Have a Merry Christmas!

A little Christmas card I made years ago modeled on a cute little baby John Mule named Missouri Jim.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....

I love these synthetic felt pad liners... I use the 1" thick ones as a regular pad. You can get them from Smith Brothers and they are inexpensive.

I have found the Simple Boot by Cavallo to be very easy to use and reliable on the trail.

When I decided to switch to a hornless saddle I found a used Sharon Saare endurance that fits both Stylin and me. We love it!

I can ride Stylin in a halter, snaffle, bosal, etc, but her favorite bit is this medium port sweet iron short shanked curb by Reinsman. She carries it very calmly and quietly.

My Natural Hoof Care Practioner and I both like Pete Ramey's philosophy on barefoot trimming. I have recently begun trimming my own horses and am getting more confident daily.

This foot cream is for humans and it works! Recommended to me by a friend and it's made a big difference for me. You can find it at Walmart.

I like using lightweight but strong rope halters. I get mine made out of the same material as the big trainers at a fraction of the cost at Handcrafted Jewels.

This small and sturdy "Newer Spreader" works perfectly for our small property. I pull it behind our lawn mower.

Cecil Field Trails

Cathy and I showed up at the Equestrian Center this morning to try the trails across Normandy on the Cecil Field side. When we got there, all of the parking and fields were almost full with horse trailers of every shape and size. We didn't realize that there was a big barrel racing shindig going on. We found us a spot way in the back of the day parking area and unloaded the ponies. I brought Dixie today for a nice quiet ride and to keep her in shape. After Cathy longed Busta for 10 minutes, we mounted up and moseyed through the trailers, admiring the rigs and the ponies, and headed across Normandy. We saw Andrea of 7BarL's trailer, but didn't see her or her horse.

We followed the paved bicycle path in Cecil just a short way then turned in at Newnan Lake. There was a pavilion that you can reserve with a BIG fireplace and a kids play area. After looping around that little lake we headed on down the bike path to the big lake that we can see when we ride the back fence at Sal Taylor. There was a big field and a dirt hill to play on and then a wonderful grass covered path around the lake that was perfect to canter on. We had a lot of fun just playing around in that area. We had only planned on riding a couple of hours, so we didn't go very far on Perimeter Road after the bike path stopped. We headed back and walked around the whole horse show area before loading up and heading back to the house to watch the big game.What a beautiful day and a relaxing ride! Hope everyone else had a wonderful day. Here are some more pics that I took with my cell phone. PHOTOS

I am Thankful....

I am thankful for my mother and that we could share a meal today.

I am thankful for my sisters although we could not be together this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my daughter and that she has a loving relationship.

I am thankful for a husband who loves me and is a good, christian man.

I am thankful for my animals, especially for my horses.


I am thankful that I have wonderful friends to share good times with.

I am thankful that men and women volunteer to serve our country to allow me the freedoms I enjoy.

Hard Labor Creek State Park Camping Trip

Cathy, Traci, Mike, Marilyn and I spent a week in Rutledge, GA at Hard Labor Creek State Park. We've been talking about going for a couple of years and finally got our schedules right and made it happen.
We left early Saturday morning and made the 6 hour journey up I-75 and then through some country roads for a pretty easy trip. We settled our horses in their stalls and then scrounged the last 3 trailer sites for horse campers. (note to self - next time arrive mid week to get the best sites) The sites were very nice - each was pull through with a gravel area containing a fire pit and picnic table. We didn't try to ride that day and allowed our ponies to acclimate to their new home. We ate some yummy fresh fish and grits cooked up by Cathy for dinner. Campfire time and toddies topped off the first evening.

We got to take our first ride on Sunday morning. We had been forewarned that the trails could be rocky and had some good hills to navigate. I will admit that I was a little scared when we climbed our first steep hill. Stylin learned quickly how to dig in and pay attention where she was putting her feet. I couldn't enjoy the wonderful scenery for the first hour or so; I was concentrating on the trail in front of me so intently. The forest with all the fall colors, hills and the picturesque creeks , once I could relax and enjoy them, where absolutely breathtaking to us flatlanders. We wound up riding 4 hours, stopping to enjoy lunch on the trail. Back at camp, we settled in for a relaxing evening and good eats. Marilyn whipped up a 3 course camp meal for us. Drinks and stories by the campfire rounded out the second evening.

Monday morning was sunny and beautiful (although we heard that tropical storm Ida was going to cause some rain pretty soon) and we took off for another set of trails. We rode for 4-1/2 hours and several of us agreed that it was the most beautiful and interesting trail ride that we had ever been on. Our horses did their best to keep up with Marilyn's seasoned trail mule and all did a great job. All of our steeds were either shod and padded or booted up. We really put our Cavallo Simple Boots to the ultimate test and they held up. Another nice lunch on the trail - this time at a lovely setting by the lake. We were all a lot more comfortable and confident navigating the terrain that day and we had no mishaps. I cooked a simple crockpot dinner and we enjoyed another evening around the campfire.

