Team Pole Bending ???

This past week my desert riding group had it's annual play day. Depending on who is running the play day, it can get extremely technical or extremely fun! This year was extremely fun :)))
 After a less than usual number of competitors we had time for 2 more events and one of them was...Team Pole Bending! Now who has ever heard of that???

So...you got to pick a partner and I was lucky enough to partner up with cowgirl E, the groups usual 1st place eventor! And yes...we won:))) I did have to caution Jesse that this was not a race and that the winner would receive apples and carrots ;)))

Fortunately Jesse and "Hoss" knew each other well so we did not have any huge issues and in fact we WON this very unusual event!

Thanks to cowgirl E and Hoss...we have another Beer Mug trophy to add to our growing collection!

Yee Haw!!!

Your Desert Rose!

The Desert Bar Boss!

My desert riding group has a monthly dinner social during the season. This year I was the Chuck Boss which means I make all the arrangements for every event we have that has a bar or food. Making the arrangements is the easy part...I did this for a living for 20 years. It's dealing with...the members that can get a bit tricky at times. Of course it would have helped if I had been given a list of expectations before my term on the board...I hate it when I feel I am not doing the best I can.

Last season when I was considering taking on this responsibility... The Bossman tried to tell me that it probably was not going to be...easy for me but I decided to take my turn on the board and just Cowgirlthefuckup and do it! (25 cents in the cuss jar) During my talks with the Bossman he agreed to be the bartender for the next season. He had done this job for years for the group and had retired from that job 2 years earlier. I also hired the Bossman's son-in law to be my caterer for the season. This was such a wise decision on my part because 5 of the events are done in very unusual places. That means tables, chairs, and ALL the equipment used to caterer and event need to be hauled to the location and set up. The Bossman and his son-in law have taken care of this for me this season and I know that I would not have been able to do this with out their help!

So here's to the Bossman and his family for all they did to help me during my Chuck Boss Term!

Your Desert Rose!

The Desert Rodeo!

Today was the desert riding group Rodeo! (actually a few weeks ago ) Boy was it fun. Ride along with us and win some ribbons! Or BEER MUGS in this case! Toby Jack was still with us so today we had a nanny. She was wonderful, an emergency physician in FRANCE and taking her boards here in the US in 3 months. I felt totally confident with Toby Jack in her care!

No those are not little devil horns growing out of his head...he is an angel!

Because I had Toby and the nanny with me today SPANKY from the stables had Jesse saddled and delivered for me to the host stables. Normally I would have ridden Jesse with the others from our stables going to the Rodeo the short 1/2 hour down the wash. But Jesse and 2 other horse friends of his got a lift down there today!

When I arrived and was settling Toby and the nanny I was "scolded" by the trail boss as he hollered out...ARE YOU RID EN TODAY!!! YOU BET YOUR SWEET ASS I AM!!! ( I wanted to reply)

1st up BARRELS! OUR FAVORITE!

Jesse and The Rose take the 1st barrel!

Heading for the 2nd...still in the saddle!

3rd barrel...looking good!

Look at that Jesse "bring it home"! Boy does he LOVE to do that. In fact...it does become a problem later in the games!

Here comes the finish line....oops Jesse had not noticed this before and....he jumped over it at the end. Yes...the Rose was surprised yet stayed with him!

We took 3rd place and have another beer mug to add to past year wins!

Next up is pole bending!

So many people had questions about the pattern that I rode 1st. Jesse and I have done this many times...we took 1st at the pony cousin rodeo and took 3rd last year in the desert, this should be another "BEER MUG" for us! Sorry there are no pictures, I forgot to give my camera to someone...besides Jesse would certainly loose face if pictures were posted.

All started out well. We raced down the line of poles to the end and made our 1st circle and started our weave in and out the poles. On the 3rd pole...Jesse saw the white chalk finish line and off he went in a flash! Jesse has NEVER done anything like this before and he was not going to stop till he crossed that damn white line! Just before he reached it I got him pulled up and made him go back to the barrel he skipped out on and finish the run the right way. Of course as we rounded the last pole......we were off in a flash again! The PONY COUSINS all remember how Jesse loves to bring it home....he has become obsessed with it! Needless to say we finished LAST!

