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More Trail Riding

5/13/2019

My friend Marci and I have spent many, MANY hours on the trail together. She was my second endurance partner, and the one I rode with the longest. We traveled all over California and even into Nevada doing endurance rides. Together, we completed grueling 100-milers, cruised the deserts of southern California, and even conquered valleys carved by glaciers in the Sierra Nevada. We rode together for 16 years. I recently asked her how many endurance miles she has now. Her answer? Over 21,000. She's in the top 50 of all endurance riders for total miles ridden. She knows her stuff.

Me on the left riding Montoya DSA and Marci on the right riding FM Torch.

We met up at the Summer Lane Farm trail ride the weekend before last where she brought her brand new horse - she'd only had him a few days. When I realized that her more seasoned horses were all getting some time off, I quickly asked if she'd like a trail buddy for Gem, her new horse. We joked that the pair of Gem and Izzy would be like the blind leading the blind, but neither of us was willing to pass up having a buddy.

Marci on Gem at Summerlane Farm's trail ride.

She sent me an email during the week and asked if I would be game for a trail ride over the weekend. I immediately replied with a heck yeah! I am 100% committed to getting Izzy out and about this summer; he's ready. Having a friend out there on the trail, even one as green as Gem, is still better than heading out alone.

Hanging out in Marci's yard.

Riding with a pro like Marci makes bringing along an insecure horse so much easier. Like me, nothing phases Marci on the trail other than outright rudeness. We follow the same trail courtesy: no one trots or canters off until everyone is ready, everyone waits at water until each horse has had his fill, horses who prefer the front take the lead, and everyone waits until each horse has navigated the obstacle safely.

Over the years, we've ridden so many miles together that Saturday's ride was filled with giggles and outright laughter as each horse took his turn worrying about one thing or the other. Gem wasn't thrilled with the muddy puddles while Izzy plodded on through. Izzy wasn't excited with the human contraptions lying around the busy equestrian center we rode though. Gem didn't bat an eye.

Rancho Rio was having a family style barrel racing event that we decided to crash. It was an excellent opportunity to give both boys a look at a "show," or in Gem's case, an "endurance base camp." Marci jokingly called us Mutt and Jeff. Izzy towers over Arabian-sized Gem. With Marci on her Arab in her endurance tack and me in my dressage tack on the monster-sized Izzy, we got more than a few comments and questions. How tall is he? was the most common one.

Alert, but not anxious.

Izzy had another really great experience. Besides the barrel race, we asked the horses to walk through narrow single track trail closed in with dense brush. We also rode by the canal's weir where water was rushing past. We plodded over the narrow bike bridges made of steel and concrete that echo and vibrate as the horses move across them. We rode alongside the canal and even asked them to step over logs. This is the kind of stuff that turns an insecure horse into one brimming with confidence.

Confident yet?

It just might take a few more rides. Or years. Or however long. It's worth it though. You can bet we'll be doing more rides with Gem and Marci.

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Bareback Dressage

5/9/2019

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There are some days when it takes everything that I have to climb up in the saddle. I know I am not unique in that feeling. Working full time while keeping two horses fit can be a real challenge. For the past two afternoons I've had parent and staff meetings that kept me at work an extra 45 minutes. On top of that, I had to run and pick up my team's t-shirts for tomorrow's Battle of the Books. With all of that, I didn't even make it to the barn until long after I've normally saddled.

He's nearly finished shedding. You can almost see the shine on his shoulder.

Instead of saddling, I decided to forego the leather and ride in a halter. My plan was to just get Speedy out for his mental health. While he has 12 hours of turnout, he really enjoys his job and gets anxious when he feels ignored.

I decided to mosey around the neighborhood loop which takes about a half an hour. If I add every nook and cranny, I can get closer to an hour. I didn't really have the time or energy for that, so I opted for the shorter loop.

This view always makes me smile.

