Lizzy Rose Ride Again!!!

You all saw...(I hope) my Christmas post with Lizzy Rose riding Jesse! Well...I found a new way for Lizzy to ride Jesse with me that will be much safer for her at this years Cowboy Christmas at the NFR in Las Vegas. I watched the video on this new product and bought one hoping it would work for Jesse, Lizzy and me!!!

Woo Hoo...it works!

The following video was takern by a young wrangler at my desert stables and I forgot to mention to him not to turn the camera! Sorry you have to look sideways :(((

Now...as you ALL know, Jesse will do ANYTHING I ask him to do! And so will Lady...within reason ;) I suspect, she will see no REASON in that "puppy basket" should be attached to HER saddle horn. Anyone out there wanna take those odds???

Happy Trails!

Your Desert Rose!

Team Pole Bending ???

This past week my desert riding group had it's annual play day. Depending on who is running the play day, it can get extremely technical or extremely fun! This year was extremely fun :)))
 After a less than usual number of competitors we had time for 2 more events and one of them was...Team Pole Bending! Now who has ever heard of that???

So...you got to pick a partner and I was lucky enough to partner up with cowgirl E, the groups usual 1st place eventor! And yes...we won:))) I did have to caution Jesse that this was not a race and that the winner would receive apples and carrots ;)))

Fortunately Jesse and "Hoss" knew each other well so we did not have any huge issues and in fact we WON this very unusual event!

Thanks to cowgirl E and Hoss...we have another Beer Mug trophy to add to our growing collection!

Yee Haw!!!

Your Desert Rose!

Pacific Crest Trail...(6th segment ridden)

In my goal of riding as many segments of the PCT in a 20 year span I have just completed my 6th segment ridden! One of these 6 segments we have ridden over and over has a great lunch stop, Live Oak Spring, with an underground spring that supplies water for our horses. Even if at the end of the 20 years I will have only ridden 20 segments I will feel satisfied with the accomplishment!
Since we had never been to this new trial head the Bossman and I have our usual disagreements as to what way is left and what way is right but we hit our targeted time of leaving the stables for our ride. On our way to the trail head I make a silly comment..."well at least it's not windy today" because our trail today would start at the Mesa Wind Farm. Of course the wind farm was built in this location...because it is FUCKINGWINDY there! (25 cents in the cuss jar) there!!! I finally relented and said that the Bossman did not have to wear his cowboy hat and instead wear his beloved Pith helmet. My reasoning for this was...if his hat was going to blow away...I sure did not want it to blow back on Lady and me knocking us off the trail down into the deep ravines of the PCT.

Now before I go to much further in my story...I must tell you that this segment was ridden almost a year ago! And since then we have ridden a few more segment adventures to tell you about! But...back to this segment ;)))

I have to admit that I was NOT sure how Lady was going to react to the wheeeeer wheeeeer of the windmills as we entered their domain! However after a minute or 2 she did NOT pay any attention to them even though they annoyed the HELL otta me! ( 25 cents in the cuss jar!)

About 45 minutes in to the ride we see this sign...

then another one in a few minutes!

 Of course we go explore and meet these 2 friendly guys!

The signs are really meant for the thru hikers ( the ones going to Mexico to Canada) who really need to stop whenever the can to restock their water supply.
We don't stay long because we want to ride as far as we can today and then turn around and ride back to the trailer...which I hate to do. But in the future we now have it figured out how we could have BIG FOOT drop us off and leave the trailer for us at the end of this segment. not all segments have trail heads that can be ridden this way....you just have to turn and around and ride back where you came from :)))

As you can see...the above signs show this distances between trail heads!
There are not as many rocks on the trail or terrain and the trails are not hard packed sand but more mushy as they are in the dry washes. This trail has been well maintained and many wooden trail braces can be seen. There are grassy meadows in the distance and the hills seem more rolling.

