Tom Vicky and Gaitways trail adventures

It's a slow start, but it's a start. Mom and dad went for a warm winter ride at the ranch. They said it was very green and pretty. Dad was proud of himself for how well he climbed the face of the backbone trail. I don't get to go anymore at Aliso.

This was quite the event for mom and Schnapps. Schnapps was on his absolute worst behavior, which is why mom took him there. They spent two days. Mom made it into "Chris Cox Horsemanship Clinic" and got to ride (run) with Schnapps in the main arena bridless with Chris coaching her. Mom and dad love Chris Cox. They think he's a great clinician. Chris really really helped my dad! Mom says she'll remember this for the rest of her life.

Here she is working him in the arena with Chris coaching her.

Then the bridle came off and they worked at all different speeds bridless! She said it was crazy with the people clapping and cheering in the bleachers.

After Chris's Clinic, mom met up with another great clinich, Karen Scholl horse clinic. She invited Schnapps into the main arena again for a ground work clinic. She really helped Schnapps with his pulling issues. Karen even spent another couple hours going back to the barn with mom and talking to her. She says fate really handed her a great card that day.

Well, I may not have been able to document the day. But I want to put a big thanks out to ETI Corral 20 for letting me tag along on Sundays  (March 2)ride in Cheseboro Park.

They are a great group of people and it was a fun fun day! Thanks so much! We rode from the parking lot to China Peak and back down Sheeps Corral. It was beautiful weather and a good long ride. ( Hopefully, I can grab some photos and post them from one of the new Corral 20 pals)

Ah, nothing better than a spring ride for the whole family. So, we loaded up Wyat and Schnapps and headed up to Land Conservancy. Alex and Gwen were ready to go and up, up and away we rode. It was low 80's (good thing I had pools of water) and still really green. We rode up Chaparel Ridge, to Wills Canyon and looped into Rice canyon. Since all the ponies were in such good shape, we actually went pretty quickly. The whole loop in 2.5 hours!

Sunday was another great day of riding! This time mom and dad left me behind and they took off with 4 other ladies! They rode to the back of the ranch to a place called "Deer Camp". All I know is there was alot of laughing when they got back...They were gone for 3 hours..

Ah the joys of success, for me it was finishing and testing some training I'd been doing with Schnapps. It was also about hanging out with my delightful pal Deborah.. But on this day it was also about watching Lisa and Pal place within top ten of her class of 40 riders! This happened at the ETI Chatsworth Trail Trials. What a great day. It was as windy as a........ so windy poor Lisa had to give away her cowboy hat. So, we didn't get too  many shots but we got a few..

This was the start before we rode out. It was actually nice, hot but not windy.             Hello Pal and Lisa!!! After a successful step over at the top of Canoga

And Lisa in the winners circle!!!

Congrats to all non moms and animal moms... This is Gaitway... for a special Mother's Day, I took my mom and dad along with two of their friends, Lisa and Lou Ann out for a ride. I had no idea it was Lou Ann's first big off ranch adventure, so this made it an extra special day. We went to ride Pratt-Shelf- Gridley loop in Ojai. It was a bit warm but really fun. Lou Ann only really hated mom for about 27 seconds during the narrow part of the trail, but after she had a chance to think about it, she decided she had a great time.

   We decided, since we really wanted Lou Ann to come back alive, to take the loop backwards. This way we'd go up the more difficult parts of the trail rather than down. So, we rode up Gridley down the road and through the thickets. Apparently the horses were quite hungry because they kept trying to eat everything.

When we got up on the fireroad, it opened up. It was  a great view... and mom got to show off her new Saddle bag set from Ken at SoMoMule...

At the end of the ride, we took turns taking pictures of the horses rock hopping up the trail and we let Lou Ann take the lead in stepping down the rocks. Her and Billy Jack did great!

Thanks you all, it was a great day for the pup too!!

Well, fellow pups and paws, if there is one thing I've learned over the years,,, duck your tail takes on a whole new meaning when there is a snapping coyote behind you! Mom and dad took me on a great adventure in Chatsworth here in June. We went with their friends, Ben and Kay. Ben was excitted about all the open space, so we stayed on the ridges. I was having way too much fun chasing critters. As we got up the ridge, I saw a big ol brown somethinig in the brush and set off after it. WRONG decision there! Turned out to be a coyote. The minute I realized it was a coyote, my mom and Kay realized there were a few more waiting to ambush, I spun around and hightailed out of there back to the ponies. I really wanted to just go, but mom JUST HAD to stop and take a picture!

