I've really learned a lot from the comments about my trail anxieties and whether they are rational or just hoodooing myself. This morning I decided that, due to short time and freshman welcome workshops I had to plan and conduct, I would take two reliable trail points as my fun destinations: The View (photo above) and Canter Corridor.
The View is the gorgeous Big Lake and today you could see Wisconsin clearly all the way over. The houses below look like Monopoly tokens and the whole world just breathes differently from up there. Migrating birds are beginning to be on the move and I'll get a picture of a beautiful red-tailed hawk one of these days. Autumn will soon be here in the northern parts, and I LOVE that season.
Canter Corridor is my favorite place to do a pipe-opener free lolloping gallopy canter: gentle uphill, trees on both sides give the horse a very strong sense of go down this hall, and the footing is perfect: loamy firm grass. It is only about a 2-minute canter stretch but that's about nice for training.
And Johnnie books on this particular stretch because he gets to visit the Snack-a-teria at the end:
This is a patch of beautiful untouched green grass that lies in the shade at the end of Canter Corridor. Then we go gaiting back down the corridor and home again, for a nice 1 1/2 hour round trip. As good as it gets!!! Happy riding everyone! I packed up my fears in a basket and left them behind. We saw only cute tiny dogs including a 'Schnoodle', schnauzer/poodle, cute little dickens. No crabby old men - hurray!
8 comments:
What a great place to ride. I like the snack-a-teria at the end of the corridor. It's just so beautiful, glad you left your woes behind and had a good time. Love that horse.
Thank you so much! When Johnnie's happy (snackin), I am happy.
Good for you!
You still have green grass? We are dry as a bone around here.
You have inspired me to take my camera with me more often to record some of the routes we take. Haha just looked out the window and it's all foggy...guess I won't be seeing much of the scenery today then.
i love that you ride in a rope halter/sidepull. only the cool kids do that.
i love your trailriding adventures, keep them coming!
beth in germany
http://horsecrazyamerican.blogspot.com/
c2b: I would love to see a photo of a misty English trail. It has been too long! Since 1997 I have not been in England, and at that time I had no access to a horse. Plus, Zoe wants her pictures out there I am sure!! She strikes me as desiring an internet presence, rather like Paris Hilton but ever so much nicer.
Beth: I love riding in a rope halter. It seems to make the horse much more sensitive to seat and leg cues, to not have that bit in there. Plus, John is a gaited horse and in gaited circles there is a preference for a small hardware store installed in the horse's mouth: 7 inch shanks, curbs, etc. I feel like I am beating the system when we are gaiting along on a loose rein in a rope halter!!
BrownEyed Cowgirls: Yes we are the greenest place I've ever lived, but all too soon it will give way to autumn (hurray!) and then snow (boo!). And the snow will hang out for about 6 months, and then lo we shall be weeping and gnashing our teeth begging for a trail rideable day.
I can see why you call it "the view"! What an amazing place to go!!!! It looks beautiful out there.
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