Friday, January 23, 2026 – Fabulous 24 Mile Marker Retrieval Ride

Hiya Sweetie!
So glad I had earplugs last night, as this place is practically right on I-75, so loud traffic was the rule! That's okay, though, because I always sleep sounder when I use them, so it's all good. Woke up to my alarm, fed the horses and did morning chores and breakfast, and was saddling up Flash by 8:45, and heading up to the pavilion just after 9:00, just a tad behind schedule. We headed out going west, following and removing all the markers for the yellow/lime trail all the way down to Ross Prairie, about 13 miles. We took a very short break there (I tried to rinse Flash off at the wash station, but he wasn't very interested in that!), then headed back out on the blue trail, removing markers for about 1/3 of the way back, stopping at the 484 underpass. Once Flash figured out we weren't stopping to pick up markers any more, he took off, quite happy to canter and gait at high speed, winging his way through the woods like a bat out of hell! We did that off and on for the remaining ten miles, arriving in camp almost an hour before I had calculated, which was fine by me! What a blast! I love this little horse, he is just SO MUCH FUN! I rode over to where Art was acting as timer at the gate, and he took a minute to check Flash's heart rate (I was curious), and couldn't believe it was already down to 40 bpm! Amazing! Once I got him rinsed and settled, I sorted out the various ribbons and signs, then drove them up to the pavilion and hung around up there until dinnertime. My friend Jo arrived in the afternoon, and we chatted for a bit, then we all had dinner and the ride meeting. I left before the awards, though, because I had received a form from the horse safari outfitter and had to fill that out and get it back to them asap. Settled down for the evening, tired by happy after our 24 mile speed ride, won't be long out of bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

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