Meet our new pony Annanias.  We took him out today on his first trail ride around camp.  He is gaited.  It's such a smooth going ride.  Maybe he will be my mount for many rides this summer.  We have more hours to put on him before camp begins.  We just want to see how he adjusts to things.  We want to push his buttons a bit to see how he reacts.  Today he didn't like the sound of my helmet hitting branches.  He zoomed forward some.  Guess what I did on the rest of this first trail ride.  I let my helmet hit every branch I could find...intentionally.  

Recently I attended a CHA clinic and wrote about it.  A few years back I attended another similar clinic in Tennessee.  One of those afternoon clinic rides was the catalyst for a poem called "Walking Back Home".  It's part of a poetry book that I've put together.  If you would like a copy just let me know.  The following poem helps me to realize how important it is to train those camp horses and get them ready for the many coming summer rides with campers.



WALKING BACK HOME

Our family went to a camp far away
We spent a week training 
For the Certified Horsemanship  Association.
(Otherwise called the CHA)
 There we were introduced to horses-
A big bunch!
We rode them everyday after lunch.
We were asked to ride several different mounts
To see how we could handle them.
We went to the trail just plodding along
We felt so good we started singing some songs.
But then we turned around and BAM!
The horse I rode exploded and ran
With his teeth clenched unto his bit
I could not stop…I was sure to hit
The ground with a thud,
But for fear of that thought
I held on tight.
I tried to steer him with all of my might
Anticipating curves and trees
So he wouldn’t smash my knees!
I had never been on such a scary ride, 
And I would never forget.

 “It may sound fun to you, 
Young horse camp riders,
To run back home,
But let’s walk, in control,” I say
As we ride each summer day. 
“I will tell you why, of course,
With a story of my runaway horse.”