thursday already -time flies

I have to round up a tent etc for car camping this weekend. I have already decided I'll get a hotel if its cold though. I don't do trying to get to sleep when I'm chilled. Still be cheaper than the diesel costs if I was taking horse and trailer with the pickup. But if its mild I'll camp; it'll be fun to visit all evening and so on and I wont have any horse care duties to worry about. So there is a slight benefit to Shade not being good to go. My chiropractor called me last night and we are scheduled for next week; september 4. I'm so glad I have an appointment. I rode Shade yesterday and we had fun but I did think she felt uneven. Less so after she 'raced' the horses in the pasture next to the road we were riding up the hill. I stretched her front legs and didn't feel any resistance; did not even pull saddle first, I don't really trust my eyes to have caught any differences in shoulder blades anyway. I should call my vet today and ask him to get rabies vaccines for me. We seem to have a lot of skunks around and it makes me a bit edgy -although the dogs are good to keep everything off the place; but still I also haul the horses quite a bit.

Trial by fire for towing the new trailer

Not literally thank goodness. But I had hesitated to pull the trailer with the folks' p/u, mini 5th wheel hitch and adaptor because dad found that the rock in the 5th wheel + the gooseneck/ball hitch motion made it tough. So since my p/u was to be ready to go on friday we never tried to get the 5th wheel blocked up where it couldn't move. So I got my p/u. Hitched up and made sure there was clearance to turn (there is NOT clearance to leave a tail gate down and hitch up so I don't know that I'll bother putting my tail gate on. Its been off ever since I bought my camper but we still have it.

So add in my slow packing and I hit some early rush hour slowing on 225 through Aurora and then Parker road with all the traffic lights really gave the blue beast an acid test for pulling the white albatross. It was able to pull through that with no tranny overheating or any other issues. Shade does not like the new trailer but she isn't being stupid about it and I think she'll adjust. I liked my weekend package, even with the limitations of not having everything ready to use yet.

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The ride was a nail biter. Shade was short striding on the RF at the friday check. When the vet told me my response was "I'm not sure I should even start then as this is not something that has ever been seen before" The vet and head vet told me it was quite subtle and Dr D volunteered to look at her again saturday morning before we started. I took them up on that (tacked and warmed her just a bit and had them look just minutes before ride start. Still there but less than friday night. So I went ahead and started, figured its no big deal to me if we get pulled mid ride; Grey gave me lots of practice with that.

I thought I maybe felt something just a couple of times during the ride, but always only when Shade was ahead of the group and wondering where they were, not wanting to leave them -in the first and 3rd of 4 loops. I never did get ducks aligned to wait till end of a hold for the check to make extra sure the vets would see everything that might be there; but she always had 10 minutes to come off of trail adrenalin and I knew they had good eyes. Just a few minutes after our 3rd loop vet check they announced that they were putting the ride on hold due to tornado warnings and lots of lightning. Very rare on an endurance ride that all riders happened to be in the vet hold and they could make such a call. I took Shade to the barn area, they had announced there were 100 open stalls and we could use them and I figured that was better than a ride camp with all manner of
folding carts etc to blow around if a tornado or strong winds came through.

Shade hated the stalls. They were designed so strange horses wouldn't fight, with solid side walls and she couldn't see any other horses. But she wasn't crazy, just stood there feeling miserable. Well we didn't get any tornado, not even strong wind and they announced they were resuming the dressage show so I saddled Shade back up and went up to the ride area. I was the only 50 miler who had headed to the barns. They were looking for me (I took a weird route I guess) so they could send us on the final loop.

I quick bridled and put on my helmet and gloves and we all rode out together. Shade loved it. She led the whole pack much of the way, with the front runner taking the lead at times when Shade was content to just mosey a bit. (I'm not sure front runner really understood that the differences in everyones pulse time into that vet check was going to be accounted for at the end of the ride, so she had over 20 minutes on me or if she was competing with the 2nd place horse and rider still) I knew it, I was just letting Shade have fun, she loves to be the lead mare (should have been a mustang.) We cantered across the finish --not racing because Shade didn't care who was in front, just wanted to stay with the other mare at that point and I knew the whole group was so close that I was last since I had been 5 minutes behind in pulsing down at the vet check.

I went ahead and stood for BC since there were less than 10 of us and we were all so close in time, and others had been complaining about horses being a bit off too. Shade's 10 minute CRI was ok but her final BC was not great (nothing even close to not fit to finish for getting the ride completion but the #'s would not have been great. So maybe it was some subconscious will on my part to forget to report my weight to the vets scribe so they could compute our score.

