Hannah's Parade

We were up before 5:00 am, not because it was time to get up, the coffee hadn't even started brewing yet when I heard a clicking, clacking noise in the kitchen. Turns out a mouse had just his foot caught in the trap and was dragging the trap around the kitchen floor. The poor thing was let loose outside. We had a big day planned so I just stayed up and got to work. At 7:00 am I drove in to Peoria for a couple errands and made it back before 8:00 am. The golf cart was cleaned up and decorated for the parade. Karin helped load it into the stock trailer then we dropped it off at Mike's office in Hanna City along with all the supplies for the parade. Karin, Anni, and Emily got to work bathing and tacking up the horses. We were loaded and ready to head to Hanna City around 9:30 am. We were suppose to BE there at 9:30 am so as soon as the horses were unloaded at Mike's office, Karin, Emily and Anni were thrown up on their horses and they took off at a canter to the Bank parking lot where we were suppose to line up. We really weren't late, the parade didn't start until 10:00 am and we are always last. Below are a few pictures of the morning.

 Above is Emily on Eliza. Eliza was checking out the marching bands across the street. Mom and Miss Molly rode with me in the golf cart. Mom didn't really like the signs and wanted them moved so she could see out better. She was reminded, "MOM it isn't all about you!" We WANT people to see the signs. We compromised though and folded it back on her side of the golf cart so she could throw candy to the audience. 

 Above is Emily on Eliza and Jesse Stickling on Jenis waiting for the parade to start. Below is Miss Molly. She made herself right at home on that golf cart and had the best seat in the house for watching all the people go by.

 Zara, Ribbon's filly by Valiant was excellent. She was quiet and well behaved. Even when the fire engines behind us sounded the horn she just took it all in stride. Below Megan and Anni are visiting with Emily before the start of the parade.

 Mom and I followed the horses with the golf cart which just happened to have a muck bucket and a manure fork on the back. Each time a horse would deposit something I would jump off the cart and clean it up. Mom was in charge of refilling the candy buckets for the vaulters.

 After the parade we let the horses graze in Rachel's rental house yard while waiting for the vaulters turn at performing in the park. The horses were a huge hit. Both Ribbon and her filly were surrounded by admirers the entire time we were waiting. Emily and Jesse took the 2 Friesian mares back to the farm.

The rest of the pictures were placed on the Horsemeister Inc Facebook page along with the video of the performance. After the performance Anni rode Ribbon back to the trailer while Karin and I rode in the golf cart. That golf cart was perfect for the parade. Next year more thought will be put into decorating it. 

After everything was unloaded at the farm Karin and Jesse took Serenity and Jenis on a trail ride. This was 3 days in a row Serenity was worked and each day she has made huge improvements. She just might end up being a riding horse for someone after-all.

Below they are heading to the 'death trails' and best of all Serenity was on a loose rein. 

When they got back Eliza, Jenis, Ribbon and Zara were loaded up and taken to Middle Grove for a 3 week vacation. That was an interesting trip. Karin jumped out of the truck to go unlock the gate, looked down and there was a phone. The battery was still good so we knew it must have not been lost long. We also knew Mike and Diane took a jeep ride and figured they probably drove to Middle Grove. Sure enough it was Diane's phone. Mike was sent a text and they met us out on the road to get it back. This afternoon Mark and I worked on the back gate and moving the electric fence opening up the entire field now for the mares. There are currently on 4 mares and 3 foals on that field and the grass is looking really good. We finished the job around 8:00 pm, came in and had a late supper. What a great day.