Should My Horse be Lame After a Hoof Trim?

My life has changed quite a bit since I got my new horse, Whata Dandy Life (aka "Murphy"), at the beginning of October. Decisions had to be made: where to board him? how do I choose a vet and farrier? do I send him for finishing or attempt to do it myself? which kind of horsemanship do I want to practice?

Well, the decision of where to board him was fairly easy...I toured one place (Lakeview Farm) and then cancelled all my other appointments. After all, where else would I be able to find a 200-acre farm with a 40-acre pasture for Murphy to roam around in that also had trails on site?

On to the next step: choosing a farrier. Murphy's got a club foot (his right front) and also had torn off a chunk of that hoof earlier this summer stomping at flies (it was a very dry season). The last couple times I'd been out to the barn I noticed he was a bit lame tracking to the right in the round pen, so I made an appointment with the farrier used there.

I'd met this man before and had only heard good things from other boarders, plus he mentioned he has a mare with a club foot so I was reassured.

Then the assumptions started: I assumed he knew I wanted Murphy's shoes – he had them on his front feet only – pulled for the winter (our horses have always gone barefoot in the winter months). He assumed since the horse had front shoes he was putting shoes back on. I didn't notice what was happening until he started fitting Murphy for a shoe...so I told him no, we're not putting shoes back on.

He apologized and said he assumed we were and he "took liberties and trimmed him for shoes." I was taken aback a bit; I didn't know there was a difference when trimming hooves. The farrier then mentioned maybe we should cast him. Confused, I asked "Why would we need to do that?"

"Because he might be a bit tender," he replied. Still puzzled, I told him I didn't think putting casts on his hooves would be necessary – after all, our horses aren't sore after getting their hooves trimmed, and I didn't want to spend the extra money "just  because." That was on Tuesday afternoon.

Turns out I should've listened to the farrier's suggestion. I went out to the barn yesterday on a whim – it was pretty cold so I hadn't planned on making the journey up there – to maybe shoot some images of the horses in the snow and go hiking in the woods. I decided to get Murphy out to brush the ice off him (it had sleeted/snowed the night before) and maybe putz around with him and do some groundwork.

Well, he was dead lame on BOTH front feet. Shocked, I slowly walked him to the arena while he hobbled behind me...I was so confused and then I got mad: why on EARTH was this horse THIS lame three days after being trimmed? Yes, the ground was now frozen, but still...

I had the barn owner call the farrier, who said he'd come right out. Of course he put casts on him but my poor horse was still tender-footed, even on the soft arena dirt (and after 2 clicks of Bute). The farrier did only charge me for materials, and this could've been just a simple miscommunication, but I'm still not convinced this is the farrier I want working on Murphy.


My poor horse is now confined to a stall (the farrier said he needs to remain on soft/unfrozen ground for a couple days) and is un-ridable...and I'm left wondering what to do about this situation. The question is: should a horse be lame three days after getting his hooves trimmed?

Bonding With Murphy

Just another horsin' around post...

While yesterday started out with iffy weather – cloudy & raining in the morning – it turned into an absolutely gorgeous afternoon: low 60s and sunny. After taking Zada on an hour-long walk around Lake Como, I changed into riding clothes –  it was the perfect November day to head out to see my horse, of course :) –  and zipped up to Hugo to Lakeview Farm.

 I was hoping to latch onto anyone who was heading out on the trails, since I haven't been out on them yet (minus the first day when Marla gave me a 4-wheeler ride at break-neck speed). There wasn't anyone around when I got there, however, so I decided to work Murphy for a bit in the round pen.

However, I noticed right away in the round pen he was a bit lame – I couldn't tell on which leg, at first, but since it was to the right it was his front right (club) foot with the crack. Disappointed but with spirits still high I finished tacking him up and headed out to the huge outdoor arena (150ft x 250ft) where a few girls were riding their horses.

He was just fine at the walk, and after a little warm-up I asked him to trot and he was fine. I even ended up loping both ways and he never put a foot wrong – of course, the huge area meant he wasn't going in small circles, so that helped.

At one point the girls all left and I debated going with them – after all, Murphy and I are new in our relationship & I wasn't quite sure how this 4-year-old would react to being left behind. While he was very interested in where the other horses were going, he still listened to me and didn't neigh or act out...what a good boy :)

I didn't work him long – I didn't want to stress his leg – and he was a bit sweaty from the warm temps so we headed back to the stable (it's about a 5-8 minute ride just to get out there...maybe slower on the way OUT, away from the barn :).

When I got back there were several people and horses at the hitching rail so I just sat on Murphy, taking in the scenes and waiting for my turn; frankly I was just enjoying the beautiful day and being on my horse!

After untacking him – and a good rub-down with the curry comb – I decided I wasn't quite ready to let go of the day yet so I let him graze and nibble stray grain while I took some shots with my point-and-shoot camera and chatted with a few of the other boarders.

It was a lovely afternoon and I'm so thankful I was able to enjoy it on the back (and at the side) of my horse.

Murphy Moves to Lakeview Farm

Today was the big day – Mom hauled Murphy down to Hugo, Minnesota and we introduced him to his new home: Lakeview Farm.

I've never boarded a horse before – I've always mooched off my parents and kept my gelding up in the Brainerd Lakes Area – so this was a big step for me. I had to find the right mix of "must-haves:" pasture board with a lot of room to roam; a laid-back environment; indoor/outdoor arena; access to trail riding and (hopefully) the ability to bring my beautiful German shepherd with me.

