It wasn't my foot that was tender! But I have to say that my ride at Wildcatter Ranch near Graham, Texas, was the best. First of all, I'm a big wuss and horses know it. So I asked Jay, the director of all the equine activities at the ranch, for a horse that was "sure-footed, half-dead and not hungry."
He chose Precious for me -- a chestnut gelding -- definitely sure-footed, not half-dead but very calm and exceedingly nice about not trying to snack on the trail. We rode for almost an hour and a half through meadows with lush grass, up rocky trails, through thick brush and shady junipers and on a bluff overlooking the meandering Brazos River.
The scenery was stunning with lots of wildflowers: bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, prickly poppies, poppy mallow, prairie verbena and a variety of little yellow blossoms. Jay led the group and Bryan baby-sat me at the back of the bunch. They were both great -- wonderfully patient and soooo cowboy polite with their drawled "yes ma'ams."
I must admit I wasn't looking forward to the ride -- just doing it in the line of duty. I'm so glad I went. It was lots of fun; I didn't fall off and it only took a few minutes to make my legs work right again.
I'm having an awful time trying to get my videos to go anywhere. I did manage to get a short one up on YouTube. To see a view of the trail from between Precious's ears, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrgRUOtr0dE .
