Fun With Friends!

In the cool of the woods~

Even if it was going to be HOT...  It was a Stunning day in the woods!  Cortney & I had talked of getting in a ride together & today was the day!  Linda & I had already decided to saddle up & at least go ride the trails that we'd cleared on Tue. - so Cortney made the drive up!  Always so fun to show new people where we ride.  Farah started out in the lead - until she was bad - then...  We brought up the rear!  Cantering in place when Count hit his turbo trot & Amira was right behind him.  Not us - we lost ground & they had to wait for us!  :-)  Eventually though - she settled down & was actually really good - keeping a nice distance from Amira.  (After two days of blue cream on the bites & using the new saddle pad - we had no issues!)

Cortney & Amira - "Traditional" View photo!

Linda started us out on the reverse of our loop - which worked out great & was perfect for staying in the shade.  Once up at the Monument - we could feel the heat!  I've been bringing cherries & even warm they tasted so good!

Views of the peaks~

Though the haze is building with the heat - the peaks stood out against the bright blue of the sky.  We found yet another trail to clear!  Funny how we keep finding them!  :-)

Out on the Trail~

Cortney has ridden since she was a kid. Though she is on the "Green Bean Team" - one of the many new riders who've formed a team - she is an accomplished horsewoman - only "green" to Endurance - NOT to horses & that makes a huge difference.  My personal feeling is that if you're green to horses - you should really start out in a different sport - such as Competitive Trail - where you learn those horsemanship skills that come into play when you attempt an Endurance ride.

On our newly cleared trail!

We came at this trail from the overgrown side & how sweet it was when we reached the cleared part!  Amazing how quickly the stuff we'd cut had dried out!  The horses like it too!  :-)  We covered almost 15-miles by the time we were back at Linda's.

Farah in disguise :-)

I picked up our dinner - finding Arlington full of street vendors who are here for the Fly-In this weekend.  I always know at least a few days in advance when the planes start flying over us!  Once home, I hosed Farah & myself down - felt so good to us both.  Now - I'm using the fly sheet - no more bug bites under the saddle for us!