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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Tucumcari NM | I am green with envy of those of you who get to ride the back-country this summer. Since my mother's stroke I am pretty much glued to the house. Your posts and pictures are a real pleasure. Thanks everyone!! Marla |
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 Elite Veteran
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Location: Vanzant, Missouri | Oh so sorry to hear that your mom had a stroke. I lost my mom back in 02 from complications from a stroke. It's not an easy thing to go through.I'm heading to the mountains this weekend I will ride a few extra mile for you.... |
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Location: Southern New Mexico | Oh I am so sorry. Those pictures have been a curse and a blessing for me. Once I'm allowed to ride again I'll do an extra mile for you. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | We are all aware of how devastating a stroke is to the person suffering it. Most of us never stop to think about the limitations placed on the care-givers. I guess I fear a stroke more than anything else in the world. Unfortunately, my mom is a long-term diabetic, and the stroke is a direct consequence of excess sugar. Hope everyone out there can take a lesson from my experience and take better care of themselves.
Marla |
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Location: Northern Utah | Here are some pictures for you from my ride yesterday. The Wild flowers were showing off. 
And a picture of the friends that joined me for the day. 
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | AWE
AWESOME! You always have the neatest pics! I can smell the pines and the horse sweat, two of the best scents in the world. Thanks again for sharing.
Marla
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Vanzant, Missouri | Marla Here are a few shots from my ride this weekend. I rode a new trail and ran into a bear. Scared the bejeebees out of me. I've been riding there for 6 yrs now and it was a first...We even had fireworks Sat. night. I watched them my horse Jr was standing next to me and I looked up at him and his head was up and he was watching them too.He is a good boy. My friend's horse wasn't doing so good... [IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/Graves%20July%2010%202009/000_0049.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/Graves%20July%2010%202009/000_0052.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/Graves%20July%2010%202009/000_0045.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/Graves%20July%2010%202009/000_0055.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/Graves%20July%2010%202009/100_2764.jpg[/IMG] |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | Mingiz'
The pics are great! Makes a difference in my day.
Marla |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 662
Location: Vanzant, Missouri | Well we'll will just bring the trails to you until you can get back out there.... |
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Expert
Posts: 5870
Location: western PA | God Bless Marla. A lot of people have you in their thoughts. |
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Location: Hooper, UT | How's your mother doing? I hope things are getting better! I hope you get to ride soon...I've been unable to ride for 4 months now and just got to sit on my horse the other day and boy did it feel good! I've paid for it for the past 2 days. Take Care and Warmest wishes! I have a lot of pictures on my album for Silent Impressive 
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | Unfortunately Mom fell and broke her hip last week, as if things weren't tough enough already. This is beginning to sound like a soap opera. She is in a rehab hospital in Albuquerque. Don't know when or if she will be able to come home. Some of my siblings feel that it is time for a nursing home, but that is a solution that I just can't live with. There just has to be a way to keep her in her own home. We will just have to see what shakes out. Thanks for asking. Marla |
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Member
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Location: Hooper, UT | I have a lot of pictures on my album and so do a lot of other people...there's so many nice pictures!...I don't know if you have looked at them and also on my blog @ http://www.trailcorral.net/ I hope you get to ride soon! I sat on my stallion the other day for the first time in months...It was awesome!!!! Of coarse I have paid the price for the past several days...but it was worth it! I hope to get to riding again soon...a friend of mine, one time bought me some dried horse turds wrapped in a gift box to the hospital...she said she couldn't be my horse so she brought the next best thing...his smell...    
