Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Ride and Travel Day

Woke up to beautiful sunny skies and a bitter cold wind (relatively speaking, it was still a lot better than a few hundred miles north of us, which was getting an ice storm!) We decided not to let that deter us, so we bundled up and went riding in Cary State Forest. What a great ride! Almost eight miles on the Red Trail, mostly sand footing forest roads. Some of the roads were like islands, with water on both sides, some were grassy, perfect for long trots and canters. It was fabulous, albeit a bit chilly when we were heading into the wind. When our backs were to the wind, or we were in a clearing where the sun was full on us, it was very pleasant. Just under three hours later, we were arriving back at the camp. Another group of horses were just arriving at the trailhead, and they asked us some questions about camping in the forest, and a while later they rode down to see our setup. Nice folks, local people who came here regularly to ride.
Afterward, we started packing up again, to get to our next location, Skyway Farms. They were going to take care of our babies, as well as let us stay in our camper on their property for two nights. Met a delightful English fellow (well, he was born in America, but grew up in Birmingham, England) formerly a Cavalry soldier in the British Army (one of those spit-and-polish guys that did changing of the guard at Buckinham Palace!) who later joined the American army and now works here as a farmhand. Nice facility, but civilization is creeping up to it quickly. Just ten minutes from the airport, though, so very convenient. Big box stalls, reasonably priced, and at least I know the horses will be safe tomorrow!

Saturday, January 30, 2010 - A day at the shop

Upon further inspection, Hubby discovered the wheel problem was, in fact, brakes. A chunk of metal from the brake was jammed inside. He managed to loosen it up, so we decided, since it wasn't bearings, to find a repair shop locally to take it to. After several calls, we discovered Miracle Motors in Macclenny about 15 miles away. We packed up everything, trailer and horses, because we didn't want to leave the horses alone in a strange place. At the shop, they took the wheel apart and it was determined we needed lots of new parts we couldn't get on a Saturday, so they fixed it so we could drive without parts flying around, but the trailer wouldn't have brakes until it was fixed. We arranged to come back on Tuesday, and returned to the campsite, having conveniently avoided a rainstorm that started after we packed up the horses and ended before we got back, so the horses stayed dry. The temps dropped dramatically by this evening, and for some reason we felt very tired from getting up early so many days in a row, so we relaxed watching movies for the rest of the day (we had restocked our DVR while we were in DC). Weather supposed to be cool and clear tomorrow, so we're planning on getting a ride in. Had a client call a few days ago wanting to get together, so she's flying into Jacksonville to meet with us. Found a boarding stable convenient to the airport location, so we'll be moving over there tomorrow afternoon.

Friday, January 29, 2010 - Drive to Cary State Forest, FL

Another easy drive from Poinsett Park, SC to a new place we're trying, Cary State Forest, just west of Jacksonville, FL. Stopped at an RV place to pickup some things we needed for a few minor repairs (clip for closet door, new cap for drain, etc.). When we entered Florida, we were getting ready to pull into the Agricultural Inspection station (a must if you're traveling with big animals), but the yellow light was flashing, and there was a sign saying "Bypass when lights are flashing," so I told Hubby to pass by it. He wasn't sure we should, but the lights WERE flashing, so he followed me past. Well, it was only a few minutes before more lights flashing, the ones on the top of a patrol car pulling him over. Apparently, even when the lights are flshing, if you have animals you have to stop! Fortunately, it was the same inspector that we had the first time we came through, and he remembered us, and just told us that we had to stop every time, regardless of the flashing lights. Lesson learned, no citation, and we were on our way again in a matter of minutes. BTW, if you take Hwy. 301, it's like a larger outer loop around Jacksonville than I-295, without all the trucks and crazy twists and turns (and construction), and you end up much farther west on I-10. Good shortcut if you want to get off the highway earlier.
Arrived at Cary State Forest about 3:00. The ranger had told me about an old homesite (not old, actually, just unfinished) across from Campsite 3 that we could use. Discovered it had water right on it, a pleasant surprise. Great trees for high-lining the horses, all for just $5/night. As I was moving, I heard a loud metallic scraping sound, for the second time. I had first heard it when we stopped for gas in Georgia, but of course, when I tried to repeat it so Hubby could hear it, it was quiet as a mouse. In the campsite, however, it came back with a vengeance, and this time Hubby was able to pinpoint it, from the left front wheel of the RV. We figured it had to be bearings or maybe brakes, so once we were set up, I started looking for a mobile service mechanic online. Another plus, a great cell phone signal. Managed to find a guy in Jacksonville who could make it out tomorrow, but he seemed reluctant about working on a trailer, so I'm not sure what will happen. Will work on a Plan B in the morning, just in case. Supposed to rain, and frankly, we both need a day off tomorrow, though how much of one we'll get remains to be seen. To bed early, setting the alarm for 7:00.

Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010 - Drive to Poinsett Park, SC

Love this place! Easy trip down, wish we could stay and ride but there's a blizzard on our heels, and we're determined to make it to Florida by tomorrow to outrun the cold!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - Drive to Buffalo Junction, VA

Worked with our client yesterday, then had dinner at a nice little Indian restaurant in Lorton Market Plaza. Weather forecasts dropping temps tomorrow and snow by Friday, so we are definitely heading south asap. Up at 7:00, out by 9:20, one stop at Wal-Mart for groceries, and off the Dee and Paul's!

Monday, January 25, 2010 - Paperwork Day

Tackled the pile of mail we rec'd on Saturday, spent the whole day getting caught up on paperwork and bookkeeping. Very wet, warm and humid this morning (almost 70 degrees!), but gradually cleared out and cooled down as the day wore on. Would have loved to go for a ride today, but the trails would have just been too sloppy after all the rain we had overnight. I suspect the horses are getting tired of standing around, I just hope we'll get a ride in soon, before they go on strike! May be back in Florida before all the stars are aligned to accomplish that, which hopefully will be by the weekend.

Sunday, January 24, 2010 - Rest/Football day

Hubby finally insisted on seeing the final championship football games today, so he set up the Dish and I reinstated our signal, which I had put on vacation hold since December. We were starting to get low on movies on the DVR anyway, so it's time to stock up! Expecting rain overnight tonight, so we'll be putting the horses in the trailer to keep them dry. An uneventful day other than that. I was going to start on my pile of mail, and decided to wait until Monday, as though it was the beginning of a real work week. Go Peyton!

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - Rest Day

Hubby went grocery shopping, then we spent the rest of the day resting, trying to finish recovering from the cold. Also been having a problem with a shoulder muscle that started at a knot in my shoulder blade and ran all up and down the length of my body. Almost like a segment of muscle had been displaced over the wrong side of my shoulder. Started almost a year ago after an over-exertion with a chain saw, had a major improvement in November when it felt like most of the muscle found it's home, then finally think we got the last of it today, using lots of stretching and a hand-held shiatsu massager. Will know better if we succeeded once the swelling goes down and things have a chance to settle. Spent the day catching up on some reading, too damp and cold to ride while we're still a little sick. Rec'd our mail as well, so I'll have plenty to do Monday.

Friday, January 22, 2010 - Day Off

Slept late, woke up with a little sore throat again, so Hubby took care of the horses and dogs, and we took the day off, reading and resting, trying to get rid of the last of this cold!

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010 - Work Day

Worked with our client this afternoon, had a nice meal at our favorite Thai restaurant next to Capitol Hill, then ran into some rain just as we got back to camp. Temps not too bad, so left horses out for the night.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - Drive day to Pohick Bay, Lorton, VA

Left our friends at Cherry Hill B&B about 9:00 this morning, headed out to pick up some hay on our way to DC, at Owens hay farm south of Blackstone, VA. Nice mixed grass hay at $4/sq. bale, though we were on our own for loading up. The seller showed up just as we were finished loading. Hubby had a hard time getting out, needed a pull which the seller gladly provided. The rest of the trip was uneventful. Warm greetings from Dale (as in Dale Evans!) at Pohick Bay Regional Park, less than 20 miles from DC, a great campground that doesn't necessarily cater to horses, but does allow them (as long as you're willing to pick up after them). There are some great trails here as well, for both the hiker and the equestrian. The park is next to the famous Gunston Hall, which lets you ride the mile around the perimeter of its field, but Pohick Bay has some delightful woodsy trails, and, if you take it far enough, even leads you to a stable and training center a few miles out. Not terribly well-marked, and a few are dead-ends that don't tell you they're dead ends until you're there, but interesting nonetheless. We're hoping to get a ride in over the weekend, but the weather forecast indicates cold, and tomorrow, rain, sleet and snow. Good thing we're working with a client tomorrow, though I expect the drive to DC to be harrowing under these predicted conditions!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Drive to Buffalo Junction, VA

Up at 7:00, out by 8:20 (seems like that's becoming the standard!), another beautiful clear day. Uneventful drive except for our Wal-Mart stop in Oxford, NC. Followed Gracie (my phone GPS, so that when I turn it off upon arrival, I can say "Good night, Gracie"), but the store she took us to was gone. Fortunately, there was a local woman eating in her car in the parking lot, so I asked her where it moved to, and she kindly gave me directions, just another two miles away. No gas there yet (under construction, from the looks of the bulldozer in the corner), so had to stop again for that. Good to get in North Carolina, though, because the prices go up considerably once you cross the Virginia line.

