The Ch8se Giddyup - Ch.47 - 6.12.21

Have you ever ridden a horse? How about to a waterfall? We have. Actually thirteen ch8sers chose to join an adventure to a waterfall on horseback. We arrived with varying emotions. There were five ch8sers who were riding a horse for the very first time. We were anxious, excited, and somewhat nervous.

After receiving instructions and being paired with what surprisingly proved to be the horse that best fit each of our temperament, we mounted up and began the ride. Before we share the story, allow me to introduce you to the horse and their ch8ser.

Janice was on Chief, she shares her story below. It seems to me that she and Chief were truly kindred spirits; however, Janice narrates it best below. Rhonda was paired with Molly, she too narrates her story below, along with Poco, who was ridden by her granddaughter Aubrie. Tabetha rode Charlie. Rhonda also touched on the pairing of Tabetha and Charlie. Just keep reading.

The ladies above formed one group of ch8sers. The next group included Roberta who was on Ms. Sara. Wyetta, mounted Bo, Kimmie was on Rockie and Tee rode Mr. Tubbs. Now Roberta tells of her experience with Ms. Sara below. From the interpretation of the other ladies in her group, it didn't seem as though she and Ms. Sara got along well at all. Or perhaps, Ms. Sara just felt Roberta's energy and gave her back what she was giving. From what I heard, it seems like Ms. Sara was letting Robert know who was really in charge.

Again, I am going to share the narratives from the other ladies; however, until then, allow me to share with you the vibe in the group I shared my ride with. Trust me I will save the best for last. My horse was Bella, we were perfectly paired. She was in control and I enjoyed every moment of my ride. She knew exactly what to do and left me with very little responsibility. I thought it was really cute that I was riding Bella and my grand pooch's name is Bella. Stacy, was paired with Patches, and they seemingly got along very well. Stacy was a first time rider, and Patches took great care of her. Rio belonged to Camille. I often noticed Camille reaching out to touch and embr8ce the energy from the trees. I could tell she and Rio were getting along just fine. My lovely Lynn was our lead, she and Ms. Pearl were a perfect pairing. Lynn was a first time rider and she rode impressively. Ms. Pearl took great care of her.

There were three groups of us, each with varying stories. Below is the collaborative narrative from several of our ch8sers.

Addition by Guest Blogger Lynn Jones

My pics and the pure joy on my face sums up my feelings about the Ch8se ! I truly can’t articulate it any better! My #Ch8seFace !!!!

Addition by Guest Blogger Roberta Howard

Ch8se 47 did not disappoint, from the moment we arrived at Smokemont Riding Stables, in the Smoky Mountains National park, we were excited and ready for our new adventure.

I was teamed up with Ms. Sara, she is a beautiful, brown and white mare, with an attitude. As soon as I mounted her, she let me know she was running this show. She tried to eat on every bush along the way, (we were told not to let them eat because they could potentially eat something poisonous.) and she didn’t like me pulling her away. She was the only horse that had to run up every hill. I guess she’s just extra, like me. We made it to the beautiful waterfall and of course took lots of pictures, cause that’s what we do. On the way back, another hour or so, Ms. Sara was ready to get back. Once, she just took off and I lost my hat and I think my neck. The guide told us they weren’t allowed to run or trot, but Ms. Sara didn’t get the memo. I asked the guide, why is she was so feisty? He said she just doesn’t like to be in the back, again just like me. I think she was just showing off. I also think she heard me talking about her and made sure she let me know. In the end, we parted as friends, I think.

This trip was amazing, one of the best I’ve been on, I say that every time, but I love the sisterhood and all the positive energy. Can’t wait to join the next ch8se.

Kind regards, Roberta Howard

Addition by Guest Blogger Janice Houston

“There is much to Embr8e about the Ch8se”

…and a child shall lead them.

WOW! Where do I start? I still remember the first time that I was asked to join in on a hike to see the beautiful waterfalls. My initial response was Nope, No, and Nada… Fast forward to about 6 or 8 Ch8ses later and I must say that these Ch8ses are incredibly healing, inspiring, and motivating. However, I still deal quite a bit with my fear of the “Wilderness” and the moving things that God created living in it Well! I do.

On June 12, I decided to join a group of adventurous women for a Ch8se on horseback to see a beautiful waterfall. Yep! The ride was in the wilderness. Yep! I was afraid, anxious, and apprehensive as ever. Upon arrival, I informed the ladies that I would stay behind and relax in the car while they saddled up and Ch8sed into the wonderful world of waterfalls. That was until I hear this small, sweet (BOSSY) little voice say “It’s not that bad, don’t be scared”, “The smell is not coming from the direction of the horses, it coming from down there”. Mind you, down there was a load of horse manure… Yuck! Did I tell ya that I have a low tolerance for foul smells… Yes, I am EXTRA – Well, I am! Anyway, this little sweet & BOSSY voice pretty much let me know that I needed to suck it up (no, she did not say that). To make a long story short (well at least shorter) … I decided to pay my money, hop on the horse, and Ch8se into the wilderness on horseback. When I tell yall that I was so scared. Scared that my horse “Chief” would see wildlife that would spook him and cause him to toss me on the ground… Or heck, just scared that I would see wildlife. Literally, two minutes it the ride, I look up and see Aubrey (the small, sweet & BOSSY voice that I spoke of earlier) leading our group, striding her horse and riding ever so calmly and taking in the beautiful scenery that only God himself could have created. I noticed the child’s sense of PEACE, her FAITH, and her ability to let go of any fear. I noticed her decision to enjoy the moment. It was then that I untighten my grip on “Chief’s” rein, relaxed my grip on the saddle, breathe again. and stopped squeezing poor Chief to death with my thunder thighs. I realized that the invitation for me to join this Ch8se was actually an invitation for me to get in touch with my inner peace, an invitation for me to Embr8se the beautiful world around me.