I was going "huh" when there were only 3 BC presenters at the awards thing and I was not one of them; only remembered my memory lapse as I was walking back to the trailers. Overall I am really happy with my ride. Shade shows the steel under that magnolia exterior once again. Unfortunately the front runner was pulled. I guess she kind of had race brain. I didn't see much gait problem on the trail but they had told her the horse was marginal at that 3rd VC, and she stood for BC (one does not have to do this) and the horse was over the margin at the final check. I have no idea if the mare would have trotted out good enough if she had just completed right at the end of the ride but I bet she wishes she would have at least tried to do that.

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I had told the RM I would volunteer sunday morning if I didn't have to go to Conifer to fetch Lady right away. Well Lady may well be staying up there for a year so I had time. I enjoyed ride volunteering. Front runner was sponsoring someone else's daughter on the LD. She was still wanting to top ten but she was really polite to the vols and vets and not pushing. I was never in eye or earshot on saturday so I don't know what transpired but she and the 2nd place rider had kept getting mixed up on the course. I over heard someone on sunday say she was being real polite so sounded like she wasn't so polite saturday.

I don't know -I have ridden the ride before so even though 2 loops were different I had a feel for the maps and how the loops started out but still I think the course was marked fine for just riding, not racing, and an experienced racer, not spoiled by trail bosses who mark to try to outfox the person who always manages to get lost or having been with an experienced rider in front would have been fine. I did a mix of pulsing and vet scribing. I put Shade in a now open pen during the ride so I wouldn't have to worry about her getting a leg over her lead at the trailer or anything since we were all out to an away first check on sunday.

When all the LD riders had vetted and things were pretty much in hand, plenty of vols for the 3 50's still on course I decided to break away and get home. When I had the trailer packed up and went to grab Shade she had managed to give herself a scrape/cut on her chest. She must have hit the t-post holding the panel. It was tall and she didn't rear and impale herself on the top, but the tabs to hold wire clips were facing into the pen, and that is the only thing I think could have stuck out enough to catch on at all. I asked the ride vet if I could get one more bit of free medical advice -just wanted to know if she agreed it was no biggie, just put some stuff to keep flies out on it -- she cleaned it up for me and confirmed its superficial and its not right at the corner of her chest where it would keep getting pulled so it should heal quickly. Great blood supply, I'm sure glad Shade didn't find a way to scrape a leg.

Shade loaded ok. S(from HJ) helped us. I had tied her, so she wouldn't try turn around and maybe scrape herself and she got the lead over her nose and pretty well was in a bind, so I had to just unsnap her and let her turn around, - since I had a door holder this was okay so she got to ride home turned around. Probably better for braking for those lights on Parker road. I don't accelerate too quickly with the albatross so there is not much stress on a horse taking off.

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Today I found out the Sep 13-14 ride just west of Fort Carson is canceled. They had a fire there. I think it was some time ago, someone at this weekend's ride used the words "the fire this SPRING burned right there at the arena where the basecamp always is" So I'm a bit pizzed that the recreation area manager didn't put out any kind of alert that the ride might not be able to happen, but seemingly just waited till the last minute. And since Shade was short striding this weekend I won't take her to the Rushcreek ride in Neb. this weekend. But I did see on the ride calendar where a 3 day ride has been added in sw NM in mid Nov. Its a longer drive than Moab, and probably not quite as scenic, but the timing will be better for work so I guess I'm going to get Shade checked out by a chiro, and hopefully try to condition up and plan to try to do that ride in NM.

So I don't guess my trailer is bad luck/karma. Actually, at this point I think its been a victim of the previous owner. Friday I thought I might fill the horse water tank, dad had filled the people tank. Dad had told me that the horses tank hose doesn't have an end valve so I grabbed the valve from my b/p trailer. Well when I went to put on my hose valve I found that the hose end was female, not male like expected. Hmm, look under the tank and WTF, the end with the valve switch has been JAMMED up under the tray tank, I couldn't get it free, I think I have to get cutters and cut some on the tray tank to have any hope of not completely tearing up the hose connection on the tank to get it straightened out. But HooBoy, the poor horses the original owner was 'training' --using that amount of brute force on a hose, instead of reasoning things out, trying the other end --- well I'm glad the roping horse trainer that bought the estate and sold me the trailer got all those horses and they got a chance. I know some folks think being a roping horse is a hard life, and I don't even know what discipline the original trailer was in. paint horse trainer tells *me* nuthin; but I think M (roper) is a horseman, and at least taught them their jobs. My guess is the original trailer owner was just a forcer.

