Sat, May 1 2010 - Hike & Horseback Ride (View Original Event Details)
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Our group of sixteen arrived at this horseback riding adventure with excitement, and with varying levels of experience. Some in the group had never been on a horse before, while one person owned and trained her own thoroughbred horse for many years. Others in the group had ridden horses in past years. In all, though, Wildwood Ranch was ready to work with anyone regardless of past riding experience.
We began the day a bit concerned about the weather; the weather forecast was promising thunderstorms, and just as we were getting on our horses, the rain showers started. We all doned rainjackets, and were prepared for a rainy ride. Happily, by the time we were on the trail, and moving through the forest, the rain had stopped, and the sun was out again.
We had lots of fun horseback riding!! Wildwood Manor Ranch setting is beautiful, and the trails were perfect for a one-hour ride. We rode through a forest, and through grassy and gently rolling fields. The staff at Wildwood Manor asked us individually if we wanted our horses to walk, or to go faster (i.e., trot or gallop), and partway through the trails we split up into two groups. Once the faster group got into the fields, the horses took off trotting and galloping; the other group continued their walk. We all had a great time!
It was interesting that we were literally led by a child. One of the people who was guiding a group looked quite young, so we asked her how old she was... she shared that she was turning 11 years old in June, and that she had been riding for 8 years already! She was just one of the various leaders that were working with our group, and it was good to have some age diversity among us.
Once we finished riding, it was time for lunch. By then, the skies had opened up and it started raining again, so some had lunch in the barn; others in their car. Fortunately, by the time we finished eating and were ready for our hike, the rain had stopped, and the sun came out for the start of a warm, sunny, and humid afternoon.
Our afternoon hike took us part-way through the same trails we had been earlier on with the horses. (We were careful to avoid the horse poop on the trails!) We wound our way through the forest and around a wetland. At one point, we had a choice between going a "longer" route, and a "shorter" route, and several in the group opted for the "shorter" route, because there was fear that the rain would start again. The "shorter" route was significantly shorter, though, so we ended up back at the parking lot not too much later. In all, our hike was just over an hour.
The end of the hike signalled the end of our day. But, various carpool drivers were interested in doing different things on the way home. Some planned to go to garage sales, some planned to pick up ice cream, and some were planning to head straight back to Downsview subway station because they had other things to do on this Saturday.
We were also very pleased to welcome Heidi, Kathy, and Marion to their very first Toronto Outdoor Club event. Welcome to the TOC!
Many agreed that they had such a fun time, that we should definitely do this trip again! So, please be on the lookout for another posting for a horseback ride some vague time this spring or summer....
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.