Day trip to Hidden Falls

Mid week we decided to trailer to Hidden Falls. We are not going on a horse camping trip this year so we decided to take some day trips instead. Jim on Skippy, Cheryl on Dune and me on Zoe. It's a nearby regional park for hikers and equestrians.
We really liked the park and the trails. They have a fantastic trial map that is pretty accurate and in color! We stayed on the North Legacy Way trail for a while...that trail is more like a wide dirt/gravel road that the park maintenance vehicles can travel on. We traveled on to the Ringtail Trail to get to the far end of the park. We didn't want to travel on anymore wide dirt/gravel road on the way back so we took the Gold Finch Trail, the Great Egret Trail, the Warbler Trail, the Black Rail Trail, The Golden Eagle Loop, the Pheasant Trail to the smaller portion of the South Legacy Way. Ended up on the Poppy Trail back to the parking lot.
We crossed at least 5 bridges on our ride. 3 of the bridges were long ones that arched up and over the creek. They were metal bridges with a dirt base over the top. The horses hoofs had a nice hollow, metal sound as they walked across the bridges. Each horse got to be first over each of the 3 longer bridges. Each one was a bit wary going over and had to be "talked" into it but it didn't take much to get them across. I was proud of them. Even after going over those bigger bridges they questioned the smaller ones too. They were wooden bridges, the kind we find on the way to Avery Pond back home. Zoe went first over the Salmon Run Bridge-the one furthest out and then shortly after that had to go over the small wooden bridge to get on the Gold Finch Trail. She seemed more worried about the smaller bridge than the bigger one. Funny horse.

It was nice to take the smaller trails back to the trailer. It was shadier and sometimes we were by the creek.

The smaller trails were very well maintained and they were marked with signs that were accurate. Just in case you questioned your map reading abilities, there was the "you are here" maps, with a star for your position,  next to some of the signs. It took us about 3 hours to make our trail ride, which was a good thing since I had to get back to the barn to feed the horses. 

On the way back we had to go thru a locked gate at the end of the South Legacy Way Trail. The gate was made for a human to go thru, but horses had done it too. I was in the lead and asked Zoe to side pass up to the gate. She was a bit wary but did it anyway. I tried to get her close enough to the gate to reach down and unlock the gate. She did put her feet closer to the gate but leaned her body away from the gate...so I was really no closer to opening it. It took a few tries but she finally did it. Once it was open she said "oh, it's a gate". Once thru the gate we had to travel on a road next to a canal. That was new too. Zoe was still in the lead and wasn't too worried. Then we ended that and got on the Poppy Trail back to the parking lot. 

All the horses did great. Dune had been there before but the other 2 hadn't been there. None of them was up tight or spooky. They each took turns being in the lead and did great. I had Zoe in the back for most of the way out and she did good in the back...even with Skippy leading with her nice fast trot. Sometimes we got too far behind so Skippy waited for us, but Zoe wasn't wild and crazy being in the back. 

There are lots of trails here so there will be plenty of trips back to go exploring. The only trail we were warned about was the Creek Side Trail, part of it I guess is narrow with drop offs but I think it would be fine as you go farther out.  By the end of the trip there was 6 trailers in the parking lot so I think mid week is the best time to go, weekends must be really crowded. We did meet a few hikers and the horses did fine with them. 

Healing project

While Zoe had her abscess and my back was out, I finished up a project. During this healing time I decided it was time to get this done. I've been working on this for over 2 years. It was to be given to my daughter and son-in-law for their first year anniversary. I'm a little over a year late. Now on to the next project...a baby quilt for the newest grandchild to be born in late Sept/early Oct. 

Finally get to ride my horse

Zoe's abscess is totally healed and we are back to riding.  She feels really good under saddle.  I put my back out a few weeks ago and she got to rest some more as I healed up.  Last week we had a lesson and we got some "trail worthy" shoes put on her feet.  So now we are back on the trail.  Phew!

Now to work off some of the flab-or is it fluff- that has accumulated on my horse from standing around for 4 weeks.

Mom-the horses are shrinking!!!

Aren't these cute?!? Lilly is on the left and Grace on the right. They are very friendly. They are a mother/daughter pair-just like Skippy and Zoe. They live at our barn now, at the far end of the arena...the "scary place", if a horse is going to spook it is usually at that end of the arena. 

This is Zoe's third time seeing these horses. 

 This is Skippy's second time seeing these horses 

Skippy and Zoe had a similar "discussion" regarding these horses. The "discussion" started out as a "shouting match" and it went something like this....

Z-Here we go into the arena again, maybe I'll get to eat at the edge again...wait...there's something at the scary end. 

Zoe stops half way into the arena, lifts her head high, tail raised, eyes bugged out, ears forward so much that they might fall off the front of her head. She snorts and blows. She starts dancing. 

Z-Mom did you see that!?! They're starting to shrink the horses! I knew there was something wrong about that end of the arena! 

Me-Just calm yourself. They are just little horses. 

Z-NO NO NO! 

So I just let her off her lead and I walk over to the minis and stand there while Zoe runs back and forth in the middle of the arena. She doesn't run back to the gate, she is curious but doesn't want to get closer. She had her "floaty" trot, head raised and tail up like an arabian. I just stand there talking calmly while she.....

