At our April meeting of PDT-Back Country Horsemen, Forest Rheinhart told our membership that the Blue Mountain Riders of La Grande had invited us for a trailride on May 3rd in the Summerville area. Robin Dale, Kittee and I said YES!! We definitely wanted to go on this trailride. We set our sails, cleaned our saddles and had great anticipation for this ride... with hope of a no precipitation day this early in May.
Now, Kittee and I love the Summerville area. Summerville is the shining example of beautiful country life, set in the countryside of the middle of nowhere, at the foot of Mt. Emily between La Grande and Elgin, OR. We were biting at the bit to get saddled up, go for this ride.
A couple of weeks after our BCH meeting, our friend Miriam (from the city) called and said she wanted to bring little granddaughter out for a visit at the ranch... on May 3rd. A conflict in
the making; now to turn to Plan B.Plan B... we had a new horsey boarder from Lexington, KY coming to the ranch on April 27th, and maybe she would like to ride the Oregon back country with Dale, as Kittee said she would stay at home and entertain Miriam and her granddaughter with ponies -- Jasmine, Ginger and our baby Rosey. A realization... to pet and hug Rosey, is something words cannot describe. Yes, Kittee was very happy to stay home this past Saturday and Sunday, petting and playing with her one week old baby... foal. Sad to say, Miriam found that her granddaughter has allergies to indoor cats, (like the ones living in our house) so they... not the cats, had to spend the weekend in a Pendleton motel.
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So as Jennifer and her horses hit the ground in Oregon, I asked if she would be up for a trailride on May 3rd. Yep, Jennifer had just arrived into her horseperson's dream and was ready to go for a ride in the Oregon back country... so we did.With much anticipation I woke up around 5:00 a.m. Saturday; made coffee, went out caught up Misty, groomed her, had breakfast and was about to load Misty as Jennifer showed up. We got our horses loaded in good order and was ready to hit the trail. It was a most beautiful day, leaving home at 8:00 a.m. to get to the trailhead in Summerville and ready to ride by 10:00 a.m.
As we were heading for Tollgate I told Jennifer about our trailrides around the area, and the particular one we make from the ranch's front gate, up Lincton Mtn. Road and there we have lunch at the Tollgate Chalet at the other end of Lincton Mtn. Road. I pointed out this favorite lunch spot as we drove by it on Hwy 204. Maybe you will join us sometime on the luncheon horseback trip, just 12 ½ miles from the ranch, a nice way to spend the day riding around in the cool mountain timberland.
Almost everything in the Tollgate area was still closed for the winter season as there was still 6'-8' (yes, that is feet, not inches) of snow everywhere. Many of the houses there had snow up to the roof line -- see the link above.
We pressed on enjoying the beauty of the early spring snowscape/ forest scenery of the area, and then arriving at our
designated trailhead at 9:20. We were the first to arrive, and Robin Dale pulled in right behind us. Jennifer and I off loaded our horses, tacked them up (did not forget our bridles this trip) and were ready to ride at 10:00 a.m.Misty was eager, a bit impatient to go, as Jennifer, Phoebee (Jennifer's mare) and I were standing around waiting for the group to form up and hit the trail.
This was a most interesting ride, as there were very many snow banks/drifts to have to 
negotiate and this was the first time Misty and I had done so. Misty was just as wonderful trail horse as ever. She was so willing to go everywhere I asked her to go, and was very responsive to neck reining as I guided our stroll through the forest, in and around snow drifts, pass trees, fallen timber.Our lunch break was in a clean clear cut area (we were in the national forest at that point) with a few snow melt drinking ponds, and a gorgeous view of the snow covered mountains around us.
Even though most of the ground on our ride was clear of snow,
everywhere the ground was saturated with water, and most of the day if we were not trekking through snow the horse sank up to their coronary bands in grass covered mud. It was very easy to follow the trail of the group's leader(s).
As we came near the end of this forest/ back country trailride we came upon some beautiful mountain meadows that were full of early spring flora, and then a couple of forest ponds that made a very pretty setting for the group's photo opt.
After a good day's ride, everyone came in with a smile on their faces; only one woman came back with mud on her butt, from the kindly jigging of her horse in the snow and mud, and her slow dismount (butt first) from the saddle.It was a very enjoyable, casual but exciting ride in places where one could NOT see the ground or the bottom of a snow drift and our horse found themselves up to their ass in snow.
It was a unique and fun ride for Misty and I.
Robin, thank you for sharing your photos.Wish you and Kittee could have been there.
a day in the life --- Dale
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