Horse Camping & Other Musings

Since 2005, the Horsetales group has had an annual ride each Father's Day weekend. It has morphed more into a Platte River Riders group than Horsetales, but there is always some crossover. This year, we planned to go to Indian Cave near Shubert.

The rains have made planning impossible. Indian Cave is very hilly and if wet, not very fun. The forecast did not look promising. So at the last minute, we changed plans and instead of driving 2 hours to Indian Cave, drove just 30 minutes to Branched Oak Lake. If we got rained out there, at least it wasn't a 2 hour drive home.

The weather gods surprised us and we had a pleasant weekend. Even sweatshirt weather one morning! It was so good to have Case riding with us again, albeit Butter was quite a handful for him on this brisk morning. There were about 20 some riders throughout the weekend. Good friends & of course, good food. The rain finally did arrive on Sunday morning. Luckily, not a huge storm. I tore down camp in my raincoat and we were home early Sunday morning.

I'm not sure what this group was looking at, but I really liked the colors in the pictures.

Miscellaneous

It's been a really busy week at work. Just got about a half-hour of horse time in tonight. Windy and I sprinted down the road and back, just under 3 miles. Now that the rain has quit, the mosquitos are as big as small birds and were on attack. Windy was sprayed; I wasn't - so I seemed to serve as the buffet line for the nasty bugs.

Book Review

I just finished listening to the audio book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I know, most of you probably read this a couple years ago. It takes me awhile! But it was worth the wait! What a wonderful book! For those who haven't read it, the book takes place in the early 1930's. It centers around a young vet student who, following an unexpected tragedy, joined the circus. I loved the circus charactors and the rapport he had with the animals. And, it had a nice ending. If you haven't read it (or listened to it), it's worth picking up. I hear there will be a movie in 2011.

Rock Creek Station

Early in the riding season, I penciled in weekend plans – whether it be day rides, camping trips or those deemed “vacation worthy”. The kid’s summer activities then start to roll in and take precedence over any riding plans, but usually it all works out one way or another. It’s been several years since we visited Rock Creek during their annual celebration. Always a favorite with the boys, it seemed to work well into our busy summer schedule.

Rock Creek Station was established in 1857 along the Oregon Trail; a resting spot for weary travelers and later a stage and pony express station. Rich in western history, most notably a gunfight between the local bully David McCanles and Wild Bill Hickok, Rock Creek Station’s reconstructed ranch comes to life during Rock Creek Days. Re-enactments, period costumes and merchants come to town for the small celebration of history.

As with every weekend trip, I begin getting things together early in the week; from shopping for groceries to packing up the trailer. Everything needed for horse and rider. The day of the trip, I hook up the trailer and move it into the driveway and begin to do an inventory of camping supplies and horse tack. I pre-cook what I can and take the food to the trailer when it is ready. I loaded the hay and water and truly thought we would be ready to go when John pulled in. Well, the demons decided to play havoc with our plans. In the last few hours before departure, the following happened:

• Refrigerator in living quarters of the trailer refused to light, thus more ice and coolers needed.
• McCain went to get ice & the hose broke in his car on the way home
• Bad cell reception where he broke down & I had trouble finding him
• John’s truck vapor locked coming home & he literally coasted into the driveway
• While quickly baling the last of the hay, the hitch broke on baler
• Stray kid at our house couldn’t find anyone to come get him
• Once departed, we had a blowout on the trailer tire 10 miles from home

But later while sitting in camp – after overcoming all of these obstacles – the sky fell from John’s world when he found out I forgot to pack the ketchup! I had obviously failed as a wife and mother.

John, Case & McCain

Despite the Heinz emergency, I was still able to feed my family and we hit the trails with full stomachs the following morning. It was good to have both our boys with us as well as our friends, Julie and Steve and Julie B. We meandered in and out of the trails of Rock Creek, every watchful of Julie B. on her young BIG horse, AJ. Although he had a few cute “colt moments”, he had his big boy boxers in place and maneuvered the trails well. Julie B, on the other hand, may want to invest in a face cage for her helmet. The 16+hh gelding affords her little room to duck under branches and certainly those of us on our 15hh horses aren’t clearing the spider webs for her!

Julie B on AJ

We rode through the “ranch” as the re-enactments were taking place. There was a stagecoach with a team of mules that caught Windy’s attention and not in a good way. We worked on “moving closer, staying longer” – but quit that exercise once I knew gunshots would be going off from the “shoot-out”. But to hell with the gunshots – Windy was sure the mules were on her tail! Sorry, but I had no free hands for pictures.

