Long day- stage 3 ( I think)

Contrary to the expression seen here on Rock's face, she had a great time today helping me out with a project (please do not call Fugly on me for the obviously done wrong things in this story, I don't want to hear it). I had to take some trotting photos for class, but I also had the farrier here today. Rock came in to have her feet done, and Madison was helping so I let her have a ride--it has been quite a while since she has had a ride.
We moved her to a different saddle, an old Circle Y that is a heavy thing, but a really well made saddle. Madison has been on a growth spurt this summer, so she could get into these stirrups, which was a first and the reason we had her in an old Cordura saddle up until now. I just do not trust that thing as much as I do a well made saddle like this one, and Barry and I had talked about taking her to McKinneys to try out some styles and seat sizes so we could pick her up something decent at the auction. That this worked eliminates that need, which is awesome, as God knows we do not need any added expense. We had to dig out an old girth to find one big enough for big fat Rock. She may be an old broad, but she is one beefy sister. That accomplished, we got Madison up and warmed her up in the front yard.
The matter was complicated by the fact that Rock's right eye has gone cloudy --I am 99% sure that we did not have her injected for ERU in this eye, so I guess we can do that. I am terribly disappointed in it, the poor ol mare cannot get a break. If you were not looking at it, you would never know there is a problem--she never spooked, never did anything out of the ordinary (well out of the ordinary for Rock--everyone knows to expect her to try to go back to the barn unless the gates are shut, she will argue with Mad about standing still, and when she gets mad, she will throw her head like a firecracker is in her mouth). She really enjoys toting Madison around, you can see it in the way she moves and keeps those ears perked forward and that lower lip flapping making her happy noise.

I like being able to do this for Madison. She works her tail off at the farm, and is so reliable, I cannot explain how much help she is to me. I would have been beside myself to have been able to do the things she does when I was her age, so I know what it means to her.

We both had a really hard week with an accident with one of the precious kitties (RIP baby girl), and with her love for cats, I know it had to take a toll on her. It did me, but those kitties mean so much more to her.


This made an otherwise hard morning livable--shortly after these pics were taken and while I was doing some of her and Barry on Radar for the class, I must have gotten overcome with heat, and just dang near bit it in the pasture. Marvin was there trimming and saw it and came after me, thank God, and then Barry saw me, so they go me in and cooled off--but it was ugly for a bit. I do not know what happened, I had been there for less than 2 hours, it was only in the low 90s and was not even noon yet, but I got my ass kicked by the heat but good. It is 11 hours later now and I am still not right.