Sunday's Glorious Ride!

Susan and Didder in downtown Hebron, Maine...
(I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures, but my computer is in the shop.)
A fellow RACer commented to me that she only gets to see her horse in daylight on the weekends this time of year, and I’m pretty much in the same boat! However, since Shelly is feeling like she is taking up too much of the blog (totally untrue!), I will write about my Sunday ride on Didder. It was much of the same that I have been blessed with all January ~ deep snow, fairly chilly but not bad, me wearing tons of layers and us out on the same trails with black dogs ~ but each ride has its unique challenges and joys. Sunday was bright and sunny, but also windy, which has been a BIG issue for us in the past. I knew in my gut, however, that it was not going to be a problem for us - and it wasn’t. After a relaxing tack up period, we set out going “backwards” our typical route because we went through my next door neighbor’s equipment yard before crossing the power line.
AhD was barely even “look-y” at all the equipment.
At our winter canter spot, he gave me a nice fast exciting one!
Because so much snow has already fallen this season, we were able to take a marshy trail with no danger of slipping on icy spots. That trail takes us down along a brook with stately pines. It is so beautiful and quiet down there. The brook is still running underneath the ice, and even open in some spots so we can hear its comforting symphony; it seems to wash away any remnants of stress with its sound.
We CHARGED up the extra steep slope. Didder was a plow train!
A moment later, striding along at a good clip, my phone rang. It was my husband, “Where are you?” Uh-oh…. There was a chimney fire at my mother-in-law’s, and she was wigging out, so we immediately cut our ride short and high tailed it for home! Didder was surprised at the fast pace, but I could tell he was thrilled! “Oh, this is fun! She’s letting me trot and canter HERE on the trail! Heavens to Betsy!”
All’s well that ends well, we got home in one piece, Mom is fine and is staying with us for a while, and Didder and I changed our ways and were like the wee little pig that ran all the way home!