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Smart As a Fox
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Except from A Life With Horses, Chapter 19:
"The fourteen hundred pound grulla gelding of Morgan breeding came with a
history all right. He was not cranky o...
I ride. Born and raised on a ranch in Saskatchewan,I rode at a very early age. I have three grown children and five grandchildren but today I live alone with my horses and dog on a small acreage in the Olds area of Alberta... and I ride. Horses, riding and reining and working cowhorse are my passion.
It was the spring of 2008 and my favourite mare, Silk, was expecting her first foal. What would I call this special one? In the early hours of a day in May, I awoke from a sound sleep and that question was answered. "Silk is going to have a filly and I am naming her Sapphire!' Where did that come from? That name was not even on my list of names. But so it was. Sapphire was born in late day light as my friends were arriving for Horsewoman's Weekend at Wildwood Reining Horses. The delivery was normal and Silk bonded as she should. Sapphire had arrived and she was a perfect, delicate copy of her mother. I bought her a pink halter because she was so feminine.
Silk and Sapphire
The little sorrel filly
didn't take long to show me some fancy moves. Like her dam, she had
"sting" but with a gentleness too. I loved her to bits but worried
too that she was fragile. My neighbour, who did chores for me one weekend,
worried too. "She looks like a little deer," she said. "I'm scared something will happen to her on my watch."
Down the fence we go!
Strutting her stuff
As a yearling
Sapphire managed
to injure herself a couple of times but other than that, grew up normally on my
property in the Chilcotin. As a yearling, she babysat the next foal crop
through their weaning time. She was not much bigger than they were. As a
two-year-old, I started her under saddle but rode her only lightly that year
because of her size. She never bucked but she could get pretty excited like
Silk did. In 2011, her three year old year, she should have been competing in
three-year-old reining futurities but she was behind in training and very
immature mentally. I was in no rush. However, I retired from the reining pen that
year so she was never shown.
I wish I could have blogged my trail riding vacation in Utah every day (so much I could have written) but time did not allow and, to be honest, my priority was not sitting at a computer at the end of the day. For a time when I got home I thought of writing the details up day by day while they were fresh in my mind but scrapped that too. As the days went by, other thoughts, insights and revelations surfaced and it is those I am putting on paper now.
I have wanted to ride in Utah
for a long time, ever since my husband and I visited the areas around Moab almost 25
years ago. Living alone as I do now and with financial restrictions, it was
almost impossible but last fall I decided I was going to do it. Why? Because,
at 74 years, I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to. Pushing aside
nagging reminders that I should not be spending money I might need for
something else, I researched my trip looking for the perfect place to go. I
wanted to be able to ride on my own – no guided rides – and I found Paria River
Ranch.
Trading off my trailer for a newer one with larger living
quarters just before I departed increased my anxiety about the cost of the
vacation but I stayed on course, loaded Sapphire and Cameo in the trailer and
Mischa in the truck and got on the road for what would be a three day haul to
Paria. As it turned out, it was four. I drove right into a Montana snowstorm and spent much of one day
parked. Better to lose a day than to be in a wreck though. Horses, dog and I were safe.
Pulled over here when I-15 north of Butte turned to ice.
When I arrived at my destination, settled in and looked around, all my doubts about the wisdom of spending the time and money on this vacation for me vanished.
Revelation #1: This trip was the right thing to do.
A kind of peace settled over me. This is why I came. Let the adventure begin.
Parked at Paria River Ranch.
Paria River Ranch
In the next days, I explored the trails around Paria River
Ranch, one time on Sapphire, the next on Cameo. The first ride I rode Sapphire and led Cameo, not sure how she would be left by herself in a pen at the ranch. They seemed as eager to see the sights as I did.
Sapphire and Cameo take in the sights on my first ride in Utah.
Long Canyon
On the third day, by pre-arrangement, I met with a
cousin I didn't know I had who lived nearby, an opportunity too good to miss and we visited and went for dinner in Page AZ. The next day I agreed to a group ride to ResurrectionCanyon arranged by a gal
who lived there. It was a good group of riders, friendly and considerate but...
