WW: Winter Activities

Sunday Stills: Dogs in a Sand Pit

Yesterday, Mike and I took the dogs down to the Pine Barrens to get them nice and tired.

We parked at the gun club that the Jersey Devil runs out of every year, and walked them to the giant sand pit behind camp. There, we let them off leash and played fetch until they didn't want to fetch any more.

The sand pit.

After a water break, we walked them across the pit, explored some trails, and followed the sand road back to the power lines. We played one last round of fetch, then loaded the sandy, exhausted dogs back into the car for the drive home.

I bathed them to a shine, and they passed out, barely stirring until this morning. I love my dogs when they're tired :) I just wish we didn't have to drive so far to find a place where I can really let them go.

Cranberry bogs.

Of course, I brought my new camera to practice taking action shots.

The one thing that has taken some adjusting-to has been the lag in burst mode. Since the camera display is digital, not an actual view through the lens like an SLR, there is a slight delay between when you hit the button and when the photo appears on the screen. With single shots, you don't even notice, but with action shots, especially with panning, it's easy to lose the subject after a few photos. I was pretty bummed at first since the camera shoots so fast that it might as well be video, but the discordance between real life and what's on the screen was causing me to miss my shot time and time again.

Yesterday, I finally got the hang of it, and I was thrilled with the results.

I was also delighted with the slow motion video feature on the camera. It shoots high def video and does all the processing right in the camera. While Mike threw the ball, I took a ton of videos. Here, watch my majestic dogs running in slo-mo.

And of course.... I have to spam you guys with dog photos now.

Saturday Snaps: Sunshine Dogs

Friday Fotos: Dancey Pants

They keep getting better.

And it looks like he's in great weight :)

2014 in Review

As has become tradition, it is time for my Christmas Eve Year in Review post. I could not wait for 2013 to be behind me, and greeted 2014 with open arms. It turned out to be a big year in many ways. It was full of ups and downs, and more endurance miles than I've ever managed in one season. This post is mostly for my own sake, so feel free to skip.

Year End Meme

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before? 
I did ballet! Christine talked me into it (not that it took much effort). I'm terrible at it, but it's good for my leg and my balance. I haven't been going recently because things have been too hectic, but I fully intend to go back!

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 
My resolution was to ride Ozzy more. I was doing really well with it until he was diagnosed with EPM and his career came to a grinding halt.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Mike's sister had another spawn. We're not close to her at all, but it's the birth that comes to mind.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My grandma :(

5. What countries did you visit?
All of our traveling was within the US. Bummer.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
The ability to have horses on full training board and give lessons at home again. I'm hoping that moving the horses to the back yard will be a step in the right direction.


7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 
February 1st. We moved into our first apartment together.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
Selling Dancer.

9. What was your biggest failure? 
Sending him to Stride Away in the beginning of the year. He lost so much weight in the month he was there, and I really think the whole ordeal dropped his value.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not anything worth mentioning.

11. What was the best thing you bought? 
I finally paid off my car. Does that count? Otherwise, I would say the tent we got for my endurance rides.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
Mike, as always. On top of being the incredible man he always is, he came with me on all my crazy adventures, crewed for me, took care of me, and took countless photos that I will cherish always.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
The drunk driver who decided to race his UTV down the street at 70mph in the middle of the night... right into the side of my unsuspecting vehicle!

14. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? 
Elisa. I probably should have seen it coming, but her attacks on Facebook pushed me over the edge and I have nothing nice to say to or about her.

15. Where did most of your money go? 
Rent.

16. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Riding at Biltmore.

17. What song will always remind you of 2014? 

18. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner. For once.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.

19. What do you wish you'd done more of? 
Walking my dogs.

20. What do you wish you'd done less of? 
Fighting with idiots on Facebook.

21. How will you be spending Christmas? 
With Mike, visiting my family. Traditional Polish Christmas. I'm actually looking forward to it.

22. Did you fall in love in 2014? 
I fall more and more in love with Mike every day.

23. Did your heart break in 2014? 
Yes. I felt like  I lost a part of my soul with Ozzy's diagnosis.

24. How many one-night stands? 
Technically? One. WHAT?!?!?! Yeah. I know. (Not nearly as scandalous as you would think.) *shifty eyes*

25. What was your favorite TV program? 
Gilmore Girls. Watching it start to finish on Netflix as we speak.

26. Where were you when 2014 began? 
At Bryce's house, super relieved that it was over. In the morning, we went to the diner and I made out with my mashed potatoes.

27. Who were you with? 
Bryce, Dev, C, Amanda, Mike.

28. Where will you be when 2014 ends? 
We don't actually have plans yet!

29. Who will you be with when 2015 starts?
Definitely Mike. Other than that, I have no idea!

30. What was the best book you read?
The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell

31. What was your greatest musical discovery? 

32. What did you want and get?
New camera!

33. What did you want and not get?
I can't really think of anything.

34. What was your favorite film of this year?
I don't think I saw a single 2014 movie. I did see Shawshank Redemption for the first time and loved it.

35. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my actual birthday, I worked at the clinic and rode Booger. The night before, Mike and I went out for sushi to celebrate. I turned 28.

36. How many different states did you travel to in 2014?
Eight! New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana. Some of those multiple times. And we passed through several others (Ohio, Delaware, Tennessee.)

37. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
I wear barn clothes or scrubs 99% of the time.

38. What kept you sane?
Mike.

39. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None.

40. Whom did you miss?
More than anything, I missed riding Ozzy when fall rolled into the valley.

41. How many concerts did you see in 2014?
None.

42. Who were the best new people you met?
Nicole!

43. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
If a potential client starts off the interview process by questioning my pricing, they aren't even worth pursuing. Also, firing clients can be a huge relief!

44. What are your plans for 2015?
Nothing is set in stone yet, but I'm planning to move the horses home February 1st. Mike and I plan to renew our lease on our apartment at the same time. I am going to continue to catch ride as much as humanly possible. I already have several exciting rides lined up! I hope to continue to narrow my client list to just the horses and riders that I truly enjoy working with. Mike and I are hoping to start searching for a place to call our own, but, like I said, there's nothing for certain!

Friday Fotos: Ridiculous

WW: How much is that dog in the window?

Good Dog Habits

Team Unruly Post

Introducing: Rusty

I have another standardbred client, and, as always, I am thrilled.

Sea It Ain't So, aka Rusty, is a Niatross grandson, and his claim to fame pretty much ends there. He was born on April 13, 2000 in a town in Maryland. His owners/breeders registered him two months later, and the paper trail vanishes after that. He never raced. He never went through any of the standardbred sales. His USTA registration is still listed under his original breeders. It looks like the breeders haven't been active in harness racing since 2001.

One way or another, Rusty ended up becoming an Amish horse, pulling a buggy in Lancaster County, PA. There he earned some pretty gnarly scars on his left hind leg, as well as what appear to be burn marks on his neck. He also gained a rather defeated look in his eye. Nobody will ever know the details of his life with the Amish, but he is very similar to many other sad former Amish horses that I've worked with over the years.

I suspect whatever injury mauled his leg (looks like the work of a strand of barbed wire to me) ended his career as the family driving horse, and he ended up at the New Holland auction, where he was bypassed by all the auction goers. He was slated for the kill pen, which is when the infamous AC4H stepped in. The brokers scooped him up and posted this not-very-flattering video in August of 2013.

As you can see, he's a pacer, and didn't know much more than that. He's also a quiet horse who pretty much puts up with whatever the humans in his life throw at him on any given day. The 'second freezebrand' described in the video is the scarring on his neck that I mentioned above.

Luckily for Rusty, SRF stepped in and picked him up from the broker. His price at the time was a whopping $730. This is when his luck finally changed.

I remember seeing Rusty on the SRF Facebook page and website, and he was eventually adopted.

In October, his adopter, Linda, contacted me. She had heard that I was the person to call for standardbred retraining, and wanted to know if I had any openings in my schedule. The only slot I had available at the time was Wednesday afternoons. As it turns out, Wednesdays happen to be Linda's day off.

When I asked Linda where Rusty was boarded, however, I found out that he was way out by the shore, over an hour away. I wrote back, saying that Rusty was outside of my training radius and that I'd have to charge Linda more per lesson to make the trip worth it. I told her that I would understand if the price was a deal breaker, and wished her luck in her search for a trainer. To my surprise, she wrote back, saying that she'd find a way to make the finances work, and would really like me to come out. Apparently, I came highly recommended.

I drove out for my evaluation ride and found myself at a very nice facility that I never knew existed. It's a community farm, set up as a co-op, and I couldn't believe the steal of a deal boarders get in terms of price v. amenities. The barn is lovely, the stalls are roomy and clean, the ring is large with many jumps, and there is trail access directly off the back of the property. There are large, rolling pastures, and all the horses are fat and happy. There is also a resident donkey and a pig (who happens to belong to the same person who owned the first pig Herbie ever met!)

Linda was about the nicest person I could hope to meet and greeted me warmly, filling me in on her history with Rusty. She adopted him this year based on his quiet nature, and is very much in love with the horse. She has had bilateral hip replacements, which have made certain things about riding difficult, but her goals for Rusty are to pleasure ride on the trails at the walk, trot, and canter. Unfortunately, Rusty has a tendency to burst into the pace and fly along at an awful, choppy, jarring gait. And the canter? He'd apparently never heard of it. Linda had enlisted the help of another trainer in the area, who had been able to get him to rush into a few fast canter steps, but hadn't gotten much further than that. Rusty was a sweet, mellow, dependable horse, but he was definitely rough around the edges.

I'm actually smiling!

After all, his past consists of getting tacked up and standing around for a few hours, then pacing down the road for many miles at whatever speed he picked, then standing around for a few more hours before pacing back home again. It's not a very glamorous life, but the job is certainly pretty mundane and self-explanatory.