  
 
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Location: Corpus Christi, Texas | Nice pics Emily.. Your stallion is a good-looking guy.. Marla, sorry to hear about your Mom's continued troubles.. It is hard to see one's parents getting older and more feeble...realizing how easily they can "break".. If you do not wish to put her in a nursing home, i understand completely why (as an ER nurse.. I see much), but perhaps you can explore the possibility of an assissted living facility.. Your mom would live in a apartment and still have much of her furniture around her, but there would be staff available for assist as well as medical personnel in the facility or on call should an emergency arise.. Keeping an elder parent at home is commendable, but very hard on the primary caretaker, especially if all the siblings do not particiapate equally in her care.. I do not know your mom's personality, but she may be happier and more at ease with some of her independence remaining and not feeling like a "burden" (not that you would consider her one).. if you do decide to keep her at home, discuss with your siblings about possible situations that may arise and try to get some time of agreement or understanding about the division of responsibility. |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Tucumcari NM | Originally written by ridingarocky on 2009-07-24 4:58 AM Nice pics Emily.. Your stallion is a good-looking guy.. Marla, sorry to hear about your Mom's continued troubles.. It is hard to see one's parents getting older and more feeble...realizing how easily they can "break".. If you do not wish to put her in a nursing home, i understand completely why (as an ER nurse.. I see much), but perhaps you can explore the possibility of an assissted living facility.. Your mom would live in a apartment and still have much of her furniture around her, but there would be staff available for assist as well as medical personnel in the facility or on call should an emergency arise.. Keeping an elder parent at home is commendable, but very hard on the primary caretaker, especially if all the siblings do not particiapate equally in her care.. I do not know your mom's personality, but she may be happier and more at ease with some of her independence remaining and not feeling like a "burden" (not that you would consider her one).. if you do decide to keep her at home, discuss with your siblings about possible situations that may arise and try to get some time of agreement or understanding about the division of responsibility. Thanks for your comments. Yes, some days are tough, and some days I just have to go off by myself and bawl it all out, but had I been born with a handicap my mother would have cared for me regardless of the effort involved. Tucumcari is pretty isolated, and it is a long way for any of my siblings to come help with daily care. I have hired day help for cleaning and a couple of home companions to fill in when I can't be there. I guess I will just have to iron out the wrinkles in my plan as they become apparent. Come hell or high water my parents will not live in a home. An assisted living center might be an acceptable option if Mom is ambulatory. If not, she will not qualify for assisted living. You are right, the stallion is a good looking beast. Almost wish I had a mare to breed! Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and your pictures! Marla |
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Location: Hooper, UT | Hey Eveybody, Marla, I understand how you feel! I cried a lot with and for my Dad. Now I'm facing the possiblity that the lung issues I've had maybe related to the thyroid, there's a type of CA that travels through the bloodstream. My neck is not healing as fast as I would like it, but I can at least us the laptop to get out of the house, too. I'll be thinking about your mom and you... Warmest Wishes, 
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | This is a state holiday weekend. So I had a three day weekend. They were forecasting temps around 100*. so I decided I was heading for the high country to cool off. My 20 year old daughter had to work and my two youngest daughters had to march in a Parade. I should have been a good dad and gone and watched the parade. Nope, I don't get many 3 day weekends and I wanted out of town.
A fellow from work is divorced. His 19 year old son just left for 2 years in Brazil, His older daughter is married and attending college about 100 miles away, his youngest daughter was attending college about 250 miles away, I was looking for butts to fill my empty saddles so I could get all my horses exercised. He wanted to get away with his daughters. So he rounded them up and the three of them came with me.
I got up at early and loaded the horses at 4am and headed off. Picked up my friend and his daughters and reached the trail head around 9 am. It was raining. Just a steady drizzle. We checked in with the Forest Ranger and saddled up and headed out. We had pretty steady rain for about 90 minutes and the temps stayed around 60* Great temperature compared to 100* at home. The trail wound through a pine and spruce forest and along the banks of a large river.
It's an easy trail to follow. pretty level, No steep hills or sidehills. But we do have to cross a lot of rivers and bogs.
My friend and his daughters, we aer in between rain clouds.
We had to cross one really large river. There are only a couple of spots to ford the the river. Rocky ford has a rock shelf that crosses the river and is slightly shallower than most of the river. It's still belly deep on the horses and if you step off the shelf it become 4-5 foot deep real quick. One of the girls didn't control her horse and it stepped off the shelf and dumped her. Got her soaked. By time I got my camera she was already wading into shallower water.
At the end of the trail was hitching rail where you tie your horses up and hike the last 1/2 mile. We met another family their with their horses. They had two daughters riding double on a big ole quarter horse. Looks like they had great fun
We camped out that night with the horses on a highlines between trees. Here my geldings tied up waiting for the highline to be set up,
And all four horses on the highline the next morning. Line has stretched little and is sagging after all night of holding 4 horses.
The next day we did what I call my buffalo ride. We headed the other direction and rode the rolling hills. Grat place to gait and we did a lot of foxtrotting and cantering
 It's just big meadows and rolling hills. No really steep climbs. Cool, temps in the 60* and the horses really wanted to move. My novice riders had gotten their balance yesterday while riding in the forest at slower speeds, so we did a lot of trotting and cantering along these trails.
We saw a lot of buffalo along the way. Here is one that we woke up from a nap. He took a good roll in the buffalo wallow before standing up to face us.
and of course a good shake after the roll.
We rode 22-24 miles each day. By lunch stop the second day the girls were wore out and took a nap by the lake we stop at for lunch.
