tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83657611349648733822024-02-19T03:15:40.107-08:00Akhal-Tekes, Cascade GoldI breed, ride, and train Akhal-Teke horses. I've finally been dragged into the blogosphere by my family and these are my stories.Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-15117045486483828922014-11-13T08:17:00.001-08:002014-11-13T08:17:41.334-08:00New Website!It's been a long time coming, but I finally have a new website, thanks to Monica Bretherton. It's at <a href="http://www.cgakhaltekes.org/">www.cgakhaltekes.org</a> and is easy to update, so it won't stay the same (like my old one does because it's SUCH A PAIN to update). I will continue my blog there, but this one will stay up for the archives.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-83252989059407142642014-10-31T11:13:00.003-07:002014-10-31T11:13:44.307-07:00Poems for a Rainy DayPoems for a Rainy Day<br />
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While I was turning horses out, cleaning sheds and generally getting soaked today, I came up with some Haikus.<br />
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Rains have started, very wet<br />
Horses standing in muddy paddocks, no good.<br />
Must buy more gravel pronto.<br />
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Drainage systems overloaded with water<br />
Darn, we thought we had it covered<br />
Must dig many more ditches<br />
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Gutters are very merrily overflowing<br />
Water gushing everywhere, into stalls, into arena<br />
Ack! Need to repair quickly<br />
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And lastly:<br />
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Rain, rain, go away<br />
Summer wasn't here to stay<br />
Me and Galen want to play<br />
Rain, rain, go away.<br />
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Think I'll go order some gravel.<br />
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One of our 'works in progress'.Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-58643234563039202022014-10-26T15:22:00.002-07:002014-10-26T15:23:45.652-07:00Scooter is doing great!I got an email from Scooter's owner Erin yesterday. Scooter is Miras - Murgab x Anastasia, 2010 purebred AT gelding born here at CGAT. She gave me permission to share:<br />
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<em>I was so proud of Scooter yesterday. And so proud to
be his person, which he clearly feels. Every lesson we have had (they are
monthly as my trainer comes up from FL) Scooter has just flown through
everything we ask of him. We ask something new & he just sets about
doing it with no fight or fuss & he enjoys doing it. I was cracking
up (everyone was who was watching) because while my trainer was explaining the
theory behind long-lining & getting the horse balanced & working from
the hind end I was holding the lines & his bridle in my hand and hte entire
time Scooter was standing next to me pestering the heck out of me to put
the bridle on him. As soon as I did & clipped the second line he was
literally stepping forward to start working. He just couldn't wait.
After an hour lesson of him offering what we had been asking & watching him
experiment with movement & using his body differently, I stopped him &
stepped forward to take the lines off & he turned & nickered at me
& started rubbing all over me, yawning, blinking, just really processing
what we had done... my trainer remarked "could you two like each other
any more?" It's just really cool to be the person training
him. He is really something else & I hope you take pride in what a
great-minded horse he is... I am truly honored to see how he is
blossoming with the slow steady work we are doing together, both his body &
mind.<o:p></o:p></em></div>
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<em>OK enough of my gushing. Just wanted to share because
I get such great positive feedback from him but also the folks at my barn are
amazed at his attitude & ethic & how sweet & friendly he is.<o:p></o:p></em></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></em><br />
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<em>A good boy!<o:p></o:p></em></div>
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<em>Erin</em></div>
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It is always great when a horse you foaled and raised goes to a loving, happy home. I'm hoping for great things from the two of them in years to come!</div>
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Scooter leaping for joy - Karen Wegenhenkel photo, taken in 2012 I believe.</div>
Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-20957681999160029962014-09-18T16:37:00.002-07:002014-09-18T16:38:21.397-07:00Come Play with us!I've sold enough horses this year that I have open stalls! Wow! Instead of running out and buying more (OK, I do have one mare coming...) I'm being smart and looking for a 'paying' horse. In other words, I'm looking for a new boarder. It's been sort of interesting, as I haven't looked for a new boarder in so long that I'm a bit rusty.<br />
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I put an ad up on Craigslist and then tried finding it...I obviously had the key words wrong. So, I tried again. Slightly better. I went and looked at some other ads - people now put photos in their ads. Not terribly surprising, but I didn't even think of it. So, comb through my zillions of photos for those few that aren't only of horses.<br />
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Then, I went on Facebook and tried to follow the rules of each group. No one is shouting at me, so I guess I did ok.<br />
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Anyway, we did a lot of work this summer and the place (while projects aren't all entirely finished) looks pretty good.<br />
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So, here it is:<br />
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Full Care Horse Boarding between Woodinville and Monroe. Small, quiet farm with 10 x 12 matted stalls with gravel runs, daily turnout, 3 feeds a day, covered, lighted arena with rubber/sand footing. Tack locker, lovely grass hay. Looking for 1 to 2 horses. $500 a month.<br />
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Oh, and photos!<br />
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I guess I don't just take photos of the property and buildings - there has to be horses in it! If you're interested email me at <a href="mailto:c.leddy@frontier.com">c.leddy@frontier.com</a><br />
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<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-42064982281140573852014-08-30T10:35:00.002-07:002014-08-30T10:35:24.298-07:00The barn is FULL!Yes, the barn is full...of hay! We've picked up 750+ bales of local this summer (thank you Larry and kids!) and I just got 29 tons of gorgeous Eastern Washington yesterday (thank you Bob Day at Dayville for always taking great care of me!). My barn is filled to the rafters and beyond, with overflow going into one of the big foaling stalls.<br />
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Callie is standing in the middle of it all. You can't really see the hay in the stall, but that is what you get when you take a cellphone photo!<br />
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Knowing you don't need to scramble to find good hay for the next many months..priceless.<br />
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-84277898231004828072014-08-28T08:11:00.003-07:002014-08-30T08:39:24.177-07:00Photoshoots!Monica and I (Monica Bretherton) did two photoshoots in the past week or so. Now is the perfect time, with the horses being sleek and shiny and the light staying until reasonably late. Monica always takes nice photos.<br />
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These are of Rocket (barn name still!) 2014 purebred colt by Salam out of Tulah. Rocket is almost 6 weeks now and is really a nice colt. Stallion prospect, Fakir Pelvan line. For sale, $5000, sale pending!<br />
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This is Sabyr, aka Stanley, 2013 Salam x Aishet. Sabyr is just over a year old, and is obviously still growing (look at that butt!). He's a bit over 15 hands right now and should mature 15.2 or 15.3 at least. Excellent sport prospect. $4500<br />
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Both boys are lovely horses with bright futures ahead of them!<br />
<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-1386966682144774962014-08-22T13:33:00.001-07:002014-08-22T13:33:43.313-07:00Off to CollegeI always think that when a horse heads off to a new life/owner/job, it's kind of like sending your kids to college. You've done the best you can from child(foal) hood on up, bandaged skinned knees and hocks, taught them right from wrong, put some good ground manners on them and depending on age, sent them through elementary, middle and high school.<br />
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All those years of prep work and then one day, you're waving goodbye:<br />
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The very fancy 'bus' to Goshen's college.</div>
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I waved goodbye (after giving him a good lunge and lots of scritches) to Goshen on Wednesday. He's heading to Indiana to see if he can make it as an eventer with Eron Owens of Greystone Eventing. I think this is a great match-up, as Eron is not only a talented rider and competitor, but she competed with Goshen's sire, Goklen for many years.</div>
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While here, Gosh has gone through elementary and middle school, gone on one trail ride, done a little bit of a lot of things. This year, he's really grown up in a lot of ways (including hormones, lol), but has really come into his own.</div>
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He's a little bit thinner than I like ideally, those hormones have kept him moving and moving some more!</div>
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From what I hear, he will spend a while with the talented Kevin Wallin, getting his mind back to work. Then we'll see what happens next!</div>
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Graduate school, perhaps?</div>
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-32981592357386699982014-08-11T11:19:00.001-07:002014-08-11T11:20:01.891-07:00More Foal Photos!I've been slacking in the photography department, sad to say. But, yesterday, my friend Wendy came out to visit so I took a few cellphone photos of her and Rocket. He's in the 'I'm so curious and fingers are great for getting spots I can't get" stage. <br />
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He continues to grow (like a weed) and is such a nice boy! Too bad he came out the wrong sex, but as he's a colt, he is for sale.<br />
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Photos from August 10, 2014, Rocket asking Wendy for 'scritches'.</div>