When I got on Rusty, I found him to be pretty much what I expected. There wasn't a mean or reactive bone in his body, but he was stiff as a board and basically knew nothing about being a riding horse.

It was during my first session that I found out how Linda heard about me. It turns out my friend, Melissa, who used to own Mocha, my claim-to-fame trailer loading case, boards her horse, Zook, at the community farm. I was pleasantly surprised when she showed up during my ride to say hello. It's a small world, and I totally love it!

Since then, Rusty has been coming along nicely. We have done a lot of bending and suppling exercises. He's learning to stretch down a little at a time. We've spent a lot of time working on the fact that leg doesn't always mean go faster. We've worked on moving his haunches and his shoulders and doing leg yields. He is much better going right than left, which I find interesting. We have also started the basics of neck reining, which was a completely foreign concept to the little chestnut horse.

Through all of this, his gaits have started to come together. I have started to eliminate the option of the pace. Linda enjoys the running walk, so I have encouraged him to slow and collect his intermediate gait to make it more comfortable. I have also introduced the trot, which started off fast and bouncy, but which has really started to come together a little at a time. As for the canter... it's actually already starting to fall in place. Once Rusty learned to trot with a rider on board, he pretty much put the next piece together on his own. Walk to trot to canter. It's only natural! Of course, we started off with a fast, unbalanced, and pretty lateral canter, but as his trot comes together, the canter follows suit. He is starting to pick up the canter from a simple kiss, and he no longer needs to go so fast to keep it going. As a matter of fact, when he slows down and relaxes, he gets a lovely, smooth, distinctly three beat rhythm going. There's plenty of hope here!

Best of all, Linda took Rusty for a ride at the beach a few weeks ago. She went with several other people from the barn. When their horses picked up the canter, Linda asked Rusty to join them. Much to her delight, he picked it right up and held it all the way down the beach! Linda was beaming when she told me about it the next week.

While at the beach, Linda also ran into some civil war reenactors who were also riding standardbreds. When she told one of the men that Rusty was also a standardbred, he chimed in with, "I've only seen one other standardbred that color. He was at the Retirement Foundation and his name was Sea It Ain't So. I wanted to adopt him, but when I came back the next time, he was already gone!" Talk about a small world! Linda told the gentleman that she's glad he missed out because she wouldn't trade Rusty for the world.

This past Wednesday was our sixth session together, and I was lucky enough to have Mike come along for the ride. He brought his camera and recorded our progress. The barn also got a new round pen this week, so I got to introduce Rusty to that concept (also something he's obviously never done before). But Rusty is extremely, extremely smart (I swear he speaks English) and I suspect he'll have it down to an art in no time.

Rusty in the round pen for the first time.

Despite the fact that we'd missed two weeks in a row due to Thanksgiving and then inclement weather, Rusty was on his best behavior, and tried his heart out. He warmed up in both directions, even giving me lovely leg yields on his bad side. We did some running walk, working on softening his topline and relaxing his back to smooth out the gait. Then we picked up a lovely trot. Each week he gets slower and steadier. When I asked for the canter, Rusty stepped right out. After giving him a few laps to get going, I started asking him to slow it down and just roll. He nailed it!

At the end of the lesson, Linda got on board for some coaching. She's a former barrel racer and has always ridden fully trained horses, almost all of whom were quarter horses. Very different from a former Amish cart horse! Linda is picking up all the 'dressage' concepts I'm teaching her very quickly, and I suspect she and Rusty will have great success together.

I'm excited to working with them for the foreseeable future.

Standardbreds can't canter.

Double Product Review

That's right, I have TWO products to review today. As usual, both products were shipped to me from chewy.com. They have seriously become the only place I order dog stuff online. I get Herbie's bladder control supplement from them. I order the occasional wet food from them. I even ordered a whole slew of Kong Xtreme toys just the other week. Their customer service and delivery time cannot be beat, something that I've really come to appreciate since my recent fiasco with FedEx and getting my laptop repaired... but I digress...

NutriSource Grain-Free Biscuits

I'm always looking for a variety of treats, training rewards, etc. for my dogs. Julio is not a picky eater, but Herbie has definite preferences. Those preferences include moist treats, so when I ordered these, I suspected she might not be a huge fan. I went for the liver flavor because that is something Herbie enjoys. 

The ingredient list was one that I liked. There was nothing I couldn't pronounce, and I was impressed at a grain-free dry biscuit. Anything that wasn't self-explanatory was broken down into plain English right on the label. I love pet treats that I can understand. It's also a good source of L-carnitine, which is useful in overweight dogs (doesn't apply to me, but good to know).

Of course, I loved the zipper on the bag. Any packaging that I can re-use and store easily is a plus. I was also pleasantly surprised at how many biscuits were in the bag. They're pretty big biscuits, so I wasn't expecting very many, especially for the price (just under $7). There were plenty in there, though!

