Academy da Cavalaria

One of the really fun things about our community is that we all belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism. For us, the SCA is about learning and studying medieval history. It is also about having lots of fun. Hence the Academy da Cavalaria.

Academy da Cavalaria is a way for us to learn about and express medeival horsemanship. We play medeival horse games such as Ring Tilting and Quintain. This is something both we and our horses enjoy very much.

So last Saturday we (we being Willa and I) dragged ourselves out of bed and tried to get ready in the morning so we could hold our "Academy". Well, the hoses were still frozen (to water the arena) and even coffee didn't seem to help us to move any faster. But eventually we got up and dressed and started setting up the games we had planned for the day.

Our "gaming" horses, Autumn, Dillon, Mercedes, Storm, and Scotch all lined up against the fence and watched as we put up the games. They enjoy playing the games very much and were excited to see us preparing for the day. Eventually Michelle showed up and then Danielle and we got the horses out that we would use for the day and got them all decked out and saddled up.

Decked out means that we put the beautiful horse bardings on them that we have made for them. You know, like they did in the middle ages. I made a bridle for Autumn based on a picture of a statue of Justinian on a horse during Byzantium. I tried it out on Mercedes, but she decided she really didn't like it. So back to her trusty english bridle with the full cheek snaffle bit.

Horses can be picky.

Speaking of picky--Danielle rode Storm--who used to be Mouse. She is an "old" ranch quarter horse who started out as a barrel racer. She also started out with the name of Mouse. But we knew she really didn't like that name and so upon the advice of a pet behavioralist we tried her out on Storm. And she really loves that name! So Storm it is. And really, she isn't a Mouse at all, but a truly spirited lovely riding horse. Oftentimes because her trot is so smooth, we put beginner riders on her. And she carries them beautifully.

Back to the Academy. The first thing Yasaamiin and Danielle did was the game of Mounted Crest Combat. With what we call "boffer" swords--that is foam padded swords. Using converted fencing masks with "crests" velcroed on the top--the object of the game is to use horsemanship and swordsmanship skills to be the first one to swipe the crest off the top of the opponent's helm.

It's really quite a fun game!

Yasaamiin usually beats me. But I did get at least one swipe in, which means I'm getting better with practice.

After that we trained for a bit on the Quintain--which is the target training for jousting--so you use a very long lance. I rode Dillon first and then switched over to Mercedes to give her a bit of practice. Yasaamiin rode Hudson and then rode Scotch.

All in all, it was a very fun day!

About Benny

I decided to write this blog about Benny. He's a twenty four year old Thoroughbred (though small). He's a retired polo pony and is one of the gentlest guys we've got. The young kids seem to like him the best and it's easy to see why.

Benny is allowed out of the pasture now and again so he can wander around and graze at will. We've been letting him into the garden (all finished now) to eat up some of the grass and weeds that are still around. Tonight he was wandering on the other side of the "big horses" paddock a goodly distance from his own pasture.

Willa called when it was time for him to get his nightly ration of grain. And pretty soon, here he came. Nice to have a horse that comes when he is called.

We also have Jonas the two year old grandson of Willa and Joseph here with his Mom to visit us while they are on their way to visist her folks in Utah. Joseph's son is currently in Afganistan. Jonas celebrated his two year old birthday this evening (though it's a few days early).

He is so cute! And tonight when Benny was walking toward us, he kept calling, "Come Benny!" Jonas really loves the horses.

And Sam (our Pyrenees dog), was so cute with Jonas this evening. Jonas started to drift away from Willa as they were walking down toward the grain room, and Sam just stepped right in and very gently "herded" Jonas back to Willa's side. Then he gave Jonas a lick, which Jonas really liked! Sam is a natural with young children.

