A Great Cap to a Horsin' Around Weekend

Maverick smells something in the air

What a fabulous weekend I had with all of my horses! The heat in Houston has been a preview of hell this year, but I think I am getting better acclimated finally. I had one thought with Mav, take what he gives me and shape it, no matter how little or how much energy he offers me. Friday he had very little energy, but I had a plan, and I stuck to it. Get the circle game more consistent online so it would get better at liberty, play on the rail with no reins and two sticks, weave around poles with light contact, play around the question box. No pushing, urging or nagging. It's so nice when a plan comes together.

So, today, we went into the indoor arena and it was time to test the liberty circle game. As a warm up, we did driving game forehand around the hindquarters and hindquarters around the forehand. Mav did both with a 360 degree turn, just beautifully. Then it was time to yo-yo and get sent out on the circle. I think Mav knew what I wanted, but he wasn't ready to give it to me right away, so he veered off the circle, and I used a phase four to cause him to move faster. Off he went at a canter, with more energy than I had seen in three days put together. Game ON! 

He did half a circle, then turned to me, asked a question, I said come on handsome, and he came to me at a canter, ears like semaphores all the way. Did a beautiful controlled stop right in front of me. I sent him again, and he repeated the same thing another two times. Time to change tactics. I yo-yoed him back and just as he thought I was going to send him out again, I asked him back in. I swear I saw surprise register in his eyes, good surprise. I did this three times, then sent him on the circle again. And just like that, he gave me the prettiest, energetic, perfectly shaped circle. I transitioned him down with my carrot stick, then asked him in. He came up to me and blew out a big sigh. He licked my hand and I fed him cookies. Then we left the arena as fast as he would go. 

Wow! When we got out to the front area of the barn, I led him over to get a good hose down, also at liberty, then I sat on the mounting block where he hung out with me for about a half hour. At one point, he rested his nose on my knee and just stayed there for about a minute. I think he fell asleep there every so briefly. Happy, content horse and human.

Liberty Trim Day

I had a wonderful day today, again, with my horses. First, Sarah and I rode across the street in the park, and Walker picked up his left lead really well today. Sarah and I talked about how we could improve his canter going to the left. Then we had to laugh at ourselves, because here was Walker finally getting his left leads again, and already we both wanted him to do more. Of course, I didn't, because we are both learning how to resist those urges. 

When Walker and I were done riding with Tessa and Sarah, I helped with a riding lesson, staying on Walker in the small indoor arena. This is good for Walker, because he has a hard time standing still, so doing so while someone else rides builds his emotional and mental durability.

Once we were done, I took the saddle off of Walker and let him roll. Walker doesn't seem to be bothered by getting hosed down, I think because it just feels good to cool off. Today was no exception. I dropped the savvy string I had tied to his halter and he just stood completely still while I walked over to get the hose and turn on the water. Then he just stood and took deep breaths while I passed the hose back and forth neck to dock, left side and right side.

Because Lei was at the barn hanging out with her horses, I was able to turn Walker out in the front area with her horses, and then I thought Bingo might be missing him in the back pasture. So, when I went to get Maverick, and brought Bingo along. Walker came with me, and when Bingo saw us, he let out a big whinny. So cute! Walker and Bingo are really bonded.

 

Bingo and Walker choose to be together, no matter where they are.

Then it was time to play with Maverick. The temperature was already in the low 90's, so I knew we would not do too much. I completely understand now that when my horse has low energy, I have to go with it. There are some things I can do to help bring his energy up, but if I ask too much, he'll just get unresponsive, then surly, then pissed. Fortunately, I can see the unresponsiveness and change my tack.
So, today, I had a plan to do exactly what we did yesterday, and it worked really well. So well in fact, that at one point, Mav offered a couple steps of canter! I went with it then transistioned him down to a stop, rubbed him, told him what a good horse he is and fed him cookies. Then we continued on with my plan. 

