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Post by zephyrcreek on Apr 10, 2008 20:23:40 GMT -5
Hi Everyone,
As I mentioned in another thread, I once again plan on riding on the Michigan Shore to Shore (S2S) trail ride this year, and this time I will be riding a Kiger! For those of you that do not know, this is one of the most popular trail rides in the US. It is attending by riders from all over the US, and even the World. In May, 2x in June, September, and October the Michigan Trail Rider Association host rides across the state of Michigan from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. I rode the trail with my family as a teenager, and crossed in 2005 on the same horse, my arab gelding Topic, who was 24 at the time. This year I have started conditioning Rocky. We will be leaving on May 29 to set up camp on the Lake Huron side, and we will dip a hoof in Lake Michigan on June 8th. This will be ~240 miles in 10 days, including riding 36-38 miles on the last day. Rocky is doing very well, especially considering how green he still is (he was started under saddle in September). Michigan had a very severe weather that put a stop to all riding. We are finally in the 40's with sunshine, and try to ride on the days that it is not raining. I trailered Rock over to a local riding arena Saturday to ride with a friend, and Rocky was so quiet and calm that I let my son Aidan (5) ride him for awhile. I led the two around, and Aidan kept asking me to trot. I had to laugh because they both were enjoying themselves so much. Aidan kept saying "look at me mom, I'm so good at this. Go faster, faster!". I kept at it until I could not breath anymore. It won't be long before I can let the two of them go like the wind!! I can already see the writing on the wall, Rock will not be my horse much longer.....Aidan has been begging to ride again all week! By next summer I better have another horse ready for me. ;D It is so exciting to finally have my boys old enough to participate with me.
Ellen
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Post by lindad on Apr 11, 2008 8:21:20 GMT -5
So who is being conditioned.....? haha. Sprintime and I had the honor to ride with Ellen and Rocky last fall on Rocky's first trail rides and he was so calm and sensible, your true blue Kiger. Boy does he draw attention with that grullo coat and then they wow at how gentle he is. He will be quite the ambassador at the Michigan shore to shore, no doubt about it.
Linda D
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Post by kimk on Apr 11, 2008 9:28:30 GMT -5
Right on, Ellen and Rocky!! Rocky and his full brother Banner are so-o-o different! I aquired Banner a month before he turned 6. He will be 7 in July. He has grown an inch and a half since I got him and is now 15.1 and a half. And talk about a ton of energy! this boy just wants to go go go!! I love him to death but would rather have Rockys calm demeanor!!
I cannot wait to hear about your ride, better yet come out and see you guys next year!!!
You go girl!! Linda is right, Rocky will be a wonderful ambassador to Kigers at the S2S!!
Kim
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Post by fantasykiger on Apr 11, 2008 12:16:31 GMT -5
How wonderful and how exciting..I sure hope you drag along your camera and take lots of pictures for us back here on the board. Way to go Rocky for being such a great Kiger, that you would consider him for your partner in this trail ride.
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Post by stlkigers on Apr 11, 2008 16:33:07 GMT -5
Ellen:
WOW...I can't even imagine doing that! What an incredible journey for you two.....I look forward to your stories with Rocky as much as the Topic stories you've told in the past....You ought to repost Topic's story cause there are several new people on the board and it is always amazing to read! It makes me dream about finding the mare I sold when I went off to college.....
Angela
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Post by zephyrcreek on Apr 11, 2008 17:43:53 GMT -5
Thanks Angela!
Actually reading the story about the 37yo Arab makes me think of Topic. I was riding him down the road Saturday, and he kept saying "Let's go mom". You would never guess that he will be 26 in May. Buying a treeless saddle is one of the things that really helped him. With the treeless he is once again full of energy, and wants to move full steam ahead. He is a long way from retired, that's for sure!
I am a firm believer in ponying horses for destimulization and conditioning. Though Topic is # 5 of the 6 horses in my herd, he is perfect for ponying other horses. He is not at the bottom because he is timid, it seems more like it just isn't worth the hassle for him to climb the herd ladder. When he ponies though, he is definitely the boss, and makes sure the other horses know what is expected of it. The funny thing is, he treats them just like he does when a child rides him. He is soft and gentle until he knows that they know what they are doing, and then he forces rider or ponied horse to pay attention to what is going on. Perfect for what I need. I have a mare here that has had a bad run of luck health wise, and is slowly on the mend. She has lost all muscle, and is only slowly gaining her weight back. I also have a weanling, and a rescued pony. All three of these horses will be ponied off Topic this year. Mostly it will be short road rides & a local rail to trail that is wonderful for young horses to gain confidence. Hopefully Linda will bring Chica out one of these times, and we will pony here down the road also!
Ellen
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Post by zephyrcreek on Apr 11, 2008 17:48:51 GMT -5
How wonderful and how exciting..I sure hope you drag along your camera and take lots of pictures for us back here on the board. Way to go Rocky for being such a great Kiger, that you would consider him for your partner in this trail ride. Rocky is an awesome horse. The sad (and wonderful) thing is to watch the relationship that my son is building with him. I'll have him for a few more years ;D , but I can already see the writing on the wall. I will take tons of pictures! We have an older digital camera that my husband does not mind me taking along on the trail. I do have pictures from my 2006 crossing posted at my webshots account community.webshots.com/user/zephyrcreek . I just can't wait to see how he does at the lakes. Some horses are scared of the waves, and other horses like Topic think that it is great fun to soak their riders from helmet to boot. Ellen |
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Post by JoanMRK on Apr 11, 2008 17:52:04 GMT -5
That's one thing I miss... A pony horse. They are invaluable when it comes to training! I loved having my old mare pony my colt when I was thirteen. She taught that young whipper snapper a lot of lessons and he became a marvelous trail horse thanks to her.
