Memories tend to fade with time; however, I can still recall the first time Cathy and I decided to try a new "organized" trailride which was closer to us. For years each June we'd traveled to the National Scenic ride down at Roby, MO. It's about an 8 hour drive considering gas and rest stops. So we set out to try a ride we'd read about which took place down in the Shawnee National Forest and much closer to us--the Ranch 34 ride. It advertised day-long and half-day rides, along with "fast" and "slow" rides. Meals were part of the fee. It sounded just like the National Scenic ride!

     I'd taken some years off to raise our young daughters, plus I had just gone through a "horseless" period of time after Majetta died of colic. By surprise, Cathy had arranged for me to try out a new horse; it was an instant "keeper"! So when the Ranch 34 ride came up, I was more anxious than ever to try out Ace's trailriding ability. He proved to be a better athlete than I could've ever wanted.

     Any trailrider knows tennis shoes and shorts are a "no-no" for riding attire. However, the week of our trailride saw temps in triple digits each day! To our dismay, the only ride going out each day was lead by a gaited horse. There were no fast/slow nor all-day/half-day rides as advertised! Having been warned of how easy getting lost in Shawnee is, Cathy and I set out on THE ride. Ace proved a real trooper during the long, hot rides.Other horses didn't fare so well. Cathy's Gray Boy was one of them. He got overheated, and thank goodness, other riders helped us cool him out. After that, Cathy and I rode out alone, marking each unfamiliar fork in the road (using our secret system) since there were no maps to be found.

     I don't wish to post negative comments about that ride; all I'll gladly say is that it was taken over by a new manager, given a new name, and I hear is run much more efficiently.

      Pearls of wisdom gained from this ride: do your homework! (typical teacher talk!) Search for information about an organized ride and e-mail riders who've been there! Cathy and I walked into this ride "blindly"; we learned a lot back in those days--a good deal of it, the hard way. I share this with you in hopes that your rides are safe for you and your horses.