The sky is crying

The full brunt of winter has arrived and I am not motivated to ride. The past six weeks have been fraught with trouble and tragedy. Hopefully, both the presidential and the English Department elections promise a fresh beginning for the next year.
Although Obama will take office next month, I have until the begining of August before I return to 'civilian life.' Although I will be teaching a heavy load next fall semester, I am looking forward to working again with students and having more control over my work life. Currently I am deciding if I will jam all my courses into a Tuesday/Thursday schedule and change my riding lesson day or take a more spread out schedule and teach Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Each option has its advantages, and although many colleagues fight for the two day a week teaching schedule, it has its challenges. But enough dreaming of the future....

Now for the sad events of the recent past. To begin, Patrick fell off a ladder building an aviary for my cockatiel and peach-faced lovebird so that I could move into the bird room for my study, and redo the study as a guest room. After ten days in the hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung, he is home recuperating, but the project is on indefinite hold. The birds don't care, but I hope they have a new room by the time the summer sun (if we are lucky) dries up the December rain and mud.

Not long after Patrick returned home, my friend Lisa's daughter was riding their beautiful, new horse, Carousel when they had a freak accident. Emma will recover but Carousel didn't survive the accident. The entire barn is still in still in mourning.

Now the chill and gloom of winter keeps my spirits low and I prefer the company of my dogs and cats to my seat in the saddle. Actually, Cleo doesn't mind. But she is miserable locked in her stall or out in the muddy pasture. When she's in she wants out, and when she's out, she stands by the gate to come in.

But there is one ray of happiness......Cleo is being borrowed by Emily to give lessons to three ten-year-olds and a five year old. All six parties involved--not to mention parents--are thrilled. Cleo gets groomed several hours a week by adoring young girls, Emily is living her dream of being a horse instructor, Molly, Cobie, Adrianna, and Reesa are fulfilling their horse obsessions, and the parents love watching Cleo move carefully around the arena with her precious cargo. She seems to understand that she has an important job to do and behaves accordingly. In fact, she saves her more rambunctuous behavior for me, which is fine. I just need to get through January so I can look forward to hanging out at the stables with Cleo more often; now I spend all my energy mucking her stall.

Here's hoping my human and animal friends have a better year in 2009 than in 2008. Happy New Year from Susan and Cleo.

The rainy season has arrived

I have neglected my blog for two months now. I'd like to say all that time was spent riding Cleo, but much of it has been devoted to work. I have been very good about riding on Tuesdays during my lessons and most weekend days. Actually, I have been making great progress with Cleo. We have been spending more time riding outside,up and down the lane, and in the outdoor arena, but now that the rainy season has arrived, we will probably be spending most of our time in the indoor arena. On Tuesday, I will move her fence line up for the next six months so that the grass can grow over the winter and she won't turn the entire paddock into a mud pit. So far this year, she hasn't gone crazy when the weather turned windy and damp. I haven't had to use the stud chain in months to walk her to and from her stall.

In fact, she has started a second career--a lesson horse for two 9 year olds. She seems to know they are little and vunerable and behaves perfectly. Yesterday she gave one of them a lesson with Emily as the trainer. She still misbehaves sometimes for me since I ask her to do more than they do, but a swift but humane flick of the whip and she gives right in. Last year at this time, I would have been afraid to reprimand her fearing some buck or spook, or whatever, but now I trust both of us more. Today I had to remind her three times--once at the mounting block when she wouldn't stand still, once when I asked her to trot to the left, and once when we were following Carrie and Lisa toward the outside arena after a successful jaunt down the lane through puddles left from last night's rain. I had a great time. It was so much fun. The sun peeked through the clouds just long enough for us to take our little trail ride; it was unseasonably warm and I rode in short sleeves and a vest. Now if I can just get through the next few months with respites like these every so often.

Last night and tonight Cleo slept in her stall for the first time since last April because of the rain and the wind. She was covered in sand and mud when I got her out of her pasture to ride today. Winter is a mess. But at least I can ride year round here. And she has a fuzzy winter coat that makes her look and feel like a stuffed animal. Cleo is the perfect horse.

The last day of August

I had intended to ride Cleo today, but the wind is rivaling a hurricane and I have a headache from dust and pollen. The sun is shining like a hot summer day, but fall is in the air. The leaves are whirling around mingled with the dust and dirt of the stables. Alex's horse came up lame so she couldn't ride either. We hope he was just acting goofy in the wind which always riles the horses up to a frenzy, and stepped wrong or on a rock and that he will be better in the next day or two. I did ride yesterday and, like most rides, I won the war after the battles. Cleo really does think she knows what we should do better than I do. But we made it up and down the lane with Janice as our guide. Tomorrow we'll try again. I am curious how my relationship with riding and Cleo will change when I am only teaching one semester a year instead of Chairing 12 months a year. It seems like I schedule my work week and then what little spare time I have around the horses. I'll still have lots of things competing with riding, but they will be of my own making. Maybe it will feel like being a stay-at-home mom--which I never have been. I've always imagined what it would be like to be able to juggle all the demands of living without the complications of a job with definite deadlines and hours that don't belong to you. I hope that is what retirment is like. I can't understand people who get bored or have nothing to do when they retire. I never thought I would say this...I can hardly wait.

