This got really long from pictures alone, but oh joy of joys was it great to get out on the trail again! And for some legit conditioning to prep for endurance out here in the PNW. Cortney asked if I wanted to ride with her at Taylor Mtn. I agreed. It was a no brainer. The night before, she realized that the road to the trailhead was going to be closed so we replanned to meet at Fall City and ride up into Tokul and explore some trails in the area to see if they would connect to anything.
She really wants to put on an endurance ride in this area and it would be SUPER easy to get enough trail to do a 50 mile ride. Our (I say our, I would be drafted into comanaging, lol, but her) only hang up is finding a place to hold ride camp. She's been trying to contact land owners in the valley but no one has yet been willing to rent out their hay field for a weekend.
Anyway, we met at the FC arena. There were riders heading out just as I arrived, and someone arrived as we were heading out on the trail.
A wider view of the arena with the track around the perimeter.
Also starting to fill up, with the promise of warmth and sun, was the Fall City Float business, that takes folks up river with their rafts and tubes and drops them off so they can float down the river. By the time we got back, their parking lot had overflowed into the horse trailer lot.
We started by crossing the road. The cars were VERY polite (there is a crosswalk with Warning: Horses! signs) and both directions immediately yielded to us. Gwyn handled that so well, I was really pleased! She used to not be so relaxed near cars or on roads.
Then it was down this short private drive to the Snoqualmie trail access. We encountered a doe who couldn't decide which direction to run away from us. I did include this portion in the video!
Then we climbed on a nice wide trail up and up and up. Gwyn felt fresh and her ears were just super perked forward the whole way. She was feeling good.
Then off the main drag onto the narrower, single track and access up into Tokul. These trails are open to use by equestrians, hikers and mountain bikers. To get deeper access you do have to pay a yearly fee because it's privately owned land used for logging.
But it's fantastically gorgeous.
Uphill to the left, downhill to the right.
I included some of the switchbacks in the video as well. It's a good way to climb up the hills with less effort but there's still climb. Gwyn pooped out after a few turns and just stopped. You can see Cortney below us
"Mom, I forgot what hills were." - Gwyn
After the climb on the single track we came out onto a wider logging road and near some of the clear cut. From there, we hopped onto a trail through the clear cut.
But not before pausing so Cortney could adjust a hoof boot and also, conveniently letting some more bikers pass us.
We wound through the clear cut then back into single track in open forest.
You really get a feel for the steepness of the terrain in this one.
After the second portion of forested single track we came out into another clear cut. There had also been a small, controlled fire in this spot the previous year, and combined with the summer rains that have (thankfully) stuck around, the wildflowers were just everywhere. We were riding through bright clouds of purple and pink with much more green than usual plus the bright blue sky above.
More single track switchbacks in the clear cut.
Gwyn was a good enduring pony and took advantage of nearly EVERY puddle and stream we came across to drink. We started about mid morning but the heat was only going to increase. I was really happy she was taking care of herself.
The views were stellar once we got some elevation. Plus the clear cut let us see pretty far.
There's the tip of Mount Rainier.
We did some exploration and tried a trail to see if it would connect. Unfortunately, the ground was too soft for horses and had some deceptive boot sucking mud. Cortney lost a rear Renegade, found it, put it back on, and promptly lost it forever in the next mud patch.
Saddle bags are great for lunch! We both ate on the go.
What do I spy with my eye and the handy dandy zoom feature?
The Seattle skyline and the Olympic Peninsula!
As the crow flies, we were 22.3 miles from Seattle proper and 70+ miles to those distant peaks in the haze. It was an AMAZING day.
Then we followed the power line road until we couldn't go further (at this point, my go-pro ran out of battery)
The ground drops away and down to a river. The lines go across to the ridge on the other bank. We're looking basically North at this point. Then we tried a side road to see if it would meet up lower down the mountain. The road had a few downed trees, then ended in a giant berm with several saplings that we pushed through because it looked like it kept going. Only then it ended in impassable blackberries. So we turned around and made our way back and used the much softer roadway as a good place to canter and stretch legs with breaks to get over downed trees.
