Finally a ride-weekend

I was sick last Thursday so no riding until today-Sunday.  Something about all my joints and muscles aching, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and being chilled told me that riding might not be the best thing for me to be doing.  So here it is Sunday and we're back at it again.  (Still have a stuffy nose, but that's not going to stop me)  Sky, Skippy and Zoe got to pick up where we left off on our last weekend ride-Dottie's Hill with manners.  Skippy's rider grudgingly said he would help us on our attempt to have manners going up that hill.  We did many stops, changes of gaits while on the way to the hill.  As we got closer, Skippy got to be in the lead-she's the one with LOTS of energy.  Zoe was second and Sky last.  The first time up the hill was better than 2 weekends ago.  We started out at a walk, I could tell Skippy wanted to charge up it, but she was paying attention to her rider and we totted the last 3rd of the hill.  Zoe had good manners as well as Sky.  At the top-no resting-we went back down.  (I can hear Skippy's rider in my head-grumble, grumble).  The next time up we started trotting earlier.  This time I could tell Skippy's energy was more controllable  and Zoe and Sky were a bit calmer.  We decided that that was good-didn't want to overdo a good thing with the horses and to give Skippy's rider a break.  Now we wound around the forest with Skippy in the lead.  Had great fun totting on single track trails.  Zoe did good, altho a little slower than Skippy.  Sometimes Skippy had to stop and wait for us to catch up.  Only once did Zoe do a stupid thing.  We were trotting on a single track trail, on the flat, around a curve to the left, and she decided to eat the pine tree to her left.  Her body kept going forward because I asked her to keep going but her head stopped to eat the pine tree.  So the final effect of this movement was almost a rear-not a rear from attitude but a rear from the horse not having control of all body parts.  We did some circling after that mistake and she didn't eat pine trees again.  One of the hills Skippy trotted up to the top and I decided to walk up after her-just to see if Zoe could go a different gait than the lead horse-after all it is fun to trot up hills.  Zoe did it at a walk-with good manners.  Phew.  We did find some puddles to walk in and that was fun too.  At the end of the ride we were thankful for Skippy's rider helping us out on Dottie's Hill and he was profusely thanked.