Saturday Trail Ride

I had a really great trail ride on Saturday morning with dear friend and pony pal, Taz and his mom.  She's been flu-bug ridden off and on the last month so we haven't ridden together in at least six weeks.

Neither of us had an agenda for the day so after some "where do you want to go" and more "where do YOU want to go" we ending up going east toward the park on a loop that's about 11 miles long.  Since she hadn't been in the saddle for a while, she pleaded with me to take it easy on her.  Well the joke turned out to be on me as we nearly flew threw the first seven or so miles.  When I say "flew," what I mean is that it wasn't too far off an endurance conditioning pace.  We were cruising right along at a good 5.5 mph pace.  Not too shabby for two ponies who haven't done an endurance race in 10 months or so.

That particular loop includes some nice good climbs through the hills with very trot-friendly flat roads.  I don't know what she and Taz were doing, but I was working my butt off to maintain a rhythmic trot and keep my contact steady at the same time. Not easy to do on twisting, turning dirt roads that have dips and sharp bends followed by uphill bursts!  Taz's mom is great about letting me lead when she knows I'm trying to work on a particular dressage element.  She kept Taz behind us so that I could really focus on getting Speedy G together.

Dressage on the trail is a lot of fun because my usually laid-back, behind-the-leg pony loves the trail.  When we get into a good working trot, he really pushes off from behind and works nicely through his back.  I don't have to keep asking for impulsion - he volunteers it readily.  So when I "capture" that energy, I feel him really lift up through his back and shoulders and we float down the trail.  

What better way to spend a Saturday morning?

Taz is enjoying the view (post ride) and Speedy G is watching Taz's mom get some horse treats from the trailer!