[RC] hair loss: mites? Lice? ....? - sherman

    We fTrail rideok our first outing on the trail, 11 months post Rascals 
EPM diagnosis.Took my new Speed and Distance GPS too.All most was 
disapointed though. My key no longer fit the gate ! As I went to the 
neighbors mailbox in his yard (the one with the arsenal, firing range and 
the cannon)!.I checked for the sapre key, not there, dang! WEll , heck, i'm 
not gonnna turn back now, so I started to walk the fence line towards the 
opening on his property.Then as I approached the easement I heard ,gunshots 
close. POOP! I turned around, in spite of Rascal wearing his orange eared  
gnat- net and a red saddle pad, but at the last minute I didn't put on my 
orange vest, had dark colors on. About that time I turned around to try and 
find another way in , maybe thru the other negihbors undergrowth, not a 
safe, or fun idea. About that time , the neighbor came driving thru the 
clearing and I went over and he said he'd stopped puttting the key in the 
box as people kept taking them. Told him I hadn't ridden in a year almost, 
was our first time out after my horse was sick. He opened the gate and gave 
me a new key.Thank goodness, I just triedto be friendly, he is  bit strange 
;and can be jovial then flash a quick temper.(cops been there for 'domenstic 
disturbence calls").
  We walk down the road,get to  our 'mounting place" .Inintend to just 
walk, maybe the whole short loop, which I believe is 3.5 miles or so.I take 
my new TIME and DISTANCE GPS to check out length, and time his walk. Real 
slow , he has only been back riding for a monthe or 6 weeks in the arena 
only. Other than his turnout, this is his first uneven ground with a rider 
,11 months  after his EPM diagnosis, which he was a grade 1-2  on the neuro 
tests.  I have only ridden him for up to 40 min, mostly at walk, just 
starting to trot him  some , he seemed back to his 'rascally self'. He was 
very alert( must be the new gravel on the  road/tail(power company uses it 
for access for high tension lines)"Whoa " he thinks 'whats this?'  'Good 
grief ,Rascal, they just shoved some dirt on a pile and the sunlight is 
filtering thru the leaves.Backing very well, I decided I just get off and 
lead him, cause I actually wanted to ride and wasn't up for silliness the 
first 50 feet. No big deal,it didn't eat me, so he was fine with it. I walk 
about a 1/\1/2 mile, noting some of the junk had been cleaned up and you 
could get to one of the side loops I like that goes across the creeks and 
through the bamboo thickets and up a nice hill. Bit closed in though , who 
knows if it is horse passable anymore.But athey cleared the mattress, glass 
and siding  away so 4 wheelers must be using it.We ride out to the high 
tension lines, they fille din the big hole I had to go around before, good , 
no knee knocking. We stop ane eat trees and ground stuff about 3 times.Wind 
is blowing  enough to make the trees sway. Cross the HT lines, go to gas 
easement, "Whoa, was ZAT?" "It is a truck witha  4 wheeler trailer on it,  
just parked empty in the middle of the road come on", "no I thinkk it may 
have a horse monster in it".Okl, I dismount and we walk by it."Like you've 
never seen a truck and trailer before , duh". We  walk another 1/2 mile  on 
the ground, pass a guy on a cell phone in a pull off, 'hmmm looks like a 
developer to me".I am finding the  best path around the dirt bike ruts  on 
the road now, this seciton is not fixed. We used to have a nice fairly level 
area to trot, but about 1/4 mile  in two places on this loop are "ruint". I 
also snap some 'helment crashing 'branches".I remount after we graze a 
bit."no not posion ivy, you idiot"..We get close to the end of the loop, but 
I look at my watch  and need to turn around.
 I had checked it  a couple times, found to my surprise  his walk  varied 
between 2.8 to 3.8. His good walk is 3.6-3.9.Ithought he only did bout 
2.4.His real pokey walk is 2.8.
He Jigged some , I was making him walk, with half halts, He did 5.4 at a 
"Jig"  :p
Turned out we traveled 3.2 miles and the loop wasn't completely done. So my 
'short loop' is longer than I thought . Probably 4 miles or more.  This will 
be neat to figure all the loops as I go back over my original riding trails 
and also to see what is left. And  since I am 'restarting him' I will walk 
them all the first time, to help rebuild  muscles and wind.
  He was jiggy, alert, there are alot of rocks, gravel. I was hoping it 
didn't bother his feet, they are really hard, but he hasn't done  much but 
move around in the mud/rocky paddock, and isn't shod on the back.  he did 
semi trip twice, but hopefully it's just normal  rocks, Well see .
 It had an average "Pace" at 11'3" , and a maximum pace at 34'34" ? Now it 
was on my arm, and I did dismount and walk some. So I wonder how to figure 
his pace or stride, if that is what it is?Couldn't find anywhere in the 
book, where  to figure  out what it means.
   What a great day!!!!! Laurie and Rascal

_________________________________________________________________
FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar ? get it now! 
http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/

============================================================
It is how we "feel" deep inside that matters, cause each of us knows the
truth, regardless of how we try make it complicated.  It just isn't.
~ Frank Solano

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================