Revelation #2: Having
trail ridden by myself or with one other person my entire life, I am not cut
out for group rides. (Can't train on the trail, can't stop to take photos when
I want, etc)
A new friend with a big rig hauled me to the ResurrectionCanyon trailhead and then to Buckskin Gulch trailhead the next day, both rides of which I would not have done since I had not planned to haul out at all. I was so proud of my mares loading into a
side door of his trailer (a big step) beside his geldings! I took Sapphire the
first day and Cameo the second. They hesitated, then stepped up only because I
asked.
My ride to Resurrection and Buckskin Gulch. Note side door.
Cameo and I Buckskin Gulch Ride
Revelation #3: I had been in a rut - always working to make things better at home when there was a world to explore.
Of course I met people at the ranch, some of whom I will
keep in touch with. A couple from Las Vegas are
planning a trip to Alberta
next year. As occasionally happens to me, she and I had an almost instant
rapport and I gave her a copy of my book because, as I told her, "You will
get it."
After two days of riding with someone else, I was ready to
be on my own again. I had intended to ride Nautilus but seeing a group ahead of
me, I changed to an exploratory ride down the river, eating lunch at the end of
CopperSlotCanyon. We crossed the Paria a couple of times being ever vigilant of quicksand, and I re-centered again.
My cell phone was my connection to home and a way to post
photos of my adventure. Unintentionally, I took several people along on my adventure.
Also unintentionally, I seem to have inspired a few to do something like I did. Reading the comments on Facebook, it was heartwarming to know most were happy for me. A few made their presence known by NOT commenting which in itself spoke volumes.
Revelation #4: I refuse to feel guilty or privileged for taking this vacation.
Revelation #5: This holiday trumped any vacation at a beach! That being said, I recognize it would not be for everyone. It can be physically demanding and the added responsibility of horses and dog daunting for some. For me though - perfect!
For the last three days a good friend joined me, one of only
a few that I would allow to ride one of my mares. Marion flew down the day before I booked out
of Paria River Ranch. We rode once from there then left to ride the old Paria
Townsite on the way to BryceCanyon.
Sapphire and I at the Paria Townsite
Marion and Cameo along Paria River (Paria Townsite ride)
The icing on the cake was BryceCanyon, my last Utah ride. No photo can possibly capture the
grandeur and to ride through it, on my own horse was, well, the experience of a
lifetime.
On a final note, kudos to my mares, who accepted, with grace, everything I asked. Neither one had been on any kind of extended trail ride like this before. They were sure footed, trustworthy and trusting. They did buddy up of course but that could be expected.
Did I make any mistakes, do anything stupid, on my trip? Yes. I'm still a country girl at heart and I tend to trust too easily. Or is it that I just don't think that there are people I shouldn't trust? On the way home, when I was looking for a place for my horses to overnight, I stopped in a little town thinking there would be a rodeo grounds there. Not much was open but I asked a couple of fellows chatting on the street. The one in the truck said he lived there but the rodeo grounds was privately owned and he knew of no other.
"I have a little patch of ground you can use," he said. "Jump in and I'll show you." So I did! What was I thinking? In today's age, one should not ever do that. He truly was a nice man, showed me the little pasture but I chose not to use it as it seemed unsafe to turn them in at night. Only later did I think how stupid that was to get in the truck with a strange man...
Revelation #6: I underestimated myself. A lifetime of always trying to do better, to be better had allowed doubts to creep in (sometimes by others but mostly by myself for allowing it to happen) that I still did not do things as well as I should. But a ton of experience behind the wheel and on the back of a horse had prepared me for this trip as it has done in the past. I don't scare easily and I don't stress and that has saved many a potential dangerous situation. My horses will
do anything for me if I ask nicely and I can still hold my own physically on a
long day in the saddle. I cannot ask for more.
And I did gain insight into myself and others and what makes us all tick. I now have a better understanding of that part of the country, too, and its people. I always learn when I visit some place new but there's questions unanswered too, like "What makes those rocks that colour?" and "Why are the lines in the rock" and "How did the early settlers survive?" I'll be looking for answers.
