One of the great things about Champlain College is the way they try to get their students involved in activities outside of the academic setting, and that carries over to the Dublin campus. Almost every week here there has been a sign-up on Lilly Johnnson’s desk for a weekend event. A few weeks ago, our other blogger Rachel mentioned a creepy, but exciting mummy tomb trip. Then, two weeks ago, we had a trip to a comedy night in a local pub.
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| From left – Sam, Hannah, Me, Jordan, Ian, Liz Notice the very tight black boots we all had to wear |
Last weekend and next weekend the campus planned two horseback riding trips. I was in the Champlain College Equestrian Club during my freshman year, so I had learned some of the basics of western style horseback riding and I was really exciting about signing up for this trip. The really nice thing about studying abroad with your friends is that you get to experience all of these cool trips together, so a group of my friends and I signed up for the trip last weekend. We got up at 8:00 AM and walked down to the train station to meet Lilly and head over to Bray.
Once we got to Brennanstown Riding School, we got a chance to look around and meet the horses and all the dogs running around the property. Then, we got our helmets and boots (even the boys had to wear the tall riding boots) and we were set up with our own horses. After a brief lesson on how to get your horse going, steering, and trotting, we set out on the trail. Because of the foggy weather, the countryside was eerily beautiful. We even got a chance to test our high-speed horse riding skills on one stretch of the trail which was quite exhilarating. My horse, Cliff, had the idea that anything green on the trail should be eaten, so I had to set him straight a few times. It was also entertaining to watch Ian attempt to make his horse stay on the path when clearly all he wanted to do was go off on other random trails. Each horse definitely had their own personality.
After turning around and heading back down the trail, we were forced to get off our horses which was difficult not only because we had an amazing time, but we also had to jump down a lot farther than we expected. Once we had said goodbye to the horses and took off our helmets and skin-tight boots, we headed back home. I think all of us learned a lot and had a pretty cool adventure in the woods of Bray. I can’t wait to see what the next weekend event is! Until next time, cheers!
-Allyson