Unplanned Dismount

About a week and a half ago, Canaan received the first significant skiff of snow for the season. I made the best of it by bundling up for the harsh mountaintop winds and headed out on a 7 mile jaunt with Q and Taiga.

We had a freaking blast! Q was forward, curious, and eager the entire ride. She is such a joy to work with and I'm really looking forward to more winter rides with her as I leg her up for another go at endurance in the spring.

Unfortunately, the end of the ride wasn't exactly as great as the beginning and middle though! For the first time in years, I parted ways with Miss Q. But it wasn't because she spooked out from under me! Oh, no. Instead I got to experience a horse falling down for the first time in my life while riding.

We were trotting around a tight turn when Q lost traction and slipped quite gracefully onto her left side. The ground was not yet frozen and thus slick underneath the fresh snowfall. Fortunately, we weren't trotting very fast at all and the soft ground cushioned our fall very well.

Q's falling momentum gave my body just enough push that I didn't end up with a leg underneath her when we went down. In fact, the way everything worked out, I was deposited more gently than I could have imagined on the ground! It was akin to lying down in bed, honestly.

Uncertain if Q would freak out a bit at the surprise of falling, I made a conscious decision to let go of the reins and scramble away from her. Well, silly Liz. I forgot this mare's tendency to leave my ass if I don't keep ahold of her.

Q gave me a very knowing side-eye once she stood up, and then made her own conscious decision to leave me! She picked up what was first a slow trot that quickly turned into a power trot and later a canter as she realized she was free, free at a last.

I called after her something along the lines of, "Q you whore!" As I trudged and then jogged down the trail, I called to Taiga (who WAS listening to me!) to stay with me and not Q (she did). While I had zero doubts about Q retracing our exact steps and going home, Taiga is easily distracted and probably wouldn't have made it home with Q lol.

I gave Dave a ring to let him know that Q was heading home without me and assured him I was completely fine. I requested that he drive down the hill to get me though because I really didn't care to schlup myself up the mountain!

Dave picked Taiga and I up, letting me know that Q was on her way up the neighborhood road with two of our friends who saw her gallop by following in their truck to keep an eye on her. Dave and I caught up to her right in the last switchback turn (the steepest). She was walking by this point and looking none-to-pleased with her predicament as she marched up the mountain. I cackled with a bit of glee at this, happy she still had to work her little tush off after leaving me while I, using my big human brain and technology, had garnered myself a gas-powered ride!

I tried to grab ahold of her, but she opted to trot off. So I hopped back into the car and called out the window, "Q, you whore!" Once at the top however, Dave and I were able to pass her so I could hop out and stand in front of her so she'd stop.

I checked her legs over and found nothing beyond a couple mud marks from the wet soil. All the same, I opted to lead her from the ground as we walked the remaining distance to the house so I could be fully certain she was fine after her impromptu solo venture.

She was completely unabashed about her decision to leave me. Grateful that neither of us was any worse for the wear, I could only laugh at the situation once we reunited and curse her under my breath a bit. Her confidence and attitude is such a joy to witness that I really can't be mad at her.

I've made a mental note to resume my former habit of holding onto her reins if we part ways again in the future. That said, I don't anticipate that I will have to practice it too much. This little mare has gained so much confidence and is such a joy to ride these days. It's crazy to think that it has been so many years since I last had an unplanned dismount from her! Hopefully when we enjoy our next ride together, we can keep upright and return home the same way we left.

Wonder Woman

Yesterday I took a moment to introduce myself to new followers on my photography Instagram page @lizstoutphotography and realized that the photo I chose to share was one I never really got around to sharing on my social media pages. It had been my every intention to share several photos from that day on this blog, but then the barn project took off and - like so many things this summer - my plan to share the photos was forgotten amidst the chaos.

Now that things have settled though, I'm looping back around. It's fun to find time to share and do all of those forgotten things.

In the spring of this year, I was contacted by a popular magazine in West Virginia, WV Living with news that I had been chosen as one of the recipients of the WV Wonder Woman award for 2019. It came as a complete surprise!

