Obstacle Challenge At VBF

As many of you know we have built a nice obstacle course here for our horses to train on. You have either seen it for yourself or you have seen pictures on our website. We decided to host a Obstacle Trail Challenge here this past Saturday and utilize the trail course for a fun and challenging trail class. S.T. did a great job in putting the course together and after the ACTHA ride, several riders came to walk-through the course to see what it was all about. Some of the riders had been involved in other challenges before (even the one hosted at the Equine Affair), but for most, it was a new and exciting sport to do with their horse.

Saturday was a beautiful day as far as the weather was concerned and for that we were so thankful. We have had as much "record breaking weather" as we can stand. Dad changed up the trail map to keep the riders on the highest ground possible, and sometimes that made for a "meadow ride", but it was better than sinking into mud. I know there are several of you who would love to see rain in your area, but Kentucky has turned into a jungle. WE ARE TIRED OF IT! Of course today is 97 (another record for this time of year) and we are sweltering in the humidity.

The Pony Express was the theme through out the course and each obstacle offered little tid-bits of information that went along with the theme. Taking the mail from the mail box obstacle and reaching each station successfully were the challenges. Hopefully the riders learned a little about the pony express during their ride, which in my research I found very interesting.

Several people stayed a couple of days longer and rode some of the trails in the Red River Gorge with Mom and Dad. They were able to enjoy a beautiful ride that is full of natural scenic obstacles.

I hope all of you can add these rides to your agenda. We are hoping to offer another in October. I will keep you informed of the date. If you don't have a horse, please come and cheer your favorite on to the winner's circle.

Big News!

I am lax in getting this news out to my blogger friends, it has been announced on Face Book and the ACTHA site, but I have been remiss in letting you know. Dad (H.T.) and Blue On Black were selected out of almost 1000 entries to participate in America's Favorite Trail Horse Competition, hosted by the American Competitive Trail Horse Assoc. One hundred riders will be filmed in Texas this coming week for 13 epoisodes to be aired on HRN and possibly on RFD networks. The program will air on T.V. in September. America will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Trail Horse...much like the American Idol series. I will let you know more about the procedures as we know them. We need your vote, so please make an effort to vote when the time comes.

I was listening to the weather this morning and the weather man started out saying "For all you people that are weary of the rain".... and I thought, that is what I am..., I am weary of all this rain! I am tired of breaking records, with amounts of rain fall, amounts of tornadoes, size of hail, floods (especially) and wind. I am tired of being wet, the horses being wet and I so long to see the sunshine. True, we did get a little tease of sun Saturday, but this is Tuesday! I try not to complain, because I know as bad as we have it, there are so many people in total disaster. Then, I feel guilty and I make myself get out of bed and face the day. I know there will be a day the sun will shine and we will be in 90 degree weather sweltering in the hot sun, wishing for a little rain to cool things off.

Really, I am not that depressed, I just really look forward to beautiful Kentucky days in the Spring and when that did not come it kind of bums me out.:o(

Keep watch, we will let you know about America's Favorite Trail Horse and we will be asking for your vote.

The Mexican Horse

I am sorry to tell you, but… I am in sunny Baja California, Mexico, away from the snow, ice, and cold! Larry and I left all of that behind, packed our bags and headed south. I am so thankful, to have the family that I feel comfortable leaving in charge during the coldest part of the winter. I am sorry they can’t all come with me, but maybe their day will come soon enough when they can leave all their worries behind for a little while. Even though I am a fair weather rider, I still miss seeing horses everywhere I look. I can’t believe how much I have them in my life until I leave them. The bright side is our neighbor has a horse and he is pastured right on the other side of the fence along with a big gelding and a burrow. He is the typical “Mexican Horse”, bay, with socks and a big white question mark on his forehead and down his nose. My neighbor Bobbie bought his mother, and rode her around the neighborhood and along the beach not knowing all the while she was pregnant until she started dripping milk. Low and behold a few days later a foal was standing by her side. Well, I am sure this is not unusual, because most of the horses down here run loose along with all the other farm animals. You don’t fence to keep your livestock in, but to keep everyone else’s out. Because of the big question mark and the unknown identity of the sire of course there were all kinds of suggestions for names, like Who’s Your Daddy, and Joker…but Bobbie thought she had hit the jack pot, so that is his name J.P. for short. He is just a year old but Bobbie has started working with him from the ground and he has excellent manners. I do feel sorry for the folks that have never rode a gaited horse. You just don’t know what a “comfortable ride” is. I am talking “rocking chair comfortable.” At any rate, I get my “horse fix” by seeing and hearing a horse just across the fence, it keeps my thoughts close to home.