Update on Kenai: 5 Months Post-Op

If you remember (or if you don't here's an update anyway), Kenai had surgery on the cruciate ligament in both of his knees in August. It seemed surprising at the time - such a young dog (3) needing surgery like this. But we'll just have to chalk it up to genetics and make the best of what's happened. (While unaware at the time of purchase, Kenai has some of the TOP Siberian show lines in the country. His close cousins - his father's brother's pups - were featured in Snow Dogs. He's got > 50 champions on his mother's side alone. I think all of these generations of Siberians in the show ring have weakened tendons and ligaments because they're no longer working dogs. Their bone structure - and Kenai's - is near perfect, but the other supporting structures of their skeleton are lacking due to years without a true job. I know none of this for certain, but its the best hypothesis I can come up with re: what happened to his knees. He has a VERY active lifestyle with me. He's a husky that can be off-leash and recalls 99% of the time. He trail rides with me!)

Its been a long road to recovery since then. I'm fortunate that he was a really phenomenal patient, taking it easy most of the time, and pushing through rehab exercises as they were provided.

In November and December he was considered "healed" as far as paperwork on rehab goes. However, he was still not 100%. He wouldn't limp after a day of movement, but he would rise very stiff-legged. It would take several minutes of stilt-legged movement before he was loosened up and moving forward. He'd still favor a 3-beat gait over his old favorite, that lilting jog that floated him over the ground that is so specific to all spitz breeds.

This worried me for a time. A friend had consoled me, noting that his broken ankle (that had to be put back together with metal it was so badly broken) was stiff like that, too, for awhile. He assured that Kenai's stiffness would go away with time. I had to trust this. It was all I had.

With the advent of winter weather, consistently lower temperatures, and being a lot more active, Kenai has really shown huge improvement in the past month insofar as stiffness goes. I rarely, if ever, note the stiffness in his movements now.

He's quick and agile again. He has zero issues bounding into my car - whereas before it was hit or miss if he'd ask me to pick him up. (And yes, he would ask! He'd stop, turn, look at me, look at the car, and repeat until I helped him out. He's conservative about things when uncertain.) He chooses the 2-beat gait over the 3-beat more and more often. His movement during his jog isn't quite as light and free as it once was, but there is improvement every day.

His hair is far from normal though, 5 months post-op. I had originally guesstimated that March would bring about "normal" appearance for his coat, but I'm now fearing that this may not come to fruition. He's got all of his undercoat - it gets thicker by the day. But his guard hairs are still struggling to come in. And he has bald patches in a few places! There is a reason people advocate against shaving double-coated dogs! There is no guarantee the coat will grow back the way it originally was. If you have a working dog, or a dog with a job who is often exposed to the elements, having an ill-functioning coat could seriously limit the animal over time. I've found some opinions online that say that a Siberian's coat will take 2 years - 2 years! - to be 100% normal again. From my experience with Kenai so far, I believe it!

But overall, if you were to ask me if I thought the surgery was worth it, would I do it again, my answer would be a resounding: yes. Kenai is feeling so much better than he was before I opted to do surgery. He moves better and doesn't favor his legs at all after a long day of running or hiking or exploring. He's happy. He plays more. And his life through the future will be so much better for it. I'll have my fuzzy partner in crime, happy and healthy and able to keep up with my shenanigans far into the future. And this makes us both happy.

Barn Blog Hop

Ashley at Horses: The Process of Learning started this blog hop.

It's time for a blog hop of barn tours! Ever wonder where your horsey Blogger friends spend most of their day?  Want to show off the amazing place you get to keep your fur child? Now is your chance to share and get to know your friends just a little bit more!

Here's how it's going to work; its simple and fun!

Share with us the following 5 photos:

1. A View of the Barn

 

Taken from the horse field; the barn

The interior as viewed from the main door

Big enough area to back my car and trailer into

The aisle; one larger foaling stall + tack room on the left and then three smaller
stalls on the right. The indoor round pen at the back. Wash rack is just out of
view to my right, too.

2. Your Horses' Living Space

 

24/7 turnout on many many acres

3. The Tack Room

 

Panorama taken from door in barn that leads to tack room.

