Meet Julius. He’s my new BFF.
If you would have asked me about him a week ago, I would have said he was big and scary. That his giant eyeballs and enormous teeth gave me the willies. Or that he’d flip me off his back like a little fly. And I was terrified that he would toss me off his back and stomp me into the ground.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Julius was quite the gentlemen. He knew I was scared. But he took his time to get to know me and show me he wasn’t going to hurt me. And in the end, he made my first time very special. It was a very enjoyable couple of hours.
So, Julius changed my mind about horses. They’re kind of like super-sized dogs that you can ride. And now, I get to cross being brave enough to ride a horse off my bucket list. Can’t wait to do it again. Maybe on a beach with Bruce on some fancy vacation. Or maybe at a ranch in North Texas.
Clearly, my fear was overrated. Good thing I dared myself to be brave. Check that off the bucket list.
It felt like I had ridden a horse before. It was weird. Sometimes I feel the same way when I’m out messing around in the Urban Farm. Even though I haven’t done something, it feels like I have. Weird.
Here are a few photos of today’s fun in Austin with my dear friend Simone:
so proud of myself! and Julius!
Julius and his pals Zeke and Ranger
beautiful ranch scenery
looks like something out of a movie
so serene
ah nothing quenches fears like seeing a sign like this one
Simone and Topper, Julie and Julius
Special thanks to Jessica and Emily at Texas Trail Rides for getting us into the saddle and on the trail. It was an excellent experience and one we will never forget.
Today’s gratuitous dog photo:
the 4G network likes to sun themselves • photo by Tracy
Sow, Sew, So 
Good for you!! That’s a biggie. Riding on a beach sounds very good to me.
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It was an amazing experience.
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Usually the things we’re afraid of are not nearly as scary as we think. Except snakes and roller coasters :).
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Apparently it was rattlesnake season on the ranch. Luckily we did not see any. Jessica mentioned that near the end of the ride.
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OMG!! Good thing she didn’t tell you. I am terrified of them.
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I figured Julius might be too so he’d steer clear. Julius seemed very practical.
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Good Julius. He does sound sweet. Did you ever know Alison Laux when you were at Ogilvy? She is a horse riding fanatic.
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Simone and I just mentioned her! We have both worked with her, both of us at Ogilvy and Simone again at Quizitive.
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Oh I didn’t know Simone worked at Quizative. Allison was at Ogilvy when I was there and then she worked for me at tattoo. She’s at Cundari now — they bought Quizative. She rides all the time — like every weekend. And she takes all kinds of riding vacations. She took a winery tour on horseback in South Africa.
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Wow! That’s hard core.
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She is hard core. She really loves it.
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I have only been on a horse once, and his name was very close to your friend’s… Julep. While it was nice, I’d be perfectly happy if it were my last time on a horse… maybe unless I happened upon a unicorn….
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Now that sounds like fun riding! Unicorns for everyone!
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Well done! And they probably would have kicked you out of Texas at some point if you didn’t get on a horse!
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