Sunday...Sunday...

...What a BEEEE-U-TEE-FUL SUNDAY!!!!

Dry and dusty was it's name
But I played with Nevel, just the same!
I found Nevel in a new paddock
With his new friend PISTOL

WHAT?  NO SNACKS?

So he gave me the cold shoulder for not having snacks in my hand!

 If he gets any cuter...it is going to HURT me!  LOL

Here he has chosen to muss up my hair with a good nuzzle

 "Are you sure you don't have a snack?"

"NEVELLLLL...I already gave you a TON of SNACKS

An APPLE

AND a bowl of feed...

...not to mention you nibbling on my HAIR

AND 

The saddle pad

AND

My water bottle!!!!! "   : )

Here his cuteness gets a saddle pack on for the first time!

Now he can run away with my camera 

and other important items when he dumps me off!

By the way, we had a good short ride in the arena

He broke into a great canter

We decided to try it again and it was...

BUCK BUCK BUCK X 6

Thankfully small enough 

That I managed to stay on...

RASCAL!

More trotting until he was behaving with his ears UP!

 Fun Horsey Wine Bottle Stopper at home

 And

Two more...how cute are they?  LOL

 And this below is a friends horse in Virginia

Braving the cold and snow!

Dear Sweet Pea

Massage Expected

Crew the Tevis @ mile 50?
Massage expected?
You or the horse?
Both
Darn these 100 mile riders are needy!
;0)

Sneak Preview

My last three weeks have consisted of a lot of construction dust

and making multiple trips walking to and from the Main Hospital

 where we were temporarily doing surgeries

(5 miles I walked the first day-2-3 thereafter when we were more organized)

My "home base" was being revamped and updated in to the 21st century

New Lights

Walls painted white

(previously that institution green!)

 Video Equipment that no one will know how to work?

Now it is time to roll in the O.R. Bed, Tables and Anesthesia Equipment.

I CANT take it Anymore!!!!

Time for some FRESH AIR!

I collected Nevel around noon on today and took him to the round pen.

He did some head tossing, but was basically compliant.

Then I saddled him up...

BUCK BUCK BUCK BUCK BUCK

Obviously M. has not had a saddle on him?

I switched out the Fat Toklat pad for the Skito.

Still a few bucks, but then Nevel settled in.

I lunged him in the Arena

My dream...LOL

Then decided to mount...he kept stepping away from the mounting block

So Sue stood by his head while I jumped on.

Pronto arrived (Turns out that Pronto and his mom were dressed in turquoise and purple just like Nevel and I were...no pictures though  : (
We did some sauntering around in the arena while Bleu was cantering around jumping.

Soon Freeman was ready to go and I decided to just saunter down the lane with Pronto and Freeman.

Nevel was doing well, so we crossed the road and strolled through the Big Wood with them

When we reached the Meadow I decided to call it quits while we were ahead.

Nevel did not appreciate being separated from his pals and planted his feet,

Then tried a severe head toss and a slight leap sideways

But he soon decided that I was the boss and we made it back home safely.

Great short ride to start our riding experience together.

Thanks Pronto and Freeman!

And today....

My thighs
My arms
I feel like someone beat me up...
Oh...
I guess SOMEONE did!
I take full responsibility
For pushing Nevel past his limit.
It's ok...he still loves me...
I think!
Especially if I have a carrot or two!  : )

HI ! My name is MAJOR !

(Please note...this is not intended to offend any one...
Major has the bestest mom in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!
He Even told me that HIMSELF....
However, now that he is in cahoots with Nevel who is paddocked
across from him, I am getting all kinds of stories...and am starting to
wonder about Major's sense of reality...
also...
If I had gotten a picture of Pronto covered
in Mud...we might have had a REAL story going here!)

"I am an endurance horse...sometimes...
when I feel like it...
My mom sometimes calls me a JERK...
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT????
She treats me extremely well really...
If anything...I am truthful!
She LOVEs me and feeds me lovely treats
But the "name calling in the public forum??? REALLY????
I heard from Nevel that his mom calls him mean names too!
What is WITH these human females...so WISHY WASHY....
First they say:
"ooooooh I LOVE you"
"Next thing you know it is....DAMN JERK! "

"Now take a look at my picture...
Does that look like JERK material to YOU?
REALLY?"

