We rode 15 miles last Saturday, in the Emmett hills. Great ride, and the horses did well. We even tried to bushwack our way down a steep draw, leading the mares, but Tia leapt completely over me from one steep side of the draw to the other, basically telling me "This ain't cool!", so we backed out, climbed back up the hill on foot, climbed back aboard and headed out in a different direction.
All went well until the moment I discovered the Ti had gouged a two inch scrape on her inside hip during the return trailer trip. A loose flat-head screw had worked itself loose on the padded bumper and bit her. Bad turned to worse when I unloaded her at home to discover a more severe attack just above her left stifle. Not serious enough to need a vet call, but bloody and deep enough. I decided to hate my little old Miley straight-load trailer just then. The next several days involved multiple trips to the barn for cold water soaks and antibiotic ointment, and no riding. Just as bad, no trailer to transport the horses for our training rides during the last full week before the PF! I gave Ti three or four days off, watching some swelling and a bit of stiffness. Finally, on Thursday and Friday I lunged her for about 30 minutes, and did a light arena ride on Friday afternoon. Yesterday we did another 30 minutes of trotting and cantering on the lunge, followed by 30 minutes of arena trotting. Not what I'd had in mind for the week, but better than nothing. Char and I had wanted to get one more multi-mile ride under our belts before next weekend, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards for me. We'll just have to work from home and hope for the best in Cascade next Saturday. A secondary consequence of the trailer ordeal was that I missed an opportunity to walk Ti down to Tom Noll's place Sataurday afternoon and have him try to fit her for some easy-boots, which he generously offered to loan me. I did finally manage to get her hooves trimmed early in the week, but one never knows what the trail holds and it's best to be prepared. Char just purchased a pair of Renegade boots for Delight, and seems to like them, but they're darned expensive and I'm trying to hold the line on expenditures for this adventure.
I've been experimenting with several different saddle pad options recently, and my horse has let me know quite plainly that she isn't too pleased. My effort to eliminate a pressure point under the saddle doesn't seem to have worked yet. After the PF I'm going to look for a good saddle fitter. Can't have Tia's back all messed up.
The coming week will be a blur. Between work, a job interview, conditioning Ti, and packing for the weekend, I hope I can keep it together. I need to call Connie about reviewing Tilly set-up instructions, get Ti to Lyn's Wednesday afternoon, gather all my gear, and get up to Emmett Thursday afternoon. We expect to head out quite early on Friday morning, and I hope all goes according to plan. Char and I will have to help Lyn with Friday AM barn chores first. Lyn and Char will haul the horses in Lyn's 3-horse slant load behind Lyn's new truck. I'll be in my 80's vintage Dodge pickup, pulling Tilly the Tent Trailer behind. We'll all pray for an uneventful drive to Cascade. It's the farthest I'll have gone on the road with Tia.
It's our hope to arrive at ride camp early enough Friday to snag a decent spot for our camp and highline, preferably out of the afternoon sun and away from the busy starting area. (good luck with that!) After getting the horses settled I'll need to set up Tilly, all by myself--eegad--in time for David, Ben, and Max to arrive before bed time. It is anyone's guess how the weekend will unfold. None of the guys have a speck of interest in horses or what I do with mine, but we decided to make a family camp weekend of the Pink Flamingo since it is our only free weekend all summer, and the last one before Ben heads back to Moscow for school. Besides, being able to camp in our old Tilly for the weekend, compliments of Connie, and right down "the wee-ha road" from Papa's old cabin, has lots to recommend it. It's perfectly fitting that the PF came along to so conveniently accomodate our plans.The boys will probably spend Saturday biking, possibly in or around the fabulous new YMCA camp at Horsethief (where Ben and Max just spent a week as counselors at teen camp), or hanging out in McCall...not much for a non-equine enthusiast to do in ride camp all day. I'm going to suggest also that they consider floating down the Payette river from Cascade to Carbarton. It's easy, relaxing, free, and takes several hours.
Char and I both registered for the Saturday and Sunday rides, and hope to complete them. The prize? Swell summer coolers for the horses, emblazoned with the Pink Flamingo logo. Even if we're dead last. Neither of us minds being the 'turtles' if it comes to that. We're really more interested in discovering what we and our mares are capable of achieving together. Not a bad plan, I think.
Lyn Kinney very generously volunteered to crew for us, and Char's daughter Katrina may be there to help too. We're all rookies in this but sisters in spirit, easygoing, hard-working, happy, and looking forward to a great weekend adventure doing what we all love: playing with our equines!
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