For the first time since I began this blog, more than a month has gone by between posts. That’s a bad thing; you lose readers when you don’t provide content. But the simple truth is that my life has been far too eventful for me to take time for blogging. Every spare minute I had for horses has been dedicated to basic care and conditioning Jazz. Despite the many obstacles (read about them in my post Bumps on the Road to Tevis) and riding limited to weekends (see my post on Being a weekend warrior), we have made progress. In fact, planning Jazz’s first ride has been the highlight of these last several weeks, and the one thing that has forced me to look to the future. It’s not the first time in my life that horses have provided solace and structure in uncertain times.
Jump to:
On uncertain times
On Jazz’s current condition
On planning Jazz’s first ride
Looking past the first ride
On the uncertain times
New job
In August, I began a new position as Professor of Psychology at Bakersfield College. I teach Monday through Thursday in Bakersfield (including a class Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in Delano). Some weeks I can drive home to Springville Thursday evenings; others I have meetings on Friday and must stay in Bakersfield. As new faculty, I have evaluations, training, lots of paperwork, and simply learning the ropes to contend with. Fortunately, I’ve been teaching general psychology and statistics (my current courses) for a long time, so I don’t need to learn new material. More fortunately, BC has turned out to be a good place to work, and I’ve got a wonderful new office mate.
New home(s)
Still, I’m in Bakersfield most of the week. I’m renting a nice little apartment in a very convenient location (not least because it’s near a great brew pub, Bootlegger’s). Last weekend, I moved out of my boyfriend’s home and back in with my parents. They are also in Springville, and only about 10 miles north as the crow flies from where I had been living for more than two years (and considered home for more than four). About 1000′ higher in elevation, which means fewer steep hills easily accessible.
For me, the move is difficult. I suppose it’s always a challenge to move back into our childhood home! But for my horses, it’s luxury. Before, they had just under three hilly acres. Now, they have 33 acres. True, they do not have the nice barn they’d been enjoying when in from pasture. But my boyfriend’s daughter had decided she wanted their stalls anyway. And 33 hilly acres are ideal for endurance horses that can only be ridden on weekends. They are getting fed in the mornings only to encourage roaming up and down hills. Their water trough is a quarter of a mile from their feed tubs.
Above: Fantazia and Jazz coming in for breakfast on their first morning in their new pasture.
On Jazz’s current condition
Originally, I had planned Jazz’s debut for the Quicksilver Endurance ride on October 1st. Then I sat down hard on a rock on the river, and severely bruised my tailbone at the beginning of August. No riding for nearly a month! Jazz might have been able to do a slow 25 miles in any case, but I simply had no time. (See above!) I began planning for the Sesenta Anos Pioneer ride… I thought, again, a slow LD. About a month ago, however, I realized that Jazz would probably be ready sooner.
Last Friday we did our last ride from our old home. It was 17 miles with 4,065′ total elevation gain. It’s a grueling ride. I left the peak (summit at 3,261′) for later in the ride, after 12 miles. True, we went slowly: 4.5 hours total (moving time, 4 hours, 10 minutes). But it was over 80F on average, over 90F at low elevations. We went from ~800′ to ~2500′ in about 2 miles, then spend a lot of time between 2000′ and 3000′.
Jazz was tired at the end, but completely recovered the next day. He takes care of himself. Drinks at every opportunity, eats whenever I let him put his head down. He’s 100% sound, with no heat or swelling after even the longest rides.
He might even be capable of a slow 50, but we’re starting easy.
On planning Jazz’s first ride
In August, I thought we’d be doing a slow LD at Sesenta Anos. But I’ve just entered the Bill Thornburgh Fiends and Family ride. That’s next weekend, October 29th and 30th. I’ll be riding Saturday, because work (sigh) happens Monday. The LD is 30 miles, but it’s the desert, and my experience with that area encourages me to believe it won’t be too difficult. Others have said that it’s a good first ride. We can go slowly.
I have never ridden Jazz with anyone else, so it will be all new. But he’s very sensible. He doesn’t care when cattle run behind us. When we encountered a herd of horses, he didn’t break out of the walk, even when they galloped all around us. As long as I don’t let him go fast the first several rides, I believe he’ll be calm and easy to rate at rides.
Above: Jazz was cool and collected when we came upon a group of horses apparently let loose on a cattle ranch to take advantage of the grass in a time of expensive hay 😉
Looking past the first ride
Because I won’t have the ideal terrain access I have been accustomed to, I am planning to complete rides according to a conditioning plan. If all goes well next weekend, we’ll do Sesenta Anos as well, with very little riding in between. Then we’ll do the Cayuse ride. I had a great time with Fantazia at Cayuse last December, despite nearly freezing! I’ll have to condition somewhat in the intervening month, but not much.
I will have access to the same land I have been riding, of course. And thanks to my parents having lived in the area for 50 years, there are many many ranches I can ride on. It’s just not quite as convenient. I might have to trailer to easy access points. Or ride down the road. Or make a few gates. Ask for permission from people I don’t know. It’s not impossible. But it will take time, and time is what I haven’t got enough of lately.
Planning Jazz’s first ride has kept me thinking about the future during the past several months. It’s been a time when I simply couldn’t think beyond doing the job that was in front of me at any given time. It’s these times when I most appreciate having horses. They give me a reason to look beyond the present and into times when current challenges will be but dim memory.
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