At Last...

It's been a very long time since I've been on a trail ride. If you've been following my blog for awhile you know that I got Tango when he was very young. He had never had a saddle on and I thought I was a better rider than I was. The long and short of it is that I was walking Tango around a bean field and a dog came out of nowhere and started to chase my boy. He ran right out from underneath me. I didn't think I was hurt but I was wrong. I ruptured my spleen. My husband insisted that I move Tango to a barn with an indoor arena. I can ride around the farm where Tango is boarded (and it's beautiful there) but I have been terrified of wooded trails since then.
Kathy made me feel at ease from the get-go. She took photos of everything from start to finish. Just above is her "butt" shot of Princess (Kathy's seasoned trail horse) and Tango. Once the horses were on Kathy's trailer I began to get excited. I had a dry mouth, but I was excited nonetheless!

And when we reached our destination in Mt. Vernon, Ohio and began our treck through the woods, I was like a kid in a candy shop. Over the years Tango's grown up. He was amazing. I couldn't quit smiling. Tango handled downed branches and vines like a pro. At one point he got tangled up in a vine. I felt momentary panic and then I asked my boy to back up...which he did. That didn't help. He was still stuck. Then an idea came to me like a bolt of lightening. This horse can break out of anything, I thought. He gets out of stalls and fences like they are made of paper...he can surely break through this vine. I asked Tango to move forward and he did. That was icing on the cake. My smile turned into a brilliant beam!

And if the trail ride wasn't enough joy for the day, guess what? There was an obstacle course on the property for the horses. Here you see Tango and Princess pondering the ropes that were hanging like a shower curtain.

Did they go through?

Yes they did! Here's Kathy on Princess!

And here's me on Tango pony!

We rode for over two hours and then went back to the trailers where the horses got hay and water. We ate our packed lunches. This picture doesn't look amazing but it is. Why you ask? Because the last time that Tango was tied to a trailer my boy rocked it back and forth until we thought it was going to fall down. Yes, my boy has grown up. Or maybe I've grown up.

Skip all that. I think Kathy just worked magic on a beautiful sunny day.