There and Back Again

It has long been my dream to move to the west. I never had a specific place in mind as I have vacationed in several western states and loved them all. For me, the most important criteria were a place that: 1) did not get too much snow, 2) was close enough to a city that I could find employment and 3) had a good horse scene. Realistically, I expected it would be two to three years before it "made sense" to move but that didn't stop me from dreaming...

Several weeks ago I was bored and perusing western cities on craigslist for jobs, an activity I have done countless times over the last few years. I searched for "horse" in the listings and found a job for customer service at EasyCare Inc, a company that specializes in manufacturing and selling horse products (primarily hoof boots). I have been using their products for the past eight years and was shocked not only that this company was hiring, but that it was also paying better than Verizon. After my initial excitement about the job posting, I came back to earth. I didn't think I had a chance, after all, I was 2000 miles away. What company would want to take a risk on someone that has to move that far? Even though it was a long shot I decided to email them my resume and now, less than two months later I am living in Catalina, AZ and am the new customer service representative.

It was almost exactly a year ago that I had My Great Western Adventure to bring Bruiser east. My dad had sworn that was his first and last time helping me haul cross country but you know what they say...never say never. This time we planned a four day, three night route with stops in Brinkley, AK; Clinton, OK and Albuquerque, NM. Each day averaged eight hours drive time so that if we ran into any trouble, the horses would still be ok. The first day we got off to a late start due to tropical storm lee. Once on the road we made good time until a truck in Alabama kicked up a rock and cracked my windshield. As a result, I missed a turn and we spent some extra time finding the interstate. Luckily we were able to get it replaced the next morning in Brinkley but that meant another late start.

The rest of the trip went smoothly. The weather was perfect, not too hot thanks to the cold front that lowered temperatures 15 to 20 degrees from just a few days before. Bruiser traveled so much better this trip than he did when I brought him from Utah; having Cal as a trailer companion really made a big difference. We listened to Prey by Michael Crichton for three of the four days and it was a life saver on those long boring stretches of I-40. The final two hours of our last day was the only time the temperature was above 90 degrees. We arrived in Catalina early in the afternoon and everyone was thrilled the trip was over. (Below left: days 3&4. Below right days 1&2).



As if finding the job of my dreams wasn't wonderful enough, I also found an amazing place to live at the base of the Catalina Mountains. I am renting a room and boarding the horses at the home of a wonderful couple that has three horses and two dogs. Cecilia studies natural horsemanship and keeps her horses barefoot so I knew we would have a lot in common. The horses met over the fence the first day. Cecilia's Peruvian, Gus and Bruiser had to show off to each other.



Over the weekend I went on my first trail ride, right out the back gate...it was awesome. During our ride, Gus kept Bruiser company and they were fairly quiet when we put them together. At first Cecilia put Gus in with a halter which Bruiser quickly tried to grab hold of. After she took it off though there wasn't too much fuss. When we returned and started untacking, they decided to put on a show and Bruiser had much less bravado now that there was not a fence to protect him.



I am in love with my new job and the Tucson area and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Alayna & Bruiser: "The Story"

This was taken almost exactly a year ago, right after I moved Bruiser to Georgia.

My Great Western Adventure

Last summer I graduated from GSU and went on a graduation trip with my dad and Morgan out to Salt Lake City, Utah and back. I have no good excuse as to why it took me this long to finish this, but here is an overview of my amazing trip:

My dad and I drove out with trailer in tow so that we could bring Bruiser back to Atlanta. Along the way we stopped in Topeka, KS and Longmont, CO to visit with my aunts and uncles. We ate at some wonderful restaurants; Free State Brewing and Blind Tiger Brewery while in Topeka and Oskar Blues Brewery, Proto's, and Aji while in Longmont. All of the restaurants were good but Aji was absolutely amazing.
After leaving my relatives in Longmont, we drove to Gunnison and camped next to Blue Mesa Reservoir. Once we parked the trailer, we drove to Crested Butte to hike. The visitor center recommended the Snodgrass Trail but we couldn't find the trailhead. Instead, we ended up hiking along some dirt roads that cut through aspen forests and fields of wildflowers. When we arrived back at camp, there was an amazing sunset over the lake.

The next morning I had reserved a small fishing boat to go out on the reservoir. The engine in our reserved boat failed to start so we were able to upgrade to a pontoon at no additional charge. Our reservation was for a half day so we had time to travel almost the entire length of the reservoir. At the western end, my dad spotted two mule deer does and both had twin fawns. There wasn't a cloud in the sky when we started the boat ride but while returning to the marina it started clouding up fast. We arrived back at the marina an hour early and by the time we picked up the trailer, the wind was picking up. We started off to Black Canyon of the Gunnison leaving the reservoir that was now covered with large whitecaps.