The good the blah and the ugly

Good: I emailed Lady's leasors yesterday and left a voicemail to check email. She called me around noon and gave me the update. Lady is loving it up in Conifer. I didn't quite catch the name they gave her; she HAD to get a spanish name, smile, but I guess she has quickly become the pet of the farm. They were out of stall space for mares so they moved a couple of theirs outside to give Lady company in a group of runs with 3-sided sheds. I guess the nearest mare has gotten quite fond of Lady, and protested when L took Lady out of sight on a cooling down walk after she'd been worked; and Lady is enjoying the attention/fuss and just blossoming.

Blah: Of course after not getting my ducks in a row to ride M-W morning and deciding I MUST ride today --rationalizing Shade needs to get out for a least a few miles, wink; it was hot for our ride today. Then I had to get to the CCR office, luckily local branch office is close to home to get my duplicate title. They issued it no problem, had to pay cash, I had been going to write a check even though small amount for records so I had to void my check I'd pre-started. Then I had to take the title back to the C/U to sign off on since the CCR office had to issue it to them since their records showed the C/U as the lienholder and my notarized statement from the C/U was sufficient to get the physical title but it still had to show the C/U as the lienholders. That was all ok, just tired of chasing around settling details with the car. I HIGHLY recommend staying out of accidents. The aftermath is a PITA.

The ugly: I remembered I had not retrieved my garage door opener when I cleaned out my car. Swung by the collision place to fetch it and it had been towed already. I had a mini-meltdown, least managed to keep it internal, but was just a mess for 10 minutes until I managed to achieve some perspective and rationality. And my legs feel like lead after my wee little ride this morning. Does not bode well for the ride on saturday. But I'll suck it up and gitRdone so long as Shade is ok. I cannot wimp out on going (barring crap like my truck end up not being finished and ready to tow) I have GOT to take a few trips with the new trailer and decide whether to keep it or not. But I have my insurance settlement. Now just have to decide whether to replace my car, or get a much used car and just carry liability on it. I'm leaning towards the 2nd idea but depends if I can cope with checking out used cars until I find one. I'm such a shopping weenie.

A few more hours and its all downhill? Please

Aaack. It has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL riding weather every morning this work week. I work 12-9 so I can ride in the mornings. So of course I have gotten ZERO rides in. Monday was ferry p/u from Welder to 5star to get wired for the new trailer. Yesterday was washing the trailer, because I noticed it smelled dirty since I wiped off the dust and got ride of the musty smell, plus leaving a bit early because I needed to clean out my car. Which was FULL, I had dumped extra stuff from my camper in it to transfer to the new trailer over the weekend not thinking I'd get in a car accident. I'm still mad at myself for that lapse of attention friday. Today was searching for the car title that I forgot to search for earlier, didn't FIND it of course. Then after I had given up and decided to call the DMV from work but was wrestling the mats back into my trailer V's older mini colicked as she was out to fetch the other one for a therapy visit. Good thing she had the visit as I would not have noticed him. But spent over an hour syringing various remedies from plain salt water, aloe juice and gelatinized sand clear into him, plus V gave him some banimine. He was eating when I left that to finish getting my mats in the trailer.

Stopped and got stuff out of my glove box and console that I forgot to clear out yesterday. Found DMV web page, called local county office about a duplicate title. Their records indicated my credit union still had a lien on the car. So I had to go to the credit union and they gave me 2 notarized forms that they did not hold a lien on it anymore. (because they have changed their name, they gave me a from with the old name and duplicated form with their current name) So hopefully that will be all the county office needs to issue me a duplicate title. I'm going to be taking extra PTO this week, not just the 8 hours for friday. At least I have the PTO hours to take.

Yes, there are small blessings here. Shade is not in a stall, she can keep herself limber and doesn't NEED riding. It was not one of my horses that colicked. I was able to get the form from the CU, and its not an emergency that I get the insurance funds as quick as possible. I'm thinking I should just get a 90's Civic, or Corolla etc now and wait until my driving record is clear before getting another new car.

Waah -- maybe my new trailer is bad luck

I was in a car accident friday. MY stinking fault. I did not register a red light and went into the intersection.

The rental I got to be nice and not make sickly mom pick me up when she is in pain or doped up for her bone infection cost me more than twice what I expected from my friday accident daze, + they charged me for 4 days when I had the car for 71 hours.