Speedy had other plans though. As we passed the Haner Family Farm's gobbling turkeys, honking geese, and barking dogs, Speedy flung his tail over and his back and grew ten inches. We made it past, but as we approached the little drop down to the next road, it's actually pretty steep, a backhoe on the next property dropped its load. I hopped off. Even I have enough sense not to bareback it down a steep hill onto a road when my horse has just grown pogo sticks for legs.

I led him down the hill and turned him toward the backhoe which kept doing its job. I let him look at while his brain slid back into place. When Speedy's blood gets boiling though, it takes him quite a while to cool off. I didn't really want to walk home, so I pushed him into a ditch and hopped back on - 42 pounds ago, I wouldn't have been to do that, so go me.

Before he grew pogo sticks for legs.

Speedy pranced and jigged and sassed his bad boy self the rest of the way home. While he was a bit naughty, it's just his way of showing off. Some day I'll miss those spicy rides, but since he had so much energy, I decided to use it. Instead of walking back to the tack room, I turned toward the arena instead.

For a long time, Speedy refused to trot or canter when I rode bareback. I was positive that he was unsure of my ability to stay balanced on his back. Eventually, my seat got better, and I could coax a trot from him. It's been quite a while since I've asked him to do anything but walk bareback, so I wasn't sure what I would get.

Since he was tight and bouncy, I decided to work on the leg yield across the diagonal. When those went well, I changed the bend and asked for the half pass across the diagonal. If you can ride your horse bareback, I strongly recommend both of those movements for showing you where your balance lies and how (in)effective your aids might be. It took a few kicks with my MUDS (I hadn't even worn proper boots!), but I actually got a half pass while bareback in a halter. Not too shabby.

He always makes me smile.

Then I decided to push it a little further and work on some simple changes. His patience had grown a bit thin by then, but that's when I can get some of Speedy's best work. When his emotions run higher, he gets even more determined. Since his canter was so collected, I bent him through the corner and asked for a canter half pass. The first few efforts were anything but a half pass, but eventually, he gave up the fight and gave me some strides that were correct.

What started out as a quick hack around the neighborhood bareback in a halter turned into a full dressage school. So much for short on time and energy. Where there's a will, there's usually a way.

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A Group Outing

5/6/2019

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Oh, man oh man, am I ever excited! Over the weekend, I finally got tired of making excuses for Izzy and decided to take him to Summerlane Farm's annual trail ride. It's about time he starts earning his keep.

Izzy and I are in the center, behind everyone else. PC Gordon Walter

With Speedy being such a complete rock star, it's hard to justify taking a horse with questionable brakes and unreliable deportment on a group trail ride. I never want to be that rider, the one who causes the wreck or forces everyone to scatter in fear for their lives. So whenever one of these events comes around, I always chicken out and leave Izzy at home. Not this time!

Is that MY horse? Look at him! He's a total beefcake! PC Carol Walter

I pulled into Summerlane Farm just after a few other riders had unloaded their horses. I parked close enough that Izzy could see them, but not close enough that he would start to feel attached to any of them. I backed him off the trailer and let him get a good eyeful. I was tempted to walk him around, but knowing him like I do, I knew that would just give him a reason to over-react. Instead, I hung a hay net, filled a bucket of water, and told him to just chill out.

Chillin' out as instructed.

On the drive out to Summerlane Farm, I waffled between feeling supremely optimistic (our lesson with STC Dressage a few weeks before had shown me that Izzy can handle being off property) and prepared for the worst. And then, I decided that I have prepared this horse really, really well so there was no reason to expect anything less than a well-behaved equine citizen. That's exactly what I got.

That's us on the far left.

There were eight of us in total, everyone else on an Arab or Arab cross. These are Speedy's friends after all. Izzy looked like quite the tank out amongst his more diminutive cousins, but no one held his size against him. There were a few times that he crowded against someone, but no one took it personally. And when someone ran into him, I laughed and explained that barging into him is like trying to dent a tank; no harm done.

I had so much fun! Can you tell?

