Drifts of beautiful, blue Flax [Linum] greeted us along our pathway.Have trailer, will travel! I guess that's my mantra for this summer.
Wild Geraniums dot the meadow. Most are white and pale pink. But, of course, I love the sassy fuchsia ones most of all.Horse trailer, that is.
Sonny, Sable, Jack & Katie ~ those are horses ~ have been taking Janet, Beth, Bob & I ~ we're the humans ~ on some spectacular wildflower rides.
It's called 'bushwacking' ~ when we ride beyond the hiking trails, meandering through the wilderness in search of rare flowers and picnic spots.
How are you with your pets? Are you strict, firm? Lenient, caring?There is no right answer to that question.
Sometimes it depends on the animal. For instance, my 9 month old puppy is huge, now, (50 pounds!) and hell on wheels. So, I'm very tough on him. Because, I'm mortified when he jumps on someone and knocks them down.
My other pet, horse Sable, is 1300 pounds. But, I'm a whole lot nicer to her. Because she deserves it.
I simply cannot stand people who are cruel to animals.
And, I meet a lot of 'horse people' who behave that way.
Here's me being all tough and stuff with my horse, Sable. :)They feel they need to be harsh with their horses, in order 'to show them who's boss."
And, they are constantly criticizing me for babying my horse.
* I would like to point out, though, that she never runs away. While their horses bolt at the first opportunity.
Discovered a field of Splitleaf Paintbrush along the trail. And, no! I'm not gonna tell you where it is. :) That's our little secret...We made the foolish mistake of joining Backcountry Horsemen.
That's why my head is filled with horses and wildflowers instead of pesky weeds and neatly tended gardens.
Up close and personal ~ with a Penstemon.Our first group ride was long and steep, horribly rocky and pretty much a misery all day long.
Behold! A Shooting Star! First time I've ever seen one in the wild...Me, being the loudmouth of the group, I kept harping on our 'leaders' to stop and allow the horses to take a rest.
They were exhausted and who could blame them? It was a relentless uphill climb that went on for hours.
These last few Wildflowers are called: I don't know.* It's different up here, in the mountains.
We don't have gently rolling hills. You're climbing or descending, all day long. And, if you love your horse, you give them a break.
And, really, why wouldn't you want to do that? When you're surrounded by such beauty...
Finally! Our fearless leader listened and gave us a brief rest.
"Let's get a move on," barks the Jackass, 5 minutes later. To be clear, there were no mules on this ride. That's my new pet name for the jerk of a horseman leading our group.
A short time later, his horse collapsed. The Jackass was injured. Nicer riders than me hopped off their horses to help him.
Oh, my gosh!!! I didn't want to help him. I wanted to kill him! I wanted to rescue his unhappy horse and leave him in the wilderness to fend for himself. I was so furious!Fortunately, for me, I have friends who are the voice of reason. Handling things ever so politely.
They told me to shut up. :)
So, my un-abused horse and I did a quick about face, and headed for home.
Here's hoping you're enjoying the lovely wildflowers wherever you may be...
- Kate
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