June 21-25, 2006

At the last minute I was talked into attending this year's Washington Draft Horse and Mule Association (WDHMA) wagon train. Cat helped me finish up the necessary duties around the house to allow for an extended absence, and also to modify my work harness to be used with the cart that I bought back in April or so, but had not yet used.

My friend Geoff graciously allowed me to borrow his trailer. My cart is light enough for me to load single-handedly with the use of a couple of two-by twelves as ramps. The cart sits up on the wheel wells of the truckbed and gets strapped fore and aft, with pipe insulation tubes slipped onto the shafts to protect them where they sit on the roof of the cab. All ready to head out:

The trailer is designed to hold two horses... or one Luna.

This year the format wasn't the actual "wagon train" setup of travel, camp, travel, camp. Instead there was a base camp up in the mountains (about 4700 feet I think) and each day we took a different loop of trail and ended up back at camp again. It was catered, which takes a lot of the work out of camping. We had Sani-Cans, a trailer full of hay and a big tank of potable water. Quite luxurious.

As this was the first time Luna and I have been "in the wild", I rode the first day to see what she was going to think of everything. She was 100% unflappable.

Listening to the carts and wagons creaking and jingling in the distance.

Day 2. Driving. This was the maiden voyage of the H.M.S. Rattletrapp. Doesn't Luna look THRILLED? At least she does everything I ask of her, even if it isn't always with joy and enthusiasm.

Me: "Whoa, Luna."

Luna: "NOW what? Haven't you taken enough photos? Every quarter-mile it's whoa Luna. It's still the SAME HORSE BUTTS and the SAME TREES AND ROCKS! Sheesh!"

I'm glad I didn't have to ride in this wagon. Between its steel-rimmed wheels and its cargo-type suspension, it looked and sounded like a real remover-of-fillings. This vehicle was the pacesetter on day 2. We went reeeeeeaaaaalllll slowwwwwww that day.

Woody, one of the outriders on his untireable handsome young Fjord.

The rider of the Horse In Tow was also taking photos at the time.

My friend Geoff and his Belgian mare Holly in their very nice Meadowbrook-ish cart.

Homebuilt cart drawn by a Percheron and ponying a riding horse on the offside.

Day three.

This setup belongs to my neighbor down the road, John Erskine. He has a lovely herd of Shires currently pastured just around the corner from us. I get to drive by them every time I leave the house. This older gal is Sydney. She's a good horse and comforted my Luna in the night when Luna felt lonely. I hope that my next horsedrawn vehicle purchase will be something similar to this fantastic buggy.

Resting the horses after a particularly long grade.

Me and Luna. Luna's ears aren't really that slack. I had tidied her forelock for the photo, which she hates. She shook her mane vigorously back into disarray just as the photo was taken. And the hubs on the cart need to be shimmed out, which explains the drastic toe-out on the wheel in the background. All-in-all not a good photo, but the only one I have of Luna and I from the train. This photo was taken by a young boy who, I kid you not, RAN the entire wagon train. And he wasn't running in a straight line, either. It was back and forth from the head of the train to the rear, around wagons, up trees and hills and down gullies and back up to the wagons again. He was everywhere at once. He offered to take a picture of Luna and I. Can you tell that it was taken from about 4' off the ground?

Day four. Taking a jaunt out on our own. After slogging along behind those wagons, Luna wanted to stretch her legs so we went our own way for a while. Here we are enjoying the scenery and a cooling breeze. While it got down near freezing at night, it was quite hot during the day.

I could really kick myself for not having gotten a better photo of this neat covered wagon and its Belgian/Percheron team. One of each, not half-and-half. Team Montana, representin'.

There was much stopping and appreciating of scenery, which was totally warranted. It was very beautiful up there.

Back home, Luna catches up on the kind of quality R&R you just can't get while tied on a high line in an unfamiliar place.

Looking forward to doing it again next year, when I will hopefully be more together!