Riding, meeting, and greeting!

What a fun day! Even though it was cold today several endurance riders drove a good long way to ride at the Versailles State Park. As we were pulling in Michelle Detmer was getting ready to leave the park. I was glad that the timing worked out so that I got to meet Michelle and her friend Laura. Michelle's horse is just a beautiful, classic, arabian. Hoping we get to do some riding someday. Phebes and I are just not ready for real speed yet, it will be awhile.

In attendance for the ride were Christine Eickleberry and her new horse Toby, Stacey Johnson and her gelding Barney, and David Monroe with his Saddlebred mare which gaits like crazy! It was so good to see folks again, and everyone was so nice. We rode the A and the B loop. Phebes definitely has some work to do on listening to me about her gaits. Before I've always said...she won't move out....today I could hardly slow her down. I also found out that when she is really moving down the trail she isn't spooking, startling, and googling at things. Our sticking point was keeping her gait at a trot. She wants to canter instead. I like riding the canter, but that uses all the wrong muscle groups for this activity. We need to train those trotting muscles. A few times I really had a fight on my hands to stop her cantering, as a one rein stop was out of the question at that speed, and on a twisty turning trail you can't canter a circle. We managed but I'm going to have to figure out some better brakes and work on getting her to trot without breaking gait. Finally I put her in back of the pack which inhibited her going too fast, and when we got close up to Barney's rump, I'd one rein her back in. A strategy will need to be formed to work on these areas. David thought she is a very forward mare, and that if things are handled right, she should be competitive. We've determined that she will be fast, the question is, can I ride that fast??? *LOL* It was a fun day. ~Endurance Granny