First Time Trekking

Hello everybodies, how are you? I am fabulous (always). Today I got to do another really grown up thing. I got to tag along with the afternoon ride for trek, aka Redwood Coast Riding Vacation (RCRV). This is what my friends do for their jobs, take people pony riding on our special trails. Cyd used to be a guide for her people job. The Lady-in-Red is the boss lady, and she said we could join them. They first did pony riding on the beach, and I'm not big enough to do that yet, so they went without me, and Cyd put me in the pony trailer. She did not do good with her timing, and we arrived too soon and had to wait for nearly an hour. I was not impressed:

I did mostly wait patiently though, even though it was quite lonely in such a big trailer all alone:

S'ok though, cos after ages my friends arrived, seven of them. They all piled into the giant pony trailer with me, and all the people squeezed into the truck, and we were ready to go.

We only had a short way to go, just to cross over a bridge that is not super safe for pony riding on. Once we got to the other side, we hopped out on the side of the lane, and got our riders. I was a bit excited, and spooked at the gate closing behind me, and at some of the bushy coyote bush that we barged through on a kinda-trail. I was at the back, behind Aunty V, where I couldn't cause mischiefs. There's not much pictures from the first bit of pony riding cos for me needing some controlling. The pony trailer was driven up the driveway, and we made a pit stop by it to give us ponies a drink at the trough, and make doubly sure the people had the right things. We set off with me at the back again, and we walked then had to stop, cos for one of my friends tripping and his person having to tumble out the way. They were both totally okay and laughing cos for being silly, then it was my turn to be silly. I leaped in the sky like a deer and nearly made Cyd fall down but we got organised and back in line before anybody except Aunty V saw and told us off. I was so excited!!! Then after a little ways, we paused for somebody to go pee in the bushes, and I leaped out my skin when they came stealthing back out from the bushes. I kept pretty calm for the next bit, then we had our first canter up a big hill. Lucky for my sneakers cos it was gravelly, but I did good. I realised it was time to not waste my energies on antics, cos today was not going to be easy pony riding.

We paused at a kinda flat spot to take pictures (though I don't have those yet, the Lady-in-Red took them on her camera, and will be in their own post another day). Then we set off on a trail to go see some 1500 year old redwood trees cos we're lucky like that. There was a bit where we needed to kinda go over a dippy bit and Aunty V had to bring her pony back for me to follow, but I didn't take long. Then it was time to do more canter, but mostly I did trotting cos for it being a big hill and me being hot and sweaty already. Another pony wanted to do trotting too, so it was okay. We did some more trail, and some more winding, and some pictures in daisies, and some more trottings and cantering, and pausing for a drink, then it was lunch time. We had not gone super far, and only two hours, but remember my friends had been riding ages already.

Lunchtimes

Will you play with me, Voltaire?

Why are you ignoring me?

Ooh, feeties

I'm so handsome!

After lunchtimes, it was time to get our riders again. Aunty V took some pictures of me for you, and Cyd got distracted and forgot to restart my GPS cos she's silly. But I'm cute:

Two puppies came with us for the next bit of pony riding. They are Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and called Asante and Puccini. I have never done pony riding with dogs running around before, and was a bit disconcerted, especially at the beginning. This time I was more in the middle, with my Aunty V and another pony behind me. Mostly the dogs stayed at the very back, but sometimes they came scooting past, so Aunty V warned Cyd which side they were coming on so we could be ready. Soon I just did looking instead of jumping or spooking, Cyd was so proud of me. She thought we were going to do a trail I have done before, but instead we did one that she thought might be too hard for me. It's one of her favourites, but not really for baby ponies cos it gets really super steep, and one bit we have to jump up cos for it being so steep. We left a gap between us and the next in front pony so we didn't get stuck behind them, and Aunty V left a big gap behind me in case I ran out of puff. It's a skinny trail, so you can't just scoot around a needing-a-breather pony and steep for just standing on. I totally proved them wrong and sailed up the trail, only one time needing a tiny boomp. Cyd cheered for me, and petted me for doing so good, and I even did the little kinda-jumping bit super good. Next time I'm going to go behind Aunty V so we can video me and you can see it. After then we just did ambling down the hill back to the pony trailer. We did take more pictures though, and I was good enough to let Puccini go right behind me without getting upset. This is her, isn't she pretty?

This was the view we had for lots of today:

We did pictures with me in them too:

We are very lucky!!!

So many ponies today!

Once we were half way down the big hill, Cyd hopped off to lead me down the driveway. 1) Cos for downhill being hard for ponies but especially for baby ponies 2) Cos for stretching her legs 3) Cos for training me to go away from my friends, we went down the roady bit and they went away from us down a trail. I had a minor meltdown, but settled down fairly quickly, especially when Cyd said that if I didn't knock it off she would get back on me and ride me back up the hill so we could practice our grown-up-ness.

I was very happy to get a good drink at the bottom of the hill, and eat a lot of grass snacks before getting in the pony trailer.

Green juice is good for you!

My sneakers performed flawlessly, doing walking and trotting and cantering and baby pony tantrums and jumping in the air. We like them a lot! Cyd didn't have to mess with them once.

Once we had a snack and a drink and the people had a drink, we all clambered back in the pony trailer to go home for showers. My butt is the one right at the front, cos I get to go in the pony trailer first with my best friend next to me. Only seven of us had to go home, cos for one of the ponies living where we were.

I had my shower, and waited in the sunshine while Cyd helped give my friends their showers. I didn't get at all stuck on the way home, but got really super excited when we got there that we had to have a brain lesson before we could go in my gate. As soon as my halter was off I did bucking, then galloping, then bucking, then galloped a lap of my whole field before doing a skidding stop where Cyd usually gives me my mushy bucket food. I didn't know it wasn't ready yet, so she snuck it from her truck to my water trough to put in water and let it soak while she filled up my big haynet. Before she was finished I sussed out what she was doing and came flying back around my field and stole my food. I was so so hungry! I'm going trekking on Friday too, when they go to the cattle ranch, and do a mock vet check like at endurance rides so the guest people can learn, and go on Spectacular trail. It's Cyd's favourite day on RCRV's, though I might have to take shortcuts in case I'm too tired to keep up with my friends. They are super fit enduring ponies and I am only just getting first-time-fit. So I'll tell you all about Friday adventures (with even more ponies) and watch out for photos from the Lady-in-Red!

Waiting at my friends' house after my shower :)