The door into the tack room from inside the barn

The door to the outside from inside the tack room..and oh, a horse.

From the blue bin at center to the bottom saddle rack to the saddle pad hanger..my crap

4. View of Where You Ride

That's the area I refer to as the "barnyard" where I set up jumps and hope to
create a dressage practice area with letters this summer

Its nice to have a flat area to do this

I also ride around the property like this.
(A ride from Griffin earlier in the year.)
The barn is the roof in the upper right.

 

Indoor round pen

Outdoor round pen

Trails woods and the rail trail

5. Your Favorite Feature of Your Facility

Access to a trailer to travel far away trails

Access to versatile trails

The opportunity to ride in a place like this

 My absolute favorite part about my situation is the versatility available to me.

I have access to:

• wooded mountain trails that I can create up to a 20 mile ride on.
• the rail trail that I could ride one way for 30+ miles; a flat trail with excellent footing.
• two different sized round pens for liberty work and simple basics.
• a barnyard area that is flat and perfect for jumping or dressage schooling.
• a back field with a hill that is perfect for hill sprint workouts.
• a TRAILER that I can use whenever to go off property to the new, big covered arena or head out to far away trails for a change of scenery.
• wonderful people who are always there to help me out at a moment's notice; people who keep an eye on my horses at all hours of the day from the windows of their home and inform me if something is amiss. This last part is probably THE BEST thing. Its why I don't feel overly guilty throughout the winter months when I cannot get out there for a week at a time. I know my horses are okay or I would have had a call. 

So, I live in a barn

Backstory: I'm currently working in the town I grew up in. I was fortunate enough to score a job in my field immediately after college. I wasn't thrilled to be moving back home,  a much smaller and quieter town than where WVU is (yes, yes, party school, blah blah blah), but I couldn't turn down the amazing opportunity present to me. The first two years of my position, which constantly evolved, was completed in short spurts. I wasn't guaranteed a job past so many months. Fortunately, as things evolved I was able to stay again and again. In the spring of 2013, the job became more permanent, guaranteeing me a position a year at a time for 4 years. And thus, I was able to begin apartment searching.

It became evident immediately that the listings available in local papers and real estate flyers weren't going to work for me. Having pets made things significantly more difficult. So, instead of relying on those modes of discovery, I reached out to friends who are VERY well-connected within the community to keep an eye out for me.

Within a week of this request, my vet (and friend) had an idea.

Her practice is one that involves a lot of travel around the area. She specializes in equine and large animal, but also supplements that with small animal work two days a week. (She's seriously super woman! She's also the one who performed Kenai's surgery.) She sees a lot of properties and knows a ton of people as a result!

She mentioned a barn apartment just outside of town. Its on a road I didn't even know existed until a few years back, despite growing up here! The location makes it seem like its way out in the boonies, but really its only a 7 minute drive from just about anywhere in town - and only a 15 minute drive to my horses.

She cautioned that the place would need renovated, that the landowners would do that, but not until I confirmed my interest and saw it first.

I was ecstatic.

In no time at all, I'd check it out, approved of the renovations they'd planned and we set a tentative move-in for July.

The apartment is linear. Front door leads into the kitchen/living room area and then a central hallway/doorways connect each of the rooms. It flows as such: kitchen/living, bathroom/gear storage space, spare bedroom/office space, laundry area and closet, bedroom.

An odd layout, for sure, bu perfect for a single person.

And, of course, I was allowed to bring the animals! Bonus? Kenai would have SO much room to run around the property!

So, without further ado, here is a photo tour through the months of my place. I absolutely adore it - minus the two gates I have to open/close to get from my residence to the road because of the horse field. (I have a moat of horses/fields, haha.)

The area painted red is the apartment. The rest is the barn. Their horses are on 24/7 turnout, so its not stinky or noisy.

The view as I drive in. The barn is on the right.

Better view of barn to right. Apartment is the red painted area on the far side from the point-of-view.

A baby Atticus enjoying a crisp summer day from the front door.

The view from my front porch. Autumn colors surround me. This view is to the west.

The view to the south. I come through that gate to enter my yard. I love watching the storms roll in during the summer.

