Trail Ride at Soapstone

Today was my friend Bethnie's birthday.  To celebrate, five of us went on a trail ride at Soapstone. Bethnie and I have been friends since we met in college when we were both on the riding team for CSU.  If she wasn't so busy now doing the full-time mom thing (which she does fabulously well) I would have her as a second trainer at Bit of Honey.  She is the only other person I know who trains very similarly to how I train.

Soapstone is just about 20-30 minutes north of my place, depending on how wash-boarded the dirt road is.  We headed out in the afternoon and did the eleven mile Pronghorn loop.  The ride itself was beautiful, sunny, breezy, not too warm.  We saw a herd of deer, several antelope, tons of grasshoppers, a choir of prairie dogs, and a horny toad.

 As we finished our ride we hustled back to the trailers just as a huge thunderstorm with hail came crashing in.  You've never seen people untack and load horses into trailers so fast! 

Highboy was a rockstar.  He was a little "up" when we were getting started, but he settled very quickly and even led the group for a good portion of the ride.  He also took his turn being second and even last.  His ears were up the whole time and he thoroughly enjoyed himself.  That horse is always desperate to go places with me.  When he sees me hitching the truck to the trailer he stands at his gate and STARES at me insisting that he should go, too. 

Over the course of the ride he developed a nice forward walk, which was wonderful.  Over the last couple months he has been growing like crazy.  I measured him yesterday, and Highboy is now 17 hands tall.  He is six years old now, and is somewhat of a late bloomer.  He is changing shape as he grows, his chest is getting wider and his ribs have gotten wider, and he is starting to develop his haunches.  As a result, he is pretty clumsy again while learning how to negotiate this new huge physique.  Since he is in such a dramatic growth spurt I haven't been working him hard, just giving him lots of turnout with his friends.  However a long leisurely trail ride over hills was just right for his body and his brain today.  He also is at a point in his growth where my Australian saddle fits him really nicely.  I love that saddle.  If I got a lump of clay, sat in it, and asked someone to make me a custom saddle specifically for my butt impression, I couldn't have a better fit for myself.  And I got it at a yard sale for $100.   I don't know if it will fit Highboy when he's all fully developed, but I was happy to have the ride I did in it today.