After more than six months of riding lessons, I went out on my first real trail ride today. In Sunday, a few days ago, instead of my weekly lesson Chelsea asked if I wanted to ride around the barn she works at. The horse I ride, Julie, had gotten shots and her neck was swollen so she needed to take it easy. The one hour ride around the huge property was like a trail ride, just no trail.
Today, we went to the Hidden Mesa Open Space in Douglas County, on the outskirt of Castle Rock. Over 2.5 hours, we did 5.8 miles: Farm Lane (0.5 x2), Cherry Creek Trail (0.3 x2), Hidden Mesa Trail (1.4 x2), Mesa Rim Loop (1.4).
The trail started nice and flat, tons of prairie dogs giving warning calls, watching out and running around. The best part, every single one of them a complete fat ass. That area must have slow predators and plenty of food. The trail wasn’t steep at any point, so it would make a great trail for easy hiking. After the short climb to the top of the mesa, the trail turned rocky with some stretches that were nothing but flat rock. Two and a half hours in the saddle and no problems. My legs were a tad sore immediately after the ride, but keeping them in the same position that long does it no matter what i am doing.
Overall, a really nice ride and enjoyable afternoon.