Kathy and Rich joined us in the afternoon. We slid down some very slick trails – their fox trotters “dropping to their haunches” as well as any good quarter horse. We found the canyon wall creek and stirred up a very small fawn along the trail. We did some bushwhacking on what appeared to be a new trail! That Kathy sure can lead us on some wild goose chases! And there is no hill she won’t climb! (Running & ducking…)

After a ketchup-less supper, we headed out for a sunset ride as the full moon was rising over Rock Glen Wildlife Management Area. We went to the top of the hill and took a long look at the area around us before heading back. It was dark when we entered the trails in the trees that took us back to camp. Lightning was visible in the west and we could hear the faint sound of thunder. We packed up camp and in a matter of moments, the rain and hail drummed against our trailer roof and no doubt muddying up already slick trails. We headed home early Sunday morning without having the opportunity to really explore nearby Rock Glen wildlife area on this trip.

Windy, Butter, Blue & Ginger: The morning after the storm

For those of you visiting south central Nebraska, Rock Creek Station near Fairbury is a very horse friendly park with miles of trail and history galore! I hope to make it back there before the end of the season.

The Weekend Interrupted

Coincidentally, this photo meets the Sunday Stills challenge: Power Lines

My husband and youngest son had big plans for the weekend. They were joining some friends for their own distance ride: a sixty mile, 3 day journey from Dodge County to Big Elk Park near Macy where they would meet up with me on Monday afternoon. We spent most of the day before packing their gear and trying the rigging on their horses. We had waited patiently for a chip in Butter’s hoof to grow out and luckily it did and the farrier got her shoed the day before their trip.

On the day of the ride, we unloaded in Ames, Nebraska and carefully saddled both horses who would be carrying much more than the rider’s weight to get everyone through the next three days. A train roared through Ames behind our trailer. I was pretty sure Ginger thought the devil had her tail. She was sweating before they even got started. At 10 minutes from departure, their friends called and said they would not be going after all. Shocked and disappointed, if they were to do this, they were on their own.

Although John and Case had packed their amenities, their friends had mapped the route. We didn’t even have a map in the truck. John knew where they planned to stop the first night, but after that, plans were vague. But they were bound and determined to carry on. I reluctantly let them go. About a mile out of town, the mother in me kicked in. How can they go without a map? Case will start whining, John will get impatient. Without their friends to break the monotony, riding 60 miles will grow old. I drove to the local Wal-Mart – the least I could do was get them a map. And headed back to where they started and followed their tracks 5 miles down the road.

I pulled over to the side of the road and watered the horses as John adjusted his gear. We sat down on the running board of the trailer to consult the topography map I had picked up. I no longer wanted to go to Macy. I wanted to be with my guys. We talked about where I could meet them, the logistics of this new ride and what I would do while I waited. Then I reminded them we had friends staying at Turkey Creek Ranch near Newcastle this weekend. Perhaps we should just go there and if John and Case still wanted to, they could pack in on their property. It didn’t take much arm twisting. We unsaddled their horses, loaded them back up with Windy and off to northern Nebraska we went!

Turkey Creek Ranch near Newcastle is a little taste of paradise in northeastern Nebraska. Tucked high above the Missouri River, this pristine camp offers hundreds of acres with forest riding and scenic views. I first visited here in 2007. I can’t believe I waited this long to return! Brenda and John Wortman of Turkey Creek certainly know horses and their horse camp is awesome! Truly one of the best in our state.

We pulled in next to our friends, Rich and Kathy Newberg, and set up camp. Although they had rain, the trails were in pretty decent shape as we headed out later that afternoon! It was even more beautiful than I remembered! We climbed the hill to the cabin which overlooks the Missouri River. Then began our descent into what I call the “enchanted forest”. The recent rains left everything fresh and green.

At one point during the ride, it began to rain. I hadn’t brought my raincoat so pulled out my disposable poncho from my pommel bag & started to open it. I think at first Windy thought it was licorice & kept looking back at me – as I usually treat her to a piece, too. But the bigger the poncho got, the more disturbed Windy was. It then dawned on me that although I take coats on and off while riding her all the time, perhaps I have never used the plastic bag thingy before.....

Kathy & Zuni

Meanwhile, Zuni - Kathy's horse - was disturbed as well, as she was putting on her rain coat. It didn't take us long to figure out he wasn't disturbed at her, but at me and my plastic bag. Although Windy was agitated, she wasn't out of control & I started moving her away from Zuni. She then started to quickly sidepass away from the sound in my hand. My instinct said to just get rid of the dang bag. My brain did not think about where I was dropping it. So what did I do? Dropped "the bomb" right behind Zuni!! Does anyone wonder how I keep my friends? Okay, so Kathy now has the eatin' dirt award thanks to me! I'll never live that one down as long as I live.

