Muscles & brains have memory....

I didn't expect to ride today since the forcast was for rain. It was crappy all week so I knew I had to get out to ride. Indy needed the exercise since galloping around in his field with Fancy isn't exactly a trail ride exercise! Saddled up & off we went. It was 11am and I decided to take the 2 mile trail to Tullo's to see friends and their harness racers. The map above is my route. Click on the photo & you can see it bigger. The upper right is our horse farm, where we started. The track is Tullo's. In red is where we rode, through the woods & out to the Powerlines, heading south to Tullo's harness racing farm. It took us awhile to get there since we weren't in any rush. I enjoyed the silence of just listening to the birds, and frogs in the water crossings. Indy would stand in each water crossing playing & drinking the water.

You can see in the photo where we arrived on the track and there were still a few harness racers exercising. The tractor was starting to drag the track and Indy didn't bat an eye when he passed us. He was too busy checking out the pacers all hooked up to their jog carts. One was pacing at a nice slow pace and next thing we know, Indy & I were trotting next to the pair and talking. I felt Indy in training mode now: His trot was faster yet in a perfect trotting rhythm. Muscles & brains have memory !

After that fun, around the track, we turned down the driveway off the track to see our friend Carol in the barns. Clip Clop, Clip Clop.....Carol was finishing up her work with her harness racers. "Indy...it's so nice to see a riding horse here!" We met 2 other friends and Indy even ate a piece of banana bread! After gabbing & saying hello to Nick's harness racers, we headed back home. The last pacer was coming off the track. She was done training for the day. We trotted the short way on the track so the tractor could finish the dragging. Quick wave to him & we were back on the trails..... We took our 2 mile walk/trot way home. Of course we stopped at some water crossing to play & drink in the water............

Versatility.....

I am playing "catch-up" here in my blog since Indy & I have been busy with events. Yes, we have done our usual trail riding that we love the best, but let's start with Sept 11th. Horse Park of NJ - Judged Trail Ride. 2-4 miles with 12-15 obstacles. We went with Tracy & her Standardbred "Walter". We had a lot of fun and the obstacles made both horse & rider think & be very patient. The photo with this post is where we had to rope a "cow'. Easy for me since I know roping from when I was a kid. Easy for Indy since things whipping around his head doesn't bother him. He was a stinker with 2 of the obstacles. One was opening a "gate" that was a rope that led into other obstacles. He didn't like the area where it would lead into and it looked eeeery to me too! The 2nd one was going thru branches & leaves, pick up a nerf gun, and shoot a "coyote". Easy.....but no....the stinker just didn't want to go thru the branches. He wasn't afraid.....just being a stinker. All the others we did well. Tracy & I even got our horses through the pond by the bridge. Walter enjoys riding with Indy and at one point we trotted them fast, together, through the Horse Park.

Last weekend were 2 horse shows. We really aren't big on the riding classes at horse shows since we like to ride like free spirits. You know,.... his head up, big trot and me riding however I please. It was the NJ Bred Standardbred Horse Show and this year all were invited. Indy is a Maryland Bred. In the Halter In-Hand class we earned a 4th out of 8 horses. I was very happy! I knew we would be last in the 2 riding classes, but we had fun doing our Meadowlands Trot around the ring. Indy & I do well with Command Classes, (like "Simon Says") and we earned a 5th out of 7 riders. We hadn't done any riding in a riding ring in a year, and it is quite different then a trail or wide open spaces. CJHA was the next day. Indy really was "right on it" in Showmanship and he knew exactly what I wanted him to do with no effort. A 3rd & a 4th place ribbons were earned.....

So.....we did the horse shows but trail riding is still our favorite. BTW - this weekend is a hunter pace with Ival and her STB "Clover". Let the fun begin that day!

Meeting a family on the trail........

Last evening we went out for a trail ride to take in nature. We were by ourselves and most of the trail we chose, last evening, parallels with houses, including the a neighborhood with newer homes. I could see a group of people in their backyard playing bocce ball. The first "clunk"of a ball hitting another, had Indy give a tiny spook. Head up up looking, I told him not to worry since they were playing a game....LOL. As we got closer, 2 young children pointed to us in the woods, since we were close to the bocce pit. The father started walking towards us with his daughter in his arms. I told them to walk up to meet us! What a thrill they had meeting a horse up close. Luckily Indy is very calm, since now, I see his son, about 10 years old, running down the trail to see us. They chatted with us for a good 15 minutes. I had a few carrots in my pocket for the little girl to feed him. We exchanged our names, said our "see you laters", and went on for our trail riding. It was nice to see such smiles on their faces as they got to meet a horse behind their backyard!