Enter Lakeview Farm in Hugo, MN. Not only does it fit all my criteria; all the people I've met thus far (and I've met quite a few) are absolutely great. Very nice people who just love their horses and want to enjoy them to the fullest. Perfect.


Also, everyone who met Zada loved her today – except the paint pony in the gelding pasture (Poika), who didn't know WHAT to think of this weirdo dog with the big stick in her mouth – and she got along very well with the myriad of other dogs present.

Is it a big, fancy "show barn"? Nope. Do I care? Yup. As in, I did NOT want to be part of one of "those" stables. I plan on showing Murphy in open shows but the last thing I wanted was to be part of some snotty group of clicky ladies hell-bent on putting on a fashion show instead of just having fun with their horses.

He's now comfortably ensconced in his new pasture: it's "only" about ten acres but once he gets used to all the rest of the bachelor herd (aka The Geldings) he'll have approximately forty acres to run around in...which is exactly what I wanted for him. I believe horses need to be horses – and what horses inherently want to do is roam and graze and move freely, instead of being confined to a stall.

In fact, after I walked in with him (all the other geldings were out) and led him all around the fence line, I let him go and he just hung out, checking everything out with his ears. Then, after a couple of new friends had been introduced, he felt comfortable enough to roll.

The owner of Lakeview Farm – Marla – is a hoot with a fabulous personality and a love of horses...well, of all animals, really. Her cat (only one of seven I've met), her dogs (a Doberman, an ancient border collie mix, some other spaniel breed and a giant golden retriever), and her horses are all very friendly and people-oriented animals. With 200 acres to roam around on, they truly live the good life.

In fact, as I sat here typing this evening I was thinking, "I wonder how Murphy's doing on his first night in a new place...?" For some reason I went upstairs and happened to see I'd missed a call. I checked my voicemail and lo and behold, it was Marla saying she'd just checked on Murphy and he was "eating at the round bale with a couple buddies and acting like Mr. Mellow..." she went on to say she thinks he's one of the easiest horses to integrate into the herd she's ever had.

What a good boy :) Can't wait to head out tomorrow and ride him around in the arenas and maybe on some of the trails on the property...so glad to have entered this "farm family"!

Fall Dog Photos

The other day when I got home from work I wasn't feeling very motivated to take Z on an hour-long walk. I figured we'd just stick to the parkway so she could be off-leash and feel like a country dog.

I hadn't walked that way in the daylight for weeks – it's part of our everyday morning walk but these days it's  dark out until 7am – so I wasn't prepared for how beautiful it was. It seems almost everywhere else the leaves that still remain on the trees are sparse and everything is past its fall prime...but not where we walked that day!

The birches were in their full yellow glory, and while the sumac plants had all lost their leaves, the berries were a rich, deep red. It had been a cloudy, somewhat gloomy day, but of course on our walk the sunshine peeked through the slate-blue clouds and lit up those yellow birches.

Immediately I mentally kicked myself for not bringing my camera. Of course, I can't let conditions like that slip past me so we headed back home and I got my big camera. Back I went up the parkway – again – with Zada bounding ahead, joyous, as if it were the first time that day :)

She always likes to carry a stick with her so after she pulled a good candidate out of the woods I proceeded to use that as my "carrot" – she's a dog that prefers play over treats anyway – to get her ears up. I'm sure we made quite the picture to the passing cars: me on my stomach, camera held to my face in readiness with one hand while the other waved a stick about over my head, trying to get the perfect angle on her ears (and then rewarding her by throwing it, of course – which is NOT easy when one is lying down).

I realize dog photography isn't all about getting the dog looking perfectly cute in every shot – life isn't about posing so why would we want every picture "posed"? – but I know my dog and she gets bored quickly and looks it...so I worked on the "posing" a bit more than I normally would with a dog portrait session.

Plus, her ears have ever been one of my favorite features on this dog (I call it her "Zadar") and she just looks so damn good with them standing at attention. Maybe it all stems from the German shepherd I had growing up who grew too big, too quickly and his ears never stood up (unless he happened to be facing into a strong wind).

While I hadn't planned on being out for a long dog walk originally, once it was all said and done we were out for almost 2½ hours. Miss Z is ever so patient with me, doggedly doing what I request of her: stay here, come this way, down...she just does what she's asked with nary a complaint until I release her. Well, almost no complaining – at one point she looked up at me imploringly, stick hopefully quivering in her mouth, with a look that clearly said, "can't we just play fetch now?"

When it was all said and done I realized what a fun little impromptu photography shoot it was – just me and my dog enjoying a beautiful fall evening. I'm glad I went back for my camera!

Self Promotion in Social Media: To Do or Not To Do?

I'm not a social media expert. Although, in this day and age, who IS? Has social media even been around long enough for a chosen few to have distanced themselves from the peloton and humbly declare themselves "experts"?

I think not.

The point is, EVERYONE these days is using at least some form of social media (except my sister, who contents herself with having virtually no online footprint), be it Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google+, Tumblr, Blogger, YouTube, Wordpress, LinkedIn, Pinterest...the list goes on and on.

Most individuals use these platforms to keep in touch with friends, post pictures, write journal entries (ahem...guilty), learn about what's new, build new relationships or any combination of those. No biggie...but then businesses started getting involved in the online conversation.

Are Businesses Using Social Media Correctly?

