On the loose

One in the saddle, one on the ground

WeAreOnTheLoose

  • Relief in the rain

    I chickened out of riding Friday and Saturday due to the first soaking rain of the season rolling in. The big, welcome storm showing itself with big winds, thunder and a bit of lightening. A huge relief for the smoke and the fires, but not conducive to a calm ride. The storm blew itself out… Read more

  • Me: Now and Then

    The Jame I was driving the team of draft horses below is not the Jame on the spicy chocolate mare next to her. No one ever stays who they were, of course, but I feel utterly different from everyone I graduated college with, all 40 odd of them. I had a visit with a mental… Read more

  • Up the hill we go

    Today was off to a questionable start, though it ended wonderfully enough. There was a loose horse outside Tarma’s fence when I hiked out to find her, and of course the Thoroughbred had to take off running right when I reached her. She of course had to show off as well, which meant I got… Read more

  • When’s the next one?

    First off, my mantra for the weekend was “Thank you Sarah”, as this trip wouldn’t have been possible without her along. She was also totally game for hopping on a horse she’d never met before for a five mile trail ride, just so I wouldn’t have to ride out alone in a brand new spot.… Read more

  • All settled in

    I’m writing this particular dispatch from my new reclining camp chair (snapped up from Costco), three quarters of the way through a can of 14 Hands wine. Tarma slurps her dinner in her corral next to me, and my belly is full of my friend’s excellent Shepard’s pie. The puppy is sleeping in the kennel… Read more

  • Mistakes and fixes

    I was hoping to write a different post, but I promised myself I’d be honest and real here. Last night I pushed Tarma too hard, trying to work through her fear of fly spray, and today was the fallout. I used every trick and method I’ve learned, I was striving to reach a solid stopping… Read more

  • Adventure alert

    Thank you everyone who commented with empathy and understanding after my last post. Cliché as it may be, it really does help to not be the only one stuck in between this particular wretched rock and a hard place. Unfortunately nothing is going to change that situation but time. Thankfully there’s always horses. I had… Read more

  • It was a day

    I was not a good mom today. It’s only now, sitting in the dark listening to Tarma slurp her dinner (I feed it wet to avoid choke) that I’ve figured out why. Kade hasn’t been doing anything differently than he has all summer, although I did give him the last two weeks of summer “off”… Read more

  • An Evening Stroll

    The husband is home from his vacation now, so I seized the remaining day light, left him to watch the kid not watching the puppy, shoved Tarma’s boots on (Scoots on all four now) and squeezed in a short ride. We’re lucky to have private timberlands to ride on with volunteer maintained trails a short… Read more

  • Putting in the work

    Having my husband home is a boon in so many different ways, not only because I love him but because I was able to sneak in Tarma’s first lesson with my trainer this morning. I took the puppy but left the kid at home, still sleeping. Tarma handled herself so well, only throwing mare face… Read more