By the time we arrived at Black Canyon, the storm had passed and the sun was shining. The campsite at the south rim was by far the most challenging to get into. The campground is more remote than the others on the trip and each site was surrounded by scrub oak. After several attempts of trying to get the trailer "perfect" I gave up. The storm and sunshine at Black Canyon was indicative of the weather we experienced there. We were able to do a hike to the visitor center with nice weather but the ranger program at the amphitheater was a no-go due to more storms. The next morning, a deafening lightning bolt was our alarm. The clouds were ominous and there were scattered patches of rain but we decided to try the rim drive. Lighting conditions were very challenging but my dad had some success using his graduated neutral density filter. When we arrived at the end of the drive, the clouds had passed allowing us to get some more hiking in. Our final hike was one that dipped into the canyon where we startled a juvenile golden eagle. As we left Black Canyon, we had lunch at the Camp Robber in Montrose. The fried artichoke hearts were amazing!

Our next destination was the Matterhorn Campground outside of Telluride. This campground was by far my favorite as it was surrounded by aspens and wildflowers (and it had hot showers!). After getting settled in, we went to Mountain Village and rode the free gondola to Telluride. Morgan was absolutely terrified of the gondolas on the first ride but we used them a few times over the course of our stay and she started to settle down some by the end of it. Telluride is an incredibly dog-friendly city and we saw dozens of dogs walking the streets with their owners. Although there is technically a leash law, most dogs were just under voice control. While in the area, we ate at a few restaurants but the standout was Siam, a Thai restaurant.\

The following morning we had plans to do a hike in the Telluride area and went to the information center to get some guidance. There are so many great trails in the area but we settled on Hope Lake, as it was relatively close to town and it sounded like a good challenge with some potential for wildflowers. After turning off the main road, the instructions were to travel a little over a mile, before turning onto the forest service road that leads to the trailhead. The woman at the information center said that the forest service road would be a little bumpy but that it was only a few miles to the trailhead. As it turned out, a little bumpy was the understatement of the trip. My truck got a work out and after four and a half miles and countless switchbacks, we finally arrived at the trailhead.

Thankfully, the journey up the worst “road” I have ever been on was well worth it. The hike up to Hope Lake is 3.5 miles and with almost 1200 feet of elevation gain it was plenty challenging. After the first 2.5 miles, we started joking that it’s called Hope Lake because after all that climbing, you hope there is a lake up there. Joking aside, the hike featured several creek crossings and scenic vistas of the surrounding San Miguel mountain range. Also the wildflowers did not disappoint with numerous varieties at peak. All in all, I would put Hope Lake in the top 5 of my favorite hikes.
We were sad to leave Telluride but it was time to head to Salt Lake City to pick up the wild child that is Bruiser. Unfortunately, with six other horses, Carol had not had the time to take Bruiser on any trailer rides to get him prepared. Bruiser is a very confident horse and had been on the trailer plenty but only when it was standing still. We decided to have his first ride be with a buddy over to Carol’s friend’s farm. He was understandably nervous on his first trip but did well and was curious about being in a new environment when we arrived.

The next day, it was time to start the journey back east and Bruiser would have to have his first solo trailering experience. Day one we drove to Boulder, CO and I had arrangements to keep him in a stall at the fairgrounds. Despite being the only horse there, Bruiser seemed to be ok after spending his first night in a strange place and he was eating and drinking well. The next morning he got on the trailer willingly but once on, he started throwing a tantrum…pawing, screaming, etc. He did settle down but was not willing to drink while on the trailer. Also, his gut sounds were decreased but thankfully he was still pooping (I know it sounds strange, but to a horse person, this is very important!). When we arrived at The Flying H Horse Motel, in Topeka, KS, Bruiser drank and perked up now that he had a grassy a paddock with other horses nearby.

The next day I was hoping to make the 15 hour haul back to Georgia. Once again, Bruiser got right on the trailer and once again he threw a tantrum when the doors were shut. This day was by far the most stressful and several hours into the trip, I was worried that Bruiser was starting to colic. Just as I was about to pull out the banamine Bruiser finally pooped, hooray! Since it was clear the trip was wearing on Bruiser, we had a change in plans and thanks to HorseTrip, I found Muddy Fork Stables in Cadiz, KY. I was so relieved when we pulled in for the night and once again Bruiser was happy, eating, drinking and trying to buck off the horse flies.
The final day was a breeze compared to the others. Introductions went relatively smoothly. I wasn’t even planning on putting everyone together the first day but Cal and Bruiser hit it off so I just started adding the herd one by one. Justin, the alpha, was next and he was just fine with Bruiser. I thought putting Lakota in may cause some trouble since she's the only mare, but other than a few squeals, everyone was getting along. It was time to introduce the final herd member, Bo the pony, who is second in command. At this point all hell broke loose and Bo decided he wanted nothing to do with Bruiser. I have seen several introductions and I know they can be rough but I’m convinced Bo was trying to kill Bruiser and would have succeeded if we hadn’t stepped in. After separating the herd into different groups for the first few months, and a few failed integration attempts, Bo finally came to peace with Bruiser’s presence. This last photo of Cal and Bruiser is courtesy of my dad.

