Ready to break into J’s Elk Grove Stable Mix, that is

 We headed out and it was admittedly very unshady and rather hot at first. But after a few miles and a bunch of foot and some horse traffic, we got out of the Father’s Day rush and enjoyed some speed on the shady, hilly trails. I don’t think I got many pictures of the shady bits coz we were jamming along those trails, Yeehaw!

Busy trail head

 A shady spot with a view of the valley

 Sedona walks and trots a bit faster than Blaze! 

 So many options for trails and they are all marked with fancy wooden signs

 A few easy gates to go through

 Some horse traffic up ahead–and hills!

 There was natural water available in numerous spots along the trail, and the breaks of greenery are always nice to see, too.

 Lots of snazzy bridges

 Multi tasking! Ride, take a Selfie, smile,  do a thumbs up, don’t drop the crop! I can also pat my head and rub my belly at the same time..  😉

 More snazzy bridges!

 Cooling down in the creek, almost back to the trailers

 We whipped out a quick 10 miles, then made mashes at the trail head, cleaned up the horses and kicked back in the shade with lunch for all parties. The horses both felt fit and strong and ready for some LDs. J is also planning 2 if not 3 LDs at Wild West and N is going too, so it should be a fun weekend with some of my good horse buddies. Can’t wait!

 Before all the ride stuff, I’ll go here:  my vet called and said the blood work(panel?) for EPM was negative! So that is good news for Desire. Now I move on to ultrasounds, and am sort of debating between places to take her, but will make an appointment somewhere in the next few days. The hunt for answers continues!

In the meantime, my morning got cluster-shuffled and I suddenly had the chance to go ride! And drag my husband with me, though he hurried off to the fishing hole while I got 15 miles in climbing the dam a couple of times on Blaze.

Sneaky hubby photo, haha

 I forgot to braid Blaze’s luscious locks in the hurry to get organized and out the driveway “last minute” (8 amish?). He has quite the mane, like all my steeds. Later he ended up with a really ghetto braid-thing tied with a leather string off my saddle..

 New landscaping and trail work everywhere! Blaze was very suspicious of this Shiny New.

 Cruising Crazy Legs!

 The spillway was really roaring today, and there was definite humidity after all the rain/hail/thunder/lightning yesterday. I was *hot* on the last few miles walk back down the dam to the trailer. True it was almost the middle of the day heat by then but the forecast didn’t call for anything too nasty that I knew of. It doesn’t help that Blaze has a serious death march walk that puts you into a sleepy trance, especially in the sun..

 It was very nice in the shade, though! We trotted a lot, climbing the dam at a decent clip.

 Everything is very dead and dry already

 Drinking at the Visitor Center after climbing the backside of the dam. We continued on down to the other trailhead parking lot.

 There are still some streams and piped water flowing here and there, and soothing glimpses of green.

 I really had to pee so stopped at the other trail head’s bathroom and decided to turn and head back. There were lots of rigs in the parking lot but I hadn’t seen anyone which meant all the riders were out on the horse camp loop, so I decided to skip that whole scene. The hot, rocky climb back away from Saddle Dam, Blaze was playing his little horsey violin a bit at this point!

Woe is me, I am small and weary..

 Except when I’m staring at stuff instead of drinking

 We trotted the whole climb back up the dam at a good clip and I was happy with Blaze’s pace and movement. He flagged once but was willing enough to continue with just a word. Then as soon as we slowed to a walk at the summit it was Farm Plug Death March again. So ridiculous, you would think he was dying or lame or something. Almost 4 years with him and his walk is still utter crap!  With constant verbal and heel encouragement he will walk out but it’s not my favorite thing to do constantly. Anyhoo I couldn’t take miles more of the walk and I don’t charge downhills (except on foot) so I took a sneaky short cut and cut a few miles off to get back down the trailer..

Wee tiny tractors (actually large) working at the top of the dam, and a hot short cut..

 I walked next to Blaze the last few hot miles down, listening to NPR on my iPod in one ear.

 Blaze, though un-tacked, seemed world weary and unimpressed on our not-at-all shady mile walk out and back to the fishing hole to retrieve the husband, and unenthusiastically ate carrots and and a few mouthfuls of hay back at the trailer. Realistically, he ate, drank, and pooped (peed at home), trotted out nicely, and I knew he was fine, but he wasn’t enthusiastic for the distance. That’s another reason I don’t push him to 50s. There is no question in my mind that Desire loves 50s, and would do them every day if I asked her, whether she noticed she was sound or not! Blaze, on the other hand, while in his third year of solid slow conditioning and with no soundness issues,  does well at LDs but just doesn’t have the drive to go Farther, nor does my body want to go that far on him!  They sure are unique creatures and I do dearly love each of my characters. I have wishes and hopes and fears for all of them but I surely do enjoy them each and every day.

