I managed to get Chip off the property two more times after our trip to the Adirondacks.
September 23, 2026 Deer Path Park 3.89 miles 1 hour
This was my first ride back after the wedding. Hannah wasn't available so I went out by myself. At the last minute, I decided to bring the baby.
It turned out to be a beautiful night and I took many photos for such a short ride.
The park closed at 7pm. Since I was going after work, I had a limited window to ride in and stuck to the close side of Round Mountain.
At the start of our ride, we caught up to a woman who was walking a Weimaraner. She was quick to drag the dog off the trail, but then circled back and was basically trying to out-walk us. I assumed she was going to stay in the park proper, but she crossed the road when we did. I felt like we were chasing her down, though that was certainly not my intent.
I finally called ahead, "I think we're going the same way. I would be happy to pass so you don't have to rush!" She was all apologetic which was odd. I don't know if she thought the dog would be a problem or if she felt like she was in our way?
Regardless, we went by without issue. The dog didn't even bark.
The good news was that Chip was 0% worried about the dog. Thanks to Bonnie, he seems to be over that hump. Phew!
We went up the powerlines and there was goldenrod everywhere.
At the bottom of the hill, there is a little farm that backs up to the park. They had freshly mowed a path from their yard to the trails. This proved more exciting than I anticipated.
Chip noticed the path before I did and traipsed right over to introduce himself to the resident horse and mini donkey. Of course, I went after him right away.
The park signage says dogs must be leashed. It doesn't technically mention horses, but I'm sure it's implied. Off leash trespassing is definitely a no!
To my horror, Chip was totally ignoring me and my usually steady Maxwell was not sure how he felt about the donkey.
"This is not a good time to discover the first thing you're scared of," I chastised him while firmly closing my leg and sending him forward.
I leashed Chip and dragged him back onto the park without event, but I did make a note not to take him that way in the future.
The rest of our ride was uneventful. We had a beautiful canter in the fields, which is when I discovered that Chip can't catch Max if Max puts in an effort!
At the top, we soaked in the view while the horses nibbled on grass.
I did a little lollipop loop via the orange and red trails. I was impressed with how well Max was moving over the rockier stretches. By then we were running out of daylight so we descended along the white trail.
My favorite trail was blocked by a freshly fallen tree. I may have been able to navigate it with Max, but didn't want to push my luck with Chip. Instead, we went back down the powerlines and retraced our steps to the bridge and beyond.
So pretty!
The evening ended in a lovely golden sunset. I tried to get a nice picture of the boys together, but someone is a pest who would rather be in my lap than posing nicely for photos. I won't mention any names.
A nameless somebody.
Several attempts later.
We made it back to the parking lot before the park closed and hightailed it out of there. While I know the days have been getting shorter since the summer solstice, this was the first ride where I really felt the effects of waning daylight. Between the shorter days and the start of hunting season, we've started to be limited on where we can go after work. Our bigger adventures will have to be reserved for the weekends for now.
As I mentioned in my September recap, we've been doing a lot of evening and night riding on the Columbia Trail this year. It's a great option, but there are only so many times I can blog about it.
Which leaves one more adventure to share for the time being.
October 2, 2026 Saurland Outdoor Center/Round Valley 4.64 miles 1h42m
On a random Friday night, Sandy told me she was planning to head up to the Sauerland Outdoor Center to meet up with the Crazy Faith Riders for their annual cookout and overnight camping trip. I was originally planning to head over to Christie Hoffman by myself, but after a lot more hemming and hawing than I want to think about, I decided I'd rather ride with a friend.
Plus this would be excellent exposure for Chip. It was essentially Baby's First Ridecamp.
The Sauerland Outdoor Center is only open to those holding permitted events so I have never been there. It is only five minutes from the barn (and I am wondering if I could use their driveway as a way to get to Round Valley by riding from Hannah's instead of trailering out).
Sandy and I arrived at roughly the same time. I was surprised at how long and steep the gravel driveway was. The view from the top was worth it.