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-33324691081433556992014-07-14T10:19:00.000-07:002014-07-14T10:20:05.567-07:00Ancient TechnologyYep. You read that right. Ancient technology. We used it this weekend and got 'er done.<br />
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What did we do?<br />
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We moved a shed.<br />
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Here it is in its old position. We built this a good 20 years ago, well before we thought we'd put runs on all the stalls. Once we started adding runs, well, it's in the way. So, for the past 5 years or so, we've been thinking about how to accomplish this task. Many theories were floated, many dismissed.<br />
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Finally, we decided what to do. Dig out the entire foundation, put skids on it from front to back, brace and cross-brace, cut the posts (which were sunk 3 feet into the ground) right below the skids, and then put up on round poles and roll and pull.<br />
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Larry spent a good three weekends digging out the foundation, with occasional help from others.<br />
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Once the entire foundation was dug, we braced and put the rollers under it.</div>
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Then, Larry cut the posts off right below the skids. Sawzalls are really cool.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeR8alND1pJJXnFCxBHCrA5ZVBDIUvISdJzCVE-v14puMSN3O5aWbVpQBTcYI81W3d4W9aO0ROxyN0NzIS5drd7-4L4ry1IYPNn_VRmcRxpK4OTifhf-KZJpYdhnUIcNkw8MzdqD6J96G/s1600/20140712_151726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeR8alND1pJJXnFCxBHCrA5ZVBDIUvISdJzCVE-v14puMSN3O5aWbVpQBTcYI81W3d4W9aO0ROxyN0NzIS5drd7-4L4ry1IYPNn_VRmcRxpK4OTifhf-KZJpYdhnUIcNkw8MzdqD6J96G/s1600/20140712_151726.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Next, we hooked it up to the truck and the tractor.</div>
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There is a whole story about getting the truck here - what you can't see is the VERY tight space I had to navigate to get it where it is here. I am now qualified to dock starships.<br />
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Then, we pulled, slowly and carefully, jacking up the shed to put new rollers under it. The kids helped out and while they weren't exactly excited, they did the work. You can just see Alex, here, helping Larry. At this point, the shed is almost in its new position. Here we were taking out a fencepost that was in the way.<br />
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Here is a view from where the shed used to be. It will get some fill and end up being a paddock, until we put runs where it was.<br />
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Here it is, in its new position. We later put up temp fencing and will end up putting in permanent fencing to make 3 paddocks.</div>
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Here is where the shed used to be. That pile of gravel will end up being the flooring of the shed in its new home. Maz (the horse looking at me) was very interested in what the crazy humans were doing. </div>
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So, now we need to finish the shed, including the floor and a patio outside it, take down one line of fencing, put up a few more and wah-la, done! Then, it's on to the next project, which is finishing up the 3 runs in progress. <br />
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All in all, the actual moving time was about 7 hours total, but that doesn't count the prep or the hours of discussion on how to do it without trashing the shed. We all did decide that we now know how they moved the blocks of stone for the pyramids though...so, ancient technology plus a lot of modern horsepower and lots of muscle power.<br />
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After we were done with moving the shed, we went and picked up 100+ bales of hay. Ahhh...farm life!<br />
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We don't need to go to the gym today.<br />
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-81050346056195924892014-07-12T08:32:00.001-07:002014-07-12T08:32:46.727-07:00More Foal PhotosThe sport around here lately has been 'Taking Rocket Photos'. While I'm not very talented in that department, Angela Davenport and Monica Bretherton have taken some really nice ones.<br />
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Here are a few:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj57MajS20e5UwnFHpU52x9pIAIQ0fwFSaaF9LqmbASfAhJ0DBJBPDFKW1FbcyZ-muL4bBVft6IXTZ_QCBBtxhpjnVhoSUcF5Q-i6ox14LXtgPvYKytAic8RxcrGGslIb1o-q-fTfthFls/s1600/10535700_10100951347404230_513936350606586314_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj57MajS20e5UwnFHpU52x9pIAIQ0fwFSaaF9LqmbASfAhJ0DBJBPDFKW1FbcyZ-muL4bBVft6IXTZ_QCBBtxhpjnVhoSUcF5Q-i6ox14LXtgPvYKytAic8RxcrGGslIb1o-q-fTfthFls/s1600/10535700_10100951347404230_513936350606586314_o.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two days old in the arena, Angela Davenport photo</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeqvhzHNaNY_Vu38yqaGAfSHniesVDURxgCvPQ609IchvLvKnfUkJ8JeNzgVvXVCQgwvLjn-tD3w8Wn35FCElPOGoZaoGmDjSHdn3nefqR1yWAG-SKHO-IY4qR0WiTNSXmVc2mkpJ87Mf/s1600/10383847_10152262371073123_1947253692777857925_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeqvhzHNaNY_Vu38yqaGAfSHniesVDURxgCvPQ609IchvLvKnfUkJ8JeNzgVvXVCQgwvLjn-tD3w8Wn35FCElPOGoZaoGmDjSHdn3nefqR1yWAG-SKHO-IY4qR0WiTNSXmVc2mkpJ87Mf/s1600/10383847_10152262371073123_1947253692777857925_o.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Whispering secrets in my ear - Monica Bretherton photo</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N2Gt7sX7_652EYwAoRiqA80iPoWZ83UqKmoo2dhJg1WggRwoM8S_slDeWaBzib77xpwX974tPoCsF5oefWSN-lRIs3Olp8omFHkGazcz8Y6KZ65BsR97fyWA4OdeOkV87GikLrW5QWXb/s1600/10386946_680133248723346_779378520482299447_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7N2Gt7sX7_652EYwAoRiqA80iPoWZ83UqKmoo2dhJg1WggRwoM8S_slDeWaBzib77xpwX974tPoCsF5oefWSN-lRIs3Olp8omFHkGazcz8Y6KZ65BsR97fyWA4OdeOkV87GikLrW5QWXb/s1600/10386946_680133248723346_779378520482299447_o.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Enjoying his first day in the pasture, Monica Bretherton photo</div>
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He really enjoyed the running around, Monica Bretherton photo</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0M0QgaPJxX1DbasCWQ9dL5tEIpewG-zEIEuPNJzI6gL0n66MsPnK9EbXzMbzB0d3TEdVOwM1kqinSZh3UCYIANt0pPShTJKJa7NlTWxBm7Wx2xRYELZCz1TX_PnXXIIIvkfb4YqPDFHa/s1600/10525712_680133272056677_2991664904605855206_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0M0QgaPJxX1DbasCWQ9dL5tEIpewG-zEIEuPNJzI6gL0n66MsPnK9EbXzMbzB0d3TEdVOwM1kqinSZh3UCYIANt0pPShTJKJa7NlTWxBm7Wx2xRYELZCz1TX_PnXXIIIvkfb4YqPDFHa/s1600/10525712_680133272056677_2991664904605855206_n.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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One of my favorite photos, Monica Bretherton photo</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueR1DIZg37x8_tRObkuyTiRV2LYefbjbppZ7ZbP6qBUId2hANHeYdQLVr7Xxiy4jpzN8UuSM9-Bf28RWiK0UYsG0NWNPbd4wWZkPd4YX-eO2z6HYwMOGucTTIenOmQCFbyzESNC3csYId/s1600/10450442_10152262370963123_8801577471314207835_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjueR1DIZg37x8_tRObkuyTiRV2LYefbjbppZ7ZbP6qBUId2hANHeYdQLVr7Xxiy4jpzN8UuSM9-Bf28RWiK0UYsG0NWNPbd4wWZkPd4YX-eO2z6HYwMOGucTTIenOmQCFbyzESNC3csYId/s1600/10450442_10152262370963123_8801577471314207835_n.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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And, one more for good measure. Monica Bretherton photo</div>
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There are a whole bunch more on my Cascade Gold Facebook page. Rocket is for sale (He's not a filly, sadly!)</div>
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-24166149981462831292014-07-05T17:39:00.004-07:002014-07-05T17:39:51.443-07:00New Foal!Christmas has come! Tulah (the mare due to foal) spent all of the 4th of July in labor. I kept an eye on her as I went about my chores, but I could tell she wasn't quite ready yet (although the rule is "Any mare can foal at any time"). I set up my chair out by the arena and planned on leaving her in the arena while we waited.<br />
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No such luck - between her friends that were out of sight and the banging, booming and whizzing of fireworks, she ended up in the foaling stall with a small run. I spent the first half of the night alternating between sitting by her stall and heading inside to get some R and R. The other horses liked me being out there too - they kept watching me and asking if the world was ending. <br />
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Usually I have a group of people to help spell me, but the timing didn't work out this time, so my husband Larry checked on her for a few hours while I got a little nap in between booms.<br />
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I sat out in the barn in the morning calm (around 5:30 am) and she was pacing but not seeming like she was going to foal immediately. So, around 6ish I headed inside and grabbed a few more minutes of sleep and then did some email until Larry came running in (he'd been starting to feed the horses) and shouted "The baby is here!" <br />
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I threw on some clothes and ran outside; the foal had just arrived, but hadn't stood up yet. I did the most important thing....checked the sex. Sigh. I've been joking that I never get what I wish for, so this time I wished for a bay colt. Should have wished for that buckskin filly, I guess! <br />
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But, he's gorgeous, big and very robust.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjshecdpOhjHcr9P7TBaPdlu8o-KLxIf0-_mRffnFaiKmG4OVaBuGtVkklFDtq3ePOdKek0j0rR352D9GvnNONsKkb0M0DXRHI7lMvNpf9oXlnZHlsvBpoLAFCJ6vi-pg3lHtQdhO_Fs_Z/s1600/July+2014+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjshecdpOhjHcr9P7TBaPdlu8o-KLxIf0-_mRffnFaiKmG4OVaBuGtVkklFDtq3ePOdKek0j0rR352D9GvnNONsKkb0M0DXRHI7lMvNpf9oXlnZHlsvBpoLAFCJ6vi-pg3lHtQdhO_Fs_Z/s1600/July+2014+051.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Look at those long, long legs! Yes, he has a little bit of blood on them, but mama took care of that pretty quickly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1u_zHEo0_jG_bC2hk9GFmCfdms48kQRkosmjrS66IGa6vUakhbeqtbJpdQbSdhrfWfSQeEsb2_eUsXWY-iRZ4pIfVEH_zjS0XVonhr3DTdB8EIJtiRCphDK63ttNEglDPEkpdlcbzQFG1/s1600/July+2014+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1u_zHEo0_jG_bC2hk9GFmCfdms48kQRkosmjrS66IGa6vUakhbeqtbJpdQbSdhrfWfSQeEsb2_eUsXWY-iRZ4pIfVEH_zjS0XVonhr3DTdB8EIJtiRCphDK63ttNEglDPEkpdlcbzQFG1/s1600/July+2014+052.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tulah getting to know her boy. She did very well, especially for a maiden mare. Guess the older ladies have been giving her tips.<br />
