First off - Isabel has a new boyfriend!! This kinda amazes me bc she's generally indifferent to the horses around her (they're clearly not civilized enough)... But apparently Canyon's got the right stuff bc Isabel even dragged herself away from the hay to hang out with him at the fence line. Very cute! Too bad he's only living on the farm temporarily for training...
or maybe she just wanted a NYE date... no shame in that game lol
Anyways, we took a break from our normal routine to go out for a relaxing trail ride. Seems like an appropriate way to bid farewell to an amazing year for us, right?
Our last time in the woods wasn't really the stress reliever I had hoped for, tho. We did a lot of standing around while my friend's OTTB Wick learned about water crossings, and Isabel does NOT appreciate standing around. We ended up having a few discussions about patience...
So I really wanted today's ride to just be an easy peasy romp through the woods. And it was!!
follow the blue blazes
I actually hadn't planned on riding at all - thinking Isabel would just get the day off (as evidenced by my wearing jeans despite what is becoming a rather large breeches collection lol). But a friend was going out and wanted company, and who can resist that?
riding in jeans is nbd
Obviously I tried to document the ride for posterity, but at this time of year it pretty much all looks the same in pics... so it's actually more like a random assortment of between-the-ears shots of Isabel lol.
wild n crazy arabians lol
Isabel *really* moves out on the trails - and my general rule (to avoid fights) is that she can go as fast as she wants so long as the gait has four beats (ie, no jigging or trantering). But this means we out walk almost every other horse. Since Isabel doesn't really stand well on the trails - or at all, really - the only way I can get her to wait up is by parking her at some food.
So she does a LOT of grazing while we're on the trails lol. I know a lot of people disagree and don't let their horses graze under saddle.... but I figure it helps take the edge off so why not?
Tho by the time we were back at the barn, Isabel had a HUGE gob of grass rolling around in her mouth (see above lol). I took the bridle off thinking she'd drop it with the bit - but no, she's apparently pretty dexterous (and committed!) and managed to hang on to and eat that sloppy mess despite dropping the bit... ew haha.
warm weather nap attack
Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years Eve!! See you all in 2015 :)
Yay trail rides! Happy New Years!
ReplyDeletehappy new years to you too!
DeleteThat's some impressive eating skills! My mom's horse walks super fast too, and she's always leaving us behind on the trail. Glad you had a great day!!
ReplyDeletehaha i only wish there could be some sort of eating competition for horses - izzy would win everything!!
DeleteLol! Love everything about this post and all the pictures!! That trail ride looks amazing! Isabel needs to teach Max a few lessons in actually moving on a trail ride!! I like the terms trantering - although I don't like the feeling!
ReplyDeleteOh and Happy New Year!!!
Deleteaw thanks!!! isabel would love if the other horses kept up with her, but for whatever reason her energy never really translates to the others -- which i guess can be a good thing. happy new years to you too!
DeleteYour trails look so pretty! It's snowy here but I might try to go for a trail ride on New Years Day. Isabel's boyfriend is cute :)
ReplyDeleteoooh do it!! the trails here are pretty, tho not particularly extensive unfortunately. but that's ok - a good trail ride is a good trail ride, period :)
DeleteOooh! like that you have some scenery for your trail rides! We only really have levy and farm roads so it gets a bit boring. Spot is the same way on trail like your Isabel! She keeps up and sometimes over takes the big 17'2 Hano that we trail ride with!
ReplyDeletevery cool - i wonder who would out walk whom between Spot and Isabel!! the trails here are great bc there are streams and hills and pretty vistas, but not a lot of good spots for cantering bc it's rocky and rooty... ah well, walking is fun too :)
DeleteThat looked like a lovely trail ride! All of the trees were awesome. Wish Bacon and I could have joined you!
ReplyDeleteBacon would have a blast on these trails - and would probably be able to keep up with isabel with those long legs too haha
DeleteI need more fun trail rides in my life.
ReplyDeletei agree that pretty much everyone should have more fun trail rides. it is SO relaxing!!
DeleteHappy new years! :)
ReplyDeletePS - I always let Gav eat when out and about. Oops! ;)
happy new years!! i kinda feel bad when all the other horses pout on the trails bc they're not allowed to eat but are forced to watch isabel deliriously gulp down mouthful after mouthful... oh well lol
DeleteYour trails are beautiful!! I love covering ground on the trail, but yeah jigging is a no.
ReplyDeletethe trails here are definitely fun - tho very very hilly! and re: covering ground, it's particularly frustrating with isabel bc her jig is literally HALF the speed of her normal walk. i try to tell her that if she'd just walk like a normal horse she'd be able to go faster, but sometimes the gerbils get loose in her head and there's no reasoning with her lol
DeleteHer determination knows no bounds - how on earth did she keep that between her teeth yet drop the bit?!
ReplyDelete*not-worthy*
haha i do NOT know - but i was certainly impressed lol. she is highly food motivated tho lol
DeleteI want trails like that! We need a magical epic blogger trail ride!
ReplyDeleteyesss!!! if you ever find yourself in maryland we can totally make that happen lol
DeleteGross snack Isabel!!! I'm glad she enjoyed it lol. Sounds like a fabulous trail ride! She practically glows. So pretty! Her boyfriend is cute too.
ReplyDeleteyea that wad of grass was pretttttty icky lol. i guess it was tasty tho? and the ride was perfect - exactly what i needed :)
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