My trucks u joint is broken. The welder who is building and installing a plate mounted ball hitch for me is STILL waiting for the iron plate from his supplier. I (well mom, she has been helping me out in spite of being sick I should be more grateful, dammm I hope they have the diagnosis and get her cured in 10 weeks or so. Stinking infectious disease specialist --who was the FIRST dr smart enough to have her off antibiotics before testing for problem --GAAH I knew that and I'm just an Aero. engineer, but the IFD doc did also order the right tests to show things so I guess he knows his stuff but he is not meeting mom to review the tests until friday after her test was last friday! What the heck? HELLO she is seriously sick and the infection has had 2 years to get primed to take advantage of her being totally off antibiotics. I hope this isn't some 'let the patient get really sick, then they'll feel like treatment is REALLY helping' BS.

Sorry --back to my truck --the truck service plaza center sent a whole list of 'needs done next appt' with it. They did NOT however inspect it enough to spot the broken u-joint and they told me I'd need to replace the tires soon which is absolute BS, the high quality, several year tires I replaced last year after getting at least 6 years service out of the first set look FINE, I ran out and checked when I read that in case I had bad wear and had missed it (alignment was not on the service plaza list either though) I need to quit whining and do some research/homework on what should be done with the p/u. I suppose the service plaza goes on the shortest time span service intervals --they sure don't appear to go by any actual inspections!!! and since I didn't replace tires there they didn't happen to know to change the date on that one. Well they've lost a customer, I need a reliable mechanic to help me keep my vehicle running, not someplace that is just selling their most profitable services.


OK if anyone read to the end of this they are a trooper and I know full well that one could argue that my luck is still good,
the U-joint was found and didn't break on me out in the middle of nowhere, leaving me to try to remember how I would limp home by taking it off completely or tying it up and using the 4WD setting to have a FWD truck -yeah dad had to do that once with an old p/u we owned. I hit a p/u and did little damage to it and no injuries so I don't that extra weight on my concsious from my lack of attention to my driving. I have great neighbors who will have to be coerced to accept gas money for fetching me tonight.

?? What Shade?

I think she was just yanking my chain, ran around for 15 minutes before finally allowing me to walk up and catch her. and NO I did NOT say 'oh keep running around until you are ready to come to me' I'm a lousy chess player too, do not have the patience for such things. She sure moved nice while she was trotting and running around and she doesn't go hide in a corner and only move when I get close; she almost does laps herself, or I have to move minimally. Good thing since she is the fit one of us. But I'm wondering if I should just throw her in a stall friday night so I have a decent shot at getting an early start on saturday.

Does this look like a horse that dislikes her job? These are Karl creation photos from the Fort Meade remount ride in July.

Sure hope that I can get in a ride up in Conifer without having to deal with pouring rain. I need to ask the family to start paying board for Lady when she returns too. The first month is fine, they got to know her and they've put some training on her but I don't want to feed her indefinitely for free. If they think they will keep her they can make payments and cover the food cost of her board as well.

I don't think I got enough vitamin H this morning

I am getting cranky and the irritants are not bigger than usual, its just me taking them too personally. BUT, I did get Grey Moun and Sadie out today and they were cool, we cantered up the hill I like, first time I dared do that ponying her. The bling halter I bought just BARELY goes on Sadie. I'll have to see about adjusting it tiny for some mini photos and then pass it on to Naomi for "Arcy' --her Ramsey Copy filly.

Warning -VENTing

Oh maybe I don't even want to type this out. I am kind of pizzed right now. I reviewed a paper in Feb, spotted some but not all lapses in the analysis done to generate this paper and was asked to review the new submission. --which is done as a new submission, not responding to reviewer comments. Its ALMOST identical and none of the analysis problems were addressed.

#@(!(!*@*@* TWERPS wasting my time. Which I don't manage as well as I should but still, plus they are also wasting the time of 2 other reviewers. I am going to print the old and new and look at side by side to see just HOW much of a copy this is. and then I, MS. easy-going, usually only correct a few grammar mistakes and maybe catch a plot or 2 that is not clear am most likely going to write an absolutely SCATHING review absolutely reaming them for not addressing the issues I pointed out 5-6 months ago, sheesh I did not even catch all the problems in the original because I reviewed the thing too quickly, but I think I pointed out enough that they should have done some serious emergency re-analysis of at least some of their data and done more comparisons of their results that they are using for conclusions versus other instrument types and other institutions' analysis of the same public GPS data?!? They must have thought they'd just get new reviewers who maybe wouldn't catch the problems. BWAA HA HA losers.

