Hoofball, Bronchitis, and Sunday Stills

I've been a bit tied up the past couple weekends so haven't participated in Sunday Stills, but this week's assignment was easy enough. Landscapes. Oh, I'm sure there are those who've gone all out and captured some totally amazing shots. Me? Well...here's how the day went:

Darling and I were out of bed early and headed north to a hoofball clinic. This was designed to help both horse and rider get the feel of moving around one of those big balls and then transferring the movements later to a cow. Now, it ain't no hydra bull, that's for sure, but Sandy took to it immediately and the clinician commented time and again what a great work ethic this little horse had, and what fun he was.

Steve Holt! no doubt would have enjoyed pushing the ball around, too. Or at least I would have. And we were all saddled up, ready to go, when he blew the most gigantic booger out of his nose that I've ever seen. Thick and yellow and dangling a good four to five inches below his muzzle. I quickly wiped it up and wondered just what to do about that. Certainly didn't want to be exposing others to some sort of snorkiness. He gave a little cough, and within a minute blew a second one out that I swear was worse than the first. Back out to the trailer we went where I found a towel and cleaned him up a bit. I loaded him into the trailer and promptly called the vet.

Steve Holt! had had a bit of a runny nose prior to leaving for Oregon and I'd wondered if I needed the vet then. But heck, we all had colds that week with the weather swinging from mild back to cold and damp, and I couldn't imagine what they could do for a cold. I'd contemplated calling the Mustang Heritage Foundation, but would they say to me, "Keep him home if he's got a cold?" Probably not. But in retrospect I probably should have had the vet out earlier rather than later. Of course...it was probably just a cold then.

But now? Now it's bronchitis. A full week of antibiotics twice a day and two weeks of no riding.

Steve Holt! needs bed rest...

By mid afternoon I still hadn't gotten my Sunday Still shot. I'd been sent a link to a Crates saddle about 90 minutes south of me, and the price was decent so Darling and I took off as soon as we unloaded the horses at home. It rained. It poured. The drive was miserable and the saddle not quite what I was looking for, so we returned empty handed.

Back home, we found Jethro and Gusty out playing. Not inside the sheep pen, mind you, as the rails are spaced perfectly for big sheep, but little explorers can easily escape. Catching bouncing lambs is not an easy task. However, smart they are not, so when the climbed into the horse trailer they were trapped and Darling easily snagged them both.

After lambs were back with mum, horses fed and watered, Steve Holt!'s antibiotics mixed into his grain (which, btw, he doesn not like to eat), I finally took a deep breath and looked out over the pasture as the sun was fading behind me. Which is where I spotted the perfect Sunday Still Landscape shot. Or the only one, as the case may be.

The top of Stewart Mt is once again covered in a blanket of snow.
Winter can go away now.

Hoofball, the video: