Wordless Wednesday....Trio :)

Poker Ride 2015

Every Thanksgiving Weekend on the Saturday our community has a poker Ride.  Its called the Doan Andrus Memorial Trail Ride.  Its named after my neighbors husband who passed away from MS a few years ago.  I haven't made it every year but I try to cause I always have fun.  Since I am in that horsemanship Challenge I brought Jessie.  It was a good 2 hours from start to finish.  Weather was just beautiful was a warm 27*C when I left there, crazy warm weather for this time of year.

(starting the ride)

(Over the hill)

(Jess is sore on the gravel so we tried to find a way around the road

 and we got up high)

I got there just after 10 and not too many people are there so I got Jess all ready and then a few more people came and so got my start of the poker hand and helped other people get ready.  A few years ago I sold a horse to Janice and they keep telling me about him whenever I see him and this time they brought him.  He was fat!  But still the same ol good Henry, wanting to go faster all the time, but not being too bad.  Been a long time since I seen him, I think we figured 6 years, hes 13 now, wow time flies.

(Golf stop)

(got to the river)

(Through the trees)

(good thing its mowed through the path)

We started going down the trail and it was sure busy at the first stop, everyone got there at once.  It was OK since we visited with everyone down there.  And they had a golf ball challenge, person who hit closest to the mineral tub took it home.  Holli has never golfed before but boy she hit a good one and was less than 3 steps away, she won the tub which was funny since she has no cows.   But her brother does so I suspect hes getting it.

(and more river)

(Standing on a hill looking back)

(And looking ahead)

(Henry and Johns blacks at a poker stop)

(There were those scary shacks on this hill)

(Made it out of the river)

(Johns team)

(Ember on Jess)

(trying out the water in the tire)

After that I rode with Janice as well and then she slowed up a bit so I ended up riding the second part by myself which actually worked out well since I could go whatever speed I wanted and stop to take some pictures and enjoy the scenery.  Sometimes when riding with others I am so busy visiting I forget to look around.

When we come back up top I saw Janice over to the side trotting circles and stuff and then John put his wagon in a trot, that was cool, so we loped over there, I thought maybe shed want to race but no so we just went to the next stop.  I got off and some cute little girls who need a pony asked if they could sit on my horse, so sure they did and one rode her around, Jess was a little unsure what to do it was cute.  Then her sister got on and she led her around and that was much better cause I didn't have to :)  Jess was so good.  Then we got on and were a little behind so I loped up to the wagon and the kids thought that was fun.   We had lunch and really good cookies.  They called out the winners and I wasn't one of them, again.  But it was worth it anyways.

(Back at the trailer, with Henry ahead)

(Jess got a little sweaty cause it was so warm and shes getting winter hair)

(the route)

Moving Cows and Treating Calves

Lots going on around here but for now will just mention Monday.  I was just going out to catch Jess and go riding and Neil says he is gonna move his cows out of the oat field so I asked if he needed help and of course he says yes so we had a job for the ride :)

(sure is pretty riding through the trees)

I headed out and its 2 miles to the field so its kinda slow.  Neil takes Bob(the side by side) and so he's faster so I got a head start.  And then he starts at the far side and I come down the road and make sure they don't go down that way.  At least that was the plan.  He went and got a few from the far side and I was still on the way, as I got closer I could see going towards the road would get in the way of the cows coming out the gate but there was some farther down the fence so I went towards them and even though I was on the outside of the fence the cows kept running towards the other cows, was weird to be on the wrong side of the fence though.

(I love the shadow we make )

(Jess looks toward Bob like a friend horse)

We got them out and the cows really wanted to go somewhere else not just out the gate so since he was gonna move them North in a couple days we decided to move them there now.  Well Neil was gonna close the gates and open the ones for the new field and he saw a sick calf.  So while he was taking a picture of it and texting the vet I went to the far side and started gathering those cows.  We were not sure it was water belly (my thought) or a rupture (Neil's thought)

(following the cows into the gate, Jess is a little sore on the gravel 

but she would rather that than walk in the ditch, her choice)

I got the few out of one field and the gate to the alfalfa field was open and so I had to get off and close the oat field gate so they wouldn't go in there and I am so awkward getting on I needed a low spot to put Jessie and then my saddle slipped and so I fixed it and then I saw a rock and so I used that.  I never realized I kept the video on for all of it but I did.

