A Surprise on the Hill

 A Surprise on the Hill

Ellen, Kevin and I were out for a ride.  Before crossing the river to go home, Ellen and I decided to pass up home and trot out to the street.  Kevin decided to just go home without us.  Cole was really, really fast.  He had an extra exceleration when he heard a noise.  I was able to keep him at a trot, but it was a very fast trot.  Dante was a little calmer.  Fifteen seconds later, we turned back to go home.  That is when I saw the pair of turkeys--a male and a female.  We believe they were courting, though the male wasn't fanned out.  They probably made the noise that startled Cole--or maybe he saw them.  We were glad that Starry wasn't with us.  He panicked the one time he saw a male turkey fanned out.

After we crossed the river, we watched the turkeys saunter up to it and eventually fly over to our side.  I think wild turkeys are so beautiful.

Ellen and I headed up the hill.  We were about a third of the way up, when I thought I heard Kevin's voice ahead.  It sounded like he was at the top of the hill.  I got a little worried, but we didn't hear him cry for help, though we couldn't make out what he was saying.  He stopped, and I relaxed.  

A couple minutes later, I heard him yelling a lot.  Once again, we didn't know what he was saying.  I wanted to gallop up the hill to find out, but I knew that depending on the situation, that might make things worse.  If Kevin had fallen and Starry was loose, galloping up might cause Starry to run.  We just kept walking up the hill as fast as we could.

Ellen was ahead of me, leading Dante.  I was still in the saddle.  Kevin started yelling again.  We were closer now, and we could hear him calling out a warning to us that there were 2 loose dogs on the trail!  Seconds later, 2 Cane Corsos came charging down the trail towards us.  Cane Corsos are not known for their friendliness--they weren't Labradoodles!  They looked like they were a hundred pounds each, and all I could see were their huge jaws.

Within an instant, Ellen transformed from her normally quiet demeanor to a raging animal.  She charged towards them with her hands in the air, waving her whip, yelling like she was possessed by the devil and dragging Dante with her.  No one was going to hurt her Dante.  I started to do the same thing.

Those dogs stopped, spun around and took off back up the hill--straight into the arms of a policeman. I think they went to him for protection from Ellen and her ferocious horse, Dante. When we reached the top of the hill, we saw Kevin on foot and the policeman was wrapping Starry's reins around their necks. The dogs didn't even have collars.  Kevin was holding Starry by the bridle.  Those snap-on reins came in handy!

We stayed back while the policeman led the dogs to his car that was parked at the end of the trail.  Once he got there, he couldn't manage to get the dogs in the car or tied up--he evidently needed some help.  Ellen handed Dante to me and went over to hold the dogs for him while he put leashes on them.  She brought Kevin's reins back.  The officer still couldn't get the dogs into the car, so he called for back up.

He told Ellen that someone on the street called about the loose dogs.  I'm glad we were able to get them turned around before they got further into the park, and without Kevin's reins, I don't know how the officer could have gotten them back to his car.  Hopefully, they were able to locate the owner, and now they are safe at home.

All the yelling that we heard was Kevin trying to scare the dogs away from Starry.  It is just as well that we couldn't understand what he was yelling about--I believe it was mostly 4-lettered words.

Throughout this whole experience--from the beginning to the end--all 3 horses were perfectly behaved.  I was so proud of them!

The Best 15 Seconds of the Whole Ride

 The Best 15 Seconds of the Whole Ride

Many times for many years, Ellen and I will be coming back from a ride, and when we get to the river that we cross to go home, we decide to pass it up and go for a little while longer.  We will just trot out to the street.  It isn't a long distance at all, but it makes the ride a little longer.

Cole started to really get into it.  I think it is because when we get to the street, we just turn around and go back home.  I know Cruiser liked to do it, too.  I can tell because of their enthusiastic trot.

Over the years, Cole's trot has become more and more enthusiastic.  It didn't take Dante long to catch on to the excitement.  Cole usually is in the lead, and he will typically trot faster than he does on the whole ride.  Dante decided that that was a tremendous idea.  Though he can't match Cole's trotting speed, he does his best.  Many times, Ellen lets him canter.