This last summer during one of the summer camps, one of the boys who rode Benny had something going on with his health and consequently was in pain, though he never complained even once. Benny carried that boy with a smoothness and gentleness that I have never seen. Oftentimes, the horses know things we don't and I see them "teaching" the kids by being stubborn (seemingly) or by insisting that the kids focus, or challenging them in other ways. But Benny never challenged this boy--he just made his camp weekend very special. I think Benny is just a very special horse.

Of Porcupines and other things

I went out the other morning to go to work and Rusty walked up to me with a snout full of porcupine quills. Needless to say, I didn't make it to work on time and Rusty got an unscheduled visit to the Vet. Sam, on the other hand, was quill free--except that Tammy found one on his fur later. But we think that came from Rusty. I guess Rusty will stay away from the porcupines from now on. At least, I sure hope so! We didn't even know there are porcupines out here.

On another note--we are ready to harvest our pumpkin patch this Sunday. We have 12 of the most beautiful pumpkins. One we are keeping for the ranch and we have already sold two more. So that leaves nine. I'm going to take some pictures to post on the website when we harvest them. They are for sale. I hope they get eaten and not just carved up for Halloween decorations. To me, that's such a waste. Home baked pumpkin pies or pumpkin soup, or even pumpkin cookies are soooo good!

The fall is the absolute best time for trail riding at the ranch. It's not too windy, the temperatures are not too hot and not too cold (they are just right!), and the sun is shining bright. If you are considering a time to trail ride, this month (October) is really the best time you could pick. I recommend you bring a camera. Even if it gets cold and rainy, it doesn't feel as cold as in the spring. I think it's because we have all that nice summer sun saved up in our bones. But that's not a medical opinion.

And we've turned on the comments, so if you have something to say in reply--go for it!

Trail Ride

Today we had our biggest trail ride yet. We had some friends over, plus we had a singles group, and we all went on the ride together.

One of the best things about Dream River Ranch, is that we get to share it with others. This isn't a "keep to yourself" operation. In fact, we think that we have something pretty special and we love to show it off.

Our horses are not your general "trail" horses. They are school horses--used mostly for SHE Therapy. On the side, they (the horses) give lessons and do trail rides to help earn money.

But this means, that we don't put nose-to-tail and take the same trail every time. In fact, every single trail ride is different. And the horses can go single file (as in the above photo) or they can go side by side. It depends on what the riders tell them to do.

Therefore, before Willa takes anyone on a trail ride, if they don't have enough experience to be safe on the trail, they get a riding lesson. This promotes safety, good riding, and allows us to share our piece of the country in a very special way.

This is the best kind of trail riding. The kind where even the inexperienced, get to learn how it feels to be a rider, not just a passenger. And we never go exactly the same way twice. So whatever trail ride we give, it's special, because no other trail ride will be quite like that one.

Sometimes, we get really experienced riders, and then we can go farther and longer. On those rides we do a lot of canter and trot. But even with inexperienced riders--when we don't go as far out--we still have lots of fun. With inexperienced riders, we generally go at a walk, maybe a little trot in places. But we still get out and see the beautiful, wild, desert countryside.

This way, we don't get bored, and our horses don't get bored, and the people who come with us have a really great time.

We always see something wild as well. Today we saw jack rabbits. Lots of time we see antelope. Did you know that antelope are the fastest animals in the Western Hemisphere? Fastest herbivores, that is. I think that jaguars or maybe even cougars can be faster. But don't quote me on that. Just know that watching a herd of antelope run over the horizon is a very exciting sight.

So that's a bit about being on the trail with Dream River Ranch.

I hope we'll see you soon...

Moonlight Ride

A year ago, when we moved out to the ranch, Willa and I took one look at the beautiful full moon over the desert and promised ourselves that we would go on moonlight rides.

Last night, we finally kept our promise.

The ride started at about sunset. We went out on the trail at the back of the ranch and enjoyed the cool, calm evening. The sun was going down in a red glory, and to the south, we could see the outlines of the Owyhee Mountains. They looked almost like clouds through the haze.

