Today we turned down the fear factor a few notches, but still stepped outside of our norm and had a fabulous time! Today's adventure was horseback riding!!! Planned by Amy, this was something she had NEVER done in her life, and something she has always been curious about. While the rest of us have been horseback riding before, it has been many many years . . . primarily Girl Scout camp experiences from the early 90s. So, while the anxiety level today was relatively low, the excitement scale remained as high as ever. Adding to the fun, we ditched our usual "Fearless Femmes" tees, and instead opted for cowgirl attire: boots, jeans and button-downs. Our outfits made for adorable pics, if I must say so myself:
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| Not bad for a bunch of city girls! |
Our equestrian adventure took place an hour north of home at Wild Rose Equine Center in Dearborn, MO. Little did we know that our drive north of the airport would turn into an adventure all it's own! Due to social committments afterwards, we had to take three cars today, which made caravaning through the downtown highway interchanges quite . . . interesting. (I will just leave it at that, as I know my mom will be reading this) :) Despite a few hangups, we made it to our destination right on time for our scheduled trail ride. Our guides for the afternoon ride were Cori and Cecily, two 20-somethings sporting rugged "real cowgirl" wear and sweet babyfaces. After signing in and waiving our right to wear a helmet, we received a quick tutorial on how to direct our horses to go, stop and turn. Some new lingo we learned: "Walk up" = go, "Woahhhh" = stop, and my own command for my horse, "Good girl" = please don't do anything naughty!
We were each assigned a horse and assisted with mounting the saddle.
Once in place, we began our single-file stroll through the pasture, fields and woods adjacent to the stables. A brotherhood of playful and jubilant collies and Aussies that live on the land accompanied us on our ride, providing entertainment along the way as they taunted each other and sometimes even the horses. No more than a few minutes into our ride, we were reminded horses display little inhibition when it comes to their excretory system. Cori threw out the old adage, "shit happens," and in retrospect, I realize she was trying to prepare us for the non-stop poopfest we were about to endure.
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| A few random shots from the day |
As we continued on our ride, we crossed a few streams and trekked up and down their banks. The course was pretty mild and the pace very relaxed. We intentionally stopped for the horses to get a drink of water at one point, but some just couldn't wait and snuck a sip from the streams. Several times our train got backed up by one of the horses stopping for a snack of grass or weeds; like us, they are good eaters! One would occasionally veer slightly off path, causing it's rider to get up close and personal with the low-hanging tree branches and overgrown brush. Jessi received a small abrasion on her calf as a result of such a maneuver. (And I made you believe this was a low-risk adventure!)
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| Everyone waiting while . . . |
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| . . . Meagan's horse stops for a drink |
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| Lined up for a drink from the trough |
We came to find out that just like us, each of our horses had their own habits, social circles and personality flaws. My horse, Rula, "likes to bite," but "only the other horses, not people," according to Cori. Meagan's horse, Mystique, likes to eat . . . a lot. Jessi's horse, Twigger, also likes to snack and is known on the ranch as "the boss lady." Alli's horse, Reno, the sole male of the group, fittingly is "the ornery one," and is also Twigger's boyfriend. Cori said Meghan's horse, Fashion, "doesn't like any of the others." She showed us she can be a bit of a B when she kicked Lisa's horse, Horizon, who I decided suffered from allergies based on her coughing fits. Amy's horse, Rosa, is one big mamacita!
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| Straight out of a John Wayne movie, here we all are at our horseback riding adventure |
So how did we feel at the end of this adventure? You tell me . . .
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| Destiny & Rula |
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| Meagan & Mystique |
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| Jessi & Twigger |
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| Alli & Reno |
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| Meghan & Fashion |
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| Lisa & Horizon |
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| Amy & Rosa |
After our ride, Amy and Lisa had other committments to get to, but the rest of us headed to Stroud's for some good ole' homecookin' and fried chicken! During our 45-minute wait, I struck up a conversation with a group of women (approximately aged 50-70) after they had asked me to take their photo in front of the farmhouse that is now Stroud's Restaurant. They were also a group of coworkers that had morphed into close friends. After I told them we were part of an adventure club, they were proud to inform me that they (too) had been on an adventure (of the driving variety) of their own, and that they were lucky they made it to dinner. They were as pleasant and friendly as could be, and even invited me to the retirement party they have planned next month for one of their own. I thought it was so cool that they were out with their girlfriends, on a Thursday night, making memories! I want to believe that when we reach their age, we will be doing the same thing. :)
And of course, they thought our club was the neatest thing, and advised, "you all should jump out of a plane!!!" Hmmmmm . . . . . .
