This winter was wonderful for those of us who enjoy snow. Minnesota had lots of the fluffy white stuff, and it helps to pass the winter if you can find fun activities. Snowshoeing was at the top of our list. We'd love to hear what your favorite activities are,too! Cody and Chevy enjoyed time to just be horses, as seen in the above picture.
On February 21, 2009, Cody injured his front left foot via unknown antics in the pasture. He is receiving diligent care, and we are hoping for a full recovery so that he can continue his adventures on the trail. If you look closely, you can see his bandage in the picture - the blur that it is. He is on stall rest and was greatly enjoying some turnout time with his buddy.
Custer, South Dakota July 2008
In preparation for the trip, I spent a lot of hours worrying about the long drive, how the horses would fare, and what to pack. As it turned out - we had an awesome trip! The initial kick-off started at the barn at 4:00AM to load up and get to the Black Hills before the heat spiked to 95 degrees in the low-lying areas of I-90. I was super excited, but I was very surprised at how alert and eager Cody was - He pushed me down the aisle towards the trailer! I figured with 12 bales of hay loaded and partly accessible in the stall next to him, there was no way he'd load - but he surprised me and went right in.
Cody hauled super well and ate on a pretty regular schedule with two flakes of hay per gas stop. Thirst wasn't big on his mind, but he really enjoyed playing with the water.
We were in camp by 3:30PM and relaxing soon after!
Riding in South Dakota is absolutely amazing!
As a child my parents took me to see Mount Rushmore, and I remember the trip but didn't think it was anything really special. But seeing Mount Rushmore from the back of my horse, that was truly special.
The terrain was rockier than I was expecting, but Cody did a very good job. We encountered areas of trail that were complete slabs of rock, a staircase, a loose-rock steep switchback, and lots of fun creek crossings. Riding near the buffalo herds in French Creek made my heart race, and a couple of the bulls meandered into horsecamp looking for hay.
The highlights of our first day ride - 24 miles - were Mount Rushmore and Harney Peak. Other rides included looking for abandoned mines, moving camp and riding from one camp to the next, and the Wildlife Loop near French Creek. We saw deer, elk, buffalo, antelope, chipmunks, and of course the burros!
RUSH RIVER, MN June 2008
Bryce enjoying his laptop by the campfire with Cody hobble-grazing in the background
Cody is learning to hobble!
Bryce and Chevy on their first bareback ride together
This is how I spent my free time while Cody grazed in his hobbles
Camping in Rush River is soooo relaxing. The Friends of Rush River do a wonderful job with keeping the campground well groomed and inviting for campers.
The trails are challenging in terrain and footing. There are a lot of hills to navigate, and rain makes the footing incredibly slick. After riding wet trails here with Cody for 3 years, we finally found our ski legs!! And it is awesome, let me tell ya! Oh so smooth as the horse sits on his haunches and keeps us balanced. Maneuvering to miss trees can be quite a challenge, but it's one heck of a thrilling ride.
Cody and I had one minor mishap... We came sliding down a good sized hill and Cody was more concerned with catching up to his buddy than navigating smartly. So we slid right smack into a fallen tree. It was like slow motion seeing ourselves stop as his chest/forelegs bumped against the huge trunk. Bryce was concerned as he watched from the other side of the tree, but we were unscathed.
The river was a huge ravishing entity this trip. Iowa and Wisconsin are experiencing severe flooding this year, and we have had a lot of rainfall in Minnesota this past week, too. On Friday we talked with a group who tried to cross the river near camp, but their horses started floating downstream so they turned around and came back to camp. On Saturday we spoke with a gentleman who said that his horse went underwater, horse and rider parted ways, and the horse came out of the river by itself. (Notice how I was not brave enough to try it? LOL!) Terry and Kate braved the waters and crossed successfully in two different areas - and they were the only success stories that we heard about that day! There were more groups whom I didn't meet, so there could have been more successful river crossings, but watching one girl dump a 1/2 gallon of water out of her cowboy boots was enough for me. I love to let my horse play in the river, but he's taken me on quite a few unplanned swimming trips while tacked up so I wasn't feeling too adventurous. All in all it was a wonderful weekend to relax and enjoy the scenery.
TRADE RIVER, WI May 2008
The horses aligned to watch Jenny and Bodi hiking on the hill
TC and Cody playing Halter Tag at Trade River, May 2008
Trade River is located near Cushing, WI and is a wonderful park! It has lots of horse trails and a small river that you can cross with your horse. This spring has had so much rainfall that we chose to avoid the river when we were there, but usually it is a very fun river to be in. There is also a new horse camp being built just down the road! It will be much larger and will have more amenities.
The CMO ride managers put on an excellent ride! We had a lot of fun and a safe ride. The footing at Trade River is excellent, and light rain showers helped to tamp down the dusty trails. There was a lot of concern when one of the horses choked on his evening grain and was quite distressed. One of our very kind CMO members is a vet and lent his hand with helping the horse to clear his esophagus. The horse looked much more comfortable the following morning.
The above pictures show the horses camping and watching as my teammate and her Boxer/Dob puppy climb the hill on a nearby trail. The horses were all fixated on watching! Cody and TC also snuck in some time for a game of halter tag.
