Despite the sudden death of Mike Stroub just two weeks before, his life partner Patricia Hicks still invited the members of the Community Draft Horse and Mule Association to come to their farm near Cynthiana, Kentucky for the annual Party on the River over the July 4th weekend. This event is one that Mike and Patricia have hosted for many years and one that Mike always really enjoyed. Because of the amount of rain during the months of April and May, the very last of the tobacco crop was still being set on Saturday as we started out to ride. There were 6 wagons and about 15 outriders who joined us. It was humid and temperatures over the weekend were in the low 90's (°F). As a result, we made several stops throughout both days to rest the horses as you will see in the accompanying photos. When we returned to the farm on Saturday, the youngsters all went for a swim in the river while the traditional pot luck dinner was set up. Patricia, who is currently undergoing cancer treatments herself, came down and joined us on Saturday evening as we all spent time visiting, talking, and remembering Mike. The Sunday ride was shorter and we only had three wagons and a couple of outriders who gave up early and returned to the farm. The ride was followed by the traditional swim and a bite to eat. Most of the group went home on Sunday evening, but a few of us hardier types stayed overnight before hitting the road when the threat of rain developed on Monday morning. Although Mike's recent death did cast a shadow over the partying, we knew how much he enjoyed having everyone come to the farm for the weekend and we all did our best to have a good time in his memory.
Click on the links below to start slideshows of the photos from this event!
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