Ida brought some hard rains around 2 am on Tuesday morning and didn't stop for 28 hours. We were told that the area received around 5 inches total. The campsites were set up to allow runoff so we didn't get flooded out, but we did have a soggy day Tuesday. We trudged around with our rain gear on to take care of the horses and spent some time touring the nearby historical town of Rutledge. We had an awesome breakfast at the local cafe and enjoyed bantering with our server, Ronnie. Nice young man - matter of fact, everyone in town was very friendly. There were several eclectic shops on the main street which we checked out as well. I got some reading time in at our rainy camp and later that evening, after another wonderful meal by Marilyn under a group shelter, we gathered at Mike and Traci's trailer to watch a DVD. We missed having our campfire that night.

Wednesday morning dawned grey and damp, but we were so glad the rain had finally stopped. We knew that the trails would be way too wet and dangerous for us Florida folks and ponies, so we spent the day checking out the neighboring towns and took a hike on one of the Park's nature trails. The rivers and creeks had risen and the water was rushing where it had been meandering before. We checked out a famous restaurant called The Blue Willow Inn in the little town of Social Circle, but didn't wind up eating there. We enjoyed Traci's white chicken chili for dinner and building another campfire.

On Thursday, we knew we had to get another ride in as we would be leaving on Friday. We chose to head back on some of the same trails that rode the first day and hoped to complete the whole loop. Some other riders from Florida joined us on this ride. It was a slippery, slidey, Georgia slick clay mess! The trails were still pretty, but we trooped through some knee deep mud and slippery slopes. The rains had rushed quickly down the hilly trails and made some of them kind of narrow trenches. Our horses would try to walk on the slopey sides of the trail instead of staying directly in the middle which caused Busta to slip and fall twice. Luckily, Cathy didn't get hurt badly, but is sporting a pretty colorful bruise from the second time. Stylin lost her footing on the way down one hill and we almost went all the way down. She scrabbled and caught herself before I had to step off. Whew..... a little nerve racking. We made almost the whole loop and were heading back towards camp when we came up on a washed out bridge! What?? We knew that we were not going to back track, so we followed the creek down a little way until we found a safe place to cross. We all made it back to camp safely and decided what an awesome experience it was. I was so proud of Stylin - she was a champ!

Our last dinner was hamburgers on the grill by Mike and all of our leftovers. We packed up Friday morning and headed home. I'm really glad that we went....... now we'll start thinking of where our big trip will be in 2010.

A side note..... there must have been a grand daddy long legs convention or a wild grand daddy long legs breeding frenzy. We were brushing them off the tables, our ponies, our chairs and ourselves all week !

Here's loads of pictures and a couple of videos taken by me, Traci and Cathy..... PHOTOS

Getting Together With Friends

I had the opportunity to ride with my good buddies, Cathy and Traci, at San Felasco Hammock Preserve in Alachua County yesterday. I absolutely love these trails as they are the closest place around with such a variety of trails with rolling hills and creeks. We share the park with cyclists and they are all so polite....they either stop or announce theirselves so that our horses aren't spooked.

We saw a big ole rattler on one trail and a cottonmouth on another. The rattler was quietly sunning himself about 3 ft off of the trail. Later in the day, we stirred up several deer.

At one point, Cathy had a little hitchhiker on her helmet. Don't worry, no tree frogs were harmed in the making of this blog post. Of course her horse Busta went down in the water .... AGAIN.....

San Felasco is very beautiful....I wish they allowed overnight camping. It makes for a long day with a 1-1/2 hour drive out there, a 4-1/2 hour ride and then another 1-1/2 hour drive home. It's still well worth it!

Friday evening, my good friend Charlotte came over for dinner and we had a grand time catching up on each others lives. She doesn't ride anymore since her gelding died last year, but if she's ever ready, she knows that she can come with me anytime.

We had a great meal that my husband Bobby prepared and then chatted for hours. She was so sweet to bring me flowers!

Today, Bobby, Mom and I drove to Gainesville to celebrate my Mother in law's 78th birthday. We had a great visit and a yummy lunch. We stopped by my daughter's place in Melrose on the way home.

Here are the rest of the pictures of the weekend..... PHOTOS (I'll add Traci's photos tomorrow)

Withlacoochee Fall Trail Ride

My friends and I had a great weekend near Jasper, FL riding along the Withlacoochee River and the Twin Rivers State Park. We went to McCulley Farms for their annual fall ride along with about 200 other like minded folks. We had wonderful cool weather, warm campfires, entertainment and great food to boot!
I got graphics put on my trailer to match our brand while I was there and I really like it. We joined their long guided ride on Saturday with 32 other riders and enjoyed a 4-5 hour ride along the river and sinks. We stopped at a spring along the way for a catered lunch....yum, yum!

Several different groups met up for lunch and then continued on their separate ways to meet back up at the ranch for a tack/yard sale. I was able to sell my Australian saddle in less than 5 minutes of setting it out! It paid for my weekend and my graphics - what a deal!

Due to the major flooding earlier in the year, we passed a refrigerator in one tree and a recliner in another. The McCulleys have a wonderful place and are very gracious hosts - if you ever get a chance, join them for one of their special rides or you can camp quietly any other weekend during the year. There are plenty of trails and you can camp with electricity or primitive.

Here are the rest of the photos that my friends and I took during the weekend.