Thank you Bill ... Thank you Morgie!

62 minutes - 1.4 miles - Morgan

 Bill called me at work to say he would pick up A from school ... that meant I could try to out run the rain that was headed our way and grab a ride on Morgan.  Windy, drizzly, and dark.  Morgan did well on our walk portion (because she could hide behind me ... ostensibly to let any predators eat me) and most of the ride home.

Then a dreaded flapping bag stuck in a mesquite bush quite unnerved her ... there was copious amounts of snorting, spinning, and shaking.  My poor dear.  I stepped out of the saddle and lead her past the scary stuff before hopping back on.  The storm clouds started to rain in earnest, so I hugged her hard and fed everyone before getting soaked.

Bill Rides Rhu for the First Time

56 minutes - 2.44 miles - Rhulain, Bill and Majesty
20 minutes - ground work - Rhu

Waiting for kisses.  

Rhu was awfully snuggly today ... not in my space, but certainly close enough in case I wanted to kiss her sweet face.  Which I did.  Often.

I introduced her the trailer today.  Opened the back door (and the side door for safety) and let her sniff around, move closer, and eventually she put her two front hooves in with minimal coaxing.  Since it was just an experiment, I left it at that and saddled her up.

 
We headed out directly towards the thunderstorm.  It was miles off, so we knew we'd be safe for at least an hour.  I snapped a picture and turned to see Bill taking a picture of the horizon as well ... bet his didn't capture Rhu's marvelous ears!

 

Rhu lead the way initially, then rode beside Majesty for a while, finally she tucked behind and cruised along.  Bill taught her about ear rubs ... at first she seemed not to care, but after two or three sessions she was leaning in to his hand.  Great, now I'll have two spoiled horses Bill.

Bill said he thought Rhu was taller than Morgie.  I dismissed it with a "Well, she might be 14.1 hh."  When we got alongside Majesty, I realized how much higher my saddle was than his ... dang it, he's right again. Bill's guess is 15.1 hh, I'm sticking with 14.2 hh.  I'll have to drag out the measuring stick to settle this one.

Both of the horses were ready to go home ... Majesty tried opening the gate with his nose, but it was latched.  

I hopped off Rhu to latch the gate and talked Bill in to climbing in the saddle for a quick trip around the yard.  He wasn't fond of her collected lope, said it was too bouncy, but I noticed he was grinning as he rode.  I know the feeling, she has that effect on me as well.

Crappy Walk. Beautiful Horse.

19 minutes - 0.67 miles - Rhulain

It stormed last night and Rhu was high headed and in a mood today.  

She kept stopping and calling out to the herd, but I was able to get her moving easily.  She was distracted, so I had her do a few circles around me to get her mind back on me but to no avail. 

We called it a day after a paltry 0.67 miles today.  Sometimes it's better to hang up the halter than pick a fight.  We'll try again tomorrow ... after her hooves get trimmed.

She's still gorgeous though.

Getting Ready For The Storm

21 minutes - 0.78 miles - Morgan

The sky last night with Rhu and this morning with Morgie ... rain is definitely coming our way

Morgan was worried around the storm clouds gathering, then she heard thunder rumbling, and decided it was time to hurry home if we were going to avoid getting wet!

Storm Clouds Rolling In

25 minutes - Morgan, Bill and Wasabi - 1.02 miles

Had such a good time yesterday, we decided to repeat it today.

Morgan was very clear in letting me know she wanted to go for a walk today ... first one at the gate and shoving others out of the way.  Really Morgie girl?  Some might say your gate manners need work.

Wasabi and Bill took the lead while Morgan and I chatted and hung back.  The clouds were amazing and we discussed the pending rain and how it might affect her food.

We caught up to Bill and the girls let us take silly pictures for a few seconds before they reminded us that snacks were only .2 miles away.

At the half way point, the kids got to snack for a bit.  Bill watched the clouds while Wasabi watched to make sure we weren't coming any closer to her snacks.  Silly girl, dried grass does not look appealing to me in the slightest.

 On the way back Morg and I got in front and Wasabi got pissy.  

She picked up her pace, passed us, and this is the view I saw for the next half mile ...

 

Swishy tail, ears pinned, and she would move over to block us trying to pass her.  I had to laugh out loud.  She's quite a character.  As we were feeding the herd the sprinkles started to land on our arms ... made it home just in time!

Just hanging around waiting for the rain

Our version of Red, White, and Blue ... 
Sundance, Traveller, and Wasabi preparing for the storm that moved in 10 minutes later.