r i d i n g

First off, to all of the mothers reading my blog...

Happy Mothers Day!

I hope you all had a wonderful day:)

The weather was simply lovely here today - 70*F with a soft breeze - perfect for riding.

saddling up

I love my saddle.

Actually, I love all of my gear.

Because Bob has rather prominent withers (shoulders, to those not familiar with horse terms), it was hard finding a western saddle that fit him correctly.

We finally loaded him into the trailer and brought him down to the saddle shop and tried saddles on until we found just the right one.  It happened to be a barrel racing style saddle.  I love it because it's not as heavy as other western saddles.  Some western style saddles can be quite heavy, especially the older ones.

I put name tags on all of Bob's gear while I was in 4-H.

Sure didn't want to lose any of it.

My Prince Charming, all ready to go on the first official trail ride of the year!

*squeal*

Up the mountain we go...

The mountain behind our property is state land, which means anyone can use it.

The view is breathtaking.

Although I didn't see any wildlife today, there were deer and elk tracks all over the place.

Bob's about as "bombproof" as they get, and seeing deer and elk don't bother him, but I'm thankful that I've never bumped into any moose or bear while I was up there.

I have no idea how he'd react to them...and I really don't care to find out!

Bob is soooo cute.

Yes, I am biased, but...

he is!

I kept our first trail ride brief because neither of us is in very good shape after a winter of staying indoors.
Plus, Bobby turned 20 this year.  Not feeling his years at all, but I'm being a bit more careful this year.

In September, we will have been partners for 9 years.
I can't believe Bob has been mine for that long!
 We've been through a lot together - several years of 4-H, trailer loading issues, cowboy mounted shooting (shooting balloons while on horseback is awesome!), horse camp, two cases of colic, and everything else that goes with horses.
At this point, we are really and truly a team.
I trust him and he trusts me.
There is no doubt.

And back home again...

My bro was in the front yard and graciously consented to take some pictures.
Thanks, Alex!

Happy Trails, y'all!