So here is my funny little sweaty bay guy Blaze, who kinda sorta likes going the distance, but wouldn’t mind just rolling a lot and hanging out with some you and some carrots, either:

 I had a much needed really good ride on Blaze this morning, including that soul-healing thing that is a good solid gallop on a beloved steed. We cruised out through the neighborhood and down to the Wildlife Area early and ended up doing 10 miles in about 2:30. Nothing special, but it was relaxing, fun, and exhilarating, as I hadn’t been to the fenced in, no-vehicle access WA in months. There are cows out there but that’s about it, and there are a few miles of excellent footing that makes great trotting, as well as a couple of meadows where I like to let loose and haul ass.

But first, we meandered the couple miles from the house, across the main road, and down another mile of pavement to the WA entrance. I usually walk the mile of pavement down to the turnoff, as it’s a pretty boring stretch to ride, especially at Blaze’s sedate walk. He’s great with traffic but I’ll never take a paved road faster than a walk so it’s not my favorite part of the ride. This time I remembered to charge my iPod so I had my NPR going in one ear for extra entertainment while I walked and took photos of my horse… Here’s my steed striding along in his burgundy Rennys:

 Cutie

 We tip toed over the side cross bars of the cattle guard, went through the thankfully bee-less gate, then I remounted and we were free in the quiet, lush Wildlife Area:

 New panels up along the creek, the cattle must have been marauding somewhere they were unwanted, though we didn’t see a single bovine today

 Blaze doesn’t like getting his toes wet but there was no way around these creeks, silly boy

 “I got my toes wet, gimme a cookie”

 After two nice water crossings it’s a slight rise up from the creeks to the first big open area. The ride up that little hill always seems slightly dramatic in my mind, as a panorama is revealed once you crest the hill, as well as all that good footing for moving out!

 Ah, open spaces, the start of the first Haul Ass meadow

 There’s about a mile and a half of good footing with a few gentle slopes and climbs and we power trotted it all the way to the other boundary fence, then trotted back the other way and took the left fork, cantering out towards the second Haul Ass Meadow:

 Blaze was moving well and super responsive as always. He and I are really tuned in at this point, there are things that I have only to think or move in the saddle, or even quietly mumble and he’ll instantly react. That’s why he is so fun to let loose in these areas, where I am at speed but always wary for holes or cows or whoknowswhat–I know I can bring him from a gallop to a walk with a word. Getting Desire up to speed is always a little hairy because she’s FAST and she is far less obliging!

Checking out the flowers that were just a blur on the way out

 It was already close to 90 despite our early start and I was enjoying my full water bottles and the couple of creek crossings to get back out of the Wildlife Area.

 There’s a big creek crossing at the fork of the WA entrance, and I made Blaze wade down into it because it was cool and green and pretty, and why not!

No I don’t want to drink, thanks for checking AGAIN

 Look just below his chin, next to the stick. Big tadpoles and little trout all frisking around when we were wading about up to Blaze’s knees in the creek.

 Shiny boots, for the next 2 seconds anyway!

 The neighbor’s donkey is always a snorty scary sight for my horses, and I’ve taken innumerable photos of the silly thing, just because my horses are so fascinated with it. Today I finally got one I really like!

I give you…. The Odd Couple

 The donkey actually has a whole herd of strange looking little brown sheep, but apparently the ram, complete with sheepy curling horns, is his special buddy. Mind you I have seen this donkey “herd” his sheep by backing toward them kicking his heels to the sky. Whatever works! Tooooo funny.

 I just love our automatic gate. It is never not awesome to click my little gadget and have the gate open grandly as I ride up the drive!

 There was lots of hosing and cleaning and fly spraying and then Blaze and Desire scored Quench and joint supplement laced mashes, and Blaze was way ready for me to get out of his face with the camera for the day! He was feeling fit and sound and we will probably do the LD at Gold Country at the beginning of July. He did well at it last year and is certainly game for it now. We should hear results on Desire’s bloodwork by Monday, so we’ll see where we go from there with her!

