We used my phone for directions to get us there instead of going the way we have in the past, which ended up putting us on some long dirt roads in the Middle of Nowhere, WY passing lots and lots of brand new calves.
Fortunately we had Miles the copilot to keep us on the right track, and we did get there in the end. Highboy was so happy to have arrived!
After our long drive we ended up turning Highboy and Note out in the arena to play and burn off some steam. Because of how he is, I led Note and Carol generously offered to lead Highboy. Note ended up being a perfect gentleman for me, but Highboy kept telling Carol he was Ready To Party! I I put a chain on Highboy because he, like most track horses, understand what that's about and know they MUST behave when wearing one. Carol was great, she had never led a horse with a chain before and was a little nervous, but I explained to her that Highboy knows the rules and she should just be firm with him. She did really well, Highboy kept his brain in his head, and we safely made it to the arena with both geldings.
Note and Highboy thought that the huge turnout was great and mostly ran around at top speed, honking and snorting at the longhorn on the other side of the fence.
I did have to interrupt the shenanigans to re-halter them and we hustled back to the barn as an impressive lightning storm moved through. We got back into the brick barn just in time as the sky opened up with thunder, lightning, and dumped rain. We had left Miles in the truck, so he was at least dry (for the moment) as we fed the horses and tucked them in for the night.
When we got to our campsite across the street (our usual mare barns and camp grounds weren't yet open for the season) we had a sunbreak and a gorgeous view. As we set up camp I let Miles loose to check things out, but to his delight and my dismay he took a quick dip in the creek behind our picnic bench. The humans made the executive decision to have the soggy smelly dog sleep in the deep clean shavings in the back of the horse trailer that first night. Miles the good border collie only uttered one yip to indicate that we may have forgotten him? By the second night he was dry and brushed, and was allowed back into the living quarters to sleep with us on the mattress in the nest of sleeping bags and blankets.
Our first ride was with Note and Shambhu. This was Note's second trail ride ever (his first one was close to home back in January) so I lunged him first as he was pretty tense while I was tacking him up. Thankfully, it was just enough routine to settle him, and he was very well behaved on the line and quiet for mounting.
Incredibly, Note led almost the whole way. Up and down hills, through gates, and only took one swift kick at Carol and Shambhu. This is specifically why I went with Carol, because she is a very careful and safe trail partner, isn't intimidated by my hot horses in training, and knew to keep a significant distance from Note. Carol realized that Note only got testy about his personal space if he was stressed about something on the trail. He needs room to think, and if Shambhu got too close Note wasted no time telling him to back off. Future rides will include a bright red bow to alert others that Note kicks and aims.
Shambhu was a little barn sour, this being his first trip out with Note (in whom Shambhu did not have deep trust) and leaving his best friends Highboy and Ladd back in the barn. Carol handled him well and the ride actually was remarkably peaceful despite coming upon two separate herds of loose horses!
That evening we turned Carol's horses loose in the arena. It was a dramatic comparison, Shambhu and Ladd rolling repeatedly in the soft dirt versus my two knuckleheads galloping at top speed the day before!
The next day we took out all four horses, but in two separate rides with lunch in between. Again, Note led most of the way on his ride with Shambhu, even up some super steep hills whose height you can't tell from the photos and video.
We didn't get any video of it, but I did get Note through the small friendly water crossing near the barn. Each horse is a little different in how I teach these kinds of things, and Note required more finesse than many. We began by having Shambhu and Carol ride over the creek on the dirt with me and Note following (I was mounted at this point). Then we turned to face back towards the barn since the power of the psychological magnet in the stable with their friends is strong.
Shambhu walked calmly into the water towards the barn, while Note's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He was sure this was some kind of trap. I had Carol ride Shambhu back and forth across the water several times, towards us and then back towards the barn. Each time Shambhu came back to our side, I was able to urge Note a little closer to the water. He studied it carefully, watching Shambhu and thoughtfully digesting the example set before him. It's always amazing to me what horses learn from watching each other.
