Post by equinedreamer on Aug 11, 2007 16:36:49 GMT -5
I popped up on Gracie's bare fleabitten gray back, gathered the reins, and grabbed some of her bluish gray mane. I squeezed my blue jeaned legs around Gracie's gray Quarter horse like barrel and clicked her forward. Her long gray Thoroughbred like legs moved powerfully out from underneath us at a walk. The air was somewhat hot and dry as Gracie and I set out away from the mare pasture and toward the mountain trail. I hoped that the mountain air was cooler than the air down here in the valley where my pastures are located. Gracie marched proudly forward as I guided her through the long dry summer grass that took up the hillside, just over the hill was a large hay field that had been resently cut. The cut stems of hay were turning brown in the late summer sun and were prickly against Gracie's legs as she walked along. I neck reined her to the right near the very end of the field, the trail entrance was somewhat covered in brush and hard to see. "I haven't been back here in a long time." I told Gracie as we made our way through the brush. I ducked tree limbs and side passed Gracie away from the briers that were sticking up into the path. A wild bird sung out as I guided Gracie down a slight hill and pushed her up a somewhat steep yet very small incline. I held tightly to her bluish gray mane as she carefully stepped up on the mossy incline. The shadows and patches of light created by the many trees gave the wooded mountain a cool and relaxing feel despite the many rocks, logs, and other things that I would have to guide Gracie around and over. A large log lay in the path of the unmarked trail, I halted Gracie in front of the mossy, dead log to let her nose it and decide that it's safe to move on. She snorted at the new object but didn't seem bothered by it. I then squeezed her to walk over the log, she lifted her long gray legs high above the log and carefully set them down on the other side. As we started up the mountain side I wrapped my arm around her long neck to keep from slipping down her bare back. Gracie kept her head low as she walked slowly up the wooded mountain side. The path was actually an ATV trail and was wide and steep as a result, the trail was covered in long grass and had a very long drop off to the right into the trees. I was just glad the path was wide enough that I could keep Gracie as far from the edge as possible.