Looking Good

I was really getting to the point where I was resigned to not making Twenty Mule Team this weekend. Then I got up this morning and, while not feeling perfect, I certainly felt perky enough. I'm still coughing, but while I sound like something that shouldn't come up will, I feel pretty okay. The only icky feeling I have is most likely the side effect of taking a combination of Albuterol inhaler, narcotic cough syrup, and the narcotic to control my hip pain. My hip wasn't particularly bothering me since I started the treatment for the pneumonia, but this morning I started to notice it. I take that as another sign I'm getting better. It can't possibly be just the narcotic cough syrup covering for that, too.

Based on feeling better, and since I haven't ridden in something close to three weeks other than a lesson, I took Hoss out for a ride around the neighborhood. Hoss was so excited when I took him out of the pasture. He was more than ready to get out. Since I've been sick, I haven't been taking walks so he hasn't gotten out at all in several days.

I cleaned Hoss up the best I could, considering how long it had been since he'd had a good grooming. I saddled him up and put a flank cinch on. With the girth gall we've been fighting since June, I decided I needed to try a flank cinch to hold his girth back off the area that keeps getting rubbed open. Having had so long off, it's nearly completely healed and I'd like to keep it that way. The only flank cinch I have is from his old saddle, so I had to pull it off and wrestle it on to the saddle we're now using.

It's amazing how hard it can be to do something so simple. This saddle has slots cut into the leather for a flank cinch but they've clearly never been put to use. I had to get the billets, which are really a smidge too thick for the holes in the saddle, not just through the leather, but through the less-than-fully-cut-through fleece on the bottom of the saddle. I was panting rather hard when I was done, but I got it done. There's another fix I need to do on the saddle, namely the Blevins connectors for my fenders, but I forgot to do it. I did get a new pair, but unfortunately they're too narrow. I will have to pull the ones off of the old saddle and hope they fit. I'm not too keen on riding 100 miles with one bad connector, even if the fix my friend did in Arizona has held for over 400 miles now.

Since the plan was a walking ride, I decided it would be okay to let Roxy come along as well. Despite her age and infirmity, she still wants to go. The past couple of days, my daughter has taken out the mountain bike and done a couple quick laps with the dogs to make up for me not walking. Roxy has been going on one lap, but coming home after that. I was planning to go farther, but walking she should be able to keep up well enough.

Hoss behaved himself very well for a highly fitted up horse who hasn't had a good ride in several weeks. A few times I had to get after him for silly behavior. He was using any barking dog as an excuse to try to spin around and run away. It took a little work, but he was pretty obedient for most of the ride. We only got in about five miles, but it was nice to get out.

The fresh air and stimulation sure seemed to help me. My lungs started to feel clearer about halfway through the ride. It was a warm, dry day, perfect for clearing up yucky, wet lung conditions.

By the time we got back, Hoss had worked up a decent sweat, and we'd hit enough hills to see if my flank cinch was helping keep the girth back. It appears to do the trick, so we'll be using it at Twenty Mule Team this weekend. Yep, we're gonna go.

I gave Hoss a nice bath, which he desperately needed. He even seemed to enjoy the bath. Especially since after the bath he got his beet pulp mush. He was tied to the trailer while I went into the garage to get his beet pulp, and he was quite perked up when I came back out with it. He really wanted that mush!

While Hoss was eating I got DC out. She had run herself into a sweaty mess and had had just as little grooming as Hoss. She, too, was happy to get out of the pasture, if only because Hoss was out. I don't know how much exposure DC has had to bathing, so I didn't tie her off to hose her down. I was hoping she would accept it well enough to get a full shampooing, but she was definitely not going to do well in that department. If I could've run her in an arena before trying to bathe her, I might have been able to get more done. Her response to the water being turned on, however, was to leap sideways and halfway rear. I hadn't even turned it on her. It didn't take a whole lot of effort to get her hosed off, but she acted like she had never been hosed off in her life. I can believe she's never seen the type of hosing device I use, but I imagine if I ask Beth she'll say DC has been hosed off before. I contented myself with getting her well hosed off before tying her to the trailer and getting her beet pulp mush.

While the horses ate I started on getting things ready to go to the ride. Once the horses were dry I brushed them out and applied Laser Sheen liberally to both of them. I contemplated going ahead and trimming DC and shoeing Hoss (he hasn't seen a trimming since I put shoes on him at Death Valley; bad horse mom), but decided against it because I felt it would be just a little bit too much in my condition. I'll do feet tomorrow.

After the horses were put away, I got much of the horse-related loading done and Hoss's saddle pad and cooler in the wash. We'll have nice clean things to use at the ride.

Well, I'm not 100% yet by any means, but I feel well enough to go. Since Hubby Honey is home, he is happy enough to do the lion's share of the driving both to and from the ride, giving me more time to rest and recover. Our plan is to leave late Thursday night, in an effort to arrive at the ride with as close to 24 hours before the ride as possible for Hoss to recover from the trailer ride.

Another wonderful thing, I'm actually feeling tired! I've been having a hard time getting to sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning. Tonight, though, I feel ready to go to bed nice and early. I'm going to get my bag packed or at least started, and go to bed, hopefully to sleep well and peacefully and get up at a decent hour for once.