It was a hot, steamy early summer day. But a great time to be out riding with friends. Today was our hunt club’s Spring Hunter Pace. In case you’ve never been to one, teams of riders go out and follow a prescribed course trying to approximate a hunting pace. The team that comes closest to the ideal time wins. Today, my team was second!  The ideal time was 1:20:17 and our time was 1:21:40. Not too shabby.

I rode Zelda. Both horses had a bit more than two weeks off as I was caught up with family activities and traveling to California and she seemed the most controllable. Of course, she was a star but the fact it was 80 degrees and very humid certainly didn’t hurt. Great Brook Farm State park is a fabulous place to ride with wonderful trails and a full complement of cross country jumps. We rode a bit more than 6 miles and came tired and ready for a bath!