On the loose

One in the saddle, one on the ground

WeAreOnTheLoose

  • Good horse, questionable rider

    When the sun shines, we ride…after working nine hour days so I could skip out early today. I loaded up kid, dog, and mare and headed to McIver. Kade walked Benny a bit while I tacked up, then hung in the trailer til I was done (have I mentioned I love my trailer?) I changed… Read more

  • Puppy Spam

    It’s hard to keep an active young Lab puppy down…but trazodone will do it. Buddy was neutered on Thursday, at nine months old. His vet and I discussed it and decided he was grown enough and I was tired of constantly stressing about oopsie Benny babies, so off he went for surgery. He’s been stuck… Read more

  • We survived!

    Why do the wildest things sometimes happen with no witnesses? And no video to prove it? Welp, today’s ride was a tad wilder than I hoped for, but both Tarma and I survived together, somehow. My main goal for the day was just miles, in whatever fashion Tarma was up for. She let me walk… Read more

  • Winter, Par Deux

    Well, last week was clearly false spring number one and we’re back to winter. I can tell real spring is around the corner though. Instead of long days of dripping, endless rain and a lack of sun, the weather is wilder, raining sideways, dumping one moment and clear skies the next. I switched Tarma’s midweight… Read more

  • Conversations with Bernard

    The ground didn’t feel right for a horse today with our recent freeze/thaw temperatures, even with boots, so I skipped hauling out to ride. I wanted to practice going to see Tarma in her field without bringing her up for work. She was puzzled when I walked up, haltered her, treated her, and walked away… Read more

  • Progress: Four Legs and Two Legs

    Welp, I have officially plopped money down for the John Wayne ride. We’ll be attempting half of it, which per the schedule will mean riding 73 miles in 5 days. It feels incredibly motivating to have a solid, tangible goal to be literally riding towards. I have a to do list a mile long and… Read more

  • The question that never goes away

    This post, no matter how I try to shine it up, is going to come out a bit raw. It seems like every other day something pops up on social media, poking at this sore spot. After every ride, the question is there. The day after a ride, as I check Tarma, palpitate her back,… Read more

  • Chasing The White Scarf

    For years now, I’ve been tormented by the annual reports from Aarene Storms, as she and her beautiful mare Fiddle tackle the John Wayne Ride. This ride follows the Palouse to Cascades Trail in Eastern Washington, moving to a new camp each night and riding all day. I’ve been fascinated and eager to get back… Read more

  • Cadence

    Cadence is my word of the year, inspired by a song I haven’t listened to in a decade. Harder Better Faster Stronger, by Daft Punk. It has a super long intro, and we did a dance routine at a summer camp I was a counselor at one summer. I was always too quick to the… Read more

  • The truck question

    I’m in a bunch of horse trailer and truck groups, and there are often posts along the lines of “Can a half ton tow a horse trailer?” So here’s my review, officially in blog form for posterior. Also, I’ve barely had the trailer a month and already it’s providing it’s worth to my husband! After… Read more