Sizzlin'

Even in the shade~

Monday - ride day with Joyce & when she said 11, I thought - "hot" & was not disappointed!  :-)  With hunting season now upon us, Bracken seemed a better idea than further up.  Only a few trailers were in the parking area when we arrived.  Joyce had gotten in a long ride with friends over the weekend, so today rode Target.

Blackberries~

Farah was not in a good mood...  I honestly don't think she likes the heat any better than I do.  Even going out with Target did nothing to improve her mood & she was spooking at anything she could find.  That cost her two hard hits with the stick & some rough words from me!  We took this trail thinking we'd have blackberries to eat - but amazingly - they are drying on the vine!  Neither of us have ever seen this happen before.  Just too hot & dry for them to get large & juicy as they were a week ago.

Target & Farah

By the time we were heading back, Target - who was doing well for Joyce, had about Had it with Farah!  She let him know that she was in a very Bad mood!  :-)  He's such a nice boy, so bonded to Joyce that I had to get this photo of the two of them.

Target watching leaves floating down the creek~

With the AERC deciding to lock up all ride records to anyone but current members, the decision has been a hot topic of conversation on their Facebook page.  The transparency that we all enjoyed - is now gone.

I feel blindsided & Very Disappointed in the AERC.  Having the horse & rider records open to the public-at-large acts as a safety net for the horses & keeps riders accountable for the way they ride.  There's always a learning curve for new riders, but over time - the system has sorted out the bad apples.  Closing it down cheapens the values that the AERC has always said they subscribe to.    Now - I can't even access my OWN ride record & received No notice that this change was going to occur so that I could print it for my reference.  Since I've only been riding a couple of rides a season, it just wasn't cost effective to remain a member, though I do continue to support our local PNER.   I hope the BOD change their minds & reconsider a very bad decision.

At least long-time members that I greatly respect, such as Becky Hart are against the change, which gives me some faith in human nature...  Trying to become an elitist organization is not the way to attract new members...