ride4acure

I left West Wyalong with a big heart full of gratitude for the wonderful people I met during my two day stay at Alex and Leslie Maitlands. To be honest West Wyalong felt like a meeting up with old friends more than making new ones. I felt so incredibly welcomed wherever I went. On Saturday morning I rode for two and a half hours into town to the Pony Club jumping day. I was met along the way by Les Warner who is a retired but sprightly 80 odd year old drover who knew my Dad Kevin Luxford years ago. It’s a small world amongst drovers especially out here in the Central West and Riverina. Les rode with me in the rain/showers I might add into town to the Pony Club. I then spent some time there meeting up with people and low and behold was greeted on my arrival by someone who looked familiar and turned out to be Jody Williams from almost 30 years ago when I was rodeoing in Victoria. Jody used to ride Kirby Crosses horses barrel racing. It was a blast from the past! I also caught up with families I met from Parkes Pony Club who had kids there competing in the jumping in between downpours of rain. I set sail again about two pm with Richard Maslin who had ridden with me last week for an afternoon. Richard had bought his ripper horse Duke in and rode off with me for about 10kms in the rain out of town and  along the Newell toward Narranderra.

I rode out of town about 14 kms to Linda and Alan Clarkes place and paddock the horses for the night and stayed with the Clarkes who very generously hosted me and my horses for the night. I was on the road by 8.30am and rode in the pouring rain all day. It didn’t let up until late afternoon when I was about two kilometres from Mirrool and a weak sun finally broke through the grey clouds. The Mirrool Hotel publicans, Kev and Claire, very generously donated my accommodation, dinner(an absolutely fantastic homemade pizza, probably the best I’ve eaten! thank you Claire!!)  and a couple of very well savoured XXXX Gold’s on Sunday night. Kev also organised a paddock for the horses which I’m grateful for. I spent some time in the bar yarning with customers who kindly made donations to ride4acure, yesterday raised over $150 which is awesome considering the weather.

I am in both Narranderra and Grong Grong Primary Schools tomorrow visiting schools to present “Mela-What?” of course travelling by car to get there! My horses are holed up in a paddock now for a couple of days having a well deserved rest. It’s been hard riding for them since last Tuesday as it’s been wet each day and mostly riding in very muddy conditions. Yesterday was so muddy that I couldn’t get off the road at all or they’d sink in red mud! Plus the rubbish along the highways was phenomonal! I was thinking how different it is to the bike ride where I was finding interesting things all the time. Yesterday I saw a ‘ganvel’ and a block and tackle and a wrench type tool! But of course I left the whole lot on the side of the road as I wasn’t gonna add to the load I was already carrying! I am again amazed at the car and truck parts that litter the roadside, so many electrical cables, leads, drums, bolts etc….I wonder how there aren’t more vehicles broken down on the side of the road! The constant rain yesterday was tricky. I was damp and cold, almost straightaway, as everytime a truck went by, the horses and  I were ‘showered’ by a massive wave of water off the road and couldn’t get off it because of the mud. I was frozen too, and the only part of me that was warm was my neck as I had my fancy neck/earwarmer on with my Akubra! I’ll take a photo next time, it’s a pretty impressive bit of gear! I bought it in a camping shop in Armidale and am ever so grateful I did. Yesterday I was blowing into it and breathing the warm air down inside myself imagining it was a warm fire warming my bones up! How sad is that! I was so glad to actually get to Mirrool and warm up. I slept like a log all night. Have been having no trouble sleeping at all.

What a ripper little town West Wyalong is.

Last night I was fortunate to be given a few minutes time at the Golf Club on a microphone to talk with a hundred or so patrons about ride4acure. The golf club kicked off a ‘pass the hat around’ fundraiser after my speech and $641.50 cents was raised in about ten minutes from the very generous people of West Wyalong. Additionally, today I received another donation of $150 from a generous local family, plus when I visited West Wyalong High School after the “Mela-What?” presentation I was handed a cheque for $500 from the Year 11 Leadership group who have been fundraising for a few weeks at the school. I am humbled by the generosity of this place and will forever hold West Wyalong close to my heart. Thank you to everyone for making me so welcome and for the generous donations to ride4acure.  A big thankyou to Richard and Sue Maslin and also James and Linda Maslin for their generosity and also to  Alex, Leslie and Tim Maitland for hosting me and my three horses for the last couple of days here a”Eastleigh”, and also to Peter  the Technology teacher at the High School for donating a bag of horse feed, and of course Emma Petitt local Equine Bowen Therapist, thank you so much for your generosity in donating your professional skills to giving my horses two treatments each to help them stay fit and sound for this big venture. I couldn’t do this without the big heartedness of good people.  You’re a Winner West Wyalong!