Arrived around 3:30 to hugs and greetings from Dee and Paul, who generously let us put our horses in a nice little fenced-in pasture, instead of the paddock, which they loved! Enough grass to eat, and it wasn't long before they had a roll, evidenced by their wet and slightly muddy backs. Dee and Paul had dinner plans, so off they went at 5:00 (after some specially-flavored :-) decaf coffee). Time to get caught up on work, get to bed early, and prepare for our client in Washington, DC on Thurdsay.

Monday, January 18, 2010 - Trail ride at Poinsett Park, SC

Had a wonderful, quiet night's sleep, woke up ready to try out another new trail! There are about 4.5 miles of trails right out of the equestrian camp, two loops and a connector, well-marked with blue blazes every 10-20 yards. At first I thought that was overkill, but as the trail narrowed and the forest grew thicker, we needed them that often! Very little evidence of much use, which, from our perspective, was great! The ride was about 90 minutes, with really only one short opportunity to trot/canter, on a sandy road toward the end of the last loop. A good thing, too, as my horse was tired of walking and really wanted to go! (which he tried to do once in the woods, bad horse!:-)

I have to say, this was one of the most interesting trails we've been on, albeit a short trail. It was mostly pines, with some magnolias, and everything was covered with delightful hanging moss, which my horse eyed carefully the first time, then figured out that it wasn't going to leap out and swallow him up and he took the rest of the ride in stride. Terrain was easy, a few gentle slopes, footing was excellent, all pine needles and hard sand, no water or mud at all, despite the rain from the previous morning. Just a delightful short little ride.

For longer trips, there's a connector trail to the Manchester State Forest next door. There's a $5 per person fee for riding those trails, but there's another 15 miles or so over there. Permits must be purchased at their ranger station.

Hubby fighting a returning cold, so he went to bed as soon as we got back, had a lovely nap until cocktail hour. Tomorrow, off the Dee and Paul's!

Sunday, January 17, 2010 - Drive to Poinsett State Park

Up at 7:00, out by 8:20, uneventful drive to Poinsett State Park near Paxville, SC. The only problem we had was that we had planned on dumping the RV at the Flying J in Georgia along I-95 (RVers know that Flying J is one of the few places that has a separate island for RVs to get gas and a dump where you can empty your tanks, usually for free). Not this time! Dump was locked, with a sign that said that now at this franchise, there was an $8 charge. Frankly, I'm not sure we could have used it anyway, they had build up a curb around it that raised it so high that anything lower to the ground than a motor home would have a hard time using it (gravity works, water doesn't flow up!) When we asked about it, the girl gave us some lame story about the county forcing them to charge a fee and to build the curb. If that's true, someone should point out the laws of physics to them. Not sure that would work, though, it seems so many politicians and bureacrats have mastered the art of ignoring the obvious.

Beautiful clear day, arrived just after 3:00. Went to the dump there, which was along quite a narrow road. Someone was already on it (two hunters that, I'm sorry, didn't look like they had a clue what they were doing.) Settled back into the equestrian campground, which was still empty despite the warmer weather, and looked forward to a nice ride tomorrow!

Saturday, January 16, 2010 - Rain day

A warm rainy day today, a nice change after all the sunshine we've been having. Horses got a wash, we got a rest, did some reading and relaxed. Although there are lots of trails here at Osceola, there isn't much variation in scenery (other than the swamp area), so we decided to leave tomorrow for Poinsett Park in South Carolina, as the weather looks like we can have a comfy ride there on Monday. Made a few calls about hay, starting to run short.