Yesterday my vet got clear of emergencies and made it out to the barn to do herd vaccines and a lameness exam on Desire. By the way, let me just comment on my tough country vet! She broke her tail bone giving birth 2 weeks ago and is already back at work driving more than a hundred miles a day seeing large animal clients in 90+ degree heat. Phew! Poor gal was in major pain but takes her job seriously; I so appreciate having a good, conscientious vet that will come out to us in the hills!

First of all, the lameness test. Initially my vet mentioned that owners requesting EPM tests were generally off base, and I was open minded to that, perfectly happy for her to tell me I was wrong and have some other diagnosis for me. Desire and Blaze are my first horses getting up into their teens–both 17 this summer–and this hip/hock/hind end/arthritis/? etc is all new to me. I do rather a lot of reading and asking and obsessing, however, and for some reason EPM had twanged in my head, out of the blue, on a trail ride when she took a funny step downhill, late last year.

After a flexion test–maybe not the perfect term? But in this case, holding up the hind leg for 2 minutes and then trotting off, on each side– my vet definitely saw Desire trotting off “weird” on her left hind, as well as short striding on that left hind when she went by. “Weird” is totally scientific, I know. But honestly, it’s the word I’ve been using and it’s what the vet said too. Desire doesn’t actively limp, head bob, or otherwise give any indication anything is wrong, but if you *stare* at her hips and hind legs, there is something there. Matter of fact my vet commented that Desire’s jaunty sky high tail set made it hard to watch her hips when she trotted, and the mare seemed entirely unaware her body wasn’t performing as it should. She said that Desire moves as if she had some sort of ligament issue–I admit, I missed the scientific term she threw out–in her left hind, but everything felt clean and normal in her hind legs. Also it wasn’t consistent enough to say OH, okay, she’s lame Here, and it’s From This. The vet also could see and feel that her right hip looked higher, (not as high as it had been before chiro last week!) and in fact pointed out that there was a slight sunken area of deteriorated muscle in Desire’s left flank. I couldn’t see it myself but did feel the rounded soft muscle on the right flank versus the slight sink on the left. Muscle deterioration in the hind end is one of the red flags of EPM and with the combination of the weird steps, the balance issues, and that sunken muscle, the vet concluded an EPM test was a pretty darn good idea. She drew blood, vaccinated Desire, Blaze, and mini Napoleon-remarking on how polite and shiny they all were–and went on her way.

Lab results in 5 days which probably means I won’t hear anything until next Monday. Let the thumb twiddling begin…

We cruised out through the neighborhood and Blaze walked out nicely for J. With J not used to saddle time and the vet scheduled in a few hours we figured we’d go a few miles and head back. I had just bought a pair of size 2s last week, since both Desire and Blaze wear size 2s and I only had one well worn pair. I congratulated myself on my planning ahead, since it meant I had four size 2s (but no spares) to slap on their fronts when J randomly wanted to ride. D is wearing the new burgundy 2s here:

 It was fun to be out chatting with J in a different environment. Just nothing like riding 🙂

We rode back into the yard just as the phone was ringing, with the vet regretfully cancelling due to a very sick baby. It was our second miss on an appointment this week, but it’s the country and it happens. I’m sure she would rather be doing routine shots and blood work than dealing with emergencies or sick babies! It was nice to get the timely call too, so I knew I could clean up the horses and put them away instead of waiting and wondering. They both got baths, lots of fly spray, and headed back to clean up the last of their breakfasts, and J and I realized how warm we were, in fact how much warmer the day was in general.

 And then this happened, to pretty much all of us:

Suddenly, it was hot. The horses stood in their shady sheds, lazily swishing flies while the 2 goat girls, Maizie and Nan, were kept at their safe distance, dreaming goat-y dreams under the oaks at least thirty feet away from the Cool Kids shed area. Cats snored on dog beds and on top of my covered saddles in the tack room. Dogs snored on human furniture, and the humans weren’t much more lively.

A fun hot last day of May. Hotter today. Happy June, everyone!

 Meeting for the first time

 hmm, let’s see if we can be friends..

 Left hook not pictured, but here Isabella takes Joey back up the hill to their grazing spot 

 Re-homing a horse is bittersweet, no doubt. Joey taught me quite a bit in the last year, including some of my own limitations! He and I never quite clicked personality wise but he is a smart, sweet, gorgeous boy and deserves a golden future. I am happy for Joey and N, and excited for their future together. N and I exchanged all our contact information and will be keeping in touch.

Happy Trails, Joey boy!