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He hadn't found the milk bar yet, and was exploring everywhere, including mom's muzzle.</div>
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As I got to listen to rockets, whizzers, booms and bangs all night, his barn name is Rocket. Also, he got up in less than a half hour (which is really good) and was nursing in less than an hour. All excellent. I will have to think of a 'real' name for him befitting his heritage.</div>
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And, as he's a colt, he's for sale. Glad I have another one for sale, but I sure wish he was that fabled filly...</div>
Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-55933103644227636132014-06-23T11:01:00.000-07:002014-06-23T11:14:00.557-07:00Better than Christmas!To me, the week before a mare foals is better than Christmas. "Why?" you might ask. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYMAljpVp9gl58JVUui_hFLPqrjdtGKmZ-f3SNOu9dBFxWBevMeUW9XQt8SQJS_EbX02VqMxcCMpgjA3wkY2n0-7AXbTN8saF-9bNatRJ9TPGcMmJgaJeVs5ZXBADw_d7kMYFu3MGBfbq/s1600/June+2014+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYMAljpVp9gl58JVUui_hFLPqrjdtGKmZ-f3SNOu9dBFxWBevMeUW9XQt8SQJS_EbX02VqMxcCMpgjA3wkY2n0-7AXbTN8saF-9bNatRJ9TPGcMmJgaJeVs5ZXBADw_d7kMYFu3MGBfbq/s1600/June+2014+012.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is Tulah, Durkkhal x Malikat, here on a foal lease from Kelsey Kempfert. She is due July 9th, but could foal anytime in the next few weeks.</div>
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Well, after doing this for almost 30 years (which is kind of amazing in itself), I've found that the week before the mare foals is full of lovely speculation...that foal is the right sex, the right color, has perfect conformation and is as healthy as can be.<br />
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Once she's in labor, the tension heightens; "Will it be a colt or a filly?" "Will it be buckskin/palomino/with lots of chrome?" "Will the delivery be easy?". <br />
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As the hours fly by and the dead of night approaches, some of your foaling buddies give up and go home. Some stay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-gAN-qk5mkH8lVhEKnhp7KQe4a48wuL-qxuzNYkJhFSk44YDUeq0VVxwivnejB0l8Y3Ea4Ggl0dedaiQA1Hm1zSZeGBKRSD0A4vv-_5JdbyUp6SK9XZ49Fy6Y7Ayr9U8Olft04lCNt8/s1600/foalwatch-600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-gAN-qk5mkH8lVhEKnhp7KQe4a48wuL-qxuzNYkJhFSk44YDUeq0VVxwivnejB0l8Y3Ea4Ggl0dedaiQA1Hm1zSZeGBKRSD0A4vv-_5JdbyUp6SK9XZ49Fy6Y7Ayr9U8Olft04lCNt8/s1600/foalwatch-600x450.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was a few years ago, from Monica's blog, Horsebytes, <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/">http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/</a> during foalwatch for Cady (a boarder), I think. Note the helpful dogs as lap warmers.</div>
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Then, the excitement begins! Usually a foaling is over within minutes after the water breaks.</div>
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Annie and one of her foals from the Horsebytes blog. Maybe in 2010? Is it a filly?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqVPzSfp-IE-aEMITKMNkcjemrFD7EQAdWQhFCF-LoG5zV4wBZBPfhEScIpbDTq3a0s158CbpIF8d7JeUAjcQx4_Q-mxhxbepFKME0PPWMyhCr8yMcSqYUoGXKpSOLF-_LobYqe-Yo7HO/s1600/31659_398068373122_7943084_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqVPzSfp-IE-aEMITKMNkcjemrFD7EQAdWQhFCF-LoG5zV4wBZBPfhEScIpbDTq3a0s158CbpIF8d7JeUAjcQx4_Q-mxhxbepFKME0PPWMyhCr8yMcSqYUoGXKpSOLF-_LobYqe-Yo7HO/s1600/31659_398068373122_7943084_n.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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No, a nice colt. The foal gets up and greets the world, Christmas has come and all is as it should be.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07gHt7d7h0fNxrFingVXS5JGGNdciBig1gdJsCav_IlqPaKvC3dAwybo7jaBXg4c7HFUD_qSxYx28O6cxyg1SmxrXQsaw1ueAACyY7WTxi1iT__MGa5g-a_MXZtLE93F6GeY2zIxgLXw1/s1600/31659_398068508122_166402_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07gHt7d7h0fNxrFingVXS5JGGNdciBig1gdJsCav_IlqPaKvC3dAwybo7jaBXg4c7HFUD_qSxYx28O6cxyg1SmxrXQsaw1ueAACyY7WTxi1iT__MGa5g-a_MXZtLE93F6GeY2zIxgLXw1/s1600/31659_398068508122_166402_n.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></div>
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This photo is from 2010, from the Horsebytes story "The Foaling Moon" <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/2010/06/02/the-foaling-moon/">http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/2010/06/02/the-foaling-moon/</a></div>
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This is Miras, Annie's 2010 foal by Murgab.</div>
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-56254022056988688562014-06-17T08:47:00.002-07:002014-06-17T08:48:25.222-07:00Farm ChoresIt seems to be summer (although today it sure doesn't act like it). I can tell because we've already gotten 2 loads of local hay out of the field and that ONLY happens in the summer. I've been dealing with the same family for around 20 years now, THANK YOU Vicky! Every summer we joke that if the kids get the phone when she calls, they won't hand it to me.<br />
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Last year we picked up around 600 bales and I was able to get another 100 or so when I ran out in the spring. That really helps stretch the expensive Eastern Washington hay I get. And, last year, the local was so good that it actually was better than a lot of the Eastern WA I got. <br />
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My children and husband have become a well-oiled team; maybe not the most cheerful during this time, but they do the work. <br />
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This is Callie (in green) my almost 20 year old daughter and Zach (almost 17 year old) stacking hay. I took this in the trailer, as I was throwing the hay to them.<br />
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One of the great things about local is that most bales run around 50-60 lbs, which means we can throw them around. Those monsters from across the mountains need one of us on each end. Also, it's cheaper than Eastern, thank heavens! I have to feed hay year round, so my expenses are not insignificant.<br />
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Other things we do during 'summer'; get ready for winter! This past weekend (Father's Day weekend), my husband and I spent most of it working on new runs off the barn. Our plan is that we will have almost all the stalls with runs, which makes winter so much easier. Over the years, we've figured it out; Larry cuts a hole in the barn for a door, frames it in and then we sink posts and put down fabric over the graded run area. Then, it's drainage rock about 4 inches deep and 5/8 minus over that, another 5-6 inches. Near the barn, we put in a 'porch' of Hoofgrid with gravel in it(I'm trying a competitor this time called Ecogrid) to keep down any possibility of mud.<br />
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The view from inside the stall. Right now, I have the end of the Ecogrid up in the air, as I need to put more drainage rock under it, but my tractor died before I finished. Sigh...<br />
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So, once the tractor is running again, I'll put in more of the big drainage rock until the whole area is smooth and flat and then put the grid down and fill everything in with 5/8 minus. When this is done, you will barely see the grid, but the horses will not be able to dig or paw. Presto! Dry runs no matter how wet it gets. (right...presto...so far it's taken about a year to get to this point). The horses love it, as they can go in and out all night long, there is no mud (here anyway) and if they like, they can poop and pee outside only and keep their stall clean. Win-win all around! <br />
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Now, why haven't we done this sooner? Besides the large amount of work involved, it is NOT CHEAP. Each normal size run costs us around $1500 + or -. This is a double run (otherwise, there would be a slice of useless area and we can't have THAT) and I think it will be well over $2000 by the time we're done. <br />
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We are also moving a shed. We started looking at the projected runs and realized that if we ever wanted to move this shed, we had better do it now. When it was built, over 20 years ago, we had no plans to put runs on. Well, times change and this shed is built so strongly that I can't imagine trying to take it apart (or, at least MEANING to take it apart). We will see what happens when we actually go to move it. <br />
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So, this coming weekend, we are planning to shovel out around the posts and put runners on each pair, along with cross bracing. We will cut each post off and then the idea is that we will hitch up the truck and tractor (when it's working again, argh) and just pull the whole shed to it's new position. Sounds easy in theory; we'll see how it works in practice.<br />
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Oh and actual horsey stuff? Well, not so much right now!<br />
<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-41474939884581980002014-06-03T08:14:00.001-07:002014-06-23T08:39:35.692-07:00Klickitat Trek, 2014Monica and I headed down to Glenwood, WA for the Klickitat Trek endurance ride this past weekend, May 30- June 1. We had originally planned on riding both days, but after the long ride the previous weekend (where I felt good afterwards) and then a very short ride the day after (where I didn't feel good afterwards), I decided not to push it. Having catastrophic ankle failure 5 miles from anywhere wouldn't be pleasant.<br />
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So, we pulled into camp around 3:30 or so, found our spot that was saved for us (thank you Aarene and the Pirates!) and vetted in without incident. We went for a short ride that evening and tucked ourselves into bed. Thunder and lightning woke us up, but the little bit of rain just kept the dust down the next day.<br />
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Monica was going to ride the LD on Danny with the very early start time of 6:15. My departure was at 8:30 for the Trail Ride. Galen wasn't terribly happy that everyone left, but he dealt with it. <br />
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Monica and Danny before heading out. He wasn't quite as relaxed when he started!</div>
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Galen telling me that he should be tacked up and heading out!</div>
