Sat: 22nd May- 35kms South West of Forbes heading to West Wyalong on Newell Highway
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!