The rest of the ride was gorgeous! The rain stopped, the forest was fresh and although slick in spots, considering what we rode in last weekend, this was a walk in the park! Yesterday & today, Brenda Wortman came out and rode with us, both times on different horses, both beautiful. It is fun to ride with the owner exploring the new trails her husband is just cutting! Have I mentioned that I had forgotten how beautiful Turkey Creek is?

John & Case never did pack out. I think even though their plans changed, they were very happy with the outcome. The skies stayed overcast throughout yesterday, but no rain! Today the sun came out and the landscape again was a new picture in our eyes. We rode about 24 miles over the course of the last few days. Although not the weekend we envisioned, it turned out better than we planned.

PS: This was our first camping trip without our oldest son, McCain. He’s 15 years old now and has a part time job. Although we had a very good time, I missed him terribly!

CTR - Chapter 1

I pulled into our driveway about 9:30 last night. I was weary from driving. My body felt tired; but it was a "good" tired. I unloaded "the prettiest bay horse in the world" and lead her into the corral. Ginger approached her first and as they often do after Windy has been away, they put their faces together for a few moments. I closed the gate and made my way back to the house still thinking about the weekend. How often do you get to spend three days with your friends and your horse at a beautiful park and do just what you love to do? Ride. And ride we did.

I did my first (and last) Competitive Trail Ride at Indian Cave in 2004 on Windy's dam, Ginger. She was pinch hitting for my gelding who came back from vacation that year with a sore back. My experience with Ginger up to this point wasn't good. She was John's horse, not mine. A bit like a little red sports car. Fast and quick. Not easy to "drive" and not real forgiving if you push the wrong buttons. And truth be known, she scared the beejeezus out of me! But she was also the only one in our herd who I knew could do the distance easily and I wanted to do it bad enough. Many times over the years, I have thought about throwing out those first scorecards. Egad! It was very humbling. My only consolation was that Ginger did worse than me! She wouldn't stand for the vet, she wouldn't let the vet touch her mouth. And obviously I didn't know how to press her "reverse" button because even the simplest obstacle, like backing through some ribbons, she refused. After that ride, I said "never again."


What changed my mind? Windy. She has been my partner for going on five years. I've learned a lot from this mare -- most notably that mediocre is not good enough. That I must become a better leader or she will jockey for that position every time. And while we continue to grow as a team, we both have tons to learn. This competition would be a good way to identify some of the things we need to specifically work on. In the last year, we logged 300 hours of trail time, probably riding over 1,000 miles. She is in great shape and well conditioned. And Ginger set the bar pretty low!

When I first saw the James Gang Rideout on the CTR calendar, I looked at a map. Smithville, Missouri is relatively close. An easy drive. A nice time of year. But this time I didn't want to do it alone. I needed a little help from my friends. Not just moral support, but their butts in the saddle next to me! And almost from the moment I suggested the ride, Annette, Jess and Robyn were on board! And with a great support group of veteran CTR friends, we had as much fun planning and prepping as we did riding. Well, almost as much fun....

It was cloudy when we left Nebraska driving into darker skies to the south. No sooner did we hit I-29, then the thunderstorm came rolling in. The Big Fat Lying Weatherman is never wrong when predicting the bad stuff.... (to be continued....)

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4 - The Finale

Cowgirl Weekend 2008

Like a kid looking forward to Christmas, I cannot WAIT until Cowgirl Weekend each year – and today, the day after Cowgirl Weekend 2008, I feel like that same kid having to wait another year for Santa to come again! For ten years, my friends, Kathy and Jamie, have organized this incredible weekend for their horse friends and for the last six years, I have had the privilege of being invited to attend.

This year Cowgirl Weekend was held at Kanopolis Lake near Salina, Kansas. Twenty horses, nineteen women in eleven rigs attended this special four-day, 10th anniversary ride. I think the horses must have known it was a special event; couldn’t have asked for better rides. I think the Big Fat Lying Weatherman even knew better than to mess with us on this ride! Temps stayed in the mid eighties with plenty of sunshine during the day and stars galore and an awesome view of the Milky Way at night. The sumac was changing to a deeper shade of red and yellow and white wildflowers grew randomly along the trail.



Plenty of rains though out the season kept the water crossings interesting. The red rock gave our flatlander horses new challenges, all of which they succeeded. A doe and her two young fawns followed us along the trail briefly one morning, as curious of us as we were the deer. Our horses paid no mind to the added company. Buzzards roosted in a tree not far from the corrals, but were not a bad omen.