We safely got past the coyotes and up on the ridge, it was a great day nice and warm but not too hot and their were great views of the valley! Everything was golden in color just between that stage of green and dead.

And than, that darned pack of Coyotes showed up AGAIN. I was ready this time and stayed close to the horses legs. I knew my brothers wouldn't let anything happen to their little sister..

We made it off the ridge and down into the creek, we followed the water for a while. It was fun getting muddy. It was pretty cool down there with all the green brush and burnt trees..

It was a great 3 hour ride, and I am glad they let me tag along. Won't be long until it's too hot to ride out here.

The summer just isn't a summer without a little carriage fun! Big thanks to Margo, Deb, Pam and Hei for letting mom tag along for the June Whiprsnappers Pleasure Drive in Camarillo.

Big mistake letting mom drive!

 Well, it was a great 3 weeks. The trip to pick up Vievo still has it's own page, as we are still getting alot of feedback from it. Check it out at Journey to Vievo page.

Vievo settled in well, and we've been taking him on some great rides at the ranch. He's happy, playful and thinks he's a toy poodle that wants to sit in your lap. Mom has been riding him out on the trails since dad is too big. But Dad rides him alot in the arena and on short rides. Here are some pics..

This was Vievo's first single track ride. He's wider than the trail but stepped in to keep from slipping. Mom can't stop laughing when she rides him. Who'd a thunk, bareback on a 3 year old!

And he has fun playing too..

And when he's out on the trail... he'll follow you like a puppy...

Well, they got away for a weekend and mom left me with dad. She said she wanted to go have fun and not worry about a thang! So, this story is from her, not this paw!

WE arrived Friday afternoon. It was great. Mom took Schnapps on his first off property solo ride and he did great. Than Debbie, Margo and Nikki showed up and the party really started.

Why waist time! We got settled into to our "you can hear everything" Covered wagon and saddled up. The girls wanted to go on nice easy ride so we headed over to Sage and up Aliso Loop trail over to Upper Oso and back. It was a great 3 hour loop and we laughed and giggled alot.

This is Deb, Margo and Nikki going up the single track.

We got back to camp and headed right over to the lodge.. "Is this canned sauce"? Than we met our cool horse neigbors and the obnoxious LA family. Oh they can hear everything.. good thing we brought Kims fart machine.

Who knows how long we laughed for, but we finally fell asleep sometime before the sun came up. Saturday morn, we had a quick breakfast and headed out to ride Matyas Portero Trail. Oh what fun we had, except, we could not remember how Giligans Island theme song started....

Follow my booty and I swear I won't get you lost, maybe.

After dropping into the canyon and riding for another hour or so, we took a nice break.

And than we were headed back on down the trail..

Apparently we plumbe wore the girls out. But, no way did the laughter stop!

And for dinner Saturday night we had special guests..

And somewhere after the racoons tried to break into our wagon and Margo had to beat them out with a flashlight AND sunrise, Debbie remembered how Giligan's Island started..

Big thanks for bringing me along gals! I had such a great weekend and felt 14 again. It was a blast.

Well,, what is finishing out the year without a few good rides. This year ended a bit sadly though. Mom and Dad found out in late October that my brother has a series of degenerative diseases in his feet. After new shoes and Coffin Joint Injections, Wyat has been retired until he's painful again, at which point he'll be put to sleep. So, the remainder of the year consisted of Dad doing short rides on Vievo and Mom hanging with the gals. Late November, we (including the pup) had a very windy ride up at Rancho Road. It was a good group of us gals and we even got a special and rare visitor, my favorite farrier, Stacy. We almost had fun until we almost got blown off the ridge..Here are some pics..'

This was the trail to the ridge it was all burnt                                             Lou Ann and Stacy following along..... like my mom knows

Then we got to the top... I was blowing everywhere and mom and Schnapps even blew into Lisa..It was pretty but LouAnns hair had had enough!

The final ride... Lisa's Birthday ride at Land Conservancy... (mom writes this as I was left behind with Dad!) It was a Ho Ho Ho ride from what I hear on many different levels..

Lesson... when you put new stuff on a horse it's always a good idea to get them used to it before you hit the trails..

We took Lisa to the Land Conservancy before Christmas. It was Landys, Lou Ann, Lisa and I. We met up with Gwen and her friend, Marcy.

This was our Trailer crew...

This was our Trail Crew...

It was a beautiful ride.. We rode up Oso Ridge and back down into Willis Canyon to Rice Canyon. Green and cool the ponies were spunky!

2009 was a wonderful Year! I got a new brother, Vievo. We had lots of fun and everyone stayed safe, except for my poor brother Wyat. But even Ice has been getting lots of attention!!!