When you have 50-degree days in November, you have to seize the day and ride as much as possible. This weekend Zelda and I covered a lot of ground. Not fast — we didn’t hunt, but we hacked on our local trails yesterday and today went out to trail ride with friends today. How glorious it was! The sun sparkled, the horses were hot and we shared the trails with bicyclists, walkers and a lot of curious dogs. Today’s ride covered about six miles and we were able to co-exist harmoniously with other trail users.

Today’s ride was over in Adam’s Woods and Wright’s Woods — the tracts of land that abut Walden Pond. Thoreau considered the land around Walden Pond and Fairhaven Hill to be among the “wild tracts” of Concord, a solitary and remote place of water and woodlands. It certainly didn’t feel solitary today, but the trails are lovely with views of the Sudbury River and Fairhaven Bay.

I think Zelda was a little disappointed to discover no hounds at our destination, but it does her good to go on some quiet rides. After she gets into the groove of hunting, she expects every trailer ride to lead to a wild adventure. I like to have rides where she can hack on the buckle and relax a bit.

One of the pleasant surprises I had today is that she now fits back into her Jeffries JMX jumping saddle. For a while she was a bit too zaftig and the saddle perched on her like a party hat. This year she’s fit and, if not exactly svelte, is a good weight and shape. I pulled the saddle out last night and tried it today. For me it was like sitting on my favorite lounge chair and I’m so glad it fits her again.

Did you get the chance to mix some riding into your Thanksgiving holiday? My family was very understanding about my desire to slip in some riding time while the weather was good.