Friday, January 15, 2010 - Day Two of riding in Osceola National Forest

Set out by 11:oo this morning, with dreams of following the 16-mile Yellow Trail. We had found the trailhead yesterday, where it begins at the edge of a Forest Road, and we delighted with the canopy of scrub pines and low palms, in an area that had obviously been "prescription-burned" a year or two earlier. Hubby had spoken to one of the rangers, who said they always burn right after the big game hunting season, and they burn about a quarter of the forest, (which is about 266,ooo+ acres), so they cycle through it every four years. Keep that schedule in mind if you decide to come here to ride! Anyway, the Yellow Trail is considered one of the more challenging trails in the forest, and we soon found out why. Forest became swamp, and parts of the trail began to be underwater. Water is not a problem for our horses, but I have to admit, when one section looked like my boots and saddle were going under, my horse and I both hesitated. Rather than risk going swimming or having water over the tops of my boots, we turned around, then struggled to find a way around. There was no cut trail alternative, and it truly was a bog near the trail, so we went just far enough into the woods to make it palatable (with persuasion) for the horses. Once we were past that point, the rest of the trail was much drier (and this IS the dry season here!).

All along the trail, the markings were good, but there was one missing when we crossed a road, and got lost again. A lot of the road numbers seemed to have changed since the maps were printed, so the going got a little dicey. No real water on the trail, except for rather stagnant swamp water, so watch out for that. Eventually, after another wrong turn (Hubby's fault), we ended up on a road that led us straight back to camp, which, since we'd been out for five hours, was precisely the direction we wanted to head. We found it interesting that there were no signs of other horses in the forest, AT ALL. A great secret, if you ask me! Supposed to rain tomorrow, horses will probably appreciate a day off, and think Hubby (yes, and me) needs the recovery time. Cocktail hour beckons!

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 - First ride in Osceola National Forest

At last, a day when the morning is warmer (although the horses are still breathing "fire"), but the smoke is minimal! As the temps warmed up, the smoke dissipated almost completely (Yeah!), but Hubby had to run into town to stock up on gasoline for the generator and to fill another propane tank that had run dry with all the heating we were having to do. On his return, a quick lunch, and FINALLY!!! A RIDE! Because it had been so long since we had ridden, we opted for the shortest trail, the green trail, advertised as "mostly on roads" and only five miles long, perfect for just stretching our legs. We set out down the straight flat hard sand packed road (no boots necessary!), heading north, doing our best to follow the map. We soon missed a turn, because I thought it was all on forest roads, and we never saw the trail marker. We assumed it was obscured or destoyed by the recent fires (as the area we were traveling was all along the firebreak line, one side green, the other black and ash), and we didn't really want to follow a trail through the burnt part of the forest anyway (it was still smoldering in some hot spots!), so we ended up briefly lost. The two vehicles we stopped were no help, so we ended up just retracing our steps back to the West Tower. A little over two hours, probably more like 6 or 7 miles, but because it was so long and straight we got a lot of trotting and cantering in.

SO happy we finally got to ride, and the horses were equally happy to do ANYTHING but be tied to a highline! A much longer ride is scheduled for tomorrow!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 - Too smoky and cold to ride, again

Smoke even worse this morning, the overnight cold air pushed it all into a low ceiling just above us. While Hubby was getting breakfast ready, I started searching for alternatives nearby, just to get out of it. By the time we finished breakfast, though, the air had warmed up enough to release most of the smoke, so we decided to stay after all. Didn't get a ride in though, still to cold a wind. Someone said they heard on the radio this was the coldest winter in N. Florida in 30 years! Sounds about right. When I moved from upstate NY to W. Palm Beach in 1976, they had snowfall all the way down to N. Miami that winter (76/77). I remember all the environmentalists then going on about nuclear freezing and planet cooling. This from folks who can't get the weather forecast right more than two days in advance (and even then get it wrong more often than not!) I like what Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, "We have climate change in Tennessee... four times a year."

Anyway, spent the day working on the computer, finding more horse camping sites and placemarking them on Google Earth. Then around 4:30, I suddenly got an error on Google Earth, and it had to close itself. When I reopened it, all of my work for the entire day was gone! Never happened like that before, I was not a happy camper! So I started to recoup them from my browsing history, and that will be one of the chores of the day tomorrow. But I'm still determined to get a ride in, the temps are supposed to reach 65! My knee is better, my cold is annoying but not debilitating, no more excuses!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 - RV repairs and Too cold to ride Day

More smoke, which we had hoped would dissipate, but instead the rangers came by and started a whole new fire right across the road from us, with flames reaching 20 feet high and more at some points. Jumped the road to our side just a few dozen yards away, they managed to put it out before it spread. Still cold enough for an inversion layer to keep the smoke from dissipating, but a cold, light wind made it too cold to ride anyway. My sore throat came back with a vengeance, and dropped into my chest a bit as well. My knee was throbbing. Hubby discovered a leak in the kitchen faucet, so that became the priority.