So what did the dogs think? Well, of course Julio loved them. More impressively, he actually had to slow down and chew them. And Herbie? She surprised me! I offered her a biscuit and she bit it in half, dropping a piece on the floor. Julio gobbled it and she actually looked disappointed! I broke the next biscuit up (they come apart easily, for those of you with smaller dogs!) and she took piece after piece, tail wagging. Huh... I found a hard dog treat that Herbie actually likes?? I'll take it!

Merrick Texas Toothpicks

Merrick is a brand that I absolutely love, so I'm always eager to try new products from them. The toothpicks were a bit pricey. They were on sale for $18, which is more than I usually spend on dog goodies. I will say that there were many toothpicks in the bag, and that they probably last longer with less destructive chewers.

Once again I loved the zipper bag.

And the ingredient list is as follows:
Beef tails.

That's it. It doesn't get any simpler than that. Bonus points for being locally sourced and made in the USA. 

I jumped on these because I am always looking for things my two can munch safely to clean their teeth. 

I will say I'm disappointed in the size of the toothpicks. They were devoured in record time. My dogs loved them, but I wish they came in a bigger size. 

With that said, I'm still pretty pleased with the product. Unlike bully sticks and raw hides, there was no icky odor while they chewed. The dogs are excited every time I grab the bag. 

I would rate BOTH of these products a solid four stars.

WW: Beach Photos

(delayed due to technical difficulties)

Mike and I went to Island Beach on Sunday. It was so windy that I don't even have the words for it. The waves were crashing to the shore, and the foam was 'walking' across the sand from the wind blowing it. Sand was whipping everywhere. We went up along the  beach to our jetty, then decided (probably wisely) not to risk going out on the rocks. We decided to walk back down the bay side of the island, where the dunes sheltered us from the worst of the wind. There we saw many birds and lots of horseshoe crabs. We explored new trails on the way back to the car and saw a lovely sunset. We also saw a handful of foxes, though none were as friendly as the one I photographed a few winters ago. It was a great escape from the daily grind. Have a million photos :)

Romeo's Tale

I don't talk much about what goes on at the clinic, or mention the resident cats very often. This week, I do have a story to share though.

I rescued Romeo as a kitten from my old boss, Dana's, house. He's the litter mate to Erin's little girl, Harley, who Herbie adored as a kitten. They were born in Dana's back yard, as part of an out-of-control feral cat colony that Dana and her family refused to do anything about. Their other sister got snatched by one of Dana's under exercised dogs and suffered a broken pelvis. Thankfully, the vet at work managed to save the kitten and piece her pelvis back together. When Romeo came in to be neutered,  none of us had the heart to send him back where he came from, even though he was half-feral himself and really didn't want to be handled, let alone tamed.

Long story short, Romeo ended up staying at the farm. He grew up to be best friends with Edison, the resident cat who raised Herbie. Still, he remained wary of people. For two and a half years, I saw him come and go, and never laid a hand on him, despite the fact that I worked at the clinic three days a week, fed him whenever the vet was away, and boarded my horses there.

Then, Romeo went missing. It turns out he had wandered down the street and gotten trapped in the course of a local TNR job. Thankfully, he's neutered and ended up at Animal Control. Since we're close with the dog warden, it wasn't long before we got a call. Romeo was at the local shelter, ready to be picked up.

From that moment on, Romeo's personality totally turned around. I guess the time in the cage gave him some perspective. Suddenly, he became affectionate and bold, even greeting the occasional stranger. In fact, I nearly had a heart attack the next time I farm sat for the vet because Romeo unexpectedly came up next to me and climbed in my lap. I was totally startled since there were no other animals in the room, and I never would have expected him to do such a thing.

This spring, the vet heard gunshots from the property behind us. It wasn't hunting season and she wondered what the fuss was about. As some of you may know, we've had a bit of a neighbor dispute with the farm manager and her husband for several years now. Things have settled down some in the recent past, but it's still tense and neither party cares for the other.

At the end of that day, Romeo didn't come home. The next day, there was no sign of him. The vet sent Patrick, the boy who works at the farm taking care of the animals and property, out to look for the missing cat. Romeo adored Patrick, and vice versa. Patrick searched and searched and called and called. He brought wet food, which the cats rarely get and really see as a special treat. He spent days trying to find Romeo, or a body. There was no sign of either.

Eventually, we all gave up. Of course, we assumed the worst, figuring the jerk of a neighbor had shot our cat. With no way to prove it, there was no legal action to be taken. I sincerely hoped this wasn't the case. The neighbor can be a real oaf, and very intimidating, but I wanted to believe that he wouldn't take it out on an innocent animal. Personally, I figured Romeo had probably been killed by a fox, coyote, or fisher cat, or had been hit by a car on some back road.

Then, one day several months later, while driving to work, I caught a flash of orange tabby out of the corner of my eye. Out of the corn field on my right sprinted a fluffy cat, and it only took half a second for me to realize it was Romeo. He darted in front of my car and I locked up my brakes trying not to hit him.

I rushed to work and blurted to the vet, "You'll never guess who I saw this morning!"

