My sister and I have 3 horses that we trail ride - - a Morab , a Morgan and a Morgan mix . This blog is all about them . By the way , check out my two books " Trail Training for the Horse and Rider " and " Trail Horse Adventures and Advice . I also have the most adorable , loveable cat named Thunder . I call him a mini Maine Coon . He is the light of my life when things go wrong . He will always listen to me and try to comfort and cheer me up . He does a pretty good job of it , too . My trail ride with Cruiser last night was derailed by snow . He has shoes , so we had to stay inside . Once again , he was very spooky . He spooked more in 10 minutes in the arena than the last 2 weeks on trail . A nice young lady at the barn , who has fallen in love with Cole , brought her video camera out . She taped 6 minutes of us . It was during our warm up , so it wasn 't an ideal time , but I knew she wanted to ride and didn 't want to make her wait . He did get a little silly a few times , but we worked through it . I got to see it on the camera , and I just can 't get over how pretty he trots . She is going to give it to me on a DVD . It was so sweet of her . He did have a couple big spooks last night . One of them , I swore I heard a horse trotting outside where there shouldn 't of been one . I yelled out to Mingo , by dear departed horse , to stop teasing Cole . He didn 't spook after that . My assistant was a no show - he was watching the Cavs game , of course . I had to feed alone . We are down to 36 horses . That 's a lot of watering . I rode Cruiser in the park with my boyfriend on his horse - that means I didn 't get to trot as much as I wanted to . Right now , both horses just want to race , and we don 't need that . We tried it a few times , but didn 't get too far . Starry decided he had to canter to keep up with Cruiser , so we just walked . Other than that , they were fine . It was very cold out , and we both dismounted after we crossed the river and led them the rest of the way home . I was still cold when I got back , so I cleaned 2 stalls before riding Cole . Cole was a bit goofy at the beginning of the ride , and then once he settled down , another person started to ride with us . Consequently , we didn 't do a whole lot of challenging work . Good news - the teen I rode with , a very nice young lady - told me she will video Cole for me and put it on a DVD . She loves the way he trots and I think she is purposely riding when I do so she could watch . I hope they follow through with it . I know he is doing better than the video my sister took last month because she said he is . I 'm also able to ride it better . I really have to engage by upper thighs and concentrate on following the movement so I don 't get left behind . Just recently , I have been able to coordinate it with bearing down with my abdominal muscles - which made a huge difference with Cruiser , so I think that it is helping Cole , too . It just gives me more stability in the saddle . Here is a picture of me on Cole the first day we made it across the river this year . Ignore my dorky helmet cover . I look dumb , but it is so warm . I am looking forward to the day that I can take it off and put it away until next winter . I didn 't get him across this weekend . It was so chilly that I rode in the arena and then took him for a walk down the hill to the river . He did well . Lately , it feels like everything is just coming together for us , and it is a very satisfying feeling . Training a horse is a lot of work , but it sure is worth it when things start going well . Years ago , before Cruiser bowed his tendon and the vet convinced me to keep front shoes on him for support , I used to pull his shoes for the winter . ( In fact , I tried that this year , but ended up putting them back on after 8 weeks because he seemed off on his tendon . ) Anyway , usually there would be about a month or so in the spring that I would be riding without shoes . For many years , he had no problem with it , but a few years before the tendon incident , something strange started to happen . When he crossed the very first river crossing on our rides - the only one that there is no way of avoiding , if he didn 't have shoes in the spring , ( it didn 't matter in the fall if I pulled his shoes early , ) he would cross really weird . It is hard to explain what was going on . It was as if his legs were going every which way . He would go too fast - maybe he was trying to gait ? I don 't know what it was . We called it his " crab walk . " That first crossing has a slippery slate bottom , so that might have contributed to it . The first year , we thought it was just excitement - and then we put his shoes on - it instantly disappeared . Then it happened again the next spring , and the next spring . The crossings could be terrifying . I would try to stop him so he could pull himself together . That helped , sometimes . One time , when the river was very low , he fell . We parted , and he scrambled up and went to the side that leads towards home . He was so scared from the incident , that it took me a week to get him to cross the river , again . Since he has had shoes on in the spring the last 3 springs , we haven 't had any trouble crossing the river . I was thinking about that when we crossed for the first time this year . All went well , he stepped carefully through the water to the other side - in spite of being very excited to be going on a real trail ride . In fact , that was the only time that he walked slow on the entire ride . The following day , we went on another trail ride . I was in the lead , and my sister was following with Ranger . Cruiser readily stepped in the water . I was about halfway across , and he started to crab walk . All kinds of things rushed through my head . First of all , I didn 't want him to fall . It was a cold morning and not a good day to get soaked . Second , I was upset that the crab walk came back even with shoes . Will this happen every time I cross now ? I couldn 't get him to stop , so I just tried to guide him straight to the river bank . I didn 't know where Ranger was , but I didn 't want to take my attention from Cruiser . I could hear geese honking in the background , but I couldn 't hear Ranger splashing through the water . We got to the other side , and I breathed a huge sigh of relief . I looked back , and Ranger hadn 't even started across . Ellen yelled over to me , " I didn 't know geese could hover like that . " I had no idea what she was talking about . She crossed with Ranger and was shocked when I asked her about the geese . She said that as we started to cross , a pair of Canadian geese were flying down the river . When they reached us , they didn 't go around us , they hovered in the air until we got out of their way . Poor Cruiser - no wonder he was rushing across the river ! Ranger , on the other side , was terrified and acting up for my sister , even though he wasn 't in the flight path . I am glad that Cruiser went in the water , first , since he handled the crisis better . The slate bottom is too slippery and uneven for a horse to be bouncing about . I was very happy , because this meant the return of the crab walk was a one time thing ! Hurray ! We wouldn 't have any more scary crossings - unless the geese come back to terrorize us . I took