Our event is multi-generational. Many of the guests have grandchildren, others career women, the "soccer mom" generation while yet another announced her own pregnancy. This weekend, like the years before, we clear our calendars and come together from different parts of our state and with diverse backgrounds, for a weekend of sharing the passion of horses. And had it not been for horses, we probably would have never met in our own walks of life.



Cowgirl Weekend is bittersweet as it signifies the unofficial end of the riding season. The four days we are together go too fast and ends too soon. In the days following, there will be a flurry of email exchanges sharing memories, followed by shared pictures. And then we'll go our separate ways and probably won't see each other again collectively, until next year.

Cowgirl Weekend isn’t just about riding. Although spending time in the saddle and spending time with our horses is what brings us all together, there is more. It’s about renewing friendships that so often get put on the back burner due to other obligations in our hectic lives. It’s about having fun; letting our hair down. And playing.

Cowgirl Weekend Bound!

“Its not the fall that hurts, it’s the landing.” The old adage is very true; the landing is the bad part. Other clichés about not bouncing as well are also true. It’s been over a week now since my fall from Black and there are still aches and pains. And I’m told the hematoma on my shinbone will be around for quite awhile! But let’s give “the fall” some credit, too. Although aches and pains will eventually heal, I have yet to really test how much the fall has hurt my confidence. I did get back on the colt shortly afterwards, but I haven’t rode nor worked with him since. The desire is there but I am lacking the motivation. Plus I am wrapping myself in bubble wrap for one of my favorite weekends of the year.

Coming up is my annual “Cowgirl Weekend” trip. Not unlike any other weekend camping and trail riding trip except it has a name and I get to spend time with a group of friends that I don’t see collectively very often. This is the 10th year the hostesses have planned the trip and the 6th year in which I’ve had the privilege of being invited. It has little to do with being a “cowgirl” (whatever that means!) and more to do with just getting away with my good horse for a long weekend with other gals who share the passion. It motivated me to learn to pull my own trailer years ago and since that first trip, there has been no turning back!

I’m pretty sure the oil companies must be on to Cowgirl Weekend. I wasn’t surprised that diesel fuel jumped up 20 cents in price yesterday. Always seems to when I have travel plans. But I fooled them! I filled up early, when it was “on sale” at $3.79. Too bad that same tank won’t get me home. This year we are returning to central Kansas, about a 5 hour drive from here. The weather forecast shows low to mid eighties and plenty of sunshine. Sounds like a perfect fall weekend.

This will be the fourth CGW riding Windy. As much as I enjoy being with my friends, it is equally an important time with my horse. We don’t just sit around the camp fire, we ride… a lot. In the weeks proceeding, I start to slowly add grain to Windy’s diet knowing she will be working harder over those four days. Her winter hair is starting to come in and that, combined with the extra fat from the grain, makes her bay coat shine. If the sun ever comes out today, she’ll get a bath and perhaps some Twinkle Toes as a finishing touch! She’s my “family” for the weekend. I see her first in the morning and before heading to bed at night.

I’m sure there will be stories to tell and some I'll be sworn NOT to tell. And I’m praying all my Cowgirl friends have a safe trip to and from CGW! (Will see you soon!!) I’m heading out now to soap my windows on my truck: “Cowgirl Weekend or Bust!”

Brushy Creek Iowa

We just returned from Labor Day weekend with the Musils and the Newbergs at Brushy Creek Recreation Area near Lehigh, Iowa. What a great weekend! The weather and the company couldn't have been any better. And wow! Does Iowa know how to do up a horse camp or what???

McCain is a freshman this year and has to suit up for varsity home games, so we did not get on the road until Saturday morning. The alarm went off at 5:00, rolled out of bed at 5:30 and horses loaded and on the road by 6:30 AM. Arrived at Brushy Creek at about 11:00. Was really impressed with our camping spot; although we made reservations too late for electrical hook-ups, our primitive spot was nicely shaded with a water hydrant directly across from our trailer. The camp had nice shower houses and bathrooms, for the holiday weekend, the park brought in porta-potties for each area, again, directly across from us. Newbergs and Musils were on the trail when we arrived, so we set up camp. Later the kids wandered down to the beach area to swim.

All of us went on a late afternoon ride. To get to the wildlife preserve, we had to follow about 2 miles of "all weather trail", very similar to what is on MoPac or Oak Creek Trail. And then went down into the trees. The trails in the trees were dirt, some water crossings - very nicely maintained in such a way to protect from erosion.

