Intense Afternoon~

The day started out calmly enough.  Butch mentioned Farah had been laying down when he arrived to feed her.  I drove out to check her temperature & it was fine.  I groomed her & left her happily munching her hay.

Ominous~

I had plenty to get done this afternoon, but left for the farm about 3.  I planned to do some work on the path going to the new pasture.  As I was leaving town - I heard the warning sirens going off.  Since the sun was shining & there had been mention of thunderstorms in the afternoon forecast, I just thought it was a test.  I came to where I make the turn to head east & heard a horn honking!  It was my husband, in his school bus directly across the road from me.  This was No test!

A flock of birds lands in the big Cottonwood~

I decided to continue out to the farm.  It looked like there were more heavy clouds hanging over town than further east.  When I pulled in by Farah's gate - she came running from the barn & slammed into the gate - then turned & ran back into the barn.  As I made it to the barn, she was inside, covered in flies.  Her legs were almost black with them.  She was in a controlled panic...  I grabbed the fly spray & started spraying & scraping them off her with my hands.  

Relief, fly mask & leggings!

I think they must have all hatched in the same instant!  There had been None this morning, but the weather had warmed into the upper 70's & it had become very muggy.  We'd just gotten the problem under control when the rain hit!  It became a deluge within seconds.  

Covered with fly spray & dumping rain~

The flies disappeared!  I hope they were drowned!  Off came the leggings & fly mask.  The sound of the rain was very loud on the tin roof of the barn.  Soon Farah was outside standing in the rain - washing off about $10. worth of fly spray!  :-)  I convinced her to come back inside with me.  She was extremely unhappy.  Hard rain & lots of loud noise.  But next - came the hail!  The sound on the roof went up to a roar.  In the next instant, she was out the door!

I couldn't believe she was standing out in the deluge.  It was hitting her hard & she would move her rear from side to side as she was plummeted!  I would have put a blanket on her - but had no idea that she would take that punishment over being in the loud barn...

Inside again~

I finally offered cookies.  That, along with the lessening of the hail brought her back in.  Butch arrived to check on us shortly after.  He'd had a bus full of kids when the sirens went off.  The first time in 31-years the warnings sounded when the busses were transporting students. The drivers took the kids to the nearest school shelters to wait for the all clear.

The storm eased, we put the Bronco in 4-wheel drive & drove out.  We weren't so lucky with the truck :-(  It will be tomorrow before we can retrieve it!  Next, below freezing temperatures & snow forecast for Sat. with a high on Sunday of 32!

Mud, Dust & Shedding~

We've had a week of cloudy, rainy weather - reminiscent of Washington!  Everyone tells me the rain is needed - that it's been a very dry, mild Winter & I do believe it.  I'd hoped to attend an endurance ride in Kansas this weekend, but with all the rain - the steep slope & lack of space to turn around at Farah's stable - it would have been impossible with the truck, camper & trailer.  The weather was threatening in SW Kansas - Tornado Alley & did I want that worry?  No...

 It was one of those days...  Usually they happen on Monday's but for me - I should have known when I was trying to move out the stove, slipped, fell backward & landed with my left wrist first.  The pain wasn't too bad, so I hoped for a sprain & went ahead, determined to spent time with Farah.

Guilty!  Now to the legs~

I should have taken a before picture!  If you can imagine mud from the tip of the ears, covering almost every inch!  With no grass to roll in, Farah - who loves to roll - has a spot in her paddock.  When it's dry - it's dust, when it's wet - well...  I had put dust masks in the truck, then forgot them when I transferred things to the Bronco. 

 When I noticed that Farah's tail was 6" shorter than it's ever been, I asked the lady who works at the barn if Farah's crazy neighbor might be grabbing at it?  No, I watched as she stood at the outside door of the stall, on a slope that puts her tail right under her rear feet if she backs up.   Once the mess was scrapped off, hair everywhere, I put her in the wash stall & washed out her tail.   She danced, pranced, moved from side-to-side & made it miserable on us both. 

Beautiful Countryside~

I decided to take her out on a walk to let it dry before putting it into a tail bag.

The road~

 I'm planning to do some riding on this road - it's not very long - but has a couple good hills where we could maybe get in a gallop or two.  I'll be trailering out on my own soon too -  as the weather improves.  I'm also doing some research into the history of horses on the Wabash Trace - to lobby for continued Equestrian use - at least for the ten-miles that are advertised as available to horses. 

Surface rock~

 As you can tell from the photo above, this type of gravel is far from decent for horses, definitely requiring shoes for any moderately paced work.

Weight coming back on~

Farah was good until we lost sight of the stable.  I'd wanted to walk quite a way further, but after watching as she circled me at a gallop, bucked, reared & otherwise was a kite at the end of the lead - I turned back.

By the time I'd stopped at the store & returned home, my wrist was twice it's size.  I went through all my wrist braces, all for the right hand - I've broken that one several times...  Only one for the left - so we picked up a new one today.  No cast for me...  I've ridden 50-miles carrying my stick with a broken right wrist.  I hadn't wanted to miss the Golden Ears Ride, in British Columbia.  With eight river crossings, it was always challenging.  At the first one, Khari had refused.  I lent my stick to my friend, who whacked her & in we went!  No more problems the rest of the ride!  :-)

My consolation prize?  Tickets were still available to the FEI World Cup in Omaha tomorrow!  (I'd sold ours after I found out the date conflicted with the endurance ride.)  Since these new tickets are even more expensive - I'm hoping we'll have good seats!