Quzqo's Big Adventure

Mon Sep 13, 2004

Yesterday (Sunday), Quzqo had his First REAL Trail Ride! Some past trail riding acquaintances trailered their horses over to the barn (amusingly, I could not get any of the boarders interested in a nice, organized group trail ride!!! Go figure!!)(losers!!!), and thus in the company of three huge QHs, Cusco got his first taste of the Michigan Shore-To-Shore Riding & Hiking Trail (y'know, in all my years, I have NEVER met anyone actually HIKING that thing?).

Two of the QHs were 4 yrs old, so he wasn't the baby at this time. He did ***SOOOOOOOO*** good (as I suspected he would), tagging along 2nd-to-the-end...no problems on the dirt road, no problems in the woods, no problems on the flooded two-track (he walked right through the big puddles without any problem, the QH baby behind us danced and pranced and finally took his rider for an adventurous trip up on the high banks of the road, LOL). He went down the steep hills, across the wooden foot bridge (okay, he did JUMP up on it and JUMP off...it was a whole 8" tall after all). After the bridge, the trail goes up a rather steep hill, which had become VERY erroded since I last rode up it (which probably was back in early 2003 I think)...Quzqo just dug his feet into the soft dirt and chugged up the hill, eventually trotting up after the other two QHs in front of us!

The trail we took was pretty hilly, and believe me, it was SO nice to be able to have a horse I could just drop the reins, give him his head, and let him pick his way down the steep hills...Tezlu did the best he could, poor old guy, but with him I'd dismount and lead him down steep hills, to make it easier on him, and to avoid him tripping). Quzqo just scampered right down those hills with no problems at all (yeah, okay, he's also 21 years younger than Tez was at the time, LOL!). There was a HUGE soupy mud pit in the middle of the trail in one swampy area...deep sucking mud, fetlock deep...the QHs in front of us just hop-trotted through it. Not Quzqo , he JUMPED the damned thing, LOL! Note to self: when jumping in a sport saddle, it's better to lean forward, not backwards!

More hills to go up, in loose sand, winding trails, eroded cutouts...the QHs took off cantering, Quzqo took off cantering! LOL, yes, at long last, my horse is CANTERING!!! He did very well, we did more cantering on that trail ride than we've done in the past 3-1/2 months!! Heck, once he even cantered on the flat, trying to catch up to the QHs in front of us! Very comfy canter, I'm looking forward to it!

No great adventures, although the friend riding behind us on an obnoxious young QH enjoyed a nice bucking fit from her youngster who resented being held back...she was so proud that she was able to ride it out, considering last fall that horse bucked her off and broke her pelvis!! That horse also tended to annoy Quzqo, who was forever pinning his ears...until "Tres" got too close to his butt, and Quzqo let him have it with both barrels, er, hooves! Yep, kicked him right in the chest! Surprised ME, and Tres began kicking and bucking! Goofy thing! Looked like Quzqo hit him right in the big QH type leather breastcollar though, no harm done, but Tres sure gave Quzqo his "space" for the rest of the trail ride! Well, he IS "Emperor Kuzco" after all, and should be respected!!

3 hour ride, approx. 10 miles! Quzqo's fur is about 1/2" long, (winter's coming!) and you bet he was a disgusting sweaty MESS! For the first time, I think he enjoyed getting hosed off! Considering how much he was yawning that last mile home, I bet he slept good last night!

He only shied once (I'd barely even call it a "shy", more of a "veering"), at a sign. However the OLD QH in front of us did most the spooking (stumps, puddles, brightly-lit ferns), LOL! Sure was strange to NOT have at least one explosive display of spookiness. Nope, Quzqo just sort of took it all in stride, didn't mind the motorcycle (no dirt bikes, thank God!!!), the golf cart, the cars & trucks, the wild recliners in the bushes, the boat landing, the running water...just another day at the office!

I don't think I'm up to more than one marathon trail ride a month, but sure going to try to get together a shorter, "calmer" ride without so much jumping involved for this weekend! And kudos to the Bob Marshall Sport Saddle Company, even after 3 hours in the saddle, my butt was comfy, my knees were fine, my hips totally pain-free!! My riding companions could barely walk after dismounting from their Western saddles, heh heh. And 'twas a secure ride too, didn't even lose a stirrup during one of those wild rides up the steep hills, jumping the washouts and dodging trees!

And yes, I wore my helmet!

My legs are kinda sore today, but that's from spending 6 hours weeding the perennial beds on Saturday!