Up Early

Last Saturday, June 25th I made plans to go ride with my new horse friend Karen. It has been so hot during the day. Mornings are the best time to ride. That's hard to do during the week while I'm still working.

Karen learned that the trails at the State Park had been reopened so I agreed to meet there at 6:30AM. This shows how bad I wanted to ride! I had to get up by 5:30AM to make this happen and that wasn't early enough. I didn't make it to the park until 6:45! At least I had already saddled so all I had to do was unload and put the bridle on. We were on the trail by 7.

I was in the front in the beginning and snapped this picture. Karen had met another woman who rides named Gay. She is on the grey horse on the far left looking at the photo. Karen bought the horse she is riding from her a couple of weeks prior to this day.

Karen's husband Clayborne is in the white shirt riding the bay on the right of the photo and her uncle is behind him.

Here we are crossing the creek. Karen and Gay are in front of me.

The trails are so green and pretty. We were having a great time....









Then we had an uh oh!

We were riding along the creek and the trail was very sandy.

Do you see the trail marker on the far right in the grass of this photo? The top of it is red. A trail marker like this was laying in the trail partially covered by sand. Gay's horse stepped on it and when he did the marker raised up. He spooked and reared straight up. She came off falling flat of her back knocking all the air out of her! She couldn't move and the horse couldn't avoid stepping on her leg. She turned blue, eyes rolled back in her head. She passed out. It scared all of us! Clayborn called 911. She came too and started tying to get up. We all said in unison "NO! Don't move!"

Even though the State Park is in Mineral Wells, it is in Parker County which is the county neighboring Palo Pinto County. Mineral Wells, is on the edge of Palo Pinto County. Now Parker County EMS is located in Weatherford which is 18 miles East of Mineral Wells. So an ambulance was dispatched out of Mineral Wells. I rode back toward the trail head to meet the emergency personnel to tell them exactly where she was. I didn't ride as hard as I could have but enough that Fancy was pretty winded by the time I met

the ambulance. I walked her back to meet the group. I met the ambulance coming back. Not a sight you want to see on an equestrian trail!

I meet the group once the ambulance gets by me. They tell me they have called the helicopter to pick up Gay.

I couldn't get any closer not knowing how Fancy would react to the loud chopper. One accident was enough for the day!

We lead Gay's horse back to the trail head where we meet her husband and daughters who came to get the horse, truck and trailer.




Karen called me later that day and told me other than a broken rib and a small laceration to her liver she was ok. What a big relief! It really shook us all up and was a stark reminder of how easily accidents can happen. It was definitely more excitement than I signed up for!

Have a good one!