Jail Break!

Star started limping when we came home from the vet a couple of weeks ago. We all thought he stepped out of the trailer wrong. This was the beginning of Shirley's hunt for Buster. She told us she didn't have a lot of years left to ride and she did not want to miss any because of a sick or hurt horse. Of course Lynn told her she could ride Indy. . .

Anyway, she took Buster to the vet for his shots last Saturday and took Star along, too. The vet said he had an infection in his hoof (?) or ankle (?). Wherever it was, he lanced it and drained out the gunk, packed it,  put a boot on it, and told them to keep it dry. Ha. Dry.

To that end, we carried the new fence sections Lynn bought last month up to the covered shelter they won't use. (: We hooked the two fence sections together (so easy!) and then strung baling string across one side door and three big bungees for a gate on the other door. Piece of cake!

Star was put in with some grain, water, and hay. He seemed fine. Of course the rest of the boys circled around the shelter, poked their heads in and looked at him, and dinged around with the strings. Buster tried the hardest to get in with Star. He leaned and pushed against the bungees. He strained around to drink Star's water. He would not leave Star alone.

We finally decided to feed them a little early so they would go down the trailer court a ways and eat--leaving Star and his strings alone. Once their grain bowls were empty, here they came back again. We figured they would stand around and keep him company.

Next morning, surprise! There was Star with the rest of the herd--free. Someone, or several someones, had worked all the strings loose and Star was set free. No one knows if it was Brady who is very smart and knows how to untie most knots; maybe it was Jupiter who loves to ding around with the best of them; it could've been Buster, who likes everyone and wants everyone to like him--maybe he thought it would earn him friendship points. I doubt if was Ziggy who probably liked having mean ol' Star being separated and wouldn't have set him free, and Indy, well Indy is Indy.

So no more jail. Star quietly lets Shirley soak his foot and doctor him. He likes the extra attention and the little bit of grass he gets to eat. He's moving around better, but still limping a little. He doesn't kick as much at having the boot and a plastic bag on his foot. Shirley says, "If it's not one thing, it's another."

Today it's drizzling and a little breezy. Saturday we are loading up three orange horses with stars and snips to go and meet an orange horse with a blaze for ride at Swasey Creek. Keep your fingers crossed for dry weather!

Happy Birthday, Polo Jupiter!

Today is Jupiter's 6th birthday. As of March 20, we have been partners for one year. I look forward to many, many more--thanks, Lynn and Shirley for helping me find him and give him a good home! Thanks to both of you and Alisa, too, for letting me be part of your riding crew. It makes me be a better person!

A New Member of the Family

Saturday we drove to Anderson and met Moxie, who is now known as Buster. Lynn wasn't so sure of him at first, but the more she rode, the more she liked him. We decided to go back on Sunday and go for a ride with him; so we loaded up Zigs and Jupes and away we went.

Buster loaded like a dream. He went right in--well until Ziggy reached over Jupiter's back to smell him. Then he backed out--surprised. But he went right back in. Ziggy leaned across Jupiter and sniffed him some more and Jupes sniffed him from the front; Buster didn't care. He is super easy going around other horses. (So far, anyway.) We rode around Jelly's Ferry for a bit and he went everywhere without any hassles. He did spook by some gray stumps, but we know they are scary sometimes.

Shirley liked him and so he came home with us. Long story short--he's on the hill with the boys. He seemed fine when I left. Star of course ran him around because all the piles of hay are his, but other than those few times, he seemed fine. He and Indy even shared a little grain and when he stepped away from the bowl, he did so calmly.

So now we have a "back-up horse." There's always more to the story--but it has to wait. Click on Buster and His new friends  to see pictures of the new "orange horse with a star and a snip."

Lights, Camera, Action--it's riding on the beach movie style--NOT!

Last Saturday, we took the boys in for their shots. Star was first--he was unhappy that he was tricked into coming. Loading up the two youngsters made him think we were off for a ride, but he was good nevertheless. Ziggy was next; for all his agreeableness, he is somewhat a passive-aggressive kind of personality. He does not want to stand still; he does not want to go into funny smelling concrete areas with a nice man who has needles in his hand. He did fine, but he wasn't really happy. Jupiter was raised by a vet. It was no big deal to him. He snuffled the doctor and said, "Hey, you have treats!" He stood perfectly and after all his shots and his strangles goop, he got his treat. He was happy. When I asked the doc if we could weigh him, he eyeballed Jupe from various angles and said he thought probably 1050 lbs. Jupes has got his big horse body--nice shoulders and chest, but kind of a round and dimpled butt (we need to ride off some of that fat!).

Next we wanted to take them out to for short ride to get their blood moving and work those shots through their system, rather than just stand still on drive home for an hour. Lynn did that once and Brady could barely walk when she got him home. So with some good advice from another rider there at the vet's office, off to the beach we went.

Picture a long beach with wet, hard packed sand next to the water where gentle waves wash up. Envision beautiful horses stretching out their necks and galloping smoothly where the last vestiges of the water curls up, leaving the little foam trails, and then recedes back into the azure ocean. The manes of the horses are blowing up, giving them a wild, free look. Tails are streaming long behind them. The women riding these perfect creatures have smiles that indicate just how wonderful this day is. They too look beautiful--they ride like they are part of the horse. Together, horse and rider make the perfect symmetry as time seems to stand still.

