Good morning Dianne,

Our drive home yesterday went by in the blink of an eye, simply because we were all sharing our personal experiences from our ride with you. Surely this was an adventure of a lifetime -- because of your efforts and coordination. You definitely infused this whole excursion with your sunny, benevolent attitude so kudos to you, Dianne, for heading up such an impressive undertaking.

Thought you would like some positive feedback, along with gratitude, so here are some specifics on all the things that made our excursion so wonderful:

You have done a fantastic job organizing your ride. Sending out all the paperwork prior to the Big Day was appreciated.

You did an excellent job in matching us with our horses. And, having been on dude string rides before, and seeing how ill-treated and in what bad shape the horses have been in, you need to know how gratifying it was to see your horses in good flesh let alone with happy dispositions.

Your volunteers were outstanding. This is stated emphatically and with experience, having been volunteer coordinator for a therapeutic riding program and thus knowing the nature of that beast! Everyone was polite, professional, courteous, knowledgeable, friendly, personable, along with a plethora of other adjectives. You just need to know that every single person made your guests feel like guests, while still allowing us to feel at home.

As a detail-person ("Picky Perkins")it was really apparent how you have gone to great efforts to please all of the people all of the time, so here are some well-planned touches that were noticed and appreciated:

• Horse assignment (as previously mentioned, each horse was the right size and temperament for its rider.)
• Array of food (this trip was like being on a cruise ship: eat! eat! eat! good! good! good!)
• Sleeping accommodations (snug cabins, lanterns, hooks for hanging clothing and comfy bunks with mattresses complete with pillow!)
• Bathroom/shower accoutrements (ahhhhh!)
• Excellent entertainment (Gunny and her guitar were delightful -- I saved my sheet music to share with my husband! Singing at the campfire with a side of S'Mores made me feel like a little girl again. Having board games to bond over and get the giggle going was an added plus.)
• Staff/volunteers (another repeat, but -- again -- your people made the trip, because of their friendly, attentive, respectful attitudes.)

Meeting and greeting at the office/store and then our fond farewell on your inviting porch made this trip memorable from beginning to end. We will definitely tell our friends and for sure we are already anticipating our return ride next year.

All best to you in this incredible endeavor -- sincerely,

Chris Perkins P.S.Scritches and scratches and apples galore to Pathfinder!