And my new motto (borrowed from Nike on the advice of a friend): "Just do it!"
Lately several people have
been telling me its time to slow down. A series of incidents inspired those
comments, the latest an injury to my leg when my horse hit it jumping a ditch
in the bush behind me. Although I appreciate the concern of well-meaning
friends and family, Joyce’s comment on Facebook when I posted a “Note to self” is the one that lifted me most.
“Wouldn’t have happened
in your rocking chair!” Joyce said.
Indeed it would not have and
aren’t I happy that isn’t all there is to my life! My leg will heal just fine
and I don’t regret any of the decisions that led up to the injury. I enjoyed
taking my little mare on a new experience that day. I loved teaching
her new things and sharing my day with her!
It was Sapphire I saddled to check the fence at the river's edge last Friday, a beautiful, warm fall day. Since the ‘path’ directly to the corner along the
fence was overgrown, I crossed the river channel downstream and rode on the river rocks
along the river, then cut into the bush to get to the corner. The river had collapsed the fence there in the spring and would need to be repaired.
I rode across this channel and around the trees to follow the river.
Sapphire quite
willingly negotiated the underbrush to the corner, where I got off and checked
out the fence while she quite patiently waited.
The view up river from the corner of the fence.
To exit, I decided to lead her along the fence through the bush
back into the open instead of going back over the rocks and she seemed amenable
to that. But, just before we stepped in to the open again, we must cross a
small ditch. I could not get to the side but gave her lots of rein - not enough
I guess because she jumped the ditch and hit the back of my calf with a foot.
It hurt, of course, but I
didn’t think it would be more than a bruise. Not so. My jeans soaked with blood
and the incident ended with a trip to the Red Cross outpost so the nurse there
could suture it.
So, Joyce – you’re right!
That would not have happened in a rocking chair. It would not have happened
either if I had quit training horses or had been too chicken to give my young
mare a new experience riding through thick brush! And I am so happy I can say
that! The life style is worth the risks.
Joyce was probably referring
to a line from my book, “A Life with Horses”, where I wrote, “When I am old and
sitting in a rocking chair, I'll have memories.”
That would be “when I am
old”! And, in a rocking chair or not, I’ll have a scar on the back of my leg to remind me of a ride along
the ChilcotinRiver on one of my favourite mares...
"In the steady gaze of
my horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love and loyalty,
strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to me how willing her
spirit, how generous her heart."
The above roughly-paraphrased
quote from an unknown author embodies a sentiment I have always known to be
true but of which I am reminded of from time to time. This past week was one of those times.
My connection to my horses
and theirs to me has always been strong, so much so that I take little notice
but sometimes what passes between us is more - telepathic, even spiritual. So palpable I can 'feel' it. I write
about such a time in the blog posts, A Peace in their Presence, a morning when my mares bathed me in peace and softness, and A Filly Named Feather, how a special filly lifted me. Then, in A Life With Horses, about how four
foals supported me in the only way they knew how at a particularly difficult time in my life:
Oddly, the four foals sensed my emotional dependency. They attached themselves to me in an almost protective way. They never failed to greet me when I walked into their field. They checked in to see how I was doing and then, satisfied I was all right, wandered back to their mothers. I thought they needed me (and of course they did), but they knew I needed them more. They gave me a safe place to fall. (From A Life With Horses)
August 2004: Wildwood Honor, Wildwood Splendor, Running With Wolves, Wildwood Courage
This past week my horses again offered a safe, soft place to fall.
Wildwood Sapphire
I arrived back home from an overnight
in Emergency at WilliamsLake hospital (See I Fought Them All and They All Won) last Sunday afternoon and immediately checked my horses. I could see the four mares that pastured together in the river field waiting at the fence to greet me and I walked there first. Something
was different. Although they often come for a visit, today they were more attentive. Actually, where they before asked
for attention, now they were giving
attention. I first noticed the change in Sapphire, my four-year-old mare. She hung at the fence longer, lowered her head to be stroked, ran her nose up and down my arm and face. Breathed on me. Generally, she and her friend, Mistral, both came to me but that day, Sapphire was more interested in me than Mistral. She wanted to be at my side.