It's important to notice that I chose a super easy water crossing for the first one. It was shallow, the water was clear and the horses could see the bottom, there's no steep entry or exit to the water, and the footing was good so no sinking in mud to worry the horses. Note got within about ten feet of the water, but decided he would go no closer, despite Shambhu's safety demonstrations.
Now with most horses, I would push a little harder, perhaps tapping with the crop or getting more intense with my insistence that the horse move forwards. Often a little pushing from me is enough to convince the horse that he can go through. Knowing Note as I do, however, this would have been a bad idea. Me applying pressure would have escalated his anxiety, and his default when put in pressure situations is to fight even me. I wanted him to feel totally secure, safe, and calm about his first water crossings.
I knew Note trusted me and he was not yet stressed, so I got off of him. I attached his lead to his halter and I stepped into the shallow water. I rarely get off a horse to do this type of thing, but I knew this would be the calmest and most confidence-building way to introduce this particular horse to something so foreign to him.
Note followed me directly in, with absolutely no hesitation. When we got to the other side I gave him a jackpot of cookies from the saddlebags, and we repeated it. Again, no tension, no sweating, and complete trust to follow me through. It may be different from traditional methods, but it worked so well for Note. It confirmed to me that different horses need different things to feel safe and confident, and it was well worth my soggy boots to have him so confidently introduced to water.
Ladd and Highboy had a great time during their afternoon ride. Highboy led and Ladd happily and calmly followed along. Ladd looked great in his new green and white nylon bridle I picked up at a tack sale at a horse show for them at the end of last season.
We also learned that Ladd likes to go snorkeling in the stock water tanks, dipping his face in up to his eyeballs. No fear of water with this sea-horse!
The last full day of our trip we had to wait out some wind in the morning after feeding the horses and cleaning stalls. Note was very settled by this point and it was fun to have two of my thoroughbreds in stalls in an old cavalry stable, calmly visiting with each other over their stall guards. By then Note had decided that trail riding was super cool with lots of fun things to look at and experience. This horse is so smart he needs this kind of stimulation to really enjoy his life.
In the afternoon the wind let up a little so we took Ladd and Highboy out again to some of the pastures with long valleys in them. We did a lot of sight-seeing as we passed the bones of large animals who had been dispatched, probably by coyotes or mountain lions. I do love a good anatomy lesson in the wild! Highboy was completely nonchalant about my investigating and reassembling limbs and vertebrae, though Ladd thought it was a little creepy.
Highboy was leading as we went through these potentially predator-laden hills, and really the ride went well even when a turkey (it was turkey hunting season) came exploding out of the tall grass right in front of Highboy. Highboy leapt to the side and spun around, then put his head down to chase the turkey. Ladd just stood there and stared. After that Highboy was looking for reasons to play, so we did have some discussions about walking politely to set an example for Ladd.
We had to head back to the barn eventually, though as the wind turned cold and we felt the snow storm moving in. We did some hand grazing for the horses before we tucked them in for the night.
It did snow overnight, but only a couple inches at our campsite. At home they got about six inches, but we managed to avoid driving in the storm by staying an extra day at Fort Robinson. We were warm enough in the insulated trailer with our many fleece blankets and Miles, who loves to spoon. He mostly enjoys being the little spoon on our camping trips, but that makes him an excellent foot warmer.
I wrapped legs for the trip home, and I took photos of my lovely wrap jobs. It's a point of pride to me, and I always take a moment to appreciate how they turn out after so many years of wrapping. I also had a smile when I realized that at 17 hands Highboy's front wraps are the same height as 15.2 hand Note's hind wraps. Both Thoroughbreds, both raced, but Highboy came in last in all three of his races and Note won over $50,000. Riding Note is like driving a race car, and Highboy is more like steering the yacht. I really enjoy both of them, and now I know they both love to trail ride!
So many thanks to Carol for coming with me on this trip. I really needed it, Highboy really needed it, and it was so good for Note to experience several days in a row of this kind of adventure. Mostly I appreciate Carol's friendship and talks, but especially her patience and willingness to ride with me on my occasionally unpredictable horses and her trust in my ability to handle them. There's not too many people with whom I could comfortably ride Note for several hours in new locations!
Now we're itching to plan our next trip, maybe back to Fort Robinson?
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