Jester Park Equestrian Center

Thankfully, the spring semester has ended and my date book just got massively cleared out - or should I say filled up with work? Well, I can't complain, work = money = more trail riding = more blogging!

The trip to Jester Park felt much like the start of summer. For the first time in forever, I loaded Rusty up into the trailer and headed down to Ames to pick up Brea, my best friend and riding buddy. From there, we took Highway 69 to Polk City and headed west to Granger, where Jester Park is located.

The Jester Park Equestrian Center not only has horse trails but is home to a gigantic, gorgeous facility with a HUGE outdoor arena. Guided trail rides are also offered for a fee. You can trailer in to the park and not pay, though, and wander the trails at random.

The trails at Jester Park get about as close as you can get to riding on a beach in Iowa. Many of the trails are near Saylorville Lake, and you can actually enter the lake with your horses (more on waterways and safe water riding in the next post) or ride through the sand. It really felt as if I were at a resort out in California.

Careful! Rusty decided after taking a dip in the water that trudging through the sand was too much. He stopped, and I foolishly though he had to poop...AGAIN. Instead, he dropped to his knees and lay down! I hopped off immediately and pulled on the reins to get him to get up, but not before he lay down on his side. Eek, it was too close to comfort for my new saddle! 

Across the lake, you can see a huge wall where the water spills into the lake. Even from afar, I could imagine how enormous this wall is. Take a look for yourself! Okay, it does look really tiny in this picture, but I promise that it looks terrifying big in real life! 

Another terrifying object is this concrete slab that the horses walked over. Rusty hated the idea, and he is normally so mellow about weird objects. Brea and Sunny had to lead us over.

The "seashore" trails can also take you into a forest-like setting. Some of the trails are dirt trails where you can pick up an easy canter (or race like Brea and I did at a stunningly fast gallop - Rusty was trying to emulate California Chrome!). However, the trails turn rocky quite quickly, so rider beware.

When you head into the wooded area, you forget about the beach pretty quickly. In fact, some of the foliage reminded me of what I saw in Farmington last fall, only there are no gullies to ride through!

So, what do you think of my new camera? Props to Brea for being there for a photo shoot! It's a Panasonic Lumix TS5 and so far has been proven to be worth every cent I spent on it. It's waterproof, crush proof, shock proof, and weather proof, so I can share with you all of our great trail rides!

And guess what? There's more to look forward to! Not only will I blog about the troubles of water, but I will have a new trail destination after June 10th to share with you. It's the first camp out of the season and bound to be an adventure! I can't tell you the destination, as it's a secret graduation gift for my friend Madi, and while I doubt she actually reads my blog posts, if she did...well, the destination would be ruined. But let me give you a hint: It's gonna be amazing!   ☻

I'm out for now folks, have good one!

Kelsey 

Where Do We Go From Here?

Yes, it has been quite a while since a blog post has been made. The Iowa weather has been rather miserable, with rain completely decimating the state this week. My horses are currently standing in mud. The entire pasture is muddy and could probably suck off your boots. A fellow trail rider told me that the creek up in Belmond is so swollen that it would go up to the saddle horn. With the temperature being around 45 degrees, I don't think a swim sounds very appeasing.

Never fear, though, as this time can be used to plan rides for the summer. In this post, I am going to share with you some sources you can use to research some trail rides. I know I've been planning like crazy...

...which brings me to some exciting upcoming blog posts! We have three very local trails here in north central Iowa, which I am looking forward to sharing with you as more time becomes available to me, hopefully in the near future. To whet your appetite for trail riding, let me share some tidbits with you on these great locations:

-Pilot Knob, Forest City, IA: This location is great for an afternoon ride mixed with some hills and flat areas to gallop. A water tank is even furnished so riders can get water for their horses. Remember to bring your buckets!  Of course, one trail takes riders by the ever-so-mysterious tower on the second highest point in Iowa. While the trail that goes up to the tower is not an equestrian trail, a person with a wild streak could probably ride up there at night. The ghost of Worm, a boy who hung himself at the tower, might greet you atop the hill. And a word to the wise, never ride out there at night.

