Chills, Spills and Feral Ponys - Oh My!

Wednesday, 23-Sep
I should say right off that this ride was not for the faint of heart.....it featured very steep tracks, uncertain footing (to say the least!) but you were rewarded with spectacular views, and great beach gallops.

Today we started from Erorroey (sp?) and rode up country roads, forded a stream, and then followed some sheep tracks, or no tracks, up through the hills. Our companions were the sheep, and some feral ponys. There was a black stallion pony who watched us while protecting his band of mares and foals. A couple of the more curious young males came right through the fence and wandered in and out of our line of horses. They were adorable, but we were thankful the stallion stayed put as that could have been a different story altogether. I'd like to say I got pictures of that, but wasn't nimble or quick enough to control Voodoo and get the camera.

We then continued on up through the hills, through some fairly treacherous going. There are rabbit warrens everywhere, and if you can see the hole, you can be fairly certain there is a warren for a foot or 2 around it. Added to that, we are going up and down; some fairly gentle hills, some quite a bit steeper. So the horses pick their way slowly; your best course of action is to not interfere with the horse - his sense of self preservation is quite acute.

Roughly halfway between up and down, one of Ireland's famous rain squalls blew in off the water. These are short, but potent blasts of wind and rain. So we turned the horses rears to the wind, and stayed very still. To either side, or where you could maybe not see at all - were more rabbit warrens. So we waited for the storm to blow by before proceeding, about 15 minutes or so. Then the sun came out and it was back to brilliant blue sky.

We continued to pick our way down, and finally got to the back side of the dunes, where it was quite a steep track through sand down to Tramore (beach). This is a lean back, feet in the dashboard descent, most of the horses hopped and cantered the last bit as it was easier for them. Lynn's horse in fact, squealed, cantered down, promptly stopped, and lay down for a good roll...tack and Lynn and all. She chucked herself clear, and everyone ran around clucking and yelling at Cupid to get up. Again, I was too slow with camera - the picture would have been priceless. Lynn had sand in some unexpected places, but other than that everyone was OK.

Once we had regrouped, it was time for a gallop along the beach. No sooner did we get started then Maureen's helmet-cam came flying off. Stop, pick it up, stow it, regroup, and off for gallop re-do. We galloped along the beach, water to the left, and the largest natural dunes in Europe to our right. This is a protected area, accessible by horse or by foot. Absolutely beautiful.

Then up through the dunes again, winding along what looks like old sheep tracks, and then through Horn Head Forest. Finally came out on Kilahoey Strand (our home beach) and galloped back toward home. We were out from 11-3 today; it would have been shorter but the rabbit warren/rain squall hold put us out a bit later than planned.

A few words about our hotel: It is a charming, family owned hotel in Dunfanaghy. The carpet is a Scottish plaid - which sounds mad, unless you see it in its context. The lobby has all these lovely red stuffed chairs and couches, very comfy for sitting by the peat fire and reading the Irish Times. To the left is the restaraunt, which has had great food every night. To the right is the pub, 'nuff said! There are stairs in the center that go up to the rooms. The floors are bit uneven, and you wind around past some great old furniture pieces. Our room looks out at the water, which is just across the road. It is absolutely charming, and I can't recommend it highly enough; the people are wonderful, as is the food and atmosphere.

Tomorrow we go up Marble Head - another 5-6 hour ride. I'm trying to get a map so I can mark all the rides, we'll see.