Toasted with A Side of Laughter....

Yesterday Linda and I set out early to load up our horses, food, and necessary items to go on an early morning trail ride with our equine club Hlll Country Equine Friends . Since my son's father was in Iraq for ten months and I was the sole caretaker, I haven't been available to participate in all of the cool activities this club has had to offer! Also, my time in Texas is drawing to a close, so I was really looking forward to this one! It was supposed to be a camping weekend getaway, and then when folks were not RSVP'ing--due to vacations, a broken arm, and (I personally think) the heat-- it was cancelled and turned into an AM trail ride. Wusses! Just KIDDING! Well, only the true die-hard ride in the heat like I do (Linda too!), I suppose! Bring on the heat! I would've camped anyway! I love camping! We got there, checked in, and preceded to the three campsites that we had reserved. I found out on the way to the Park, that the only OTHER person coming was another woman that I had actually met before. I was happy, she is a cool gal! In fact, my Stubben breast collar used to be hers! I was also hoping our vet and his wife might make it. Our vet = one cool dude. I love that he NEVER minds all my questions, paired with the fact that he is a wealth of interesting knowledge and HELP. So strike the camping trip, AND THEN, our group trail ride! Argh.! The gal who was coming left us a message. She had had a blowout (on her property, thank GOD) and was not going to make our ride time. Our good friend Lorri--who isn't a heat wimp, and was MISSED by Linda and myself-- had gone to Houston to pick up her new Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named COPPER! BTW: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY COPPER!

Linda and I tacked up, locked up-- *important to note for later*,  put the cooler in the shade, and headed out. There were lots of people on the in the park. On the more popular trails. Since Linda helped build the trails (on 5,000 acres!) some thirty years ago, she knew right where to go---shade, shade, and not a lot of rock for my boy's back feet--we need boots--no more rock bruises! It was also one of the paths not as "known about". YEAH! Luckily, we only ran into two groups on our 2 hour trail ride. SWEET! I love navigators who actually know where they are, and what they're doing. So we had some great areas to look at, LOTS of shade, and cantering, trotting areas on some really nice soft ground. Side by side much of the ride! We didn't do TONS of MOVIN', due to the heat of course, but enough to satisfy the itch! We did lots of cooling them out in between, so they were hot, but never panting. Sweaty, but never scarily so. There was a breeze as well, OH HAPPY DAY!

Views  in the distance...

She's going up! Tiny hill to get to a photo op....

Linda on Red (the Growth, as I call him....:) He was really nice to Jackson yesterday, Thanks RED!

RED caught in a compromising position...Honestly, for some reason, neither one of us realized he was peeing, WE DO get up off of their kidneys for that! We cracked up when we realized we had caught this later, RED is now humiliated viva la Internet! ---BIG SMUG GRIN on my face---

Why the dislike? He runs me down if the mood strikes him (to get out the gate!) ohhhhhhh....bad, bad bad..., and he IS MEAN TO MY HORSE! HE IS A BIG, FAT, growth of a  Missouri Foxtrotter...I tease about him, but I guess I grudgingly admit a "certain" fondness for him. Every few months or so... :)

COOL looking dead woods...

"Mom--Listen. I am quite sure there are EQUINE EATING MONSTERS

in them thar' woods."  Me: "Chillax. Let's GO!" So he did (after a nice firm kick!:).

Made it...phew!

Almost perfectly square!

I apologize for the multitude of Mindy and Jackson pics. I have none of us since I hit my goal weight, and Linda shot some GREAT ones (of Jackson anywhoo!), and I wanted to share! Yes, I know his mane still needs pulled properly. I'd rather ride than stand in the heat and play with a mane! It's on my TO DO list. At the bottom. Really, I'm ashamed at my horridness. REALLY. Oh God. I can't live with it... I AM a bad mom, I guess! :) I do know how to pull a mane. Three different (correct) ways, in fact. I have no pride. LOL!

And then...suspenseful music begins to play...DA DA DUMB DUMB DUMB....we got back to our camp, and Linda realized she had brought the ignition key, but not the key that unlocks the truck doors! DOH! I am truly bad luck, this is the third time in 1 month or so that she has lost a key (tubing), locked it in her car (lunch at a restaurant), or forgot it (yesterday)! Seriously. I just shook my head. I should know at this point to A)have copies of all her keys, and B) remind her about any and ALL keys. I just laughed and got on top of the truck cab to get reception via cell phone. I then called MY insurance companies roadside assistance--guaranteed in 90 minutes--WORD. When the tow truck driver arrived to unlock the door, we got him to show us the tool. NOT a slim jim. He showed us how to make it. It involves a long slim piece of thin flexible plastic folded in half with sandpaper at the crease. You can make it for less than $1.50. Cool! He got the door open in less than two minutes. WOW. While we were waiting, we had untacked, given the horses a little hay, ate (quickly), and then rode both horses bareback with halters and lead ropes to the wash rack located about a mile down for baths with my rice brush and a bit of horse wash. LORD, I love that rice brush! If you never do anything, spend the money on a REAL (not synthetic) rice brush! It is the grooming brush I love the most, perfect for baths and getting to the root of the problem! We were leading the horses back from their baths when when Mr. Nice Tow Truck Guy showed up and we told him to go on ahead! As mentioned, he had it open in record time, we loaded the horses, and made a slight detour to the leather/tack store to get various items repaired. SUPER reasonable and great work! We were in there 10 minutes tops and parked in the shade! We made it home, safe, alive, and TIRED! Good times, good times....