Summerlane Farm is situated just outside of town in the orange groves. There are miles and miles of wide dirt roads, perfect for green beans and horses with little trail experience. Izzy started out a bit tense, jigging his way behind the crowd. But since the trail is my true home, I let my legs drape loosely as I flexed him from side to side, insisting that he unlock his poll. Once I realized that he preferred to be near the front, his back lengthened, and he happily fell into a marching walk.

Happy to stand and let me snap photos.

For two hours we made our way up and down hills, past water tanks, mounds of fertilizer, bee boxes, and even the massively loud (and really weird) machine that saws off the tops of the trees. You can see one here in action. While Izzy gave a few things the hairy eyeball, which strangely did not include the tree chopping thing, he basically just motored right along. After about 45 minutes, he gave a huge sigh, and from that point on, I rode him on the buckle.

When we got back to Summerlane Farm, I hosed him off, freshened up his water, and left him to rest for the better part of two hours. This group always does a potluck lunch which is hard to walk away from. I never once worried about him. Like I said, I've prepared this horse well. When I walked back to the truck to load him up, Izzy turned to look at me as he continued chewing. As expected, he had stood patiently and completely relaxed.

I loaded him up for home as though Saturday group trail rides were his normal. When we got home, he seemed almost surprised to be back so soon.

Not for sale.

My old endurance partner just got a new horse that she rode with us. She and I have made some tentative plans to ride together over the next month or so. I remember feeling so connected to my horses after finishing an endurance ride. There is just something about the trail that gives horses confidence in both themselves and their rider.

I think Izzy and I could really use some trail rides to strengthen our relationship. Saturday is looking like a good day to do that.

6 Comments

Hitting the Reset Button

10/10/2018

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Alright ... Speedy's not fired, but he's on probation.

I am of course just kidding about all that. The dude has earned the right to live out his days with me or move on to someone else. It's his choice, really. In the meantime, I decided to take Chemaine Hurtado's advice and just hit the reset button.

Yesterday, I grabbed my riding rope halter - it has rings to attach reins, and my helmet. I didn't even change into riding boots. I wore my muck boots instead. After running a brush over Speedy's back and picking out his feet, I hopped up on him bareback.

We spent the next 40 minutes walking around the neighborhood. Speedy got quite saucy when we passed the Haner Family Farm - none of the horses like walking by there, so we did a little bit of collected work as he pranced down the road.

I am not sure one ride was enough to hit his reset button, so he may get one more of those bareback with a halter rides before we go back to full work. I think we have a lesson on Friday.

Back to the grind, my friend, back to the grind.

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Where's Izzy?

9/13/2018

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The last you heard, he was a complete jackass. I am not going to say he's turned into a sweetheart - oh my God, that would be great; but no. In his defense, after that first ride with shoes, he settled right down and was actually quite a nice boy to ride.

From this summer.

I am only ever frustrated with him when he forgets that he's 10 years old instead of 3. Those are the days when we have to have a come to Jesus ride. Those involve a lot of praying - probably by both us. Since we had several very submissive rides in a row earlier this week - and it was hot as hell, I decided to take him up to the old golf course.

It's private property, but the owner doesn't seem to mind that I ride out there. He keeps it mowed and watered, but there are still places with tricky footing (gopher holes, etc.). There are some small undulating hills and a copse of trees that I like to weave him through. It gets his mind off being anxious.

From late spring.

He was a bit of jerk, but it was fun to canter out in the open over terrain that wasn't flat and smooth. Once he started focusing on where his feet were going, he seemed to enjoy himself; for a minute anyway.

Even though he was wringing wet, his own fault, I rode back to the ranch and put him to work in the arena. We did a minute or two of trot work and then picked up the canter both ways. It was almost funny. His trot and canter suddenly got very relaxed and supple. I could see him thinking, oh, thank God it's so NICE to be HERE. The arena suddenly seemed to be his happy place.

Big baby. That's okay. A win is a win.

