Monday September 24 2012
after a record (for me) 16 endurance rides and 820 miles last year (14 rides and 720 miles on my pal Jose, and a year-end mileage vest!!!), this year's been a bit different. so far: 3 rides early this year (all on Jose) and a bunch of missed opportunities for various reasons. i was soooooo looking forward to our 5-day Owyhee Canyonlands ride on my favorite horse, starting tomorrow. Steph saved him for me to ride even while giving away the rest of her horses for other people to ride.
he's sick with allergies. deep asthmatic-like coughs, rattling breathing. we went on a short ride yesterday and he could barely get enough air. it's been very dusty and smoky this year.
i got mad at myself the year i got my toe broke (because i wore SANDALS around the horses and got STEPPED ON), and i was just too wimpy to bear the pain of putting a shoe on, and sticking my aching foot in a stirrup, and so i missed 2 days of the Almosta Bennett Hills ride in our back yard.
i got really mad at myself the year i fell off a horse and broke a couple of ribs the week before the Owyhee Canyonlands. i thought i could be real careful that week before, and my ribs would heal enough for me to ride… but then the day before the ride started, i tripped while walking, and i about passed out from the rib pain that caused, and i wimped out on trying to ride 250 miles (which, on retrospect, was probably a smart thing).
this year, with Jose allergic to Owyhee here at the Canyonlands in our own back yard - i'm just… deflated.
but, as Gowestferalwoman says, "Glass half full!"
our Belgian friends Carol & Leonard are here, Canadian friends the Levermans and Balmer-Holmes are here, and many more friends for a week of horses and fun…
and Judy has offered me her horse Milon to ride tomorrow. i reckon a cure for … deflation … is to just get in the saddle and ride.
day 1 is a 50 mile loop to the Spivey Ranch and back, across 2 of our more spectacular Owyhee canyons - Browns Creek and Castle Creek.
P.S.: Jose is already better, but I know how I felt when I used to have asthma and couldn't breathe.
You go out and have you a re-inflating ride, and report back to let us know that Jose is feeling better!!!!!
ReplyDeletePoor beautiful Jose! I really am sending up a prayer for his complete and speedy return to health.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you get to ride. It will do you good to get yourself out there.
Kiss the handsome boy for me!
The smoke has been terrible this year. I thought Jose was your horse?
ReplyDeleteDo you use Vick's vapor rub by his nostrils? We used that when I was a kid with a horse, in England. It seemed to help.
ReplyDeleteSandals around horses?? Omg.........even the thought freaks me out. I like the Vick's idea......give Jose a smoochy big hug for me. I am sorry he doesn't feel well.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for you, it must be so frustrating having all these amazing rides available to you and not being able to participate.
ReplyDeleteBritain isn't made for endurance riding! Our open country only extends for a few miles before you hit another road or town. The girls at anythingequine.co.uk are doing a lot to try and find good routes in England, but I think it's a "deflated" endeavour.
Shirley, I call Jose my Heart Horse, because he is!!! But Steph actually owns him. And I am the lucky one who gets to ride him most of the time!
ReplyDeleteAnd Jose is much better. He's been diagnosed with COPD. (Great!) The vet said the symptoms will recur.
Hopefully the timing will be better, and hopefully they won't be so severe, and I'll still get to do a lot more endurance rides on him!!! (like maybe the Halloween ride in 4 weeks!
well, i did say glass half full...
ReplyDeletebut i didnt say with what...
;)
raising my glass to you and yours and wishing a hecka better coming days, weeks, months and years!!!!