another good one...

[cynthia peterson]

great magazine! loves it all.
What's Natural with Eckstien and Staley, i hope they do get that book out. i want more! what i would give to sit down and have a conversation with them!
always LOVE wendy Murdoch and Buck and martin Black.
Tom Moates always has something going on.
and i always like articles on cowboy gear.
oh no, now i'm gonna have to wait for two more months before another issue........

[FrancaV]

I'm always the last one to get mine! <whine> Ah, well, something to look forward to in my mailbox tomorrow or the next day.... I hope it comes before I leave for the Peter Campbell clinic - it would be nice to have some inspiring reading for the evenings if I don't just fall straight into bed. :)

[Weebonilass]

...sigh... I'm waiting for my subscription to start. I'll go back to reading the back issues I bought.

[RockinCircleC]

Yep, another great issue! And I was sooo happy to see my good friend Charlie on the back cover this issue, too! That Alsace horse of hers is a real gem! Just ask anyone! And my son especially loves him (well, right behind my girls here at my place).

[FrancaV]

Got mine today, in time to take to the Peter Campbell clinic with me for inspirational night-time reading. Yay! I've thumbed through - it looks wonderful, as usual!

[Weebonilass]

Dang, I rushed out to check my mail (one of the advantages of working from home), but no magazine. But I did have a notice that the oil painting I had done of my gelding will be waiting for me at the post office after 4:30!!

I sure wish that postman would knock or ring the doorbell :(

[FrancaV]

I hate it when that happens. We have a good regular postal person but there's no telling what may or may not happen with our mail when she's on vacation. The USPS has been in our doghouse for years. In the past two weeks I've gotten two completely trashed packages. Looked like they ran over the first one, and I don't know what the heck they did with the second - the label ink was run but dry and the contents (a shirt) was wet!!! Fortunately the shirt was OK after a wash, but sheesh.

[WashoeKat]

Yep, another great issue! And I was sooo happy to see my good friend Charlie on the back cover this issue, too!

I am shocked! A trail rider and non-QHs featured on the back cover of the EH? And the rider is wearing a helmet? (Good for you Charlie!)

My husband and I are trail riders and this is the first time I have seen anyone who looks like us pictured in the EH. We ride a rather peculiar type of equine that the old cowboys call shufflers or amblers. (They have also been called "lame" at more than one clinic we have attended.)

We are truely an eclectic group of readers, it is nice to see the photos reflect that diversity.

[Mulie]

Well, I just got my first issue. Lots of good stuff and I'm looking forward to more great articles. But, I've got to say. When I saw the back page with the title "What were they thinking?" I wondered that myself. I've spent a fair amount of time in the back country, including the Olympic Natl Forest, whether ridng just one animal or with pack animals. The last thing I want to meet coming around the bend in the trail is a loose horse "sometimes exploring ahead". The rider has beautiful horses and she's obviously safety concious since she's wearing a helmet, but I sure hope she'll reconsider the wisdom of riding on public land with a loose horse. And Yeah, I know the old timers sometimes loose herded their strings. It's a different time.

[galen]

“… I sure hope she'll reconsider the wisdom of riding on public land with a loose horse.”

In response to this I’ll just say that while I understand the sentiment expressed here, I wouldn’t be too quick to judge our decision as reckless without knowing the terrain and circumstances. I took the photo in question, and while the trails Charlie and I were riding on are indeed on public land (DNR and Nat’l Forest), they are not generally well-known, nor well-traveled by anyone other than me and my small circle of riding friends. In the four plus years I have lived here and maintained and ridden the many miles of trails in my backyard, we have encountered only two other riders (who were not in our party), no hikers, and perhaps one or two dirt bikes. The loose horse pictured is respectful but unafraid of wildlife, is calm, quiet, and well-mannered towards other horses, dogs and humans. Were he to see anything or anyone on the trail, he would likely return to Charlie’s side because he figures that is about the best place to be. (He has demonstrated this in some extreme situations, but I won’t explain further because Charlie would be embarrassed with my bragging about her horse’s intelligence and loyalty.)

I have turned my own horse loose while leading my other horse (and my dog) through these woods without any problems. But of course there are no guarantees that these horses would not do something unexpected, nor that we or anyone (or other animal) we encountered would be 100% safe (with a loose horse or even one under saddle). But I truly believe that the pleasure that we (including the horses) get and the trust that develops between horse and human from these experiences far outweighs the potential for trouble or risk of danger to them, to us, or to anyone we might come across. While I would not be inclined to turn a horse loose just “anywhere” I would not hesitate to turn Charlie’s or my horse loose on these trails again, at least while this area remains as untraveled as it has been since I moved here.

Respectfully,
Gale N.

[Mulie]

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like you know your country and under the circumstances maybe not a reckless decision. I guess I just wouldn't want someone less experienced looking at that picture and thinking it seems like a romantic idea. I think of all the times, I've thought I was alone on some trail, no horse rigs in the parking lot, and some one pops up coming from the opposite direction. The areas I've ridden in the Olympics were definitely more well traveled than yours and it sure wasn't country I was wanting to meet a loose horse in. Well, you're pretty lucky to have an area so devoid of people, seems like there's someone behind every tree nowadays!

[galen]

"I guess I just wouldn't want someone less experienced looking at that picture and thinking it seems like a romantic idea."

I appreciate that you brought this up on the forum and agree that under normal circumstances it isn't a good idea to just turn a horse loose on a trail ride. I have to admit that we didn't think of giving a full-blown explanation of our reasons for doing it in the caption of that photo.

Gale N.