Man in black

Cooler temps and a bit of rain have started to green things up.

Without his ear bonnet, Lance would blend right into the leaves!

We ride through a Xmas tree lot on our way back up the hill.

Last night I took Lance out for a ride. We said good-bye to daylight together, which was lovely and peaceful and perfectly terrible for photos. Good thing I took some photos of our new accoutrements before we left, when there was a bit more light!

Recently I took advantage of a SmartPak sale and got a "fly veil." Much better to keep out bothersome gnats with a barrier than with poison, in my opinion.

I also picked up a new saddle pad on eBay. We have trouble with pad slippage, so when Debbie extolled the virtues of her Success Equestrian saddle pad at the show, I took a closer look. It has no-slip material in a half-pad shape on top, and under the entire saddle area next to the horse. It also has extra padding under the saddle, an excellent contoured shape, and individual slots for the billets. She got hers for 75% off at a local farm store, but that was apparently an inventory close-out because they no longer carry them. I went to the website and got a tremendous jolt from sticker shock. Ebay was my next stop, where I not only found one for Lance, I found a second one for Debbie (at her request). Hers are mediums; I bought a large which is really generous. I will keep my eyes open for another deal, hopefully in a medium.

With these two purchases and my wonderful browband on order, I had no need (or money!) to shop at the USDF Region 6 Championships. That turns out to be a good thing, as I would have had to go today . . . and it's raining!