Okay, so with social media venues your business can reach out to your potential customers, current clients, industry experts, etc. I've interacted with several businesses via Twitter – whether to inquire about a product, offer up a thanks-for-a-job-well-done or to ask advice – and have been extremely pleased that these businesses had a quick response time, were very helpful and I even got a free product from one of them.

So what's the big deal with businesses using social media? Well, in those instances, the experience was positive and I felt even stronger about the company/product than I did before our behind-the-screen exchanges.

And then I see businesses misusing social media – namely, Twitter – to shamelessly self-plug their products and services.

Over...and over...and over...and over.

When did it become "okay" to blab ceaselessly on about oneself? Isn't the social media-verse all about relationships – finding like-minded souls, connecting with them, building relationships, sharing information, and LISTENING as much as (or less than) you talk?

Evidently some businesses – and, let's be honest, some individuals – think it's a perfectly acceptable practice to yak on and on about themselves without a care in the world for anyone else. Instead of an online conversation, they're rolling out their own red carpet with a long-winded diatribe.

That, my friends, isn't the way to use social media to advance your business. Trust me, no one wants to listen to a braggart. At best, no one will engage with your content and all you'll hear on the other side of your Tweet/post/share is silence; at worst, you'll be un-followed, de-friended, deleted and utterly ignored.

This Isn't My Opinion; It's What Others are Saying

But why listen to me? I'm no expert, as I alluded to at the beginning of this blog post...but I would like to share what other people on the Internet are saying about the very same topic:

• Read what Mashable has to say about businesses using social media
• Bizreport says "self promotion is a Twitter turn-off"
• Some deadly sins of self-promotion
• And here are some Twitter etiquette tips, including "don't just talk about yourself"
• Who wouldn't listen when CNNMoney says to resist social media self-promotion?

There are a myriad of "do this; don't do that" opinions out there when it comes to using social media, but it seems the general consensus regarding business self-promotion is "that's not the point of social media!" I.e., don't do it. 

Should you not do it at all? No, that's not what we're – sorry, THEY'RE – saying. The point is: engage with other users; build relationships; share OTHERS' content; join in conversations (don't launch into manifestos); and then, when/where appropriate, offer up your expertise/content. But, like any other relationships you have, it's give-and-take...you need to listen to others as much – or more – than you talk.

Again, no one likes someone who ceaselessly self-promotes. I was reading an article that came through my Twitfeed just this morning about senseless SEO mistakes, and there it was again – the admonition NOT to build a self-centered social media strategy:

I think my favorite quote is "Only sleazy salesmen promote their own stuff without considering others."

Whata Dandy Life

Ever since our horseback riding trip to the Black  Hills this past August, I've been in high gear searching for a horse of my very own.

While Ole has been – and will continue to be – mine since he came to live with us 9 years ago, it's really been since Kamell that I feel I've had a horse that's entirely all mine. Even though I hadn't ridden Mell much at all in his later years (he retired to the pasture because of his bum knee), when he was put down in the fall of 2006, it devastated me. I'll still tear up if I think about it too much – after all, I'd known him since we were both 5 years old and had ridden him since I was 13 or 14. He was a good boy...

In 2007 an opportunity presented itself and I jumped at the chance to get "Ky," a large Appendix Quarter horse gelding. He proved to be sickly and – much to my chagrin – died in the pasture that fall (the first time anything like that had EVER happened to us!). We think there was something going on there before we got him, but regardless, he wasn't the horse for me.

Anyway, since August I'd spent just about every free moment I had searching online horse ads for suitable Quarter horses...I was looking for a big gelding with enough training to do open horse shows but also one that would be good on the trail.

In this market it was hard to find horses that fit my criteria – either the horses were too small, too expensive or didn't have the requisite training/experience. In some cases, it was all three rolled into one.

I almost didn't call on "Ellliot," a bay Quarter horse for sale in Wisconsin, since he was listed at 15.3h and only 950 lbs (Kamell was about 900 pounds and was a small horse). Finally, Clint told me to call and find out instead of wondering, so I did. Come to find out, the gal hadn't measured him; she just guessed! She said everyone who'd come to look at him had commented on how much bigger he was than the ad stated...

So, after talking with her for about an hour I scheduled an appointment to go see this gelding...I had a good feeling about him just based on what she told me; I also really liked her and her personality (plus, she said her family had a German shepherd, so obviously we're kindred spirits :).

Since I'd made that appointment, I figured I might as well call on a few others in Wisconsin, and we could make a weekend of it (Clint said he wanted to go along, too!). I set another appointment, had another couple fall through (the horses had sold but the online ads were still up) and we planned the trip for the last weekend in September.

Meanwhile, I'd planned a weekend up north for horseback riding and found out about a horse for sale an hour's drive from Mom & Dad's. So, I added that one to the list to kick off the Great Horse Hunt. He was a nice horse (albeit lame), with a good personality and snazzy coloring, but he just wasn't for me.

Yesterday we set out at 8am to drive to Birchwood, WI to meet "Elliot." After a 2.5-hour drive (including a couple wrong turns and some road construction issues) we arrived. I'd told the owner I wanted to see her catch him up, saddle him and ride him first...I wanted to get a feel for how he was handled, what he was used to, etc.

She didn't have to go far to catch him –  he and his two pasture mates came right up to the gate to hang their heads over to be petted (a good sign). She rode him first and I was glad to see her style of riding – very similar to my own – and how far along he was in his training (she'd made it sound on the phone like he was very raw). I realized I liked this horse.

