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Happy NW Trail Riding

Wet.. soggy... mud

Today it really felt like fall.. an overcast rainy day. Running errands and in & out of the truck.. mud, mud, mud. All I could think about was it's here to stay 6 months ... I was thrilled to find a puddle to "rinse" off with. Of course you really are in it at the barn. With grain to unload and more cleaning stuff to pack in I just kept pondering my boot going squish...

Another horse at the barn spiked a temp so its on antibiotics. Great is was caught early. Not contagious yet which was a good thing. Crossing fingers we are on the downhill side of horses showing symptoms. By the time this is all over I am going to know more about my horses hind end and temps than I care too. :)

Lockdown until further notice

Due to Jr. horses illness I had already started my protocol to reduce exposure and cross contamination where I could. The test results are in and it's official, Jr has Strangles. I don't know the strain but in any case notices went up and we are not able to haul in/out which for me is fine. Spent the day taking temps, cleaning feet and spraying down with bleach solution and fly spray on all 3 horses. It was good to see other owners taking the same measures. If we all do our part maybe we can keep the case count to the current two sick individuals and they can get well and life can get back to normal. I know it's gonna be a long 30 days .... I think it's just natural to wonder how and question why but in this case there is no bad guy. It's just unfortunate it has happened and all we can do now is support our friends and do what we can to get through the nightmare.

Junior & his mom, your in our thoughts and we wish you a speedy recovery

An apple a day ...

Wish it was that simple, there are sick horses in the barn. I feel so sorry for them. Coughing, not eating or drinking they looks so forlorn. Of course anytime sickness happens plenty of folks go nuts and their lack of knowledge is painful. All we can do is support our barn friends while they deal with this and minimize the opportunity for other horses to be exposed. The sickest one has been moved out of the barn but another won't be moved. We have implemented the best cross contamination procedures we can and stopped turnout until we know just what's going around.

Imagine my surprise when I drove in and saw stuff on the trailer! It's really starting to look like the real thing. The new lights are waiting in a pile to be attached. We decided to try and stay as true to original so it's going to have a vintage look :) The guy at the paint store thought we should have put about 3 more coats of clear on .. wow! With the clear coat already applied we can't paint the original white strip at the top so I am thinking of the farm name in white up there against the blue.. Andalusians Northwest...

Bang! Bang!

Oh my gosh! We attended our first ever Mounted Shooting event. Held close to home, could hardly keep hubby away. I think his mare has a new project to try out. What a fun group of folks and it was like watching gaming but they were shooting guns! The horses were fantastic and for the most part just ignored the bang of the gun and when the run was over they just relaxed back to snooze mode at the fence. We missed the rifle shooting and I wanted to watch some of the younger riders but maybe next time.

The weatherman was right and it has been beautiful. Picked some great NW wild blackberries... of course even if they are in the font yard they are still wild. I don't know anybody that tries to grows these things on purpose! Mmmm they are sweet. Trail rode yesterday in the morning. Nothing new or exciting :) at least the trail was safe. Took out a barn friend that wanted to get to know the trail system and not get lost. Star just wanted to kick up her heels and run so hubby had his hands full. Rocket just wanted to be lazy unless everyone was out of sight then he found second gear. Now later after the ride I wanted to exercise Beca so I used the same bridle from earlier. Did a quick arena ride then hubby took her outside and poof the Chicago screw set fell apart on the bridle and it fell off of the mare. Quick recovery and they were walking back to the barn with the reins around her head. Thinking of switching to a different type of fastening system for the bit. Good thing it was not on Rocket on the trail. I don't think he would have handled it very well.