Wednesday 26^th May-10kms from West Wyalong

Welcome rain has fallen across the central West here to give a kick start to newly sown crops all over the region. Made for interesting riding for this trekker and my three horses, who for the first time experienced walking on wet black soil.  The soil sticks to their hooves and they all grew an extra hand high! I had to take their bell boots off (rubber protective boots I put on the led horse and my saddle horse to protect their heels from the ‘tail tied’ horse in the instance he crowds the two front horses and steps on their heels), as the mud was sticking to the inside of the bell boot and making it impossible to walk properly. I had the company today of another rider Linda Maslin from “Caragabal West” on the Grenfell Road where I stayed last night with Linda and her husband James, and had dinner with their son Charles and girlfriend Bec. We had a great night yarning around the table. Linda saddled up this morning and rode from “Minoru”, Richard and Sue Maslin, where I’d stayed for a couple of nights, to “Eastleigh” 10kms from West Wyalong (approx 32 ish kms) where I’m camped for a couple of nights with Alex and Leslie Maitland while I visit the High School in West Wyalong and get another Bowen Treatment done on the horses. Which I must say has made a big difference to the inflammation in the horses backs! Good news.  Linda rode her mare ‘Maggie’ and we had a good time yarning most of the way when we could above the truck noise!

I pulled up to water the horses in a good puddle and low and behold a whopping great yabbie was in it with his pincers up in the air having a ‘go’ at me! I was amazed to see the critter like that and to see the fight in him/her.

I had a great interview on Riverina ABC Radio this morning just after nine, I simply pulled the horses up and let the eat grass while I did the interview with Simon. It went really well and had the ‘authentic’ background noise of dozens of B-Double trucks the whole time!

I ride out of here on Saturday morning, and will be visiting the West Wyalong Pony Club jumping day on my way through town. I’ll also have the company of a couple of other riders too which is great. One of whom is Les Warner, an old drover who used to know my dad Kevin Luxford years ago when we were droving through this area. I always feel so heartened to meet people who knew Dad and know what a good stockman and horseman he was. I often think about what Dad would make of me doing this ride with my three horses and I reckon he’d be very proud of me for having a crack and to be doing something like this that will benefit so many other young people just like Hannah.

“Minoru” 35 kms from West Wyalong on Newell Highway

I am having another day off. It’s wet here and not so good for trekkers riding in black mud! Will be heading into West Wyalong tomorrow though.

I took Billy and Wrangler into town yesterday to a Bowen Therapist Emma who has hopefully worked some magic on the ‘boys’ and they’ll be loosened up. They’ll have another treatment on Friday afternoon when I’m in West Wyalong.

I’ve been staying with Richard and Sue Maslin at “Minoru”. Richard rode out the last ten kilometers on Sunday to accompany me to his station and it’s been an absolute pleasure to spend some time here. Richards brother James was so kind to organise all my camp overs along the Newell between Forbes and West Wyalong and I’m so grateful for  his help. Staying with people is so good it means my horses have a safe paddock for the night and not tethered along the ‘truck artery’ of NSW, and also I have a warm, comfy bed for the night, a good meal, a hot shower and company! Doesn’t get better than that!

The trucks on the Newell are constant. I’m guessing that as many trucks use the Newell as the Hume Highway. This assessment made from my bike ride last year. The good thing about the Newell is it’s a wide (mostly) stock route and I can get off the shoulder a bit. Having said that it gets pretty narrow ahead on this last leg into West Wyalong.

I will be off to West Wyalong High School on Friday to present “Mela-What?” and had the good fortune to meet some of the high school kids at various places I went yesterday and they’ve all been gearing up for the visit and are fundraising for ride4acure with a crazy hat and sunglasses day. I love the creativity that emerges through this! Am about to go and give the horses their nose bags….that means I have to get out of this very comfy warm bed! Ah the luxury…

The following is a link to an interview on yesterday’s Mid North Coast Rural Report ABC radio with Kim Honan.  http://www.abc.net.au/rural/regions/content/201005/2907343.htm

I have just ticked off two big days of riding.   FRIDAY 21.5.10 Parkes to Forbes  In Parkes I stayed with Norma and Barry Garment and it was totally delightful.  I was privileged on the day I rode out of town to have two of the Parkes Pony Club girls ride from the Garments and the rest met us at the pony club grounds for a photo shoot for the newspaper and also the girls ‘escorted’ me for about 8kms from Parkes towards Forbes. It was great to have some company.

I rode about 45kms yesterday about 9 hours riding and arrived right on dark again. Luckily had some great helpers on hand who helped rug, water and feed the horses. I stayed with Wayne and Irene Teale and had a delicious dinner and we sat around yarning for a while.

