Black Forest Fire Strike Team in Action

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!

Black Forest Structure Protection from City of Colorado Springs on Vimeo.

Safe and Sound

Thank-you, blogger friends, for your good wishes.

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.

Thank-you firefighters!  You're the best!

Evacuationg Now

Just got word.  Logging off.  Loading up and moving out.

Fire: Too Close For Comfort

The horse trailer is hitched.

The horses are haltered and ready to go.

We are not in immediate danger.

But it is too close for comfort!

The evacuation area is growing.

It will depend on the wind.
 

Hot, dry, and windy in Colorado.

Here we go again.

Tying on the Trail

Do you tie your horse out on the trail?  

To trees or hitching rails?

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:

1. Stay close to Misty when she is tied in a strange place, next to an unfamiliar horse, especially out on the trail. 
2. 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. 



How do you tie out on the trail?

I'd Still Rather Be Trail Riding

A lovely day for a ride.

Warm sunshine was welcome.

The scenery was beautiful.

Looking forward to my next trail ride.

I love my Misty mare.

Ready to Ride

Peek-a-Boo, Can't See You

Winding through scrub oak and pine trees.

Dawson Butte

I'd Rather Be Trail Riding

I have pictures to share and posts to write, but alas, I cannot find the cord to my camera.   Maybe if I did some Spring cleaning at home, I'd find the cord.  But I'd rather be trail riding. 

Just got back from a lovely three hour ride, winding through pine trees, hoping I wouldn't lose a knee cap in the tight spots or poke an eye out on a low branch.  That is the challenge of riding a draft in the woods.  But it was a great ride and we saw some new things on the trail ... like tents.

While we were out riding in the forest, a cub scout camp-out sprung up along both sides of the trail leading back to the parking lot.  So we rode by tents, and camp chairs, and wagons, and of course ... cub scouts running and screaming all over the place.  It was great exposure for Misty and me.

Hope you all are doing well.  I really need to catch up on your blogs.  I'm sorry.  I don't have much time to be online.  My day job keeps me very busy and then there are evening barn chores to be done before I collapse into bed.  Any spare time I can find, well, I know you'll understand ... I'd rather be trail riding. 

The Rodear - It Ain't Just for Cattle

The Spanish word "rodear" means to encircle or surround.

It is also a method of working cattle, where multiple cowboys ride in a circle around cattle, containing them inside a virtual fence made of horses and riders.  It is a lovely thing to watch.

However, a rodear isn't just for holding cattle as this video demonstrates.

Never mind the politics; that isn't what this post is about.  Just watch the horses and riders at work.

Equine cops are cool!



 I hope budget cuts never put these Denver police horses out of work.  Not only do they enforce the law, they reach out to the community like only horses can.

 Click HERE for a story and video from last year.  As far as I know, they are still on the job.