In which I share some nice team pictures and silly stuff from Klickitat

In the Pacific Northwest region, our teams compete for regional points. Grand prize for the highest number of points is awarded at convention--sometimes a trophy, but sometimes it's matching sets of underwear for all the team members. Clearly, it's my kind of competition.

Our team is the Pirate Nation, and I am Captain Terrible Crabmeat. Allow me to introduce some of my crew and some other goofballs that were hanging around camp last weekend:

Cassie is our newest recruit. Notice that she has a valuable captive on her lap.

That puppy isn't really dead. She just really enjoys having her tummy scratched.

Also new to the team this year are Amanda and her trusty steed Cato.

They had a fun day on Saturday, but Cato was, alas, lame at the finish line and so they didn't "finish" the ride. The rules say that the horse must be "fit to continue" (i.e. in shape to go out and travel another 15 or 20 miles) at the finish line, and Cato's lameness was consistant--probably something simple but aggrevating like an abcess.

Ah, well, if you travel enough miles, you'll have a story like that to share at the fire someday.
Buster gave Pirate Morgan a nice ride on Sunday, but her young gelding was a real handful on Saturday AND they got blown off-course and did an extra 12 miles in order to complete the competition. The young gelding is for sale, by the way...he comes with a compass that doesn't point north.

Her hubby Steve has a lovely young gelding too, and Colt is NOT for sale. He had fun on Saturday and stayed in camp on Sunday.

Autumn is a seasoned Pirate riding borrowed horses this year, because her "real" horse has a heart murmer. At Klickitat, she borrowed a big ol' mustang called "Red". We had to leave camp before she got to the finish line--I hope she had fun!

Speaking of people having fun, here's some pictures that made me laugh:

Fiddle went shopping at the Healthy as a Horse booth, clearly wondering if the sheepskin would look good with her outfit.

B-dog advised Fiddle to just stick with purple.

I know I already posted this picture of Brian in the wheelbarrow at the ride meeting, but it's so silly I have to post it again!

I need to make a Venn Diagram to accompany these photos, to indicate that the intersection of endurance riders and fashion sense equals null set. See what I mean? Anna may look goofy in that shiny hat, but I'd never tell her so--she's the best dang ride timer in the region!

And then, there's this lil' cowpoke:

Could I deny him, when he very seriously asked me to pulse his pony and watch his trot out?
His pony had a good strong heartbeat, which didn't surprise anybody, especially me.

Life is good!