I rode down to Deary, Idaho with a friend and had a fun filled weekend on George Hatley's ranch. We got there Friday evening in time to go for a trail ride. Saturday morning, we went on the ACTHA Competitive Trail Challenge ride, which was sponsored by the Appaloosa Museum. It was a six mile loop with six judged areas. We got out in front so were able to flush a couple nice whitetail bucks, among other deer, birds, etc. I rode Cayenne in the Open Division. The course was as follows:
Log/Trail: Ride across a log, stop, turn 180 degrees, cross log again. Then ride back over log and negotiate a little trail through the sticks, bushes, and trees. Cayenne did fine, pivoting on a hind foot for both turns at the log.
Gate: Open gate, go through, and close. Cay did this with ease although I bumped her hind foot with the gate while closing it.
Water: Go to center of a shallow pool of water, stop, back 3 steps, continue straight out of water. Cayenne hesitated at the edge of the water, sniffed the water briefly, went in and completed the rest of the obstacle fine.
Hill: Ride up a hill, stopping in the middle for about 5 seconds. Cayenne did this perfectly.
Ground Tie: Dismount, lead horse through round corral gate, closing gate behind you, ground tie in center of round pen, walk a complete circle around horse, lead horse back out of round pen, and mount on off side. We did this well except Cayenne ate grass while ground tied! I also failed to check my cinch and headstall before remounting but am not sure if the judge was looking for that or not. I forgot about that little trail competition detail!
Back Up: Back a figure eight around a tree and a stump. Cayenne did great, backing and steering easily on a fairly loose rein.
The Pleasure Division, which my friend rode in, was slightly easier. We rode together but each of us stayed well away from the obstacle while the other was completing it. The differences in pleasure included: They did not have to do the turns at the log crossing, they simply crossed and rode out the little trail. They did not have to close the gate behind them. They crossed straight through the water without stopping or backing. They rode up the hill without stopping. They had to do the entire ground tie exercise but remounted on the near side of the horse instead of the off side. They backed a circle around the tree instead of the figure eight.
I think the ACTHA rides are a great way to get riders interested and experienced in the trail competitions. I like the ACTHA rides but I prefer more of a challenge. The other thing I noticed is that because of the small number of obstacles, if a rider doesn't do well on one obstacle, it pretty much takes them out of the running. Some competitions I go to have 20 or more obstacles so if a rider's horse doesn't do one obstacle or does poorly on a few, they can still be competitive. I think the ACTHA rides appeal to many people because they do get to go out and ride the trails. They are also low key and fun so are not intimidating to people who don't show horses. Overall, I have to say that the ACTHA rides are a great idea!
Cayenne and I ended up winning the Open Division! I was really happy! There were only three of us in that division but my competitors were seasoned riders on good mounts. I was also happy that instead of "ACTHA Bucks," the prizes were tangible items. I got to pick out a really nice hay bag for my Open win and also won "Best Dressed Female Rider!" I picked out a bottle of wine with Appaloosas on it for that. My wedding anniversary is coming up so maybe I can have a drink of wine to celebrate!
The second ride of the day was a fundraiser for the Appaloosa Museum. I hadn't planned on doing it but it was for a good cause and part of the money was jackpotted back. We rode the same course but went as a group with the judge riding with us. I wish I knew his last name but "George" was our judge and a very experienced eye. He critiqued each rider after each obstacle so it was a great learning experience! I think we would have had more riders if everyone had known it was going to be a lesson! I rode worse and Cayenne didn't behave as well on the jackpot ride! I would have thought we'd have done better the second time around. I think her youth came into play more as she didn't feel as comfortable leaving the large group of horses to go complete each obstacle by herself. She didn't do badly but it took a few obstacles to get back in the game. I was really happy that she did not eat while ground tied though! I corrected her with a voice command as she started lowering her head and she stopped and stood quietly while I walked the circle around her. We ended up winning the jackpot for our group.
On Sunday, I think there were 39 of us that went on a guided pleasure ride. It was a nice "thank you" from the Appaloosa Museum to all of the participants. We cruised around over various terrain on the Hatley Ranch as well as Forest Service ground. Since we were walking head to tail, and often two abreast, we got to b.s. the entire ride. It was a relaxing way to end the weekend.
The Hatley Pony Club grounds were perfect for the trail event. I look forward to another one next year! The cook shack was a nice gathering place for everyone to talk horse and eat. The volunteers were friendly and helpful all weekend. A big thanks to everyone who made it happen!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Last 2010 Cowboy Race in Sandpoint
The course for the last Craig Cameron sanctioned Extreme Cowboy Race in Sandpoint, Idaho was awesome! It was packed with challenges, which made it lots of fun! I rode Smart Little Cayenne, my 4yr old filly. I will list the obstacles in order and how I did on them:
Tunnel: The front of the tunnel was obscured by hanging tarp strips and pool noodles. You had to duck upon entering the tunnel as it was pretty short. It was constructed of wire cattle panels curved over the top and covered in black plastic. Cayenne hesitated at the front and then went on through.