The vet didn't believe me, and after a while, I started wondering if the cat I had seen was just some other orange tabby.

Just last month, however, a volunteer from a local rescue came in. Lars, our other orange tabby, was on the porch with Iko. The volunteer asked, "Where's the other orange cat? He's a real sweetie."
"That was Romeo. He's been missing," I replied sadly.
"For how long?"
"Since spring."
"That's not possible," the volunteer replied. "I just saw him last week."
"What? Where?!?"

The volunteer went on to describe where she saw Romeo, and it happened to be the exact spot where I'd nearly run him over a few months back.

And so Romeo got this reputation as a sort of ghost cat. We puzzled over why he wouldn't come home. The farm cats have a great life, and Edison was obviously depressed over the loss of his best friend. None of it made sense, and we assumed that someone in the nearby neighborhood must be feeding him and letting him in their house. We contemplated putting up posters asking for his return, but it just never happened.

On Monday, the phone rang like it does a million times a day. I picked up with my usual, "Hello, McSNIP, this is Dom. How can I help you?"
It was the dog warden and what she said next got my heart rate going. "Hi Dom. We have a cat over here, and I'm pretty sure he's yours."
"O my gosh, is it the fluffy orange one??"
"That's the one!"

The dog warden went on to explain that there's a woman in the neighborhood on the road I saw Romeo on. She has two black cats of her own, and she called Animal Control to complain about a feral orange tabby who keeps coming to her house to harass them. She has tried chasing him away, but he just won't leave. She was contacting AC to see if they could come trap and relocate him, and the dog warden remembered us mentioning that Romeo was missing.

With shaking hands, I jotted down the address and hung up the phone.

I ran outside and shouted for Patrick, who was fixing a fence at the far end of the horse pasture.
"THEY FOUND ROMEO!!" I called, and I thought Patrick was going to sprint across thirty acres in response.

An hour later, Patrick returned with a cat carrier in hand. Inside was a large, fluffy, orange cat. He looked like hell. His coat was matted and dirty. He had lost some weight. He looked like a wild beast. In fact, I wasn't convinced it was Romeo at all. Of course, we have all the cats microchipped, and one quick scanned confirmed his identity.

But what's amazing about all of this is the story of Patrick going to retrieve him.

He showed up at the woman's house, knocked on the door, and explained who he was. The woman shrugged and told him, "Well, he's a feral cat. I don't know when he'll be here. Sometimes I see him. Sometimes I don't."
Patrick politely told her that we love Romeo and want him home safely. He went back to his car and called over his shoulder, "If you see him, please give us a call!"
And as Patrick's voice echoed across the yard, he was answered by a loud meow from the woods across the street. Patrick turned around to find a bedraggled Romeo emerging from tree line.
"Romeo! Come here, buddy!" he called.

And just like some scene out of a Disney movie, Romeo came running across the road and into Patrick's lap.

The woman was dumbfounded. "I can't believe it," she shook her head. "In all these months, I've never been able to lay a hand on that cat."

Of course, we're all a little perplexed about Romeo's lengthy disappearance. He was less than half a mile from home the whole time, but he never came back. He obviously wasn't thriving in his new environment and he seems to be relieved to be back. My best guess is that he was on the other side of the neighbor's property when the gun shots went off, and was too scared to come back across that farm to come home.

Regardless, I really hope he'll stay put now.

Sunday Stills: Dogs

On the couch.

In her bed.

On my lap.

This time of year, the dogs just want to snuggle.

Back on a Paso

So this is way, way, way overdue (I'm talking almost five months!) but Mike is out plowing and I'm sitting at home looking through old photos, and I realized that I never talked about the fact that I got back on a Paso this summer!

After I broke my leg, I went back to riding as soon as my doctor allowed it. I had actually transitioned into giving lessons pretty much the second I got steady-ish on my crutches, so getting back in the saddle was the next logical step. I had a lot of physical obstacles to overcome on the road to recovery, but mentally, I seemed to be a-ok. A year after the accident, I was back in full swing, but as the months passed, the one thing I never got to do was get back on a Paso Fino.

Now, I obviously don't blame the accident on the fact that Willow was a Paso Fino. In fact, I don't even blame the horse. However, I don't interact with Pasos very often, and I wasn't sure how I would feel if the opportunity to ride one arose. Unfortunately for these horses, many of them seem to either start off in bad hands or end up in them. It's through no fault of the horses, but it's a disturbing pattern, and some of the stories I've seen since that fateful day in 2013 absolutely break my heart.

Then, Marissa met Ethan, and I rode with the two of them at a hunter pace this past spring. Ethan was on his young, adorable Paso, Gitano del Viejo, aka Mooch. By the end of the hunter pace, I was totally fascinated by this brave, fast-steppin' horse, and in awe of the relationship he and Ethan seemed to have. Mooch was sweet, playful, and totally charming.

