The weather is finally turning a little cooler and it makes me want to get out and ride even MORE ! We've been having some nice group rides with our Happy Trails group and you can see pictures of them at the Happy Trails Link.

Julian is continuing his riding lessons and has graduated to cantering without holding on to the saddle horn. He's very proud of himself (as am I) and wants to learn to swing a rope now. You can see a video of him HERE.

I'm joining 2 of my girlfriends this weekend for a horse campout at a new location on the Suwannee and hope that it can become a new favorite place to ride.

Ringer is getting bigger every day and is a pleasure to pony now. No more pulling or lagging behind and since I learned my lesson by being pulled off my horse - I pay more attention now which helps. :)

Wow ! Just reqalized it's been 2 months since I posted to the blog. I've been extremely busy at work and too tired to play on the computer much at home. The weather is just getting right for riding and camping and we hope to do a bunch of both. We camped with friends 2 weekends ago at Lakeview Plantation in SC for 4 days and had a great time. We thought we were jinxed for the first 24 hours.....our friends had a blowout on the expressway, a crazy guy almost sideswiped us both, we got the last 6 stalls together at the camp, Ringer injured himself, Stylin had four tender feet, her Boa Boot lace broke, I lost my necklance on a tree branch (after it choked me), Traci's new stirrup broke, and last but not least I walked like a crab all weekend with a "stove up" back. But... even after all that we had good food, great company,and excellent trail rides. I had the opportunity to ride Mike's big ole horse Cozmo and hubby's horse Dixie.

Mindy came up last weekend and gave us driving lessons with Dixie and her new used cart that we got from our friend Donald. Dixie is a champ !

Julian & Dixie

Julian and Dixie are doing well with their lessons......... Julian likes to trot now - look at him go !

First Saddling

Worked with Ringer in the round pen yesterday and let him carry a saddle for the first time. He did really well ... I'll probably start ponying him with the saddle soon.

No big news and no new pictures to add. I've been riding as much as possible, but the heat is just too much to ride during the day. Did go for an early morning ride with friends on Saturday out at the Ravines. The yellow flies were bad in patches, but we managed to stay in the shade most of the time, so the ride was pretty good. The dogs are driving me crazy lately - between new dog, Sarah getting potty trained and Millie just sulking when Jenny doesn't take her with - seems I'm always cleaning up dog pee or poop. The crate has helped Sarah a lot though and she is getting better. The chickens that Jenny brought with her when she moved back home are a lot of fun. They just tickle me when they run across the yard to get fed! We lost our grey cat Louis last month to a snake bite or something venomous and he is missed a lot. Ringer is coming along nicely and I'll take some new pictures soon.

Family Matters

Had a wonderful, busy weekend. Friday I was able to adopt a sweet little dog from the pound and we're adjusting to life with a happy, bouncy dog. She is to be a companion for Jesse and a friend for me. (My sister says I just copied her because she recently adopted a great dog too !)

Sunday, Robbin came over and even brought dinner - Yummy ! She also brought her husband, son, exchange student & the dog. Julian got his second riding lesson since he got his new saddle. This time he had to help get Dixie ready, including brushing her and picking her hooves. He did a great job and even trotted on his own.

Big Ride Today

We joined several groups today for a joint ride at San Felasco Hammock Preserve. There must have been 25 - 30 total riders. The weather was hot but not unbearable and 75% of the ride was through shaded trails. We rode a hilly trail that we had not been on before and had a great time. Here are a few more pictures.