I had the day before been talking to a girlfriend of mine about ‘desensitising’ the horses and we were discussing how horses who are exposed to a lot of stimuli reach a ‘saturation point’.  Famous last words Guys…. I mentioned that I was quietly confident that my horses had now seen most things and were really not reacting to stuff. They’ve seen almost every possible species of the animal kingdom, types of machinery etc. Yesterday arvo about 4pm while I was riding down a very narrow laneway I could see a very large tractor towing something toward me. That something turned out to be a massive air seeder, with ‘arms’ tucked up about 30 feet! Meg went into a spin that was awesome but would have been better if I had some control! Fact was she was spinning on the spot, better than bucking I thought (I’ve watched her buck in the paddock and have thought there is no way on earth I could stay there for 1 second, so a spin was feeling pretty good at this stage but of course I had to drop Wranglers lead (Billy’s tied to his tail) while the turnout happened. After about 8 trips around the world we stopped and had a look. No harm done, bit giddy but all OK. This definitely confirms the universe has a sense of humour. I rode away very humbled with my little loyal bucksin Meg, shaking her head for a few minutes, like she was shaking the thought of ‘the close shave’ with the horse eating air seeder right out of her mind. Man I love this little horse.

SAT: 22.5.10

Today got away just after 8am, and was on the road with another two escorts, Wayne Teale (my host last night and his wife Irene) and also a mate of Waynes, Dave. Both Wayne and Dave are into Carriage Driving. (I am now dozing off while trying to write this! Will wake a little earlier and try and finish it before I head off in the morning.) I have another 35km day ahead of me, then Monday is a rest day before I head into West Wyalong on Tuesday.

(Early Sunday am finishing this over breakfast, horses are busily chomping on some oaten hay Wayne donated and I’m inside for 20 mins to have breaky, make lunch, boil thermos, and update blog then outside to prepare horses for the day and  hit the road.

The horses are holding their condition well I’m feeding them all a litre of Mitavite Economix plus 100 mls of performance oil (Mitavite product) and they all look great. I have lots of comments off people about their condition and people are amazed they’re looking so good with all the miles they’re doing and so little feed. They are on grass each night, plus each two hours/ten kilometers I stop and let them have a 10 minute ‘grass break’, this serves a dual purpose of resting their legs, keeping their gut happy and I can have a little cuppa! I have a 800ml thermos so I get four tiny cuppa’s a day! Having said that yesterday I ended up only having a couple!

I absolutely loved the ride yesterday, riding along the Newell Highway, big wide open stock routes, tones of good grass everywhere, about four good watering holes hosting water birds. A beautiful surprise when I was about 15kms from Forbes a drop dead gorgeous big white semi pulls up  hangs his head out and goes “How ya going Mauz?”, I’m looking and not recognising who it was at first and out steps a guy that looked familiar, and I realised it was Bill Hughes from Gisborne, Victoria.  It was delightful to see someone familiar. He said the truckies had been saying there was a sheila riding three horses down the Newell and he had a feeling it might be me! That was just terrific. Bill is special to me as he’s one of a ‘crew’ (my nieces Sarah and Liz and sister Kate also) who keep an eye on Hannah’s garden that Joe and I planted at her grave in Gisborne. When I live so far away it is a deep heartfelt comfort to know these good people are looking after things for me with Han’s resting place.

I am very happy with how things are going with the trekking. I am managing to get gear ferried from ‘camp to camp’ and yesterday talked with a company called ‘Back on Track’ who manufacture saddle pads and specialise in treating ‘back issues’ with horses. Well I’m there woman! They’re sending me three saddle pads and some liniment. The saddle pad issue for all you horse people out there is a very interesting one. I have used Koda felt pads for over 15 years and never had a spot of trouble with them. Having said that now doing so much riding for so many hours a day what I’ve discovered is that after about four hours of consistant riding they actually ‘heat’ the horses back. I am now putting a ‘colour check’ pure wool/horse hair stuffed saddle pad against their backs with the Koda felt on top, Billy with the pack saddle has two wool ones and Koda on top, and it doesn’t matter how many hours their saddled their backs are cool.  I unsaddle the horses after 5 hours for 30 minutes, give them a quick rub down, dry off and then re-saddle. Billy still get’s the odd little lump and bump that goes away with massage, so I haven’t quite got it right yet. The thing is with all the packing is the hours I’m doing. There’s probably not a lot of horses out there these days doing fifty hours of packing or even riding a week. And these guys are and doing it well. I am so proud of them all.

Well this little trekker better go out there now it’s now gone 7am!  and get on the road! Riding from Rodell and Neville Inwood’s property to Richard and Sue Maslins about 35kms along toward West Wyalong and hopefully about 7 hours riding, never quite works out like that though. And tomorrow is a day off for all of us and well deserved!