In the spring, I rode Steel in her first CDR and met Cheryl and her Paso, Sooner. After fifteen miles with them, I decided that Sooner was exactly the type of Paso I would want to get on and ride. Cheryl generously offered to let me take him to a CTR some time.

But on July 4th, Mike and I wound up going over to Ethan and Marissa's for a party. It just so happens that they live in the same town we do, about five minutes away from our apartment. It's a wonder we don't hang out more than we do, something that needs to be remedied ASAP. On that particular day, Marissa had loaned me her trailer so I could ship Dancer to a new barn, and when I returned it, she invited us to hang out for the festivities.

The party was an absolute riot. We drank beer, laughed uproariously, enjoyed a pig roast, and stuffed ourselves stupid. The other benefit of the party was that the barn that Ethan keeps Mooch at is right in the back yard. It's actually a Paso Fino farm and many of the horses there are successful show  horses. There were a lot of very knowledgeable Paso people floating around, and the horses were definitely the center of attention that night. Well, the horses and Poncho, the beer-toting donkey!

I got a kick out of watching the Pasos do exactly what they were bred for... showing off! They were elegant, quick, and so so smooth. Best of all, they all seemed to be thriving on the energy of the party and really kicked it into gear the more the crowd cheered them on. It was very unlike anything I've experienced in the horse world before.

Of course, Ethan wanted to get in on the action too, and it wasn't long after we arrived that he got Mooch out and started getting him saddled.

I followed Ethan over to the round pen at the back of the property, and watched him do some groundwork with the little gelding. It was very different from how I do ground work, and I was fascinated as I took a million photos.

Before long, Ethan had mounted and was riding Mooch around the pen. The light was wonderful and they were kicking up dust as they circled the center post.

After their warm up, they went down to the main track, where the sounding board is located. This was also something I hadn't seen in person before, and it was a ton of fun to watch! Ethan and Mooch went around and around, and each time the horse's hooves beat a staccato on the wood, faster and faster and faster.

Next thing I knew, Ethan was holding the reins toward me and asking, "Want to give it a try?"

I'll admit I hesitated. I was surrounded by strangers, and while I love Mooch, I really don't know him very well. My hesitation was short-lived, however, as everyone started egging me on and asking me, "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Ok, ok!" I finally caved. "But you all have to promise not to make fun of me."

I did get laughed at when I insisted on wearing my helmet, which just happened to be in my car.

"You have to promise to be nice to me," I whispered to Mooch as I put my foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle.

Not gonna lie, I was pretty much terrified. Logically, I knew this was a nice horse who takes care of his rider, but emotionally, I was a wreck.

That didn't last long either though. Mooch walked cautiously around with me for a few steps, seeming to sense that I wasn't ready to go rocketing off just yet. Finally, I took a deep breath and clucked to him... and we were off at a speedy corto. 

Suddenly, my fears melted away and I was delighted. Mooch 100% knows his job, and he was smooth, smooth, smooth. We flew around the figure eight-shaped track and hit the sounding board for the first time. With zero assistance from me, Mooch nailed it.

I couldn't hold it in any more. I was squealing like a little kid and giggling my fool head off.

There just so happened to be an international Paso Fino judge at the party, and he arrived at the track just after I climbed on board. Just like that I was getting a mini-lesson on the proper way to ride a Paso. Of course, the judge didn't know anything about my history with the breed. It was nice to hear that I didn't completely suck. Haha.

I got down feeling completely elated. Mooch had been very good for me, and I felt like this ride had been the closure I needed without even knowing about it. While I still know very little about the breed as a whole, I will say that I would be thrilled to ride other nice Pasos in the future, if the opportunity came up. It may not be my scene personally, but I totally get the appeal of the breed!

And of course, special thanks goes out to Ethan for sharing his wonderful horse with me. He is very generous with Mooch and loves to spread the joy that is the Paso Fino. I don't think he realizes how big of a deal this was for me, but I truly appreciate it.

WW: JR

Sunday Stills: Dog Walking

Saturday Snaps: Silly Dogs

Julio takes a selfie.

Herbie hates winter.

I call this pose 'potato legs'. Don't ask.

Impromptu WV Trip

Last week, Liz made a half-joking comment on Facebook about having us come down for the weekend. It took us about two and a half seconds to decide we were going. After all, I haven't had an out of state ride since the beginning of September, and we are long overdue for a West Virginia trip (it's been three months, and we can't have that!) It would be a nice ending to what was proving to be a pretty miserable week.

We got up bright and early on Saturday morning to make the seven hour drive. We left the dogs home with Dyandra, and packed light. We also decided to take a new route down to avoid 81. Both Google Maps and Liz recommended the 220 exit in Bedford.

And then I got pulled over.

Mike, my trusty co-pilot, has a knack for spotting cops before they're a problem, but he had closed his eyes for a few minutes. I had just finished ditching a particularly rude Mazda driver and came whipping around a bend in the highway, admittedly going too fast. I saw the police car immediately, but it was too late. He pulled out right behind me, and I knew I'd gotten nailed. Mike woke up to a string of curse words from me. The cop followed me long enough to run my plates before flicking on his lights.

