Back in the saddle after 12 years

Last weekend we went horseriding to help Carly celebrate her birthday. Most of us who went were not very horse savvy. Some of us has sat on a horse before, but there were also some who had never been anywhere near a horse in their lives. I had some horseriding experience when I was young, but I hadn't been on a horse since I was 15. So we just thought we were going to be taking the horses along a trail, and we were right. It was just not the kind of trail we thought.
We were out in Maple Ridge area, in Golden Ear Provincial Park, at the Mustang Riding Stables. The guy who ran the stables gave us a quick and rather daunting overview of horseriding protocol, after which even the experienced riders were feeling a bit nervous. I was assigned a horse named Nicky, and she seemed to be a very staid and reliable, and good thing too, because this kind of trail was not one for a rebellious horse. Once we were all on our trusty steeds we rode around the paddock for a few minutes to get a feel for the horses. Then the gate opened and off we went. First thing we did was cross a busy road, and thankfully the traffic was very obliging and didn't mind waiting for 12 horses to cross in front of them. We rode along the side of the road for a while, and then the guide told us we were going to cross a river, the water was quite high and we should take our feet out of the stirrups to keep them dry. That was when my palpitations started. Well we got across the river safely (although with pulses racing and shallow breathing), rode along side more road, and then we started up a mountain! The horses went into 4WD mode, as the trail started getting rocky and steep in places. There was no shortage of low hanging branches just dying to sweep me off the horse. I made a point to give Nicky some positive feedback everytime we got past an obstacle without (a) the horse bolting, or (b) me falling off the horse (particularly during the river crossing).
Our ride was just over an hour long, and by the end my butt was very sore, and I was bow- legged. The next day I was surprised to find that my left arm was very sore, I imagine from holding the reins.
My favourite photos from the day, and from the party later that evening may be seen here. Thanks to Carly and Abby for taking and sharing their photos. More photos are here.