New Trail (new to me at least)

Cathy, Jenny and I hooked up with Dana and her friend Lanette to ride from Diamond D Ranch to the borrow pit in Jennings Forest.

I met Dana several years ago and we recently reconnected on Facebook. I was happy to finally get to ride with her again.

She showed us some different trails in Jennings State Forest - we rode to a borrow pit and had fun climbing the hills and playing in the water.

On our way back, Dana's horse almost stepped on a beautiful corn snake. Jenny jumped off Maybe and caught the snake so that we could admire it for a few minutes before letting it go again.

Here are the rest of the pictures............ PHOTOS.

Moses Creek Ride

Cathy took a personal day from work and we went riding at Moses Creek Conservation Area. I haven't been out there in a couple of years and thought it was time to check it out again. Other than some rocks that the management folks put down in some wet areas and along the first part of the trail, we had no problems. Busta was tenderfooted from just having his pads removed that Cathy had put on him when we went to the Georgia mountains.

We took the shorter trails since we got a late start and rode for about 3 hours. It was breezy and cool - just right for a nice trail ride.

I was able to use Stylin's cool Renegade Hoof Boots after talking at length with Kirt Landers, the creator of the boots. I was having some fitting problems so Kirt had me send him some photos of Stylin's feet then talked me through some trimming adjustments. I trimmed her up Friday morning and the boots fit much better and hung with us through our ride. I really like the way that they don't alter her stride nor come up over her coronet band. Thanks Kirt!

Have a Merry Christmas!

A little Christmas card I made years ago modeled on a cute little baby John Mule named Missouri Jim.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....

I love these synthetic felt pad liners... I use the 1" thick ones as a regular pad. You can get them from Smith Brothers and they are inexpensive.

I have found the Simple Boot by Cavallo to be very easy to use and reliable on the trail.

When I decided to switch to a hornless saddle I found a used Sharon Saare endurance that fits both Stylin and me. We love it!

I can ride Stylin in a halter, snaffle, bosal, etc, but her favorite bit is this medium port sweet iron short shanked curb by Reinsman. She carries it very calmly and quietly.

My Natural Hoof Care Practioner and I both like Pete Ramey's philosophy on barefoot trimming. I have recently begun trimming my own horses and am getting more confident daily.

This foot cream is for humans and it works! Recommended to me by a friend and it's made a big difference for me. You can find it at Walmart.

I like using lightweight but strong rope halters. I get mine made out of the same material as the big trainers at a fraction of the cost at Handcrafted Jewels.

This small and sturdy "Newer Spreader" works perfectly for our small property. I pull it behind our lawn mower.