Oh! By the way, my horse “Chief” was just a little too clumsy for me. For instance, think of a woman wearing a pair of Stilettos. Now, vision her walking on a rocky road in them, and all of a sudden, her foot turns to the side and she almost falls, but catches herself, straightens up, and struts off. Well, I swear Chief was wearing stilettos the entire ride. I got close to the ground a few times, but hey, he straightened himself up and strutted his stuff to the end. Scared me to death!

Thank you, Champion @RhondaGriffin for never allowing me to say NO when you know that what waits ahead is peace and healing and the ability to overcome.

Thank you, Deborah McGlawn, for your vision and your strength to carry it through fruition.

And last, but certainly not least. Thank you Aubrey Dobbs for being that inner (and outward) voice and spirit that I needed to hear and see to realize “I got this”… I Embr8sed it, I Ch8sed it and I loved it. Let me tell ya – There is Much to the Embr8se about the Ch8se – Ya’ll betta’ get with it!

By: Janice Houston rider of The Chief!

Addition by Guest Blogger Rhonda Stover-Griffin

Giddy up, Giddy up Giddy up!!!!

It’s always an amazing time when our Sister Queen Cowgirls get together to go ch8sing waterfalls.

This particular ch8se was new to the library of ch8sing. It was a ch8se to the waterfall by horseback. Our group of four was included Aubrey, Tabetha, Rhonda and Janice. We were the second group to saddle up and trot off to the trail. This was the first time that several of us had ridden a horse and we were excited but could also sense the nervousness in the air. This feeling was quickly overcome as our group leader Nolan provided detailed riding instructions calming our nervous and making us feel some what comfortable.

We had the pleasure of riding Poco, Charlie, Molly and Chief, Each horse had a different personality which made the ride interesting.

Poco was calm, laid back and gentle. This was a blessing because he was carrying our youngest ch8ser Aubrie that is a diva and full of personality.

Charlie, was a little sassy with a gentleman altitude. Sometimes, appearing to lead Tabetha onto a different trail. However, Tabetha had the knowledge from our briefing to set Charlie straight and on the correct trail.

Molly, was absolutely beautiful. She stood tall, was confident, strong and walked like a lady with a plan of her own. However, she was seen on several occasions walking Rhonda into several tree branches and tripping on a few rocks.

Chief, was the last horse in our group and pulled up the real. He was a bit clumsy and kept trying to eat the grass and weeds along the trail. Janice, was overheard having several conversations with Chief about not throwing her off his back into the horse poop that was on the trail. I personally could not tell which one of them had the stronger personality.

These horses leaded us on the long narrow trail that provided beautiful scenery, the magical sound of the river rushing down stream, wild life and a beautiful waterfall.

Along the way Nolan provided us with interesting facts about the forest. He pointed out which mushrooms were safe to eat and which ones should be avoided. He also saved us from crossing paths with a bear that was approaching and attempting to cross over the trail in front of us. Thank you Nolan.

Overall the ch8se was challenging, fun and peaceful all wrapped up into one amazing adventure. This ch8ase allowed some of us to conquer our fear of riding a horse and to cross off an item from our bucket list. We had an amazing time and are looking forward to the next ch8se.

Aubrie, Tabetha, Rhonda and Janice

Remember I said I would save the best of my narrative for last. AyJay, the ch8se champion in my group was paired with Walker. From that day forward I declare, I will call refer to AyJay as Walker.

Listen, Walker proved that the laws of reciprocity are truly a reality. You see, AyJay is the more adventurous, outgoing, and she often strays off script. If you know AyJay, you know she can be stubborn and set in her way. Oh, this day she met her match. Walker and AyJay were pure comedy. Walker acted like he had escaped and hadn't eaten in weeks. He would pull her over to the bush buffet for countless moments of grazing. He was snatching entire branches and AyJay had no control. For the entirety of the ride, all we heard was Walker no, Walker come on, Walker, Walker, Walker. I was laughing so hard I was in tears. Walker was just as hard headed as AyJay and I was loving every moment of it. You would have to be there to appreciate the hilarity of it all.

I am so sure there is video of our Awesome AyJay and her buddie Walker, but this pic shows the two in the very beginning.

After the horseback shenanigans we sat under a park pavilion, reflected, and shared lunch and laughter. The ch8se concluded with a full out photo shoot in the parking lot compliments of a tripod and remote control. The sisterhood shenanigans with every ch8se adventure are absolutely priceless.

The sisterhood shenanigan's are absolutely priceless. Ya'll I love me some Testimonial Tee. She brings the triple dose of goodness to every ch8se. She is everything phenomenal. See for yourself:

That's all for now. Until we ch8se again, love, peace & waterfalls.

Deb