Cruise on his first solo ride across the river for the year . He was so excited ! It took him a while to walk , instead of gait . I did do a little trotting . He went fast and sound . We were able to get by the first fallen tree , but when I saw the second , I figured , no way on an older horse with vision problems . I had to go down a rooty , steep hill and make very tight , sharp turns . We headed back . I did do a little back and forth at a trot in the area that wasn 't washed down to gravel . He never settled down . I rode Cole in the arena . He was awesome . Everything is just falling in place . One of the boarders was riding , and she had a friend with her . The friend clicker trains her dog and cats , but never saw it done with horses . It was so nice to talk to a fellow clicker . Cole showed off his trot , and everyone was duly impressed . It just keeps getting better . I need my sister to take some more video . I showed off how I can trot , drop the reins and say " whoa " and he stops suddenly . I didn 't have a mitten for him to pick up , though . This woman was so thrilled that horses do so well with clicker . Well , why not ? If you can train a cat with clicker , you can train anything . The weather is going sour , so I don 't know how much I will be able to go on the trail in the next week or so . I won 't ride Cruiser outside unless the ground is thawed and snow and ice free . My mantra is , " Protect the Tendon ! " He got accepted into a research program on Metabolic Syndrome for the University of Michigan . I think they may have picked him because he actually never got laminitis . I 'm sure they don 't get many subjects like that . Most people don 't know their horse has it until too late . He really was lucky to bow his tendon and have a vet that thought there might be a connection . I have all kinds of information that I need to gather for it . it will be work , but I like the idea of being able to help horses in the future with his condition . First of all , the outdoor ring dried up enough to turn Cole out to run . He won 't run if it is muddy . After testing the footing , he decided to roll and then ran around and around and around . I took him in when he decided to attack the gate . He needed that so much . I then took Cruiser out for a ride with my sister on Ranger . For the first time since about Thanksgiving , we were able to cross the river . Cruiser wanted to walk really fast , and he threw some gaiting in , too . Ranger - well he preferred to buck . He does these tiny little bucks . We call them kitten bucks . If you are prepared for it , they are nothing . If not - off you go . My sister was prepared . He also spooked bad once when Cruiser snorted - he was that wired . I then rode Cole in the arena . He was great . We rode wherever we pleased without a problem at all . We spent most of the time on the formerly scary end . He was a whole new horse - all because he got to blow off some steam . The river was too high to cross a green horse , so I took off his saddle and led him down the hill to the river . He did well both up and down . This gave me a lot of confidence … Sunday , we took Cruiser and Ranger on the same ride . They were quieter and there was no kitten bucks . We kept it at a walk - no choice . The flooding we had a few weeks ago turned the trails to gravel . We are hoping they will finally repair them . They have needed repair in many places for years , but this is so bad that the whole trail should be resurfaced . I rode Cole in the arena , again , and he had one legitimate spook . After that , he was fine . Someone we know stopped by to visit my boyfriend , and she peeked in to see us ride . The last time she saw Cole , I hadn 't started riding him , yet . She is in dressage . I made sure Cole was at his best when she was watching . I am not kidding here - she said he reminded her of Tortilla . He 's only the most popular dressage horse right now . She said Cole wants to be a dressage horse , and I said he 'll have to settle for a trail horse . It does give you an idea of what he is doing . It still amazes me . It 's not my skill . It 's his natural ability . I then shocked everyone when I told them I was taking him across the river . My sister drove down to the park , so she wouldn 't have to cross the icy water on foot . When we got down the hill , she was on the far side with her camera . She got some great pictures , so I hope she sends them to me . At first , he wouldn 't step in the water . I kept squeezing my legs until he put his first hoof in . I then clicked and treated him . He was playing in the water - refusing to go forward . I started squeezing , again . When he began to paw , his time was up . I tickled him with the whip , and he went right in . It took less than a minute . He carefully walked across to be greeted by my sister on the other side with a handful of treats . He was fine on the ride to the fallen tree . Once he tried to trot , but I stopped him readily . On the way back , I was ready for him to rush down the river bank like he always tried to do last fall . On the first step , he hit some mud , slid and froze . He learned his lesson about rushing , and I didn 't have to do a thing . He hesitated about stepping in the water , but once he did , he went right across . There is no way a young horse could be so good on his first ride on the trail in the spring . On the way up the hill , he started to rush . I got off to lead him . He continually tried to trot . My arena work paid off . He will stop for the work " whoa " at a walk or a trot . I just kept stopping him and making him stand . Eventually , he gave up and started to walk quietly . That 's when I clicked . Next time , I will start clicking him for walking up the hill before he starts the trotting routine . I think that will get him to change his mind and not rush . I was pleased with both my horses this weekend . Unfortunately , the weather will be taking a turn for the worse by next weekend . It will be winter , again . It was farrier night , last night . All went well . Cruise got a reset and Cole and Ranger were trimmed . It was such a warm and spring like night , I wish I could have ridden , instead . My retired boyfriend rode in the morning and got to cross the river for the first time this year . Lucky guy . We may be able to cross this weekend if it isn 't raining . Thunder has continued his crusade to take over the house completely . He spent the whole evening while I was gone sleeping on my Dad 's bed with the dog . Someday , maybe they will cuddle . Pollie , our old dog , thought cats were gross and didn 't like physical contact with Thunder . If he sniffed her nose or brushed up against her face , Pollie looked like she would throw up . Maggie seems to like the attention - as long as Thunder doesn 't pull out the claws ! My dad survived the first day of chain sawing . He gets me so nervous . The neighbor 's tree fell on our property , and they are working on cleaning it up . Dad is 80 , and I am always worried he is doing too much . Between the sawing - which fortunately , the neighbor did the most of - and the hauling the wood away , Dad wasn 't even sore this morning . No real plans this weekend except riding . With the improving weather , my boy friend and I will probably start our hiking program up , again . I am also increasing the length of the dog walks when I have the time . Spring is a pretty active time for us . I rode Cruise 3 trips on the hill . It is about ¾ of a mile round trip . The first couple of trips , he was very excited and either walked fast or gaited . The last trip , he relaxed and walked his normal speed . The river was still too high to cross . It was just so nice to be outside riding . I rode Cole in the indoor arena , again . I am still working on being able to ride all over it without problems . I started by leading and clicking on the scary end for 10 minutes . I then rode circles on the scary end at a walk and clicked whenever he put his head down and concentrated on me . We did that at least 5 minutes . My next step was to add the trot . I went back to the safe end intending to do a few circles there to start . As soon as I asked him to trot , he got all weird and out of control . I should have just stopped him and tried again , but instead I tried to calm him down . He took off and ran to the scary end - stopping when he got to the scary corner . The only one that was scared was me . I took him in tiny circles . I could be wrong , but I think he wanted to go there to work because he was having fun getting all the carrots . My boyfriend heard the ruckus and came out to see what was wrong . I brought Cole back to the safe end to calm down and try again . He did try again - to bolt to the far end , but I was onto him and started spinning him right away . By now , my boyfriend was pale and anxious . I worked on the trot - doing transitions until he settled and did his pretty trot . I then went to the other side and started walking circles in our better direction . I reinforced him when he lowered his head and focused on me . I then trotted a few circles , and he was lovely ! Hope started returning . Time to work on our more challenging direction . We stayed at a walk since this way is always a session or 2 behind the other way . It took a bit before he lowered his head , but he did . At no time did he try to go back to the safe side - which is the problem I was having before . I then took him back to the safe side and just did some walk / trot transactions with no problems . I am a little closer to my goal , but I didn 't get as far as I planned . Maybe next time . Big breakthrough on the home front . Little Thunder has finally taken control of the whole house from the dog . The dog loves to sleep on my dad 's bed . Around 4 : 30 , Thunder starts to wait for me to come home from work . His favorite place to wait - my dad 's bed . He hasn 't lain on Dad 's bed since we got Maggie in October , but with all the sunshine yesterday , Thunder couldn 't resist . Dad said he walked into the room and popped right on the bed . Maggie wasn 't happy with it , but she let him lay in the sun . I came home , and they both came to greet me . Later in the evening , when I was heading out to the barn , Thunder decided to go back on the bed . This time , Maggie wagged her tail . She walked over to him , looked at him , went to a different spot on the bed and wagged her tail . She did this several times - always wagging . Maybe she was simply happy that he wasn 't chasing her or smacking her with all claws out . He stretched full out in the sun - totally relaxed and happy . I have 2 wonderful horses . The older one is Cruiser , the dazzling chestnut horse , and my other horse is Mingo , a dark bay , solid Paint . I 've had Cruiser for 9 years and we know each other so well , I think we can read each other 's mind . Mingo is only three and I 've had him from birth . I 've only started riding him this year . I truly believe that Mingo was put on this earth so I wouldn 't take Cruiser for granted . Don 't get me wrong , Mingo isn 't a bad horse , regardless of how many times I call him the " Devil Horse " , he isn 't a whole lot different from any other young horse of the age of three . He is just so different from Cruiser , as different in personalities as in colors , that very little of what I learned while training Cruiser will apply to Mingo . He is truly a challenge for me . When Cruiser was the age Mingo is now , I would describe him as " a wild , flighty and hyper horse . " Mingo , on the other hand , is more like " a lazy , belligerent and quiet horse . " Back when Cruiser was only three , our biggest problem was spooking . Cruiser found a horse - eating monster around every corner . Our rides could get so frightening that many times I had to get off and lead him just so I could calm down . Every loud car , motorcycle or bicycle would make him jump and try to run away home . Even just an incidental noise in the wind would set him off . This isn 't the case with my little Mingo . He is very quiet and little scares him . He is the picture of calmness . People marvel at his indifference towards traffic and strange looking objects . Only now and then will he see a horse - eating monster , and he usually just gives a little jump and settles right down . Now you must be asking why is he a " Devil Horse ? " Well , if he doesn 't like the look of something , he will quietly just freeze in one spot and refuse to go anywhere . He doesn 't get wild and excited like Cruiser , I know how to get Cruiser past something frightening , I 've done it for years , but what do I do when Mingo just stops and stands ? One day we were stuck in the same spot for 2 hours before I was able to get him going . He really tries my patience . The day I took Mingo to a trail and nuisance training clinic , he wouldn 't step over a simple pole on the ground . He just stood there and tried to move it out of his way with his nose . He didn 't act frightened , he just said it was impossible to step over a pole . Cruiser was always energetic , and the early days were spent trying to settle him down before he would be ready to learn . Mingo , on the other hand , is lazy and quiet . Mingo 's lessons have to take on a whole different nature than Cruiser 's . It would take 15 - 20 minutes of riding Cruiser before I could get him in the right frame of mind and get some training accomplished . Things are much different with Mingo . After 15 - 20 minutes of riding , he is very bored and will no longer pay attention to me . His warm - ups have to be very short , or I will lose my window of training time . I 've fallen in that trap a number of times . These are the two biggest differences I 've discovered between my two horses , but here are a lot of little ones , too . Mingo holds on to his bad habits for a very , very long time , whereas Cruiser was happy to cooperate . Mingo questions my actions and often seems to say , " Why should I ? " Cruiser usually trusted me and would follow me anywhere . Cruiser was , and still is , always eager to go . Mingo can be balky and sluggish . Cruiser is friendly to everyone , Mingo kicks at dogs . Just the same , I love them both . All of these differences between my two horses keeps me alert and on my toes . If Mingo was more like Cruiser , he would be easier for me to train , but I wouldn 't learn much from the experience . By having such a different horse , it will make me a well - rounded trainer . When the next horse comes along , I should be able to adjust to whatever his personality dishes out to me . I have learned not to