The windows are back in the trailer complete with trim. Located something to try and create a barrier between the gravel guards and the trailer skin so we won't have metal on metal rubbing..sure hope it works.. then again how am I gonna know it's not working? Ohh {{{clapping hands}}} it's starting to look like a real trailer again :)

83 Miley Restoration Milestone

Once I accepted the fact that while new horse trailers are very shiny and NEW I really did not NEED a new trailer. I like a straight load, step up & my horses load with no problem so what was I thinking besides having moments of trailer envy... Purchased new when hubby gave me my first Andalusian, the 83 Miley has served me well, is in great shape if ugly and that was my own fault. Years ago I applied a wipe on/off wax that ate the paint. In the years following while stored uncovered the paint just got worse and stuff just happened. I am sure there are all sorts of scientific explanations for what time did but in the end it just looked crappy.

Since it needed a restoration job and we have many vintage cars in the same category hubby decided he would tackle the job of restoring the trailer. He has never painted anything like this. Good practice, right? It was in the category of couldn't look worse and if it did MAACO is down the road. Hubby has spent untold hours this summer in what very little free time he had with many cans of aircraft paint stripper getting all the crap off and putting primer on. This past Friday was milestone day! It was painted. There is still a lot to do but the biggest chore was paint. Now we can put all the gravel guards and stripping back on. Still have the original hub caps that cleaned up well but they will get a new chrome job so the Miley name will pop and shine. I want to change the running lights to something a little more modern & I think a little larger so after all new wiring we will be changing the plug, lights, adding new chrome latches and the chest bumpers are okay but I think new ones are in order too. Before I know it I will be mobile again and watch out world! I am looking forward to concentrating on scheduled dressage lessons....sorry Rocket :) Western Pleasure lessons .... Star little girl it's now your turn at military school. When I'm done your gonna love bending right & left. I wonder if 25 year old horse trailers qualify for vintage lifetime plates????

Huckleberry picking to back country riding

Huckleberries, camping, hiking, canoeing... We are just one of many who enjoy the ability to access State lands. The Wa State Dept of Natural Resources is gathering user feedback to better understand what types of activities are enjoyed and how as users do we think it can be improved, changed. Their goal is designing areas that are sustainable and diverse. Get on line and visit their website and answer a few short questions and make your voice heard. Of course you meet folks active in the community and it sounds like our own Whipple Creek Park is destined for changes. Sounds like plans are in the works to modify and make it more groomed for year round use.

Swack! Smack! Pow!

Humility is a good thing, too bad my horse does not know that. Feeling a little over confident and left behind we had just crossed the first bridge and were headed up the first steep switchback hill when as we were making the last surge to the top and flat ground a head down we went on his chest. The surge of power to right the horse was huge and he cold cocked me on my eye and cheek. The helmet took the initial hit and the force broke the visor into two pieces right down the middle and to the left. It's toast! No black eye yet but man I am tender around the edges and my throat is sore from the strap. I am a true convert and believer.... Wear a quality helmet when you ride! Of course in the family hall of shame hubby is still the leader with his crash in June. Horse landing on you trumps a thump in the face. Rocket was rightly contrite after that and we kept to a slower pace. Our little troop could really swap crash stories and laughter is the best medicine. Jr. horse was just a charmer today. Just content to keep with the pace. The Appy of the group is such a goer. Funny moment today was at the little creek, her rider had to get off for min and she wanted water gosh darn it! The water trough was dry and before we knew it she walked in between the horses and right down into the water. Since it was her second time out that day I could hardly blame her.

Watch out for that tree!

