Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Slim is Back! Sunday was a great day at Little Big Econ

Sunday was a special day in many ways - first, Caren Stauffer and favorite mount Slim (Pickins) were back on the trail after about a year hiatus.  So good to see that handsome boy and the grin from ear to ear on Caren's face. It was also a celebratory ride for Diane Delano and friends for a grant recently received by the Wild Horse Rescue Center from Kim Williams and Allstate Insurance.
Caren grinning ear to ear
 Although we left for our ride about noon (I know, crazy now that it is getting hot), we were blessed with a nice cloud cover and shady trails.  We were joined by friends Diane Delano on Tatonka, Kim Williams on Rio, Anthony Showalter, on Dash and friend Debbie on Chera (a young Mustang on her very first trail ride!)

Here's Kim Williams riding her trusty mount, Rio, an older Mustang rescued by Diane Delano at the Wild Horse Rescue Center located in Mims, Florida.  Diane, her supporters and volunteers do an awesome job of providing and finding homes for Mustangs, part of our wild horse heritage. 

We rode down to the Econ River and enjoyed a splash in the water and some green, green grass.

Here's Anthony Showalter on the dashing and beautiful Dash, another horse who is a permanent resident at the Wild Horse Rescue Center (even though he's a quarter horse.)










Friend Debbie on her four year old Mustang Chera - rescued at age three and doing terrific.  This was her very first trail ride.  Other than a little difficulty getting the saddle on - you'd have thought she had been doing this her whole life.  No hesitation at the river at all - walked right in for a long drink and a splash.

Little known fact, Debbie and I actually bid against each other for Reno - one of my Mustangs - guess who won?




And, last but not least, Diane Delano, the heart and soul behind the Wild Horse Rescue Center on her Mustang friend Tatanka.  I first met Diane when she was adopting Mustang Shiloh and I was adopting Reno and Tahoe.  We've been friends ever since. 

After our ride, Diane put on a fabulous lunch spread - yum and thanks!




We all had a terrific time.  Caren got to have her day out on Slim.  Sierra got to have an easy walking trail day.  Diane, Debbie, Kim and Anthony got to see one of our favorite new trails.  Stay tuned for our next adventure.
Caren with Sierra and Slim

Caren on Slim, still grinning





Sunday, May 19, 2013

Marine Corp ROTC Surprise

On Saturday May 18, friends Lisa Dietrich and Gayle King joined me for a ride at my favorite place - Orlando Wetlands Park.  Wow, what a surprise!  The Marine Corp ROTC was hosting a run around the perimeter of the park (approximately 6 miles) and the parking lot was jammed, people everywhere. No worries, we parked in the regular parking lot where I could easily pull through without having to back up.   

We were able to get off before the race started and headed in the opposite direction of the runners.  Interestingly, we never actually saw a single runner but we were happy to find a tub of cold bottled water on our return on the far side of Lake Searcy.  We saw lots and lots of alligators - big and small enjoying the beautiful day.  

Orlando Wetlands Park now connects to the Charles Bronson State Forest through a gate out the back.  Well, that's where we headed.  We had a beautiful ride on a shaded road (albeit a little buggy) all the way out to the St. John's River and what Gayle discovered was an area known as Puzzle Lake. 
Upon our return to the parking area, we were greeted by a group of young ROTC recruits who were admiring the Sheriff's helicopter.  We were hoping they wouldn't be starting the rotors any time soon.  The fine folks with the Sheriff's office and the ROTC recruits were more than happy to oblige us with a picture.  The horses enjoyed all the attention as the kids were snapping lots of pictures and providing lots of petting.
Just another beautiful day on the trail.  Looking forward to tomorrow's adventure at Snow Hill (Little Big Econ State Forest).  

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Misty morning rides

Lisa Dietrich and I were up early on Saturday to visit our favorite riding spot, the Orlando Wetlands Park.  This park is one of Orlando's best kept secrets.   It was almost raining - just the right amount to keep us cool but not get us wet. 

We arrived early, had the horse parking area to ourselves and enjoyed a quick six mile loop around the perimeter of the park.  As usual, we saw lots of birds and gators.  In the past, we have also had the privilege of seeing bobcat and otters. 

The only catch with Orlando Wetlands Park is it is closed to the public from about Thanksgiving until Valentine's Day.  Go early, have fun.  Not a lot of shade, but a great place to take a picnic.