When the sun is out this time of year, it means stop what you are doing, load up the horses, and head to the park for a ride. You never know how long it will be until you get another chance!
Picasso Moon loaded into the trailer with Azure and Robin just like he had done it a million times. In reality, it was his first time. But not much phases this guy, he is like an old pro at some many things a lot of horses struggle with and he is just about to be 4 years old. He trailers like a dream. Azure kicks his front foot against the trailer wall and sounds like a prisoner trying to get out. I always hate hauling Azure through town because people who don’t know horses probably think he is being tormented. Actually, Azure is eating hay and I think he just likes the sound of his hoof making music on the trailer wall. Picasso Moon rides like a pro… and quietly. I thought he might hesitate to get into this small a space with horses he only knows across the barn, but he didn’t care. The hay was good.
Picasso Moon is borrowing a saddle from Jaspar right now. You wouldn’t think those two horses could share a saddle since Jaspar is built like a tank, but they actually have a lot in common in terms of the length of their backs and shoulders. Both need a really short skirted saddle with rounded edges. Jaspar’s breast collar needed some holes punched in it to make it short enough for Picasso Moon, and the girth size is much different:) Picasso got saddled and waited patiently for me to finish up things around the trailer before we took off.
Picasso Moon was born to ride the trails! He took off to lead the way right from the very beginning. Robin and Azure have been to this park many times, so I thought Picasso would defer to them, but nope… he was going to lead the way. Brave pony! Azure and Robin were perfectly happy to let him go to the lead. It reminded us of that old cereal commercial with “Mikie”… let him try it. Anyway Picasso led like a champ. He crossed all the bridges without hesitation, lead past the scary blue plastic tree starts (all the newly planted trees have about an 18″ blue plastic canister type thing around them for protection and there are areas of the park where it looks like a field of blue plastic), around fallen tree stumps (Azure is sure that cougars live in those fresh tree stumps so he was happy to send out Picasso Moon first), and all the other trail obstacles of winter.
Since Picasso Moon is still quite fresh to being ridden, I let him make the decisions about walking and trotting. He is actually a fast paced walker when he is focused, so Azure and Robin could move at a comfortable pace. Picasso Moon reminds me a lot of Azure on the trail. They both are very independent and not too effected by things around them. Although Picasso Moon did have one sideways jump when a bird flew across his path just in front of him. The Blue Heron sitting in the pond was ok, even when he took off, but that little bird who flew straight in front of him was a different story. But one spook hardly rates a mention. Fortunately we didn’t see any deer or elk. The park has a herd of elk that live in it, we hear about it all the time, but have never actually seen them first hand. The trail signs show pictures of elk and that is the closest I would like to get to them
When I am trail riding Picasso Moon, it is easy to forget he is so young and so new to riding. He doesn’t have a ton of steering, but he moves off of my leg pretty well. When he is trotting if I want him to stop, pulling on the reins doesn’t mean anything to him, so I just have to let out my breath and stop moving myself and he goes back to the walk. We have gotten a few strides of canter in and they are so smooth. It took Azure a long time to be comfortable carrying weight and cantering, so it surprises me a bit that Picasso Moon doesn’t hesitate. All his gaits are nice to ride. He may be short, but he is well built.
What a great ride we had. We couldn’t have asked for a better first trip to the park. Glad the weather broke long enough for us to seize the moment:) Wish there were more pictures! This last one was taken with an iPhone.
Ah so lucky to have the weather you do! We are covered with at least 11″ of snow and the roads are near impassible (we are not as prepared as our northern neighbors in MD, NJ, NY). All the neighbors got their tractors out and cleared the road enough to pass with 4×4. Happy trails and stay safe!
Hi Alise,
I love reading about Picasso Moon; what a cool horse. I knew of the big Harney County horse seizure last spring; it’s great to know that one of the victims ended up in such a great home!
Although you probably won’t remember me, I met you and Azure at a Joe Wolter clinic in 2007. I was the dressage rider on the TB mare Peanut.
I have a beautiful mare that I saved off a feedlot last summer (with the help of some other wonderful people). I was able to send her to Dave Williams for 30 days of training in August. Dave now comes to our barn every 2 weeks to help me and some others; he is the greatest – I am learning so much from him.
Dave told me that Picasso’s sister Trinity reminds him a lot of my lovely mare Cha Cha – smart and sensitive, light as a feather. Dave says that Trinity is a lot of fun to have around the place; she is really lucky to have Dave on her side.
Keep up the great blog.