Sunday, May 8, 2016 – First Ride Day at AH Stephens State Park

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At last, we had our first ride at AH Stephens State Park! After a couple of days of rest and rehabilitation for Hubby's arm, we finally saddled up and headed out for a short ride on the Red Loop, which was just under 3 miles. We had to maneuver around the concessionaire's trailer which was parked right on the trailhead, but the horses got past that obstacle with no problem, and we hit the trail. Well-marked and well-mapped, these trails are truly lovely! They were fairly wide, sometimes enough for two horses abreast, and they weaved through the woods in a wonderful fashion. Having been on the flat for so long, it was fabulous to finally have some small hills and dales to traverse! The horses were quite engaged, with even slow-walking Clio a bit more active lately. We had several nice places to trot and canter, and it was, indeed, cooler in the woods. The trail wound by a lovely picnic site by one of the several lakes in the park, and we stopped for a moment to enjoy the view before heading back to camp. After putting the horses back on the highline, we took a trip out to go shopping, which dragged out longer than anticipated because the county we were in was dry, and we had to drive quite a ways to find an open liquor store. Eventually we got back to camp and settled in for the evening.

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