Ground Tie: On paper, this didn't sound too difficult. In application, it was a bit harder! You had to ride towards a baby goat tied to the fence, ground tie in a pole 360 box, dismount and go about 15 feet to the goat, untie it, move it to the next fence post, retie it, and go remount on the off side. Cayenne stared at the goat from the starting line and I was worried she'd leave as soon as I left her "ground tied." I even left my reins up on her neck so she wouldn't step on them! She did great and didn't move at all! The goat refused to lead and pulled back as you tried to tie it so it was a challenge in itself!
Pony: You had to pony an actual pony in a figure eight around a couple obstacles. Cayenne had no problem sidepassing up to him, letting me take the rope off of the fencepost, and leading him on the figure eight. He had hung back on the person who rode ahead of me so I just led him at a walk and kept him in position.
Jump: Two 55 gallon barrels laying on their sides. We took it at a trot and I was able to push Cayenne over them fairly easily.
Tennis Ball: Pick up a tennis racket off the fence, stand in the saddle and hit a tennis ball hanging from a tree branch. Cayenne did well on this one and stood still while I hit the ball. I, on the other hand, didn't have very good balance so I sat back in the saddle immediately after hitting the ball so I wouldn't fall off!
Circle: Pick up a length of rope off of a spool and lope a circle around the spool while holding the rope. We did pretty well on this one although the rope wasn't tight all the time, which meant our circle was an oval!
Log Drag: Actually, a jump standard drag. Pick up the rope off the fence and drag the standard down the fence a ways before putting the rope on the fence again. Cay did fine. I trotted her while doing the drag.
Ball Carry: Pick up a big rubber ball sitting on a feed tub, carry it about 30 feet, set it on top of a 5 gallon bucket. Cayenne did fine but I was unable to make the ball stay on the bucket. I don't think anyone else did either.
Bridge: The loudest, scariest metal bridge that teetered on a ROUND pole! Everyone had issues with the bridge. Cay put a foot on it, pulled back and moved her hip right, out of line with the bridge. I got her straight again and pushed her straight over the bridge. I was really happy with this as I didn't think she'd go over it. She doesn't like questionable footing and that bridge was definitely in that category! She may have done the best on the bridge out of everyone.
Sprinkler: Ride through an oscillating sprinkler on the ground. No problem.
Ring Pick-Up: Three plastic rings were lightly attached to the fence. We had to go down the fenceline and grab them by hand. I trotted down and missed the center ring. That was no fault of Cayenne's, just my lack of coordination!
Spin Box: Spin twice left and twice right. Cay thought we were doing a rollback initially and attempted to leave the box. I stopped her and she did the rest of the spins pretty well.
Unsaddle: Dismount, unsaddle, remount bareback, go out of the arena out into the back part of the fairgrounds, pick a stuffed snowman/santa off of a treebranch, return to the arena, go all the way to the other end of the arena and through the finish line. I was excited to get to use my new cue to get Cayenne to move up next to the mounting block. I learned it from Bob, a fellow rider at the Pat Wyse clinic, just for trail competitions. I hopped on the mounting block, cued her, she stepped right over to me, and I jumped on with no problem. I trotted her out to get santa and loped her back through the arena.
It was a tough course to remember what came next! I really liked the difficulty presented. It was timed but time only counted for tiebreakers and in the horsemanship score. I trotted or loped Cayenne between most of the obstacles and she rated back down easily and quickly. I think everyone liked the course. There were five entries in the Open Division and I took 2nd place. I'm pretty happy about that! I don't expect Cayenne to be "trained" for at least another full year and more likely two. I'm happy with how she's working for me so far but have to remember that she's young and inexperienced!
The Cowboy Race was on Thursday. Friday I left for Deary, Idaho for the American Competitive Trail Horse Association competition on Saturday. That will be featured in the next post.
Thank you to Janene Grende for taking these and allowing me to share them! Janene is a talented artist and owned a relative of my Smart Little Cayenne. Her horse, "Grandma's Redsky," is featured in a silk painting by Janene that also graces some Montana license plates. Isn't that awesome?! Her site is www.janenegrende.com
Pat Wyse Clinic
I took Cayenne and Blaze to the two-week summer seminar at Pat Wyse's ranch near Townsend, Montana the last week of July and fist week of August. I have ridden in Pat's clinics for years. My riding always improves under him and I have a lot of fun!
Cayenne did well. Her stops are coming along and we made good progress on her turn-a-rounds. She changes leads too easily so I have to ride to the outside quite a bit, especially through the center where we "might" change leads. I really like to ride her and felt good about our progress.
