Happy Trails :)

Today I went to my first hunter pace and wow, was it incredible! So much more fun that I could have ever hoped, and I even had high expectations.

My friend Sarah took Sonny and I along with her arabian, Sarabi. We met up with one of her friends, Stacey, and her arabian stallion (so many S names!) The pace was so much more laid back that I could have expected. Everyone told me that it wasn't competitive, but I could have never imaged how it was! We showed up this morning around 10, tacked up, and rode out! No ride times, no waiting, and definitely nothing serious; just get on and go :).

The pace was held on a 130, beautiful property. The trail started out in the woods and it was serious! The path had sharp turns, hills and valleys, mud, water, and sharp edges. Luckily, Sonny was a total superstar and wasn't phased by anything. Through the woods he confidently marched through the mud and water and was great going up and down the steep hills. Along the path were jumps, about 32 total. The first jump was just straw bales and he jumped it without question! The next food jumps in the woods were logs that Sonny kept a good eye on. After a good bit we came out of the woods into a meadow. At a small log jump I played the yo-yo game and got him confident enough to jump it. After that, the rest was history!

The trail continued to wind in and out of the woods and meadows. There were always optional jumps, almost all of them were logs. After the yo-yo game, he confidently flew over anything I pointed him out. By the end of the pace, he was aiming for the jumps! I was so impressed!! He never likes to jump at home and he here is practically dragging me to them. I couldn't have been more excited or possible have any more fun.

At one point the trail went through a big creek. The water was almost knee high in some places and so much fun to ride through! Not only did he ride through the water, he confidently walked over a spooky bridge. I was absolutely thrilled!

Needless to say, I am beyond thrilled with my fabulous, Parelli pony. Just last year at this time we went on our first (and up until this point) and last trail ride. He was so naughty, pulling me the entire time and not wanting to slow down. He tried to kill me by dragging me through trees in order to avoid a puddle. So to see him today, without any other trail riding practice, blew me away. I am still smiling :). Can't wait for the next one!

Sarah, me, and Stacey!