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!