Amazing Ride!!!

My OH and I went on an absolutely amazing trail ride! I had to almost beg him to go, he wanted too, but he was very tired from working all day, which I can understand. I told him once he got out there, he'd be so happy he went. And boy, was he ever happy that he did! Brandy started out really spooky and jumpy again, not sure what has gotten under her skin, but she eventually settled in quite well. We even were in the lead most of the way! Brandy was really into blazing the trails! She was loving every minute of it. What I love so much about Brandy, is she has spunk and she always challenges me. We always work through the challenges. I think I'd get bored on a horse that just plods along. Maybe this just goes back to my youth, when I wanted to ride the spunkiest horse I could get my hands on. I am always up to a challenge.

We tried new trails again. It was cool how the new trails, took us to trails that we actually know. One of our goals this summer, is to blaze as many trails we can. New and old. Here's Brandy in her spookier beginning. She was determined to get a spook from every stump. That's fine with me, at least she can work out her issue with stumps, or maybe not.



I feel like I am riding in a rain forest, sometimes. We have so many trails, and they are all so different. I feel like we are in a rain forest, than we are out on a gravel road, than we are in a clear cut, than we are going up and down through gullies, than we go over bridges, you get the idea. But that is the whole point of trail riding, you always have to expect the unexpected!




Rain forest, to gravel road. Than we hit a really fun trail. I can only take pictures so often, it depends on how Brandy is doing. I actually will make her stop sometimes, so I can take a picture. I don't always feel comfortable holding my camera, taking a picture and riding at the same time. You never know when Brandy will decide she wants to spook. A butterfly could fly by and she'd spook. I would be devastated if I dropped my camera. Plus, she doesn't neck rein, so one handed steering can be really tough at times.



After some new trail expeditions, I let my OH take pictures of me and Brandy. I think I need to give him a lesson in picture taking. Like centering the object, so you get the whole object, I mean, I am not a professional photographer, but I do like my pictures centered as much as possible! Here I wouldn't have cut off Brandy's butt. I would have gotten her whole body, and not as much of the hitching post.



In this picture, I wish he would have zoomed in, to get a closer shot of me and Brandy. She was being a lover here. I could have cropped it, or done something to zoom in after the fact, but I prefer my photos to be shown how they were taken. Ok, enough critiquing my OH!



We decided to go through the gully. I don't know if that is what it is called, but that is what I am going to call it. You ride down a steep hill, to where you ride up a steep hill. We've done this one before, but it has been a long time. It wasn't as scary as I remembered it to be!



I asked my OH to stop before we started to go up, so I could take a picture, than I had to put the camera away. This is one of those moments where I don't feel comfortable holding my camera and trying to navigate a steep hill with Brandy, one handed.



From where we stopped, this is the view. We have to go back down, than climb back up. I know you can hardly see the trail. There is a trail there, really!



I just gave the ok for my OH to go ahead, as I hurry to take a picture than put my camera away. We are really far down in this gully. I know you can't really tell in the picture!


This is when we got to the top. The trail you see, is where we just came out of.



This is a view looking back down where we were, well, part of it anyways. You can't see the hill we just climbed. The trail you see is actually a down hill trail.



This is a closer view of the above picture.



We continued through the clear cut. The view and terrain is amazing. I just love it!



Last summer, this really was a clear cut. Now look at all the trees growing up!



As we ride along this trail, there are steep gullies all over. One wrong step, and you could end up in never never land. Seriously. Not sure what is down there. I really don't want to know.



Continuing on through the clear cut.

I could not get enough pictures of the scenery.



Another gully, although this one is not as deep as the others.



I know all the pictures must look the same, but to me they are just breathtaking!



This is where the story gets good. I know, I know! Why did I make you read all of that before the good part! Gotta save the suspense for the end, ya know! This sandy trail we are on, is very long. My OH wanted to trot through here. I said fine. Now what happens next, I do not usually do, actually I have never done this with Brandy and Fritzy on the trail. I asked my OH if he wanted to lope. Remember, my OH has never loped a horse before, ever! So I had Brandy lope, and I look behind me, and Fritzy is going into her very fast trot, the one where she should just lope because it would be so much easier for her! So I stopped Brandy and said, "Ok, what you need to do is squeeze with your legs and kiss to her, she should go right into the lope". So we try again, I look back and I see the biggest smile on my OH's face, ever! He got Fritzy to lope and he was lovin' it! So I stopped to check on him, and asked if he wanted to do it again. He said yes. So we loped off and on on this long, sandy stretch of trail!



My OH was so excited that he loped for the first time, he had to call my trainer, M, to tell her. She was very excited and got a good laugh at one of his comments, which I can't mention here. Anyways, we had such an amazing time out on the trails.

Tracey, from Mustang Diaries, my sis and I are going riding next. I hope the weather holds out. I think it's supposed too. I am hoping to spend a couple days a week on the trails, while I am unemployed. This makes me one very happy girl!