It was June who taught us about the the order of horses.  She was the “Queen” I guess, but never allowed to go first on a trail ride, because she took that role pretty seriously and would blaze the trail as she knows it.  Her riders would miss out on the beauty of the day as she would be on a mission; her own mission, to get back to the “snack shack”.  She is one of the oldest horses, so the other horses look to her as their lead; their matriarch.  It’s  funny,  as one of the wranglers told us a story of her nudging the gate open one night and all the other horses simply followed her.  I chuckled as it reminded me of a field trip of children following the leader.  The panicked wranglers had no horses, and yet, it was not a problem since June was just on an evening stroll and brought them back when she was done.

So…the trail rides with teams of horses are organized in an order that they know and understand.  No one crosses the lead horse, and no one falls behind.    Except June.  She still finds a tasty shrub to snack on when it feels right to her. I guess, Mama knows best.

The photo was one of those “wow” moments in Bryce National Park.  Our quiet hike was interrupted by a clip clop and we were privy to the riders on the way down the canyon.  June is a horse at Cave Creek Trail Rides in Arizona.  

Weekly Photo Challenge: Order