Time for an update on River’s progress! I took her on her first solo ride off the ranch Sunday. At that point, I’d had her for six weeks and two days. It was my 15th ride on her. I can only ride Thursday-Sunday, and not every weekend. (I missed the second weekend I had her because I took my dad to his 64th high school reunion.)
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The only rides River had done off the place before Sunday
River’s first solo conditioning ride away from home
River’s emerging persona
When will River do her first endurance ride?
Most of our riding is in the same pasture she and Fantazia live in, 30 hilly acres with several convenient water crossings. Most of River’s training has happened when she’s been loose in the pasture. Fantazia has taught her to cross the water, avoid squirrel holes, fear things that are Out of Place, come to the cow bell, and so forth.
River has also been learning the basics of backing, side passing, turning on the haunches, etc. I have beaten a roundish path in an approximately 35-meter circle in a flattish part of the pasture. Jazz and I began that track, so it’s not a perfect circle. (I should have used Fantazia, because if I put her in a bend, she will continue in it until I change it. Jazz wanders.) But it works. Much of training a horse involves trying to achieve a steady pace and even stride, no matter what the surface. It’s more difficult in a pasture, but that makes a groomed arena that much easier!
Above: The track of a typical pasture ride. You can see our “arena” or circle in the pasture. That ride took an hour and was about 5.2 miles, with 577′ total elevation gain.
The only rides River had done off the place before Sunday
The weekend before last, I took Fantazia’s to a friend’s place. We rode in a groomed arena for the first time. River loved it. She trotted fast! In the pasture, on hard uneven ground, she rarely goes faster than 6mph. I have to push her to move out of an easy 5.5mph jog. In the arena, she cruised along at 8mph without urging. Unlike Fantazia, who spooks at every discoloration in the wall, tractor tracks in the dirt, shadows, and anything manmade out of place, River was completely unafraid.
The next day, my friend and I rode out on the trail together. It was River’s first trail ride (excluding riding in her pasture). We rode–at a walk–4.3 miles in one hour, 38 minutes, with a total elevation gain of 1000′. River did well, tackling her first serious climbs without hesitation or stopping. She did, however, demonstrate the first signs of Naughty River. When we turned for home, retracing our steps, she got impatient and silly. She flung her head around and stepped off the trail (a very bad idea in many of the places I ride). When she started doing that on a steep downhill grade back to the barn, I got off and led her.
She’ll learn.
River’s first solo conditioning ride away from home
This last weekend I wanted to take both mares on a long ride. I planned Fantazia’s long ride for Saturday, as she doesn’t really need four days of riding a week, whereas River most definitely does. Besides, I needed to ride Fantazia to make sure the route I planned with River on Sunday would be appropriate.
Lead up to River’s biggest conditioning ride yet
I drove home to ride Thursday to ride both, even though I had to go back to Bakersfield (75 miles away, where I work at Bakersfield College) for a meeting Friday morning. Both mares did around 4.5 miles of walk, trot (2.5 miles), and lope (1.5 miles). When I am short on time, as I was Thursday, I ride Fantazia and pony River half a mile out to our pasture ring. I tie River to a tree, ride Fantazia four miles in the “ring”, stop by the trough for water, then tie her to a tree and switch horses. River gets her four miles in the “ring”, and a trip to the trough. (Watch River’s enthusiastic attempt to dunk herself in the water last Thursday here.) Then I pony Fantazia half a mile the long way back home. Thursday was a typical two-mare, no spare time day.
On Friday I was home by two, and I took River out alone for a longer ride in the pasture. We did 6.13 miles of walk, trot, lope, with lots of basic training (1 hour, 21 minutes, 423′ total ascent). She’s finally picking up and sustaining the right lead well on a bend. I can even ride her at a lope on a long rein (as long as she’s been ridden the day before).
On Saturday I rode River before I took Fantazia out. The ride was mostly backing (uphill), leg yielding, walking, and stopping, for one hour. Then Fantazia and I went on a nice ride.
Above: On the left, riding Fantazia on Saturday. You can see the burn area ahead of us, and the air is murky. On the left, riding River Sunday, not far from where Fantazia and I were in the first picture. The air is slightly clearer, but it’s still smoldering where they’ve burned. The ranch owner told me it was to get rid of the brush piles workmen had left after chopping down dead trees.
Using Fantazia to plan River’s ride
The loop I had originally planned with Fantazia proved to be a no-go because they were doing a controlled burn on the larger of the cattle ranches (#2) I have the immense privilege to call my playground. Fortunately, I have many different routes and loops. The main thing I needed to do was figure out where all the cattle were on the first ranch (#1) I ride through to access the larger one. Fantazia is naturally good at cows–if she were a cow horse I’d call her cowy 😉 River however has her doubts about the wisdom of getting near cattle. Ranch #1 has a lot of quite tame cattle. As all cattle do, they like to gather under trees when it’s hot… and the main interior gates are under big trees!