There were already a ton of people on site when we arrived, with an event tent and loud music blaring from the front of the field. Several horses were tied to various trailers and there was a row of luxury campers across the way. There was even a riding steer on site, belonging to Cowboy Keith.
I unloaded the horses and threw Max on the Hi Tie. I hand walked Chip around for a minute to make sure he was ok. Not surprisingly, he cared more about grass than anything else. If he was fazed by the chaos, he didn't let on.
A few minutes later, I put Chip on the other Hi Tie and left the horses to relax and graze while I wandered around. I saw Brooke and Amber, met a few new folks, and was introduced to Richie, who seemed to be the man in charge. He was tickled by the fact that I brought the baby out to play.
Not a care in the world.
I groomed the boys, then got Max saddled and booted. Sandy was still futzing around her tack room so I took them for a little warm up lap around the grounds. Chip was a very good boy and got to meet a lot of new people.
Once Sandy got on, we hit the trail toward the back of the park. I kept Chip on lead until we were well into the woods then set him free. I think this was Fina's first time accompanying us. She was a little skeptical about the loose youngster at first, but quickly decided he was a fun friend to have around.
It wound up being a shorter ride than I hoped for. Sandy wanted to do the ridge trail on the way out, even though I mentioned I was pretty sure it was going to be a dead end.
Still, it was a fun challenge for the horses. This was the most climbing either gelding has ever done, and the rocks are no joke up there. Chip was downright catlike in the way he maneuvered over the terrain. If he found the mountain challenging, he didn't let on.
Max was also handling the trail really well. He has gotten a lot more sure footed over the last few months and makes smart choices about hoof placement.
There were several trees down on the trail, as expected. The horses were able to get over the first few, although Chip had to jump some of them.
Eventually, however, we ran out of luck and came to the same impasse from last year.
Clearing some deadfall.
Waiting patiently.
While we probably could have continued, I wasn't willing to risk injury to either horse, so I called it and turned around. Sandy joined me as we retraced our steps down the mountain. Max knew we were heading home and marched boldly along.
At the fork to the campsites, I headed back to the trailer while Sandy went on without me. I would have really loved to get Chip down to the lake that night, but I had a lot left to do, and I figured this would be enough miles for a baby over tough terrain.
Max, Chip, and I had a lovely time on the way back to camp. Darkness fell as we went along. This ended up being Chip's first formal night ride.
We finished with a glorious canter up the grassy lane behind the outdoor center.
By that point, the fish fry was in full swing and there were bright lights in addition to the uproarious music. Chip didn't bat an eye.
While I was a little disappointed in this ride, I comfort myself with the fact that it was really good exposure for Chip. While we didn't stay over night, this field trip featured the basics of camping. Chip passed with flying colors!
When I put the horses out that night, they both trotted off into the pasture, and Max looked great. Unfortunately, he came in dead lame in the left hind when I brought him in to feed the following day. He was dangling the leg and then toe touching and hobbling when asked to move.
Of course, I knew it was most likely an abscess, but that didn't make it any less stressful at the time. The vet and farrier confirmed my gut feeling and Max got two weeks off and is moving much better now.
I have treated many abscesses over the years, but this is actually the first time one of my own has had one. With the poor quality of Max's feet when I got him, it's not really a surprise that he would get an abscess, but I still second guessed myself and wondered if I'd made a mistake by taking him on a technical, rocky ride like Round Valley.
Then I reminded myself that Chip navigated the same terrain barefoot without a care in the world.
Despite the unexpected setback with Max, I'm really glad I managed to squeeze in these two outings with Chip. Every time I take him somewhere new, I'm reminded of just how quickly he's growing up. From unexpected encounters to navigating rocky mountain trails and taking in the chaos of a busy campground, he continues to take everything in stride. I know there will be challenges along the way, but so far, this baby horse is making the whole process so much fun!
Hannah has generously loaned me her horses on several occasions in the last two and a half weeks. I'll have some entries about those rides too, but this effectively brings me up to date on what I've been up to with Max and Chip. Considering that I've been super far behind on this blog since... erm... May... it feels good to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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