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Galen and I headed out around 8:30, after meandering around the camp, looking for the out timer. Looks like the Trail ride is MUCH more relaxed than even an LD, as I didn't see anyone else heading out at the same time. In fact, I saw several people heading out as I came in a few hours later. We were on the Red and White loop, which was fine, as I've done most of those trails before. I knew that neither Galen nor I was really all that conditioned, so I had a game plan. Slow, steady, enjoy the scenery and have fun. We headed out of camp at a walk on a loose rein (big improvement!) and started some cows along the way. We did do some trotting and my deal with him has been that if I can sit it, he can do it. Amazing how even the atmosphere of an endurance ride can bounce up a horse! Usually, Galen's trot is so smooth I can sit all speeds. Saturday, we had to slow it down a bit, as there was much more bounce to the ounce than usual. That was ok, as it was already getting warm, and we really hadn't trained in heat very much. <br />
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We came into the vet check and took a minute or two to pulse down, which made me realize I needed to slow down even more. We took some extra time at the vet check, although I knew he wouldn't drink anything (he never does before around 20 miles). We didn't need to pass the vet, just be pulsed down, so after 15 or 20 minutes, we headed back out. We did some leapfrogging with the Ride and Tiers. I did help a few of them find the trail. Mostly, we were by ourselves, which was fine. The trails were lovely, the weather was gorgeous, my horse and I were happy. I did some singing, admired the gorgeous lupines and finished in about 3 hours. Not our fastest by any means, but that was ok. I went into this as a conditioning ride and to see how my ankle felt. <br />
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By the end of my ride, I was very glad I hadn't done the LD - my ankle was swollen and I could feel the fluid squishing around in it (lovely image, isn't it?). Galen was willing, but definitely not ready for much more. We did get lots of nice trot on a loose rein, which was the goal. <br />
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We got back to camp and Monica trotted him out. Dr. Jen noted that he was travelling a little bit crooked, no doubt because of my bad leg. Not enough to be lame, but certainly enough to be noted. Sigh... But, it's wonderful to have an experienced eye to tell you that you need to work on stuff. We probably won't do any more rides for awhile (maybe Bare Bones later on), but will work on arena work, trail riding and I will see if I can get my ankle to behave better. Summer is coming which means foaling, breeding, hay season, fix it up season, kids, etc.<br />
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All in all, it was a very satisfying weekend!Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-79711623266505112452014-05-23T17:09:00.002-07:002014-06-03T07:54:12.025-07:00Mt. Adams Endurance Ride, May 17, 2014This was my 'come-back' ride after several years of surgeries and depression (at my slow recovery from said surgeries) . I've been doing conditioning rides, although not nearly as many as usual and not nearly as long.<br />
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For newcomers to my blog, here it is in a nutshell: breast cancer surgery in 2011 led to not much conditioning for the 2012 ride season. 4 rides (teeth gritting, pill popping after tearing a tendon in the first ride of the season) in 2012 with each ride being more and more painful on my ankle with the torn tendon. I did top ten most of them though...figured faster was better. At the last ride of the year that I did, where I had to walk my (very disgusted) horse the last 10 miles because my ankle hurt so badly, I decided to try surgery (and we still top tenned). Surgery in August-September of 2012, VERY slow recovery. I'm afraid I expected to have 6 weeks of PT and recovery and then be back to full power. Ha. Silly me. I didn't compete at all in 2013 because I could only ride about an hour before the pain was pretty bad. So, I volunteered. <br />
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I have been upping my 'game' over the winter and had gotten up to almost a 3 hour ride without too much whining, so I decided that Mt. Adams was it! My comeback ride! Except, unless you are totally flying, you can't even do an LD in 3 hours...<br />
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So, I adjusted my attitude and decided that if I could mentor a newbie or two, I could justify (to myself, no one else cared) doing a, gasp, Trail Ride. I'm afraid I've always been a little 'above' the trail ride, thinking there was no reason to do anything less than an LD. I kept repeating (in a bit of a whiney voice) "But I've done 50s!". I'm pretty sure there was a bunch of self-pity there. Well, the old gray mare just ain't what she used to be. So, I firmly tamped that down and hauled to Mt. Adams with my friend Monica. She decided to come on the trail ride too, mostly to make sure I was ok. <br />
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We drove down and got talking so much we missed the first bridge over the Columbia and had to go over the one between Hood River and White Salmon. I HATE this bridge. I'm not much for heights anyway and have actually smashed my truck side mirror on an oncoming truck's mirror on this bridge a few years back, so I have reason. I did make it over the bridge and no one actually honked at me...going 15 miles an hour is probably not the way to make friends. I also halted in the middle of the bridge when a big truck came at us. I think I did breathe somewhere along it...but I won't guarantee it. One lady in an oncoming car did point vigorously at me to move over to the edge of the bridge - I think I was pretty close to the center line.<br />
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Anyway, we made it to the lovely camp with plenty of time to spare, vetted in, etc and met up with our friend Keiko, who was doing her first endurance ride ever with her mare Cady. We went for a nice few mile ride on Friday and both Galen and Danny were great. Cady was a bit jazzed, but settled by the end.<br />
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Next morning, the very civilized start time of 9 am. Hmmm, this is definitely in the Trail Ride's favor. We got Keiko and Cady and left after pretty much everyone was gone. Cady and Keiko were a bit nervous, so we went back and forth a bit and then Keiko got off and walked for a while until a big hill convinced her to remount. We sandwiched them between Galen (in front) and Danny behind, which seemed to help Cady. We walked along, singing silly songs and getting relationship updates. After a bit, we asked if we could trot 20 steps and then walk. We did this for a while until it was boring and then started trotting the easier parts (no ducking low branches, no downhills, etc). By now, Keiko was starting to enjoy herself, as she and Cady had both relaxed. We made it clear that we wouldn't do anything more (ok, maybe just a touch more) than she was comfortable with, which I think really helped her. We had the whole day to enjoy the beautiful Ghost loop and if it took the whole day, so be it. <br />
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(I do have a ride photo, but for some reason, my computer refuses to load it, so you just need to imagine the lovely scenery and Galen's orange butt)<br />
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We did spend a little time going back to find a boot, but we found it quickly. We finished around 12:30 or so, but that was fine. This was a 13 mile loop, and my ankle still felt pretty good. This was the longest mileage AND time I have done since June of 2012. I have been working on changing the way I ride - much more sitting trot; thank goodness for the Teke glide, much more muscle instead of letting my ankles absorb so much. It's very different from how I've ridden before, but Galen seems ok with it, so I'll call it good.<br />
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I ended with thinking that I could probably do more mileage, but I was kind of glad I didn't have to. Once the horses were taken care of, I cracked a beer, took some more Advil and socialized. Hmmm, another plus in the Trail Ride's favor...more time for beer. Anyway, we are planning on heading to Klickitat, where I might ride a 2 day LD. It could be a new thing - the weenie version of the 2 day 100. If that goes well, maybe I'll be up to an LD before the end of the ride season. Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-16535999096971986742014-05-15T08:30:00.004-07:002014-05-15T08:31:16.886-07:00Turkmenistan!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">This was my first
international flight and (except for Canada and Nogales, Mexico) my first trip
outside the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a pretty good idea
what to expect from talking to people that had been there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I packed extra food for those days we didn’t
get to eat until 2 or 3 (although it turns out I didn’t need it), all sorts of
remedies, books, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will say that we
were really very well taken care of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Jas and I travelled together,
which was quite nice, especially when we were the only English speakers
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started our first day on a
bus…we thought we were heading to a horse exhibition, but we weren’t quite
sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also a bus heading off
to look at gaslines or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got
on the correct one though and were dropped at Exhibition Palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had no idea what to do or where to go, so
we winged it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m pretty sure we got exhibitor’s
badges and we wandered all over the hall while vendors were setting up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were lovely paintings, tack, exercise
equipment, beautiful rugs and many other things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Jas and I in front of the trick riders on the first day.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We did get to see the trick
riders perform, along with their famous dancing Teke. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jvABxe6eTOujSkvY5mgwRVQEWp8rE6LcL6y3uAWCBVOPzC_jQgSl7sN2vpJUAb26hh6DGC10zo-nWeg6TNkfjHp8GcuLvoSXen-UCUF5u4shdWztv_FKMpjRcmJ1DU-WsH-1CmnssQfG/s1600/famous+rearing+horse+first+day.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jvABxe6eTOujSkvY5mgwRVQEWp8rE6LcL6y3uAWCBVOPzC_jQgSl7sN2vpJUAb26hh6DGC10zo-nWeg6TNkfjHp8GcuLvoSXen-UCUF5u4shdWztv_FKMpjRcmJ1DU-WsH-1CmnssQfG/s1600/famous+rearing+horse+first+day.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Every year he can stay on his hind legs longer and longer. We saw him several times.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We had our first lunch that
day at the hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every lunch and dinner
after this was very similar, with lots of food and plenty of fresh vegtables.
