Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Day

Today was de-worming day for the horses.  Four of the five were no problem. But Sundance made up for the ease of the other four.  Sigh.  She kept burying her muzzle into my arms and looked so sad.  After 20 minutes of patient touch, retreat, pet/rest, repeat we were able to get her to take the medicine.  I exited her stall and she shoved her big ol noggin up next to my face and proceeded to lick my ear.  Apparently, she was thanking me for the extra effort.  

The goat was playing tag with the doberman.  For some obscure reason our other dog Bosco decided to join in the game and bit the goat on the tail.  I had to smack him on the head with a shovel to get him to release.  Lips took off running, and Bosco chased clamping down on her butt cheek.  I ran after them and smacked Bosco again to get him to release, then had to get between the two of them so she could make it back to her stall.  I locked her in and went to get the first aid kit.  When I returned I saw the blood trails on her cover, and about started crying.  I love that girl and was upset she got hurt on my watch.  I cleaned her wounds as best as I could, then snuggled her and apologized before dog-proofing the goat pen.

I got Rhu a new saddle pad and had her try it on for me.  When I went in the tack shed to grab her headstall, the doberman spooked her and she took off running around the yard with him hot on her heels. She jumped the panels that had just been taken down and cleared them quite beautifully before running back to the safety of the mare motel.  I did some ground work to settle her, trailer loaded her, and then put on her headstall and took her for a quick lap just to test the saddle pad fit.

All in all, not a spectacular day.  The wind made it impossible to ride, the dogs were flat out stupid, goat got injured, neighbor's dog got in our yard (again), and if that weren't enough ... the water heater went out so I couldn't take a shower to get the day's sand out of my ears.  Sigh.

Saddle Time

20 minutes - 0.60 miles - Rhulain

 Since we now have the Australian saddle, I decided it was time to sell one of the "extra" saddles.  I pulled out the vintage Billy Cook and asked Bill to saddle Rhu.  She panicked when he was tacking her up, and he had to go slowly and ask her to smell everything before setting it on her back. Then he hopped in the saddle for a few minutes.

 Bill decided the seat was too small for his liking.  So, we'll be putting it up for sale.  She was already saddled, so I hopped up for a quick walk up and down the driveway ... sort of a farewell to the saddle.

After untacking, the kid and I took her for a quick half mile walk.  She was perfect.  Absolutely perfect.

Morgan Spooked Herself

32 minutes - 1.42 miles - Morgan & Luppy

The sun was just barely peeking over the mountain when I went out this morning ... which meant Morgan stayed as close to me as possible.  She's not a fan of darkness.

The sun continued to rise and she was snuggled right at my shoulder.  She had one giant spook today ... Morgan was so intent on checking my pockets for snacks that she didn't hear Luppy running towards us.  Once she saw a flash of yellow fur crest the ridge, she snorted and did a huge leap sideways.  She nearly pulled the lead rope out of my hand.

Morgan was really embarrassed by the incident, and came over for reassurance.  I probably shouldn't have been giggling while offering comfort, but her face was so adorable.  She did her "marbles in the nostrils" for the whole rest of the walk.  Funny, funny girl.

Sunday Saddle Time - Longest Ride Yet For Rhulain!

60 minutes - 3.27 miles - Rhulain, Bill and Morgan

Me: Rhu, you feel like a ride?
Rhu: *snuggles*

Me: Morgie, are you OK with me riding Rhu and Bill taking you out today?
Morgie: Sticks her tongue out at me, then grins.
Me: Guess that means she's fine.

Bill and Morgie led most of the time, which was just fine with Rhu and I.  The temperature was rising so we kept to mostly flat routes and an easy pace. Blissfully, we had the area to ourselves.

Bill called a halt because he noticed a tortoise ahead of us ... upon closer inspection, we saw two baby tortoises on the path.  We grabbed a few pictures then adjusted our path so we wouldn't disturb them.  First time we've seen them in this area and it was nice to see two of them soaking up the sun.

Morgie did her usual "I don't want to stand in one spot" jigging, but Bill told her firmly to knock it off.  She stopped moving her feet and brought her nose around to his leg to apologize.  It was really adorable.

Morgie wanted to trot, so we let them have their heads for a bit.  Rhu decided lope was her preferred speed, but she wouldn't transition to a trot or walk when asked.  So, Bill had Morgie speed up for a count of five, then walk for a count of five.  With Morgie ahead of us, Rhu had no choice but to slow down when asked.  It turned out to be a great learning tool for Rhu.

After 2.5 miles, Rhu started to get tired and tried to head home.  We lope/trot/walked for another 0.25 miles to reinforce the lesson then turned towards home.  Rhu had one big spook when she saw a mattress so old it was just rusted springs off to the side of the road. We took the opportunity to walk around it on the left side, then turned and walked around it on the right side until it was a non-issue.

Rhu and Morgie were sweaty when we got home, so we groomed them and turned them out for a good roll in the soft sand.  Both of them did really well today.  Bill said though it had been two years since he last rode her, she remembered his style of riding and his cues and responded perfectly.  Love that they respect each other so well.

As for Rhu, I'm still amazed we've only been riding together for four months.  Sometimes it feels like we've been partners forever, then I remember she's still "green" when she doesn't transition.  It's a wonderful experience being with her and establishing our communication pattern.

Dead Things In The Desert

30 minutes - 1.03 miles - Rhulain

The morning started out normal ... Ryver helping me groom and saddle while Rhulain ate her morning snack

The ride started out normal ... a slight mist burning off as the sun started to rise

And then this happened ...

Rhu started acting oddly.  I turned her towards the same wash we were in last Thursday, but she started breathing heavily.  We started trotting to move away from whatever it was that had her so upset.  

Over the next crest we saw something in the distance.  Rhu's legs deadlocked and I took these pictures to figure out what it was.  Looked like a calf or goat carcass.  

It's not unusual to have a mountain lion, bobcat, or coyote pack in the area so we hustled out of the wash.  A jackrabbit sprung out of the brush just as we started trotting and Rhu took a huge step to the side, but then continued on in a controlled manner.

Are you two sharing?   Mmmm hmmm

Once she slowed down I asked her to stop, then swung out of the saddle and reached out to her ... she dropped her head into my torso and let me rub her ears and neck.  When her breathing returned to normal I hopped back in the saddle and we headed home. 

I appreciated her warning signs, her willingness to listen, and her accepting the offer of comfort when the danger passed.  It was a great bonding moment ... we listened and trusted each other fully.  She's Amazing.

April 2013

April 1, 2013
Morgan

April 2, 2013
Morgan

April 7, 2013
Mochie & Majesty
A snake slithered under Mochie as we were stopped on a plateau. She had been acting strangely but didn't spook. I did though.  First time I'd seen a snake while riding. Yuck.
Also, both horses started acting stupid on the way back to the house.  Came over a sand dune to see some sort of carcass in our path.  Looks like it had been there a while. Double Yuck.

Note to self, when Mochie tries to tell you something, listen. Sheesh. 

April 10, 2013
Morgan

April 11, 2013
Morgan (Bill rode her), Mochie (I rode)

April 12, 2013
Came home to find our goat Rail's head hanging limply through the fencing.  Thought she was dead.  Turned out she was still alive.  Let Luppy nuzzle her while I went to the house and grabbed my gun. 

Sang you are my sunshine to her then had to shoot her in the head.  Stayed with her until she stopped breathing.  So hard.  That's the fourth goat we've lost in a year.  Not sure I'm cut out for this rancher type life. Sorry Rail ... hope you're frolicking with Benny, Joon, and Lucy now.