Well, we wanted to go on vacation so we needed to figure out what to do with the horses? On one vacation my Mom and Dad were kind enough to come over every morning at about 7:00 am and again at 6:00pm to feed the horses. Interestingly, Mom and Dad had planned a vacation for exactly the same week we did this year (they claim it was a coincident but I'm not convinced) so they were not available.
Its summer vacation for the schools so one of Kumi's friends who has fed in the past was not available to feed this time. What to do? Kira to the rescue. She really wanted to take the horses on a trip. So I got on-line and searched for horse friendly bed & breakfasts in Colorado. There were several. We chose one just outside of Winter Park. Kira wanted to go to one near Pikes Peak but with temperatures in the mid to upper 90's, I wanted some place cool. At 9000 ft, the temperatures were cool. It felt wonderful. We even needed a blanket at night!! I loved it.
The horses loved it too. We've had an unusual summer in that we got hit by monsoon rains. Normally, we are good for an afternoon shower that cools things off. Not this year. We had about 10 or 11 days in a row where it just poured. (It even flooded our basement again but that is another story.) We went on our vacation the last week of July. Normally, by that time of year things are starting to dry out. Not this year. This is what the horses found when they got out of the trailer.
Lush green grass that tickled their belly's, inside and out. (Do you see the little scratch right next to Ebony's eye? Trailer accident. A few days before we left on vacation Ebony came up lame. She was limping bad. I took her to the vet to rule out joint problems which she did. Ebony needed shoes. All that rain made her feet soft and when things dried out she bruised her feet. All four. I took her to the farrier for a set of shoes. I backed her out of the trailer and when her back feet were on the ground she decided she needed to rear back. She smacked her head on the door frame of the trailer. It must have hurt something fierce because when I got out she curled her upper lip up and wrapped her head around me with this look on her face that said, "OW! OW! OW! OW!" Poor horse. She didn't seem to believe me when I told her it was her own fault. Go figure.
So over to the farrier we went. He found the right size shoes and went to work. When he was done with the first foot Ebony wouldn't put her foot down. It really hurt. But when she did put it down she discovered that that foot felt better. She was eager to get the next foot done. And the Next. And the next. She winced with each hammer blow but when it was all done the farrier was scratching her back and said she should be much more comfortable with the shoes. At that very moment Ebony heaved the most contended sigh I have ever heard a horse heave. She didn't limp at all as we loaded her back in the trailer and headed for home.)
So where was I? Oh yes, happy horses. We let them into the pen and they set to work. Beamer is our flower child. He was at peace with the flowers.
Ebony enjoys the tall grasses.
And all three of them enjoyed laying around for a spell. We didn't ride them that hard. We stayed on the property (some 30 acres) and mostly walked to give Ebony's feet a chance to recover. (If you look closely you can see that Mariah is actually eating while she is lying there.)
No, the horses did not eat all that grass in that pen. Our horses live on an acre that they allow nothing to grow on so they get hay. This much green grass could cause problems so I mowed the pen and shoveled out the clippings. Yes that's a lot of work to do when one is supposed to be on vacation. On the other hand, I slept quite peacefully knowing I would not have to deal with three cases of colic in the morning. I would let them into the adjacent pen for a few hours each day to let them enjoy the green, lush grass.
I rode Mariah a lot and made some progress with getting her to collect. I had the most fun at a small wooden bridge. She did not want to cross that bridge. She would stand in front of it and dance. I used light hands and feet to keep her focused on going forward. When she finally went forward she launched herself across that bridge. It was only about a 6' bridge and I think only one foot actually touched the bridge. So we turned around and went the other way across it. This time I got two feet on the bridge. By the end of the second day she was crossing the bridge at whatever pace we were doing. Pretty cool.
Once while crossing the bridge heading for the barn she decided she was done for the day. She made a break for the barn and did not appreciate me turning her around. She decided to buck. That is a first for both her and for me. I have never been on a bucking horse. I am proud to say that I have not fallen off a bucking horse (yet)! I stayed on, got her head pointed back to the bridge and way we went. She was fine after that. I am glad her heart wasn't really into bucking me off or we might have had a different outcome.
Anyway, we had a wonderful time. We did nothing. We cooked steaks and Smoores over a camp fire, we watched movies, sat in a hot tub and went out to eat once or twice. It was so very relaxing! We all loved it.
Sounded like a fine vacation. For all.
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