planBE

I finally did it! I found the courage, time, and circumstances to go for a trail ride bareback in a halter/lead combo. I felt like I was 12 years old again. Awesome! Ive been practicing without stirrups for months now, having graduated to trotting on trail behind M and her chunky paint this last month. I hopped on bareback earlier this week for a quick spin in the parking lot. Having had two massive trail rides this week, and with the heat sucking any excess energy out, I figured it was a now or never event. I did a test run in the outdoor ring to see if I could trot and brake without falling off ... and while I was definitely wobbly, I figured I was good to go with M and her supersafe paint on a quiet stroll. M then pulled into the parking lot, saw me doing my shenanigans and was up for the challenge. It was awesome! Actually felt better than stirrupless riding as the contact between my skin and the horse created heat and suction. We even trotted. Twice! And on the second trot

The weather was so pleasant today that we did the big loop from section 2, through section 3, and section 4. Its about a 20 km loop that took us 3 hours to do. I had water bottles, an apple, my phone, and a few peppermints for Q. The first 30 minutes was solo as I went to pick up trail buddy C with her azteca mare. Much of section 4 is on gravel residential roads, or on trails next to residential homes with pools, trampolines, treehouses, and all kinds of stuff sitting in someones backyard. Its a good test for how desensitized your horse is. Q was awesome, occasionally trembling when a dog lunged at us but quick to get settled again. Lots of pretty homes and horsefarms in this neighborhood, and very polite drivers. We got to visit lots of backyards and gardens. Trail is on the right. Oh and it must have been garbage day! They were all over. Q did fantastic with the traffic, on the buckle most of the way. It was a quiet weekday, but those pools and trampo

Pixie Hollow appeared in our woods 2 weeks ago. Epic ride today in section 5 with trail buddy C and her wonderful homebred azteca mare. No pictures or videos to share because we were going too fast. It was a blast of 2.5 hours and now Im sore and tired. The track was dry and fast! We saw no one else riding. Q was on fire. So much so that I felt like I was riding a ticking timebomb for the first 45 minutes. He would not go past the pixie village that mysteriously appeared on a major intersection of the trail network a few weeks ago. And he was at a trembling dead stop when he sensed a deer 20 feet away. Q: "That's not supposed to be there. Must be evil fairies!" But it was when the pasture horses galloped past us behind a dense hedge and the neighbours dog leaped out at us at the same time that he decided it was time to go. 180 degree spin, and gallop off. Im so glad that I stopped him in his third stride. After two hours of trotting and cantering

Summer rain. Birds chirping and the quiet raindrops on the leaves. It sounds like the forest is singing (if you can hear it over the squeak of the saddle). We have had a wet summer so far, and the hay farmers have been struggling with timing the first cut. But the loft is half full now and the trails are not too dusty. I enjoy riding in the rain. Funny that I dont see another soul on the trails though. This video shows us coming from rain to sun. It was a good ride.

The swarm came out of no where. More than fifty deer flies attacked us on a wide sandy trail as if they hadn’t had fresh blood in weeks. Despite our fly spray and bonnet, and Qs overall chill demeanor, it was untenable. We ran. They caught up with us. We ran some more. They were still on our tail. I let go of the reins and Q saved us with big bold strides. When we finally hit the shade of the pine trees near the ravine, they were gone. Phew. Yesterday we just had a spa day, with temperatures near 40 with atrocious humidity. Shower, grazing, and a quick bareback ride to remind myself what it felt like to be 9 years old and in love with my horse. Felt like summer camp all over again.

I wish I came here more often. It has so many beautiful sections. It is plagued by some boggy trails with mosquitoes and we have to cross a busy road to get here. But once here, Im always happy! We found some wooden trails with occasional muddy spots to go trotting in. I took this video with my trail buddy J and her big percheron mare. Buffet! I struggled to keep Q on the path and focused. Much galloping happens on this path! This section has a few streets that we have to cross. But there is practically no cars here. Q enjoying the view! The hunt field is one of my favorite spots. And the sun was out in full force with a cooling breeze. It was a gorgeous day, and the sights were beautiful. With the tardy summer, the trails were a bit muddier than usual. My friend with her big percheron mare struggles with her soundness, and did not like the muddy trails one bit. She would have much rather stayed on the tried and true section 2.