Next to Heaven

I am incredibly thankful for the experiences horses allow us to have. For spring break this year, I came down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with the University of Louisville saddle seat team and some other equine classmates. Today we found a place to trail ride called Next to Heaven, which was a very fitting name considering the sights. There were no guides. You take the horses up the mountain on your own, and they were all very well behaved. I rode a Shetland Pony-Quarter Horse cross named Munch. (I found out after the trail ride he had been renamed Scooter, but I preferred to call him Munch). Munch would turn his head and touch his nose to my shoe, which I thought was sweet. Then he started to do the same, but would use my foot as a head scratch. Turns out I was a scratching post on his back. I didn’t mind. He was pretty adorable.

The trail led us up to a flat place where we could stand close to the edge and look out over the Smoky Mountains. It was one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life — blue skies, mountains stretching up far and wide, trees beginning to turn green again. Being on horseback made it even better. Thanks to horses, I was able to ride up the mountains and witness a wide span of nature’s beauty with some of my favorite people. Thanks for the ride, Munch! It was a memorable one.