Moving barns is giving me the chance to explore a whole new trail system. I’ve hunted through some of the territory before, but there are so many more trails than those I’d seen.

The first few days I felt like I was in a do loop. The wooded trails all looked the same and I kept ending up in the same

place (luckily back home).

Armed with a trail map and Map My Run on my iPhone, I branched out. I love using Map My Run — it keeps track of miles, route, and time. Plus, if I get lost, it lets me know if I’m heading back in the right direction.

Most of the trails near the barn are wooded but there are several ponds and some lovely

fields that I pass. I know that I can ride in some of them but since, when we hunt, we sometimes have special permission to go on private land, I still need to figure out which ones are fair game.

Freedom and Zelda are both game for exploring. Years ago there was a boarder at my barn who said that she couldn’t take her horse on new trails because he hated to be turned around if she got lost. I’d hate to have a horse that wasn’t bold — and I’m not sure how he knew that she was lost anyway.

One thing that is surprising, given my confusion over the many trails, is how accurate the horses’ sense of direction is. They always know the way home, even if I don’t. And so far they are always right.

How about your horses? Do they enjoy trails?