By the time he got back from town with the parts it was mid-afternoon, the smoke was terrible, it was still too cold to ride, so we gave up on it again, darn it. The smoke was so bad we started considering moving on somewhere if it doesn't clear up by morning, really felt bad that the horses were out in it. Only good news is the family came back in the evening, so I suppose their dog got fed (again, as we had fed him earlier in the day...) Not sure if they're staying, I don't know how they could stand the smoke out there, it's bad enough in here with all the windows closed. Keeping our fingers crossed we'll get a chance to ride here at least ONCE before we move on. Going to have to head back north soon, more work lined up in DC at the end of next week.

Monday, January 11, 2010 - Osceola Forest on fire!

Woke up to the smell of wood smoke. At first we thought the wind had changed and someone's campfire was blowing smoke in our direction, but soon realized that the rangers were initiating a prescribed burn. Smoke was everywhere, and with the cold temps, it was getting stuck on an inversion layer and getting trapped. I went into town for some supplies, and when I looked toward the forest, it looked liked someone had covered it up with a gray box, it was that perfectly flat on top. Still too cold for a comfortable ride, and I wanted to make sure my cold wasn't gaining on me, so we rested for the day, watched a few DVR movies, took it easy. I did spend some time trimming my horse's hooves, as they grow like mad on him for some reason, and he got a little restless at one point and kicked out with his leg, just clipping my knee. Enough to make it swell like a grapefruit, so I spent some time during the day icing and heating it. Still hurt when we went to bed, hoping for a quick recovery so we can ride tomorrow!

Getting a little concerned about the family that left over the weekend, they left a black dog tied up on a clothesline. We've checked on his water, but he doesn't seem to have any food, so Hubby gave him some biscuits (he didn't have any idea what they were!), but ate them voraciously once he got the idea. Hate to leave him there, have no idea when the owners are coming back. Just have to wait and see!

Sunday, January 10, 2010 - Rest/Movie day

Woke up during the night with a sore throat (thanks Paul!), but took some aspirin and slept well afterwards. Uneventful today, except the family in the red bus was gone all day (no kids around, so it was quiet, yeah!), and the guy in the van left. The hunters were out before dawn, don't know if they're coming back tonight or not. Stayed bundled up, watched a few old movies and I think I've waylaid the onset of the cold or flu that's attacking. Pea soup is good for that! Hoping it will warm up enough to ride tomorrow. Need to go into town tomorrow for more propane (we ran out of one of the tanks overnight, switched out in the morning), and find a post office to send some mail. Good relaxing day, one that we needed after the schedule we've been keeping!

Saturday, January 9, 2010 - Drive to Osceola National Forest

Got an early start, and decided to skip our planned Georgia stop and head straight for Florida. Weather has been so ridiculously cold we decided to get as far south as possible as fast as possible. We headed to Osceola National Forest near Lake City, made good time and arrive at the ranger station by about 3:00 pm. Before leaving, we went to great pains to get our horses the new 6-month passports because we had heard how tough it was to get into Florida without all of the up-to-day paperwork, Coggins and health certificates and so on. So when we pulled into the Agricultural Inspections station, Hubby was ready to go with our shiny new passports. The inspectors said they were the first ones they had ever seen! They had heard about them, but our were their first! Passed through, no problem!

Once we got into Osceola, we ran into a lot of hunting traffic. Missed a turn and had to take a side road, which was pretty rough in places, made harder by the number of trucks that were parked along the edge of the one-lane road. Last weekend for general gun season, apparently, and the ranger said it would be much quieter by Monday. Since our plan is to take Sunday off, that works fine with us!

Arrived in the campground next to the West Tower, which is free, around 4:30. It has a central spigot and a flush toilet. Several larger trailers were here for the hunters, a bus with a family living in it, surrounded by tents and using two of the four covered stall as their laundry-drying space. Another van with an older man apparently living in it was there as well. Not exactly uptown, but sometimes you only get what you pay for. Though we had originally planned on putting the horses in the stalls overnight (forecast temps were STILL in the teens, despite being in Florida), we decided against it, and circled the wagons in a way that would protect them from the north wind, and highlined them just outside the patio door. Cocktail hour started a little late, but we were settled in, quite possibly for the week!

