mission status: epic win
Oct. 31st, 2010 11:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kirkcudbrightFirst, big thanks to those who responded to my pathetic attempts at fund-raising. You guys rock! (Let me know if you want to be identified publicly, or you can identify yourselves in comments.)
Second, huge thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
goddessfarmer for the loan of her truck and trailer. Seriously, I couldn't have done this ride without you. Any other day of the year, I could have gotten my barn owner to trailer me, but this was also the day of the Woburn Halloween Parade, which is a long-standing barn tradition (though it looks like I only blagged it once).
The ride started at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation, at the mouth of the Merrimack River, and went up as far as riders were willing to go (which in our case, was All The Way). The beach is about 3½ miles in Salisbury (MA), and another 1½ miles in Seabrook (NH), until it finally ends at the Seabrook bridge. So, about 5 miles end to end, and we took the last two miles at a gallop, whee!
About halfway back, Gemini seemed to be running out of gas, and I was thinking "this is going to be a long walk". But I noticed that, as riders passed us going the other way, she would stop and watch them, as if to say "I'm not ready to go back". When we finally did get back, I let her have another mile-long gallop, most of the way to the Music Hall (now Blue Ocean).
All in all, we covered 12 miles or so, and were on the beach almost 3 hours. The MSPCA staff brought 3 current resident horses to ride, but they weren't tacked up when Gemini and got on the beach, and had already left by the time we got off the beach.
It was fabulous. Seriously, it was a blast, my horse was great, and such a nice day for it too. I'm totally going to do it again next year (but with more planning, and hopefully not conflicting with the parade).
Bonus: a rare photo of the Headless Cyclist of Salisbury Beach, who is said to appear only on Halloween:
Second, huge thanks to
goddessfarmer for the loan of her truck and trailer. Seriously, I couldn't have done this ride without you. Any other day of the year, I could have gotten my barn owner to trailer me, but this was also the day of the Woburn Halloween Parade, which is a long-standing barn tradition (though it looks like I only blagged it once).
The ride started at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation, at the mouth of the Merrimack River, and went up as far as riders were willing to go (which in our case, was All The Way). The beach is about 3½ miles in Salisbury (MA), and another 1½ miles in Seabrook (NH), until it finally ends at the Seabrook bridge. So, about 5 miles end to end, and we took the last two miles at a gallop, whee!
About halfway back, Gemini seemed to be running out of gas, and I was thinking "this is going to be a long walk". But I noticed that, as riders passed us going the other way, she would stop and watch them, as if to say "I'm not ready to go back". When we finally did get back, I let her have another mile-long gallop, most of the way to the Music Hall (now Blue Ocean).
All in all, we covered 12 miles or so, and were on the beach almost 3 hours. The MSPCA staff brought 3 current resident horses to ride, but they weren't tacked up when Gemini and got on the beach, and had already left by the time we got off the beach.
It was fabulous. Seriously, it was a blast, my horse was great, and such a nice day for it too. I'm totally going to do it again next year (but with more planning, and hopefully not conflicting with the parade).
Bonus: a rare photo of the Headless Cyclist of Salisbury Beach, who is said to appear only on Halloween:
