Just a week until departure...

Well, it's officially one week this morning until my departure for 5 weeks to the Gateway 2 Ranch with my horse Diva and whippet B in tow. All is coming together beautifully for the trip and I am getting that familiar excited feeling! What could be better than a full month of learning, sunshine, horses, beautiful country, amazing people and daily healing work? I'll be back of course for my June 12 trip up-island, my workshops on June 13 and the very exciting workshop collaboration with my dear friend and colleague Stephanie Travers to find that elusive feel with your horse. Then off I go again until July 17. This is going to be one interesting summer!

Regaining my seat...

Riding bareback is not for the faint of heart and was something I only did on a rare occasions up until a few years ago. I suppose it helped that my mare Diva has a back like a couch (it must be her Percheron roots), but I started working on my bareback seat with her and never looked back, even purchasing a treeless saddles for longer more intensive riding. There are many differing opinions when it comes to the pros and cons of going saddle-less. I can understand the concern that, especially for someone with a bit of a bony tush like myself, I might be created some fairly annoying pressure points with my sit bones on Diva's back. Fortunately a good quality bare back pad is generally an easy fix on this front, giving a little cushion to the seat bone blows and helping you to maintain a fair bit more balance in the process.

You might ask why I bring this up...
Well, heading up to the Gateway 2 Ranch is a bit different than heading to any particular ranch. Starting the horses up for the season means riding with a bareback pad over obstacles with a halter and lead rope. Definitely my kind of riding!

So it's bareback riding on Diva to regain my seat, balance and courage for the fun times ahead. I must be getting in better shape because last time I was only sore for 2 days!

The Date is Set!

Well, it looks like once again things are falling naturally into place! As some of you know, I am preparing the saddle bags for a trip with my mare Diva and whippet B to the Gateway 2 Ranch just outside of Kamloops, BC. Although I've never been, it looks like the stuff that fairy tales are made of, especially for a spiritually focused horse girl like me. Liz Mitten Ryan is the matriarch of this fine piece of very loved and well cared for land, just one of her hats in this life! Others include mother, author (One with the Herd), artist and horse woman. Anyways, it looks like the trailer is leaving from Vancouver Island with Diva in it on May 7...and so it begins...