As we returned to the power lines (and after I stopped to pee) we suddenly realized that Mount Rainier was WAY more visible!
Hi Volcano!
Then it was making our way back through the clear cut. We kept encountering the same pair of bicyclists as we crisscrossed the trails. It was kind of funny! By the end of this ride, Gwyn was much more relaxed when she saw bikes.
Once we got back down to the valley, we went passed the trailers, much to Gwyn's annoyance, and down to the river. When she realized we were going into water, Gwyn got VERY excited. She charged right in and drank deeply. Then proceeded to get deep in, enough that my feet were easily wet and the bottom of her belly was submerged and just stood there and sighed. I had a very very happy horse.
"There is a human in the water, Mom. MOM. IS HE OKAY?!" - Gwyn
I tried to get a picture of the water line on her. It was easily over the base of my stirrups.
That blue line is our elevation. The dip down in the middle was trying that road that ended in blackberries.
And have a video compilation of some of the more interesting moments like some of the switch backs, the change of scenery as we take new trails, and the absolute squelching sound that occurred when Cortney pulled her lost hoof boot out of the mud, that promptly got lost forever less than a minute later.
Okay, let's be real here. I'm just excited to be on a regular schedule for lessons.
I moved Gwyn to her new facility on Monday. We can call it a facility loosely because I found the one damn place in all of Snohomish and King County with minimal fancy shit that was actually near where I live and didn't cost upwards of 800/month. New boarding place is literally a pasture, some shelter and they feed hay in the winter and make sure water doesn't freeze. It's perfect. I can store my trailer there and that's my tack room. There is a tack room for boarders but eehhhh, it's not big and if I'm lessoning frequently, it just makes sense to keep everything in the trailer.
ANYWAY
Lesson! This was at L's house in the Tolt Highlands near Carnation. She found a turnkey equestrian property. She teaches lessons and it's just this gorgeous house/barn (house on top, barn below) with a pasture paradise track, arena and pastures. She also does endurance with Cortney!
"These are way fancier digs than where I stayed the past couple days..." - Gwyn
I packed up Gwyn after she gallivanted around the hay field (grrrr, MARE) and was still on time because I was operating under the "it will take an hour" mindset and it did not take an hour! Win! I'd previously been to the farm to pick strawberries with Trudy and my kids so I was generally familiar with how to get there.
It was a lot of twisty road up into the foothills but it's a lovely secluded little farm.
*boop*
Looking fancy shmancy. I finally got rein stops
Despite that, Cortney and Jim were late. I think if it were anyone but Jim, I'd be upset. But he's coming from his primary job and traffic is a bitch out here.
Right away I was remembering the feel of my rein aids and how that helped Gwyn bend. We had warmed up in the walk while we waited for Jim and he started us off on the rail in the arena (small dressage court sized) doing shoulder in down the long sides in the trot. Slowing and controlling my posting was super key. Once I got a good tempo and steady slow trot, Gwyn's head dropped and she bent around my leg and reached into contact. It was fantastic. If I started to lose her I'd do a 10m circle and she'd come back to me.
I want to try this solo now in the field and see if I can recreate it.
I take pictures when we stand around to discuss the theory of what we're working on.
L is on her morgan on the left.
We also had to go around in 2 point, maintaining our good trot and shoulder in. I did pilates yesterday. I am SORE today, haha. But I'm feeling so positive about the fitness I'm improving in myself for the sake of Gwyn.
We took turns cantering since the arena wasn't that big and we each had slightly different things to focus on in this gait and each of the horses had different needs. My focus was making sure that when I asked, it was from that good trot, and not the giraffe trot. Gwyn threw SEVERAL bucks each time I cued for canter. Third time on her good side I got a decent depart that we held together a little bit before it got discombobulated. Then we switched directions. Immediately she was way more tense and it took a lot of work to just regain that relaxation. She was anticipating the canter cue and bucking and crow hopping before I even put leg on. We didn't push it. I need to get the chiro out to see her.
