First

On the first day of this new year, Kathy had asked if we could go on a trail ride. I didn't drink in the new year because I was overcome by a deep chest cough (yes, sick again for the holidays), but I decided to bundle up and take Drifter on his first trail ride. This would also mark his 13th ride.

Candace decided to start off the new year right with Willow, and after mulling over the idea of taking him on a trail ride, committed to joining me.

I hooked up the trailer and loaded the tack, and we headed over to Kathy's where she and Sis were saddling Toy and Chic. Kathy put Sis on Chic (which is amazing because Chic has quite a motor for a 5 year old) so she could be on Old Reliable Toy in case I needed some assistance with Drifter.

Groundwork with Drifter in Kathy's arena marked a new experience for him...Tasha the border collie likes to counter-circle any horse being worked and Drifter's tolerance for dogs is not one of his best qualities. So it took a little bit of work to get him to focus on me and not on Tasha.

Once that got better, I got on, did a little bending, one-rein stops and we were ready to give it a go...

Our Trail Boss

With Sis leading the way as the "trail boss", we headed out. At first, Drifter wasn't sure what speed was appropriate. A few scoots forward into a trot that were shot down by an easy one-rein and we were able to make it a couple of properties down were we walked through the trees and snow. At this point, both Willow and Drifter needed to be shut down a couple of times. The road was a mix of slick mud, thick ice, and puddles of water...lots of terrain for Drifter to consider. He began to focus on where he was putting his feet and settled in nicely. In fact, it seems we might have found a good match for Toy's easygoing, slow walk.

I had a great opportunity to give him an opportunity to walk nicely along the road, rather than taking over and squaring up to barking dogs protecting their property lines.

I am looking forward to every ride with this little horse.

Overjoyed...

Thank you Kathy, Sis and Candace for being a part of my great day...it was a great start to a new year.