July 25, 2026
Horseshoe Bend to Frenchtown via D&R
~7.89 miles. I forgot to start my watch
3h12m
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| Welcome to the chaos, Max. |
In all seriousness, this ride is when I knew Max was here to stay. He also earned his "official" name: Max in a Million.
Mike was in Atlantic City for the weekend and I was left unsupervised. Hannah and I were up for an adventure, but I wanted to stay somewhat local so Bonnie wouldn't be home alone all day.
Neither one of us had been to Horseshoe Bend for a minute and we agreed that would be a good place to start.
Hannah mentioned riding down the canal path into Frenchtown, and I told her I had never done that.
"Oh! We have to do that then," she exclaimed. "There's a good coffee place we can go to."
"Great! It can be Max's first shenanigans."
Even though we were riding together, Hannah and I took separate trailers to the park. This is mostly because I have all my crap in my tack room and it's easier to bring the whole rig than unpack and repack everything. Plus we'd be free to go our separate ways after the ride.
Once tacked up, we made a beeline through the Cooley fields and to the canal path.
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| What a beautiful llama. |
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| There's something about a new horse that puts a fresh spin on the usual stomping grounds. |
The canal path presented lots of things for the horses to look at. There were dogs, children, bicycles coming and going, and even some e-bikes. Max continued to be his usual unflappable self, even when a bike came zooming up behind us without warning, then rang its bell at the last second.
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| It was lovely in the shade. |
The only things that gave the horses pause were the people carrying their inner tubes and floaties down to the river. Honestly, I couldn't blame them for being concerned. Giant walking donuts of doom are not something most equines see in the wild. After all, they could be carnivorous.
I had to give Max a lot of credit for how he handled himself. While he was clearly very concerned, and I could feel his heart pounding against my calves, he never escalated. He just raised his head higher and higher, until I thought it could surely rise no more. Thanks to his massive ewe neck, he was able to up-periscope quite impressively.
Hannah and I cheerfully hailed the next group of passersby who were carrying their tubes down the path, asking if we could let the horses take a look. They were delighted to meet the horses, and the horses quickly realized nothing dangerous was happening. It was a win-win for everyone.
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| Concerned horses. |
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| Max shows off his magnificent under-neck. |
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| "So the giant donut doesn't have teeth?" |
We continued down the canal path and gradually made our way into town. The closer we got to Bridge Street, the more people we came across. There were lots of bikes and strollers.
Even though the canal path is open to horses, I know people can be hostile when they see riders out there. I was pleased that everyone we encountered seemed happy to see us that day.
Soon we emerged onto Bridge Street. There was a good amount of traffic on a Saturday afternoon, but Max didn't seem to care at all. I was amused by the fact that most people didn't seem to notice or care that there were horses in their lane. Too busy doing people things I guess.
I noted that there were several places we could stop on future adventures, including an ice cream shop called Sandy's.
We arrived at the coffee shop a short while later. It's only a quarter mile up the road. The sidewalk was a little more packed with signs and benches than it has been in the past, but neither horse seemed to care.
Hannah and I dismounted. Then she went inside to order our coffee while I stayed with the boys.
Max was a total pro. He halted squarely on the sidewalk, looked around for a few minutes, then took a nap. At one point, Merlin got a little antsy and jostled him, but Max just planted his feet and refused to move, effectively putting Merlin back in park.
Of course we had lots of visitors. People asked to pet the horses, peppered us with questions, and took selfies with Max and Merlin. One older lady came over and told me about the horses she had when she was young.
"You must do a lot of training to get them this well behaved," she observed.
"Actually, I've only had this guy for two and a half weeks..."
At one point a trailer full of polo horses went by. For a moment I wondered if it was Max's old owners, but it wasn't. That would have been funny...
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| Nothing to see here. |
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| "Merlin, what's a shenanigan?" |
Soon, Hannah emerged with our iced honey lattes which were absolutely scrumptious. We remounted and headed back the way we came. Along the way, we paused to see the River Mule statue in the town square. Apparently horses have historically disliked this guy, but Max had no concerns.
Before long, we were back on the canal path and heading back to Horseshoe Bend.
Along the way, we decided to let the horses dip their feet in the river. This was my first time asking Max to go in water with me. Not surprisingly, he was fine with that too. He didn't even paw once we were in there (unlike everyone else I've ever owned).
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| Proof that he isn't always a giraffe. |
On the way back into the park after the highway crossing, we decided to go through the tubing parking lot. There, Max was able to see all the carnivorous donuts in their cages. By this point, he was no longer worried about them at all. Good boy.
After that it was a quick jaunt through the park and back to the trailers. I'll admit we snuck in a very short canter in the fields, mostly because I wanted to see how Max would be following behind another horse in the wide open.
He was perfect and I was grinning like a fool. I started to get excited for life after walking 100 miles. (Though I promised myself to be mostly good about the walking.)
We also did both the wide and narrow bridges on the orange trail and Max didn't care about those either.
While it was unseasonably cool for July, the weather was still on the warm side when we got back to the parking lot so we power washed the ponies. I'm not sure Max appreciated this, but he tolerated it very well.
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| Excellent water pressure. |
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| Do I see a hint of dapples? |
Hannah and I pulled out of the park a short while later and went our separate ways. I headed back to the barn while she took a quick detour to investigate a nearby film site.
Max went back to his pasture, where I'm sure he wondered what kind of wacky lady he had come to live with.
Even though we were only three trail rides in, I knew Max was here for keeps. Despite only knowing me for a few weeks, he trusted me as I threw increasingly unhinged tasks in his direction. I can build muscle, stamina, and body condition. I can improve feet and add conditioning. I can work with a ewe neck and a lack of topline. But a good mind, curious nature, and bold personality? Those are priceless in my book.
Max's first shenanigans? ✓
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