-Bill Johnson's trails, Belmond, IA: If scenery is important, this ride is the one for you. There are dozens of man-made trails at this place, which is just southeast of Belmond, where there are many creek crossings and hills offered. In the summer when it is dry, you can even go down to the river with your horse to take a dip! On one of the trails, there's even a stump with a toilet seat on it with the middle cut out just so you can take a bathroom break, if you must.

-Lime Creek Nature Center, Mason City, IA: This area is a great place to get horses used to the idea of trail riding. Most of the land is flat. There are many different types of grasses and other plants in the nature center to view. There is lots of room for a good gallop and even a pond or two that you can introduce your horse to if you so choose. A railroad track is nearby the nature center, which is a great desensitization tool for you. There also is a little bit rougher riding farther into the nature center where there are more logs to cross over and more hills. All in all, Lime Creek makes for a fun afternoon.

And if these places sound exciting to you, then this news will be even better: I have rides planned at Mystery Cave State Park in Minnesota, another trip to River Valley Lodge and Campground and the Shimek Forest in Farmington, and possibly a ride to Brushy Creek in Fort Dodge. And it gets better. My friend and I, in July, will be spending a week in the Black Hills in South Dakota! There will be a daily blog post corresponding with each day spent in the Black Hills, along with many pictures of our experiences.

So, are you ready for an adventure? It's easy to begin planning, with a little help from the Internet. Start by thinking about what kind of ride you want, who will go with you, what area you want to visit, and how long you want the trip to be. Also consider the fitness level of you and your horse and what type of ride you desire. Do you want to be climbing mountains or galloping in grassy prairies? Can your horse handle hard riding, or does he have a condition that requires less of a grueling ride?

After determining what type of trip you want to have, it's time to start researching. There are about four different sites that I use regularly to make decisions.

~www.horsetraildirectory.com: This website lists trails across the United States that have been reviewed by other riders. You can click on the state you want to ride in, and a list of trails and campgrounds will come up. The rides are star rated, one through five, by campsite and by trails. You can read reviews by other riders, determine how many miles of trails there are, and learn what city the trail is in. Trails are also rated by difficulty, ranging from easy, more difficult, rigorous, and challenging. The trails may also include links to websites and descriptions of the trails.

~www.horseandmuletrails.com: This site is a great site if you want to find day rides and overnight rides. You can click on any state and find trail rides within that state. Anyone can submit a trail to the website. Often, descriptions include where the trail is, whether or not it allows camping, and what the trail contains (hills, streams, etc.). Sometimes, there are links to websites. The downside to this site is that there is not always a lot of information regarding a trail or a link to more information. An additional plus for using this site is also sources of places you can layover for breaks or for nights with your horse.

~www.bestofamericabyhorseback.com: This site is based off of the television show Best of America by Horseback, which is hosted by Tom Seay. If you want to find the most fantastic rides on earth, this site is it. It gives links to the websites that the show has visited in the past. I think you can even view episodes of shows on the website (if not, it does tell you that the show is featured on RFD-TV). The downfall to this site is that it only features the top trails on the country. If you're in Iowa, chances are, a trail from there hasn't been featured. However, you can certainly gawk and drool and the gorgeous scenery offered from faraway sites.

~State DNR sites: This is very helpful in planning a camping trip and finding out if there are trails near you. The site tends to be a little difficult to navigate, but if you are looking for a certain state park or forest, you can type it into the search box and the park will likely come up. This site will tell you where the camping is and the type of flora, wildlife, and environment you may encounter. Unique to this site are the pictures that come with!

Reserve America and the National Parks are also two good sites to use if you are going to a bigger area. The National Park site comes with many pictures and lots of information on the riding. Reserve America will tell you when campsites are available, pricing, accommodations, and what type of campsites there are. The National Forest website is much like the National Park website, but with less pictures.

I've found really cool places to ride through these sources, and I know you will too!

Happy camping!
Kelsey
 

Riding...Minus the Sores

Once upon a time,
I went on a weekend overnight trail ride down in Farmington (if you don't remember that post, look it up!). I was in my Hereford barrel saddle for six hours on Saturday and maybe two on Sunday. After the six hours, I developed what I thought was the impossible: saddle sores. I've had sore muscles, stiff joints...but saddle sores?! Turns out that this is a common problem, along with getting sore knees, getting sores on the insides of your knees, having rubs on your, ahem, derrière, or even on the insides of your thighs.

So, in an effort to prevent this from happening again, I did some asking around, research, and thinking in the pursuit of being sore-less and in finding a new saddle. With trail riding season right around the corner (hopefully, anyway!) I thought I would share my findings with you.

#1 - It's all in the jeans.

This.

Not this.

Yep, you got that right. The jeans you wear may determine if and where you get sores. On regular jeans (think Silver, American Eagle, Mossimo, whatever you get at department stores) the seams can sometimes rub you raw, especially in the knee and thigh area. This can be aggravated by having baggy jeans. The seams do not lay flat as well and will rub you raw.
Having embellishments or buttons on the butt pockets of your jeans could also make for a lumpy and sore ride. I would avoid these on long rides as well.

If you have this problem, there are a few options. Certain companies like Wrangler make jeans that work better in the saddle. They are relatively inexpensive and can be found at most farm stores like Fleet Farm or Tractor Supply. Otherwise, there are other brands of riding jeans out there - you would just have to look. If jeans aren't an option, you could always ride in breeches, which are almost guaranteed to not rub you raw. However, the downfall to that idea is that breeches can be pretty expensive and would look a bit off with a western saddle.

#2 - Under...wear?
This is the problem that I am trying to combat. Certain underwear will chafe in areas that are sensitive and inexplicably private, making your rides not enjoyable.

I have not yet tried any of these solutions presented next, but I hope to soon. This seems to be a common problem for ladies because of the cut of their underwear, which is why boy short underwear are suggested. However, woman seem to either love or abhor this type of underwear, I being in the latter category. Another solution that was given was to go commando, though I can't see this working in some jeans because of the seams. The two ideas I came up with were trying riding underwear, which, of course, are more expensive than plain, old underwear, or buying seamless underwear.

#3 - #ridingproblems

Fix these stirrups now!

The way you ride can be another way to possess saddle sores. Fortunately, these are fairly easy to fix and don't cost money, just redoing your muscle memory. The two biggies that will cause sores are sliding too much in the saddle and not having the correct stirrup length. Make sure to sit still in the saddle and use your muscles to hold yourself. And then check your stirrup length. Do you really have to reach for your stirrups? Are you in a chair seat? If so, it might be time to adjust the stirrups. I've read that the best way to approximate stirrup length is to stand in the saddle. If your butt is just a few inches away from the saddle, your stirrups are about the right length. If you can't stand, they are too long. And if you're way up in the air, it might be best to lengthen them. Of course, in an English saddle, this is different. You'll want to hang your legs down and have the tread of the stirrup hit your heel or just a bit lower. Although jumpers do shorten up their stirrups for jumping, this can cause your knees to hurt after so long. You'd be better going off with the flat or dressage length suggested above.

#4 - Get your seat situated.
Make sure you're in a saddle that fits both you and your horse correctly. Because I do not know a whole lot about saddles fitting myself, I recommend that you look for a saddle fitter in the area or at least someone who is knowledgeable about saddle fitting that can help you determine what fits you and your horse. If the seat is too small, your butt can start thumping the cantle. If it's too big, you're swimming around. Some saddles fit better than others. Again, make sure the saddle fits your horse too because a horse with saddle sores gets about as irritated as a ride with them!


