To ride dressage is to dance with your horse, equal partners in the delicate and sometimes difficult work of creating harmony and beauty.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Full Perrydale Trails report

What a great time we had last Sunday! Ten people showed up for our group ride at Perrydale Trails, five of them experiencing this wonderful facility for the first time. We almost had perfect pairs within our group – there were two Tennessee Walkers, two mustangs, two Welsh Cobs . . . plus three quarter horses and one appaloosa. (There is a geeky side of me that gets off on things like that. (-;  )

"Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, the other gold."
New(er) friend Alanna in front, old friend Kate in back.
It was delightful to finally meet blogpal Alanna IRL (in real life), along with her dream-come-true Cardi baby, Emi. Since Emi is only two, Alanna led her through, over and around the obstacles, sometimes with a little help from her friends. BFF Kate said her mare (Dinah, Lance's girlfriend) was pretty amped with so many horses around, but every time I saw her she was being a total star. Lance was very good, too – except when I ponied Emi through the big water crossing. Then he totally surprised me by getting downright cranky about having Emi that close; strange, because he's been mild-mannered with every other horse he's met that I've seen.
Squishy mattress covered with roadway "fabric"
Deep gully with another mattress at the bottom; this one was tricky!
Kate's daughter on our Ollie helping Alanna and Emi at the small water crossing
Lance behaving himself with Emi at the big water crossing

There were several new obstacles, but the scariest of them all is still the mister. I think it is the hissing sound it makes as much as the moisture, but Lance is definitely not a fan of water on his face. We finally made it through, though!

I've ridden once in the arena and twice out and about on the hill this week. We won't get out today because of Father's Day and its various activities, but I don't have to work tomorrow so maybe we can get out while it's still cool in the morning.

4 comments:

Theresa said...

Great pics and what a fantastic resource! How did that appy do? Cooper can get cranky ponying youngsters. I never thought of it as a particular horse thing, just a particular age group thing.

Michelle said...

I didn't ride much with the appy, but I'm sure Ladde did well. He was the biggest horse there; somehow, out of a short mare and an average sire, they got a 17h, 1500 lb. giant!

Mary said...

What a wonderful day-I would love to try that. Lance is a star.

emma said...

great pics! that mister definitely looks spooky too!! i really want to try something like this tho!!