Every table we sat at had fizzy orange soda and cola drinks that a young server
would rush up and fill your glass with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Auy395ohrb7rMC-hdiZWynVnQAdDxrOPMXfG7Dz5iU2bXpAZ02MbW9hYSP7X5_vDhWZ8GYnQLn4KKbLhKeOPhYzgt2jidA-cffAQIi3ToKN2UtV3DhpXMIutKSg_lB-QIGfBZYFV1K3/s1600/first+course+at+lunch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4Auy395ohrb7rMC-hdiZWynVnQAdDxrOPMXfG7Dz5iU2bXpAZ02MbW9hYSP7X5_vDhWZ8GYnQLn4KKbLhKeOPhYzgt2jidA-cffAQIi3ToKN2UtV3DhpXMIutKSg_lB-QIGfBZYFV1K3/s1600/first+course+at+lunch.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And it was gorgeous to look at too!</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We started meeting
some of the other attendees; it was great to finally meet many people that I
had only talked to on the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were also quite a few non-Teke folks along, some were artisans,
some were related to connected people, some were giving speeches. It was great
fun to network like <span style="font-size: 10pt;">crazy.</span><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmraipvXDFylgpRRi4iVGgijFSldqgj9TulBMKc08-mr1C3tT9A8lrYAZW9_dTqN5wPH55cwHV-BLkA43vU5zcNJ-LHp8tkuAMzYhK9n-rLSB07Mjxdt0oR8Vo-EH-OFghaEC3EW-cMHK/s1600/Jenny+and+some+new+friends.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmraipvXDFylgpRRi4iVGgijFSldqgj9TulBMKc08-mr1C3tT9A8lrYAZW9_dTqN5wPH55cwHV-BLkA43vU5zcNJ-LHp8tkuAMzYhK9n-rLSB07Mjxdt0oR8Vo-EH-OFghaEC3EW-cMHK/s1600/Jenny+and+some+new+friends.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Naomi and Michelle (who were a blast!) sitting with Jenny at lunch one day.</div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Friday, our second day, there
was the endurance race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were bussed
out to the start of it and left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
watched the horses leave and then…nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were left in the stands so we went exploring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited the stables across the way (and
were NOT allowed in the barns), took photos of youngsters, wandered around
looking for a bathroom (they had potty busses, but I wasn’t that desperate) and
then I went down and watched the dancing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost every place we went had some sort of
music and dancing, all in beautiful Turkmen costumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several of our group danced here. I wasn’t
quite so brave though and it was already getting hot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO4l8yQ3YT282fZpF_Br2NUdTMJ-GURTOji15QmHsf1wUv2rUg4l1diuZQH3UcUs5TXUbe2sISQDVVNF5sluDCDYUMHDxyXRUBE6uSdCan-feAZr9R0vSUXxSZzMXl2WFCnMm1QQaI4zL/s1600/Jenny+and+some+new+friends.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Singing and dancing in between the loops at the endurance ride. Several of our party joined in. </span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The riders (maybe half that
started) came in for the vet check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was very different than what you would see in the US, I think most horses
wouldn’t have passed our vet checks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
favorite horse was the lone mare competing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think she did finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSl7Sr6kNJTep6ZoENCM7rZ7bDq6-txExDMOKA-Ud5kMg3mvithoyv2DgTpIqXgw8UD4lNoxQa8b8E_Euou15H9lYTjBKpZXEhcAgFfhkkCdL0zaUb4gZaIOXJXY83H3DZ94Qwftxsotz6/s1600/Out+on+second+loop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSl7Sr6kNJTep6ZoENCM7rZ7bDq6-txExDMOKA-Ud5kMg3mvithoyv2DgTpIqXgw8UD4lNoxQa8b8E_Euou15H9lYTjBKpZXEhcAgFfhkkCdL0zaUb4gZaIOXJXY83H3DZ94Qwftxsotz6/s1600/Out+on+second+loop.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
'My' mare heading out on the second loop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnYq-HEHOAPq5_1hDWgAbTHemd_DxNlKr7150d2cs_4nXV5EQvOowUTz1cdmRqgzwzmVP4i6qOkeK_4mSCjoy6KO5_LSh5n1H79JushQT517z9nDgEu6pdeXy34MRDxUSXWADb-CaFF8o/s1600/start+of+the+endurance+ride.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnYq-HEHOAPq5_1hDWgAbTHemd_DxNlKr7150d2cs_4nXV5EQvOowUTz1cdmRqgzwzmVP4i6qOkeK_4mSCjoy6KO5_LSh5n1H79JushQT517z9nDgEu6pdeXy34MRDxUSXWADb-CaFF8o/s1600/start+of+the+endurance+ride.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Before the start of the ride. The white yurts were (we think) for the real VIPs - we were put in stands and left to our own devices.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
The mare at the vet check in the middle of the ride. Their idea of a vet check was VERY interesting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">After the endurance race, we
were bussed back to the Exhibition Palace and given lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was speech time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jas and I snuck out and walked back to the
hotel, admiring the amazingly clean streets and blinding white buildings.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Some of the lovely onion domes on buildings in downtown Ashgabat. All the cars we saw were very clean also - we heard that tickets were given out for dirty cars. Glad they don't do that here!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAhakCL2JoDCpuvpai461V1CUaZPOgtrJO_fMcKrAq_sacVdZUjZ48yDwtCX4mgs46fCw3PdWR5F_SVez9_uIwx7MVtnWOl3LN62N3E5Kk5-BrJuYegHj7_DKNAkdpJT-F-KyP66XZ2tq/s1600/Miras+building.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAhakCL2JoDCpuvpai461V1CUaZPOgtrJO_fMcKrAq_sacVdZUjZ48yDwtCX4mgs46fCw3PdWR5F_SVez9_uIwx7MVtnWOl3LN62N3E5Kk5-BrJuYegHj7_DKNAkdpJT-F-KyP66XZ2tq/s1600/Miras+building.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p>I had to take a photo of the Miras, as I bred a colt that I named Miras. (from my Chaihana dictionary, it means "inheritance"). There was also a building called 'Arzuw' and I have a gelding named that (wishes and dreams). I thought I had taken a photo of that too...but I can't find it.</o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Saturday was out to
the Akhalteke Equestrian Complex, where we were to <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">listen to speeches and be
part of a ribbon cutting ceremony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had to get up at 3:30 am to make the 5 am bus. Once we got there,we all
wandered off to look at horses – most definitely not the same level of care we
do here!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then we paid for that by
standing in the hot sun in front of TV cameras while many speeches were given.
At least one young Turkmen lady was overcome with heat exhaustion while we
stood there and many of us were wishing they would hurry up and open the doors.
