Mainely Gaiters Moonlight Ride

Saturday night Ah-D and I had our first experience riding 1)with the Mainely Gaiters 2) with a group of 8-9 horses he’d never met and 3) AT NIGHT! It was freakin’ AWESOME!!!!! Didder (Ah-D) loaded and trailered like a dream and was such a good boy while we tacked up. We were introduced to all the Mainely Gaiter members and horses; wow, what a great bunch of people! The club claims “No Divas” and definitely lived up to it. I received some really nice compliments on my beautiful boy Didder even before we started, and of course many people were very interested in seeing a Curly for the first time. He was sooo well behaved, too. Now on to the best part. We set out on the trails with the Walkers (most of the group) doing their running walks – well let me tell you, RUNNING walk is more like it because we FLEW! Casper, the mostly white guy, also does a fox trot, and Wendy (isn’t that just too funny – Wendy and Casper - anyway) told me that Casper’s fox trot cannot keep up with their RUNNING walk, either. By the way, I had plenty of time to talk to Wendy because her horse is white and showed up in the dark, so I liked following on Casper's tail!You can see that Ah-D was the smallest one of the bunch (far left), and I think quite a few of the members were thinking that he might have trouble keeping up. WELL!! Ah-D was very excited about the whole thing and freakin’ sailed right along with them, ears forward and nostrils flared. Most hills we charged up. The trails we rode on are like roller coasters, up and down, turn right and left, swing this way and that. Even though it was dusk (we started just before dark), we kept on sailing. I was on a 7th heaven cloud and so was my Curly pony! He went into the fast, floaty extended trot and charged up the hills. We moved all around the pack, front, middle, and brought up the rear. At one point, one member asked, “Do you think we should slow down for a while now?” and the consensus was a resounding NO because “after dark we won’t be able to go as fast.” Here are some pictures I took on our break. Yes, we took a break after about an hour and a half. That pinto Walker was incredibly fast and led the way much of the time. Ah-D never tripped or stumbled once. I was so proud of him and had so much fun. It almost seemed like I would imagine surfing is, because once it got dark enough for humans to not be able to see, it was like being in a void, balancing on your horse while the crisp fall air whooshed past.This girl Hannah was especially nice, and took the photo of Ah-D and me posing by our trailer. I e-mailed my oldest boy, "I just met my future daughter-in-law and the mother of your children." HA HA I wonder how he'll take that comment. I figure, my middle son's girlfriend is an awesome rider and even has a TB that she jumps in shows, so why not shoot for two great potential in-laws? :) At one point, the group split into two, and we hooted like owls and played Marco Polo to find each other. What a great time, something that I will remember for as long as my brain is intact. ;) ~Susan and Prince Didder RCR Ah-D-Das (who lived up to his registered name pronounced "adidas")~