WOW! What a great turnout in Taylor for the Benefit Ride for Rita Stokes! I was told there were 160 riders. The day started out grey and drizzly and to be expected, some of the horses were nervous in such a big crowd. There was an accident when a horse got scared of the horse drawn wagon, bucked off his rider, jumped over the fence and headed off down the road. The rider had her breath knocked out of her, but was able to get up and still participate.
The group was gathered up and we all headed out on time at 10:00am. We were taken through some lovely trails, down dirt roads, through some water crossings on a 2-1/2 hour ride to the East Tower of Oceola National Forest. There was a wonderful spread of hamburgers, hot dogs, and a whole table of homecooked items along with dozens of desserts.
We got to eat and rest for about an hour, then everyone mounted up again and headed down a slightly different route back to our starting place for a 6 hour total excursion. There was one more accident with a runaway horse, but all in all most of the horses were well behaved for such a large group. We saw all kinds and colors of horses and many interesting rigs, especially the one below. :-) Here are many more photos of the day.
