Chessie's trail rides

The sky is ominously grey at the moment, 6:45 AM, but I am about to go get Chessie and trail ride. I actually love this weather, reminiscent of a stormy beach morning when the ocean is quietly roiling.  Silver on top but you just know it would be a bad idea to go swimming. I hope it does not actually storm on our ride. Chessie is the mare who was very sick last year. She is the most laid-back, laziest horse, let alone TB that I have ever had. Trail riding is the only way to get her to go. Her normal speed, alone, at home, is walk -slowly. She has a lovely canter but she seems to only want to do it with others horses around to see. Reminds me of a prima donna . She will only perform when there is an audience or she is like a dog that thinks "fetch " is only for stupid owners.  "You threw it, you go get it!", is written all over her face. When doing the hunter paces this spring Chessie was smart enough to figure out very quickly that there is no reason in the world to jump a free standing coop, log, whatever. If the jump was in the middle of a field with no wings or fence line she went around. If it was a jump in a tree line, fence , any sort of perimeter she was happy to jump 4 ft . This is one smart horse.
Have to mention something funny that happened yesterday. I like to get a little sunbathing done once in awhile, just to get some color on these pale legs. I only lie outside when I am home alone, it is 80 degrees, not 95, and it is about noon. I take a little siesta on the lounger behind the house, looking at the  back field. Yesterday I opened my eyes after resting quietly for about 20 min. I was probably pretty motionless but was still horrified to open my eyes, squint at the sun and watch 5 or 6 vultures circling high above me. I knew I was white but was shocked to think I looked dead! I looked around for a dead animal but didn't see anything. Maybe it wasn't me they were checking out but I have a bad feeling it was - creepy. I need more suntan or I need to quit altogether! Only on a horse farm do the vultures check out anything white, lying still.