The view to the east at sunrise. The bottom land area in this photo is an oxbow wetland.

I sometimes let the boys into the yard to mow it for me. L-R, Major, Cooper, Chester, Something. Magic is outside the fence behind them and Hammer isn't pictured. All of the boys except Hammer are TWH. Hammer is a QH.

Chester, one of their 6 horses, greeting me one misty morning.

Rain rolling off the tin roof during a summer deluge. Its so loud when you're inside the apartment. I love the sound of the rain on the tin roof.

A panorama of the southeastern view one frosty morning.

The living room from the front door.

The kitchen/living area as viewed from the doorway that connects to the rest of the apartment.

The office/extra bed space looking toward my bedroom. My bedroom was originally a garage.

My bedroom. The back wall used to be a garage door.

Not a bad place to hang out. We have big plans for summer "beach" parties in this yard. Complete with cornhole, croquet, a slip-n-slide, baby pool, mini sandbox, chairs, and shade umbrellas.

My Mountain

Photo: Sam Zurbuch

All of my patrol ventures take place at Canaan Valley Ski Resort. In dire need of more snow, but not too shabby all the same considering the weather so far this season.

Its not a huge mountain and its not often busy. These factors make it a great place for beginners and a great private playground for those of us who frequent it often.

Griffin rides 7 miles

Last weekend Mike accompanied me for our second outing on the trail. Having a chaperone on the trails is a wonderful thing. After only two outings on the trail, I already feel so spoiled. I'm so lucky to have someone willing to gallivant through the woods with me in the manner I prefer to travel.

Griffin was his usual eager self, minus his sometimes spunky behavior on this day. Mike and I brought both of my horses in and set about tacking each up: Q in his Aussie saddle and Griffin in the Wintec, as I don't want to put my nice Ansur on my unpredictable greenie who may or may not dump me and run away into the abyss!

I once again used the halter-bridle with the little grey, too, since I've been receiving better results with it at this point in time. As with riding in the round pen on NYE, fighting the battle of the bit with Griffin isn't worth it to me on the trails at this point. I want to set him up for other successes - like moving forward down the trial, navigating potential obstacles, and enjoying his trail job - not worry about fighting with him over the bit and bridle. 

Prepped and ready, Mike and I mounted up and headed out from the barn, Griffin choosing the lead position instantly.

Mike and Q-bee

The ground and landscape was still blanketed with snow from previous days' bad weather. I don't
remember the temp on this day; it was overcast without rain and brisk enough for me to choose to wear my smartwool leggings with my breeches + my insulated riding boots. I was comfortable.

The ice leading up to the creek was the first obstacle for the day. With Griffin in the lead, I didn't know how it would go. Honestly though, I'd never done that on Q either, so even if she'd been in the lead its hard to say if she'd have been any more predictable than Griffin. Fortunately, the ice crunching and breaking (down into about 2"-4" of water) was a non-issue for both of my horses!

We proceeded to cross the creek where both drank deeply for a few moments before proceeding onward through the back open field toward the woods.

Mike and I chatted amiably the whole time about a myriad of things. Conversations come easily between us. We took a few moments in the field to goof off with photos on our phones since both horses were so relaxed and forward of their own accord.

We trucked up the first hill after the field photoshoot at a slow trot, Griffin huffing like it was the worst thing ever. I laughed at him and urged him onward. He was alert to his surroundings, but unbothered by everything we passed. He wove skillfully through saplings (trails still aren't 100% since Sandy hit last year) with only a little guidance from me as we worked our way to the main trails. Such a great little horse!

Instead of turning the first half mile of the ride all into an uphill journey, I chose instead to drop immediately onto the haul road with its more moderate grade.

In anticipation of taking this route, I'd put Renegades on Griffin's fronts. He'd been ouchy the weekend prior, so I wanted him to be able to enjoy life a little more without the added discomfort of ouchie feet on the rocks. Q was fine. She's got the greatest feet ever. (One of the reasons I'd really love to breed her one day - I want those feet in another horse!!!)

Big ol' feet on those legs of hers!

We bopped along the haul road for awhile, intermittently walking and trotting.

Griffin, still in the lead, wasn't so sure about trotting too much. He was interested and forward, just not with great haste.