Blaze did fine, too. I will have to count but I think I had less than 30 rides on him when we went. We kept it pretty simple for him. He is a very easy lead changer so we did some flying lead changes. He also did some stops, rollbacks, drop to trot lead changes, flexing exercises, etc. He was nice and calm throughout and I'm happy with how he's coming along.
It was nice to see everyone at the clinic and I also got to meet some new people there. Camp food is always delicious! I took my kitty, Abigail, so had company at night in the trailer.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Quick Update
I'm busy helping hay so don't have time to blog. Heck, I haven't even checked my email in a week! A quick update though:
I am NOT doing the Trainer's Challenge at the Horsin' Around Expo in Sandpoint this weekend. Blaze stepped on himself and cut his heel. It's not bad but I'm giving him some time off to heal. The Trainer's Challenge competition is a lot of work both mentally and physically and there is no sense in pushing him when he's not 100%. I considered starting Turbo, my two-year-old, but don't think it'd be fair to give him a one-week crash course before taking him. He's a sweet colt with a good mind but I shouldn't take advantage of him!
Several weeks ago, June 27th, I competed in the Extreme Cowboy Race in Sandpoint. I have yet to blog about it but will briefly later. It was fun but not many people turned out for it. I'm doing another one this Sunday on Cayenne. I also showed Cay at the Fist Full of Silver Appaloosa Show in Spokane on July 3rd. I took her just to contribute a "body" for the show as she is definitely not a show horse. I wanted to do the reining on her Sunday but had family in town so just did the first day of the show. I entered her in aged mares, most colorful, hunter under saddle, and junior trail. She really was a little trooper as she's hardly even had my english saddle on. Maybe fifteen minutes to ensure that it fit okay. She was really tired and somewhat cranky by the time trail class came around and she (and I) performed poorly. She was scared of some fake geese and couldn't get her mind off of them for the rest of the obstacles. I should have slowed her down and collected her but I was done, too! I rushed her through and was happy to finish an extremely ugly ride!
I shall return later. I am raking and baling hay for the rest of the day.
I am NOT doing the Trainer's Challenge at the Horsin' Around Expo in Sandpoint this weekend. Blaze stepped on himself and cut his heel. It's not bad but I'm giving him some time off to heal. The Trainer's Challenge competition is a lot of work both mentally and physically and there is no sense in pushing him when he's not 100%. I considered starting Turbo, my two-year-old, but don't think it'd be fair to give him a one-week crash course before taking him. He's a sweet colt with a good mind but I shouldn't take advantage of him!
Several weeks ago, June 27th, I competed in the Extreme Cowboy Race in Sandpoint. I have yet to blog about it but will briefly later. It was fun but not many people turned out for it. I'm doing another one this Sunday on Cayenne. I also showed Cay at the Fist Full of Silver Appaloosa Show in Spokane on July 3rd. I took her just to contribute a "body" for the show as she is definitely not a show horse. I wanted to do the reining on her Sunday but had family in town so just did the first day of the show. I entered her in aged mares, most colorful, hunter under saddle, and junior trail. She really was a little trooper as she's hardly even had my english saddle on. Maybe fifteen minutes to ensure that it fit okay. She was really tired and somewhat cranky by the time trail class came around and she (and I) performed poorly. She was scared of some fake geese and couldn't get her mind off of them for the rest of the obstacles. I should have slowed her down and collected her but I was done, too! I rushed her through and was happy to finish an extremely ugly ride!
I shall return later. I am raking and baling hay for the rest of the day.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
ACTHA Ride at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch
The ACTHA ride at Western Pleasure was wonderful! It was a world record attempt for the biggest nationwide trail competition. The trails at the ranch are just about as good as it gets! They were well worn trails winding through the trees, up and down easy hills and through lots of water from muddy standing water to a belly deep pond to rushing streams. It was one of the first hot days of the season but we rode in dappled sun and light breezes so it was perfect. The course was six miles long. There were six judged areas. Several judged areas consisted of multiple portions. Some judged areas were slightly more difficult for the open riders. This is what I did in the open class:
#1: Ride over a small bridge, into an "L" and back out, walk over a piece of plywood, sidepass over a pole to open a mailbox, and open and close a gate. This obstacle was near the parking area so you could do it first or last. Cayenne was strangely hesitant about the bridge and it took some urging. The rest was fine.
#2: Drag an ex-Christmas tree about 10' and then back up, pulling it back to the starting point. No problem.
#3: Ride into a ravine, cross a narrow section of moving water, and climb a steep hill. Cay was excited about horses she'd glimpsed up ahead of us and when she loped up the steep hill, I let her. I still scored well but should have made her walk. I schooled her at the top once we were out of the judging area.
#4: Wade through a belly deep pond. No problem.
#5: At cattle holding pens, sidepass through one gateway, turn on haunches and set up to sidepass through a second gateway, turn on forehand, back across corral until hind feet between two cones. Cay was sticky sidepassing the first portion, the rest was ok.
