Stolen Horse protocol re-issued

The last ten days have seen three emails land on my computer detailing stolen horses. One's distressingly akin to the Okotoks 'Mandy' pony case of a few years back, this time though when a ranching family down south along the foothills had one of those super-special bombproof horses that are invaluable to kids learning, disappear – and their own suspicion – very possibly 'taken to order.'

Back in an earlier version of the Alberta Equestrian Federation's quarterly newsletter ALBERTA BITS back in January I wrote a piece entitled “Going, going, Gone.”

It was an information piece about procedures to take if you suspect your horse or pony has been stolen – from the initial stages of discovery, to contacting the RCMP, then LIS (Livestock Inspection Services).

As an article, it was one of those nightmares to write to a thousand-word deadline (three pages would have done just nicely!), but here, again, in PDF format, courtesy of the Alberta Equestrian Federation, is the methodology to set into action if you suspect theft. If you scan and click this into your address bar, you'll get the PDF (mind, if anyone knows a faster method,please, suggestions welcome! but yep, this does work, believe it or not, smile) - https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9LFqcriXZCgZGY4NjA1ZDMtMmU4OS00ZjNlLWIxOWMtODZjYmQzODA2OTQ2&hl=en

And yep, the main key is knowing the steps, and then speed – really step on getting the information out to all sources – media, websites of any equestrian publication going, radio, the RCMP, LIS, the AEF and the Alberta Horse Board all have far-reaching, well constructed methodolgy developed over years and years.

Sunshine! and 2010 Trail Updates.........

This is The Cochise Apache, checking out my handbag hanging by the front door's spruce trees (he was on lawnmower duty that day) in case humans sensibly ever think of putting oats in there. And yes, doesn't he have a great metabolism!....more on that below.

Now, this is IMPORTANT! Trail Updates and Reports 2010 will be updated WEEKLY - either my own rides (this year heading south, often on undesignated trails, between the Sheep River and southwards of the Livingstone Gap), or through those being contributed in. So, not just the Kananaskis area but also the Ram, Hummingbird, Wilmore, Jasper and others - if you've ridden an area and there's knockout views, deadfall a giraffe would have problems hiking over, or your own special notes on river crossings, please.........share your treasures; they may be invaluable.

The Best and The Cochise Apache have the kind of metabolisms where one blade of grass translates into half the front field, devils to keep weight off. So, they are on starvation rations (their opinion) and the hotwired electric fencing moved in tiny increments each day. Cunning sods, they've learned to 'listen' for the electric 'click' and where it weakens on the far end of the current; she slides underneath and he jumps overtop - he also jumps over the corral fencing (4'6"), barbed wire (about the same) and also the cedar poling gate fencing when feeling grass deprived. Int-er-est-ing.

Dieting alone's not an option for these types, exercise has to factor in. So, they're both on grassed cutlines, mild slopes right now and long outline trots - where the topline muscles and diaphragm muscles work into lung expansions. Another month and they'll be ready for the backcountry, that's about the timeline I work on, hardening up muscles, respiration rates and rock-hard leg tendons and ligaments.

The muskeg, which is squelching well right now, should be drier then too. I had a report from one experienced backcountry couple who report the TOM SNOW TRAIL needs the equivalent of water wings. I'll give that one a try out with The Fox soon after next weekend, notebook stuffed into a pocket and camera gear for close-up details, so that'll be up on the TRAIL UPDATES - if it gets real interesting (!), the blog too.