Summer Update

I spent the end of May visiting Bruiser and had a blast! My goal for the visit was to develop respect and trust in preparation for his trip to GA with me in August. On day one Bruiser would try to go forward when I asked him for forequarter (FQ) yields and he would threaten to kick, tail swish or put ears back when I asked him for hindquarter (HQ) yields. During my stay I focused on getting rid of this opposition reflex when direct pressure is applied. I used a combination of natural horsemanship techniques and clicker training and Bruiser responded quickly. By the last day he was willingly yielding both his FQ and HQ. We also worked on nose yields (he went from shaking his head to backing nicely) and head lowering. The head lowering was particularly fun as Bruiser was really getting the hang of CT and I was able to do some free shaping; by the end of the second session he was putting his nose on the ground. The last thing we worked on was trailer loading. Bruiser is quite comfortable getting on the trailer but being shut in and moving are a little nerve racking for him. We did a lot of approach and retreat and made some great progress. I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to get him in August!

Recently Anita and I competed in a Trail Class that was put on as a fundraiser for NATRC. It was Anita's first competition and she placed third in novice! I decided at the last minute to ride Cal in the open division and we placed second. The competition was held at Meadowchase Farms in Dublin, GA. It was definitely hot but still very enjoyable. Eclipse did the clinic and is making great progress. He walked through the bottle box for the first time and is less scared of tarps and "car wash" type obstables.

Horses are Like Potato Chips...

Life has been busy but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My current semester will be over at the end of April and then my final semester will be from mid June to August. I am looking forward to the break from school and am very excited about my summer plans! My dad is scheduled to do a bicycle tour in Colorado and wants to drive to visit family in Kansas. I have decided to tag along and since Colorado is a hop, skip and a jump away from Utah I have also decided to make a trip to visit Carol and Bruiser. This got me thinking...it makes more sense to go ahead and get Bruiser since I will have already driven all that distance.

As a college student I knew that I couldn't afford three horses and so for the last several months I have been looking for a home for Eclipse. The market is atrocious and he isn't an easy horse to place but recently I found a potential candidate. The rub is that now I'm not so sure I want to part with him. I continued training him while I was looking for his new home and he has recently shown some excited progress with groundwork. At first I had a horse that thought canter meant trot like hell strung out and now I have a horse that actually offers to canter on the correct lead both ways!

So this left me with a dilemma. I can't afford three horses at the moment but I want all three. I know I need another horse like I need a hole in my head but Bruiser seems like such a perfect match for me. Thankfully I have found a solution and my client Anita has decided to lease Calatar. It will work beautifully for both of us as she can now get a taste of horse ownership and I can ensure he can retire with me when the time comes. Needless to say I am thrilled and I promise to take lots of photos and videos of Bruiser for his fan club.

Bruiser "Feeling Good"

Summer Update

Summer semester has just ended and I have a mere two weeks to catch my breath before fall semester begins. The boys have a new home, a very hilly ten acre pasture with a stream that runs through the middle. Other than the 24/7 access to grass (which is nothing new) it is an ideal setup. They have three other herd mates so it is a nice, relatively quiet affair. Currently, I am eagerly awaiting the results of a nutritional analysis of their pasture. I have always wanted to learn more about horse nutriton but have been overwhelmed with all of its complexities. Now there is a new program (FeedXL) that simplies this process. I can't wait to see the results and will now be able to supplement vitamins and minerals on an as needed basis.

I have finally started trimming my boys full time and it has been so rewarding! Learning about hooves has been so much fun and trimming them myself gives me a real sense of accomplishment. If you are interested in trimming, definitely do a lot of research and be aware that it is very addictive! I have to be careful not to be too much of a perfectionist and to just walk away when I have done my best...otherwise I would spend hours on one trim. Currently, I am trying to improve the health of their frogs and am making great progress with Eclipse's toe crack. Unfortunately they both have slight separation so I will be keeping a close eye on them as we go into fall.

So far, the weather this summer has been relatively nice and most weekends I have been fortunate enough to go on trail rides with my client Anita. Her skills as a rider and horsewoman have improved significantly but Calatar has a way of always keeping her on her toes. August will be a little hit and miss as far as riding is concerned but I am looking forward to the nice cool weather that fall will bring.