God is good that’s what I know. Today I had ‘planned’ to look after my horses, do some washing, computer updating etc, then from 2pm get my horses shod and have an early night. My day went a little bit along those lines but oh so much more. At 9.45 am was in a car with Norma Garment (the wonderful lady I’m staying with) going to East Parkes school to share ride4acure and “Mela-What?” with a joint scripture class of the Anglican and Catholic kids who just happen to have both Norma whom I’m staying with and her husband Barry Garment, and John Hanstock from ‘Spring park’ that I stayed with the night before as the scripture teachers . So all three of their classes together and I was able to give the presentation and share the ride4acure story with this fantastic group of young people. What a privelege for me.

Also I have had so many wonderful people in the last week who have helped me out with accommodation for me and my equine friends who all belong to the Central West Carriage Horse Society including Alf and Sharon Cantrell, Norma and Barry Garment, Wayne Teale (at Forbes who I’ll be staying with tomorrow night) and also Christian Munge the farrier from Dubbo! Amazingly generous people I’m so fortunate to have met.

After the school this morning I came back here and did get some computer jobs done, website and blogs updated, then the farrier Christian Munge came all the way from Dubbo with his apprentice Michael and shod all three horses for me with shoes and nails provided by Clarkes Horseshoes of Wingham, who’d couriered what I needed all the way from Wingham to Dubbo for me! Christian and Michael were here for over three hours and very generously donated the shoeing which is incredibly kind hearted.

I’m blown away by the generosity and big heartedness of people, today I feel so completely humbled by the goodness and charity within the humans I’ve had the grace to meet today (and of course so many of the other days of this incredible ride). And to top off an awesome day tonight got to meet Norma and Barry’s daughter Heather and her daughter Elizabeth. Heather has organised media and a group of pony club riders to escort me for 10kms out of Parkes, one of which is her daughter Elizabeth, with a few other riders we’ll be meeting at Parkes pony club grounds ont he way past. Also Parkes pony club are making a donation to ride4acure with a special presentation tomorrow. I go to sleep a very satisfied, Blessed  and happy horse trekker!

So here I am well past my bedtime tucked up thinking about the good naturedness of others and how blessed I am to have this life.

DAY 1 Yeoval to “Spring Park” 37kms.  Yeoval is a ripper little town and definitely lives up to its reputation as being the ‘best little town in the West’. I’ve had the good fortune to meet some wonderful, generous people two of whom are Alf and Sharon Cantrall who have ‘Ye Old Trading Post’, which is a general store, collectables, tourist info shop and also ‘home’ to the attempt to have the world’s biggest billycan collection. This collection now sports an addition from ride4acure, my sorry little billycan out of my packsaddle that has a hole in the bottom, no lid and no handle(used the handle to make a wire tool to fix something! But it is ‘curious’ and has a story! I have to add Alf gives away a new billy for each one donated! So I’m now feeling very flash with a shiny new billy in tow.

Alf & Sharon Yeoval

I got away from Yeoval about 9am and had 37kms to ride to get to night camp which was with John and Marina Hanstock at ‘Spring Park’ half way between Parkes and Yeoval. I had a small crew of local pony club riders who rode out of Yeoval with me for a few k’s. It was great to have some company. These guys also came to meet me when I came into town and on Sunday I had lunch with them at their Grandparents home Deb and David.

Leaving Yeoval with Pony Club Girls.

 My horses were very happy to be in a big paddock for the night, and Marina had a delicious meal ready for us. Esther, who was on her way from Wagga Wagga back to Kempsey called in and stayed the night too. Esther had her big horse ‘Titan’ with her, and she pulled up in mid afternoon at ‘Spring Park’ then cantered/walked the 10kms back to me and rode the last couple of hours with me. We arrived right on dark to be greeted by John’s working dogs, who bought the roof down barking at us as they’d never seen horses before, I figured they thought we may’ve been giant sheep! We were in bed pretty early as Esther had to be up at 4am to get on the road to pick a horse up at Stroud. It was absolutely fantastic to see and hold Esther, I miss my kids like crazy! Will have Joe in a couple of weeks for a visit for a week, which’ll be great! He’s flying to Wagga on 2^nd June for the week.

