Trail Rides - If you live thru them - trail rides are great.  "My horse and I just trail ride."  I love it when people tell me that.  It's high up there the most dangerous thing you can do with horses!

So, Nova and I are on our 4th trail ride and we are in the almost Ozarks.  It's hilly and rocky, but not quite as hilly or rocky as the real Ozarks.  We've got two unpredictable horse- people and six solid horses and rider combinations.  Caitlyn and Velvet were on the ride along with my former horse, JR.

My goal is to try to stay away from the unpredictable horse and ride combinations and live thru the ride.

We're going along and there was this big thrashing noise behind us and some muttered words.  I tensed all up expecting Nova to get excited.  She didn't get excited.  I got all bracy and tensed up for nothing.  We were on a narrow trail with close by trees and it was difficult to get turned around immediately to see what was going on.

This is a solid well used trail.  Lurking under the trail all this time was a slightly buried plain wire fence.  The last horse had shoes on and managed to hook the fence between his shoe and his hoof.  As the horse was jerking his foot to get it loose, the fence was pulled out of its hiding place.  By the time I got turned around, the horse had pulled off the shoe and got free of the fence.  We were all stunned to see that fence.  We had all just rode over it. It wasn't visible then.  Thank goodness the horse that got caught wasn't one of the freaky horses.  Our experienced rider is in his 70's with an experienced horse.  GAD

I was quite proud of Nova and all the other horses.  That could have been a disaster.  Thank the lucky stars that it happened to the person and horse that could handle it.

We went up hills, down hills and crossed wide creeks.  Nova and I were going along a nice flat place and all of a sudden, I got pitched forward.  I turned around and one of the freaky horse riders told me that Nova had kicked at his horse with both back legs.  I was surprised at this. There was no contact and I didn't even realize that she had kicked.  I told him that I had not heard his horse behind us.  He said that his horse was coming along, stumbled forward and touched Nova's tail.  Amazing, I thought.  Maybe I'm going deaf.

Later, it occured to me to wonder if a two legged back kick is the same as a buck?  Or, it could be a half buck.Since I was nice and relaxed, I stayed nicely in the saddle.

As we were traveling along, someone asked me about my bumper spur.  He wondered if I had put my bumper spurs on backward.  I looked down at my boot and there was my bumper spur pointed out.  I could have helped a horse standing next to me sidepass!

Now this was terribly embarrasing.  I was with people that I highly look up to.  I am riding with a multiple world grandchampion who is in the Hall of Fame - and her husband.  Do you think I wanted them to see my inside out bumper spur?  It turns out I have been riding with my bumper spur on upside down all morning in the arena and on the trail ride.

If you ride with your pretty bumper spur on the outside of your boot, it's fashion.  It makes a statement that you don't need the spur, it's just there for great looks.  I am not a dork.

yeah!