Horsin' Around

Today was a day off, but I did go and ride at another park today. We did not have our full group of four, but two of us did make it out on to the trail. The summer has turned out to be very busy for all of us and we have been having trouble getting the whole group together. It was another beautiful morning though. There was some fog and for some reason fog and open pasture are wonderful things to me. I took some photos before I rode, but I brought my camera with me for the ride hoping to be able to share with you the beautiful scenery that I see on our rides. I found that cameras and horses don't go together very well. I wore my camera in its case on my belt, but as I we trotted along, the camera bounced on the very hard pommel of the saddle. Also, the 5 or 6 photos that I did take while we rode were blurry... because I was on a moving horse, of course. I think I will pass on the camera next time. Or better yet, maybe I will teach myself to do a mobile upload and stick to only carrying my phone while I ride.
Lesson learned, but enjoy what I got before I beat up my camera with a saddle. I arrived first this morning and started filling feed buckets. When the next ranger arrived, he called the horses up from the pasture. I snuck a quick pic of my trusty steed, Amigo while he was munching on his breakfast. While I waited for the horses to finish, I took some more photos. I don't think that I captured it well enough, but the area around the barn is gorgeous in the morning! There was dew on every single blade of grass that was reflecting the light of the sun. The fog in the air sort of softened the trees and fences and just made the whole area look like a dream. Trying to photograph the dew, I found a fluffy and very tiny caterpillar. I have seen this type of caterpillar before but I didn't know what it was. It looks so fuzzy and soft. When I got home I did some research on the net and I believe that this is the caterpillar of a Flannel Moth. I am SO GLAD that I have never touched one of these little cute and cuddly looking things. If it is in fact a Flannel Moth caterpillar, then it has one heck of a sting! If you google the Flannel Moth, you will find the horror stories that I read. I will be sure to never cuddle a Flannel Moth! Enjoy the photo though!