What could be more fun than trail riding? Going on a multi-day trail riding trip away from home! The Horse Trail Chicks plus two friends recently spent 4 days riding in the amazing Otter Creek Horse Trail System in upstate New York. We were there in 2017 and were so excited to go back. Our enthusiasm was only dampened by the recent death of Kerrie’s awesome trail horse, Prophet. Graciously, the barn manager where we board offered Kerrie her Haflinger, Buttercrunch, for the trip. And, in a fortunate turn of events, just 2 weeks before the planned trip Kerrie was able to trade her old truck – which was not working out for pulling a horse trailer – for a perfect replacement.
We spent the week prior to the trip pulling together gear, getting the trailer ready, and planning meals. On Sunday we loaded the horses, took the ferry across Lake Champlain, and drove 5 hours to the town of Lowville, New York.
Although you can camp for free at the Assembly area at Otter Creek, we always stay in high-class accommodations at the privately-run Horse Camps at Otter Creek (see my review here). We had a gorgeous cabin, fully appointed with everything you could ever need for you and your horses. Each horse had his own paddock with a covered section and there was a tack shed, wash rack, and hay storage area.
After a restful evening for all, the next morning we set out for our first trail ride. The Horse Camps are in the northern, less traveled section of the park so we had the trails mostly to ourselves. They meander through magical forests. There are stands of red pine where the forest floor is carpeted with fragrant pine needles, white pine groves where ferns grow abundantly, and deciduous forests that let in shafts of light as the leaves flutter in the breeze. There are ponds and creeks and a river that we found ourselves high above several times.
My favorite trail is called Frost Pocket. It is a narrow, sandy trail in an overgrown meadow bordered by forest and is the perfect place for a really long gallop. I remembered it from our 2017 trip and was dying to ride it again. On Day One we rode it but because this was only Kerrie’s second trail ride on her borrowed horse, Butter, whom she knew could be a real stinker, we decided to take it easy and just trot. This was fine but I vowed in my mind that I would come back – on my own if I had to – and gallop it.
Over the next few days our routine became: get up in the morning, feed and water the horses and muck out the paddocks, eat a hearty breakfast, tack up, and ride out. Back at the cabin in the afternoon, have a nap or read a book, feed the horses, and have an awesome dinner (we took turns cooking), then watch the GoPro video footage of the day’s ride. Since we had 2 GoPro helmet cameras in use – one facing forwards and one facing backwards – we had a lot of footage! I don’t know why human nature is this way, but it was really fun to relive the day through the videos. Then we’d watch an episode of Heartland – which if you have not seen you must check it out, then do night check on the horses, and hit the hay. Eat-ride-sleep-repeat!
By Day Three we had still not galloped Frost Pocket and I was getting a little antsy about it. I absolutely HAD to do this. Everyone else seemed interested but not nearly as obsessed as I. On our last day we finally made a plan to go out in the early evening, after the horses had a chance to rest from their mid-day ride, and ride Frost Pocket. We headed out from the cabin in the beautiful cool evening air. The sun was low, making long shadows. When we reached Frost Pocket trail, I was filled with excitement. In the end, it was worth the wait. It was GLORIOUS!
Happy trails!
