Sulphur Springs, Texas

I chronicled the move from Austin to Maine along the way, but due to no internet connectivity, I am just now able to upload. So I will post one entry per day from the trip until we catch up time wise. The fact that I am posting this means we made it safely 2300 miles, but the forthcoming entries will contain details of our adventure.

Our first night of the trip, we stayed at a park in Sulphur Springs, Texas. We arrived with enough daylight to take some nice spotted-horse conformation pictures and get a ride in.







After 6 weeks away, I was excited to just go for a relaxing trail ride. I figured once we hit the trail, Brego would revert back into normal ol' backcountry trail horse. I was very mistaken. Brego used his new dressage skills to really power up hills and motor around. I used to struggle to keep up with our Thoroughbred riding companion. Now Brego was outpacing her, even at a "slow" trot. He just moved big and didn't seem to be in the walking sort of mood. Of course, gorgeous cool weather and high winds fueled his energy.

Brego's balance on the trail had improved as well, both uphill and downhill, as well as his confidence. He moved with remarkable speed over some pretty treacherous, slippery terrain. It was a lot of fun, but not really what I would call relaxing. Especially when we came across a pod of 30 or so wild pigs. Wild pigs make a lot of noise... and they can be mean. Brego did well though and did not spook, just stood at attention until the pod moved on. The rest of the ride though was even more animated because now he was looking for wild beasts in the brush.

I was struck with the impression that although Brego had not grown in the last few weeks, he seemed bigger in every way. I think a draft horse's size is made manageable by his sleep-inducing personality. To have the same size horse brimming with energy and attentiveness is a whole new ball game and I am still getting used to it. Horses very much are the creatures we create. Brego, in his laziness and good natured personality, is the horse I made. My trainer made him into something much more competitive and tuned, but it takes quite a bit to get used to it. It will be interesting to see where we go from here.