Bull Dog Canyon

I wanted to share a couple of my recent horse experiences.About a week and a

half ago I went on a horseback ride with my friend Mary. Mary and I have been in the same ward for almost 6 years. We were visiting teaching partners for a little over a year.

Mary rides horses and she has an Arabian gelding and a half Arabian filly about the same age as my Psynna. Mary trained her and started her under saddle. Let me tell you a little something about Mary. She is probably close to 60 and a Home Ecc teacher. She loves to ride horses and she is an endurance rider, which means she competes in endurance rides that can be 25 or 50 miles long at a trot or canter for most of the ride. For six years she has invited me to go riding with her and I have always declined stating that;"I don't ride like you do". She asked me again about two weeks ago at our Empty Nester Family Home Evening. I thought;"What the heck, just do it!" So we trailered out to Bull Dog Canyon and it was a ride that I had never done before. It is 6 miles in and of course,6 miles out and we did it at an extended trot or canter. As we were riding Mary said; "I thought you said you couldn't ride like me but you are doin it." I replied;"I said I didn't ride like you not that I couldn't!

I enjoyed our ride so much. I hadn't felt as free riding since my youth! I did actually get thrown off my horse Santannah for the first time but I survived with some ugly bruises and thats another story!

As I said, I enjoyed the ride so I decided Teri ,Ken and I needed to head out there on Friday,which we did. We did the ride at a walk for the most part. In Arizona we don't have a lot of opportunities to cross water. We rode to the river and I was proud of Santannh as he went into the water!

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Ken riding Teri's horse Big Jim through the water. He takes to water like a duck. He hails from Kentucky and is used to water.

Ken on his horse Polk.