Trail Riding

Over the last few weeks the flies have been coming out, and now they're regularly out and about. Not peak season yet, but plentiful and annoying. Both Truby and I have stronger reactions to fly bites out here. Nothing super bad for me, just itchy, but Truby will break out in hives, and is, actually, allergic to flies. Over the last few years, her fly protection has evolved from just a fly mask, to a fly sheet, to a sheet with a neck cover...and this year, fly boots! 

She seemed annoyed the first day I put the boots on, I could feel her rolling her eyes. A couple years ago I tried the fly boots with horizontal velcro straps and a cloth mesh. She stomped them much more than she was stomping flies, so I gave up. After finding out she's legit allergic to flies, I decided to give these mosquito mesh boots a try. They're super lightweight, and only have a single vertical strip of velcro. She might give me some side eye, but they don't bother her at all and have stayed in place. 

She wasn't amused by the increase in fly protection

This week we went on a couple trail rides, and Truby's been fantastic. She's got the Loop down, and feels safe and solid to ride there. And she loves it! 

One of M's friends recently moved her horse to a barn nearby, and it has a trail that leads to the Loop as well. She met us where the trails meet. When Truby saw there was a new horse, she got super prancy, head straight up, back hollow...ugh, I HATE that! M stopped to chat, and I didn't think Truby would be calm enough to stand, but she surprised me - after a few moments she relaxed. She lowered her head and raised her back back into her normal carriage. And while M and L caught up, Truby and I just hung out and felt very proud of ourselves. After a few more minutes, we headed along the Loop, and L went back to her barn. Truby stayed relaxed and we had a lovely ride. 

The cactus in front of M and Cinco is

my FAVORITE cactus

Just being the best Truby <3 

A couple of days later, we met up with L and Dixie again. This time they joined us on the Loop. When we reached them on the trail we kept walking and they merged in the group smoothly. No fuss, no drama. After a bit Truby and Dixie switched places (Cinco is afraid of Dixie, so we were buffer.) It was nice. A relaxing ride with friends!

New friends, L and Dixie

The next time we went out, I decided not to ride. I had picked a huge fight with my husband and was really upset. Plus the wind was brisk and on occasion, gusting. The combo seemed like a bad set up for a ride. So I went on foot with Truby. I don't regret it, there was some spooky moments, and I definitely was distracted. But you know, we still had fun, and it was good to stretch my legs and get some sun. 

Plus, I got to see this guy! He was huge. 

Horney tailed lizards are also a symbol of good luck.

Just being the best Truby Trail Horse

She's so proud of herself. 

We're both loving our trail rides

So all in all, it's been a good week. Husband and I resolved our fight. M and I did something SUPER FUN that I'll share soon. Adding a new friend to our trail ride went easier than I could have ever imagined. Truby's really turning into a nice little riding horse! I'm so proud of her.