Thank-you Everyone for your good thoughts and wishes.
We are home safe and sound and all is well.
It was a crazy, busy, exhausting week; mostly for Mr. and Mrs. OnceUpon. Lyra, Lola, and I just went with the flow. As long as we had hay under our noses, we were content. But you know what they say, "There's no place like home." We are glad to be back in our barn, but very appreciative of those who gave us shelter, particularly Elbert County and Moondance Ranch.
Tuesday June 11, 2013 - Fire!
Chinook Carries Water Bucket
Chinooks Refilling at Pond
Tuesday Night Glow
Amazingly, the gas station, convenience store and bbq restaurant, feed store, community center, auto shop, knitting store and churches in the heart of Black Forest were saved. But it was a very close call.
Wednesday June 12, 2013 - Winds shifted, fire on the move, and we received the reverse 911 call to evacuate.
Lyra, Lola, and I settle in at the evacuation center at the Elbert Country Fairgrounds.
Rump Tag to Match Me with MyLady
Meeting the Neighbors
Lola & Lyra Passing Time
Thursday June 13, 2013 - Elbert County reports "Noah's Ark at the Fairgrounds"
"Elbert
County Fairgrounds remains open with space for evacuees and animals.
Total count of animals currently at the Fairgrounds is as follows: 28
chickens; 216 horses, 5 drafts/14 foals; 5 cows, 2 calves; 27 Alpacas;
14 dogs; 25 cats; 22 goats; 1 ducks; 4 burros; 2 guinea pigs; 3 sheep;
19 miniature horses; 19 mules; 8 lamas; 3 stallions; 1 yak."
Then a 2nd yak showed up and MyLady added two parrots to the mix. Newport and Tessa were miserable standing flat footed in their pet carriers in the motel, so the nice volunteers cut up tree branches and put them in rabbit cages so the birds could perch in the small animal building.
Herd O' Mules
Friendly Mules
Herd O' Horses from Scout Camp
Vonda & Bella
The Happiest Evacuees
In Case of Emergency
Phone Numbers Help Reunite Lost Horses with Owners
Security
Lots of Security
Our Home Away from Home
Yak Evac
More Evacuees Happily Munching on Hay
Saturday June 15, 2013 - Elbert County residents began returning home and Elbert County urged the rest of us to make other arrangements. Stressful! But thanks to Moondance Ranch, we upgraded to more comfortable lodging until we returned home on Monday June 17th.
This is fascinating. I didn't know firefighters will wait for the fire to come to them; makes sense after watching the video. They are so calm and business like as they go about their job. Real Pros!
We are safe and comfortable while we wait out this situation. So far, our house is untouched.
Good news: KRDO TV is reporting rain over the fire now. Hopefully it will pour and not just spit and blow wind.
Misty and the minis are getting a lot of attention at the fairgrounds. There are many beautiful horses there, including 14 mommas and their adorable foals. This was the count early Thursday:
"Elbert
County Fairgrounds remains open with space for evacuees and animals.
Total count of animals currently at the Fairgrounds is as follows: 28
chickens; 216 horses, 5 drafts/14 foals; 5 cows, 2 calves; 27 Alpacas;
14 dogs; 25 cats; 22 goats; 1 ducks; 4 burros; 2 guinea pigs; 3 sheep;
19 miniature horses; 19 mules; 8 lamas; 3 stallions; 1 yak."
They have about 148 people there too, camping or staying in the Red Cross shelter.
I'll share some pictures when I get home (not sure when). In my haste to leave, I grabbed my iPod cord instead of my camera cord. :-) I forgot socks too, but remembered my toothbrush. Minor details, but this has certainly been a learning experience unlike anything else I've been through.
My last trail ride (previous post) was wonderful. However, we did have one small incident that became a good learning experience.
We stopped at a rest area with hitching rails.
I took my lead rope out of my saddle bag.
I snapped the lead rope to Misty's halter and removed her bridle.
I tied the lead rope to the hitching rail.
I sat down at a nearby picnic table to enjoy a snack.
I thought I had tied the lead safely around the rail and support post so it wouldn't slide.
Nope!
I looked at Misty and Oh! Oh!
Misty had her head down to the ground, happily munching grass, because the lead rope had slid all the way down the support pole to the ground. Not a good situation. So I got up to fix it before she decided to put her head up.
Another rider, closer to Misty, saw the precarious situation too and moved toward Misty to help. Misty lifted her head, felt the odd angle of resistance from the lead rope and went into a panic. I got to her just as the hardware on her lead rope broke. She stood quietly like "Huh, what just happened?"
Another rider came over and tied my lead rope (now without hardware) to her halter and I re-tied the lead rope to the rail, securely this time.
She soon got into another brief panic and pulled back hard, but didn't break anything. This was very unusual behavior for Misty as she has never done the panic-pull-back dance before. It surprised me. I'm not sure what caused the 2nd panic. Perhaps she was aware of the deer herd we just passed, as they moved away from the area. Or she was uncomfortable with the horse tied at the other end of the hitching rail. Or the poor girl was just feeling a little freaky after her 1st panic.
No harm done, thankfully.
It was time to mount-up and ride-on.
Lessons learned:
Stay close to Misty when she is tied in a strange place, next to an unfamiliar horse, especially out on the trail.
Find a better method of tying out on the trail.
I prefer not to leave a lead rope tied to her halter and ride with it around her neck or tied to my saddle horn, etc. I want to easily detach the lead and carry it in my saddle bag.
I'm going to try The Clip.
Anybody use one out on the trail? I think the tether ring will be useful around tree trunks and then I can attach the clip to the tether ring.
I've loved horses all my life and owned several when I was younger. I showed in English Pleasure and Amateur Hunters in my 20s. Now in my 50s, following a long absence of horses, I've rekindled my passion. I have three equines at home - Misty, a Percheron mare, Lyra a mini horse and her daughter, Lola, a mini mule. We're an odd looking group, but we get along great.