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Endurance 101: Check Your Gear!

5/11/2018

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Oh, how quickly they forget, and when I say "they" I mean me. Endurance riders learn early on that all tack and gear must serve a very real purpose. Nothing is worn simply because it looks good. The distances traveled - 50 to 100 miles in a single day, are just too long to have unnecessary tack or gear weighing you down.

Training ride - June 2009

Last weekend, I did an hour and a half trail ride with a group of friends. As I was packing my gear into the trailer, I grabbed everything that I normally use: saddle, pad, girth, bridle, helmet, gloves, and leg boots. And that's where I made my mistake.

Fleece below the belly is a no-no.

When I untacked Speedy at the end of the ride, I groaned. His fleece boots were completely covered with embedded foxtails. That's when I remembered that endurance riders don't use fleece below the belly; no fleece on bell boots and no fleece on leg boots.

I spent a solid 30 minutes picking those little boogers out muttering under my breath the entire time.

And since I am so out of practice, I'll probably make the same rookie mistake next year!

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Spring Trail Ride

5/9/2018

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Speedy doesn't get to do much trail work anymore, neither does Izzy for that matter, so I was particularly glad to hear that Summerlane Farm was hosting their annual trail ride and potluck lunch this past Sunday.

Ranch owner drove so I got to be the passenger for once. Speedy is in the front stall.

Summerlane Farm is about a 35 minute drive from the ranch. It's situated in the middle of rolling hills covered with citrus groves, blueberry bushes, pistachio orchards, and more. There isn't a paved road for miles. It's a great place for trail riding, especially for groups.

Speedy was quite happy to have a friend.

Summerlane Farm's trail ride has been known to have as many as 20 riders or more, but this year's event was more cosy than crowded. There were seven of us on Sunday. Summerlane Farm used to breed Arabians, but they now breed and show Borzoi dogs. Even so, six of us were still on Arabs.

Lowell managed the local dressage show in March.

Lisa's a longtime endurance friend and Arab lover.

Ready to hit the trail.

Speedy was his regular good boy self for most of the ride. He stood patiently at the trailer and ate and drank with gusto. About halfway through the ride he kind of lost his marbles though; his trailer buddy was ahead of us, and he didn't want to get left behind. I think he was worried that we'd have to walk home!

We had a few come to Jesus moments, but for the most part, I took advantage of his willingness to be in front of my leg. We cantered in place, did some passage, schooled our canter to walk transitions, and leg yielded back and forth down the road.

Speedy "cam"

While he was a bit of a stinker the last 20 minutes or so, it was fun to be out in the open with friends. I know he enjoyed himself.

You try and ask a bunch of horses who are enjoying a brisk spring day to line up, hold still, and look at the camera.

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Casual Friday

4/2/2018

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I don't make enough time to do fun and easy stuff with my boys. I should; we all should. When you work full time, and you're a perpetual under achieving over-achiever, there's simply no time for taking it easy. I don't know who makes those rules, but I broke one of them on Friday.

A new friend, KM, sent me a text asking if I had Saturday open for a ride. She rode with me a month or so back, and I had told her to call when she up for round two. I had a Chemaine Hurtado Clinic to put on on Saturday, but I told her that my Friday was free. As luck would have it, so was hers.

Learning Archie's saddling preferences.

My selection of trails is quite small. If you want to get an hour ride in, there's basically one loop. You can ride it clockwise or counter clockwise. We have a single paved road with a good shoulder and no traffic that circles around the neighborhood which is comprised of two to ten acre properties. There's also a small section that winds through some nice trees and then down along the river. The ranch itself has a nice circle, but even if you tie it all together, that's all there is.

Fortunately, KM is not picky. She had seen it all before, but she was more than happy to do it all again. She's a lady after my own heart. Four sound legs, a long swinging neck, and a piece of leather under her bum were all she needed to be happy.

Two gray ponies and two happy ladies.

