A quick Grey Moun memory

 Grey was very "we've BTDT and Teresa has the T-shirt." He quickly got used to meeting Mtn bikers on trail and I had to insist we give them a little extra JIC room. But one time we saw a biker take a header coming downhill and then the bike slid towards us, not scary close nor fast but it made a life long impression on Grey and always after that any unmounted bike got the eagle eye as we went by in case it was one of those outlaw bikes, cuz if they'd throw their rider who knows what else they might do.  

Such a special and fun horse.  Luckily he had gotten comfy with meeting bikers before that incident and he never worried about meeting riders.  In his mind the bike only became rude after it was separated from the rider.  Which was true but if Grey had become worried that every mounted bike we met might toss its rider and come sliding towards us sharing the many pretty open space parks around the area with the bikers who adore this states foothills and mountains would have become a trial instead of a fun outing.  

I looked and found a picture this weekend to share our big Grand Canyon trip but did not get it scanned so that will have to wait.  The sun has made a bit of headway on our clouds so right now I'll take a short ride on Tanza ahead of the rain or rain/snow mix coming in tonight.

Farewell dear old friend, run free in the meadows across the rainbow bridge.

I had to put Grey Moun down on Friday.   More accurately I had the vet out and he euthanized him.  Grey had a colic Thursday morning,  I gave him just 1/2 a dose of banimine and then called the vet, expecting that his schedule is busy this time of year and he'd maybe be able to come by last thing in his afternoon.   He actually came by noon so having Grey medicated was not the best for diagnosing. Grey was eating with relish by then and based on heartbeat and gut sounds Dr Mike figured it was likely a spasmodic colic and I figured that was so since that was what Grey had at at Meeker 17 months ago.   So Dr Mike gave him vi IV the rest of a banimine dose + something I can't even pronounce in my head no let alone spell that was specifically good as an anti-spasmodic drug and I went to work thinking whew,  my old buddy just gave me a scare.

But Thursday night when I got home Grey was back to feeling poorly and not wanting to eat.  I gave him another 1/2 dose of oral banimine,  checked him in the middle of the night and he was not happy and eating but not distressed and ready to move off if I brought out a syringe again so I left it.  He was worse in the morning so I called vet emergency #,  Dr Mike came first thing.   Grey on Friday showed clear symptoms that his small intestine was blocked close to the stomach, Dr Mike's description was  even with a young breeding stallion or 30K burning a hole in your pocket surgery would be a "do you want to put the horse through this when even if they survive they'll never feel really good again?"  I would not have put my 28 year old guy through surgery at all, even if a rectal had showed a colon/large intestine twist that surgery can sometimes fix and the horse is healthy after some months of rehab, but it was kind of comforting to know that euthanizing him was the only choice, and not something to wonder whether I should have tried more intervention rather than opting out only because of Grey's age.

I may do a series of fond memory posts.  I can't begin to do justice to 25 years of having him in my life in one blog post, especially as the tears are still near to overflowing.      Here is an ear cam shot from when I took DL and Rose to Garden of the Gods in Sept. 2015 and rode Grey myself since J didn't come and I was wondering if Tanza needed rest after his skipping trot at Beaver Meadows ride a week or 2 prior to the GoG trip had made me think Tanza might have a micro lameness that would become a 6 months off injury and Sadie was still on paddock rest from her summer issues.

And a shot of Grey at the trailer,   enjoying the prospect of strutting his stuff a bit.  He had enjoyed being retired from endurance but getting out and going "I've still got it" on day trip rides with good stretches off between them.  Grey is on the right (front of trailer)

I just don't trust Trump --or the GOP leadership

I know Trump didn't really care for BO,  I think he offered to build something 'nicer' for visitors or something and was rebuffed and the oconomy has to have hurt hotel and casino business as fewer folks can indulge in those things.   But Trump has always been a democrat and likes the Clintons,  I can so see him running to muddy the GOP race to help her election chances. 

Now I really really don't trust the GOP leadership.  WTH were they thinking letting a lifelong dem run for the GOP nomination?  The charitable belief would be that they thought he'd burn out in the primary but if they rebuffed him and he went independent he'd pull more GOP leaners than Dems and that would hand the election to the Dems.

But I cannot be charitable to the group that cheered the IRS on as they attacked "tea party" groups, pulled the dirtiest of moves to keep a doddering old fool in the senate when a tea party candidate had forced a run-off in the primary and so on.   My personal theorem is that the GOP enjoys being the minority party as the Dems grow the government.  They don't want smaller government folks getting enough power to actually shrink the federal government no how no way.