#6: Sidehill through trees, come down bank, cross rocky, fast moving creek, and go up moderate bank on other side. No problem.
Cayenne and I took 2nd in the Open. I'm not sure how many were in that class but I will guess 12-15. We also tied for "Best Groomed Horse." I guess the quick hosing at 6am paid off! I got a dog rain jacket from Muddy Creek and a gift certificate for 32oz of eZall for that. I got $100 in ACTHA bucks for the 2nd place. I have not decided what to spend it on but may get a rain jacket for myself from Muddy Creek.
The ride was the best ran I have been to all year. Janice and Roley Schoonover at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch have experience at putting on rides as well as other events. The riders went out smoothly, lunch was ready when we came back, and the scores were tallied in record time! The trails were also well marked and interesting. I'm sure it is difficult trying to decide how hard to make the trails. If they are too easy, they're boring for the experienced riders on experienced horses. If they are too hard, they become a safety risk for novice riders or horses. I would not have wanted to be on a green horse raised in a flat corral. I would have felt comfortable being on one of my own green horses that I trust to handle themselves over logs, up and down steep and muddy banks, etc.
I came across a fairly novice rider on a fairly novice three year old mare at the beginning of the ride. She was not a competitor but a volunteer who was going to hand out completion ribbons at the end of the ride. Her horse didn't want to go out on the trail by itself so I volunteered to be her buddy. Cayenne did great and didn't mind the mare coming right up behind us quite a bit. I normally like to trot or lope out for the first mile or two but I figured it would be a day to take it easy and help someone avoid a wreck. It was a good confidence builder for both the mare and the rider and I was impressed with how they both did overall. They were not judged on the obstacles, and held back while I was, but they did have to complete some just because they were the trail! The last obstacle, the bank and the rushing creek, was the only thing that panicked the mare. That was in part due to some excited paint horses that had came up behind us while we waited for the judge, and the fact that I had disappeared down the hill in the trees to complete the obstacle by myself. I doubled back to the creek bank to wait for the lady to cross but her horse got scared and took off across the hillside. The judge almost got ran over. The mare hit the judge with the point of her shoulder as she bolted past and the judge had to jump down the hill and skid to a stop on her butt to avoid continuing into the creek! The lady was going to go on up to the top of the ridge and hook up with another trail back to the lodge. I figured that was a bad idea so I came back across the creek. She was able to put her horse's nose in Cayenne's tail and she followed us right across. She just needed some reassurance! All's well that ends well!
Although Western Pleasure is just over two hours away from me, I will be inclined to participate in events they have due to the positives at the ACTHA ride. Their lodge is beautiful, they have a warm-up arena, and the shady lawn was nice to relax on while eating lunch and partaking in the awards ceremony. Good job, Western Pleasure!
#1: Ride over a small bridge, into an "L" and back out, walk over a piece of plywood, sidepass over a pole to open a mailbox, and open and close a gate. This obstacle was near the parking area so you could do it first or last. Cayenne was strangely hesitant about the bridge and it took some urging. The rest was fine.
#2: Drag an ex-Christmas tree about 10' and then back up, pulling it back to the starting point. No problem.
#3: Ride into a ravine, cross a narrow section of moving water, and climb a steep hill. Cay was excited about horses she'd glimpsed up ahead of us and when she loped up the steep hill, I let her. I still scored well but should have made her walk. I schooled her at the top once we were out of the judging area.
#4: Wade through a belly deep pond. No problem.
#5: At cattle holding pens, sidepass through one gateway, turn on haunches and set up to sidepass through a second gateway, turn on forehand, back across corral until hind feet between two cones. Cay was sticky sidepassing the first portion, the rest was ok.
#6: Sidehill through trees, come down bank, cross rocky, fast moving creek, and go up moderate bank on other side. No problem.
Cayenne and I took 2nd in the Open. I'm not sure how many were in that class but I will guess 12-15. We also tied for "Best Groomed Horse." I guess the quick hosing at 6am paid off! I got a dog rain jacket from Muddy Creek and a gift certificate for 32oz of eZall for that. I got $100 in ACTHA bucks for the 2nd place. I have not decided what to spend it on but may get a rain jacket for myself from Muddy Creek.
The ride was the best ran I have been to all year. Janice and Roley Schoonover at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch have experience at putting on rides as well as other events. The riders went out smoothly, lunch was ready when we came back, and the scores were tallied in record time! The trails were also well marked and interesting. I'm sure it is difficult trying to decide how hard to make the trails. If they are too easy, they're boring for the experienced riders on experienced horses. If they are too hard, they become a safety risk for novice riders or horses. I would not have wanted to be on a green horse raised in a flat corral. I would have felt comfortable being on one of my own green horses that I trust to handle themselves over logs, up and down steep and muddy banks, etc.
