Endurance horse mets trail horse

This week I got to go riding with an old friend, K, and her horse Major.  It was great fun to go riding together.  The last time we did this was about a year ago.  We see each other more often than that and I enjoy catching up with K's horse activities on her blog....trails-and-trials-with-major.blogspot.com.  Our horses are different types of movers.  Major is more of an endurance horse, he likes to move out, trots fast, enjoys distance, and new places-just his nature.  Zoe is more of a trail horse, trots but not too fast, distance is okay but not all the time, and new places-well she's getting better at going to new places-just her nature.  So we decided to ride together this week.  Pushed the "edges of both of our envelopes".

We went the back way to Look Out Rock.  Zoe in the lead and she trotted some, but was a bit lazy so I had to get on her case with the spurs.  Major followed and was such a gentleman, he didn't run up on her and gave her some space.  And Zoe didn't mind him being back there.  For 2 horses that don't see each other very often they were being polite to each other.

On the way back Major was in the lead.  K let him trot but not his fastest trot which was fine with Zoe. Zoe had to really move out to keep up and sometimes wanted to break into a lope to stay with him.  But I just said no, pulled just a little bit on the reins and she stayed at a trot.  I wanted her to work on her extended trot...which was slower than Major's "not so fast" trot.  So sometimes Major was way ahead of us, around curves and out of site.  It was okay because I knew K would stop and wait for us.  What was nice was that Zoe was not panicked that Major was out of site and going faster than her.  She just listened to me and we caught up with him.  Major was being very good and listening to K, trotting towards home but not as fast as he probably would have liked.  And stopping to wait for us.

Sometimes we would let the horses walk side by side.  Major was great.  Zoe laid her ears back a few times but for the most part was fine with having him beside her.  The last time I met up with another rider that I don't see too often and we rode side by side-Zoe had a terrible attitude.  But today was much better...mares...can be so finicky.

We decided that we should do this more than once a year.  Maybe we will aim for twice a year!  We don't ride together very often.  Our horses aren't good matches for each others gaits.  But for a few times a year-they can handle it.  And today they handled it wonderfully.

K and Major 

Me and Zoe