On the loose

One in the saddle, one on the ground

WeAreOnTheLoose

  • Don’t Dare 2020

    Flash hasn’t even been gone a month and already my stress levels are spiking and my coping mechanisms have stagnated. I didn’t quite realize how essential daily barn time was to my psyche until I had it ripped away, even though I’d had only just over a year of daily horse kisses and slobber. Between… Read more

  • Uphill Trudge

    As much as I miss Flash for himself and how excellent he was, I also miss the certainty he provided, the every day rhythm. Kid, dog and husband all knew where I would be around 7pm every night and most Saturdays, and usually some combination of the three would join me to take care of… Read more

  • Remembering Flash

    Thank you to everyone’s thoughts and kind words, I can’t express how much they help. Even though I cry when I read them, it truly helps knowing I’m part of a larger tribe that completely understands. I’ve lost my friend, and I’m at the stage where I’m not sure I want to “get over” loosing… Read more

  • The Grief Box

    My friend explained a concept to me I’d never heard of, on our long, horrible ride home from the vet clinic yesterday morning after one of the worst nights of my life. She called it the “Grief Box.” Grief is like a big red button inside a box with a bouncing ball; at first the… Read more

  • A bundle of nerves

    Earlier this week my plans changed from camping with Flash on the other side of the mountains…to camping with Flash on the beach. I ditched the high desert due to the forecast (20 degrees and snowing while camping in the back of my unsealed horse trailer is less my cup of tea), while my trainer… Read more

  • Ten feet tall

    I am so proud today! Flash, Cyrus and I did five and a half miles solo at Hardy Creek this morning and everything went smoothly. I have ridden at Hardy extensively in the past but Flash has only been there once a year ago. We did most of the ride on a loose rein while… Read more

  • Fun with Flash

    Another long hot day so instead of saddling up and working on the basics, I hauled myself up bareback with a pocketful of treats. One of Flash’s favorite things is treats, so tonight we played soccer and worked on teaching him “push” (with his nose), “kick” (with his legs), and tonight we added “chase”. Soccer… Read more

  • Messy love

    Back to blogging cause the Book of Face is once again being even weirder about stuff… I will push myself to ride if there’s less than three factors saying “don’t ride”, especially after having been grounded for so much of this year and with summer quickly waning. Today was a no ride day (too hot,… Read more

  • Clay Wright Lesson

    I’m still new to taking private lessons with my own horse, so today was quite the experience. Clay Wright is a local trainer who I watched a few times at my last barn, and jumped at a last minute open spot this weekend. V, who is working with Flash for/with me, takes lessons from him… Read more

  • Basics are good

    I had to admit to a friend today that despite all my experience in the horse world, I’ve never studied or really learned how to build a horse’s strength and carriage up from the basics. Oh I’ve picked up some tricks here and there, but no consistency. My main goal for the next two months,… Read more