Just Keep Moving

It's hard to stay home when it's this nice out.  We've been doing some exploring.  I sure love where we live!  You can drive for hours out in the mountains and not see many people at all, especially on a weekday.  

Do you see the little fish here?  And of course you can see the pretty garnet sand.  This is near the Emerald Creek Garnet Area, where you can use the sluice to find your own garnets.

I got bored one evening and figured I had three saddles and three horses, so why not?

Standing patiently.  Bella is on a diet again:

Duncan on a lazy woman's high line (tree branch):

Scout really wishes he could eat that grass:

They all stood quietly for at least an hour while I did some chores inside.

I just thought this was cute.  Tight knit.  Duncan is there too:

We found this cute/creepy miner's cabin on our last trip.  I think I know the guy who owns this claim.

Collapsed.  If you look closely on this side of the bright spot you can see the tiny railroad type tracks that carried the mine car across the trail to the creek.  I wonder if they found much gold.

I'm not sure, but I think they're telling us to jump off the mountain:

Lots and lots of lupines:

Bald Mountain Lookout.  You can rent it for the night but you have to bring your own bedding and supplies.  I think it's a bit steep at $45 a night. 

A couple weeks before my car got totaled we bought my parents' old Prius.  It gets around almost as well as the Echo did on the back roads, but the ground clearance is a little lower.  We had a group of 4-wheelers telling us we shouldn't continue on these roads in our tiny car, but we did fine.  We hiked the last bit to the overlook but maybe we could have driven it.  Maybe...

We had intended to have the Prius for John to drive, and of course the Echo for me to drive, keeping gas costs low and leaving the truck only for hauling, to keep it young.  After the accident we weren't able to replace the Echo with the tiny settlement, and now the truck keeps having little issues.  Glad they're little.

I got a SCREAMING deal on this saddle.  It was supposed to be for Scout but it fits Duncan like a glove. It's nothing fancy but it's decent quality, has been really well cared for, it's not super heavy, and it's comfortable to ride.  Not that I'm riding Duncan.  I took it on a trail ride with Scout and it was a great fit for me but not for him.

My great big custom saddle that does fit Scout is hurting me since the accident, so I'm on the search for a saddle again. Not complaining, I love saddle shopping.  I'm going to sell the barrel saddle I bought for Duncan now that I have the saddle pictured above, and try to find a wide treed saddle with a narrow twist to ride Scout in.  Until then I'll keep riding even if it hurts. :) I just have to get down and walk sometimes, which is probably better for me anyway.  And that's what I'm off to do right now. Happy Trails!

I dont know why

Pedro has gone away from us.

He fell down trying to get up on Wednesday, and then he seemed pretty okay, but in retrospect I don't think he was laying down at all. On Friday he lay down and couldn't get up anymore. He beat himself up trying. I gave him some oral sedation and fed him gobs of treats until the end.

I can't tell you how much I loved him. He was one of the special ones. It's going to take a while for this to sink in. I can't believe I'll never kiss his nose again.

The day of the donkey is done. But, as they say, it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I'm sad, but I'm also happy to have had a great time and an even greater love with him. It was something else. What a guy.

Another lovely ride

Yesterday's ride was very peaceful. John walked Duncan and I rode Scout. We went on the Old Samson Trail, which used to stretch at least from Canada to Boise, but now is just a short stretch. It's a nice trail, wide enough that you don't have to worry about getting caught in a tight spot, light and airy, not too closed in. Scout finds the cedar forests a little creepy, but not too bad. There was a definite animal stink a couple times, but we didn't see anything.

I might have to share John's horse with him from here on out. He's been hiking to get ready to climb Mt. Adams, but the climb is almost here, so I'm sure he'll want to ride soon.

Duncan is so steady on the trail, it's amazing. All he needs to do is learn how to be ridden. Sounds simple enough. :)

I had to deal with insurance issues yesterday too. Now it looks like maybe the guy who hit me did have insurance. I have to make some more calls if I can find time today. I had to cancel any future physical therapy appointments because I hit my limit through my car insurance. My health insurance will cover it, but with a pretty steep copay.

Meanwhile, my neck is still killing me and my headache is pretty constant. Ah well, life does go on.

Riding again!

We had a great ride the other day. Scout was a rock star. And I think he enjoyed it as much as I did.

We're going out again today, without the guys on bikes. I'm so glad I can start doing this regularly again.

