Danger in the Alps! That thing's gonna eat me!

The weather's been bad for ages. First, it has been well below freezing, and some snow. That is good. But, then it warms up each day and there is nothing but mud and muck! Turning out the horses has been difficult because of the danger of injury on slippery fields instead of the normally snow blanketed, white hills. The wind has been howling, like it is now. And some days a fog rolls in so thick you cannot even see neighbors houses.

The ground was just starting to freeze, and we were looking forward to a normal January. Then yesterday, it struck, the warm wind called, Fuehn (which means Blow Dryer) that comes up from the Sahara Desert in Africa, and drops down over the North side of the Alps. The temperatures climbed to over 55 F! The thaw kicked in (in January!) and then in the night it rained, it really rained, hard and the wind blew.

This morning, the sky was blue and clear. Everything, including the roundpen was under water. The wind was still at it, but the temperature was now about 46 F. A bit cooler. Now, with all this crazy weather, Lark had been in the Open Stall shelter at the start of winter. Several years ago, she took a nasty kick to the head (thanks to Montana Blue Magic) and the wound, although immediately treated by the vet, got infected affecting her respiratory system. Since then, she's suffered from hay allergy, we guess as a reaction to the infection at that time. This year, due to the foggy, warm, wet weather, she began to suffer allergies. The vet was out and treated her with antibiotics, and we got her onto some asthma inhalation treatment and some medication to loosen phlegm. But, with the nasty weather, she was deteriorating. It was time for stall-rest and the addition of a special musli with herbs for breathing, and the total removal of hay from the diet by using straw (which she is not allergic to) and hay cubes soaked in water, a strict regime.

Three weeks into stall rest and no turn out, it was time today to see how she was doing with a little excercise. After saddling her up, we started with a 15 minute walk on the hand as a warm up. She did great, and her breathing seemed regular and not too fast. Up into the saddle, and we were off! The wind driving against us as we made our way into the beautiful valley on the roads. Uphill she was doing fine, without heavy breathing, and we walked to the top of the nearest hill on a neighbor's farm. That went well, and she was relaxed if a little hyper for being in the stall. We made it down the hill and to the the next neighbor, who also has horses but they were not outside.

We often ride a one hour stretch at the walk on the streets where there are a few gallop stretches on farm roads. I chose this route, by turning left at the bottom of the hill to walk in the direction of the big horse stable, yet another neighbor! We walked along, and had to move over for two cars. Now, Lark being a very well trained school horse with years of trail riding experience started to dance. Uh oh! Staying calm and using the lead line tied to her roper halter, I would stop her and then ride slowly forward (I didn't want to be pulling on the bit you see!) As we rode between the farms, we crested yet another hill looking down onto the horse farm.

The sun was warm, and the crest of the hill blocked the wind. Down below to the right, I could see our friend Nici with her Haflinger on the soaking wet outdoor riding arena, getting ready to free lunge her horse over a jump. It is way down the hill though. And directly before us, under a tree was a massive, multi-colored, Bumble. Lark began to dance, she snorted and threw her head, and I stepped down.

Horses were out in their pasture enclosures, running around tearing up everything! And, the Bumble panted and loomed beneath the tree next to the road. Everyone knows that in the Alps there are Bumbles! And, everyone knows Bumbles bounce! And, Lark knows that Bumbles eat horses for lunch! Slowly we made are way down the street that passes through the middle of the farm. Nici's horse began to buck and run and jumped the jump and ran to the entrance of the arena, and Lark jumped her mane flying and did the best impression of a Spanish horse you'd ever seen!

Some riders were there next to the wash area, and the Bumble moved! Standing and slinking away toward another area of the stable. We stopped to chat, as Lark danced and pranced. A nice lady says, what is that for a wild horse you have there! I said, oh you know Lark don't you, and she said, yes but I've never seen her like that before! Just then two shetland ponies come up on the right at full gallop in the turned up pasture, mud flying! Lark, half-rearing, thought the shetlands were another form of Bumble!

I explain that Lark has had box-rest for a while, and usually I lunge before riding, but it was not possible (my riding area is under water). And, the last couple of times Lark came through here she thought the Bumble would eat her. The nice lady says, but he won't eat Lark. I said I know, but for some reason she's decided that that Bumble isn't getting anywhere near her. And, I guess because of the size, she thought the shetties were Bumbles too!

With that, we moved on. Walking slowly through the farm until we were past the last of the 30 horses, and on the way back up another hill that we need to crest to get back to our farm. Lark was again calm, and so I remounted. This is a farm tractor path, and as I look to the right, I can see far down into another valley. There is the Haflinger breeder's farm with two small horses with riders working in the riding arena. And farther down the valley, deeper down, in the middle of a swath of green field, there's a rider on a black horse entering the Riding Clubs dressage arena. It's a good day to ride, the sun shining, the lake farther below is turquoise from the snow melt. The mountain, Traunstein, almost void of snow towers over the lake and plunges down into its depths. We reach the crest and I start to talk to Lark, tell her that St. Bernards are not really Bumbles, and they don't eat horses.

She'll have none of it, and at the crest, we turn for home. A slow walk. She gives a cough and blows out her nose several times. No slime, no congestion, she's looking good. Down the steep hill I concentrate on my seat, lifting the upper body. opening my hips and letting them take up the movements of the horse. We reach the point were we have to cross the main road. We stop and watch cars go by. It's a dangerous spot as it is in a sharp curve and the cars come fast, and the curve is pretty blind on one side, more dangerous in my mind than Bumbles, who I think are rather friendly! I listen for motors, then we trot across and up to our road. Back down to a walk, Lark is breathing a little bit harder now, but it is good for her. She's not sweating and the excercise helps clear her lungs.

(Note, that isn't a belly on me, I've got my gloves stuffed into my vest! I know, everyone's going to say, yeah right, Karen!)