Summer's almost over

I'm mystified how the summer ran away. I haven't even visited my blog site in over a month; all of July is gone. I have been doing a fair amount of riding. Cleo and I even go down the lane as long as we have Carrie and Artie to follow. Unfortunately, Carrie has been gone much of the summer, so I have spent most of my riding time in the indoor arena--sort of a waste of sunshine--when it does peek out of the Humboldt fog. We had a great lesson today. Cleo is much more cooperative going both directions and trotting with energy. I doubt I will ever learn to canter--at least on her, but I never was one for speed. I still amaze myself every time I take her out of her paddock, groom her and tack her up, lead her to the arena, and get on--all without help or supervision. Who ever would have thought.......She really is the perfect horse for me in many ways. She is friendly, never needs to be caught, neighs when she sees me, and generally does what she is told. Last month I was leading her down the dark barn aisle, caught my boot on a rock, propelled myself forward and landed sprawled down the aisle. Rosemary heard a thud and came running and Alex who was tacking up Kassidy so we could ride together came dashing around the corner too. I thought I had broken both my knee caps (just badly scraped) and all I could do was sit there catching my breath. Cleo was the perfect horse. She didn't bolt; she didn't turn and run away from the commotion. She didn't step on me in the confusion. It could have been a disaster. She could have gone runnning back to her paddock her lead rope hanging dangerously from her halter. Instead, she stood there surprised but calmly and then walked slowly toward me with her nose next to my now sitting body and asked, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?" I took a deep breath and actually got on and rode. My knees turned out to be fine, but weeks later, I still have a sore ankle. Riding is worth it.

June in Humboldt County

Horse people in Humboldt County wait for June. The rain stops, the mud dries up, the wind dies down, the light stays until 9:00,the temperature hoverss in the 50's and 60's, and the mares have recovered from their first 'in season' in the spring. That is, until global warming, or El Nino, or whatever is causing the unusual weather all over the country this spring. Most Aprils I can't keep the hummingbird feeders full to accommodate all the migrating hummers; this year they just arrived this past week. The weather has been unseasonalby cold following a four day hot spell that broke all time heat records since recorded time. Although our annual rainfall is down four inches (from 37+ by this time with 38+ the yearly average), we are still plagued by the early spring 20--30 mph winds that drive both humans and horses into a frenzy. Cleo seemed to have escaped her annual spring 'marish' behavior until this week, as well. At our lesson, Paula had to rescue me out of a corner that Cleo wedged us into and wouldn't leave in spite of taps with the spurs and whip. She was busy trying to intimidate the other horse in the arena as well as me. We finally got her to pay attention to her task at hand, but she had numerous regressions into belligerent behavior. It didn't help that it was not only windy outside, but also drizzling as well, and she was wet from the overnight showers. We had beeen making great progress walking and trotting up and down the lane outside at the end of each lesson, but the weather canceled that opportunity on Tuesday. The day before she had been bratty as well. Tomorrow I will try again and hope she has turned back into her sweet, cooperative self.

Spring has sprung

I rode Cleo today for the first time in a week; Paula, my trainer, was sick on Tuesday and I used the day to recuperate from a miserable few weeks at work. I have been missing weekend rides due to work-required travel and other responsibilities, but many of us in Humboldt County have spotty riding schedules from November through March related to weather and often the winter gloomy blues. But I have been making progress during my weekly lessons and on the weekends when I can ride. Even though I missed Tuesday, I had ridden both weekend days last weekend, and I rode today and will ride tomorrow as my Mother's Day present to myself. Cleo has been pretty good lately, especially since it's spring and very windy. Not only do horses often react to wind because it flashes unfamiliar objects within their vision, but also the wind carries new and sometimes scary smells from far away. Spring also turns mares' thoughts to love, even though stallions are forbidden at our stables. But then there are the exciting smells carried in by the wind, perhaps. At any rate, our new accomplishment is riding up and down the lane without Paula there to rescue me if necessary. Today the weather was almost warm, and Cleo was pretty good considering she is 'in season,' the wind was blowing, and three other horses were also in the arena--one also a mare, and new to her. On occasion, she has rebelled when a horse she doesn't know is sharing her 'space.' But she behaved until the very end when she wanted to hang out at the rail with the other horses while their riders gossipped. "It's not fair,"she complained and tried to avoid trotting in the other direction away from the fun. But thanks to my whip, spurs, and some firm direction on my part, we 'worked through it' and then managed to follow the other horses down the lane and back into the arena with no argument. In other words, 'a good horse day.'

