Those 3X horses

passing along an update on some
of the Three Strikes Mustangs
that were rescued by
Lifesavers Wild Horse rescue

some great
before and after pics

amazing what a month of food will
do for a starving horse

Happy July 5th

I did miss posting on the 4th

Happy 4th of July all!

no news on Sugarfoot
no sign
no spottings
nada

I am a little amazed that I have
actually lost a horse

I'd like to say this is my first time
but it's not

I lost 4 horses in the Castle Hot Springs area
oddly enough
over a 4th of July years back

they all got loose while camping

I tracked them on foot
and ran out of water
as they ran circles around me

I had left one rideable horse at home

and I managed to get the paint pony back on foot
under a full moon
he got separated from the bunch
and into the cholla

when I found him wandering a canyon
he had cholla on his back
but was otherwise unharmed

the other 3...

I got smart and went to the local rodeo
found my friends little brother and his friends
and begged them to ride out with me and
rope my wild horses

and they did
they got a rope on Monte
and that stopped the whole bunch

I have a picture somewhere of him
being sheepishly led back in

I think Monte was 2 or 3 yrs old back then

ahh the days...

but I have never lost one for this long

*******************

Wade went into to town this morning
to have a chat with his little brother
who recently graduated high school

now tell me if this sounds fishy

his brother Jeff has apparently found a job
he found this online
thru a friend of a friend thing

and he says he's going to Idaho
to work in a pizza shop
on a lake
and stay in a cabin or tent on the lake
and the owner is going to pay for his ticket
and fly him up there
to work for the summer

does that sound right?

we do not think so

and neither does anyone else

being a small town
we heard about this at the fireworks show
Friday night

it was quite the topic of conversation
and then Wade got a call today
from yet another person related
who wants to know
is Wade going to do something about this?

so off he went this morning
to try to persuade his little brother
that this doesn't sound right

I mean really
can't this pizza owner in Idaho
find a kid up there to work?

not right at all

needless to say
Jeff is very excited
ready to go right now

he's not exactly what I'd call
street smart

so we'll see what happens...

***********************

Our personal Animal Planet show returns

our poisonous toad returns for the 3rd year
to eat bugs on our porch

he comes in thru the doggie door
and all the dogs ignore him

which is smart
these toads kill dogs every year
who are dumb enough to try to eat them

I am planning to buy a new camera today
I promise!!

and look

two!

Depressed and upset

I'm still very depressed
about Sugarfoot

Still no sightings
no tracks
nothing

she's completely disappeared

I've been moving on
but it's hard

and still no camera
I simply haven't had time
to go buy one

and then I am completely disgusting
to read this latest happening in AZ

read how Animal Control
SHOT 50 DOGS

what in the hell??

was there not a better solution?

sorry to be a Debbie Downer
but it's hard when you read stuff like that

I promise to be back soon with nice pictures
and a better mindset

promise!

Big fat nothing

Amazing how a horse can hide
and a testament to the area I live in

it's a big open area

I've spent most of the last week
fretting with worry
and riding my butt off

I hurt bad

and nothing

no new tracks
nothing

we got good rain here last night
so tonight we'll trailer out to a different area
and check to make sure she hasn't been there

Wade's horse is still injured
not healing well
and I may haul her in to work tomorrow

it's not a big cut
but it's on the outside of her fetlock
and it's just not closing up the way I'd like

I am coming to terms with the fact
that I may not see Sugarfoot again
and I probably won't write much on the subject
from here on out
unless I have something to report

I've been on a roller coaster of emotions
and I really have to let it go
and concentrate on my regular life

that said...
Sunday morning
we rode out at 6 a.m.
all of us

we found nothing of course
other than seeing one coyote
but we decided after we got back
we'd toodle up the road to Sedona
and play in Oak Creek Canyon

it was glorious

along the way we stopped at the
Chapel of the Holy Cross

if you go to Sedona
this church is a must see

Wade and Mercy hadn't seen it
so I sat in the truck with Little Dude
while they went inside

I still haven't bought a camera
so all I have is the one shot off my phone
but you get the idea

I spent a blessedly horse free afternoon
laying on a rock
letting fish nibble my fingers
and watching crawdads feed off the bottom

while Wade, Mercy and LD
swam and played and explored the creek

I simply must do stuff like that more often

onward and upward
life goes on...

False Alarm

Just talked to brand inspector
not the same horse

dang it

At this point I have no idea
where she is

no tracks in days
no buzzards
no signs whatsoever

she just may not come back

Maybe found?

Reports this morning of a
brand inspector notice
of found horse north of here
matching her description

waiting on a call...