The best therapy for barn drama is to RIDE! Got the hell out of the parking lot and Boy, did we RIDE. Our small group of 4 with one young gun in tow. We blazed a few trails and set a good pace to blow out some cobwebs and work off a little mental steam. For some strange reason my big grey beast really worried one very nice looking Warmblood we kept crossing paths with. Dancing on their horses part was cause for a commotion moment for my horse. The young’n of the pack kept finding it great fun to kick up his heels whenever we climbed a hill worthy of a little effort on the horses part. So that was a lively crash and thunder from behind. Poor Rocket just knew something back there was reason enough and was on high alert, ready at any moment to make the grand escape in case I wasn’t watching. We were trotting along (I forget his trot makes everybody else canter) at a good pace on the way back to home base when I guess someone did not communicate to the youngster he should have followed the horse leading him and the leader went to right of a tree and he went left. This caused a parting of the ways and all I could hear amongst the great commotion was "It’s OK," "Whoa!" As I turned the Rocket to face the horse monster we got buzzed by a loose Jr. horse. Rocket and I did a lovely Piaffe in place and Jr. stopped about 15 feet away. Heart rates back to normal, gather up the escapee. I thought WE (Rocket & Centara) were going to take a break at the edge of the field while “others” ran around…before I knew it Centara was off at a nice canter and poor Rocket was feeling left out. So, off we went to follow. He was okay as long as he could see her in the distance and we did nice collected work while following. He really did need to rest some.. as we took a shortcut through the middle of the field he was so funny when the cantering horses crossed the opening ….there they are! All in all we had a great time and it was great therapy.

Lights Out!

This old gal is tired! Part #2 of the busy weekend exhausted me. Big event of the day was the barn BBQ so we wanted to ride first and take advantage of the beautiful day. No Indian Summer just yet. It was hot and felt like summer was still trying to hold on with both hands. Of course many other people were thinking the same things so the 4h kids were saddling up and hitting the trails along with countless other strangers. It is days like this that is amazes one that there can be an easy 30 horses in the Park and you don't run into them at every corner. Also makes you ponder why on some days you can't shake some folks. All 3 horses were out today and in a fine whinny of a mood. Calling each other & wanting to run off at a moments notice. Most days they act like siblings that don't want to be caught in the same room. I have no idea what brought on this bought of togetherness. I really thought yesterday would have made them tired and today would have been a nice quiet walk in the Park literally. We managed to finish up in time for the BBQ. Shucking corn, swapping stories and just a nice day under the trees with friends that share the common bond of horse ownership and letting the guys stand around open flame and cook.

Oh my aching....

The promise of a nice weekend was just too much. We hit the trail fairly early, the horses were in fine form. After going around the berry field for our warm up we headed in and at the log crossing someone(trail biker)had remodeled the area and banked both sides of the log. I guess they get tired carrying their bike over the log. My horse can step over the log. They should too in my humble opinion. Gotta share? Share nice. I managed to get Rocket over a spot in the under brush but he was not thrilled. The other end is just too high off the ground, it would require jump and that is not safe in that location. As I got over we met friends riding their Icelandic horses and they just could not make it so we removed the stuff banking the log. Back in business we were off passing with a friendly hello. It was beautiful, quiet except for the birds that were busy chattering. I have no idea how long we were riding when we met up with another set of barn friends and joined their group. Found more spots were more trail modifications were done by cutting down smaller trees. Passed quite a few other riders. One group in particular put on a show when unloading their horses. The back horse just could not find the reverse gear and they were pulling on it's tail, picking up it's feet and who knows what else. We stopped to watch in case there was a huge horse explosion. The horse finally came bursting out with a scream. Then on to number 2... why oh why.. they let the confused horse turn around from the slant load stall to walk out head first. That was not a pretty sight. The poor thing looked like a pretzel. They thought the whole thing was so funny, laughing. Why can't people practice loading and unloading at home and make it safer for everyone?????? Well we finally decided we had had more than enough :) and when I checked my watch, oh my gosh! 4.5 hours had gone by. NO WONDER my a#! is so sore this morning! OK, almost time for day #2... stay tuned. I may only make it around the field before crying uncle.

