Natural Christmas Decor on the Trail

And then THIS happened

 Why is it that people don’t DO  what they SAY they will do?

Why not just be honest?

Or maybe you are older and your memory is failing?

People at the barn felt sorry for Persee because he was being tortured by flies.  They asked if they could put a fly mask on him..and actually did even tho I had said no!  It really isn’t worth it.  The mask is continually found trodden in the dirt.

Fly spray, roll on, SWAT, equi spot-nothing worked...and then he developed an oozing wound on his belly from fly bites.

Well here he actually has it protected with straw and dirt

After cleaning

After application of Well Horse.

 One of the gals even applied Silver Spray on it.

I asked the barn over if she thought he needed a vet prior to this and she had said no (I was in North Carolina at the time and had asked her -after she volunteered, to keep an eye on it And she said she would treat him daily.  I also agreed to pay her and told her where to find my medical supplies.

It was during this time that another boarder took a picture and texted it to me-open and bloody with flies and BEES ON IT!!!

I WANTED TO CRY!  I felt helpless and would not be home for another 5 days.  She gave a contact for another boarder willing to help me.  This gal was an angel sent from heaven.  I immediately called the barn owner and let her know someone else would be taking care of Persee

She treated it every day for me and sent me updates.  After I returned home she alternated days with me.

I asked her about the barn owner-she shook her head, not wanting to say too much except-“don’t depend on her to follow-through on anything.“

We thought it was getting better,  then it opened up again while I was in the Eastern Sierra for a week.

On return I called the vet out.

Dr. Howard from Loomis Basin decided it was a Summer Sore and proceeded to sedate Persee and scrape all of the granulated tissue from the wound.  It was then injected with lots of steroids to help knock out the inflammatory process.

Sorry!  I don’t know why this pics load sideways and upside down...can’t seem to change it!!!  Grrr!

Sedated

After being scraped

Persee gets a fly sheet with belly band

Nevel got one too but it was’nt long before he had it upside down...so he only wore his two days.  Persee ripped big holes in his by the third day but the belly band still works!  

Two weeks later a vet was out again for shots, sheath and teeth work and also gave Persee another injection of steroids in his wound.  It seems to be healing some...Agha so I’ve dropped my treatment visits back to every other morning.  That 35-40 min drive was really getting old at 6:30 a.m. everyday!

And I found a fly mask that seems to stay on longer than the usual kind as it has several buckles like a halter, but even with that he gets it off and Sue and Jocelyn help keep an eye on that too seen he had fly larvae in his eyes that the vet scraped out also!

Cool weather. PLEASE COME SOON and kill these flies and bees!!!

It’s hard work floating teeth when you have to stand on your head! 🙄

...where was I?

 Oh yeah...

No riding...AGAIN!!!

Well ya know-then there was Covid-I’m in the medical Management field-means long hours at work!

Ugha! One day a week with the horses, one day hiking.  The rest working, working, working in chaos!

And oh....did I mention Covid....Covid...Covid, depression and hot/scorching temps in the Valley?

Soooo I had some great 6-10 mile  hikes to Pallisades Creek Trail, Loch Leven Lakes,Twin Lakes, Showers lake & Winnemucca lake @ Carson Pass X 2-awesome wild flowers! Awesome scenery.  The summer zipped by and included a visit to see my ailing dad in N.C.  That trip also included being on the Outer Banks on Duck for 2.5 days and had the hurricane just miss us by about 5 miles...it just hooked around, headed north an hit my brother and son instead! 

My sister and I were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the wild horses in the dunes on Duck.

No Riding...again and a HATEFUL hike! Pics at the bottom!

Cool weather forecasted for Saturday...
But alas RAIN TOO : (
I drove out to the barn and Persee came tearing down their paddock
Whinnying a welcome when he saw my truck.
Unfortunately the Sierra was tossing dark storm clouds and spits of rain.
Thus we didn’t ride but meandered around for a grass walk on the property and a short warm up for both horses in the round pen.
Anytime spent with the ponies is good time!

SUNDAY
A hike planned in the cooler elevations with the 2 younger dogs.
57 degrees and perfect.
Destination-Loch Leven Lakes.
This my first real hike of the season

First of all...don’t do this trail unless you like:
1.   climbing up up up very rocky trails
2. Hiking on trails that have turned into streams and small waterfalls
3.  You are moderately fit for hiking up up up then down down down
4. You believe ALL TRAILS that it is a moderate trail
5. You like getting lost!!!

I never made it to the lakes because I went a mile out the wrong way and numerous other people did the same!  Two guys even assured me I was going the correct way!
Thus we had to back track ON the train tracks for half a mile after waiting for two trains on the double tracks to pass.
We eventually found the correct trail again, but the hike was strenuous with storm clouds building so we headed back...6 miles hiked.  (Trail to first lake is 5 miles round trip)

Murphy was a good boy on the trail

Union Pacific -lost

Lost

This is where the trail crosses the tracks (we crossed .5 mile east after bushwhacking down a steep embankment 

Hobo Quincy was good  on the tracks but bad on the trail-except his lunging and leaping did actually help pull me up the trail.

Still lost

Pretty alpine lilies

Sun flares-still lost

Pond, a welcome landmark.  Not lost anymore

Mountain phlox
Glorious fresh mountain air and beautiful scenery helped me forget the pain of the trail (as is Advil and ice for my arthritic knees 😄)

These guys remind me of seahorses : )

Summer has Arrived

Even though I un-scientifically say these are the true seasons:
Winter = Dec, Jan, & Feb
Spring= Mar, Apr, May
Summer= June, July, Aug
Fall= Sept, Oct & Nov...ha ha

Summer comes earlier in NorCal-Cuz it hits 80 degrees in April.
Still-I’m fortunate to have access to breezes from the lake where I keep my horses now.
It’s just an awesome ride!

Persee was overly alert yesterday!  🙄. Still-we made it out alive.
Scoot Boots are still working well, but we need a 10 mile day or longer with more trotting to really see.

What? I have to STOP for a picture?

Nevel has been EXTREMELY  bad about mounting and even bucked me (not off) the  other day after I got on,! Snorting, charging around, backing up!!! Bad bad bad! But once I get him going down the trail he has been a pleasure to ride, 7 miles on Browns Ravine with some nice extended trotting.  His feet are soooo much better now that he doesn’t have to stand in mud and wet pasture all day!
Yesterday he got a lot of round pen work at home.  On Saturday I plan on working on mounting him in various places and not actually riding him away from the barn.  However he is almost always perfect in the arena.., sooo regardless we are going back to basics with his bratty self!