Trail Ride Weekend

What a weekend! After lots of preparation by many people, the 4th of July trail ride ended up a hit. The ride went out from our little Stone Bridge Farm and people from the Southern Maine Association of Riding Trails enjoyed 2 days of pleasure trail riding plus camping and meals. It's quite the event.

We have a professional photographer (and friend of mine, thanks Dusty!) who came out in the deerfly filled woods to photograph riders on their way through. This is the view on Saturday. I think she took a fabulous photo of the King and I. :)

check her work out at dustyperin.com

This was on the way over the mountain on our 20 mile day. I was actually riding the trails with another lady on "point" which means we go out early and check that all of our markings are still in place for the riders to follow. The day was hot and steamy and peak deerfly season so we all donated a lot of blood to those...but the trails were fantastic and I had a great time. We had some long sections of good trail for cantering as well as some very technical trail going over the mountain.

The folks who were camping we set up in the back field where everyone had plenty of room.

The day trippers parked out front. Sunday's ride was through Branch Hill so no mountains, but a good river and a good brook to cross as well as the emaculate trails in that conservation land. Riders had options to cut the ride short as the temperatures were soaring into the 90s with high humidity. I think we only had 15 miles of trail marked out there anyhow. I didn't ride on Sunday as I was working back at home and going to the parade in town with my family. There were too many things calling me to stay home so I couldn't go and ride it. That's okay, I rode most of it marking the trail and I'll be back out there taking down the markings...the work isn't over yet!

here is another view of the campers out back. I can't get everyone in a single photo but 13 horses spent the night out there. I heard rave reports of "the campground" with the nights filled with fireflies. The neighbor donkeys kept the horses entertained too.

Whew! What a weekend.

~Rachel