On the loose

One in the saddle, one on the ground

WeAreOnTheLoose

  • How to carry stuff

    I tend to be either the type of person who is totally prepared, with checklists and training and thoughtfulness galore, or caught totally flat footed. There’s no in between for me really. Case in point: my ride a week or so ago, I hopped on with no saddlebags, only anticipating a quick spin through the… Read more

  • First day, first ride

    As I sat in my truck, waiting for the big diesel engine to warm up enough to haul to the barn, I hmmed and haaad and made a decision. I balanced the training and time I’ve spent with Tarma over the past year, how she’s been on our past few rides, and Benny’s training level… Read more

  • Snowy stroll

    Each time I head out to the pasture with my halter, I keep two ideas in mind; either we do whatever it is I’m planning, or we don’t and we try something else. Tarma tells me even before I put her halter on what she’s capable and willing to handle that day. It’s probably too… Read more

  • Don’t rush

    Quite a few things went just right today, though I still made two big mistakes. I had a limited amount of time today before my parents holiday party, so I saved myself some time by leaving the trailer hooked up and loaded. All I needed to do was grab the mare, hose her legs down… Read more

  • Puppy Mom

    Lest ya’ll think I neglect my husband and son at the expense of my horse and trailer, I also have a dog. At six months old, Benny is well on his way to being a solid citizen, both in training and in build. I now make noises every time I pick him up (he weighs… Read more

  • Now and Then, Trailer Edition

    I started to write this while sitting at a truckstop waiting for my best friend caravan down to the Oregon Horse Center with me. For the first time ever we will have almost matching trailers, which differ only in the details. In the span of three years of actually owning horses I’ve gone from a… Read more

  • Anniversaries

    Benny is now six months old, halfway to a year, and it’s been a year since the Very Best Dog slipped away from us. Benny is a delight every day, and forming him into his own Very Good Dog is by turns exciting and fun, frustrating and puzzling. We’re getting to see a different aspect… Read more

  • Tarmageddon

    On some days Tarma is sweet and smart and relatively chill, riding out on the buckle and easy. Today she had a different feeling, so my friend called her Tarmageddon and it fits. Even when she’s at her worst, just not checked in or throwing shade, it never feels dangerous, just a different shade of… Read more

  • Sore but solid

    Yesterday I joined several other OET (Oregon Equestrian Trails) members in some vigerous leaf raking, followed by an excellent but too quick solo trail ride. We rake big leaf maple and other leaves off the trails so they don’t turn into a slick, muddy, boggy mess in the winter. Tarma stayed tied to the trailer… Read more

  • It exists!

    I told myself I wasn’t going to do a post about it until it was actually in my driveway, but I’m so stupidly excited I don’t want to wait. At 11am today, 218 days since I sent the initial down payment, I received the photos of my Double D trailer, fully and finally complete!!!!! It… Read more