Yesterday, Del and I went out with Millie, Pam and Jo on what I would call a
bushwack trail ride. It is a ride of mostly walking and single file as the chaparral (Deer Bush, Buckwheat, Laurel Sumac) is thick from the winter rains. The trail is narrow or we just pick our way through the wilderness. Del likes to go faster. I had to keep him back from the horse in front. Jo was mostly in the lead. I could see him look over his shoulder to see if we were too close to his horse. Del didn't want to walk so he gave himself a workout : ). Almost like running in place. While I feel in control with his hackamore, bit-less bridle, it required me to pull back quite a lot. Overall, Del showed his heart and willingness to do new things. I think he is used to more open landscapes with less vegetation. When we got back to the ranch, Millie discovered that her cell phone was missing. I had wanted to ride Glory as well, so I volunteered to go back and look for the phone. Millie stayed and took care of Del and Cupido (her Paso).
Millie took this photo before I left on the first ride. We forgot to make one of me on Glory.
This was my first ride on Glory (since my test ride). I tried using Del's hackamore on her. It felt like I was riding with a halter! Jo and Pam went along on the search for Millie's phone. We only had to go about a mile or so and we found it! Amazing! We continued up the mountain just to give the horses a little more workout. Glory was much calmer on the ride than Del had been. She is a wonderful mare and I think she will be like Telma. Telma is very versatile. She can be enjoyed by experienced riders as well as a novice. She adjusts to all skill levels. She has a great largo (that is the fast gait). I want to work to train Glory to have this kind of versatility. I really believe she has a similar horseanality (personality) - left-brain introvert. This last photo shows how much Del loves Glory. Glory seems less interested : ).
