# Heart of Dixie Trail ride-- picture heavy!



## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

I've been looking forward to this trip for ages, and everything that could go wrong did. They came to pick up my horse on Thursday, and Ginger was not happy at all to be leaving her little pony Duncan back at the pasture. At some point during the two hour trip to my mom's, she cut her face open and had to get stitches right under her eye (you can see the stitches in some of her pictures). Then, our fourth member backed out because she couldn't take her horse, and we had to find someone else last minute, as well as another truck to take. It was a fiasco. We had plans to leave Friday at 3 or 4. We left at 10 PM. Got to the trail ride at about 12:45. I was exhausted. 

But we ended up having a great time!! Here are some of the pictures I took. I had a hard time narrowing down from the 150 I took!

Here is Easy, the youngest of the group at 8.









Then Gigi, the second at 10.









My Ginger is second oldest at 15. She was sooo worked up the first day that she was sweating before I even put the saddle on. 









Here's my mom and her red dun, Honey. Honey is the oldest at 20. She took everything like a pro! My mom was so proud of her old mare.









Ready to hit the trail for day one!


















Easy and Gigi were usually in the front-- their riders liked to run them!









My mom and I hung out at the back, and the others would wait up for us-- mom didn't want to work her retired mare too hard, and I didn't want to work my out of shape mare too hard. 









We stopped for lunch on the trail the first day-- Easy is eyeballing that lunchable!









Mom and Honey took a nap.









So did Ginger and Gigi

















Easy wants to know if he can have that cracker.









Trick pony time!









To be continued....


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

*Time for a swim*

After the first trail ride, we took the horses swimming. Honey and Easy had gone swimming before, but Ginger and Gigi were new to it.










Gigi says "You want me to do what?"









That's me in the middle, with my pale legs 









Our only full group shot of the entire trip









Easy was still walking-- he's just so tall!













































Gigi is still unimpressed.










Day two coming up!


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## livestoride (Mar 30, 2011)

Wonderful pictures!!! Can't wait to see day 2  Swimming with horses is so much fun, isn't it? I haven't tried it with Gem yet, but used to as a kid all the time.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

*Day two-- the long haul.*

Day one we went on the 500 acre trail. Day two meant the 1000 acre trail. Whew! We got so lost, even with a map and marked trails. 

Chilling out in the paddock.


















Ginger was a pack mule for the day (at least until lunch when we drained the supplies haha). You can totally see the gunk I put on her stitches. 









Which way?









Look ma! No hands!









Lunch break! There were hitching posts here, but they were in the sun. So we took the saddles off and let the horses stand in the shade with us. They were very well behaved :lol:









Honey and Easy-- the two red duns. Honey is very faded and sun bleached. 









After laying down on the bench, I looked down and saw my Frankenstein horse.









I looked up, and saw Easy.









Naps!


















Mom loved feeling Easy breath on her.









Time to head home!









The end


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

livestoride said:


> Wonderful pictures!!! Can't wait to see day 2  Swimming with horses is so much fun, isn't it? I haven't tried it with Gem yet, but used to as a kid all the time.



It was awesome! Watching them dunk their heads under, and come up with their noses shut from holding their breath was intense! I've never seen anything like it.


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## csimkunas6 (Apr 18, 2010)

Wow!! Great pictures! That looks like such a great time!! Def something I want to do when Rodeo gets older!!!


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

I miss that, it looks like you guys had so much fun. Those types of trails and river swimming, reminds me of Europe and what we used to do back home.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Just looking again at the water ones-- my horse is about a mile long! Never really notice until there's something on her back hahaha


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## Calmwaters (Aug 24, 2011)

Wow that looks like so much fun! How does one find somwthing like this to join? I would love to find a group that goes on long trail rides together.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Calmwaters said:


> Wow that looks like so much fun! How does one find somwthing like this to join? I would love to find a group that goes on long trail rides together.


Well, my mom has been wanting to go there for years, but we never got around it it. She does pony rides, and has a habit of just hiring girls (something about being less creepy than an older guy who can "toss a saddle on a pony"). So two of the girls that work for her decided that it was high time for a trip! 

I've always wanted to join up with a trail riding group, too, but I lack a trailer so I'm stuck at home most of the time. But the internet is a wonderful thing! You can just pop in "[you city or county] trail rides or saddle clubs" and see what pops up!