And then we did JOMPIES! My last jumping lesson was when I school X-country in 2018. Jim is big into the idea of everything is dressage and dressage is for everything. And of course we had our educational bit about how there are only 2 types of jumps. Vertical jumps, where you want the horse to give you height, and liverpools, where you want the horse to stretch out and give you a broader parabola without as steep a curve in the jump. We basically worked on the liverpool style and asking for that length.
The jump started as an oxer set of x-rails. L and I needed to add leg to get the impulsion. Cortney was tasked with slowing her mare down because she was frogging her way through it and not gathering herself up appropriately. Then Jim moved it to be a straight oxer.
Again in the jumping my goal was to collect her up and keep a smooth, relaxed trot going into the turn toward the jump
Cortney did get video, of our second to last attempt where I got majorly left behind. Our final attempt was much much improved. I'm really pleased. We'll be back at L's next week. The lesson day is fluid due to Cortney's endurance schedule. Thankfully I can be fluid too.
And yesterday Saffron got moved to Cortney's house. I've been getting updates from Cortney and it seems like she's settling in well.
Splendid came to escort Saffron. She's a good girl and Kaylee was tasked with bringing her down to the barn.
Reign and Amira are intrigued
Saffron is unsure though...
"You guys are annoying" - Saffron
Saffron has found a little spot under some trees that she likes. The horses are idiots and don't seem to have figured out that's where she hides. So it's now Saffron's spot. The mares all vye for Saffron's attention. Saffron doesn't give a fuck.
One of the first bits of education I ever had in a lesson with Jim was about the five rein aids.
Direct rein (also called opening or leading)
Indirect rein (also called neck rein or bearing rein)
Indirect in front of withers
Indirect behind withers
Direct rein of opposition
Tonight's lesson was both a reeducation and reminding about the five, but also key in how they shaped my riding.
I was once again the first one to arrive. While we still had clouds, they weren't low like last week and Mount Si was visible from the arena.
The previous week the tops of these hills were cloud covered
Cortney had mangled her foot (but not broken it!) while helping to load a friend's horse at the endurance ride last weekend. She was in a boot and was thus on the ground for media! (and basic ground pole adjusting) Jim was riding Amira, who while is a great 50 mile endurance arabian, sometimes just needs to have her 'yoga', as Cortney calls it, lol. She mostly walked and had to stand still, something she has some trouble doing. This mare is like the hyper part of ADHD as an equine.
I had been focusing all week on my posture and holding tone in my core without raising my shoulders. I'd also been reading a book by Charles de Kunffy that was almost philosophical in nature on the art of riding. I'm about a third through. I've really been trying to saturate myself in education as much as I can, including watching youtube videos of clinics. I'm bound and determined to actually make forward progress.
The footing was a lot softer thanks to a drenching rain but not baking sun. Gwyn was much happier to work in the arena.
We focused a lot on maintaining a bend in her body and not letting her go straight. I also need to keep my elbows bent and loose and moving with her. I'd adjust one bit and the other thing I had been concentrating on would be lost. Getting it all together at one time is coming in moments. But it's coming. I worked in lots of circles and big loopy serpentines. I LOVE working in a giant arena with this horse. It really helps you stay off the rail and use geometry to benefit the dressage.
This is where the rein aids come in. My indirect in front of withers rein was the key to really helping create this bend in Gwyn where she was reaching down and relaxing into the contact. And I realize now that what he was having me do was steer with my shoulders, which is like what de Kunffy is saying when he talks about the shoulders of the rider should be what the shoulders of the horse do, while the rider's pelvis mimics the horse's pelvis. Sorry, that's a lightbulb that JUST went off as I wrote up this entry.
A touch behind the vertical here but WAY better than giraffing!
There were some barrels set up and we used those quite a bit to have shallow and quicker serpentines to really drive home switching the bend up. I went through at a walk and then at a trot and did that back and forth several times then came out into a larger circle and haunches in'd and made the circle larger, then as I really had this gorgeous steady trot we went down over some ground poles.
Cortney observed that in one direction Gwyn was really able to keep a steady trot over the poles but not in the other direction, which was (not coincidentally) the direction that we always have issues. Going to the left.