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Post by JoanMRK on Apr 11, 2008 17:52:39 GMT -5
Oh and good luck Ellen & Rocky! I'm excited to hear all about it and I'm sure you two will do wonderful things for the Kiger breed. ;D
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Post by fantasykiger on Apr 12, 2008 11:38:43 GMT -5
My Morgan mare is my pony horse she is big enough to be a counter weight and boss enough they respect her. But when I am in the saddle she knows there will be no kicking or biting. I can use her weight to push on the ponyed horse if I need to and she is no slow mover the horse being ponyed needs to move it or be dragged. Best of all she is not spooky at all she has been around the block so much she is great for new horses. I love having a good ponying horse, before her was my big Appy gelding. I really do appreciate them. Topic sounds absolutely wonderful, you can tell by reading your writing he holds a special place in your heart. From the sound of it he still has lots of work to do for awhile. As far as Rocky one day being your little boys mount, well I don't know I am a mom too and when your child shows as much joy in horses, something you love as well, it is pretty darn exciting and worth at least sharing Rocky  |
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Post by kimk on Apr 12, 2008 11:45:58 GMT -5
My stallion Ki ( and Rocky's daddy ) is my pony horse. If a horse can be ponied, he'll pony it! Mares, stud colts, geldings...it doesn't matter.We pony all our youngsters on the trails in the Tiger Mountain State Forest, and what great trail horses they become!
Keep us posted on Rocky's progress Ellen! I'm sure he'll do great.
Kim
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Post by DianneC on Apr 13, 2008 10:20:28 GMT -5
I remember several years ago and your dream to do this on Rocky. Congratulations on making it come true! Can't wait for pictures.
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Post by nrly on Apr 14, 2008 0:59:42 GMT -5
wow what a wonderful thing to be doing and on a Kiger woo hoo, when you all get going please take pictures, and when all is said and done pot them and how you all did. Rocky will do wonderful, and I feel you all will have a blast..
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Post by zephyrcreek on May 22, 2008 20:15:07 GMT -5
Hi everyone!!! Just wanted to keep you updated. Rocky and I will be leaving a week from today for the Shore to Shore Ride. Here is a link to the group I belong to that helped establish and currently maintains the trail. www.mtra.org/ They are a very fun group, and I cannot wait to get up there. We should be dipping our hooves into Lake Huron on Friday Afternoon (5/30), and will reach Lake Michigan on 6/8. I am planning on taking my laptop and USB Internet card, so if I do not instantly fall asleep I should be able to keep everyone updated on our progress, and post pictures as we go. Rocky has made wonderful progress the past few weeks, but we still have a few things to work on this weekend.  I'm going to bring the rain poncho out Saturday in the round pen and see what happens. He was great with my pommel bags (did not react at all), but I am not so confident about the poncho. We have also been working on tying for extended periods of time. I usually wait until after we ride so that he is real mellow. So far the longest time I have left him was about 7 hours. This weekend I will set up a picket line in the round pen, and we will see how that goes. He is such a good guy that I don't expect any problems. The weather here has been unusually cool (40-50's) They say that it should start warming up this weekend, so keep your fingers crossed for me. It will be even colder up north, especially when we are near the water. As I'll be sleeping in the dressing room of my trailer I've decided to take my chocolate lab with me. I figured he will be the best "heater" I could ever take along. He is almost as big as I am and loves to cuddle, so he should be in heaven. Most of the other people take their dogs, and there will be enough people at camp to keep an eye on him while I am out on the trail. Ellen |
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Post by angelsdream on May 22, 2008 20:26:20 GMT -5
Please dont fall asleep at least until you can update us and send us some pics!!!! Then you can knock out  How have you been conditioning him? what sort of exercises have you been doing with Rocky? He sounds like such a sweet boy.... |
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I'm going to bring the rain poncho out Saturday in the round pen and see what happens. He was great with my pommel bags (did not react at all), but I am not so confident about the poncho. We have also been working on tying for extended periods of time. I usually wait until after we ride so that he is real mellow. So far the longest time I have left him was about 7 hours. This weekend I will set up a picket line in the round pen, and we will see how that goes. He is such a good guy that I don't expect any problems. The weather here has been unusually cool (40-50's) They say that it should start warming up this weekend, so keep your fingers crossed for me. It will be even colder up north, especially when we are near the water. As I'll be sleeping in the dressing room of my trailer I've decided to take my chocolate lab with me. I figured he will be the best "heater" I could ever take along. He is almost as big as I am and loves to cuddle, so he should be in heaven. Most of the other people take their dogs, and there will be enough people at camp to keep an eye on him while I am out on the trail. 
How have you been conditioning him? what sort of exercises have you been doing with Rocky? He sounds like such a sweet boy....