When we were done, I brought him into the small indoor arena to remove the saddle and let him roll. I went to sit on the mounting block to wait for him to roll, except he didn't roll. He just stood there looking at me from across the arena. I waited, relaxed. He stood with his ears at attention, watching me.  He finally moseyed over. He just wanted to hang out with me. I waited for about ten minutes, but he still didn't roll. First time that's ever happened. We just hung out. He licked my hand and nuzzled my visor. 
Now it was time for hoof trimming, and in true Parelli style, Walker, Mav and Bingo needed no one to hold them while Eddie Drabek trimmed their feet. Everyone of them stood still while he went about his work. 

Not only that, once Walker and Maverick were done and I brought Bingo into the loafing shed, neither Walker or Maverick wanted to leave. They just hung out with me while waiting for Eddie to finish. What a great day!

A Day in the Park

Wendy and Bingo were able to join Walker and me riding across the street from the barn in Independence Park. I think I am getting a bit more used to the heat now, it does not seem to bother me as much. There was a soft breeze coming from the coast which always helps. 
The sky today was much cleaner, a left over of two days of rain we desperately needed. The footing in the park was wonderful. Soft, but not too soft, and the grass had already grown substantially, so we hardly needed treats, the grass itself was a wonderful treat. 
Wendy and I meandered on the other side of a stand of trees that separate the field south of the barn into two sections. Ordinarily, Walker would not feel really confidant in this area, but with Bingo there, it was not an issue. 
We both did a very simple exercise, just asking for the inside hind leg to come up underneath them as they moved at the trot and walk. Walker was so left brained, he gave me a tiny little sugar footed trot, which I sat and flowed with. It was easier for him to do this clockwise than counterclockwise, which somehow must be connected to his hesitancy about the left lead, and I think it has something to do with him falling onto his inside shoulder, something we will need to play with more. 
He gave me a very nice clockwise circle, walk trot and canter, with Wendy and Bingo in the middle acting like a barrel, a guide for our circle. Then is was Wendy's turn with Bingo. I helped her feel when to ask for the inside leg to move under Bingo, and he gave her the loveliest trot followed by an equally nice canter. He did not speed up like he normally does, probably for two reasons: 
One, he had something to really think about, which is always good for a left brained horse. Two, it's hard to run off when one hind leg has to move inside the other. It made him really use his hind legs, so that when Wendy asked for him to stop with just her seat, it was easier for him to do so not falling onto his forehand (front feet).
That put a big grin on Wendy's face! And Bingo blew and blew and blew, lots of relaxation. 
Then it was Walker's turn again, this time to do the dreaded left lead. It took four or five tries to get it the first time,  but once he got it, I allowed him to canter for about a circle and a half until he relaxed a bit, then we quit again. 
Now Wendy's turn with Bingo's tougher side, the right lead. After two or three circles playing with the inside hind moving under him again, she asked for the right lead and got it right away, twice in a row. And the canter was very relaxed, smooth and calm, no crazy Bingo today!
Now it was Walker's turn again to pick up the left lead, which he did on the first try this time! Walker and Bingo cantered together, with Wendy and Bingo behind us and two wonderful things happened. Walker was not the least bit bothered that first, he was in the left lead, and second, Bingo was behind him with the energy he brings. And Bingo matched Walker's speed, which is always slower than Bingo's, which meant he had to put his energy up instead of out, giving Wendy a big collected canter, again no craziness. Wendy and I both knew, this was the perfect time to quit, so we stopped and allowed both of them to eat the fresh grass. Then we chatted about how much fun it was to have our horses respond to our requests so willingly today.
All this inside 40 minutes. 
Sarah came up with Tessa about this time and Wendy and I were both sorry we could not have stayed out longer, but we were both expected back at home. I had the steaks for dinner in the barn office refridgerator. I let Sarah know how much I was enjoying playing with Walker on the circle, as she was the one who had shown me the exercise with the inside hind leg and how much better horses can track on a circle if they can do this. 
Then we moseyed back to the barn, retrieved Mav from the turnout and put the three horses to bed in their stalls where they were all happily munching on hay when I left for home. 
It was a really good feeling to know how happy our horses were to play with us today, how relaxed they were and how successfully they were able to what we asked. I am pretty sure I had a grin on my face the entire drive back to the house.

