Our AC is on the fritz....not just on the fritz - it is DEAD. Bummer. We still went to Ebenezer as the AC can't be fixed until Monday. We picked up the horses Friday morning and headed for the park. Had to stop at Verizon and get my prepaid phone straightened out and then stop at Wal-Mart for some groceries. We got to the park and unloaded and set up our camp. Kellie and Randy were eating at The Stump. James and Beverly arrived and Kent was already there. Stacy and Dusty arrived later and so did Jimmy Zinn. We visited Friday evening and had a great time.
Saturday morning we tacked up. Margaret joined us which was so nice! A pretty good sized group assembled and some of us hung back. Too many folks!!! Off we finally went and Biscuit was raring to go but being a good boy. We went up Eagles Nest and down to the beach. Biscuit was pretty darn terrific going down the hills. I had left my Garmin - I couldn't find the dang thing (found it beside the air mattress later on!) but Kent was tracking on EveryTrail.
We went down to the beach and walked in the water. Biscuit was having a great time til he started pawing and out of the water he came! Margaret had made pumpkin muffins and shared them. I shared mine with Elan...he got 2 bites for each of mine and he really likes Margaret's muffin skills. Biscuit was getting muffin bites from Margaret - Cub had already let us know he didn't like them...but he did like the treats I gave him.
We went up and down some pretty steep trails and Biscuit did a great job but he would have liked to have busted out at a stiff jog and kept it going. It is steep in many parts of that area. Lots of crooks and crannies in the trail so you have to be very careful. Biscuit did a great job on the trails in that area being so very careful going down hill and OMG some of it was very very steep in sections.
We got to the big beach and I put Biscuit in the water until he lifted up a leg to paw and then it was out of the water. He drank his fill at both beaches so that is always a good thing. Barry and Kellie cantered down the beach so I thought I'd join in. Hahahah - Biscuit didn't get that Memo - he galloped. And was all over the place to boot. I got him stopped and walked around and then we tried it again - omg galloping - and NOT listening. I was standing up in the stirrups (he'd basically pulled me up out of the saddle) and pulling for all I was worth. Hahahaha so not stopping Mom!!! I was hollering "canter Biscuit - not a gallop you ass!!!"
I wanted to drop kick him for a field goal and he was wanting to charge around - he gets juiced up when he hits a gallop and sort of hard to control. He was all over the place and ugh....my back was jarred somewhat. One really good thing came out of that - I wasn't really scared. It wasn't the speed it was the all-over-the-place moving around plus the not stopping/slowing down when those cues were given.
Kellie and Randy said my hands were too high (that is true) and my reins were initally too loose. When I put Biscuit in a jog, my hands are very low and set. Going to start doing that to canter. I am doing it wrong. I will be practicing cantering and working on it til we get it right.
On the way back I went ahead of Kellie and Randy and put him at a fast trot all the way back to the camp which is almost a mile. I wish I had had my Garmin on so I could see how fast he was going - I am thinking 13 or 14 mph - his canters are generally 10 to 11 mph.
We all went to the Stump for lunch - Margaret rode with us. Margaret ordered fried pickles...OMG are they ever good!!! Better than French Fries!
It was blazing hot and humid Saturday afternoon. A group went out to ride but Kellie and Randy and I waited a little longer. When I went to saddle up this is what I found on my saddle. OMG scratches that weren't there when I took Biscuit's saddle off. I am not sure if it was a dog or squirrel or what. I am hoping with some conditioner it will disappear. Grrrrrrr....not a happy camper about that.
When we crossed the road I split off from Kellie and Randy to go down the road towards the beach access. I didn't have too much fuss from Biscuit to leave them - some but not huge but he was like pushing a bulldozer down the road in reverse. OMG going up the sides of the trail...slow as Christmas...would trot 2 steps and stop. I made him go all the way to the end of the road. He wasn't much better on the way back. Barry called me and turns out they were not far behind me. I turned Biscuit to see them and tried to get him to go back down the road and he was like "uhhhhh no mom...I don't see a horse I know!" Sissy boy. Now when Margaret and Barry got up to us suddenly he was ready to go. We walked back to the camp and when we got close and Barry was trotting Sarge ahead of me Biscuit was just about to bust out with the butt going one way and his front end going another. So sorry dude - not happening - on the road we went - rocks and all and suddenly Biscuit decided he didn't need to bust out anywhere.
Dragging a Biscuit
EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Texas
Kenny came off the little Halflinger at the beach and hurt the back of his leg on the horn after the morning ride. Poor guy. I got him a bag of ice for his leg but he did have trouble getting on the Halflinger! Hahahaha Kenny is TALL and that Halfinger is short but he still had to put him in a ditch to get on.
Ugh...Injuries really bite - Last year Kenny, Kent and I were all crippled up with injuries from riding or knee issues.
Kellie and Randy ate chicken and rice with us and then we went to Stacy and Dusty's for S'mores. Hahahah I have never had a S'more. They were pretty good considering I am not a marshmallow fan!
Sunday morning we went on a ride and Biscuit had calmed down but was still forward. He jumped out of a creek - gaaaa...my butt came up off the seat but I just went with it. He leaped down a little thing he could have stepped down! Hahahaha It was a fun ride though and he did a good job.
Sunday Morning Ride
EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Texas
I took this picture with the little Verizon phone. The ride Sunday morning was so much fun and all together I rode a little more than 12 miles. Not that much really but my back was jarred and wasn't a happy back! We got back to the campground and I washed Biscuit off and we got packed up. Ate lunch at Kellie's table and we left somewhere around 11:00 or so.
I am going riding Monday afternoon with The Lee Ann's. Hoping to work on that cantering.
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