Two days of riding in wonderful temps. A few rain storms, about 45 miles of total trails, my barefoot horses did great. Not a lame step along the way. And still willing to trot or canter along the trail at the end of the weekend. I drove home late last night. Got home at 2 am and it was still 78* at home. Hotter than any temp I had enjoyed all weekend in the mountains. My friend got to spend some quality time with his two daughter and they all really enjoyed the hroses.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | Wonderful pics!!! It was really nice of you to invite your buddy to go with. One of tese days I'll be out there myself.
Marla |
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Member
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Location: Hooper, UT | Great pictures Painted Horse, Thanks for sharing, that trail almost looks like the North GA Mountain trails near Clayton, GA. Minus the buffalo. I haven't felt like getting out the house for several days...my pony just stands and knickers...Silent Impressive probably thinks I've sold him. Hopefully soon. Thanks again for the great pictures! 
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | It has been one of THOSE days today. I think that the primary goal of insurance companies is to make you so mad that you stop just give up and stop fighting for the benefits you have paid for. At least that is the way it seemed today. I was angry, frustrated, and absolutely exhausted when I got home today. Then I turned on my computer and reviewed the kind comments and the BEAUTIFUL photographs that everyone has been nice enough to share. What a difference! I think my blood pressure dropped 100 points in five minutes. You guys are lifesavers!!!
Marla |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 662
Location: Vanzant, Missouri | Marla So sorry to hear about your mom. Ridingarocky said it well. My mom tried to take care of my dad after he had his stroke and lost use of his left side. It was a struggle for her mentally and physically. She ended up putting him in a nursing home. Seeing your parents age isn't fun. You never really see them as old until things like this happen. It's hard sometimes but you have to do what you feel in your heart. Whatever you do just remember to take care of yorself first. My thoughts a are with you as I have been there with both my parents..So anyway here are a few pics where I ride locally at a lake http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/100_2822.jpg http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/100_2823.jpg http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/100_2824.jpg http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/100_2825.jpg http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/100_2818.jpg http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u93/mingiz/100_2826.jpg |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | The pics are beautiful. Looks like your mounts are comfortable with the wooden bridges, too. Thanks!
Marla |
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Location: Hartsville, SC | Oh Marla, I went through that with my Dad. I am praying for you. No one knows how hard it is to take care of a sick parent, unless they have done it. Deb Weber (Medicinehatgirl on BHW) |
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | Just for you Marla. I got away for a ride up the eAst Fork of the Bear River. Did a little flyfishing for some cutt throat trout and enjoyed the cool mountain air. It was 40* when I saddled up and stay in that temp range all day. In fact I could see my breath when I returned to the trailer just before sunset. Trail head. As you can see, This area had a serious fire in 2002 and there are still lots of standing dead trees from the fire. 
A quick look at the temp ad displayed on my truck dash. Just to make those of you in the south envious. 
The trail winds through some forest and meadows. There were cattle on grazing permits in the meadows. We had to pass through some gates and push the cows away. 
There are a lot of springs coming out of this hill side. The ground gets pretty boggy in places. The Forest Service has built wooden walk ways over the worst of the boggy areas. I love the sound of the gaited horses gaiting down the walkways. 
The trail pretty much follows the river up the drainage. We stopped in several places and fished. Even with the dead trees from the fire, the beatles have been hard at work killing what trees remain. See the red pines. 
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Member
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Location: Hooper, UT | Hey Painted Horse, Beautiful Pictures...I was at the Weber Fair most of the week, fighting the wind, rain, even a little hail but this rainbow made it all seem ok! Marla, I hope all is getting better! 
Warmest Wishes, www.trailcorral.net |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | Thanks for the posts and the pics! I've been too busy to check the site for a couple of days, but don't think that I don't appreciate the posts and the kind thoughts. They make a huge difference in my day. Just knowing the trails are still out there and that you all are enjoying them gives me hope for tomorrow. Painted Horse, Utah is my absolute favorite place in the universe. I was born in Monticello a few dozen years ago, and the place has never let me go. I have traveled all over and lived in many different places, but nowhere is as spectacular as Utah. When my responsibilities in New Mexico are at an end, Utah will have one more resident. Thanks again everyone! Marla |
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | That's a really small town to be from. But it has some spectacular ridding in and around it. I don't make it to that part of the state very often, It's about as far away from me as I can get and still be in the state. I have a good friend there and when opportunites presents itself, I enjoy ridding with him in the Abjo and LaSal mountains. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | It was even smaller then, but it did have a hospital, which Moab did not, which is where my folks actually lived. My brother and I were the first set of twins ever to be delivered in that hospital.
Marla |
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | A cold front blew through saturday morning. At 6am it was spitting rain, gusty winds and the temp was 53* at home. I wasted away the morning doing chorses and honeydo's around the house. About noon, the weather cleared and I decided it was time to load up and head for the high country. And at least get part of a ride in. Talked a neighbor into sitting in one of my saddles and helping to exercise one of my geldings. 