I requested for Mike to put Q in the lead and head out at a nice trot, cantering if he chose. The two of them headed out, leading for the rest of the haul road at a medium-fast trot or a canter.

Griffin was a bit surprised at the increase in speed at first, but with time, despite his initial huffin' and puffin' he really seemed to enjoy himself! My requests for him to move faster were more and more minor as he chose to move out more willingly.

From here, the trail we chose followed along the haul road, up the mountain along a skid road, and then transitioned to some very established 4-wheeler trails in the area of mature forest where we would "thread the needle" by creating a small loop then doubling back on more or less the same trail we'd followed out.

Once Mike and I had crested out of the successional forest and into the mature forest, I told him to turn Q loose. Its one of my favorite places - and her favorite places - to gallop. The stretch is only a hundred yards or so long on a slight uphill grade on perfect footing.

With only the tiniest of smooches from Mike, Q rocketed off in front of Griffin and I. Griffin, who had been quite perky since reaching this stretch of trail with its ideal footing, quickly and quietly acquiesced to my request to canter through this area. He even surprised me by powering into a gallop for a very short snap! Good boy!

Mike and I were laughing and giggling after this short spurt of speed from the horses, who were now a little prancey and full of themselves after the fun. We wound around the crest of the mountain and then shot up another incline - the steepest of the day!

Griffin led the charge up this one! He did a far better job of things than I expected, too! Q passed him near the top though, powering forward the way she does, as if to say, "Come on little baby, THIS is endurance! Gotta power on through these short spurts. We'll be rewarded in just a few seconds with a nice long downhill walk!!" Griffin puffed along behind her giving it his best.

At the last little flat area before we descended for awhile, Griffin took the lead again, springing into a nice little canter.

It was in this moment when I could really tell that the job he'd been given had really clicked for him. He knew that moving out in areas of perfect trail (like this short stretch) was what he should do. He did it with willingness and gusto, falling back to a walk smoothly as we crested a slight rise and began our descent.

He's after my heart, this one. <3

Griffin was still a bit startled over some contrast differences between the ground and the puddles/ice, but he was far less hesitant about it this time than the previous week. Each puddle/ice spot he would drop his nose to double-check that it was indeed not a monster, and then he'd continue on. He even did a phenomenal job navigating his way through a puddle with ice that was over an inch thick!!

The only thing that gave him worry, once again, was an upturned root ball from a tree that had fallen during Sandy. Mike and Q helped us through this spot and all was well.

Posing after Q had decided to make an attempt at bushwacking off trail. We had been laughing at her.
Also noticeable here, my super crooked pad under Mike's saddle. We've had a lot of pad woes with that saddle so far,
but we're slowly getting things figured out! Additionally, I'd removed Griffin's Rennies for the tail-end of the ride.
(They're tied to Mike's saddle.)

The whole ride, somewhere around 7 miles looking back on previous journeys on this same path from the spring (my GPS wasn't working due to low battery this time), was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Mike makes for great company and incredible conversation. Not to mention, he and Q work really well together. I love that I have a chaperone so that I can ride my little grey horse and help him learn his new job on the trail without having to worry about being alone and in trouble if something bad happened.

I think my near future is going to be quite full of rides like these. And I've got to admit, I'm not too sad to see the amount of solo riding I did go away. Another person + horse makes the whole experience 10x better!

Q the Teacher

After a full day of skiing on New Year's day 2014, I decided I had to get out to the barn to get some riding in on the first day of the year, too. Jess came with me for another lesson on Q.

It was dark, dark, dark when we arrived. The moon, nearly new, affording us no extra light in attempts to find the horses in the field in the dark. Fortunately though, they both met me at the fenceline and walked to the gate making life easy for all.

I set Jess up on Q again as I'd done the previous day, this time leaving Griffin to some flakes of alfalfa while I gave Jess about 20 minutes of instruction on Q in the inside round pen.

