Part of me is ashamed to admit I have lived in the same house for seven years and am just now visiting a state park that is only 10 miles/20 minutes away.
And the other part of me is all “Woo hoo! New-to-me trails/nature things to do!!!”
Ha ha.
It’s funny, but I never visited the Chain O’Lakes State Park because it looks like it’s far away on the map. But driving by it last week, I realized it’s a lot closer than I thought – it just doesn’t feel that close because it’s not in an area we visit often. Derrrrrrrrrrrr.
So I headed out there for a trail run on Thursday and saw they have horse rental! For a second (or two, really) I thought about going on a horseback ride by myself, but decided to ask Steven if he wanted to come back. Horseback riding is something we’ve talked about doing for the last five or so summers!
Now we can finally cross it off the list!
We went back on Friday and paid to go on a one-hour tour. I was curious how long we’d have to wait for a group to get together to go off, and how long instruction would take, but we pretty much got there, filled out waivers, got on our horses (Two Feathers and Cody), got some quick instruction, and took off! I like when I don’t have to wait around. Ha ha.
We were with five other people (including the guide) for the first forty minutes of our tour, then alone with the guide for the last twenty minutes. It was such a peaceful walk through the prairie and woods!
Until we were alone with the guide and I asked her a zillion questions about horses. Our guide was really nice and knowledgeable*!
We actually had a horse at home, when I was a kid. The one memory I have of riding him is with my mom, when he walked down to the creek by our house, and sat down in the water. With me on him. Ha ha. For whatever reason, I didn’t get off with my mom.
This is the first time I remember riding a horse by myself, and I liked it! Of course, it didn’t take much skill. Two Feathers (the horse I rode) mostly followed the horse in front of him, and I only had to tell him to stop a few times. Cody, Steven’s horse, required a bit more instruction – he kept trying to eat grass and leaves! The guide said that Cody likes to stay in his bubble, so he always walks in the back of the pack. And she called Two Feathers a “bubble popper” – always getting in other horse’s and people’s faces (or butts, in the case of this ride)! I enjoyed hearing about their personalities, and why they use mostly geldings instead of mares for the tours.
And even though we’ve crossed this off our list, I think it’s something I’d like to do again!
Are there any places close to your house that you feel like you should have visited by now? Any one else going horseback riding this summer?
*And she said to me “Is that a GoPro? You are so cool!” non sarcastically, which made me feel like less of a dork for wearing it. Ha ha!
oh that sounds fun, is there an age requirement?
Trail riders must be 7 or above and they have pony rides for 6 and below http://www.chainolakesstable.com/Website_Trail_Rides.php
Have you ever gone to Moraine Hills State Park in McHenry? I grew up there and haven’t been there for years! I’m thinking about taking a ride out there one weekend to do one of my long runs. Just because.
And altho I love to look at horses, I’m a little afraid to ride them!
Yes, I have been there! That is also really close to our house! 🙂 I hope you get to go!
This looks like so much fun! It’s nice to have a local place where you can go to ride if you want to. I used to take horseback riding lessons back in junior high but haven’t been for years. Maybe I can get my hubby to go with me sometime. 🙂 P.S. I love that you’re taking the GoPro to interesting places! It’s so fun to see the photos!
Yes! I hope you get to go!
And thank you! I am really enjoying using it and sharing the photos! I am surprised it takes such nice photos, for whatever reason 😉
Fun! Love that you found new trails and horses all at once! I would love to have a horse to take places to explore on my own, but they are so much work!
FUN!!! Horseback riding is definitely on my bucket list. 🙂 Maybe I can come out to the park near you!
You should! I think it’s worth the trip! There is camping there too 🙂
I love horseback riding so much! We had horses when I grew up and I experienced that laying down in the water trick once too. Glad you were able to have such a fun ride!
This sounds like such a fun experience! There’s a ton of stuff in the DC area we haven’t gotten around too. It’s so easy to just tell yourself you’ll have time later when you live in a place.
If I stopped and thought about all of the local places that I *should* visit, it would probably drive me crazy! But we try to do what we can!
Love that you went horseback riding – what a fun experience and a great way to see the park! And even better that you didn’t have to wait around for a long time before riding!
I love horseback riding! I wish I could get better half to go with me, but no luck yet.
Horseback riding scares me. I did that is Ecuador and could not get wait to get off the horse. Ha, maybe it was intense because the horse sensed that I was scared and nervous?
Awesome pics of the horseback riding. Pretty cool. The last time I did horseback riding was in Hawaii in a rainforest.
I bet that was amazing!
How fun! There are actually a ton of places around me (parks, restaurants, etc) that I have never been to primarily because I stick to a routine. I need to be more adventurous! =)