Next up...Mexican Hat Dance.

This game is a take on musical chairs. The hoopla hoops act as the chairs and you throw your hat down in the ring to secure your "chair". The hat can not touch the hoola hoop or it is up for grabs! You should see them running after the empty hoops! No accidents though. The Desert Rose and Jesse were out 3rd round...the visor was just to hard to get off and throw down and Jesse was a bit "prancy"...looking for that white line again!

Look close in the dust at the 2nd horse's hooves...see the hoopla hoop???

Luckily there were "hat picker uppers" so you did not have to dismount to retrieve your hat!

4th in the games was Western Pleasure! I have no idea what this meant....we all rode around and went through the gates requested but I have never shown before and was not surprised we did not place!

5th is the Peeled banana relay! 3 riders must circle the barrel at the end of the arena and hand off the peeled banana in one piece. The teams were drawn from the hat and team one was the "dream team". The rest of us said just give them the trophy! But....they dropped the banana! Our team place 3rd...could have done better if Jesse had not gone for the finish when we were 2nd hand off. This is what one team looked like trying hand off the banana. They were totally in each others way!

Now they get the pass off!

Jesse searches for Toby Jack!!!

Here's Toby, playing in the dirt!!! Last up is the trail course....Jesse and I go first so we can get Toby for his promised ride on Jesse! Sorry no pictures again...but the trail obstacles were, a tarp to walk over, poles to back up through, a pole to pivot left then right, large plastic cactus to take rings off off and place on another large cactus. Jesse will back up straight on a cliff trail but put him in an arena between two poles...no way! No more beer mugs for us :(

Toby sees Jesse poop and is actually AFRAID of it! I don't blame him! Jesse looks a bit embarrassed!

Poor Jesse...he can't understand why his "boy" won't come over!

Toby gets his ride! Jesse is sooo proud to take Toby for a ride! (See the curly hair on his neck??? We will be clipping him soon!!!)

Zsa Zsa, Toby and Jesse watch the rodeo!

Watching the Rodeo with the "crowd"! Next up is the BBQ, hamburgers with grilled onions, pickles, chips and all the fix en's with fresh fruit and CHOCOLATE CAKE for desert!

Looks like Toby approves of the desert!

The end of the Rodeo! ....Zsa Zsa and Toby go home to take a 3 hour nap! Jesse goes back to the stables! What a GRAND day!

Your Desert Rose!

"The BIG Ride"!

I previously posted about "the pre ride" of the trail for "the big ride" that The Bossman and I did last week. Just because I did it 2x in one week does not mean I will make you do it too! I will just give a bit of info and some new pictures of the same old trail.

The trail goes up into the mountains and across them behind the desert valley and is too long to ride round trip in one day so there are lots of logistic's involved in getting horses and riders to the staging area and then back to the trailers. This requires either a drop off from our stables, or a "bribed" husband to drive your rig down to the pick up area at the end of the ride. Either way...this keeps many who would love to do this ride unable to do so. In spite of all the obstacles we had 14 hardy riders readying their mounts at the staging area for this ride!

In all we had 6 different rigs delivering 14 horses/riders to the staging area.

The Desert Rose and Little Lady are ready ride 15 minutes ahead of schedule! Jesse was in stall rest with "owy toes" from the pre-ride. Seven hours was just too much for him with his problem hooves. So...The Bossman TOLD me I would ride Little Lady! Now... he and I disagree over his Buckaroo name, he says that Bossman is code for "SLAVE"! I just don't understand how he sees it that way when he is the one who tells me who I will be riding??? Cowgirls...what are your thoughts on this???

Gathering at the trail head for ride information and introduction of any "guest riders".

The Desert Rose and Little Lady are at middle of the string, our look backward,

Our look froward!

Potty break...which I never pass up!!!

Picture's of the lunch stop...4 riders had previously planned to only ride a portion of the trail with the group and then turn around and head back down to the staging area and did not eat with us.

The end of the trail!

At the end of the trail, Little lady and I snap photo's as our rider's have all safely navigated the happy trails of "The BIG Ride"! Because of the trailer shuffle this ride was only 5 hours today...not the 7 hours of the pre-ride!

Your Desert Rose!