Stace and I just
got back from Outlaw Trail and what a ride!This was my second time – I did 5
days 2 years ago and probably didn’t stop talking about it daily for
months.So I finally got the chance
to bring my husband so he could see it for himself.I also have a different horse so I was
really looking forward to seeing how she’d handle it – my last ride
was scary in places!
We probably couldn’t have
asked for better weather.It was a
perfect year for the aspen color – everything was gold.We were just doing the LD rides because
it was more important to us to be able to do all 3 days than to push for a 55
since our summer conditioning has gotten interrupted a couple times.
We parked so our horses could be in
the shade and we didn’t have far to walk for water.I really felt like I could just stay
there and camp for weeks.
For those of you that have done the
5 day, single base camp ride, this was essentially the first 3 days.I really wished we were able to do all 5
days, but I am at least satisfied that my husband got to do this as it sounds
like the Outlaw Trail multiday ride may have come to an end.Which is really sad as I can’t
even imagine a ride I will enjoy more than this one, but I understand how
difficult these rides are to put on and Sharon and Crockett do have some other
plans.
This first day takes us north to the
top of the world.You can see
forest and slick rock and all the beauty Utah has to offer
for miles around.Before we got to
the “big climb”, Stace’s horse, Cody stumbled on a rock.He tried desperately to stay up, but
after a few stumbled strides went to his nose and Stace went off.He got a little cut on one leg from the
rock or a stick and cut the inside of his upper lip and that was all.From what I saw, I expected bloody
knees, broken teeth or nose – and that just on the horse.Since Cody tried so hard to keep from
going down, Stace was able to control his fall and had a sore shoulder the next
day, but that was it.We wrapped
the cut on the leg even though it has stopped bleeding and walked Cody around
– all looked good.Stace
hopped back on, figuring we’d walk out slowly and make sure everything
was ok.Not gonna happen, Cody was
raring to go and jumped into a canter.
Then the “big
climb”.It’s really
weird, I remember it being steep and rocky on my last ride, but I think I must
have closed my eyes.The horse I rode
then panicked in close trees and wasn’t good at going over downed logs at
a walk.I know she scared some
people with some antics when she wanted to go really fast at the bottom of the
last part of the climb, but I really didn’t remember a lot of the climb.This time my horse, the beautiful Kit
Kourageous, handled everything like she’d been doing it all her
life.She took every rock, log and
turn calmly and safely – which was nice because she was very powerful up
these hills and really wanted to go.
In fact she was amazing the entire
ride.It was like she enjoyed every
challenge and then looked for the next one.Other than a single temper tantrum being
forced to stand at the finish line waiting for her turn for pulse check, she
was just perfect all 3 days.You
really have to love every minute on a horse like that!Of course Cody was good too, but then he
always is!Stace has done an
amazing job with him – they did the entire thing bitless, first with a
soft sidepull and then just with a rope halter.