Friday, January 8, 2010 - Change of plans, disappointed in Lee

Got out a little later than we hoped, primarily because our client was making several TV appearances this morning we wanted to see, then got on the road heading south, in search of warmer weather. Our original plan was to stop at Lee State Natural Area in South Carolina again, but I had a very unsatisfactory conversation with them en route. Because it was supposed to be in the teens overnight, we wanted to put the horses in one of the stalls they have there near the arena. Obviously, we wanted to park nearby to keep an eye on them. Unfortunately, the park manager wouldn't allow us to do that for reasons beyond comprehension. It's a group area, and we would have to pay the group rate ($300), but then again, we'd have to fill out an application and get it approved through the central office beforehand.... It became so ridiculous and absurd, I looked for an alternative, and found an excellent one at the Poinsett State Park about another hour farther south.

The ranger there was delightful, receptive and welcoming. Their campground area was very rustic, with a locked gate and one central water spigot, and open stalls made out of full-size pine logs. We were th only tenants, and the fee was about $10. The area was very sheltered, so even though the stalls weren't covered, we let the horses stay out instead of putting them in the trailer, as there was no wind at all. There's a multi-use trail nearby, and though we didn't stay to ride, we'll definitely be back to this one!

Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 - Drive day back to Cherry Hill Farms

Spend all day yesterday with a client, a very successful session by all accounts.
Today, we were on the road before 8:00 am, back down to Dee and Paul's by mid-afternoon, spent the day doing laundry, planning our immediate future. Shared a bottle of Dee's wine and some home-made pea soup I brought and spent the evening chatting away! Alas, Paul had come down with a terrible cold or flu, and was banished to the living room, while we set up shop in her very comfy kitchen. Went to be early, ready for an early start tomorrow

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 - Drive to Richmond, sans horses

Slept late (yeah! There's nothing like the luxury of sleeping late, is there?), finally made it into the house around 10:30, where the conversations began immediately. Swapping stories is always interesting with Dee and Paul, and in fact, Dee is even in the process of writing a book on some of her experiences with her horses over the years. Finally packed up and left in the RV with the dogs around 4:00, leaving our horses in their expert care while we followed our primary objective, work, for a day with a client in Richmond. Found out they had had a foot of snow a few days before Christmas, the parking lots still had tall piles of the white stuff. Needless to say, it continues to be cold, much colder than average for this time of year, and we're looking forward to heading south again, which may be all the way to Florida, though I hear they have frost warnings all the way to Miami! More of that global warming, eh?

Had a lovely Indian meal (our favorite ethnic cuisine, though Thai comes close!), then settled down in the parking lot of the hotel where we will be working tomorrow. Gotta love being able to sleep in your own bed every night, no matter where you are! As Buckaroo Bonzai would say, "Everywhere you go, there you are!"

Monday, January 4, 2010 - Drive day to Cherry Hill Farms, and a movie!

Packed up this morning, spent the day driving to the Cherry Hill Farm B&B in Buffalo Junction, VA, to visit with our new friends Dee and Paul, whom we met on our last journey through the area last fall. They have a lovely old farm with some paddocks and barns out back, so they are a very horse-friendly place. They also have quite a story to tell about their life with horses, should you every get around this way, and they love to hear everyone elses' horse stories, too!
Arrived around 3:00, the horses were thrilled to have a paddock of their own and a stall full of delightful shavings, which they promptly put to use by having a good roll. For any non-horse person who hasn't seen it, there's nothing quite as hysterical as watching a horse try to roll!
We chatted the rest of the afternoon, had a lovely stew for dinner, and watched a promising Western starring Peirce Brosnan and Liam Neeson. Sounds good, right? Ummm... not so much. Great scenery and production value, a bit thin on plot, but it had plenty of horses in it (though more than the usual number were shot out from under their riders, so caveat emptor!)

