Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days are Stone

Just one of those days yesterday.  A long story but had to collect two mares who where up in the mountains without available water.  I found out Monday afternoon and had to organize myself up the mountain.  I asked a good friend would he give me a hand but unfortunately had a prior engagement and was at the coast but would come back on Tuesday night to accompany me on the Wednesday morning.

Could not sit out Tuesday in the searing heat not knowing in what condition these mares were in so decided to go on my own which involved trucking my mare to the bottom of the ranges then riding through quite rugged country and is at the moment not even four wheel driveable finding the two mares in over one thousand acres of hilly timbered country, catching them, bringing them down the mountain and loading them into my rig and driving them back up the mountain.  I ran into a friend of mine Ros and told her my tale with many swear words at the horses not being shifted on the Sunday when riders were up in the mountains  shifting their cattle.  Ros unfortunatly was working but had resigned myself to managing as you do.

Then came the diamonds late on the Monday night received a telephone call from Ros to the effect that she had rang into work and arranged for someone else to cover her work and if I picked her and her horse up early Tuesday morning she would help me.  This kind offer left a lump in my throat as is hard to find anyone willing to do anything for someone else that costs them.  I then rang the manager of Eskdale Station where I would have to leave my rig and ride through their property to access the horses.
Without missing a beat the Manager said "I will saddle a horse and go with you" I then did start to cry. I had never met him before and had only spoken on the telephone and the day was promising to be of killer heat and not comfortable.

We did all of the above and put it down to my being emotional forgot to take the water and we rode for five hours climbing the mountains without a drink and I have not appreciated water so much in a long time so had a small idea of how these animals felt.

The mares were a little worse for wear and look different horses today in a huge bed of straw and unlimited water and hay.  The mares are around the twenty years of age and I am so grateful that this ending is as has turned out except for the circumstances of these animals being without water for that time due to others stupidity and ignorance where I will not go at the present..

Thank you Mark you are a prince for a neighbor.and thank you Ros who said to me "What do you think friends are for?"