A run of summer fun

Stella and I DID return to Bob & Crystal Rilee Park after my last post – and to the coast! Again we joined a herd of mustangs, enjoyed perfect weather, and had even better rides. I'm thinking part of that was due to switching bits, from the bradoon I purchased specifically for Stella to the bit I used with Lance and Russell (in the header photo) before him. The two bits are the same basic design from Herm Sprenger, but the new/old one is wider, thicker, and made from a different alloy. I thought it was too big for Stella but it's not, and she seems happier with it – she definitely tosses her head less in this one:

Bob & Crystal Rilee Park has trails down either side of the road on top of a ridge. My first time there we stayed on one side of the ridge; the second tine we started out on the opposite side, took a lunch break at the trailers, then repeated some of the trails from our first ride along with some new ones.

The trails on this side of the ridge tend to be nicer.

Stella hasn't always stood reliably while tied, but she was great during lunch!

The only other mare was hobbled, so could got to wander around.

This young lady is one of Rick's veterinary assistants, on her day off.

Several of the mustangs took post-ride rolls in the dirt,

but Stella chose to graze.

Besides a great ride, Rilee Park offered something else of interest. This trailer was parked there when we came back for lunch. After looking it over as carefully as I could, I went home and did some more investigating online, and am very impressed. As much as I've enjoyed our aluminum Sooner three-horse trailer, the Equi-Trek makes much more sense, especially now that I'm the only one in the family who rides; it's smaller, lighter-weight, and costs much less than what we could get for our Sooner. There is a dealer in Oregon and I may just go take another look in hopes that I can get Rick on board with switching trailers.

It even had a bunk and wee kitchenette!

That was on August 13. Two weeks later, we hauled to the beach. This time Stella was the token Morgan in a herd of six mustangs, one of them a yearling that was ponied along wearing a bareback pad for the experience.

I'm itching for another outing, but right now we are homebound. Rick's vet truck blew its radiator last week so Rick had to drive my pulling truck, which in turn blew a water pump! He and Brian got his vet truck fixed; crossing fingers they can get 'my' truck fixed, too. In the meantime we can school in the arena, and yesterday I took Stella through the neighboring woods for the first time since late spring. I was happy to discover that someone had mowed the old path so we could do more than ride on the gravel road; I was not happy to see a deer baiting station with corn and a salt block. Seems deceitful and unsportsmanlike to me, but I suppose it's not any different than fishing with a baited hook. (And yeah, I feel sorry for the fish, too.) Guess I'd better look up the dates for hunting season.... It was not a particularly warm day and all we did was walk, but Stella still worked up a sweat that ran down her legs because she was hot to go.

Reaching out pays off

With my new riding buddy out of town for three weeks, Stella and I have been riding at and around home. She seemed more settled for several days after the beach ride, but her usual level of tension eventually returned. Time for another outing! I texted Lisa, who had helped me in my early days with Stella, to see if she was available to go somewhere to ride today. She suggested a park I hadn't heard of that's only 18 miles away, and showed up with three friends and four horses, all wild-caught mustangs in training.

We had a great ride at Bob & Crystal Rilee Park at the top of Parrett Mountain (more of a big hill). There are a lot of fields to ride around, as well as trails through the woods, some up and down terrain steeper than Stella has navigated before. Since we were mostly in the shade the temperature was comfortable, and the dirt trails were perfect for barefoot horses. Stella and I mostly led as she was the fastest walker and trotter as well as bold; she got a real workout but came back with plenty of energy. We'll definitely return there to ride again – maybe as soon as next week!

That's us, heading out first

A couple videos shot by Lisa, showing Stella at a concerning culvert and leading a short canter:

If you can't dance, have fun in the sun!

Stella might not be a suitable 'dancing partner' for dressage but of course we still 'partner,' sometimes schooling in the arena and sometimes riding around the hill. My goal continues to be riding her in a way  that preserves and promotes long-term soundness and encourages relaxation. To do that, I have to keep the bugs out of her ears. The 'ear gnats' are really bad this year and I haven't found a repellant that works great, so when we're riding I use this ear bonnet:

Another goal is to increase Stella's and my levels of enjoyment. To that end, at the end of June I reached out to an acquaintance who in the past has posted photos from endurance training rides, wondering if she ever rides close to home and if she'd like company. She responded that she has lost all her riding buddies and would love to put on some miles with someone! We compared schedules and within a week, met up at Perrydale Trails on a gorgeous afternoon. Besides availing ourselves of the many obstacles to ride on/over/through, we spent quite a bit of time just riding the trails through the overgrown Christmas trees and along the mowed fields, putting on miles.

Christine and Lark check out one of the water obstacles

Stella and I consider the 'curtain' of hard plastic slats

Christine and Lark check out the fake llama

Two weeks later, we hauled our horses to Pacific City on another perfect day for a ride. This was Stella's first experience at the coast, and she was AWESOME. 😁

Teamwork makes the dream work; Christine's truck and my trailer

We crested the dune and Stella got her first look at an ocean

Christine & Lark on the right; a lady who came by herself on the left

Stella's ears show her uncertainty in spite of Lark's example

getting better!

Christine kindly took the following photos of Stella and me, documenting our progress from "ocean observant" to bombing through the shallows. Stella loves to go, so she really seemed to relish the long stretches of trotting (and some cantering).

After reaching the bay to the south, shown above, we turned around and headed back. Stella still had a lot  of "go," but – dare I say it? She actually r-e-l-a-x-e-d a little!

heading back through the trees to the parking lot

This was my first beach ride in years, and it made me SO happy. The only thing that could have made it better would have been an outgoing tide for a broader swath of packed sand to ride on, but with Stella's willingness to get her feet wet, we managed just fine. How I would love to live close enough to do this every week!

Our next ride with Christine will have to wait until mid-August after she returns from a trip. In the meantime, the two rides we've had have helped my outlook immensely, and given me more to look forward to with my beautiful, hot mare.