Z- Mom they're going to shrink you too! Get away from there! This isn't right! What can I do to save you?!? Why don't you listen to me!!!! 

After a few minutes....

Z- Wait...there's food in here...I can eat some over here close enough to watch you mom, in case something happens. 

That's when I knew we were done with the horse that wouldn't listen to me. So I put her back on her lead and was able to lead her closer. Then I would ask her to back by wiggling the rope. I did have to wiggle it pretty hard at first-usually she is lighter than that, but she did go back. Then we went towards the minis again getting closer, then we backed and we kept doing that until we were about 5 feet away. Each time we backed she was getting lighter with the lead rope wiggling. So I knew she was listening to me. 

Z-Mom, they are so weird. Why are they so little? I can whip my butt around and kick them for you! 

Me- NO! Let's walk back and forth across the arena and don't run over me! 

Z- Ok, just don't let them make me that small, I like eating too much and surely something that little doesn't get to eat very much. 

Later that morning I lead her into the arena again and the "wild Zoe" was gone, the curious, cautious Zoe was there.  The next day I rode her in the arena. We had to work on listening to me and not watching the minis all the time. Eventually she was able to ignore them and get to work. I was hoping that would happen because the next day I had a lesson. 

Lesson day went fine. No problems. She did try to watch them, but we were too busy doing working. 

Skippy...well she's a bit of a different story. The "shouting match" was similar, only she noticed them as soon as we walked into the arena. And when I let her off her lead and walked over to the minis she ran to the opposite end of the arena and ran back and forth. She wasn't as accepting of them as Zoe. I eventually got her on her lead again and using the same "game" was able to get her closer to them, however she wasn't comfortable at all. We tried it again later that day and she was VERY wary. I think it will take a few more times to get her past that and be able to ride her in the arena without her spooking. 

Healed up

So today we had our first lesson in 5 weeks-and we were able to do it! Zoe didn't take a bad step. Altho we still need to work on our right lead. We did do many things correctly and she kept up her tempos really well. I have some exercises to work on to help us with our lead. I think I will also go back to riding without my brace on my left leg-maybe it's getting in the way. The most exciting thing-Zoe is better!!!!  Just need to wait for a trail worthy shoe to get on her foot, rest a few days after shoeing and we can hit the trails again. Farrier appt is June 11, but we may move it out a week to get more growth on the left front.

Abscess almost healed

Abscess is healing up. Zoe is moving much better. Every once in a while she takes a "bad" step but comes out of it the next step. Every day she improves. I'm glad we don't have a hole in her foot. Everything must have come out a crack. Researching abscesses brought up information saying it was okay to put them back on the dirt-no bandages?!? In my case it is working but I can't imagine doing that with a hole in a foot. Farrier says eventually we will see it.
On Sunday, June 1st, I put her in the arena and lunged her. 99.9999999% of her steps were great.  So I decided to ride her. She did great.  I've been riding her mostly at a walk and she is improving. So this Thursday I will take a lesson on her.

Abscess update

I kept the poultice pad on her foot, changing it every 2-3 days, from May 17-May 24. Every time I changed it there was grey matter in the pad.  The vet said in the beginning it could be just thrush but it kept producing grey matter for a week-every time I changed it. So the vet said it was the abscess opening up. I had no obvious hole in her foot. It was just coming thru a crack by the inside left heel-possibly just under the frog. Her lameness remained the same.

On the 24th I took off the poultice and continued to soak in epsom salts and water. After the first soak I noticed a red line on the inside heel. Not sure what that was. The area wasn't tender to pushing on it. Maybe the abscess was around that area and the poultice pad drained it? The vet thought so. The farrier wanted a boot put on her to help keep her hoof walls ok. I have 2 types of easy boots-one that goes up over the heel bulbs and one that someone trimmed down and is below the heel bulbs. I chose the later thinking that the other one would irritate something that was looking "angry" in the heel bulb area. The only problem with that choice was that the boot would only stay on about 1/2 a day. The lameness was improving however her hoof was chipping some-farrier wouldn't like that. I soaked once a day thru Wednesday the 28th.
On the 28th and 29th I put her in the arena to "self-exercise". She loved it, ran, bucked, kicked up her heels-you could tell she was feeling better.

On the 29th the farrier came again. We put the hoof testers on her and she wasn't as sore. She was walking better. So we decided to put a shoe on her. Only enough good hoof to have 2 nails on each side. She is still a little bit off at the trot. She will only be going in the arena until she is 100% sound, so the 2 nails should be just fine.  

So I have a vet that thinks the abscess was caused by the fourth nail on the inside of the foot.  I have a farrier that thinks it wasn't the fourth nail but was a bruise that caused an abscess. I'm caught between the vet and the farrier-both have more knowledge than me in their fields. I have to make a choice what to do in the future. The past is done and we may never know the answer as to what caused the abscess. I think I will err on the side of caution and request no fourth nails on my horses shoes. I'd rather have the horse pull a shoe than to go thru an abscess again. It took a good 3 weeks to get to the worst of this and it will probably take 3 weeks to get better. So I guess I have some more waiting to do. Another update will be coming.