Rain, rain go away .. Summer's gotta stay

It was a beautiful morning, sun shining and thinking WOW, what a way to celebrate the end of summer. Last trail ride of August. Grabbed coffee and out the door. Saddled up and as we were heading out it started. Yep, rain. Good old fashioned wet stuff. Made a dash for the trees to get some cover and wait for friends. Sometime since yesterdays ride a tree fell across the trail. The way the horses eyeballed it you would of thought someone moved the furniture. Gave it a good long look, sniffed it and gingerly stepped over it. Guess that's the long term memory I was recently reading about :) Turns out it rained off and on so we never really got soaked just damp around the edges. Passed a few other hardy souls out catching the last moments of summer in the saddle. Rocket is my trusty trail alarm. If he says WHOA and won't go forward I had better listen cause there are folks a head blocking the way :) his hearing is great and he alerts me to them long before we can see them. The coyote from last week was at the meadow and we caught a glimpse of him and as we came out of the trail into a small meadow by the barn there was a young spotted fawn. He was so scared of us. We tried to give him time to find mama but the little guy just ran like a rabbit in front of us.. Finally got him to jump into the trees and scare the Rocket when he jumped into the air like a jack rabbit :) Okay, okay summer can be over but hey now it's time for a great NW Indian Summer

Excuse me, pardon me...

Was everybody out today? We hit the mother load on "other people" today. The parking lot was empty so we figured cool, we have the park to ourselves. Well think again. Just no horse people were there. Mountain bikers, walkers. joggers and to cap it off boys playing army! Hidden in the trees, faces covered and wearing camo. We got in the middle of their fun. They were very nice about it but we did explain that to a horse they resembled a bear or sasquatch/big foot.

The apples in the meadow were great and the horses were quite pleased to snag a few. :) Just to mix it up we went down some trials we usually go up. Rocket had to really pay attention in some places and pick his way down. Too many roots that created steep steps and the like. Yesterdays ride was an evening one, no excitement but one of my favorite summer sounds was heading back to the barn at dusk and hearing the crickets chirp. Now if I only had fireflies...

History assignment

When I was 16 and riding the same trails I ride now there was a little deer track that wound around a fence and through the brush. You could not get in too far and you knew you had crossed onto someones farm.. in the short distance was the most charming thing ... an old mill. Time was doing it's job to help decay the wood but the wheel was still there and you could hear the water. Just a special place in the woods.

Fast forward to now.... the land has been given to the park and I can now ride right up to it and really look. How cool is that??? The wood frame is gone but the stone walls are there and the wheel is mostly in one piece and you can still hear the water. Well, I have given myself a mission. I want to research it's history and share it here. As I find out I will update the blog :) I googled it and no luck. I am going to have to make the Rocket march right up the small path and get a picture of the brass plaque on the wall and start my search there with the only fact I know of. Wish me luck!

Just hot & nothing else

Last week was a hot one and the weekend no different. We had multiple days in a row of over 100. To try and get a jump on the day we headed into the park at 9am and it felt great. The horses did fine and we rode for 3 hours covering all the trails. When we came out it was HOT and it was all I could do to get the horses cooled off. I was thinking milkshake. We still had a horse to work so after a quick lunch we rode back out thinking the park would still be cooler. It did not take long to realize it was just feeling HOT, the kind of heat that presses on you. I was feeling the heat and I did have water with me but it just wasn't helping enough. We called the ride over and rode back out to the barn. We were far enough in that it took another half hour to get back to the barn. I turn beet red when overheated so while washing down the horse I just turned the hose on myself :) Big lesson learned .... I am going to make sure I have Smart Water along for these types of rides in the future.

Cooler by degrees

Gosh it's hot! Headed out for an evening trail ride hoping the brunt of the heat was over. My truck said it was 102 at 5pm!!!! The one great thing you can count on is it's always cooler in the trails. Met a friend and we headed out. Nice quiet evening. Only saw one trailer in the parking lot when we circled the berry field. Horses felt fresh but relaxed. The sun was coming down and boy you get the feel that summer is winding down. Just meandered along to not get the horses too hot but we never really felt the heat. To top it off we found two lonely 5's laying on the trail... Wooho.. Starbucks here I come. Once back at the barn I gave Rocket a much deserved cold shower. He looked grateful :) Next girls ride??? Sat early to beat the heat.