assume that anything that Cruiser did , Mingo will do , too . My horses keep reminding me that all horses really are different , just as all people are different . We must accept them for their good and their bad , learn to adjust the way we treat them and stay away from stereotypes . Some people , just like horses , are quiet and relaxed and some are high - strung and nervous . There is nothing wrong with either kind , and there is something to love about all of them . Each season is a delight to me when I am out riding . It is finally spring , and I see and recognize each variety of wildflowers as they sprout . Right now , the Virginia Bluebells , Rue Anenomes and Wild Geraniums are beginning to wane , but they are being replaced with my old friends the Indian Hyacinths and Jack in the Pulpits . I see the Dames Rockets will be blooming soon and the monstrous Cow Parsnips are sprouting . As Cruiser and I canter slowly down our trail , my eyes are forever looking along the trail for my flowers . At the same time , I take in the lovely sound of the songbirds singing and the ever - present murmur of the Rocky River that our trail closely follows . Sometimes , particularly in the spring , the smell of one of the many flowering trees and shrubs will find its way to my nose and make me smile . Honeysuckle , Cottonwoods , and Locust Trees - I love them all . Soon , the trees will be a dark green and the flowers on the forest floor will quickly disappear . Never fear , though , as the summer progresses , new flowers will show their faces in any spot that the sun comes through . There are a number of pretty wild sunflowers that our horses love to try to eat as we go by . The warm weather will bring that old snapping turtle out in the swamp by the fence - I 'm always sure to look for him as I go by . In the fall , I think our trails have some of the prettiest colors around . Some sections are such bright yellow tunnels that they will blind you on a sunny day . The most beautiful vistas are seen when we cross our river . The main flowers of interest are the Asters , Joe - Pye - Weed , Boneset and many varieties of Goldenrod . I ride all year and have learned to appreciate the winter . The trees are lovely in their stark nakedness . The trunks and branches show their true personalities , which are hidden by their leafy summer clothing . The snow blankets the ground and completely transforms the world I know so well . I love the days when the snow is sitting on every branch of every tree . These days are glorious , but fleeting for the snow usually melts before my eyes as the morning progresses . Even now , I still see my flowers - the dried stalks of sunflowers , goldenrods and teasels peek out of the snow to remind us they will be back . Soon , it will all begin again , and I will revel in the joy of spring and the joy of being alive , riding my precious horses in the park , I love so well . It was a chilly evening ( low 30s ) , but that didn 't keep me from taking Cruiser out on his first solo trail ride of the year . He sure was hyper . We only went on the hill to the river , which was too high for us to cross . We did it 3 times . the first 2 times , he went really fast - switching from walking to gaiting and back . By the 3rd time , he was somewhat settled down , and mostly walked . I got a little cold , so I decided to lead him up the last time . He was still fast enough to get my blood pumping . Though he was fit to burst from excitement , he behaved excellently the whole time . He pointed out the herd of deer , and then willingly stood still as they dashed through the woods . I hope that someday Cole will be as well behaved even when he is very keyed up . I rode Cole in the indoor arena because I still don 't have enough daylight . We started the ride sharing it with a couple other horses . He spooked once when I was leading him when a horse stumbled . He spooked early in the ride when the cats had a battle in the hayloft . Other than that , he was fine . When one horse that was being led by his owner rolled and got loose , Cole stood for me . I was worried the loose horse would start to run and play , but he was caught right away . When everyone left the arena and we were by ourselves , I rode all over it at a walk - including the scary parts . He did super . If I hadn 't been approaching the hour mark , I would have tried it at a trot . maybe tomorrow . Could Maggie , AKA Dumb Dog , be finally forming new neural pathways ? I think she is learning how to learn . I don 't know what her former life was like , but I don 't think she got much attention . When we got here , she didn 't even know how to play - and was only partially housebroken . She did learn playing , but other learning ( including housebreaking ) seemed slow . She learned to lay down well , but everything else was very slow - and usually she just would lay down when she got confused . In the last week , she has managed freestanding to a verbal command , solidified jumping obstacles to a verbal command , solidified spin to a slight hand motion , is great with target touching and yesterday even brought it to me twice ! Then , she would only lie down . She is sitting on a verbal command , too , and that was a tough one to get - all she wanted to do was lay down . I think she is starting to understand that if she sits on my lap , she can 't chew on my hand . What I ended up doing with this problem is just putting her on the floor immediately when she started to do it . She gets it right about half the time . Then I pet her and praise her . Maybe there is hope for her … I decided it was time to get tough with Cole . I decided that the increase in spooking and bolting the last few weeks was not due to fear . There was no trace of panic in his actions . It was time to deal with it . He decided to test me in the first few minutes . I asked him to do a halt to walk transition , and he took off to his barn door . Instead of being scared , myself , I kept him moving when he got there , and once we made the turn , I started to spin him in tiny circles . Horses hate the tiny spin . From experience , when I have tried to extinguish a behavior with punishment , I know that it won 't take once . It seems that the horses want to test and see if the same thing will happen if they try it again . The second time was as bad as the first , after that , each time got better and the last time ( the seventh ) was very half hearted . Whenever he behaved , I clicked him . He kept getting better through the ride . I wasn 't sure if I was handling the situation correctly , though it worked when Mingo went through that stage - and it helped Cruiser when he was an overly spooky baby horse . ( Though I do think it was fear with Cruiser , most of the time . I just needed to control him . ) Good news . On Sunday , though he wasn 't perfect , he didn 't once try to spook or bolt . Rather , he was mostly cooperative . We even worked on end of the arena where he has been particularly bad . After a half hour , I took the saddle off and we worked on outside manners . We did leading and stopping . He was excited to be outside on the driveway , but he only acted up twice , and I just held the rope steady . After that , he was perfect . Soon , I will take him on a walk on the trail . Speaking of trail , my sister and