Archives for 2025

Hi Darlin',
Woke up on schedule, did my usual morning chores, then hooked up the small horse trailer and got Flash loaded up to go down to Apex. Had a quick meeting with the forest folks about the final preparations for the TOG, then met with Sherra in the day parking area and hit the trail! I followed the same trail that the Long Horse riders will use just to see if there have been any changes, and found a place or two to add another sign, but I'm pretty sure it's mapped out as well as it can be at this point. We had a great ride, her horse Blake didn't have much experience with water, and this trail had some wonderful long stretches to wade through. Flash led the first few times, but we finally got Blake out front, which, except for one crazy incident, worked just fine. The first time he was in the lead, he leapt off the trail into a very dense jungle on one side, and when she got him turned around, rather than just stepping back out, he leapt to nearly the other side, knocking Flash off his feet! It took a couple of tries, but Flash managed to get himself up with me still on his back, and there was no damage, just a moment of uncertainty at what that youngster might do next! He was fine after that, though, and we took that long stretch of water a couple more times just to get him comfortable. After all, today was all about schooling, and Flash's calm demeanor did rub off on Blake after awhile. It was a great ride, a beautiful day, couldn't ask for more! Got back to camp, put Flash away, dropped off the trailer, then went over to Helen's for a visit and to pick up her recycling, which the neighborhood contributes to the forest. Finally got back to camp and got settled in for the evening. Had to skip my hot tub, I forgot to put it on again this morning, so it didn't hit temps in time, but had my shower, tea, etc., and off to bed! Good night, babe! Love you!

Hiya Babe,
Woke up before the alarm, got my chores and breakfast done, then loaded up Flash for the hour drive down to a little trailhead parking area on the west side of the Withlacoochee Citrus Tract, where I met up with Sherra, a friend of my old friend Cherryl, and off we went! I had never been to this forest before, and had often wanted to come to the Tillis Hill horse camp, but until last July, dogs weren't allowed (well, except for the camp host, who apparently strictly enforced the rule, while herself had a dog!) so I could never camp here. She has a four year old quarter horse that's been giving her some problems on the trail, which is why Cherryl suggested riding with a nice calm horse like Flash might help. Interestingly, once Flash figured out her horse (Blake) was not in any way shape or form a threat to his lead position, he actually slowed down to one of his slowest walks so as to keep from getting too far ahead. Well, at least for about the first half of the ride. We did some lovely gaits and canters where we were more evenly matched, but a lot of walking as well, while she and Blake sorted out a few anxiety matters. It was a gorgeous day and a lovely ride! We did manage to make it all the way to the horse camp, just because I wanted to see what it looked like, and from my perspective, it was way too civilized. Worse, even though a lot of the sites were taken, we didn't see one horse in the barn, or even any evidence there were any horses around. The issue with this place is that no horses are allowed in the camping area, and you can't really drive anywhere near the barn, which is on the opposite side of the camping area, so you have to haul everything over there every time. Plus, relatively speaking, it was expensive for a public lands campground. Fine, now I've seen it, and ridden the trails, I don't have to go there to camp! We were out over four hours, a bit longer than she originally suggested, so she and her horse got a really good workout, though it didn't stop him from making a fuss once he was in the trailer. A bit of a knot head, but he's young, so entitled to his youthful ways for the moment. It was a very nice ride, everyone got along, and she wants to do it at least once a week somewhere, which is fine with me! She's planning on coming to Apex next week, so we can check the trails out there, and Blake can get some practice going through water, something he's not very familiar with. Anyway, I got back to camp a bit after 3:00, got Flash put away, then chatted with some day riders for a bit before settling down for the evening. A beautiful day! Love you, sweetie! Good night!

Hiya Sweetie,
Been sleeping well lately, I credit the hot tub and Sleepytime tea! Not to mention being busy, that always helps. After my usual morning routine, I saddled up Flash and headed out on the trails here at Black Prong, this time daring to take Lola with me. She's been doing pretty well on the short, slow rides with Apollo, and today's ride was only about eleven miles, and she's been taking her new medication, so I decided to take a chance. My goal was to find the best access to a tree that's down on a trail on the north end of this section, to see if a ranger truck can get back there or if we need a quad. It wasn't a critical ride, so I figured if Lola got too tired or in pain we could turn back, but as it turned out, she did quite well. Yes, she was tired towards the end, but she needs the exercise to get her muscle back, and I think she did great. The ride itself was lovely, so glad the weather has finally warmed up, it was a perfect weather day! The north section is a lot more wild, and is a nice change, nice to be able to ride out of camp rather than have to trailer somewhere else. Met Ranger Rick on the way back, and we decided now would be a good time to angle the post tops on the manure bin, so he came back to do that. Shortly after that, I headed over to Val's for a meeting about the upcoming Fun In The Sun Ride (FITS) next month, as I've been appointed ground manager, which means I get to be the parking czar, helping to lay out and provide signage for all the different areas of the field they are using. Worked with Chelle after that meeting to figure out what signs we needed, then got back to camp, put some water in the tank in the truck and hooked up the little trailer for a day trip down to Withlacoochee tomorrow. A friend of a friend suggested we ride together, and that section of state forest is one I've never ridden in, and happens to be almost exactly halfway between us, so we're meeting up in the morning. Finished my evening chores and settled down for my usual routine, including hot tub! Good night, my darlin'! Love you!