Sunday, January 3, 2010 - Rest/Paperwork day

Took the day off today, if you can consider spending half the day doing bookkeeping a "day off". I swear, if our government would only figure out how many more millions of hours of productivity could be gained by having a tax code that didn't require you to log in, categorize and save every darn receipt and expense a small businessperson makes, our economy would boom in no time. How about an across the board 10% tax on all income? How easy would that be? Just keep track of income, and at the end of the quarter or the year, you just send it in with a postcard that says, "1. How much income did you receive?, 2. Multiply by .10, 3. Send this amount in!" Well, we can dream, can't we? :-)

Saturday, January 2, 2010 - Lee Trail Ride Part 2

Woke up to a cold, sunny morning. Decided to take a quick shopping trip before we went riding, just to let it warm up a bit. Ended up leaving the campsite on horseback about 12:30 or so. We had decided to take the dogs with us, as there were no other horse campers at all, and almost no one else in the park. Our golden lab mix is fine with the horses on the trail, they don't bother each other at all, but our Jack Russell beagle mix hasn't quite figured it out, likes to bark and fuss. Hubby's horse has no problem with him, but my horse sometimes loses patience and reacts. Had a few scary moments when Hubby cut a corner off the road, and my horse suddenly realized he wasn't in the lead anymore, and pitched a little fit about it, jumping and jiving. Fortunately we were near the arena, so I took him in again and ran him around to get him settled. The little dog, Billy, ran around with us a bit, which was a good thing to get them both used to being together, and that seemed to work. We set off on the trail again, but the cold was definitely making everybody frisky. At one point I decided to ask for a trot, which I got for about 6 paces, then he decided he wanted to canter. I tried to pull him back into a trot, and he decided he wanted to gallop, with the added excitement of him looking for low branches as well (he's quite the comedian, my horse). He was too far to one side of the trail to pull a one-rein stop, so I had to hang on until the trail widened enough for me to be able to do it. A bit more harrowing than I like, but everyone was safe in the end. Hubby's horse galloped behind as well, but he was in better control. Needless to say, we walked quietly the rest of the way home..

Forecast calling for upper teens overnight (so much for global warming), so we decided to put the horses in the trailer for warmth before we went to bed. Another exciting day in the woods!

Friday, January 1, 2010 - Lee State Natural Area Trail Ride

Happy New Year! Now begins the true Year of the Horse!

The new year slipped in with little notice by us, having gone to sleep promptly at about 10:00 pm last night. Slept through to 9:00 am, feeling much more rested and relaxed, understandable after 11 hours of sleep!

After a leisurely breakfast (there was still some intermittent rain, so we didn't see the point in rushing, knowing the rain would be through around noon or so), Lester arrived to sign us in. Hubby and I had decided to stay through Monday morning, as the location was lovely, the cell phone signal was excellent, and we had some reading and video preparation to do before meeting our client next Wednesday. The entire bill for four nights, factoring in weekday rates, weekend rates and winter rates, came to $58.28. Now that's more like it! Water and electric on-site, a warm bathhouse for those inclined, and an easy pull-through to boot! Couldn't wait to see what the trails looked like!

We soon found out. The rain trickled off a little later than scheduled (a last minute pop up shower reared it's ugly head!), but we started getting the horses ready anyway. Mine needed a quick filing of his front hooves, which was done in short order. Ordinarily we run our horses barefoot, and use Easyboot Epics on the front when the terrain is questionable. There was nothing questionable about the trails here, however, as they were clearly nothing more than sand, pine needles, and occasional mud from all the rain, absolutely nothing warranting boots today! Unshod horses welcome here.

We set out down the Loop Road, which is shared by vehicles (though there weren't any out today). The road led us to the Show Ring and primitive equestrian camping area. My horse had been particularly frisky on the ride up, not surprising having not been ridden for about six weeks, so I took the opportunity to take him into the ring and settle him down. We trotted a bit, then I took him into a canter. When he's fresh, he has a habit of doing a little leaping and head tossing when he moves from the trot to a canter, so we did it several times until he finally stopped his silliness. From there we headed out to the trails.

The trails here are a series of looping intertwining, like spaghetti, according to the map. While there are signs posted for which trails are horse trails, there are no points of reference on the trails to the maps, but as everything eventually loops back to either the road or to the show ring, it's hard to get lost. As this was Day One of riding, we only stayed out about two hours, having had several trots, one surprise canter, and an excellent controlled trot and canter on the road back to the campground, which again, is all hard-packed sand. The horses truly seemed to enjoy themselves, they behaved surprised that it was so short a trip, but we wanted them to look forward to the next two days, which are supposed to be sunny, albeit colder, with highs in the low 40s. Not exactly the 60-70 degrees we set out to find, but this leg of the journey was following work, the next leg will be to follow weather!

Another bowl of pea soup, a lovely cocktail, and we're all settled down for the night. 'Til tomorrow!