Over the river and through the woods

Last night, Taran and I went on an hour-long trail ride. I was hoping I could use it as a reset, maybe find my lost riding skillz (and perhaps some common sense too) while I was out.

What lies that-a-way???

It was really great. Taran trucked along in a big, open walk. I'd forgotten how much walking is actually good for conditioning a horse and building muscle, so I think we'll be doing more of this.

Walking past a busy 4-lane road? NBD.

Under the bridge? Also NBD.

He mostly ignored the cyclists and the dogs, although he did have a moment where a bunny almost scared him out of his skin. (Seriously dude? A BUNNY?!!?)

 

Through the dry river bed.

It's funny, we live right on the edge of the Texas Hill Country, yet our trails are almost entirely flat. We made the most of tiny changes in elevation, but it's not as if he's getting any hill work.

Right out our back gate.

Although this ride wasn't a magic fix, it was definitely therapeutic. I still have my doubts, of course. There's something about this sport where it's easy to go from the highest high to the lowest low in the blink of an eye (which makes me wonder why we all keep coming back?). I'm feeling more focused though, so hopefully I'll be able to rely on the solid foundation we've built to put in good rides. Now, if only the show secretary would actually send out ride times, that would be super!

Paddy vs Taran: Trail riding perspective

I love taking Paddy out on the trials. He's solid, steady, and doesn't spook. I'm pretty sure he's on a first-name basis with all the deer in our neighborhood. The bunnies in the bushes don't bother him, joggers might have foodz (hey, hope springs eternal!) and unfamiliar dogs might be new friends. Basically he's the perfect trail horse.

The world is awesome, and there are foodz everywhere!

Taran, on the other hand, is convinced that everything eats grey horses. EVERYTHING. Deer and bunnies are dangerous. Squirrels are dangerous. Leaves and sticks and rocks and cacti are dangerous. Invisible things can't be trusted either. However, one must always be on the lookout for foodz. 

The world is terrifying, but there might be foodz.

What's your horse's view of trail rides?

McKinney Roughs ride

About 30 minutes away is a lovely state park with several miles of sandy bottomland trails that are open to horses. We haven't been there in years, but decided to go last weekend since we couldn't go foxhunting.

Reddums was his usual star pony self, blazing trails, marching past terrifying (for Oberon) fallen logs, and being only mildly interested in the armadillos.

 

Ear pictures are always cute, don't you think? When leading, Red's ears are constantly swiveling to keep an ear on everything around him. His ears are my "early warning system" for approaching horses or hikers.

 

 

Oberon mostly played follow-the-leader. 

 

Red tromped right through this mess of fallen tree branches; Oberon took a moment to decide to go. Doofus.

 

The park is right along the Colorado River (not that Colorado River, the other one), and the trails by the river go through an old bottomland pecan grove. This is the trunk of an enormous, 200 year old pecan tree we rode past. Beautiful!

 

ERMAHGAWD! A picture of ME!

According to Runkeeper, we rode about 7 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes. I don't think we'll be doing any endurance rides any time soon, LOL! However, it was pretty warm out and the boys both have full winter coats, so we were having to be careful about them overheating. We also spent most of the ride walking, although we had two good gallops and a super-fun trot/canter through the woods. 

Hubby and I have made a pact to go riding here if the weather is reasonable and we can't foxhunt. I think next time we're going to pack a picnic lunch and eat at one of the lovely scenic spots!