Sunday morning at 7:30 we loaded the horses and headed out to Quail Roost Farm for Laura’s and Julia’s first hunter pace event, organized by a local fox hunt club, the Red Mountain Hounds. Since the farm is only a 15 Minute drive away, we were there quite early and had plenty of time to get ready. At around 9:00, they headed out with the first few riders.

Wally and Cleo (and Julia) at the Red Mountain Hounds hunter pace

A hunter pace is a riding event where the riders follow a flagged course of 8 – 14 miles (13 – 22 KM) and attempt to complete the course as closely to the “optimal” time as possible. Laura and Julia rode in the Hill Toppers division, and they were supposed to ride at 6MpH (9.6 KMH) with optional jumps. It was gorgeous, sunny fall day and they had a great time and got a nice workout in the process.

While the girls were out on the trails, I hung out with the organizers and helped out a little bit here and there. At one point, one of the riders came galloping back because another rider had fallen pretty badly and needed help. They called an ambulance and headed out on the trail in a truck and I took care of the horse. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and took the injured rider to the hospital.

Laura and Julia completed their ride safely by 10:30 and looked like hey had had a great time. We let the horses cool down and gave them some water and by 11:30 we headed home. No we’re just curious about the results, which should be posted soon.

More photos of Wally and Cleo below.

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