When it was my turn to climb aboard, she had to lengthen the stirrups for me and he just stood there, calm as could be. I gathered up the reins, clucked and off we went! I think the only other horse I've ever gotten on for the first time and felt totally comfortable (as if I'd been riding him for years) is Ole – but that was just on a trail ride. "Elliot" had no clue who I was, I had no clue what he was used to in terms of how much leg pressure, etc. to use but he just ambled off and did everything I asked of him (see the video Clint took of me riding Whata Dandy Life for the first time).

While he's definitely taller than Ole, he's not as bulky – when I put my saddle on him I had to cinch up the girth on both sides from how it fits on Ole – but I felt like I fit him pretty well in spite of not having as much horse under me as I'm used to (width-wise).

After the video taping was done, I was sitting on him talking to the owner and "Elliot" reached his head around to sniff my foot...and then proceeded to chew on the toe of my boot, just like Kamell used to do in the line-up at horse shows. *Sniff!* I knew I really, REALLY liked this horse at that point.


I got off and she un-tacked him, then showed me how well he stands for the clippers (she did a front foot, back foot, his eyes, nose and even in his ears, all while he stood there not moving a muscle); loaded him into the trailer (popped right in) and then put him through his showmanship paces for me. She even gave me a little lesson on Quarter horse showmanship – I learned quite a bit, not having shown in a showmanship class since 4-H!

When it was all said and done, I knew this was my next horse...even though we had an appointment 5 hours south for the next morning with a buckskin gelding.

Even though said buckskin was the first horse I'd found online that fit my criteria (and had kicked off the whole horse-hunting search), I knew right then and there I had no desire to ride that horse...I already knew this horse was The One!

Clint knew it, too...he said, "I know you've made up your mind about this horse...if you want him, get him!"

What more was there to say except, "I'll take him!" And that was that – we lined up a time for me to come get him (ahem...for MOM to drive her trailer and for me to ride along with :) and then we sealed the deal with a hug.

I'm so very excited about my new horse – he was raised right, he has a stellar personality, he's been trained right AND trail ridden. I cannot wait to bring him home!

September Weekend at Bernier Ranch & Spa

It was a lovely weekend up at the Bernier Ranch & Spa...I went up mainly to go horseback riding with The BFF both days, but also wanted to check out a horse for sale in the area.

Well, as it turns out The BFF couldn't ride on Saturday at all and only had a couple hours to ride with us on Sunday (evidently pharmacy school takes studying on the weekends...who knew?), but I still had a good horsey weekend.

Saturday afternoon I wanted to head out with the dogs for a nice long hike but in spite of being gone for over 3 hours and walking countless miles, I never made it more than half a mile's distance from the house...I noticed some fencing that needed fixing in the horses' grass pasture; forgot my camera; tromped through the woods looking for Dad and ended up with two dogs – and all my clothes – covered in burs and porcupine eggs (which I then had to pick off everyone); both sets of horses needed to be grained and hayed...etc.

I hadn't been to the "Skinner's Cabin" for a couple years, either, so it was fun to hike around in the woods near there – which is where we picked up all the porcupine eggs – and see how the buckskinners have added to the space.

It was fun horsing around that evening with Mom...even thought we didn't set foot in the stirrups. We hung out in the pasture with the horses while they ate...it was nice to see that my mom's horse (Joon) has almost fully recovered from her suspensory ligament injury earlier this summer. She's definitely feeling her oats, as she showed us by running about with her tail in the air.


On Sunday morning we were off to Cut Foot, which is what everyone calls a set of trails in a state forest in Cass County. The BFF is only about 20 minutes from there, so it was the best place to meet up to ride for a couple hours.

The weather was perfect, the colors were riotous and the horses were all great...except Will, who bashed Mom's knee into a tree while we were brush-popping around a felled tree in the trail. Grrrr. Well, I guess that's what happens when you pay more attention to the horse you're ponying than the horse you're riding – right, Mom?! Thankfully her knee will be fine, but man we were worried at first. I was about ready to re-name Will "Alpo."

After our lovely ride we hung out in the sun for a bit, then had to load up the horses and head back home to get ready for the next part of our adventure: beginning my horse-hunt. We had an appointment to meet "Joey," a blue roan for sale in Palisade, MN.

Off we went.

He was a very good horse, and his people were uber-nice, but he was a bit "off" – we couldn't tell which leg was bothering him but he was definitely limping (as you can see here). Plus, I've never had to work so hard in my LIFE using my legs to get this horse to move (even made Will look like a walk in the park!). While I liked his personality and he was big enough for me, it just wasn't the right fit.

Oh well...like I told Mom, "you can't buy the first Christmas tree on the lot you see, you have to look at a bunch of them & choose from there." Same with horses :)

The hunt will continue in Wisconsin next weekend...maybe I'll end up with a horse from Packer-ville :)

Horseback Riding at Hay Creek Ranch, SD

Last August I finally went on an "Out West" trip – a shade over ten years ago my mom, sister and some family friends loaded up the horse trailer and drove out to Wyoming to stay with more friends for a week of horseback riding. Every year since that one, the same group (more or less) has gotten together at some location west of Minnesota for a week-long horseback riding adventure.