Riding down the mountain trail

Follow this link to watch me on Ebony doing a lovely paso corto down a very steep mountain trail on a completely loose rein. I just fell in love with this horse! Click below

Trail Riding with the Lovely Ebony

My Last Day With Ebony

When I woke up Thursday morning, the air outside was crisp and cold. I knew it would be a perfect day for horsing around and trail riding. 

When I got to the barn, I already had an idea of how I wanted to approach Ebony. Like the day before, I got her lead rope and halter and walked slowly across the street to the round corral. I waited until I had the horses attention, and it did not take long for Sage to greet me at the gate. I had put cut carrots in my pockets, so I was ready to reward. 


But today, I wasn't going to catch Sage in order to catch Ebony. I trusted that Ebony would be comfortable enough with me to let me catch her without Sage's help. I took it very slowly, and at one point she came up to me cautiously, touched my hand with her nose, but then walked off. 

I was disappointed, but not daunted. I mirrored her movements, no more no less. Then she stopped next to Sage and waited. I approached her slowly, rubbed her on the butt, then on her hip to her withers, and finally to her neck. 


I rubbed her neck with the halter and lead rope, gently placed the halter under her neck, then slipped it over her nose. She accepted me and the halter calmly. I rubbed her all over, told her what a brave girl she was, then lead her out of the round corral. I knew if I took her across the street away from the horse buddies, she might get uncomfortable. So I played with her right next to the round corral. 

We repeated what we had done with the friendly game and the hide your hinny game, which she accepted with far less reaction, more relaxation. In fact, she gave me several licks and chews, many more than the day before. Then we played a bit with the yo-yo game, which confused her a great deal at first. She did not understand what I was asking for. First she went left, then right, then left again. I calmly blocked her path until she finally took one step backwards, then quickly released all pressure. 

Sueanne, Tia, Ebony and I take a breather on the trail

My trail mates, Robin/Magic left, Sueanne/Tia right and Jamie/Leilani in the back

She looked right at me, gave me semaphore ears and licked and chewed again. I saw more of her tongue in that ten minutes than the other two days combined. 

It was time for tacking up. She stayed very calm while waiting for me to get everything ready. In fact, Jamie noticed that when I disappeared from view, Ebony followed me with her eyes until I reappeared from the tack area. Cute!
Once we were tacked up, I took her into the small adjacent paddock area and repeated the yo-yo game. She was confused about it again, but turned right only once before backing up. We repeated the yo-yo game twice more and she backed up right away. Smart girl! I fed her carrots and I adjusted her girth. For all her concerns, she is not girth shy. 


Then we played with a bit of the circle game for just a circles left and right, which she did pretty calmly. I adjusted her girth one more time and we were ready to join everyone on the trail. 

We first crossed a large field that leads to the mountain trails, and Ebony was very scattered, so we played tit for tat; if she moved to the right, I asked her to go left the same amount of steps. If she went left, I asked her to go right for the same number of steps, and so on. I did not worry about her speed or her gait, I was just trying to get her to remember I was up there on her back.

I also tried to keep her close to the other horses, even though she wandered from them quite a bit and then got worried when she realized they had moved away. Throughout all of this, I stayed calm and relaxed in the saddle and spoke softly to her that she would be OK.


Once we got on the trail, she noticeably relaxed. I asked Sueanne if we could take the lead, and she said sure, so off we went at a nice paso corto up the mountain. Sueanne let us know where it was safe to canter, and we did that as well. This day, Ebony's canter was much smoother. And she slowed with very little cue from me when I asked. 

Lots of neck rubs for Ebony

I became so confident in her that we rode most of the day on a completely loose rein. What a difference from day one! She got lots of neck rubs from me every chance I got to reward her for taking care of me on the trail, taking corners with amazing grace and balance, checking out the terrain when it appeared to change and slowing as we approached a crossroads. 