Finally... we have climbed up enough so that we have left the LAND OF THE WINDMILLS and come to a much different terrain than we usually encounter on the PCT! All but one of our PCT segments have begun in high desert terrain. This particular segment actually began on the desert floor of Palm Springs...which meant we would need to climb.climb, climb...and then drop down, down, down into a wash before another big climb~~~

 

Ooooppppps.....how did that get in here ;)))

 So this next picture...has a very washed out area that shows up in the middle of the picture! This was taken across the canyon after we had ridden it...I have to say that to date...this was probably my worst bad trail spot. I say this because the sand was very soft and very narrow at the washed out spot! I think what brothered me most was knowing that I was going to have to pass it again on our way back!!!

 Spectacular views at every turn!

 the view to the wash below!

We finally decide it's lunch time...there is a science to knowing that! You take the time traveled thus far, add an hour for lunch and then deduct 1/2 hour cause the horses always walk faster on the way home ;)

So the next few pictures are new to my rides...

Bridle resting during lunch!

Back in the saddle after a delicious lunch and chilled bottle of wine!

Finally have made it back to the flat ground but need to pass by the windmills again but this time you get to hear it too!

Your Desert Rose!

Lizzy Rose's 1st Horsey Ride!

Here Is Pupperoni's first ride on Jesse Pollin with MOMMY!


OK...I was gonna save this for Christmas....but couldn't wait! (Ya...I held back... some photos)

Jesse is NOT so sure about Pupperoni steeling his thunder!

Your Desert Rose!

THE BIG HORN!

On my last scheduled desert ride my riding buddy...Amos's mom and I were treated to the sight of a lifetime!
We were riding a trail that is NOT ridden by anyone I know because of it's difficulty and it's rapid gain in elevation. Elevation...is the key word here, that is where this majestic guy lives. He is protected in our desert and for years during LAMBING season, signs were posted that led anywhere near his breeding ground saying..."closed for llambing season". Ok...that was not exactly what it said but I could NOT find a picture of one of the signs in my archives...although I know I have many. Several years ago...even though the signs were still posted...the ban was lifted for hikers and riders as long as NO dogs were on the trail. The Big Horn is known to stop breeding when dogs are present...DOGS are the predator in a flight world.
As we came around the corner...Amos's mom stopped and said SHHHHHHH!!!! Her finger to her mouth...her other finger pointing up above us.
This is what Shanna Lady Rose and I saw!!! The pictures are posted in the order I took them...the 1st 2 are on my cell phone, the rest are from my camera!

 How in the world did Amos's mom see this guy...way up there??? He was laying down at the time and I think the noise of our many cameras and cell phones zooming in & out finally caused him to stand...yet not in fear!

This proud beautiful boy stayed within our sight for up to 5 minutes! He was NOT scared...in fact acted curious about us. After 13 years of riding in his territory...I am in finally in awe of his royal presence!!!

YOUR DESERT ROSE!

Blown Away!

Thought I would share with you all an unexpected experience we had on a recent trail ride. The ride was 3 hours total in our Indian Canyon last week. It was a gorgeous day when 4 of us headed out. The Bossman was riding Lady (per my request) because the last few times we have ridden the canyon trail that you see us heading down to in the video... she has been PISSY! Baby Doll was on my trusty Jesse...who now nickers at Baby Doll when she goes to get him. Last summer he would turn his butt to her when she approached his stall and her little Baby Doll feelings were hurt. I kept my eye on them and found some tips for Baby Doll to improve her relationship with Jesse...and wa la, it worked so well that on a recent ride when Jesse and Baby Doll had a scramble that led to Jesse going down on his side, Jesse waited for Baby Doll to get out from under his tummy before getting himself up righted!!! My friend the Ghost rider needed her 2 horses to get some trail time so she brought me her Peruvian Passo BRIO for the ride. This would be my 1st ride on Brio though I had been on 2 rides when the Ghost rider was riding him. The first 2 hours of the ride went without incident and we were all marveling at the joy of doing what we love in this beautiful desert. As the trail headed southwest the light breeze became wind, until this is what we had to ride in. I am so sorry for the tilted camera...I could hardly keep the camera in my hands and did not realize I had turned it. However...if you are willing to tip your head or your computor for this short video...you will bee how we were almost BLOWN AWAY!