Wildwood Soul O Silk
Silk also, was unusually attentive. Her eyes never left me, her ears forward listening, her body relaxed and giving. Although she always looks at me like she really 'sees' me, now she looked at me with tenderness too. Was I imagining this? I don't think so because two days later, as I walked down the trail to the bottom, the mares met me. Silk looked at me again like that as if to say, " I am so glad to see you! I was just coming up to check..."
I love this mare with a love that frightens me. Her soul and mine are enmeshed in a way I cannot explain. Although I have the support of friends and family, Silk is here for me every day in every way. I feel that although she does not speak. No. She does speak . . . but in a different language . . . and I am so grateful.
Of all the horses I have ever owned, Silk is perhaps the most intuitive. Highly intelligent with a raw energy that could scare some riders, she and I bonded the day she was born and we have not been apart for long ever since that time. She likes to know where I am and the feeling is mutual.
That these two mares of all my horses should be the ones who "gathered 'round" for the past several days should not have surprised me. Sapphire is Silk's daughter. She is also the daughter of Running With Wolves, one of the four foals in the photo above.
I didn't catch Sapphire last Sunday even though she wanted me to. On Monday, though, I relented. I turned her in the pen opposite the house, the one I can see from my window. We're both happy with that arrangement. On Tuesday I rode her to check fence/ gate in the river field. Although she is often high-spirited like her mother, looking for bears in the bush, she was not that day. She walked quietly, head down and relaxed as we circled the pasture, waded into the channel of the river and up the hill home again. Sapphire is continuing the legacy of her dam, Silk and maybe her grandmother, Tamarac, great-grandmother, Mahogany, and great-great grandmother, Duchess. All those fine mares "carried me" in good times and in challenging ones.
To some of my readers, this may seem like a lot of nonsense; others will understand perfectly. As I heal and adjust to a new reality, I value even more the company of my horses, who give back more than I can ever give to them. They breathe on my heart.
It’s been a while coming, but
I finally managed a brief “holiday” – with horses, of course. On the weekend of June 1-3, I met with
friends at BeaverdamLake
for a weekend of campfires, camaraderie, and trail riding. Some things don’t
change, though – I co-ordinated the trip to include dropping off another horse
after the camp-out and I brought the greenest horse I have on the property to
ride (for the experience, of course because I would not want to miss a training
opportunity…)
Arriving at the campsite at
around 5:00 PM on Friday, I talked briefly with my friends, Mandy and Shawn, about where and how to overnight my mares. Prima, an aged broodmare, had never
been on a campout and Sapphire, a four-year-old mare, had never been hauled
prior to the 250 km I had just hauled her. She was brand new to everything.
Beaver Dam Lake as seen from our camp site
After weighing all options
(including pens at a facility across the lake), I decided I would high-line
both a short distance from my outfit. I’m happy to say they adapted to the
high-line right away.
Sapphire and Prima high-lined. Mischa went too!
The next day, we saddled for
a ride. I started before the others so I could test the waters – how Sapphire
would react to the new country and how Prima would cope with Sapphire leaving.
Prima was not happy but I was occupied with Sapphire, who did not want to leave
the camp site. A few well-placed smacks lined her out and we headed away from camp
into a meadow at a ground-covering long trot broken by sudden halts when
Sapphire tried to head back. How very much like her dam this mare is! I went back ten years to the first rides out I had on Silk . . . and I love them for their grit! When I returned to camp, Mandy, Shawn and Lacey
were ready to ride. Prima, still not happy, would have the company of another
horse and Mandy’s mom to monitor the situation.
Sapphire and I
After the somewhat reluctant start, Sapphire was good on the ride, in part because she had company. Mandy, Shawn and I all rode 2008 offspring of Running With Wolves. The three - Wildwood Sable, Wildwood Cactus and Wildwood Sapphire - are from his first foal crop and all out of daughters of Tamarac. How cool is that!
