Ride 31: Alternate Birthday Party and Ride

Today was a gorgeous day and perfect for an alternate birthday party.  The three of us and a friend from the city whose birthday is about a week ahead of mine (though I’m years ahead of him) had an outdoor lunch on the backyard picnic table, after which I rode out on the land while D- and R- sat out in the Near Meadow talking.   It was quite warm by then, but I was determined to ride Rags all the way out to Owl Pavilion and back.   We did start with some work over the raised poles.  Because it was so warm with (initially) hardly any breeze, we just walked along–a good strong walk, but no rush, no trotting.  I did practice standing in the stirrups a couple of times (for short stretches, because Rags was uncertain what this meant and would stop after awhile: “Are you OK up there?  You feel weird.”)

It was the usual route–up the west trail to the Dry Woods, down Center Walk, down Diagonal to Tractor Ford on the dry creek, start west on the trail on the other side.  This time we took the Gully Trail to the left, not far from the creek crossing, and entered the twisty bits…and I got a dead stalk of giant ragweed caught between my foot and the stirrup, and dragging on the ground as it poked me in the shin.  “Whoa-oh” I said to Rag, who stopped, and when I reached down to untangle the stalk, he twisted his head around, sure that “Rider reaching down meant offer of cookie.”  This delayed the untangling (that and being careful not to let the stalk poke him in the barrel or bang into the back of his front legs) but basically he was standing still, so that was good enough for this trip.  Once that was done, we went on, turned south on the other side of the gully system, and I noted that the thicketing plum with the “golden” flowers was in full bloom, with new sprouts that may flower next year if they survive the summer.  went on past Fort Cedar and then around it (MUCH easier without dead twigs on the underside of the Ashe juniper limbs scraping on my helmet and back while I was bent as low as possible.)  Then on between the “cedars” until we were on the West Trail heading south into the woods….and quickly onto the Owl Pavilion horse trail.

Rags wanted to stop and look and listen.  There was no wind, and it was midday quiet (it was past midday by the DST clock, but not by the sun.)   We stopped for perhaps half a minute and when I asked him to do on he did, but at the first turn he stopped again and stared at the fallen tree.  I talked to him, and he went forward again, crossing the tree without touching it, lifting his legs higher than he does over the raised poles.  We crossed Westbrook (dry, of course) and climbed the rise on the far side, emerging into the SW meadow.  Rags was confident; he recognized this and walked without any pause to Owl Pavilion and the shade of one of the Ashe junipers there.  We stood in the shade as a little breeze came through, and then I offered a cookie (of course he wanted it) and after crunching that one up asked for another.  Today being my birthday party, he got it.

Then I turned him around and we went back across the meadow, back into the West Woods, down the slope, across the dry creek, up the other side and over the fallen tree, and back to the main West Trail, which we took all the way to the NW corner  The part that’s shady and cooler in warm/hot weather was indeed shady and cooler today, very pleasant, and Rags was more relaxed with it than on earlier rides.  Where R- had cut the junipers back to clear the trail for horse travel, the cut edges exuded the pleasant fragrance of “cedar” (it’s similar to true cedar.)   We turned east along the North Fence Trail where I got whiffs of wild plum blossom fragrance from the two large Mexican plums (hard to see if you’re watching where you’re going) and then into the twisty part of that trail, coming out to straighter section and then the turn to the ford of the creek.  We went back the shortest way (it felt hotter than just warm!) on Diagonal and then Center Walk and the West Dry Woods Trail down to the Near Meadow, where I could see R- and D- still talking.

Back into the north horse lot, and I got Rags to try trotting over a single pole laid on the grass…which he did, both ways, and then it was time to get off, untack, and get something cold to drink and rest a bit before it we turned to cake and ice cream.  This is another step forward for Rags (trotting over a pole) and will lead to an advance in our skills as I add additional trot poles to the simple linear layout.  I’ve been inspired by the pole exercises Meg Elphick has been using; we aren’t anywhere close to doing those well yet, but we should be in another 4-6 weeks.   (Rags might learn faster, but he needs me to be in perfect balance with him and that’s a work in progress.)   After D- left this afternoon, I added several more poles for trot work on the other side of the original layout from the single trot pole…far enough apart that he can take multiple trot strides between them.  So tomorrow (weather permitting) he’ll do the walk poles and the single trot pole at least twice, a ride on the east end of the place and part of the south end, then the final pole exercise.  We’re supposed to get rain sometime between Sunday night and Tuesday night, but have not had rain at two – three previous times it was forecast so my fingers are crossed.  We need it.

And thus ended a perfect (in my terms) alternate birthday.  A little party of family and friend, delicious outdoor meal, horse ride, dessert…what more could anyone want???  Well, maybe more friends–but when friends can’t come that’s no reason to cut back on enjoying whoever shows up.  We need more outdoor chairs again (they don’t last long in Texas weather!)

I hope you all have had some good times this weekend.