By the way, the wind was suddenly gone when we got to the bottom of the canyon to enjoy our lunch at the picnic grounds. BRIO was a real doll and such fun to ride...I have since ridden him a 2nd time! Shanna Lady Rose was on her best behavior...sure she would be with the Bossman...and I can't wait for this 4-somes next ride!!!

Your Desert Rose!

MY HAPPY PLACE!

The mountains of my desert home...I ride up and down, up and down, up and down, loving it everytime!!!

Your Desert Rose!

Oh What a Night! ( Finale)

Dear Readers,
In honor of the one year anniversary if our "unscheduled overnight on the PCT" I will be re posting the story one segment each day for the next week. If you read about our adventure last year...please feel free to skip it. If you have NOT heard our story before...you might want to take notes...cause we never thought it could happen to us either ;)

The adventure of a lifetime is over for "The 3 Amigos" ! We have seen each other at our worst and best. It is the best that I want to focus on now.

It has been 2 weeks since our "unscheduled overnight mountain stay" and I have finally stopped getting teary when I think about almost, possibly, could have, knock on wood, killed my horse and favorite cousin! ( not in order of importance) The Bossman is too ornery to die on one of out rides!!!

In no order at all...

I want to honor Bronco Betsy or Baby Doll as she is now known in some circles! ( Better than "She who rides many ponies!) This PONY COUSIN has been joining me in the desert now for the last several years as a temporary "snowbird". She started out riding stable rentals...and was so excited her 2nd season when Spanky upgraded her to ride Banjo! Banjo is Tennessee Walker who is not a beginner horse...Bronco got to ride him again this year after Jesse had his owe toes!Bronco and Banjo on our last ride together...notice the Pendleton Saddle pad and halter and lead, This is not "stable" issue!!! Has Baby Doll become the Bossman's favorite PONY COUSIN???

To Baby Doll...I know we scared the "chalupa" out of you more than once on our adventure! What I want you to know... is this: You just experienced one of the most frightening experiences that will EVER happen to you!!! And you did it, YOU cowgirled up when you needed to and did what you had to do! Unless someone rides exactly what you did, they will never know what the terrain we had to ride was. The Bossman and I know...and are proud to award to you...Baby Doll

The Desert Rose, Red Badge of Courage Award! You have earned this award for going above and beyond the call of "cowgirl duty"!

To The Bossman! Always ready to stand up and fight for a PONY COUSIN, especially the Desert Rose in time of need! For ALWAYS being a gentleman and never asking for a "blow job" no matter howfuckingcold you were!!!

To Jesse... I could not have said it better than Cowgirljlynn at A Cowgirlsgrace who dedicated Jesse this special award to Jesse!
And finally last but not least...I dedicate this award to Baby Doll and The Bossman! Alas, this PONY COUSIN has stolen the Bossman's heart away from The Desert Rose during our "unscheduled overnight mountain stay" Although I was somewhat involved in getting him his 1st "blow job" on a trail ride...I was not DIRECTLY the one who gave it to him. As Baby Doll stated in her blog...she is pretty sure she is now The Bossman's favorite PONY COUSIN!!!
I also want to thank...Slick the "Drunken Stallion" and "Little Lady" ( Pretty Girl)(soon to be "My Girl"...yes stolen from "PONY GIRL") who amazed me at their dedication and perseverance in getting us all home safely!!!
You Desert Rose!

