Back on the blog

Cleo and I had a great lesson today. As I get to be a better rider, she remembers all of her excellent previous training, and she doesn't lose her patience with me as often. Today she didn't refuse, balk, run backwards, or complain one time. We walked, trotted, did leg yields, turns on the forehand both directions, halt, etc., and she paid great attention. It's days like this that I remember why I love having a horse. Sometimes I get discouraged and allow myself to add up the time and financial commitment, and wonder why I don't stick to dogs as companions. But then when Cleo and I work well as a pair, I find no comparison. I need to remind myslef, it is not how often, how long, or how complicated my ride, but the satisfaction and excitement I feel after a good ride--especially since riding a horse was never in my life-plan.

Later in the week , I will continue describing the clinic Cleo and I attended. We both are still benefitting from that experience.

Cleo and I are back on line

After more than a year, I can pick up where I left off last March. We had a very late and wet spring here in Humboldt County, so last March's discussion of horses and mud holds true until just last week. Poor Marko, the retired racehorse/dressage superstar who lives in my backyard,is finally recovering from a massive hoof abscess brought on by months of mud and moisture. During his treatment, I was visiting an Ohio, and Patrick did a great job as veterinarian, soaking his foot daily and changing the dressing as his foot oozed black gunk.

In spite of the miserable weather this spring--rain and wind--Cleo and I and her stable mate, Artie, and his owner, signed on to attend an all day clinic with a natural horseman who was going to teach us methods for improving ground manners, trailer loading, and under saddle responsiveness.

In order to prepare for this adventure, our friend Joan trailered our horses to Redwood Acres twice to accustom our steeds to loading, unloading, and behaving at a new place. Cleo had not been in a trailer or off the property at Freshwater stables since I bought her 6 years ago. The first time, I was NERVOUS.

Cleo was a pro. She remembered her early training and literally jumped into the trailer with a look on her face that said, "It's about time I got to take a ride. What have we been waiting for?" Our two practice sessions went well, and we walked and trotted in the covered arena with a herd of ponies and little kids, Artie and Carrie, and Joan as confidence builder. By the time we went the second time, I was as confident as Cleo. I eagerly anticipated the clinic in early May.

Spring has Sprung

For those of you who love horses, but don't have one, the months of December through March are not the most fun. The rain, cold, short days and long nights,and especially mud are challenges for both two and four-legged creatures in Humboldt County. We have had a mild winter with a 6+ inch rain shortage (we have still have had almost 26 inches) all crammed into 4 and a half months, and the frequent high winds don't help. Furthermore, for us mare owners, March signals 'coming into season' big time, distracting our horses and in Cleo's case causing bouts of total lunacy. But we are almost over the worst.

Today my lesson was spent reminding her that I was in charge. She had been pretty complacent until about three weeks ago, when she returned to her old tricks of backing up, balking, throwing her head in the air, and refusing to go forward. Both Paula and I attribute much of her obstinance to the weather and change of seasons. As recently as last month, she was giving lessons to little girls, until she started shedding in huge globs signaling the onset of spring. Now she is a total bitch. By the end of today's lesson, she had decided to cooperate, but we were both tired. I'm looking forward to summer when I have more free time, more daylight hours, more sunny, dry days, and a more agreeable horse. I can hardly believe I have had Cleo almost four years already, but I'm just now starting to figure her out. She's smarter than I am; she had me figured out the first month!

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.