I was interviewed over the phone for 30 minutes and asked a slew of questions about what I love about West Virginia, why I chose to remain in my home state, and what motivations lie behind my love of photography. At the conclusion of the interview, I was asked to provide a few headshots so they could select one for my bio that would run in the fall magazine when the cohort of 2019 WV Wonder Women were announced.

I asked the interviewer what she had in mind so far as a headshot. Did she want one of me with my camera in action? Or maybe one of me partaking in one of my outdoors pursuits in one of my favorite WV places? Or something with one of the horses (which she'd asked me quite a lot about over the course of the interview)?

Her preference was for several options with the horses.

While I knew I had several competition ones, I realized I didn't have any portrait-style shots of me with the horses. I'd always wanted to take some, but just never got around to it. However, with a reason to take some now, I took the initiative to get some.

And so, with the help of a barnmate from my previous barn, these images were captured. Thanks again, Chelsey!

Of course I had to use a western headstall for the only QH!

Griffin's blowing forelock kills me. I love that each of them has their ears up for this photo!

My favorite of the bunch.

I'm only just noticing (literally 5 months after the fact) that Q has grass in her mouth in many of these. D'oh!

I only cleaned their faces for the photos LOL.
There is a ditch drainage through their favorite pasture at their old barn that they love to stand around in like hippos. I never realized how much iron was in the wet soil around that drainage until I brought them home and all of the red-orange staining from the mud on their legs disappeared for good. I also love that they're basically never muddy like this any more! Dry lots for the win.

This frame immediately followed the one above. I am howling with laughter because Q was SO mad at Griffin because he was standing so close to her. She stomped her foot in agitation and gave one of her best mare glares. Stan took the same moment to also express his displeasure that he had to share such close space with Grif. Meanwhile, poor Grif is simply happy to be in the moment, oblivious to why the others are grumpy.
This photo encompasses all of their personalities in a nutshell and it makes me laugh so, so much. It's also photographic evidence for why Grif is sectioned away from the other two in the dry lot. Q and Grif just can't handle sharing closed quarters with him!

My boys <3

The very best boys

Stanley is such a ham!

And a few shots with my lady

Such a good girl

I didn't know which of the images the magazine would select, but was excited to see the final article when it ran.

It was an honor to be one of this year's WV Wonder Woman recipients. Doubly so because I had a good excuse to finally take some photos with all three horses!

Throwback...

The title of this post has multiple meanings...

The first of which...

is to say that after throwing my back out around the writing of my last post, I'm happy to report that it's finally feeling up to snuff again! I'm still not using my standing desk at work (long periods of standing still aren't the easiest), but I am able to move, walk, ride, and do barn chores without issue again. Muscle relaxants are AMAZING. And acupuncture helped relax all of the other parts of my back so that the area of acute damage could heal more easily. It feels SO FREEING to be able to go about my normal routine again!

The second of which...

is to finally report on the chiropractor visit the horses had in July! Because ultimately this blog is a chronological journey of my time with horses and being able to look back on these details is beneficial.

In fact, the chiropractor visit precipitated me bringing the horses home for good. Progress with the barn was NOT moving at the pace Dave or I had anticipated, so I put off bringing them home. But then local friends scheduled the chiropractor and I figured, what the heck. It would be infinitely easier to Do The Things if the horses were home.

Photos have nothing to do with the post, but I finally got around to editing (some of) my personal images from autumn
This is the classic Lindy Point view of Blackwater Canyon

I brought Q home a day or two before the boys, and ultimately trailered the boys straight to the barn where the chiro would be. I then went to immediately fetch Q, who was pleasantly surprised to find Grif and Stan at the end of her short trailer ride!

The chiropractor was from the western side of the state. He was really straight forward and happy to tell us as much as we wanted to know about what he was doing, and he was good about narrating each step. I wish I'd written things up more in-depth right after to capture more of his thoughts, but c'est la vie.

