• Tuesday-What'sUP April 6 - 04:29 pm

Taana Kalliainen got together with some fellow horseback riders and took off to enjoy a trail ride in the Keweenaw recently. She said it's a slower paced, easier kind of way to ride the snowmobile trails. I imagine you can hear all the nature surrounding you, as you amble along with the gait of the horse underneath you.

I especially like Taana's last two photos. The two horses nuzzling, is such a great shot to have captured...talk about having your camera ready at exactly the right time. And then the last photo with the silhouette of the horse and rider in the running stream of water, is very creative... I like that! Thanks for taking us along on your ride, Taana!

Those are so beautiful.....horses are such wonderful critters!

Speaking of critters...don't forget to vote!

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I have had horses and ponies all my life. I couldn't think what my life would be without them. With 10 horses, including my little rescue miniature appaloosa, the winter hair is coming off full speed now!

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Never got into horses, unless they were pulling me in a wagon with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Nice pictures, though.

Brings back memories of riding at The Circle T ranch in Oxford, MI and Bald Mountain in Lake Orion.

Beautiful pictures! My closest friend, Charlene, had three horses, and I really enjoyed them; they are wonderful animals. Taana, thank you for sharing your favorite past time home in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Have a great day everyone!

Good times and great friends!!

I try to ride every chance I get. A bunch of us are heading downstate in September to ride from Shore to Shore--Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. We'll be riding 250 miles in 10 days while camping out each night. I've done it twice before and it's an awesome experience!

It's also a great bonding experience with your horse. :)

Looks like an awesome ride through the woods, although that ground looks like a tinderbox just waiting to go up in flames....

In case anyone missed it last night; Dr Nat posted her trip report last night over on the Other Topics forum. You can read all about it Here.

Taana, that 'Shore to Shore' ride sounds like lots of fun, but are you concerned about crossing the interstate hwy? My mom loved horses but I don't think she ever rode one. She used to like to go to 'western movies' just to watch the horses!:)

Sure enjoyed this morning's photos Taana. I always liked horses...from afar. They are so big and strong. Both my daughters loved riding.As a kid I always doodled sketches of horses heads. The comradery of your riding trip sounds wonderful!

Thanks Capt Paul ~

Had been meaning to ask if Dr Nat had posted a report yet! Thought i may have missed it....

Shirley, we ride underneath I-75 on the Lewiston Grade Road.

I had heard stories from some people doing the Shore to Shore in the past that had met up with a tank from Camp Grayling on that section of the ride. Can you imagine?

Taana, those are great pictures. I really love horses, although my knowledge of them is pretty limited. I have ridden a few times and would like to take lessons so my mount and I can be a bit more comfortable with each other. (I'm sure each horse I ride rolls his or her proverbial eyes at the greenhorn in the saddle!) Your Shore-to-Shore ride sounds awesome! When I was a kid, I heard of long-distance horse "races" (kind of like the Iditarod, I guess), many miles over many days. Have you ever done any or heard of any of them? I have not heard about them as an adult, so maybe it was just a horse-crazy kid's fanciful imagination.

Lisa, you may have heard of the movie "Hidalgo? It is about just such a race across the Arabian Peninsula, I believe. The following is from a web site about the movie. It's listed as good family entertainment.
Hidalgo Synopsis
An old-fashioned tale of adventure and courage, this film pits a down-on-his-luck cowboy (Viggo Mortensen) and his unpedigreed mustang, Hidalgo, against a hostile desert environment, the purest-blooded Arabian racehorses, and their riders, some of whom are determined to win at any cost.

and this is a wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Open_long_distance_horse_races

My wife will enjoy looking at these pics, as she loves horses.

"Bite the Bullet" was another movie about a long-distance horse race that took place during the time of old west and starred Gene Hackman. Good flick if you get the chance to rent the DVD. (Do people still rent DVDs?)

One thing I haven't done was ride a horse in the U.P. wow must be fun maybe someday a

Thanks, Taana, I should've thought of going 'under'. BOY....better be riding a good steady steed that won't bolt when coming up on a tank!!!

Rode a horse in Utah one time. Not as fast as a cycle. Right Alex?

Thanks for the tips on the movies, Richard and Alex. I saw Hidalgo, actually, but don't remember it well, so I'll have to watch it again. Thank you for the wikipedia page; I'll check that out. Alex, thanks for mentioning Bite the Bullet. I've not heard of that movie, so I'll be on the lookout to watch that one, as well. (Sure, you can rent DVDs, especially if you subscribe to NetFlix or have a RedBox in your area.) Thanks again! :)

Taana, I saw those photos and thought that they must have been taken by an endurance rider. Have fun on the Shore to Shore this summer. That ride is on my to-do list. It's the oldest AERC sanctioned 5-day ride. Probably the oldest 5-day ride in the world. If you ever want to come out to Idaho to do a ride I'll try to hook you up with a horse to ride. Does anyone put on the Keweenaw ride anymore?

Lisa, there's a 100 mile ride in California called the Tevis Cup. That one looks pretty grueling. :D

Lynn, they still do the Keweenaw Ride! I'm not an endurance rider so I haven't been on it but I'd like to do the short one. I think it's aroun 12-13 miles.