I had a scary adventure with Lynn last night--a breathless midnight call, "Leave your dog at home. The horses are out and I might need help. Don and Mom. . ." If she continued I don't know she said; I either just breathed out, "Okay," and hung up on her or I simply wasn't awake to process the rest. Maybe it was that I was freaked out and heading to find clothes.
Ziva had eaten three pairs of my underwear earlier in the week (I know!! Three!), so in my panicked state, that was one of the things I focused on. I ran to the dryer and pulled out jeans and frantically pawed through until at last I found some. I also found my riding bra. All I could think of was we would be running in the tall grass and I need support.
I ran out to the garage barefooted and grabbed my muck boots where I sat on the front seat and put on socks and stuffed my jeans down into them. I had grabbed my bright orange rain jacket as well, thinking it was probably raining and I would be more visible than in my black feeding slicker. So it's obvious that I was awake and cognizant. But I couldn't get the car started. Then I realized I need to slow down. I was putting it in gear too fast and it was dying. Before I realized it, I was at the top of my driveway. I don't think I truly was completely awake and functioning until I hit 299, where I did not even pretend to stop at the stop sign.
Through all this, Ziva was laying on the bed. Barely one eye cracked open. That girl is a sleeper!
As I flew toward The Place (also know as Ten Firs), all I could think of was foundered horses. I could hear Shirley's voice in my head. I couldn't imagine how they got out, but I could imagine my horse especially, eating himself into being dead. The closer I got, the more questions peppered my brain. How did they learn that either one or all of them were out? What if they were eating next to the highway instead of the field? I stopped freaking myself out with questions and prayed the rest of the way. Not only was I concerned about horses, but Shirley and Don's safety and health. I desperately worked on my breathing. My heart felt like it was pounding through my chest and I couldn't breathe.
I slowed down as I started up the passing lane--scanning, scanning. No lights in the field, no big, dark bodies near the road. I parked and then Lynn was on the four-wheeler next to me. "Get on!" She handed me the big spot light and we headed to the green gate. Shirley pulled up behind. After I unlocked the gate, dropped the chain that locks it, and dumped the grain bucket Lynn handed to me, Shirley hollered at me to go with Lynn, she'd get the gate.
As we drove up the hill to the "trailer court," dark shapes stirred. Eyes flashed. One, Two. Three. Four. Oh God there's four--I knew it, it's Jupiter out eating too much and missing--Lynn said she could hear me sucking in my breath with each count--FIVE! At the same time, both of us saw that last dark body move away from the other one, "They're all here!" She breathed. "Our horses are all here! And they're sleeping." I breathed. They were calm and although surprised and circling toward us, they were acting as if nothing untoward was going on. They were happy about a snack, that's for sure. Although Jupes and Star probably thought that we were going to try to catch them to go out for a ride. Brady probably told them we must be going someplace new and fun to leave this early! But they settled down for a quick bite of grain (albeit a small one, since someone dumped the bucket earlier! Sheesh.).
So we patted all of them and told them to go back to sleep and headed out to find this other "small, red horse." Now that I could hear over my beating heart and prayer loop playing in my head, I heard Lynn's story. A truck driver saw a horse by the east driveway. He stopped and blocked the driveway and walked up to Bev's house to tell her. She went to her neighbor's house to call Shirley, who called Lynn. Lee was dispatched off to Hawkins Bar and 299 in general to put on the flashers to slow and warn people. We drove to the bottom of the driveway, Shirley jumped in with Don in the truck, Lee pulled up and said he saw nothing--no horse between The Place and Hawkins Bar. Lynn and I drove both 4-wheelers up the highway to the east driveway. Lynn flashed the spotlight all through the trees. No horse. We drove across the highway to Suzy-Q side. Again, no horse. We went home and put all the halters and 4-wheelers away.
I hung out with Lynn and Haley (who was over the top excited!) for about half and hour and then drove home. Shoooo. Breathe.
When I got home, I was wide awake of course. So I put on my new Tony Lama's and clomped around the house. Ziva got up to see what in the heck I was doing! (I'm trying to see if they are going to rub. I truly hate sending stuff back. It's such a hassle AND I need boots!) Finally, I went back to bed and read for a bit.
Adventures in horse ownership. Like they say, "It's always something!" Thankfully it was something with a positive outcome. Hopefully that other horse is safely home, too.

Saturday, April 23, 2016
Monday, April 4, 2016
Ingenuity and a little tape
It's spring! Flowers are blooming and springs are running. And yep, the girls are riding. Well, sort of. Still no shoes! Doesn't he know we're ready to go? Schedules are meant to be amended! It's been eight weeks--let's roll!
