A Pack Attack . . . .

I don't know if the scenery will be quite the same as this photo taken a couple of years ago.  

I do know that horses and riders will be different, but maybe those pretty posies near that rustic cabin will be blooming.

Later, this morning, I'm joining a bunch of other horse-loving ladies at the Ginter Wildlife Management Area for a leisurely (we hope anyway)  trail ride along the beautiful Pack River.

So, our "Pack Attack" should not be too aggressive.  We'll just be eating up the beauty of a fall day along and above the river which flows from the rugged Selkirk Mountains into Lake Pend Oreille. 

I'm sure the Yak (king) attack may be of a different nature.

My plans were to have a different perspective for picture taking on this ride.  Those ears were supposed to be brown today.

My whole point of joining the ladies was to give my Lefty some actual trail experience, but I had to change horses yesterday afternoon.

Nothing bad----just another skin problem for my horse who suffers from the mother of all skin problems.  

In this case, it's because of a cinch.  For some reason the braids in the cinch pinch poor Lefty.  And, he's got the raw spots to prove it.

When Debbie rode him several days ago, she discovered some open wounds while brushing him.  We put ointment on them, and I continued to do so for several days.

Yesterday I decided to take him for a ride----with the cinch set differently---to see if he would be all right for today's trip.

We had a great time, heading down South Center Valley Road, and I was more than pleased with how calm the little guy is as he walks briskly down the road, taking in the sights but never over-reacting.

We also met a couple of riders who live to the west of our place and joined them.  Lefty had the experience of getting acquainted with strange horses and handled it well.

I was thrilled----until I removed his saddle and found the same spots re-opened from the cinch.  

So, he'll stay home, and Lily will go today.   While in town after our ride, I bought a fleece cinch cover, which I'll try on Lefty when his wounds heal.  

Poor guy.  He has skin problems aplenty, and this irritation from the cinch only adds to the frustration.  I do have to report, however, that Lefty's demeanor would never hint of any irritations.  He just keeps on plodding down the road.

Anyway, today should be fun.  Everyone has agreed to keep it low key.  I played the "age" card, asking that we not attempt any steep hills.  The rest seemed quite happy with that request, especially Adrienne who has a horse blind in one eye.

Today's ride---with its promising scenery and the camaraderie of happy ladies on horseback--- is why we shovel, pay lots of bucks for feed, vets, bedding, etc.  

And, if all goes well for everyone involved, I'm sure we'd all agree that it's money well spent.

Happy Thursday.