Fall ride

As you may have figured from previous post, I am a true Floridian transplanted to Indiana. I must say I love the Fall! Nothing like this in sunny south Florida. Today, a glorious day weather wise here in Indiana I decided to tank my young horse "Harley" for a trail ride to give him something other to think about than cows and training. We loaded up and met some friends at Brown County State Park, a nice park only 45 minutes from my house. The park is lovely and has a horseman's campground and around a hundred miles of trails. I never tire of riding here it is so diverse. We saddled up around 9 am and headed out for a day of riding. We all decided we would love to ride to a nearby town called Story for lunch. Story has a small inn and a few eateries to sample. The trail goes right down next to the inn and has hitching posts for the horses along with fresh water. I decided to let Harley lead today, something he is not used to doing. He is small at 14.2 and a little slower than my friend's horse but he took the job in stride. We had a little stutter step when a bunch of turkeys came shooting across the trail but I was happy he did not spin and run. ( A little backround on Harley: He is a cutting bred gelding that can spin a hole in the ground and usual does when spooked which thanks heavens is not often.) The trail we chose to
take today was a difficult one with lots of hill climbing and lots of downed trees. Harley did very well crossing the creeks and downed trees without a hitch. We arrived at the inn a little after noon and tethered the horses after letting them drink awhile. Lunch was superb and we all enjoyed the live music they had playing. For the ride home we chose a different route and a little less challenging. We got back to camp around 3 and called it a day. I simply love going riding with friends and the fall colors were an added bonus today. Tomorrow it is back to the grindstone with riding circles and lead changes (something I need work on not Harley). Hope you all are enjoying your horses. Till next time.......