Going Solo!!!!

Well, since my last entry, we have gone out a couple more times with other riders.  Nothing new to report there, Santana remains solid and is learning and getting better everyday at figuring out how to balance himself and me on pretty treacherous  terrain. 

But today was another milestone for us. We were supposed to go out with Vicki again, but she called this a.m.  not feeling well.  Soooo, I got up my nerve, and decided that this would be the day I try him out there alone, solo, just him and me.   

Now, I really did everything wrong. I know better. Normally I am the poster child for safe and smart trail riding.  Not today.  I didn't tell anyone I was going out. Nobody knew where I was. (I do get cell service there, so, ....there was that...)  Once saddled and ready to go,  I decide to take a trail I haven't been on in a couple of years, that is not very well traveled.  Funny how I had forgotten how hard some of the terrain was..... I stopped Santana at one point because the section of trail in front of us was pretty hard, and one hoof in the wrong spot could result in us summersaulting down the embankment.  He insisted we could go on, and that it was fine.  I decided to trust him, and, naturally, he handled it like a seasoned veteran.  This was a spot that I have been leary of even on Eli, Best Horse in the Universe.  It is one of the reasons I don't travel this trail very often....which of course I didn't remember until we got right to that spot today.  Santana was unphased by the lack of any other equine companionship. He really likes to just go exploring. If I wasn't on his back, he'd just go out on his own, just to see what was out there. But I think he was happy I was there too. It really doesn't seem to matter if there is another horse there or not. He just likes to go, but in fact, he seemed to be a little more careful today on the ugly terrain. But maybe thats just experience starting to kick in. 

So we need to decide what the new term is going to be for the pictures taken aboard Santana, like the one at hte top. Ears in pic are mandatory.

"Sancam"  "Sancamera"  "Santamera" "Camtana"  Or any suggestions???

The pics below are of a nest, either an eagle or a BIG hawk. I should have zoomed in more so you can see how big in diameter the sticks are that it is made of.