I Can't Ride

It has been two weeks and my left side is still torn up and painful.  I am setting a goal to ride next week end at some point-even if it is to just walk around the arena.
In the meantime I can hike.  Yesterday we parked at the lower staging area on Lomida and hiked 6 miles-the trail that I like to ride on and the one that I doubt I will ever ride on again:

Flowers are still blooming and Bees a-buzzing

The metal heap by the side of the trail is overgrown with grass

The yellow version of poppies are now blooming

 A challenging area of the trail which Falcon has actually maneuvered beautifully

The Folsom Lake at the end of the rocky trail

The trail (Pioneer Express Trail) where Falcon spooked and dumped me

Actually he dumped me after we got out of the below chute.

The picture does not demonstrate how narrow this trail is

 This portion of trail is really only wide enough for a horse.

My leg scraped on one of the walls/root and managed to terrify Falcon

 The lake was beautiful in the early evening

 The M.G. did not believe that I knew where I was going and tried to head 

for the Sterling Point staging area.  He was suspicious when I headed in the opposite direction

towards Barking Dog trail (or whatever it is called)

But I knew where I was going!

M RIGHT!  ha ha

Afterwards we drove over and fed the "Ponies some snacks"

"Hey Freeman-get away from my snack girl!"

"You gotta apple for me?"

"Nevel-you don't deserve one!"

Escaping the Heat and Depression

It was quite miserably hot this past weekend.  My partially de-gloved finger was stinging like hell fire
Maybe I will remember to wear gloves if I ever ride again!
(this might be a gross pic for some of you! But I have pretty flowers at the end of the post!)

I felt ill Friday and Saturday-and perched on an icepack all of Saturday.  I could barely move and the pain in my left back was tempered only with ibuprofen.
X-rays said I wasn't broken-but a week out and feeling worse?

In the evening the SO and I went over and fed the ponies some carrots and apples.  The flies were attacking them and we walked Falcon up to the barn for a good dosing of fly spray.  Amazingly I felt fine while walking.  Sitting was my downfall.  I brought the spray back to the pasture with us and gave Nevel a good dose as well.

On Sunday I really needed a break and something to take my mind away from my continued horsey depression drama.

Point Reyes National Seashore was the answer-a 35 degree temperature difference too-on the cool and windy side-WOW what a difference from home!  It was mostly foggy-but the air was fresh!

Douglas Iris claimed the hillsides

 Seals and their pups claimed the Sand

 and

A few gulls claimed the Surf.

 Handsome Elk grazed on the cliffs above Drakes Bay

 The old boat still clings on in fragile repose in Inverness

 The heady perfumed scent of thousands of yellow bush lupine superseded the salty ocean air

 and gazillions of other spring flowers could be found everywhere!

Ice Plant

Silly Snotty Seals

Mr Handsome

Pretty in Pink

Walking on the Edge

I Love Point Reyes!

The Heavens Proclaim His Glory

Limping Along

Blah, don't think I will ride this weekend.
I haven't even been out to visit the "brats" all week.
The bruises on my left side have turned a darker purple-but are threatening to lighten up.
I am limping along-but fortunately no broken bones
Getting in and out of the car is difficult, so I can't see myself clambering up on a "pony"

Does anyone have a big roll of bubble wrap to wrap me in before my next ride?  : )

Greased Watermelon

Did you ever play that game in the pool when you were a kid...

Where they greased a watermelon

and your team had to try  to be the first one to get it out of the pool in one piece?

Ok, so moving on  I had all types of titles thought up for this blog

Like

"Beaten and Bruised"

"Purple and Green"

That sort of thing

So here is the Purple and Green because 

I can't or won't show you my back and hip and butt and left thigh.

The flowers near the arena sure are beautiful aren't they? 

 Flight of ideas you say?

Well, it was a GORGEOUS day for a ride!

Falcon and I met our friends Martha/Reuben and Kim/Cruise

And we headed for Lake Folsom.

We had some minor issues.

Falcon handled a flock of Turkeys beautifully.

Then proceeded through all of the narrow "gates" to "barking dog" trail except the next to the last one where all of the horses refused and backed

refused and backed

Falcon got brave and rushed through

Then

Martha's young horse's butt bumped in to Falcon's butt while I was tightening the cinch

Falcon spooked...dummy...I circled him and proceeded.

But BUTT BUT it WAS a beautiful day at the lake!

We were having a lovely ride-yes we were.

Then Falcon Spooked when Cruise step on a fat branch that snap/crackled and popped.

I went off like a greased watermelon-shooting in to grass and weeds.

Falcon trotted on up the trail then stopped when no one followed.

I was able to catch him and re-mount

We rode further-uneventfully.

The lower trail was covered in water, so we took the higher trail and had to pass through a very very narrow area with walls of dirt up to the horses bellies on either side.

