Miles, Mushrooms, and Mystery Lameness

This past weekend, the horses, dogs, and I + Kate and her dog headed out to the Seneca Creek backcountry for another round of miles. My tentative plan was to repeat much of the loop I did with Sonya, but this time, I hoped to scout the Judy Springs Trail up to the Huckleberry junction. I’m hoping to make that route part of a bigger ride later this year.

After a short haul over the winding mountain roads between my house and the trailhead, I was delighted to find Johnny Meadows vacant once again. Given the recent stretch of wet weather and another soggy weekend in the forecast, I guess it wasn’t too surprising, but I always half-expect to arrive and find a massive group camped out at the big equestrian site. 

Why worry about this? Because I come here precisely to avoid people. Running into any kind of user group means talking - something I’m not looking to do. And if it’s a non-horse crowd, it almost always ends with me being the subject of unsolicited photos, which is easily one of my least favorite things.

Kate pulled in shortly after my arrival. We made quick work of tacking up the horses and hit the trail. Gandy Creek, swollen from several days of rain, was running high. I popped Gidget in the saddle with me rather than risk losing her downstream. I'm glad I did because even the long-legged dogs struggled to walk through with the current pressing against them! Ultimately, everyone crossed without issue.

The climb up Swallow Rock went faster this time, thanks to familiarity. And once on the Allegheny Mountain Trail, Kate and I trotted the entire 1.5 miles to the Bear Hunter junction, making great time.

Bear Hunter trail was where the rainfall from the week really made itself known. About a third of the way down the trail, it became an intermittent stream with all the runoff. It wasn't treacherous by any means, but it was impressive when compared to the condition of the trail the weekend prior! 

Because I had to be in town later that afternoon, I was keeping a close eye on my watch as we came down Bear Hunter to the junction with Seneca Creek trail. I planned to turn for home whenever we reached the two hour mark. Initially, my plan was to backtrack back up Bear Hunter to Allegheny and Swallow Rock based purely on that travel time. However, as the impact of the rain made itself known with trail conditions, my commitment to this plan began to waiver.

Seneca Creek was flowing strong and clear, with every tributary pouring in enthusiastically. Nothing near flood stage, but definitely a healthy flow compared to the previous week. 

Signs of earlier, higher flows were clear. A large tree had toppled where the soil had washed away from its base. On the opposite bank, flattened vegetation hinted at what stream nerds would call “bank full width”; in layman's terms, it got high, but didn’t spill into the floodplain.

Despite the increased flow, Gidget was able to cross Seneca Creek to access the Judy Springs trail on her little dwarf legs. 

Judy Springs trail cuts straight up the mountain on the opposite side of the creek. It traverses for a quarter mile or so through woods before breaking out into a high mountain meadow that affords lovely views.

Due to my time constraint on this day, we opted to enjoy lunch on a boulder in this field before retracing our steps.

As we descended back down through the field toward Seneca Creek, I noticed that Griffin was taking some lame steps on his right front. I hopped off to check if a rock had become lodged in his shoes or boots, but couldn't find anything troubling. Upon remounting and continuing, his discomfort persisted. 

After we crossed Seneca Creek again, I hopped off to check even more thoroughly than I had minutes before. However, despite a very thorough check of both shoes and removal/reapplication of his hind boots, I still couldn't find anything that would be causing his discomfort! His legs were tight and normal without any heat or swelling. 

Unfortunately for Griffin, the best course of action was to just get the heck out of the backcountry and get back to the trailer. This would mean a minimum of four more miles no matter how we chose to go. 

I made a decision in that moment to forego backtracking our route and just travel Seneca Creek to Swallow Rock, the identical path Sonya and I had taken. This would give Griffin the shortest distance possible back to the trailer while also affording him with a mile of flat trail before we'd climb up then descend down Swallow Rock.

Kate ponied Griffin while I walked behind, watching him like a hawk. He didn’t seem miserable, just not quite right, like how you walk when a rock’s in your shoe. His steps weren’t consistently lame, just off enough to make me question everything.

Satisfied that there wasn't something catastrophically wrong with him, I remounted to avoid wading across a creek crossing. As we completed the crossing, Griffin perked up. He'd finally noticed the large group of hikers that had been traveling in front of us. 

Chanterelles foraged from this day + 2 days later at home. Horseback foraging is my favorite kind of foraging.

The hikers kept his attention for a time, and Grif got some pep in his wonky step because he was curious to investigate the backpack laden humans ahead. When we caught up with the tail end of the hiking group, the two girls were equally surprised and excited to turn around and find three dogs and three horses behind them. (How they hadn't heard us for the half mile before this moment, I'll never know. We were not quiet as we bantered and hypothesized what was going on with Griffin.)

