Two hour ride to a beautiful place - Hershey

Colleen on Andy at the end of the field just about to go onto the road.

Erika's Horese Grizley. He was a sweet horse that turned his head around to make sure all the other horses are all up to pace.

Today we were all excited to ride for two hours. I wasnt sure how the farm would do it. We set up iwth a family that was kinda rambuncious.  The ride went on and then split after the bridge. I had not ever done that before. I had Hershey because I hadnt been out on a 2 hour and I wanted to be on a horse that I knew.  Colleen had her usual Andy. He's a sweet horse that is the perfect listener as far as she is concerned. Perfect Ride.
Well the ride split up and it didnt take long before I was seeing things I had never seen before on the ride.  We crossed beautiful streams with steep embamkments and running up hills and manevering around things I had not seen.  Little Dessert,  Texas Road, Nagog Woods and some other name like Emmet conservation area.I'll get back to this later.

Erika told us stories the whole way.  She said that Hershey was an Amish work horse before he came to Bobby's Ranch.  .I could so see him pulling a plow in a field.  He is so beautiful I wonder if he likes his home now.
During our ride today some cool stuff happened.  One time near the end of our ride there was this nice patch of water on the right.  Suddenly there was a loud noise of about 20+ ducks had take off at the same time.  It startled the horses so that they started to run a bit and also turned thier faces toward the sound.  I feel that Hershey was going to stand off to the sound.  He was actually standing off to the sound.

He made me feel somehow safer with him protecting me.

Red Dead Redemption bridge.  Hershey is so big I was worried about the us falling through.

Erika was so cool telling stories about how her and her sister would take trips together and that her old horse was at her old house and her sister took care of him.  She was riding a horse that reminds her of her old horse. His name was Gissley.  A couple of times during the ride I could hear him sort of growl.  He was a very patient horse. Erika said that he kinda walks fast so she stops with him often so that the other horses can catch up. I noticed that he would look back at me and Hershey to see how we were doing during the ride.

Walking through the field of blue bird houses it was beautiful conservation land.

The ride was amazing. At times I didnt know where we were going and we would be going totally down a steep embankment and other times we were sneaking between two very small rocks or climbing a rocky hill that I wasnt sure that Hershey would be able to naviagate. I guess I didnt judge him as he should be judged. He rocked. He was ready to trot during the trots and he was a great trail horse manuevering like I had never seen any horse never mind a huge draft horse like Hershey.
At the beginning of the ride, a woman came up behind me and said, "you stole my son's horse"  so I gave her the stink eye. She said I hope you dont think Im serious.  She said that she had come before and her son had said next time he wanted to ride Him.  I told her that I dont ride him too often. I always have to let the men ride him first choice.  I also told her that her son would not be riding such a large horse he was too little. I said the Hershey was big for me even.
Hershey was so funny. FIrst when I got on him he didnt want to be first so he turned around right at the area where I had just gotten on him. He actually turned into the right part of the outer ring.
Then during the ride he took off and when with the walk ride because he thought that he had made a mistake and went on the wrong ride. He actually took off running to catch up.  Then Erika caught up with him and the ride split was further up the trail on the right.  We followed down the right side of the river and where the other ride always takes a right we continued going around the lake in areas that I hadnt seen. The hills were steep right away.  Erika said that the ride was not a fast ride it was a difficult stepping for the horses and most of it was lose rocks and diverse terrian I think that maybe Colleen was disappointed when she heard it but when we realized what she meant and that we would get a chance to trot later we realized it was the best ride of our lives.

This week Bruno was sold.  He was a sweet horse for people but he was the ultimate Alpha for the other horses. Duke hated him so much. I have seen him push each other around.

I had to get this photo because I loved Bruno and I had only ridden a couple of times but there were amazing. The one time that I rode Duke and he was upset about being behind Bruno was particuatary exciting. Going to miss that sweetie Bruon but they say he has his own herd of female horses in Grafton Mass.

Erika