DAY 2: ‘Spring Park’ to Parkes 19.5.2010 – 31kms.  I woke up with Esther at 4am and helped her catch Titan and load him (not that she needed any help of course, he’s a legend of a horse, has been turned out at Quambone for the last six months and was like he’d been every day in work!) Esther was on the road by 4.30am and I went back up to the house but was wide awake, so made a pot of tea and settled in by the wood fire in John and Marina’s kitchen. Marina got up and we sat around yarning for an hour or so then I was down with the horses by 7am. It takes me a couple of hours to get on the road of a morning with all the stuff I have to do, feeding, un-rugging horses,   brushing horses, cleaning hooves, massaging horses, rubbing liniment, applying ointments,  treating bruises, saddling up, packing packs/prioritising gear (making sure I can get to gear I may need during the day), balancing and weighing loads-I use luggage scales to weigh each bag to make sure everything is even. Then of course putting on the packs, tying things down to make sure it won’t move. Putting my signs up, making sure everything’s right!   All this takes time. And I’ve learnt it’s critical to take the time getting ready to make sure everything is good to actually save time. ‘Take the time it takes so it takes less time’, is a hard lesson to learn as the temptation is to hurry to get on the road. The issue is that daylight is limited and if I’m not on the road by 9am at least I’ll be in the dark at the end of the day.  At present I’m staying under the 40kms a day mark to not overtire the horses and myself. I’m going really well physically, but I tell you I’m looking for my pillow by 7.30pm. Last night after I got to Parkes the beautiful people Norma and Barry Garment that I’m staying with took me out to the club for a delicious dinner, they’re retired and meet up with a group of other retirees each Wednesday night. I was really happy to go with them after I’d got the horses settled in and had a welcome hot shower and got cleaned up. Acutally blow dried my hair and put a little make up on! Hardly recognized myself in the mirror!!  At the club after a well enjoyed scooner of XXXX Gold and a yummy dinner I was sitting at the table with about ten other people (all 70 years plus) chatting away about ride4acure then, promptly fell asleep! Thought that was a laugh…. Norma Bless her,  woke me up and suggested she take me home! I agreed!

Today I have a ‘rest’ day, slept til 7am, tended my horses, then went into a Parkes Primary School with Norma and presented “Mela-What?” to the Catholic and Anglican scripture classes from years 3-6, what a fantastic group of kids and staff.  Now I’m back with the horses and have a farrier from Dubbo coming to re-shoe the crew. Clarkes Shoes from Wingham have couriered over shoes and tungsten tipped shoeing nails for me to a farrier in Dubbo who will be here at 2pm to hotshoe the horses. He’s going to heat the shoes on his forge and temper them in warm engine oil in pursuit of a longer shoe life as at the moment I’m only getting two weeks out of a shoe! This is a ‘trick’ that carriage driver who work their horses on bitumen use. So fingers crossed it’ll do the trick for this trekker and her equine mates. I realise now what an unusual work situation my horses are under at the moment. The majority of their walking is on bitumen. Probably they’ve only had about 5% off tar. These days this is a very unusual work situation for horses.

So tomorrow will be on the road to Forbesby 9am  and I think I have a few pony club riders with me for a few kilometers, and staying with people just out of Forbes.

I AM OFFICIALLY HALF WAY TO MELBOURNE! WOO HOO! I’m thoroughly thrilled with this…..and couldn’t have done it without the generous help of so many ‘friends’ i’ve met along the way who have helped me out with things. Bless everyone…..

BLOG Thursday 13^th may 2010: Gulgong to Wellington via Ben Buckley Rd

I stayed last night at Guntawang Thoroughbred Stud just out of Gulgong with a lovely family, Deb and Jarrod. I arrived in the dark and was welcomed with a great little paddock for the Crew and then into a warm friendly home with hot chicken soup to tuck into! Bliss for this Trekker!

I got up this morning at about 5.15am and had to sort through my gear yet again (I already had but through the night could think of a few other things I wouldn’t need with me on the two day haul to Wellington. I am again a horse down, Wrangler can’t have a saddle on for probably another week, which means I’m yet again having to juggle gear ahead for e.g. spare saddle and saddle pads, extra horse feed, winter horse rugs. Wrangler can’t have a rug on at the moment because of the position of his ‘wound’ which is right on the point of his wither. I swear his ‘coat’ has grown an inch in two nights without his rug on! He’s improving each day. I rode about 35 kms today. Had a brilliant time of it and the horses were great.

Had alpacas and lots of sheep today, Meg had a good look at each little herd but didn’t fuss too much. Also a first for me today ‘meals on wheels’, a lovely young man, Mark Johnson from Narromine pulled up with a box of hot chicken nuggets, it was about noon and I hadn’t had a thing to eat since before 6am and I’d been riding for a good three hours! I was very happy to accept his offering. I thought Joe and Ezzie would be proud of me tucking into Macca’s with gusto! Normally you’d have to pay me a wad of money to eat it, but not today! I rode for about 5 hours then stopped for an hour on a lovely little creek just down the Ben Buckley Rd and let the horses have a pick of some good green grass and to rest their backs.  Billy has the pack saddle back on and is going really well.

