Friday, November 28, 2025

Trail Log: 11-27-2025


  • Trail: Aguila - State Land - My property
  • Riders: Self - Robyn - Dan
  • Horses: Drifter - Big Drifter - Bullseye
  • Dogs: Groot - Boo

Dan and Robyn
Notes: Dan and I worked our horses in the arena practicing barrel turns. Afterwards - Robyn joined us for a ride in the desert. She is just learning to ride. We opted to ride up the sandy wash so she could practice trotting. She said it scared her to death -but by the end of the ride, she was trotting off on her own accord. A couple times, Big Drifter broke into a lope. Robyn did well. She only lacks confidence. Once she gains more of it...she will be great. Big D is the perfect horse for her. 


We had Thanksgiving dinner about 2:00 PM. I smoked the turkey on my Traeger knock off. It turned out pretty good for not knowing what I was doing. So far nobody has come down with botulism. 




Harley Quinn has a shoe fetish

Trail Log: 11-26-2025

Dan and Robyn heading back


  • Trail: Aguila - State Land - my property
  • Miles: 7
  • Riders: Self - Dan - Robyn
  • Horses: Jack - Bulls - Big Drifter
  • Dogs: Groot - Boo

Notes: A nice ride behind my property onto State Land. Rode to Burro Canyon. Boo came up missing. Found her waiting for us on the porch when we got back.  

Robyn holding Jack while I check out the cool firepit.


Friday, November 21, 2025

Trail Log: 11-20-2025

Jack and Big Drifter. Big D makes Jack look like a regular sized horse



  • Trail: Aguila State Land - Neighborhood to Celia's
  • Miles: 12.89
  • Riders: Self - Robyn - Celia
  • Horses: Jack and Drifter - Big Drifter - Dirt
  • Dogs: Groot - Boo

Notes: Took advantage of a break in the rain and got both horses rode. Dan and Robyn are here for the winter. They bought Robyn a horse. His name is Drifter also - we call him BIG Drifter because he is huge. He belonged to mounted shooter friends, is super gentle and a great shooting horse. He will make Robyn a nice horse to learn on. Celia and I planned to ride later in the afternoon so I took Robyn on her first ride out in the desert on Big Drifter. I rode Jack. 

Robyn and Big D

As soon as we got back, Celia text she was ready to ride. I made like a pony express rider, swapped horses and headed down the road on Little Drifter. We met in the middle and rode to Celia's place. Celia's neighbor, Anita, has a litter of pups. I picked one out a couple weeks ago and the lady is ready to advertise them so wanted me to come over and verify which pup I picked. The female I picked was originally the runt. She is definitely NOT the runt now! Little porker plumped right up. It was hard to tell one pup from the other.  As luck would have it,  the one that jumped in my lap and was pulling on the fringe of my cell phone carrier is the pup I picked out when she was just 2 weeks old. 

I had been trying to talk myself out of getting a pup since it crossed my mind a while back.  I am not prone to puppy fever. I prefer them big enough to go do stuff other than pee all over my house and bark all night. I have only rarely gotten a pup. Most of my dogs have been strays or someone else's discards and have found me over the years. I failed at talking myself out of it. I will pick up my pup as soon as we get back from Thanksgiving in Tombstone. Her dad is Idaho Shag and her Mom is border collie. Welcome to 6 months of puppy hell. 


Oh brother...



Friday, November 14, 2025

Trail log: 11.13.2025

Celia and Dirt


  • Trail: Aguila - State Land - Back Gate to Burro Canyon
  • Miles: 10
  • Riders: Self - Celia
  • Horses: Jack - Dirt
  • Dogs: Groot

Notes: Met Celia riding to my place and rode out behind my property. We rode to Burro canyon. It gets pretty rocky just below the power line. Jack handled the sharp rock really well. I feel like his feet have turned the corner for barefoot trimming. 


Cool little fire pit somebody fashioned. I need to mimic this! 


Trail Log: 11-11-2025


  • Trail:  N. Eagle Eye 
  • Riders: Self - Phil
  • Horses: Jack - Twister
  • Dogs: Groot - Pearl

Notes: Road up on a pack of "wild" dogs watering in the tank. Pearl ran them off. Later that evening I saw a post on FB of a gal missing her two dogs. 2 out of the 3 dogs I caught a glimpse of fit the description so I let her know. Hopefully they were hers and have a home. 


Automatic loading is the only way to haul... ;)


Monday, November 10, 2025

Trail Log: 11-10-2025

Hendersen Tank (I think)


  • Trail: State Land off Hwy 71 E. of 93
  • Miles: 8.25
  • Riders: Self - Celia
  • Horses: Drifter - Dirt
  • Dogs: Groot


Notes: Several years ago, my friends Lynn and Pete and I discovered a cool little oasis out in the desert called "The Cove." It was set up for ATV'ers to stop and hang out. Celia and I have been trying to find it on horseback since last year. We got close today! It is hidden back in the rocks and you could ride right by it if you didn't know it was there. I'll have to do more research to see if I can narrow down the location. On the way, we saw our first rattler of the season. It was in the middle of the wash next to a dead kangaroo Rat we assumed it was about to have for lunch. It backed off and slithered under the brush while we rode on. We came across it again on the way back...still close to the kangaroo rat. We didn't hang out long enough to watch it eat it! 


Back on my computer - I sifted through and found the photos I took of the day Pete, Lynn and I discovered The Cove. Geo-tagging is WAY outdated but gave a general location of where the pictures were taken. I could scrounge up some of my digital forensics software and get more precise coordinates but geesh...I haven't done that since I retired! I'm sure we can find it with the info I have now. Stay tuned!



Trail Log: 11-4-2025



  • Trail: Tiger Wash
  • Miles: 3
  • Riders: Self - Celia - Phil
  • Horses: Jack - Dolly - Twister
  • Dogs: Groot - Pearl

Notes: Celia wanted to try out the new horse they got for her grandkids. We rode up Tiger Wash for a short ride. The new horse, Dolly - did great. 

 

Trail Log: 11-3-2025



  • Trail: Aguila State Land
  • Miles: 5
  • Riders: Self
  • Horses: Jack
  • Dogs: Groot

Notes: Took Jack out behind our property for a hike/ride. We rode up to the powerline.