Ponderosa Trail

Wow. Double wow. Flyboy was a real trooper today! He crossed the river, maneuvered across boulders and ledges, and climbed the mountain trail like a big boy!

I arrived at the trailhead 45 minutes ahead of my good friend, Sharon, so Flyboy had to deal with being alone for a while. I played with him on the ground a bit--circling him up a little embankment through rocks and sage brush and taking him down to the river and asking him to go out into the water. He was a little unsure of himself and was worried about the cars on the road and the camper trailer parked nearby, but he soon relaxed and never got overly stressed. He wasn't too concerned about the water or the terrain. Watching him and his reactions was interesting. He thinks about things.

Sharon arrived and we headed out on the trail. Crossing the river was no big deal. The trail heads up a small canyon following a gully toward an old pioneer salt mine. Flyboy did NOT want to lead the way, but quite willingly followed Sharon's horse, Mikey, up the trail. He doesn't seem very confident, but he is willing to try. Confidence will come.

Flyboy doesn't move off my leg very well and he wanders on and off the trail a bit, so I was a little concerned about how he would do on the ledgy parts of the trail just past the salt mine. No problem at all; I let him have his head and tried to stay out of his way and he did great. The trail then gets quite steep for a long climb up to the Frog Pond and Flyboy was huffing and puffing by the time we got to the top. We took a break and let the horses catch their breath. He was probably thinking, "Holy cow! We're not in Kansas anymore!"

The fall colors are going to be amazing this year. Bright red and flaming orange leaves covered whole hillsides in places--quite amazing! Flyboy seemed to enjoy being out on the trail. When he gets startled, he stops suddenly and his head goes up till he figures out what is bothering him. We passed wild turkeys, cows, and some kind of weird crazy squawking (or choking!?) bird that we never saw--just heard. Each time Flyboy would stop and check things out. When he was done analyzing the situation, he let out a big breath and carried on. I didn't hurry him, just talked to him and rubbed his neck. I can handle those kind of sensible reactions! Oh, yeah.

Flyboy took a sip from the cattle tank at the top, and then we headed back down the mountain.

I think his feet were getting a little sore on the rocks on the way down. I may need to introduce him to Easyboot Gloves here soon, but I am hoping his pasture/arena feet will toughen up. This was just a walk ride, but I have boots for him if he needs them when we start to add in some trot time.

I am so pleased with this guy. He seems willing and very sensible. He does need more education and lots of good confidence-building experiences, but we have lots of time. Tomorrow my friend, Ruth Livingston-horse trainer extraordinaire, is going to ride Flyboy to evaluate his level of training. I think it will help me know what to focus on and what he needs the most. I want to do right by him--he's going to be fun!

My tired boy: that was a big test for him today and he passed with flying colors! (Don't worry, Flyboy buddy, we're going to take it slowly--you won't have to do that everyday!)