Wolcott Mill Metropark Adventure!

Today was a GREAT day. I got the barn bright and early to get my truck hitched and all my stuff loaded. A group of five of us from the barn were all planning to head to Wolcott Mill Metropark to ride on the horse trails there. We took two trailers including mine. It felt really good to be able to provide my own transport! And help someone else!

I had long ago gotten my bridle tag to ride there, which didn't cost anything. You just haul in, sign in at the book and go. Super simple.

This is where I totally go first world problems though.... these trails sucked compared to what I could do in Washington. It was mainly edge of farm field riding and minimal woods trail. What forest trail there was was a sogging muddy mess thanks to all the rain we've been having so we didn't even attempt to go through the forest areas. I would have been happy with woods. I can ride on the edge of a field at the barn :/

I will go back though, because for distance it's pretty good and once it does dry out, it would be an easy place to just trot/canter FOREVER and get some good conditioning for endurance in. No hills though, it's on the wrong side of Van Dyke.

The trail from the staging area to get to all the loops goes under 29 mile road. Gwyn had no issues going through. I was really happy.

See? Flat

Farmland.

We trotted where the footing was good and made good time heading out.

There was a grassy place to stop with a concrete mounting block. I think it's for pictures. We could see the river below us. Good grazing for the horses and a nice break.

Then out and around and onto a powerline area with random paddle boat.

Maybe this place becomes a lake....??? It was crazy deep mud. I was not a fan but Gwyn handled it well.

Bridge with kids on it. Private land on the other side of the river so no crossing. Plus no rails, made me antsy just thinking about going over.  I didn't get pictures but we turned around just after getting to the next field past the bridge. We'd caught up with a guy out by himself riding a thoroughbred. He cantered across the field, turned around and just BOOKED it galloping back. Ellen's eyes lit up (she was on the paint) "I want to do that!!!!!"

So I rode out with her to the far field and the guy came with us, we lined up and just FLEW back. I decided to trust Gwyn and just let her go. Oh my goodness, the rush was amazing. We hit 24.6 mph, breaking our previous known record of 19 mph. The guy's horse still was faster but my drafty put up a good effort. I ended up losing my jacket off the back of my saddle bags in the gallop so we went back to retrieve it then headed back. 

We crossed paths with these girls right by the river access. Technically horses aren't allowed in the river. 

But we did it anyway. And then saw the girls watching and double back to do it too, lol. I was proud of Gwyn, she walked into the river with minimal issue. But she had major problems with all the puddles.

The original plan was to eat lunch and head back out for another ride before going home, but during lunch NO ONE EXCEPT ME TIED SAFELY.   Those horses were on a cross tie attached to their lead ropes. They were all over the place. Then they were just plain loose. THEN... one of the horses got too tangled in the long line and gave himself rope burn on the back of his pastern.  It was bad and his halter was nylon with no snap on the lead rope so SUPER UNSAFE. There was no way to quick release him and nothing to break under pressure. Poor guy. I felt bad not offering her a trailer tie to use initially because that's what I grabbed for Gwyn since it'd give way under that strain but... the horses could have also been tied to the trailers as well, and not those posts.

Thankfully because I'm keeping the majority of my stuff in my trailer tack room I had my full first aid kit so he got sprayed with wound spray and then slathered with Furazone. I also showed someone how to put on those professional's choice boots.

Since the poor rope burned guy was ouchy, we called it a day and loaded everyone back up. Gwyn was an idiot for loading, but not nearly as much as she's been in the past. We headed home and overall it was a good day!

Solo trailer loading

Okay, okay, I was going to ride, and then I got a GREAT idea as I was fixing a bolt on the trailer. I had enough time to hook up the truck and work on trailer loading for a little bit before needing enough time to unhook the truck and go pick up Kaylee. So that's what I did.

Eric is not a horse person so I need to be capable of independence when it comes to trailering Gwyn. And that means hooking things up and loading. I decided to make today a low stress test run. We had nowhere to be aside from getting Kaylee, but worst case I could always go get her with the trailer hooked up.

Hooking up was easy thanks to my awesome back up camera on the Silverado. I only had to get out and raise the trailer and then back up a little more. I'd already fixed the ball size so it would be more secure and that made me feel better. I even K-point turned the whole rig to get it into an ideal spot for trailer loading practice.  It opened into an semi enclosed space with fence on two sides, the barn on a third and an open fourth side. However there was lots of green grass, and her pasture was at the far end. 

Om nomnom eating!

At first Gwyn was a pill. She reared and pulled away and ran over to the far fence line to be near her buddies who had all just gone outside for the day. I brought her back while the girl who cleaned stalls watched with concern. She tried to rear and spin again and I roared at her, sending her backwards for about 15 feet before immediately switching gears and calmly walking forward again. I do not tolerate rearing and spinning. Everything else I was prepared to outstubborn her on.

I had three carrots to use as encouragement but would only give them if she was fully on. The process went like this:
Gwyn put a foot on the ramp. The ramp is newer to her, though she had to use a steep one to be professionally shipped so it's not THAT novel. When it proved to be steady she did a couple forward and backward deals. She likes to try and escape around the side of the trailer and always to my right. I had her in the rope halter and just used the trailer corner as leverage so she couldn't go far and had to come back and face inside. Eventually she stepped all the way in. I didn't have any chest and butt bars and had opened up both escape doors. She walked all the way up and stood with me. I kept feeling like she thought she could hop out the escape door (and maybe could...) So I gave her a carrot and hooked up the chest bar. I did not tie her.