Oh What a Night! (part 5)

Dear Readers,

In honor of the one year anniversary if our "unscheduled overnight on the PCT" I will be re posting the story one segment each day for the next week. If you read about our adventure last year...please feel free to skip it. If you have NOT heard our story before...you might want to take notes...cause we never thought it could happen to us either ;)

I left the story off when we saw the 1st Carin. We were soon scouting the valley for them. Some were easy to spot, others we had to struggle to find. Slowly but surely the Caren's kept showing up leading us up another rock hill until in the distance I could see another barbed wire fence. As we got closer..I began to get excited because I could see a green gate in the middle of it!!! Bronco was not sure I was right...that this time we had REALLY found the right trail...but I knew this was it. Neither of took any photo's after the 1st cairn as we were to tired and just wanted out of there. The trail down to desert floor was pretty well marked and in fairly good shape. But considering what we had been riding, it was a piece of cake. Within 1/2 hour we had made down to our intended trail from yesterday. Unfortunately...it was going to be another 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get to the staging area depending on Jesse's feet. You see by now he had lost his easy boot and shoe somewhere in all the climbing. The Bossman had given all 3 of the horses some bute that morning so Jesse was not in pain...but he was being very careful over rocks. We came to a trail head and could have gone either way to get to the staging area but choose to ride the one that would be best for Jesse's feet. Unfortunately all the water hole we passed were dry...which meant it would be 2 more hours before we hit water. The horses just pushed on doing what we asked them to do. That ride to the water seemed to take forever...we didn't talk too much all of us just focusing on getting back. Once we had cell service calls were made to let everyone know when to expect us back to the stables.Finally...we reach the water...Bronco is back on Jesse as sometimes Little Lady gets antsy in the canyon because there are so many hikers. We got to the water and let the horses only have a short sip. Jesse wanted more but we could not let him have his fill without risking the chance of him tying up! 10 minutes later we reached a second water hole and again only let the horses have a short sip. We made it to the trailer...it sure was a sight for sore eyes. We disconnected our saddle bags, took off bridles and started loading up. Jesse first, Lady, then Slick. All of a sudden Jesse began to pull back and do but bucks. I jumped up to look inside the trailer and realized he was in trauma. I yelled for the Bossman to get the other horses unloaded. As we took Jesse out of the trailer I knew he was going to go down and asked the Bossman to help me get his saddle off. We barely had time to get the saddle off when Jesse went down to a full roll twice. I urged him back up but he immediately went back down for 2 more rolls. The Bossman yelled for me to just walk him slowly and to try and keep him up. I called "The Doc" on his cell phone but remembered he was out of town. So I called Spanky and asked him to call the vet office for me. Spanky told us to give Jesse some ace. The Bossman got the ace ready and we gave it to Jesse. In a few minutes Jesse was not in as much trauma however he went down a total of 6 times before the ace kicked in. We gave Jesse a few more minutes and then load back up for the 10minute drive to the stables. When we got there Spanky had me give Jesse 7 sips of water and then we took him to the tie rail. 15 minutes later Spanky had me give Jesse 2 gallons of water with electrolytes. Another, 15 minutes after that. Jesse had not gone down since we arrived at the stables and seemed to be doing much better. As we took him to his stall though, he went down again. Spanky called the vet office...we were in luck they would be there in 1/2 hour. Before the vet got there Jesse went down a total of 12 times!!! Now also during this time the Bossman found the "Shoesales man" to come and look at Jesse feet. The "Shoesales man pulled Jesse's other front shoe so that it could be worn down a bit to macth his other foot. Both the Bossman and the Shoesales man were quite concerned about his feet because Jesse has such tender feet anyway.