I rode Cruiser and Ranger on the hill . There was snow halfway down , and since Cruiser has shoes , we had to turn back at that point . We did back and forth 3 times and then worked on the driveway . It was so nice to be working outside . Both horses had an A + ride . I will be doing the same , tonight . I hope more of the snow is melted . I can 't believe we are in the middle of another snowstorm . We got 5 inches overnight , and they are predicting 3 - 7 more . I am so done with winter . I hope the drive home from work is better than the drive here . I went riding last night instead of today to avoid the storm . It was still raining when I was trying to ride . ( It had been raining for 2 solid says . ) The rain on the metal roof is bad enough , but add the water pouring through the gutters , the winds blasting the rain on the side of the metal building and you end up with a very nervous rider . I really wanted to work on riding the whole arena , but since I was skittish , so was Cole . I ended up getting off after a half hour and leading him in circles on the scary end . He did spook in hand twice , but I don 't care if he does that when I am leading . After about 10 minutes , I got up and rode circles there , and he was fine . I hope the arena is quiet this weekend and I can tackle this problem . I am basically running out of time . I will soon be working him on the trail . It is silly that I still get nervous over there . I have all the tools to work through it . He has a terrific stop - coming to a halt as soon as he hears the word - from a walk or trot . He bends and turns lovely . When he goes head up and he gets distracted , I can easily coax him back down with a rein vibration and get him to refocus . I can do it , but when the arena is making random noises , or there are other horses riding with us , I don 't even try . In only led Cruise around because I was in a hurry to get home before the snow started . Another woman was leading her horse , and we had a nice time talking . It did start to snow on my drive home , but it wasn 't sticking on the road , and I had no trouble . I can 't believe we are in the middle of another snowstorm . We got 5 inches overnight , and they are predicting 3 - 7 more . I am so done with winter . I hope the drive home from work is better than the drive here . I went riding last night instead of today to avoid the storm . It was still raining when I was trying to ride . ( It had been raining for 2 solid says . ) The rain on the metal roof is bad enough , but add the water pouring through the gutters , the winds blasting the rain on the side of the metal building and you end up with a very nervous rider . I really wanted to work on riding the whole arena , but since I was skittish , so was Cole . I ended up getting off after a half hour and leading him in circles on the scary end . He did spook in hand twice , but I don 't care if he does that when I am leading . After about 10 minutes , I got up and rode circles there , and he was fine . I hope the arena is quiet this weekend and I can tackle this problem . I am basically running out of time . I will soon be working him on the trail . It is silly that I still get nervous over there . I have all the tools to work through it . He has a terrific stop - coming to a halt as soon as he hears the word - from a walk or trot . He bends and turns lovely . When he goes head up and he gets distracted , I can easily coax him back down with a rein vibration and get him to refocus . I can do it , but when the arena is making random noises , or there are other horses riding with us , I don 't even try . In only led Cruise around because I was in a hurry to get home before the snow started . Another woman was leading her horse , and we had a nice time talking . It did start to snow on my drive home , but it wasn 't sticking on the road , and I had no trouble . I put Maggie outside so I could train Thunder last night . I did some simple targeting . I couldn 't get him to load into his " trailer " at all . ( It is a very narrow box with an opening on one side . ) He just wants to rub his face on the corners . He used to load very well - and then hop out over the front . I did get him to jump his jump , once . We then went to hopping to and from his scratching post . After doing a single jump from his square pedestal , we moved up to going from his round pedestal , to his scratching post to land on his square pedestal - all for one click . He also did the reverse very willingly . I just tap with the target toy where I want to go , and he goes in a straight line to get there . If his scratching post is in the way , he uses that to get there . We used to do this with a bunch of boxes all in a row . I 'm glad he remembered . He is getting great at sitting up . He is now lifting both paws up consistently . I need to make him a new hoop to jump through . I don 't know what happened to his old one . I just cut it out of cardboard . I got the dog in for her training . She is improving standing up and getting consistent with target frisbee . I just wish she would figure out to pick it up and bring it to me . If I hand it to her , she will put it in her mouth , but won 't hold it any length of time . My sister posted video of Cole on Facebook . I couldn 't even watch it , let alone link it to here . If anyone is interested , I think I linked it to my site . Search for Judi Daly . If not , look on my sister 's site . I only have intermittent access to Facebook , myself . I don 't do a whole lot there . Let me know if you find the video and what you think . I have been putting the dog outside when I want to clicker train Thunder , and he is starting to remember the things I taught him in the past . He really likes hopping to the top of his scratching post . He looks like he is sitting on a fence post . He will sit up on it for me . He will then hop to his pedestal . He likes this game so much that he is reluctant to try anything else . I suppose I should start with something else to start with and then do the scratching post at the end . I will need to experiment . Last night , I started clicker training the dog , and Thunder wanted to join us , so we did a joint session . It isn 't easy . I have to give the dog a treat for each click the cat gets . She is being rewarded for laying still and leaving us alone . She has to have a lot of patience because it takes Thunder a lot longer to eat his treat . I don 't give Thunder a treat when the dog gets clicked , and I think that causes him some confusion . The dog is learning to stand up on command . It started with target touching , but she decided to stand when I held the target up , instead . She has terrific balance and can hold it for a couple of seconds . The cat just stares at her with a look of disbelief . I have been having some trouble with Cole Train in the arena . He is trying to run down the walls - particularly in one spot . I will be doing a circle , and he tries to break out of the circle to go down the wall . We end up having a tug - o - war , and it isn 't pretty . I decided he is doing it out of confusion . Maybe , on the circle , ( since that is my more difficult direction ) I 'm not being precise , so since he doesn 't know for sure what I want , he is trying to get away . There was another spot on the circle that