Trail Ride Tuesday

So I got to go trail riding on Tuesday (it's been raining ever since). I brought my sister-in-law along and let her ride Jet who belongs to a friend of mine. A bomb could go off next to Jet and he wouldn't care. My friend does cowboy mounted shooting on him.

Anyhoo, UK is green as all heck when it comes to trail riding. He gets bored and starts being an asshole, and so I need the other horse with us to just ignore his antics. My SIL had her hip broken two years ago by a nasty horse and is still recovering, so I wanted this to be a positive experience for her.

UK and Jet say hi.

I tacked up western, put on my big spurs and used a jury rigged tie down made out of a rope halter, some snaps and a leather strap on UK (my real tie down is being repaired as a dog ate part of it). We put on high visability vests as it's hunting season and hit the trail.

Amy enjoying herself.

My barn is smack dab in the middle of a huge wildlife management area. So just and 1/8 mile down from our driveway is the main trail head. UK was an ass a few times, but when Jet didn't react and I used my spurs he gave in a little. Once we were a mile or two away from home he stopped thinking about being a brat and started to enjoy being were we were.

We had a blast. The weather was beautiful and no one else was out, so we had the trails to ourselves. UK was a rockstar by the end, even leading through the water on the way back (he hates getting his pretty little toes wet).

The overlook at the dam.

I can't wait to get out again once it stops raining and dries up a bit. We're going to be attempting his first hunter pace next month. I am equal parts excited and scared.

Well we haven't floated away yet.

The lack of updates is due mostly to the weeks of rain we've been getting. We're stuck in a constant state of muddy despair. So much for fall being crisp and clear...

UK got ridden twice last week, and it was bootcamp due to him pulling some attitude while trying to go on a trailride. I'll just suffice it to say that what should have been a 40 minute ride was forced to be over 2 hours. He wasn't scared, he was just being a rebellious ass.

Oh and then thanks to the mud he pulled a front shoe again, but I'm not going to bother to call the farrier out till things dry up a bit. He's got an easy boot on the foot for the moment, so he'll be fine.

It's cold, wet and grey out almost constantly. UK is snug in his shed with a turnout sheet on, as he started to loose weight again due to his wussy nature and the cold nights. For a horse born in upstate NY he sure doesn't handle cold weather well!