Good-bye, Fly

I sold Flyboy tonight to a very nice family. They had come out to ride him a couple of days ago, and then the guy texted me on Sunday. He said they had decided they'd like to make Flyboy a part of their family. He will be ridden by a fifteen year old girl with the close supervision of her horse-savvy uncle. They asked a lot of good questions and seemed to be a pretty good fit. I hope he will be a good, fun horse for them. He was fun to ride, and I have learned a lot from my experiences with him. He has a very sweet, non-aggressive nature and deserves someone who can work with him and help him grow. I will miss him.

Please follow Jetta's journey as we continue training toward our endurance goals. Jetta is much more suited for endurance and is very quickly learning and progressing. I am excited to see what this girl will do!

www.thejettajourney.blogspot.com

Happy trails!

Still For Sale and Having Even More Fun!

Flyboy and I rode with a couple of friends up on the Ponderosa Trail this afternoon! It's SO nice to be back up in the mountains! The grass is super-green (which Fly desperately wanted to eat!) and the oak trees are starting to leaf out. It was sunny and cool and so beautiful; I want school to be out so I can ride up here every day!

This was our second ride up here in the last couple of weeks. Flyboy was very good. This was mostly a walk ride--through the river, up and down the mountain trail, over logs, through the rocks, and through one boggy area. Fly took it all in stride. He wasn't very keen on leading the way, but he was perfect in every other aspect. He was doing better when I was able to ride him more often. I'm lucky to get to ride him once a week now. It's really hard keeping him out at Sharon's. Three horses is just more than I can realistically manage, time-wise. I dropped his price to $600 in hopes I can sell him this weekend.

Still For Sale and Still Having Fun

Fly and I rode the Ponderosa Trail yesterday with Sharon and her horse, Mikey. It was GREAT to be back on the mountain! The river was not high (at least not as high as normal for this time of year!) and the trail was dry. Flyboy was great! He handled the steep climbs, the river, the ledges, the deer, and everything else he was faced with. He was a very good boy. Yay for spring and a good horse!

Fly Is Sadly For Sale

Tough days for me. I'm just not cut out for horse trading. I don't want to say good-bye to Flyboy, but this new Arab mare is definitely going to stay. My friend who had Fly this week decided not to buy him after all. Money was tight and I really need $800 for him. He's a good boy and with a few more miles he'll be really solid. He's good an trail and seems to be getting more confidence every time he's ridden. Since I can only really manage two horses, I have advertised him for sale on ksl.com. I hope the perfect person comes along. It's hard enough to say good-bye to a friend, without wondering about where he'll be and if they'll take good care of him. Sigh.

Fly Out On Trial

Well it was a good day and it was a bad day. Good because we had a great ride--me on Keno and a good friend on Flyboy. But bad because she liked him and wants to play with him for a week and will probably buy him. Sniff. I hope I am doing the right thing. I like him and he is fun, but I can't keep up with the demands of three horses, especially boarding one ten miles from home. I just hope the new girl turns out to be really nice, because Fly is already on the way to being a nice ride.

My friend is a very experienced trainer, she does endurance, jumping, and has fabulous training/conditioning trails right outside her door. I couldn't hope for a better place for Fly if I have to part with him. Watching her ride him was fun since I never really see him when I'm on him myself! He was a very good boy and also very cute. We rode through sage brush/cedar covered hills. Too many hills according to Keno who was coming off a very busy weekend riding trip. (Plus it was hot! Actually hot in April!) So even though Keno wasn't all that enthusiastic, Fly was a trooper and pushed his way up the hills with gusto. I filled her in on all of Fly's good points and not so good points. She understands green horses very well, although I don't really consider him green anymore. He just needs lots of miles and lots of consistency.

We'll see if she thinks they'll be a good fit in a week. She liked him today. I want him to go to the right person and the added plus with her is that he would still get a chance to try his hoof at endurance. I would love it if I got to see him on the endurance trail in a year or so when Jetta is ready to get out there, too!

Fly In The Lead At Last

It's a red letter day! A couple of friends and I rode up a new trail south of the Roller Coaster Hills. It was a cool canyon full of silver cedar skeletons and rocks. In a few places the trail was very narrow and we had to squeeze our way through the green cedars. A few steep places, too, but no problems with any of the terrain.

Fly was a good boy and on the way back he led the way almost all the way to the trailers! This was a first for him he usually wants to stay back and hesitates about getting out front. He walked along really well, blew a couple of times and seemed quite relaxed. What a fun boy and what a perfect day for a ride--blue skies, warm sun, a cool breeze, and good company!

Fly Up Long Ridge Canyon

Today was Flyboy's turn to get out for a ride. I must say I am very grateful to be able to keep him at a good ranch only ten miles from home, but it is hard to get out there as often as I would like. I usually ride him at least three of four times a week, but this was his first ride all week! He needs consistency to progress! I've got to try to do better.

We trailered a short distance to a trail we call Long Ridge. It's rocky. Everywhere. We climbed up through a long, steep, rocky canyon, through silver cedars left over from a wildfire years ago. We maneuvered through, over, and around boulders, washes, and ledges. Fly was a champ and handled it all very nicely. Of course he was with Mikey, the all-terrain horse who sets a great example! We came down the mountain cross-country, picking our way through the trees and rocks. At one point Fly looked back the way we came as if to say, "What was the point climbing all the way up if we were just going to come back down again?" The views were wonderful even though it was cloudy, and the hills are turning green. Flyboy was great; we walked, trotted, and cantered as the footing allowed. I was proud of him!

Flyboy is a fun horse, but I am facing a tough decision. I am really liking this little arab mare I have at my house. She is young and will be a project, but we seem to be clicking already. I can't ride her yet because she is still healing from a bad girth itch problem, so I don't really even know how broke or green she is. I love the way she moves, and she has a very nice temperament from what I have been able to tell in two week's time. I can't keep three horses fit, fed, happy, and progressing. I have a job and a family as well, and I know my limits. Keno has been with me for over ten years and is family; he stays. Fly needs consistent work to keep him moving forward. He is gaining confidence and condition and just needs more miles and time. I think he could do a good job as an endurance horse, but he needs to be someone's main project to make that happen. I think this young mare is going to become my main project, so I'll be on the lookout for a good place for Fly. It makes me sad, but it would make me even sadder to see him sidelined and not reach his potential.