Dead Mile Ride

We logged 10 miles last night - C was home from college for the SDBRA finals this weekend. She ran decent times in 1D and 3D and brought home a new headstall for running two identical times with Lightbulb. 15.621 - down to the thousandth of a second - what are the odds on that, I wonder?

Anyway, we rode most of the usual loop, but added on what's known as a "dead" mile - basically, it's where a mile road should be, but isn't.  The state owns the right-of-way, but there's no actual road.  It's fenced on both sides, but what's in between is generally just a track, at best. It was only one mile out of the ten, but a lot of fun, nevertheless.

I ponied Thunder again, so I didn't have a hand free to take pictures - too bad, because it was gorgeous.  The leaves are starting to change, but there are still butterflies flitting around.  We navigated a couple of downed trees and a couple of washes, tall grass and low hanging branches.  Uneven footing galore.  Can I just say for the record how much I love riding a sure-footed horse!

Thunder only hesitated once, at the first low limb - not low enough to hang up in, just low enough that I needed to lean down to get under it.  The downed trees I just tossed the lead back over the saddle and let him follow Sunny through single file.  Sunny minds his feet and picks his way through carefully, and Thunder stepped along behind him pretty as you please.

T took him for a bit after we got to the gravel so that I could lope ahead.

Love those ears!

He really needs a rider

Stopping to check out some scary equipment - rubber teeth, who knew!

I wanted to get some nice group pictures, since C won't be back home again until Thanksgiving, and T will be gone soon, too - but every time I pointed the camera at anyone head on, they ducked and I ended up with blur.  Grrr!

Backsides - no faces :(

J took a turn with Thunder, as well.  He's such a died in the wool QH man, but I think he's coming around.  

It was a beautiful evening - we even encountered a couple out for a romantic sunset ride on a pair of well-matched palaminos.  They were holding hands - the people, not the horses - it was really cute.

We got back to J's just as it was getting dark, unsaddled, brushed the horses down, picked out feet and loaded up with a minimum of fuss.  I love having lights in the trailer!  The only fly in the ointment?  Arriving back at the farm and stepping out of the truck to a loud hissing noise... an old rusty fencing staple in one of the trailer tires.  Phooey!

Luckily T had met me out at J's with his truck and followed me back over to help unload, so we could leave the whole works there for the night.  Much easier to change it in the daylight!