The Road Home

The lines on our road were repainted today. I was trapped behind the truck doing so on my way out this morning.

I arrived at the barn just as my trainer was preparing to set out on the trail with a group of kids. I briefly considered grabbing Hap (who does not get ridden on the trail by the young woman who is leasing him) but my trainer suggested I take Magic, a friend’s horse. (Magic’s superior quality is indicated by the fact that she is one of the few horses I ever had the guts to hunt. Back when we were both a lot younger and fitter, of course.) I was happy that I didn’t take Hap because two of the other horses on the ride became quite rude at one point. Hap’s response to other horses’ rudeness has always been, “Look at me: I can beat that!”

We rebuilt a few old brush jumps so that the kids could start getting a feel of what cross country is like. The horses were kind enough to jump them even though most of the jumps could have been trotted.

I saw an amazing variety of wild-flowers considering how late in the season it is, probably due to the afternoon storms we have been having. The meadows through which we were riding looked as though they belong on a postcard titled “Colorado High Plains.”