I think they welcomed Trump into the race figuring he would split support that would go to a conservative candidate --who shook out to be Cruz, and they would get Jeb or another beltway insider to the nomination.   Even now they are hindering Cruz by keeping Kasich and Rubio in the race.  Mind you,  full throated support of Cruz from them would not be helpful to him because of the deep distrust we have after all their backstabbing and funding every crap thing BO has pushed for, but if they quietly shut down the also rans it would probably improve the odds of Cruz getting the nomination.  But I suspect the DC insiders prefer Hillary to Cruz.   They might pick Cruz or allow state delegates pledged to K and R to switch to Cruz at a brokered convention, but they would do that expecting that hurt feeling from Trump supporters would hamstring Cruz and they would call him the new Goldwater, who scares away the November voters, "so you bitter clingers need to just stay out of the way next time"  

Got on both Tanza and Sadie today

And K came over with her mom and mom (J)  rode Grey Moun and K rode Lady.   I was just finishing with Tanza when they got here so I grabbed Sadie and rode with them in the paddock.  Grey was testing J and trying to just go to the gate some,  she is a good rider but had the reins a bit long and couldn't pull him up one time.  

Sadie was a brat,  but luckily she doesn't know how to buck,  I had the Wintec on her and it felt nice and secure.   My check of fit it looked good too so I think I'll try using the Wintec on her for initial riding this spring and see how things go. 

Grey Moun was not so saintly for K yesterday

She wanted to ride down the trail,  I was just starting out with Tanza but figured company would be nice and she had done well with Grey bareback.   We were going well for a bit but then Grey spooked at a mattress, not a big spook but then he got the notion to take off for home.   Luckily not a full run,  she was holding him back but he didn't stop right away.   I was working on not letting Tanza take off  and hollering at her to "make him stop"  for a good minute or so and then Grey would not go away from home anymore.  She would get him turned but he would do a full circle or duck back around after just a step or 2 in the right direction.  

So had to abort riding out and just go home and ride in the paddock.  She did pretty good steering Grey in there but I am back to knowing that she needs a few more weeks of practice on steering and control of either Grey or Lady before going out is possible, and then I probably need to ride Grey or Lady myself the first time out with her.    I may have to get Dad to go out on RazzMo with me,  I hate to do that because Razz isn't a great influence but Tanza does not need a great influence,  he and I just need to get over the nervous hump we have. 

Ohhmmm, Ohmmmmmm

I don't practice actual meditation.  In fact when I visited India not quite 20 years ago the worldview of almost everyone that they were just a twig in a stream and should accept whatever happened really irritated me.

People are not twigs, we can paddle and get somewhere ahead of the flotsam just going with the current,  or paddle to shore if there is a beach rather than cliff or a tree branch to grab hold of.

But we cannot turn back a river and I have got to think smart about how to cope when I feel like people are a river of stupidity.  Paddling against the current is very wearying and may not even be possible; I do need to judge the current and surroundings and paddle in a way that makes sense.

Just to keep up diary

I had a pretty good weekend for riding and general horse stuff.   Sat. I led Tanza out about a mile and then mounted up,  rode him a quarter mile farther and then home.  He is still very nervous about going away from home by himself and was totally sweaty when I got home even though I had kept the pace down.  But baby steps.

Sunday I rode Tanza in the horse pen and did a fair amount of trot and canter.   Then the neighbor girl came over about an hour or so after I had finished.  I had her rake some in the horse pens while I helped.  She wanted to ride Grey Moun bareback so I decided I'd ride Sadie.

SADIE's leg is healed,  WooHoo.    K or I left the gate into one horse pen unlatched when cleaning and Sadie went tearing around for 5 minutes before she let me catch her and her leg was not sore the next day.

Grey Moun gets a gold star.  We rode in the little arena.  K found out it is hard to sit Grey's trot bareback but she did pretty good, she has good natural balance.   Sadie had a couple mini tantrums and one was not so mini.  She had jumped and spun and I had lost a stirrup and she was trying to do little rear ups, but I was able to pull her nose around and she quit.  Grey just kept on going for K w/o spooking or taking off.   I'm glad she was not on Lady.  If she wants to try Lady bareback sometime I'll have to just watch her on the ground or be on Grey Moun cuz I think Lady would want to take off, although she probably wouldn't do much of a spook, she is fairly good or I wouldn't let folks ride her at all. 

How cool would it be to be able to debate things?

There is a board with someone who has some great knowledge of Civil War history and I think I could debate with him about slave holders starting the war,  southern military was sure valiant and honorable and what does he think about 1890s revision where all the crap the north did because they were losing at first got spun into causes of secession?   --IF it were just him and I or us and other reasonable people  -- but there is vocal board member who totally believes the 1890 revisionism and any mention of "yeah, the slave states withdrew because abolitionists started R party and had won the presidency" is met with shouting hysteria of "NO, it was only because of general states rights, slavery had nothin to do with it" 

And of course current politics.   It is nearly impossible to discuss candidate's platforms, history/(can we trust what they say) etc. on any kind of public forum because people having decided to support candidate A. take any criticism of A. as a personal insult and there are also a bunch of idiots who do insult anyone who supports 'that cretin A' as dumb, or racist, greedy, whatever.