Before she went flying back I asked her to back up and she came off nice and calmly. This was encouraging! I left her to graze as a reward and a break and went to grab a flake of hay and a length of twine. I stuffed that in her hay net and tied the twine to one of the tie rings so I had a breakable point and grabbed her again. This time getting her back on was even easier. She happy started eating the hay and didn't care about the chest bar so I tied her to the twine. It was nice and loose and she had a lot of length to play with.

I praised her and walked around to the back. I used the divider to push her butt onto the left side of the trailer and connected the butt bar. She leaned back a few times but didn't panic when the butt bar didn't move. Even MORE encouraged, I closed up the right side butt bar. 

This was taken after our adventures were over but it gives you an idea of what the open back looks like. I had the center divider swung over to the right and clipped in and added the hay after our first successful load.

I went around to praise her again and she was looking rather nonplussed about the whole endeavor. I opened windows for some airflow and closed up the back ramp! I had successfully loaded my self-described hard loader SOLO!!!!

I left the back dutch doors open but closed the escape doors.  And we were OFF!

Proof I was out on the road!

I didn't go very far, I didn't have a lot of time, and I was definitely under the speed limit on parts of the road but I wanted this to be very positive and a practice run. We did highway, dirt roads and town roads, successfully! I wanted to get a good feel for how braking would be with a heavier load and going in the morning on a wednesday was really ideal for that.

We got back to the barn successfully and I turned the trailer around to the same position that I had loaded her from, again in case she went flying off for partial containment purposes.

She didn't care. She had hay.

Thumbs up for Dom because I watch/read about her trailer loading training all the time. I'm a distance learning student!

HUGE AMOUNT OF SPACE OMG.  There is no way this mare will ever be claustrophobic in this trailer. She has a buttload of space, LITERALLY.  I'm so glad we bought it. 

GM Ad Photo. 

Cell Phone Photos

Getting to graze when we're all done because she was a good girl.

Back with her buddies

I'm in love

Transport for Gwyn!

Ground pole video

I took this video of myself over that first set of ground poles. I'd love constructive critique.

Things I already know: Lose weight.

Anything else is fair game.


I shared this in my other blog for Firefly Ranch, but here's Gwyn's arrival!

1.75 miles and Happy Gotcha Day, Gwyn!

Today was less than stellar for a ride, at least at the start. I didn't go out as early as I normally do because I ran back home after dropping Kaylee off for school. I needed to grab breakfast and then I ended up looking up trucks for my husband, which he had already done the day before but hadn't told me. Grr.

Anyway, Gwyn was already outside sharing hay with her pasture mate. Awww

We started going around the hay field, it was crazy windy and MUCH cooler than the day before! I was happy I had a fleece vest in the car to add as a layer. Gwyn argued about leaving the barn but eventually settled into a tense walk. I didn't even bother trotting. 

As we returned back to the barn I was already planning to head into the arena to finish the ride. Gwyn was too tense and I was thinking it would be just a little thing that could set her off. Sure enough, she spooked. I tried to stay on, I swear I did. But off I came. Sadly away from anything that could serve as enough elevation to assist me in getting back on.

So we walked back. Apparently there's a skunk over in the area she spooked. Grr.

Back in the arena I set up trot poles. I'd looked up good spacing and found a 3-2-1 rule. You set up the poles so that you can do three strides of walk, 2 strides of trot, or one stride of canter. I walked Gwyn across the sand and since it had rained the night before I was able to see her fresh tracks and set up the poles at the third stride. Three walk strides is 9 of my feet heel to toe. Now I can measure!!

We did lots of figure 8s over the poles and then called it a day since I needed to get Kaylee. Gwyn wasn't sweaty at all, perfectly dry, in fact!

4 years ago today Gwyn walked off the shipping van from Florida and I've been loving and so lucky to have her ever since.

Selfies

Gwyn is HERE!

I got the heads up this morning as I finished submitting a job application. I rushed out because I still needed a money order to pay for the second half of the price of shipping. Getting that was more complicated than it should have been, but finally, with carrots as well, I was on the road to the barn and could see, just ahead, the truck pulling onto the property.

Getting her off was a non-issue, and in fact she got a glowing behavioral report from the shipper. He had been the one to pick her up in Snohomish a week prior as well, so he was with her for the whole transit. That's my girl!

I got her situated in her 'quarantine' pen with hay and water and hung out and snuggled, taking photos. Then it was time to pick Kaylee up from preschool so I headed that way, got lunch, and brought Kaylee back to the barn for more snuggles and brushing. 

A small rub mark, likely from friction during transport.

Dried blood on a straight scrape. Again, not concerned, it's extremely shallow and not even puffy. 

She immediately ate and drank, and pooped not long later (which made me sigh with relief)

Even horses blink.

Gwyn was next to the grey. She was hiding at first, or trying to look through the bars rather than stick her head through.

The shipping van. Packed full of horses too!