Albany is where I am going to retire, I just adore this place, must be because I grew up on the coast and really miss that lifestyle, Albany has the right mix of the horses and costal living.
After our December 2020 visit to Albany we knew it was just worth another trip. This time we had our good friend Sharon and her woofer beau join Sandy and I.
This week long adventure we opted to spend the whole time at the Albany equestrian centre, the facilities are just too good.
Sharon, Beau and I met up on our trip down in Denmark to ride the norilup rail trail, lovely multi use track that has awesome scenery. we did a 14kms to the bridge and back.
Awesome way to start the week long adventure.
Our next days ride we decided to stay local to the equestrian centre and rode down to princess royal harbour. We packed our picnics and went for a brilliant ride, what amazes me about Albany is how accepting of horses the residents are.
Friendly locals gave us the hot tip that we could ride across the harbour 🙂 and not drown, that the wool use to be driven in cart at low tide across from little grove to Albany.
This was just magical it did get deeper at a few points which left the trusty Labrador swimming and our boots a little water logged.
Tuesday – Sharon’s Birthday Ride – What an adventure.
SO much excitement
1) Mutton bird coastal dunes ride, amazing views
2) I fell off……. I thought it was a buck but……. on further examination it was just a leap through deep sand at a canter and the saddle slipped.
3) I lost my sunglasses in the fall and my horse, the girls caught Sarge but the sunglasses stayed MIA.
4) Some first aid on the go was required for the rope burn I had given myself holding onto my reins, I reckon about 12 layers of skin gone
5) We were only a few kms into the Sharon birthday ride and I really didn’t want to miss out on the amazing views.
6) We stopped for a nice picnic lunch and I reenacted my epic dismount as the girls were in front of me so they missed all the action.
7) we turned for home and were a few kms from home when I realised I had lost my hoof boots which were poorly attached to my saddle bag ( I won’t do that again). I left the girls and Beau resting in the shade as I headed back to find said boots, up over every hill i kept telling Sarge they were just around the corner. we found them, the extra 5kms travelled partially with me walking Sarge (in gumboots my riding boots were wet from the day before) (gumboots hot sand and a broken Shannon was shit house).
8) I rejoined the girls and Beau who had his own adventure with jumping over a sleeping snake.
9) We found what will be forever known as the Shannon Crater, the impact point in the sand where I ate shit. Sunglasses still MIA.
10) 19.1kms travelled for Sarge and I, we were buggered.
11) I now have officially lost 52, no 72 layers of skin, every bit of air that got to it made me count a few more layer lost. Fuck it hurt.
12) A stiff and sore Shannon returned to camp to do some extreme first aiding, I am know to exaggerate hence the 72 layers of skin, so the first aid had to play the game as well.
Wednesday the weather had taken a minor turn possibly gone out in sympathy with my sore arse and back. So today was a rest day, we ventured to the National Anzac Centre which was well worth the visit. We returned to camp to start the webber and have a roast dinner to celebrate the other Birthday Girl, Sandy 🙂 Roast and golden syrup dumplings oh my, we all slept well with full bellies after sitting around the warm webber.
Our last ride with Sharon as she was heading off Friday had us venturing out to Point Possession Heritage trail. It was a spectacular day all round. We had some beautiful views, canters along the sandy beaches and a lovely picnic.
Friday was the end of our riding adventures and after many kms traveled Sandy and I headed out to ride with out Octogenarian friend on her lovely farm not far out of town. It was a lovely way to end out trip.
We headed back to camp and packed up what we could, headed into the White Star in Albany for dinner and took dessert home to relax before the drive home on Saturday morning.
Saturday we hit the road, I arrived home mid afternoon, unloaded Sarge and headed to the paddock. Sam, the tolerant husbands horse came over with snot streaming from his nose. I wasn’t sure what was going on as I had never seen so much mucus pour like a tap from his nostril. The TH advised that they wouldn’t be cause for rug changes earlier so he grabbed some feed. Sam must have inhaled it as it had become a blockage in his throat. I have never experienced choke before in horses and he was not looking comfortable so a Saturday afternoon by the vet to tube him and try to get the blockage to pass. Once Sam was feeling better I finally got to sit on the couch and flake out. What an end to a fantastic week.
Link time
https://www.albanyequestrian.net/
https://www.nationalanzaccentre.com.au/
My set up this trip was
2006 Mercedes ML320
2016 Imperial 2HAL
No rooftop tent this trip, I went with a stretcher tent that I had picked up second hand.
Hartwells: Have Horses, Will Travel 