Sign of Summer - Cicada's!

Waubonsie has become our go-to place.  On hot days at least the trails are in the shade & shade is hard to come by here.  Of course there's the workout that we can get with all the hills, then the quiet during the week is so nice - we're usually the only one's here.

Very obvious signage~

 Two men were just finishing up the mowing when we arrived!  I picked up what trash I could before the mowers hit it!  The fire pits are a mess too.  People use them for trash, rather than their intended purpose.  We'll be cleaning them out this weekend.  Such a shame that so many nice campsites are now closed due to the road erosion.

Farah thinks she hears something :-)

 It was super nice out on the freshly done trails.  There had been quite a few horses on them over the weekend, we found trash out there too :-(

As the title of this post suggests - it's the time of year for the Cicada's!  Since I was almost always in Iowa during the Summer months - the sound is one I associate with childhood.

Dead Cicada~

In the deep woods, they can get very loud!  I took the video of Farah trotting along just for fun - but if you can listen closely - they're in the background.

With temperatures in the low 80's it would have been a little nicer without what felt like pretty heavy humidly - at least to me!  The video above was taken over one of the few flat sections of trail!

Slit River~

 It was a super quite afternoon too & so peaceful in the dappled sunlight of the Timber.

Through Tall Trees~

One of those dreamy days of Summer that go too quickly.  Farah worked hard, we were both much wetter than our wonderful ride of last week.  When I go to unsaddle & my hand hits dripping sweat at the cinch - I know it's been humid.

Cinch with foam`

Speaking of cinches, the Montana Cincha I've been using for several years now is still my favorite!   Mohair, with Neoprene under the buckles it has never galled & helps to keep the saddle in place.  Here, I rinse it out almost every ride!

Butch & Farah at the farm~

We started back all too soon, I had an appointment with the Farrier.  We decided to pull shoes for the next few weeks.  I've not been back out on the gravel & she has a little thrush.  I think the shoe keeps more of the dirt etc. packed into the bottom of her feet & it's so nice to have her barefoot!

No Shoes~

With these gorgeous days of Winter sunshine - comes the cold!  When I left to pick up Farah this morning, it was 10 degrees!  I had on my warmest pants, a layer of thermals & new gloves :-)  The wind was blowing out at the farm, dropping the temperature even lower.  I may have to invest in ear muffs :-)

After almost 12-weeks - yes - 12...  Today the Farrier was at a friend's farm to do all the horses.  Farah's last shoeing was the 22 of Sept. so this was by far the longest she's ever worn a set of shoes.  I had no idea what to expect.  She's been really thriving in her outdoor paddock on a steep hill.  Her coat is thicker & fluffy.  She's maintained her weight & seems to really enjoy the company of other horses at the barn.  I'm so glad she is.

Enjoying the grass~

I was prepared this time, with a rope tied to the trailer door.  She loaded right in, started to go back out & guess what?  The door was closed!  :-)  Just a short drive - I enjoyed meeting our new Farrier.  How interesting to see the different process used to trim feet here.  I was impressed at how hard the feet were!

Using the torch~

I told Ryan that Farah might just object to this - having never had it done.  He ran the torch back & forth over the sole until it's a light brown.  That softens the sole about 1/8th inch deep. We brought Farah into a stall so she could watch the other horses, before it was her turn. 

Barefoot & trimmed!

We didn't need to use the torch on Farah - at least not yet - but her feet looked amazing!   Only two small spots of the black crud I'd been trying to get rid of for months.  Otherwise, the nicest looking feet she's had forever.

Left front~

Frogs are trimmed too, maybe a little more than I'm used to.  I was told to keep shoes on - in the Winter is not a good idea.  When it snows, the snow packs inside the shoe - as it did in Washington.  Here though - it doesn't fall out.  The snowball can continue to grow - especially when the temperatures drop.  With Farah on the hill - I didn't like the sound of that at all.  With all the trails mostly dirt - there's really no need for shoes, unlike riding on gravel logging roads.

A little more grazing :-)

 I haven't had a blanket on her yet & she certainly isn't suffering at all!  We're due for some rain/snow & sub-zero temps by Saturday though - she'll get her blanket her for that! 

Ice on the Pond~

I pass this little pond & it's always so beautiful.  Different from the wetlands of Washington, but I appreciate the differences.  I haven't missed my trails from home like I thought I would.  I'm so glad I'm not there to see the houses going in - that would have been just too hard.  I love the fresh, brisk air & such different scenery.  We now think of a 30 degree day as warm!  :-)