Trail Ride: Part Two
Day two didn't start off on the greatest of notes. The alarm that was set for 8:30 didn't go off. Dian, Sheila and I wake up just before 10:00. We have out coffee and a breakfast fruit granola bar and head off to the barn. I might add that it is cold in the morning I'm trying out a new saddle and having a heck of time getting the girth tight enough. But finally we think everything is ready. Dian goes to tie Chocolate off so she can hold Dandy for me. Chocolate decides to pull back and snaps the headstall. The bit hits the trailer with a loud clang and she spooks. Chocolate is not an easy horse to catch. Dian often has to bribe her with peppermint treats to catch her halter. But finally she gets caught and Dian gets a different bridle out and switches bits on it. I remember I have my drink holder on the other side of the trailer and head around it with Dandy to grab it. As I come back around the trailer I see Stormy bunnyhopping up the drive and Sheila on the ground on her stomach! Stormy had jumped and kicked up his heels right when Sheila went to mount and as a result she went over his side and hit the ground. Thankfully Stormy came back with the most puzzled expression on his face like "what happened?". Finallly we all get ready again to get mounted up. Dandy refuses to stand still at first and he's just a touch tall for me to get on unassisted or without a step. So Dian and I try with me standing on a trailer wheelwell. He won't step over enough and is being a pill. So Dian gets on him to ride him up by the trailer and then we were going to switch off. Dandy stands on his hind legs 3 times, one time he struck a perfect levade pose! So Dian takes him off down this little trail and gallops him to get some of his energy worn off. He's a much better boy afterwards. Then we head off to Moccassin Gap. We cross the highway and head up. The country is beautiful up there. But then we come to a mud puddle. Dandy and Sally's horse go right across it. Stormy goes around and Dian is bound and determined to make Chocolate cross it. First she has everyone ride off so we are out of sight thinking that maybe she would give up and cross the puddle. No go. So first Sally heads back then Sheila and I. Dian finally has to get off, have Sheila hold Chocolate and pop her with the riding crop and she jumps right into the puddle but goes across. We go on down the trail a little ways. I discover I hate the stirrups that are on the saddle I'm riding. I don't think I've had my ankles hurt and bother me like they did that day. Dandy jumps as we were coming by a little pond, it wasn't even a bad jump and I lose one of my stirrups. Dian adjusts them a bit and they still give me trouble. Then we hit another water puddle. Dandy goes right through it. This time Dian bribes Chocolate across with peppermint treats but she goes across. We head down this set of switchbacks and decide not long after to stop for a bit to eat. So we have lunch and end up giving the crackers that come in the tuna fish salad kits to the horses. Then due to time we decide to head back. We go right past the marker for the switchback to go up and head on around this ridge. At least it wasn't long before we realized we had missed a turn! We make it back to Mack's Pines and get the horses settled in. Then Dian and I switch off the billets and the stirrups on the saddle I'm trying out. After we get back to the cabin we get the chicken and dumplings that Peachie (another friend) made up on the crock pot to heat up. We spend the evening playing chicken scratch dominos and have chicken and dumplings for dinner. Also, when reheated in a crock pot the dumplings fell apart so dinner was more like chicken and dumpling mush. It was still good though. We also decided to forget setting an alarm since Sally had to go back home. There ends day two. :)