My little Meg is a heart winner for me, she has so much grit and try, and will have a go at anything. She’s a trooper with a big heart and oh so sensible. Marj and Bob Butler bred Meg and I think in fact may have been the last foal out of her good palomino stock horse mare ‘Honey’ by an Argyle cold at Skip McCarthy’s, I reckon Marj would be very proud of this little mare. I didn’t make it to the spot I wanted to camp at, so pulled up about 5kms short of it at a culvert that had water in it, and some rock free flat area for my tent. Got the horses tethered, treated with various concoctions, fed, rugged, then it was dark and I had to tackle putting up the tent in the dark-Success!. I am tucked up in it now warm as toast, typing up this blog entry. I’ve had about ten people stop to chat, even now in the dark and I’m in the tent! People worry about me, I had a lovely man Dan drop wood off for me, but I was already in bed at 7.30pm! He also bought hot soup for me. Another lady and her daughter called in with a thermos of soup and toast for me! Unfortunately I couldn’t get the lid off the thermos! How frustrating…so it was Deb mashed potatoes, a tin of tuna and peas and it was yummy!

BLOG Friday 14^th May 2010 Ben Buckley Rd-the long way to Wellington!

How much frost can be on one small tent and it’s still upright? Well I think I found that out last night. I’m told it was -3 degrees this morning….felt like minus 10! My minus 5 sleeping bag didn’t quite do it’s job….I froze to the bone. I ferreted around this morning about 1am and put on every piece of clothing and coat etc I had and still froze. I’m in  Dubbo on Monday to visit a school and will be visiting a camping shop to get a minus 15 bag. There is no way I’ll be that cold again. My tent was white with frost and luckily all my gear was covered by a tarp.  I’d ridden down the Gulgong to Wellington main road for four hours then turned down the Ben Buckley Rd at about 2pm (I didn’t get away from Gulgong til 10am. It takes me about two hours to get the horses ready at the moment with Wranglers back, he has to get hosed down, lymphatic drainage massage, reiki, poultice, oral anti inflammatory, honey TWICE a day!) But I have to say he’s going really well and his wither and back is looking great.  I am learning so much about long distance riding on so many levels. Billy is going really well now too, his back has healed and the new pack saddle is shaping up well to the job. Billy packed all yesterday, and I stopped for a 20 minute lunch break and unsaddled. When I’m not actually ‘packing’ packs I can saddle all the horses up in about 30 minutes. So to have a twenty minute break it takes me 10 minutes to unsaddle Billy and Meg, then 30 minutes to resaddle them, but it’s worth it to give their backs a break.

Today  I was on the road by 9am and rode for 4 hours then had a very short break and kept riding. It seemed to be taking a long time today, but the horses were happy as we were on a dirt road,  there was next  to no  traffic and reasonable water. I rode for about six hours then found out I’d miscalculated the kilometers and I was still 25kms from Wellington. Well I was never gonna be able to cover that distance, so at 3pm I saw a farm with people home and rode in and asked for a paddock for the night. And as luck would have it have met a fabulous young couple Norm and Pip Smith of Glendale Merino Stud and am staying the night with them. And as I’m writing this tonight I am tucked up in a warm, dry, comfortable bed. Very different picture to last night!

I am going to get on the road by 9am tomorrow and ride into Wellington.

SATURDAY 15^th May, Glenwood Merino Stud to Wellington/Yeoval.

Well I didn’t quite make the 9am start. I rode away from Glenwood at 10.15am. I am delighted to have met Pip and Norm and their wonderful kids.  I felt like I’ve known these guys forever. This morning over breakfast we discussed some very exciting fundraising possibilities. Watch this space! Also Norm and Pip are helping me out with friends of theirs along the route I’m taking for paddocks/beds etc for us Crew! After the camping episode and -3 degree experience I’m happy to stay with people whenever possible.

I’m staying with  Alf and Sharon Cantrall of Yeoval tomorrow and Monday. Yeoval is the birth place of Banjo Paterson. When I was coming into the town there’s a heap of bikes hanging in trees, on signs and in the strangest places. I now know they are representative of Banjo’s famous poem Mulga Bill’s Bicycle. Each July they have the Mulga Bill Festival and last year had Jack Thompson as their special gues and he recited poetry to thousands at the sight of Banjo’s homesite. Also at the moment Alf Cantrell is attempting to have the biggest billy collection in the world and is doing a trade in on old billy’s. He’s taken my sorry looking billy that has a hole pierced in the bottom of it where I put the pack down on a sharp rock and punctured the bottem, I’ve been using it for a feed dipper, has no lid now (got mangled), took the handle off to use as a make shift tool for a job! It’s a very sorry little billycan addition for the Yeoval  Billy collection.  Alf and Sharon are very generously lending me a vehicle to drive to Dubbo to visit the Grammar College to present “Mela-What?” and I also have an ABC interview.  I’m also definitely visiting camping shop for new sleeping bag and also on the hunt for a canvas waterbag. In the 70’s we had a heap of them that used to hang on the bulbar of the truck. I haven’t seen one for 20 years. It’s a very practical way to carry water. I used about 3 litres a day for drinking water and tea. I have two days of camping when I leave here, then another 3 or 4 nights between Parkes and West Wyalong.

