Holiday Weekend Rides ~ Day 2 ~ Best Ride Ever!

 

(Warning! Long post. Grab refreshments and visit the potty first!)

This is Apache and I after our ride today. Together we enjoyed the best ride yet. Can I just start by saying, “I truly love my horse. I do. She’s the best!”

Today, my beautiful mare, Apache gave me the very best ride I have ever had on any horse. We had so much fun!

I’ll start at the beginning.

I’m embarrassed to admit that after reading Nuzzling Muzzles post on Sunday about a few bloggers experiencing recent horse-related injuries and how she wasn’t wanting to risk riding on a  busy holiday weekend, I almost chickened out and didn’t ride. I’m glad I didn’t!

I drove down there, and all along the way, I noticed that there were folks riding their horses beside the road, through pastures, in arenas and over the hills. Everyone seemed to be out enjoying the gorgeous day and their wonderful horses. It was great to see!
After I arrived at Cedar Hill Farm, the first thing I was invited to enjoy was a little barbecue of hamburgers and hotdogs and all the fixin’s. I brought some silly patriotic hats with me as my kidlets thought it would be funny to get the adults to wear them. It really was!

Here are my friends, Colleen, Anna and Christine in all their glory (pun intended. heheh!)   

Aren’t they good sports? They are also very special to me, too. These three ladies have been very instrumental supporting me with my horsemanship goals. I could not have done it without them. I love them for being the wonderful, helpful, dedicated, and fun-loving ladies they are.

After the good meal, we all headed over to the stables to groom and tack up our horses. Apache had a small crusty sore on her belly that the flies were gathering around, so I applied some pink Swat and then I rubbed some fly spray on her face and legs with a small towel.  I was a little surprised at how calm she was. She even seemed relieved that I was putting fly repellant on her. I also had to make sure her rear cinch was a little loose, because I didn’t want it rubbing anywhere near that crusty sore, in case it would irritate her.

There were 8 of us riding today. Well actually there were supposed to be 9 of us, but one gal worried that her horse was acting too nervous and spirited and decided not to ride. I don’t blame her, though. A fierce wind had kicked up and was sending whirling, spinning dust devils across the hilltop where the stables are located. All the horses were a little bit wide-eyed, but most of that wind subsided after we started riding, although it did get gusty at times. The breezes were actually quite welcome because it was a very hot, sunny day, into the low 90’s.

We started off following the original previous ACTHA trail ride route, but then we traveled down and up and over a bunch of new routes I’d never been on yet. I had a blast!

We rode for a little over 2 hours, but we rode a lot farther than we usually ride. Yesterday’s ride was about 7 miles while today’s was between 8-10 miles. It went by much faster though, because………………….

……….we trotted and cantered most of the way!!!!!!

Whoohoo!

Apache wowed me this time, because she gave me what I asked for without having to use my heels on her each time. A squeeze and a couple clucks and she moved smoothly into a trot. And a kiss and squeeze and she moved up into a canter, which felt surprisingly like being on a rocking chair. I loved it!

It was my first time cantering on Apache and surprisingly I wasn’t scared at all. It was exhilarating! And I do believe that Apache had just as much fun as I did, too.

I’m sure the energy of the other riders and horses helped, because everyone was having fun trotting and cantering down the trails together. But I also believe…and felt something…change between Apache and I. It’s as if she believed I knew what I was doing and felt comfortable and at ease…and most importantly she trusted me. That was huge!

At times, I felt like she would be asking me if we could trot or canter. I could feel her energy, and I would invite her to move into a trot or canter and it was like we were as one…as corny as that sounds. I know

I tried to post the trot a few times, but my stirrups were just a little too long. With my Abetta saddle’s Acu-Suede seat and the suede-like seat, inner legs and knees of my full-seat breeches….along with my suede chaps, my butt was like velcro! haha! I felt very secure, while still being able to move along with my horse, too.

And the few times where I did feel a little unbalanced, Apache must have felt it, too, because she immediately slowed down to a walk and/or, even stopped. I felt like she was taking good care of me all along.

I never felt that way when Baby Doll trotted. My saddle was too slippery and too big, and she always pinned her ears before going into a trot like she was pissed and then it was like she was preparing to jump a log. Her trot felt like a jackhammer. My neck and back would ache the next day, so I avoided trotting her.

Apache is nothing like Baby Doll. She‘s so much better!    

We probably had to do just little more trotting and cantering than maybe a few of the other riders had to do, because Apache and I both like to hang out at the back of the group a lot. It’s peaceful back there with no other horses nibbling your butt or snorting down your neck. But it meant that we had to catch up quite often to the rest of the group. And that meant trotting and cantering. I even wonder if Apache liked hanging back for that same reason.

I know this will probably sound silly, but the first time Apache moved into a trot today without me having to use my heels, I was so happy and I rubbed Apache’s neck and told her what a good girl she was. I’ve learned that with Apache, she thrives on positive encouragement.

The more I give it, the more she gives me back.

She also loves treats on the trail when she’s done something special, too. I love how after she’s crossed an obstacle, she’ll turn her head to look at me and touch my leg with her nose. If she forgets to do that, I’ll usually reach down and gently tap her on the neck and she’ll turn around and politely take her cookie from my hand. She’s such a sweet girl, my Apache.

              

You’re also probably going to think I’m nutty when I tell you that I think my mare loves wide-open beautiful views…just like I do. I swear, whenever we come to an opening in the trees that affords us a spread out view, she stops and turns around and looks at me, and then turns back around to take it all in. She’s so funny. I love that about her!

Which is another reason we kept getting far behind the other riders, too.

And then I’d have to ask her to trot and then canter, as you’ll see in this video. I wish I could have video-taped us cantering, but when she moved up into a canter, my finger slipped onto the stop button and I didn’t try to turn it back on again because I was worried that I might drop my camera.

 

It’s interesting. The more I work with Apache and the more I ride her, the more I feel as if little doors are opening between us…..

I know I need to stop comparing Apache to Baby Doll, because Apache is so very different, but in some ways it has been helpful for me to realize how lucky and blessed I am to have this wonderful horse. Sometimes by comparing my two horses, it is easier for me to appreciate what I have now.

Maybe that’s one of the benefits of going through all of my injuries last year and long road towards healing with no riding at all? I do know  that I’ll never take Apache for granted. That’s for sure.

It took me almost a year before I felt a connection with Baby Doll….on the ground, but never in the saddle. But with Apache, I’ve only owned her for a few months and I not only feel a bond with her on the ground, but in the saddle, too.

She’s my heart horse.

Thank you Apache,

For giving me the best ride of my life today!