Cane Creek Trail Ride
Last fall, Goose and I were lucky enough to go on quite a few adventures with Amanda and her baby supermare, Zena. Zena is now just turned six, and her baby brain moments are supported very nicely by Goose's easy going nature on trail.
We've been trying to work out some time to take the horses on an easy-going trail ride, and this Sunday happened to work for both of us. We talked about Anne Springs greenway which has decent horse trails, but they have construction going on and the last two times I've been there, both on foot and on horseback, I've gotten lost on the poorly marked trails. That's not to say I truly got lost in the woods, but there is no clear path so you end up riding in circles for extra hours until finally you make the correct turn. It's pretty frustrating actually, plus they're doing a lot of construction there.
I've hiked a few times at Cane Creek Park which hooks onto the Carolina Thread Trail for a few miles. They also have horse trails that I've been dying to try out. At Amanda's suggestion, that was our destination of choice.
The horses loaded uneventfully, Goose got on first then we swung by Amanda's barn to pick up Zena. We got a bit lost on the way to the park - Carolina road signs leave a lot to be desired - but managed to find the right spot. Right off the bat, it was only an $8 parking fee for the whole rig, and that included access to trails. The girl checked our Coggins, even glancing to make sure they matched our horses in the trailer (thanks, Cane Creek!). This was less expensive than Anne Springs and a way easier check-in process with the horses.
We proceeded to the parking area where there's a water trough and hose as well as hitching post. A quick tack up, and we were off!
The trail head was literally right behind our trailer and it was clearly marked. The only thing I'll say about the horse trails is that they're shared with disc golf holes (areas? courts? spaces? no idea what they're called) so it could get pretty precarious if people had actually been playing. There were a ton of signs indicating that players should yield to horses and wait until they are out of sight to resume play, so I guess that's something! It also clearly marked where the disc golf area began and where it ended so riders could be aware.
We kept the horses to a walk for the roughly four mile trail. It was a little rocky, not unpleasant but Goose is still barefoot and was suffering a bit. We'd also had a lesson the day before and he was utterly exhausted obviously, plus Amanda wanted to have just a casual walk to give Zena another good experience under her belt. We chatted as we plodded along and it was nice and cool in the woods.
We took turns leading and both horses were happy to lead or follow. Amanda got ahead for a bit as Goose was feeling particularly touchy on some stretches of trail, but he wasn't bothered by the distance and neither was Zena. We followed the red trail which was clearly marked with red squares on trees, not too far apart. There were also markers that told you how far along on trail you were which was super helpful. For this reason alone, along with better trail quality, I will gladly go back to Cane Creek before I go back to Anne Springs.
We were chatting about who knows what, as I was panicking that a spider or bug was on me, and suddenly Amanda was using her Authoritative Voice and yelling at me to STOP RIGHT NOW STOP!
I was only a few feet away from a huge copperhead sitting right in the middle of the trail. We turned the horses and retreated, considering our options once my heart settled back down out of my throat. It was dead in the center of the trail, facing to the right and not moving. Passing it on the left, there wasn't enough room to give it a wide berth, and passing it on the right, well it was facing right and that didn't seem like a good option. Goose and Zena had no idea what the silly humans were worried about and hung out taking naps and swishing flies. Luckily the snake slithered off within a few minutes and we were good to go once it was well off the path.
I love snakes, I have a healthy respect for them and like that they do a ton of rodent and pest control. The black snakes don't bother me in the least, I've run into them many times on hikes and even in my neighborhood. This was the first time I've encountered a Danger Noodle on trail though and lemme tell ya, I hope it's my last! I'm thankful that Amanda saw it, because I had absolutely no idea it was there and shudder to think what could have happened if I had walked right over it with Goose. Hopefully I'm better at spotting them moving forward - Amanda likened it to looking for four leaf clovers, just look for squares instead of triangles.
The rest of our ride was pleasantly uneventful and we soon made it back to the trailer. We hosed the horses off and let them graze for a minute before tying them to put our tack away and load up. Goose thought twice about getting on the trailer, but after a swift whack with the end of the lead rope he was a good southern boy with a quick "YES MA'AM" and self loaded without another thought.
The horses made it back to their respective homes and Goose was happy to have a roll in the dirt before joining his girlfriend for an afternoon graze. I myself was overheated and not looking forward to walking two over-exuberant labs when I got home since they'd been left behind for the day's adventures. Hoping we can catch a few more easy jaunts this summer, Goose will likely get front shoes to help his tender toes. His feet are in great shape and he gets regular applications of Keratex to his hoof and sole, but I think he just needs a little extra support for rocks. Luckily this ride we were having a lovely wander around, so next time we'll be better prepared for a little more adventure.
