My First Experience Riding at Shawnee National Forest in So. Illinois
When I was a kid, my mom bought me a pony. Not knowing any better, she bought me a four-year-old so we could grow up together. Now, we know better. Ponies are notorious for being difficult and not so kid-friendly. And you never buy a young horse for a kid – you buy a kid an old brokey broke horse that doesn’t have any fire left!
Despite the challenges, we made some great memories, including a big organized trail ride at Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois. It was led by a guy on a gaited mule. A gaited equine is a type of horse or mule that moves their feet in various patterns outside of a standard walk, trot, canter and it’s a very smooth ride. I remember it being super hot, and our tent up on the hill didn’t help much. But the biscuits at dinner were AMAZING (probably because I was starving). And, every day, I’d ride right behind that gaited mule, and my pony tackled those steep hills and rough terrain like a champ, while my mom and her friends dealt with a constant traffic jam at the back.
After that summer, we sold my pony to a friend who wanted a cute pasture pet, and my mom got me Stormy, my heart horse. He was way more kid-friendly, and we spent countless hours on the trails together, exploring places like Brown County and Mammoth Cave. But my absolute favorite was Shawnee National Forest. We didn’t go there often because the trails were more intense, but if you’ve hiked Shawnee, you know how breathtaking it is—those overlooks are worth the steep climbs!…