I let him know that minus Q's May 50 at the Biltmore, all horses had pretty much been out of work for most of the year and Q had done jack-diddly since May. Ultimately, what he'd be seeing in them would be whatever their natural baseline was from their turnout situation.

Blackwater Canyon from a different viewpoint at Lindy

I'm happy to report that none of them had any serious issues at all! I mean, I suspected as much, but still, it was nice to have that confirmation and to learn a bit about each horse's natural state.

Griffin was up first. The chiropractor did a quick evaluation and found that he was out in his poll, C2, 3, and 4 on the right side, and the left side of his pelvis. With some quick minor adjustments to all, he was much less reactive and walked off a bit freer than he had moments before.

Stan was second. I noted right off the bat that he was parrot-mouthed and had some minor pigeon toeing of his forelegs, knowing that these might play into any "offness" he may have. The chiropractor quickly evaluated him and found that he was slightly out in his wither and topline, but was otherwise good. That was great to hear since Stan had done the least of any of my horses up to that point in the year! A couple of quick adjustments and the old man was done.

Finally, it was Q's turn. I shared briefly about the vettings at Biltmore as the chiropractor evaluated her. Of all of my horses, Q reacted the most dramatically to his palpation, especially around her poll. Finishing his evaluation, he noted that she was out in her poll, the left side of her neck, her withers, topline, and back end of pelvis. By the time he was done adjusting her, she didn't react at all when he palpated areas that had been sensitive moments before.

Looking over Randolph County from Middle Mountain

The biggest recommendation he had for me following my horses' adjustments was to use liniment before and after my rides to help keep their backs freer under saddle. I hadn't heard the recommendation to use it prior to my rides - and honestly haven't been great about remembering to do it - but I have given it a go a few times. I can't report any crazy differences to this point, but who knows?

I also haven't noticed any huge monumental changes in my horses' ways of going since the visit. Although, I will say Q seems a bit more comfortable in her body when I interact with her from the ground. Having just had my neck adjusted pretty dramatically by the human chiropractor a couple weeks ago, I can relate!

Since our July visit, the chiropractor has returned to Canaan monthly. I haven't fussed with getting my horses adjusted again because I haven't been riding with great frequency or noticed any of them acting as if they have any problems. All the same, it's nice to know he's here so often for others for if/when I want to have any of the horses adjusted again.

Easing into a New Norm

I finished the barn only to be completely inundated by what feels like 80 million photoshoots. Something about autumn and trees and pretty leaves? Regardless, while I've had "more time" to "do things" my time has temporarily been consumed by photography. It isn't the worst!

Blackwater Canyon from Pendleton Point - cell phone photo because I haven't had time to edit my personal DSLR photos yet!

To the defense of everyone wanting to cram in a photoshoot during autumn, it has been a really stellar year for color. Like, I can't remember the last time things were this gorgeous. My daily commute and outside time is spent extending grabby hands toward gorgeous trees, gaping my mouth open and closed like a fish in shock and awe, and babbling incoherent noises about how gorgeous everything surrounding me is.

Sunrise from Table Rock - cell phone photo because I haven't had time to edit my personal DSLR photos yet!

My gratitude for this place is overflowing. I just... Damn.

My backyard Saturday morning *insert all the heart-eyed emojis*

Despite photography-consumed time and my autumn prattle, I have been riding a bit more lately! It's amazing what I'm able to do with a little bit of time when I don't have so many "unfinished" construction projects.

Last Monday, I took the Q mare out to play around in the neighborhood and enjoy a perfect autumn day. She was absolutely perfect!

We went up and down the mountain a time or two, galloped through fields, and gawked at trees. Through everything, she was a solid, reliable partner. Such a difference from where she used to be! (Evidenced by all of the happy, forward and/or listening ears in every photo above!!)

I find myself enjoying riding her and looking forward to the time I spend with him as opposed to feeling apprehensive/anxious about what her mood will be like. I'm getting excited for a winter that I can focus on honing her responsiveness and developing her abilities undersaddle.

Last Friday, a girlfriend and I took Stan and Q out on a lovely 7.4 mile ride. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it was the first time I'd trailered the horses off-property since bringing them home.