#5 - Endurance, dressage, trail, OH MY!
With so many saddles on the market, it is hard to make a choice on what saddle to use for trail riding. While you can ride on the trails in any saddle, it is important for long distance rides that you pick a saddle that is especially comfortable and made for these rides. Trail saddles, of course, are a great pick for trail riding. Endurance saddles I have heard are also very comfortable for long rides in the saddle. Ranch saddles are also prime contenders for comfort as they are used extensively by cowboys that sit in a saddle almost all day sometimes as they herd cattle.

If you have a hankering for a saddle that is geared more towards the English rider, you also have a few options. A closer contact saddle that I would consider almost a cross between a western and English saddle is an Australian saddle. They have the comfort of a western seat, sometimes come with a horn, but have the English feel. Otherwise, there are some English trail saddles out there, and many people have said that riding in a dressage saddle is very comfortable, as can be an all-purpose.

Again, this all depends on your wants and needs.

#6 - Brand it!
Of course, some brands are better known than others for their comfort. For western saddles, I have had many people recommend Circle Y saddles as a mid-range, comfortable saddle. One of my managers at work swears Herefords are also comfy, though obviously that wasn't my case. If you want to go up to the higher end, Orthoflex saddles, Bob Marshall saddles, and Tucker saddles are frequently talked about. If you're on a price crunch, you can look for used or look into Bighorns, Fabtrons, or Wintecs.

Most endurance people that I have heard from have recommended Abettas as a great saddle.

In the Australian world, many people have said that a person needs to be careful about what quality saddle he or she is getting. Some of the lower end Aussies are not made well and are not comfortable for the horse or the rider. Many recommend looking into the ones actually made in Australia. Syd Hill is a name that frequently is mentioned.

English saddles are not as widely recommended (because, really, how many people do you know that trail ride English?), but, surprisingly enough, I've heard many good things about an English Wintec saddle as a trail saddle. A cushy dressage saddle also makes for a comfortable trail saddle, and I've had a few people express that Stubbens are very comfortable.

#7 - It's a material world
In the brand itself, there are many different materials to pick from. Many people think that synthetics are cheap and not as good as leather, but this is not so much the case for trail riding. In fact, many people prefer synthetics because they are easy to clean and are not ruined by water on trails. However, a good leather saddle is still just a good leather saddle.

The tree of a saddle is also broadly discussed. Flex trees are now widely available, and there is both love and hate when it comes to them. Some say that after riding in a flex tree that they would never go back to a regular tree, yet others are convinced that flex trees are no good on a horse's back. I have not researched the topic much, so it would be a good idea to look into flex trees if you are considering going that route.

I think the seat material of the saddle is also worth mentioning. Many are a suede sort of material, and that to me is comfortable short-term but causes problems in the long run with the adhesiveness to your butt. I imagine it to be more likely to rub. A seat saver is always a quick fix to that.

Also, make sure the saddle has what you need for a trail ride, like many places to tie things and a place to hook on saddle bags. It always helps to have the proper equipment handy!

#8 - Get in shape!
My manager at work suggested this one to me. She said that perhaps since I am not used to riding in a western saddle that I got pressure points in different areas, causing sores. It's like a child on the monkey bars. The child gets blisters from inconsistent use, builds up calluses, and goes on. Make sure you continuously use your saddle...and, when in doubt, use a seat saver!!

I am absolutely head over heels for my new saddle, my Orthoflex. It's beautiful, amazing, comfy, and it fits Rusty pretty well. I got it off of Ebay. It wasn't cheap, but I think my butt will thank me later for it!

Saddle sores be gone,
Kelsey 

Peterson Pits, Ames, IA

On President's Day, I was fortunate enough to be able to go riding with some friends down in Ames in a local park called Peterson Pits. The weather, although dreary, was fairly good and the air was warm. We all had school off that day, so we decided to go check out the first trail location of 2014 for my blog.

Peterson Pits is located off of Highway 69 between Story City and Ames. The park is located on 45th Street and can also be found using Dayton Avenue in Ames if you are coming from in town. The road to Peterson Pits is gravel. The park roads seemed to be fairly well maintained as we did not have a problem getting in or out with the snow.

