Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
DH and I are hoping, planning and dreaming of a vacation this year. We want to take a week and go camp and trail ride with friends. After the year we have had I think we need some time away to relax and regroup. We are hoping to make the Knott County Trail Ride about 2 hours haul from our house. We have a group of friends who go each year and we look forward to riding with them.
We are thinking we will take Coffee and Godiva to ride and maybe take Ben for the experience and exposure. He will be 3 in April and we have been working him under saddle since late last summer. He has done well but he has not been worked much since winter set in. It's been so wet we can't get in the ring. He has been ridden up and down in the barn hall a bit and he does well. We have to get a farrier out to trim his feet and get him ready for shoes. That will be the deciding factor whether or not he goes on the trail ride. I hope we can get him taken care of in time. I think the ride would be good for him. The crowds are thin in the beginning of the week because the ride does not officially start until the Friday but we'd go the Monday before. I could get a lot of miles on him before the crowds pull in. And we have a 3 slant trailer so we might as well pull him along.
We need to get some work done on the trailer before can go. Tramp, the schnoxer pup, chewed the wiring so we have to have the plug rewired. It also needs a good cleaning and rearranging. I'd love to completely redo the living quarters to make it more user friendly but I don't see that happening before the ride. It's the first weekend in May so we will see if we get to go.
Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
Definitely have to have shoes in this area. Very rocky. It would be inhumane to ride one barefoot here. If barefoot was an option I'd take it in a heartbeat. I have thought of trying the boots but don't know if they work well. I have seen a few people with them but nobody I could talk to.
Coffee is putting on weight pretty well. We used a 5 day wormer on her and it turned her around. I would guess she has put on over 100#. She still has a boney rump and it may take a year or more to get that filled out but she has filled out well in the flanks, shoulders and neck. And she feels better. She runs and plays like a young filly when she is turned out. We had her blanketed in the barn to be sure she stayed warm. Didn't want her to lose an ounce of fat trying to keep warm. We were very pleased when we took it off a couple days ago. I think she will improve rapidly once we get to riding her again. A lot of her "gauntness" is that she has no muscle now. It has been over 3 years since she was ridden.
My experience with boots (Easy-Boots are all I've tried) is that they stay on rather platter-footed horses quite well but not more mule-footed ones - or variations of those extreme shapes.
How much conditioning will you need to do to get the horses fit enough for the trail ride?
Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
They are in pretty good shape because they were pastured on rough terrain ( lots of hill climbing ) before they moved into the barn a few months back. Ben will be the least fit of them all but he won't be worked hard if he goes. We won't work the girls hard either. We'll do the easy trails at a slow pace. I don't like to rush around anymore. The scenery is too pretty to miss.
Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
I hooked to the trailer and turned it around. It was against the hillside and there was a muddy pit by the living quarters door because of the water coming off the hill. I couldn't get in it to start cleaning it. Now the door is on the gravel drive. I took all the canned goods out, opened them and fed them to the chickens. They had a hey day. LOL The 3 cans of tuna went to the cat. I have tons more cleaning to do in it but I have not had another free day. I have quite a while yet so I am not worried too much. But I am getting excited!!
We have had a few nice days nd I turned the horses out in the ring to run. It was so much fun watching them buck, kick and roll around. Firefly is the ring leader but they all get in on the fun. Even Godiva who is 18 this year. She rules the roost and runs around making them all cow tow to her. It's funny to watch. I have Firefly for sale and quite a few people have shown some interest in her photo but nobody has come to see or ride her. It's a shame. She is a great horse with a rack to die for. So smooth and she is very spirited.
Coffee is doing great. She has gained a good 200# now and is filling out well. Looking forward to riding her.
Ben is really looking good and growing like a bad weed. He is taller than Godiva now and I look for him to pass his Momma before the year is out. I was worried he would not amount to much because of all the stomach problems he had as a young colt. But the probiotics straightened him out and he looks and acts like a different horse. He moves like his Momma as far as a high front end but he has a lot of his Daddy in his movements too. His sire was Peruvian Paso. Ben has a really nice rack and it is comfortable. His feet need work as he has never been shod and it has been quite a while since he has been trimmed. We are looking for a farrier now. Ours lives nearly 3 hours away and it is very expensive to get him to come so far. There are some around closer but it's hard to trust anybody new. There are a lot of quacks around and a bad trim can do a lot of damage.
Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
I spent yesterday working in the trailer. I have it almost all cleaned out. Now I have to put the tents up and check them for tears. It's been nearly 3 years they have been in the bags. I also need to air up all the mattresses and make sure they hold air.
I got to ride Godiva 2 days ago. She was lazy and she gave me a couple half hearted bucks but one tap on the shoulder with the riding crop was all it took to line her out. She is the one DH will ride on the trails so I want her to behave herself.
We have about decided that we will leave Ben at home. It will be so much easier just having the 2 mares to take care of while we are there and we can pack less feed, hay and supplies that way. I plan to take Firefly back to my other friend's barn and turn her loose on the mountain again. She keeps it clean for him and she much prefers being turned out.
Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
Thanks. There is so much to do to get ready. We have hardly ridden at all in nearly 3 years and we haven't hauled anywhere so nothing is where it belongs. We need cogs pulled again and we have to get the farrier out. I started scraping and brushing the inside of the hauling compartment on the trailer with a wire brush today. I will give it a coat of cheap spray paint to hold it for a while. I have to get the tents out and put up so I can check for any rips. I am going through all the air mattresses and blowing them up to make sure they don't have leaks. Have to get some of those plastic crates with lids to pack stuff in. So much to do!
In the midst of all this, I have to get the Easter egg hunt together for the kids and get prizes for that. Our youth leader resigned because she has bad health problems so it all falls to me. We have a ladies ministry meeting Thursday night, Steve's doctor appointment Thursday morning and my seed swap on Saturday morning at 10 before the egg hunt at 3. I need God to help me fit it all in and not forget anything. Please say a prayer for me.
Name: Cheryl Eastern Ky Truth should be everpresent.
I made it through the mad rush. The ladies meeting has been put off until next week. The seed swap was not attended well. It was cold and windy so I was not suprised. I did make a few trades with friends. Got some tomato seeds and a whole box of seed taters. I think I will move my swap to the Fall. the weathewr shouls be more predictable then and people can save seeds from their Spring gardens.
The egg hunt also had a low turnout but those who came had a good time. It had warmed up nicely by the afternoon and it was a beutiful day.
The vet came out and pulled cogs so that is out of the way. I rode Coffee yesterday. She is rusty but she didn't give me any trouble. Cut a bit of a shine when a strange dog popped up out of nowhere but as soon as she got her eyes on it she settled right down. She stumbled a few times because her feet are long but we have the farrier coming out Saturday morning to remedy that.
I have 3 suppers cooked and in the freezer for the camping trip. I need to do a bit more cooking. I also need to go ahead and buy the nonperishables and get those into the camper. Still so much to do but it's all coming together.
Cajun's Corner is the place where my friends gather to enjoy each other's company. To trade tips, funny stories, memories and tall tales. So, pull up a chair, take your shoes off and relax. Coffee is always on.