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## Calmwaters (Aug 24, 2011)

Oh thats a good idea I'm going to try it and she what I can find to do around here.


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## AngieLee (Feb 20, 2011)

that looks like soo much fun  i want to go on a trip like that!


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

Great pictures! Where was the trail ride at? I live about an hour and a half below Atlanta so you can't be that far from me!


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## jrcci (Apr 28, 2011)

im so jealous! i have always wanted to take my horse swimming but i cant seem to find a place to do it! looks like you all had a blast!


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

DrumRunner said:


> Great pictures! Where was the trail ride at? I live about an hour and a half below Atlanta so you can't be that far from me!


It was at the Heart of Dixie trail ride in Troy, Alabama. My mom lives in Auburn, AL, so it was a bit of a haul for me-- two hours to mom's, then two hours to Troy


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

Yeah, that is a ways to haul. The Silver Spurs trail ride is a big thing around here. It's near Dublin and a ton of people come from all over the state to ride. I've been once and it was alot of fun. They had like a band and everything come out one night.


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## Calmwaters (Aug 24, 2011)

How do you guys find out about these trail rides? I did the google thing and all that came up was place to go on trail rides with their horses.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Calmwaters said:


> How do you guys find out about these trail rides? I did the google thing and all that came up was place to go on trail rides with their horses.


That's what this was-- it's just a place you can take your horses to ride. They do have events through out the year, though, where dozens of horse owners come to ride. We came during the off season, so we were the only people at the entire camp. But during the cool months, places like that book up quickly and people from all over come out just to ride and socialize with other riders. Maybe the trail ride parks in your area have events like that too  I've never been to one, but then again I tend to be a home body anyway :lol:


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## Calmwaters (Aug 24, 2011)

I think I may just post an add on craigslist to see if I can find anyone around here to ride with.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

I've done that before, too  Just always be cautious of people you meet over the internet! (that's the mom in me coming out hahaha)


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## Calmwaters (Aug 24, 2011)

LOL I understand I am a mommy to. I would only meet in a group of people I did post about the Christmas Parade and so far have got two people that are interested and another told me about Blue Ridge Cowboy Church and from looking at thier site maybe a good church that has trail rides and such as a group they even meet at our agraculter center for church.

ETA you have a horse named Ginger and my Ginger is my avitar pic. LOL


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## Oreos Girl (May 24, 2011)

I am high jacking a thread because I don't have enough posts to PM. DrumRunner, I am also from middle Georgia. I love to trail ride and I am always looking for new places to go. I just got back from Circle E in Tennessee this weekend. If you are interested in riding sometime, PM me your email addy.


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Oreos Girl said:


> I am high jacking a thread because I don't have enough posts to PM. DrumRunner, I am also from middle Georgia. I love to trail ride and I am always looking for new places to go. I just got back from Circle E in Tennessee this weekend. If you are interested in riding sometime, PM me your email addy.


I don't mind  I do it all the time.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

You were in my stall. :shock: Ha ha, I was at HoD last year and I had that VERY stall! 


(I'm also in central Georgia, ten minutes from Silver Spur!)


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## musicalmarie1 (Dec 8, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> You were in my stall. :shock: Ha ha, I was at HoD last year and I had that VERY stall!
> 
> 
> (I'm also in central Georgia, ten minutes from Silver Spur!)


HA! Since we were the only ones there, the owner said to just pick whatever stalls we wanted-- then, he let us turn the horses out into the paddocks for the rest of the day, so long as we cleaned up after ourselves. They were such nice people. Though lesson learned about the cabins. I told my mom I wanted the one with its own bathroom because when she made the reservation I was peeing four or five times a night (being preggers and all), and I didn't trust strange, public facilities. But everything was so nice!! I'd totally stay in the regular cabins next time.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

You mean the big cabin close to the largest barn? That thing's niiiccceee... I have it reserved for the end of this month when I go back. XD


The owner is great! One of his horse got out (you know, the mules/donks/horses by the big fish pond) and I ponied it back to him. He gave me a map and helped me pick out a route for a nice one hour afternoon trail. Sweet guy. 


And great trails. My favorite trails in the whole southeast.


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## Oreos Girl (May 24, 2011)

Brighteyes, I am further North near Macon. I have been down to Silver Spurs once. It was a cool place.


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