I came across a fairly novice rider on a fairly novice three year old mare at the beginning of the ride. She was not a competitor but a volunteer who was going to hand out completion ribbons at the end of the ride. Her horse didn't want to go out on the trail by itself so I volunteered to be her buddy. Cayenne did great and didn't mind the mare coming right up behind us quite a bit. I normally like to trot or lope out for the first mile or two but I figured it would be a day to take it easy and help someone avoid a wreck. It was a good confidence builder for both the mare and the rider and I was impressed with how they both did overall. They were not judged on the obstacles, and held back while I was, but they did have to complete some just because they were the trail! The last obstacle, the bank and the rushing creek, was the only thing that panicked the mare. That was in part due to some excited paint horses that had came up behind us while we waited for the judge, and the fact that I had disappeared down the hill in the trees to complete the obstacle by myself. I doubled back to the creek bank to wait for the lady to cross but her horse got scared and took off across the hillside. The judge almost got ran over. The mare hit the judge with the point of her shoulder as she bolted past and the judge had to jump down the hill and skid to a stop on her butt to avoid continuing into the creek! The lady was going to go on up to the top of the ridge and hook up with another trail back to the lodge. I figured that was a bad idea so I came back across the creek. She was able to put her horse's nose in Cayenne's tail and she followed us right across. She just needed some reassurance! All's well that ends well!
Although Western Pleasure is just over two hours away from me, I will be inclined to participate in events they have due to the positives at the ACTHA ride. Their lodge is beautiful, they have a warm-up arena, and the shady lawn was nice to relax on while eating lunch and partaking in the awards ceremony. Good job, Western Pleasure!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Busy, busy!
I brought Blaze home from pasture yesterday. I need to get him going again for the Trainer's Challenge in Sandpoint. I wanted to bring Turbo and start him but I have too many horses to ride as it is. It's good to be busy!
I'm riding in my first ACTHA (American Competitive Trail Horse Association) ride on Sunday. It's six miles, six obstacles, and six judges. It's at Janice and Roley Schoonover's Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in the Sandpoint, Idaho area. Their place is beautiful and I heard there is a lot of water on the trail so it should be fun. Whether the water is normally there or if it's there because of all the rain we've had in the past couple weeks will be determined on Sunday! I'm riding Cayenne.
I'm riding in my first ACTHA (American Competitive Trail Horse Association) ride on Sunday. It's six miles, six obstacles, and six judges. It's at Janice and Roley Schoonover's Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in the Sandpoint, Idaho area. Their place is beautiful and I heard there is a lot of water on the trail so it should be fun. Whether the water is normally there or if it's there because of all the rain we've had in the past couple weeks will be determined on Sunday! I'm riding Cayenne.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
PDIA Extreme Trail Challenge
The 3rd trail challenge at Farragut was put on by yet another group, PDIA. I have to say that this one was well organized with excellent obstacles. Everyone was professional and friendly. A big thanks to PDIA (Play Day in Athol) for a fun event!
The obstacles were definitely challenging. I skipped two and didn't do one as intended due to their difficulty for my horse. We didn't place very well because of that but it was still my favorite trail event so far this year. I'm trying to get experience under Cayenne's belt and that's easy to do when there are 23 obstacles on one course! They can't all be easy or it'd be no fun!
I took Smart Little Cayenne and entered in the Extreme division. I'm not sure why I keep doing that but it doesn't seem right to compete in the Novice division. Even though Cayenne is inexperienced, I have won some pretty competitive trail classes. If I actually won in a Novice class (not that I would), I would feel bad for taking away a true novice's title. I wish there were Junior classes offered at these trail events so that Cayenne could compete against horses in her own age bracket.
It was pouring rain so I was pretty wet before we were even finished with the course walk. I brought rain gear and some dry clothes but didn't count on walking through brush and tall grass. Luckily, I was wearing rubber boots for that but my jeans were soaked up to my knees! It was warm though so really not bad. By the time I headed out on the course, Cayenne was so wet you could see all the spots on her skin.
The course consisted of 23 obstacles, judged 0-10, and was timed for points, too. I will describe the course as I rode it. My obstacle numbers may not be correct and I'm not sure exactly where the judging started and stopped on some of them:
Obstacle 1: A single log to jump. It was only about 18" so I trotted Cay and hopped over it with no problem. Galloped down the trail.
Obstacle 2: Stop at the bottom of a bank, back up the bank, around a barrel, and back down the bank. A little sticky backing the steepest part but not bad.
Obstacle 3: Pick a "candy cane" out of a barrel, wade into a pond, pick floating pool inter tubes/rings out of the water, get on dry ground, drop them and repeat until three "toys" were on the bank. Ride out through two trees. Cay hesitated at the waters edge but not bad. She was leery of the rings floating around but I was able to scoop them up without too much maneuvering. She needed to be more relaxed.