Jess had never ridden horses much before, but has such a huge love of them. She asked an endless number of questions that evening. All of the usual ones, "Can you tell the breeds apart? Do horses like this? Do horses like that? How old are your horses? What is ___?" But beyond those, she asked a multitude of other questions that weren't so typical. "What makes your horses different looking to you? What is good about a long back? A steeper sloping shoulder? What is a gait? How do you trim your own horses and what benefits does it give?" And on and on. I had SO much fun answering ALL of her questions! Its always SO nice to have someone that genuinely interested in something you love.

After 20 minutes of instruction on how to properly execute reversing directions, backing up, walk-halt transitions, and circling, Jess decided she was ready to try the trot again. She'd gotten Q to trot the previous day, but as with most newbies, bumped around in the saddle feeling a little off balance from the bouncing two-beat gait. The goal on this night was to figure out posting.

I explained the movement to her and then started her on the lunge line so that she could really focus on herself and not on keeping Q moving forward. I called "up" to her each time she should be rising to help her find the rhythm. Jess would get it for a few strides then lose it. Again and again. She noted how hard it was and how much it worked her muscles to do this.

We kept at it for a bit more, then I decided to be a little mean and remove her stirrups completely! (Hey, the girl climbs harder than most guys I know (she's climbing 5.12c/d pretty consistently) and is obviously in shape. She also had a beautifully natural and balanced seat, so I wasn't too concerned.) My thought was that with her natural seat and natural balance, removing the stirrups would really help her engage her already-strong core muscles and find the balance better. It would also guarantee that she didn't shoot up out of the saddle in a too-high, incorrect manner from using her legs and not her core.

It worked.

She didn't post perfectly, but she found the rhythm and kept it a helluva lot better! I dubbed it a success and turned her loose on her own for a bit while I went to give Griffin some lovin'.

Jess kept right on along playing with Q. I think Q ended up being ridden for nearly an hour and a half this night! The two of them were really getting along well by the end of it!

After a time being left to her own devices, Jess called to me, "Am I getting better with posting? I think I have it." I asked her to trot around again while I paid full attention.

She fucking had it. NAILED it. The whole time. There is something to be said from the muscles developed from rock climbing as they relate to riding!

I smiled and laughed and congratulated her heartily. Quite an achievement for her first REAL time on a horse doing things other than sitting there while the animal moved about more or less of its own accord! Q was even licking and chewing her approval, eyes soft, posture relaxed. Jess even noted the difference in Q's trot this time vs. when I had her on the lunge line (slow and relaxed vs. moving out more). I told Jess Q is capable of trotting anywhere from 4 mph to 9.5 mph.

I set out some trot poles for Jess to walk and trot over for awhile longer after her posting success. I even brought Griffin in and sent him over them at liberty so she could SEE how a horse moved over them. We all (and I swear Q must have been, too) laughed at him his first attempt. He did it well in the front end, but he skipped his back end in the most comical stutter-stepping way. SUCH a goof. He did finally figure it out, but it took a couple goes.

When Jess was finally exhausted, I set a small vertical up on the outside of the round pen and jumped it a few times for Jess...and let's face it, for Q and I, too. I miss jumping since the weather turned!

Q was such a phenomenal teacher this night. I'm so proud of how calm she's become in the past month or two and how patient she can be in the proper environment. I wouldn't put a beginner on her for a trail ride, but in a confined arena-like area, she's great. Such a wonderful little teacher mare.

New Year's Eve Shenaningans

Life has been SUCH a whirlwind since New Year's Eve! I've fallen far behind on reading blogs, commenting on blogs, and writing on my own blog. I've got a lot of time in the next several days to catch up on all of those things though!

I had friends visiting over the holiday, and Jess was very interested in racking up a lot of horse time while she was in. Fine by me! We got out to see the horses on NYE and January 1 for a significant amount of time.

On NYE we had the boys, Jorge and Jeremy in tow with us. I began their visit to the barn as I do all visits for newbies around horses in this fashion: liberty work with both of my horses to demonstrate the importance of body language and the huge difference between individual horses. I find that few people are familiar with this kind of thing, yet all of them are highly intrigued and interested by it once I begin. Its all cake for my horses. Its also a great kick start to whatever we're about to do that day. It gets their attention on me and into a "work" mode.

Once I'd finished with my short demos, I tacked up Q for Jess in her halter-bridle and the Ansur. I popped her up onto Q in the inside round pen with some short instruction, then focused my attention elsewhere while they got to know one another.

