The Noble Steed – – Eastern Shore Spring Trail Ride 2018


by: Marlene email

DSC_9903If dogs are known as “Man’s Best Friend”, what are horses ? Asking this question of some of the folks at the Eastern Shore Virginia 2018 Spring Trail Ride elicited quite a variety of answers. My horse is: My big baby… My partner in fun… Time consumer in a saddle… My sidekick in adventures… My noble steed. But clearly the folks at the Trail Ride all had one big ( a half ton big ! ) thing in common- – an evident love of their horses ! We met folks who had traveled from near and far to attend this by-registration-only event. A photographer from Chincoteague, busy splitting kindling for her fire pit, a group of riders from outside Philadelphia who mugged for the camera, a fellow from Smithfield who was petting Cookie, his tiny dog, who barked at us as only little dogs particularly love to do, folks from Maryland feeding a beautiful Tennessee Walker, 2 ladies from Jersey busy with grooming. And the beat goes on.

Sponsored as a fundraiser to benefit Northampton Fire and Rescue and hosted by Mr. John Smith, the landowner, these popular bi-annual Eastern Shore DSC_9915Trail Rides are held each Spring and Fall. And it doesn’t take long for the limited registration slots to close, so if you’d like to join a Ride, check out the website and be sure to apply by the exact dates indicated as it fills up, zippity zip, within a just a few days.

DSC_9943Participants start arriving on Friday, pulling everything from “horse mansions” on wheels with deluxe owner accommodations to single horse trailers with owner’s tents packed in back of the pickup. ( After all, it’s not the house, it’s who is in the house that really counts ! ) Saturday is the big day, the opportunity to enjoy an entire day of the Shore’s coastal ambiance as riders and mounts leisurely travel extensive trails winding through beautiful waterfront farms and woodlands, past pristine ponds and planted fields, across roads, over dams and sandbars, splashing along beachy shorelines. At the end of the day, the Fire Company hosts a big BBQ, after which things begin to settle down. Everywhere, fire pits glow in the twilight, murmured conversations carry on the breeze, horses nicker softly, moonbeams cast a pale glow as horses and riders settle in for a peaceful night of sleep under the Shore’s starry, starry skies.

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