I've promised that Quarter
Horse of mine, Old Meadow Jim, that I'd take him west. As he turned
22 this year I decided it was time to go.
On Aug. 25 we headed for
Utah and the Bryce Canyon XP ride. With Jim and my other QH Dusty
Grand Bonanza (aka. Danza) in tow, my 2 daughters & 2 Jack Russels
packed in the truck, it was westward ho! We camped out at state
parks on the way out. Spent one night with Joe Long & his wife,
Kat in Castle Rock, CO. and 4 days out of NJ we hit the Dixie National Forest in
Paunsagaunt, UT. My hope was to chug our way through all 5
days.
The scenery was
breathtaking. The country out there is magnificent. Dave Nicholson
(The Duck) and his wife Ann are the Bryce Canyon XP ride
managers. They did a spectacular job of running all 5 days of the
ride. Every day went smoothly. Every day there were 60 -80
riders. Volunteers were wonderful. All the riders were great.
And so how did Old Jim do?
Jim completed every day for a total of 250 miles on the most challenging trails
we've ever encountered. Jim seemed to get stronger every day while I
found myself taking more and more Aleve each day. Although it took us
6 - 7.5 hrs to complete each day, Old Jim managed to finish 5th of the 22
horses & riders that completed all 5 days. His spirit never ceases to
amaze me!
Actually, management, volunteers
and all the other riders made it seem like a breeze. Each day we headed
out to a different area with the most amazing natural
beauty.
My older daughter,
Heather, rode Danza every other day for 150 miles and Sarah backed us
up as crew. The dogs guarded the campsite.
It was a great time & great
adventure. For those easterners who haven't been west - Just
go!
