With a Bang

Sunday June 20 2010

Summer arrived today.

It has nothing to do with the date, or the summer solstice (which is tomorrow), but the advent of the Owyhee summer storms - like the spectacular intense and short one we had today (interestingly, exactly 24 hours ahead of the solstice).

Deep dark clouds built up over the Owyhee mountains. Even I could hear the thunder all around. Then suddenly - bang! It sounded like rifle fire. Crack! BangCrackBangCrack! A machine gun. Dozens, suddenly thousand of them, cracking off the metal roof of the house and barn, the ground alive with jumping white pebbles of hail - not just falling, but being flung down to earth so hard they leapt a foot back into the air.

The horses! I thought, and threw on a hat and jacket and ran out to the front pasture. (I'm not sure what I would have done if they were galloping in a panic.) They ran around briefly, but quickly formed into a tight ball, their butts hunched to the stinging ice balls, tails tucked under butts, some heads down to the ground. In protest they'd whirl around again and toss their head at the storm, then again turn their butts to it. The hail hurled and roared - on the roofs, on the grass, on the dirt, on my hat and on horse butts. It lasted just a couple of minutes - and it was past.

And the sun came out.


The horses went right back to grazing.






A few of them had a roll to shake off the pummeling they'd had.






After his roll, Jose came up to compare notes with me on the hail.


And the sun shined, and the ice balls melted as the first real Owyhee summer storm moved on.

Fort Howes Day 2: It's All Mental

Sunday June 7 2009

This time, it rained all night, and turned to a dozen forms of precipitation, all of them involving some form of ice, till late afternoon. It turned the trails into a mire of treacherous footing. "A mental ride," a couple of riders said.

Despite the conditions, there were still lots of smiles from riders and crews, if not in happiness then from a sense of humor. People love this ride, and the Stevens who put it on, and they keep coming back to do it again.

For the full ride story, see the Fort Howes page on endurance.net.

Here are some photos to give you the flavor of the day!

Julie Jackson-Biegert and Nitro, winner of the 100.




Oops! A slip on the slick ground.


Horse coming in to camp in the snow




Flurries in camp.


Heading back out into the snow!


Blankets off for trot outs.


Blankets back on immediately after - several blankets.


The snow turns back to sleet.


This rider was doing her and her horse's first 50. "I'm a wimp and I'm surprised I'm still going!" She was tickled with how much mud was all over her stirrups and legs. She finished the ride. Think of how enjoyable and easy all the rest of her endurance rides will be when she has good weather and terrain!


Still beautiful, despite the weather.


Horses bowed their heads moving into the blowing snow and rain.


Suzy Hayes and Tezero's Gold.




Trotting out for the vet.




This fellow came all the way from Texas but got kicked on the trailer, so he didn't get to ride. OBVIOUSLY he was bored. He kept pestering his pen-mates, trying to get someone to play with him.