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Monday, December 19, 2011

Navarre and his PPSM, EPSM which ever your vet uses...

Considering all the riding we have been doing for this little ride, I am still worried about Navarre and how he is going to handle all the long walks each day with his loaded pack.   see the ride blog if you want a visual! click here!

I am the one all a muck! My mind that is... I'm worried about the hay stretcher, as I have had to cut it back during our training rides as Navarre was starting to look a little more stiff.  Sure enough sense I have cut him back ... only one week... he is now acting like a kid again running, bucking, and having fun like any kid should.

This long ride, and the PPSM is going to be a balancing act.

I have 12 days of feed ready for the ride, and while I have no more room in my dinning room to keep any more than that... I am also needing the ability to adjust the feed as I am going on down the road each day.

Hay stretcher... I am having to replace their hay with a stretcher in order to keep their gut moving along all night as they are tied on a high line.  The issue is only with Navarre as it contains a little molasses in order to assist with the binding of the soy hulls, peanut hulls, alfalfa, and timothy.  I've done all I can to keep the alfalfa down to a minimum, and the sugar is down on the list but it apparently affected him enough that I noticed!  

Wish me luck, the oil I am carrying for Navarre is most of my weight!   Well at this point it is HIS weight as he as had his full gear on.

My fears on this little ride. 
Keeping Navarre healthy! 
and not being hit by some idiot staring at us and running right into us! 


Life is short ... I just don't want to loose Navarre because of someone else being stupid!




Sunday, December 18, 2011

It is all coming together.

Today was a very productive day.
I took THREE loads of gear to the barn for the ride.
front and back full each time.
I brought most of it home with me this afternoon as I am starting to get a little worried about how safe my gear is considering I am SOoooo close to leaving.

Between trips to the barn I took a ride out of Asheville trying to figure out the highway issues here for the horses. Met up with three state troopers and I think one more day on the road and I'll have it DONE.

I got the horses fully loaded with everything I am taking with us. Got photos and took them for a short little spin up the mountain just to make Navarre work hard with all that bulk!   It is after all more bulk than it is weight.  His feed is the heaviest of all things, the hay is just bulk... as are my sleeping bags that weight next to nothing.

I've lots of things for myself but in my space also packed emergency things for the horses.. My things are light enough I can throw them onto Navarre with out him even noticing! again... it more the bulk that gets attention... after all I have my extra layers on MY back in my little backpack I enjoy so much.

The thing doesn't flop up and down, shift weight in an emergency... or cause me any moving issues. It's just right.

Safety gear in... it is so bright it doesn't photo well except in shadow or at angle.  It is VERY visible on Sweet Pea ... and helps on Navarre. 

can't wait to get on the road for this trip instead of just work outs...

Friday, December 16, 2011

Hay...

Little by little I get ready for my trip. But last weekend it was all about getting the hay to my barn, out of the neighbors barn so I could last another few weeks before I hit the road.

I have tried to get the kids off the hay and mostly on the hay stretcher.  This is not working for Navarre, as his PPSM started to rear its ugly head and he was getting tighter and tighter.  So I had to cut back on his hay stretcher and add a little more rice bran to keep him on the same amount of "feed" and put out two more flakes of hay.

This will increase the amount of hay I need each day at least in the start of this little trip, BUT I'll get it worked out so he is not in pain.  If not!   Well.... I'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.  As the exercise always helps his PPSM so much, and he will be walking all day, on a movable high line all night so hopefully it will all balance out in the end.  We can only try.

So I pray for Navarre to be healthy!
and I pray he will have fun and not be sick!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A little more excitement each day.

I can only hope the word is getting around.  If it is not it is not from lack of my trying to share and get support!

I am encouraged a little as Navarre's pack came yesterday, and in working with it this morning it appears to have SO MUCH ROOM I could pack as much on him as I once did in a cross country trip in a little Geo Tracker! ( Those were funny days! and another story )  So now the issue is not how much I can pack on him, but how much I can lift over my head to get ON him!   I started packing loose individual servings of feed, this quickly proved to be a disaster! I am not packing an entire days of feed, and my food as well in my reusable grocery bags.

I am sure for those whom are going to bring things too me, I am going to re-use feed bags as daily sizing then transfer into the grocery bags (due to their incredible handles) to put them inside of the side bags (panniers) on Navarre.

I am even hoping to get a flake of two of hay in each pannier to tighten it up and give to the horses on a cold cold night if no one else is going to be around.

Other wise... I am hoping to have a campfire or a visitor each night that might be able at some point to bring me flakes of hay when they come.  BUT I can't count on it! Although I can wish.


My first night out camping in the freezing wet weather was a delight as Brenda, Chris, Lily, and Grace all came over, and Helen gave us a visit as well.  Chris made a fire, they roasted marshmallows and made smores.  It was just all so sweet, so pleasant, so perfect!   I can only hope for such visits along the way to take up some of the dark time before going to bed.

After which I will lay in my sleeping bag and write of the days events, the people I have met, and prep for a post of the daily events.  May not be posted here, as it would better fit on the ride blog or on the facebook update page  but it will be posted some where!

Much love to the world...
Have a good day!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

First night on trip.

I just confirmed with a friend ... that I can stay with her our first night out on the road!

She is a short distance from the BRP... Blue Ridge Parkway ... so IF ... they allow me on the BRP this stop would allow me to double up the next day and get my short stretch of the BRP done in one day.  This should help as the commity makes their decession of if they will even allow me on the road.

This is the deal!
Horses make a deep impression in the dirt, and thus, make a horrible impact on the land.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a Federally protected area (which I love... so) I went to get permission to use a short 15 mile stretch.  In doing so ... making my case ... I informed them I not only will NOT be allowing my horses on the grass, I will have friends that are willing to pick up the poop left by my horses; thus leaving less of an "imprint" than cars as they drip oil driving down the road every day.

My only personal issue with the BRP is... if it is closed to cars I can't use it!   If they allow me to, they said I would be allowed at any time.. BUT if it is closed for ice and snow my husband will not have the ability to walk the 15 miles to scoop poop! SO I'd have to go all the way around... stretching my little trip by 4  (yep FOUR ) days!

I can only hope they allow me usage.
I can only hope it is open!

Wish me luck!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

December

December; from the decem, Latin for "ten"