STIFF

5 HOURS Post my lovely "walk" with Nevel jerking me down the trail for MILES...
 I am as stiff as a steel pipe in a frozen wasteland!

I think a hot shower and some advil are on the menu...

PROMPTLY!

The little sweet GOLDEN beast!
hhhmmmm..time to get back on and ride...
I believe "HE BE HEALED!!!!"

: )

The past has passed-Life in itself IS ENDURANCE

The prior stories do not even cover the emotional I was travailing through during all of Nevels injuries...
I had personal trauma, Work trauma with my boss, personal illness, school, school and more school that required 4 10 page papers to be written in an 8 week timeframe-not to mention the exams and other assignments that went along with them.
At Thanksgiving-on the verge of breakdown (and I don't breakdown-at least not easily) I grabbed the last seat on a plane to Montana to go visit my mom, step-dad, sister and her family and grandkids.

It was a welcome break...only it WASNT a break...because I had an exam to take while there.  I was cruising through the Exam when I received a phone call from Animal Control saying my dogs back in CA  were being a barking nuisance and they were going to site me....WHAT????  A "friend" was SUPPOSED to be putting the bark collars on and off the dogs while I was gone!

So I attempted to text and call him, at first no answer, but finally he did answer and went immediately to my house to care for the dogs.

I then had the final half of my exam to finish before time ran out....I struggled, I couldn't think...and also Mike called and asked about Falcon.  Prior to me leaving I had discussed with him about moving Falcon to a new home...but had still been putting it off.  I had so much emotional trauma going on I couldn't bear dealing with Falcon too, but I KNEW I just could not get back on and ride him...AND it was EXPENSIVE to just keep him as a pasture pet.  I just kept having mini panic attacks while riding on him...When Mike called, it was like the straw that broke the Camels back!!!!!

I told Mike to go ahead and move Falcon while I was gone...I couldn't deal with it...nor felt that I would be able to move him myself with breaking down in to a heap of tears.

I managed to get a 68/100 on the test! UGH....there went my A in the class...but I am happy to say that I did end up with a high B in the class!

That said, I healed from my emotional and health trauma, passed my two classes, working on the Boss/work relationship and in a much much happier place for 2014!!!!!.
Personally I give the credit to God and the people that God put in my life to support me through the traumatic experiences.  Both my mom and step-dad just held me when they came home and found me in a ball of tears over Falcon...so supportive.
I've done trauma without God and with God...and I will take the path with Him any day of the week!

So, this blog that I started for Falcon and I has now ended in the framework of Falcon.  I get choked up still thinking about how life changed for the two of us as partners...but it is for the best for both of us.
However, I do plan to continue on at present with Silly Nevel.  One never knows...and for certain Life itself IS ENDURANCE!!!!~!

Weekly Visits

The best I can manage is a once Weekly visit to Nevel.  The days are too short and it is Dark when I get off from work.

Primarily the visits consists of Apples, Carrots, feed and Dressing Changes...with a brushing and maybe a Tail wash thrown in for good measure after a good race around the Arena.
Now the grass in the lane is Greening, we are restarting our "Grass Walks."

Today, I turned Nevel loose in the Arena...He ran, and ran and ran and jumped over the jumps and bucked and carried on.  Being kept in a paddock by himself is not good for his activity level.  He had been turned out with Drummer and they raced all around playing hide and seek in the trees, but T was afraid Nevel would rip his leg back open so he was once again banned to paddock life.

After his Arena run today, we did a Grass Walk and then headed for the "BIG WOOD"  He was well behaved and we meandered down and across Sewer Road to the High Meadow Road.  Past the junk piles we went, past the 6 + Million Dollar houses and on and on towards Folsom Lake.
This is the last calm moment of the day...