I love my horse

I am dismayed by my absence from my blog for almost two months. Riding and blogging are both luxuries, and while I have been riding the past couple of months, work, traveling for work, and hours on the computer for work have kept me away from writing about my horse adventures. But yesterday I had a wonderful lesson and ride. On Sunday I also had a fun recreational ride. On both days, Cleo was cooperative, willing, obedient and acting like she was happy to have me on her back. Yesterday, we escaped the confines of the indoor arena and rode outside up and down the lane. We even 'trotted' up the lane! True Cleo was following Paula, my trainer, as much as anything, but that's the nature of a trail ride at some level, a skill to develop like any other. In the past, Cleo has tried to go sideways, backward, in circles to avoid going where I asked. As you might imagine, this is very scary outside where there are ditches, electric fences and all manner of dangerous obstacles when your horse is not going in a straight line or in the direction you are attempting. So we are working both on her manners and my confidence. Yesterday we achieved both. Paula had me ride up a modest hill and next to the barn, places I usually avoid. The sunny weather made all three of us happy and relaxed--which is the key. Although I was happy to get off at a perfect time, I felt as though I could have stayed on for hours. Cleo is a great pet because she is alert and attentive. She knows the sound and sight of my car and voice and neighs to me when she hears or sees me. She never runs away or avoids being caught like some horses. But mostly, like most horses, she loves food, and if I could hear her words she would be saying, "Here comes the food lady," so I don't let myself get too flattered by her attention. But when we have a good ride, I feel like we are a team and waves of love for her wash over me, if you know what I mean. The feeling is so exhilerating, I am motivated to slog through the mud, or walk in the rain, or bundle up against the cold so that I can clean up her messes, brush her, clean out her feet, tack her up, and climb on her back even for a few minutes to capture that unpredictable feeling of teamwork.

Every Day's a New Day with Horses

I'm not always sure who will be greeting me in the morning or the evening when I go to feed Cleo. Sometimes she stands patiently at the gate or in her stall and nickers 'hello' and other times she is a regular bucking bronco. Winter and spring are the worst since horses seem to respond like little children to changes in the barometer and the weather in general. This morning Cleo started bucking and kicking when I came down the lane with the wheelbarrow full of food. She got Kass to jump around and her other neighbor, Kassy, to rear on her hind legs. Kass and Kassy are both Trahkaners and probably related at some point in their pedigree. Kassy is as white as a horse gets and Kass is almost black. Cleo, who is smaller than either of them and white and chestnut (sort of orange) is quite a contrast in that she can out rodeo them both. Usually after she has a few bites of food, she calms down. But today, she would snort, make menacing faces at Kassy, jump and buck and then return to her food. Her unpredictable behavior extends to her ground manners; lately, I have had to have a 'back-up' in case she tries to act like a wild horse as I am walking her to and from her stall and paddoock. I used to question my decision to have a horse when Cleo tested me this way. I felt like an incompetent horse owner--a fake--a wannbe-- who should give up riding for knitting or crocheting. But I have come to terms with my abilities and limitations. Cleo has taught me that it's all right to ask for help; that's what friends are for--and I have wonderful horse friends. I repay their skills with my mine--like getting up every morning early and feeding my horses and those who have owners who want to sleep in.

Happy New Year

Today is already January 5th. I gave Cleo a week off from being ridden since she seemed a little gimpy after her Christmas Day 'rodeo exhibition.' I rode her on New Years Day and she trotted fine except for extra exuberance. Then yesterday I had my first lesson in a couple of weeks. We had a great time. Paula had set up a course of ground poles and cones that acted as gates, and Cleo and I walked and trotted in and out of gates, over and around poles, and back and forth in patterns and circles. We were both exhausted and proud of ourselves afterward. We were lucky to have our lesson in between torrential rains and hurricane level winds. Cleo even had an opportunity to go out for a couple of hours afterward and roll in the mud and sand. The rain and wind promise to hang around for the next week, which is miserable for two and four legged creatures, but I am told snow and ice are even worse. I don't plan to find out. The challenge is to keep stalls and paddocks clean and dry with no help from nature. Today I plan to ride for a spell and then let her stand in the rain, if need be, while I clean her stall and get it ready for another night of cold and rain. Last night we even had thunder and lightening. Horses benefit from breathing fresh air even if it means getting wet and dirty, otherwise their lungs get clogged with bedding and hay dust. I always dread this time of year since I have had horses. It's not that riding is less fun--although sometimes I feel like a kid in a snowsuit after I get bundled up--it's that most of my effort and decision-making surrounds what I call land management. Who goes where and for how long.... I have to tell myself, "It could be worse."