The area north of Strawberry Reservoir has some of the prettiest views and wildflowers anywhere in Utah.
We competed in the Strawberry Fields Endurance Ride this year, a privilege and a pleasure. Above is our new corral system for camping with the horses. They liked the freedom compared to the old school method of being tied to the trailer or to a highline.
Steve and I both rode 25 miles on Day 1. Here's a pic from the mid-ride vet check. Steve was gobbling a granola bar, which seems to be his standard pose. We finished in the first 25%, not pushing the horses at all. In fact, most of our effort was in trying to contain their zeal. Seeing so many horses moving out really got their adrenaline flowing.
On Day 3, Steve and Coco went another 25 miles, sans me and Boss. Here are the first of the riders (of a group of 25 or so) starting down the trail to the tune of - - what else? The Beatles' Strawberry Fields.
While Steve rode, Daisy and I stayed around camp, taking photos of the many beautiful wildflowers:
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| Columbine |
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| Leafy Jacob's Ladder |
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| Wallflower |
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| Penstemon |
When the first rider came in, I figured Steve couldn't be far behind. He was the next rider to show up.
Daisy and I were watching the trail, and Daisy recognized him immediately.
Oh, the joy of running with her pack! What a great place for dogs, horses and people to come together and have fun.
I love that last pic. It looks like a great event and I remember for previous posts that an emphasis is placed on the safety of the horses.
ReplyDeleteSteve looks like Laurence of Arabia galloping in! I see tiny Forget-Me-Nots amid the other flowers. Looks like a good time was had by people and animals.
ReplyDeleteThis is just a great post, Janie. The fun of the ride, the horses, the flowers, all beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Jo
How long is the ride? The flower pictures with the blue sky as a back drop are wonderful. It pays to get down low for those shots. The part that you pay for is standing back up.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like so much fun for you and the horses. The area is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWonderful outing. And hardly noticed were...? some tiny blue forget me nots. ?
ReplyDeleteoh I'm glad you got to go and had a good time! Our compadre Judy went there for the first time and had a great time also. She mentioned the dogs had fun too. Love the last picture of Daisy running with her 'herd!'
ReplyDelete- The Equestrian Vagabond
Way to go! What a beautiful place for people, horses, and dogs.
ReplyDeleteSteve and Daisy are both in their element- as are the lovely wildflowers.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on yet another great endurance ride.
Thanks for sharing Janie.
What a great adventure for all of you. Are you part of a horse trail riding group? I'm just wondering how you know about these events.
ReplyDeleteSo cute to see Daisy so happy; as always.
When I saw the temporary corral it made me think of a playpen for horses. :)
Suz, we belong to an organization called AERC, which sponsors endurance rides all over the world. There are about 10/yr within a few hours drive of us. We're happy to ride along most of the time, but competing is a different kind of thrill. The horses seem to like the competition, too.
ReplyDeleteYogi, yes, there's an emphasis on horse health and safety, with vet checks every 10-15 miles to make sure the horse isn't being driven beyond his abilities.
Barb and Troutbirder, sorry I forgot to mention the forget-me-nots!
Barb, Steve is highly complimented by the Lawrence of Arabia comparison.
Sinbad and John, our rides were 25 miles. The serious endurance people go 50 miles/day.
Sounds like a fun event for all. Your wildflowers images are wonderful, I especially love the Jocob's Ladder against the blue sky, wow!
ReplyDeleteDaisy looks so happy and the wildflowers are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThe last picture is my favorite too but I enjoyed all of them. Looks like a fun event to take part in, and I also thought that portable corral was really neat.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week,
Denise
An English Girl Rambles
Great ride, beautiful place. I like the dog-horse relationship--watched a rancher move a few cattle across a road last week, his two dogs and horse knew exactly what to do as a team, he barely said a word or lifted a rein.
ReplyDeletebeautiful...simply amazing..it just makes me wanna visit your place..some day 1......
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myunfinishedlife.com
Fantastic photographs, wonderful reportage:) Greetings
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flowers! I do love wild Columbine.
ReplyDelete