Sideways cantering

We had a three day ride over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and it was a busy three days.  It was a three day ride for people who were impacted by one of the fires so it was a mixed lot of people with very different riding experience. On Saturday morning, we brought the horses in and started getting them ready.  My job was to tack up certain horses, then make sure they were either sound or were not going to explode or try anything.  I was spoiled and got to ride while everyone else saddled. We had twenty-some riders so it was a good number of horses to get going. I rode Cole, a beautiful black gelding with very smooth gaits.  He has been off for 12 months due to injuries, but he seemed rather sound while I was on him.  Because there were a lot of nervous people in this group, I ended up staying back with the people who wanted to walk.  They grasped their saddles in fright while I led them at a steady walk.  Well, at least their horses were walking.  Cole was doing a bit of prancing and sideways cantering, but he was smooth enough that I didn’t care. 

The guests stayed at the hideout (a beautiful camp/cabin/whatnot setup), but they decided that I should entertain two people who were coming in that evening for a two day ride.  So, I stayed at the River House and got a bedroom to myself!  This was the first time I have had a room to myself since I left home. It was rather refreshing.  When I got there Michael had made dinner for the guests and myself.  I had a relaxing evening taking the guests, who were an awesome couple from Oklahoma, on a kangaroo walk, then I got to have some alone time.  Of course in the morning I had to make the guests breakfast, then I was told I would be taking Michael’s ute back, but I ended up having to drive the ute with a float and two horses back.  EEEP!  I survived floating (trailering) horses while I was driving on the left side of the road.  EEEP!  Luckily the horses also survived! 

The view from Micheal and Sally's house

The second and third day of the three day ride, I rode my Snowy again.  The more I ride that horse the more I love him.  He is energetic, but super responsive and not overly explosive. I started off riding with the trotters and I even got one canter in over the next two days, but I spent most of my time back with the walkers.  Snowy got himself all worked up being in the back, so we spent a lot of the ride jigging or prancing in place, but he was still not acting badly at all. 

Big Spider!

On Monday the ride ended at Camp Howqua and of course, that afternoon we had the first session for another school group at camp.  I got to do the riding demonstration on Snowy and he was amazing.  The kids were being rather rowdy, there were alpacas in the field next to us (and we all know alpacas eat horsers), there were kids running upriver with tubes, then floating downriver, and the waterslide was going and kids were screaming.  What a good pony!  I was quite proud of him. Thank goodness Snowy was being good, because this group of kids were a mess.  They were frightened and annoying.  Just plain annoying, but by the end of the ride they seemed to have a lot of fun and that is the important thing!  I led the ride on Snowy and he was fantastic. 

Today, Tuesday, our landlord, Brian, took us on a four wheel drive tour he was taking out.  We got to see Mount Bouler, Craigs Hut from the movie, Mount Sterling, and a rather pretty waterfall.  We drove on some rather frightening roads, but the awesome vehicle we were in handled it amazingly.  Overall it was an awesome day and we have an awesome landlord. 

I left my camera at the barn on Monday, so I won’t be able to put up recent pictures for a few days. 

I really like the new dress I got in Melbourne