Too Hot and Too Buggy to Ride

I looked at the date on my last post and was amazed at how much time has gone by!! It has been just too blasted hot and the bugs are too bad these days for riding. But I do have some catching up to do here, so here goes.

Don't ever wear a white T-Shirt for riding. This is how I looked on our last ride before we ever got The Girls loaded into the trailer!!!

We did ride earlier this month (or was it late last month??) with our friends Paul and DeeDee. Paul just got a Tennessee Walking Horse, so now he has a gaited horse like the rest of us (his wife DeeDee has a Rocky Mountain). We all met at the Dunes and rode those trails. It was a really nice ride -- the 4 of us actually rode together, now that we are all gaited. Paul's horse is just so handsome -- really tall and nice looking. DeeDee is in training for the Michigan Shore-to-Shore ride. I believe she has done this ride before, at least part of it, and she says it is really a nice ride. It goes across Michigan at the point where Lake Erie (I believe -- I can't find my map to check it right now) is on the east, and Lake Michigan on the west. It takes a few days to do and they camp out, etc. She keeps trying to get John and I to do it, but the time factor is a problem. I don't have a lot of vacation time, and with other constraints it is just not really doable for us. But I am impressed that she can do it, and we look forward to hearing the stories and seeing the pictures once she gets back. Here's Paul and DeeDee on their horses at the Dunes.

John finally got rid of the truck we had and got one that has a bigger engine. Now hauling the horses is much easier. The other truck had a mechanical problem (again!) and that was the final straw. He is really happy with the is new truck, and is kicking himself for not doing this a long time ago. Here is a picture of his new ride...Pretty cool, huh??

On a really sad note -- a woman that we have ridden with in the past, and one that DeeDee has ridden with quite a bit lost her husband to a freak accident recently. He was cutting a tree and it fell on him. So horrible. I did a post with pictures of her and her horse last fall -- she has a Tennessee Walking Horse, too, and we rode at Bluhm County together. It was the day we had about 7 riders out here at our house. We are so sad for her. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers....

My Most Recent Ride - Proud of Divna

Divna is not a dominant horse -- Zora rules the pasture at our place, and Divna just goes along with whatever Zora wants. If Zora wants to finish Divna's grain, it is OK with her; if Zora insists on the first to get treats or attention from visitors, it is OK with her. In fact. when people visit, Zora runs up to the fence for the petting and attention, and Divna hangs back. She is completely comfortable letting Zora have the spotlight.

She also freaks out when she doesn't see or hear Zora for a period of time. On the trail, if we get separated, she comes unglued (no pun intended) if she loses sight of Zora (also no pun intended-- Divna only has one eye) after three minutes or so.

So I was really, really proud of Divna on the last ride we took.

We were at The Indiana Dunes, and met Dee Dee and Karen for a ride. Of course we never saw Dee Dee and Karen -- they left a few minutes before us, and were riding the trail backwards, which always screws us up.

Once back at the lot after our Separate-But-Together-Ride Dee Dee realized her shirt was missing. Not the only one she was wearing (relax, men) but an extra one she had on her saddle horn....She knew where she lost it -- on one of the curves just before getting back to the trail head.

She was already back with her horse, so I boldly said "I'll go back for it!" And off I went -- taking Divna down the trail alone, just the two of us!!

She was OK for about 2 minutes. Then she started getting nervous. I kept talking to her and moving her along, all the while looking for the lost shirt.

She started getting upset, started calling out for Zora. I kept talking to her and pressing her along.

Then she was beginning to get more upset, but I kept comforting her and urging her on. Surprisingly she did do very well. We found the shirt -- she stood still while I dismounted and retrieved the lost article of clothing. I got back on her, turned her around, and she knew she was going back to where Zora was. She was obviously really, really happy.....

But I did not let her run, even though I could tell that is all she wanted to do. We kept a good pace until we met up with Zora and John and Shawnee and Dee Dee who had followed us onto the trail.

It was just great that Divna made such a breakthrough like that! You have no idea...this is a horse that was afraid of everything when I first got her -- a horse that cannot bear to be more than 20 feet away from Zora....she walked down that trail and retrieved a shirt...

I LOVE HER!!!!!

Chinese ???

Is anyone else out there getting comments in Chinese?? I have been afraid to click on the link to the person who posted the comment -- I did one time and it looks like a prostitution site for Asian women....not sure what is going on here. Could it be a virus type thing??? Does anyone know what this is all about?