After a week of recovery and catching up, it was time to get the horses back on the trail, but since we had so much going on, we elected to just go to nearby Pace Bend Park. In search of new trails to ride, we headed north from the Day Use area along the edge of the beach. We passed through a few fields of beautiful blue bonnets and other spring wildflowers, a beautiful sight to see! As we reached the beach, the sand was firm for a short while, but then Apollo balked when the strip narrowed between the edge of the water and the base of the cliff, so Clio took the lead momentarily, but the sand was so soft, she sank in so deep her knees buckled and she essentially laid down, her belly resting on the sand. She didn't struggle, she just sat there waiting for help, so Hubby stepped off her, and she popped right up again. After re-mounting, we headed back up to the top of hill and followed it along the edge for a while. Eventually it curved around until we hit the perimeter fence, then we followed it down through some very nice fields on a narrow trail, with more wildflowers and a few cantering stretches along the way. Not a long ride, but a very nice one, it was good just to get out again. After so much riding last week, we don't want the horses' fitness level to drop any more than necessary!
Archives for April 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014 – Rest and Runaround Day
April 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Woke up to dark skies, a spit of rain, and a cold wind, not exactly perfect riding weather. Despite a forecast that it would clear up later in the day, it was still going to be cooler than we like, so we decided to take the opportunity to run into town and pick up some horse feed and look for a new hat for me, as my white one is a bit worse for the wear. I keep looking for one, but hadn’t found one yet, but we managed to find a tan straw hat that fit perfectly in one of the little shops on Main Street in Bandera. The town is a bit on the touristy side for us, but enjoyable nonetheless. We wandered a bit, had ice cream at the General Store that had an old soda fountain, then headed back to camp and relaxed the rest of the day. It did get to clear skies by the end of the afternoon, but it was still very breezy, gusting upwards of 35 mph, so it never really got warm enough. Great forecast for the next few days, though, so we’re looking forward to the many more trails left to do!
Friday, April 11, 2014 – Postpone our First Ride for Rest
April 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Well, Hubby overdid it the last two days, and we had to postpone our first ride so as not to aggravate the situation. Spent the day going through my computer and putting things back in order while he rested his back, icing it down and relaxing in his recliner. We took one trip out to fill up the horse trailer tank with water, as well as one of the portable barrels, which, unfortunately, still has a few small leaks in it, despite the plastic liner we put in it. He felt much better by the end of the day, and I was much more organized, so it was well spent, despite not getting a ride. Sure looks like we’ll be going tomorrow, can’t wait! And the horses will certainly be ready, having spent the day in those little corrals!
Wednesday, April 9, 2014 – Preparation Day
April 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment
As our local client is now out of the country for two weeks, we decided to take the opportunity to go down to Hill Country State Natural Area, one of the most highly acclaimed horse trails in the area. We spent the day today getting ready, having spread out so much after being here so long, so we knew it would take some doing. Hubby greased all the bearings and changed out the hitch and filled all the tires, and all of the other maintenance that he’s been letting go as we’ve been just sitting for so long. He probably shouldn’t have let it wait until the last minute (as usual), because he was exhausted by the time the evening rolled around, and I was pretty tired too. I had gotten up really early to take my niece to school, as my brother had driven down to Houston to work on his boat again, with an eye toward selling it, as he doesn’t use it. I also ran out to get a few last minute items, including a large dog feeder for his dog, as he wasn’t sure if he was going to be back tomorrow, or stay for a few more days. Also picked up my computer, which Duncan had managed to completely revive, though we had to upgrade to a larger hard drive, as my old one was just too darn small for everything I had. So it went from 320 gigs (which I thought would be enough forever, goes to show ya!) to 750 gigs, because he didn’t have a 500, which is fine, I can always use the space. In any event, we were as packed up as we could get by 7:00, leaving only the necessities until morning. REALLY looking forward to some new trails, and a NEW BACK YARD!, even if it’s only for a few days.