Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.
It is getting dark earlier now. I didn’t get to the barn until seven tonight. I tacked Paisano up quickly and headed out by 7:15. We rode out about 2 miles at a trot, then turned back. It was dark and gloomy under the trees and a mite spooky, so we trotted and cantered that bit.
When we got down to the road (we have to ride 7/10ths of a mile from the trailhead to the barn), dusk was falling even in the open. The nearly full moon rose above Mt. Pisgah. I had a vignette between two hills that could not have been more perfect a view.
There was little traffic, most drivers were very considerate. Note to myself … I need to remember to bring my safety vest for all future rides. I have to give credit to Paisano for his level headedness. We were passed on the bridge by a car with headlights and he still trotted calmed over. The one vehicle that passed us faster than I liked was, of all things, a truck and horse trailer.
I went down the road a bit and came back to the barn through the farm fields. This gave Paisano a few minutes of rest and a good bit of thistle eating, his favorite. And it gave me the opportunity soak in the broad vista of cumulus clouds lit by the moon and enjoy the perfect temperature of the air.
I can’t think of a better way to end a long day at work… and that I am thankful for. Rides under the moonlight are a wonderful thing, when you have a perfect pony to share them with.
On the level of training for our LD ride, we did about 3.5 miles with about half or a bit less at a trot in just under an hour. Most of the trotting was uphill too. Yes, he was at his jog trot. I hope to get in some rides with other horses to encourage him to move out more. If you are in Eugene and want to meet at Pisgah on weekend, please email me.
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That sounds heavenly.
In all my life I’ve never ridden in the moonlight. I”ll have to make that a a goal.
What good exercise this training must be–for the both of you! I can’t wait to hear more about it.
It is good for us both, as we each have a few pounds to shed. He has gotten fat on the barns home grown grass hay. We are switching him to bluegrass, as it seems to be not a rich. I had cut his grain down to less than a cup for everything, vitamins, flax and all and he was still fat!
I attempted to do the full loop trail yesterday, but the trails were too slick. It was a lot of work for the little guy and we cut it short. We still had to take a lot of breather breaks up the steep backside of the mountain. I think that we ended up on an unmarked trail, that was way too steep. I am hoping that the ground will dry out by tomorrow and we can try again.
I have to say that it’s a lot of fun exploring the trails that I’ve never been on. We used to hike this park often, as it’s ten minutes from home, but we always took the direct trail to the top and back.
Paisano also let a whole group of Spanish speaking little girls pet him. I heard the whole family talking about the caballo with zapatos.
He had his EasyBoot Bares on…