My friend Madison came along for the ride, and we drove to Huxley to pick up my other friend, Brea, and her horse, Sunny. Because none of us had had lunch, we decided to make a pit stop at McDonald's before starting our trail ride to pick up a little something to eat.

We decided it would be best to go through the drive-thru for the sake of time and because I brought along my Pug/Terrier mix, Mylie, for her first trail ride. As we pulled up to the clearance bar, I was a little concerned that my trailer would not make clearance. I told Madison and Brea to watch the bar to see if it swung before I drove up to the golden arch. They assured me that I made clearance, so I continued to pull up to place my order.

Suddenly, after placing the order, Brea and Madison informed me that the bar was swinging. I was already halfway under the golden arch, so I tried to turn out to miss hitting the golden arch and breaking it off with my trailer. I ended up hitting it anyway. Fortunately, it just nicked the arch, and no damage was done. So, my friends, I highly recommend you know exactly how tall your trailer is.

Because I could not go under the eaves to the rest of the drive thru, I had to drive alongside them and get out to pay and get our meal. The first window opened, and the lady goes, "Ba-da-bup-ba-daa!"

Terrifying. Just terrifying. Before this moment, I did not think it was possible for anyone to truly love working at McDonald's so much that they sang the theme song to every customer. The lady was almost overzealous and barraged us with a bunch of questions about our horses. Finally, she shut the window, but not before she sang, "Ba-dah-bup-ba-daa!"

The lady at the second window just stared. Apparently this situation was not an everyday occurrence. Either that or she was disturbed by the fact that Brea was feeding a suddenly hyper Mylie ice cream right off of her spoon. Before, Mylie was passed out in the back of my truck.

We ate on the drive and headed down to Peterson Pits. There, we parked by the lake. Quite a few people were out that day either walking on the trails or ice fishing in the lake. We unloaded our horses and began tacking up. Mylie was running around, since there are no leash regulations in the winter months, and the next thing we knew, she ran off with some people walking down one of the trails. So, of course, we had to go find the dog. The picture below is of the lake by the parking lot.

After looking for Mylie for about an hour, we finally headed back to the trailer to see if she had gone back there. Sure enough, Mylie was standing by it. It became clear that Mylie needs a lot more training and better listening skills before she gets to go on trail rides. We put her in the trailer and continued our ride, after I found a nearby Port-A-Potty to use.

Peterson Pits has maybe a couple of hours of trails for people to explore, depending on how fast you plan on riding. It is mostly in a wooded area, but you can get access to the roadway, which is quiet enough to ride down if you desire that.

 

Above is a picture of what most of the trails typically looked like. It would be hard to get lost out there, as the trails are very prominent and there is not enough land to get lost on. The trails were also pretty clean, but there were a few logs here and there that you could go over if you wanted to. Madison, who rode Rusty that day, popped him over a log a couple of times.

There is also a nice view of a creek that goes through the park. When it's not frozen, you can go and ride through it. Unfortunately, it was frozen and the trails were somewhat icy, so we had to forgo the creek, but it sure was pretty!

 

There are also a few big, open, grassy areas that are flat and allow for a nice gallop. You can bet we tried them out! Little, old Knight, who is pretty out of shape, actually had a blast running with his buddies and even threw in a couple of bucks.

 The roads also are nice viewing areas. In this picture below, you can see what Peterson Pits looks like from the road:

If you rode up the road a little ways, there were some very stunning views of hills and pastures. There is also a small conservation area nearby that would permit horseback riders. We didn't have enough time to explore that, but hopefully next time we can.

 Isn't that just gorgeous? This is off a road that intersects 45th Street. The pasture area on that road was beautiful, and there were some really cute houses up there as well.

After that point, we decided to head back to the trailer, since it had started snowing. It was a wise choice because the ride home was a little bit perilous. Because everything had started to melt, when the temperature dropped, the roads became very icy. I had to take back roads back to my hometown because I could not get any traction on the interstate. We made it home safely - and that was about the last nice day we've had since.

