To Pilchuck Veterinary Clinic~

I met Mary & Farah at Pilchuck Veterinary Clinic.  I would have to leave in time to return to Duvall for Granddaughter Cassidy's Birthday dinner!  I had no idea how long the appointment would take.  Arriving first, I was watching as Mary pulled in & could see that Farah looked distressed.  I called out to her & she instantly turned her head my direction.  As we went to unload - she was shaking! The first time ever I'd seen her shake...

Both Mary & I think that she was worried that Mary was hauling her away.  The other times she'd gone in Mary's trailer, I'd been there, or another horse.  Once she realized that I was there & where she was, the trembling stopped.

It had been September 28, 2016 since Dr. Holohan had seen Farah for a float.  Here, in Iowa, we were happy to find Dr. Black at Nebraska Equine.  Dr. Black did Farah's yearly physical, float & vaccinations in March of 17.  After the problem with vaccinations that year, in 18 we did teeth in April & vaccinations a month later on the farm.

Farah checks out the scale :-)

 It had been over a year too, since she'd been seen by a Vet.  I was anxious to see what Brandi found.  She had worked diligently, for several years on deep pockets at the back of Farah's mouth.  Dr. Black hadn't said much about them, so I could only hope they hadn't gotten any worse.

I was right!  :-)

First, time to weigh on a scale again in four years!  Dr. Black had used a tape & his result was accurate to what I knew Farah's weight to run in 18.  Both Mary & I thought she had lost condition & gained fat, once back in WA.  I told Mary that she would run between 1070 & 1100 lbs.

Dr. Holohan explained that she had replaced some muscle with fat, but that the muscle would come back quickly.  I was surprised that her weight wasn't higher & happy she stayed within her healthy range.  Heart rate, 36 :-)  Temperature 98, exactly right.

On the scale~

While we discussed her & her weight - Farah stood on the scale with total aplomb!

Farah is sleepy :-)

We had great news on all counts!  The pockets were greatly reduced & had partially filled in!  The float took about half the time I was used to!   We both had a refresher course on the benefits of Adequan, which had always been a part of our yearly maintenance plan.  It's always a relief to know that the gold girl is healthy!

Farah loaded back into Mary's trailer like the seasoned traveler she is.  I waved goodby & got back to Duvall just in time to leave for Anthony's on Kirkland's waterfront!

With rainy weather & a full schedule for us both, my final ride on this visit, next~

Windswept~

A morning of beautiful sunshine, temperatures climbing into the low 70's, but humid.  Humid enough, I worked up my first really good sweat of the season!  After lunch I finished up some planting & drove out to the farm.

Farah see's something~

Farah was waiting, the evenings Butch is away, we usually go on longer rides.  I'd no more than saddled up - when the clouds moved in & along with them - wind.  Somewhat eerie, how fast the weather can change.  Farah is getting her annual series of Adequan injections.  I'd thought about not doing it this year.  The price hasn't gone down & it's expensive.  But the miles keep adding up & the mare has stayed incredibly sound. 

As my retirement ride - I want to keep her going down the trail for as long as she's able.  God willing, we'll travel through our golden years together & when she's done, I will be too.  After this mare, none other could ever come close.

We spook a small herd of seven deer!

As we rounded the corner from one field to the next, Farah stopped to watch as the white tail deer took off from a small ravine.  They're so fast & I had to get my camera, but still managed to get a shot of them.

Haze moving in~

The longer we were out, the more the haze moved in.  The wind was absolutely relentless - especially on the hilltops.  We were heading back when our friend Bill came driving by.  He stopped & motioned us over, introducing his friend Marty.  Marty boards her horse on Bills' farm.  We exchanged phone numbers to make future ride plans.

The road west~

We moved over to the edge of a newly disked field to get off the rock & move a little faster.  Farah is almost the color of the soil!

On our run today, we reached another speed milestone.  A real thrill - especially - since a dust devil blew directly across the road just in front of us.  Her color was once described to me as;  "Arena dirt brown."  Now I can say it's Loess Hills brown :-)

Where to Begin?

It's been a month now since Farah & I have been on a trail...  My wrist - was probably sprained - since it's healing way faster than I thought it would.  It's still sore if I try to do anything with it, but I can use it & figured it would be good enough for a ride.  We've been visiting her every four-days - it was time for her annual Adequan series.

Today, I felt like we were back to square one.  I loaded my saddle, bridle, pad & planned to do some road riding.  The one thing I forgot - was my helmet!  You'd think after all these years, I could remember that!  Anyway - our girl was covered with mud, so a good grooming was in order.  Her neighbor screamed at her departure - I closed the door between those stalls & the main barn.   It amazes me that Farah can ignore him the way she does.

In the round pen~

Once I had her cleaned up, I let her out into the outdoor arena & she took off at a gallop.  I'm sure she's wondering why we haven't had our usual trail time.  She looks good, her weight is good, she's stayed amazingly fit - considering our latest month off.

Checking out the other horses.

I had my new stick from Dennis Reis - it works great.  As usual, she bucked, kicked, leaped into the air & stretched herself out.  Finally she settled into some nice extended trotting & was very polite about changing direction when I asked.

Other way~

After yesterday's beautiful sunshine day, it seemed strange to see the sun give way to cloud cover by mid-morning, a cool breeze too.  I'd worn warmer tights & wished I hadn't - we both worked up a light sweat.

There's grass over there!

I heard a lot of noise out on the road - the county road-grader was at work, so it would not have been the day to try road riding anyway.  The operator was scraping the shoulders & leaving the excess material out in the middle for his next sweep.

Feeling more relaxed~

By the time she slowed & came up to me - we were both ready to be done.  In another week, we'll actually be headed south through Missouri for a horse camping trip to;  Brushy Creek, MO.  I'm so looking forward to some time with my mare & days of riding new trails!