It had rained and blown hard. There were trees laying across the trail and it was muddy in spots. The horses were slpping and sliding as we rode up the trail. 
Just below the crest of the mountain is a spring. It always has a good flow of cold water. Here is my neighbor trying to get my horses to drink. Again this weekend the temps were in the low 40* range. So we had jackets on and the horses hardly worked up any sweat climbing the mountain. So they weren't too thirsty. 
The storm had really cleared out the air. You could see forever. I liked this photo as you can see the various mountains layering behind each other for a LONG ways. 
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | 'll bet your neighbor found that to be quite a chore!! Marla |
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | I have to twist his arm every saturday to get him to come. As my daughters are getting older, it's harder to get them to come. Too many other activities with friends/school/work competing with a horse ride with old dad. If I bring the horses, he brings the food. such a deal. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | Hey!!!, I'd go for a deal like that! I'll even do the cooking!! Marla |
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | My buddy called around 2pm on friday and said he had room in his trailer and did I want to join him for a weekend. Oh Course I wanted to join him! What kind of question is that. We got out of town around 6pm, We stopped around 8:00pm at a little town in Wyoming and had some dinner. Got to where we were going around 10:00pm. Pulled through the gate and turned the horses loose and went to bed after admiring the stars for a few minutes. Nothing quite like a sky ful of stars on a clear night when viewed from 8000' elevation and 60 miles away from nearest town, and a small one at that. I awoke earlier as I usually do at home and went out to watch the horses. We were in a 40+ acre fenced in hay field. Sun was just coming up 
I whistled for the horses and mine and another couple came on the run 
When the others got up and we got moving, we loaded up and headed into Jackson Hole and had some breakfast before hitting the trail. 
We rode the Two Oceans trail which has some great views. 
Some body got a picture of me on my gelding 
The trail passes through a lot of meadows, spruce forest, some burned areas and around several lakes 
We saw a pack of wolves. By time I got the camera out and took a picture, I only caught one of the wolves and he was 150 yards or so by then. See red line 
Some of the willows we rode through along the edge of one of the lakes 
The trail climbs up some switch backs to summit out one of the higher points. 
Back to the hay field for the night. Got up Sunday and rode for an hour of two before the weather broke and it started to rain. Which it did all the rest of the day. But I had achieved my therapy for the week. |
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Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico | We went through Jackson Hole coming back from Yellowstone a couple of years ago. Beautifull area but a tourist trap if ever I saw one, thats if I'm remembering the right town, we went through quite a few. I have a problem with steep drop offs so I don't know if I could ride much up there. Teton Pass scared the crap out of me! |
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Member
Posts: 48
Location: Hooper, UT | Thanks for sharing photo's ...! I enjoy seeing them! 
Recent pictures from horse show & a trip to Pat Parelli's delivering Trail Corral in Colorado 
Wild horses  
 
Hope all is well with all! |
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Expert
Posts: 2453
Location: Northern Utah | Jackson Hole IS a tourist town. No doubt about that. but other than stopping and eating breakfast or dinner in a favorite resturant, we just drive right through town. If the wives come they enjoy a little shopping. But for the most part we avoid the town square. There is plenty of trail riding in the area, where you don't get on anything very steep. In fact the steepest hills we rode are in the photos above. 
Edited by Painted Horse 2009-08-25 7:45 AM
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Elite Veteran
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Location: Corpus Christi, Texas | I would LOVE to ride that area.. Every time we go somewhere like that and I'm in the passenger side of the car looking out the window .. I wonder what it would be like to ride the country I'm seeing as we go by.. Terri, When did you go to Yellowstone? We were there Aug of '07 .. Loved it.. drove from Denver up thru eastern Wyoming to South Dakota, to Mt Rushmore, then up to Custer's battle field in MT, and down the western side of Wyo and stayed in Cody several days before driving down thru the Teton and across Wyo to Thermopolis to see the fossils and continued on the Sacajawea's grave, before winding down thru eastern Wyo again and ending up in Denver.. It was a 10 day trip.. I LOVED it!! My husband swears "never again"!!! We were in Yellowstone when they had the forest fires raging.. Could not return to our hotel in Cody by the direct route one day.. Had to drive back thru the entire park and out thru the top thru Beartooth Mountains.. My husb DOES NOT like heights!! I drove while he looked at his knees.. Stopped and took a lot of pictures which made him extremely nervous.. WE had a good time tho.. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385
Location: high desert, CA. |     |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522
Location: Tucumcari NM | Thanks for the pics! Is that a halflinger you're riding?
Marla |
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sure miss the trails