</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQCb1VN9uQfRxRyaodbwtXBZBG6BWbxt9qHrmosx0J81yHeTXqbjJZeIuZ24DpW3U38J1qfiPxoTyGLdZXlteZDgjkikax1FgHHNsbCxUCz1DIl5t5i76aSuHu3pvM2VlDI2libAYKUeE/s1600/Turkmenistan+2014+351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQCb1VN9uQfRxRyaodbwtXBZBG6BWbxt9qHrmosx0J81yHeTXqbjJZeIuZ24DpW3U38J1qfiPxoTyGLdZXlteZDgjkikax1FgHHNsbCxUCz1DIl5t5i76aSuHu3pvM2VlDI2libAYKUeE/s1600/Turkmenistan+2014+351.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
See all the TV cameras? My feet were so hot and I really wanted to take off my shoes, but I happened to be in the front row...so I didn't. Last thing I needed was to be on national TV with my socks showing.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Some mares and foals at one of the places we went. No shade, no obvious food and no poop. Very different than what we do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We were then served
another lovely meal and taken back to the <span style="font-size: 10pt;">hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One evening (not sure which one now) we went
to the Russian Bazaar along with several other attendees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up going twice and it was a feast
for the senses – lovely smells and beautiful displays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got to do a little bit of haggling, so I
felt I’d had the whole ‘experience’.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Sunday was Race Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got up at 3:30 am again to make the 5 am
bus and were in our seats at the race course by 7 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did get watch the sunrise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQzJZHVCmLp3WFPM_-C-d9wVMQY78XEsghzWopLqhEZ_7CIR4J5rzed3IYBgz1pVOKW7WRgYNb4G5xEhBTxEQLV2cTPBmGq3f8QICR68ttmgKKjG4qd6ey8x2c4ns6HHymoGcVwJD8dFw/s1600/sunrise+at+racetrack+entrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikQzJZHVCmLp3WFPM_-C-d9wVMQY78XEsghzWopLqhEZ_7CIR4J5rzed3IYBgz1pVOKW7WRgYNb4G5xEhBTxEQLV2cTPBmGq3f8QICR68ttmgKKjG4qd6ey8x2c4ns6HHymoGcVwJD8dFw/s1600/sunrise+at+racetrack+entrance.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Some of us did get to see the
ground breaking ceremony (got us out of our seats!) and passed some very
decorated camels that made the rather long walk very worthwhile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8E3R6vC-KZHP-3IxiZg3sTsB2Ve_D4JYAGQkHtmocX6BgcWYAokrT3ogkYl6aghhWk-jsl3_kAJMyBlJWIGm6KST1UBGXtucgxpxyQB4PLUToZCBG6XNSOEK4Sex39tva8fHCnI2Ctak/s1600/camels+at+racecourse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8E3R6vC-KZHP-3IxiZg3sTsB2Ve_D4JYAGQkHtmocX6BgcWYAokrT3ogkYl6aghhWk-jsl3_kAJMyBlJWIGm6KST1UBGXtucgxpxyQB4PLUToZCBG6XNSOEK4Sex39tva8fHCnI2Ctak/s1600/camels+at+racecourse.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhpzSA-gWDQveTUGufgbftObL4QOvRxLppRFEDL1gHoahjjbY1Jgh_e9iT7Kz2OW4jjfAJmERIs7yOMPagbiCh42pcCYhnOiaGwUmCq8H0Ir_mSN0FZy-jn7uUhISlgjzHyflTkoIKjHc/s1600/drill+team.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhpzSA-gWDQveTUGufgbftObL4QOvRxLppRFEDL1gHoahjjbY1Jgh_e9iT7Kz2OW4jjfAJmERIs7yOMPagbiCh42pcCYhnOiaGwUmCq8H0Ir_mSN0FZy-jn7uUhISlgjzHyflTkoIKjHc/s1600/drill+team.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">When we got back to our
seats, they started serving wine and cognac, which went just fine on empty
stomachs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty soon people were
helping themselves to the food and drink in the VIP section ahead of us. Soon,
we had trick riders, drill teams, beauty contests and the President riding in
an exhibition race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9eZUP2O3MXQj1yzK9yLRXjEZU76TACKxjJlaYdkC45U2UZT9zEOV7oqgsvk3JcU8eCXc3XKPyVrDEm3UZ21RaxdKtZFrfvl0zmid2k7TXWzbQtLiqysW9aS_Qrl1lLREwto3VL36frXs/s1600/libations+in+the+stands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9eZUP2O3MXQj1yzK9yLRXjEZU76TACKxjJlaYdkC45U2UZT9zEOV7oqgsvk3JcU8eCXc3XKPyVrDEm3UZ21RaxdKtZFrfvl0zmid2k7TXWzbQtLiqysW9aS_Qrl1lLREwto3VL36frXs/s1600/libations+in+the+stands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9eZUP2O3MXQj1yzK9yLRXjEZU76TACKxjJlaYdkC45U2UZT9zEOV7oqgsvk3JcU8eCXc3XKPyVrDEm3UZ21RaxdKtZFrfvl0zmid2k7TXWzbQtLiqysW9aS_Qrl1lLREwto3VL36frXs/s1600/libations+in+the+stands.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Libations in the stands. No food (except for what we brought in our purses), but wine, cognac and vodka. This is Naomi and Michelle.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYteJ7pLkFYSQu6aTgsDtokH3FCFEgTsb3pCbgpet7oaQeGmjdYuv_Ga4ZOiSGJ7AtJNt-xzrbV6EEl9VJyeZ_SjCAvjzHD1zQYBIulyQ_yGrbZYStRzCwR3lryHNxxK47HBdhethFLE7S/s1600/drill+team.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYteJ7pLkFYSQu6aTgsDtokH3FCFEgTsb3pCbgpet7oaQeGmjdYuv_Ga4ZOiSGJ7AtJNt-xzrbV6EEl9VJyeZ_SjCAvjzHD1zQYBIulyQ_yGrbZYStRzCwR3lryHNxxK47HBdhethFLE7S/s1600/drill+team.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There were drill riders on the track to keep us entertained. I think (from what my next seat neighbor told me), there were riders from Turkmenistan, Turkey and ?. Of course, I'm not sure he knew what he was talking about, but it made for an interesting backdrop to the races.</div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There were 7 races
and the horses looked to be in good flesh and reasonably well trained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a few close finishes and then the
top three jockeys in each race got <span style="font-size: 10pt;">presented cars. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCXJrSe7se_CtXCAAemc5Uu20rLzMV8W00kaCPd-DfjexvHYkYBlleM92IKsjpUQ5wYHe3Iic2NmO7L_lNuRDml5b3pNHJt7MWIoQsR2DUzcmZWfEZe_IqSnV7PatBxIIKZtcSJEWIhW1/s1600/horse+rugs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDCXJrSe7se_CtXCAAemc5Uu20rLzMV8W00kaCPd-DfjexvHYkYBlleM92IKsjpUQ5wYHe3Iic2NmO7L_lNuRDml5b3pNHJt7MWIoQsR2DUzcmZWfEZe_IqSnV7PatBxIIKZtcSJEWIhW1/s1600/horse+rugs.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
One of the horses in the 'Beauty Contest' that was going on before the races. They all came out several times in jewelry, traditional dress and then just bare.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcUII_Ke6C4dtX-SaQ46ZGJ59hqqAiPu5L51W8vPM8Z4HH4FnBFmm0meO0ErYUvC1o9PYZp1tul1YABmkKZmR3FM0fLxiwHL8tMdh1EmqvbrNE08ZcEFdPfRKGLEFaO3cvGQhvbCjF4qU/s1600/fancy+dress+at+the+races.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcUII_Ke6C4dtX-SaQ46ZGJ59hqqAiPu5L51W8vPM8Z4HH4FnBFmm0meO0ErYUvC1o9PYZp1tul1YABmkKZmR3FM0fLxiwHL8tMdh1EmqvbrNE08ZcEFdPfRKGLEFaO3cvGQhvbCjF4qU/s1600/fancy+dress+at+the+races.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fancy dress at the races. Most of us weren't quite this fancy, but her hat was very fun.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsQP6WUIv6KeQdzeWjEhUQbgvLoWTHBCnZ7-HejbUC6hQk4EyEOxmtEXdHRtlmx05h4q96VceNGNHEwEmCCiEmFavQsN2i_lZHSzvhF2G03vj60O7adr8jSEM4WKv9lPo_MsbUYefs5aD/s1600/little+girl+dancing+with+trick+riders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsQP6WUIv6KeQdzeWjEhUQbgvLoWTHBCnZ7-HejbUC6hQk4EyEOxmtEXdHRtlmx05h4q96VceNGNHEwEmCCiEmFavQsN2i_lZHSzvhF2G03vj60O7adr8jSEM4WKv9lPo_MsbUYefs5aD/s1600/little+girl+dancing+with+trick+riders.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
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</o:lock><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_71" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" style="height: 110.25pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 147.75pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
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</v:imagedata></v:shape></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p>We saw this little girl several times. She was part of the dancing with the trick riders (I'd assume she is a trick rider's child) and she was so cute that I had to take some photos of her. The women danced while the men did their trick riding around them. I'm sure there was significance to the dancing, but we didn't have a clue, except to know that it was very lovely.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I didn’t take many photos of
the actual races, as I thought other stuff was way more interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Anyway, after lunch, back to the
hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">We did a few things, but the
whole trip sort of flowed together. Monday we made another trip to the Russian
Bazaar and then went on a long bus ride with some of the jockeys from the races
and a TV crew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were promised that we
could see the President’s horses, but instead got to see several statues (up
close) in front of the TV cameras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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We were promised horses on this bus ride...just not that they were golden statues!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">By
the time we got to the stables, they had been closed for ½ hour!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we found a bathroom, walked on the fancy
track surface (very nice) and talked and talked with our new friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made it back to the hotel, got to eat one
more time and then headed for the airport and home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, it was a marvelous week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the attendees are heading to the
Chinese Celebration of the Horse, starring Jackie Chan, the 12<sup>th</sup>
through the 14<sup>th</sup> of May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several of our members are planning on going, so perhaps the next
newsletter will have a report on that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span></span><br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-10687638885199925722014-05-01T07:28:00.000-07:002014-05-01T07:28:39.774-07:00Back from TurkmenistanYes, I'm back. It was a whirlwind week of firsts - first international travel (which I could easily get used to - wine! food! free movies! more legroom!), first trip to Turkmenistan, first in person meeting with many internet friends, first Russian bazaar...you get the drift.<br />
<br />
I won't write up the entire trip right now, as I'm still playing catch up with all the stuff piled on my desk and barn work. My family (mainly Callie and Zach) did a great job in my absence, but there is still plenty for me to do.<br />
<br />
I took many photos, and will get to those sooner or later.<br />
<br />
What I came away from the week with:<br />
<br />
1. The Turkmen people seem to be extremely nice and VERY patient.<br />
2. Bring your own toilet paper.<br />
3. Wear comfortable shoes.<br />
4. Their horse management is way behind ours, but they are working on it.<br />
5. Being on a paid for trip is lots of fun, mostly. They do expect some photo ops though. (I was on their national TV at least once and probably more). But, I looked good, so it was just fine.<br />
6. Bargaining in the bazaar was lots of fun. <br />
7. They drive like maniacs. I had to sit in the back of the bus after making the mistake of sitting in the front seat, only once. I almost mashed my foot through the floor helping the driver brake. I also assume that my gasps weren't doing any good as nothing changed.<br />
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There was plenty more, that I will write about soon. Now I need to get back to my other duties!<br />
<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-44470681672369820172014-04-22T07:12:00.002-07:002014-04-22T07:12:35.106-07:00Off to Turkmenistan!This morning I will board a plane that will (eventually) get me to Turkmenistan. I'm heading there along with several other N. Americans for the annual Celebration of the Horse. I am so excited!<br />
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No idea if I'll be able to post while I'm over there, but if not, I will have plenty of photos and stories when I get back.<br />
