Our First Hunter Pace

Omg, was it fun! Spyder trailred on a slant load in the back and was perfectly happy munching his hay the 20 minute ride there (Yes, it's close enough to go back.. often!). He tied to the trailer like a champ, and he didn't get the hay bag thing. He kept taking it from the top and stuffing his face in there to get more (and getting stuck). Hello, silly, there's a hole in the front! I tacked up after getting registered and they had such a great setup of treats included in the package. Spyder got carrots, treats, and mints.. and after the pace, he even got an apple! Mr. Piggy would glady do it again for those rewards! There was frost on the ground when we got there, but it warmed up quickly and ended up being a BEAUTIFUL day! After the pace, I headed to the animal shelter to adopt a puppy (more to follow)!

I ended up riding with another horse instead of Tobi that we had worked with because he is recovering from rain rot where the saddle goes. The nice girl that trailered me had a horse for my teammate to borrow, and I was happy to find out he was a seasoned 22 year old gem that doesn't spook at a thing! We got tacked up, and were told we could go first! We let two gaited horses (walkers?) in front of us because I was worried about Spyder being first, but we ended up passing them on the first part of the ride. First? Me, and Spyder? He was beyond brave, and he was dragging me through the trails... ears up, game on.

The first few times he saw trees that were down and cut, he was NOT ok. He did spook a few times, but he got over it, and I kept on him to move forward. His spooks are just quick hops and he spreads out all fours. It's very easy to deal with, and the hops became moving to the opposite side of the trail as the logs in no time! He was so happy to be in front and set the pace for my teammate. He didn't mind being the leader or following, but he was giving me an attitude about some of the turns when he had to do them first (and he felt like he had to go when the other horse didn't... LAZY). This goes back to the show and having to do patterns on our own without the group. Spyder knows they aren't moving so why does he have to go? Again, we REALLY need to work on that!

The ride was beautiful with the leaves changing and falling, and there are a lot of old buildings and foundations to look at in the park. Spyder didn't spook at things like tall reeds blowing in the wind, birds popping out of no where, or walking over water on what is like a bridge of dirt. He looked, but didn't spool. There were huge concrete walls and stumps that were fallen over from the storms we have had, but of course, cut logs were the worst! I'm glad we made it through, and I hope one of the teams in our group wins! The costumes throughout the ride were great, and Spyder wasn't scared of them, either (We didn't have time to get anything together). I want to do paces all the time, and I think Spyder would agree! He seemed to really enjoy himself and didn't even break a sweat like all of the other horses. He's made for endurance so we're going to look into it! This ride was just 6 miles, and he was ready for more!

He looks the same after as he did before, a little girth sweat is all!