Sunflower Ranch Obstacle Course

 Hoss needs to get out and have some fun, too, so when a local ranch was putting on an obstacle course day, I decided we'd load up and go. Hoss really does like getting out in public and being fawned over, and this sort of event is right up his alley.

Our "go time" was 1pm, and nothing was being timed for this little informal event. We got there around 12pm so I could check in and look around. Hoss stayed in the trailer while I looked at the vendors and got myself a pulled pork sandwich. I sat and watched horses working the obstacles while I ate, then went out and unloaded Hoss.

We tacked up and headed in to the ranch. At 1pm we went in the gate and got mounted up.

Since it wasn't timed, I really more or less allowed Hoss to decide where he wanted to go. His first choice was to check out the blue wavy man thing. You know those things on the blower motors with the ridiculous waving arms? That sort of thing? He not only wasn't afraid of it, he wanted to check it out up close!

Once we'd seen that, I directed him over to the first obstacle, a series of pool noodles one is meant to pass between the ends of. They're arranged so the ends of the noodles emulate branches that are across a trail. This was easy.

The next thing was not so easy. A wooden box with scrunched up plastic bottles. He wanted nothing to do with this nonsense. Of course, what he was really doing was seeing what he could get away with. We discussed it a bit and after a gentle pop with the quirt, he remembered that yes, he does know how to do these things and it really is kind of fun. He walked through the bottles fine after that.

There were several different bridges, a pathway with rocks and logs, a hillside with rails and rocks, two water crossings, beach balls blowing around, barrels with pool noodles poking out hanging from a shade shelter, all sorts of stuff. We went 'round and tried different obstacles, doing some of them several times. When he figured out there were treats in the mailbox, Hoss kept taking me back to it.

We spent an hour going through the obstacles and having a good time just doing something together. There was a photographer, from Simply Gaudy, so we got a whole lot of pictures to share.

Headshot!

Going up the multi-step bridge

And over

Very small carpet lined box

Through the tiny water crossing

Over the dome bridge

Into the water bottles

Up the rocky hillside

The very best obstacle: a treat dispenser!

Posing on the plank

Carrying the flag

Another headshot.

And another... He had a lot of head shots