Another all day 50

rode with an old jumping buddy of mom's again at Happy Jack this year. We rode really slow again too. I really thought I would pace better this year and it felt like I was a bit better the first loop and we didn't hit a gother hole and fall. But although Little was drinking better than last year he was kind of worrying S, and we just didn't make much time. He wasn't really slowing Shade and I down, but sure wan't pulling us along any; and Shade was feeling kind of tired on the last loop, not like at Fort Meade, but not peppy so I hopped off and led down some rocky downhills. So the current plan is to ride only 1 day at CHP in 2 weeks and 1 day at Rushcreek 1 week after that. Then see what transpires at Turkey Creek, then Kenlyn and decide on going to Moab or not. I am going to try not giving her any alfalfa at all at CHP too. She seemed to have quite a bit of snotty nose again so I think she may be allergic to alfalfa itself now. She shouldn't need it with the BP and mixing elytes with CMC that I do, but for me its giving up a security blanket of feeding extra Ca and K, plus hay that is a treat and I know she'll eat it with gusto. But if its hindering breathing its very much not worth it. I may push to get her tested so I know. Compared to the price of diesel the ELISA test is not all that spendy.

thinking things out.

I've been wanting to go to the 3-day Moab ride, with the goal of trying to ride all 3-days since before last years ride. But in the meantime an important work event was planned for M-W oct 27-29. I was still thinking, ok the ride is probably Fri-Sunday, its pretty rare for a non-holiday 3 day ride to be sat-monday but that works, I'll just have to packed and hit the road early on thursday, its not supposed to be super long drive to Moab -or maybe get a few hours in on wed nite. But the ride is actually thurs-saturday.

Early to make sure folks have time to get back and vote perhaps. But it doesn't work for me to do all 3 days. Heck it may not work for riding vacation either with the voting...... Not sure what my timeline for mail-in ballot would be or if sis even has that option.... It seems like there is always 'something' that makes it not right to go to one of the scenic Utah multi-day rides sigh.
I will have to decide whether to go and try to ride friday and saturday if Shade is still going strong then, regardless of whether sis could join for vacation, or just skip it this year. I do first have to finish 1 50 at the ride this weekend and if Shade stays sound there are 3 2-day rides in 4 weeks after that, and I must decide whether to try to ride both days at any of those (the first may be the easiest one) I had wanted to ride 2 days at the sep 13-14 ride but the course changes every year so its totally unknown how big a task 100 miles in 2 days will be for that one.

I think the goatsheads won this battle

I pulled three feedsacks worth on saturday and plowed some under in couple different areas when I cleaned pens. But the heat just about wiped me out and then I was pulling some that had tenacious roots. My calves are still feeling it today and on saturday it cooled off some but I had not rebounded enough to ride. Plus there are still many many goatsheads I didn't get to.

I rode Shade on sunday. Didn't get myself going early or quickly enough to really beat the heat --it was after 8 am when I hit the saddle but it was fun. Shade has 'girth rubs' way up in her elbows on both sides (I had only noticed on the right side before) They are healing pretty good and the cinch didn't aggravate anything --I used desitin to ride and put more on again today but I'm also pretty sure this is forward of any cinch contact.

I think this is why eastern riders shave their horses 'under arms.' Its never been a problem before and I always worry about irritation of hair growing in so I've never shaved my horses arms. But with it being hot and humid in Sturgis and me sponging tons, including the shoulders not just the neck I bet I set up some irritation during that ride. Go figure, since she was cleaned throughly at the midway hold and after the ride to cool her off so I thought she would be less likely to have any skin issues since I don't wash her up if she will get chilled and since we don't finish mid afternoon like the front runners we are usually bumping up against evening cooling and she just has to wear the days sweat, with rolling and brushing to get most of the extra salts removed.

The girls were out to see Lady saturday late and for a couple hours on sunday evening. I'm trying now to mainly stay out of their way and let them enjoy their horse if I happen to be around when they come. Ole always thinks he has to go say hello, else I wouldn't have even known they were here on saturday. I rode RazzMo yesterday while they were riding Lady. I took him down the road and Mia took advantage of the cooling we'd gotten and came for a run along with Ole. Razz did pretty well looking at the different sets of dumped stuff. He's so funny, the folks on road six were using their hot walker and Razz and the 2 horse on the walker stirred each other up. Razz snorted SO loud a couple times --the hot walker horses were cantering in their circle. I decided I had to make Razz move on and stop stirring them up so I did. Razz looked hard at several things but never offered to try to 180 or buck, the only thing he did was go way wide of the mattress and I had to make him move over as there is downed wire on the other side of the road that I didn't want him stepping in. Lots of redneck hazards around our neighborhood.