Taking Flight 1 9 0

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Annual Trail Rides: 190/200 (Bareback 25/40)

While our colours are not quite as vibrant as years past, we are in the midst of a very pretty autumn display these days. Ive gotten plenty of riding in the last week, and Q is feeling like a very happy and forward camper (but the dragon is back to its slumber). 

After my big ride yesterday where I took some newbies into the beautiful but dangerous Sector 5, I thought I would take the day easy and just go for a quick and short ride on my own. However, a lovely lady who borrows a horse at our barn was looking for a friend ... and I accepted.

She rides a half-draft bulldozer type that has a hard time cantering with the QH's as the mare has a stride of a good 9-10 feet. Most of her riders are forced to trot behind me while I canter. Q does have a lovely QH-type lope when he wants to.

But Q was feeling some sort of special today, so he pulled out his ROADGAIT in the first hour, and I could hear the lovely lady giggling behind me as she was cantering ... to my greatest astonishment. Q managed to pull out the ROADGAIT several more times on big long stretches and had me giggling in return. It literally felt like we were flying.

I have no idea where he pulls this gait from ... its definitely a trot. But from what I gather from my friends who ride with me, when he does it, his pelvis tilts, his withers rise, and it feels like a jet engine taking off. A tremendous amount of impulsion at the start, and then he literally flys over the ground. He covers a lot of ground in a single stride, and its not a fast stride, just long. Ive been testing him against other fast trotters in the barn, and nobody can keep up with him. They all break into a canter.

Anyways, we stopped lots for pictures. Here is what we gathered over the last few days.























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