Two horsewomen celebrating an amazing day on the mountain

At one point during our ride, we were traveling down a trail towards a grove of Aspens. It was very steep, but Ebony was very sure footed, loved being in the lead, and I had her on a completely loose rein. Sueanne told me no one had been able to ride her freestyle. It made me feel really good about our communication. I just knew I could trust her. She stayed in the paso corto the entire way down the mountain, and it felt so good, I was able to video a piece of it. 

The trail was very steep, Ebony and I were riding on a loose rein, the breeze was cool, the air was clean, and the light brought everything into sharp focus. I could feel Ebony light and easy beneath me, enjoying her job, and expecting me to trust her to do her job well. It was one of the most connected few moments I have ever had with any horse, and there are very few experiences that have ever felt better.

When we got to the bottom of the mountain, we spent a few minutes listening to the Aspens, eating cherries Sueanne had brought for snacks, telling jokes and giving the horses a well deserved rest.

It was inevitably disappointing to have to turn back for the barn. We were far up the mountain, so fortunately, it took quite awhile to get there. I used our trip back to reflect and just feel good. Until we got to the big field again, Ebony remained relaxed. When we got to the field, I had a BFO (blinding flash of the obvious), that she would probably be more focused if I used the fence as a follow the rail trail, and she was!

When we got to the barn, I hopped off and stroked her neck. I removed her tack and gave a her a long brush down. Then Sueanne said she could spend some time grazing in the beautiful grass adjacent to the tack area. She looked just beautiful in the setting sunlight. 

When it was time to go, I gave everyone a big hug, and with tears in my eyes, said my goodbyes. I prayed that Ebony and I would be together again next year, and we could pick up our relationship where we left off. And I prayed that with Sueanne's help, she would continue to be more trusting of us humans. 

Starting to gain Ebony's trust on the ground

I knew the best place to start was on the ground. Before leaving Tuesday afternoon, I asked Jamie if she would like to learn a bit about how to gain Ebony's trust on the ground. She agreed enthusiastically, which made me happy. I know Jamie wants to do right by this horse. I asked her what happened when they tried to catch her, and she said it usually ended in chasing her into a corner. I was determined not to let that happen over the next two days. 

Jamie and Cheyenne and Ebony and me mountainside

When I first arrived at the barn, I observed Ebony for a few minutes and noticed that she had a pasture buddy, Sage. So my first thought was we could transfer Sage's trust in the human to Ebony. Jamie and I approached the round corral slowly and waited for the horses to get interested in us. The only one who ignored us was Ebony. However, Sage came right up to the gate which looked like a clear invitation to me. I told Jamie to catch Sage first, which she did easily.

Then I asked Jamie to lead Sage over to Ebony in a very relaxed roundabout way. Within about 5 minutes, Ebony was close enough to Jamie for her to put the rope around her neck and than place the halter on her. When I asked Jamie how different that was from the usual, she had a big grin on her face and said that was way easier, "no drama". Success!

We brought both Sage and Ebony over to the barn area where there is a small paddock within which we could play. We started with making sure Ebony was OK with the carrot stick. She was skeptical at first, but soon we were able to rub her all over with it. In fact, over the next two days, it was easier for her to accept the carrot stick than the human hand. So however she was abused, it was at least in some part with direct human contact. 

Than we were able to throw the savvy string over her back six times on each side. Finally, she did not understand how to play the "hide your hinny" game, so I taught her how to do that. She had no understanding at all of what she was being asked to do, so I needed to use a soft phase four, but within three asks, all she needed was a soft phase two. Smart girl! If only I could be in Utah and Texas at the same time...


So now it was time to get her saddled. Everything I did, I pretended I was on Valium, soft, slow, but not sneaky. I used lots of friendly game interspersed throughout the saddling. I wanted her to get more used to my hands. She stayed on her guard, but her head dropped lower and lower as I saddled her slowly, one layer of gear at a time. 

Sueanne on Tia and Sue on Raven

Today, Sueanne would be riding Tia, Jamie would be on Cheyenne and Sue was joining us again on her other horse, Raven. It turned out to be a good group. Cheyenne has huge energy which made Ebony nervous, so I soon made sure we were either two horses ahead of Cheyenne or behind Cheyenne. 