We were almost out of that chute when my phone case on my leg scraped the dirt wall and Falcon bolted -ramming right in to Cruise then he attempted to scramble up a steep embankment.

I tried to bring him around-it was a nightmare-I could see a pretty steep drop off to the lake on the other side of me.  Maybe trees would have caught me, I don't remember.  I only remember seeing Cruise's red legs.

I was physically stunned.  That fall had hurt badly!

The other Kim was yelling out to Martha that she couldn't hold Cruise.  I drug myself up into an upright position and told her to go on with Martha-I was all right.

Falcon somehow got past both Cruise and Reuben and once again took off up the trail.

Trotting just fast enough not to be caught.

I started walking...and walking and walking...but lost sight of them quickly.

By now Falcon would be on trails that he recognized and would be heading for home.  BLAH!

I called T and asked if someone could drive to the parking area in case he showed up there and to block him from crossing Lomida.

Then I saw 6 horses in the meadow far away and called T back to release her from the parking area.

They had Falcon and brought him to me.

I attempted to remount, but Falcon kept moving, so I kept him circling until he stood still.

I was so sore I could barely climb aboard.

We looped around the Meadow and then headed up Sewer road just as relaxed as could be

 when suddenly 

He DANCED-PRANCED, bucked and bucked.

I was so off balance and my friends said my arms were up and out

no doubt that caused him to then rear.

Off he went again-this time to the trail on the left.

I sent Martha and Kim up sewer road to hopefully cut him off as he headed to the home trail.

I walked

and I walked

and I walked.

I found him in the parking area munching on grass.

He nickered and walked over to me..."mom, where are my snacks?"

I was so sore-I had walked probably 4 of the 5.7 mile "ride"

After I hosed him off I notice two "welts" on his leg and belly-

I am hoping that explains my last "greased" flight-maybe he was stung by some bees????

Also, my new irrideons felt like they were greased-I had no "sticking power" with them on!

I had cursed at him and decided I was DONE with him.  

At home, I sat in the shower and cried

He and I were doing so well.  What happened this weekend?

Saturday it was the TURKEY-but I also had a stomach bug and was hot and dizzy

Not a good recipe for riding alone!

Sunday I was already sore from my Saturday fall and with each fall I got more and more battered and bruised.

I am too damn stubborn for my own good!  I should have just walked him home after the 2nd fall.

Instead now I sit

Please don't ask me to get up!

But I will quit this epistle and maybe someone (not Falcon) will knock some sense into my head!

I thought I was fine...

after my fall yesterday-nothing hurt at all except my bottom lip-
Today-of course a different story.
Sore left shoulder, hip and thigh-

Ok, at least it was my left side
In the past it has always been the right

It is good to be balanced!

Where is my ADVIL?

Planning on Hitting the Trail

...and NOT with my BODY...
...With Martha and Kim...
More later!  :)

Hot and Dusty...and Eating Dirt

No pictures today-I am wasted.
My stomach was off kilter and I probably shouldn't have gone riding-but I did.

Falcon was well behaved-let me mount and stood still.
10 a.m. and it was smoking hot in my book- maybe around 80.
The woods were nice and cool though-no snakes either.

We sauntered along and made it almost to Sterling Pointe...WHEN...
I saw a large head with beady eyes looking at me.  It was a TURKEY basking right in the middle of the trail.  She didn't move either.
I could only see her head because of the tall grass and also a bend in the trail.

Falcon planted his feet and in a split second that TURKEY FLEW up and out and Falcon air-planed sideways, dipping down low to the left while spinning to the right at the same time.  I went off so quick-and was thankful that I landed in tall grass-no rocks or snakes-but did bump my bottom lip in the dirt -somehow.

Falcon stopped then took off up the hill-gone-gone-gone!  Oh great-he had all of my water.
Luckily I had my phone in a Cashel Anklet and I whipped it out and called Mike who had been at the farm when I left.

I was fine-but was worried that Falcon would dash for home -through the woods would be fine-but I was terrified that he would make it to Lomida and run in front of a car to get home.

I started walking-ugh it was hot-passed two ladies riding and gave them my phone number in case they saw Falcon.

Walk, Walk Walk, made it to Sewer road-Mike called-relief-he had Falcon.  Falcon had been madly dashing up the trail when he saw Mike.  The GPS said he had been going 10-14mph average.
We walked the rest of the way home.  I would have ridden, but Mike said no, not sure why...but was too tired and hot to ask.

Later I got Nevel out to work and he was Mr. Hop Along Cassidy at the canter to the right-Great, now he is LAME!  WHY?  no heat, swelling or cuts.  But then T told me she saw him up to his shoulders in the pond yesterday so maybe he pulled a ligament or made his shoulder sore clambering out of the muck.

Maybe I will try Falcon out again tomorrow.  He needs to practice going through the gates to "Barking Dog" trail anyway-but maybe someone will be around to ride with.