The trail was a bit dusty, but soon we got off the "main drag", and were walking through the grass. We went on a long canter and I just let Autumn have her head. She really enjoyed getting out for a run. Willa was on Scotch which was great for Autumn because for once, she could actually be in the lead. She's an Appaloosa/Quarter Horse, and her short legs just can't compete with some of our Thoroughbreds. Scotch isn't that much bigger than Autumn and because of his leg injury, he doesn't canter real fast anyway.

Then we did a hand gallop up the hill. What fun!

As it grew darker we saw some antelope off to the east. And of course we kept watching for the moon to rise over the Danskin Mountains. We slowed to a nice sedate walk as it was getting a little bit dark to be capering over the hills at full speed. There are lots of badger and bunny holes in our desert.

We didn't see any coyotes, which kind of surprised me. In fact, I don't even remember hearing any--which is unusual. We generally hear coyotes howling every single night. Maybe they all partied too much the night before.

At last we could see the light over the mountains which let us know the moon was soon to rise. So we stopped on the top of hill overlooking the ranch. There we let the horses graze a bit, while we watched the moon rise over the mountains. It was gorgeous!

Words can't describe the pleasure I felt as we walked home in the moonlight. The horses enjoyed themselves very much, although they were glad to get home when we finally did. The others in the herd welcomed us home with joyous neighs.

We unsaddled in the moonlight and put everything away. I didn't get to bed until midnight, but it was worth it!

We've decided that next year, we're going to get the calendar out and invite others to share our moonlight ride adventure. It would have to be restricted to folks who know how to ride. But we think this is too lovely an experience to keep to ourselves. Of course, horse rental is extra--but that's part of what we do as a horse ranch and we're set up for that.

So anyone for a moonlight ride?

Scotch's Legacy: Pearl

Today I'd like to introduce you to Pearl (picture to come).

Pearl is a chestnut appaloosa. She is smart. In fact, you could say she is really really smart. Which is why she is Scotch's legacy. I did explain how Scotch figured out how he could go under fences (electric). So we finally had to put him behind a fence supported by barb wire--so he wouldn't get into the alfalfa hay (that we are going to use for the thoroughbreds for winter).

Well, before he left that little herd--he taught Pearl his secret. So now we've got two horses that know how to go underneath electric fences. At least both of them are easy to catch. Not sure what we're going to do with Pearl if she keeps this up. But for the last two days, she's been out when Willa goes down in the mornings. Willa's been trying to teach her that she must stay inside the fence. But if she doesn't, I suspect she'll end up with Scotch.

Pearl is a very willing, very nice horse. She is still in training--so doesn't get used by outsiders yet. She is curious and likes to be around people. Mostly we have Pearl because we also have her mother Amber--who is an appaloosa bay. Amber is great for kids training. She is also a very good trail horse. And she reminds me of Eeyore (Whinny the Pooh). But I'll get to her another day.

In the meantime, I'm hoping that Pearl is smart enough (wise enough) to realize that if she won't stay behind the fence voluntarily, she will be separated from her mom and put behind a different kind of fence.

Horses running free is very romantic--but can be deadly. And we love our horses too much to take that kind of risk with them.

Dree

Here's a picture of my daughter Brittni riding at the ranch. I continue to be amazed about the connection between girls and horses. It was a phenomenon that I enjoyed with my older daughters and I'm glad to see Brit following in her footsteps.

Girls, horses, fun. What could be better?

Here are some of my favorite horse quotes:

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. ~Winston Churchill

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill

Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world. ~Josephine Demott Robinson

Heaven is high and earth wide. If you ride three feet higher above the ground than other men, you will know what that means. ~Rudolf C. Binding

He knows when you're happy; He knows when you're comfortable; He knows when you're confident; And he always knows when you have carrots.~Author Unknown

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. ~Arabian Proverb

A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. ~Pam Brown

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire. ~Sharon Ralls Lemon

Enjoy!

Steven