Wednesday evening, my older niece, who recently came home from college, came out to ride.  Since I’m not riding Cruiser, yet, she got to ride Ranger.  It has been a couple years since she rode him, and last year, she only rode Cole once or twice.  Life got in the way, last summer.  She did admit to being a little nervous about riding Ranger.  He is a big horse, and he is moody.  Still, he is the best beginner’s horse we have.

She remembered how to saddle, and Ranger was very good for her to bridle.  Kevin was joining us with Starry, and I would be riding Cole, of course.  We weren’t even out of the driveway when we heard distant thunder.  Kevin suggested just riding on the hill, but I opted for crossing the river and seeing what happened.  We had just had a very brief shower a few hours before, and I really didn’t think it would be bad.  It just depended on the thunder.

We heard 2 more thunders before we reached the river, but no more.  A few minutes later, it started to rain, but there was no wind and the black clouds missed us.  The sky was actually very bright.  I said we should push on to Willow Bend—which was less than 10 minutes away.  No one argued, so forward we went.  I suggested trotting.  My niece remembered how to post, though she just learned it a only a few rides earlier after struggling a whole summer with it.  She went right into it and didn’t miss a beat.  Ranger set a slow speed, and Cole and Starry had trouble with it, but Ranger and my niece were happy.

By the time we reach Willow Bend, the rain had stopped, so we just kept going.  We did a mixture of walking and trotting to the next river crossing and then walked all the way home.  My niece was very happy with the ride, and I was glad it went so well. 

When we returned, I set her to watering the barns and Kevin to cleaning the stalls.  I walked Cruiser.  I think I had the easiest job.  Since it was warm, he didn’t rush.  I did let him trot a few seconds to reassure myself that he really was sound.  He looked good, and I may ride him at a walk this weekend.  It all depends on the weather which doesn’t look too good right now.

I will be taking my niece out to the barn on a regular basis, now, until she goes back to college.  She is very good company, and we enjoy talking to each other.  She loves to read, and I have never met anyone who knew more about literature than her.  To show you the depth of her personality—she is going to college to be an engineer! I don’t think you would find many engineers that know as much about literature than her!