As you already know, the moon has been a theme this summer.

Earlier this month, Sandy suggested an evening/night ride at Vetter Farms, which is privately owned and rideable only by permission. It felt like a treat to be there, tucked into the farmland with wide open fields all around. I rode with Hannah on Merlin and Sandy on Tot.

Backing into the area where we park was a win for me. I had a breakthrough about navigating my rig around tight turns. The short-bed, gooseneck combo handles a bit differently, but something just clicked as I navigated around the telephone pole on the corner.

Before saddling up, we shared snacks by the trailers. This included brie cheese and garden-fresh veggies. Honestly, that might have been the highlight of the night for me. The peppers were particularly delicious. 

 It's July. When it's not raining (so much rain) it's hot and muggy. The air is like soup, but not the tasty kind. Most days, I don't want to do anything that involves the outdoors. This was the case two Sundays ago as I sat sipping my coffee in the cool comfort of my air conditioned living room. Many of my horse friends were in the same boat and we were all feeling indecisive.

Gradually, a plan for an evening ride assembled itself. I agreed to go pick Taylor and Roger up. We would meet Sandy and Cristina at Vetter Farm around 5pm. 

We wound up doing nine and a half miles, and many good times were had along the way.

Me on Lucy and Taylor on Roger after we got a good gallop in.

 A short while after Sandy brought Tot home, she asked if I'd be willing to come ride Fina with her. She had gotten the new girl out for a few trail rides with friends, but she specifically wanted to get her mares out together. Nobody was willing to ride Fina. I love Fina and was happy to oblige (poor Fina). We met up on a Tuesday after work (this was before the time change, obviously). Sandy suggested Vetter Farm, which is private preserved land accessible by permission. This was too good for me to resist. This will mostly be a photo dump, but it was glorious.

Not my usual set of ears.