Wise County Cowboy Church has an open arena every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month from 7-9 pm. If you have not been to their event, I encourage you to take your mount and enjoy all the great obstacles and fellowship. The arena is great nice sand lights and plenty of parking for big rigs.
This was our first outing as a team and I am not a arena person so this was stepping way out of my comfort zone to attend this event. Having a good mule or horse is making sure they are exposed to as much as possible and that is one of my goals this year it to go to everything and everywhere I can take Miss Rita Lynn. So off we go I was very nervous not knowing what to expect and how Rita Lynn would do. I know Tom did a great job but would I be able to be a leader and not just a rider. My mind was racing with the 10 mile drive over from the house. Would we be welcome or would it be cliquish? Would I be the first to hit the ground and have to have Care Flight come? Sometimes my mind can be my worst enemy.
When we pulled up, there was a couple of trailers already there and they were walking their horses around in the arena. I got out and unloaded Rita Lynn and whispered in her ear "please lets work together and keep all four feet on the ground and I promise I will give you a nutter butter cookie when we are done" Nutter Butter cookies is her favorite, and I am not a treat giving person, but hey, sometimes I have to use what ever it takes so she doesn't pull her mule union card.
Off we go to walk the arena and check out the obstacles. The first one was the giant octopus - not something you see everyday out on the trail but a great big trash bag I am sure in Rita Lynns eyes. Well all that worry and stress was for nothing as she walked right in the arena like "lady this may be your first rodeo but it is not mine. Maybe I should have been telling you in your ear please do not embarrass me and I will get you a ice cream from Braum's". She walked right up to that octopus and put her nose to it.
The next hurdle was a box with a blowing tarp with empty water bottles in it and you are to step on the tarp. Rita Lynn said "no problem, what else can you show me, I got this one".
The car wash was the next one and she did not mind going through it with the wind blowing it away from us. It took a minute for us to get through it with the wind blowing it in our face but we did it with a song in our heart and a smile on our face.
When we had walked through everything - the mail box, tractor tires, little tires, seesaw bridge and a log to pull behind, it was the big test to saddle up and see how we would do. It took a few times to get her up on the tractor tire but we did it because she kept just wanting to circle it. Everything else she did like a pro and with confidence. I am very proud of this little girl. I think we are going to be a great team, I trust her and I think she is coming around to trust me she may be small but she makes up for it in heart. The picture below is us on top of the tractor tire.
I can not say enough about the Wise County Cowboy Church Arena. It is great place to go, the people are friendly and everyone there is encouraging and helping each other complete their goals.
The lesson I learned in this is 'quit worrying about what could go wrong and think about what could go right'.
Remember to tighten those cinches and we will see yall down the trail or maybe in a arena
Misty and Rita Lynn
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