We spent some time grooming and tacking up and then walked up to the arena for some get re-acquainted time. After that, we spent a lovely hour just enjoying the nice weather and the musical sound of eight hooves beating out their rhythm.

On the way back to the ranch, we discovered that the sandy beach along the river had been smoothed out and cleaned up so we walked the horses down to the water and let them put their toes in. KM had been sharing how she was looking forward to an upcoming beach ride with her husband and friends. The Kern River is not quite the Pacific Ocean, but it was a beach ride.

After we had cleaned up the horses and given them some treats, we spent some time chatting. I learned that KM is quite an accomplished artist, like people would buy her stuff kind of good. She especially likes to paint animals.

Oh, boy ... I've got a couple she can paint!

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Joke's on Me!

3/25/2018

6 Comments

This must be the season for baring it all. A few weeks ago, I shared that post about my fear of being a hack, this week, another let it all hang out.

I've been doing this dressage thing for quite a while now. I did my first show back in the summer of 2010. Holy Moly, has it been that long? Since I'd never shown before, and since Speedy had only ever done endurance, we started at the very first step - Introductory Level A.

Our very first show.

We had great fun, but I wanted to move up a level. You've heard this story a thousand times. Making it to Training Level was my all encompassing goal. Once we hit Training Level, I wanted to get to First Level. That's where I thought you became a legitimate Dressage Rider. Making it to Second Level wasn't even on my RADAR.

Our last First Level show.

From my lowly perspective, Second Level riders had to be amazing. You could only get there if you had a fantastic horse and you yourself had an amazing seat. HAHAHAHAHA. Boy, was I ever stupid!

Fantastic horse, not a fantastic rider, but it's Second Level!

I guess what I am trying to say is that if I can make it to Second Level, YOU can make it to Second Level. I am living proof that the riders at Second Level don't have to have an amazing seat, although I am sure it would help, and an average, plucky horse can get the job done. He doesn't have to be a fancy warmblood.

My plucky horse. Not for sale.

All of this occurred to me on Saturday while I was riding Speedy bareback with just a halter. We were hacking out around the neighborhood after a week off. It had rained nearly all week, and I thought some time off after our debut at Second was warranted. Since I can just hop on him bareback with a halter after a week off, that means that he is amazing. Just saying.

So there we were tootling around with the lead rope draped loosely when my plucky and amazing Second Level horse launched forward. I said he was amazing, not perfect. I grabbed wildly for my rope and managed to bring him back to a walk, but I was unbalanced and knew I was coming off. Cringing, because I knew it was going to hurt, I dug deep and tried to stay on anyway.

Instead of hitting the dirt, I landed on my feet with Speedy's lead rope in hand. I had to laugh. There I was, proof yet again that Second Level riders are no better than that endurance rider giving Intro Level A a try.

Oh, Third Level, where are yoooou!

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Taking a Break

2/6/2018

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Saturdays are nearly always my crank it out, bust our butts, hammer it home riding day. It's the day I don't have to be anywhere else, and it's not going to get dark before I finish what needs to be done. I take my Saturdays seriously.

Not this Saturday. I got a text from a new friend, KM, asking if Saturday would be a good day to come out and meet my boys. For a split second, I remembered how much work needs to get done on Speedy before our first show of the year and thought about saying no. But then I realized that taking it easy for one day might actually do Speedy some good.

KM meeting Archie - her mount for the day

KM's husband is a local publisher. My husband and I met him a few times because of the magazine, and the next thing we knew the four of us were having dinner together. It didn't take long for the topic of horses to come up. KM rode as a girl and has lately been trying to reconnect with that particular passion. I invited her to give me a call when she had a free weekend.

People never take me up on that offer, so I was a bit surprised to hear from her this past week. She had mentioned that she'd taken a few lessons at Los Angeles Equestrian Center and that she occasionally rides with a friends up in Bear Valley. I hate to offend, so when people say they can "ride," I always nod politely and act like they've been to the Olympics.

