First thing this morning while I was out tending the horses, another different ranger came by, immediately and forcefully telling me that we couldn't highline the horses, unless we kept them within 10 feet of the hitching post! Ten feet! That's barely enough room for them to swing their butts around! This time I had a harder time holding my temper, because this guy went from 0 to Bully in his first sentence. We've never been in a place where the rules were so irrational, unreasonable and inhumane, nor where they were enforced with so much enthusiasm that it would make the Gestapo proud. Well, Hubby and I tried to put the best face on it we could, despite our internal seething, had breakfast, then I headed out on another trail ride with my niece. Our plan was to ride down to where they were having the special Civil War Encampment in the old Forestville. When we reached the first water crossing, we were delayed by a group of riders who were having a bit of trouble getting a couple of their horses into the water, a problem that was compounded by the fact that rather just simply cross the river like it was no big deal, all of the first riders stopped in the middle of the water and turned around to watch. It was nearly 20 minutes before we could finally cross, but it was fairly entertaining watching them attempt a number of different ways of getting them across, none of which really worked, it was just the horses getting tired of arguing that made them finally cross. We let them clear out, then approached the water, where Apollo took one sniff, then stepped in immediately and crossed, no problem, with Clio and my niece right behind. The water was a good deal higher than when Hubby and I passed this way a couple of days ago, since we had had a lot of rain since then, and the water was brown where it had previously been clear enough to see every stone on the bottom, but it was no problem for my guys! We crossed the road and another smaller creek as we headed toward Forestville, but once again our plans were foiled by a sign saying the trail to the town was closed because of the event. Apparently the powers-that-be decided it might not be a good idea to have horses around when they have their arms demonstration, though once again, I think that should be the horse owners decision, not theirs. In any event, we turned around and crossed the two water crossings for a second time and came around another side of the loop that brought us near Forestville on the other side, and then back to camp. It was a nice ride, though my horses are showing a bit of frustration at the gravel trails and their inability to move much when they're back in camp. My mind has been working overtime to try to solve the problems we're facing here, especially the negativity this place is fostering in us, and I've thought of several possibilities, to be discussed with Hubby later tonight. Meanwhile, my niece and I ran out in the van to make a few phone calls to find some hay, then drove down to Forestville so we could at least walk around a bit, and see the action. There were a few people in costume, but the troop encampment consisted of just a few tents of Confederates on one side of the barn, and a few tents of Union troops on the other, a lot less than we expected. We toured around for a little while, but there wasn't much to see so we soon went back to camp, where we settled in for the evening, with Pigs in a Blanket for dinner tonight, cooked inside, so we wouldn't have to deal with the wet wood in trying to make a fire, and finished it off with another PG movie.
First thing this morning while I was out tending the horses, another different ranger came by, immediately and forcefully telling me that we couldn't highline the horses, unless we kept them within 10 feet of the hitching post! Ten feet! That's barely enough room for them to swing their butts around! This time I had a harder time holding my temper, because this guy went from 0 to Bully in his first sentence. We've never been in a place where the rules were so irrational, unreasonable and inhumane, nor where they were enforced with so much enthusiasm that it would make the Gestapo proud. Well, Hubby and I tried to put the best face on it we could, despite our internal seething, had breakfast, then I headed out on another trail ride with my niece. Our plan was to ride down to where they were having the special Civil War Encampment in the old Forestville. When we reached the first water crossing, we were delayed by a group of riders who were having a bit of trouble getting a couple of their horses into the water, a problem that was compounded by the fact that rather just simply cross the river like it was no big deal, all of the first riders stopped in the middle of the water and turned around to watch. It was nearly 20 minutes before we could finally cross, but it was fairly entertaining watching them attempt a number of different ways of getting them across, none of which really worked, it was just the horses getting tired of arguing that made them finally cross. We let them clear out, then approached the water, where Apollo took one sniff, then stepped in immediately and crossed, no problem, with Clio and my niece right behind. The water was a good deal higher than when Hubby and I passed this way a couple of days ago, since we had had a lot of rain since then, and the water was brown where it had previously been clear enough to see every stone on the bottom, but it was no problem for my guys! We crossed the road and another smaller creek as we headed toward Forestville, but once again our plans were foiled by a sign saying the trail to the town was closed because of the event. Apparently the powers-that-be decided it might not be a good idea to have horses around when they have their arms demonstration, though once again, I think that should be the horse owners decision, not theirs. In any event, we turned around and crossed the two water crossings for a second time and came around another side of the loop that brought us near Forestville on the other side, and then back to camp. It was a nice ride, though my horses are showing a bit of frustration at the gravel trails and their inability to move much when they're back in camp. My mind has been working overtime to try to solve the problems we're facing here, especially the negativity this place is fostering in us, and I've thought of several possibilities, to be discussed with Hubby later tonight. Meanwhile, my niece and I ran out in the van to make a few phone calls to find some hay, then drove down to Forestville so we could at least walk around a bit, and see the action. There were a few people in costume, but the troop encampment consisted of just a few tents of Confederates on one side of the barn, and a few tents of Union troops on the other, a lot less than we expected. We toured around for a little while, but there wasn't much to see so we soon went back to camp, where we settled in for the evening, with Pigs in a Blanket for dinner tonight, cooked inside, so we wouldn't have to deal with the wet wood in trying to make a fire, and finished it off with another PG movie.
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