Okay, rant over. Hopefully our shoer will show up this week. Daylight's burning people.
Both Jupiter and Ziggy couldn't fit in the largest boot, so Lynn taped them to protect their tender feet. (She should make a commercial for tape. Duct tape is no longer just a guy's thing!) Ziggy lost his on the meadow, but Jupes kept his on the whole ride. Buster wore all four like a champ.
We tootled around the bottom meadow where water was running and the ground was soft. The only guy feeling his oats (well, his alfalfa) was Buster. Shirley got to have a carnival ride. He wanted to buck and crow hop a little. I think he and Jupes are competing on the trail again. Buster likes to be in front and I don't think he's the "boring" horse that Shirley thinks he is. Thankfully, she got him under control with a minimum of fuss.
Unfortunately, what started out as a wonderful day ended on a sad note. My little hiss n spit baby had been slowly declining. The vet thinks she might have had stomach cancer. So I had to let her go. My heart is broken and our house is a little emptier. For such a little thing, she a had a huge personality.
Okay, rant over. Hopefully our shoer will show up this week. Daylight's burning people.
Both Jupiter and Ziggy couldn't fit in the largest boot, so Lynn taped them to protect their tender feet. (She should make a commercial for tape. Duct tape is no longer just a guy's thing!) Ziggy lost his on the meadow, but Jupes kept his on the whole ride. Buster wore all four like a champ.
We tootled around the bottom meadow where water was running and the ground was soft. The only guy feeling his oats (well, his alfalfa) was Buster. Shirley got to have a carnival ride. He wanted to buck and crow hop a little. I think he and Jupes are competing on the trail again. Buster likes to be in front and I don't think he's the "boring" horse that Shirley thinks he is. Thankfully, she got him under control with a minimum of fuss.
Unfortunately, what started out as a wonderful day ended on a sad note. My little hiss n spit baby had been slowly declining. The vet thinks she might have had stomach cancer. So I had to let her go. My heart is broken and our house is a little emptier. For such a little thing, she a had a huge personality.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Barefootin'
Last Saturday was our first ride of 2016. It's been four months!! It felt so good to be in the saddle; however, the boys don't have shoes on and they were less than happy about it. All of them tried to find the softest ground to walk on. Thankfully it's all pretty soft and wet.
We tried out our chinks! They are awesome. They kept us warm and dry and the branches that have overgrown the trail did not hurt. Shirley says she'll wear them all year. I don't think I will able to as I think they will be hot. The jury's still out on whether I will take them to New Mexico or not. I love the fact that our hostess says she rides in them every day because they make her "look cool!" I think we are totally going to like her.
The best news of all is about Alisa and Keota. After a year of recuperating, she rode her big boy and all was well! Yay! I know that it must have been hard to climb up and be calm those first few minutes. After all of my falls, I was able to get back on without a lot of thought--so less trepidation was involved. After my broken arm in 2014, I rode at least part of the way down; but when I got back on in Feb/Mar, four months later, I was more cautious for sure.
Not only was her injury way more serious than a broken arm, Alisa had to wait a whole year to, as Shirley would say, "Get back on that horse!" That's a lot of time for thinking and worrying. But she did it and he was good. Keota is super smooth and easy gaited, and although she loves Odie--her forever horse--he is a little rougher than Keota.
So we are all off to a good riding year. I hope we all have a "fall-less" year with lots of wet blankets.
We tried out our chinks! They are awesome. They kept us warm and dry and the branches that have overgrown the trail did not hurt. Shirley says she'll wear them all year. I don't think I will able to as I think they will be hot. The jury's still out on whether I will take them to New Mexico or not. I love the fact that our hostess says she rides in them every day because they make her "look cool!" I think we are totally going to like her.
The best news of all is about Alisa and Keota. After a year of recuperating, she rode her big boy and all was well! Yay! I know that it must have been hard to climb up and be calm those first few minutes. After all of my falls, I was able to get back on without a lot of thought--so less trepidation was involved. After my broken arm in 2014, I rode at least part of the way down; but when I got back on in Feb/Mar, four months later, I was more cautious for sure.
Not only was her injury way more serious than a broken arm, Alisa had to wait a whole year to, as Shirley would say, "Get back on that horse!" That's a lot of time for thinking and worrying. But she did it and he was good. Keota is super smooth and easy gaited, and although she loves Odie--her forever horse--he is a little rougher than Keota.
So we are all off to a good riding year. I hope we all have a "fall-less" year with lots of wet blankets.
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