Sun, Aug 13 2006 - Summer Trail Ride (View Original Event Details)
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Another splendid day for a TOC outing! It was warm, dry and sunny as we headed out to Wildwood Manor Ranch.
Only one carload got lost (or did Carrie decide to give our visitors from Kuwait, Eman and Abs, a little scenic tour?) but we still got there in plenty of time. Summer Sundays are very busy at the ranch, so we amused ourselves while we waited by visiting the rabbits, goats, sheep and horses. We enjoyed the attentions of the very same friendly cats we met last time. The little orange one seemed to recognize her old pal Alan right away!
Finally, it was time to choose our trusty steeds! It took a while for us to all get mounted, but once on our horses, and after a lesson in starting, steering and stopping, we were off on the trail! We followed pretty trails through the forest, where in sunny places the goldenrod was truly glorious! Once we got to the meadows, the "fast" group set off in a trot, and then cantered across. We met the "walking" group a few times during our two-hour ride. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the beautiful day and the fresh air.
We grew to appreciate our horses' individual qualities. Lillian rode Silver Lady, a very peppy mare with a long stride (=fast!). She was always out front! Jo was on Ebony, a very smart mare who had figured out that she would have to work less if she trotted across rather than canter right around the field - in the end, she granted Jo a nice canter. Isolde seemed to enjoy her horse, Gypsy.
Alison said of her horse, "Cochise was a gem once he figured out that yes, I did want to canter! For the last two runs, he needed very little encouragement even though earlier in the ride, he'd been of the opinion that a fast trot was quite acceptable, thank you very much! ;-) I'm looking forward to going back again, and will ask for him by name."
Of course, as Lillian said, "It's not an adventure unless someone gets hurt" (although we don't want to make that a TOC motto!). At one point, a deer bounded out from the woods and startled our horses. Melanie's horse bolted and she slid off rather gracefully, but ended up with a bruise on her arm from the saddle. She very bravely got back on right away. Sharon was pitched forward over the pommel when her horse abruptly stopped its bolt, but managed to avoid falling off. There were no serious injuries and some stories to tell!
After the ride, we reluctantly dismounted and said goodbye to our horses. Some of us went to Kelsey's for refreshments (the cracked peppercorn burgers are great!). Another enjoyable trail ride at Wildwood, and we'll definitely go there again in the spring!
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.