You see the oddest things at Wal-Mart...

Yep, that's a duck.  In Wal-mart.

Wearing a duck diaper, no less

Candy the Duck

 

 She has her own FaceBook page, if you feel like looking her up.

We rode for about 2 1/2 hours this afternoon.  J wanted to check the fence in his big alfalfa field before he turned the cows out, and then we made a 6 mile loop out and around.  It was windy as all get-out, and Rufus was an absolute squirrel.  He made one big lunge while T was holding Buddy (J was off fixing a low spot in the fence) that popped Buddy's reins loose.  Buddy, of course, promptly decided that heading back home was the wisest course of action.   But the gate was closed, so he couldn't actually get where he wanted to go, so then he decided keep-away would be fun.  The three of them made a few trips back and forth before Buddy let himself be recaptured.

Between Sunny and Thunder my hands were already full, so I declined to participate in Buddy's game of chase-me.  Actually, I was surprised at how well Sunny and Thunder ignored the other pair's ducking and dodging around, especially when the rest of J's horses came thundering down the other side of the fence to see what all the fuss was about.

Even once we were out on the road T and Rufus were really not having a good day.  After about three miles of fussing and sashaying, combined with more tripping over his own feet, T decided that rather than risk the uncertain footing down the dead mile with Rufus being such a pill, he was going to head back.  We offered to turn around, too, but he was pretty adamant we keep going, so....

J and I continued on around without any more excitement. He was riding in some longer grass, since Sunny and Thunder were occupying the track, and he almost rode right over the top of these.  
 

Some sort of gentian?

I looked them up in the wildflower book, but since I didn't actually pick any...  Anybody recognize them? 

T called just as we were reaching the end of the dead mile, wondering where we were at.  Riding sans companions for a while gave Rufus something to focus on besides being silly, and T ended up meeting us at the top end of the dead mile.  Which made me feel a LOT better.  

I got dust in my eyes and had to pause and cry into my sleeves until I could see where I was going again.  The guys were already a bit ahead anyway, as we'd also stopped to inspect some potentially Arab-eating fluffy clumps of  weeds and a squeaking, flopping mailbox flap. 

No problems with being left. They didn't bat an eye at the very dead, extremely smelly coyote we passed, either.   Sunny and Thunder were happy to wait while T and J continued on.  All that leapfrogging we've been doing with some of us loping ahead , some hanging back, catching up and passing, etc. is really paying off.  Even when the other horses were clear out of sight neither of them fussed, just continued on at an easy working walk.

Back at the trailer they both got a couple handfuls of grain for being such good boys. 

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!