Obstacle 4: Bridge. It was high over the pond. Cayenne was hesitant once she got on it. She was looking off the side (there were no side rails or anything) like she might hop off. I drove her forward and even tapped her on the butt with the candy cane I was still carrying. Put the candy cane back in the original barrel. Lope off up the slope to the next obstacle. I let Cay hand gallop and she shut down great when I asked before some old pavement on the path.
Obstacle 5: Tire grid. I think there were 12 tires, 3 across and 4 long, that were bolted together but not staked down in any fashion. I have never stepped Cay in one tire much less a slew of them. She had new slide plates on and I was afraid that she might catch the trailing heel on a tire. If she got scared and backed up, we'd have had a wreck. I skipped the tire obstacle got those safety reasons.
Obstacle 6: Outhouse. Dismount at outhouse with pink balloons on the door. Go in and shut the door while holding onto your horse, come back out and remount. Cay stood fine for the dismount and wait but probably took a step while I got back on. She didn't care about the balloons.
Obstacle 7: Tunnel. The tunnel was great with masses of balloons hanging inside, pool noodles sticking in from the sides, and all sorts of streamers. Cayenne didn't hesitate at all.
Obstacle 8: Pick a golf ball off a barrel, head down a steep hill, deposit the ball into the top of a tall cone. The only hard part about this obstacle was the photographer crouched at the bottom of the hill next to the cone, complete with rain gear and a plastic bag over his camera! Cay stopped a couple times with her head up and ears hard forward trying to figure out what in the heck was down there! She didn't feel like she was going to take off but I was hoping the guy would stand up or say something to let her know he was a human! She realized it on her own when we got closer and getting up to him and the cone was no problem.
Obstacle 9: Hula hoop slide. A cable was strung overhead with several hula hoops on it. You had to slide two hoops from one side to the other. The gal doing the walk through said we could grab and wing them over but I took them and sidepassed Cay under the cable to get mine to the other side. I figured the level of difficulty was higher that way. Cay was fine for that.
Obstacle 10: Dummy carry. Pick a light dummy off a post and carry him back up the hill, hook him to a zip line, and push him back down. Cay couldn't have cared less. The main thing that made me happy while we were over the hill in the draw was that Cay was focused on me and the tasks at hand. She didn't nicker or carry on like she wanted to get back to all the horses up on the flat.
Obstacle 11: 360 Box. The box was raised about 2' up with ties on three sides. You rode up the sloped side, did a 360, and stepped off the straight side. Cay did great and hopped off with no hesitation.
Obstacle 12: Gate. Work a gate. No problem.
Obstacle 13: Jump. We skipped this one as the jump was really high. There was no stepping over it for partial points! I think it was about 4' high and made of sturdy logs. I headed over the bank again and am not sure if that trip was judged.
Obstacle 14: Ditch. Extreme riders had to go into a ditch, turn and back along the bottom of it before turning and climbing out the other side.
Obstacle 15: More jumps! This obstacle was a series of three log jumps. The highest was first and graduated on down. I walked Cay and stepped her over. The first on was almost as high as her belly so she had a little trouble getting her hind legs high enough to get over. She made it though and didn't mind. I guess that's where bushwhacking in the mountains pays off!
Obstacle 16: Mailbox. Stop, open and shut door, raise flag. No problem.
Obstacle 17: Pick up sack of cans off a barrel, carry them for a ways, drop them. I trotted Cay and shook the cans on the way and she never bobbled.
Obstacle 18: Concrete ditch. A good ditch with a concrete wall on one side and large boulders lining the other side. I trotted through. Cay looked at it but didn't hesitate too much.
Obstacle 19: Fishing. Pick a fishing pole out of a barrel, cast into a deep little pool, pull your magnet "lure" over a mason jar lid, reel the lid in, remove it, toss the lid back in the pool and put the pole back in the barrel. Cay was a little turd about this obstacle. The obstacle wasn't the issue; she thought I was going to make her go in the fishing pool. It was not horse friendly and she knew it! I spent way too much time trying to sidepass her up to the barrel to get the pole while she was resistant and downright refused to sidepass when we got too close to the edge of the pool. Once I got the pole, she stood fine while I used both hands to catch my lid. The pole, lid, etc did not bother her at all.
Obstacle 20: Sidepass logs. Side pass over logs in an "L." Ok but I had to use too much leg and it wasn't nearly as smooth and resistance free as it should have been.
Obstacle 21: Push a little ball (12" or so) with your horse's feet a short distance and between two markers. The wind took the first ball away from us too far so I put her on the second ball. It went in but steering a little ball against the wind, bumps and grass was challenging.
Obstacle 22: Trailer load. The instructions explicitly said you were to ride in and slide off your horse's butt. At many trail challenges, doing that would have been a safety violation. I actually prefer doing it and have practiced it on my horses with no issues. It's faster and you grab the top of the trailer once you kick your feet out of the stirrups. That way, even if your horse stops and sucks back or turns around, you are free of the saddle and hanging high enough to avoid most chances of injury. Cay rode right in and I slid off without incident.
