My First Trail Ride

This year for one reason and another, I have not managed my normal holiday in the sun; instead, I have been Pony Trekking in the Brecon Beacons culminating in a 2 day trail riding holiday in the Black Mountains.  After spending the week anxiously watching the weather and hoping the rain would stop, before my trail ride, my prayers were answered and the sun came out Friday afternoon.  Arriving at the farm first thing Saturday morning, it was with some relief I was able to head up to the camping field and pitch my tent in daylight with whilst the rain held off. Then it was up to the farm house for to see if they needed any help tacking up before the ride.  Luckily, all the horses were ready so there was time for a cup of tea, while we waited for everyone to arrive.  It was a popular weekend and we had twenty five riders including the guides.  A great turnout.

Me riding Apollo, a lovely welsh cob.

Finally after some debate, everyone finally had a horse they were happy with.  I was a little disconcerted by  the last minute change to my horse.  Having been promised a nice bombproof horse called Rose, who I had ridden a number of times, I was assigned Apollo, a lovely horse but not one who I was familiar with riding.  However, it turned out to be a excellent swap as Apollo was a fantastic horse except for the odd kick if someone got too close behind.  Finally, it was time for the trail ride to set off.

Beautiful views on the trail.

The horses taking a short break on the steep ascent.

After riding out of the farm,  through the bridle path  and down the lane to Llanthony, we left the road and headed up.  The initial ascent was a steep one and the horses worked very hard.  We climbed up the first mountain, pausing at intervals to give the horses a break and through the moorland covering the top of the mountain and back down the other side before we commenced the hard slog up the next slope.

Unfortunately, due to the boggy ground, cantering on top of the mountain was not possible in many places because the ground was too wet and slippery.  The terrain continuously changed; from the mountain grass, as we crossed the lower slopes, scaring the odd sheep out of the way as we went, to the higher ground covered with  tall bracken, which dragged on our feet as we made our way through the narrow paths.

Then as we came down the next mountain, we came to a large evergreen, forest.  The paths were dark and shady but slightly more substantial, as we made our way through the forestry with the first canter of the day.  Then we followed the path along the river for a while before leaving the forest.

Into the forestry

Leaving the forestry.

As we reached the final ridge heading south west, the wind picked up and it suddenly turned cold. Hard gusts of wind meant it was difficult to talk to each other.  At last we started the downward climb, then we picked up the bridle path and we had a lovely canter, before joining the country lanes.  After three hours of riding, we finally reached Llanbedr, a small hamlet on the edge of Powys, home of the Red Lion, our stop for lunch.


After ensuring our horses were happy and comfortable we retired to the pub for some liquid refreshment, and baguettes with chips all round, it was time for some more horse riding.

Arriving in Llanbedr

We set off again retracing our steps a short way and then setting off south towards the Sugar Loaf mountain, as we skirted along the lower slopes.  The ground was covered with purple heather, and bilberries were everywhere.  We had a few good canters through the heather where the ground was firmer and less boggy than earlier in the trek.  After a few hours ride, the horses reached their destination for the night.  They all received a much needed wash down before being fed and turned out in the field for the night and we headed off back to Trevelog farm where our tents were pitched to change before going down the pub for dinner.

Our second day, we arrived at the farm to pick up our horses and set off back towards the Sugar Loaf.  Unfortunately, the rain had started and it was a rather wet ride.  The horses were all excited to be on their way, and keen to go.  We managed a few nice long canters as the terrain sloped gently upwards before slowing down to a walk as the terrain steepened again.

Sugar Loaf summit

Today, we ventured about higher, following the mountain path half way to the top and continuing once again through the heather.  Finally, having gone up and round the Sugar Loaf mountain, we set off towards Cymyoy across country.  A couple of hours after we left the farm, we joined the valley road, and trotted the last half a mile to the Queens Head, a favourite pub with the pony trekkers in the area and back in familiar territory.

After lunch, the sun came out again which was a pleasant surprise.  We headed up the steep lane opposite the Queens Head til we joined the forestry track, an ideal place for some fast canters.  Coming to the end of the forestry track, we picked our way down to the road through the trees and the bracken before trotting back along the valley road, slowing several times to let cars and other pony trekkers pass by.  Passing Llanthony Priory, we were nearly home. Once on the bridle path, we had one last canter before the horses walked the last ten minutes home to the trekking centre.

The trek returns home.