点评:We wanted a trail ride, which I try to do wherever we camp. Dillard House Stables was nearby to our campsite on Black Rock Mountain. They have about 21 horses, well taken care of, with paddocks, stalls and pasture. While we were there the a farrier was cleaning hooves and shoeing. Their setup is very simple and logical, with check-in and a waiting area as part of the barn/stalls. Interestingly there is a poster, which I will attach which shows height vs. weight as a guide to what a horse can handle on its fairly long back column. I had always wondered about the tolerance of a horses’ relatively long spine versus saddle and rider weight combined. In any event it shows the horses come first and are being cared for. We met and spoke with both Laura and Lexie (our guide) we set off. Both open and friendly and they made the guidelines clear. There are some waivers to sign, and depending on age, you can elect to ride with or without a helmet. Horses are mounted from a platform which is better for both the horse and older riders like me. The tack is Western and the horses direct rein. We had a very nice trail ride down the slope through a large pasture and along parts of the Little Tennessee River. The mountains were around us and the overall experience was relaxing and nice. Great conversation and I learned quite a bit about horsemanship and horse care. Any rider can feel comfortable that the horses are cared for and about. After the ride we thanked our horses with some apple slices and our guide with a tip. We will return to ride again, I’m sure.
翻译:我们想体验一次骑马之旅,无论去哪里露营,我都会尽量安排骑马活动。迪拉德马厩就在我们黑岩山营地附近。他们养了大约21匹马,都得到了很好的照顾,马厩里有围场、马厩和牧场。我们去的时候,正好有一位蹄铁匠在清理马蹄和钉掌。他们的设施非常简洁合理,登记处和等候区都设在马厩里。有趣的是,那里有一张海报(我会附上),上面列出了马的身高和体重,以此来指导马匹在较长的背脊上能够承受的重量。我一直很好奇,马匹相对较长的脊柱究竟能承受多大的重量,以及马鞍和骑手的重量加起来有多大。无论如何,这张海报表明,马匹是被放在第一位的,并且得到了很好的照顾。我们和劳拉以及我们的向导莱克西见了面,聊了一会儿,然后就出发了。她们都很热情友好,并且清楚地解释了骑马的注意事项。需要签署一些免责声明,而且根据年龄,你可以选择是否佩戴头盔。骑马时,我们站在一个平台上,这样对马和像我这样的老年骑手都更友好。马具是西部风格的,马匹采用直接缰绳控制。我们沿着山坡骑行,穿过一片广阔的牧场,沿着小田纳西河的部分河段,感觉非常棒。群山环绕,整个过程轻松愉快。我们聊得很开心,也学到了不少关于马术和马匹护理的知识。骑手们可以放心,马匹得到了很好的照顾。骑行结束后,我们用苹果片感谢了马儿,也给了向导一些小费。我相信我们还会再来骑马的。