They let us pass them, but this put us in an awkward position between them and the rest of their group. Fortunately, I saw some chanterelle mushrooms off the side of the trail at this moment and opted to go forage, giving them time to move down the trail far enough that we didn't see them again.

I'm really glad those mushrooms appeared at that moment because Kate told me that the girls were filming us. Grrrreat. Unsolicited photo/video, my favorite. NOT. Not to mention, the last thing I need is footage of me and my lame horse in the backcountry circulating on the internet with zero context.

We reached the junction with Swallow Rock shortly after my foraging bout and made quick work of the miles back to the trailer. Grif's lamness remained mysterious. Right as I would debate hopping off to hike, he'd take several sound steps. He even went so far as to opt himself into a trot for a few strides several times! My problem-solving mind was curious and hyper-focused on his every move as I tried to figure out what in Sam Hill was exactly the problem. 

Once on the flat road to the trailer, he moved soundly. But when I put him on the lunge line before loading up, he trotted off a bit lame again. However, by the following morning he was sound. And he has remained as such ever since. Even the vet, who was prescheduled for our annual visit yesterday, said he was moving beautifully. (In fact, she gave all three horses absolute glowing reviews!)

The best I can figure is that he must have had a stone bruise that was tender? I'll never know for sure! Freaking horses! I'm just grateful it wasn't anything too serious in the end.

Swallow Rock to Seneca Creek: A Lovely Scenic Loop

This past weekend, my long-time horse mentor Sonya and I met to ride in the Seneca Creek backcountry. This weekend's adventure would start 3.5 miles up the road from the Horton trailhead at the Johnny Meadows equestrian and group campsite. I've camped and ridden out of this location numerous times in the past. However, it's been several years since I did! And the last time I was there, I rode different trails than the ones Sonya and I planned to ride.

Nettles at the start of Swallow Rock trail

Q has concerns. Stan's just bee-boppin'

Originally, Sonya was going to bring her mare and her rig, but she ran into some unexpected issues with the trailer in the week leading up to the ride. Instead of cancelling completely, I told her she could just show up and I'd provide the horse and tack. This ended up being perfect because it guaranteed that all three of my horses could get exercise, and Sonya could enjoy a day with less responsibility for once. She's given so much of her time and her resources to so many of us when it comes to horses through the decades. I was thrilled to be able to give back in a way that made her life a little simpler while still enjoying something she loves. 

Kinda like a super highway compared to Horton!

Allegheny Mtn trail

We didn't have a big plan for our day beyond heading up Swallow Rock trail to the top of the ridge where it meets Allegheny Mtn trail (the point where I turned around on my Horton trail adventure in June). When all was said and done, we ended up riding 9+ miles from Swallow Rock → Allegheny Mtn → Bear Hunter → Seneca Creek → Swallow Rock. 

Descending Bear Hunter

Lovely trail on Bear Hunter

I hadn't ridden Swallow Rock trail in over a decade. I was happy to have a more-experienced buddy for it on this day to refresh my memory on the equestrian access point. The hiker's trailhead for Swallow Rock is further downstream from the equestrian trailhead; it takes you up a steep embankment that traverses above a cliff line that gives way to Gandy Creek. The equestrian access crosses Gandy Creek above the bridge and skips this climb and traverse. Why skip it on horses? Because the footing isn't great and horses can lose traction and fall over the cliff. There was a fatality just last year. 

This bit of Bear Hunter made me think of a piece of the OD 100 / No Frills 55

The end of Bear Hunter looking at Seneca Creek

We crossed Gandy Creek and headed up Swallow Rock trail with little fanfare. There was a thick, tall patch of stinging nettle right off the bat that gave poor Q pause, but I took the lead with Grif and Stan and she followed suit without issue. It didn't take long for Stan to pass Q and Sonya, settling in between us where he'd stay most of the ride. 

Swallow Rock was like a super highway compared to Horton. The nettles were far fewer, too! We trimmed a few branches, but there weren't any major obstacles. The downed tree both Sonya and I had heard was near the top was already cut out, too! I will 100% be frequenting this trail more in the future. 

Seneca Creek and one of the many campsites

A great spot to backcountry camp with ponies

Q was very relaxed

We made a left onto Allegheny Mtn trail at the top of the ridge and followed it for about 1.5 miles to its junction with Bear Hunter trail. As we traveled Allegheny Mtn, Stan's sass escalated as he trotted to and fro grazing, cutting both Sonya and I off repeatedly and then refusing to get out of the way. Many exclamations of, "Damnit, Stan! Why?!" could be heard. He's living his best sassy senior life - no one told him he's 24. 