I pulled to the wide shoulder obediently, and had the engine off, the four-ways on, and my paperwork out before the officer was out of his car. I have found that being cooperative can help your case.

In the process of pulling out my paperwork, I realized that my current insurance card never made it to my glove box! It came in the mail when my car was in the shop after the accident in June, and even though I swear I stuck it in my purse, I couldn't find it there either. I had just enough time to really panic before I realized that Pennsylvania doesn't require insurance, and he wasn't even going to ask for it. Phew! (I called my insurance company right away and they emailed me a new card, which is now safely tucked with my license and registration.)

"The reason I pulled you over is because I clocked you going 85 in a 65," he told me. Ouch. I knew I was going fast, but I didn't think I was going that fast. Bad Dom! Also, of course I was on the stretch of turnpike that's not 70mph yet.
"I didn't realize I was going that fast. I'm very sorry," I told him, and handed over my paperwork.
"Where are you heading today?"
"West Virginia, sir."

He went back to his car and I could see him printing a citation. Twenty over in NJ is a huge deal and there's no way a state trooper at home would have let me get off with anything less than the full ticket. I was dreading this. Plus, in NJ, that kind of speeding is a mandatory court appearance. By this point, we were nearly four hours away from home. It was not a drive I was looking forward to making in the dead of winter.

When the officer came back, I was stunned. "As I said, I got you going 85 in a 65. I did write you a citation, but it's not for speeding." My brain raced. What the heck could it be instead? All my lights are in working order, I was wearing my seat belt, I wasn't on the phone, I signaled when I moved over. Every little nit picky thing that he could use as an excuse I had done right. "Here in Pennsylvania we have a mandate that you probably don't know about. I am issuing you a citation for 'not obeying the rules of the turnpike'. It's a fine, but no points, and it's not classified as a moving violation."
"Wow. Ok. Thank you so much..." I could feel Mike glaring at me.

It was a very generous thing of the trooper to do. I paid my $130 fine and it won't affect my driving record or my insurance. Plus I won't have to go back out to the middle of nowhere for court. My thought is that either the officer was being really nice to me, or that he didn't actually clock me. I'm sure he could tell I was speeding, which gave  him ample reason to pull me over, but if he didn't actually get a reading (I swear I wasn't going over 80mph!) he can't actually issue a speeding ticket. I don't know. Maybe I'm jaded. Either way, it was a relief, and didn't put as much of a damper on our trip as it could have.

The rest of the ride went uneventfully. The new route was an open country road that wound through the Appalachians with lovely scenery to stare at (and lots of cows). Before long, we were in familiar country in Maryland, then WV. We only stopped for gas, and arrived in Elkins around 1pm, famished.

Our GPS did try to take the creative route to where we were meeting Liz, but with the help of some landmarks, it didn't take her long to get us to our destination. After catching up for a few minutes and using the bathroom, we piled into Liz's car to get lunch.

We wound up going to Beander's, a local bar.

Photo stolen from the Beander's Facebook.

The whole place smelled delicious and we seated ourselves and grabbed menus. I was overwhelmed by the selection. Everything sounded absolutely amazing. Liz suggested getting the fries, promising that they were to die for. In the end, I went with a Hawaiian chicken sandwich, fries (with cheese), and a locally brewed blonde beer. As promised, the fries were incredible. The sandwich was also amazing, and I wolfed it down in record time. They even had the good pickles!

From there, we went over to Big Timber Brewing Company for more locally brewed beer. Hooray day drinking!

Also stolen from Facebook.

In the time we were there, we tried all their brews. We also watched ice skating and caught up on all the latest goings-on in each other's lives. I also bought some swag. I was overdue for a properly fitted hooded sweatshirt, so I snagged one of those. They also had t-shirts in blaze orange. I've been terrible about following my trail system's hunting rules. I deck my horse out in lime green for visibility, but I don't actually own anything orange. So I bought one of those too, and left the bar looking like a local (or something).

Somewhere in there, we realized that I've never really ridden Griffin. I've sat on him, but only after he was already worked, and only for a short period of time. Despite the cold temperatures and the fact that I had brought zero riding gear with me, we decided to change that right then and there. We trekked out to the barn, where Griffin was hiding on the other side of the barn from the rest of the herd. Liz retrieved him, and he came right in even though he had already been ridden that day. He looked a bit puzzled, but was game to play along. 

Liz ran him through his paces to see what kind of mood he was in, and I borrowed her helmet and climbed on board. What a nice little horse! After the initial, "Hi, do I know you?" he did everything I asked. I even asked him to frame up at the trot, and he did. Did I mention he has a lovely canter? I kept it short, but got a good feel for the horse in the mean time. It was interesting to ride him. He's pretty much exactly the same age as Booger, but has had a lot more miles, and has been handled properly longer than she has. I couldn't help but compare and contrast them. Booger feels lighter and softer in a lot of ways, but Griffin's willingness and attitude win hands down. He also has a better forward button than she does. 

