River and I spent last weekend at the 2024 Cuyama Oaks xpride. That is, we spent April 4th – 7th, 2024, in the Cuyama Valley, east of New Cuyama, California. I make a point of this because it snowed… a lot! It rained and hailed. It was freezing. Water buckets froze. But it was also… Read More »The 2024 Cuyama Oaks xpride: Snow, rain, hail, and sunshine (Road to Tevis 111) The post The 2024 Cuyama Oaks xpride: Snow, rain, hail, and sunshine (Road to Tevis 111) appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

I learned how to braid tails years ago. When I was a child, I had several books with excellent illustrations and instructions on how to braid manes and tails. Long lost, more’s the pity. Then I braided manes and tails to show in hunt seat classes. Years passed. When my sons showed horses in Oklahoma,… Read More »How to braid a ribbon into a horse’s tail The post How to braid a ribbon into a horse’s tail appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

This last Saturday was River’s second endurance ride, 50 miles on Day 2 of the Western Mojave xpride. Although she behaved well and completed the ride, she was not 100%. It was 7-8 good strides and then Ouch! Definitely hoofsore. We skipped the LD I had planned to ride the next day. Monday morning my… Read More »River’s second endurance ride (Road to Tevis #110) The post River’s second endurance ride (Road to Tevis #110) appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

Finding the right saddle to ride 50+ miles in is really difficult. My first endurance saddle was an Abetta Serenity. It was relatively comfortable for me, and relatively cheap. It did not fit my mare Lady well, so I ordered my “serious” first endurance from Zaldi, a Spanish company. The Zaldi Endur-Light has fit all… Read More »A McCall saddle custom-made for endurance (Road to Tevis #109) The post A McCall saddle custom-made for endurance (Road to Tevis #109) appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

I’ve been meaning to write this post about the old Stonewall endurance saddle that fits Fantazia perfectly for over a year. I’m finally getting around to it because I’ve got a new saddle! So I’d better cover this one first. Jump to: Where did the saddle come from?Trying out the Stonewall saddleWhat’s the Stonewall saddle… Read More »The old Stonewall endurance saddle (Road to Tevis #108) The post The old Stonewall endurance saddle (Road to Tevis #108) appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

Because Fire Mountain was River‘s first endurance ride, I blogged about her last week. (Read about River’s first 50 here.) This was Fantazia‘s third time at Fire Mountain, and the 11th AERC-sanctioned endurance ride we completed together. In 2022, Fantazia completed Days 1 and 2 at Fire Mountain, in 5th and 10th place. Last year… Read More »My second ride to the Trona Pinnacles (Road to Tevis # 107) The post My second ride to the Trona Pinnacles (Road to Tevis # 107) appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

Last weekend, four months and two days after I brought her home, River completed her first 50-mile ride at Fire Mountain. It took longer to get to that first 50 than I had hoped when I first purchased her, but less time than I expected based on my initial assessment of her “in horse”. (Getting… Read More »River’s first endurance ride (Road to Tevis #106) The post River’s first endurance ride (Road to Tevis #106) appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

The other day a friend and I were reading a terrible best 25 Tom Hanks films list from Paste Magazine. Terrible. I mean, they have Toy Story 2 as number 1, above Saving Private Ryan… and Forrest Gump in 18th place! We spent a few minutes speculating about their criteria (none identifiable). Then I thought,… Read More »The 25 best horse movies and then some! The post The 25 best horse movies and then some! appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

In my early years riding at the Hipodromo de la Zarzuela, the racetrack outside of Madrid, Spain, I lost my favorite baseball cap to one of the many superstitions held by horse people. It was from Santa Anita (a plus), but it was yellow. At the time (1993), I had never heard of the yellow… Read More »Don’t wear yellow and other superstitions held by horse people The post Don’t wear yellow and other superstitions held by horse people appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more

Many people have asked me about Jazz since I said good-bye to him in August. (Read Saying good-bye to Jazz.) I’ve repeatedly said, I have no idea! Of course I was fairly certain Rachel would enter him in a ride soon, but I wasn’t competing. And I knew he’d be most likely to compete in… Read More »What’s up with Jazz? He’s completed a 100-mile ride! The post What’s up with Jazz? He’s completed a 100-mile ride! appeared first on Wild Horses ..read more