My ride thought was, stay out of her way, and hold her back as little as possible. In order to do that, I had her stay either 2nd or 3rd, so I could stay out of her mouth as much as possible, so she could just follow the pace of the horse in front of her. 


And when we stopped for breaks, she found it very hard to stay still. So instead of trying to hold her still, I let her roam, just making sure we were safe by avoiding the stray cactus that sprinkles the mountainside or rocks so she would not bruise her feet unnecessarily. Eventually, she would decide it was better to eat grass than wander. 

By the time we were an hour into the ride, she was noticeably more relaxed, blowing often. I rubbed her for every positive thing she did, like slowing herself down to look over an obstacle, hopping over branches and logs calmly, and especially when she choose to eat grass when we took breaks. 

The only time she was not smooth to ride was when I asked for the canter; it felt choppy, not nearly as smooth as Tia's canter the day before. I instinctively knew this was mental and emotional, not physical. She was just too scattered to have a relaxed canter.  So each time I asked for the canter, I really tried to be relaxed myself, and her canter did get a bit better with each try.

Compared to the day before, we had already made great progress. She was not nearly as impulsive. In fact, we all felt relaxed enough to gallop up a hill about 2/3's of the way through the ride. What a thrill! These horses are so sure footed. 


All in all, a really good first full day for me with Ebony.

Do your thinking at night...

Ebony stand long enough to get a pic

After having ridden Ebony Tuesday afternoon, it was time for me to do some thinking that night.  Here is what I was mulling over: she does not trust humans, in fact, just touching her made her bracey; the fact that she trusted us enough to just stand next to her is a tribute to Sueanne.

She does not trust the guidance of the human in an open space, but she is very good at following a trail.  She feels more comfortable with the human in the saddle than on the ground, but that isn’t saying much. She is very hard to catch, even in a round corral.

How this horse was abused, we will never know, but it is so hard not to be angry about it. Clearly she was “broken” to the saddle with virtually no ground preparation so she could be sold. No care was taken with her mental and emotional states. She has been traded from human to human because no one has figured out what to do with her. With clear differences, it feels so much like where Walker and I started.

Ebony gets lots of stroking after our ride

And the biggest difference is, this horse has far more native talent than Walker, which makes the story up to this point even more agonizing. Thank God this horse found her way to Sueanne.

Than my thoughts start to follow a different path. What an amazing horse. This horse is very fearful of humans, yet she tolerates us to hang around and get on her back. She gaits extremely well, even without respect for the human. She is impulsive instead of having impulsion, but there has not been one major train wreck on her in the months Sueanne has had her.

Now I am thinking, what if we can get respect and impulsion, how would this horse perform? Magnificently. She would make a champion trail horse, a true partner. She could be that horse-man combination that Pat always talks about.

So thinking with the end in mind, I had a plan sketched out in my mind for the next day.  

Day one of riding with Sueanne Clark and her Paso Finos

Sueanne and Sage during our half way break

sSSue and her horse Montana with Mim in the background

Sueanne's Jillaroo, Jamie

My first day riding with Sueanne came warm and windy. It was funny to hear everyone complain about the wind. In Texas, we are just used to it, but I was glad to have the stampede string for my new hat.

Sueanne asked me whom I would like to ride, and since I had never ridden Tia, that decision was an easy one to make. We were joined by friends of Sueanne’s: Mim, the former professional volleyball player and now coach, Dave, who Sueanne has known almost since moving to the Park City area, Sue another professional athlete, downhill ski racing in her case, and Jamie, one of Sueanne’s jillaroos.

Tia is one of Sueanne’s most reliable Pasos, however, she did warn me that she had a history of taking off with some people. When she said it, we looked at each other and she laughed, realizing that probably would not happen with me with her.

And it didn’t. I don’t think I have ever been on a smoother canter in my life. Paso Finos are gaited horses, but they are perfectly capable of cantering and galloping as the week would prove. She did a lovely paso corto and paso largo, but her canter was like riding water skis on a smooth lake. I absolutely felt glued to her.

