Saturday, March 12, 2011

Our Creek Overfloweth

Our rains have begun for springtime~

The pond to the right of us, seen to be slightly greener in color at my mare's mane line, has overflowed the roadway. To the left is a 6 ft or more,  drop off to the creek.
 There is a man made bridge, we must ride over the creek. It is layered  with soil and gravel..over ?
 Lately, since the large Dump trucks, laden with loads of gravel and also the HUGE-O-Logging  equipment vehicles have been up and down - it's wearing thin. It seems to be packing down and  now coupled with Spring rains...ooou, not good.

I noticed it the last time I rode out. My mare was pensive. She does ALWAYS KNOW THE TRUTH. I sometimes think she has work ethic issues..but, it usually has (hindsight is perfect sight) been pain or her instincts, that make her foreboding unwillingness to go or do what I ask of her.

Last fall, as we rode a familiar territory, the mare stopped dead and refused to move forward..I began to sing a silly/happy.."nothing  is there" song. She grudgingly moved forward for me..looking into the forest on the left. SUDDENLY, a man with a machete popped out of the woods !! See,  she was so right! Who would have thought he was in there?!
She knew~!

 
So back to this day...the mare had inoculations a few days before and I was not sure I should even ride..but thought to go out for 30 minutes only. She told me..she was not sure with that decision, by standing out in her paddock, looking at me as I beckoned her in.


She and I got to the Creek crossing that was overflowed with water..she stopped, snorted and looked. I asked for her to move forward..she did, and all was alright. I gave her a treat for the good efforts and willingness.


Good girl bending around for the treat~

We rode for the short time, as I had arranged with the mare beforehand. When we came back to the  overflowing road/bridge,  she again stopped, put her head down and snorted. I said.."comon' lets go home, it's starting to rain!" She again obliged me with the willingness to go..but this time, as we hit about the middle of the obscured, watery roadway..it gave way and she tripped forward into a hole!
I had images of Lytha and Baasha in Germany...falling through the bridge!!
She was able to jump out of  the sink hole and remain  upright. Something was not right, and the murkiness did not allow me to actually see that hole developing...yet-
SHE KNEW!

We returned as it began to rain. I  dismounted and took the photo of her waiting for the gate to be opened availing her shelter in the barn and hay... Washashe mare looked so full of disdain for the documentation!

 One of my stable mates offered to take a pic with my phone
                                ( all of the pic today are from the phone)

I told the Stable owner of us almost falling, as there was an  apparent,developing hole on the road bridge.
She was about to go out and ride too,with the others.
They had an uneventful ride and then today, days later...I opened my mail up and it said, "WARNING", from her to us all at the stable. She had gone out for a ride on her paint gelding,  and he and she fell through the landbridge- up to his knees. He did not panic and they removed themselves from the bridge- that is returning to the creek in a hurry!

Thankful I am that she and also the mare and me did not go through. She has since contacted the land owner neighbor to tell him about his bridge- it is about to go down!
I BETTER WISE UP, is what I'm repeatedly being told, by my mare! Good thing she has patience with me!

17 comments:

  1. I believe they are smarter than we are when it comes to dangerous landscapes. After all they are animals that have had to save themselves from extinction for ages upon ages. I usually listen to them feeling that they can see and hear better than I can.

    Glad you made it home with no injuries. Wa is a beautiful mare, love her beautiful face in the treat picture. Worthy of framing.

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  2. They do communicate, if we are smart enough to listen. Your mare sounds like such a character! Glad you made it home safe.

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  3. Ooh! Close call! I'm glad no one was hurt. Oh, if we only had enough sense to listen to their horse-sense!

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  4. Very scary - glad all is well - Mark Rashid has a great story, I think, in one of his books about his horse telling him about a mountain lion (Mark didn't believe the horse at first)- I think it's in Life Lessons From a Ranch Horse.

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  5. Smart mare - and so beautiful too!! :) Treat pause was well deserved ;)

    Aren't we glad they can't say "I told you so!" Every time I've second guessed a trail horse I've regretted it.

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  6. Their senses are keen. Wa was trying to take care of you. What a good girl.

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  7. They always know, don't they? Glad Wa kept you safe. She is a perceptive one. I love her little mad photo at the gate - "let's get in Mom and get my treats!"

    Stay warm and dry and mud free if you can. I am sick of mud at this point.

    Pie and I had a nice ride yesterday, but it was windy and muddy. Ready for spring!

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  8. remember the bridge scene in black beauty? your mare knew it too.

    the thing i find odd is that baasha doesn't have any bridge issues. i have to force him to go around now when i come to bridges that look weak. he doesn't have the self preservation instinct that your mare does.

    one time i came to a river that looked totally unsafe (on mt adams), the water was fast and grey. my mare took one look and whirled and said "no way!" i turned her around, and i was really scared but i consulted my map and sure enough this river was on our route so i knew i had to take it.

    we did and it was completely safe, somehow. i went back later and took a photo of that river because i couldn't believe how scary it looked.

    have you ridden mt adams? it's the prettiest place i've ever ridden, it's magical. not far for you at all.

    ~lytha
    p.s. nice helmet!

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  9. "Thats right Boo-Boo! Smarter than the average Bear!"Lol

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  10. Animals do know, we just have to listen.

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  11. Glad nothing worse happened. Smart horse. It's a pity we humans aren't as smart ;-)
    Looking good in that photo by the way ;-)

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  12. Their instincts are definitely better than ours when it comes to detecting danger, that's for sure.

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  13. Wa is very wise! Thank goodness she and you were not hurt at the bridge. Looks WET there!

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  14. Oh my goodness! I'm so glad neither of you got hurt. That could have been really bad. Wa Mare deserved that treat, that's for sure.

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  15. gosh you and Wa mare were lucky that that hole wasn't bigger. Isn't it great that our horses are so wise in that they know when danger is ahead. I hope the rains of spring are kind and dont reduce your trails to mud.happy days ahead

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  16. It is still hard. I am still mourning. I remember the last nose bumps. I remember laying on his body until it was cold.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfBw0IWwO5U&feature=player_embedded

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