There are times that I can't hold Cole--he just goes.  There have been leaps and squeals from Dante.  None of this puts us off, because we know they will always stop at the end--they just want to get there very fast.  We just sit back and enjoy it.

The more we do it, the more hyper they get about it.  I just love riding a fast, extended trot.  When they go this fast, I don't think it takes us much more than 15 seconds to get to the end, but they are the best 15 seconds of the whole ride.

For some reason, Kevin never wanted to join us.  We did it a lot last year, and if he was with us, he would just cross the river and go home.  Poor Starry was missing all the fun.

A couple weeks ago, I was riding with just Kevin.  He surprised me when he said he wanted to trot past home.  I guess it was just such a nice evening for riding that he didn't want to go home.  I told him I would take the lead, and Cole would probably go very fast.  Kevin loves going fast, so that is not a problem.  I just wanted him to be ready for it.

Cole took off, and we were at the end already turned around when Starry came around the bend--and Kevin was smiling.  Somebody really had a lot of fun.

The next time I rode with Kevin, he suggested that we do it again.  Now, he knows our secret. Sometimes, it really is the best 15 seconds of the whole ride.

Virtual Tevis Cup - 100 Miles in 100 Days

Virtual Tevis Cup - 100 Miles in 100 Days

Ellen and I signed up for the fourth consecutive year.  As long as our horses--and ourselves--stay sound, it is a very easy thing for us to accomplish.  So why do we do it?  Because it is fun.  We get to join the group online and follow their progress as well as post about our own.  It is nice to be part of something that involves people and horses of all walks of life throughout the world.  

We get to accomplish milestones as we post our progress that shows where we are if we were riding the actual Tevis Cup--which is 100 miles in 1 day.  It sure does give us a lot of appreciation for what the riders and horses experience in the actual Tevis.  

The way the event works is you start logging your daily miles on April 19th, and the last day is the day of the actual Tevis which is July 30th.  Last year, I really enjoyed watching the live streaming of the actual horses reaching their milestones.  Wow, those horses are amazing.

And of course, we get a t-shirt.  The proceeds of the event helps pay for the upkeep of the Tevis trail, so it is for a good cause. Anything that keeps our trails open and usable is a good thing.

It makes it especially fun that Ellen and I are doing it together.  I am always ahead of her in the miles because since she still works, she can't ride as often as I do, but she usually isn't that far behind.

If you are interested in participating in the event, you can sign up any time before the last 10 days of the ride.  Here is the website.

https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Auburn/TevisCup

You are welcome to join the Daly Duo team--which is us.

Cole's New Job

 Cole's New Job

The other day, Ellen and I were going out on a trail ride in the morning.  The barn goats were out.  Before coming to this barn, I had very little exposure to goats.  I now think they are awesome creatures.  There are 4 of them--Percy, Billy, Ernie and Spider.  I look forward to Saturday mornings when they turn the Goat Boys loose while they are cleaning the stalls.

Cole has always been fascinated by the goats.  He just can't take his eyes off them, and he tries to go to them all the time.  Of course, I don't let him, but that doesn't stop him from asking me each time he sees them when they are out.

Ellen and I walked out horses down the barn driveway to the street.  A little way down the street is the house that the barn owner lives in--and there were the 4 goats in her front yard!  We yelled back to the barn that the goats were in the yard.  They don't want them so close to the street for obvious reasons.

We started down the street, and Percy started walking down the house's driveway.  We yelled at him, but he kept getting closer and closer to the street.  Visions of disaster filled my head.  I knew what had to be done--I have been watching "1883" on TV.  It is filled with horses herding cattle.  We had to intercept Percy and turn him back towards home.

I pointed Cole to the spot where I thought Percy would be when our paths would cross, and we went at a very fast walk in that direction.  (I didn't want to run on the pavement--and I didn't want to startle Percy and cause him to bolt across the road into the yards on the other side.)  I was glad to see the other goats were happy grazing in the front yard and weren't trying to follow Percy.

By now, Percy was up to the center line on the street!