Because both horses are barefoot right now and I haven't dialed in hoof boots for Stan yet, we were a bit restricted in trail options. The choice we ended up making wasn't even one on my radar when we headed out that morning, either! But sometimes last-minute plans are the best plans.

We had a perfect ride in which we saw approximately zero other people except in the parking lot. We had equal parts trotting and walking with one long canter stretch. The conversation was rich. The time spent in nature with horses was much-needed. The horses really seemed to enjoy themselves. And Q - who led the whole time! - was (once again) perfect! I really couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable ride.

On Saturday, amidst a wealth of barn and farm chores, I began clipping the horses.

Feeling fresh!

Yes! Clipping! It's so exciting to be able to do this and not worry about the horses being too cold this winter. If I need to change blankets or whatever, it's only a short walk instead of a 50-minute drive!

I'm starting each horse off with just a bib clip and may upgrade each to an Irish clip (or more) as needed. This means everyone can be more comfortable, I can be less stressed, and - most of all - I don't have to worry about planning my winter workouts around how sweaty/not sweaty my horses may become. I'm really excited.

Unfortunately, my clipper batteries seemed to have kicked the bucket permanently after clipping Grif and Stan. Ugh. Sorry, Q! But I'll get a new battery soon enough and everyone will match. 😂

On Saturday night after a long day of chores and copious photo editing, Griffin got to enjoy a workout at home. The first of many such workouts, I hope!

We enjoyed a steady warm up of walk and then trot, ending with a bit of canter in each direction. From there we worked through 6 trot poles for a time before adding in cavaletti work and eventually a few XC jumps!

We jumped the lower left side of the pile

He looks so chill about his accomplishment. I was psyched he handled it with aplomb because a similar jump gave him pause at Loch Moy in 2017.

He was literally trying to eat the tree 1 second prior... Sigh.

Griffin. Was. Psyched. He's been begging to work for awhile now and it was like he knew he was going to get to go be a jomp-jomp horse again when I tacked him up. (Or maybe it's because I exclaimed, "You're going to be a jomp-jomp horse again today!" when I pulled him into the barn? lol) He excelled at the trot poles, merely cantered over the 18" cavaletti, and didn't hesitate ONCE at our three XC jumps - two of which we'd never attempted before.

IN MY OWN BARN EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I wasn't even going to attempt the two new jumps on this evening, but he was being The Very Best and the ground conditions were primo, so I decided to add them in. I gave him lots of verbal encouragement and kept my leg on during our approach to help guarantee he knew without a doubt that we would be going over the stacked skinny logs and the wood pile. Much to my pleasure, Grif sailed beautifully over both! Such a good boy.

Unfortunately, by the end of barn chores post-ride, my back - which had been feeling increasingly tight after a very labor-intensive day - was not in a good place. I took NSAIDS, soaked in warm water, iced, had Dave massage it, etc., to no avail. By the following day, I was worse and the day after that I was no better. But fortunately, I was able to get to the doctor for some Rx meds to help relax my muscles to see if I gain some relief. Today, I see the acupuncturist. I'm genuinely hoping that between the Rx and the acupuncture, I find some relief and relaxation of those angry muscles. Being such an active person with a back strain is not fun!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Tomorrow morning, I'm finally (after a 2-month phone-tag) getting my hay tested! This is the last puzzle piece before I can start dialing in my horses' diets and supplements. I'm really excited to dive into it all.

Following the hay testing, I'll be (if my back allows) heading to Cape May for my annual raptor banding girls trip. Eeee! I haven't seen Mandy in a year and am very excited to spend several days with her. I'll be sure to put together a photo-heavy raptor post when I return for those of you who love them.

So...yeah! I'm working on getting back to a semi-regular blogging schedule - both writing and reading. It's a bit odd to come up with something beyond barn posts again, but I am eager to get to it! With luck, I'll find time to write about a backlog of things like seeing the horse chiro, the Mary Wanless and Janet Foy clinics, the blogger camping trip to Assateague, and more.

Stay tuned!