AppyButt wrote:
Nothing boring about cliffs, jumping logs, fording rivers or galloping up a nice big hill!

I think it's probably all about personal taste. I've done lots of galloping up big hills and fording rivers (not so many cliffs, the Adirondacks are a lot older than those spiky mountains y'all have in the West!), and even camping out with horses. It's fine, I enjoy it, but if I'm given a choice, you'll find me in the arena, ever so slowly working my horse towards the ability to do a correct, supple, relaxed, and joyful half-pass. Now THAT is something that 99% of people I know think is completely and insanely boring!