Bonus obstacle: Use a broom to hit three little balls into a bucket. Simple.
We finished in just over 10 minutes. There were only 8 contestants in the Extreme Division. I think I placed 6th. I felt bad at first but then thought about the fact that I'd skipped and revamped obstacles. You can't do that and be competitive. You also can't ask an inexperienced horse to do dangerous obstacles and risk a bad experience or worse. I am happy with what I chose to do and happy with Cayenne's performance. I still have lots of work to do but we're well on our way.
Next weekend I won't be able to do any horsey activities. We're heading to Missoula, MT to a diesel dyno days event. We will run "Big Red," my Ford, on the dyno and see what kind of horsepower and torque she pulls before we do 80 horse injectors and dyno it in Spokane later in the month. The Cummins in it has some changes but it'll be good to know exactly where she stands. I love the power and the fuel economy compared to my old 7.3 liter motor. I'll miss watching the Chris Cox clinic. I wanted to go audit on Friday but I have a trainee going home that day so will miss all of the clinic.
The following weekend, on June 13th, I'm signed up for my first ACTHA (American Competitive Trail Horse Association) ride at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch near Sandpoint, Idaho. It's advertised as 6 miles, 6 obstacles, and 6 judges. It should be fun. I'm taking Cayenne.
The obstacles were definitely challenging. I skipped two and didn't do one as intended due to their difficulty for my horse. We didn't place very well because of that but it was still my favorite trail event so far this year. I'm trying to get experience under Cayenne's belt and that's easy to do when there are 23 obstacles on one course! They can't all be easy or it'd be no fun!
I took Smart Little Cayenne and entered in the Extreme division. I'm not sure why I keep doing that but it doesn't seem right to compete in the Novice division. Even though Cayenne is inexperienced, I have won some pretty competitive trail classes. If I actually won in a Novice class (not that I would), I would feel bad for taking away a true novice's title. I wish there were Junior classes offered at these trail events so that Cayenne could compete against horses in her own age bracket.
It was pouring rain so I was pretty wet before we were even finished with the course walk. I brought rain gear and some dry clothes but didn't count on walking through brush and tall grass. Luckily, I was wearing rubber boots for that but my jeans were soaked up to my knees! It was warm though so really not bad. By the time I headed out on the course, Cayenne was so wet you could see all the spots on her skin.
The course consisted of 23 obstacles, judged 0-10, and was timed for points, too. I will describe the course as I rode it. My obstacle numbers may not be correct and I'm not sure exactly where the judging started and stopped on some of them:
Obstacle 1: A single log to jump. It was only about 18" so I trotted Cay and hopped over it with no problem. Galloped down the trail.
Obstacle 2: Stop at the bottom of a bank, back up the bank, around a barrel, and back down the bank. A little sticky backing the steepest part but not bad.
Obstacle 3: Pick a "candy cane" out of a barrel, wade into a pond, pick floating pool inter tubes/rings out of the water, get on dry ground, drop them and repeat until three "toys" were on the bank. Ride out through two trees. Cay hesitated at the waters edge but not bad. She was leery of the rings floating around but I was able to scoop them up without too much maneuvering. She needed to be more relaxed.
Obstacle 4: Bridge. It was high over the pond. Cayenne was hesitant once she got on it. She was looking off the side (there were no side rails or anything) like she might hop off. I drove her forward and even tapped her on the butt with the candy cane I was still carrying. Put the candy cane back in the original barrel. Lope off up the slope to the next obstacle. I let Cay hand gallop and she shut down great when I asked before some old pavement on the path.
Obstacle 5: Tire grid. I think there were 12 tires, 3 across and 4 long, that were bolted together but not staked down in any fashion. I have never stepped Cay in one tire much less a slew of them. She had new slide plates on and I was afraid that she might catch the trailing heel on a tire. If she got scared and backed up, we'd have had a wreck. I skipped the tire obstacle got those safety reasons.
Obstacle 6: Outhouse. Dismount at outhouse with pink balloons on the door. Go in and shut the door while holding onto your horse, come back out and remount. Cay stood fine for the dismount and wait but probably took a step while I got back on. She didn't care about the balloons.
Obstacle 7: Tunnel. The tunnel was great with masses of balloons hanging inside, pool noodles sticking in from the sides, and all sorts of streamers. Cayenne didn't hesitate at all.
Obstacle 8: Pick a golf ball off a barrel, head down a steep hill, deposit the ball into the top of a tall cone. The only hard part about this obstacle was the photographer crouched at the bottom of the hill next to the cone, complete with rain gear and a plastic bag over his camera! Cay stopped a couple times with her head up and ears hard forward trying to figure out what in the heck was down there! She didn't feel like she was going to take off but I was hoping the guy would stand up or say something to let her know he was a human! She realized it on her own when we got closer and getting up to him and the cone was no problem.
