After breakfast, we bid farewell to the riding center and set out for the long drive to retrieve our horses.
This morning the horses get a ration of grain before we set out as well as at lunchtime, so they were quite excited to see us. I was relieved to see that most of them were most of them were waiting at the gate for us. No climbing the hill! Yipee!
Only problem was that the horses were getting a very pushy and difficult to handle. Scuffles were starting to break out as they horses were crowding each other, and one of the riding center’s helpers got her foot smashed by one of the Draughts. We all are wearing heavy riding boots, but when you get stepped on by one of these beasts, it hurts! I was trying to lead two of the big bruisers to the area where we could tether them, and it was all I could do to keep from getting squashed between them.
Once the horses were all settled and eating, we could groom them and check their feet. One of Nelly's shoes had been making an odd sound yesterday, and sure enough, she needed a new shoe on her hind right hoof.
The farrier that comes every morning was able to fix her right up, with me holding her halter while she got her pedicure. I even got to keep the old shoe as a souvenir! No one is going to believe what huge feet she has. Nelly also lived up to her reputation as an escape artist and managed to get herself untied twice! Caught her in the act trying it again, and after we all stopped laughing at her, I prevented her from geeting loose a third time.
After mounting up, we began a long climb up the hillside into the mountains. This was the highest we’d ever gone so far, and the trail was extremely difficult. With the trail as rocky and muddy as it was, I was really surprised how well the horses managed. Very few slips and stumbles, but my fear of heights was starting to get to me a little bit. I tried to just focus on the trail ahead of us, but the view back was just so beautiful that I couldn’t resist sneaking a few peeks.
At the top of the mountain, the view of the surrounding area was absolutely breathtaking. We could see for miles even though the sky was overcast and raining a bit. The mountaintop was covered with a thick carpet of heather and the wind positively howled. There was something positively primeval about this area, and it was easy to see that aside from some rather daring riders and hikers, this is a place that most people never get to. Shame about that. The view is well worth the effort.
We then picked our way along the mountain trails for most of the morning, the weather changing suddenly from rain, to sun, then back to rain again. Eventually, it decided on sunny and stayed that way. This area is known as Glandaria (the Valley of the Kings) where the Irish kings often settled. Was very conscious of the historical importance of the area as we moved through it, as well as the beauty of the place.
Once we arrived at some clear roadway, we could do a bit of trotting and really loosen up. I’m not nearly in as much discomfort as I was when I’d first gotten up that morning and was really enjoying the ride. We met the truck at around 2:30 and broke for lunch.
Nelly was, again, up to her games. Not content with her own grain ration, she had to bully Connie, the mare who had the misfortune of being tied next to her and started eating her grain too! I spotted my trouble-maker and put a stop to that, moving the bucket out of her reach so the other horse could eat in peace. Nelly tends to eat as if she was kept starving for weeks, and because she is high up in the herd pecking order, she tends to get away with a lot that would get someone else kicked. I made it up to Connie by sneaking her a few treats behind Nelly's back.
The ride that afternoon was short but enjoyable because of two long gallops through the woods. After a bit of riding through farmland roads, we met the truck that would take our horses to the evening pasture. They all loaded up very well, with no fighting or scuffling.
After that, we got our Bed & Breakfast assignments for the night. I was going to be staying at the Shamrock & Heather B&B in Corofin, run by Brendan and Christina Kearney. It’s a charming house, and I have my own room and a private bath which is kind of nice after having to share a shower with two other people. Still, I missed bunking with Denise and Erin, who were assigned to other B&Bs in the area. Oh well. We’d all be reunited at the hotel after this night.
After a shower and a change of clothes (it was so nice to actually wear makeup again!), we all met in town for dinner at the Corofin Arms, a local restaurant. Food was excellent, and we all had a great time. Lots of laughing and joking going on. Dinner for me was a salad with mushrooms in a buttery garlic sauce, then Irish roast beef with veggies and a lovely cheesecake. Cannot believe how hungry I was. Making up for missing dinner the night before, I guess.
After diner, we all headed over to the Boffey Finn Pub for a pint (or two) and a bit of music. They had a terrific group of musicians there playing traditional Irish music and Denise and I really enjoyed the music, but we couldn’t help from noticing that one of the flutists was Chinese! He played really well, but I couldn’t help from wondering where the heck he came from.
After poking around the main portion of town a bit more, we headed back to our B&Bs. Unfortunately for Denise and myself, this meant crossing “The Bridge of Death” - a stone bridge that connects the main part of town to the surrounding neighborhood, but it doesn’t have streetlights, or a sidewalk. Cars would whizz by us, Denise and I pressing ourselves up against the wall because we weren’t sure if they could see us or not! Did not enjoy that at all!
Made it back to my place for a cup of tea and a bit of reading before bed. Had a busy day planned for the next day as we continued onward.