Sue noticed how nicely Tia and I were moving together, and we struck up a conversation about her horse Montana. Sue rescued Montana from a large herd of Pasos. She was the low horse in the herd, so she was shooed from food and was terribly underweight.

Ebony gets some mosey time after our ride

Sue has had multiple serious injuries from her competitive skiing, so that is why she decided to go to Paso Finos for her riding. With their gaits, they are so smooth, it doesn’t jar her back the way posting a trot would do.

Sue has done a wonderful job of getting Montana physically in shape, but she was still struggling with issues in the saddle. Sue asked about what she could do to help Montana attain better gaits (Paso and Largo), and we talked about the proper position she should be in for Montana, very much like a dressage position. With just a few adjustments to Sue’s posture and “feel”, they both started to move much better. We also talked about riding her in a less severe bit, or no bit at all, so Sue could better communicate with Montana when she was doing what Sue wanted.

Based on what Sue told me about Montana, she sounded like a RBI (Right Brained Introvert), so we also chatted about how RBI’s learn best. An RBI’s mantra might be, “Please take care of me, and I will bring you the world”. The good news is that Sue already had the instinct for what Montana needed without having specific knowledge about it. Sue was very excited to hear that Montana would be the most willing horse partner she might ever have if approached appropriately.

All the while chatting with Sue, Tia is such a good mount, I really got to work towards perfecting my riding position. By the time we stopped for a break and to turn back to the barn, I felt totally comfortable and relaxed in the saddle.  Even Sueanne remarked at how much my riding had improved over the last year. Thank you Pilates for Dressage! I don’t miss the carrying the extra pounds.

During the break, Sue asked if I would like to ride Montana, and did that put a giant smile on my face! I enthusiastically said yes, so we hopped off, checked all of our equipment, made the proper adjustments, and off we went.

It is hard to describe what it is like to have the privilege and responsibility to ride someone else’s horse. I take it very seriously, just the way I have when I play with other people’s horses on the ground. Montana doesn’t have the brio of some the other horses, but what she doesn’t have in brio she more than makes up for in willingness.

Sue wanted to see if I could get her a bit more collected, so I told her I would play with that, giving her as much release as I could given the bit I had to work with.

I really focused on my seat position, belly button towards the spine, hips open, shoulders down, chest up. I mostly rode her with just a little contact and a California roll, so I could scratch her withers when she rounded up beneath me. As soon as she rounded, I would release pressure from the bit and tell her what a good girl she was.

Within just a couple of minutes, we had a beautiful 18-20 mile per hour largo going, just cruising along. Montana started to bend in the neck instead of the pole, and I could feel her come up underneath me. She had a lovely energy, relaxed and energetic all at the same time. I told Sue I thought she had a real gem on her hands. With time, she would make her a perfect trail partner.

We stopped again, and now Sueanne wanted me to try and ride Ebony, her newest Paso. Ebony is a beautiful jet black mare, but when you get close to her, you see she is peppered with white roan hairs. Sueanne told me that Ebony had been severely abused by humans. When she got her last year, people couldn’t even touch her without her running off.

Sueanne had obviously made great strides with Ebony, but she still has a long list of “issues” stemming from the abuse. Sueanne has made great strides in getting her rideable, but she still could not trust her guests to ride her, as she was still too unpredictable on the trail.

Jamie had been riding Ebony, so Sue got back on Montana, and Jamie rode Tia the rest of the way home.

Ebony may be small (not quite 14 hands), but she rides like a horse twice her size. She has huge brio, but clearly did not trust me on her back. She had a big case of the druthers. She got antsy if she could not be in the lead, but would spook at random things she saw on the trail. I sensed that she was probably an interesting combination of RBI and LBE, but with the abuse, it would probably take months to really peel back the layers of wrongs that had been done to her to see the real horse.

