Hailey or Bust.

Over the 4th of July weekend, we took our first overnight trip with the horse.  We headed up to Hailey, Idaho for the rodeo and parade.  It was a family affair, with plenty of checklists to make sure we did not forget anything.  Kendall and Sidney were both such a huge help!  There is a lot to remember when bringing a horse along.

Once we got everything loaded up, we were off! 

The team stayed on this beautiful property just outside of Hailey.  It was stunning.  We knew we were at the right place when we pulled off the road and saw this sign.

When we arrived,  much of the team was off at the pool taking showers:).  Some of Sid's friends that stayed behind came over to help us set up our temporary fencing.

Sidney went to the rodeo grounds to practice with the team.

Kendall and I found seats in the stands for the rodeo.  Little did I realize, this was Kendall's first rodeo.  She could not have picked a better one.  We were also very fortunate to sit next to an older gentleman that was a local and used to ride broncs and bulls on the pro circuit.  He gave Kendall and I all kinds of insights into the rules of the rodeo.  It was incredibly interesting.  Turns out he is a sports psychologist and an author.  He spent a lot of time working with the US Olympic Ski Team.  He signed a copy of one of his book for us.  You can see him in the black cowboy hat just to the right of us.

Sid had a great time both with her friends and riding.

The girls slept in the back of the horse trailer in hammocks, and I slept in the back of the truck in what I dubbed my 'coffin bed'.  At one point in the night my mind wandered to the craziness of it all, but then I heard the giggles coming from the horse trailer and smiled at the memories being made.

It was an early morning for all of us, as parade time was on the docket.  The views the entire weekend were breathtaking!

Kendall was such a big help and really enjoyed visiting with everyone and helping to get the horses ready for the parade.

The turnout for the parade was huge.  I should have expected this, as people lined the streets with the chairs the day before.  The riders had the opportunity to do their parade drill several times along the way.  the Eh Capa papa's said the crowd was a rowdy bunch!

So upon return from our first road trip, I decided my 2004 Ford F150 needed an upgrade.  I found this amazing Ford F250 with only 20,000 miles on it.  

Similarly, after trying to cram all our horse travel items into our little 2 horse straight load, we upgraded to this horse trailer with a walk in tack room.

We are all set for the next road trip!