Early March '10

This past weekend we stayed close to the ranch, riding and tending to our herds of horses, goats, and cats. Kittee had last Friday off ~out of court~ so we had downriver Robert come up and together we rode the arena with Derby, Nugget and Misty. It was rather uneventful, as we trotted everyone, then Kittee pulled the saddle off Derby and rode him bareback while I cantered Misty a few time halfway around the arena. Robert broke Nugget into a trot a few times. After our riding session I jumped on the school bus and made my p.m. run.

Saturday started much the same as Friday; while I prepared breakfast, Kittee went out and fed the herds. After breakfast we call downriver Robert to see if he wanted to ride with us, he did and so he came up, we groomed our horses and headed for the arena. Again we had another beautiful warm, sunshiny morning to enjoy the great outdoors. I got back to the arena with Misty first, we got warmed up and before Kittee and Robert got to the arena Misty and I were trotting the arena, and I was putting her into tight circles... to the left and to the right while staying in a trot. Misty and I are working up to making these moves at a canter run in the near future. When Kittee with Shaiela, and Robert with Nugget got to the arena, Misty and I were ready to make a couple of passes around the arena in a canter. Everyone is connecting with their steed much better now and we started talking about riding the Ole Cache Hollow Trail on Sunday, or maybe heading out across the backyard and working our way up Bowlus Hill.

After Kittee and Robert made a few laps, walking Shaiela and Nugget around the arena, Kittee had her stirrup fall off. (?) Not sure how that could happen... but it did. So Kittee stopped Shaiela and dismounted. Oppppps, in the process of dismounting she twisted her ankle and heard a snap. With that happening, Kittee politely said... OUCH! and a few other words. She instantly knew her riding was finished for this day. Kittee immediately got off her feet and put her foot up. As I went riding by, to catch and put up Shaiela, I did take a few pictures of her enjoying the morning's sunshine.

Robert and I continued to make a few more laps around the arena, but soon our riding was done so we threw Kittee on Nugget's back, hopped her to the house and passed her a beer as we tack-down and put away our rides for the day. After everything was put away and we settled back with Kittee, her crutches and a beer, Robert ask if we would like to take a break that evening and come down to have dinner with he and wife Sherry... join him in having some very smooooooth Kentucky pain reliever. We thought that would help Kittee's painfully delicate condition well.
Later in the afternoon Jennifer came out to play with and trim Ginger's hooves. Ginger is still with Kittee and I for the winter, and we consider her "our" pony even though we sold her to Jennifer for a buck. She and sister Jasmine have had a wonder winter sharing their pasture once again with the herd of goats, and visiting over the fence with Derby, Nugget, Summer and the herd of mares.
Saturday late afternoon, Kittee and I had a most pleasant evening with Robert and Sherry, watching the sunset from Robert's favorite sunset viewing station, sipping whiskey, having dinner, and then watching a BBC nature DVD. While watching the nature documentary, Sherry brought out servings of the best pineapple up-side-down cake, I think I have ever eaten. This evening of physical/spiritual therapy did work well for Kittee's ankle injury.

Sunday was our scheduled day for late winter worming of the horses. Kittee was taken out of this picture with her foot wrapped in ace bandage, and walking with crutches. Fortunately for me Robert and offered to help with our worming if Sherry had nothing else planned for Sunday. Sherry didn't, so he did. Now worming a herd of horses ~17~ is not a bad or really hard job, but it is much better when there is another set of helping hands to make it happen. Thank YOU, Robert for your help. After our worming session, Robert and I saddled up Misty and Nugget and rode for about an hour, before the wormer started kicking in and made our rides start feeling a bit puny.
NOTE: We have been keeping Goldfish in our stock tanks since last summer, just to help keep the tanks clean and eat the algae/ horse food scraps. Two days after worming, all the Goldfish in one of our mare's water tanks were dead. Reading the fine print of the pamphlet that comes with the wormer, it says that the stuff can be very hazardous to aquatic life. So we learned... the residual wormer paste in the horses mouth can KILL fish. FYI -- FTR
By the end of this beautiful late winter day, the good news was... Kittee was able to hobble around without using crutches, even though her foot was still swollen and tender. I was able to get a few late afternoon shots of the progress of the daffodil bloom late Sunday afternoon. I did notice this past Friday on my bus run, that the daffodils in town are now in full bloom. It has felt and looks like spring is here, even though Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights has snow in the weather forecast for here and the mountains to our east.
Monday Kittee was able to walk around in a bedroom slipper and drove to work and back home well. Sunday and Monday nights the mountains did re-cover with fresh snow. Hopefully we are on our way to getting a good 10' spring accumulation on the hills.

And that's the way it is around the ranch this week --- Dale