My Longest Pony Ride Ever!

Hey everybodies, how are you? Sorry it's taken so long to tell you about my Friday pony ride cos for being super tired, and then Cyd being super busy. Guess why I'm so tired? I did... are you ready? Nearly 22 miles! That is nearly as far as a limited distance pony endurance ride. Ohmygoodness, you should have seen me go! Cyd got me ready at my friends' house this time, in between helping get the other ponies ready. I had a bucket of mushy food for breakfast that also had some salt in. There were nine ponies going today, so we piled into two different trailers and headed to Orca ranch (where the cows live). I've been here one time before to do Panorama Trail (story and pictures).

Just about ready!

First we did walking to a grove of Eucalyptus trees so the guest people could have a mini local history lesson and us ponies could get thoroughly warmed up. I was near the back, pony number seven in line, and being a bit obnoxious with my bouncing but not super bad. On the way to our main trail, I caught up to Raven pony and we hung out and mostly kept up with the main group, which helped with my brain. I sorta figured out that prancing was slower than walking like a grown up eventually, but it was all quite exciting. We stopped at Camp David to get a drink at the stream there. I had a bit of a drink, and scoffed up the wet leaves that were floating about.

Deeelicious.

We did a bit of trottings, and had to go across some little creek-y areas, which I did with no troubles, since I'm totally grown up now. The next bit is called Vet Check Hill. It is a long long uphill trail, that the grown up super fit enduring ponies canter nearly all the way up except for some tight turns that they trot around. Initially I went at the back, but Voltaire's person didn't want to do canter, so I went in front of Aunty V and me and Cyd cantered off by ourselves. The fast ponies had already gone, but you know what? I nearly caught up to them. We got them back in sight but by then I was a bit tired and there was more hill to go so we just did trottings. When we were nearly at the top I did walking, and then Aunty V caught up to us and overtook. Not long though, and we came into a big opening where all the people were off their ponies with stethelscoppers listening to their ponies heart rates. Cyd hopped off and found her stethoscope and took my pulse. 88. Quite high, but I'd been working quite hard. She poured some water on my sweaty neck, then led me under a tree for tying me to so she could pee and help the other people do an endurance-styly vet check on their ponies. Troubles is, I smacked my face into the tree, and panicked and made the whole giant tree wobble. Ohmygoodness it didn't feel good. We came back out from under the tree, and Aunty V cleaned up my face, and put cream on my owie. I felt a bit sorry for myself and a bit silly.

Owieee :(

Cyd decided to see how I did and how my swelling was. It wasn't a puncture, and didn't seem to affect my vision, so we kept going. It was time to take our pulses again (maybe ten-ish minutes later? Cyd wasn't watching time cos my poor face distracted her). My pulse was all the way down to 40, even with being little and getting hurt. I'm so awesome! My breathing was still a bit fast. Cyd made me stay in the shade, and put more water on me. I was completely totally fine by the time the peoples got back on to continue our ride. I did great going up the steep trail, and mostly rode with Raven and Aunty M at the back of the main group. We wanted to ride with Aunty V but they were going a bit slow. I did great on the steep sections of up, and we did walking and trotting. We got to a spot I know called Four Corners. Left is Abalobodiah Trail, some people went with Aunty V this way to get to lunch times sooner. Me and Cyd went with the Lady in Red to Spectacular Trail. There is another big long canter stretch here, and I totally nearly kept up with the big ponies. Cyd says we need to work on my pacing, cos I go really fast then take a break then really fast again, but I should just go steady kinda fast. We'll work on that. I was quite hot at the top, but we stopped to do some pictures so I was able to get my breath back, and got more water on me. 

Beautifuls

There was more up, but just walking and enjoying the amazing views. Some bits were hard for me still though, and it was toasty. But totally worth it:

Next comes Manchester Loop so we could go down down down and meet our friends for lunch times. But first we had some problems. Three of them:

I was quite glad for the break in the shade cos for Cyd tying me up to go help clear a path so we didn't have to do big jumps. It didn't take too long to clear, cos the middle tree had been cut, just not the branches cleared away. I was a bit grumpy on the next bit of pony riding cos for being tired and didn't always have my happy face on. Soon it was time for going downhill a long stretch, so Cyd hopped off to lead me. I did my happy face for my pictures still :)

This way to lunch?

I had to stop to do peeing, and Cyd was not smart, and had a big worry moment. She looked to check my pee colour, and thought it was brown. PANIC! Then she remembered we were under trees and she still had sunglasses on. Took them off, and it was normal colour. Phew! Don't want me getting sick! But I was fine, just have a foolish rider. We got to the spot where Cyd usually gets back on me, and she asked the Lady in Red which way we were going. We took a trail called Shoreline Chute, so Cyd didn't get back on cos for a lot of steep downhill coming. It was so hard for me that even without Cyd on my back I couldn't keep up with the enduring ponies. Raven pony went even slower than me. At one point I just stopped and looked at Cyd to tell her I wasn't impressed.

Picture does not do the steepness justice!!

Finally we got to the meadow for lunch times. The hay hasn't been cut yet so Cyd let me grab some snacks as we walked through the field. Aunty V had saved me a spot next to my bestie, but it got taken by a different pony. I hung out with Treve at a tree nearer Cyd (with no face-smacking branches on this one). I looked around a bit, then took a nap since there were no nearby snacks. 

After lunch, the people all got back on us via a big redwood stump. I walked to the stump and stood good for Cyd to get on, then spooked at it as we were walking away. Silly me. Cyd had put my bit back in, but had just clipped her reins to the rings on my halter. She thought I would be good enough for no bit, but wanted to be able to change it back super fast in case I was bad. We went back through the meadow, and passed by where the pony trailer is usually parked. Cyd laughed at me for looking around for it, I was sure it was time to go home now.

We went to the stream to get a big drink, and I got in right away. As soon as we got to the good drinking spot I put my face in for two whole minutes and drank and drank. Then I looked a bit before drinking even more. I kept taking more drinks the whole time I was there. We did poses for pictures in the creek, once by myself, and once with Treve and Leo cos for us all being matching bays.

Some bits were deep to Cyd's feet, but the Lady in Red took those pictures on her camera, they will be coming later. We split into fast and slow groups for the next bit, and I went with the slow group. I mostly did trottings here. We had to go back up up up Abalobodiah trail (where Cyd took my whole headstall off and just rode me in my halter), and all the way back along the ridge and down the big long vet check hill. Cyd got off to walk down the hill cos for it being long and me being tired. Going down is better for enjoying the view than going up at speed:

At the bottom, we all did more drinking and Cyd hopped on me for the last little bit. There was a long and short group, and we picked short group cos for me being tired. We ambled our way back to the pony trailer, and did some more pictures.

Nearly back

Me and Cyd and Cows

Me and my poor eye and Cows and Ocean

I was quite tired at the end, and Cyd was super proud of me. Look at my stats, I did my fastest, and my longest, and my most climbing all in this one pony ride. Everyone said really nice things about me! We actually did about seven hours, the time just shows our 'moving time'.

Right when we were getting ready to leave (I'm already in the pony trailer with my friends), we had a visitor.

"Oh hey, watcha doing?"

"Any room on the bus?"

"Uhoh, gotta go, Aunty V says so!"

And the best bit? Aunty V loaned Cyd her old GoPro camera, so we made movies of me riding along. Just gotta edit it and find me some music! Thanks Aunty V!!!