Meanwhile poor Duncan is begging for attention. I wish I could send him to a trainer while I enjoy the riding season. But I spent most of my training money on hay, and now will have to spend more on the farrier. Would be nice if I got some cash from insurance to cover all the stuff I can't do because of the accident.

Turns out the other guy didn't have insurance. He handed the cops his brother's insurance card at the time of the accident. So I now have to figure out where to go from here. This morning will be dedicated to phone calls. This stuff has taken up too much of my time.

Oh well, it is what it is. At least I can enjoy riding!

We had a pretty hot spell here, and my hay guy got the timing just right, so now we have all of our hay for the year!

Last little load

But that means the horses have been on the back burner. Especially Duncan.

I did take Scout out for a short ride in a thunderstorm on my birthday. We got really wet, chased a cow, and went home.

Scout is a super cool color when he's soaked.

Today we're going on a big family ride with 2 other horses and a bunch of motorcycles or 4 wheelers. I'm already hurting so I think this might be stupid but I'll take a pain pill with me.

Oh, and my dang dogs got in a rip-roaring fight again. This time Winston was even in on it. I wasn't here. Apparently Winston held on to Blue while Huckleberry kicked his butt. Huck has some slobber and blood on him too, so it wasn't as one sided as I was told. Blue has a hole through his skin on his inner thigh, but I think it'll heal fine. His scruff area is super bruised too. Maybe he'll stop acting like cock of the walk now, and they'll all just get along. That's probably wishful thinking.

Alright, well, wish me luck! I need to suppress my inner humbug and embrace the ride! I'm sure it'll be fun.

Not Well

Scout and I went on our first trail ride of the year on Monday. It was kind of crazy, not at all relaxing, and very short. Scout was a good boy, and it was nice to be riding again. Someone I didn't know joined us and her horse wasn't prepared for what we were doing. Nobody got hurt but we did cut it short. I felt bad for the lady. And her horse. 

That's my boss lady the equine dentist ahead. She's got a new mustang! He's a super cool guy.

So before all that, and before I got a migraine last Thursday, I though I was on the mend from my concussion. But now I have an almost constant headache, am dizzy most of the time, and my neck hurts a lot of the time too. I'm tired of it.

We're getting 9 tons of hay this weekend. That's a month earlier than usual. And I can't help other than doing the driving. :/ 

I guess I just have to be patient. And do my physical therapy. That I can do. The patience - now that's a lot harder.

Yesterday I really felt like I could have ridden Duncan. He was relaxed and comfortable with me standing on the mounting block, rubbing my legs all over, laying over his back, and whatever else I could think of.

I got a new sidepull for my birthday, so we've been playing with that. I like it. He's learning to move left and right, which of course is easy since it's a lot like a halter. His stop is a little slow, and dropping his nose vertically is still not second nature, but he's getting it, and he really enjoys it when he gets things right. He backs pretty readily, but with his nose pushing on the noseband, so we're working on that too.

I'm not sure if I mentioned that he and Scout got their teeth done last week. They both had sharp points and it was time to reduce their canines. Other than that they have great teeth! And now I don't have to worry about sharp points and cheek sores affecting Duncan's training.

I'll leave you with a picture of a starving donkey, giving me the nostrils of want.

Hungry donkey, or angry alien?

Evening ride

Training

I liked the trainer I went to meet yesterday. He and his assistant worked together really well, they enjoyed what they were doing, and they really seemed to like each individual horse. Maybe they haven't done it long enough to be jaded. Other trainers I've met don't seem to care much about the horse as an individual, they're just there to be trained.

That said, they may just be too far away. I thought they were an hour and a half from me, which is OK, just barely. But turned out their facebook page listed the wrong address, and they're about 2 hours away. I'd like to visit at least once a week, and that might not work for me.

When I got home I got both of the boys out. I rode Scout in the round pen while Duncan waited. We were working on neck reining and leg cues. I got pretty dizzy, but it was worth it. I guess my head is still healing.

Then I worked with Duncan while Scout waited. What a big fidget Scout was! He rubbed his head on the fence, chewed his lead, got turned around enough to stick his butt through the rails and itch on them. Eventually he settled and waited patiently.