he was giving me trouble , but that was by our barn entrance , so he had incentive to try to break away . My plan was to make sure my aids were very clear in that spot . On my next ride , I was very , very conscience of what I was doing . I could see that my body wasn 't automatically doing what I want , like it does when I ride the other direction . He started doing better . Now , he wanted to play in the shavings pile and stop and eat hay scraps on the floor . When I was on the far end of the arena , just walking , he bolted down the wall and ran to our barn entrance . I am so glad I insist on that door being closed when I ride . I stopped him until I stopped shaking . When I asked him to walk , he bucked in place , instead . I spun him about and vocally reprimanded him . He was then fine for the rest of the ride . I had a new theory . My little horse was bored and wanted to play . Because of the weather and icy conditions , I have only ridden him in the arena for several months . The following day , we had a miracle - good weather . Instead of riding , I took him out on a lead line and we walked up and down the long driveway at the barn . I clicked for good behavior and proper stops . He did melt down once when a kid was jumping in puddles , but after a display of rearing and spinning , he calmed down . Then , the rain started up pretty hard . Alas , I had to bring him in because it wasn 't a warm enough day to allow him to get soaked . The next day , I was back in the arena , and he was fine . I still made sure my aids were clear , and he didn 't try to break out of his circles , eat , bolt , play in the shavings or dance around . Yes , I think he was just bored . His old girlfriend , Katie the Mule , came out and rode around with us when we were at the end of the ride and just walking . When I was ready to go in , I thought I would see how he did at a trot . Will he try to impress his sweetheart ? Wow , from the first stride , he was full circus - a high stepping collected stallion showing off for his love . We all laughed , and I quit for the day . I rode him again yesterday , and once again , he was very sensible . I should be able to get him outside on a regular basis , now , and soon we will be at least leading down to the river . There was still a little ice on the hill . My sister and I attempted it with Cruiser and Ranger , and we had to turn back . We finished our ride up and down the driveway in the light rain . Even though it was the first time in 2011 that Cruiser was out of the barn , his behavior was impeccable . I hope that someday Cole will be as good and reliable on the trail as Cruiser . My sister , Ellen , and I are serious trail riders . If we can ride on the trail , we do . Bad weather is not a deterrent - it is a challenge . Don 't get the wrong idea , though , we don 't just goof off all the time . We take our riding and training very seriously . If the weather is dreadful or it is dark out , we school them in the arena and work hard on improving our riding skills . Long ago , we realized a good trail horse needs to be an all - around , well - trained horse . We also work on training them while we are on the trail to be obedient and responsive . Not all training has to take place in the ring . One last ingredient to making a terrific trail horse is for the rider to skilled enough to ride balanced and tactfully . How can we expect our horses to behave well if we ride crooked and make them sore , or if we are leaning on the bit ? Remember , we don 't work for just a half an hour like someone would in an arena , we go out riding for several hours at a time . Our horses can get quite sore on the long rides if we ride poorly . If we make the time unpleasant for our horses , they will make it unpleasant for us . We work very hard to keep our horses ' training and our riding skills up to our standards , yet Ellen 's horse , Ranger , has never been in a show , and my horses have only been in one once . We love trail riding so much that we don 't want to spend a day at a show . Not long ago , there was a local instructor who was giving a " mock show " class . She invited anyone in the neighborhood to meet her up at the local show ring where she would evaluate the riders as if she was a judge . Ellen and I thought it would be a good experience for our horses to work in a ring with a group of other horses . For years , we boarded at small barns and didn 't have many opportunities to work our horses in large groups . We rode our horses up to the show ring early and met the instructor . She didn 't know us , so we introduced ourselves and told her we were just " trail riders " who wanted to work our horses in a group and had no intention of showing . She welcomed us and soon the class began . Right from the start , our horses showed up the rest of the class . We were the only riders in the class who would even try to go through the large puddle along the rail at one end . Our horses didn 't even hesitate to do it . The rest of the riders cut inside to avoid it - not even trying it . Maybe they just didn 't want to get their horses muddy , but good trail horses have to go through mud whether they like it or not . Just to stay with the rest of the group , we cut inside to go around the puddle after that . Whenever we were in a crowd of other horses and wanted to get away from the group , we would leave them and head for the mud . They would then happily go along the rail and through the water . The instructor gave us some good advice on how to improve our riding . Most of it was aesthetic , such as looking forward instead of down at the horses head . I think we have spent too many miles swatting mosquitoes from their necks . At the canter , I held my hands a little too high and sometimes my heels came up a bit . Of course , I expected to have some criticism , but I certainly thought there would be more than that . I will now work on these things when I am riding on the trail . It will just be a matter of changing some bad habits that I picked up . The great part of our ride is that our horses behaved beautifully . Remember , they 've had little experience with working in large groups . It instructor was impressed that they did fine in the group , yet worked well independently when we circled them to get a better spot away from the other horses . Even though our horses are best of friends , they didn 't mind being away from each other as we rode around the ring . They were quiet and obedient . At the end of the class , the instructor told us that , for horses that were " just trail horses , " they did very well . We were quite proud of them . Instead of going right home like everyone else did , we went on a short trail ride . Not much will keep us from our passion . It was good to know that all of our hard work has paid off . We both felt that if we wanted to go in a show , we may not win anything , but our horses would do just fine . The question we have to ask ourselves is , " Do we want to spend the day at a show ring and miss a lovely trail ride ? " I don 't think so . The trail calls … I bought my second horse , Cruiser , when he was only a two - year - old . Quite honestly , I was still a rather green horse person . I had only owned my first horse for two years before he died , and bought Cruiser the very next week . It may have seemed rather impulsive , but for $ 300 . 