Month: March 2015

My Little Pony Ride Made Me Have a Sad

DAMI
One of the beautiful white horses who gave us a ride!
One of the beautiful white horses who gave us a ride!

We decided to take a break from Walt Disney World and try something different and since one thing I’ve always wanted to do and have never done was ride a horse so I made reservations at Forever Florida in Saint Cloud which is not too far from our condo in Kissimmee.

When I found the Forever Florida website I was super happy because it looked great! They have a large piece of land and offer ziplines, a motorized coach tour through the park and horseback tours! I was a bit nervous as my only cowboy experience was watching The Rifleman on TV so was really happy to read their website because as it says:

“The Horseback Adventure features a walking trail ride through historic trails (and a creek!) through unspoiled Florida for riders with varying levels of experience. Horses are personally matched to each individual’s personality and level of riding experience so first timers are welcome.”

And I am a first timer and so is DD! Yeehaw it will be so fun to ride a horse.

It’s a hot morning and we arrive early as they asked and got registered and then took a look at the alligators in the pond and the Rawhide Roundup which is another group activity they offer where groups on horseback work in large corrals with some big cattle. It was pretty spectacular!

The graceful spirls of the huge birds above our heads was a great sight on this lovely hot Florida day!
The graceful spirls of the huge birds above our heads was a great sight on this lovely hot Florida day!

The vultures were riding the warm updrafts and circling overhead as our group finally gathered to choose our horses. The guides were friendly and they helped to assign us with the best horse although my horse seemed to be a bit cranky as he kept putting his ears back and I was not too happy when another horse got too close.

Me and my horse walking through the Florida fields. We share a moment and then, like a shadow, we say goodbye.
Me and my horse walking through the Florida fields. We share a moment and then, like a shadow, we say goodbye.

Being on a horse for the first time was fun! We got into a line, there are about 12 of us on horseback and it’s a perfect Florida day with warm sun and we head out in a group towards the trail through the scrub.

We bumped along the trail, across open areas and past stands of trees. The vultures passed overhead occasionally and we talked with the guide who told us about the horses. I was glad to be right behind the guide so I could hear her talking.

DD was behind me most of the time and her horse seemed fairly friendly. It was quite a sensation to be riding high in the saddle as the horse plodded along the muddy trail. I felt a bit sorry for the horses the way they walked made me feel like they were leading such a life of burden. All they did every day was walk a muddy trail through the spiked bushes in the scrub carrying strangers on their backs.

DD maneuvers through the Muskeg at the Forever Florida horse back ride. I felt bad for the horses for having to carry us through these swampy conditions and wish I had a carrot to give them for a thank you!
DD maneuvers through the Muskeg at the Forever Florida horse back ride. I felt bad for the horses for having to carry us through these swampy conditions and wish I had a carrot to give them for a thank you!

Some parts of the trail we have to go through some fairly deep streams and our horses go in to the water up to their belly and my feet are getting wet as they are going under the water it is fairly deep! It was quite an adrenaline rush with the water surrounding us and the reflections of the Spanish Moss that hangs in the trees in a canopy above us.

I started feeling even worse for my poor horse, being forced to trudge through a mud bottomed stream bank over and over day in and day out but I am sensitive to these sorts of things and I’m sure the horses weren’t mistreated or anything and were probably living a fairly happy life considering the options that some creatures have to endure but by the end of the first hour of the ride I was pretty much convinced that I wouldn’t go on another ride like this again.

We're experiencing the old style of slow moving traffic as we walk single file across the fields of Florida.
We’re experiencing the old style of slow moving traffic as we walk single file across the fields of Florida.

When we got back to the stables we disembarked and said a quick good-bye to our new friends. It would have been nice to be able to spend a few moments to thank the horses but it was a bit awkward at the end. Don’t get me wrong, the people at Forever Florida are very nice but my heart pinches a little for the horses.

A monarch butterfly in the garden. I think this is a little happy butterfly from inside the dreams of the horses.
A monarch butterfly in the garden. I think this is a little happy butterfly from inside the dreams of the horses.

Thank you to the horses! You are such elegant and noble creatures!

DD sits on her beautiful horse who carried her for almost two hours! What a sweeties she is! And DD is too! ;-)
DD sits on her beautiful horse who carried her for almost two hours! What a sweeties she is! And DD is too! 😉

Don’t Stop The Magic!

DAMI

 

On the People Mover Monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot there is such great views of the park and grounds. from a nice high angle. There are lots of groups wearing the same colored t-shirts so they can recognize each other. This is passing by the Spaceship Earth Ball and looking down at the Memorial Stones at the entrance to Epcot.
On the People Mover Monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot there is such great views of the park and grounds. from a nice high angle. There are lots of groups wearing the same colored t-shirts so they can recognize each other. This is passing by the Spaceship Earth Ball and looking down at the Memorial Stones at the entrance to Epcot.

What’s so much fun about being here at Walt Disney World is that there is so much to do and see every day that by the time you get home at the end of the day you have literally lived a hundred different magical lives! The ambiance is so much fun and so happy that even the crowds are enjoyable; it’s a thrill to be all together in this world of dreams! Today we got up at 6:30 and packed our lunches as usual and drove the short drive from Kissimmee to WDW. It’s great being so close, the condo rental is perfect!

We started at Epcot and took the Monorail People Mover to Magic Kingdom and started with a tour of Mainstreet USA and then on to The Cinderella Castle. We had a our Fast Passes all ready and had a rendez-vous at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to start the day. Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho, It’s Off To Work We go! It was awesome! The train was super cute and were made like real wooden train cars and we did the mining adventure ride and it happened so fast you really want to do it again!

As the Mine Train goes by all you hear is screams of delight! The scenery is awesome!
As the Mine Train goes by all you hear is screams of delight! The scenery is awesome!

We then went to see Winnie the Pooh and his friends which was more for kids but since DD was wearing her Winnie the Pooh T-Short with the magic muffin it fit very well with our day thank you very much!

And because we had seen the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh in White River in Ontario when we drove across Canada few years back it was neat to see that honey loving bundle of fur!

Then we did Enchanted Tales with Belle and the Carousel of Progress and Stitches Great Escape and the Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin and do you see what I mean this was all before our lunch!

We stopped at Splash Mountain and took pictures of people getting soaked as they roared down the track into the pools of water, it was funny!

We took the Paddle Wheel boat and sailed down the river past creatures and indigenous peoples who had a camp set up and were peacfully going about their day.
We took the Paddle Wheel boat and sailed down the river past creatures and indigenous peoples who had a camp set up and were peacfully going about their day.

Then there was the huge Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse and back to Main Street USA and my goodness by the time we had got back to Kissimmee my head was spinning again just like the Buzz Lightyear  spinner!

Giraffes were dancing and singing in the It's A Small World ride! It was such fun all the miniature little characters and the song is so great once you're outside you keep singing the song!
Giraffes were dancing and singing in the It’s A Small World ride! It was such fun all the miniature little characters and the song is so great once you’re outside you keep singing the song!

As we left there was the usual little pang of sadness at having another day being over but we still have tomorrow to look forward to and it’s fun to go back home and look at our photos and try and remember everything we did and saw. It’s not even possible to capture every magical moment but it sure is the best trip ever and I’m so glad to be here on my first visit to Walt Disney World!

Climbing the first ascent on the Mine Train was pretty intense and soon we were rocketing down through the pillars of rock! What a great day at Disney!
Climbing the first ascent on the Mine Train was pretty intense and soon we were rocketing down through the pillars of rock! What a great day at Disney!