Trail Ride in August

Red and I took a trip today. I went to the back yard and was able to hook up my Brenderup so easily. I have to be very careful as I do not have a metal bumper but it was still easy to line my Rav4 up and hook it up and go. I hooked it up in 5 minutes. Wow Wee. I love my Brenderup.

I got out to the barn and loaded up tack, feed, hay bags, etc. I got Red out and washed him down. He was kinda dirty. I combed his mane.

Barry met me at the barn and I asked Red to load. He refused and tried to come off the side. I had the buggy whip out and I asked him to lunge - tapping his butt with the whip - just a tiny tap tap tap and round and round he went. I asked for the load and up he went!

His feed (I had added a packet of the One AC and electrolytes to it) and hay was there for him to munch on. I drove up to Margaret's doing about 50-55.



I didn't recognize Easy and Cub had faded out too! Benjamin has gotten so BIG. He is going to be a very large boy. Target and Bones got some lovin' up, too. Target is a big Thoroughbred. Bones is going to be a small Quarter Horse. I bet he is barely 14 HH. He is still as pretty as he can be though.

Butterbean is just a little doll. What a sweetie he is. Margaret's grandson was there and he was going to ride The Butterbean.

I walked Red back to the trailer to get his saddle. I didn't tighten it and when I was walking back to the concrete it slipped almost under his belly. Poor baby just acted like that was normal. He is such a laid back guy.

I got Margaret to adjust my Martingale. She liked it and said it was a cute little design which it is. We fiddled with that for awhile to get it adjusted to Red properly. We finally were ready...I squirted Red with some water from my little squirt bottle. He seemed to be just fine. Off we went to the right. Red was rarin' to go. He drags his feet in the arena but when you ride out on the trail he is alert and ears forward. Love that.

We went to the right and kept going. Some was rocks some was sand. We rode in quiet a bit of shade and the weather was perfect. It was in the mid 80's and not humid. I squirted Red a couple of times. He was breathing a little hard but I think some of that was from being out of shape. I have barely rode in the past 2 months. We jogged quiet a bit. Went down a dirt rode towards an old cemetery but we didn't want to trespass - there were no signs saying we were but there was a sign for the cemetery and that under the name was Rough Riders. I am going to see if we can get permission to ride that road if permission is needed!!

The foliage was so pretty today. Muscadine leaves were turning colors, pretty little flowers and fluffy foliage was everywhere. We rode down a little ravine area and Red just followed Cub through everything. He did stumble a few times but not bad. When had just started off and a fly must have been giving him a fit. He was stomping and kicking in the road...then kept at it when we were going down a sandy patch. I had Margaret look to see if a horse fly or one of those HUGE black flies was on him. Whatever it was it finally took off. He was about to have a fit.

Red was extremely willing but a couple of times - too willing. I had to pull him up short for taking off when he wanted too. LOL he is such a darling. Butterbean was being ponied for the most part but when he was off the lead he was just standing there. Poor ole Dawson was having a hard time making him go.

We saw lots of broken bottles - that is a shame. Trash here and there. People - DON'T LITTER. That is so disgusting. It truly is a pet peeve of mine.

We came back down a few different twists and turns. We were going by JD's uncle's house (he is the young fellow that sometimes helps them break horses) and they had some horses there. Red was having such a good time he tried to whinny to them. It was a little strangled but he was calling to them. He is so funny.

We got back to the barn and Red was hot to the touch but not scary or anything like that. He was sweating under his mane and under his saddle. He had a little bit of lather under his tail - good boy. I hosed him off and Ronny sprayed him with soap and I scrubbed him with his curry comb. More hosing to cool him off.

I showed Ronnie the Martingale and we discussed how long it was originally. I told him it was sliding down to his bit and I was afraid it would get caught. Ronnie said it can and will freak horses out when they move their head and it is caught and horses have flipped over. I told him that I got Barry to take it off and I knew it was too long. It is a simple little thing and Ronnie tied a double knot to keep it from sliding. It is kinda neat.

I had unsaddled at the trailer so all of that was already put up. I gathered up my grooming stuff, took off my boots and put my shoes on.

I asked him to load up and off the side he came. I walked to the side to get my buggy whip. Margaret was going to take him but I said, "no...he needs to learn that I am the boss and load up." I asked for the load again...just holding the whip in my hand...and he went. Good boy. He is my Cary Grant. A little high maintenance but he is worth it to me. He is so sweet.

Down the road we went. I left Margaret's at 5:54 PM. I stopped in Kirbyville to eat at the Sonic. I got out to check on Red and he hadn't touched his alfalfa. Hum...that was the batch of the new bale. I ate on the road and drove slow all the way home. Mostly 55. Got up to 63 and backed off. We weren't in a hurry. Safe is best.

I got to the barn and unloaded Red. I got his haybag - he still hadn't touched it and I thought that was odd. He was a little sweaty from the trailer ride - yay. I got him in his stall and dumped out the hay. I checked and Sergio had not put his food in. I don't thing Sergio understood me earlier! I went and got his grain and added a Shiner Bock to it. Just something to help him along. I took him the grain and he was outside in his paddock. He followed me into the stall and I dumped it for him. I turned around to his hay and smelled it. It is pretty fluffy looking hay. It looks like alfalfa but it doesn't smell like alfalfa. What is up with that? My boy wouldn't touch it.

I got in the car and saw Margaret had called. I called her back and told her about the alfalfa. It smells sweet as all get out in the Rav but it doesn't smell like alfalfa. Hum......We discussed whether it was timothy hay but I looked timothy up on the internet and I don't think that is what I have.

All in all, I had a fun day with my friends and Red. I am ready to go again.