Bear Hunter is another trail I've ridden before, but it's been ages. It was my favorite trail we did the whole day! I heard several of my favorite birds, saw numerous plants that are near and dear to my heart, the footing was great, and the forest understory was gorgeous. Such a delight. 

The stretch along Seneca Creek was also beautiful - it always is! There's a reason it's the most popular trail in this backcountry area. However, the novelty of Bear Hunter won out for me. 

Seneca Creek trail

Native brook trout can be caught in this stream, a big draw for many

The only people we saw all day were on Seneca Creek, a duo of young men and then a duo of locals that knew Sonya. Stan took a moment to terrify the young woman in this group by walking up to her while she was cooing at Gidget. When she raised her head to look at Sonya, who was speaking to the other person, Stan's giant schnozz was RIGHT in her face. I heard her squeak but was facing the other way and didn't realize what had happened. Sonya got a good giggle out of it though!

After a mile or so on Seneca Creek, we came to the junction with the second half of Swallow Rock trail. We headed up that, crossed Allegheny Mtn trail on the ridge, and continued down Swallow Rock back to Gandy Creek and the trailer. This stretch was just as smooth as the rest of the ride had been, minus Stan not paying mind to the trail about a third of a mile from the end. He startled himself and chose to jump down a 6-8 foot slope into the creek while Sonya and I laughed and chastised him for his choices. He even looked surprised by his choices. It was hilarious. 

Stan kept cutting Sonya and Q off. It was kind of hilarious.

Climbing up Swallow Rock trail

As we crossed Gandy Creek on our way back to the trailer, the sounds and sights of numerous bikers became apparent. The final stretch of our ride along the short section of one-lane road would turn into a small adventure of its own as we navigated a steady stream of bikers and cars. The big GRUSK (Gravel Race Up Spruce Knob) was in full swing that day, featuring race distances ranging from 19 to 318 miles. (I’ve participated in the 36- and 54-mile rides in past years.)

Grif and I led the way, followed by Stan, the dogs, and Sonya on Q. As more bikers and vehicles appeared behind us, I decided to pick up a big trot for the last hundred yards, figuring it was safer to quickly reach the campsite/trailer and get everyone well off the road rather than try to let a steady stream of bikes and vehicles squeeze past us in such a narrow spot. One particularly bold biker passed Stan, while another held back to ask Sonya if it would be safe to pass the freely trotting horse. Ultimately, that biker waited patiently behind until we all pulled off the road and into the campsite.

The clearing where Swallow Rock trail crosses Allegheny Mtn trail

Almost to the end!

We reached the campsite with no issues, and I turned to see Sonya with a HUGE grin on her face after enjoying Q's giant trot. She was smitten. And rightly so, that little mare moves much bigger than you'd expect a 14.1hh animal to!

All in all, it was a great day. Sonya had an absolute BLAST on Q (going so far as to offer to buy her and/or just let Q live with her anytime Q wanted lol). Bonus? Grif's shoes performed beautifully and of the 6 boots we had on horses (4 on Q and 2 on Grif), none had a single issue! And Stan didn't seem too bothered by his bare feet at all if his sassy little shenanigans during the ride were any indication. 

I have a sneaking suspicion Sonya and I will repeat this riding arrangement this summer. It served everyone so well and was a ton of fun. I'm already plotting which trails I'd like to travel next time!

Nailed It (Without Nails): My First Glue-On Experience

For over a decade, I’ve been my horses’ farrier. I still check in with my vet and local farrier now and then, and their encouragement has been so validating. But for the most part, I’ve managed everything myself.

Over the years, I’ve primarily relied on hoof boots. They’ve served me well, but I’ve also used both metal and synthetic shoes at times, usually for endurance races or when we were riding consistently over rough terrain and boots became more of a hassle than a help.

Don’t get me wrong! Boots can be fantastic. But unless your horse has textbook hooves for them, they can be wildly frustrating. Even when your horse does have perfect boot feet (looking at you, Q!), I've still had to wrestle with twisted or broken boots. Interrupting a ride to fix a malfunction is just not my idea of a good time.

For a while now, I’ve been craving a hoof protection solution I could apply myself. Something that didn’t involve nails but also offered more security than boots. I’d seen endurance riders find success with glue-on boots, but for some reason, they never really called to me. 