People who spend a lot of time in the saddle have a way of communicating their riding ability without needing to say much. We jump 2'6", I show at Second, we've completed a couple of 100 milers, we just did a 14 second barrel run over the weekend ... In just a few short words, you know those people can handle just about any well trained horse on a 45 minute trail ride. Outside of that, it can be kind of risky if your horse is only well trained and not dead broke.

Well trained, but not dead broke.

When I mentioned the ride to the ranch owner, she graciously offered to let me borrow Archie, her senior citizen who happily packs anyone no matter their skill set. Unlike Speedy, who has buttons installed all over the place, Archie's buttons are hard to hit accidentally. In fact, you have to press his buttons quite authoritatively before he'll believe you did it with intent. I texted KM the night before with her riding options.

KM's a pretty smart lady, and she's honest about her riding ability. I don't often find that. As we rode, she was glad that she had opted for the less reactive horse. Even though I was able to ride him on the buckle for most of the ride, Speedy did get a bit excited as we passed the Haner Family Farm. Archie barely looked at the grunting pigs and the honking geese.

Last minute tack adjustments.

We had started the ride in the arena so that KM could get a feel for Archie before heading out, so when we got back to the ranch I asked if she wanted to pick up a trot or canter back in the arena. She declined, but she did say yes to hopping up on Speedy.

As they followed the fence toward the far end of the arena, she quickly called out that he was too much for her and that she thought she should get off. He had coiled himself up and was getting quite tense. I hate to see someone get off out of fear, so I quickly led Archie down to Speedy and had her head back toward the gate.

I encouraged her to ride a small circle around me and Archie, but I gave her a few small directions. I showed her how to bend him to the inside and sponge the inside rein. Once Speedy had some bend, I instructed her to use her outside rein to slow down his run-away walk. He was simply unbalanced and tense because of it.

Almost immediately, he relaxed, and his walk got much prettier. KM felt it, and the tension left her body as well. After walking both directions, she felt confident enough to pick up a rising trot. She was able to change her posting diagonal and keep Speedy on the circle.

By then, KM had been in the saddle for an hour and a half and was ready to be done; Speedy, too. KM thanked me for not letting her get off while she was scared. I was really impressed with her ability to be honest about how she felt, and because of her honesty, I think she added a bit more knowledge to her riding toolbox.

I hope she comes back to ride with us again; even if it's a Saturday.

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About the
Writer & Rider

I am a lifetime rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
Welcome to my dressage journey.

Photo by Lori Ovanessian

Email Karen

About Speedy G

Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. We're currently schooling Third Level in preparation for the 2019 show season. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

August 2018

About Izzy

Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are schooling the dressage basics. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

State Awards

CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018
CDS Second Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

Ruby Rider Award, 2018

2019 Show Season

Show Rating
(***) CDS/USDF/USEF
(*) CDS
(s) Schooling
(c) Clinic
(t) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2019 Pending …

5/26/19 - TMC (*)
6/15-16/19 - El Sueno (***)
6/23/19 - TMC (*)
7/13-14/19 - El Sueno (***)
7/28/19 - TMC (*)
8/10/19 - RAAC (Q) (***)
8/25/19 - TMC (*)
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)

2019 Completed …

Qualifying Scores for 2019

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
Third Level Scores:
Score 1:
Score 2:
Score 3:

CDS Championship Third Level Scores:
Score 1:
Score 2:
Score 3:
Score 4:
Score 5:

Working Towards:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level:
Third Level:
Fourth Level:
Fourth Level:

USDF Bronze Medal
First Level - 70.179%
First Level - 72.600%
Second Level - 62.879%
Second Level - 61.970%
Third Level -
Third Level -

More Trail Riding

Bareback Dressage

A Group Outing

Hitting the Reset Button

Where's Izzy?

Endurance 101: Check Your Gear!

Spring Trail Ride

Casual Friday

Joke's on Me!

Taking a Break

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

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About the Writer & Rider

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