Thundering herd...almost

It was muggy and warm but on the trail it felt like air conditioning. A group of barn friends were heading out when we arrived so they arranged to meet us at the berry field. Quickly getting everybody tacked up...all 3 were going as my brother was coming too. We got underway and of course right off the bat Beca was afraid of a piece of plywood on the fence as we headed out to the trailhead. What is it about this piece of plywood? It has been in place for weeks and out of the blue most horses just get freaky about it. Not new looking it's rather dingy and it matches the wood fence it's nailed too in color... I just don't get it. You can bet we are going to make it the next apple eating friend tomorrow.

Back to the trail.. we met up with everyone at the berry field. We looked like a parade LOL! 6 riders and 7 horses & 3 dogs to guide. One group we passed in the trails wanted to know where the end of the line was :) As Centara and Nanse were out yesterday I think they were almost tired still but did a fine job of keeping up. Now Beca, a Morgan was a little more fresh and wanted to dance a little. My brother did fine. It can be so stressful when new people ride your horse. You know the horse will be good and be safe but that worry is aways there like if your child behaves badly in public :) When it came time to traverse a long wooden bridge Beca led the way like a pro and showed Centara it could be done. Amongst much laughter we had fun covering ground. Everyone got a workout. It felt like the official end of the weekend when saddles were put up, horses washed and fed. Okay...work tomorrow.

Summer rain

It rained early this morning and it was enough to really knock down the dust and the forest floor stayed damp. Not enough to make it very muddy but WOW, during the whole ride the trails were just full of great woody smells of damp earth, wood and foliage. We did the regular trek and rode for 2 and half hours. Normally we seldom pass anybody on the trail but today we met up with more people. Hikers, riders and one guy we kept passing. He must have been running the trails LOL! Out of habit I have led the way on our rides but the young mare needs to be the lead dog sometimes too. The decision was okay most of the time. There were a few discussions of nope I not going and yep you are :) and in the end she did great but I could sure tell she was a little put out on the last stretch home. The horses are getting routine down... they get back to the barn and stop by the truck, all ready me to get the heck off and take the tack off too while your at it :)

Hope the weather holds.. We are going out again tomorrow too!

Meet me at the raspberry field

What a beautiful Northwest day! I know fall is just around the corner and you can tell as the days are getting shorter and the mornings are getting that cooler feel. We saddled up around 10:3o am and headed out back... went through the scene of the crash... where hubby and his mare fell last month. I gotta remember to get a good rock to paint and stick on the hillside. It was my first time through there since the accident and wow.. not a good place to decide to go uphill when you were heading downhill. Anyway we had a great time. The weather was perfect. little bit of sunshine to break through the forest canopy but not hot. When we rode out of the park into the berry field it seemed like we ran into more friends. Must have spent half hour stopping and visiting :) We even met a young deer on the trail and the horses handled it so well. Rocket was surprised when it jumped to clear the brush to put some distance between it and us but other than that he just kept an eye on him and walked on.

Out in the barn

Sometimes life just gets in the way.... Company picnic is a must and all I can think about is how soon can we leave???? I gotta hit the trail. Daylights a waste'n! Plan is to do the picnic and then get home and saddle up. With 3 horses to work the day is not long enough.

Nanse aka "Rocket" is such a trail blazer. He hates to be the lead horse but does it grudgingly :) in the arena he is all business and about power and go!

Beca ~ Just wants to be a trail horse and not a show horse. That is just fine with me. I just love how she revs her motor when we ride. Such a talker, she announces herself by blowing just like a motor running LOL!

Centara aka Star is our baby. Now 4 years old this month she has hit one year under saddle. With such a fantastic personality we decided to "break" her ourselves and when we hit a rough spot off to the trainer she will go for spit and polish. With her trail experience so new she is doing fantastic. Willing to tackle tough trail spots ... okay, a few accidents have happened (she's a kid)but I could not be more pleased with how it's going.