But as glue-on and synthetic shoe technology has evolved, my interest piqued. The past few years have brought so many new products and materials into the scene. I started paying attention. I read everything I could get my hands on. I joined online groups, especially the Facebook Glue-On group, and saved dozens of detailed posts from experienced farriers. I’ve learned so much from that community from application and removal tips to troubleshooting and product comparisons.

After three years of lurking, learning, and saving posts like my life depended on it… I finally took the plunge.

This summer, I glued shoes onto Griffin for the first time. 

Some of my prep material laid out as I double-checked my list; the shoes zip tied to Grif so they'd stay put while I applied glue; wrapped post-glue application; the messy-but-effective final product before I sealed it in super glue. 

To my relief, the process went much smoother than expected. Likely thanks to the hours (and hours) I spent researching beforehand. I definitely have room to improve my technique and confidence, but for a first attempt? I’m proud of it. The shoes have held up beautifully through weather and plenty of riding for over three weeks now.

While I haven’t been riding at the same volume or intensity I was during my peak endurance days, I haven’t exactly taken it easy either. We've done plenty of miles involving climbing, descending, off-camber traverses, mud, rocks, and water. And the glue-ons? Still solid.

Horton Trail

Making a routine of blogging again is challenging! I've several draft posts just sitting. Writing has been further complicated by the fact that for whatever reason, the blogger post composition page kills my browser frequently. And most recently, it ate this entire blog post after I had written it. All I needed to do was add the photos. So I'm going to make one attempt to write it again and get it uploaded. I really want to be back in this habit, but technology is fighting me.

 

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Last month, I made good on my goal to explore the Seneca-Spruce Knob backcountry more on horseback this year. While not as dramatic of a landscape as the Dolly Sods wilderness area, this backcountry is only 25 minutes from my house to the closest trailhead, is less busy, and has much less technical terrain. In Dolly Sods, there are only a handful of trails/trail segments that are safe for horses. The Seneca-Spruce Knob backcountry area, conversely, only has two trail segments that aren’t safe for horses - one had a fatality as recent as last summer!

   

Horton trail is the first trailhead I reach on my way into this area. I had heard from local equestrians that this section was passable for horses, but wanted to check it out myself. The verdict? It’s narrow single track cut into the hillside that follows the stream (crossing it 8 times) as it climbs up to the ridgeline over 2.4 miles. Not bad at all! 

At the ridgeline, Horton crosses Allegheny Mtn trail before descending another mile down to Seneca Creek. This mile-long section of Horton between Allegheny Mtn and Seneca Creek is Not Horse Friendly. However, the remaining 4+ miles of Horton on the other side of Seneca Creek are just fine; I rode them last year with my local BCHA chapter.

   

My goal on this day was to head up Horton and ride along Allegheny Mtn trail until I reached the junction with Swallow Rock trail, as Swallow Rock is the next-closest trailhead I will frequently use. 

Q, Taiga, Gidget, and I traveled up Horton without any fanfare. Q was relaxed and forward. Intermittently, she’d ask to trot. However, because there are random flat dinner-plate rocks embedded in the trail and it was a damp day following a lot of rainfall that week, I kept her to a walk to reduce the likelihood of slipping on a random rock. 

Once we reached the ridge, we turned right onto Allegheny Mtn trail. It’s a gorgeous, grassy trail that extends for a total of 13 miles. I haven’t ridden all of it, but every section I have ridden looks the same.

 

Allegheny Mtn trail was blissful, and once again without any fanfare. Q thought she might like to ask to turn around and head home a few times, but she didn’t try very hard. All in all, we traveled approximately 3 miles on this trail before we reached the Swallow Rock junction and turned for home, retracing our steps all the way back to the trailer. When it was all said and done, we traveled 11.5 miles over 3+ hours. It was peaceful and uneventful and the dogs were happily tuckered afterward.

   

Things I’d change if I did this ride again: 

1. 1. Go on a drier day: while the rocks weren’t huge and the consequence of falling wasn’t anything extra (no drops, cliffs, etc.), it’d give me more ease of mind to travel on a day when there was more friction and less chance of gravity having its way with me. 
2. 2.  Choose a time when the nettles aren’t up or are past stinging or have been cut back: I’ve ridden through patches of nettles many, many times through the years. Never have I noticed my horses have any care about them. Horton has about 1.3 miles of nettles though. When Q asked to trot on the ascent, I thought she was just eager to go down the trail - uncommon, but something she has and will do. However, when she did it on the descent, I realized it was because she was very bothered by the nettles! Ugh! Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to be done about it other than just powering through. I let her pause in each creek crossing for a good scratch (nettles make me itch something fierce) and we marched powerfully toward the trailer. Once we were out of the nettles, she had another long scratch and settled. By the time we reached the trailer (where she was stuffed with treats and grain), she was totally relaxed and fine. Not the best thing to have happened, but certainly not the worst either! Lesson very much learned.

