Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Raven II Rides France!

Tuesday June 26 2007

The Raven woke up - in France!

Caroline brought us coffee (merci!!) and breakfast out on the divine patio overlooking La Masselle, home of Stephane and Caroline, and we surveyed the farm of horses, stone houses and barns, and remains of old stone walls, us.

After breakfast Stephane Chazel took us on a horse ride - in France!

The Raven perched himself in his Raven bag on the gray gelding Jasmin, a 10-year-old Anglo Arabian who's finished his last 3 160-km rides.

Our 2 ½ hour ride took us up into the green, rocky hills, past vineyards, olive tree orchards, fields of green grass (“Grass is good this year”), old old farmhouses, and the ruins of a castle on a little hill. We looked at a few of Stephane's turned-out-growing-up horses, yearling to 4-year-olds, turned out with a 26-year-old retired babysitter endurance gelding. We had a little canter up a field, and Jasmin had this very controlled, huge rocking chair canter stride. Wow, I bet he's fun in an endurance ride!

Although the Raven and I could have gone on forever, and it certainly looks like the trails do, we made a loop and rode back onto La Masselle.

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