KD's Day Off

I've come to really appreciate a good vacation day.  Started off this morning with an early morning vet call for spring shots and then spent an hour shooting the breeze with him.

Got a little housework done, then picked up a round bale for the girls.  I use a Hay Hut to protect the round bale and try to keep them from wasting so much hay.  It's a little unwieldy for me to tip over by myself, but I can still do it.

My two little hens are laying well again and I found a dozen eggs in the soft bed of hay pieces left in the Hay Hut.

After sifting thru the hay for the eggs, I rolled the new bale out of my truck bed and with much grunting, tipped the  Hay Hut back over the new bale of hay.  Then I noticed that I forgot to cut the twine off the dang bale, so had to reach through the windows to get that done...didn't want to flip the hut again.  The horses still pull hay out of the windows and stomp on it, but much less is wasted than with a traditional hay ring.

Next in line was to meet my daughter to go check out a wedding venue at one of our favorite places to ride...Diamond D Ranch.  Jenny and I used to rent horses there when she was just a little kid, and during her teen years she worked there as a Summer Horse Camp Counselor.  The Griffin family has always treated her  as part of the Ranch "family".  They've built a wedding pavilion that is really lovely and we are considering it for Jenny's wedding this year.  Here's what it looks like at night.....you can go as casual or as fancy dancy as you like.

A quick sandwich from a local Subway, then Jenny and I went to pick up her new Lab puppy.  Jenny has been involved with the pups since they were born  - the bitch belongs to a good friend of hers and the male is a proven working duck dog from GA.  My new grand pup is soooo cute and smart too!  Now she has to get a name to suit her.

After saying good bye to Jen and the pup, I headed home to feed the crew and relax for a while.

This is Dixie, my 26 year old Appy that gets prettier every year.

Stylin had to work for her alfalfa cube treat and performed for the camera.  I was a little close and it was a little hard to fit her in the frame while I asked her to lie down, but we got it.

What an awesome day !   

New Photo

While I was at McCulley Farms Spring Withlacoochie Trail Ride, their in house photographer, Yvette Palmer took this nice picture of me and Style.

Looking Back on the Cracker Trail

Warning up front......  lots of pictures follow.

I've been back from the Florida Cracker Trail Ride for 3 weeks now and am taking the time to post some great memories.  The ride was a little less stressful for me this time because I knew what to expect having been once before in 2011.  I had a wonderful group of ladies riding and camping with me and it was an adventure that I'll never forget.  Starting outside of Bradenton, FL and ending up in Ft. Pierce 7 days and 120 miles later is a fantastic way to recreate and honor Florida's history.  To share it with my daughter, Jenny and my friends Cathy, Michelle and Christina made it more special.  Another friend, Marilyn, who has done this ride each year since 2005, was there as well sheparding a newbie to the Cracker Trail.  My pony, Stylin, was awesome!  She carried my big ole butt everyday without complaint and finished up looking and feeling great.  The week started bone chilling cold in the high 20's and ended up in the mid 80's.  I had to pack plenty of clothes for me and Stylin.  I clipped her 2 weeks before the ride because it usually runs pretty warm this time of year.  Started the week with her medium weight blanket, switched to her canvas sheet and she ended up naked at the end of the week.  Her short coat made it much easier to keep her groomed and comfortable during the day.  I did practice my whip cracking skills and can now crack two 8 foot whips at the same time.  :-)

The photos following are in no particular order...........   :-)

 Chilly breakfast at Bar Crescent S Ranch

 Stylin loves to scrub her butt in the sand and play in the water

 Christina and Jenny at Ft Pierce

 Frosty morning window

 Bundled up with hot coffee- Christina, Cathy, Me and Muleman

Me, Cathy and Christina cooling off later in week

Parading for the kids at Cracker Trail Elementary 

 Cathy and Jenny at the school

 Yummy dinner

 Gathering at Hickory Hammock State Park

 Jenny, Lumir and Jen-O at Ft Pierce

 Jenny tries out a real Cracker Horse

 Jenny cracks her whip for the kids

 Marilyn and Elizabeth on their pretty mules

 Jenny and Maybe in shallow lake

 Donald and his mini mule Luna - they led the ride

 The kids loved the mini mule

 Michelle, Christina, Cathy, Me and Jenny

 Riding the historic Cracker Trail

 Mr. Bill hitches a ride with Busta and Cathy....Oh No !

 Through the fragrant orange groves

 Parked the horses to have lunch in Ft Pierce

 Parked at local accomodating bar

 Mobile porta potties followed us

 Road riding

 Ranch riding

Jenny, Michelle and Christina warm their hand

More road riding - Elizabeth on left, me on right 

Working the crowd in Ft Pierce after the parade- Michelle and Stylin's son Ranger next to us

Stylin is a good ambassador!

Stylin and Ranger get ready for the parade through Ft Pierce

Video showing Jenny and Christina cracking their whips in the parade

This one shows me, Michelle and Cathy ...you can hear us whooping.  :-)

And this last one is of me and Michelle messing with the whips at camp.... the sound is much louder and similar to a 22 gun shot in person.         HAPPY TRAILS

Getting Ready and Enjoying the Weather

We been riding almost every weekend and trying to get some conditioning in.  Stylin and I are joining some friends to participate in the Florida Cracker Trail Ride again this year.

Our group of friends enjoyed a Christmas camp out at the Spirit of the Suwannee Campgrounds where we meandered the trails along the Suwannee River, played games on horseback including musical feed bags, relay races and broom polo, enjoyed campfires, awesome food and fantastic fellowship.

Stylin and I warm up for the games

Shoe tree along the trail

Jenni & Anna demonstrate how to pee from horseback

Busta shows how much he trusts Cathy

Partial group shot 

We had such a good time and have ridden together many times since December, but I haven't been taking pictures.  We've been hitting Jennings State Forest pretty hard and riding the 16 mile loop to get our ponies in shape.  Here are a bunch of pictures that Mustang took during the Christmas Camp Out.  PHOTOS

Photo Shoot

I love these pictures that my daughter Jenny took of us recently.  When she gets more downloaded, I can share some of her and her pony along with my buddy Cathy and her horse as well.

Number 2

I got to camp again this month....2 in 1 month is stretching my financial plan, but this trip was pretty inexpensive.  I am debt free other than my home, and am in the phase of saving enough cash to cover me for 3 to 6 months.  When I reach that number, then it's to pay off my home and be ready to semi retire in 2014.  Anyway, a few of us decided to camp at McCulley Farms the weekend AFTER their big fall ride.  Good decision!  We had a blast....there were only about 5 other trailers besides our group.  It was like the farm and trails along the Withlacoochie River  and Twin Rivers State Forest belonged to us.  :-)

We got to ride when we wanted, for as long as we wanted, slept in as long as we wanted and ate want we wanted.  We had fun around the campfire.... we played headbands, but ran out of headbands so I put my card in my glasses.

Stylin was still a little off from the previous camping trip so I rode my other mare Dixie.  She is such a a good old gal.  She is still going strong.  We do not have the same easy connection that Stylin and I have, but it was fun to ride her this weekend.

Cathy's horse Busta was still lame as well, so she rode my daughter's mare, Maybe.  She always enjoys little Maybe....she'll go anywhere and do almost anything  you ask of her.

From Friday thru Sunday afternoon....I relaxed and had an awesome time with my friends and horses.

Here are links to all the rest of the photos I took and that Mustang took.  Group 1   Group 2

And a parting video......  you can't see me, but you can hear my southern twang and see my mare's ears.