00 , I figured that I didn 't have anything to lose . I would always be able to turn around and sell him for what I paid for him . He was such a pretty little horse . Cruiser is a light chestnut , half Morgan / half Arabian . Cruiser was barely halter - broken when I got him . With the help of some good books , common sense and patience , I was in the saddle by the time he was 3 . All that time , I hadn 't been going on any trail rides , and I missed it dreadfully . I was sure that I could get Cruiser on the trail right away . We had gone for walks in the park many times , so it wasn 't unfamiliar to him . He seemed quiet enough in the arena after the first 10 minutes of silliness . Granted , he was a bit on the spooky side , but I just had to get on the trail . The summer had begun , and I didn 't want to miss a day of it . After less than a month of riding at the barn , we hit the trail . Well , I 'm lucky I didn 't literally hit the trail . At least I was smart enough to wear a helmet . If only I was smart enough to realize we weren 't ready for the trail . From the moment we left the driveway , he transformed into a creature I didn 't recognize . His spookiness compounded in the park . He didn 't just jump when something startled him ; he spun and ran . I couldn 't get him to stop or turn well . Foolish me . He didn 't do these things well in the arena . Why did I ever think he could do them on trail ? He was just so distracted by everything . I would ask him to trot , and he would take off at an incredible speed - never cantering - but hard to control and hard to stop . ( Maybe he was really a Standardbred with fake papers . ) After a half a dozen attempts of trail riding , I came to my senses . This horse needed more training before he killed me out there . We went back to the drawing board . I worked him in that incredibly boring indoor arena where there weren 't many distractions . I drilled the basics into him until he would respond without hesitation . It didn 't take that long to get him where I wanted ; just a couple of months . By September , I ventured out on the trail again . Sure , we still had problems , but I was better prepared , and he had a clearer idea of what I wanted . I still had some white - knuckle moments , but that will happen with any new trail horse . I rode him on the trail whenever I could until the weather got too bad for it , and then it was time for schooling in the arena again . By spring , he was even better , and our trail rides became a real pleasure . I moved him to a busier part of the park that summer . Finally , we could ride with people ! Everyone said that horses did better if they had companions . I was looking forward to having someone to talk to when I rode . At my first opportunity , I went along with a group of 4 other horses . A big surprise was in store for me . I had a miserable time on the ride trying to keep him from dashing to the head of the group , crowding the other horses and justPosted by I have been going through my old files , finding things to post here . Here is a letter I wrote to the people in charge of taking the lond by my house and converting it to a public park . I receive a personal letter back from the director telling me how moved he was by my letter . I will let you know how they did sometime soon . As a resident of Ridgewood Drive , I grew up and still live on the banks of West Creek . Through the years , I delighted in playing in the water , learning the names of the many wildflowers and watching the changes in the season . We knew all the trails within reasonable walking distance from our house . Unfortunately , my strongest memories are from watching the changes and destruction of the area . It was a happy time when they covered up all the garbage in the landfill and left the bulk of the landfill alone , but when they built the Channel 19 tower , they also tore up the most beautiful hill of wildflowers across the creek to hook up the wires . In all my life , I have never seen as many Trilliums in one place as there were growing on that hillside . There are only a few left , now . I keep hoping they will make a recovery , but I have noticed no difference at all in all these years . A wonderful bunch of concord grapes were destroyed at the same time . Every fall , we had picked grapes for home made jelly . To this day , I don 't like the taste of the store bought grape jelly . I watched with disappointment as the city gradually removed the fruit trees from the remnants of the old orchard . There would be no more lovely spring shows of flowering apple , pear , plum , cherry and hawthorn trees , and we would no longer be able to eat those delicious cherry pies my mother used to make . More recently , the city decided they would dump their fill in a lovely wetland area near the former orchard . How could they do this ? The few mallard ducks in the area used to swim about in it . There are no frogs left in the area since they destroyed that wetland . Now I hear that they will try to restore the wetland . What a shame that it had been ruined in the first place . Building the Channel 55 tower destroyed a small , secluded wetland that always made me think we were in Louisiana whenever we would look at it . There is just a tiny remnant of it left that looks nothing like the original , and it hurts me to see it when I remember its former beauty . AnothPosted by I don 't know what this weekend holds , other than rain . Maybe , just maybe , I will be able to get Cruise out a little on the trail . My sister brought her horse down to the river , yesterday , and she said there were some icy spots , and the crossing is out of the question . There is a tree over the riverbank that we can 't get around . Of course , there is so much rain predicted this weekend , it may be enough to wash it away . We shall see . It depends on the weather . For Cole 's first trip , I will lead him . The hill to the river is always where he has been the most excited and least predictable . Maybe months of schooling in the arena will help him out . It is amazing that I managed him on trail last fall considering how very , very green he was . He 's not quite so green anymore . Next week may be my last one stuck in the arena . The time change changes everything . Plus , that 's when the weather becomes more consistent . I am so tired of the arena . We are learning a lot , but the trail calls . I might still ride Cole for a little while in there until there is enough time to take both out . As long as there is no frozen , icy or snowy trail , Cruiser will be out on the trail even if we can 't cross the river . My boyfriend has a family event , and if it starts too early , I am just going to stay home . I have so much to do , and I hate rushing home from the barn and rushing back out . My sister and I like to go out to lunch or go hiking on days we don 't ride too much . I like to be leisurely on the dog walk , and I must have time to hang out with Thunder . Then there is the laundry , cleaning , finishing my taxes and taking a nap . I would love some time to read , too . Seems I never get much time to read … Today is my 25th anniversary at my job . I was surprised that everyone was making such a big deal about it . It actually means a lot to me , but