Along the Tevis Trail, by Deuce

So now I'm supposed to be an endurance horse.   

We've been riding a lot more than normal.  Usually July and August, when it's real hot, mom lets us take a break.  She hoses us off in the afternoons, makes sure our water tanks are clean and full, and if the mornings aren't too hot, we might go for an easy ride.

But the last few weeks, she's at the barn early, feeding everyone and leaves me in my stall with some hay while she puts her riding boots on and gets our saddle out.    "Just a couple miles" she says.   Does she know how hot it is?   Sometimes old Chuck goes with us, but mainly, it's just me.   So off we go on these hazy mornings, and mom knows how far it is to different points on the farm so when she checks her riding app, she'll say "hey, how about we get an even number here, let's do another third of a mile..." and we gotta go a bit farther.  

Chuck got dragged into this today, too.

I try to hide it from her, but I'm actually starting to enjoy this.   We ride slow...mom would much rather go faster but I'm testing her to see how slow I can go before she gives up.   Sometimes we start in the arena, but I can usually talk her into going out for a walk.   Or we just go out for a walk.   Just me and her.  

Ok, maybe I kinda like going out with mom this early.  Maybe.

She bought me a new saddle, I kinda like it.   It's really lightweight, and it's fitted just for me.  Mom likes it, too, said it's easier than lugging my heavy western saddle around.   She also said it makes me look even fatter, which I don't appreciate.  

She said this saddle makes my gut look bigger.

So apparently, we are doing some sort of ride that isn't here.  It's in California.  I hope that makes sense to you, because mom will say things like "We are coming up on Lyon's Ridge!" and I'm thinking uh, no, we are going around the back pond, crazy woman!    But mom said they tell us where we would be on the actual trail, and show photos and tell us history and it makes her happy.   She said we passed Cougar Rock, too.   Um, mom, I don't think our Cougar Rock is right....    

The vet was here the other week for fall shots.  They said if I was on the real trail, every so often I'd have a vet check to make sure I was doing ok.   The vet said she likes this activity for us, and she said I'm still too fat, but she and her tech held up signs and now I got no excuses, onward we go!

They think they're funny.  And the vet said I was fat!

We have ridden 28 miles so far, so almost a third of the way to this imaginary finish line.  Mom says I need to step it up so we can finish on time.   She said maybe when it cools off some we'll go meet friends and ride, so it makes me think other horses have crazy owners doing this, too (that's right, Deuce, over 1400 riders from 17 different countries!).   

So here we are at Red Star Ridge.  Mom says the next few days are going to be really hot (heat index 100+) so we are going to put the ride on hold until the heat breaks.   She said when the days get shorter the rides will get longer and I'm trying to figure out what she means by that.

So I'm gonna stand here in the shade, eat some hay, and keep an eye out for my mom dragging my saddle out.   

- D.