Barefootin'

 It's Saturday! Ride day! We met Rachel on Underwood to try riding again--this time without boots. I was nervous; I wasn't sure what was going on with Jupiter, but I was willing to try again. We took a different path and missed the low branch bridge this time by skirting the pond. It worked really well. Jupes was a little jiggy and really wanting to charge up the trails. 

We went up to Dad's overlook and there are daffodils coming up! Lynn's bulbs for dad. :) We rode from there to the meadow bog. Jupes took off charging up the hill and I reached for his mane like always and only grabbed a sliver of hair! Dang1 Silly boy has rubbed off my "grab some mane and hold on!" handle. 

Coming down the back side, he got a little jiggy and humped up and kicked out. I got off and took Lynn's advice and tightened his crupper. It worked. He still was a on fast walk, but he relaxed a little and I tried really hard to stay deep in the saddle and back on his butt more. We had a good ride. It felt good to be out there.

Then Rachel could not get Steele into the trailer. That guy is stubborn. Nothing worked. Finally he loaded up with our boys and we took him down the hill to her driveway. She texted Lynn and said she finally loaded him. Yay!

2026 First ride

This is the perfect picture to show our first ride of 2026. First of all, Jupes is shoeless. It's January, after all. So I bought some gold boots for us to ride in when we needed to to. Lynn put them on and we started off toward our Underwood trail. What that means is: Jupes and I started off to our get on stump. Well, there are some little cedars growing up right there and they've gotten bigger. Jupes doesn't like little cedars touching his privates. So we looked around for somewhere to get on. Although that picture is not the very beginning, that view in the picture is how Lynn saw me all day. 

We headed up our trail. boots staying on nicely. We pooped. We peed. All is good. We got up the road a little more and we drank. Easy peasy. When we got to the low bridge branch. I jumped off and we went under it, no problem. Then when I was looking for a place to get back on, I saw that Jupes' foot was out of his boot and it was like an anklet around his leg instead. Lynn came back and worked to put it back on more tightly. I bent down to help and whoosh, down came my chinks around my ankles. ??? What the heck. Cracking up, Lynn helped by unbuckling me and I was able to step out of them. Good grief.

Boot on. Chinks up. And here I am in the picture above, attempting to get on while my saddle swings over. 

As I get on, I tell her my life is out of balance. I have broken three things in last week and I rarely break stuff. I'm pretty careful. Sheesh. Lynn laughs and tells me that if I want to go back and be done, she's fine with that. I say, okay, I could go back. I try not to be the one who says I'm done, but there it is. 

So we start back. The boot comes off again. I think it came off three times total. So I took both off and we went barefoot. We had a pretty good ride through the woods next to the pond and back toward the upper dirt road. Jupes wanted to go a different way and kind of was balky about it. I told him we were headed back the way we came.

Years ago when Jupes and Ziggy were young, I would have issues with Jupiter coming down the first hill. A lot. Haven't had any issues there in a very long time. Actually, haven't had any issues at all for a couple years, I think. Well, today was the day. Kicking up, humping, head tossing, bowed neck. What the heck!? It was a DOGGONE IT, JUPITER! kind of day. Well, end of the day. 

I finally got off right before the little slick spot to the road. 

At least I got to ride. I am so thankful that Lynn is patient and kind and puts up with the two of us. Sheez Louise. He and I are a mess.

Oh and he stepped on my spur and pull me out of it!

 

Links without a story--so far

LHC 50 cent Ride  

Gray's Side 9.16.25

Walking at Sandy Bar 

GRAYS side 10.5.25

Flowers for Mr. Kurtz

Sandy Bar

 Three miles and with Three BAZILLION gnats. Sandy Bar

Lynn is certainly blessed. :)

I'm missing it. I'm going to miss all next week, too. It's tough having friends and family that need me to do stuff. I guess that's another kind of blessing. 

A Wet One

 Lynn is out again:

"I am completely soaked; not smart when you grab a madrone tree at the Slap Trail to push it out of the way so it doesn't take your head off and all the leaves waterfall over you. The temperature of the water cupped in the leaves is cold!"

I texted her: "Where's your chinks?" (Although they wouldn't have helped the top half!)

Silly girl.

Lynn's Bored

 Lynn was bored and restless, so out she went.

Soft Hooves and a Squeaky Saddle

Sunday riding solo

My life is too busy with things that are not riding!! Lynn gets to go solo and I am so envious! Thankfully, I can sit at my meeting and see her pictures and later maybe a Relive video.

Solo Ride

Here are some new trail names for us to use so we'll know exactly what/where we are talking about in our adventures.

 Okay two new names we got: the Flap Trail (yeah I know where that one's at: slap slap slap) and the other one just the Cow Trail then we'll know where we're at and the one where we had the granola bar spot where the deer ran up to me the Baby Bond.

Is there a cow out there?