I didn 't think anyone else really cared . There was a balloon with a brownie on my desk from my office mate and friend Therese , the company brought me a bunch of fancy cupcakes and another coworker , Rita , brought me flowers . I confess , I feel very happy and content at my job for the first time in a long time . I had so many people say such kind words to me . People really do care , and sometimes I forget that . Or maybe I 'm feeling so warm and fuzzy becasue I just have a sugar high from the 2 cupcakes I ate ? By the way , I am an estimator at a large commercial printer . It is both a tough job because you need to know so much - and a very easy one most of the time - when you have been doing it as long as me . I enjoy it because I love numbers . I don 't expect to be hear another 25 years - - I plan to retire in 14 . That 's not as long as it sounds because the first 25 went so fast . I worked a little with clicker last night with Maggie the Dog and Thunder the Cat . Maggie has mastered spin . I just need to move my hand in a small circular motion , and she does a slow spin . I introduced the other direction , and she got totally confused and laid down . We quit at turning her head . I put her outside and worked with Thunder . We had been playing a lot of Throw ( I throw pieces of dry cat food all around the living room and he chases it . ) His belly was fairly full . With cats , you get the best training when they are hungry - unlike dogs or horses who never get tired of eating . We did manage to get a little done . Where he used to carefully stretch from his pedestal to the top of his scratching post , he is now jumping to them . We do it with targeting . He follows his target toy . ( It is just a pencil with a feather taped to the end . ) He did it a few times and walked away to see if there was something else to play . About 4 : 00 this morning , I woke up when I heard a sound that I couldn 't identify . I laid there a minute and then I heard Thunder crying . It was a plaintive cry I didn 't recognize , so I ran downstairs to see what was the matter . There was his target toy laying on the floor . When I reached him , he started purring ! I guess me coming to see him was better than a treat . He somehow got it off the shelf . After a couple minutes of purring and petting , I brought him back upstairs and we had a good cuddle until he fell asleep - I was wide awake by then , so I just kept petting him until I fell asleep . Every horse has his story . If you see a horse in the park , you may want to ask the owner what the story is . I usually do . Sometimes I find a horse that had been rescued from abuse or starvation or was a loser on the track but a winner in his new owner 's heart . Maybe the owner has had the horse from the time of his birth - twenty - five years ago , and they have been constant companions since . Here is Cruiser 's story . When my first horse , Brandy , fell victim to a serious case of colic . The initial crisis passed , yet he just wasn 't getting any better . He wouldn 't eat or drink and was extremely depressed . All I could do was wait and see what transpired . He was up there in years , and his age probably made recovery much more difficult . About a week later , he took a turn for the worse and started having trouble breathing . That night , the owner of the boarding stables I kept him at told me about a colt she heard of through the grapevine that was for sale at an extremely reasonable price . He was half Arabian and half Morgan , a combination that I always heard was very good . I told her I would keep it in mind , but at the time , I wasn 't thinking of anything except Brandy . The next day , Brandy was doing so poorly , I knew he couldn 't recover . I called the vet to see if he agreed that we should put him out of his misery . He told me that Brandy would only get worse and would only live a couple more days . I couldn 't bear the thought of him suffering so much ; it was worse than the thought of losing my dear companion , so I told the vet to go ahead . As I fled the barn in tears , I asked for the phone number for the colt . I called on the colt that evening and arranged to see him on the weekend . He was only 2 years old , and the current owners said they didn 't have the knowledge to train him to be a riding horse . I was anxious to see him . Could this horse possibly fill the empty space in my heart ? That morning , they brought him out of his stall , and I looked him over . My inexperienced eyes could not see anything wrong in his build , and I liked his enthusiastic attitude and friendly personality . The owners told me they called him Satan because he was so wild before he was gelded the year before , but they insisted he was fine now . They just didn 't come up with a new name for him . He had tagged along when they bought his mother two years previous and now that he was grown ; they didn 't know what to do with him . I wrote a check for $ 300 . 00 and arranged to have him brought to me . I realized that in the state I was in , I could be making a very foolish mistake . I did rationalize that if things didn 't go well , I would always be able to get his purchase price back . I had never trained a horse from scratch and I was possibly biting off more than I could chew . In fact , I had only owned my first horse for 2 ½ years and was very much a novice . This was going to be a challenge . The first thing I did when I got my new horse was change his name to Cruiser . I sure wouldn 't be owning any horse named Satan . I quickly realized that he was barely halter broken . I really was starting from scratch . Though he was easily excited and startled , he did have a good friendly attitude as I originally suspected . I felt I could do it . With the help of some good books for guidance , a lot of patience and a good dose of determination , I was riding him by the following summer . Before I knew it , we were spending much of our time out on trail . In time , he turned into a fantastic trail horse and a real joy to ride . He has an unending amount of patience with children that I always marvel at . Sometime afterwards , I found out the real reason that his previous owners sold him . They continued to call him Satan after he was gelded because he persisted in acting like a wild , devilish horse . They had to sell him because he was too wild to do anything with . I burst out laughing when I heard this . I began training him with a preconceived notion that he was a typical , tame horse , and he responded as such . If I had known the truth , I may have been intimidated and treated him differently . Chances are , he would have then lived up to his reputation . By remaining unprejudiced , I was able , with little experience , to train Cruiser to exceed all my expectations . I learned that most horses can succeed if treated correctly and given a fair chance . A Happy Starry Kevin has owned Starry D for a few years , now . He is a really good horse for Kevin . He 's friendly , gentle and usually list . . . I figured out what our dog is . She is a Sprollie - - a Border Collie / Spaniel mix . Whether she was intentional or an accident , we will never k . . . I only had enough daylight to ride Cruise on trail . We went with my boyfriend and Starry . It was a very nice ride . When I got back , I d . . .