Duncan got to work on a rope going over his back at a walk, lunging a slow, thoughtful figure 8 with kind of a rollback at each end, and stepping up to the mounting block. That was hard for him. He didn't want to give me access to the saddle area, but I spent a lot of time reassuring him, and eventually he stepped up and I laid over him and rubbed him all over. He's a good boy. But I kind of don't think he's ready to go off to a trainer yet.

Today the wind is blowing something fierce, so I may not do any horsework.

I sure wish he'd finish shedding.

To do, or not to do

I'm going to go meet a trainer and check out his facilities today. I've watched his videos on facebook and what he does looks good. I don't like his price. $850 for a calendar month, which would work out to just 20 days of training. Not sure he can get enough done in that amount of time, but I'll ask him about that.

I also don't like the idea of sending him away for a month. :(

I'm thinking could start Duncan on my own, but it would be a slower process, and frankly I'd rather someone else take the risk. This guy isn't afraid to ride out a buck if necessary, whereas for me it would be a big deal. Not that I expect Duncan to blow up like that, but anything can happen.

Duncan has made so much progress so far. It seems like little stuff until I think back on where we started. He even stands still for fly spray without even being haltered.

He's much more relaxed about everything, really.

I don't want to lose that by sending him to a new place and different people I don't really know well.

In other news, both of the boys are going to get their dental work done on Monday. I can't wait. Duncan has really sharp points.

Good Boys

I got a short ride in yesterday. Even ponied Duncan just a little bit. It annoyed him. Scout annoyed me. He just isn't push-button enough to make it easy. But it went well, and then I turned Duncan out and Scout and I worked on a few things. I had to keep telling him, "Quit looking at me and pay attention!" Which made me laugh a bit. Couldn't think of a scenario where that would make sense, other than on a horse's back.

Later I saddled Duncan and we worked on transitions, seeing things go over his back to the other side, moving the saddle around, and hopping up and down with my foot in each stirrup. Also lateral flexion and body control. He's getting better all the time!

Here he's annoyed with me because I'm trying to keep him far enough away to get a picture. He just doesn't get "stay." But he's still handsome!

Birthday!

I totally forgot Duncan's birthday yesterday! I'll have to give him some treats today. He's 9 years old. That sounds so much older than 8. And I still can't ride him...

I did get the go-ahead from my doctor to ride Scout at a walk, with my helmet on of course. And I can take more risks with Duncan a week after all my head injury symptoms are gone. I think that may not be too far off. I hope my headache goes away this evening so I can indulge in some horseplay. :)

Results!

Duncan is black, and there is nothing wrong with him genetically. Yay! Interesting to read through his results. I really thought he was gaited, and his breeder said all her horses are gaited so he should be. Genetically, he isn't. I guess we'll see for sure when I get him under saddle. Also, he is curious and vigilant. I had no idea there is a test for that. :) I bet Scout has two curious genes.

These are coming out blurry on my phone screen, but if you click on them they clear up.

Just Hanging in There

Feeling better every day.

The horses and Pedro are doing fine. Fat, though. I had to make some changes and now Bella will be joining Pedro in 24 hour drylot. The bys will be out on pasture half the time, instead of full time.

Other than that, not much to report. Still no DNA test results. It's been 3months. I guess going through the curly horse registry isn't a good idea if you really want your results soonish...

Wanna bet?

Thanks for th kind comments about my poor head. I will get better. :)

On another note, wanna bet on what color my horse is? I still don't have the DNA results back, and I'm stumped.

Here's his lineage, with color in parentheses:

Note his mom is listed as a red dun but there's no dun in her background. I think those buckskins are actually dun. Here she is:

http://www.dreamsweptfarm.com/horses/q-z/wyndi/wyndipic.html

Oh my gosh I just found a baby pic of Duncan!

HE'S SO CUTE I'M GONNA DIE!

Here he is sometime later, with a different name and missing part of his ear:

They're not glamour shots, but here are pics from today:

 Notice how the tips of the hairs are dark, then they're goldish, and the summer coat is dark. And he's filthy. :)

He has been on a good daily vitamin mineral supplement for 6 months, so he shouldn't be deficient in copper, but he could be, and he definitely could have been when he grew his winter coat.

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but I don't like not knowing, and since we'll know soon, it's fun to guess. What do you think? Faded black? Smokey black? Sooty dun or grulla? Really dark chestnut? Brown? I can't even commit to a guess.

Updated to add eye pics:

The lighter stripes in his eyes under his pupil are interesting.