The respite from a typical week in August ended last night as we slept.  The air finally laid itself over us like a damp wool blanket.  Guessing this would be the case, we’d planned for a morning ride and had the boys saddled early.  Before heading to the horses, we’d driven to the end of the road and found that what we’d been told – that it ended at another gravel stretch of riverbank -- is true, it’s just not close.  Still, we decided that with boots on the boys’ feet to shield them from the gravel, it was doable.

To our knowledge, neither of our horses has ever been ridden into water bigger than the stream near our farm in Maryland.  The Meramec River isn’t deep, but it’s wide and moves at a decent clip.  Surprisingly, we learned that it is almost completely fed by a single spring less than 10 miles from Bourbon.

After an hour walking and trotting a gravel road through long stretches of woods and some pretty hayfields, we reached the river again.   Surprisingly, both horses walked straight in and, standing in about a foot of water, took a long drink.  Their thirst satisfied, they gladly walked deeper wading to a point where the water touched their bellies and the current pulled at their legs with some vigor.  No problem.  In fact, my worry now became that they’d like it too much and decide a roll was in order.  Juneau was wearing all synthetic gear, but the saddle on Guillermo was full leather and not inexpensive.  Taking them back out to the shallows, we walked them up and down the bank and even had them stand in the water as a little metal johnboat motored by at a good clip.  Juneau was okay with the boat but found the wake waves that crashed noisily at his feet alarming.

The ride back to the farm was uneventful but for the passing of a golf cart with two little boys in the back.  I clearly heard one yelling as they passed, “I really want a horse, Granny.  That would be so great.” 

You are so right my little friend.  Having a horse really is so great.  Maybe I’ll elevate Missouri’s rank to a 7.  We’re headed into town later to buy beer and wine.  If that proves a successful venture, we may just raise that 7 to an 8.