Now change the channel. The wind is howling. Sand is blowing up into everyone's face--horse and rider are squinting against the wind, scrunching into themselves to try to stay warm. One horse paws at the sand dune--positive it there for him to roll on. Up and down the deep dunes the grass lays flat from the harsh wind. Across 10 more dunes the ocean waves are visible. Taking a fork in path and thinking maybe there's a hollow where the wind will be blocked, the riders end up on top of deadend dune. "Turn back!" drifts across the wind. "Jupes, see over there? That's the ocean," one yells, "Okay, we've seen it--I don't care if we get any closer." The three riders turn around and head back, shivering in their windbreakers, but there's no trail. The horse tracks have been obliterated. Giving the horse his head, he knows when enough's enough--the riders make it back to the trailer, spitting salt and sand as they go. "Dang! It took longer to tack up than we spent on the ride!"

Thus ends another failed attempt to ride on the beach! Maybe that's just not our style (although the potential for dirt, grit, and horse slobber is always there).

Shoes: $120 x every six weeks

Additional hay to get us through the rain: $213

Shots: $80
Grain: $14 x too many to count
Gray "worry" hairs: $90 highlights
Riding with friends: crows' feet from all that smiling

A partner who perks up at the sound of your voice, who comes to you--ready for anything, who trusts you to take care of him and who takes care of you on the trail:
PRICELESS!



I'd like a little cheese with my whine--

It's Saturday and here I sit. Lynn has gone to town to buy groceries and I don't know what Shirley is doing. My point is probably obvious. The boys are soaking wet, muddy, and I'm sure "Star is bored." I hate to be like everyone else and complain, BUT ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

I went to a meeting in Ukiah; I left Thursday late (6pm) because after school I was in high demand. The big boards on the highway all read: "Winter Storm Watch. Carry chains. Reduce speed." They say that all the time. Snow down to 1500 feet means we'll get it in WC at 600. Snow at 2500? Well, we know that means the east side of Berry, with its own microclime will get it, but probably 299 will be fine. Right? I'm only going to Ukiah, there's nothing to worry about--Rattlesnake Mt is only 1700 elevation and everything is unmarked so all the hills along the way must be even lower. All this is true stuff, right? Ha! So much for my total disregard for warnings.

It was a wild and crazy drive to Ukiah. It was four hours of windshield washers on high speed--mostly in the dark. Snow and sleet and rivers dangerously close to the highway. The roads, both 299 and 101, are in horrible shape. Huge drops and rough, teeth rattling pavement. There were large trees, debris, and slip, sliding mountains encroaching the road. I always laugh at myself because I just plow on--I don't have any sense. Gotta get where I'm going. Thankfully I have a good rig with front wheel drive and mud and snows. As always, I 'm a woman on a mission.

I dumped my rain gauge at 5 1/4" inches this morning. I think I last dumped it at 5 1/2" on Monday. According to the WeatherUnderground website(http://www.wunderground.com/US/CA/Willow_Creek.html), Underwood Mt received 2/10 of an inch an hour ago and it was 38 degrees. NOAA (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/versprod.php?pil=RR5&sid=RSA) shows that Hoopa accumulated 1.48 inches in 24 hours. Again, that's why I'm sitting here. Next week is the end of March--I hope it goes out like a lamb.

Faith Hill said it best, ".  . .new [and especially old] friends and blue skies that never end/Hey that's the way we like it/Good times, sunshine, and summertime." I'm so ready.

Got Socks?

The funniest thing happened Thursday! I do not know exactly how many inches of rain we have received over the last two weeks, but take my word for it--it's a lot. That's important information when you think about how much mud that is, right? Well, on Thursday I was up feeding the horses with Lynn and the bottom, downhill side of the feed boxes is pretty deep mud. It's the kind of mud that sucks your foot in about five inches up your calf, right? For as long as I have been feeding with Lynn and Shirley they have told tales about falling in the muck, losing a boot, etc. Well, it finally happened.

I had my head down in the feedbox with Brady. I was putting the hay out and Lynn was graining everybody. Over the noise of the four-wheeler, I heard a loud squawk. Lynn was up near Jupiter's box and I figured he had done something to her. But then I realized she seemed to be struggling and moving away from him. As I watched her, she squawked again and went down. "Aaaaaghhhh! Dang it! It's cooooold!" I started laughing--she had stepped out of her boot, lost her sock, and when she went to try to get it, came out of the other one, too!

Brady and I just watched her. She looked like a baby bird learning how to fly. She flopped her big ol' rain slicker around and had socks flying at the end of her waving arms as she tried to get her balance and get her boots back on. He went back to eating and I went to rescue the grain bucket because as she flailed around, the three orange horses saw their opening to eat out of the grain bucket. So not only was she bootless, gushing manure and horse pee mud in between her toes, she had greedy, nosy boys standing all around her.

The whole time she shrieked, "It's cold! Look out! My good socks!" and of course, "Stop laughing!" So I got the grain and convinced Jupes to go back to his box and took Indy to his box, but not Zigs. You know that boy loves his momma. He stood right in front her with his forehead next to hers while she struggled to regain her balance, her boots, and her dignity (?). Ha! I don't know if I've ever heard her hit a high note like that before.

I laughed for an hour. She even had mud on her nose.

I know karma is going to get me--but dang! it was funny!