Twilight Ride

We're trying to forge a new access trail to the river in the park from behind our place. We have permission from our neighbor to go across her right-of-way. Yesterday he got a tool, a hand-held grass trimmer. We HAD to try it out.

We headed out behind the neighbor's house, down the fence line, around the corner and into the wood's path. So peaceful back there!

Down the power line cut, across the two marshy crossings, up the hill and down to the cornfield. The boys think this is a hitching post and did not want to move past this.

We got into the park, and wound our way around, getting off the trail and not quite right and then we found the trail. We need to do better than this! The muli-flora rose is abundant in this area.

We got down to the area where we had left off and he started swinging, like teeing off on a golf course. The weeds and tree branches are flying!

Instead of fusing with each other about how to get out of park in the dark, Skip took us out, quickly and perfectly. What a great horse!

Home Bound

Spent most all day scraping and cleaning up the back of the house. I also trimmed the bushes in the front of the house, that being a paint-removal destination soon and needed to be done. I pulled up volunteer Maple babies, too. Hauled all the trimming to the burn pile.

Sara texted me and said she had a cancellation, but I missed that message, and texted her back nearly an hour later. She had filled the time with a project pony and said she would be over after that. It was 6:00 p.m. when she finally pulled in.

She did both boys because she wants them on the same schedule and their appointment was within a week.

Sara left so late, after 9:30 p.m. and the boys had been in since noon, I gave KC a treat and left him out all night with Skip in field #1. He was delighted to run out into freedom!

Exterior Paint Project - Ongoing

The day dawned cool and clear, low humidity. Doesn't even seem like August, almost an autumn chill in the air. Not a cloud in the sky. We wanted to ride, but with summer winding down, time evaporating, we decided we would work on scraping, and more scraping.

While we were busy working on the back of the house, the horses were all in. I heard a loud bang, but thought maybe it was our neighbor, who is working on his shed's roof. When I went out to check on them, KC had twisted his shoe and the clip was imbedded in his frog.

Tom got the pliers and pulled the shoe off, and hammered out the remaining broken nail in the hoof wall. Crap. No ride tomorrow, either.

I texted our farrier and she said she would be out on Monday after 6pm. OK, we'll scrap more paint.

Nose Piercing

You can't make this stuff up! File this under "What The Hell Did You Do?!". Or, "How In The Hell Did You Manage To Do That?!".

We had planned to go riding after work, the days are getting shorter, and it has been hot, but Tuesday wasn't supposed to be as hot, but it was. Anyway, it had clouded up, rain was forecasted and I heard thunder, too.

He said it had rained on his way home from the south, but wasn't going to rain here. I had started dinner so it would be ready when we got back at dark. We always eat late, because eating during daylight hours is a waste of the day.

While tacking up at the trailer I noticed that Skip had a 'boogie' in his nose. I thought it looked like a blob of mud, but he would not let me get near his nose. But, he's always like that. Try putting Desitin on nose for sunburn. Or anything with his nose. You can pick his eyes, stroke and brush his forehead, but don't go near his nose. Tom looked at it and said it looked like a nail. A NAIL? WTF!!!

He called the vet, it is now 7:00 p.m. and she asked if he was bleeding. No, he's not. OK, then, how about I come over in the morning? OK. Sent her a picture, above, and she said it didn't look like it had hit any cartilage, urgent but not an emergency. Keep him in overnight. OK, sure. (No, I did not.)

So no riding today, and while I was finishing up dinner, cooking outside with my electric skillet, it started to rain. And it rained, I got wet, had to move my skillet onto the porch, and got wet.

After I fed everyone I put him out in #1 by himself, left the three fatties in the dry paddock overnight.

Cleaned stalls, picked up the dry paddock, then spread manure,in anticipation of the vet's arrival at 11:00 this morning.

If anyone can get into anything, it would be Skip.

The vets were on time, and drugged Skip first thing. While he was sleeping she pulled on the 'head' and it was a hard scab. She was able to turn his nostril inside out and he had a long gash up his nose. It started to bleed. She said that she's been called for 'bloody nose' and it is caused from stubby weed stalks in the field.

He spent some time sleeping in his stall today.

Turkeys

We have turkeys, and they aren't pets. They enjoy hanging out in field #1, sitting on the fence or checking out the run-in shed. They are quiet, and recede like water when they feel they have to move away. They are not afraid of the horses.

They are also hard to photograph. I've taken dozens of pictures, but you can't even see them in the photos.

Ride Time? Not So Fast!

Skip has a sore on his back. I don't know how it happened, it is not a saddle rub, but he could have banged it rolling around. KC has bald spots on his head from rolling in the pasture.

I put balm on it to keep the flies out and it has been nearly a week, so we decided we'd ride, taking it easy. And use the dressage saddle and fleece pad so it wouldn't even touch the sore.

It started out OK, but soon after we got into the woods, Skip began acting out and trying to bite the saddle or shaking like a wet dog. He adjusted the saddle and it was OK for a few hundred yards, then Skip would start again.

We had numerous opportunities to turn back, and didn't take them. Eventually we had no choice.

We were out for nearly four hours, but ended up doing one big loop in McKeldin Park. We walked back most of the way, because Skip couldn't handle the saddle or the pad or something. We won't be doing that again!

Yard Man

We spent most all day mowing grass, the yard, the fields, everything. I ran out of gas in the riding lawn mower and couldn't get it started again. He towed me back into the parking lot with the Ford tractor and tried to get it started, over and over and over.

I used the push lawnmower to mow Max's yard, by the time I finished that he had the lawnmower back together and running.

He sharpened the blades on the Ford tractor's mower deck and finished up at nearly dark.