My attention was focused on getting the little grey horse tacked up in the Aussie stock saddle of Mike's that he left for me to play with. It fits Griffin well, and is a great new tool for riding him since the cantle is so high and the braces really allow for me to sucker myself down in the saddle despite shenanigans on his part.

I started on NYE by throwing Jeremy up on Griffin in the indoor. Griffin figured out in an instant that Jeremy wasn't going to push him very hard and quickly chose standing in the center of the round pen immobile over walking anywhere. I instructed Jeremy to be more assertive with his requests to get Griffin to go, but having witnessed Griffin's antics, Jeremy was hesitant to do this. So I swapped out with Jeremy and got on Griffin to guarantee the little grey horse didn't pick up some bad habits from this little game he was learning to win.

Jess and Q were getting along well in the indoor, so despite temps in the 30s + gusty winds, I suggested we head out to the larger outdoor round pen. This space is significantly larger than what is available in the barn, much better for two people on two horses.

Griffin was in his halter-bridle this day, as well, because I didn't feel like dealing with his crankiness in the bridle with others around. Its definitely something we need to work on, but the argument we typically have wasn't worth having on that day with others around. He moves out much better with less to focus on. He's been responding to the pressure from a halter the entire time I've had him, the bit is new in the past year and has been used significantly less than the halter, so he isn't as accustomed or predictable with it. Time will fix this, certainly. And time is what I have. On NYE though, I just wanted to have a good day with him. Thus, I set him up for a better chance at success by using the halter-bridle.

The stirrups on the Aussie saddle were a little bit long for me, but they were bearable with my Muck boots on that have a thicker sole. I'd not been in an Aussie saddle in a long time, and I quickly realized how much I liked this style saddle for riding Griffin. The braces in front of my thighs coupled with a very high cantle really allowed me to lock myself in when Griffin threatened shenanigans as I tried to push him into a trot. The added confidence of being fairly certain I would not come out of the saddle led to me pushing him along until he acquiesced to my request. He didn't buck.

After I'd succeeded a few times at getting him from the walk to the trot, he seemed to realize the jig was up and quit being SO cranky about it. He was still moderately cranky because the frozen footing wasn't very comfortable, but he obliged me all the same with some nice transitions and forward movement.

I think this Aussie saddle may be just the ticket for when I'm working him off the trail!

I ended Griffin on a good note and then rode Q for a bit as Jess was done for the day.

I've been working a LOT with Q in the inside round pen bareback and bridleless. Inside, away from the weather and other distractions coupled with the smaller space, she's great. I can execute reverses, small circles, cutting the round pen in half, halting, and backing up. I decided I'd try it outside on NYE for Jess, Jorge, and Jeremy to see.

Q was good, but not as stellar as she was inside. I suppose this is to be expected.

Watching the videos though, it doesn't look as bad as I'd thought in my mind.

I've got hope that we'll be better at this with time and patience. =) Its certainly fun. And it makes for beautiful photos and videos!

WW: The Happy Snow Pup

January Goals

I doubt I'll get out to the barn super often this month since we're still in the heart of ski season and thus me working 6-7 days a week! But for the times I do get out there, I plan to focus on the following:

Q

• Continue to pursue maintaining her calm demeanor: She's been really, really amazing lately. I've been checking my emotions at the door and I think its really helping. I want to make this habit very ingrained this month so that it becomes lasting.
• Continue with further work in side reins and dressage exercises US: Need to continue this/pursue further this month. I slacked off a lot in December when skiing started.
• Begin lateral work: Totally flopped on this in December. I know she has a foundation from Cowboy Man with this, I'd like to reinstate it and build on that.
• Continue bareback and bridless work: We've actually been doing a lot of this! She's great in the indoor, the outdoor not as much. But definitely seeing progress. Super fun.

Griffin

• Get out onto the trails more: Two successful rides under our belts so far. Plan to keep this up with the help of our chaperone!
• Walk-trot consistency US with bridle: This will be kept to closed in areas and on days I don't have a chaperone. I'm not sure what the disconnect is for him between movement US with and without a bit, but we definitely need to work on it!
• Continue work in side reins: Build build build his body and mind.
• Walk-trot poles during non-US work: Did this on the first of the year, here's hope of focusing more on it this month.

