Compass plant

Shrue rode a horse today. Her first reaction upon successfully mounting the horse was of victory.

Then the horse started to move and she let out a yelp and grabbed a hold of the saddle.

With a lead, she did make in once around the prairie circle.

After riding, there is horse care to be done.

Hoof cleaning, grooming. Riding seems to require a good half an hour to an hour of set up preparation - grooming, saddling, adjusting, and another half hour to an hour of "tear down" activities. I remain puzzled how they were ever used in a fast response situation, I have yet to see anyone simply "hop on and ride off."
More horse care.
Compass plant, Silphium laciniatum Linnaeus (Asteraceae), also known as Rosin weed. "The common name derives from the belief by pioneers that the leaves of Compass Plant pointed in a north-south direction. While this is probably true more often than not, it is not always reliable. The resin was used by Indian children as a chewing gum." - Illinois Wildflowers.
The compass plant indicates the presence of dense black soils that may not have been plowed or disturbed - land that was always tallgrass prairie.
Jasper provides a interesting ride.
Taking Jasper through his paces.
Under the guidance of Robbin, we began to clear around the oaks to free them up. Shrue headed up brush burning. After the brush was burned, Shrue took to burning loose hay left on the floor of the garage from the haystacking operation the other day. While she burned, others cut brush and the smallest children pulled brush to the fire.
In the evening the horse shelter arrived.
The shelter was tipped and slid onto the ground. This will shelter the horses in severe winter conditions.

Checking out the shelter.

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