week was 90 degrees at home, and then yesterday, there was snow all off the Desolation Wilderness while we rode about 20 some miles up and down granite staircases with Bare Feet! It was the first time I think I have ever really ridden in snow. It was absolutely gorgeous, coupled with the fall color change. The horses did fantastic with their bare feet. The horses just glided over the rocks at the walk, trot, and canter. I don't know how they have the time to choose where to put their hooves so perfectly to avoid the big rocks, but they do. Not even one chip.

If you have a chance, view this photo album to see the snow and the terrain we were riding on. It is absolutely gorgeous. http://www.rosetrace.com/TellsSeptember2007/TellsSeptember2007.html

Amatuer Radio License

So I took my Amateur Radio test at the beginning of the month and passed with a perfect score. My call sign is KI6LQX. I have a little hand held radio that I take with me on rides or whenever I will be in an area without cell phone coverage. Where I live, that is just about everywhere. It gives me a piece of mind knowing that I will be able to contact someone if I get in trouble on the trail because it can contact someone always, just have to find the right frequency. I have it defaulted to the Auburn repeater, but I understand the Mt. Vaca repeater is very powerful as well. If you have a little extra time to study for the test - lots of electronics and physics - it is worth it. Now I am going to study for my General's license which opens up more frequencies to me.

Photos of Tejon

Lynne Glazer's photographs of the Tejon Fandango ride are here:

http://www.photo.lynnesite.com/gallery/3523468#P-19-15

You can get a good feel for the beautiful terrain.

Tamara and I are on Page 19.

Those are just the photos from Day 1, Day 2 are coming soon.

Easyboots and Foaming

The foaming worked great! I foamed on 2 Easyboots in the front, 2 Bares without the Gators in the back on both Annie and Feather. It took about 1 hour to put them on, they stayed on for 5 days until we pulled them off. I followed all of Karen Chaton's directions on how to foam correctly. Pulling them off was tough, that goodness I have Logan. We did find a trick - loosen the foam with a flat head screw driver, then spray Pam all inside the boot. Put your horse back in the pasture for a day.... then pry off the boot. The foam peeled out nicely with the addition of the Pam.

The boots were so slippery in the wet mud, there was no traction at all. I wish I had my Easyboot Grips, the boots that have a very aggressive tread pattern for mud. But I left those at home. I wasn't expecting rain. Grips are going in my trailer for whenever I might need them.

I thought Feather moved incredibly well with the foamed on boots - there was nothing above her hair line, nothing around her heel bulbs, just a really tight fitting boot on her foot. As a matter of fact, I think she moved out the best she ever had. She doesn't like gators.

I would like to try the foaming with a Renegade bottom. I talked to Kirt and he said he used to Equithane on a base and that it worked fabulous. I think foaming is the way to go for sure for a multiday!

My Weekend

Wow, I wasn't expecting rain! It poured and poured Friday night and Saturday during the ride. The trails were messy and slippery.... Anyway, Tamara and I rode Friday and Saturday at the Tejon Ranch, finished strongly with all A's.... and then decided we had enough of the slip and slide, so we went back to her house and rode in the desert. I rode Feather, she rode her horse Bailey, and we let Annie off line to follow us through the National Forest. The scenery was amazing, Tamara truly found a special place to live with lots of trails. Feather felt stronger everyday... my drive down and back was uneventful. All in all, despite the rain, a very fun weekend!

I'm Off! Tejon Fandango Ride

I leave in the morning to go to the Tejon Fandango ride in Fort Tejon. I have decided to try my luck at foaming on 4 Easyboots on each horse. I have never done that before. The weather looks mild, high of 62 degrees on Friday. That seems very cool, hopefully that will help the horses do well. Also heard a forest fire may have started in that area, but it seems there is always a fire there.... hopefully the smoke won't be too bad. I am probably most excited to see Tamara and her new house. She has never done an endurance ride, I am hopeful that Annie will take good care of her.

Founders Day Parade

Today is Founders Day in Georgetown. We took Annie and Feather in the parade. It is the first parade that they have ever done, and they were troupers. Logan and Feather were dressed as "Hildago", basically that meant that our little mustang acquired an authentic Arabian costume while she was over in Egypt for her race.... she looked cute. Annie and I wore a Bedouin costume I used to use while I was showing in Mounted Native Costume. Here are a few photos I took, I will get more from Stuart when he downloads his camera.

3 Day Endurance Ride

I am getting ready for a Three Day endurance ride next week. I leave on Wednesday and will be home on Monday. The ride is at the Tejon Ranch in Southern California, at the top of the Grapevine. My friend Tamara just moved down to Frazier Park which is right there! So I am taking Annie and Feather to the ride, and Tamara and I will pull straws for who rides who. Our goal is to do all three days of Limited Distance (25 miles). I can't wait!

Savvy Conference 2007

That was quite an experience! Pagosa Springs has got to be one of my favorite places on this earth. I enjoyed the natural hot springs each night I was there, and came home feeling very relaxed. The Savvy Conference was interesting... they introduced a bitting program for your horse in cooperation with the Myler company. The Cradle bridle is supposed to deliver pressure at the poll, nose, bars, tongue, and side walls to help your horse respond better to pressure. I went ahead and purchased one to try on Annie in the arena. We'll see... I was not overly impressed with the performances of the horses at the conference that was wearing a cradle bridle. But I am definitely going to try it. They specifically said it was not for the trail, so I will not use it there. The Parelli's really went into detail with their new Horsanalities information.... Left Brain, Right Brain, Introvert, Extrovert... and how to deal with each. Very cool. I learned so much, many little things, and I am ready to start finishing up my Level 3. I have already taped a bunch of tasks since I got back.

Off to Pagosa Springs

I am off to the Parelli Savvy Conference today. I can't wait to learn more! I am staying in a cabin on a river. Tonight, I am looking forward to sitting in the hot springs. I'll be back Monday with lots of new information.

Equithane your Renegades

If you are experiencing any twisting at all on your Renegades, especially on hind feet or club feet, you may want to consider a custom fit using Equithane.

Supplies:
Equithane gun (like a caulking gun)
Equithane - I use Adhere in Beige
Denatured Alcohol
Cotton
Sand Paper
Pam Cooking Spray - Any flavor will do
Paper towel

Steps:
Clean your Renegades really good.
Rub the inside rim edge (anywhere you are going to Equithane) with the alcohol on the cotton.
Sandpaper that area or use a burr sandpaper tool on you air compressor.
Clean it again with the alcohol really good.
Spray your horse's hoof with Pam, top and underneath so it is saturated.
Blot off the excess with paper towels.
Use the Equithane gun to run a small bead of Equithane around the inside rim of the boot. Concentrate it in areas as necessary. (ie - if contracted heels, use more in the heel area)
Really quick, put the boot on the hoof. Make sure it is straight and well aligned. This sets up fast.
Stand the horse in the boot without moving if possible for at least 10 minutes.
Pop the boot off.
If you have much on the inside sole of the boot, pull that out or sand paper it off.
Voila, a custom fit boot!