In the beginning, I didn't get invited because I didn't have enough vacation time...and, to be honest, they were doing some rough riding – I don't do straight-uphill or straight-downhill climbs on a horse :)

Well, 2012 was the year The Group decided they were going to the Black Hills...specifically, to a place called Hay Creek Ranch in Nemo, South Dakota. The riding would be rugged but not steep, so guess who got invited! I was ecstatic; I'd always wanted to go along and do a trip like this.

I was even more excited to take the journey west when my BFF said she could go, too...so we got to planning. Soon it was time to head out...here's a day-by-day account (along with some snapshots :) of our trip to Hay Creek Ranch:


August 11, 2012
Stacy, Max, Mom & I met at the barn at 5:45am to get the horses loaded (trailer & truck had been entirely packed the day before, of course). We had a wheels-up goal of 6am; I believe it was 6:02 :) Met our "sister rig" at the gas station down the road and took off. Mom drove first; Stacy in front (I was confined to the back bench – with Zada on the floor next to me – since my back is bad and I need to lie down a lot). I was ready for a 12-hour-long drive in the car: I had taken a muscle relaxer and had Mom apply one of my several icy-hot bandages for my lower back.

Aaaand we were off.

We were the second rig so we got to see every detail when the string of baby raccoons ran across the road right in front of John...and he barrel-rolled the very last one. We watched in horror as the damaged baby tried to get up (my eyes were welling with tears) but as we drove by (it was in the other lane) it got up, shook, and tottered off. Whew. Crisis averted! We called that the first "Journal Entry" of the trip.

While Mom's truck is diesel and we didn't need to stop as much as the other rig (gasoline), we'd stop alongside them and top off the tank anyway, so as to stay together. I forget how many times we stopped in our 12-hour trip (5? 6?) but each time it'd be someone's job to fill the tank, someone else would have to head to the bathroom and I'd take Zada out to do her business and we'd check the three horses (Ben, Laredo & Tío). Then it'd be back in the truck and off again.

The last 10 miles or so of the trek were the slowest and most winding...the "driveway" into Hay Creek Ranch is a one-way dirt track that wends its way up and down, around hills and is surrounded by massive pine trees. We pulled in around 7pm. Doug – the owner of the ranch – greeted us, cleaned out our trailer after we unloaded the horses, told us where their stalls where & then hopped on the running board to guide Mom into a spot. He even helped her level it out in no time flat...he's obviously done this a time or two :)

Stacy & I were tenting it for the week but of COURSE as we were setting up our 10-person tent (I borrowed it; there was no way I wanted to spend a week getting dressed in a lying-prone position!), it started to rain...and then to lightning. We'd already gotten the tent assembled and didn't know what to do...we decided to wait to see if the weather abated and hung out in the back of Max's trailer, wet & cold.

The weather kept up and we knew there was no way we were staying in a tent during a storm, so we rented a bunkhouse for the evening. The three of us (Zada, too!) were snug as bugs in the cute little house – we referred to it as the "Paint Your Wagon" guest house.

August 12, 2012
The next morning we were rarin' to go – I was up at 5am and ready to start chores! By the time we'd mucked the stalls, fed the horses, and taken care of our own needs it was getting light out and we headed out for our morning walk. After ~15 minutes of walking (and talking) we were huffing and puffing, so we turned back for camp.

Then it was time for breakfast and to get ready for the day's ride – we missed the main group that left at 9:30 so we headed out around noon for a couple-hour ride led by Les ("The Cowboy") and Linda, who've been to Hay Creek before. In spite of the long trailer ride the day before, all of our horses were rested and ready to go (especially Tio, as evidenced by his antics almost the entire ride :). Beautiful country, and a wonderful ride!

When we got back, it was still sunny and warm so we cooled the horses off and let them graze a bit before putting them back into their stalls. Then it was time to sit around and solve world problems :)

Dinner this evening was courtesy of Patty & John W: finger-lickin'-good BBQ ribs with cole slaw, potato salad, veggies & bread. For dessert they served apple crisp with peaches & ice cream. YUM (even the dogs agreed it looked QUITE tasty :). We ate under the pavilion and chatted and listened to stories.

Zada took off after a resident "barn cat" that couldn't have weighed more than 1 pound...I felt sure it was going to be a snack but that damn bundle of fur puffed up and stood its ground and totally stymied my 70-lb German shepherd :)

To bed early – I think Stacy and I made it to 8:30 before retiring to our tent to read! Ahem. Well, SHE read; I just slept :)




August 13, 2012
Up at o-dark-thirty again to start our routine: bathroom, mucking stalls, feeding horses, exercises and morning hike. Went farther this morning; either we talked a bit less or were a bit more acclimated to the altitude (~5,300ft).

Back at camp, we got the horses tacked up and headed out with the big group – led by Doug on his mule Izzy – at 9:30am for a 5-hour ride. Stacy and I were at the back of the large group, since Laredo (aka "Rae-Rae") was a bit antsy. We fell behind a bit since the rest of the horses were power-walking. Once Rae-Rae settled down Stacy said, "let's trot to catch up." So we started off and a brisk pace and all of a sudden Stacy said, "um...I've only got one rein. One of them broke!"

She got Laredo stopped and I yelled up to the rest of the group – "Hold up! Broken rein!" – while she jumped off and started tying a makeshift knot on the broken rein. Doug came trotting back on Izzy to see if we were all right and needed to head back for more equipment; we said it was okay and off we went. Journal Entry.

We crossed lots of water on the ride, which is no biggie for the Bernier horses but Stacy's Laredo had to learn how to go through this scary wet stuff! We stopped for lunch in a beautiful little meadow nestled against a bluff, near a stream.