The vet arrives and she begins her exam of him. Gut sounds are good so we hope that colic will not follow Jesse's tying- up.What is tying up?
Tying up (muscle tension/spasm) involves chronic tension in the horse's muscles due to overwork. When the muscles are active, they produce lactate as part of their normal metabolism. Too much lactate causes lactic acidosis, a lowering of the pH in the muscles and the body in general. This impacts the efficiency of metabolism, giving rise to fatigue. The excess lactate prevents the muscles from relaxing properly following contraction. As a result, large muscle groups tend to seize up, remaining in a state of contraction. In mild tying up, the horse’s muscles are extremely sore and stiff. In full blown tying up, the horse is unable to move.
The areas typically affected by tying up include the neck, back, shoulders, zones of previous trauma and areas where other muscles have attempted to compensate for those already affected.
Prolonged muscle fatigue can, in time, affect the skeletal, circulatory and respiratory systems.
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Is my horse likely to tie up?
Tying up is more common in young Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds that are either high strung or not fit. Fit, well-trained and well-bred horses are better able to deal with higher levels of lactate in their systems. However, if a horse develops a level of lactate significantly higher than his body has learned to cope with, he will be more likely to tie up.
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What are the symptoms of tying up?
The following symptoms may indicate that your horse is tying up:
Obvious discomfort and irritability
Abnormally short strides
Profuse sweating
Muscle stiffness, contraction
Difficulty moving
Elevated pulse and laboured breathing
Brown coloured urine resulting from the kidneys filtering myoglobin (a muscle protein) from the blood. Myoglobin is an indication of severe muscle damage.
Inability to sleep
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What should I do if my horse ties up?
If your horse appears to be suffering from tying up, you should call your veterinarian immediately. Since tying up can be very painful, and your horse may be panicky, ask what you can do to provide comfort until the veterinarian arrives.
Never move a horse that has tied up. Moving your horse even a few steps may cause the condition to worsen. Keep the horse on his feet and protect him from becoming chilled by using a blanket.
Encourage your horse to drink, as fluids will help flush the kidneys of waste.
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Tying-up treatment & prevention for horses
Much of the treatment for tying up focuses on prevention. Warm up and cool down your horse properly with at least 15 minutes of walking. Don't exercise the horse to a point where he becomes stressed. Provide turnout as frequently as possible.
Some horse owners/trainers have found that a diet that is reduced in carbohydrates (or total elimination of carbohydrates) helps to reduce tying up.
Yet another method that many horsemen have found useful is making sure that the horse's electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium) are kept at optimal levels through good nutrition.

The vets diagnosis was dehydration that lead to the tying up. Jesse would need to be given fluids through an IV four the next 4 hours and then the vet would come back out and check his levels and if need Jesse would gt more fluids. At 1100pm I meet the vet back at the stables ( I had to go home and feed and medicate both cats since they had been alone for the whole time too!) They always have kibble and water...but both need am and pm meds!!! Jesse's levels are all great and she takes him off the I-V. He also can eat his dinner now and he is sooooo happy to do that! Kidney levels show Jesse a bit high from the tie-up but she will retake his blood in 12 hours!

The next day at 4pm I met the vet again for her to check Jesse. All signs of dehydration were gone...kidney levels were good, although the ty-up enzymes were still evident...they would just clear up on their own. Jesse was released for very light movement for w few days then he could be moved up as movement allowed.

However this was not taking his lost shoe into account and THAT over 2 weeks later is still an issue!!! Jesse is now being hand walked by the Bossman everyday 2x around the stable grounds. Next up...ponying 1/2 hour until he seems to no longer be gimpy. This could take Jesse...1 month to recover from his lost shoe!!!
I have purposely not posted any pictures for this post until now!Jesse is burping...sorta, because as a precaution the vet tubed him with oil/water to prevent colic! Oops...another burp!!! See the bungee cord coming from his neck to the 2 big I-V bags hanging above??? The I-V cord is braided into Jesse's mane.
The actual shunt was "stitched" into Jesse's neck...see the black wire thread???
Jesse's hooves right after the Shoesales man pulled the left one. See how short the right one is???
Jesse really likes the Vet's assistant! See the Bossman in the background??? He has been at every shoeing...every vet appt. since he started caring for Jesse over 5 years ago!!!
He really loves his beautiful "substitute" vet, Jesse thinks she's pretty in pink! ( Last night at 11:00 pm he nickered at her when she first walked up to his stall for his recheck!)
The Bossman has been so concerned about Jesse since our "unscheduled overnight mountain stay" that he would not even let me in there!!! Also...he does not know this, but several of his "Boyfriends" have told me how upset he has been about Jesse and has been so devoted to Jesse's care during his recovery!

All blood test back to normal...all gut sounds normal! Jesse is released from vet care...just need to ease in back into workouts!!! However his owey toes... tell a different tale!

Your Desert Rose!!