Here are a couple other pictures of the trail ride through different terrain.

 This is in one of the grassy areas again. Brea is riding in front of us. And yes, she went bareback for the ride.

You can see the ice in this picture on the trails. I was a little worried about one of the horses slipping, but everyone was able to keep their hooves in line.

And, just for fun, here's a picture of what cabin fever causes my horses to do:

Yep, you got it. Casper and Rusty are sharing a hay pile. When does that EVER happen???

Keep on wishing for better weather so I can keep showing you some awesome trails and telling you about our awesome adventures!

Until next time,
Kelsey

 

Cabin Fever!

When we see the first snowfall in November, we're mesmerized. Nothing is prettier than the first snowfall. Even at the second snowfall, we're still tolerating winter. After all, the holiday season is coming, and what is Christmas without snow? We ring in the New Year's, hopeful that the new year will be prosperous, adventurous, romantic, or a time of change.

And then we enter January.

By this time, we're all tired of the cold. I know I am. We want the snow to disappear into the ground, the ice to melt into mud, and the sun to come back out so we can hop back on our horses and ride.

In fact, we can ride right now. The horses aren't usually the ones that get cold. We are.




 



If the hairs in your nose don't freeze, you have the thumbs-up to ride, according to a post on Facebook by Julie Goodnight. There are, however, some extra precautions to take.

-Riding on ice is a very bad idea. Shoes or not, horses are very liable to slip. We all know that person that slipped on ice, fell, and broke something. The same exact thing could happen to you or your horse. If it's icy, DON'T RIDE.

-Know where you're going and let someone know. Letting someone know where you're going is actually always a good idea, even if it's in the dead heat of summer. Because the weather can turn pretty quick and because the temperatures drop steadily once the sun goes under, make sure that you have an idea of your whereabouts at all times so you don't freeze to death out in the wilderness.

-Dress for warmth. Layering is always a great option. Make sure whatever you are wearing will be nice and toasty for the length of your ride. If you start to sweat, take off a layer. The sweat can give you a chill, like it does for a horse that wears a blanket on a warmer day. Thick socks, thick gloves, and even a hat or earmuffs should be considered. You can put warmers in your gloves and boots for extra protection. Long underwear is also very beneficial.

-Bring water and food for a long ride. This is a given in any situation, but both are also important in cold weather.

-Know the signs of frostbite and hypothermia. Both can set in very quickly and are serious matters. If any part of your body starts going numb and becomes red and painful, this can be the onset. The skin can then progress to a gray color. To reverse frostbite, you can use other parts of your body like the armpit to warm a frostbitten finger up, put affected areas in warm water, and get inside to a warm room. Be careful not to burn yourself because of the numbness that has set in. Getting warmth is also important to people suffering from hypothermia. Hypothermia sufferers may be shaking, have slurred speech or impaired motor skills, be confused, and/or feel exhausted. Wet clothing should be taken off the victim and the core of the body should be warmed before the extremities.

-Check your trailer and truck. Winter seems to be the time for vehicles to have problems. Make sure your tires are full and that everything is working properly. An oil change or tire rotation may not be a bad idea, either, if the vehicle hasn't been serviced in a while.

-Cool off properly. Before you load the horse back onto a trailer to go home, make sure he is cooled down properly. Winter makes horses take longer to warm up and cool down. A blanket is also recommended for the ride home so the horse does not become chilled.

See? You don't have to wait until spring to hit the trails! You can start right now. In fact, the first trail of the new year will be covered sometime next week after I take a President's Day ride in Ames, IA at Peterson Pits. Pictures and information will come.

And these guys are coming along: Knight, my little Arab, and Mylie, my Pug/Terrier mix. Of course, Rusty will be along for the ride as well, but I will be loaning him out for one of my friends to use.

So long, folks! Happy New Year,

Kelsey