I’m thinking of how much work this little team of three Meg, Wrangler and Billy have done, they have now walked a good 750-800 kms  and I couldn’t be prouder of them. Today is a ‘rest day’ however I’m off to church in Yeoval soon, am currently doing a load of washing, updating the blog, then try and get cleaned up a little for church, then a lunch with members of Yeoval Pony Club. Tomorrow by car to Dubbo for a school visit and an ABC radio interview, then back tomorrow afternoon and prepare for the ride on Tuesday from Yeoval to Parkes (2 days to cover 68kms). At this point praying for a warm frost free bed and a paddock half way along! Have a few people with feelers out for me. People are amazing though, have met heaps of people through the Pony Club networks and they’re so helpful, not to mention livestock producers, agents all putting their hands up where they can. So unlike the bike ride in Oct/Nov last year where I had my trusty family with me with back up vehicle etc, this time my back up crew emerges as I ride. Definitely an exercise in trust and patience, the road unfolds ever so gently in front of me each day as I ride. The right people seem to meander in at the right time and I’ve learnt to be bold and ask for what I need.

My apologies for no photo’s had a few rippers on my iphone but can’t download them? Anyone out there have any idea why when I download onto computer the photos are black? Maybe my good friend Jill Nolan is right and I froze my phone the night I camped out. When I got back in range there was a ‘very supportive’ message from her asking if I was out of range or had me and my phone froze! Both right Jillie!! LOL….

Since last Friday I have been nursing Wrangler who is sporting an inflamed and bruised wither (that’s the boney bit at the top of a horses shoulders). During this time I’ve been treating him for bruising and inflammation and he’s responding. I’ve been making the most of the time and on the weekend went ‘scouting’ ahead over 500 kms checking out the route, waterholes, campsites, towns etc.(My eldest sister Yoni from Armidale came across and picked me up. It was also good to have a distraction over mother’s day weekend).  The wonderful Thompson family, which I’m staying with here at ‘West Mookie’ have very generously looked after my horses for me while I did that.  I’ve also been doing lots of forward planning with schools, phone calls, repacking and sorting gear, cleaning stuff etc.

It seems with this horse trek, no matter how well I plan things I am constantly changing them. This brings to my mind a beautiful saying that Hannah loved, “Blessed are the flexible as they will never be bent out of shape!” Well I’m definitely getting plenty of experience with that one; I’m so flexible I feel like a rubber ring!  I am ‘trying’ to stay with what’s happening right now and not thinking too far ahead, (outside of a general plan) but focusing on what needs to happen each day.

Some good things that have happened include meeting up with Jason and Naomi Simmons from Overseer Saddlery.

Overseer Saddlery Armidale: Jason Simmons

Jason has very generously loaned me his pack saddle while I get more work done on mine. I have now had two issues with bruising and I don’t want to risk that happening again. Having said that Wrangler (the big chestnut horse) got a bruised wither  outside of Werris Creek when the whole pack saddle slipped and I had to push it back up his near side and over his wither and back onto his back. The weight of the saddle and all my gear is about 90kgs so it was a fair weight to ‘shove’ across his back. The alternative was terrifying….to let it slip under his belly….that would’ve been ugly. When the packsaddle slipped I jumped off Meg and got underneath the ‘near side’ pack and held it (I was struggling a little I must say!) I’m standing there thinking of what to do, holding all that weight, knees buckling, there was a bloke sitting in a car 50 meters from me and I called out to him to give me a hand but he must’ve had his radio on and simply stared at me blankly! I obviously didn’t look distressed enough for that bloke to think I was in trouble and needed a hand. Will have to start working on my ‘distressed damsel’ look!  After about five minutes a young fella about 20 came by and even though he knew nothing about horses came to help me. If I’d let the pack saddle and bags slip under his belly, I’m fairly sure Wrangler would’ve found the energy to take off with all my gear getting trashed to bits dragging on the ground including computer, solar gear etc, etc… down the main street of Werris Creek! Not a good look and a sure end to this horse trekkers dreams!

But the consequence of that decision is now very real….but I couldn’t have reacted any differently. My choices were very limited.   BUT – Prevention is the best thing. Only seconds before the load shifted I’d thought, ‘gee that girth looks loose better get off and tighten it up’, and I said to  myself ‘okay I’ll just ride to the corner and do that’. Two seconds later the whole things goes to ‘hell in a hand basket’. The lesson is to listen to the inner voice giving me guidance and DON’T IGNORE IT! Okay I get it……This is what I call a sledgehammer experience.

My new mantra is ‘listen-respond’ NOW….not in a minute.