So, what was I to do? I knew the worst thing I could do was hold her back, but I did not want her galloping with me back to the barn either. So I did my best to give her what she wanted, stay with the horses at the front, but not go by them. I got really relaxed in the saddle, as though I had just taken a 10 mg. Valium. I allowed my hips to flow with her. And I got out of her mouth every chance I could, which wasn’t often as much of a forward-aholic as she is.

After about 10 minutes, she blew! She had not done that the entire ride prior to that moment, and we had been on the trail about 2 hours at this point. Small victory! Then she blew again three or four times. At this point, we were at a slow Paso, so I gave her all the rein. She sped up, so I collected my reins again, and blew my breath out. She slowed back down, and I gave her the reins again.
We played with this for a short piece of road that transitioned us from one trail to another. Once we were on the trail again, she sped up to the Largo, and I went with it. We must have been doing 25 miles per hour at the Largo, easily. She did not slow down until we got much closer to the barn and Sueanne came up in front.

What a ride! I had no idea anyone was watching us, but when we were done, Jamie and Sueanne both remarked how much calmer she looked with me in the saddle. Me? My heart took several minutes to go back to normal, because it felt pretty crazy to me. But having watched video of myself, crazy and sometimes out of control never looks as bad as it feels. 

Then something happened when I hopped out of the saddle. She turned to me and tried to use me for a rubbing post. So I knew there was a brave, emotionally stable horse in there somewhere. I could not wait to ride her again, and play some more.

Fortunately, Sueanne suggested I ride her the next two days. Lucky me…!

So, I rode three totally different and wonderful horses all in one outing. Maybe the closest to heaven a horsewoman can get.

And for all of you out there who have your doubts about gaited horses, PLEASE go out to Utah and ride with Sueanne. You will never again doubt why people love them so much. If I had my own place, I would definitely own a Paso Fino and I would get Sueanne to help me find the perfect one.

Day one in Park City

Self portrait of an occasional biker

Snow falling early on my ride

Creekside Trail

This is my fourth year coming to Park City, Utah to ride with Sueanne Clark and her wonderful Paso Finos. This year, I am in the best shape I have been in a long time. I have lost about 18 pounds and at least a couple of dress sizes since December, and I have been working my core with Pilates for Dressage. I have never felt so fluid and connected in the saddle when I ride Walker and even Maverick despite the fact that he is green.

Ben and Randy headed out early for Wyoming for their two-day fly fishing excursion. The day in Park City was cold and wet, so horseback riding was not an option. Instead, I decided to bike ride all over the countryside, as there are lots of paved bike/jogging paths throughout the area.

The day started really snowy and cold. Thank goodness Tracy at our B&B (The Trace) had ski gloves for me to borrow, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten very far. The woman who rented me the bike and helmet asked, “Would you like snowshoes with that? ;)”. Every time I took out my phone to video or take pix, my hands turned into pink popsicles.

Turns out, that bike ride was really great for my hamstrings, which are still on the mend from getting torn/strained about 6 weeks back. I may have to find someone to borrow a bike from when I get back to Houston to help my rehab along. A couple of rides a week for a few weeks would probably get them all the way back.

As I started out, it was snowing, and a fine layer was dusted all over the countryside. Because of the cold, I stopped at a Starbucks and got a hot chocolate about halfway through my ride. I have never had one, and maybe it was the cold, but it sure tasted good! It warmed me all the way to my toes.

With about an hour of riding left, the clouds had cleared and the sun came out. What an amazing change. I saw robins and bluebirds all over the place. All told, I was out for about 4 hours. I got a bite to eat, then went into a western wear shop along Main St. I have never seen such an eclectic and unique collection of cowboy boots anywhere. It was like eye candy for a cowgirl.

The hats hanging over the racks of boots caught my eye, and once I tried one on, I knew I had to have it. All I had to figure out was which hatband and which stampede string to get along with it. I’ll never have to worry about getting the Texas sun on my face or neck as long as I am wearing it. Plus, it fits my head like a glove. It will be the perfect memento of my week there.

Finally I decided to see a movie, Something Borrowed, cute chick flick.  The shower when I got back to The Trace felt really good!