 They say it is a Mile and a half to the Lake...but when Nevel started behaving like a maniac, whinnying, dragging and half rearing, I decided it was MUCH longer than the lake.  But we did make it halfway down the steep hill to the Lake Bottom when I noticed how dry the lake was.  I could not even see any water...and Nevel was SO dragging me back up the hill.

At one point I slipped in the gulley and found myself staring up at Nevel high above me-I was literally hanging on to his lead rope to keep myself upright.  Thankfully he did not take off on me...but I would not have minded if he had dragged me out at that point!

We Circled, he drug me, we circled, he drug me....my heart was racing and I couldn't find a decent tree to tie him to so I could rest.  Whinney, drag, circle, whinny draggggg circle...ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? he wouldn't even STOP to eat GRASS !!!!

Then he got ugly on me...tired of circling and in an open meadowy place he decide to haul off with laid back ears, shook his head, reared up and then tried to take off on me....I hung on for dear life and yelled for him to WOAH!!!!!

Thankfully he did as I jerked his lead rope hard.  He was getting prancer and madder by the moment...drag, circle, push me in the ditch, circle drag...push me in the bushes....AGHAAAAA

A woman on her horse appeared...her horse was prancing in place as she asked if she could help me...I said I needed help, but from the looks of her sweaty prancing horse...she would not be my Angel of Mercy....

So we kept going....Circle, drag, circle drag, half rear, shake head..."hhhhmmm maybe I will bite her arm since she won't give me a snack attitude!"  BAD BAD BAD NEVEL...I was too exhausted to even be mad!

I thought he would slow down at the parking area...or even after we crossed the street...but NOOOOO
Whinny whinny whinny at horses in their pens....stomp around, shake head...NOT EVEN eat his FAVORITE grass by the Mossy Rock!!!!!

Ok...DRAGGGGGGG me up the hill he did...Mind you...this WAS on foot.  I was not on his back.
As far as I am concerned that 3 mile round trip was REALLY FIVE MILES with all of our circling!
Surely it was!

I tied him up and let him stand at the barn while I rested.  When I fed him I reapplied his bandage only to find myself  dizzy blacking out.  I plopped quickly on a rock and immediately regained my senses!  Good grief!  I think I over did it a bit?   I just got over a 5 day respiratory illness.... crazy me!

So here is...All lovey dovy back in his Paddock looking for SNACKS!!!!!

Playing CATCH UP !!!

Wow, it has been a LONG time since I last posted on Nov. 12th!
Nevels Leg has made a miraculous recovery-although it is still in the healing stages.
You can look at previous blogs for the history on this injury...but I have included a few pics of the stages of the healing process.

I hate to say it, but this wound almost healed due to neglect!  I refused to call the Vet out because the wound was full of mud, not bleeding and had obviously been like that for 2 days since the Trainer had been with him 3 days prior to the injury.

Also, initially, I was hosing it out everyday...then was unable to get out to the barn.  Theresa was a tremendous help with this as was Mike the trainer for awhile.  Then things seemed to fall apart and I came out 3 days later and found that the bandage had not been changed...so I took it off, hosed him, but on the WELL HORSE and repeated the same thing 3 days later.  Initially there was a small amount of drainage and we used ladies pads, then I switched over to Telfa-non-stick with the coban wraps.
Now I change the bandage once a week that it is healed...just there for protection.  A Miracle for SURE!

Initial wound when after Chris found him and Theresa hosed it out with a garden hose and betadine

This is the left fore

 Same wound different view

Treatment included Hosing, Betadine, Well Horse and 5 days of Uniprim

 The right hind had a slice and divet.   I haven't further photographed the hind

but the diver is now gone and the slice/crack remains deep but growing out.

 Bandaged prettily at Christmas time.

Prior to this we had a big leg wrap on it to prevent him from biting the wound which he would do at times and made it bloody and nasty!

 This photo was taken about 2-3 weeks later I believe

A Month Out

 Here we are at Christmas time...CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?????

 And Here we are on JAN 1, 2014 !!!!!!

 I am keeping it bandaged as it is still a little soft and bleeds easily when bumped.

Nevel is not impressed with Orange Wrap!  

His favorites are Green, Blue, Purple!