We ended with a brief bit of canter in her good direction, I think so Jim could see what he was working with and have a baseline. To his eye, it looks like our issues are a lot of weakness, which was my suspicion. But if we have more lessons and rides like tonight, that will not last long.
By the time I was basically done, Gwyn felt like her back was springy, like I was sitting on a diving board instead of a 2x4. It was the strangest feeling, but I'm pretty sure it was a good thing. She felt amazing and really really tried her hardest. And it felt like I was riding as optimally as I could. I want to capture that feeling.
I need to improve my leg aid though. Right now I do a weird thing where I bend my foot to give a leg cue rather than using my whole calf. So that's something to think about. And remembering thumbs up, hands high like a serving platter, elbows bent and loose. I also should relax my face, apparently, haha. I hold tension there too.
And yes, those are my ground poles. I made the movers pack them up.
Just a little bit of lipstick!
So, overall it was an incredibly productive lesson. Gwyn was great for loading and I move her to her permanent boarding facility on Monday! Eeek! I found pasture board with minimal facilities for SUPER cheap. Even though they're charging me half again as much to store the trailer it's still a better deal than any other place. We can do rough board, that's fine by me if it saves me money for now. It means weekly lessons! And a YMCA membership to work on my own fitness.
One of the big benefits to being back in the PNW and specifically in the area I am in, is that I'm back within easy distance of Jim, my previous dressage instructor. I knew that budget wise, whatever I did, I wanted to include regular lessons with him. Now that I am mobile, I can meet him at public arenas AND I can group lesson with Cortney.
Gwyn's previous shenanigans from Montana and last year were not present when I loaded her last evening. She seemed excited. We got to the public arena early. The drizzling rain was on and off and she had already mostly dried on the 20 min drive.
Low clouds were obscuring the views of the Cascades and her foothills. I started grooming and tacking up while waiting for Cortney and Jim to arrive.
Amira and Cortney arrived not long after. Gwyn and Amira lived together when I first got Gwyn. Both Cortney and I wondered if they would remember each other.
"HI FRIEND!" - Gwyn
"Sure, I'll sniff your nose." - Gwyn
*kick and squeal*
Jury's out on whether they remembered one another.
The arena we met at is in Fall City. It's part of the county park system and is free to use. There is a track around the perimeter (like.. a legit race track) and a sand arena in the middle. The arena maintenance leaves a lot to be desired and the footing was like ridged concrete where they had dragged and then the clay footing had just... stayed that way.
Gwyn was incredibly foot sore and we quickly moved the lesson to the grass outside the arena where she was much happier and more willing to stretch down into contact. We kept the lesson mostly to the walk, but did trot a little bit on the grass.
One thing I'd always suspected but only just now verified, Jim is a HUGE fan of Mary Wanless and that style and theory of teaching. When I asked him about it he got super excited that I had kind of independently discovered her while I was away. He made me promise we'd swap books if I had any he didn't and vice versa. (Have I mentioned that he is the best?).
We pretty much worked on me for the lesson (rider forms that horse, and all that jazz). Take away notes:
I am carrying my hands too low, I need to think about holding a tray. This will create proper elbow bend
I need to silence the movement in my upper torso (shoulders especially) and translate that into elbow movement to move with contact
Sink my weight into my seat more by breathing differently. It's kind of like taking a deeper breath and not really holding it but holding that muscle movement. Do this WITHOUT raising my shoulders ***** He had me feel how his latissimus dorsi moved when he demonstrated. I will be practicing this alllll the time off horse.
When aiding in bend, don't raise my heel to apply pressure. This is a bad habit
While holding my dressage whip, thumb on top of the whip handle. This will allow the whip to naturally rest behind my knee to be ready as an aid.
During posting, I need to slow my roll. And go up rather than forward.
I think that pretty much covers the topics. I'll be lessoning with Cortney ever other week so I'll have some time to practice things.
Once this footing gets a little more forgiving there WILL be canter sets at this track
I promise we work on things. We also shoot the shit.