John was on Ginger, Case on Butter, McCain rode Black and I was on Windy. As usual, when we ride with the gaited horse crew, our horses get pretty high. And this first day was no exception. We left camp at a pretty good clip. Our quarter horses got pretty fired up trying to keep up the 5 mph pace of the gaited horses and we all struggled with them. We rode for about 2 hours and frankly, that was enough. I knew McCain had too much horse for him. But I didn't think he would fair any better with Windy, so we just rode the horse we had and glad to make it back in one piece! I told Tammy and Kathy that I could tell Windy was just pissed! You know how you can feel that sometimes? She was very pissed!

Had a nice dinner over the campfire and roasted StarBurst candies. Kathy shared some awesome apple dumplings for dessert!

John and McCain changed horses for Sunday's ride and McCain did much better on Ginger. We also changed the game plan and had the quarter horses lead. Ginger clipped along at 3.8 to 4.2 mph which is comfortable for our horses. We decided to leave the camp and go north around the lake on the all weather trail -- mainly, just to get a feel of the area. We had lunch on the trail. Found some nice water crossings again and a water hole that we decided was worth revisiting on the next ride.

Black did a lot of trotting with John. John and I ride nothing alike and I felt bad for the colt -- John is pretty heavy handed & they struggled. At times I thought about switching horses with him, but I wasn't sure he would get along with Windy either -- it's been a long time since he rode her. Had McCain not been doing so well on Ginger, I could have had him ride Windy and John could take his own horse back. On day 2, McCain would have done fine on Windy. Ah, the ponderings after the fact.... Had some moments when my boys would fight... gawd, I love to watch fighting on horseback -- NOT! I could have taken my reins and popped them both. But hated to ruin a good ride... :)

On the all weather trail close to camp, Rich put his horse into a fox trot. Windy stayed right with him. GPS showed 9.1 MPH. We started up again when the rest caught up; this time Windy in the lead. I moved her into an extended trot -- never once breaking into a lope.... 9 mph, 10 mph, 13.1 mph at a trot! Someone asked us to hold up, so I brought her back down. Quite a rush!

Later that evening, John and Tammy Musil, Rich and John and I went out for a quick ride until dark. The gaited horses did their thing, John and I lingered behind. When we felt the need, we'd lope to catch up. When we got back to camp, we played in the arena for awhile & then made it back for campfire.

The park provides hitching posts for up to 6 horses (provided they get along) at each campsite. We tied their leads as you would if tied to the trailer. Put Black and Windy on one side & Ginger and Butter on the other. Was glad to see that (at least) Butter had laid down over night.

I was disappointed to find the horses sore a bit sore this morning. It had to be from the all weather trail. Butter was very soft on her right front and although not as obvious with Ginger and Windy, they chose to walk on the grass next to the trail instead of on it -- so assume they were a bit tender, too. Black is shod, so he didn't have any issues. I had said after leaving Ft. Rob, that I wouldn't shoe for Ft. Rob if I ever go back; let me tell you, I was VERY surprised to find them sore from this type of riding. I'm not sure I would go back to Brushy Creek without shoes, just because of that all weather trail.

This morning, Musils packed up to leave and we rode back out with the Newbergs. At the first opportunity, we moved into the interior dirt trails. The horses traveled a lot better off the all weather trail. We went back to the water hole and played. The kids stripped off their shirts and boots. Case stood on his saddle and jumped off Butter into the water. John and Black had a real good ride.

Ate lunch when we returned. Broke camp and headed home. Pulled in around 7-ish tonight; unloaded the horses and coolers and crashed. I enjoyed Brushy Creek, but even more, am in awe at what Iowa's Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) does to accommodate equestrian activity in their parks. From trails to camps, it is darn near perfect!

And now, about The Black. I think I have come to the conclusion that it's time he goes. Not so much because of anything he did, but just lack of time and know how. We trail ride. That is what we do. And to get a horse seasoned on the trail, you need to ride them, work with them, put time on them. My family is riding less and less. I primarily ride Windy, but certainly don't mind riding the other horses periodically to keep time on them. Butter is getting very buddy sour with Ginger and although Case handles her, she has shown some very nasty behaviors and its getting worse. There just isn't enough time for me to keep my horse, work with Butter, work with Black and put time on Blue and Ginger. I think the decision is obvious and I think McCain sees it, too.

I'll work with Black this fall, use him at lessons at Brenda's and try to get as much as I can going with him so he has half a chance. But as of today, I think he is for sale... Not an easy decision. As I've said many times, it sucks to be the grown-up.....