Hey Sweetie,
Up with the alarm, breakfast, saddling Flash and on the road by 9:00 with Linda and Holly. She drove us to a little road near Willis Springs, and we headed out on a trail that was a magnificent loop that swung us down into Georgia. We started out with quite a few trees down, but managed to clear them with no problem, then later the trail got wider, more like a forest road, and we had a lot less obstruction. Flash and Lola both had an interesting day. At one point, we went up a section of mountain that gained 200 feet in elevation in just a quarter mile, and as we neared the top, Flash just gave out. He's never done that before, but then again, usually the mountain trails we ride have switchbacks, and don't go straight up like this one did. I got off and let him rest a bit, until his shoulder stopped quivering, and finally was able to lead him to the top, which was only about 20 yards to go. We carried on okay after that, though there was one tree that we cut down that dropped right near an edge to a dropoff, and Flash just refused to go over the log. Again, he's never refused to go over a log, but I think it was because it was so close to the edge that bothered him, though he's always been okay with that before. After trying everything we could think of, I finally got out my little saw and finished cutting the log so that there was about a foot gap to get through. He even refused that! Finally, we got him through that, which was so weird. And strangely, about a quarter mile further on there was an even bigger tree just as close to the edge, and he stepped right over it without a second thought! And that time, we were in the lead, so he didn't even see the other horses stepping over it. Very weird! Well, the rest of the trip for him was more normal, but by then, Lola was getting tired and going pretty slow. I had decided to bring her because she has been so lively the last couple of days, and she so needs more exercise, and I was glad I did, even though she was slowing us down near the end. Linda and Holly really like to move out, and usually so do I, but they were nice enough to slow down a bit for Lola, who was doing her best to keep up. When we were getting ready to cross back over the Conasauga River, I was afraid she would be too tired and considered putting a rope on her to make sure she didn't get swept downstream, but she went right in the water before I had a chance and managed to get to the other side with no problem, though she was dragging the rest of the way back to the truck, about a quarter mile. But she made it! I gave her an extra pill when we got home, they've been working a miracle on her, and she did overdo it a bit today, but she'll certainly sleep tonight, and it's a good step in the direction of getting her fit again. I also had the misfortune to break my right stirrup (probably from the extra pressure of trying to get Flash over that log!), so I was loose-footed for the majority of the ride. On the way back, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant and had a nice meal and a peach margarita, which saved me from making dinner, yay! Whew, what a day! It was a nice break from all my deep-cleaning, though! Guess I'll be back to that tomorrow. Fixed my stirrup when we got back, and did a couple of other small things while I was still moving, then finally crashed into my usual evening routine. Ready for shower and bed! Good night, baby! Love you!
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