The mountains are covered in snow and the trails in the Wilamette Valley are fetlock-deep in mud, or worse. So what to do in the middle of winter? Take the horses to the beach! We had a nice break in the weather Sunday afternoon and took advantage of it. Our horses were not the placid creatures they usually are, though - everybody was a little worked up from not being out much over the winter and all the looky-loo sights on the beach, like dive-bomb kites, surfboards with legs walking across the beach, and horse-eating parasailers : ) But it was a good ride, and we explored the woodsy trails on the other side of the seawall along the Nastucka river; the scrub pines and Scotch broom are thick along these unpredictable trails so we had an adventure before finding our way back to the horse trailer!
that's me tacking up Sweet P, with our homemade bareback saddle which is an awesome and secure ride. The wood part of the 'surcingle' is hinged where it connects to the bar, so it flexes with Sweet P's shoulder movement. You can put all your weight in one stirrup without rolling under the horse!
That's my husband ponying our mule, Sally. She was the calm, cool, and collected one of the bunch.
DO you see the parasailer behind them?
My young friend and Peach
Exploring the woods
