The Hack and Yak

Monday, my friend M ended up with a free day and opted to trailer out to my barn for a trail ride. M and I used to board and ride together a couple of times a week for a few years, before she bought a farm of her own and I started doing all this silly working away from home stuff. So you can imagine how excited I was to go for a ride with my best riding buddy!

Since the goal of the ride was more to catch up and chat than actually, you know, ride, we opted for a loop with wide and level trails so we could easily ride side by side and 'hack and yak'.

I brought Bridget along thinking this would be a great, low stress introduction into trail riding with horses other than her barn buddies. M's horse is a horse that came from an auction in ranch country and is just a super, super mare. I have no idea how a good horse like her got to a low end auction, but she's here now and living the best life any horse could ask for. She's the perfect been-there-done-that buddy for the greener horses. Bridget was a little worried about the trailer arriving and the 'new' horse for all of a minute or two, then settled in and was a star for the entire ride. You'd never guess this is all new for her! We were out for about two hours, not because we went overly far, but more because we mostly walked and enjoyed the day. Sorry, I forgot to take any pictures - too busy chatting and these trails aren't overly scenic anyhow, particularly with the grey weather we're currently enjoying.

Our non exciting route.

Bridget impressed me even after we got back to the barn - the other horses were calling for her and making a fuss, but she was quite happy to stand and wait at M's trailer while we continued our non stop yakking for another 45 minutes or so (I'm not an overly chatty person normally, we just had way too much catching up to do for one afternoon!) An afternoon well spent, and I was so happy with my little mare.

Doing some post ride catching up of their own - 3 hours is a long time for the BFFs to be apart! :)