Cole's ears went forward and walked with much enthusiasm.  He finally got to do what he wanted to do all along.  He was allowed to herd a goat!  Not for one moment did he hesitate--he knew what his job was, and he was going to do it--at a very fast walk.

Once we intercepted Percy, Cole turned him without my guidance and followed him until he reached the driveway.

At that moment, the goats' owner came flying down the driveway, shouting at the goats.  I think I heard some four-lettered words.  She gathered up the goats.  Once they were on the correct side of the 4-wheeler, she started to push them down the driveway in the right direction.  Ernie looked like he was going to break free and make a run for it.  Cole was standing at the end of the driveway just waiting for him to try.  No goats were going to pass him.

Was it my imagination?  It seemed like Cole stepped a little lighter and carried his head a little higher the rest of the ride.  He seemed rather proud of himself.  He is now an official goat wrangler.  Goat Boys, beware.  No wandering towards the street on Cole's watch!

A Ride on the Hill

A Ride on the Hill

Ellen and I met at the barn.  The day before, it rained all day--there was no way we were crossing the river.  I asked her what she wanted to do.  She was uneasy about going in the park.  She didn't know if the planes were taking off or landing.  Dante is fine if the planes are taking off, but he will sometimes spook when they are landing--though he hasn't had a really big spook in a few years.  She was also concerned that it was a garbage day and the trucks go down the street in the morning.

I was able to talk her into riding on the hill.  I was curious to see how high the river was and it was a great day to be out in the park considering it is still February.  

We were halfway down the hill, when the thought crossed my mind that Ellen was worried about the wrong things.  Dante is fine with the planes and a garbage truck is just a truck--and we get plenty of warning as it comes down the street.  The real thing to worry about was falling trees.  A lot of trees fall--not on stormy days--but the day after the storm.  All the rain weakens them.

I decided not to remind Ellen--she has enough things to worry about. 

I'm not exaggerating--not 30 seconds after this thought crossed my mind, we heard a loud crack and then the sound of a tree breaking and falling to the ground!  We were both looking in the direction of the noise but we didn't see anything.  When I first heard the crack, I took contact with the reins.  I am glad to say that Cole didn't even flinch. 

Dante did, but Ellen isn't sure if he was startled by the noise or if he detected her fear and reacted from her.  He calmed down very quickly, and we continued on our ride.  I mentioned to Ellen what I had just been thinking, and she said, "Now I have something else to worry about."  I did tell her that I doubted that a second tree would fall on the same ride.  I suppose it could have happened, but it just wasn't likely.  I was right.

We rode up and down the hill three times.  The river was very high, but with all the rain we had, I thought it would actually be higher.  We did see a large group of turkeys, and I heard my first Kildeer of the year flying overhead.  Dante spooked at a squirrel, too.  It was another great trail ride.

Group Ride

 Group Ride

On a lovely February day, I was planning to go for a ride with Kevin and Shari when Cheri and Sharon showed up.  Kevin invited them the day before, but we didn't really think they would be there.  It was a little chilly for a ride so early in the morning.

Poor Ellen didn't know they were going to join us.  When she got out of her car, she looked a little pale, but she was still going to go on the ride.  She figured that at worst, she could just stay way in the back with Kevin on Starry.

We thought about it and realized that Cole, Dante and Bella had never gone for a ride in such a big group before.  We had ridden in a group of 5 but never in 6.  Would one additional horse make a difference?  We were about to find out.  

Cheri's horse, Warrior, is a short, wide Paint that looks like he came right out of a Thelwell book.  We've been out on a few rides with them in the past, and they have gone very well.

Sharon's horse, Karma, is a blue dun Quarter Horse.  In her old life, she was a horse that was rented out on trail rides.  We knew she had plenty of group experience--but she was never with our group.

Bella is happiest in the lead, so that is where she was.  Shari decided to take charge of the ride, and Bella liked that role, too.  Cole followed Bella and the slow horses were in the back.

We rode down the hill and crossed the river with no problem.  Once across, Shari wanted to try trotting right away.  I really didn't think the others would follow, so I trotted after Shari.  Much to my surprise, Karma and Warrior were trotting right behind me.  Cole didn't feel comfortable with this, and he told me my tossing his head and trying to accelerate.  I kept him under control, but I have to confess, I was relieved when Shari stopped so we could let Ellen and Kevin catch up.   

