Trail Riding

I went on a trail ride today, and my horses were absolute angels! It was also the first time we hauled them in the new trailer, and everything went fine. I was sooo stressed out and nervous though.

The horses loaded fairly easily. I put Love Bug in first, and she got upset when I shut her in, trying to see Andy. I really think she thought that she was leaving to go back to the polo team. But she calmed down as soon as Andy got in with her. Then Andy got pissed because he couldn't get the hay from his hay net easily, so he was throwing a small hissy fit trying to get his head in the top of the bag. Love Bug pooped within thirty seconds of putting her in the trailer. We latched the door and were off!

We made one small wrong turn, which resulted in going 7 miles out of our way, then doubling back. Whoopsie. Then we made it to Stubbs Stewart State Park. What a great place to ride! They have a huge horse staging area, not to mention it's free to us because my dad gets free access and camping in state parka. So we tacked up, and then headed out. My friend Katie, who taught me everything about horses, came with. She and I took off by ourselves while my mom and dad relaxed and destressed sitting in the shade of the trailer.

The trail system at Stubbs Stewart is gorgeous! It was like riding through the forest described in Twilight (nerdy, I know). Not to mention that there were some gorgeous viewpoints of the coast range. The footing was also really good too. Lots of hills, but nothing too steep.

Most importantly, the horses were absolute angels! Andy did not try to break into a trot by himself once! We were even able to canter for a little bit, with no running away! I am so happy that he is safe to take on the trails now. Love Bug was a steady eddy, as was expected. After Katie and I rode awhile, I got off Andy and let Katie ride him, while my mom rode LB. We got her to go on a trail loop no problem. I am so proud of both of them, and really happy with Andy's behavior as well, although I think he was a bit distracted by all the yummy looking foliage that was on both sides of the trail. He snuck several mouthfuls, despite my best efforts.

We untacked, and loaded without any problems, then made it back to the barn safely. Then it was time to clean the poop-filled trailer out. It was such a fun trip! I've wanted to trail ride at Stubbs since I bought Andy. Now that I have a trailer I'm going to be up there all the time in the summer.

This is Katie and I ready to hit the trails!