Little Grey Horse Rides 5 Miles

I've been struck with a little bit of fortune lately. Mike, my ski patrol coworker who helped to assess Gunner (who by the way is now sporting the new name Tempest), and I have similar days off scheduled in the future. A confident rider who is also local and also willing to ride in all weather = riding buddy for Liz! Which means...Griffin AND Q can be ridden at the same time!

I know I previously stated I'd only ride Griffin in the round pen throughout the month of December and potentially January, too, but these goals were made with the assumption I would be working alone without a riding buddy. The option of a confident, capable rider on an experienced horse to help lead Griffin along (and fix me up if I get banged up from coming off) changes things considerably!

Sunday was a beautiful dreary, rainy, windy, and cold day for our first outing. My buddy Matt was stateside from Germany and was able to come, too.

Once we'd brought the horses inside, Griffin began pitching one of his royal little fits. He'd been kind of punchy while Mike led him in from the field, too, but it escalated to a whole new level in the barn. Kid wanted his grain and he wanted it NOW. He was bouncing up and down where he was tied in a very collected crow hop. He reared some, bounced some more, and grunted as he did it all.

This was not what I wanted to see on a day I planned to ride him outside of a confined area! I held off giving him his grain and took him immediately into the round pen and sent him to work. I asked for a trot and he gave the most collected of canters around me. I worked with what he offered and asked him for a lot of directional changes. He eventually settled into a trot, calming considerably once in this gait. He tried hard within the 5 minute session, so I ended on a good note and then gave him his grain. Night and day difference in his behavior before and after that little session.

Mike and I got all three horses tacked up. I put both Q and Griffin in rope halter-bridle rigs since they're both calmer in them and then three of us, Matt, Mike and I, headed out on Little Bit, Q, and Griffin, respectively.

Mike rode Q in his Australian stock saddle and she was a doll for him. I requested that they lead the bulk of the ride because Q is so experienced. I had a lot of fun watching her go under Mike's direction. It was really nice to be able to watch her way of going on the trail. She's such a good girl.

Grffin was stellar almost the whole ride. He had one borderline angsty moment when we had to cross under the first low branches, but beyond that, he was great! A little suspicious of the color contrast of light bouncing off puddles, but always forward and willing.

The biggest "issue" I encountered with Griffin on trail was when he became a bit spooky over a hunting shack in the woods. It is situated above the trail, which does give it a kind of ominous, looming presence. Griffin was convinced this structure might attack him and became very alert about it, picking up pace as he tried to motor on by while giving it his undivided attention. I talked to him and we got by without a problem.

By the end of the ride, all the horses had taken a turn at leading the ride. Griffin led the tail end of the ride very confidently, and I only had to dismount one time to walk him around an upturned tree that had him bothered. I was really pleased with him for this. He was observant of suspicious things, but he reasoned through everything and kept a nice forward pace. The only thing that earned a spook out of him was a grouse that flushed out of the brush and flew off. Even this earned only the smallest of spooks in comparison to what Q would have done! I'm loving this little grey horse!

While my GPS didn't work for the ride (clouds causing issue, I suspect), I've done this route prior and am fairly confident that we did right around 5 miles. I have no idea how long it took us, but it was probably about an hour. I'd say 75% of the ride was at a walk, 20% at a trot, and 5% at a canter (all cantering was done in short bursts on uphill sections).

I think one of the biggest keys to Griffin's stellar behavior on this ride was the rope halter-bridle. The bosal/side-pull action of this doesn't trigger any sort of outburst from him like the bit does. He understand pressure from this much better than the bit/bridle. I think future trail riding with our chaperone Mike will be done with this set up. I'll continue to work with Griffin in the bridle in confined areas, with hope of extending this work to the trail in the spring.

Overall, I'm very pleased with Griffin's behavior on the trail. Having an experienced horse and rider to chaperone is a huge luxury and a great training opportunity for the little grey horse. Its just what we need to get started on work away from home.

Little man also got to sport the brand new Zilco breastplate on his first outing on our trails!