"Parkour for her, not ballet" (catch-up, part 3)

The title was a comment on an Instagram/Facebook post about Stella's and my most recent excursion. By ballet she means dressage; by parkour she means the negotiating the indoor Mountain Trail Championship course at the Oregon Horse Center in Eugene, which we did with the 'Mustang Gang' on November 17.

I've heard about this cool installation for years, but hadn't really looked into going. But when the head of the Mustang Gang proposed signing up as a group (you 'rent' an hour on the course), I jumped at the chance.

The plan was to get there an hour before our slot started to have plenty of time to tack up and warm up. But I was uneasy about the amount of air in my trailer tires, especially for going down the interstate (things are such that I can't access our air compressor at home right now), so I stopped at a station on my way to check. All four tires were at less than 50% of max. 😳 Of course I aired them all up with the puny (and spendy) compressor even though it took all my warm-up time; safety first. Well, at least that aspect of safety; one could argue that unloading, saddling, mounting, and heading right into a challenging new environment with a hot horse may not be the safest thing. 😉

But Stella was a ROCK STAR once again. Head up (always), very alert, a little leery, but willing to try, and eventually DO, everything without too much persuading. By the end, we were asked to lead one of the mustang gang on speed round of all the obstacles in the big arena in order for her horse to gain more confidence!

I took lots of photos of others (and only one of Stella from the saddle), and got some photos of us that others took. Unfortunately, no one got photos of us in or around any of the water obstacles. 😢 Guess we'll have to go again to capture those moments. 😁

I'm just going to dump the photos I have below; enjoy!

The course in the smaller arena

The 'waterfall' course in the bigger arena; click to biggify.

Stella and I on the small course

Our 'speed round' buddy on the small course

The 'high bridge'

Stella and I on the high bridge

A group photo at the end

Off to another hill (catch-up, part 2)

Our first excursion after my truck was finally fixed was on October 9 to Chehalem Ridge Nature Park. If we could fly like crows it's not that far, but it took a good hour's drive to get there and meet up with the 'mustang gang' we've been riding with. It was the first visit to this beautiful new park that just opened three years ago for all of us, and it was most enjoyable – great trailer parking, good trails, and some stunning views. And like Bob & Crystal Rilee Park, free!

No, we didn't see any cougars (click to biggify).

One of the Three Elders

The following photos were taken of us, not by me. We all take photos and share. I'm so glad to have connected with these ladies! 😊

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.