(Little long but I even cut it shorter, 

was 11 minutes but rest was just walking)

The cows run to the dugout and I just followed then and they kept going towards the other cows and by then Neil came up and they were going towards the gate and sick calf didn't wanna go so I left him and followed the cows through the gate and he brought sicky home to the corrals.  I was ahead of him so I opened the gates right into the corral, and he closed the gate where the cows went.  Worked well.  I like that he uses Bob  and so he can close all the gates (well almost)

(there's the dugout)

(I think this pic is really cool, 

I was trying to get the clump grass

 and it looks like the world is round here )

(everything looks so far away in my go pro)

It was a good 2 hours and almost 6 miles.  Pretty good workout for both of us.  Its much easier to ride by myself when I have a job to do.

(sicky is the middle one, not looking at me and not the cow)

(he was quite happy to be left behind)

Turns out the calf had water belly and the vet come out just as Neil got to the corral and he was bloated and not looking good.  Vet figured he had maybe till morning but he had seen others who lived, but with the bloat there was something else going on not just water belly.  And it had been 3 days since Neil looked at the cows and so it coulda been anytime between that and Monday he got a blockage.  Vet says quite often its runty calves and its caused by not enough water and salty feed.  Hes not surprised this year cause it was pretty droughty for most of the summer and if he had a low milking mother coulda happened.  he wasn't really a runt though.  First one I've seen here in 11 years, kinda weird.  I had never seen it on nursing calves but I guess it does happen.

(poor guy, but he sure felt better after that)

He treated the bloat and he looked a lot better after that.  Figured his bladder didn't burst it was a blockage in the urethra and so he cut a couple holes in his belly and boy did it leak out, some blood but mostly urine.  He said if he lives he will just constantly leak out there, it will get kinda rotten on his belly then heal up and be fine in about 3 months then we sell him and he should grow up normal.  poor guy he was not feeling good but looked better after he was less bloated.  We put him in a small pen and he had a good drink of water but had no interest in feed.  Tuesday he still looked good no interest in much and this morning he was lying there dead.  Kinda felt bad for him, I was hoping he'd pull through but looks like he just laid down an died :(  Probly for the best but still a sad way to go.

Hanna Rodeo All Horse Parade 2015

I'm in a new challenge again this fall, same group as the winter one but this is a shorter one and easier time for me.  Its the 4321 challenge.  so its 43 days and 21 hours horsemanship.  Im in at 3 hours so far.  it goes till the end of October so I have lots of time and doubt I will have trouble finishing this time. I picked Jessie cause I kinda wanted to get her in shape and riding again if I am gonna sell her and get another cutter.  Well I went to the Hanna Rodeo Parade today, perfect its in my challenge time.  They started it a little later than last year I think and so that was handy for me, never had to leave home till 9.  On a Parade day?????? I know pretty spoiled here :)

(I was so worried about her feet since she wasn't shod this year, 

but it was all pavement and didn't seem to bother her, if there was gravel 

I probly wouldn't have gone)

Got up there and brushed her clean, its hard to get her shiney when shes shedding summer hair and getting fuzzy but I did as good as I could, white legs and face.  And then put goop in her hair and realized I forgot a mane and tail brush.  Oh well used my body brush and it worked fairly well.  Was all ready and just sitting around visiting till parade time, that was nice.

(they had this cute little donkey dressed in overalls and a straw hat.  

She woulda gone in the parade but didn't wanna walk that far)

(Jess wasn't sure what that weird thing making a lot of noise was)

(also map my runned it, I love that program)

Its kinda a cool route too cause they go up the  road to the Old Folks Home and all the people sit outside to watch.  Then over to the Lodge, where a lot of them used to use horses so they love seeing that.  Then up to the hospital, we loop around the parking lot and the nurses wheel them out and they get to see it too.  Then down to main street where most of the viewers are.

(Close to the beginning)

(going by the Lodge)

All in all a good morning, a little chilly and cloudy but still warmer than last year.  Its too bad it was cloudy though cause the pictures don't look as good.  I'm hoping someone got a pic of me in the parade since Neil didn't come this year to take one.  I got a few off my go pro but I'm not in any, just my pony.

(Jess gets her goodies in the trailer after we are done)

(her favorite part of getting rode, lol the grazing afterwards)

(Neil thought he would put the cat on Jess, Jess was fine with

 it, the cat didn't want any part of that though.)