We've been trying to work out some time to take the horses on an easy-going trail ride, and this Sunday happened to work for both of us. We talked about Anne Springs greenway which has decent horse trails, but they have construction going on and the last two times I've been there, both on foot and on horseback, I've gotten lost on the poorly marked trails. That's not to say I truly got lost in the woods, but there is no clear path so you end up riding in circles for extra hours until finally you make the correct turn. It's pretty frustrating actually, plus they're doing a lot of construction there.
I've hiked a few times at Cane Creek Park which hooks onto the Carolina Thread Trail for a few miles. They also have horse trails that I've been dying to try out. At Amanda's suggestion, that was our destination of choice.
The horses loaded uneventfully, Goose got on first then we swung by Amanda's barn to pick up Zena. We got a bit lost on the way to the park - Carolina road signs leave a lot to be desired - but managed to find the right spot. Right off the bat, it was only an $8 parking fee for the whole rig, and that included access to trails. The girl checked our Coggins, even glancing to make sure they matched our horses in the trailer (thanks, Cane Creek!). This was less expensive than Anne Springs and a way easier check-in process with the horses.
We proceeded to the parking area where there's a water trough and hose as well as hitching post. A quick tack up, and we were off!
The trail head was literally right behind our trailer and it was clearly marked. The only thing I'll say about the horse trails is that they're shared with disc golf holes (areas? courts? spaces? no idea what they're called) so it could get pretty precarious if people had actually been playing. There were a ton of signs indicating that players should yield to horses and wait until they are out of sight to resume play, so I guess that's something! It also clearly marked where the disc golf area began and where it ended so riders could be aware.
We kept the horses to a walk for the roughly four mile trail. It was a little rocky, not unpleasant but Goose is still barefoot and was suffering a bit. We'd also had a lesson the day before and he was utterly exhausted obviously, plus Amanda wanted to have just a casual walk to give Zena another good experience under her belt. We chatted as we plodded along and it was nice and cool in the woods.
We took turns leading and both horses were happy to lead or follow. Amanda got ahead for a bit as Goose was feeling particularly touchy on some stretches of trail, but he wasn't bothered by the distance and neither was Zena. We followed the red trail which was clearly marked with red squares on trees, not too far apart. There were also markers that told you how far along on trail you were which was super helpful. For this reason alone, along with better trail quality, I will gladly go back to Cane Creek before I go back to Anne Springs.
We were chatting about who knows what, as I was panicking that a spider or bug was on me, and suddenly Amanda was using her Authoritative Voice and yelling at me to STOP RIGHT NOW STOP!
I was only a few feet away from a huge copperhead sitting right in the middle of the trail. We turned the horses and retreated, considering our options once my heart settled back down out of my throat. It was dead in the center of the trail, facing to the right and not moving. Passing it on the left, there wasn't enough room to give it a wide berth, and passing it on the right, well it was facing right and that didn't seem like a good option. Goose and Zena had no idea what the silly humans were worried about and hung out taking naps and swishing flies. Luckily the snake slithered off within a few minutes and we were good to go once it was well off the path.
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| You can see the Nope Rope right in the middle of the picture |
I love snakes, I have a healthy respect for them and like that they do a ton of rodent and pest control. The black snakes don't bother me in the least, I've run into them many times on hikes and even in my neighborhood. This was the first time I've encountered a Danger Noodle on trail though and lemme tell ya, I hope it's my last! I'm thankful that Amanda saw it, because I had absolutely no idea it was there and shudder to think what could have happened if I had walked right over it with Goose. Hopefully I'm better at spotting them moving forward - Amanda likened it to looking for four leaf clovers, just look for squares instead of triangles.
The rest of our ride was pleasantly uneventful and we soon made it back to the trailer. We hosed the horses off and let them graze for a minute before tying them to put our tack away and load up. Goose thought twice about getting on the trailer, but after a swift whack with the end of the lead rope he was a good southern boy with a quick "YES MA'AM" and self loaded without another thought.
The horses made it back to their respective homes and Goose was happy to have a roll in the dirt before joining his girlfriend for an afternoon graze. I myself was overheated and not looking forward to walking two over-exuberant labs when I got home since they'd been left behind for the day's adventures. Hoping we can catch a few more easy jaunts this summer, Goose will likely get front shoes to help his tender toes. His feet are in great shape and he gets regular applications of Keratex to his hoof and sole, but I think he just needs a little extra support for rocks. Luckily this ride we were having a lovely wander around, so next time we'll be better prepared for a little more adventure.
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