We did this a few times and all went well.  Shari suggested trying to go a little faster.  I knew that would help Cole.  The first time we tried it, I heard Sharon's voice behind me, and it didn't sound very good, so I immediately stopped.  She said that Karma tried to buck.  Cheri said that she saw what happened--and in her opinion, Karma did buck.  We let everyone decompress a little as we let Kevin and Ellen get closer.  They were doing little stretches of trotting, and it seemed like they were doing well.  

We tried another section of trotting, and this time, Cole jumped in the air and tried to canter.  I got him to stop after just one stride, and looked back.  Karma was behind me, and Sharon said that she bucked 4 times.  Well, that is when I thought we pushed it too far.  I turned Cole around and went back with Ellen and Kevin.  We just moseyed along and left the others to go on their ride.

I was surprised to see them start trotting right away, but I could see they were doing fine.  Soon, they were out of sight. 

At first, all we did was walk.  Ellen was very nervous.  This was all just a little too much for her.  She said that if it had been summer and we were riding in the park 5 days a week, it wouldn't have been much of a problem.  Here it was February!  We were lucky to have her at all, let alone with 5 other horses.  After a bit, Kevin was able to talk her into trying some trotting, and it went well.  We found everyone else waiting for us at the second river crossing.  It turns out that they trotted the whole way and it went great!  I am thinking that it was Cole being ahead of Karma that made her so reactive.  Once he was gone, all went well.

We rode back with them.  They did more trotting than we did, but they kept waiting for us.  Warrior, was a champ with everything that Cherie asked him, but he did not like standing around, waiting.  Cheri found something she needs to work on, and she plans to do it when she is out riding with just Sharon.

Starry was perfect the whole ride.  What a wonderful horse he is.  Dante was a bit keyed up, but Ellen thinks it might be because she was nervous.  He did spook once--and took off at a trot. That is very unusual for him.  He seldom spooks at all.

Everybody arrived home safely and had smiles on their faces.  It was a successful though sometimes challenging ride!

February--What a Month

 February--What a Month

The weather has been terrific for February.  We have been able to get out on the trail and across the river quite a bit.  So many times, we are completely snowed in, iced in or can only ride the hill in February.  This year is much more like March.  

But here is the big news--Ellen has been going on the trail rides with us!  This is unprecedented.  Only once, years ago, did she take Dante across the river in February.  Since then, it has all been just too intimidating for her.

The first time she crossed the river, it had been a few weeks since her last crossing.  She was nervous, but Dante wanted to cross and he didn't give her much time to lose her nerve.  It was about a week before we were able to cross again.  This time, Dante was a little slow about it and Ellen began to get anxious.  Once Dante sensed that, he decided crossing wasn't in their best interest.  When he gets this way, we don't know if he is using Ellen as an excuse to not cross, if he is worried about crossing because she is or if he is trying to protect her.  Nevertheless, he decided he wasn't crossing.  The more resistant he became, the more worried Ellen became and then he became more resistant.

I was already on the other side of the river, and I asked Ellen if I came back, could she ride Cole across.  She said she could, so I rode back and we switched horses.  Dante went right across for me without hesitation.  I kept him for the rest of the ride, and we all had fun.

Since then, Ellen has been crossing the river without any difficulties.  I think she has already ridden 6 or 7 times on the other side--and there were quite a few rides on the hill when the river was too high to cross.  We have ridden a bit in the indoor arena on the really cold days, and there have been a few rides in the outdoor arena, too.  It is so nice to have all that variety.

In previous winters, Ellen would just ride in the indoor arena while Kevin, Shari and I would go in the park.  I'm so happy to have her with us.  Hopefully, the weather will continue to be good enough so she can get in the park on a regular basis--and never quit this year.  One of the hardest things she has to overcome each spring is getting out on that first spring ride.  It would be nice if that doesn't happen this year because she never quit riding on the trail.  It all depends on the weather...

In the meantime, we will ride in the park as much as we can.