So Frustrated

we're still looking for Sugarfoot

I have flyers up
sheriff
brand inspector
and locals all on the lookout

but no sign of her

Wade rode to the water tank last night
no sign in the open flats
and none new at the tank

I think she's trying to get back
to the area she was originally loose in
although there's many fences between
here and there

so we keep looking

I'm beyond frustrated
I'm sad and pissed
all the time I've taken with that horse
maybe I should have just tied her down
and done things old school cowboy style
and we wouldn't have this problem

but who knows
I second guess myself constantly

I've literally been pacing the floor over this

all I can do at this point
is ride out every day
hope she doesn't get that rope caught somewhere
and hope she shows her face

it may be a while

IF it rains
there will be more water in the tanks
if it doesn't
it'll dry up and maybe she'll show herself

All I can do is keep on
keepin on

More update on Sugarfoot

We're still looking

I know where she is
but it's a big section she's in
and
there are now cows and calves out there

so anything I see
I have to look with binoculars to see
if it's cow or horse

I got off work early yesterday
Wade and I trailered out
called the rancher to let him know
we were out there

he came out
found us in the middle of nowhere
and had a nice chat

apparently the last time HE
tangled with Sugarfoot
he's the guy who caught her last time

she busted his saddle
a very expensive saddle

he asked what happened this time
Wade pointed at me
and I just hung my head in shame

I feel very very bad over all of this

and I'm glad I get to blog
and share this all with you

you get to see my up and downs
successes and failures
if only you could feel the sunburn
I've got right now...

anyway
she's in this section
we picked up her tracks at the water tank
and that water will last about another week

once it runs out
she may very well come back home
because that's the only water available out here

I'll keep riding out to see if I can get close to her
on foot if I spot her
I know I can walk up and catch her
I just don't know if I can get her home

but I'll keep trying

meanwhile I leave you with a cameraphone shot
of a hawk on a saguaro yesterday

he was screaming at us as we rode right up to him
it was absolutely gorgeous out
and 106 degrees

now I must go back to my regularly
scheduled life
and the other horses and dogs and child
who need my attention desperately

No luck so far

Just a quick update
that we haven't seen her

I rode the 10 mile loop yesterday
came back sunburnt and dehydrated

I saw her tracks
I saw where she doubled back twice
on us in the dark the first night

she has access to water
they're running cattle out there
which makes tracking hard

if she loses the rope
it'll be really hard to find her by tracking
and the rope has a small clasp
if she gets it hung up
she can probably break it

I'm glassing from the roof
and see nothing but cows

Sheriff is aware
locals are aware
flyers go up today

it's all I can do

It's amazing that I can be so stupid TWICE

Never a flippin' dull moment here

I lost Sugarfoot again

I made the mistake of taking her out last night
on her 15 ft rope with a heavy halter
and all was well
then she pulled away from me
twice

and the second time
rounded the house
and went right out the open gate

yes
I am SO DUMB

I left the gate open again

and off she went

Wade grabbed his Olga horse
and saddled up
I chased on foot

I caught her shortly
I was so happy

and she pulled away AGAIN

this time she headed for open land
Wade in hot pursuit
8 pm at night
dusk falling

I sent Mercy to Grandma's
forked Monte bareback
and headed out

got a call from a neighbor he's caught her
and come with another halter and rope

turned out he caught her 3 times
and each time she attacked him
jumping herself up and over Olga

the last time he got tired of it
and looked for a tree to fork
he found one
at a dead run
with a drop off and wash behind it

they forked it
both horses crashed head on
everyone went ass over teakettle
and she was gone again

I meanwhile
went back and got another halter and rope
as requested
and saddled up
longtrotted 2 miles out to
where they were

found Wade walking back on foot
Olga limping
big welts on her shoulder
from Sugarfoot
covered in dirt and sand

I got off and we walked the 2 miles back
thru the desert
no trail
no flashlight

that takes some confidence
when it's snake season

I only fell in one wash
because I can't see in the dark
and there was no moon at all

Wade was so mad he couldn't speak

he looked a bit tore up
and wore a hole in his boots
walking home

this is what it looks like when a horse
beats the crap out of you
in the dark

that's his boot he's holding
I think they're about done in

we went out in the truck till midnight
checked all gates and cattle guards
found her trail along the fence line

lost her in a rough spot
gave up

I rode out on Quinn this morning
found where she got around us
and doubled back
twice

4 sets of tracks
dragging that rope

it's pretty easy to track
until the ground gets hard or rocky
then you lose the rope marks

didn't see her though

she's in this section behind us
so far...

at this point I'm so mad

I haven't eaten since early yesterday
I've alerted the sheriff

does anyone want to take over this project?

cause I'm about done with this shit