Trail Log: 6-20-2020

• Trail: Lone Pine - Prineville
• Miles: 5.97
• Riders: Self - Jon - Alice
• Horses: Jack - Cochise - Dusty and Zip

Notes: A total change in plans. My original "plan" was to take J'Lo to the shoot in Prineville and have her bred to Kitty's stud. I took her into the vet on Monday for a pre-check/ultrasound. Dr. Frank said she was in heat right now and suggested I not wait since J's never had a colt and she's 11 years old. I asked if he knew of somebody local...he did. Deb Dehaven has a little bay cow/cutting bred stud that  throws some really nice babies. I called Deb and met at her place that evening with J'Lo. Long story short - I ended up leaving her there. I can shoot anytime - but if I want a colt out of J'Lo - I need to do it now.

Wasn't planning on competing off Jack just yet but as they say...shit or get off the pot. I loaded up Jack Thursday morning and arrived at Laumans' with a couple hours to spare before practice. Jack did really well in practice. I kept my fingers crossed he continued to do so the remainder of the weekend.

Folks started pulling in Friday morning for the weekend shoot. There was a big turnout being one of the first shoots in the area since the COVID-19 BS. 93 shooters signed up.

I had a few hours before Friday afternoon practice so saddled up for a trail ride behind the Lauman/Butts ranch. Jon S. and Alice S. joined me.

Practice went well again. I decided to formulate a plan for the weekend. I knew we wouldn't be competitive so my plan was to try for a clean shooter check. Saturday was the OMSA Oregon State Shoot. We weren't fast - but we were clean. Jack is so smooth at that slow lope he's easy to shoot from. We shot the four stages clean and took our first trip to the pay window. I could't have been more excited if I'd just won the Kentucky Derby. We placed 46 overall and 2nd. in our class. Not bad for barely breaking out of a trot.

Sunday was Thunder in the Ochoco's Lone Pine Rangers shoot. I missed a balloon on my first stage putting me out of the clean shooter pot. Might as well go for it...we've got nothing to lose. I let Jack pick up speed with each stage. By the last stage, our time was as fast as my class competitors and we were hardly breaking out of a slow lope. We moved up to #34 in the overall.

Jack was like a different horse without J'Lo there. He gets herd sour and focus's on her when she's around. This weekend, he didn't miss a beat. He was amazing.

Trail Log: 6-12-2020

Bearing point markers/props

• Trail: Graveyard Point - Marker #2
• Miles: 4.22
• Riders: Self
• Horses: Jack
• Dogs: Hank

Notes: Rode out to check marker #2 for our IMO. Jones and Dusty headed out on four wheeler to check the other markers while me and Jack rode to #2.

I drove to Graveyard Point Friday late morning with the air conditioner blaring and spent Saturday huddled around the propane heater trying to warm up. I'm not sure what the difference is between a 70% and a 100% chance of rain - either way, your gonna get wet.

Five IMO teams braved the weather and went in search of the elusive paper plate markers. Mother nature must smile on the stubborn...she let up and 4 of the 5 teams made the 15+ mile ride finding all 5 markers with barely a drop of rain and only a light breeze. As soon as the last team came in - it was back to 100% rain and wind. Crazy weekend weather.

Trail Log: 6-10-2020

• Trail: Weiser River Trail
• Miles: 6.12
• Riders: Self
• Horses: Jack and J
• Dogs: Hank (Shade part way)

Notes: Another one of those, "well, I have to go to town anyway...might as well make the best of it."

I stopped in at the Vet to talk to them about having J'Lo bred. They will ultrasound her next week to make sure it's even an option. I don't know much about the whole process but looks like I'm about to learn. Keeping fingers and toes crossed that it is indeed an option. I'd like a colt that Jack can help me raise. He was amazing with the baby goats ....hoping he feels the same with baby horses!

Beautiful day on the WRT. They put in a new/real gate at the walk-through across the bridge. A guy was putting it in as we started out. It was a bit of a cluster. The guy standing at the back of his utility truck with equipment sticking up all over - a gauntlet of cows all around the bridge and a few under the bridge. If the white/blueberry cow wasn't scary enough - I feared the guy lifting the metal gate over his head and walking toward us while we were in the middle of the bridge would get us killed. I was riding J and towing Jack - I figured J is smart enough (kind of reminds me of a mule) she would't spook off the bridge and kill herself. I just squeezed my eyes shut until we emerged out the other end of it.

I swapped horses at the green gate. Fortunately the scary gate wielding monster was gone. Jack snorted at the giant blueberry cow but we made it back to the trailers and nobody died.

Trail Log: 6-3-2020

• Trail: Graveyard Point - Owyhee's
• Miles: 15.07
• Riders: Self - Lee - Jones - Dusty - Cindy
• Horses: Jack and J - Prince - Raycine - Rooster - Rio

Notes: Went back out to Graveyard Point to set our IMO ride. We changed it up just a bit at marker 5 and managed to keep it right at a 15 mile loop. I packed the props in over the saddle panniers along with a few tools to set them up. Really looking forward to this ride. Circle Four put a lot of work and thought into it and I think (hope) the IMO teams will enjoy it!

A big thank you to Lee and Cindy for going with us and helping get things set up. Not sure we can convince them to take up IMO - be we will keep working on them.