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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.