Paris' Perspective

Hi all.  Paris here.  It's been a while since there's been a post on the blog from the horse's perspective,  so I thought I'd better write.  As some of you know, I turned 5 this year.  My Person was going to start training me up big time in March but her life got complicated and I so got out of some hard work.  Mind you, Troy lunged me off and on, just to make sure that I kept my girly figure and all.

Anyway, My Person has been working with me now and then and yesterday we went for our first real trail ride this season.  This is actually my first "real" training ride ever in that the pace was quick and the expectations were on me to perform.  This was not my usual "walk in the park"  No sir, My Person meant business.  We started down Lelands Road at a trot up the first hill, but once we got to the top, My Person insisted I continue to trot.  So we went along a little more, and She still wanted me to trot.  I got really excited!  Spirit was leading the way and I was right behind him - but he kept running through puddles and so did I because I was so close to him that by the time I saw them, it was too late - splash, splat, gross.  Gross, I do not like puddles.  So I started to hang back a bit, just so that I could pay attention to what was in front of me.  My Person was very proud of me for doing this - Apparently, the boys don't really care if they get wet or not and My Person has to work hard and holding them back off the horse in front - No problem with me - Glad to oblige.

Anyway, we were going along and the ground got mucky. It got harder to move, so I went up into a canter. Did you know you could canter with a person on your back.  Yep you can. I did it 4 more times while we were out. No big deal at all. Kind of fun actually.  Well I carried My Person for 5 miles, with lots of trotting and cantering.  Truth be told, I kind of enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun trying to decide where to put my feet.  My Person was really impressed with this. I have no idea why. I will never completely understand humans.

Happy Birthday Todd!

April 19th brings yet another Tidal Treasure birthday.

 Happy Birthday Todd!

HAWAII - at Last!

Hawaii has been on my bucket list for quite a few years now, and this March – my husband and I scratched it off ... because we went!  It was Awesome!!  Fantastic !!!  Trip of a lifetime!!!!

We went site seeing, whale watching, boating, did a cruise, hiked, walked, ATE!, drank, sun bathed, shopped, saw a live volcano from a helicopter, swam, visited a coffee  & a coco plantation, surfed Waikiki beach (just to name a few of our activities)... and while my hubby golfed, I went horseback riding!

The most memorable ride was a 5 hour afternoon ride up into Kalihiwai Ridge in the mountains of Kaua’i (the most northerly of the main Hawaiian Islands), which is also known as the "Garden Island" - and you will see why they call it that in just a bit!

The weather was overcast and cool – about 73° F – perfect for riding – and there were only 3 of us, including the guide. NICE! This ride was not for novices, as the trails were narrow, steep, and there were areas of trotting and cantering.

Meet Mahina – my mount - which means “Moon” in Hawaiian. He is an Arab cross (don’t know what with), about 12 years old and simply a sweetheart. He certainly enjoyed his job, listened extremely well and was very comfortable to ride.  The other 2 horses in the company were another Arab cross and a Quarter horse.

After having a quick demo on “Rusty” – a very old steel drum strung up on what looked like even older rope ... we proceeded to mount up and get used to each other in a grassed round pen.

Then it was up a very steep driveway, through the gate and down a short, quiet street to the road that lead to the forest reserve.

 

 

As we moved along, the dirt road quickly became a lovely path,

and it wasn’t long before we got our first glimpse of Kalihiwai Ridge! Beautiful!!

Myself and Mahina

As we got deeper into the reserve, we got deeper into the forest –

 

And the trail became much steeper ... 

 

... but the views became spectacular!

 

 

We also traveled through a Eucaleptus grove. The bark on these trees continuously peels and the air smeals faintly of Vicks!

 

At about the halfway mark, we took a break – we had been on our horses for roughly 2.5 hours by now and travelled about 5 miles.  (oh to have had my GPS with me!) We grabbed a snack, stretched our legs and just sat and took in the incredible view!

 

And then it was back in the saddle and on the trail again.  There were parts of the trail I would have sworn were part of the Tevis ... sometimes there were steep drop-offs on one side,

 

and sometimes there were steep drop-offs on both sides!!

But all too quickly it seemed, we were on our way back, and the incredible ride was finished.

But the day itself wasn’t quite over ... as I was waiting for my hubby to finish his game of golf and come pick me up, I got to watch the horses being fed –

 

My guide – a wonderful young woman named Kati, was also the ranch hand, and with the help of an aged pony, and wild chickens, got the feed ready for the horses. Yes – these are wild chickens – they are protected by the state, so you are not allowed to kill them, and you see them EVERYWHERE on the island. They also make themselves right at home – even helping themselves to the grain.  They don’t even wait until the horses are finished – they just hop right into the feed tub while they are eating!!

It was the funniest thing! The little pony was the best though ... he had learned to pick up his feed tub in his teeth, shake it to dislodge the chicken - without spilling a drop of grain!

With age - there is wisdom!                                                                    What a great, great day!

 

 

Horse Husband Catching On!

While I'm slightly sadly waiting for UPS to pick up that Setzi demo (I fell in love) for return I'm thinking about how my hubby has started to pick up on some things around here.
Last night he was looking at a horse "magazine" I had left out. "Oh!" says he, "you got a magazine subscription? Good magazine. How much was that?"
"Oh, that? It's free with membership! It IS good isn't it?" I say, turning back to what I was doing, thinking the conversation was over.
"Your ACTRA membership?" he asks.
 Hmmmm. Darn. "Uh, no - AERC." I reply, starting to leave the room - a trick I learned from my son. "What's AERC?" he asks.
"You know, American Endurance Ride Conference." I say.
He looks at me smiling and asks, "You're a member of the American group now?"
To which I reply, "Well, so is Marie and YOU are too - remember we're hoping to go to Maine in the Fall?"
I can see he is about to say more so I get him first: "Hey, do you have the passports done yet?" His face changes and he puts the magazine down: "Oh yeah, I better get on that."
Hubby leaves room, wife breathes sigh of relief. We are both smiling.
I have a "horse husband" that is worth his weight in gold, horses, hay & tack!

Another TT Birthday...Happy Birthday Carrilee!

Wishing you all the best!

 

From the Crew!