No – not Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year for me is foaling time. And that time is now! Four of my mares are preparing to add to my herd. A year of planning, breeding and waiting is coming to fruition in the next few weeks.
For me, time almost stops as I wait it out for the new babies. I go through the motions of feeding, riding and spring work, but only one thing is on my mind – new foals, new life. Although it’s a waiting game now, things could get pretty busy – downright hectic – really fast. The first three mares – Destiny, Prima and Easter – were bred to foal about ten days apart but it looks like they are going to be very close together. Only time will tell of course, but Destiny (due tomorrow) doesn’t appear to be on time while Prima looks close to “on time” and Easter looks like she will be early.
Wildwood Destiny
Prima (Peppy Del Cielo)
Poco Easter Lena
Wildwood Soul O Silk
There’s a variety of sires this year. Easter and Silk are bred to Running With Wolves, Destiny is bred to Walking With Wolves (first foal for him) and Prima, my Gallo Del Cielo mare, is bred to Wimpys Little Step. There is also a possibility of four different colours – my grey mare, Easter, could have a grey, Destiny has the best chance to produce a bay (since sire and dam are bay), Silk’s almost certainly will be sorrel (she and sire are sorrel) and Prima could produce a palomino (if she does, it will be the first palomino foal I have ever had!). We’ll have to see how this plays out.
Fillies or colts? I always want fillies but in Prima’s case it doesn’t matter because she has produced some fantastic stallions. I do know if it’s a filly, I will have a hard time selling, so business-wise, it should be a colt. I would like Destiny to produce a filly since it’s Little Wolf’s first but, again, I would hate to sell Destiny’s filly by Walking With Wolves. Easter has had three fillies in a row crossed with Running With Wolves. Is it her turn for a colt? And Silk, foaling in May? I’m betting on a colt for her since she has had a filly, Wildwood Sapphire, already. Again, I’ll just have to wait and see. It’s a done deal now and the most important thing is four healthy foals.
Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of the year and I intend to reap all the rewards. I can look forward to sleepless nights and four little miracles arriving soon. It doesn’t get much better.
Several years ago, when I was training a three-year-old reining prospect, I asked my husband if he would like to get on and try a sliding stop. After a few coached rundowns to the fence, I told him he was ready to run Cimarron at full speed and "stop short".
"Collect him for a few strides, slowly lower your hand, keep riding all the way to the stop, say "whoa" and stay out of his way," I instructed. It was one of only a few times Don followed my instructions to the letter. . . and Cimarron slid 30 feet!
A lot of horse training technique is exactly that - staying out of the horse's way. I watch my young horses running and playing (my barometer for their talent) and it's pretty obvious that most of the ones I raise now can do what I will be asking of them - if I let them do it! Check out these two photos of week-old foals doing what comes naturally...
Wildwood Sable stopping (and ready for a rollback!)
Wildwood Sapphire going "down the fence" like her mother does...
...and Wildwood Liberty, first photo as a yearling in 2007, then as a three-year-old "trained" reiner in 2009!
Wildwood Liberty running free 2007 - one year old.(Photo by Verna Allinson)
Wildwood Liberty and Terry Lee Sapergia at the Canadian Supreme 2009(Photo by Sharon Latimer)
Horse training is simply putting a horse in a position where it is easier for him to do the maneuver than not do it - and staying out of his way so he can! Cimarron's stop was like that, but so are circles, a spin or a lead change. I can "fix" or position before or after the maneuver but it generally works better if I stay out of my horse's way when he is actually executing the maneuver. When I start my colts, I don't want to mess up that natural talent they were born with!
Sable and Sapphire are two year olds now. Sable has went on to another home and, from all reports is going to be a fantastic reiner. I am riding Sapphire and she is super athetic and sweet. I'm showing her what I want and trying to stay out of her way so she can show me she can.
Wildwood Liberty and Terry Lee Sapergia at the Canadian Supreme 2009 (Photo by Sharon Latimer)