The dogs flopped down in the grass, panting; we humans sought the shade to eat our lunch and the horses grazed...all of them munched on the sweet mountain grass except Will. He decided the dead tree he was tied to was quite delectable. It was a beautiful spot, rife with photographic opportunities.

At one point this day we had to cross a small stream and right at the narrow, muddy place we had to take our horses over a cow had died so we had to get the horses to go over/around this very scary carcass. The Bernier horses were okay (although they all cocked an ear at the dead body) but many horses – and even Izzy the mule – did NOT want to get near that spot. It took awhile to get all the horses across.

Back at camp we cooled the horses down (we'd done some pretty big hills and it was a warm day), got them squared away for the evening and then settled in for a relaxing evening in camp. This night it was Mom's & Max's turn to feed us: they started out with chips & dip for an appetizer; main course was grilled pork tenderloin with cheesy potatoes and grilled peppers, onions & mushrooms. For dessert they served apple cake with caramel sauce & whipped cream. Stuffed ourselves silly.

Bedtime was about 8:30-9pm again! Stace & I got teased for being the "old ones" on the ride, going to bed so early :)

PS: they weren't getting up while it was still dark out!

August 14, 2012
Up at 5:30am for the morning routine again (mucking stalls, feeding horses, exercises, hike). Went even farther on this morning's hike – we were definitely getting used to the altitude and were already in better shape.

For today's morning ride we let Les & Linda dictate the trails again, so we had a nice, small group for our ride (couple of hours). We crossed more water – Rae-Rae was getting ever-so-much better at it; we didn't have to make sure his nose was right in Will's butt each time – and saw more beautiful vistas.

At one of our resting points Topper – John's Walker – decided his neck was itchy so he almost took down a small pine tree. Met some other riders from Hay Creek Ranch on the trail.

Went back to camp for lunch and then a smaller faction of us headed out for another ride in the afternoon. This time we let Max lead the way – she'd never been there before – which made for some VERY interesting riding on "practically" trails. As in, we'd hear her yell ahead from the waving foliage, "hey, this is practically a trail!" She had SO much fun that day and, frankly, so did I! There were a couple spots where we really had to maneuver around fallen trees or wend our way between the whipping branches of living ones.

After finding our way back to camp, we un-tacked the horses, hosed them off and let them graze in the sun while we had an adult beverage for happy hour. What a wonderful day of riding! I could really get used to this life :)

Once chores were done it was time to head to the pavilion for dinner. John was in charge tonight (well, technically his wife made it or told him how to make it, so she deserves honorable mention, even though she couldn't make it): chicken stew with mushrooms and carrots in a creamy sauce, biscuits, salad and corn. For dessert we noshed on pound cake with ice cream and whipped cream. FULL.

Bedtime was, for us "little girls" – you guessed it – before 9pm :)

August 15, 2012
I think this was the day I overslept...I didn't get up until 6am. Disgusted with myself, I hastened to catch up to my normal routine timeline :) Although today we weren't worried about catching the main group (led by Doug) for our ride; Stacy & I had decided to give our horses a day of rest and take the truck into Deadwood and Lead. Rae-Rae had started to stiffen up in his shoulders and Will was getting sluggish on the trail...we figured we'd play tourists for a day and let the ponies have the day off.

After our chores & morning walk, we decided to take our ponies for a stroll down the dirt road, where Stacy gave me my first lesson in natural horsemanship. Good stuff. I'll need to learn more about this way of "conversing" with horses. It really worked on Will (a 19-year-old Arabian who has little to no personal boundaries :).

We watched everyone else ride out with Doug & I took snapshots as they rode past...we'd planned on having a photoshoot with Stacy & Rae-Rae, but before that happened Zan (Patty's horse) got out of his stall and decided to hightail it after the receding group of horseback riders. Thankfully there was a fence across the only opening he could've followed them through so he wasn't too hard to catch (not that I'd know; I didn't help...while Stacy tracked him down & got a halter on him I took pictures instead!).

Then we had our planned photoshoot – Stacy wanted some good shots of Laredo for in case/when she decides to sell him. Of course, I couldn't help myself and had to take some sentimental, fun pictures, too :) Those are always my favorites!

Her little chestnut is so chock-full of personality and is so easy to "pose" for the camera...so we got to thinking we'd get some shots of Will, too, for Mom to have...nope. Not only is he NOT photogenic; he was having NONE of putting his ears up and looking happy. Sorry, Mom, the thought was there!

After we put the ponies back in their pen it was time to get on our cleanest dirty clothes and drive into "town" for a day of sightseeing. We were also looking forward to being able to use our cell phones (no reception at Hay Creek) and call our husbands.

We parked in a public lot and took care of the phone calls right away. Then we walked around Deadwood and ate lunch (and of course had a beer) at Saloon 10. After the museum we decided we were done there and got back in the truck to head to Lead. If I remember correctly we had to go there because we couldn't find a liquor store in Deadwood (we'd been instructed by Linda to bring back Bailey's Irish Cream for that night's dessert).

The countryside is so pretty there we just enjoyed the scenery and I took pictures through the window of the truck (I realized after taking pictures while driving it was probably best to let Stacy have the wheel, so I had her drive on the way back :). We got the booze like the good "little girls" we are and started making our way back to camp.



(Kinda hard to miss the main turn-off to head towards Hay Creek Ranch: just take a right at the Ferris wheel!)

