E is for EXCITING Hunter Pace!

This past Saturday I had the amazing opportunity to not only ride a horse again, but to ride in a Hunter Pace! I got to ride a horse named Piper, a gorgeous chestnut Thoroughbred mare (female). I rode with my friend, Tyler, who owns a barn called Mirror Image, located in Woodstock. She was able to acquire Piper for me to ride. Knowing what I had been through with Chance (see my post D is for Dream Horse), she went out of her way to reach out and find a horse for me to ride and even went as far as borrowing a trailer and picking the horse up for me.

Her effort tugs on my heart strings a bit. <3

For the record, a Hunter Pace is a riding competition; one that I had never experienced prior to this! It is an imaginary fox hunt where riders compete for the ideal time. The Hunter Pace I attended was called Shakerag. At Shakerag, there were no hounds, huntsman, or staff… only the riders and horses. This specific Hunter Pace had three divisions to choose from:

• Bluebird Day: This division competed at a slower pace (walk and trot).
• Check, Cast & Run: This division competed at a moderate pace (walk, trot, and canter) and had optional jumps to jump.
• Tallyho!: This division competed for the fastest time and was required to jump every jump.

We decided to compete in the Check, Cast, & Run class, since I was riding a new horse that I had never ridden before. I wanted to jump the jumps with which I was comfortable rather than feeling pressured to jump every single jump. Further, if I'm going to drive two hours and pay $50 to do something, I would rather leisurely do it at my own pace.

The 4:30 am wake up call was not the most enjoyable start to my day, but once we loaded the horses in the trailer and began the two hour trek, it was a blast.

Well, to be honest, once the two cups of black coffee hit me, it was a blast. Before that I was mostly a zombie with mush for brains.

Once we arrived, this was the absolutely gorgeous view at 7:45 in the morning:

The below picture is my friend, Tyler, and her horse, Molly, jumping over a jump called the "coop." This is one of the jumps Piper and I jumped as well. I would rather not share the pictures of me jumping, as my form was looking pretty rough.

This is my view for the entire 2.5 hour ride on Piper! At the point this picture was taken, we were about to enter the grass field where we had the opportunity to do a free gallop (the fastest gait for a horse). It was the most freeing experience of my life. Piper began her career as a racing horse, so she was no stranger to going fast.

Additionally, when Tyler and I got to a checkpoint, we were not greeted by water. Rather, we were greeted by refreshing beer! I think I may have found a new favorite hobby!

After the ride, we ate some delicious lunch and then began the trip back to Woodstock, Georgia. I was tuckered out physically, but absolutely invigorated emotionally. I felt (and feel) refreshed and excited for what the future holds. 

I truly look forward to my next Hunter Pace!

"The world is best viewed through the ears of a horse." 

Thank you for the quote!