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Bye for now!Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-68003859481427129302014-04-09T08:10:00.000-07:002014-04-16T14:57:38.803-07:00Broken Saddle!As I reported in the last blog post, I broke my saddle last week. I wasn't doing anything exciting, we just hopped over a log (we being Galen and me). I heard a crack and realized what had happened back at the trailer.<br />
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Yesterday, I took everything off my saddle - stirrups, seat savers, shims, etc (boy, it's light without all that stuff!) to box it up and ship back to the manufacturer. They are being great - the tree is guaranteed, so all I need to pay is shipping and labor. Way cheaper than a new saddle. Anyway, after I took everything off, I realized the tree was broken in 3 places, not just one!<br />
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The underside of my saddle - you can see the dimples in the leather in the middle of the pommel. Also, if you look below the stirrup leathers on both sides, you can see breaks at the narrowest point of the tree.</div>
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Close up of one of the breaks below the stirrup leather.</div>
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Close up of the pommel break. </div>
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So, they will replace the tree and send it back asap, as of course, ride season has started! It will be interesting to see what is different with the new tree. I was told that this break (pommel, at least) has been known to happen on these models. No idea about the other breaks.</div>
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I guess I would rather have my saddle break than my horse!</div>
Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-74862854541619198382014-04-02T08:23:00.000-07:002014-04-20T08:04:05.097-07:00April Fools RideYesterday, it was gorgeous. So gorgeous that I couldn't stay home and do the usual (clean sheds and stalls, work with the young horses). I loaded up Galen and off we went. As I had a limited amount of time, we went to Lord Hill Park, which is only about a 20 minute drive away. Lord Hill can give a really good workout in a short time, because, as the name says, it's all hills. Even walking can leg up your horse pretty quickly. My yardstick of his fitness is how far up a hill he will trot before he drops back to a walk. When we trot all the way to the top, we're ready to do an LD.<br />
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When I got to the parking lot, there were two other ladies in the parking lot, both on QHs, with one extra being ponied. Nice ladies, we all exchanged good mornings and off Galen and I went. <br />
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The light was very beautiful and it made me think of cathedrals of trees. I'm sure there is a poem somewhere with that, but as I'm not much of a poetry buff, none came to mind.<br />
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We continued along, greeting the occasional dog walker. This time, none of the dogs had ever seen a horse and you could almost read their minds: "That is the BIGGEST dog I've ever seen". Galen ignored them.<br />
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We went down the Quarry trail to the river and were trotting through the trees down by the river when a dog rushed up behind us, either nipped Galen's legs or just crashed into him and then took off at a dead run. We were both a bit startled, although I think I was more than Galen. As I had no idea where the dog was, I headed back to the road. I met the person who had the dog - now, Lord Hill is pet friendly, but all dogs are supposed to be on leash. Not everyone does this, although most people catch their dogs and at least hold them when they see a horse. I told him (I did say please) to keep his dog contained and what the dog had just done. He didn't believe me, saying "THIS dog did that?". Like, the dog is gone for 5 minutes and he couldn't imagine it was doing anything remotely naughty. I told him "Yes, YOUR dog did that". Then, I continued on. We went up the first loop of the Competitive Trail ride we did back in January - no idea what the trail is called. It has some very steep climbs, some rather iffy trail (sides are falling away), but it's sure challenging. There was a log down across the trail, no biggie. Galen went to step over it, saw that it was much too wide and so hopped it. I heard a crack, but figured it was him hitting the log with a hoof. We continued on, meeting some more well behaved dogs and their excellent owners, until we got back to the parking lot, where there was...a flock of sheep. Galen was looking at them, indicating to me that this was NOT where sheep belonged. I agreed, but couldn't do anything about it. I untacked him and put him in the trailer and then went to see if I could find the break in the fence to shoo them back. Didn't find the break and I'm obviously not a sheep whisperer, as they all headed away from me. I also looked at my saddle as I was taking it off Galen - the pommel was cracked in two! That crack I heard on the trail was my saddle tree breaking! Now we'll see how to fix THAT! I gave up on the sheep and headed home.<br />
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The big thing (besides all the adventures) is that I rode for over 2 hours and had forgotten to take any pain meds. I finished reasonably sound, although I walked in the last 1/4 mile. Met a very concerned dog walker who asked me if I was ok, as I was walking my horse. I assured her I was just walking in for my benefit and all was well. Good people! My ankle was sore, but not screaming, so maybe, just maybe, there is a possibility that I'll be able to ride longer and longer.<br />
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So I got home and posted a short version of this on Facebook and had someone ask "This is an April Fool's joke, isn't it?". I reread it and could see why they though that, but nope, all true. Wish the saddle tree breaking wasn't! Galen took everything in stride, I assume he just figures that humans are weird and whatever I say, goes. Yeah!<br />
<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-24343919482814225862014-03-18T08:40:00.002-07:002014-03-18T08:40:28.002-07:00Bridle Trails Dressage Schooling Show, March 16, 2014Sunday dawned wet and rainy. VERY wet and rainy. I kept thinking that it must slow down soon! Ha! The horses didn't really want to go outside and I couldn't blame them. But, Monica and Keiko were riding in the afternoon, so I kept hoping it would clear up for them. But, it kept raining and raining and raining.<br />
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Being tough Wetsiders (and having already paid their entry fees), neither Monica nor Keiko bailed. They had been hoping to take a nice, relaxing ride through the Bridle Trails park before their tests, but decided that wouldn't be very relaxing in the pouring rain. I was 'crewing' for both of them, offering to read the tests and hang on to things. I had briefly toyed with the idea of riding some tests, but seeing the weather, I'm glad I didn't. I got there around 2:30 and their rides were scheduled at 3:30 and beyond. Still raining.<br />
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Both Cady (Keiko's mare) and Danny had developed an instant herd on the trailer ride there, and it took a bit of coaxing and some tactful riding to get them to concentrate on their riders. But, Keiko and Monica did a great job, keeping their horses focused. Danny was a bit tense, but did a respectable job, with some very nice marks especially in his second test. Cady was obviously getting tired towards the last test, but also did very nicely. Both Monica and Keiko ended with big smiles and first and second place ribbons in Training Test 3. Angela Davenport showed up just in time and took photos and video of the tests while I read for them. <br />
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Keiko and her Shagya mare Cady at the show. Angela Davenport photo</div>
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Monica and Danny (Magdan) at the show, showing some nice moves. Angela Davenport photo.<br />
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Here are big grins (although a bit wet) from Keiko and Monica with their ribbons. <br />
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Congratulations to both of them!</div>
Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-20390309068940050392014-02-27T16:45:00.002-08:002014-02-27T16:45:21.376-08:00BiosecurityIs a very scary word! I've been thinking a lot about biosecurity lately, as we've had several horses with fevers in the past week.<br />
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Here is what happened: Sunday morning, my husband came in from feeding breakfast to the horses (bless him) and he said "Goshen doesn't look good". Now, when the husband notices that a horse is ADR (ain't doing right), you have to think the worst. My hubby is a great guy, helps out tons, humors me and shoves me out riding, but a horseperson he is not. So, out to the barn I go, hoping it's nothing. Ha! As advertised, Goshen, who is a 4 year old colt, is not feeling well. He's not eating, is standing in the corner and isn't interested in much of anything. So, I listen for gut sounds (next to none), take his heartrate (around 80) and his temp (101.5). Immediately, I suspect colic. There is plenty of poop in his paddock, but the lack of gut sounds points directly that way. So, I give him a dose of Banamine and call the vet. Of course, it's Sunday, so emergency fees apply!<br />
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The vet calls me back, gets the info and asks if I want to wait and see. By now it's around 10ish and Larry and I have tickets for a hockey game that evening. So no, I want to get him looked at and know what we're dealing with, so I can go enjoy my evening. Vet comes out, does a rectal, listens, pokes and prods and decides it's not really a colic. There's been this bug going around...turns out that there has been something (no one is really sure what it is) going through local barns. The vets don't know exactly what it is, except horses spike a fever (often quite high) for around 48 hours and show some minor colic symptoms. So far, the diagnosis is to treat the symptoms, so Banamine to bring down the fever and get them eating and drinking. So, good news is that it's not colic, bad news is that this has proven to be VERY contagious. Great. Into a quarantine stall he goes and I head to Pilchuck Vet Hospital to pick up more Banamine, gowns, gloves and booties. I worked at Pilchuck for about a year, so I know how an Iso (Isolation) stall is set up. They also gave me a nice laminated poster that I put on the tack room door.<br />
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I'm taking Goshen's temp twice a day and giving Banamine twice a day. He's eating and drinking reasonably well - not great, but enough. Then, Reggie starts looking unhappy. Ack! I take his temp and even though he looks fairly bright and alert and is eating and drinking, it's 105.5. I don't believe it, so I take it again. 106! I call the vet, who says this is what they've been seeing (Goshen only got to 103.5 that I know of). Banamine and out to retake that temp 2 hours later. At that point, it's down to 102.5, so that is a huge relief. So, now I have 2 in quarantine. Both have been doing well and their temps are normal after 48 hours, but this morning (Thursday), Ari is looking off. 104.5. Now there are 3 in quarantine. Ari seems to think it's kind of a vacation. Free choice hay, lots of bedding, some alfalfa, small grain meals every few hours, what's not to like? So far, no one else has been droopy and fingers crossed, we isolated them early enough. The big question is the pregnant mares and my stallion. High fevers can cause abortion and kill sperm. So, I'm not going near the girls or Salam, just in case. We don't know how it spreads, but I'm trying to take zero chances. We had planned on going out on the trails this week, but until everyone is clear I don't want to potentially infect anyone else's horses. We're pretty much on lockdown. And, to make matters just a little more fun, I ended up with a fever this week too! I KNOW where that one came from though (thanks kids). The worst part of the whole thing (besides the expense) is that the weather has been fantastic! </div>