Back at Hay Creek after our lazy day of touring, it was time to get down-and-dirty once more and take care of the evening chores before dinner. Once everyone was gathered at the pavilion I decided it was time for a group photo – so I set up my DSLR on the tripod and threw everyone together on the flattest part of the lawn I could find...which happened to be right by a 6-foot-tall pump. It's cute and everyone looks good but NEXT time I'm going to include EVERYONE (dogs AND horses!). Note for next year.

Les & Linda hosted this evening's dinner: a slightly-spicy and UBER-tasty mole de olla with beef, corn on the cob & potatoes...and of course some good soppin' bread! For dessert they served up sliced mangoes, ice cream and, of course, Bailey's :) SO. TASTY. Good thing I was hiking every morning!

Guess what time I was in bed? Yup. 9pm.


August 16, 2012
Up at the butt-crack of dawn per usual to start our ritual. This morning we had to hustle more since we were planning on heading out with the main group, led by Doug...but also it was our night to cook dinner so I needed to get some of the taco meat into the crockpot for Patty & John W to plug in while we were out on the trail.

It was another bright, sunshine-y morning...a perfect day to head out on the trail in the Black Hills. The group was smaller today; there were only 10 of us: our group, another couple and Doug. We were out for ~4½ hours and covered hilly terrain, flat meadows and – of course – the ubiquitous streams.

About halfway through our ride today Will took a big stumble and almost went down – everyone knows how I feel about THAT scenario (I've been fallen on one too many times in those situations) so I switched with Mom and rode Big Ben the rest of the day. He was, of course, perfect and didn't put a foot wrong...but I realized after a couple hours of riding his long, scooping walk that my back can't take his stride for very long :)

At one point we crossed a long, flat pasture and the horses had to scrabble atop a sort of drain hill which we rode on into the woods...but first they had to cross a little creek surrounded by marshy ground. Not all the horses were thrilled about this set-up; they all eventually crossed safely but Boomer (Bob's little Arab) decided to hightail it over – literally :) Bob stayed in the saddle, tho'!

Lunch this day was in a beautiful, serene, Serendipity-like meadow (à la Robin James' illustrations in Stephen Cosgrove's wonderful books). We took off the horses' bridles so they could graze, the dogs stretched out in the shade and we humans enjoyed the scenery and some food...which the horses soon realized might be very tasty :)

The ride back to camp was uneventful – no Journal Entries :) – and, after hosing down the horses and putting them back in their stalls, it was time to get crackin' on preparing dinner. Thanks to Patty & John W for tending to our crockpot meat while we were off horsing around all day! I think they also watched Zada this day – I left her tied to a tree in the shade by their motor home since she'd started limping a bit.

We chopped vegetables outside on the "front lawn" of P&J's motor home while sipping on delicious adult beverages. When everything was ready, we hauled it over to the pavilion and set up our taco stand: for starters we had chips & salsa and Stacy's homemade jalapeño butter with cream cheese & crackers; the main meal was chicken tinga (spicy) and chorizo (very spicy); flour tortillas; green onions, bell peppers, cheese, black beans, lettuce, limes and salsa; for dessert we offered up Stacy's homemade chocolate chip cookies.

While the meat got a tad spicier than I'd anticipated, everyone said it was really good and the tacos were a hit. If I remember correctly we had minimal leftovers! Success.

After cleaning up, it was time to sit around the pavilion and chat for awhile before giving a last check to the ponies in their stalls...and then off to bed. Early :)


August 17, 2012
Awake before first light to start our last day of riding at Hay Creek Ranch. Chores were followed by a brisk 50-minute walk, then saddling up the ponies for a quiet ride. This day Stacy and I decided to head out on the trail with Patty, just the three of us. First we had to have John W take a few snapshots of our little band, of course :)

We headed out on a trail "loop" that Doug had told us about; I think Patty had ridden it earlier in the week. I'm not sure we did the exact route laid out for us on our map, but we had a wonderful ride with just the three of us (and Zada).

The horses just strolled along the dirt tracks and we enjoyed the quiet ride through the woods. There weren't many streams on this ride but when we got to the first big mud puddle Rae-Rae finally figured out these wet things in the trail were not only not scary; he could quench his thirst, too.

Laredo had conquered crossing water on this week-long trip, and he also LED the trail ride on the last day! No big deal...he performed like a seasoned champ. It was fun watching him mature as a trail horse throughout the week.

We saw a lot of prospector holes on this ride – it was neat to see some of the history of the land.

Our ride was only ~2½ hours but we thought it was a good way to end the trip – an easy last ride and having the afternoon off for the horses before their long trailer ride home the next day.

Back at camp, after we hosed off the horses and let them munch on grass, it was time to start packing up what we could and get ready to break camp early the next morning. Stacy & I headed up to the office to settle the bill. Zada tagged along, doggedly refusing to let us go anywhere without her escort services.

We chatted with Doug in the cozy sitting area in his office and he gave us some magazines for which he'd written articles (he's not just a ranch owner and trail ride-leader; he's quite the natural horseman). He asked us to jot down our email addresses so we could keep in touch (I'd told him I was in the market for a big, well-bred Quarter horse and he said he'd keep an eye out :).

