Trail Riding

We've added a new element to our visits to the stable - trail riding.

The stable owner pointed us down the county road, where the grass grows between the rows of corn and beans. These grassy areas are where the field drainage tiles are laid, providing a path for water overrun during heavy rains. This prevents the planting areas from being flooded. I think the farmers use these paths during planting and harvest time - a way to get their combines in and out of the fields.

In the spring, these areas are swollen with water from the rains, but in the summer and fall, the grass grows lush and green:

A picture from my archives, September 2010

We walked the horses down to the entrance to the grassy path and then the girls took off with their horses, through the corn:


We couldn't keep up with the horses, so we let them go ahead around the bend.


The trail only goes for about a mile and a half before dead ending in a field. The girls know better than to go riding through a farmer's field, so they turned around and came cantering back.


You know those scenes in the movies where the horse and its rider gallop along the beach, the wind blowing the girl's hair like a flowing mane? Picture that scene, except with corn instead of the beach. The girls and the horses looked so free and happy.

So that makes me happy, too.