Trail Riding at Panther Creek

Frank on Ritza, Erin D. on Taos, Lyndsey  on Earl Grey and John on Chase, all saddled up for a trail ride at Panther Creek. It was hot but luckily the trail is pretty shady as it is mostly wooded and runs along side Cherokee lake so there was a nice breeze. While we were supposed to take a different trail, as Rachel advised us to do, we ended up missing our turn and riding on a loop that is extremely rocky and has hazardous footing signs along the way. Leave it to us to be on the most extreme and challenging trail. It wouldn’t be the same without a little excitement. There were some points where the horses had to literally climb up rocky embankments and were walking on top of solid slabs of rock. They all handled it quite well (that’s the Niceley foxhunter breeding coming out in them) and remained sure-footed the whole time. On our way back we did finally see the entrance to the trail Rachel was referring us to. Our next trip back we plan to tackle the Maple Arch trail in hopes that it will be a little easier to negotiate. Never the less, the rocky trail (I don’t remember the name) is a good experience for young horses and teaches them to pay attention to where they are walking. I hope to go back to Panther Creek again soon.
Happy Trails,
Erin Doyle