Sun, Jun 7 2009 - Horseback Riding: Spring Trail Ride (View Original Event Details)
|
The forecast was rain, but it never arrived :). The weather was great for this ride; cool enough that there weren't many bugs out, but warm enough that jackets weren't necessary.
After being matched up with our horses and helped on, we were given some basic instruction on how to go, stop, and steer and divided into two groups: the "walking" group and the "running" group (which would do some trot/canter in the open areas). Our two-hour ride took us onto lovely Niagara Escarpment trails and into open meadows. The woods smelled wonderful. We had to stop our horses from grazing on the abundant vegetation as they went along; it must be like forcing a person to keep walking past a buffet table loaded with treats!
No deer darting out of the trees or frightening tires on the path on this trip (horses can startle at strange things). The only "excitement" I (Jo) am aware of was the lead guide's horse rearing a bit because the guide was breaking some branches to clear our path; of course this led to each horse down the line rearing a bit too! But they soon realized there was nothing to fear and settled down. The horses near me were Kwan on "Blondie", Julie on "Touch and Go", Claire on "Buckets" and Dave on "Athena". Dave and Athena's relationship appeared to evolve over the ride; Dave kept up a (one-sided?) conversation with Athena but mostly I heard him say that he liked her so I guess they were happy together. Kwan proved to be skilled at removing dangerous branches while on horseback. Julie's horse was a nipper/kicker (of other horses) so she had to have good control (which she did). Claire's horse was a bit stubborn at first but they reached a rapport. My horse, "Jadey", was a pleasure to ride. I'd been told she is peppy, and we had a couple of lovely canters in the fields and even a bit of unexpected jumping (over branches) on the trail!
After the ride, we fed our horses carrots and apples to thank them for carrying us. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the experience. Wildwood Manor Ranch has friendly staff, great horses, and a beautiful 100-acre property to ride on. Look out for more horse events in the future!
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.