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I suspect by tomorrow both Goshen and Reggie are going to be wondering why they're in a stall 24 hours a day. Neither are used to this, as everyone gets lots of turnout. But, better that they're on the road to recovery. Fingers crossed that Ari is the last one and no one else comes down with it.</div>
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-79487933949301508832014-02-16T08:31:00.000-08:002014-02-16T08:31:11.894-08:00The 'Magic Number'That old song, "One" by Three Dog Night, was going through my head yesterday. I was riding Galen at Lord Hill by myself, so I needed something to keep myself amused. I've been trying all sorts of different strategies to stay in the saddle longer (my ankle is still not where I think it should be). I'm trying various riding strategies; doing more sitting trot (less ankle motion, but a slower overall speed), more leg contact during posting so there is less ankle flexion (thin thighs in 30 days!), more walking (slow speed again) and probably once I start doing over 2 hours, I'll have to get off and walk several times to give my ankle a break (have to get back on though, lol).<br />
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So, these are all helping some, but I'm still quite lame when I get back to the trailer. It does work out reasonably soon, so I'm hopeful.<br />
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So, I decided that strategies aren't enough. I've started experimenting with different drug regimes. (cue the sinister music). I've tried preloading my usual 3 Advil. Not enough. So, I tried 4. I've never taken that many Advil at once, but I decided to try. Not bad. Hence the song.<br />
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Of course, I changed the lyrics a bit:<br />
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The original: <br />
One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do<br /> Two can be as bad as one<br /> It's the loneliest number since the number one<br /><br /> No is the saddest experience you'll ever know<br /> Yes, it's the saddest experience you'll ever know<br /> `Cause one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do<br /> One is the loneliest number, worse than two<br /><br /><br />
I couldn't remember more than a line or two, so I made up a much happier song.<br />
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Four is the magical number that lets me ride.<br />
Four is the magical number that keeps my smile wide.<br />
Four is the magical number, Could Five be a magical number?<br />
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And on and on. Galen provided the drumbeat with his hooves and seemed to enjoy my singing. Good thing he's not very critical.<br />
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Of course, being a person that tends to think that if 4 is good, wouldn't 5 be better, I am going to have to be careful. Then, I think, wait a minute, don't I still have some oxycodone left over from the surgery? Ack. Slippery slope. I guess I'll keep trying different strategies and try to restrain myself from over medication. <br />
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<br />Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-44423548264024485312014-02-13T08:01:00.001-08:002014-02-13T08:01:21.221-08:00I'm Going to Turkmenistan!Yes, that is correct, Turkmenistan! I bought my tickets yesterday with my friend Jas. <br />
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This is for the 'IV International Akhalteke horses Association meeting and celebrations devoted to the Holiday of the Turkmen racer which we will host in Ashgabat 24-27 April, 2014'<br />
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This has been something I've wanted to go to from the start, but it looks like this year I'll finally get there.<br />
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Jas and I will meet Amrita Ibold and Jenny Rice in Frankfurt and continue on to Ashgabat with them.<br />
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I've read the reports from other people that have gone, but this year I will finally be able to write my own report. Woo hoo!<br />
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Now, back to work...Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8365761134964873382.post-71931824851973585112014-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:002014-01-30T17:05:26.798-08:00PNER Convention, January 24, 25, 36, 2014Ride season is off to a great start! Monica and I headed down to the Portland Airport Sheraton last weekend, where the 2014 PNER Convention was being held. We knew there was a good line-up of speakers, lots of vendors, the used tack sale and of course, the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.<br />
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We went down early Friday morning because Monica and Aarene Storms were sharing a vendor table and Monica wanted to get set up and start selling. I think we were there and pretty much set up by noon. Once I had helped her get most of her stuff in, I trotted off to check out the vendors and the used tack sale and to buy my raffle tickets. Last year I made out like a bandit at the raffle and I was hoping to repeat my feat. I brought a bunch of stuff for the used tack sale, both mine and my friend Cindy's. I do have to applaud the people that organize and run the tack sale - it was overflowing with great stuff in a very small space. I found a few 'must have and can afford' items and immediately bought them. No waiting around or someone else will get the great deals!<br />
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I headed over to the raffle booth and bought lots of tickets, including 4 for the portable corral raffle (those were $5 each, the regular raffle being a $1 per ticket). We had also brought a bunch of books to the Junior's Used Book Sale (along with every other person at the convention, it appeared), so I put them out too. I did a quick look at the great stuff in the vendor area - everything from saddles to clothes to skin care products. I then gave Monica a break so she could go check out the tack sale and vendors and sold a few Endurance 101 books and some of Monica's helmet charms.<br />
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Monica Bretherton photo</div>
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I learned a bit about Ride and Tie for a student.</div>
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I'm not sure I could do Ride and Tie, although the nice people in the booth were very encouraging. My running skills are very outdated (although they said some people power walk), but who knows. I did go from 'NEVER' to 'hmmm'. All you can ask!</div>
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I got to chat with several people I hadn't seen in a while and got to meet a bunch of the 'Green Beans' as some of the newbies have taken to calling themselves. In fact, something I really enjoyed about this Convention was the fact that there was so much aimed at newcomers to the sport. I went to several of the presentations meant for newbies and even though I've been competing (lightly) for 10 years, I learned something new in each one. There were some excellent questions. It also made me think about the newbies that I'm helping along and gave me some good ideas. We'll see if they agree later on...</div>
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Monica and I ended our Friday at dinner with a bunch of friends, both old and new and headed to bed early.</div>
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Saturday began with a good breakfast and then we went to the Endurance 101 talk, given by Aarene Storms. There was a very good turnout of newbies and also non-newbies. I really enjoyed her talk (and she asked ME to introduce her!). We had to break before we really wanted to (tons of great questions, just not enough time) because next up was the General Meeting. It seemed to be well attended and there was quite a bit of discussion, mostly polite, on quite a few issues. The big one was the whole 'Should AERC be part of FEI endurance or not' discussion, that has been getting lots of attention. What I found very interesting was that the whole debate started with the idea of distancing the AERC from FEI, up to the point of no longer participating. After much discussion, much of it very, very good and well thought out, we voted for a motion to continue being part of FEI endurance. It really was fascinating to see people change their minds, after they had heard all sides of the story. Our FEI riders really had some excellent points and were able to get them across. </div>
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After that meeting, I went to the talk given by Dr. Jen on lameness. It was great, especially the videos she showed. I think we all had a new appreciation for the hard work our endurance vets do at every ride. Then I stayed for most of Dr. Vanwhal's (I think I have that right) talk on the hoof. There were some really great slides. Then I had to go get whatever hadn't sold from the used tack sale and check out the raffle table again. I had a modest haul this year, I guess I used up my luck last year. But wait...</div>
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We then all went and got prettied up, which only took Monica and I about 10 minutes. We all headed down to the cocktail hour and then to dinner and the awards.</div>
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The Fish Creek Gang has a tradition of wearing prom dresses (often from a thrift store) to this, so as you might imagine, we were pretty, um, obvious? There was a range of clothing from jeans to our finery, with every gradation in between. Here is a photo from Friday night when we were figuring out our finery.</div>
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A few of the Fish Creek Gang/Pirates getting ready for our big party on Saturday. Monica Bretherton photo.</div>
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We looked pretty much the same on Saturday, with perhaps a few dress changes. We had our dinner and then the awards started. In between awards, they gave out ride entries (with unwon raffle tickets). I won an entry to Seneca Stampede. I've never been there, so it sounds like a great time to go try it out. There was a nice slideshow to go along with the awards and then towards the end, they did the drawing for the Hold My Horses portable corral. We have two of them, but I had bought 4 tickets total, cause you can ALWAYS use more, especially as I'll be taking along some newbies this year. And guess what? My luck changed and I WON IT! Whoo hoo! I know Carlene took a photo of me fondling it, but I can't find it right now. So, just imagine a big grin and me holding the corral rather possessively. </div>
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After that, we partied for a while, got our dancing shoes on (or off in my case) and had a great time. Monica and I didn't stay up terribly late and Sky Evans was sharing our room that night. So, we had a 'girl's slumber party' and got to know Sky a bit better. Monica knew her, but I had never met her. We had a nice chat. </div>
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Next day, Monica and I went to the New Board meeting and then headed home around 11 or so, after loading my corral into Monica's van (good planning there!). All in all, a very good weekend!</div>
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Tekeladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01899782327337845099noreply@blogger.com0