After bidding him a fond goodbye, we ambled back to our campsite sans Zada. I figured she'd gotten tired of waiting for us and had returned to camp to hang out with Mom. When we got back, she still hadn't made an appearance...I asked Mom if she'd seen my dog; she hadn't. Not concerned but curious, I started towards the tent to put my purse away and then realized Zada was inside. On her bed. Ready to be done for the day. She'd put herself to bed earlier than even I was ready to hit the sack :)

After evening chores it was time for another delicious dinner: tonight it was Heather & Bob's turn to serve us. They didn't have any appetizers but they opened up a big ol' jug of Carlo Rossi wine to pass around (they know this crowd well :). For dinner they'd cooked some of Bob's buffalo meat in the crock pot all day for buffalo sandwiches. They also served crisp, creamy coleslaw and baked beans as a perfect complement. EXCELLENT meal.

The only complaint with the eating area we had was the mass amounts of flies we had to fend off our food and drinks...finally, the last night I figured out how to keep the nasty pests out of my wine: with a souvenir pine cone I'd picked up out on the trail. Worked perfectly.

That evening, after we'd all stuffed ourselves with too much food, I decided to snap some portraits of everyone while we sat around telling stories under the pavilion. Unfortunately, one of our group (Sharon) had already left to head back home, so I didn't get her mug shot. (Next year I'll plan that better!)

The couple who rode with us today came over to hang with us and share in the story-telling; we exchanged email addresses so I could get them some of the pictures I took. Nice folks.

As the sun went down it was time for the evening check on the ponies: filling up their water, picking some apples & giving one last pat before bed. Some white tailed deer crept out of the woods behind the stalls to have a snack...it was a beautiful evening.

But, it had started getting pretty chilly at night so Stace & I broke down and let Heather loan us a feather bed she wasn't using...of course, instead of deflating ONE of our queen-sized mattresses and sharing one mattress and the queen-sized featherbed, we just pushed our beds together and shared the featherbed. Heaven forbid we share a BED together ;)

We set our watch alarms for 5am – we'd have to get up, start breaking down the tent, deflating the air mattresses and get all packed up and on the road by 6 bells!

Asleep by 9pm...

August 18, 2012
Woke up before the alarm this morning and got dressed under the covers – cold! It was really dark so we threw on headlamps and started breaking down the tent and air mattresses. We waited to do chores until it lightened up a bit – we couldn't see well enough to muck out – and got the tent & everything in it packed up.

We'd been charged with waking up "the adults" so proceeded to do that and then mucked out the pens for all our horses. Quick hugs goodbye to everyone who was awake and we were ready to start on the 12-hour return trip home. Target leave time was 6am; I think we were pulling out at 6:04!


The sun was just peeking through the trees as we drove the winding dirt road away from Hay Creek Ranch...while I was determined to stay awake longer on the return journey Zada was barely able to keep her eyes open for 5 miles. She was soon conked out dreaming beside me :)

Stacy was driving for the first leg, chatting with Mom while I took pictures from the back windows. Pretty soon I felt myself getting drowsy and the talk was dwindling in the front seats so I offered to plug in the iPod and cue up a playlist I'd thrown together for the occasion (country music, of course ;).

Pretty soon we were all bopping to the beat and perking up. More snapshots out the window and then, inevitably, I laid down and gave in to my muscle relaxer :)

At one of our gas stops, I hopped out of the cab to check on the horses. We'd left the trailer windows down so the horses could get some fresh air and I noticed Laredo's forelock was in a crazy, windblown tangle. Then I looked at Ben in the next stall – his forelock was perfectly coiffed, laying nicely alongside his forehead. It was just too perfect.

Several pit stops, gas-ups, and MANY hours later, we were rolling through the last 10 miles or so to the barn and we were greeted by slate-blue storm clouds, a smattering of rain and a welcoming rainbow.

Upon arrival at the barn, everyone was quick to get unloaded and then take off; Mom & I were the last ones, unloading from Max's trailer & re-loading in ours for the last little leg back to the Bernier Ranch & Spa...as we were hustling to get things moving we hit the last Journal Entry of the trip: Mom got cracked on the noggin by one of the drop-down windows on Max's trailer. She instantly got a lump and I ran to get the less-than-frigid ice pack from one of the coolers.

She drove home with it pressed to her head...the irony of course being she'd diligently worn a helmet the entire week while horseback riding. Who knew she needed it to unload the trailer?

I stayed overnight at Mission Narrows & the next morning started the 2 1/2-hour trip back to MY home and my husband. Everything was moving smoothly and the traffic was humming along...I stopped for gas near Milaca and then 2 miles later zipped by a State Trooper, who immediately pulled out behind me and threw on his cherries.

DAMN!

He asked me if I knew how fast I was driving; I said no...he grabbed my info & went back to his cruiser. Thinking, "oh well...he caught me, I'll have to pony up for a speeding ticket," I was shocked when he came back and said, "you know you were speeding, what's the hurry?"

I told him, "I've been in South Dakota horseback riding all week; all my clothes are dirty and smell like smoke, my dog's lame and all I want to do is get home and see my husband. I know it's not an excuse but there it is..." He looked in the window of my car at the complete MESS of stuff I had back there, with Zada's head poking up above the back seat...

He smiled while handing me back my license and said, "I'm going to let you off with a warning this time. Get home to your husband but mind the speed limit, okay?"

"Yes, sir," I replied.


And that, my friends, is the final Journal Entry of our week-long Out West Horseback Riding Trip, v.2012. Can't wait to see what next year's trip will bring...






*Thanks to Heather for providing HER journal ... it helped to look back & see her account*