Adventures In Trail Riding...

The small hurricane that hit just
before I made it to my car...

Let me preface this entire story with... I was not going to ride tonight... I was going to take the night off... catch up on house cleaning, get groceries, maybe watch a movie & cuddle with Buster. But, no, I was drug out kicking and screaming by my two crazy friends. "its my last night at the barn" "You have to come!... even though I'm only going to be moving up the rode."

I tend to be the annoying voice of reason in most situations and lets face it of the four of us I am the oldest in the group so its my job to have my head screwed on straight.... that, and I've done my fair share of stupid things and learned the hard way from them. 

So anyways, we head out on the trail tonight even though its already thundering and there's a 60% or better chance of rain... and not just a drizzle, but a 

Rio trotting over a log taken in a ride
 earlier this week

torrential down poor akin to a small hurricane with thunderunder and lightening hitting almost on top of us. 

We've been doing a lot of exploring lately, and recently found a short strip of cleared grass with brush on either side. Safe for a good canter or gallop. We manage to make it about half way around and reach the clearing.  I'm holding my breath as we trot down it and turn around to come back because I can feel Rio gearing up to go... the third time we've done this, and he's figured out he's going to get to run every time now. The encroaching storm has the horses a little worked up too.... and then there's Sky the Thoroughbred practically pushing him from behind because she wants to go so badly.... Crystal's logic is that Rio acts as a break for Sky... comforting as long as she actually listens to Crystal's half halts rather then running us over. 

Belle & Megan at the bank coming back from a ride
earlier in the week. 

Rio has such a big solid canter that even though Belle is rocketing down the path at a full gallop we barely break from the canter if at all the entire run. I have to say though despite all the factors in tonights ride that could have had him amped up he and I were probably the most balanced we've been ever going at that speed in an open straight away. I was really super pleased. 

At this point I can hear the thunder getting closer, but we've hit the woods. We take a few minutes to play jumping over fallen logs and head for the the road back towards home. I'm thinking to my self... "self maybe you were just being a big sissy". "You're going to make it back no issue before the storm hits!"

And, that's when I see Belle freeze at attention to something in front of us and I hear some one say "look there's two little bears"... great just great. Two little bears equal bear cubs which probably means bigger meaner momma bear is probably not too far away... warning danger will robinson danger!

If we go forward we run the risk of finding Mamma. If we turn around we run the risk of getting caught  in the storm....  Needless to say we turned around. We broke the number one rule of trail riding which is never run towards home. I think we made it back in record time. I managed to get Rio untacked and put away before the down poor came, but didn't quite make it to my car so I ended up getting drenched anyways... At least we weren't out with the horses in it. That would have been a nightmare! It was raining so hard I couldn't see where I was going walking back to the car. And, when I finally did get the courage up to try driving in it the streets were pretty flooded and there was a giant tree branch down in the rode. 

Sky & Crystal... last weekends ride. 

Out of all the craziness one thing was solidified for me. My horse trusts me and I trust him... wow have we come a long way in a short couple of years. Rio used to spook at every thing and be high energy on the trail pulling, and racing through it and generally being a nut. Tonight of all nights when he had every reason in the book to be spooky... rain, thunder, lightening, wind, cantering toward home, other spooky horses, being left behind a bit by said horses,  and wild horse eating animals... he did not spook once, not even a flinch... I could tell his energy was up, but he listened to every single cue I gave him. 

When its all said and done it makes for a good story I can tell my kids some day, but I don't think I'll be doing any more pre-storm rides... I'll let Megan the brave and Crystal the crazy have fun with that.... then again who   
                                                            knows!

I could take a lesson from Fergus...
If you haven't seen Jean Abernathy's cartoon... totally go do a search fro Fergus the Horse!

`

Check out the rain...

For my friends...