With Tevis 2024 coming up and me too busy to do justice to the adventures Jazz and I have had, I thought I’d better do a quick update blog post. Over the next few weeks, I plan to catch up with several blog posts about our recent adventures. At the moment, Jazz is enjoying a rest.
Jump to:
Brief Summary
Back Home
What’s up next?
Above: Riding in Siskiyou County guarantees many views of Mt. Shasta.
Brief summary of the past month
Jazz definitely had a break coming! I trailered him around northern California for three weeks. I rode him around 240 miles. He spent about 1500 miles in the horse trailer. Many of those trailered miles were excruciatingly slow and curvy,
On June 18th we headed north. Almost immediately, things started not going according to plan. First, the truck broke down in Sacramento because a squirrel fell into the drive belt. (Read about it here: Always check under the hood for rodents!) Luckily we got on our way soon, after a brief visit with old friends.
Jazz and I rode all over Siskiyou County while I was based at my brother and sister-in-law’s place in Montague. Much of the riding was on dirt roads…. At one point Jazz got away from me and galloped over three miles back towards home. Luckily he was captured by the local horse vet while another good citizen gave me a ride. Next post will have details.
We explored the Marble Mountain wilderness and rode up the north side of Mount Shasta. Jazz completed two more endurance rides, the La Grange Ditch 50 and the Buck Mt. Boogie. More about those in later posts!
Above: Jazz n the spacious corrals at Lovers Camp, with deer friends.
Back home
As soon as we got back from our northern California adventure, I had his shoes pulled and turned him out with Fantazia. They’ve got 33 acres full of grass with a full pond and a spring, so I can pretty much forget about them. I do feed them Triple Crown Senior once a day, with salt, as neither will touch a block. This also allows me to make sure there are eight sound legs and no blood anywhere.
I was ready for a break from riding. Just as well, because it has been very hot. I’ve also had to deal with family issues. My dad’s health had deteriorated while I was away, and I got back to find him suffering from severe orthostatic hypotension. This means low blood pressure when you get up… normal, but his wasn’t stabilizing due to his weakened state and medicine mix. Or so the doctors presume. We ended up in the ER after he had a syncope (aka fainting) that looked like a stroke. Fortunately, it was not a stroke per MRI and multiple neurological exams.
Even more fortunately, my dad decided to check himself into rehab to help him regain strength. It’s a struggle because he has both Parkinson’s and heart disease (besides being 82). Rehab can ensure he gets regular PT. Since I had scheduled a trip to Oklahoma and the East Coast to visit old friends, I am very grateful to know I won’t have to worry about him being at home.
Above: At my brother’s place in Montague. Left, Jazz suling in the creek after galloping down the road. The cold water was good for his minor abrasions. Left, his temporary home amongst the juniper trees.
What’s up next?
While I am gone the horses are staying on the parcel. My “new apprentice,” the neighbors’ daughter Ava, was thrilled to be in charge of daily feeding and leg counting. She’ll probably start saving up for a horse of her own!
Jazz will be reshod in September. I plan to do the new Gateway to the Canyons ride in Redlands. I want to do Quicksilver too, but two weekends away from home might be too much. Perhaps Camp Far West. Certainly Jazz will do back-to-back 50s at Sesenta Anos.
What about Fantazia?
Fantazia did not settle, and life has been too complicated for me to make breeding decisions. So it looks like we’ll just keep riding. She doesn’t sweat well in heat, so I’ll wait for winter rides. The good news is she’s 100% sound even after completing four 50s, including two wins, last winter. We might not do Tevis and she may not have a foal, but we can try for decade team!
Sorry to hear about your father. My partner (91) is also dealing with the falling BP and syncope (the EMTs know us now). We are doing PT and rehab and hoping for the best. He was able to accompany me to feed the horses this weeks after 2 months, so things are looking up. Best of luck at the rides.
Glad to hear that he’s had some improvement. My dad was walking around, tinkering in his tool shed, etc. when I left June 18😶 such a fast decline.
Pingback: Saying good-bye to Jazz (Road to the Tevis Cup #96)