We wrapped it up after that. Mike in particular was pretty frozen. 

Of course, no visit would be complete without seeing/torturing Atticus, so we swung by Liz's apartment to see him. He has gotten so big. While we were there, I totally fell in love with Hodor. Last time we saw him, Liz had just gotten him and he hadn't settled in yet. This time, he plunked himself right in my lap, purring up a storm. I want a handsome orange tabby to cuddle all over me! I would have taken him home in a heartbeat if Mike and I had any actual interest in having an indoor cat.

Next, we stopped at Walmart for supplies for the night. While we were there, we called in a dinner order for  El Gran Sabor, the Venezuelan place that we tried on our first visit. 

More internet photos.

I've been craving their cachapas regularly since then, and it was tough not to gobble down half my food on the car ride again. This time, I got a full meal, including a shrimp soup. Despite the fact that we had eaten a big lunch, the aroma had me ravenous again the second we walked through the door to pick up our order.

From there, we settled in for the night. Mike and I were looking forward to just relaxing and hanging out. All of our trips to WV have been whirlwind adventures, but we assured Liz that we were ok with just chilling and lazing around, especially since winter is fast approaching. 

So we ran back to the house, watched the second half of a Robin Williams movie, ate our dinner, and waited for some of Liz's friends to arrive. She was having a get together, and it promised to be a good time.

After that, it's a bit of a blur. We played Cards Against Humanity, drank rum, vodka, and beer, and generally had a good time. Mike finished his entire growler from Big Timber, and wound up doing a Boston Darth Vader impersonation that you would have to see to believe. 

Eventually, I wandered over to the arm chair on the other side of the room. Sadly for me, it turned out that it reclined and was super comfy. Before I knew it, I was out like a light. When I woke up again, there were faces I didn't even recognize, and Mike was sitting at the foot of the stairs, trying to have some kind of serious conversation. Haha.

Liz put us up in the guest bedroom for the night. We had our own bathroom and everything! Very fancy. Mike and I slept like the dead. The bed was very comfy, it was super dark, and the house was quiet. I wish I could sleep like that every night.

We were up around 9am on Sunday morning. I woke up feeling perky, but Mike had a pounding headache and was a bit sluggish, and not his usual sunshine self. Liz and her friend, D, were already up and had breakfast half ready when we got up. Eggs, coffee, and buckwheat pancakes (which I'd never had, but totally adore). 

While eating breakfast, we watched The Internship, which Mike and I have seen a bunch of times, but which cracks me up every single time. I also totally fell in love with Liz's parents' dog, Jetta. I think my next dog is going to be something small, quiet, and low energy. I could get used to a dog sitting in my lap without putting my legs to sleep!

After breakfast, we decided that a trip to WV wouldn't be complete without seeing 'pretty things'. After a brief discussion of our options, we settled on Spruce Knob. I've never been any other place like it, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of being up there.

The drive took a little over an hour, and it was interesting to watch the roads change with the elevation. There were parts where we made good time, and parts where Liz had to kick it in four-wheel and we were driving on snow. We wound our way up the mountain at a much less hair-raising pace than last time.

This time, instead of parking at the top by the lookout tower, Liz pulled into a pull-off and had us walk up to the boulder field. I was woefully under prepared for this short walk. I have gotten old and out of shape and was winded halfway up. Liz, meanwhile, pranced lightly ahead of us with Kenai darting happily in front of her. 

It was bitterly, bitterly cold up there, and I was shivering despite my hat and Carhartt. Still, the view was utterly worth it. I snapped a ton of photos in a short period of time before slip-sliding back down the trail to the car.

We took some time to pose for photos against the nice backdrop before piling back into the SUV. Liz and I goofed off for the camera, and would have totally forgotten to pose nicely at all if Mike hadn't reminded us to 'act normal for a minute'. I tried to goof off with Mike too, but he refuses to partake in my shenanigans. 

Liz decided to take us down the other side of the mountain on the way home. It would be a longer route in terms of mileage, but all the roads were paved that way. Plus, the added bonus was that we would get to drive past Seneca Rocks, the one famous landmark from Liz's blog that we hadn't seen yet! That was a rock formation unlike any other I'd seen in person before. I'm not badass enough to rock climb, but I can totally see the appeal!

After a brief stop for photos, we drove back to the house. Liz pointed out various points of interest while Mike dozed in the back. We had told Liz we wanted to leave around 2pm, and she got us back to my car at 2 o'clock on the dot! We packed our stuff, said our goodbyes, and hit the road.

I managed to make really good time on the way home, but without driving like a maniac or getting pulled over. We did a drive thru for chicken nuggets, which I only crave on road trips or after surgery, apparently. Other than that, we just made one gas stop. We were home before bed time, and were able to get a full night of sleep before getting back to the daily grind on Monday morning.

It was the perfect weekend get away. Just enough time to sort of reset. As always, Liz was the perfect host and tour guide, and we left WV wondering why on earth we still live up here.