MY Annual Trail Ride

I love trail riding. I'm the type that wants to go on a slow ride to enjoy my surroundings. The fresh air is great and I do a lot of deep breathing and meditating on trail (eyes opened of course!). It's my way of getting in some yoga without having one of my kids playfully jumping on my back. Every year the New Hampshire Quarter Horse Association puts on a Trail Ride at Bear Brook State Park in NH. It's a fabulous event. Well attended and very well put on by one of our board members, Joanne. She puts her heart and soul into organizing this which includes lunch and entertainment. This year you could even rent a horse sitter so you could enjoy the festivities after the ride! I, however, have yet to make it back in time for the festivities. While most run their horses past I am slowly enjoying my surroundings and fresh air. I run my horse all the time in competition, this is my chance to slow down a bit. I love it! My husband and those who choose to join me on trail are patient for a while with my being a poke. Now don't get me wrong, a little trotting is always good for both the horse and my legs, but I prefer the quiet walk.
Early into the ride we decided to trot a bit. The horse in front of me was young and kicked up her heels a bit which sent my horse, Kit, into a frenzy! She fed off the energy of the young one and tried with all her might to kick up her heels and buck me off. For those of you who have never been bucked by a horse, at first there is a bit of confusion as to what's actually happening, if you're lucky enough to still be in the saddle, which I was. After the initial shock of "what's going on" was done, I got my seat pulled back in the saddle tight and I was pissed! My horse was NOT going to get me off her back and I fought back, doing what I was taught growing up which now was instinct. I sat deep, pulled her head back up, and gave her a few swift kicks and said ever so sternly "I don't think so!" Once her head was up she could no longer put force behind her bucks so she just jumped straight up, contemplated rearing (which I was ready for) and finally realized the human on her back had won. After a few steps backwards, a few circles, she was punished enough and we re-joined the group, who hadn't really seen what happened except for my husband who was behind me.
We continued on and at the half way point on the 5 mile course, the couple with the young horse who was riding with us decided to stay on the 5 mile course and head back in. Myself, my husband Patrick & our friend Cindy continued on the 12 mile trail. I again was able to enjoy the beauty of the trail. Occasionally trotting but ready for another outburst by Kit, I was settling back into my comfort zone. Then it happened..... My husband, Patrick, was up front, we were on a dirt road (yes road, there was an occasional car) and I looked up at Patrick who looked back with a twinkle in his eye and off he went, full speed ahead on his horse. Our friend Cindy was just looking for fun too and also took off. Kit started jumping out of her skin, there was NO WAY I was going to let her take off like that. If I hadn't still be cautious her head would have been back down and she would have been bucking away again. I couldn't believe after what my husband saw my horse try to do to me that he would throw caution to the wind and let loose like that. This time I wasn't pissed at my horse, it was the husband who had some explaining to do. As for Kit, I turned it into a lesson on realizing who the boss was (me) and kept her at a walk, occasional trot, until we crested the hill and found Patrick and Cindy heading back to look for us, wondering where I was and why I didn't let my horse go and follow them. They obviously didn't get it. A few darting looks later, we were again on our way. Again, I became relaxed, determined to enjoy the rest of my ride, which I did. What a beautiful day in New Hampshire. It was peak Fall Foliage season and the colors were wonderful.
When we got back to the trailer, as usual, the festivities were over and all that was left were a few sandwiches and some very happy trail riders. We gave the horses some water, loaded loaded them up and headed to the big tent for a sandwich. Just then, another rider came over to me to say a horse had broken free from it's trailer and run off into the woods towards the highway. They realized I was a board member for NH Quarter Horse Association and they needed help. I immediately went to President Sue Eastman and she was already on the phone making calls. She stopped quickly to say we needed to rally some riders to head into the woods to look for the young horse. I rallied my friend Cindy who didn't hesitate to pull her horse back out and I reassured my husband, who already had a sandwich in hand, that he should stay here with the guys in case he was needed on the ground. As I took Kit off the trailer again I realized what a great horse she is. There was no hesitation when she backed away from her hay, no balking when I threw the saddle back on her and no flinching when I tightened the cinch and jumped back on. All was forgiven. She was ready to go and help. Eight of us trotted out onto the woods in the direction of the field we had heard the horse was now in. When we got to the perimeter we spilt up to encircle the field so if she ran we would have someone, hopefully, near to catch her. As Kit and I went up our part of the field Patrick called my cell phone to say someone at the other end of the field had caught the horse and all was well. The group of 8 headed back with the wandering horse and very thankful owner to the trailering area. It was great to see so many people and horses not thinking twice to help out another. I think better than all the fresh air I took in that day and calmness I felt (at times), seeing everyone rally together like that was the best part of my trail ride.

Giving Back

I'm sure many of you are volunteers of some sort or have been at some point in your lives. If not, you're really missing out on a spectacular feeling. I volunteer with many different groups, too many, if you ask my employees. It takes up a lot of my time both at work and at home. I love the feeling of giving back and helping. If there were more hours in the day or someone handed me a million bucks so I didn't have to work for money, I would volunteer more. I hope that my children can learn about giving back by watching me make a difference. To me, that's what volunteering is all about.
With all this in mind, I am extremely proud to announce that my sister, Kristen, and her family (Bill, Alyssa & Erin) have been awarded the Spirit of New Hampshire award for family volunteerism! My sister gives relentlessly at her job at the UpReach Therapeutic Riding Center here in Goffstown, NH as a Therapeutic riding instructor. Having been involved with horses her entire life, she has been able to take that joy and use it not only in her work as an instructor but also parlay it into helping others. It doesn't pay enough to live the high life, but my sister is one of the wealthiest people I know on the planet. My nieces have seen first hand the effects of volunteerism and have been a part of my sisters ventures since they were in the womb (yes, Kristen rode and taught all throughout her pregnancies!) Let's just say they were born with it. Her husband, Bill, married into it and I believe that's one of the things that made him love her more. Kristen and volunteering come hand in hand. They work together as a family and I couldn't be prouder. I hope, as I continue on with my volunteer efforts, I can instill as much pride in volunteering as my sister, my best friend, has in her family.
We may not all be in a position to dedicate our lives to volunteering or be able to take a job that has such meaning, but we can do something. So as one of my favorite movies says, pay it forward. Do something good to help others and just ask that they continue on the good efforts. The feeling is unspeakable and you'll have made the world a bit better.
Congrats Sis and family!