Monday, September 30, 2013

Autumn Is Here




It seems the older I get the quicker the seasons change and the years fly by.  Autumn is my favorite season and has arrived with its colorful leaves and cooler temperatures. I wish I could live in a place that stayed this beautiful year round or at least the temperatures remained crisp and cool.  The herd seems to enjoy Autumn best too.  Who can blame them, fewer flies and no hot sun beating down all day.  In fact, the herd likes it so much we can rarely find them at night to bring them in, they prefer to stay outside and sleep under the stars.  So, they’ve been granted permission to think for themselves and let us know when they want to come in.

This is also the time of year we like to give the herd their pre-winter baths, mane shortening, tail trimming and sheath cleanings.  Last weekend Dusty was the first to enjoy her spa day.  Followed by hand grazing until she was mostly dry. Of course, the minute I turned her out into the catch pen she promptly rolled in the dirtiest spot she could find the minute my back was turned.  This Saturday was Blue’s turn for the full treatment also followed by hand grazing with treats. And yet, the second I turned him out he galloped all the way to the backfield without a look back. I wonder if they don’t especially appreciate being fussed over and clean but with my warped sense of hygiene I like to feel that they do.

On the riding front Dusty and I enjoyed a “welcome back mom” ride on Saturday.  I haven’t ridden her in almost two months, through no fault of her own.  In the beginning of August I was admitted to the hospital for a few days experiencing a lot of pain in my abdomen. After twelve hours in the ER and numerous tests: cat scans, ultra-sounds, MRI, blood tests and a lot of unauthorized poking and prodding they admitted me for a few days. The tests showed an abscess that was causing all the problems and I was given some heavy-duty antibiotics.  After being released I was home for a few weeks recuperating and was told not to do any heavy work to avoid rupturing the abscess so I basically followed the rules. When I took the dogs to the groomers I was lucky enough to contract a flu or virus.  That laid me low for another week.  Stuff happens and I’m feeling better now.

Back to Dusty and our ride.  I was fully expecting her not to be very enthusiastic about being ridden again. After all, she made me chase her around the catch pen with no intention of being caught for about five minutes. I had the rest of the herd on my heels as we followed her escape route. She’s the master of walking just fast enough ahead of me that I can’t get catch her and get the halter on her. Dusty should be a dance instructor, she’s great at leading a conga line around in circles.

Color me surprised when she was an absolute star at the mounting block and never moved an inch while I mounted.  We walked for a while because neither of us is in riding shape.  Although she’s in better shape than I am, after all she walks forty acres or more a day up and down hills just grazing.  Then we trotted a few times in each direction and did some figure eights at trot and walked.  She was perfect except for one thing, whenever I asked her to walk so we could end with that she’d walk a few steps then trot again.  Once we got the walk under control I dismounted. I’m certain she wanted to keep going but I don’t like to do too much when I start a horse back in work. I keep it short and upbeat so they might look forward to the next ride.  Or at least I hope they do.

Until next time
Quote for Today
When riding my horse I no longer have my heart in my chest, but between my knees.

17 comments:

  1. Oh my! You were very sick. I am glad that you are okay now.

    Your herd is lucky to have so much freedom and during such beautiful weather. Kudos for a great ride. Dusty looks great!

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  2. No wonder you have been under the radar! Very happy to hear that you feel well enough to ride and share a post with us. I am also loving this change in the weather. That Dusty is one gorgeous girl.

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  3. Glad you're finally feeling better and got in a nice ride - Dusty sounds like she was more than willing. I also love autumn above all other seasons.

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  4. That must be scary having to worry about rupturing an abscess. I guess your body decided that you needed a rest. Hooray for getting back on a horse after a long delay. That makes it all the more sweeter.

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  5. After the equine spa days, so under-appreciated, I hope you were feeling well enough for a few special days for yourself. Riding is the best therapy for both your glamour girl and you!

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  6. Sorry to hear you were feeling poorly A. Hope the lovely weather, a spin with Dusty in the arena, and even ungrateful equine spa days have lifted your spirits. :D

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  7. Glad to read you are on the mend.

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  8. Well, crud, sorry to hear that you've been feeling crummy. I am happy to hear you are on the mend now. I just love Dusty's dapples, she really is stunning. She sounds like she enjoyed being back to work too, and behaving for the mounting block..bonus!. Autumn in my neck of the woods is pretty much rain, I will miss summer, we had an exceptionally nice one this year, I think it only hit 90 maybe 2 or three days, the rest were pretty much low 80's, and no real humidity. I hope you can get in some good rides before the snow flies. Enjoy!

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  9. Oh man, you've had it rough :( Glad you're feeling well enough to ride again and the Dusty took care of you. She looked beautiful after her bath, too bad she had to roll ;)

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  10. So sorry about all the health issues. Glad you are better now as the weather starts to turn glorious!

    Dusty looks beautiful in the picture, but I guess a nice roll in the dirt was, in her mind, a necessity.

    Happy to hear you are back in the saddle. Here's hoping autumn's arrival will encourage us all to ride more.

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  11. So glad to hear you're feeling better! Autumn has arrived here too, with 4-5" of rain in the last 4 days and very gusty winds, power outages, local flooding...good-bye summer, hello winter! I'm still holding out hope for some beautiful Indian Summer weather this month. :)
    Sounds like a wonderful ride on Dusty! I'll bet she secretly enjoyed the change of pace. She's looking plump and happy.

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  12. So glad that you are on the mend and back in the saddle. And that fall is here for all of us! Here's to a lovely season with good rides and good health...

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  13. You poor thing, being in pain is no fun at all!!! Glad to hear you're feeling better, and that it wasn't anything awfully serious.

    Dusty's antics after her spa treatment reminds me of one of my dad's dogs -- a German Shepherd, each time after my dad gave him a bath, he'd race off to find the nearest cow pat (we lived near a village which had cattle) and have a good old roll in it!

    Wonder if that's Dusty's idea of a warm-up, leading you a merry chase before riding ;o) Sounds like you & her had a great ride :D

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  14. Gosh you have been very ill. I'm very impressed you even had the energy to keep reading other peoples' blogs! Delighted you are on the mend, and that sounds like a lovely ride with Ms Dusty.
    Hope the next one is even better.

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  15. Glad you are back in the saddle! What an awesome ride to welcome you back. :-)

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  16. I'm sorry you were sick! A bunch of our blog buddies have been sick; a couple of them with something serious. I'm glad you're okay now and back in the saddle. I'm the same way when I put them back into work. Very slowly and gradually. When I see the horses rolling after I give them a bath, I think they're trying to get my smell off of them. I heard the think we stink, lol.

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  17. Glad you are feeling better! That sounds like it was scary. I'm not surprised Dusty was careful with you when you rode--I think they can tell when we're not feeling 100%.

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