The SCFHA trail ride at the Highland Park Trailhead at Lake Lavon (northeast of Dallas) took place on October 19th, an absolutely perfect day! Our “trail boss” Karen Rosenberg did a terrific job planning the event, drafting the informational flyer, getting the info we needed, and even taking a “test drive” ….. or rather a “test ride” of the trail a few weekends before to ensure the ride was a success. We are a very welcoming chapter and were open to our friends bringing other breeds to join the ride. In addition to the Friesians, we had four horses of other breeds take part.
Karen brought her two horses outfitted in Western gear: Valor, a cremello Morgan, which she rode and of course his best friend, Keimpe the Friesian, for her friend, April Kozak, to ride. (And seriously, April, who gets to ride a 17+ Hand Friesian on your very first trail ride???) Keimpe took good care of his rider. Valor’s unusual color made him look like he was part of a fairytale in the forest!
Teresa Guest rode Blaze, in English tack. It was Blaze’s first trail ride, and he was filling some very big shoes for Nicolai K. who Teresa lost recently. Blaze was brave and acted like a veteran of the trail, a perfect honor and tribute for his buddy, Nic! Always enthusiastic, Teresa looked stylish in her sunglasses, and came prepared with a saddlebag full of anything anybody could possibly need (chapstick? crackers? bug spray? etc.) David Guest captured our fun day with lots of photos and videos, and David was always offering to help when he saw a need.
Tom Pollard, a friend and fan of the Friesians, has participated in countless competitions and activities, most notably with the McGowan’s horse, Klaas. Tom knows the Highland trail inside and out, so he and his beautiful paint mare, Town Painters Valle, were elected (volunt-told) to lead the way! Thank you, Tom. And bonus – he knocked down the occasional spider webs across the trail for us squeamish girls.
Pam Richey has participated in a bunch of Friesian competitions with a lot of us, so we were thrilled she wanted to go on the ride. Sophie, her Quarter horse mare, is an experienced trail horse who may have had a “thing” for my horse, Hielke, though I don’t know if Hielke was aware of it. I took advantage of Sofie’s solid experience and followed her for the first half of the ride. Pam and Tom rode on to the furthest part of the trail to see the famous giant sycamore tree.
Teresa Deeter rode her imported, Cees Roozemond-bred Friesian, Nero. No self-respecting Dressage Queen (I don’t think she would mind me calling her that) would show up in public without polished tack, glistening boots, impeccably groomed horse, and the obligatory blinged-out white saddle pad, even if it is a trail ride! Nero proved himself to be solid and brave on the trail, even leading for a while on the way back. I didn’t expect to see Teresa’s husband, Jim, on a Saturday who is an avid fan of Nebraska football, but he said to me, “oh, but it is bye-week.” Well that explains it.
Hielke and I looked like we tacked up/dressed up via a committee. Hielke in his English bridle with bling-y Equus Couture brow band and black Western saddle. Me in my English helmet, Western shirt, English work boots and breeches. Hielke was strong and navigated the trail well.He acted like he had ants in his pants before and after the ride, but quiet and serious about his job on the trail.
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We missed some folks that had to cancel at the last minute. Jamie and Charlotte will have to join us when we do it next time. The day was beautiful. The trail was shaded and in the forest most of the time with a lovely cool breeze. After the ride, we enjoyed a lunch of two big trays of wraps from Subway, donated by Karen. Thank you to David for going to get them and keeping them cool in the truck while waiting for us to get back. Thanks to Karen, Teresa and David for bringing drinks!
So glad we could add this activity to our list of accomplishments for the year! Thanks to everyone who participated or who were interested in the story!