Obstacle 9: Hula hoop slide. A cable was strung overhead with several hula hoops on it. You had to slide two hoops from one side to the other. The gal doing the walk through said we could grab and wing them over but I took them and sidepassed Cay under the cable to get mine to the other side. I figured the level of difficulty was higher that way. Cay was fine for that.
Obstacle 10: Dummy carry. Pick a light dummy off a post and carry him back up the hill, hook him to a zip line, and push him back down. Cay couldn't have cared less. The main thing that made me happy while we were over the hill in the draw was that Cay was focused on me and the tasks at hand. She didn't nicker or carry on like she wanted to get back to all the horses up on the flat.
Obstacle 11: 360 Box. The box was raised about 2' up with ties on three sides. You rode up the sloped side, did a 360, and stepped off the straight side. Cay did great and hopped off with no hesitation.
Obstacle 12: Gate. Work a gate. No problem.
Obstacle 13: Jump. We skipped this one as the jump was really high. There was no stepping over it for partial points! I think it was about 4' high and made of sturdy logs. I headed over the bank again and am not sure if that trip was judged.
Obstacle 14: Ditch. Extreme riders had to go into a ditch, turn and back along the bottom of it before turning and climbing out the other side.
Obstacle 15: More jumps! This obstacle was a series of three log jumps. The highest was first and graduated on down. I walked Cay and stepped her over. The first on was almost as high as her belly so she had a little trouble getting her hind legs high enough to get over. She made it though and didn't mind. I guess that's where bushwhacking in the mountains pays off!
Obstacle 16: Mailbox. Stop, open and shut door, raise flag. No problem.
Obstacle 17: Pick up sack of cans off a barrel, carry them for a ways, drop them. I trotted Cay and shook the cans on the way and she never bobbled.
Obstacle 18: Concrete ditch. A good ditch with a concrete wall on one side and large boulders lining the other side. I trotted through. Cay looked at it but didn't hesitate too much.
Obstacle 19: Fishing. Pick a fishing pole out of a barrel, cast into a deep little pool, pull your magnet "lure" over a mason jar lid, reel the lid in, remove it, toss the lid back in the pool and put the pole back in the barrel. Cay was a little turd about this obstacle. The obstacle wasn't the issue; she thought I was going to make her go in the fishing pool. It was not horse friendly and she knew it! I spent way too much time trying to sidepass her up to the barrel to get the pole while she was resistant and downright refused to sidepass when we got too close to the edge of the pool. Once I got the pole, she stood fine while I used both hands to catch my lid. The pole, lid, etc did not bother her at all.
Obstacle 20: Sidepass logs. Side pass over logs in an "L." Ok but I had to use too much leg and it wasn't nearly as smooth and resistance free as it should have been.
Obstacle 21: Push a little ball (12" or so) with your horse's feet a short distance and between two markers. The wind took the first ball away from us too far so I put her on the second ball. It went in but steering a little ball against the wind, bumps and grass was challenging.
Obstacle 22: Trailer load. The instructions explicitly said you were to ride in and slide off your horse's butt. At many trail challenges, doing that would have been a safety violation. I actually prefer doing it and have practiced it on my horses with no issues. It's faster and you grab the top of the trailer once you kick your feet out of the stirrups. That way, even if your horse stops and sucks back or turns around, you are free of the saddle and hanging high enough to avoid most chances of injury. Cay rode right in and I slid off without incident.
Bonus obstacle: Use a broom to hit three little balls into a bucket. Simple.
We finished in just over 10 minutes. There were only 8 contestants in the Extreme Division. I think I placed 6th. I felt bad at first but then thought about the fact that I'd skipped and revamped obstacles. You can't do that and be competitive. You also can't ask an inexperienced horse to do dangerous obstacles and risk a bad experience or worse. I am happy with what I chose to do and happy with Cayenne's performance. I still have lots of work to do but we're well on our way.
Next weekend I won't be able to do any horsey activities. We're heading to Missoula, MT to a diesel dyno days event. We will run "Big Red," my Ford, on the dyno and see what kind of horsepower and torque she pulls before we do 80 horse injectors and dyno it in Spokane later in the month. The Cummins in it has some changes but it'll be good to know exactly where she stands. I love the power and the fuel economy compared to my old 7.3 liter motor. I'll miss watching the Chris Cox clinic. I wanted to go audit on Friday but I have a trainee going home that day so will miss all of the clinic.
The following weekend, on June 13th, I'm signed up for my first ACTHA (American Competitive Trail Horse Association) ride at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch near Sandpoint, Idaho. It's advertised as 6 miles, 6 obstacles, and 6 judges. It should be fun. I'm taking Cayenne.
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