Spring Greens and Second Chances

For my first trailer-out ride of the year, I chose to take Q. She's my tried-and-true professional. All three horses are, really. But Q is the cream of the crop about it all. Countless endurance rides and training miles will do that to a horse.

Having upgraded to a huge truck and and a 3-horse trailer is such a great change. My nerves hauling are all but absent these days.

It's crazy to think now, but a few months ago I had decided I was going to rehome this little mare. We've never gotten along perfectly. She's great for everyone, but she and I always seemed to butt heads. It's a big reason why I straight up quit riding her last year. It was far easier on both of us to just let her play tag-along instead of riding pony. 

Happy girls who loaded themselves into the truck while I fetched Q

She built a lot of confidence during that time without me astride her back. And I enjoyed watching her be her. Watching her build confidence in herself and her surroundings. I also enjoyed recentering myself without also balancing Q's emotional status. 

Spring greens

I'd gone so far as to reach out to both Austen and Jen to let them know I was ready to rehome Q if they happened to know anyone. Austen knows and loves the mare and has always been a great advocate for Q. Jen - who helped me rehome a friend's horse last year - understood where my headspace was with it all coupled with the desire to find Q a good fit like we did with Ivan last year. 

The happiest dogs

After I'd made the decision and shared it, my partner made a compelling argument for me to keep Q. Grateful for his advocation, and in a good faith effort to give it One More Go, I decided to put a ride or three on Q and see how things went. It'd be the litmus test for whether she stayed or went.

It was nice to see the river with short vegetation

Long story short, every ride has been just lovely. Q and I have turned over a new leaf together. She didn't spook a single time on our entire 10-mile outing 2 weeks ago. In fact, when I dismounted at the end to pick up a heaping load of trash some redneck assholes left in the woods and wheel it out in the wagon they also left, she gave me a "WTF, woman?!" look, but was otherwise completely unbothered as I hauled the wagon down the trail in one hand while she was on lead in the other. (I did not take the wagon full of a cooler and plates and containers of food with me for the ½-mile journey down the road to the trailer, but instead left it alongside the road to hopefully be retrieved by some other good Samaritan to take to the dump. I hate inconsiderate assholes.)

The mosaic of greens in the spring is simply my favorite

 More excited than I've been in ages to spend more time with this little mare! And very grateful for my partner's encouragement to keep her. 

March Highlights Reel

Started off the month with a trip for provisions in the city, which always includes a stop to our favorite sushi spot. 

The stresses of *gestures widely* everything lately was getting me down. So these ladies recommended a cold plunge to set my head straight. 

I've been plunging in the river at least once a month every month for five years now. It clears my head and calms my body like nothing else. 

I took this selfie to celebrate how thick my braids have gotten. From 2018-2022, my hair health declined greatly; it was breaking off and was so thin as a result. This was in part due to stress, I think, but largely due to the RIDICULOUSLY hard water at my house. Three years with different water and my hair is finally healthy and thick again. I am so happy about it. 

I had a fantastic ski morning with my orthodontist-turned-friend. We absolutely ripped. It was so fun. 

Gidget got a shrew. She was so overjoyed. 

My little odd couple. 

Utter absurdity. I'm glad they enjoy each other so much though!

A different night. Taiga was using Gidget as a pillow. 

Long evening shadows. 

I was SO CLOSE to getting rid of Q. Worries over my job, my finances, and the fact that I didn't enjoy riding her like I used to had me convinced it was time to find her somewhere better.  But I was urged by my partner to give things another shot. Q and I have started over and every ride has been enjoyable. 

I got in a lot of miles earlier this month! 

And another dip. 

My last ski day at Timberline this season. It was beautiful!

More miles on this happy little mare. 

Sweaty and oh-so-dirty, but adorable all the same. 

Also sweaty and dirty, but cute post-ride. He'll be 24 on April 7 and is sassier than ever. It's almost annoying how sassy he is lately!

This absolutely ridiculous cat. I swear. I was holding her and petting her. She's SO relaxed and happy to get love. Those are her hind legs all akimbo as she sits cradled on her back in my lap. 

A former coworker left us. Whenever someone leaves these past few years, our resident artist coworker does a custom piece for them. This departing coworker loves Pokemon, so our artist did a piece that turned all of WV's federally listed non-plant species as Pokemon. It is EXCEPTIONAL. 

Reading with Poppy. 

I was building new flower beds and using cardboard to line them. Poppy decided to keep me company while I worked.