Wild wild west!!

Riding off into the sunset on a faithful steed. Charging through a river with foam and water droplets flying off a horse's hooves. Deftly guiding an equine companion around rough terrain and feeling like a real working team. Digging your heels in and saying "Giddyup!" Or probably rather clinging with all your might to the reins and hauling back on them and yelling "Whoa, stupid horse!" when he decides that he's a little smarter and stronger than his rider and wants to have things go his way - running into the corn field, snatching grass snacks every chance he gets, trying to pretend he doesn't know you're on board and squeezing through spaces that he fits through and not you and your leg. Hmm.. sounds like fun?! Yes, definitely. I think i probably had a huge smile on my face all afternoon Saturday.
As a special early treat for my birthday, my wonderful friends decided i needed to have some more horsey experience so they betook me as an unknowing participant off to the trail-riding farm on Jerseyville road on Saturday afternoon. I was pretty excited when i realized what we were going to do! We got fitted with our ever fashion-conscious helmets and were assigned to our equine partners. My horse's name was Willow and he was a beautiful cream coloured horse with definite ideas on when he wanted to stop and they weren't always in harmony with my wishes, in fact usually about five paces after i said "whoa", he would finally deign to come to a stop, by then nearly sticking his nose up Lauren's horse's butt! But (heehee!) we did get along fine!
When all the would-be cowgirls (Joyce, Carina, Helen, Anne-Marie and Lauren) were mounted up, some of us older fogies requiring a step-up to the saddle, (a fact that made me a little ashamed - i wanted to say i did it myself but that stirrup sure looked higher than my hips and knees could allow!) we did a few practice rounds in the covered arena to get our sea-legs. It was pouring at one point and i was hoping against hope that the weather would clear to allow us a chance to feel like real cowboys out on the range. The owner fellow, who was super nice, told us that he's had people come in there with all grand illusions that they were John Wayne and were gonna show off how to be a proper cowboy, complete with big jangling spurs! Crazy!
Thankfully the weather did clear and we were on our way to an hour communing with nature and our steeds. Our trail leaders took us through woods and up hills and past trees and cornfields and along fields, the horses all the while thinking and planning ahead to when they can snatch the next tuft of grass to munch on - like a huge well-spread buffet just begging to be munched on!! All in all, it was a very great experience, just being able to feel the rhythm of the horse and try to feel at one with that and to sit properly and ride according to all the rules that i had memorized as a horse-crazy kid.
Carina's horse, Comet, seemed to enjoy being an oxymoron - he was the slowest horse of the bunch, enjoying causing everyone else to slow down occasionally to let him catch up, but according to Carina, that was okay because she is older too and couldn't go so fast - whatever, girl!. Lauren's horse was endlessly hungry, always wanting another snack. Helen's was named Dice - a cute white and brown spotted horse. Blaze and Booboo were faithful in the middle of the pack and bore Joyce and Anne-Marie well. A few little stints of trotting produced groans from most of us as our butts came down a little harder inthe saddle than intended. But it was fun to go faster and to be perfectly honest, i would have liked to have gone one gear/gait up and cantered because that's a little easier on the backside! Aah, delusions of grandeur and expectations that i can ride like a pro when i am only a sack of potatoes. When we dismounted at the barn (i could do it all by myself, yeah!), with legs a little wobbly and muscles stretched to the max, it had been a great hour. We spent a little more time wandering around the farm admiring all the rest of the horses on the premises, including a 26 year old pensioner who was given free range over the whole farm - he wouldn't leave since his food and friends were all there. And a beautiful Clydesdale with a blue eye, a cute Appaloosa, a few ponies, a few donkeys, and lots more. I love horses!!!
I want to thank you girlies very much for this experience. I thoroughly and most truly enjoyed it wholeheartedly. My butt however, may beg to differ.....