Sink or Swim

Last Sunday I decided to hop on and go for a ride and attempt to find Trail A again. However on the way down to the trail, I came across 2 older women starting their trail as well.

 These ladies were riding Tennessee Walking Horses (TWHs). TWHs are known as being "gaited,"meaning they have more than just the average horses' walk, trot, and canter. Here is what their gaits are: TWH. TWH are also known for being one of the most comfortable horses, as one of the ladies said here, they are like riding "Cadillacs." They were going to the park, which is down the road and across the street. I'd never gone there before, so I asked if I could join them. I figured they were older ladies, odds are they would do a leisurely stroll on their horses.  At the same time Calvin would be more confident with other horses to follow.

 This is the only picture I have from the ride. This was from the very beginning after we first set out down the main road following the two TWHs.

Needless to say, I was wrong. We had a nice walk down to the park and most of the way, but then they wanted to trot and canter a significant portion of the trail. This wouldn't be a problem for me, but I was in a bareback pad and halter/leadrope. Also, due to the unique gaits of the TWH, I had to trot just to keep up with their regular walk. Calvin's trot is so uncomfortable, so this was the hardest part due to me not riding in a saddle. We did eventually canter and gallop, which was much more comfortable for me and very exciting. I'd only just cantered with him on my back the day before this ride, so I wasn't sure what to expect with his gallop, but he listened very nicely. We encountered all sorts of obstacles from other hikers, mountain bikers, balloons, storm drains, and water crossings. He was very brave!

We ended up riding 10 miles. This was more than I wanted to go, but it's easier to stay with the horses than to turn him around away from them which would lead to a major fight that I wasn't willing to deal with today. While I had fun, I probably won't ride with them again anytime soon. Mainly because their horses' walk was so much faster than my horse's, so he hardly got to walk and cool down because we were constantly trotting trying to keep up. I also learned that I won't be doing that again without a saddle, my gosh I was holding on for dear life and my legs are bruised from clinging to my cheap bareback pad. Also, I'll use a bit so he'll be more responsive and it won't rub his face.

So little mustang got 2 days off after this workout. The good news is that his back wasn't sore after our ride, which was my major concern. He seemed sound and happy! Sturdy guy he is.