This afternoon to get back on schedule with schools etc I have had to change my route and am now riding down through Gulgong, Wellington and Yeoval to Parkes, this route cuts of over 100kms for me. This means I’m not going to Dunnedoo or Dubbo with the horses.  I am putting my horses in the Thompson’s gooseneck and getting them trucked to Gulgong where I’ll be setting out from.  I have to do this for the horses’ welfare and to keep up my commitments with the schools and community events already booked.

Injury is a reality of this kind of venture, I knew that when I signed up for this, however I didn’t quite envisage what form those injuries would take, and certainly nothing like Wrangler is sporting. I’m thinking he’ going to need at least another week off without any saddle, so will be relying on generous people to help me with supplies and gear. And I have to say I have had no shortage of them. I am constantly humbled by the goodness of people and their willingness to help.   Not having my second horse to pack gear on means I am very limited in what I can carry. Also means I have to leave gear behind and then get it caught up to me down the track when my horse is right again.  I have quite a few nights coming up where I’ll be camping out as the distances between towns are increasing. Great news right as the night temperatures are dropping and a cold change is coming through!

I think all the time about the bike ride last year in Oct/Nov and now think compared to this horse trek feels like a walk in the park. The bike ride was 90% predictable, the horse trek is the reverse and 90% unpredictable….but the good news is guys I’m up for it. Me and my Horse Crew have already walked/ridden over a quarter of the way to Melbourne, had many difficult moments but got through them. The presentation in the schools of “Mela-What?” has been fantastic, fundraising has been awesome.  My job is to keep in mind Mark Twain’s saying, “Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the mastery of it”.  Little old Mauz from Moparrabah is getting plenty of experience with that one.

MAY 7: Caroona rest day at “West Mookie”.

Am pulling up for the day here at “West Mookie” , I am staying with a ripper young family Andrew and Jill Thompson and their great kids Jock and Jane.  The  horses need a spell today.

Meg.

Meg started stepping short after lunch and I had to ride Billy! He’s such a good horse but massive to ride. Billy is a bay Clydie QH X and stands about 15:3 HH and is about a  four foot across his back! Compared to Wrangler and Meg he’s like sitting on a 44gallong drum sideways! I had a good giggle though, as Billy hasn’t been saddle horse yet at all, and he’s been tail tied to the spare horse all the way, doesn’t take any notice of anything at all, just plods along. Yesterday when I saddled him up he was hyper alert, scouting for possible danger for us, he was very serious about being ‘top dog’ for the afternoon. I loved it as I could truly hear him saying to me, “About time I had a crack at this job!”

I left “Cintra” at 8am and rode into Werris Creek to the school as soon as I rode out onto the busy Gunnedah Road a massive coal train came by. The night before had been our firt intro to trains and they’d looked at it and thought it was a massive truck I think.  The freighter just kept coming and because we were near a level crossing added it’s train horn blast, but my crew were angels and had a good look but kept walking! I was thrilled. When I arrived at the school after riding down the main drag of Werris Creek we had a gathering outside with all the kids and answered questions about the trek and horses. Then I tied them up and we went into the hall and I presented “Mela-What?” , also had quite a few parents which was brilliant. I absolutely love what I’m doing and feel privileged to have the opportunity to raise awareness in such a positive way with so many people.

After the school visit I was on the morning show on ABC Radio and had a great interview with Kelly Fuller, she’s a great interviewer. As I rode along had a couple of different newspaper journalists pull me up for interviews and then late afternoon had Sue Jones editor of the Australian Campdraft Magazine pull up for an interview and yarn. Sue’s Dad, Lawrie Bailey a retired drover from Northern NSW,  was a very good mate of my Dad Kevin Luxford when we all lived up north around Narrabri and Moree in the mid to late 70’s. Lawrie rang me a couple of nights ago after hearing me on Macca and it was so good to talk with someone who knew my Dad so well and my family. Lawrie’s memory is a cracker, he remembered stuff I’d forgotten like Dad sending Lawrie out to check us Luxford girls my sister Kate aged about 18 and myself at 14 with a mob of cattle on our own somewhere out the back of Wee Waa.  When Sue turned up yesterday she gave me a present. A bag of mixed lollies! I had a good laugh because when I was a kid and droving with Mum and Dad for many years in the 60’s and 70’s when Mum went to town (us kids never did always stayed with the cattle)  Mum would always bring lollies and a pack of juicy fruit chewing gum home and we’d savour them for days. Mick my brother a year older than me used to eat all his on the spot, I’d hide mine somewhere in the truck and Mick would be ratting around trying to find them! Sometimes he did and world war three would break out. Lollies were hot currency in the drover’s camp as kids. As I rode along yesterday after Sue left I tucked into the lollies (and I don’t normally eat lollies but yesterday it was like a trip down memory lane thinking about all the experiences I had as a kid growing up ‘on the road’droving. And I have to say they were delicious! Sue knew what the lollies would represent to me, as she too is a drovers daughter.