Baby Got New Shoes!!!

If you have ever been around horses in your life, you may know how hard it is to find ... and keep ... a good horseshoer.  They are as rare as hen's teeth.  For the last few years I haven't been riding much at all, partially because like people, horses really need shoes.  The shoer I had did a terrible job ... something about horses feet should be "natural" ... like in the wild!!  He had to be the ONLY hippy cowboy in the world.  My horses aren't running across the sand and gravel of the wide open prairies, wearing their feet down.  My horses don't even want to bother walking from one side of the corral to the other!!

Finally I was able to contact Steve Brooks, Pacific Equine Hoof Care ... and he is amazing!!!  It's like having someone you trust to work on your car's engine!!  It has taken six months to get Showby's feet back in shape so he could even WEAR the steel shoes he's sporting here!!  Now I can start riding him around, getting him in shape for the mountains.  Baby's got new shoes!!!!!

And so does Mom!!!  I've worn all my old running shoes into the ground, and it was time for a new pair.  I recommend Mizuno running shoes to everyone I know.  They are like a pair of slippers ... at least for my feet!!  Pricey for sure at $114, but I put on a new pair and ran a marathon without so much as a sore spot, let alone blisters.  If you're not running 25 miles a week, they will last a very long time, making the price a little easier to swallow.  LOVE these shoes!!  By the way, Showby's new shoes cost the same as mine ... and his only last 8 weeks!!!  Aaahhhgggg!!!

On Wednesday I made the hours drive to Sonora to pick up our "packets" at the Chamber of Commerce Office for our Costa Rica trip.  I rarely travel without my camera and that day was no exception.  Before I took several photography classes, I would have driven up this road with no mind to the beautiful countryside.  Now, some may say riding with me has turned into a nightmare!!  Around every corner is another beautiful picture ... and many times I slammed on the brakes and pulled over!

Once the season is over, the bulls are gathered up and kept separate from the cows.  These big guys were just lounging under the tree, taking an afternoon nap, waiting for me to show up with my camera. 

You may be familiar with the rock walls in the Sierra foothills ... with no money for wire and lots of rocky hillsides, the locals built fences and corrals with the rocks.  Many still stand today and some are used to hold cattle during branding.   

These corrals don't have any rebar or mortar ... they are simply rocks stacked upon rocks ... and still standing.  This one has been here since I was a kid and was probably built many years before that!!

And what would a trip through the foothills be without a windmill.  You actually don't see too many of these any more since power lines can be constructed almost anywhere.  We had several windmills on our ranch .. the wind turns the fan blades connected to the rod, connected to the pump sitting on top of the well ... and voila!! water for the stock, no electricity required.  This one is still working, filling a water trough behind the chute.  Sure makes me nostalgic for the "old" days of riding horses and working cattle on a daily basis.

The foothills are covered in gorgeous dried grass, looking like velvet across the hills.  Even the camera can't do it justice!!  

Okay, time to put on those new expensive shoes for a quick 2 mile run!!  See you when I get back!!