Fantazia and I verified that yes, the cattle are gathering near the gates and that, yes, it’s calving season. There are dozens of tiny calves with protective mothers about. Most of ranch #1 is currently occupied by cows and calves. Another pasture has young steers and heifers, and a third section is devoted to bulls. On our way home, Fantazia and I had to ride by a dozen bulls lounging around next to the only convenient gate.
Fantazia and I then went on to ranch #2 to inspect all the water crossings I planned with River, completing a 10-mile loop through some of my favorite pastures. We completed a total of 12.6 miles in 2 hours 51 minutes total moving time (1,221′ total elevation gain). It was an easy ride. Fantazia was not tired.
Our first big ride… the main purpose of this update on River’s progress!
Sunday dawned cool and overcast. Yay–the cattle wouldn’t be congregating under trees! River and I set out at 9am, with me leading her down the road. It’s a mile down the road to the furthest gate into Ranch #1 (there’s a closer gate but it goes through the bull pasture, which I wanted to save for the way home.) There is alway less traffic on Sunday, but people drive fast and there are many monsters, so I thought it best to lead. River behaved very well–in fact, since everything is new to her, she spooked less than Fantazia, who notices every sign, flag, and roadside trash or carcasses that weren’t there the last time.
When we got to ranch #1, we entered directly into one of the main cow pastures. There were five little calves within 150′ of us when I got on. It only got worse once we’d gone through a gate into the main pasture. Dozens of cows and calves! River didn’t know where to look… she finally gave up and relaxed. And as you’ll know if you’ve been around cattle–calves just love to come running after you.
It’s a mile and a quarter from that lower gate on ranch #1 to the southwest gate to ranch #2. River and I walked most of it because cattle, but I did allow her to trot the last quarter mile. She swivelled her head right and left the entire time, looking–but never slowed until I asked.
Once we’d crossed onto ranch #2, we had smooth, recently graded roads. For most of the 5 miles we were on that property, I stuck to the roads. Because they’d been burning in that section, we saw no cattle. We did have excellent water training though! River crossed four creeks that posed significant obstacles for a new trail horse. The first took us over nearly three minutes and River filled her tail with cockleburs by backing into them. The last took less than 40 seconds. She wouldn’t drink, but she did eat grass.
Above: River’s final water crossing for the day was the least boggy.
Overall, I was very pleased with River. It turns out she cruises along at an easy 9 mph trot when she’s motivated. She’s smooth too, barely lifting me out of the saddle. When the ranch owner drove out to find us on his ATV, she stood patiently while he and I chatted for ten minutes.
As mentioned above, I took a different route back through ranch #1. We braved the bulls, who were mercifully well spread-out. By the time we got back to the road, we’d gone over 9 miles.
Some stats
Altogether, River and I went 10 miles, in 2 hours 58 minutes (2:38 moving time), with 1,053′ total ascent. Average moving speed was 3.8 mph, maximum 10.9 mph. Aside from a few strides of canter uphill, I kept River to a trot. I know she can canter, but she doesn’t need to be doing that yet.
Getting to know River’s emerging persona
River is not spooky. Oh, she worried about water, but that’s natural. All but one of our crossings was boggy. She’ll figure that out. And she will have to get more comfortable with cattle. That will happen quickly, as we’re having cattle turned out in their pasture for the winter. But all in all, River simply looks at things and keeps going.
She has a very strong inbuilt homing beacon. Because we went south down the road, then west, as soon as the road bore north, River wanted to head home. At all times she knew where home was, and was more enthusiastic when headed every so slightly in that direction. (In fact one can ride cross country home, but there are many gates, some of which are impossible to open without a prise-bar.)
River did get a bit naughty whenever we were retracing out steps. I avoided that for the most part, but once we got to the road, there was no choice. As soon as I shurt the gate and started leading River up the street, she kicked and reared. Yep, the challenge with her will be the road home.
Of course, that might change when she actually feels like she’s had a hard workout. Sunday was easy for her. She’s a race horse. She knows what it means to be tired, and she hasn’t felt tired since she got here.
Above: You can get an idea of how smooth River’s trot is in this video. She barely moves me in the saddle.
When will River do her first endurance ride?
Probably not till the Fire Mountain ride in January. I was thinking about Sesenta Anos, because I love that ride. Fantazia and I rode all three days in 2021, and Jazz completed his first 50–and won BC–there last year. But I don’t think River will be ready.
Oh, she could easily be physically prepared to complete an LD. But, first, I want her first ride to be a 50. (She needs to know what she’s in for from day 1.) And second, she needs to be mentally ready too. By that I mean that she needs to trust me 100% and be ready and willing to go whereever I point her.
Yes, I am going slowly. That’s in large part because I can only ride weekends. River will be easy to condition physically, because she’s an ex-racehorse. But she still doesn’t really know what my legs are for. My few attempts to open a gate have been total fails. She’s gotten a lot better, but she still resists the bit whenever I do more than the most basic signals.
By January, she’ll be ready for a ride in the desert. In fact, I wish there were a ride in December we could do. But for now, it’s looking like Fire Mountain.
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