When a horse hides.

My son, my daughter and I were mounted on our horses out in the pasture. A cool breeze swirled around us as our mounts exhaled softly with their heads lowered. We had saddled up our trusted, reliable equines in smooth, oiled saddles and rode in the attempt to catch a rather saucy, young filly who disdained work. We had chased her enough for her to break a light sweat on her shiny, chestnut coat and were now waiting for the initial adrenaline to die down in her so we could grab her with a leadline on foot.

As we stood, we notice our fleabitten stallion, Adonis Silver Storm, aka Rocko, scrutinizing our actions from his paddock. His ears were perked forward and his neck arched upward. My daughter commented on how he needed to be worked today. When she said his name, his eyes locked on our group. I agreed. When I said Rocko's name, he figured he was next. He peeled his ears back, snorted in disgust, and backed up behind his run in.

There he stayed and hid, occasionally taking a quick peek out. Much to his chagrin, we later found him and walked him out. With a sign of compliance, he doggedly followed us from the paddock.

Our visit to the Alltech National Horse Show 2014

We attended the Alltech National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The park is a sprawling complex of emerald pastures, white fences, painted barns, sandy rings, and museums, all meticulous kept and all about horses. We went to watch international show jumpers compete in classes awarding up to $250,000. The most spectacular was the Puissance class where bold horses and their courageous riders soared over a solid, painted brick wall, with each round going higher and higher until they topped out at 7 feet. You could have heard in pin drop when the last rider crested that formidable obstacle in the final round. It was truly amazing, the athleticism of these horses.

Since we were in Kentucky, we had to have breakfast at the Waffle House, a restaurant that has the shape reminiscent of the blocky Lego buildings we made when we were little. The food was home style and cheap.

The trip would not have been complete without visiting the Horse Park's gift shop. If you love horses, you are in heaven when you enter. It is hard not to leave with an empty wallet.