Thank you beautiful Alberta!

It is July 19, 2021, 6 o’clock in the morning. Horses are being fed, breakfast is made, the
porculator is brewing the perfect cup of coffee.
Eight carriage drivers and two riders, all members of the Alberta Friesian Horse Association, are
getting ready to start their 5 day trail ride in Central Alberta. The back country roads are scouted
out, places to camp are organized and the horses are ready to work.
Although the schedule of the day was the same all week, the trails were surprisingly different.
Starting in the Blackfalds area, driving along Gull Lake, heading more North-East towards the
Battle River valley, circle around the Chain Lakes and ending up West of Bashaw.
From dirt roads to gravel, from places with a view to a dip in Gull Lake, bushy trails changed into
wide open roads going up and down. The horses crossed a few highways and now and then we
met a truck or a car. The drivers in these vehicles often took pictures and they were very
considerate of this different style of traffic. Every trail showed the beauty of the country we are
allowed to live in. One person said it like this at least once a day, “Thank you beautiful Alberta!”
The weather also behaved typical “Alberta style”: sunshine, smoke, tornado warning, thunder
and lightning, wind, rain and hail came our way, only to add to the unique experience.
Traveling for 5 days at a speed of only 4 miles per hour makes you think back about the
pioneer days. Of course we can not compare ourselves to them because we make use of the
luxury of our time. But it is definitely a way to renew an appreciation for what those people
accomplished in the early days by settling in this area and creating opportunities for themselves
and the future generations.
In conclusion the participating A.F.H.A. members can wholeheartedly say it again, “Thank
you beautiful Alberta!”

Written by Enny van Aken