Dichotomy

We did two rides this weekend, each of them was about an hour and a half away from the stable and each of them was completely different from the other. Our first trip on Saturday was to Chatfield with a friend and her two kids. It was a monumental day since we badgered T into coming with us (he actually had a great time).

Little bit of a canter. Ashke is feeling a little tender on his front feet - specifically the right front. 

Going to shoes as soon as I can get an appointment.

It was so much fun to go out with three teenagers. The trick to T enjoying himself is to get a girl to go with us. :)

Two horses and five bikes.

It was so very green and really overgrown.

Three foot long Bullsnake we stepped over.

Had to go back to check that it was alive, since it didn't move.

Heavy growth along the river.

The rider in the greenery was only about five feet in front of us.

And Eddy's nose was touching Ashke's butt in this pic.

Ashke was disappointed in the selection of grass. 

Does not like fox tails.

We did find a little to graze on at our lunch break.

And the hoomans got wet.

Can't see it, but even J went down into the water.

Small log to traverse along the trail.

This is an eleven minute vid of the river trail and the downed logs we got to deal with.

It was taken by T, since we could not canter the trail like normal, due to traffic and the size of our group. Maybe next time.

It was such a great ride and everyone had a great time. We think T will even come out with us the next time we go. There are so many great trails for him to try if he would just give it a chance. We ended up doing 8 miles on the ride. Ashke was fairly sore footed by the time we finished, due to the rock on the trail, but he and Eddy managed to cross a high, and swift Platte to make it back safe to the truck.

On Sunday, we ventured north to Soapstone Prairie Nature Preserve close to the border of Colorado and Wyoming. It was the second time we had ridden there and this time we did the Pronghorn loop.

The view could not have been more different.

K and Eddy's first time on this trail system.

J suffers a touch from agoraphobia, but this view just makes my heart soar.

There was about six hundred feet of elevation gain and the starting elevation was about a 1000 feet higher than Denver. J really had a great workout.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I am Lakota at heart.

This is my kind of country.

The trail is single track through the prairie.

Except where it is broken up by arroyos. These have been cut by flash floods.

It is no surprise, given the dips and swells of this land, that the Indians could hide here so well.

J taking a pic of me taking a pic.

I always hear the DCX song "Wide Open Spaces" when I am out in land like this.

Can you say heart stunning?

The mountains between where we were and Cheyenne.

Even the trail disappears.

Double good boy.

This is a wash. It can fill up with water during thunderstorms. 

Not alot of trees in this area.

One lone cottonwood.

The wash in the other direction.

J waiting as I take photos.

After we crossed the wash there was a long, slight rise going south that ran for almost two miles.

We cantered most of it. Ashke was not sweaty and was still wanting to canter, but I had to ease up and breathe. Canter was the gait I rode most frequently as a kid, but I still have not gotten it back yet. We need more long canters like this. Ashke switched leads at the canter three or four times during our run. This video is the tail end of it.

Stopped for water, which Ashke drank and Eddy played in.

Old homestead foundation. 

Baby horned toad. Looks like a stunted bearded dragon.

Ashke still pulling because he hates to be in the back.

Me riding in the back so he can get over himself.

Last bit of trot before the trailer.

We wore the Back Country boots and Ashke did pretty good in them, although I really think he will be better in shoes. Hoping to get them on him in the next week. We are riding at a bucket list destination next weekend.